Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Although Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed over forty films before his untimely drug-fuelled death in 1982, he only completed one sci-fi picture – 1973’s World on a Wire, which was originally broadcast on German TV (under its German title, Welt am Draht) – in two parts. He made the 200-minute feature in just forty four days, during a break in the shooting schedule for 1974’s Effi Briest, and recruited much of his regular cast and crew, including Klaus Löwitsch (familiar to Hollywood film fans from The Odessa File and Firefox), Salome’s Mascha Rabben, and “the German Jayne Mansfield”, Barbara Valentin.

Loosely based on Daniel F Galouye’s 1964 novel Simulacron-3, World on a Wire is the story of Fred Stiller (Löwitsch), a scientist on a government-sponsored project to create a simulation of our world, complete with versions of real people, which could be studied to predict future trends and warn of societal ills. The lead scientist, Henry Vollmer (maniacally played by Adrian Hoven) discovers something which makes his mind unravel and he dies mysteriously, thrusting Stiller into the lead position on the project. Under pressure from the government and the sleazy boss of the Institut für Kybernetik und Zukunftsforschung, can Stiller avoid the same fate as his predecessor?

With the opening minutes establishing the Simulacron – IFK’s term for its virtual world – as a mirror of our own reality, World on a Wire is full of reflective surfaces. They are everywhere, all over IFK’s laboratory and throughout the homes and offices of the principles, and distils a feeling that while nothing may be what it seems, everything is as it is seen. Stiller knows – lives – what is “real”, but how valuable is that in a world which creates its own veracity? In this, Fassbinder takes inspiration from – mirrors, perhaps – Douglas Sirk, the German filmmaker who had brief critically-appraised success in Hollywood in the 1950s and whose films used reflective surfaces to expose the seamy underbelly beneath America’s banal façade, reflecting the ugly truth and scandal back on a society that considered itself wholesome.

Löwitsch is an engaging lead, full of explosive passion and brooding confidence, and he is ably countered by Karl-Heinz Vosgerau as IFK head honcho Henry Siskins, while Rabben and Valentin, the twin love interests (although that’s maybe a stretch here), are both alluring and aloof, bringing a tense sensuality to their every encounter with Stiller. An odd delight is a genuinely creepy Kurt Raab, brought in to ensure Simulacron stays on its intended course – his perfectly spherical, hairless head will haunt your dreams forever.

Included on this Blu-ray release are a number of invaluable extras, including interviews with Fassbinder’s assistant director and an expert on computer simulations, a tribute to the director’s on-set photographer Peter Gauhe, and a pair of documentaries about the creation and impact of the movie. Additionally, the limited edition slipcase offers a 50-page book of essays on the importance of the movie to German and world cinema.

World on a Wire is both a challenging and rewarding film experience. A three-hour film in German, with English subtitles, is no easy watch, but it moves along at a pace, and the sheer artistry of the cinematography is every bit as important as the dialogue. As an artefact, it embodies that peculiar space and time when Hollywood – and obviously the German version of Hollywood – experimented in its mainstream, and sits proudly alongside such genre classics as Silent Running, The Omega Man, and Soylent Green, presciently projecting the issues of their present into a future when they’d be even more apparent. Masterworks can often be disappointing, especially those lost for so long to a wide audience (World on a Wire was largely commercially unavailable until a decade ago), but this isn’t one of them.

Special features: No Strings Attached – an interview with assistant director Renate Leiffer, Observing Fassbinder – a tribute to photographer Peter Gauhe, Looking Ahead To Today documentary, on-set featurette, original broadcast recap, The Simulation Argument – an interview with professor Nick Bostrom

WORLD ON A WIRE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER / SCREENPLAY: FRITZ MULLER-SCHERZ, RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER / STARRING: KLAUS LOWITSCH, BARBARA VALENTIN, MASCHA RABBEN / RELEASE DATE: 18TH FEBRUARY

Exceeding or even simply maintaining the standard of a hugely acclaimed US TV genre show in its sophomore year can be a hugely challenging endeavour – all the more so when the events of the second series free the drama entirely from the moorings of its original source material. After near universal praise for the first series of Westworld – to take a recent example – season two of the “killer robots – but with complications” drama sharply divided critics. Reaction to the second series of dystopian childbearing chiller The Handmaid’s Tale was no less torn, with some reviewers insisting that this televisual adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s imagined future America, in which only a tiny proportion of women are able to conceive, and who are enslaved in order to provide society’s children, had failed to reproduce the Emmy award-winning quality of its first run.

In truth, re-watching the 13 episodes of series two, it’s immediately apparent how carefully crafted its parallel story arcs are, and how well the show’s producers deliver a set of unpredictable shifts and turning points in an imaginative plotline which refuses simply to replay the beats and motifs of series one.

The first series made an asset of its claustrophobic focus on Gilead, and on the Commander’s household especially. There were occasional flashbacks and glimpses of a freer life for refugees who had escaped its confines. But for the most part, the conformity, cruelty and oppression that imbues every aspect of life in Gilead was reinforced by the sense of isolation that came from viewers sharing the same enclosed field of vision that the indentured characters endure.

It was a bold narrative device which served the show well, but the second series wisely adopts a far wider vista – showing the brutality of life in one of the Colony’s environmental clean-up gulags; offering peeks into the world of labouring “Econopeople” families and revealing new sides of the lives of refugees north of the Canadian border. There are more extensive flashbacks too, offering fascinating new revelations about the degeneration of US society into the dystopian nightmare that has overwhelmed it.

From the jaw-dropping mock execution which opens episode one to the night time scenes of arson and subterfuge which shape the season finale, The Handmaid’s Tale is fit to burst with some superbly staged set pieces, including two extraordinarily tense escape bids, numerous stunning visual tableaux, and some stomach-churning moments of violence and horror.

Elisabeth Moss continues to deliver an extraordinarily assured and intelligent performance in the series’ lead role as June / Offred, but the show’s ensemble cast is full of first-rate acting talent. Yvonne Strahovski’s portrayal of the cruel but conflicted Serena Joy Waterford remains pitch perfect, Ann Dowd is outstanding as the unconscionable Aunt Lydia, and Alexis Bledel shines as the resilient and explosive Emily.

Some critics baulked at June’s decision not to take the opportunity to flee Gilead in the series finale. But her unwillingness to leave her other child behind makes perfect narrative sense. With the show renewed for a third season, her continued incarceration and separation from her loved ones needs to remain the central focus of future stories. As this second run concludes, rebellion is stirring, seen in the actions of an underground network of dissidents and in unprecedented challenges to male authority from amongst Gilead’s privileged women. With cracks in the enclave’s monotheistic order likely to widen, season three has the potential to be very different from either of its predecessors.

Special features in this set include a study of the divergence between the book and second series’ scripts, and a short exploration of the show’s emblematic costume design. But this is a groundbreaking series, pregnant with meaning and metaphor which reveal the politics of gender, power and reproduction in a country governed by patriarchy and religious absolutism. It surely merits a more generous set of insightful extras.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE SEASON TWO / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: MIKE BARKER, JEREMY PODESWA, DAINA REID / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: ELISABETH MOSS, JOSEPH FIENNES, YVONNE STRAHOVSKI, ALEXIS BLEDEL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Arrow Video start 2019 with an early contender for release of the year. The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion is a 1970 giallo thriller written by Ernesto Gastaldi and directed by Luciano Ercoli. A relatively early release in the genre, it’s less lurid murder scenes and copious nudity and more twisted psychological thriller. In it, Minou (Lassander) is a bored wife using booze and pills to dull the ache as she waits for her always busy, often away husband Peter (Capponi) to come home from work. When out walking one evening, Minou is attacked by a man who tells her Peter is a murderer and so begins a story of sexual blackmail and psychological abuse that threatens to drive the devoted Minou mad or into an early grave. It’s a slow-moving but increasingly tense thriller that showcases some excellent performances from Lassander, Capponi, Simón Andreu and most of all a scenery-munching, beguiling Susan Scott (AKA Nieves Navarro) as Dominique. The plot is arguably nothing remarkable, and the denouement might not work for you, but overall this is an excellent example of how the Italian industry could marry entertainment with art.

And what art it is, and one of the reasons for our recommendation. Restored here in a 2K scan, it’s a gloriously beautiful film. Shot in Spain, the cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa is absolutely stunning and vividly colourful and the sharp, clear picture displays this wonderfully. Production design on this film is outstanding too, from the locations to set design and costuming, everything here is flawless. Married to all of this is a note-perfect score from Ennio Morricone that enhances every scene, and is surely one of his finest.

To further support the film Arrow have put together a great extras package that really does it justice. First up is a commentary from film historian Kat Ellinger that as one should now expect is enthusiastic about the film and packed with information to contextualise The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion and giallo’s place in cinema history. Next is the great Private Parts (44:15), a documentary featuring interviews with Navarro, Ercoli, and Gastaldi. The Forbidden Soundtrack of the Big Three (47:05) is an extended appreciation of Morricone’s work on this film and Italian cinema of the time. The Forbidden Lady (44:03) is a Q&A between Lassander and critic Steve Green from the 2016 Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films. For those who enjoy extras it’s all strong material and supports your enjoyment of the film.

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion is a fascinating and captivating film and has been given the treatment it deserves with this release and comes very highly recommended.

THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION (1970) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: LUCIANO ERCOLI / SCREENPLAY: ERNESTO GASTALDI, MAHNAHÉN VELASCO / STARRING: DAGMAR LASSANDER

Eli Roth is a huge favourite of many a genre fan, with that largely down to him diving to the depths of depravity with horror heavy efforts such as Cabin Fever, the Hostel franchise and The Green Inferno. Here, though, this modern-day horror fave turns his attention to more family friendly scares with The House with a Clock in Its Walls.

Adapted from John Bellairs and Edward Gorey’s 1973 novel, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a magical fantasy tale with elements of the spooktacular sprinkled throughout. At the heart of the story, we have 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vacarro); an orphan sent to live with his slightly eccentric uncle (Jack Black). Oh, and said Uncle Jonathan just so happens to be a mighty, magical warlock. And what sort of neighbour does just such a warlock have, you may ask? Why, that would be a powerful witch called Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). Fear not, for Florence is a well-meaning witch whose darker acts come in the form of sarcastic back-and-forths with Jonathan.

Of course, there is one entirely larger character in the middle of this movie: the house itself. Overflowing with wizarding, wonderful charm, the titular house is a living, breathing character all of its own; full of imagination, full of friendly warmth towards young Lewis, yet with a clear darkness lurking within its corridors. That darkness manifests itself in the shape of Kyle MacLachlan’s Isaac Izard, a former partner of Jonathan’s who went a little nuts and attempted to bring an end to all existence. But he’s dead, right? Never to be seen again, right? So no threat to our core trio, right? Err, something like that…

With The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Eli Roth has crafted a massively enjoyable spooky romp of a movie that evokes memories of classic kid-friendly tales of yesteryear. While the film is clearly skewed towards a younger audience, that’s not to say that there’s not a whole lot of fun to be had by adults, too. Roth has again shown a deft touch for scares and chills at just the right moment, albeit adapted for those of a younger age. And visually, the house at the centre of this picture is an utter delight to explore; interesting artefacts and characters lurking around each and every corner.

In terms of performances, each of the core cast deliver perfectly for what is needed. Owen Vacarro is clearly a talent to keep a watchful eye on, with the range of emotions shown here from the youngster hugely impressive. Similarly, Cate Blanchett shows yet again just how versatile an actress she is; delivering a Florence Zimmerman who can be both cold and warm, seemingly simultaneously, and always with a wry smirk or zinging one-liner not far away. Jack Black is, well, Jack Black. By this point in the game, you know what the Tenacious D star brings to the table, and here his wide-eyed wonderment is a perfect accompaniment to the mysterious and magical journey that we find ourselves on.

Where the bonus material is concerned, this Blu-ray release of The House with a Clock in Its Walls serves up a multitude of magnificent content for you to sift through. Whether its behind-the-scenes chicanery you’re after, details on the casting process, or even the process of adapting the 1973 novel, it’s all covered here in a collection of featurettes that shows you just how much fun all involved seemingly had with this project.

All in, The House with a Clock in Its Walls harks back to the classic heart-warming ghost stories of yesteryear, just with a dollop of Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. And when all is said and done, that’s proved to be quite the successful formula here.

Special Features: Eight featurettes / Gag reel / Deleted scenes

THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: ELI ROTH / SCREENPLAY: ERIC KRIPKE / STARRING: OWEN VACCARO, JACK BLACK, CATE BLANCHETT, KYLE MacLACHLAN, COLLEEN CAMP, RENEE ELISA GOLDSBERRY / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 28TH

From an initially questionable premise – a centuries-old magician buys a young girl to become his apprentice and bride – The Ancient Magus’ Bride develops into an engrossing tale, full of magic, peril, and a little romance. The bride of the title, Chise, has not had the best start in life and sells herself into slavery at an auction attended by the rich and powerful. The winning bidder, Elias, is a mage, a powerful magician who is not entirely human, and reveals to Chise that she is a sleigh beggy – a powerful half-faerie who attracts magic. He vows to help develop her magical abilities and, perhaps, one day become his wife.

Elias brings Chise to a small village in Britain, and from there she meets the people that inhabit his world, not all of them with the best intentions. Chise is naïve, and not just in the matters of magic, and this leads her into situations where she is very much not in control. As for Elias, he may be ancient but he still has a lot to learn about the world, and especially the ways of human beings.

This release of part one of the first season includes the first twelve episodes, the first cour as it aired in Japan, and leaves the story balanced for the second part. The animation from Wit Studio (who also produce Attack On Titan amongst others) is fluid and delightful, and the Japanese voice acting talents of Atsuki Tanezaki (Liz & The Blue Bird) and Ryota Takeuchi (Naruto) are well cast. Also included is the Funimation English dub, with One Piece’s Brian Mathis and relative newcomer Dani Chambers doing a solid job of interpreting the characters.

Adapted from an ongoing manga, The Ancient Magus’ Bride still has many twists and turns to take, inhabiting an immersive fantasy world a step away from our own. Once you get over the initial discomfort of the premise, it’s hard not to fall for Chise, and sympathise with Elias, a protagonist who is very much trying to do the right thing but who doesn’t always know what that should be.

Extras: The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Those Awaiting a Star OVA Parts 1-3, Q&A with cast and crew, Episode 8 commentary, textless opening and closing songs, trailers.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, part 1 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: NORIHIRO NAGANUMA / SCREENPLAY: AYA TAKAHA / STARRING: BRIAN MATHIS, DANI CHAMBERS / RELEASE DATE: 29TH JANUARY (USA), 1ST APRIL (EUROPE)

Returning home from a trip, Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) finds the entrance to a maze made of cardboard in her living room. It’s been constructed by her boyfriend Dave (Nick Thune) and he’s lost inside. Bringing together a group of their friends, Annie heads inside to rescue him.

It’s a simple and offbeat setup, and really taken and run with by first time writer/director Bill Watterson. The maze (or labyrinth) is completely handcrafted from cardboard, so has a wonderful tactility and imagination to it, and the production and set design departments deserve well-earned applause. As well as live action, the film throws in stop motion animation and puppetry, keeping things barrelling along. Think Michel Gondry, the Mighty Boosh and the little seen and vastly overlooked Bunny and the Bull by Paddington director Paul King. It’s like the greatest adventure you imagined as a child. A gleeful homage to the fantasy adventure films of the 80’s. Pair this with jokes that come thick and fast, including dark deaths rendered entertainingly absurd by liberal use of silly string and red ribbon, and you’ve got one of the most enjoyable films you’ll see this year.

The characters are all a lot of fun and a real pleasure to spend time with. They don’t chew the cardboard scenery, keeping the film grounded so the absurdity of their setting can flourish around them. Even with all the inventiveness going on, Dave Made A Maze doesn’t forget to have a heart. Dave is in his early thirties and frustrated with treading water in his life. Known for starting things and never completing them, the maze is the first thing he actually could finish. Supported by Annie and his friends, they help him better come to terms with who he is while pushing him to do what’s right. It’s these characters that make Dave Made A Maze more than just a well-constructed curiosity.

Released by Arrow Video, this edition of Dave Made A Maze has enough extras to pass but feels like it could have gone further. The biggest draw, especially for a film like this, is the Making Of, which gives us an interesting inside look at the long production of the film, from its Kickstarter beginning to festival appearances. But with a film as painstakingly handmade and inventive as this, you really feel like there would be much more to dive into when it comes to the production design than what you’re given. It’s interesting enough but feels like a of a bit missed chance.

Dave Made A Maze is destined for cult classic status. It’s packed full of imagination, fun, humour and pure entertainment. One of the most enjoyable and original films you’ll see this year.

DAVE MADE A MAZE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: BILL WATTERSON / SCREENPLAY: STEVEN SEARS / STARRING: MEERA ROHIT KUMBHANI, NICK THUNE, ADAM BUSCH / RELEASE DATE: 28TH JANUARY

Following his critically lauded 2015 drama Room, Lenny Abrahamson returns with a slow-burn, genre-bending film which is part period drama, part psychological drama and part gothic horror. Once again adapting from a Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, Abrahamson’s latest is brimming with chilly atmosphere and strong performances across the board, but is slightly let down by a narrative that lacks dramatic impetus.

The Little Stranger opens on Dr Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson), a reserved country doctor who has returned to his home in Warwickshire to work. One of Faraday’s first callouts is to the once-grandiose Hundreds Hall which hosted many lavish, aristocratic parties and employed his own mother as a maid nearly thirty years ago. Nowadays, in 1948, the countryside estate is a dilapidated shadow of its former self, and its residents are on the decline too. A gloomy, unsettling aura hangs over the Ayres household, haunted by a past death in the family and the memory of their once idolised estate. Faraday’s long-term fascination with Hundreds Hall soon entangles him into the Ayres’ lives as he befriends lonely spinster Caroline (Ruth Wilson) and tends to the wounds of the mentally scarred and physically disfigured war veteran Roderick (Will Poulter). Elsewhere, matriarch of the house Mrs Ayers (Charlotte Rampling) experiences a series of disconcerting noises as servant bells ring in empty rooms and inexplicable banging sounds come from upstairs. It’s not long before the residents begin to question whether a malevolent presence is at work.

One of Abrahamson’s best skills as a director is the amount of nuance and emotion he’s able to get out of his actors. In The Little Stranger, Abrahamson’s character work pays off with a host of superb performances. Gleeson puts in a hypnotic, lingering turn as the restrained yet dangerously obsessed Faraday, and Poulter is empathetic as the crippled heir of the estate. Rampling’s talent is somewhat underutilised in her matriarchal role but Wilson is the real standout with a phenomenally layered and vulnerable performance.

While some horror fans may be disappointed by The Little Stranger’s lack of genuine scares, it does manage to build a real bubbling sense of dread through adroit cinematography and ominous sound design. The film deserves praise for prioritising an unsettling mood and ambiguity over cheap jump scares. Despite all this, there’s no denying that the film does drag at points, because of its consistently dour tone and lack of arresting visuals. The ending provides a pleasingly enigmatic twist, but still leaves one feeling slightly cold and lacks a real emotional gut punch. After the credits roll it’s Ruth Wilson’s captivating performance that will resonate above all else.

In the way of special features, the DVD underwhelms. It includes the theatrical trailer and teaser as well as a disappointingly brief behind the scenes featurette which is too short to go into any real depth. Lastly, there’s an audio commentary with Lenny Abrahamson. This is interesting enough but would have been more engaging if some of the cast members had been involved as their performances fuel the most memorable parts of the film.

THE LITTLE STRANGER / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: LENNY ABRAHAMSON / SCREENWRITER: LUCINDA COXON / STARRING: DOMHNALL GLEESON, RUTH WILSON, WILL POULTER, CHARLOTTE RAMPLING / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

A woman known only as Jane Doe awakens in a dark room with no recollection of how she got there or who she is. While attempting to figure out what is going on, she slowly succumbs to the fear of isolation and begins to experience strange, gory, highly erotic events that send her over the edge.

Originally released in 2013 as Nightmare Box, director Jon Keeyes brings us, presumably, a slightly updated version of his initial tale of raw human trepidation of being kidnapped and abused against your consent. Led by an impressive performance by Johanna Stanton, the film can definitely be described as unique, with its incredibly eerie and twisted set design (being set entirely in one small claustrophobic room decorated with creepy sexualised décor), and the fact that it pushes the boundaries of what could be classed as torture porn (similar to Hostel). From the moment we meet our leading lady, the audience is whisked into a rollercoaster of a narrative that, for some, will be off-putting but is worth sticking with until the well-executed final act.

Throughout the film, Jane encounters a rather quirky set of supporting characters who at first seem very random but all play a significant part in the later parts of the story. From the shy and timid girl Innocence (Hayden Tweedie) to the sex puppet queen known as Wife (Debbie Rochon, Bloody Ballet), these bonkers and at times extremely theatrical characters add to the wackiness.

Doom Room also succeeds in the directing department, as the film looks superb for a low budget production. It’s skilfully lit, enhancing the confined space, and competently shot, allowing the tension to continue to grow. However, with all the positives for the film, it unfortunately suffers with some glaring problems which will alienate many viewers.

The sound design is woeful at times, making it seem like a lot of the film has been dubbed over (which is a possibility). A lot of the audio cuts in and out, which is especially jarring during some later scenes when the twists and reveals occur. Coupled with the fact that during the first two thirds of the movie you are trying to wrap you head around what’s really happened while wincing at the grotesque sexual torture scenes, you are left with a lopsided film that will appeal to a very niche audience. That being said, the finale is definitely the best segment of the film, as Stanton truly reaches her peak and allows the conclusion to really pack a punch.

DOOM ROOM / CERT: UNRATED / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JON KEEYES / STARRING: JOHANNA STANTON, NICHOLAS BALL, CLAIRE JARED, CARL KIRSHNER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW