Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Richard Rowntree’s debut feature film Dogged adds fuel to the recent revival of folk horror. Films like Ritual, Kill List and, most recently, Hereditary all revel in unleashing ancient pre-Christian cultures on unassuming, modern audiences. Dogged, a Kickstarter-funded movie, doesn’t quite have the budget of those other films but manages to hold its own in a surging subgenre.

Sam (Sam Saunders) is a twenty-something student heading home for the funeral of a local girl. When he arrives, the isolated island town is stranger and more secretive than ever. Along with his childhood crush, Sam begins to unravel the mysteries of the island, creeping closer and closer to danger as he does so.

If The Wicker Man feeds off class (Rich Lord Summerisle keeps the working people in check via paganism) then Dogged goes for gender. Patriarchy through a prism of folk horror; it’s a nicely updated take on the trope, with the prodigal son returning from the modernising influence of University to the ritualistic confines of small-town life. It’s a culture shock that students the world over have dealt with for years now; the subtle feeling that home is never the same once you leave. Granted, for Sam, there’s more at work than simple gentrification and coming of age, but you get the point, it’s a fresh contemporary approach to a stuffy genre.

Saunders is a decent newcomer, easily able to hold our attention, but, as with many of the film’s issues, the longer it goes on, the more cracks appear. Toby Wynn-Davies overacting threatens some of the film’s most intense sequences with uninvited comedy, but there are some superb scenes where his flamboyancy totally works. Especially when his role in the film’s mystery is revealed. That seems to happen to most of the film’s inconsistently over-dramatic talents. Actors like Debra Leigh-Taylor, Tony Manders, and Philip Ridout are not bad at all, but the inconsistent direction seems to leave their performance mismatched with the tone.

At a run time of 116 minutes, Rowntree goes for the slow-burn but can’t quite hold the tension. Nor does he try. Dogged rarely feels like a traditional horror film: it’s a wrought drama with some great momentary chills, but it’s rarely really terrifying.  Which probably doesn’t help with the feeling that the runtime is a bit indulgent. There’s so much fluff; long silent shots of nature, reactions, or surplus footage that just could have been edited a bit tighter. It’s a shame because the film, though not outrageously stylish, is well filmed and atmospheric.

The bottom line is that Dogged is a decent enough story that could use an edit and a bit more focus. Rowntree has crafted a fresh-feeling folk horror script, but it’s too long-winded to summon the impact it could have had.

DOGGED / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: RICHARD ROWNTREE / SCREENPLAY: MATTHEW DAVIES, RICHARD ROWNTREE / STARRING: DEBRA LEIGH-TAYLOR, NADIA LAMIN, PHILIP RIDOUT, TONY MANDERS, AIYSHA JEBALI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Next time your life places a difficult choice in front of you, and you’re minded to turn your back on the more difficult – but ultimately more fulfilling – path, and take the easy route out instead, then maybe set aside a couple of hours to sit down and watch South Korean director Yim Pil-Sung’s 2007 film of Hansel and Gretel first; you might find yourself reconsidering which direction you want to travel in.

This is, at first appearance, a version of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale in name only; a copy of the book is revealed to have played an important part in the main characters’ development, and beyond some superficial resemblances the film seems to diverge from the original text quite considerably. Scratch a little deeper beneath its surface, though, and Yim’s story takes rather more from the Grimms’ tale than it might seem.

Eun-soo (Chun) crashes his car on Highway 69 while phoning his on-off girlfriend (Kim Eun-joo) who is about to become the mother to his child. He wakes after dark and soon becomes lost in the woods – until eleven-year-old Young-hee (Shim) finds him and returns him to her home, the House of Happy Children. There, Eun-soo partakes of a meal of buns and cakes, having been introduced to Young-hee’s siblings – Man-Bok (Eun), a twelve-year-old boy, six-year-old sister Jung-soon (Jin) – and their parents, who disappear the following day, leaving the three children in the forced care of Eun-soo.

Following this initial set-up, a sort of reverse symmetrical take on the original story, we’re quickly plunged into the realm of the adult fairy tale, in a particularly Asian way that will be familiar from other Oriental horror films. This is very slow-burning stuff, with Eun-soo initially given to try and escape his new home, until Deacon Byun Ji-wan (Park Hee-soon) and his wife Kyeong-suk (Lydia Park) arrive with rather more ulterior motives, at which point, Eun-soo’s fear of the three children evolves into curiosity and he begins an investigation into how their circumstances came about.

Some of the directions that inquiry takes are rather well-worn, but this is a moral tale with a thoughtful, occasionally insightful edge, and it’s distinguished by Yim’s reluctance to tread the more clichéd path that a more obvious horror film might follow. Rather, this leans considerably more towards dark fantasy, with a handful of digital effects sequences and a reliance on unhurried, intricately composed tableaux. It’s a very slow film, with a third act that might have benefitted from a little pruning, but it’s worth the journey to understand the destination.

This new Blu-ray from 88 Films is loaded with worthwhile extras, but the clarity of the print – despite the breathtaking beauty of the imagery – betrays some low-light filming issues that might prove a little distracting.

Extras: trailers, commentary, introduction, three production interviews

HANSEL AND GRETEL (2007) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: YIM PIL-SUNG / SCREENPLAY: KIM MIN-SOOK, YIM PIL-SUNG / STARRING: CHUN YUNG-MYUNG, EUN WON-JAE, SHIM EUN-KYUNG, JIN JI-HEE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Truly great novels which have their greatness translated to the screen are pretty rare. Women in Love? Absolutely. The Handmaid’s Tale? Praise be. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie? Och aye! It’s a brave filmmaker who takes such a task on and, in 1984, Michael Radford, a few years before international acclaim hit him with Il Postino, made a film version of one of greatest novels of all time, 1984.

It’s is a very timely release (as part of HMV’s exclusive Premium Collection), given what’s going on in the world right now, but can it live up to the masterpiece from which it was adapted? In short, the answer is no. But it makes a damn good crack at it.

John Hurt plays Winston Smith, a sickly man who spends his days re-writing history for the benefit of The Party – if they say something didn’t happen, that someone didn’t exist, it’s gone. In this world where war is continuous, where love is a crime, where thinking the wrong thing can get you tortured, he risks everything for an affair with Julia. But Big Brother is always watching…

This is a faithful and respectful translation of George Orwell’s prescient and continuously relevant novel. It looks perfect (Roger Deakins’ is behind the lens), the decrepit sets, bleak locations, worn costumes, emaciating makeup all bring to life the pages many of us read at school. The script, which Radford also adapted, somehow manages to bring complex ideas to the surface, taking its time, a cerebral rather than emotional piece of writing. As for the cast, John Hurt is the perfect Winston Smith, as gaunt and hopeless as could be, his scenes in the latter part of the film painful to watch. In his final film role, Richard Burton underplays so much that he’s absolutely horrifying as the calm but determined torturer O’Brien, reminding you of what a truly great actor he was. And as Julia, Suzanna Hamilton shines – why she didn’t become a huge star is a mystery because she’s superb.

And yet, it’s partly because of the respect for the intellectual nature of the novel that it all feels a little staid, a bit one-note, somewhat unexciting. Such is the issue with bringing to life a book about ideas; celebrated as one of the best ever written.

There’s also a distracting Eurythmics score that was tacked on by backers Virgin, much to the annoyance of Radford, which sits ill with the rest of the film.

The disc contains no extras (apart from some postcards), which is annoying and the Blu-ray transfer doesn’t really improve on previous DVD releases either.

So, a film to admire, rather than love, from a book to treasure.

1984 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL RADFORD / STARRING: JOHN HURT, RICHARD BURTON, SUZANNA HAMILTON / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 13TH (HMV EXCLUSIVE)

Covering the episodes of Digimon Adventure Tri under the Coexistence banner, the DigiDestined start the movie in the middle of a run in with a corrupted Gennai, and they spend most of the film mulling over the implications of what they have learned and what they need to do next.

Coexistence is the penultimate instalment in the series, and that really comes across in the film’s plot. The vast majority of the story is either dealing with the fallout of the previous movie, having characters spell out their feelings, or setting up what is to come next. As a result, it lacks a plot that is as cohesive as earlier instalments in the franchise. The second film had Joe and Mimi struggle with personal issues that proved relevant to the plot, the third movie had T.K. struggling with his fear of losing Patamon again. Coexistence, on the other hand, simply exposition – a lot of exposition. There is some action but it isn’t choreographed well and doesn’t take up much of the film’s runtime. The latter issue is a problem which also affected the earlier entries in the saga, but those films at least had the excuse that they were at a time in the series when it was still trying to set up the plot. Such an excuse doesn’t apply here.

Each of the releases in this series so far have included one extra designed to offer a look at how the show is made. This time, it’s a brief interview with Johnny Yong Bosch, the actor who has taken on the role of T.K. this time around. Bosch talks about what it was like to act in the series as a newcomer alongside veteran Digimon actors, and it is a lot of fun. Bosch is at ease and seems happy to be there, with the whole thing having the feel of an informal chat.

This may be a low point in the Digimon Adventure Tri movies; existing purely to bridge the earlier parts of its series to the finale, it offers little in itself that might have helped it succeed as a complete product. There are elements which work, the emotional turmoil the characters are going through does feel real, and as always, the animation is beautiful to look at. The problem is that these elements are buried under a lot of exposition and a needlessly long run time.

The extra feature is nice, but it isn’t enough by itself to justify purchasing this release.

Extras: Interview with Johnny Yong Bosch

DIGIMON ADVENTURE TRI THE MOVIE PART 5 / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: KEITARÔ MOTONAGA / SCREENPLAY: MITSUTAKA HIROTA / STARRING: JOSHUA SETH, VIC MIGNOGNA, COLLEEN O’SHAUGHNESSEY, MONA MARSHALL, PHILECE SAMPLER, ROBBIE DAYMOND, JOHNNY YONG BOSCH, TARA SANDS, CHRISTINA VEE / RELEASE DATE: JULY 30TH

A relatively late entry into the disaster film cycle of the 1970s, Rollercoaster is as much a psycho-thriller as it is anything like Earthquake or Airport. The film begins with the unnamed ‘young man’ (Timothy Bottoms) placing a bomb on the tracks of a roller coaster that he later detonates, killing a number of people. Safety inspector Harry Calder (George Segal) had cleared the track as safe fairly recently and so he is called to investigate. When there’s a fire at another location Calder begins to suspect something else is going on and inserts himself into a high-level meeting of theme park owners to find out more. However, Calder becomes more deeply entwined in the blackmail scheme of the young man than he had either expected or desired.

Rollercoaster was written by Columbo creators Richard Levison and William Link. Although there are certainly disastrous events, the majority of the film finds Levison and Link weaving a psychological thriller about the efforts to stop the young man, a coldly remorseless villain. It’s often beautifully shot and comes with a heavy late-‘70s vibe that now acts as a fascinating time capsule of America as it was as well as writing and filmmaking techniques. Director James Goldstone is restrained in his approach, concentrating instead on tried and tested methods of building suspense. It’s certainly anachronistic in this respect and occasionally, the pace flags. Most things really still work, however, not least the charming and charismatic Segal in the lead. It refreshingly ignores motivation for its bomber and takes narrative swerves here and there, avoiding obvious tropes. Although overlong, it’s compelling and exciting, and for fans of the period and disaster or high-stress ‘70s thrillers, it’s definitely recommended.

This new release comes with a fine print that highlights an age now lost to time. It’s a little soft here and there, but so rarely that it’ll never bother you. The soundtrack might not be in ‘Sensurround’ anymore, but the fantastic score from Lalo Schifrin still thunders from the speakers. For extras, there’s a good 22-minute piece with film historian Simon Fitzjohn talking about the film and the disaster movies of the decade. Writers Allan Bryce and David Flint provide a very worthwhile commentary that’s done with affection for the film and veers off in all sorts of different directions. There’s a second disc with an ever-so-slightly different German ‘uncut’ version, and the accompanying booklet features writing from Bryce and also from Scott Harrison. A solid package for an entertaining film ripe for rediscovery.

ROLLERCOASTER (1977) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: JAMES GOLDSTONE / SCREENPLAY: RICHARD LEVINSON, WILLIAM LINK / STARRING: GEORGE SEGAL, RICHARD WIDMARK, TIMOTHY BOTTOMS, HENRY FONDA, HARRY GUARDINO, SUSAN STRASBERG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Doom Asylum is not a great film, but very much on purpose. It’s a slasher film, that ticks off all of the clichés of the subgenre along the way and a satire at the same time. Not just of slashers or horror films, but of genre filmmaking in general and therefore not to be taken seriously.

The premise is suitably generic, beginning with Mitch and his fiancé Judy celebrating a huge court case win that will set them up for life. A car accident later, however, and Judy is dead and Mitch is laying on a coroner’s office table where his horrific injuries have people believing he is dead too. Mitch wakes up and – now insane – kills the examiners. Some years down the line, Judy’s daughter Kiki and her group of friends stop at an abandoned asylum not realising it hides the disfigured and murderous Mitch. As well as a Goth-punk girl group trio who, while practising their music, will also get caught up in the events that follow.

The film doesn’t skimp on the expected kills whilst also adding in numerous gags, visual and through dialogue, which means it can be enjoyed as both low budget horror film and commentary on the popular tropes of the genre. Whether you are on board with this will depend on how much Doom Asylum’s off-kilter sensibilities and wilful humour lands with you. This reviewer found it tiresome and eventually irritating but, and this really is the key here, other viewers will find it all a hoot. It’s presented here on Blu-ray by Arrow in a brand new 2K restoration and for the most part (the reasoning behind both widescreen and 1.33:1 versions are explained), it’s another example of just how sharp, colourful and vibrant this process can make a 30-year-old low budget film pop.

For extras, it’s a reliably good selection. There are a number of interviews included; with actor Ruth Collins (18 mins), cinematographer Larry Revene (19 mins), and special effects creator Vincent J. Guastini (18 mins) all sharing their newly-recorded memories of the film with additional archival interviews with director Richard Friedman, producer Alexander W. Kogan and production manager Bill Tasgal (11 mins). We have two commentaries as well, a moderated one with screenwriter Rick Marx and the other with slasher aficionados The Hysteria Continues. Marx’s, in particular, unravels some of the intent behind the film’s creation, and the other done with affection and insight (it’s described here as ‘the slasher John Waters would make’). First pressings come with a booklet featuring new writing by the estimable slasher expert Amanda Reyes. For fans or those interested, it’s a great release.

DOOM ASYLUM (1987) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: RICHARD FRIEDMAN / SCREENPLAY: RICK MARX / STARRING: PATTY MULLEN, RUTH COLLINS, KRISTIN DAVIS, WILLIAM HAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW