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Review The Tick / The Tick - The Complete Collection (Season 1-3) [1994]
Release date: 2008-03-17
Run time: 200 min.
RRP: £39.99
Price: £18.97

Review The Tick - The Complete Collection (Season 1-3) [1994] / The Tick:


Review Warner Home Video / Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Corbin Bernsen
  • Michelle Monaghan
  • Deanna Dozier
  • Robert Downey Jr.
  • Shane Black
  • Val Kilmer
Release date: 2006-03-13
Run time: 103 min.
RRP: £18.99
Price: £2.29

Review Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [2005] / Warner Home Video:

With smart scribe Shane Black both penning the script and behind the camera, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was never going to be ordinary. Yet it's far better than you could have hoped for, marrying in comedy, action, a bit of a detective work and a constant, knowing wink to the audience. Cruelly underperforming at the box office, the film finds Robert Downey Jr as a small time thief, who quite literally finds himself stumbling into the world of acting. With a potential role as a private detective in the offing, his agent arranges for him to spend his time with private investigator Val Kilmer. All is fairly light, until a dead body crosses their paths and a genuine mystery presents itself. And that then sets the scene for a pacey, energetic film spearheaded by a trio of strong performances. The main plaudits should go to the interplay between Kilmer and Downey Jr, who both eat up their respective best roles in years. Meeting them head on though is Michelle Monaghan, who plays a wannabe actress with a talent for fast talking, and looks that Downey Jr's Harry can't help but resist. Now it's fair to argue that the setup itself doesn't feel particularly fresh. Yet the execution most certainly is, with Black savvy enough to know when to avoid the genre clichés, and when to drive his script right through the middle of them with a great big grin on his face. [+]
Grounded by a splendidly witty narration from Downey Jr, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is, at the point this review is being written, an underappreciated gem. Hopefully time, and DVD, will see it right. -Simon Brew.

Review Weinstein Company / Lucky Number Slevin [HD DVD] [2006] [US Import]
Actors & Directors
  • Ben Kingsley
  • Lucy Liu
  • Bruce Willis
  • Morgan Freeman
  • Josh Hartnett
  • Paul McGuigan
Release date: 2007-01-16
Run time: 110 min.
Price: £3.52

Review Lucky Number Slevin [HD DVD] [2006] [US Import] / Weinstein Company:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines
Release date: 2006-09-01
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.69

Review Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:


Review Eddie Murphy / The Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy (3 Disc Box Set) [1984]
Release date: 2005-10-03
RRP: £29.99
Price: £7.99

Review The Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy (3 Disc Box Set) [1984] / Eddie Murphy:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / The Longest Yard [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Chris Rock
  • Nelly
  • Peter Segal
  • William Fichtner
  • Adam Sandler
  • James Cromwell
Release date: 2006-01-16
Run time: 109 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.85

Review The Longest Yard [2005] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

The latest remake of Burt Reynold's 1974 flick, Adam Sandler's take on The Longest Yard, is unlikely to win him many new fans. But it has merits as a good, solid, enjoyable comedy, and it finds Sandler himself in very strong form. The plot sets him as an ex-American footballer, who is sent to prison following a car accident. There, he finds himself putting together a team of convicts to face off against the prison guards, an opportunity that many of the prisoners simply don't want to pass up. And that pretty much sets the stage for a fast-paced, frequently-funny comedy that doesn't eclipse the original by any means, but is a worthy testament to it. Its main strength is its cast. Alongside Sandler himself are a collection of names from the American Football scene, but British audiences are more likely to warm to Chris Rock. He pretty much steals good chunks of the movie from under Sandler's nose, and some of the film's finest moments are down to him. Granted, The Longest Yard hardly sets new ground for comedies, and neither is it the finest laugh-fest of the last few years. But it is fun, it is funny, and for Adam Sandler and Chris Rock fans in particular, it's a fine way to spend a couple of hours. [+]
Worth a spin. -Simon Brew.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / From Dusk Till Dawn / Full Tilt Boogie
Actors & Directors
  • Harvey Keitel
  • Robert Rodriguez
  • Juliette Lewis
  • George Clooney
  • Quentin Tarantino
  • Sarah Kelly
  • Robert Rodriguez
Release date: 2001-09-24
Run time: 103 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.50

Review From Dusk Till Dawn / Full Tilt Boogie / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

From a match made in heaven comes a movie spawned in hell! From Dusk Till Dawn sees young hotshot director Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi, Desperado) team up with Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino (offering his services as writer and costar) to make this outrageous, no-holds-barred hybrid of high-octane crime and gruesome horror. Tarantino plays Richard Gecko, a borderline psychopath who breaks his career-criminal brother, Seth (George Clooney), out of prison, after which they rob a bank and leave a trail of dead and wounded in their bloody wake. Then they hijack a mobile home driven by a former Baptist minister (Harvey Keitel) who quit the church after his wife's death and hit the road with his two children (played by Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu). Heading to Mexico with their hostages, the infamous Gecko brothers arrive at the Titty Twister bar to rendezvous for a money drop, but they don't realise that they've just entered the nocturnal lair of a bloodthirsty gang of vampires! With not-so-subtle aplomb, Rodriguez and Tarantino shift into high gear with a non-stop parade of gore, gunfire and pointy-fanged mayhem featuring Salma Hayek as a snake-charming dancer whose bite is much worse than her bark. If you're a fan of Tarantino's lyrical dialogue and pop-cultural wit, you'll have fun with the road-film half of this supernatural horror-comedy, but if your taste runs more to exploding heads and eyeballs, sloppy entrails and morphing monsters, the second half provides a connoisseur's feast of gross-out excess. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. comOn the DVD: the DVDs lavish features on us. The outtakes and deleted scenes are more of the same-exploding bellies, pus, blood and naked women with large teeth. The documentary "Full Tilt Boogie" is entertaining enough; the row with the unions, which it faithfully records, raises real issues about independent filmmakers and their work force. There are two music videos, a stills gallery, a reasonably acute commentary by Rodriguez and Tarantino and material about the art direction. [+]
The film is presented in Dolby Digital and a widescreen ratio of 1. 85:1 as well as an ordinary one of1. 33. 1. -Roz Kaveney.

Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / A Knight's Tale [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Paul Bettany
  • Laura Fraser
  • Heath Ledger
  • Mark Addy
  • Rufus Sewell
  • Brian Helgeland
Release date: 2006-04-17
Run time: 127 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £2.98

Review A Knight's Tale [2001] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does precisely that in A Knight's Tale and pulls off this trick with such giddy aplomb that you can't help but play along (upon witnessing a crowd of peasants at a jousting match, singing and clapping to the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You," you're either going to love this movie or dismiss it altogether). Other vintage rock hits will follow, but Helgeland-the Oscar®-winning co-writer of L. A. Confidential -handles this ploy with judicious goodwill, in what is an otherwise honest period piece about a peasant named William (Heath Ledger) who rises by grit and determination to the hallowed status of knighthood. As if the soundtrack weren't audacious enough, Helgeland (recovering from the sour experience of his directorial debut, Payback) casts none other than Geoffrey Chaucer (wonderfully played by Paul Bettany) as William's cohort and match announcer, along with William's pals Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), and feisty blacksmith Kate (Laura Fraser). Of course there must be a fair maiden, and she is Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon), with whom William falls in love while battling the nefarious Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) on the European jousting circuit. Add to this an inspiring father-son reunion, Ledger's undeniable charisma, a perfect supporting cast and enough joyful energy to rejuvenate the film's formulaic plot and A Knight's Tale becomes that most pleasant of movie surprises-an unlikely winner that rises up, like its hero, to exceed all expectations. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Universal Pictures Video / Hot Fuzz (2 Disc Special Edition) [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Kevin Eldon
  • Nick Frost
  • Simon Pegg
  • Edgar Wright
  • Timothy Dalton
  • Jim Broadbent
Release date: 2007-06-11
Run time: 116 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £2.30

Review Hot Fuzz (2 Disc Special Edition) [2007] / Universal Pictures Video:

A major British hit, a lorryload of laughs and some sparkling action? We'll have some of that. It's fair to say that Hot Fuzz proves that Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's brilliant Shaun Of The Dead was no one-off, serving up a superbly crafted British homage to the Hollywood action movie. Deliberately set in the midst of a sleepy, quaint English village of Sandford, Pegg's Nicholas Angel is sent there because, bluntly, he's too good at his job, and he's making his city colleagues look bad. The proverbial fish out of water, Angel soon discovers that not everything in Sandford is quite as it seems, and joins forces with Nick Frost's lumbering Danny Butterman to find out what's what. Hot Fuzz then proceeds to have a rollicking good time in both tipping its hat to the genre films that are clearly its loving inspiration, and coming up with a few tricks of its own. It does comedy better than action, with plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but it's no slouch either when the tempo needs raising. One of the many strong cards it plays is its terrific cast, which includes former 007 Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Paddy Considine, Edward Woodward and Jim Broadbent. Hot Fuzz, ultimately, just falls short of Shaun Of The Dead, but more than does enough to warrant many, many repeat viewings. It's terrific fun, and in the true hit action movie style, all-but-demands some form of sequel. That said, with Pegg and Wright now with two excellent, and suitably different, genres ticked off, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. [+]
A period drama, perhaps. ? -Simon Brew.

Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Convoy [1978]
Actors & Directors
  • Kris Kristofferson
  • Burt Young
  • Ernest Borgnine
  • Sam Peckinpah
  • Walter Kelley
  • Ali MacGraw
Release date: 2006-09-11
Run time: 106 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.54

Review Convoy [1978] / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Hot Fuzz [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Simon Pegg
  • Anne Reid
  • Edward Woodward
  • Paddy Considine
  • Martin Freeman
  • Edgar Wright
Release date: 2007-12-17
Run time: 116 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.99

Review Hot Fuzz [2007] / Universal Pictures UK:

A major British hit, a lorryload of laughs and some sparkling action? We'll have some of that. It's fair to say that Hot Fuzz proves that Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's brilliant Shaun Of The Dead was no one-off, serving up a superbly crafted British homage to the Hollywood action movie. Deliberately set in the midst of a sleepy, quaint English village of Sandford, Pegg's Nicholas Angel is sent there because, bluntly, he's too good at his job, and he's making his city colleagues look bad. The proverbial fish out of water, Angel soon discovers that not everything in Sandford is quite as it seems, and joins forces with Nick Frost's lumbering Danny Butterman to find out what's what. Hot Fuzz then proceeds to have a rollicking good time in both tipping its hat to the genre films that are clearly its loving inspiration, and coming up with a few tricks of its own. It does comedy better than action, with plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but it's no slouch either when the tempo needs raising. One of the many strong cards it plays is its terrific cast, which includes former 007 Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Paddy Considine, Edward Woodward and Jim Broadbent. Hot Fuzz, ultimately, just falls short of Shaun Of The Dead, but more than does enough to warrant many, many repeat viewings. It's terrific fun, and in the true hit action movie style, all-but-demands some form of sequel. That said, with Pegg and Wright now with two excellent, and suitably different, genres ticked off, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. [+]
A period drama, perhaps…? -Simon Brew.

Review Warner Home Video / True Romance (1993)
Actors & Directors
  • Val Kilmer
  • Christian Slater
  • Patricia Arquette
  • Tony Scott
  • Bronson Pinchot
  • Michael Rapaport
Release date: 2005-07-04
Run time: 116 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.15

Review True Romance (1993) / Warner Home Video:

It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favourite Tarantino climax-the "Mexican standoff"-in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. -Jeff Shannon It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but t his breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favourite Tarantino climax-the "Mexican standoff"-in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. [+]
-Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.

Review Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Casanova [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Stephen Greif
  • Heath Ledger
  • Lasse Hallstrom
  • Sienna Miller
  • Jeremy Irons
  • Oliver Platt
Release date: 2006-06-19
Run time: 112 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £4.98

Review Casanova [2005] / Buena Vista Home Entertainment:

A light farce dressed up as a lush 18th century costume drama, Casanova gives a fictional spin to the exploits of history's most rakish seducer of women. As played by Heath Ledger, this Casanova bears no resemblance to Donald Sutherland's unrepentant portrayal in Fellini's Casanova, filmed 30 years earlier. Instead, the great ladies' man of Venice is just biding time by bedding women, waiting for true love (and the return his long-absent mother) to settle down into blissful monogamy. He finds true love in Francesca (Sienna Miller), a feminist who initially resists Casanova's affections while director Lasse Hallström serves up a variety of lightweight subplots including Casanova's flight from the Vatican's inquisitor (Jeremy Irons); a host of mistaken identities involving, among others, the portly "Lard King of Genoa" (played with scene-stealing perfection by Oliver Platt in a blubbery fat suit); and the romantic negotiations of Francesca's mother (played by Hallström's wife, Lena Olin) and a young bumbler named Giovanni with his own promising future as a lover of women. It all adds up to a good-looking and harmless diversion that barely warrants an R-rating, and it makes a fine double-bill with the more enjoyable Dangerous Beauty, another Venetian lover's tale that was also blessed by the presence of Platt, who gives this Casanova the majority of its entertainment value. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Universal Pictures UK / Hot Fuzz [HD DVD] [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Edward Woodward
  • Anne Reid
  • Paddy Considine
  • Martin Freeman
  • Edgar Wright
  • Simon Pegg
Release date: 2007-08-06
Run time: 116 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £4.97

Review Hot Fuzz [HD DVD] [2007] / Universal Pictures UK:

A major British hit, a lorryload of laughs and some sparkling action? We'll have some of that. It's fair to say that Hot Fuzz proves that Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's brilliant Shaun Of The Dead was no one-off, serving up a superbly crafted British homage to the Hollywood action movie. Deliberately set in the midst of a sleepy, quaint English village of Sandford, Pegg's Nicholas Angel is sent there because, bluntly, he's too good at his job, and he's making his city colleagues look bad. The proverbial fish out of water, Angel soon discovers that not everything in Sandford is quite as it seems, and joins forces with Nick Frost's lumbering Danny Butterman to find out what's what. Hot Fuzz then proceeds to have a rollicking good time in both tipping its hat to the genre films that are clearly its loving inspiration, and coming up with a few tricks of its own. It does comedy better than action, with plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but it's no slouch either when the tempo needs raising. One of the many strong cards it plays is its terrific cast, which includes former 007 Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Paddy Considine, Edward Woodward and Jim Broadbent. Hot Fuzz, ultimately, just falls short of Shaun Of The Dead, but more than does enough to warrant many, many repeat viewings. It's terrific fun, and in the true hit action movie style, all-but-demands some form of sequel. That said, with Pegg and Wright now with two excellent, and suitably different, genres ticked off, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. [+]
A period drama, perhaps…? -Simon Brew.

Review Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK / My Mom's New Boyfriend (aka My Spy) [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Antonio Banderas
  • Colin Hanks
  • Selma Blair
  • Meg Ryan
Release date: 2008-07-14
Run time: 93 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £5.69

Review My Mom's New Boyfriend (aka My Spy) [2008] / Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK:

The premise is delicious: A young, by-the-book FBI agent (Colin Hanks) is given his new, highest-profile assignment yet-spying on his own mother (Meg Ryan). My Mom's New Boyfriend is a romantic comedy (long on both romance and comedy), giving Ryan her first film in a long time where she can take the laughs and run with them. Viewers will remember, with a grateful sigh, why she long reigned as the queen of American romantic comedy. Ryan plays Marty, devoted mom, who last saw her son, Henry (Hanks), three years ago when she was unhealthy, coarse, and overweight (looking like she might have borrowed Monica's fat suit from Friends). When Henry returns home from his secret op, fiancée (Selma Blair) in tow, Marty's still coarse, but has become a babe with a healthy libido ("Oh Henry, lighten up!" is Marty's oft-repeated refrain). Henry is horrified, but his girlfriend, Emily, is entranced. In fact, some of the film's best chemistry is between these two gifted actresses, as they spark and feed off each other's energy. When Marty takes up with the sultry Tommy (Antonio Banderas), Henry gets the ultimate "TMI" assignment: spying on his mom and her honey, suspected in an art theft ring. Hanks squirms convincingly, Banderas smoulders, and Ryan truly sparkles, unleashing her wacky side. If the plot has a few potholes, it doesn't matter because the cast is stellar and has such magnetism. [+]
By sheer determination and talent, the ensemble delivers laughs and poignancy. Extras include deleted scenes (and a few memorable bloopers), and a behind-the-scenes featurette on filming on location in northern Louisiana. -A. T. Hurley.

Review Dreamworks Home Entertainment / Road Trip [2000]
Actors & Directors
  • Andy Dick
  • Amy Smart
  • Todd Phillips
  • Rachel Blanchard
  • Breckin Meyer
  • Seann William Scott
Release date: 2001-05-28
Run time: 94 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £1.72

Review Road Trip [2000] / Dreamworks Home Entertainment:

Road Trip is a mostly agreeable, by-the-numbers teen flick with a handful of inspired sequences, most of them involving MTV's resident disturbed soul, Tom Green. It concerns a sleepy University of Ithaca student named Josh (Breckin Meyer) who accidentally mails a video of his sexual encounter with an infatuation (Amy Smart) to his long time girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard), who's seemingly avoiding him while at school in Austin, Texas. Naturally, he recruits some pals-Seann William Scott as the lech, DJ Qualls as the hopeless nerd and Paulo Costanzo as the doper genius-to hit the open highway and intercept the package. Even more naturally, mayhem ensues: a car explodes, a bus is stolen, a nerd is deflowered, French toast is horribly violated and an elderly man bogarts both pot and Viagra. The film's humour is more democratic than politically correct, as everyone-women and minority characters, not just the hipster white guys-have a hand in the high jinks. Green plays Barry Manilow (no, not that one), a professional student (eight years and counting)-he relates the film's story to sceptical prospective students while leading them on a tour of the college. In particular, in an already justly famous sequence of scenes, he sadistically anticipates and endeavours to accelerate a mouse's demise at the jaws of a python. It's very much in the vein of American Pie, perhaps a smidgen tamer, but at least its characters don't really learn any dopey lessons in the end. Director and co-screenwriter Todd Phillips, who earlier made the much-questioned documentary Frat House, again proves he's more adept at staging fictional comic sequences than real ones. -David Kronke, Amazon. [+]
com.

Review Universal Studios / The Mummy [HD DVD] [1999] [US Import]
Actors & Directors
  • Jonathan Hyde
  • Bernard Fox
  • Brendan Fraser
  • Carl Chase
  • Erick Avari
Release date: 2006-11-28
Run time: 125 min.
Creator: Jerry Goldsmith
Price: £6.01

Review The Mummy [HD DVD] [1999] [US Import] / Universal Studios:

For his breakthrough into the blockbuster big time, director Stephen Sommers (Deep Rising) was determined to avoid the hackneyed Hollywood Mummy clichés of flailing bandages, somnambulant zombies and wooden acting. If you're happy to settle for two out of three then the finished film could be your cup of Egyptian tea, fully delivering on its visual promise, but occasionally mired in a quicksand of stilted dialogue and plot contrivance. When disgraced high priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is awoken from his ancient prison, he unleashes his vengeful wrath in a whirl of computer-generated pestilence and plagues, all devised by the effects wizards at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic. No gory detail is spared as the mummy sets about rebuilding his decayed body and reviving his forbidden lover, aided by hordes of swarming, flesh-eating scarabs and an army of the dead. Among the more human cast, Brendan Fraser (Blast from the Past, George of the Jungle) brings an infectious Boys' Own enthusiasm to his Indiana-Jones-style adventurer, while such supporting players as Rachel Weisz and John Hannah are mostly eclipsed by the spectacle on offer. Ultimately, The Mummy is great fun and offers digital thrills ideally suited to the DVD format which will wow even the most CGI-sated viewer. On the DVD: commendably, the extras on this DVD are on a par with the Region One offering, including deleted scenes and director's commentary, and both picture and sound quality are excellent. Most interestingly, veteran ILM effects supervisor John Berton presents step-by-step guides to some of the film's most extraordinary CGI shots, from early animatics to 3-D modelling and compositing. There's also the obligatory "making of" programme, in which everyone insists their primary concern was to ensure the effects never superseded the story. Unfortunately, this only makes you more aware of the script's shortcomings. [+]
-Steve Napleton The modestly titled Ultimate Mummy Collection is an extravagant four-disc package that contains both The Mummy Ultimate Edition and The Mummy Returns Special Edition two-disc sets. For his breakthrough into the blockbuster big time, director Stephen Sommers was determined to avoid the hackneyed Hollywood Mummy clichés of flailing bandages, somnambulant zombies and wooden acting. If you're happy to settle for two out of three then the finished film could be your cup of Egyptian tea, fully delivering on its visual promise but occasionally mired in a quicksand of stilted dialogue and plot contrivance. Anrold Vosloo is disgraced high priest Imhotep, awoken from his ancient prison to unleash his vengeful wrath in a whirl of computer generated pestilence and plagues; Brendan Fraser brings an infectious boyish enthusiasm to his Indiana Jones-style adventurer, while supporting players Rachel Weisz and John Hannah are mostly eclipsed by the spectacle on offer. The lavish DVD extras include deleted scenes, a director's commentary and, most interestingly, veteran effects supervisor John Berton presenting a step-by-step guide to some of the film's most extraordinary computer generated shots. There's also the obligatory "making of" programme in which everyone insists their primary concern was to ensure the effects never superseded the story. Unfortunately, this only makes you more aware of the script's shortcomings. -Steve Napleton The Mummy Returns has an even more relentless pace and hammer headed tone than the first film-more explosions, more action and more mind-numbingly endless computer generated effects, set to a headache inducing surround soundtrack. The original cast are reunited and joined by WWF star The Rock (in a cameo role designed to plug his spin-off vehicle The Scorpion King) and young actor Freddie Boath who plays an English eight-year-old in the 1930s whose dialogue borrows from Bart Simpson. Still, despite the wearying relentlessness of its computer generated effects, endless chases and fights, this is undeniably fun popcorn fodder and provides some memorable scenes along the way, notably Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velasquez battling it out for the affections of nasty old Imhotep. Extras in this generous two-disc set include a decent commentary from the director and producer, DVD-ROM features, a 20-minute "making-of" documentary and a five-minute interview with the Rock. Best of all are the detailed special effects breakdowns of key sequences. -Mark Walker.

Review Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK / Kung Fu Hustle [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Stephen Chow
  • Stephen Chow
Release date: 2005-10-24
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.41

Review Kung Fu Hustle [2005] / Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK:

Movie-kinetics genius. Kung Fu Hustle takes the gleeful mayhem of Hong Kong action movies, the deadpan physical humor of silent comedies, and the sheer elasticity of Wile E. Coyote cartoons and fuses them into a spectacle that is simple in its joys and mind-boggling in its orchestration. A run-down slum has been poor but peaceful until a bunch of black-suited gangsters called the Axe Gang show up to cause trouble-and discover that, hidden among the humble poor, are three kung fu masters trying to live an ordinary life. But after these martial artists repulse the gang with their flying fists and feet, the gang leader hires a pair of assassins, whose arrival leads to the unveiling of more secrets, until both the screen and the audience are dizzy with hyperbolic fight artistry (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who also choreographed The Matrix). Weaving through this escalating fury is a loudmouthed loser (writer/director/actor Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself having to live up to his bragging. Kung Fu Hustle more than lives up to the promise of Chow's previous film, Shaolin Soccer: it's a movie made by an imagination unfettered by the laws of physics. Hugely entertaining. -Bret Fetzer, Amazon. com.

Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Mean Machine [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Vinnie Jones
  • Ralph Brown
  • David Hemmings
  • David Kelly
  • Vas Blackwood
  • Barry Skolnick
Release date: 2002-11-18
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.35

Review Mean Machine [2001] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review Warner Home Video / Fool's Gold [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Andy Tennant
  • Ray Winstone
  • Donald Sutherland
  • Matthew McConaughey
  • Kate Hudson
Release date: 2008-09-01
Run time: 108 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.98

Review Fool's Gold [2008] / Warner Home Video:


Models & Brands:
The Tick - The Complete Collection (Season 1-3) [1994], Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [2005], Lucky Number Slevin [HD DVD] [2006] [US Import], Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, The Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy (3 Disc Box Set) [1984], The Longest Yard [2005], From Dusk Till Dawn / Full Tilt Boogie, A Knight's Tale [2001], Hot Fuzz (2 Disc Special Edition) [2007], Convoy [1978], Hot Fuzz [2007], True Romance (1993), Casanova [2005], Hot Fuzz [HD DVD] [2007], My Mom's New Boyfriend (aka My Spy) [2008], Road Trip [2000], The Mummy [HD DVD] [1999] [US Import], Kung Fu Hustle [2005], Mean Machine [2001], Fool's Gold [2008]

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