DVD Recent Picks
February 2008
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Ugly Betty. The complete first season.
"Based on the popular Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea, Ugly Betty is a biting comedy with plenty of heart. There are several ongoing plots, including murder, illegal immigration, infidelity, a vendetta, and death. And yes, this really is a comedy. Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Real Women Have Curves) stars as Betty, a whip-smart assistant at a women's magazine who is clueless when it comes to fashion. While her size 0 colleagues parade around in haute couture and stiletto heels, Betty shows up for work in her mismatched outfits, complete with thick glasses and awkward braces. The series, which made its debut during the 2006-2007 season on ABC, could've relied on physical humour for laughs. But the sharp writing and likeable cast bring the show to life." (Amazon.co.uk)
Flight of the Conchords. The complete first season.
"Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie a.k.a. Flight of the Conchords may be "New Zealand's 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo", but in the USA, finding someone who knows their act is about as easy as finding a kiwi nest in Central Park. To rectify this oversight, Jemaine and Bret have moved to New York's East Village to conquer America, one fan (literally) at a time." (Real Groovy)
Knocked up.
"Unwanted pregnancy might sound like a risky subject for slapstick comedy, but Knocked Up is from writer-director Judd Apatow - so we are in the hands of a man who likes to push things. And like Apatow's previous film, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up is a shaggy crowd-pleaser, a comedy strewn with vulgarity but with a sweet heart at its center. A one-night stand between the utterly mismatched Ben (Seth Rogen, his first starring role) and Alison (Katherine Heigl) results in said pregnancy, and the two people reunite for mutual support - even though they barely know each other. Ben's a slob who lives with four other guys, all of whom share the same stunted approach to maturity; Alison is a new on-air personality at the E! channel." (Amazon.com)
The lives of others.
"In the former East Germany, no-one was above suspicion. Like George Orwell's vision of the future come to life, art and people and relationships were monitored obsessively; The Lives of Others captures not only the paranoia and danger inherent in such a world, but also expresses hope that even in the most desperate situations, people can make a difference. The story of The Lives of Others unfolds mostly through the eyes of a secret service agent who's been given the task of spying on an artistic couple who've attracted the attention of the Minister of Culture. Little by little, he's drawn into their lives even as we're drawn into his; and as he loses his faith in the government, he must decide whether or not to try to hide the transgressions of those he's watching. As the physical danger and emotional cost mounts, it's impossible not to become utterly engrossed; intelligent and well-written, The Lives Of Others is also deeply moving. It's rare to find a film that really deserves its rave reviews, and considering The Lives of Others won a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, it's got a lot to live up to. Happily, it's more than just up to scratch - it's absolutely brilliant." (Amazon.co.uk)
SherryBaby.
"Giving the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal an all-too-rare leading performance, Sherrybaby is a moving, well told story of a recovering addict who, ultimately, is looking to be reunited with her daughter. Sound a little bit TV movie of the week? Then you're not counting upon the considerable force of the film's leading lady. Here, Gyllenhaal gives a career-best performance as Sherry Swanson, dragging the film single-handedly into a feature of real note. It's an award-worthy turn, and one that casting directors would be well advised to take note of. The rest of Sherrybaby, inevitably, can't live up to Gyllenhaal's standards, but it has quite a go. Writer-director Laurie Collyer makes a sound feature film debut (basing it loosely around the experiences of one of her friends), delivering an emotional flick with genuine depth and feeling to it. Layering in the various obstacles that sit in Sherry's way, her script gives her lead actress plenty to get her teeth into, and the movie gels well as a result." (Amazon.co.uk)
Perfume : the story of a murderer.
"Based on Patrick Suskind's novel about a serial killer who hunts victims with his superhuman sense of smell, Perfume: Story of a Murderer is a florid, grisly portrayal of this historical drama set in 18th century France. Jean-Baptiste Grunuis (Ben Whishaw) is born under his mother's table at the fish market, onto a pile of muddy fish guts, establishing from the beginning his repulsion for putrid scents. A childhood of neglect and, later, a job at a tannery, encourage Jean-Baptiste to develop his olfactory sense rather than his verbal skills, so that an opportunity to prove his worth to Parisian perfumist, Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman), results in his immediate hire into a promising new career. His successes in perfume mixing are negated by a blinding obsession for capturing the sublime beauty of human soul, which in his twisted logic requires the killing of young women to reduce their body fats to essential oils for the ultimate, cannibalised eau de parfum." (Amazon.co.uk)
The Bourne ultimatum.
"There's no getting around it: there was simply no better summer blockbuster in 2007 than the astonishing The Bourne Ultimatum. It's a film that defies expectations in many ways. Firstly, it's a third entry in a trilogy that by some distance in the best in an already-compelling franchise. Secondly, when The Bourne Ultimatum kickstarts with a ferocious energy and pace, you sit there and rightly expect it not to keep the momentum going. But it does. And does it astonishingly well. Just witness the breathless sequence through Waterloo Station, convince yourself that the film has peaked then, then go and watch them top it later on in the movie. The film itself has many trump cards, not least its leading man. Matt Damon fits the character of reluctant lead Jason Bourne perfectly, but the trick is to give him some excellent supporting players to work against. Thus, The Bourne Ultimatum also stars the excellent pair of David Straitharn and a returning Joan Allen, along with Albert Finney, Paddy Considine and Julia Stiles too. But the hidden hero of The Bourne Ultimatum is director Paul Greengrass. Arguably one of the most interesting and talented directors working today (he was rightly Oscar-nominated for his haunting United 93), Greengrass has fashioned a genuinely thrilling action thriller, that bursts with an energy and relentlessness that you simply have no right to expect. Put simply: don't miss this movie." (Amazon.co.uk)
Becoming Jane.
"Like Molière, which was released in cinemas soon after, Becoming Jane isn't a conventional biopic. Instead, Julian Jarrold (White Teeth) expands on events from Jane Austen's life that may have shaped her fiction. To his credit, he doesn't stray too far from the facts. In 1795, 20-year-old Jane (Anne Hathaway with believable British accent) is an aspiring author. Her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) married for love, and money is tight. They hope to see their youngest daughter make a more lucrative match, and there's a besotted local, Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox, son of actor James Fox), who would be happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Jane isn't interested. Then, she meets brash law student Tom (The Last King of Scotland's James McAvoy), while he's staying with relatives in rural Hampshire. As in many Austen novels, it isn't love at first sight - but rather irritation. Just as affection begins to bloom, Tom has to return to London, and Wisley, whose financial prospects are superior, proposes." (Amazon.co.uk)
Law & order: Special victims unit. The first year.
"From the popular and award-winning Law & Order franchise comes Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit. This hard-hitting and emotional series chronicles the exciting cases of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit as they try to crack the city's most heinous crimes. With a celebrated cast that includes Christopher Meloni (Twelve Monkeys, TV's Oz), Mariska Hargitay (Lake Placid, TV's ER), Dann Florek (Beautiful Joe, The Flintstones), Richard Belzer (Jump, TV's Homicide: Life on the Street), Dean Winters (TV's Oz), and Michelle Hurd (Random Hearts), and featuring such notable guest stars as Angie Harmon (TV's Law & Order), Jerry Orbach (TV's Law & Order), Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink), Bebe Neuwirth (TV's Frasier, Cheers) and Camryn Manheim (TV's The Practice)." (Amazon.com)
How William Shatner changed the world.
"Learn how Star Trek and its poster-boy, William Shatner, inspired a generation of scientists and tapped into an audience's infatuation with technology and diversity. The hugely successful Trek-tech documentary released for the first time on DVD in New Zealand. Learn how the original Motorola cell phone, affectionately called "the brick", was inspired by the classic Star Trek communicator. Learn how Star Trek helped pioneer the civil rights movement - in 1968 the show featured a kiss between Captain Kirk and Commander Uhura, it was the first interracial kiss on US television! Learn how Star Trek inspired the NESE-based SETI-institute (Search for Extra-Terrestial Intelligence) and the search for aliens. The special is based on Shatner's book I'M WORKING ON THAT, and features interviews with Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking as well as some of the famous inventors who were inspired by Star Trek." (Real Groovy)
CSI: Miami. Complete season two.
"Led by former homicide detective Horatio Caine (Caruso), CSI: MIAMI follows a Miami forensics unit as they work crimes amid the steamy, tropical surroundings and cultural crossroads of Miami. Caine leads an elite team that includes Calleigh Duquesne (Procter), a bilingual Southern beauty with a specialty in ballistics; Tim Speedle (Cochrane), a cocky yet disarming investigator who is well-connected on the street; Eric Delko (Rodriguez), an underwater recovery expert who knows all the twists and turns of the Florida waterways; and Alex Woods (Alexander), the no-nonsense, know-it-all coroner." (Amazon.com)
Ocean's thirteen.
"It comes as something of a relief to find that Ocean's 13 eases itself back to the charm and suave, sophisticated swagger that underpinned the first in what's become a trilogy of capers. And for those who endured the self-indulgent mess that was Ocean's 12, this latest and final entry in the franchise is a very welcome treat, proving very much that lessons were learnt. Dropping Catherine Zeta Jones and Julia Roberts from the cast list, but signing up the smaller matter of Al Pacino instead, the rest of the players remain broadly intact. So it's George Clooney's Danny Ocean who leads the team of cons, supported by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle and Carl Reiner. And it's the easy chemistry between these and the rest of the team that underpin what makes Ocean's 13 such an enjoyable ride. The plot pits Ocean and his gang against Al Pacino's ruthless casino boss, and while the script perhaps lacks the cleverness and dense plotting that worked so well in the first adventure, it still leaves plenty of room for outright entertainment."
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