Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

MADEMOISELLE (1966)

CERT: 15 | PATFORM: BLU-RAY+DVD | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

In the decades since its release in 1966, director Tony Richardson’s arthouse study on eroticism and social ostracism Mademoiselle has continued to divide the critics. Richardson’s immersive black-and-white treatise on transgression and individualism in rural France is infused with the sensibilities of French art cinema. Jeanne Moreau stars as the titular schoolteacher, a sociopath determined to bring misfortune down on her rural community. She’s a menace: causing floods, setting fires and poisoning livestock. Her anti-social behaviour is driven by resentment and unfulfilled desire, although she later consummates a relationship with a woodcutter who she ultimately betrays.

Prior to his work on Mademoiselle, Richardson had made the social realist classics A Taste of Honey and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and the broader comedies Tom Jones and The Loved One. In complete contrast, Mademoiselle is a highly stylised, languid art-flick bursting with abstract symbolism and metaphor. Fans of the movie herald it as a beautifully shot exposition of alienation and deviancy; while many unimpressed reviewers have instead dismissed it as banal and pretentious twaddle. It’s certainly a distinctive film, lit up by an extraordinary performance by Moreau. But Richardson’s reluctance to compromise in bringing what is a very esoteric and contrived vision to the screen has always repelled as many viewers as it has impressed.

The film is well served by this latest release by the BFI. In addition to the usual photo gallery and trailer, there’s an illustrated booklet of essays, an interview with actor Keith Skinner (who played the young Bruno), and the 1982 BFI drama Doll’s Eye. A knowledgeable and persuasive audio commentary by the film critic Adrian Martin is particularly recommended.

CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960)

CERT: 15 / FORMAT: BLU-RAY, DVD, DIGITAL / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 12TH

Directed by Sidney Hayers, 1960’s Circus of Horrors occupies a curious hinterland in the history of British genre cinema, appearing shortly after Hammer made its first tentative forays into the market but largely forgotten in the wake of the huge success of the House of Horror’s more high profile chillers. And indeed, Circus of Horrors is a very different beast, a lurid and wilfully sleazy exploitation film that pushes the envelope of acceptability with far more daring that Hammer’s often rather more buttoned-up early efforts.

Cinema’s go-to ghastly Nazi Anton Diffring plays Dr Rossiter, a plastic surgeon who flees to France with his assistants Angela (Jane Hylton) and her brother Martin (Kenneth Griffith) when a high society operation goes horribly wrong. Rossiter re-establishes himself as Dr Schuler, using a struggling travelling circus as a front for his increasingly deranged experiments, befriending disfigured women and transforming them into beauties performing gratefully at the circus. But his problems start again when they threaten to leave and suddenly fall victim to terrible accidents. The Press and Scotland Yard begin to get suspicious… and Schuler/Rossiter becomes increasingly desperate and insane.

Gloriously and vividly presented on Blu-ray, Circus of Horrors is shamelessly enjoyable hokey horror. Diffring is magnificently absurd as Schuler and his relentless pawing over numerous scantily-clad circus girls is likely to leave you feeling as queasy as a couple of the startlingly-graphic death sequences, which are already a cut above the often tame stuff offered up by Hammer at the time. Circus of Horrors glories in its nastiness and seediness and it’s a respectable final chapter in Anglo-Amalgamated’s so-called ‘Sadian trilogy’, which also comprised 1959’s Horrors of the Black Museum and Peeping Tom. Decent extras includes chats with critic Kim Newman and broadcaster Stuart Maconie.

GEORGES MÉLIÈS’ A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902)

CERT: U / FORMAT: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Georges Méliès was one of the first to appreciate the creative potential of cinema and he applied all his skills as a stage magician to this new and exciting medium. A Trip to the Moon was his most ambitious project and on its release in 1902 it must have had the same mind boggling effect on the audience as a blockbuster like Tenet has on us today.

Inspired by the scientific romances of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, the film shows a series of tableaus of the launch of the lunar capsule from a huge cannon, the capsule literally landing in the face of the Moon and the violent encounter with acrobatic, humanoid Selenites.

This release provides the original black and white and hand-tinted colour versions of the film, and you can select a commentary by Serge Bromberg and three different scores (by Bromberg, Jeff Mills, or Dorian Pimpernel) to accompany the film. Other extras include Le grand Méliès, a melancholy documentary by Georges Franju on the rise and fall of Méliès’ career. Another gem is The Extraordinary Voyage, a 2011 documentary by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange that highlights the importance of this film and the long, slow work needed to restore it to its original glory. Plus there is a video essay by Jon Spira that explores the many innovations Méliès brought to his productions.

What we learn is that Méliès was the master of virtually every aspect of his films. He wrote the scripts, designed the sets and costumes, invented equipment and techniques to shoot special effects – such as using double exposure, superimpositions, slow motion, and stop-motion – and he could screen the results in his own Théâtre Robert-Houdin in Paris.

In this manner, he created highly theatrical, surreal, fantasy worlds that took 19th Century stage magic and reinvented it for 20th Century cinema.

WEATHERING WITH YOU

CERT: 12A / FORMAT: DVD, BLU-RAY, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (STANDARD), NOVEMBER 2N D (COLLECTORS EDITION)

A runaway boy. A sunshine girl. A stunning tale of young love against the elements. Legendary Japanese director Makoto Shinkai is back with another remarkable story of finding love amongst your darkest days.

Even though Tokyo is consistently plagued by torrential downpours, a young boy named Hodaka takes a massive leap and runs away from his home to journey to the capital. After struggling to get by, Hodaka meets Hina, a kind-hearted soul who possesses a magnificent power – she can alter the weather.

Through animation, a filmmaker can extend the boundaries of realism and expertly blend them with a dash of the fantastical with expansive worlds that come alive with the stroke of a brush. And that is exactly what Shinkai-san has accomplished with his latest string on his bow.

As with his previous works, the animation is simply astounding. The photorealistic land and cityscapes are a character of their very own and serve as much importance to the story as the living and breathing characters do. Every shot is jaw-droppingly gorgeous; you could easily use any frame to hang it on your wall.

Another key aspect of the film that masterfully elevates it is the extraordinary score from RADWIMPS. It’s a soundtrack that can be listened to out of context and is guaranteed to bring those astonishing memories of our characters’ journey flooding back.

Replicating the ‘lightning in a bottle’ effect from a previous standout title can be a difficult and near-impossible task, but Shinkai-san has proved once again why he is one of the best. Weathering with You recaptures everything audiences loved about Your Name – it’s emotional, funny, truly heartwarming, and will have you in floods of tears. Weathering with You is an absolute masterpiece.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942)

CERT: PG / FORMAT: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

This Gun for Hire is revered as a gem of the film-noir genre. Although it bears many of the tropes associated with noir, the expressionistic lighting that is so iconic of Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, and Robert Siodmak isn’t one of them. This is not to detract from director Frank Tuttle’s work as the film is a Hollywood golden era masterclass in creating a taut quick-fire, crime film.

Faithfully adapting Graham Greene’s 1936 novel, This Gun for Hire stars the gorgeous Veronica Lake as nightclub magician Ellen, and introduced Alan Ladd as the cat loving, sociopathic assassin Philip Raven. After completing a hit Raven is paid in off in marked bills by his employer who happens to be working for foreign spies. The man Raven assassinated was a blackmailer who had in his possession a formula for a lethal poison gas, and paying Raven off in marked bills was a way to tie-up loose ends. Raven is out for revenge when his path crosses with Ellen which plunges her into a world of danger and violence.

Ladd and Lake were to make several more films together and it’s easy to see why. The pair exude pure chemistry, and although romance between the characters is non-existent (Raven has every intention of killing Ellen once she has outlived her usefulness) the pair bounce of each other to perfection. As with other Eureka! releases, the special features include an audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin, a trailer, and two radio adaptations. Both make for great listening, particularly if you enjoy American radio dramas of the era.

FULL METAL JACKET (4K UHD)

CERT: 18 / PLATFORM: 4K UHD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

As Warner Bros. continues to give the works of the legendary Stanley Kubrick new 4K releases, up next on our plate is Kubrick’s 1987 picture Full Metal Jacket.

Initially centred on a group of trainee marines, Full Metal Jacket ends up zoning in on the story of Private Joker (Matthew Modine) as he is faced with the grim realities of war. A hard-hitting movie laced with moments of dark humour and brimming with social commentary, Full Metal Jacket is viewed as one of the all-time great war movies, with breakout performances for Modine and Vincent D’Onofrio, while R. Lee Emery regularly devours scenery as the marines’ hard-ass drill instructor. The movie is phenomenal in every way imaginable and is one of Kubrick’s very best, but then you likely already know this.

If you’re checking out this review, chances are you’re more interested in hearing about the 4K sheen and bonus content than merely us harping on about how great a film Full Metal Jacket is. Visually, it goes without saying that Full Metal Jacket has never looked better. Whether it’s the darkened locale of the training barracks’ toilets or the explosive action of the Vietnam War, the 4K treatment looks chillingly atmospheric. Throw in a new audio mix, too, and this is the definitive way to watch Full Metal Jacket.

On the additional content front, Kubrick die-hards may be a little disappointed to hear that the material included here has all been seen on previous releases. That doesn’t stop these extras being great for new eyes, of course, and the 30-minute Between Good and Evil featurette and brilliant chat track from Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermy, Adam Baldwin and critic Jay Cocks are both welcome additions.

Whether you’ve seen Full Metal Jacket a hundred times or are still waiting to check out Kubrick’s flagship 1987 film for the first time, this new 4K UHD release of Kubrick’s flagship 1987 picture is well worth adding to your collection.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT

CERT: 18 / FORMAT: DVD, BLU-RAY, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 29TH (VOD), OCTOBER 12TH (PHYSICAL)

Two decades after their eerie supernatural thriller Stir of Echoes, writer/director David Koepp and Kevin Bacon reunite for another ghostly yarn, this time about a wealthy family who encounter mischievous, dimension shifting spirits while holidaying in Wales. Koepp conjures a sporadically creepy air to twist his classic haunted house style tale then strengthens it with affable characters and decent performances.

Bacon’s retired banker with a chequered past pairs well with Amanda Seyfried’s testy, troubled actor, Susanna, but YSHL‘s stand-out performance is from Avery Essex, who displays remarkable range and conviction as the couple’s death-obsessed daughter, Ella. Kooky locals recall those classic Hammer Horror types who deny the castle’s existence, combined with a League of Gentlemen-style ‘local’ weirdness. A furtive property owner augments mystery, fortifying the film’s atmosphere along with a key character’s curious history and another’s teased deceit.

Terrifying nightmares, time-shift sequences and twisted hypnotherapy scenes are eloquently spun into a succinct and pithy script, bar a slightly shoe-horned prologue. Tension amplifies as family conflicts arise, buttressing paranoia, coupled with the revelation that Theo (Bacon’s character) is particularly sensitive to scares. During these instances Koepp demonstrates genre-savvy despite a lack of sharp frights, the type of which are synonymous with contemporary ghost horrors. This could be a good thing as most modern jump-scares are passé and hackneyed, but viewers expecting them could be disappointed.

Koepp’s eerie, enjoyable potboiler gets by on endearing, complex characters, a shadowy Krueger-like antagonist and well-deployed comedy to counteract the chills. Contradictorily, those expecting anything too ground-breaking or conventional may feel short-changed but general audiences and horror fans should be satisfied.

THE TOMB: THE DEVIL’S REVENGE

CERT: 15 | PLATFORM: DVD, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

On paper, this film must’ve sounded great. A few well-worn tropes involving a down on his luck archaeologist pursuing an Aztec relic, ancient curses, tombs and demonic entities tick several familiar boxes. Add in William Shatner and Jeri Ryan in a non-Star Trek project for some added value and we’ve got something going here, right?

Though the film has a promising start where an expedition finds out how quickly things can go badly wrong when you’re disturbing the supernatural, evoking fond memories of the old Gargoyles TV movie of 1972, The Tomb quickly loses its momentum with a lacklustre pace and tepid execution. Jeri Ryan turns in a great performance as the stressed wife of archaeologist, Sergio (Jason Brooks). Sergio is ordered by his father to find a certain relic which, when destroyed, will lift an ancient Aztec curse from his family, who are descended from Cortez. Apparently, this curse has been plaguing the family since the days of Montezuma. As an indication of how misguided the film becomes, it’s hard to ignore that the underground temple of the Aztecs has somehow relocated from Mexico to a cave in Kentucky. In fact, Mexico doesn’t play into the film at all. Shatner gives an unrestrained performance as Sergio’s retired military veteran father, tersely spitting his lines through a clenched jaw while wielding an experimental rocket launcher as easily as he used a Starfleet-issue phaser rifle back in the day.

Ultimately, the film has as little kick as Shatner’s rocket launcher, it’s devoid of tension despite some nice creature effects. Whatever entertainment value it holds is purely based on its unintentional hilarity.

THE STRANGERS

CERT: 15 / PLATFORM: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 28TH

From writer-director Bryan Bertino, The Strangers sliced its way to cinemas back in 2008. At the centre of this tale, we have Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) as a couple thrust into a terrifying night of home invasion terror. Making the simple mistake of answering the door, Kristen and James soon find themselves being stalked and toyed with by Man in the Mask, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl – with it abundantly clear that this trio are brimming with bad intentions.

Given that The Strangers first hit the silver screen 12 years ago, you’re likely well aware of what to expect from Bertino’s movie – spoilers: it’s a brilliant, disturbing offering that will stay with you long after a first watch – and so the main selling points here, then, are the plentiful bonus material and the fact that this release marks the first time that The Strangers is available on UK Blu-ray.

Heading up the special features here are several brand-new interviews, with the one-hour long chat with director Bryan Bertino a particular highlight. We also get to hear new comments from Liv Tyler, Pin-Up Girl actress Laura Margolis, and editor Kevin Greutert as they reflect back on their experience on the movie and the subsequent reaction to the picture. Elsewhere, there’s a booklet filled out with essays and behind-the-scenes images, extended/deleted scenes, and previously seen featurettes to flesh out this new release.

The Strangers still remains one of the most impactful and jarring horrors of the past two decades, and this new limited edition Blu-ray is an absolute must-buy for any fans of this modern-day standout.

THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1981)

PLATFORM: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

John Wyndham’s stately, hugely-influential end-of-days sci-fi classic (this writer’s favourite book, incidentally) hasn’t had the smoothest of rides when it comes to screen adaptations. The well-intentioned 1962 feature film was padded with extraneous material set in a lighthouse to bulk up a brief running time and BBC TV’s second attempt, a 2009 two-part miniseries, took unacceptable liberties with the text by modern scriptwriters who think they can improve the classics – the BBC’s recent stab at The War of the Worlds demonstrates that this trend is still, sadly, in full effect. But the BBC’s 1981 adaptation, six punchy thirty-minute episodes, hit the Triffid sweet spot – and now it’s been gloriously renovated on Blu-ray and it looks and sounds better than ever.

When the population of the Earth is blinded by the light from a passing comet, the few sighted survivors are plunged into chaos when a mutant strain of perambulating, cannibalistic plants takes advantage of Mankind’s plight and moves in to tuck into an all-you-can eat blind buffet. Triffid farmer Bill Masen (John Duttine) teams up with carefree Jo Clayton (Emma Relph) to escape London but before they can do so they are separated by well-meaning survivalists and forced to fight to stay alive when faced with the worst of human nature and the ever-present threat of the menacing Triffids and their fatal blinding stings.

The Day of the Triffids is an absolute triumph, a thoughtful and respectful adaptation boasting top-notch visual effects by Steve Drewett and assured performances from Duttine, Relph and the late Maurice Colbourne. Some Internet whingers have moaned that the series’ visual clean-up – genuinely stunning in HD – has betrayed its 1980s origins but they are talking out of their sting sacks. Despite carrying just one special feature – a watch-once restoration featurette – this is an essential archive cult TV purchase.