Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

The latest reimagining of the Beowulf tale, this TV series sees the rugged anti-hero return to the town of Herot, which he had left twenty years ago, and longing to seek some sort of purpose and belonging after his mentor/guardian Hrothgar, the town’s Thane, dies. After the murder of Herot’s Reeve shortly after his arrival, Beowulf once again finds a home in the town and takes up the title, upholding the law and protecting the town from the external and internal dangers that constantly threaten its existence. Along the way, he finds himself in a complicated with relationship with Herot’s healer, Elvina, and seeks to repair the strained relationship with his adopted brother, Slean.

It’s clear from the outset that the makers of this show were trying hard to make this a “Game of Thrones for the Doctor Who family audiences”, and while there are some interesting ideas at play, this series fails to be anything more than a decently average series. It’s clearly trying to bridge the Doctor Who gap and there’s already a pre-existing mythology to work from, which was adapted before with Robert Zemeckis’ 2007 CGI-laden romp, so that’s what the show is aiming for, but it never quite manages to find its feet. Since the height of Doctor Who‘s popularity, Merlin was spawned out of that, and when Atlantis came shortly after, it felt a little bit Merlin-lite. However, this isn’t even Atlantis, so it suffers from this trickle-down effect and ends up being on a par with Jekyll and Hyde as a result.

It is admirable that the show doesn’t take the easy route and make everything dark, grim and gritty, but the show suffers from these erratic shifts in plot and character development. Right from the start, the show pushes Beowulf into many trials and tribulations, yet this sets into motion too many subplots at the same time, which will put some people of. Characters are being murdered, betrayed and chased about left and right, long before any form of connection could’ve been made, leaving some of us feeling baffled, confused and frustrated that we never got to know some of these people. In fact, a lot of the character developments seem rushed, with some friendships and relationships being formed one minute or falling apart the next and vice versa, and all within the blink of an eye. A lot of mystery and political struggles are introduced to spice things up, but these individual aspects lack the depth and intrigue to drive them, especially since they have to be tied to a lot of the character’s angles, like repressed childhood memories or forced romantic triangles.

It’s evident that a lot of the resources went into the production, costume and setting design rather than the story itself. It is visually breathtaking with the locales of North East England perfectly used to create the setting of medieval Scandinavia, and the sets and costumes are incredibly polished and brightly colourful in terms of both the natural landscape and in human settlement. The CGI is a mixed bag, being well realised and acted in some areas, yet hokey and unnatural in others, although what can you expect from a modest TV budget? The performances are decently solid across the board, yet the real standouts come from both Ed Speelers and Holly Earl. Speelers adds real depth and complexity to the character of Splean, making you sympathise and understand his motivations, despite some of the shady dealings he performs, making him more of an interesting character than his adopted brother, Beowulf. Earl is equally amazing; introduced in episode 5, Kela is a character that is multi-layered, multi-faceted and creates an intriguing dynamic with Slean. She’s pretty much the most surprising character on the show, and it’s credit to Earl for pulling it off. s

In the end, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands is a mixed-bag of a series that’s fun in short bursts, boasts amazing visuals and some impressive performances, but its the unfocused narrative and rushed characterisations that prevent this from being more than decent. Plus, it ends on a cliffhanging ball-buster of an ending that won’t get resolved until next season, which seems unlikely due to rumours of cancellation being afoot. It’s not as bad as a lot of critics have made it out to be, but it is a classic case of being all style and spectacle, but no substance or heart.

BEOWULF- RETURN TO THE SHIELDLANDS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: JON EAST, JULIAN HOLMES, MAREK LOSEY, STEPHEN WOOLFENDEN, KERRIC MACDONALD / SCREENPLAY: JAMES DORMER, MICHAEL A. WALKER / STARRING: GÍSLI ÖRN GARÐARSSON, KIERAN BEW, JOANNE WHALLEY, ED SPELEERS, LAURA DONNELLY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The docudrama is an odd bird. As it’s a fictional telling of a real thing, so it’s neither one thing nor the other. It’s supposed to be true but at the same time, plainly it isn’t. But it’s been a weapon in the armoury of educational telly for the last 50 years, so we all know the drill and here’s a BFI disc with two of Peter Watkins’ ground breaking greats of the genre.

Back in 2002, we remember watching Simon Schama’s inaugural BBC History Lecture, Television and the Trouble with History and him citing the then 38-year old Culloden as “the closest that compelling historical reconstruction has come to embodying prime-time manners of contemporary news debate” . In other, less erudite words, it was as if we’d had Vietnam-style TV journalism in 1746. Actors with dirty faces staring into the camera, while a posh BBC voice tells you what’s going on as if they’re with a camera crew. Come on, it was better than those Blue Peter reconstructions with Val Singleton and some shaky drawings. What’s more Culloden is surprisingly compelling. Perhaps it’s the history it’s working with but it’s hardly dated at all and the monochrome just makes it a bit grittier. This is so much better than we get from Dan Snow nowadays.

Culloden did much to demythologise “Bonnie” Prince Charles who was still portrayed in largely heroic terms back in the ‘60s. Rather than David Niven, here he’s the thoroughly un-Scottish military incompetent, leading a largely unwilling army of clansmen (many no more than children) to certain doom against the Duke of Cumberland’s professional killers. The equally tragic aftermath is shown as Charles deserted the country. It’s not pretty but it does what a history documentary should. Unmissable stuff, even if we were slightly amused when someone put their hand to the camera as if to say “no publicity!”

The War Game was really the one Watkins had wanted to make before he was gently pushed in the direction of Culloden and it’s the one you’re more likely to have seen, even though it wasn’t broadcast until 20 years later. While not actually history, it’s made in much the same style and, of course, the reason it was not shown is because it is absolutely terrifying.

It shows Britain during a nuclear war (near the actual strikes) and the immediate aftermath. Now, when it starts, you’re actually left wondering what the fuss was about. It’s nowhere scary enough to warrant a TV ban, surely? In fact the apparent racism of the average Brit seems the most shocking thing on display. That and some of the genuine policies regarding evacuation from the cities. Men of fighting age left behind? Why? Bizarre, but not exactly frightening. Then the police start forming into firing squads to shoot protesters and to carry out mercy killings at the drugless hospitals. Oh.

Powerful though The War Game is, we suspect Culloden will be the one getting the repeat viewings.

Special Features: Culloden commentary by Dr John Cook / The War Game commentary by Patrick Murphy / Interview with editor Mike Bradsell (2015) / Illustrated booklet with essays and full credits.

CULLODEN (1964) & THE WAR GAME (1965) / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: PETER WATKINS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Made in 2008, and never released subtitled before, Tom Six’s pre-Centipede film I Love Dries (renamed for this release with a title that will be on everyone’s lips) was actually his third feature. And while it may not possess the gross-out gore of the trilogy that made him (in)famous the world over, WTF has its own disgusting level of charm to endear it to his loyal fanbase. And is also off-the-chart crazy enough to actually find the cult audience it deserves in its own right.

Chart-topping singer Dries (who plays himself) is a poster boy for the older fans, his shows attract the sort of adoring female attention that many singers would love. Unfortunately, after one show he is abducted by a burly, unkempt man, Freek, (René de Wit) and taken to his caravan home in the middle of nowhere. When he awakes, he’s repelled by the sight of Freek and his partner Teuntje (Rikkie de Wit). Scruffy, slovenly, obese, and completely repulsive, they make a fuss of Dries and are clearly big fans. Initially, he thinks his kidnapping is a prank – and he looks around for the hidden cameras and shouts for the host to come out and make this grotesque nightmare finish.
But this is no prank, no set-up. The loved-up couple needs Dries for one important thing. They’re not after blackmailing the singer; oh no, they want his baby. Freek is infertile following a *ahem* freak accident involving a gardening rake and Teuntje is desperate for a child. So their plan is to keep Dries locked away until he agrees (and follows through) to impregnate the hideous woman.

Although some directors would have been handled as a straight-out riotous comedy, Six instead presents a dark, slightly satirical and wonderfully humorous drama. The filmmaker uses his own outlandish script and sculpts a sickening and nightmarish scenario in which there are no particularly nice characters, yet we still feel some empathy for them. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the childless couple, who clearly are happy in their filthy lifestyle choice and are perfectly suited. Dries himself, while coming across as egotistical, clearly is a good sport and plays up his character wonderfully, but also managing some genuine moments of pathos and comic timing.

As a film on its own terms – taking away what we know and love about Mr Six – What the F**K works wonderfully as a gross-out World Cinema comedy, something you’d stumble upon in the middle of the night on Channel Four and be amused by. The stylised look (or de-stylised, as it’s got the look of aged 16mm film) may be too much for some but certainly adds to the grimy tone. Fans of the Centipede series may be disappointed that there’s no gore or real nastiness, but the grotesque characters and outrageous situations will more than keep them entertained.

WHAT THE F**K / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: TOM SIX / STARRING: DRIES ROELVINK, RENÉ DE WIT, RIKKIE DE WIT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (DIRECT FROM TOM SIX)

 

Following the death of his parents just before Christmas, Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) strikes a deal with his two best friends, Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie) to spend every Christmas Eve together getting wasted and chasing down the holy grail of Christmas Parties. Flash forward a bunch of years and stoner Isaac is settling down, about to have a baby while Chris has blown up as a sports megastar. Ethan, however, has remained static, resigned to circling the bowl of limited experience, while being too afraid to make commitments. Feeling that their youth is now behind them, they decide to go out with a bang, heading out into New York for a final Christmas Eve of fun. With a limo full of Red Bull, a pocket full of every drug conceivable and three tickets to the Christmas party of their dreams, the trio are set for a night to remember… just maybe not exactly in the way that they imagined.

Okay, so Seth Rogen plays a stoner. You can pretty much envisage the exact tone of the movie and level of humour from just that one sentence. For those who are partial to the afro-haired actor’s blend of comedy, you’ll be more than fine in this world of dick jokes, pratfalls and celebrity friend cameos (yes, James Franco makes an appearance). Those who can’t stand Rogen need read no further.

This has every ingredient required to make an endearing Christmas comedy. Gordon-Levitt is always eminently watchable and provides the heart of the film, while Mackie ably polishes his rising star. Rogen is Rogen. The supporting cast is equally impressive with the likes of Jillian Bell and Mindy Kaling amplifying the comedy, while Michael Shannon embodies the somewhat twisted spirit of Christmas and Lizzy Caplan is as adorable as ever. The gags are plentiful, with a healthy dose of what was in all likelihood improvised moments (the drug-induced dream sequence featuring Rogen and Bell is a highlight) and the underlying message perfectly fits the seasonal feel.

Yet, somehow, it feels like you’ve seen all of this before.

In their attempt to make a classic Christmas comedy, writer/director Jonathan Levine and regular Rogen stooge Evan Goldberg have ticked every box. Heart-warming sentiment, quirky spiritual character, Christmas movie references, seasonal music… it’s all here. Yet this by the numbers approach ultimately detracts from the film’s potential impact, stopping it short of becoming a classic and landing it squarely in the ‘one to watch after the pub with a pizza’ category.

If this was a Christmas present, you wouldn’t want to return it, but as a comedy, it’s more of a seasonal snigger than a ‘Ho, ho, ho’.

Additional features include an all-too-short gag reel and a load of pithy featurettes featuring B-roll footage and interviews with the stars (some of which is funnier than the final gags included in the movie).

THE NIGHT BEFORE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JONATHAN LEVINE / SCREENPLAY: JONATHAN LEVINE, KYLE HUNTER, ARIEL SHAFFIR, EVAN GOLDBERG / STARRING: JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, SETH ROGEN, ANTHONY MACKIE, LIZZY CAPLAN, JILLIAN BELL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Profound and mesmerising, Mr. Robot is a deep examination of how the new technological age affects our current modern society, either accelerating it for the better or darkening it for the worst. It’s also an intense and psychologically detailed human drama, and what Series Creator Sam Esmail has done perfectly is create a drama that, in a dark and disturbing way, show how much humanity has evolved in a superficial way, which is definitely (and perhaps morbidly) current, seeing as we are now slightly in modern ages ahead of modern ages. It also cleverly tackles real weighty themes of isolation, obsession, addiction, dysfunction, abuse of power and greed, and doing them all without being exploitative or too on the nose.

Within the technological world, ambition and power is at the centre of it, and as each and every facet of our mundane human lives is continuously consumed by information, that saturation and breach of privacy gets controlled and manipulated by people with amplified efficiency, and that is definitely the case with this series. There is no clear black or white with any of these characters, there’s only a morally grey area. We have the group of hackers known as “fsociety”, that are always operating in the dark and on the outside, the world’s conglomerate puppet masters in E-Corp, and the working middle-men that are caught in the crossfire. At the centre is Elliot Alderson, a troubled young man that ends up becoming the key player in setting in motion and orchestrating the fate of the world’s digital and social age.

In terms of how it tackles character development and details, story arcs, and its stark representation of the modern world, this show succeeds with flying colours by proving to be immensely thoughtful and thought provoking. The show is swimming in a sea of darkness, with no light touches to be found. It’s super serious, but what’s astounding is that it never becomes dreary or dull as a result of that. Unapologetically, every aspect of the show is as sharp as a knife; it’s edgy and gritty, yet also immensely enjoyable, intelligently written, expertly directed and powerfully raw. While the main ultimate twist can be easily predictable from a mile away and can fizzle out for some, there are plenty of other surprises to fall back on, plus strong performances.

Having first impressed in the excellent Until Dawn video game last year, Rami Malek is a mesmerising screen presence, as the unassuming lead protagonist. From the personal ramblings, to the internal monologues, to the emotional breakdowns, Malek nails every single emotion and nuance of Elliot’s character, and gives a career-best performance. As the titular character, Christian Slater is superb, bringing a unique dynamic energy to the part that it’s almost impossible to take your eyes off him. The rest of the supporting cast are all excellent as well, particularly Carly Chaikin, Portia Doubleday, Martin Wallström and Stephanie Corneliussen, with each one bringing something new and exciting to the mix.

Another aspect of the show that excels is in its production design and direction. Its attention to detail is spotless and is something the show takes full advantage of, as each and every area or location has meaning or a purpose to the narrative. The direction is very unusual, yet also visually striking. The way certain characters like Elliot are framed, often makes them look small against a big, sweeping and consuming world. The cinematography by Tim Ives is masterful and makes the shots quite cinematic and it’s all edited together beautifully, plus its soundtrack is nothing short of genius and Mac Quayle’s music is very reminiscent of the haunting scores of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

As it stands, Mr. Robot is easily the best, and smartest, new show to hit TV in the past few years, being atmospheric, thought provoking, honest, and believable. It perfectly blends cold technology with raw humanity, which makes it all the more unique. It’s wonderfully constructed, the performances are universally terrific, and the writing’s intelligent, which makes the story consistently exciting. It’s a mature, darkly engrossing piece of genre fiction that further demonstrates why television is a writer’s medium. 

MR. ROBOT – SEASON 1 / CERT: TBC / DIRECTORS: NIELS ARDEN OPLEV, SAM ESMAIL, JIM MCKAY, NISHA GANATRA, DEBORAH CHOW, CHRISTOPH SCHREWE, TRICIA BROCK / SCREENPLAY: SAM ESMAIL, ADAM PENN, DAVID ISERSON, KYLE BRADSTREET, KATE ERICKSON, RANDOLPH LEON / STARRING: RAMI MALEK, CHRISTIAN SLATER, CARLY CHAIKIN, PORTIA DOUBLEDAY, MARTIN WALLSTRÖM / RELEASE DATE: 11TH APRIL

If you’re of a certain age, The Wonder Years needs no introduction. For six seasons, between 1988 and 1993, it was one of the most successful shows on US TV, charting the adventures of twelve-year-old Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) as he, and his friends Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano) and Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar), negotiated the often very funny but sometimes bittersweet turmoil of adolescence while, in a wider view, Kevin’s family tried to hold things together in the disorder of late 1960’s America.

It was essentially a sitcom, but it quietly redefined what a sitcom could be (if you can call a show that had the guts to debut on Super Bowl night ‘quiet’). Its humour comes from the heart, from the memories the show evokes about our own growing-up, to the wish fulfilment that we all wanted to have friends like Kevin, Paul and Winnie (and Olivia d’Abo, even more gorgeous than her Bond girl cousin) who would stand beside us through good times and bad. But there was plenty of drama too – in fact, in one of the best pilot episodes that has ever been made for any series anywhere, the comedy of Kevin’s first day stepping through the portals of manhood at Robert F. Kennedy Junior High is offset by the news, at the end of the episode, that Winnie’s brother has been killed in the Vietnam War. It is a genuine moment of shock that not only ends with Kevin and Winnie’s first tentative kiss, setting up an on-again off-again relationship, that would last right through until the series finale, but bravely sets out the stall for the 114 remarkable episodes that were to come. 

And there isn’t a bad story among the bunch, and they’re all here inside this mammoth 26 DVD box set together with more exclusive bonus material than even the most enthusiastic Wonder Years fan could ever wish for. It’s during one of these special features, when the cast reunites to share their stories about the show, that you get a real clue to the magic of The Wonder Years – working on the series was obviously an intense experience for everyone, and there’s a genuine sense of a family reunion as they sit together and reminisce. And, in a particularly fascinating interview, the show’s creators Neal Marlens and Carol Black give a terrific insight into not only the evolution of the series but about what came afterwards, when they decided to quit Hollywood to lead a real life. Even better though, all the original sixties and seventies music that was featured in the show when it first aired has been restored, including Joe Cocker’s all-important cover of ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’.

It sounds hokey, but revisiting this series is like catching up with a long lost best friend and learning more about them than you ever thought possible! This is a phenomenal set, a terrific keepsake of one of the best television series ever made, and it’s truly – erm – Wonder-Years-ful to finally have every episode available to relive over and over again. 

THE WONDER YEARS: THE COMPLETE SERIES- DELUXE EDITION / CERT: PG / DIRECTORS: VARIOUS / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: FRED SAVAGE, DAN LAURIA, OLIVIA D’ABO, ALLEY MILLS, JASON HERVEY / RELEASE DATE: 4TH APRIL