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Review Showbox Media Group Ltd / Chocolate [2008] [DVD]
Actors & Directors
  • Prachya Pinkaew
Release date: 2008-11-03
Run time: 89 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.08

Review Chocolate [2008] [DVD] / Showbox Media Group Ltd:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels [DVD] [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Nick Moran
  • Jason Statham
  • Jason Flemyng
  • Steven Mackintosh
  • Guy Ritchie
  • Dexter Fletcher
Release date: 2004-11-02
Run time: 107 min.
Creator: Peter Morton
RRP: £17.99
Price: £1.75

Review Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels [DVD] [1998] / Universal Pictures UK:

Cockney boys Tom, Soap, Eddie and Bacon are in a bind; they owe seedy criminal and porn king "Hatchet" Harry a sizeable amount of cash after Eddie loses half a million in a rigged game of poker. Hot on their tails is a thug named Big Chris who intends to send them all to the hospital if they don't come up with the cash in the allotted time. Add into the mix an incompetent set of ganja cultivators, two dimwitted robbers, a "madman" with an afro, and a ruthless band of drug dealers and you have an astonishing movie called Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Before the boys can blink, they are caught up in a labyrinth of double-crosses that lead to a multitude of dead bodies, copious amounts of drugs, and two antique rifles. Written and directed by talented newcomer Guy Ritchie, this is one of those movies that was destined to become an instant cult classic à la Reservoir Dogs. Although some comparisons were drawn between Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino, it would be unfair to discount the brilliant wit of the story and the innovative camerawork that the director brings to his debut feature. Not since The Krays has there been such an accurate depiction of the East End and its more colourful characters. Indicative of the social stratosphere in London, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a hilarious and at times touching account of friendships and loyalty. The director and his mates (who make up most of the cast) clearly are enjoying themselves here. This comes across in some shining performances, in particular from ex-footballer Vinnie Jones (Big Chris) and an over-the-top Vas Blackwood (as Rory Breaker), who very nearly steals the show. [+]
Full of quirky vernacular and clever tension-packed action sequences, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a triumph-a perfect blend of intelligence, humour and suspense. -Jeremy Storey.

Review MGM Entertainment / The Vikings [DVD] [1958]
Actors & Directors
  • Richard Fleischer
  • Tony Curtis
  • Janet Leigh
  • Ernest Borgnine
  • Kirk Douglas
  • James Donald
Release date: 2003-03-31
Run time: 111 min.
Creator: Edison Marshall
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.64

Review The Vikings [DVD] [1958] / MGM Entertainment:

Kirk Douglas produced the trendsetting barbarian epic The Vikings and took the showiest, most aggressive role: lusty Viking Prince Einar, the "only son in wedlock" of King Ragnar (a cackling, wild-eyed Ernest Borgnine). With jagged scars down his face and a milky-white blind eye that almost glows in his skull, Douglas has a rowdy time battling defiant slave Tony Curtis (the long-lost heir to the British throne) for the hand of the beautiful princess Janet Leigh. It's pure Hollywood hokum, sure, but spectacular hokum: the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff turns his Norway locations into a lush Valhalla on earth. Faced with an absurd story, journeyman director Richard Fleischer goes for the gusto in brawling Viking parties, furious sieges, and clanging broadsword battles. An enormous hit, the film spawned a huge wave of Viking movies, some perhaps smarter but none as much fun. -Sean Axmaker.

Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Hellboy (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2004]
Actors & Directors
  • Guillermo Del Toro
  • Rupert Evans
  • John Hurt
  • Ron Perlman
  • Karel Roden
  • Selma Blair
Release date: 2006-01-09
Run time: 127 min.
Creator: John Hurt
RRP: £19.99
Price: £4.98

Review Hellboy (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2004] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Fantastic Four [Blu-ray] [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Julian McMahon
  • Tim Story
  • Chris Evans
  • Laurie Holden
  • Michael Chiklis
  • Aonika Laurent
Release date: 2006-12-11
Run time: 101 min.
Creator: Aonika Laurent
RRP: £22.99
Price: £7.26

Review Fantastic Four [Blu-ray] [2005] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon Director: Tim Story

Review Pathe Distribution / Resident Evil [DVD] [2002]
Actors & Directors
  • Paul W.S. Anderson
  • James Purefoy
  • Eric Mabius
  • Milla Jovovich
  • Martin Crewes
  • Michelle Rodriguez
Release date: 2003-04-14
Run time: 100 min.
Creator: Michelle Rodriguez
RRP: £17.99
Price: £0.84

Review Resident Evil [DVD] [2002] / Pathe Distribution:

Given that Resident Evil is a Paul Anderson movie based on a computer game which was itself highly derivative (especially of George A Romero and James Cameron films), it's probably unfair to complain that it hasn't got an original idea or moment in its entire running time. In the early 1980s, Italian schlock films such as Zombie Flesh Eaters and Zombie Creeping Flesh tried to cram in as many moments restaged from American originals as possible, strung together by silly characters wandering between monster attacks. This is a much-improved, edited, photographed and directed version of the same gambit. As amnesiac Milla Jovovich remembers amazing kung fu skills and anti-globalist Eric Mabius mutters about evil corporations, a gang of clichéd soldiers with nary a distinguishing feature between them (except for Michelle Rodriguez as a secondary tough chick) are trapped in an underground scientific compound at the mercy of a tyrannical computer-which manifests as a smug little-girl-o-gram-fending off flesh-eating zombies (though gore fans will be disappointed by the film's need to stay within the limits of the 15 certificate) and CGI mutants, not to mention the ever-popular zombie dogs. It's tolerably action-packed, but zips past its borrowings (Aliens, Cube, Deep Blue Sea) without adding anything that future schlock pictures will want to imitate. On the DVD: Resident Evil on disc has the expected trailers, both teaser and theatrical; a half-hour making-of; zombie make-up tests; featurettes on music (with Marilyn Manson), production design and costume. A lively commentary track features Anderson, Jovovich, Rodriguez and producer/zombie Jeremy Bolt-Jovovich upbraids Anderson for talking about different gradings of film stock over her nude scene and everyone else talks about how much she hurt them by punching them out during action sequences. Anderson mentions an alternate commentary track with visual effects designer Richard Yuricich, but it isn't included. -Kim Newman.

Review Warner Home Video / The Last Samurai [DVD] [2003]
Actors & Directors
  • Tony Goldwyn
  • Billy Connolly
  • Tom Cruise
  • Timothy Spall
  • Ken Watanabe
  • Edward Zwick
Release date: 2004-11-01
Run time: 154 min.
Creator: Ken Watanabe
RRP: £13.99
Price: £1.67

Review The Last Samurai [DVD] [2003] / Warner Home Video:


Review 4Digital Media / Best Of The Best Collection [DVD]
Actors & Directors
  • Chris Penn
  • Phillip Rhee
  • James Earl Jones
  • Eric Roberts
Release date: 2007-10-15
Run time: 371 min.
Creator: Chris Penn
RRP: £15.99
Price: £5.68

Review Best Of The Best Collection [DVD] / 4Digital Media:


Review Warner Home Video / The Big Sleep [1946] [DVD]
Actors & Directors
  • Humphrey Bogart
  • Martha Vickers
  • Lauren Bacall
  • Dorothy Malone
  • John Ridgely
  • Howard Hawks
Release date: 2006-06-01
Run time: 110 min.
Creator: William Faulkner
RRP: £13.99
Price: £3.99

Review The Big Sleep [1946] [DVD] / Warner Home Video:

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made screen history together more than once, but they were never more popular than in this 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, directed by Howard Hawks (To Have and Have Not). Bogart plays private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a wealthy socialite (Bacall) to look into troubles stirred up by her wild, young sister (Martha Vickers). Legendarily complicated (so much so that even Chandler had trouble following the plot), the film is nonetheless hugely entertaining and atmospheric, an electrifying plunge into the exotica of detective fiction. William Faulkner wrote the screenplay. -Tom Keogh.

Review Warner Home Video / Ocean's Eleven [DVD] [2002]
Actors & Directors
  • Steven Soderbergh
  • Matt Damon
  • George Clooney
  • Cecelia Ann Birt
  • Brad Pitt
  • Julia Roberts
Release date: 2002-10-14
Run time: 112 min.
Creator: Ted Griffin
RRP: £13.99
Price: £1.46

Review Ocean's Eleven [DVD] [2002] / Warner Home Video:

Ocean's Eleven improves on 1960's Rat Pack original with supernova casting, a slickly updated plot and Steven Soderbergh's graceful touch behind the camera. Soderbergh reportedly relished the opportunity "to make a movie that has no desire except to give pleasure from beginning to end", and he succeeds on those terms, blessed by the casting of George Clooney as Danny Ocean, the title role originated by Frank Sinatra. Fresh out of jail, Ocean masterminds a plot to steal $163 million from the seemingly impervious vault of Las Vegas's Bellagio casino, not just for the money but to win his ex-wife (Julia Roberts) back from the casino's ruthless owner (Andy Garcia). Soderbergh doesn't scrimp on the caper's comically intricate strategy, but he finds greater joy in assembling a stellar team (including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Carl Reiner) and indulging their strengths as actors and thieves. The result is a film that's as smooth as a silk suit and just as stylish. -Jeff Shannon On the DVD: Ocean's Eleven on disc is hardly swarming with special features, but just like all good heists it's quality not quantity that counts. Although the DVD-ROM feature is simply a game of computer blackjack, the cast list simply that and the HBO special just a standard Hollywood promo, the two refreshing and honest commentaries more than compensate. The cast commentary is lively and it's nice to hear intelligent comments coming from Hollywood's big league for a change. However, it's the director and writer's commentary that is the real gem; it's funny, enlightening and most of all it allows Ted Griffin to put the case forward for all screenwriters across the world as to the importance of their craft. The main feature has an impressive transfer of sound and visuals, making the suits sharper and David Holmes' soundtrack even funkier. [+]
-Nikki Disney.

Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Mission: Impossible [Blu-ray] [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Kristin Scott Thomas
  • Tom Cruise
  • Emmanuelle Béart
  • Jon Voight
  • Jean Reno
  • Brian De Palma
Release date: 2008-11-03
Run time: 106 min.
Creator: Jon Voight
RRP: £19.99
Price: £10.98

Review Mission: Impossible [Blu-ray] [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / From Dusk Till Dawn Trilogy (Box Set) [DVD] [1995]
Actors & Directors
  • P.J. Pesce
  • Robert Rodriguez
  • Marco Leonardi
  • Duane Whitaker
  • Muse Watson
  • Scott Spiegel
  • Harvey Keitel
  • Brett Harrelson
Release date: 2005-10-03
Run time: 281 min.
Creator: Duane Whitaker
RRP: £30.99
Price: £6.10

Review From Dusk Till Dawn Trilogy (Box Set) [DVD] [1995] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

This box set collects From Dusk Till Dawn and its two lesser-known sequels, plus a wealth of associated material. None are horror classics, but taken as a trilogy the series offers above-average thrills and an interesting invented mythology. The original is a trashy but fun crime spree/vampire movie, directed by Robert Rodriguez, with Quentin Tarantino doing one job too many as producer, writer and co-star. The crime movie half is suspenseful and flavoursome and the left turn into horror begins wonderfully, but the script makes the mistake of getting rid of the flamboyant monster villains too quickly, replacing them with an orgy of rubbery Evil Dead II-style effects. It never gets boring, there's a terrific Tex-Mex-Gothic soundtrack and Rodriguez stages shoot-outs better than anyone not called John Woo. It was a big enough hit to warrant sequels made for the video market, shot back-to-back in South Africa (doubling for Texas and Mexico). From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money begins as another cowboy noir, with ex-con Robert Patrick playing cat and mouse with Texas Ranger Bo Hopkins. It segues into horror as heist man Duane Whitaker runs into a bat on the highway and proceeds to turn his gang into vampires who engage during a total eclipse in a Wild Bunch-style bank raid-cum-shootout. Switching genres and playing the prequel game, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is more distinctive. A cod-spaghetti Western, it takes a plot nugget from history as the aged Ambrose Bierce (Michael Parks, the Sheriff killed before the credits in the first film) tangles with vampires in Mexico in 1914 en route to his mythic disappearance. [+]
Though it has the best storyline of the trio, it still degenerates into a compilation of horror gags in its carnage-strewn climax. On the DVD: From Dusk Till Dawn is identical to the previous collector's edition release, while the sequels here appear on disc for the first time in great-looking 1. 85:1 widescreen, which shows off the attempts made by directors Scott Spiegel and P. J. Pesce to add visual quality to reruns of the original's plot. A second disc included in the first movie's keepcase features "Full Tilt Boogie", a light but informative feature-length documentary about making an effects-heavy film on the cheap; there's also a Rodriguez-Tarantino commentary; alternate and deleted scenes (more gore effects); excerpts from the film intercut with on-the-set-footage and commented on by Rodriguez and effects man Greg Nicotero; the trailer; Rodriguez music videos; a still gallery; cast and crew bios. If you count the sequels as extras in their own right, it's not that disappointing that they only rate one tiny extra between them, a deleted snippet from The Hangman's Daughter originally intended as an after-the-end-credits punchline. -Kim Newman.

Review Universal Pictures UK / The Bourne Ultimatum [Blu-ray] [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Edgar Ramirez
  • Joan Allen
  • Julia Stiles
  • David Strathairn
  • Paul Greengrass
  • Matt Damon
Release date: 2009-03-30
Run time: 102 min.
Creator: Julia Stiles
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.89

Review The Bourne Ultimatum [Blu-ray] [2007] / Universal Pictures UK:

Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn Director: Paul Greengrass The often breathtaking, final installment in the Bourne trilogy finds the titular assassin with no memory closing in on his past, finally answering his own questions about his real identity and how he came to be a seemingly unstoppable killing machine. Matt Damon returns for another intensely physical performance as Jason Bourne, the rogue operative at war with the CIA, which made him who and what he is and managed to kill his girlfriend in the series' second film, The Bourne Supremacy. Now looking for payback, Bourne goes in search for the renegade chief of CIA operations in Europe and North Africa, partnering for a time with a mysterious woman from his past (Julia Stiles) and constantly-constantly-on the run from assassins, intelligence foot soldiers, and cops. Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93) with the director’s thrilling, trademark textures and shaky, documentary style, The Bourne Ultimatum is largely a succession of action scenes that reveal a lot about the story’s characters while they’re under duress. Joan Allen, Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Paddy Considine comprise the film’s terrific supporting cast, and the well-traveled movie leads viewers through Turin, Madrid, Tangiers, Paris, London, and New York. Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to Bourne’s exciting and protracted mystery. -Tom Keogh.

Review Entertainment in Video / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) [DVD] [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Alan Howard
  • Sean Astin
  • Noel Appleby
  • Peter Jackson
  • Ian McKellen
  • Elijah Wood
Release date: 2001-12-19
Run time: 208 min.
Creator: Philippa Boyens
RRP: £19.99
Price: £8.12

Review The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) [DVD] [2001] / Entertainment in Video:

In every aspect, the extended edition of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is superior to the theatrical version. No-one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer it, because this extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a wee bit more violence. But the changes-sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds-make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of JRR Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. Some additions make more sense to the plot while others are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). On the DVDs: The Fellowship of the Ring-Extended Version comes in two distinct packages: choose either the four-disc set itself, handsomely presented in a hardback book-style fold-out, or the huge and more expensive Collector's Box Set, which has the same four-disc set accompanied by two chunky "polystone" sculpted Argonath bookends, both of which are solid enough to support either your DVD or Tolkien book collection. The discs themselves have extremely useful chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell, due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time, the added DTS ES 6. [+]
1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's a minor inconvenience. Of the four commentaries those with the greatest general appeal are the one by Jackson with cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members; but the more technically orientated commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing. The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release, delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual effects. This extended edition DVD set is the Fellowship to rule them all. -David Horiuchi.

Review MGM Entertainment / The Bridge At Remagen [DVD] [1968]
Actors & Directors
  • Robert Vaughn
  • John Guillermin
  • E.G. Marshall
  • Ben Gazzara
  • George Segal
  • Bradford Dillman
Release date: 2003-05-05
Run time: 112 min.
Creator: William Roberts
RRP: £12.99
Price: £2.92

Review The Bridge At Remagen [DVD] [1968] / MGM Entertainment:

Fine casting, rugged characters and authentic military detail make The Bridge at Remagen one of the best World War II action films of the 1960s. Based on actual incidents during the final Allied advance on Germany in March 1945, the story focuses on the US Army's exhausted 27th Armoured Infantry, assigned to seize the bridge at Remagen, on the Rhine river, to prevent 50,000 German troops from retreating to safety. Lt Hartman (George Segal) leads the mission, while a Nazi major (Robert Vaughn) defies orders by attempting to hold the bridge instead of blowing it up. With strong emphasis on war's harsher realities, the film's compelling characters illustrate the camaraderie of survivors and the heroism of mavericks in the thick of battle. Segal and Ben Gazzara effectively convey a hard-won friendship, and the film's dynamic action (filmed in Czechoslovakia and Italy) never overwhelms the story's emotional impact. This is highly recommended. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.

Review MGM Entertainment / Live And Let Die [Blu-ray] [1973]
Actors & Directors
  • Yaphet Kotto
  • Jane Seymour
  • Clifton James
  • Guy Hamilton
  • Roger Moore
  • Bernard Lee
Release date: 2008-10-20
Run time: 121 min.
Creator: Yaphet Kotto
RRP: £22.99
Price: £8.93

Review Live And Let Die [Blu-ray] [1973] / MGM Entertainment:


Review Warner Home Video / Gods And Generals / Gettysburg [DVD] [2003]
Actors & Directors
  • Martin Sheen
  • Tom Berenger
  • Ronald F. Maxwell
  • Jeff Daniels
  • Stephen Lang
  • Robert Duvall
Release date: 2004-07-05
Run time: 452 min.
Creator: Michael Shaara
RRP: £30.99
Price: £4.98

Review Gods And Generals / Gettysburg [DVD] [2003] / Warner Home Video:


Review Warner Home Video / Firewall [DVD] [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • Joe Forte
  • Robert Forster
  • Alan Arkin
  • Harrison Ford
  • Paul Bettany
  • Richard Loncraine
Release date: 2006-07-24
Run time: 104 min.
Creator: Paul Bettany
RRP: £17.99
Price: £1.76

Review Firewall [DVD] [2006] / Warner Home Video:

Harrison Ford, bluntly, has seen better days. While once again he gives a tough, gruff performance in the leading role of a Hollywood thriller, the material around him in the case of Firewall is a far cry from what we used to expect of one of Hollywood's most enduring leading men. It's still fun in its own way, though. Ford is the leader of the technical security team at his local bank, and finds his life is turned upside down when firstly his identity is compromised, and then his family are kidnapped. The kidnappers, led by Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Wimbledon) swiftly demand his help to extract $100m, only for Ford to gradually become more and more reluctant to play ball, with predictably fractious results. It's a fairly by-the-numbers plot at work here, temporarily livened by some interesting set pieces and decent performances by the cast. Yet an unfocused script and an overblown running time mean the film amounts to being little more than a throwaway thriller, ideal fodder for an easy night-in, assuming you've no wish to remember much about it the morning after. By Ford's own standards, that's not great, but it's the best that's on offer here. -Simon Brew.

Review FUNimation Entertainment Ltd. / DragonBall Z: Season Three (REGION 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import]
Actors & Directors
  • Sean Schemmel
  • Sonny Strait
  • Stephanie Nadonly
  • Daisuke Nishio
  • Chris R Sabat
  • Linda Young
Release date: 2007-09-18
Run time: 800 min.
Creator: Linda Young
Price: £13.85

Review DragonBall Z: Season Three (REGION 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import] / FUNimation Entertainment Ltd.:


Review MGM Entertainment / No Way Out [DVD] [1988]
Actors & Directors
  • Gene Hackman
  • Kevin Costner
  • Sean Young
  • Roger Donaldson
  • Will Patton
  • Howard Duff
Release date: 2001-01-08
Run time: 119 min.
Creator: Kenneth Fearing
RRP: £12.99
Price: £2.70

Review No Way Out [DVD] [1988] / MGM Entertainment:

This implausible, but effective 1987 film stars Kevin Costner (Bull Durham, Wyatt Earp) as a naval officer and CIA agent who may not be what he seems. This sexy thriller is an espionage mystery and an enigmatic character study of two men trying to be faithful to the loyalties they hold. Costner begins a torrid love affair with the mistress (Sean Young) of the Secretary of Defense, but when she turns up dead, Costner is implicated in a web of intrigue that threatens national security and exposes personal secrets at the highest levels. The Secretary and his men try to cover up the affair while simultaneously searching for a Soviet mole in their ranks. Featuring an exciting chase sequence through the Washington, D. C. , subways, No Way Out is a standard issue thriller that nonetheless keeps the action coming. -Robert Lane.

Models & Brands:
Chocolate [2008] [DVD], Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels [DVD] [1998], The Vikings [DVD] [1958], Hellboy (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2004], Fantastic Four [Blu-ray] [2005], Resident Evil [DVD] [2002], The Last Samurai [DVD] [2003], Best Of The Best Collection [DVD], The Big Sleep [1946] [DVD], Ocean's Eleven [DVD] [2002], Mission: Impossible [Blu-ray] [1996], From Dusk Till Dawn Trilogy (Box Set) [DVD] [1995], The Bourne Ultimatum [Blu-ray] [2007], The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) [DVD] [2001], The Bridge At Remagen [DVD] [1968], Live And Let Die [Blu-ray] [1973], Gods And Generals / Gettysburg [DVD] [2003], Firewall [DVD] [2006], DragonBall Z: Season Three (REGION 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import], No Way Out [DVD] [1988]

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