Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

PAN’S LABYRINTH (WORLDS ON FILM: BEYOND GENRES)

There isn’t much that hasn’t already been said about Guillermo del Toro’s magnificent Pan’s Labyrinth. It is a poetic, often horrific piece of intoxicating storytelling. It is, according to many, cinematic perfection.

Set during the Spanish Civil War this is the story of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a ten-year-old girl who travels with her mother to live with her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Obsessed with fairy tales and magic and aided by a faun (del Toro regular Doug Jones) Ofelia discovers a mystical labyrinth.

From the first DVD release of Pan’s Labyrinth back in 2007 there have been more than ten other versions, all varying in their accompanying extras and picture qualities. Umbrella Entertainment’s new Blu-ray release sits in their Worlds on Film: Beyond Genres series, a collection curated with the intention of highlighting films that break out from the usual genre conventions. Previous releases include Possession (1981) and Crash (1996). There’s exclusive artwork and a reversible sleeve. Which is all very nice indeed, but is it enough?

If you already own a version of Pan’s Labyrinth there’s a strong possibility you possess some of the extras included here, too. They are undeniably extensive, but the fantastic audio commentary from del Toro first appeared on a 2007 edition with the remainder harvested from DVD and Blu-ray releases from that period. There is nothing new here, and for the hardcore fan, there are even some notable omissions, including cast interviews and production diaries.

What we have here is a 5-star film, with 4-star extras. But you likely have them all already. One for the completists.

Pan’s Labyrinth is available on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment

WORLDS GONE WILD Volume 1: 1984 / THE HANDMAID’S TALE

A double-bill of big-screen dystopian drama is brought together on Worlds Gone Wild, a blu-ray release that combines stories of imagined societal dysfunction from both sides of the Atlantic. There’s no question of the power of their literary source material but, in terms of cinematic quality, the two are an uneven match.

Michael Radford’s big-screen adaptation of George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984 (released in 1984) has never secured the reputation it deserves as a powerful, chilling and richly atmospheric reworking of Orwell’s seminal treatise on authoritarianism and tyranny. His evocation of the ways in which all-pervasive power crushes the human spirit – a companion piece to the condemnation of Stalinism that Orwell presents in Animal Farm – still resonates today.

As the unprepossessing rebel Winston Smith, John Hurt gives one of the very best performances of his career. Suzanna Hamilton is a passionate Julia, while Richard Burton delivers an extraordinarily convincing turn as Smith’s mentor, interrogator and confessor O’Brien. The script and production design are both first-rate, and the finished movie is only marred by the inexplicable inclusion of the dreadful, insipid eighties’ synth-pop soundtrack by Eurythmics. Following the recent re-release of the Nigel Kneale-scripted 1954 version of Nineteen-Eighty-Four, the opportunity for a positive reappraisal of Radford’s often neglected cinematic vision of the novel is timely.

The current TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s examination of religious zealotry and the subjugation of women (which concluded its critically-acclaimed fourth season last summer), has relegated the questionable status of the 1990 film version of The Handmaid’s Tale still further. Conflicts over rewrites of Harold Pinter’s original screenplay, together with director Volker Schlöndorff’s insistence on excising context from the narrative, result in an unbalanced and confusing exploration of Atwood’s themes. Natasha Richardson makes for an enigmatic Offred, while Faye Dunaway presents Serena as steely and implacable. But the muted atmosphere of the piece, and the sketchy nature of the Gilead world-building, culminate in an unsatisfying film translation of the book.

Although these movies were produced within seven years of each other, and both are screen adaptations of classic anti-utopian literature, it’s not instantly apparent why they would be good candidates for a paired release. This single-disc package by the Australian label Umbrella Entertainment is devoid of any special features that might throw light on the question. Volume 2 will offer The Andromeda Strain (1971) and The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) – an even odder coupling.

WORLDS GONE WILD Volume 1 is available to buy on Blu-Ray

GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS (1973)

Part Two Thousand Maniacs, part King Kong (ish) and part what the hell is going on, Godmonster of Indian Flats is a forgotten 1973 brain-melter that combines elements of classic creature features with well-meaning but ham-fisted social commentary to form one of the strangest films you’re likely to witness. Splitting its two central ideas across completely separate plots which only overlap towards the very end of the film, it’s quite a confusing watch but there’s rarely a dull moment – the eight-foot-tall mutant sheep monster is undeniably the main attraction, but with the wealthy black outsider’s storyline, the fake dog funeral, the pie-throwing contest and countless other scenes of madness and mayhem (especially in the closing moments), the whole thing is just absolutely riveting from beginning to end.

After the room stops spinning and your brain returns to normal (AKA “when Godmonster isn’t on the TV anymore”), there’s a hefty amount of extra features to wade through. The Legend of Bigfoot is a full-length pseudo-documentary from 1976 in which an animal tracker traipses through the wilderness in search of a genuine sasquatch. And do you know what? He actually finds and films one! Elsewhere, ‘Berserker shorts’ offers a schizophrenic collection of three short films from the vaults, including the 30-minute public information film Just In Case: Suppression of School Bus Fires (in case you ever need to know about dealing with a fire on a school bus), some very well-spoken people unconvincingly recounting implausible tales of UFO sightings and abductions, and a 10-minute edit of the 1945 creature feature White Gorilla in which some hunters encounter a man in a monkey suit in an African jungle.

Throw in a quick handful of trailers that will definitely pique your interest if you’re keen on this sort of thing, and you end up with a demented but completely enjoyable few hours’ worth of footage. The slightly gritty grindhouse vibe won’t be to everybody’s tastes, but there aren’t many discs out there that offer such a wild assortment of films. If you’re into weird but well-made obscurities, Godmonster of Indian Flats definitely deserves a place on your shelf.

Godmonster of Indian Flats is available on Blu-ray from April 25th as part of 101 Films’ AGFA collection.

DRUG STORIES

Subtitled “The Scare Films Archives, Volume 1”, Drug Stories is a compilation of restored 1960s and 70s public information films from the American Genre Film Archives that aim to inform and educate the viewer while also dissuading them from participating in undesirable practices. Eleven short films are included, ranging from 10 to 25 minutes long, tackling subjects like drink driving and the evils of marijuana with exactly the sort of toffee-nosed holier-than-thou attitudes that you’d probably expect from this more conservative era.

Among the delights on offer are “Curious Alice”, from the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, which uses the drug-addled story of Alice In Wonderland and some trippy and very creepy almost Monty Python-esque animation to warn children of the dangers of substance abuse, and “The Distant Drummer” which takes viewers on a fun whistlestop tour of worldwide hippy hotspots while demonising the beatnik lifestyle and placing the blame for widespread drug use squarely on their shoulders. The bizarrely-named “Narcotics The Decision: Goofballs and Tea” charts an 18-year-old girl’s fall from grace when popping a few pills at a party leads to a meeting with a manipulative pusher and, eventually, heroin addiction and prostitution, and “The Trip Back” documents one of ex-addict Florrie Fisher’s discussions with a group of NYC school kids, where she gives the room full of sullen teenagers a right old talking to for the best part of half an hour.

The highlight, though, might be “LSD25”. Narrated by a sentient tab of acid, the film sets out to give you the real facts and correct the barrage of misinformation that was prevalent at the time. “You are looking at a traveller who just bought a ticket for a special kind of trip. The cost? A few dollars… and his mind”. With its cool 60s psych/folk song (probably best not to look up who sings it, though) and countless old fuddy-duddies moaning about kids falling out of trees and painting themselves green and yellow, LSD25 makes the idea of getting up to no good really seem like quite a laugh… until it starts talking about the grim stuff.

Despite containing plenty of interesting relics to sift through, the only extra feature is an 80-minute mixtape which is made up of slightly re-edited versions of footage seen elsewhere on the disc. As such, it’s a very bare-bones release that sets it firmly in the “determined collector of drug-related obscurities” niche. If that’s you, then don’t say no!

Drug Stories is available on Blu-ray from April 25th as part of 101 Films’ AGFA collection.

THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)

Released in 1971 while the actual real-life Zodiac Killer’s jaunt across the San Francisco Bay Area was still very much fresh in the public’s minds, director Tom Hanson has said that his sole reason for making the film was to attract the elusive killer’s attention and, ultimately, to apprehend them. Assuming an egotistical murderer wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to watch a movie based on his crimes, Hanson’s idea was to ask moviegoers to write on cards before entering the theatre, which were then examined in the hope that eventually the killer’s handwriting might be identified, letting staff know that the perpetrator was in attendance. The plan didn’t work, the Zodiac’s identity is still a mystery 50 years later and the film faded into obscurity, but hey, it’s a neat story.

While the film itself is technically proficient and there’s a surprising amount of laughs, your average viewer would find a lot to complain about – wildly varying levels of acting ability and seriously dated dialogue are among the major problems, along with an almost overbearingly horrendous attitude towards women which can make for some uncomfortable viewing. The washed-out print, restored from the only known surviving original print, gives the whole thing a gritty and grimy feel, which is pretty much what you want from these forgotten relics of the old grindhouse days. There’s certainly plenty for aficionados of obscure oddities to get stuck into though, and if nothing else the fact that this is surely the only time in history that anyone’s made a movie to try to catch a killer makes it quite the curiosity.

On the extra features, there’s a very brief interview with director Tom Hanson and producer Manny Nedwick, who both also appear on the full-length audio commentary track alongside staff from the American Genre Film Archive. It’s always a pleasure to hear about how these forgotten films came into existence, and even more enjoyable when the participants are as affable as these chaps are. There’s also a bonus film, the 70-minute Another Son of Sam, which sees a team of law enforcement officers pursuing a splatter-happy escapee from a local asylum. Much like the main feature, it’s competently put together but the writing and acting are nowhere near even approaching acceptable levels of quality. Despite the flaws of both movies on this disc, fans of trashy old cinema will still find them to be very watchable and entertaining.

The Zodiac Killer is available on Blu-ray now as part of 101 Films’ AGFA collection.

THE ODD COUPLE (1979)

The Odd Couple is an odd movie, one half is arguably the greatest display of weapons fighting captured on screen, and the other an attrition of tiresome comedy. Eureka beautifully presents the 1970 film on Blu-ray for the first time, so you can decide which one wins out.

Sammo Hung and director, Lau Kar-wing, play the King of Sabres and King of Spears – two elderly, bickering rivals who meet every year to test their skills. Every year it’s a draw, so they decide to train disciples, played by the younger Sammo and Lau. It’s a quirky set-up with our stars playing old and young, whilst the action on display is exemplary – Sammo’s movement with the spear and sword are astonishing to watch, and the end duel featuring the unarmed disciples taking on villain Bryan Leung (famously known as Beardy) contains two bone-crunching kicks that will have you reaching for the rewind button. You just have to get through some stomach-churning scenes, typified by Sammo cracking eight eggs into the mouth of comedy stalwart, Dean Shek, and then proceeding to force him to regurgitate them onto a table. Yuck!

The disc contains the usual sets of audio commentary – Frank Djeng and Bobby Samuel provide an overview of the film while Mike Leeder and Arne Venema provide more hilarious stories about the Hong Kong film industry. We get an archival interview with Lau Kar-wing, in which he details the decisions surrounding the film (large parts of the interview can already be found on the Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon disc). Finally, Beardy himself provides an insightful interview about how demanding the film was and confirms how powerful those kicks really were. Like Mr Leung, if you can handle the hard times, the rewards are great.

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1954)

It’s sobering to realise how much of the terminology that forms the core of Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell’s regrettably-timeless tale of totalitarianism and brutal social repression has passed almost seamlessly into near-common usage. Thoughtcrime, sex crime, newspeak, doublethink, Room 101 and, of course, Big Brother Is Watching You are concepts that we’re largely familiar with and that feel more pertinent and relevant than ever as we stagger across the screaming social media nightmare world gifted us by the 21st century. The BBC’s landmark production of Orwell’s novel was first broadcast in December 1954, just five years after the book’s publication, and, despite the sometimes primitive and stagey nature of its production, it remains a powerful, disturbing and remorselessly downbeat experience. It’s hardly surprising that sensitive contemporary viewers were traumatised by its cocktail of crushing concepts and images as Winston Smith (a young Peter Cushing) harbours growing resentment towards the soulless regime that has risen up in a Great Britain renamed Airstrip One in the aftermath of a devastating atomic war and is now part of a militaristic superstate known as Oceania. Smith works for the formidable Ministry of Truth but he dreams of rebellion and he embarks on a course of action – including a romance with his colleague Julia (Yvonne Mitchell) that serves to exacerbate his discontentment – that will lead him to the pits of despair and degradation.

Scripted by Nigel Kneale (a hot ticket following the huge success of his Quatermass Experiment serial the year before), Nineteen Eighty-Four takes no prisoners and makes no concessions for the still-delicate sensibilities of a post-war British TV audience. It’s tough, rugged, pitiless and ultimately hopeless. This new BFI Blu-ray release (the repeat performance of the original screening, hailing from the days when dramas were largely broadcast live and restaged in their entirety if they were repeated) is a stark reminder of the pioneering early days of British television and is best approached with the appropriate expectations. This was bold, landmark stuff at the time – in many ways it still is – but it’s a slow-paced, measured production with often quite theatrical performances (there’s even an interval) and a visual look that reflects the tone of the story with its drab, minimalist sets and slate grey costumes.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is sixty-six years old and we’re lucky it exists at all so picture quality is inevitably variable. Pre-filmed sequences (inserted into the ’live’ performances) are pin-sharp but the studio material inevitably looks occasionally fuzzy and grainy and obviously betrays its age. But this release is an important presentation of a literary classic turned into a television classic and it’s supported by some quality extra material including the BFI’s Dick Fiddy discussing many of the myths surrounding the production’s controversial afterlife, a fascinating clip from a 1965 edition of BBC2’s Late Night Line-Up that reunites many of the cast and crew 11 years after the event, Toby Hadoke in conversation with Kneale biographer Andy Murray, a new commentary, and an illustrated booklet. Just essential.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 11th

2LDK (2003)

Tensions reach a deadly boiling point in Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s 2003 Japanese cult classic, 2LDK.

Two actresses, Nozomi and Lana share a small 2 bedroom Tokyo apartment – however, that’s where the similarities between the two end. Nozomi is reserved and timid but eager to prove her worth whereas Lana is bold, brash and full of ego. One day, the two clash once more over their relationship with the same man and the fact that they are vying for the same lead role – however, this time it is the final straw and they are thrust into a battle to the death using household items and are trapped with each other in this tiny apartment.

2LDK is a part of a special project called “The Duel Project” in which Tsutsumi-san and fellow filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura (Aragami) were both tasked with a challenge – to shoot a film in just one week, using one location and the same premise – two people fighting to the death. What makes 2LDK stand out from the other film Aragami is that it is a lot more relatable for those of us that have had annoying roommates and in our opinion, is more inventive as it takes the believable and elevates it.

The two stars Majo Nonami and Eiko Koike are both brilliant and their chemistry is electric. When things go awry and the battle begins, their comedic and physical ability really shines through – a particular favourite is a scene involving a small chainsaw that will have you reeling with laughter.

Smart, creative and innovative with a twisted punch, 2LDK is a must-watch for Asian cinema fans and supporters of independent films as this proves that no matter what budget or challenge you are set as a filmmaker, you can create something marvellous.

The Blu-Ray version of 2LDK is released in the United States on April 5th through Unearthed Films. It features a host of superb special features including a full commentary from the actors, a “making of” and interviews with cast and crew at various film festivals during its original release.

CHOPPER (2000)

Mark ‘Chopper’ Read was an Australian criminal who spent the majority of his life behind bars, convicted of crimes varying from armed robbery to kidnapping. Already notorious his reputation was further enhanced through his books, and any film based upon those exploits runs the risk of glorification.

Yet Andrew Dominik’s directorial début intentionally maintains an air of impartiality, the camera floating through scenes as if in awestruck surprise of what is actually being observed. While Dominik’s direction is accomplished, it is the performance of Eric Bana in only his second film role that elevates Chopper, his performance avoiding parody, being terrifying in both excess and subtlety. Bana is outstanding, displaying the paranoia and cruelty dominant in Read’s psyche. Whenever on screen he is dominant, captivating as if growing in stature to cast a malevolent shadow on his surroundings.

In positioning his film as impartial, however, Dominik perhaps misses an opportunity. It’s fair that, despite being based upon Read’s own writings, there is little sympathy for the character. But there are scenes of him evolving into something akin to an anti-hero, primarily targeting other criminals for his vengeance and his crime scenes becoming tourist attractions. Given Read’s self-confessed record, taking a stance in the judgement of his activities may have been appropriate. Only in the final scene of the film is there a moment of poignancy and self-awareness, but is it enough?

Chopper is an intriguing film, one that challenges the viewer through unpredictable, often excessive violence set against a palate of folksiness and sporadic black humour. And worth seeking out for Bana’s performance alone.

Chopper is available on digital platforms and selected cinemas now.

THE LEDGE

Kelly (Brittany Ashworth) has gone on a climbing trip in Italy with her friend, Sophie (Anaïs Parello). They plan to climb a perilous rock face on the anniversary of Kelly’s boyfriend’s death when they last attempted the climb. Things take a turn for the worse when a group of men arrive and a boozy campfire night ends with Sophie’s death. However, Kelly has caught the act on camera and attempts to get away from them, only to find herself stuck on a treacherously small cliff ledge with the murderers on the higher ground, desperate to get hold of the incriminating footage.

Howard J. Ford (co-director of 2010’s The Dead) makes the most of the sumptuous location in this dizzying thriller. While we’re sure most of the dangerous scenes were accomplished with special effects, it’s impressively executed. There’s palpable tension as the gang of genuinely unlikeable lads terrorise the scared by resilient Kelly on the mountain’s edge. The lead ‘baddie’, Joshua (Ben Lamb), is particularly odious as he commits the most heinous crime and forces his mates to go along with the cover-up. We’ve never wanted someone to fall from a great height as much before. This is the perfect depiction of a bully, for which Lamb should be proud, we guess. Likewise, his friends are as spineless as jellyfish and the toxic masculinity is practically radioactive.

As the lead, Ashworth delivers a remarkable performance despite being saddled with some unrealistic dialogue. Despite being set in the great outdoors, there’s a claustrophobic atmosphere that overpowers any of the shortcomings of the script, resulting in an impressive, if flawed, nightmare.

The Ledge is released on Digital Platforms on March 14th and DVD on March 21st from Signature Entertainment.