The Strangers (Cert 15, 84 mins, Universal Pictures UK, Thriller/Horror/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)
Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton.
Kristen (Tyler) and her boyfriend James (Speedman) arrive home in a sombre mood: his wedding proposal hasn’t elicited the response he was hoping for so he telephones best friend Mike (Howerton) to come to the brick ranch house to pick him up. The couple sits awkwardly, raking over the dying embers of the relationship, until there is a knock at the door. “Is Tamara here?” asks the young woman on the dimly lit porch. Sending the girl away to a neighbouring house, Kristen runs a bath to unwind while James drives to the local store to pick up cigarettes. During his absence, three figures – Dollface (Ward), The Man In The Mask (Weeks) and Pin-Up Girl (Margolis) – encircle the property, preparing to break in… The Strangers is an edge-of-seat thriller imagining the battle of wits between a young couple and three masked misfits who invade their home in the dead of night. For the first hour, writer-director Bryan Bertino’s debut feature is riveting, cranking up the suspense until our knuckles are white with fear as the trapped lovebirds creep nervously around the house, unaware their tormentors are hovering in the shadows. Tension dissipates once best friend Mike arrives at the house to collect James and walks to his bloody doom, and the film’s logic buckles noticeably to ensure Kristen ends up back in the house, at the mercy of the deadly trio for the gratuitously violent finale, rather than running down the driveway to flag down a passing car.
DVD Extras: “The Element Of Terror” featurette, deleted scenes.
Rating: ***
The Love Guru (Cert 12, 83 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Comedy/Romance/Musical, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £24.99)
Starring: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Justin Timberlake, Manu Narayan, Verne Troyer, Sir Ben Kingsley, John Oliver.
Raised in an ashram in the tiny Indian fishing village of Harenmahkeester, Guru Pitka (Myers) leaves his beloved, cross-eyed mentor Guru Tugginmypuddha (Kingsley) to establish himself as an expert in self-help and spirituality in America. In order to raise his profile, Pitka agrees to help Darren Roanoke (Malco), star hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, to heal a rift with estranged wife, Prudence (Good). Alas, she already has a new lover: Darren’s sworn rival on the ice, Jacques Grande (Timberlake). Roanoke takes her betrayal badly and his form suffers, distressing Maple Leafs owner Jane Bullard (Alba) and diminutive coach Cherkov (Troyer), who need their star player in tip-top shape. Thus, Pitka puts his talents to the test with the help of loyal assistant Rajneesh (Narayan) to reunite the Roanokes and maybe even win Jane’s heart. The Love Guru espouses the importance of fulfilment through self-reflection (“Intimacy = Into me I see”) but Marco Schnabel’s film will have quite the opposite effect: self-loathing and frustration as viewers realize that they have wasted good money on second-rate goods. No one will be amused by this crass and humourless tale of self-empowerment, which bookends lacklustre comic vignettes with Bollywood-style song and dance performances of Dolly Parton’s anthem 9 To 5, More Than Words by Extreme and The Joker by the Steve Miller Band. Schnabel’s film isn’t actually mean-spirited or intentionally disrespectful, it’s just unremittingly dull, wrapping its quasi-philosophical teachings in the usual mishmash of slapstick, innuendo and sight gags. Myers flashes an annoying, toothy grin as he glides from scene to scene on Pitka’s motorised cushion.
DVD Extras: 3 behind the scenes featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, out-takes.
Rating: *
NEW TO BUY ON DVD
Doctor Who: Battlefield (Cert PG, 96 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £19.99, Sci-Fi/Drama)
The timelord (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) arrive on Earth and become embroiled in a feud between King Arthur and Morgaine (Jean Marsh), who are actually figures from another dimension. They recognise the Doctor as the powerful wizard Merlin and thus battle begins with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance. Thankfully, old ally Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) is on hand to help the Doctor and Ace neutralise the threat posed by Morgaine and her minions.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Man On Wire (Cert 12, 94 mins, Icon Home Entertainment, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99, Documentary)
On August 7, 1974, high-wire performer Philippe Petit stunned the residents of lower Manhattan by seemingly walking on air between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. His daredevil exploits, accomplished with the help of accomplices on both buildings including lover Annie Allix, are celebrated in James Marsh’s documentary, which recreates events leading up to that historic, blustery summer’s day, interspersed with news footage and interviews with the people closest to Petit. Michael Nyman’s haunting orchestral score accompanies the action as Philippe and his small team narrowly avoid detection by security guard patrols to enact their hare-brained scheme. Death is just a one false move away.
DVD Extras: Director, producer and executive producer commentary, interview with Philippe Petit, “Sydney Harbour Bridge Crossing” short film, “The Man Who Walked Between The Towers” animated short narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Wallander (Cert 15, 266 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £29.99, Drama/Thriller)
Based on the murder mysteries of author Henning Mankell, this BBC1 series revolves around veteran police Inspector Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh), who is charged with solving crimes in his southern Swedish backwater. In these three episodes, Wallander probes murder, an apparent suicide, a deadly conspiracy and a series of shootings that culminates in the death of one of the Inspector’s colleagues. The DVD includes ‘Side-tracked’, ‘Firewall’ and ‘One Step Behind’.
DVD Extras: Behind the scenes featurette including cast and author interviews, “Who Is Kurt Wallander?” featurette.
Mum & Dad (Cert 18, 84 mins, Revolver Entertainment, DVD £15.99, Horror/Thriller)
The first feature film to be release simultaneously in the cinemas and on DVD is a terrifying vision of Christmas present, centred on Polish immigrant Lena (Olga Fedori) who toils as a cleaner at Heathrow. When she misses the bus home one night, Lena foolishly accepts a helping hand from co-worker Birdy (Ainsley Howard), who takes the immigrant home to her mum (Dido Miles) and dad (Perry Benson) who imprison poor Lena and force her into servitude, or suffer the grisly consequences.
DVD Extras: Director and producer commentary, “Through A Vulture Eye’ short film by Steven Sheil, behind the scenes footage, cast and crew Q&A from Film4 FrightFest 2008, director interview, 8 on-set cast and crew interviews, theatrical trailer.
The Children (Cert 15, 139 mins, 2entertain, DVD £19.99, Drama/Thriller)
ITV1′s provocative three-part drama concerns the death of an eight-year-old girl, whose body is discovered on the patio of her family home. As events unfold from conflicting perspectives, we discover the tangle of events leading up to the death, involving the girl’s father Cameron (Kevin Whateley) and his new partner Sue (Geraldine Somerville), the mother Anne (Lesley Sharp), and Sue’s ex-husband Paul (Ian Puleston-Davies) and his girlfriend Natasha (Kate Ashfield).
DVD Extras: none stated.
Lipstick Jungle – Season One (Cert 15, 286 mins, Universal Playback, DVD £19.99, Drama/Romance)
Brooke Shields returns to the small screen in the new drama from the writer of Sex & The City, set once again in the streets and avenues of New York City. Good friends Wendy Healy (Shields), Nico Reilly (Kim Raver) and Victory Ford (Lindsay Price) juggle personal and professional engagements as younger rivals plot their downfall. While movie executive Wendy faces problems with her husband Shane (Paul Blackthorne) and fashion magazine doyenne Nico begins an affair with photographer’s assistant Kirby (Robert Buckley), designer Victory succumbs to the charm of billionaire Joe Bennet (Andrew McCarthy), who certainly knows how to treat a lady. The two-disc DVD includes all seven episodes.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Trial & Retribution – The Fourth Collection (Cert 18, 409 mins, Acorn Media, DVD £24.99, Thriller/Drama)
DI Moira Lynch (Kerry Fox) and DI Jack Mullins (David O’Hara) join the team, led by DCS Michael Walker (David Hayman), DCI Roisin Connor (Victoria Smurfit) and DS Satchell (Dorian Lough), for three thrilling cases involving a serial rapist targeting the black community, a dead child and missing nanny, and the murder of a Police Commander and his wife. The three-disc box set includes the episodes ‘Paradise Lost’, ‘Curriculum Vitae’ and ‘Mirror Image’.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Steep (2 Disc Special Edition) (Cert PG, 86 mins, Metrodome, DVD £19.99, Documentary/Action)
Filmmaker Mark Obenhaus gets the adrenaline pumping with this documentary tribute to the speed freaks who risk life and limb to ski down some of the world’s steepest and most perilous runs, often leaping onto the highest point from a helicopter. Travelling all over the world, from Valdez in Alaska to Chamonix in France, Steep reveals the incredible courage and athleticism of these extreme skiers, and the sobering price some of them pay in their pursuit of ever greater thrills. The DVD also includes the legendary and inspirational ski film The Blizzard Of Aahhhs, celebrating the daredevil antics of cliff-jumper Scott Schmidt, extreme skier Glen Plake and precision skier Matt Hattrup.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Slap Shot 3: Junior League (Cert 12, 86 mins, Universal Pictures UK, DVD £12.99, Comedy)
Young underdogs prove they have plenty of bite in this straight-to-DVD sequel, once again venturing to the cozy town of Charlestown where ice hockey unites the entire community. A scheming property developer targets the town and makes plans to raze the boy’s orphanage for huge profit. The only way to survive is for some of the boys, who belong to the Junior League, to bring together friends and neighbours against the land developer and persuade The Hanson Brothers to sponsor the team. Unfortunately, the brothers have turned their backs on their violent past and speak only of the need to reclaim the sport’s inner chi.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Shoot On Sight (Cert 18, 3499 mins, HBO Video, DVD £124.99, Drama/Thriller/Action)
Arriving on DVD in the midst of the inquiry into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian national shot and killed at Stockwell tube station in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings, Jag Mundhra’s controversial film considers a similar scenario through the eyes of the police. Commander Tariq Ali (Naseeruddin Shah), a high ranking Muslim police officer with an English wife (Greta Scacchi), is asked to investigate the police shooting of a suspected Muslim terrorist on the London Underground. When evidence emerges of the slain man’s innocence, Ali finds himself torn between his beliefs and the fellow police officers who do not trust him.
DVD Extras: none stated.
Denise Van Outen: Pure Dance Workout (Cert E, 70 mins, 2entertain, DVD £19.99, Special Interest)
The West End star and former radio host helps you get in shape to the sounds of Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse in this DVD of four energetic dance routines, each targeting a different body zone. Between the warm up and cool down segments, feel the burn with sections devoted to Voguing, Lyrical Jazz, Hip-hop and Funky Pop.
DVD Extras: none stated.
The Tracy Anderson Method: Dance Cardio Workout (Cert E, 60 mins, ITV DVD, DVD £17.99, Special Interest)
Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow’s personal trainer shares the secrets of her success in this keep-fit DVD for women serious about losing weight and getting their bodies into trim shape. You can learn the routines at your own pace then follow Tracy as she exercises the entire body with limitless energy, helping to enhance muscle structure.
DVD Extras: Gwyneth Paltrow testimonial.
Gimme Gimme Gimme A Really Great Workout (Cert E, 60 mins, Fremantle Home Entertainment, DVD £19.99, Special Interest)
Capitalising on the success of Mamma Mia!, this DVD helps dancing queens to beat the bulge with a programme of high-energy dance aerobics, set to the live music of one of the world’s finest ABBA tribute bands, Bjorn Again. Dance and aerobics instructor Mila Lazar leads the workouts to a soundtrack including “Take A Chance”, “Super Trouper”, “Money Money Money” and “Thank You For The Music”.
DVD RENTAL TOP 10
1 (-) The Dark Knight
2 (1) Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
3 (-) Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
4 (2) Hancock
5 (4) Iron Man
6 (3) The Mummy – Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
7 (7) Kung Fu Panda
8 (6) Mamma Mia!
9 (-) Star Wars – The Clone Wars
10 (10) The Chronicles Of Narnia – Prince Caspian
