DVD Find the Perfect Gift    Send a Gift Certificate
Search 
Home › Comedy › General
Review 2 Entertain Video / The Very Best of Father Ted [1995]
Actors & Directors
  • Ardal O'Hanlon
  • Pauline McLynn
  • Frank Kelly
  • Dermot Morgan
  • Tony Guilfoyle
Release date: 2002-11-18
Run time: 118 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £6.12

Review The Very Best of Father Ted [1995] / 2 Entertain Video:

Is it a sitcom? Is it a serious documentary about the Catholic priesthood? No, it's The Very Best of Father Ted, a choice collection of episodes from Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews' affably surreal sitcom. Ted's the normal one, as evidenced by his moving Song for Europe entry, "My Lovely Horse"-a modern classic if ever there wasn't one. Gasp as "poor idiot boy" Father Dougal becomes a rollerblading fiend in "Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading"; be amazed as super Ted saves Craggy Island from a deadly milk-float in the stunning blockbuster sequel "Speed 3" (well, it's faster and more fun than Speed 2); fall off the window-sill as devoted housekeeper Mrs Doyle utters the line that's almost Shakespearean in its sublimity, "Cup of tea, Father?". Graham Norton pops up to annoy everyone in "The Mainland", there's a whole host of Elvis impersonators in "Competition Time", and meanwhile Father Jack doesn't need an excuse to hit the bottle (or to smash one over someone's head) in any episode. Not saying Mass has probably never been so much fun. On the DVD: The Very Best of Father Ted on disc has six episodes as opposed to five on the video release: the extra one is the Christmas special, "A Christmassy Ted". Extra features are selected commentaries by Graham Linehan and Ardal O'Hanlan, a clip compilation of each character, and a rather poor photo gallery. Picture is 4:3 and sound basic stereo. -Gary S Dalkin.

Review Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK / Pineapple Express
Actors & Directors
  • Judd Apatow
  • David Gordon Green
Release date: 2009-01-12
RRP: £17.99
Price: £9.98

Review Pineapple Express / Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK:

The latest 'bro-mance' from Judd Apatow (creator of Superbad, Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Pineapple Express is the story of Dale Denton (Seth Rogan) and Saul Silver (James Franco), a pothead and his dealer who accidentally get caught up in a drug war between two gangs with some corrupt cops, high school girls and smalltime henchmen thrown in for good measure. At its core, Pineapple Express is a stoner comedy-a tale of two sluggish, giggling, loveable idiots in way over their heads. This formula has made for some entertaining comedy over the years, Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke and Dave Chappell's Half Baked being two of the best examples. What sets Pineapple Express apart from these silly classics however, is the consistency of the humour, the perfect chemistry between Rogan and Franco and the giddily ridiculous action sequences. The movie retains the sweetness that is present in most of Apatow's films, making the characters’ poor choices and ultra-violent actions somehow justifiable (or at least relatable). The site gags, pop culture references and perfectly timed non-sequiturs only enhance the hilarity. Director David Gordon Green, known mostly for the understated and reflective films George Washington and All the Real Girls, seemed like an odd choice for such a raucous and over-the-top comedy, but it turns out Green's stamp is all over this film (as is his long-time cinematographer, Tim Orr) who together manage to turn Pineapple Express into much more than the sum of its parts. -Kira Canny.

Review Universal Pictures UK / Mr Bean's Holiday [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Rowan Atkinson
Release date: 2007-08-20
Run time: 86 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.48

Review Mr Bean's Holiday [2007] / Universal Pictures UK:

It's taken a long time for Rowan Atkinson to bring us Mr Bean's Holiday, the sequel to the substantial hit of 1997. But in that time, he's lost none of what made the character so huge in the first place, delivering an effective comedy that's again managed to ignite box offices right across the world. The set-up for Mr Bean's Holiday is in the title: the hapless title character wins a holiday to France, meaning this time it's the French Riviera that's the backdrop for the slapstick humour that has defined the series. And so Mr Bean finds himself in a series of increasingly unlikely situations, causing all manner of havoc in the process. While unlikely to convert anyone who isn't already a fan, Mr Bean's Holiday is nonetheless a comedy that delivers reliable laughs very much in the spirit of what has gone before. Atkinson continues to inhabit the character with great skill, and it's-rightly-his work here that brings the lion's share of the laughs. By most accounts, Mr Bean's Holiday is the swansong for a character that's manage to delight audiences worldwide for over a quarter of a century. And while the film is, truthfully, no classic, at its peak it's a hoot, and offers gentle, enjoyable family entertainment. -Jon Foster.

Review Joyce Grenfell / Joyce Grenfell - The BBC Collection [1964]
Release date: 2007-03-12
Run time: 215 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £6.98

Review Joyce Grenfell - The BBC Collection [1964] / Joyce Grenfell:


Review Fremantle Home Entertainment / The Armando Iannucci Shows [2001]
Release date: 2006-09-04
Run time: 196 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £5.90

Review The Armando Iannucci Shows [2001] / Fremantle Home Entertainment:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Futurama: Season 1
Actors & Directors
  • Katey Sagal
  • John Di Maggio
  • Billy West
Release date: 2002-01-28
Run time: 299 min.
Creator: Matt Groening
RRP: £39.99
Price: £14.50

Review Futurama: Season 1 / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Set in the year 3000, Futurama is the acme of sci-fi animated sitcom from Simpsons creator Matt Groening. While not as universally popular as The Simpsons, Futurama is equally hip and hilarious, thanks to its zippy lateral-thinking contemporary pop cultural references, celebrity appearances (Pamela Anderson and Leonard Nimoy are among a number of guest stars to appear as disembodied heads in jars) and Bender, a distinctly Homer Simpson-esque robot. Part of Futurama's charm is that with decades of sci-fi junk behind us we've effectively been living with the distant future for years and can now have fun with it. Hence, the series stylishly jumbles motifs ranging from Lost in Space-style kitsch to the grim dystopia of Blade Runner. It also bridges the gap between the impossible dreams of your average science fiction fan and the slobbish reality of their comic reading, TV-gawping existence. Groening himself distinguishes his two series thus: "The Simpsons is fictional. Futurama is real. " The opening series (premiered in 1999) sees nerdy pizza delivery boy Fry transferred to the 31st century in a cryogenic mishap. There, he meets the beautiful, one-eyed Leela (voiced by Married with Children's Katey Sagal) and the incorrigible alcoholic robot Bender. The three of them join Fry's great (x30) nephew Professor Farmsworth and work in his intergalactic delivery service. [+]
Hyper-real yet strangely recognisable situations ensue-Fry discovers he is a billionaire thanks to 1,000 years accrued interest, Leela must fend off the attentions of Captain Kirk-like Lothario Zapp Brannigan, and Fry accidentally drinks the ruler of a strange planet of liquid beings. -David StubbsOn the DVD: As with the earlier Fox release of The Simpsons, Season 1 this otherwise excellent three-disc set is let down by clunky menu navigation. There are way too many copyright warnings, no "Play All" facility, and you have to click back and forth to begin each new episode or find the additional features. By way of compensation, the menus look great and there's a goodly selection of extras on each disc. The entertaining commentaries are by Matt Groening and various members of his creative team, including producer David X Cohen and John DiMaggio (the voice of Bender) and Billy West (Fry). There are a handful of deleted scenes for certain episodes, plus the script and storyboard for the very first episode and an interactive stills gallery. The 4:3 picture is pin-sharp as is the Dolby 2. 0Surround. -Mark Walker.

Review Pathe Distribution / Rat Race [2002]
Actors & Directors
  • Breckin Meyer
  • Amy Smart
  • Cuba Gooding Jr.
  • Jerry Zucker
  • Whoopi Goldberg
  • Vince Vieluf
Release date: 2002-11-04
Run time: 107 min.
Creator: Andy Breckman
RRP: £17.99
Price: £2.79

Review Rat Race [2002] / Pathe Distribution:

Rat Race ought to be far less enjoyable than, in the end, it is. Studded with C-list stars, it has a heartless and derivative premise: a group of no-hopers racing across country for a stash of money for the amusement of a casino owner (John Cleese) and a group of high rollers who will bet on anything. Yet their adventures along the way are inventive: for example, lost in the desert Cuba Gooding Jr ends up stealing a coach only to find it full of Lucille Ball impersonators who go "Waaah!" in chorus whenever anything goes wrong. Even the slapstick is inventive: director Jerry Airplane Zucker and writer Andy Breckman do interesting things with hot-air balloons, a narcoleptic Rowan Atkinson, emergency organ transporters and Hitler's Mercedes Benz. All of the characters, from Breckin Meyer's smugly careful lawyer to Seth Green's shabby little con man, discover in the end that they have hearts, that some things are more important than money and that sometimes it is the journey that matters. Of course, these are all colossal sentimental clichés and yet the film has a sweet-natured quality that sells them to us. On the DVD: Rat Race is presented with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2. 35:1 and Dolby 5:1 sound that delivers all of the snappy dialogue clearly. It comes with generous extras, including a gag reel, the theatrical trailer, an outtake where Seth Green completely fails to keep a straight face, a good-humoured interview with writer and director, a disappointing making-of documentary and some deleted scenes (with a couple that should not be missed). -Roz Kaveney.

Review Warner Home Video / A Cinderella Story/Another Cinderella Story [2004]
Actors & Directors
  • Hilary Duff
  • Chad Michael Murray
  • Damon Santostefano
  • Mark Rosman
Release date: 2008-10-27
Run time: 179 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £8.60

Review A Cinderella Story/Another Cinderella Story [2004] / Warner Home Video:


Review John Williams Productions / The Vital Spark
Actors & Directors
  • John Grieve
  • Alex Avoy
  • Russell Hunter
  • Roddy Macmillan
  • Pharic Maclaren
  • Walter Carr
Release date: 2006-02-27
Run time: 153 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £4.98

Review The Vital Spark / John Williams Productions:


Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Harold Lloyd Definitive Collection [1921]
Actors & Directors
  • Harold Lloyd
Release date: 2007-07-09
Run time: 1746 min.
RRP: £49.99
Price: £20.20

Review Harold Lloyd Definitive Collection [1921] / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Futurama: Season 4
Actors & Directors
  • John Di Maggio
  • Katey Sagal
  • Billy West
Release date: 2003-11-24
Run time: 414 min.
Creator: Matt Groening
RRP: £39.99
Price: £12.99

Review Futurama: Season 4 / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

No more good news everybody-this fourth series of Futurama is the show's last. By turns frenetic and far-sighted, Matt Groening's futuristic comedy provided belly-laughs for self-confessed SF nerds, but somehow failed to connect with a broader audience, even though it was often funnier and sharper than stablemate The Simpsons. So now bid farewell to the Planet Express team-Fry, Leela, Zoidberg, Bender, Amy, Hermes, Prof Farnsworth-as well as to kindly Kif, cloned Cubert, megalomaniac Mom, mutants in the sewer, the cast of robo-sitcom All My Circuits, swashbuckling space lothario and William Shatner wannabe Zapp Brannigan, Elzar the four-armed chef, and all the other characters that made Futurama such a unique experience. This fourth and final year has all the elements that fans enjoyed so much-but also those elements that partially explain its cancellation. Recurring characters are great if you've watched the show before, as are the in-jokes; and the many parodies of classic science fiction are fine for the initiated, but risk leaving other viewers out in the cold. The show's strengths and perceived weaknesses are exemplified in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", in which the original cast of Star Trek play themselves: hilarious for Trekkers, but not really for anyone else. Elsewhere we find Leela discovering her real parents aren't aliens at all but in fact live in the sewers; Kif getting pregnant; Fry discovering the fossilised remains of his faithful pet dog; and Bender being converted to steam power. Despite some ups and downs, it's still the funniest animated show on TV. Those responsible for cancelling it can bite my shiny metal … On the DVD: Futurama, Series 4 DVD box set includes a "Play All" function on each disc. Multifarious extras include cast and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, animatics, galleries and Easter eggs. [+]
-Mark Walker.

Review Trailer Park Boys / Trailer Park Boys - Series 1-6 - Complete [2001]
Release date: 2008-11-24
Run time: 1240 min.
RRP: £49.99
Price: £36.99

Review Trailer Park Boys - Series 1-6 - Complete [2001] / Trailer Park Boys:


Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Me And You And Everyone We Know
Actors & Directors
  • Miranda July
  • Brandon Ratcliff
  • John Hawkes
  • Miranda July
  • Miles Thompson
Release date: 2006-01-30
Run time: 90 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.29

Review Me And You And Everyone We Know / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Twin Town [1997]
Actors & Directors
  • Dorien Thomas
  • Buddug Williams
  • Rhys Ifans
  • Dougray Scott
  • Llyr Ifans
  • Kevin Allen
Release date: 2002-08-19
Run time: 95 min.
Creator: Peter McAleese
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.29

Review Twin Town [1997] / Universal Pictures UK:

Producer Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) is behind this decadent comedy about a pair of lowlife but oddly intelligent Welsh brothers who generally make a pain of themselves in their small community, but who get serious about exacting revenge for a family tragedy. Director Kevin Allen succeeds at turning the entire film into a jacked-up freak show, with petty terrorism, cops on the take, a young virgin getting it on with a middle-aged creep and a male choir inexplicably singing Mungo Jerry's ancient hit "In the Summertime". Twin Town is loony, nasty stuff all around, but the only good laughs in the movie are top loaded into the first few minutes. After that, it's sheer tedium. -Tom Keogh.

Review 20th Century Fox / The Van [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Donal O'Kelly
  • Stephen Frears
  • Colm Meaney
Release date: 2007-03-12
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.64

Review The Van [1996] / 20th Century Fox:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Clue [1986]
Actors & Directors
  • Eileen Brennan
  • Michael McKean
  • Madeline Kahn
  • Jonathan Lynn
  • Christopher Lloyd
  • Tim Curry
Release date: 2003-11-03
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.02

Review Clue [1986] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review Contender Entertainment Group / Will and Grace: Complete Series 3 [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Eric McCormack
  • Jack McFarland
  • Debra Messing
  • Megan Mullally
Release date: 2006-04-03
Run time: 519 min.
RRP: £49.99
Price: £8.35

Review Will and Grace: Complete Series 3 [2001] / Contender Entertainment Group:

Will & Grace strode into its third season with the kind of cultural cache TV executives would kill for. These 22 episodes are littered with hip celebrity guest stars, from Ellen DeGeneres to Sandra Bernhard to Cher, and the performances of the core quartet-Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Karen Mullally, and Sean Hayes-became more comically exaggerated as they risked pushing their characters (already riddled with neuroses and snippiness) into the realm of caricatures. But due to clever writing and confident, full-throttle performances, it doesn't matter. Even when Jack and Karen's high-handed behavior go beyond anything recognizably human, audiences love them all the more; no matter how high-strung Will and Grace become, their well-honed rapport keeps them engaging and lovable. Wisely, the writers swiftly returned the pair to roommate status and got Grace out of her ongoing relationship with Will's former boss (Gregory Hines), bringing the show's focus back on how the pair sublimate their love lives with the cozy intimacy of friendship-one particularly strong episode flashes back to how they first met in college, replete with godawful 80s fashion. But, as ever, it's Jack and Karen who up the comic ante; Mullally and Hayes are shamelessly self-absorbed and shallow, exploiting and abusing everyone around them. Jack forces Will to play Cyrano, feeding him pick-up lines over his salesperson headset; Karen, worried that some experimental plastic surgery might turn out badly, manipulates another socialite into getting it first. Not all plotlines fly-Grace gets into a relationship with an obnoxious neighbor (Woody Harrelson) that never becomes more than stunt-casting-but the racy wit flies fast and furious, the slapstick is topnotch, and Karen's hairdo towers magnificently. -Bret Fetzer.

Review Paramount Home Entertainment / The Shrek Collection - The Story So Far (Shrek 1 & 2 Box Set) [2004] [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • John Lithgow
  • Andrew Adamson
  • Kelly Asbury
  • Vicky Jenson
  • Vincent Cassel
  • Mike Myers
  • Cameron Diaz
  • Eddie Murphy
  • Conrad Vernon
Release date: 2004-11-01
RRP: £32.99
Price: £8.64

Review The Shrek Collection - The Story So Far (Shrek 1 & 2 Box Set) [2004] [2001] / Paramount Home Entertainment:

Both of the hit animated movies in one package. Full of verve and wit, Shrek is a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's delightfully fractured fairy tale. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) evicts local fairy tale creatures (including the now-famous Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and the Gingerbread Man), they settle in the ogre's swamp and Shrek wants answers from Farquaad. A quest of sorts starts for Shrek and his new pal, a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), where battles have to be won and a princess (Cameron Diaz) must be rescued from a dragon lair in a thrilling action sequence. The story is stronger than most animated fare but it's the jokes that make Shrek a winner. The PG rating is stretched when Murphy and Myers hit their strides. The mild potty humour is fun enough for the 10-year-old but will never embarrass their parents. Shrek is never as warm and inspired as the Toy Story films, but the realistic computer animation and a rollicking soundtrack keeps the entertainment in fine form. Produced by DreamWorks, the film also takes several delicious stabs at its cross-town rival, Disney. [+]
-Doug Thomas In Shrek 2, the newlywed Shrek and Princess Fiona are invited to Fiona's former kingdom, Far Far Away, to have their marriage blessed by Fiona's parents-which Shrek thinks is a bad, bad idea, and he's proved right: the parents are horrified by their daughter's transformation into an ogress, a fairy godmother wants her son Prince Charming to win Fiona, and a feline assassin is hired to get Shrek out of the way. The computer animation is more detailed than ever, but it's the acting that make the comedy work-in addition to the return of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, Shrek 2 features the flexible voices of Julie Andrews, John Cleese and Antonio Banderas, plus Jennifer Saunders as the gleefully wicked fairy godmother. -Bret Fetzer.

Review Universal Pictures UK / American Pie Presents Beta House [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Eugene Levy
  • John White
  • Christopher McDonald
  • Andrew Waller
Release date: 2007-12-10
Run time: 85 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.94

Review American Pie Presents Beta House [2007] / Universal Pictures UK:

The sixth entry in the long-running American Pie franchise anchors its story in the tried-and-true rivalry between nerds and jocks while serving up the non-stop barrage of raunchy gags for which the series has earned its notoriety. The twist in Beta House is that the nerds are actually the heels of the picture, while the heroes (as it were) are hormonally super-charged Erik Stifler (John White) and his pals, who pledge at their college's most chaotic frat during their freshman year. That the fraternity, Beta House, is run by Erik's cousin Dwight (Steve Talley) only works in their favour, but trouble rears its head in the form of the Geek House, a rival frat made up of socially awkward boys with money to burn due to their technological superiority. The apex of their clash is the Greek Olympics (inexplicably presided over by American Pie regular Eugene Levy), which descends into a frenzy of scatological sight gags (one bit, inspired by the Russian Roulette scene in The Deer Hunter, is jaw-droppingly gross). The sweetness that tempered the sex jokes in the original American Pie is completely absent from this entry; that, however, may not be a bad thing for some viewers. The DVD includes a considerable amount of deleted material, including whole story lines removed from the final product; commentary by and interviews with the cast and crew, outtakes, an in-character interview with Levy, and a ridiculous "Yule Log" featurette (a smutty play on the old Video Yule Log) round out the extras. -Paul Gaita.

Review MGM Entertainment / Benny And Joon [1993]
Actors & Directors
  • Oliver Platt
  • Jeremiah S. Chechik
  • Aidan Quinn
  • Mary Stuart Masterson
  • Johnny Depp
  • Julianne Moore
Release date: 2001-07-23
Run time: 94 min.
Creator: Barry Berman
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.69

Review Benny And Joon [1993] / MGM Entertainment:

Longing for a romantic Hollywood film that will make your heart leap but not have you reaching for the sick bucket? Try Benny & Joon. Few mainstream US films manage to walk the thin line between emotion and schmaltz, but here is one film that pulls it off admirably. In the wrong hands the concept of marrying love and mental illness could have been a disaster but, as with the low-budget British film Some Voices, Benny & Joon manages to extract genuine humour and warmth from the subject. As the brother and sister of the title, the relationship between Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson is central to the story, Benny desperately trying to keep home and job together while looking after the sick Joon. Their lives take an unexpected turn with the arrival of Sam, a brilliantly comic turn by Johnny Depp, as gradually the characters learn that the happiness that all thought beyond them is within their grasp. Depp adds yet another character to his liturgy of slightly odd outsiders but plays it with such panache, this time drawing heavily on Buster Keaton, that you cannot help but fall for him. Indeed, there is not a single character here that you would not wish well. On the DVD: The usual scene selection and a very clear audio track, given the film's musical moments a huge boost. Few will probably be able to resist The Proclaimers' "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" which opens the film. Excellent picture quality too. [+]
-Phil Udell.

Models & Brands:
The Very Best of Father Ted [1995], Pineapple Express, Mr Bean's Holiday [2007], Joyce Grenfell - The BBC Collection [1964], The Armando Iannucci Shows [2001], Futurama: Season 1, Rat Race [2002], A Cinderella Story/Another Cinderella Story [2004], The Vital Spark, Harold Lloyd Definitive Collection [1921], Futurama: Season 4, Trailer Park Boys - Series 1-6 - Complete [2001], Me And You And Everyone We Know, Twin Town [1997], The Van [1996], Clue [1986], Will and Grace: Complete Series 3 [2001], The Shrek Collection - The Story So Far (Shrek 1 & 2 Box Set) [2004] [2001], American Pie Presents Beta House [2007], Benny And Joon [1993]

Top headlines:
Search 
DVD Rental: try it for free