DVD Recent Picks

October 2009

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Slacker uprising : they slept to noon - but still had time to vote.
His first film to premiere for free on the internet, Slacker Uprising, AKA Captain Mike across America, documents Michael Moore's attempt to influence the 2004 presidential election. Uninspired by Senator Kerry and the Democrats, he went on a 62-city tour to persuade non-voters to do their civic duty. Moore had two primary goals: 1) to encourage 56 percent of the electorate to cast ballots and 2) to remove President Bush from office. And he roped in big names to make it happen, like Steve Earle, Joan Baez, Viggo Mortensen, R.E.M., and Eddie Vedder (performing a heartfelt rendition of Cat Stevens' "Don't Be Shy") Though Moore acknowledges his failure, it's hard to fault his strategy, since he specifically targeted the 20 battleground states most likely to influence the results. Along the way, he offered "slacker" fare, i.e. ramen noodles and clean underwear, to new voters. If Slacker Uprising comes across as partisan and self-important--witness the plentiful footage of excited crowds--Moore makes good points along the way, and the essential one is undeniable: everyone should vote, and it's disheartening that Americans need to be reminded of that fact... but they do. (Amazon.com)

24. Season seven DVD collection.
Four years have passed, CTU has been disbanded and Jack Bauer is on trial before the Senate in Washington, D.C. But Jack is suddenly pulled from his testimony to help the FBI stop one of the most dangerous terrorist plots America has ever faced, perpetrated by a ghost from Jack's past. When he discovers the FBI may be compromised by a mole, Jack realises he can trust no one, but nothing can prepare him for the shocking twists and turns this day will bring. Adrenaline-fuelled suspense, breakneck action and an inspired supporting cast make 24 Season 7 a thrill ride without the safety bar. (Real Groovy)

Confessions of a shopaholic.
It’s way past time that Isla Fisher bagged herself a leading role, after solid supporting turns in the likes of Wedding Crashers and Definitely, Maybe and finally, in Confessions Of A Shopaholic, the ex-soap star gets her chance. She seizes it quite well, too. Based on the Sophie Kinsella book of the same name, Confessions Of A Shopaholic is a fairly conventional romantic comedy, but it’s still a very enjoyable one. It’s directed by PJ Hogan, who previously gave us the excellent double bill of Muriel’s Wedding and My Best Friend’s Wedding, and it follows Fisher’s character Rebecca as she tries to cover up her dedication to shopping, while yearning for a job on a fashion magazine.The plot goes through the fairly standard shenanigans of the genre, but there are one or two things that lift Confessions Of A Shopaholic above the norm. Firstly, it’s breezy and very good fun. Secondly, PJ Hogan knows this genre better than most, and fashions (no pun intended) a quite tight movie. And thirdly there’s Fisher. It may not be a role that makes her an outright movie star, but there’s compelling evidence here that she’s got the talent to be a leading lady in her own right. This, her first stab at headlining such a film, works really quite well, and her charm and enthusiasm is the best thing in it. (Amazon.co.uk)

A film with me in it.
An actor hard on his luck ends up with a large number of dead bodies on his hands.Together with his hilarious friend they hatch a genius plan of treating their predicament like a film scenario and try to rewrite the day. As the body count mounts, they pitch ideas back and forth desperately searching for a way out.Aspiring actor Mark (Mark Doherty, also the film's screenwriter) has pretty much hit rock bottom. He has just endured yet another fruitless audition, and his girlfriend Sally (Amy Huberman) is about to discover that, due to his penury, he has not been paying the rent for several months. Sally can't understand why their landlord, Jack (Keith Allen), doesn't do the very long list of repairs required to make their increasingly ramshackle apartment more habitable. Mark knows that Sally will ask Jack as soon as she sees him, and that Jack will tell her the truth. This also means that their little cobbled-together family, which includes Mark's paralyzed brother David (David Doherty) and their dog Jersey, will be out on the street. Mark's fate takes an even harsher turn for the worse. A series of completely unforeseen events, all of which take place over the course of one dreadful day, moves the film into a completely new realm. Reeling from these events, Mark calls on Pierce for help, and soon two of the most hapless, misguided characters onscreen this year set off to solve their myriad problems....(Real Groovy)

The reader.
What is the nature of guilt--and how can the human spirit survive when confronted with deep and horrifying truths? The Reader, a hushed and haunting meditation on these knotty questions, is sorrowful and shocking, yet leavened by a deep love story that is its heart. In postwar Germany, young schoolboy Michael (German actor David Cross) meets and begins a tender romance with the older, mysterious Hanna (Kate Winslet, whose performance is a revelation). The two make love hungrily in Hanna's shabby apartment, yet their true intimacy comes as Michael reads aloud to Hanna in bed, from his school assignments, textbooks, even comic books. Hanna delights in the readings, and Michael delights in Hanna. Years later, the two cross paths again, and Michael (played as an adult by Ralph Fiennes) learns, slowly, horrifyingly, of acts that Hanna may have been involved in during the war. There is a war crimes trial, and the accused at one point asks the panel of prosecutors: "Well, what would you have done?" It is that question that is both heartbreaking and unanswerable. Winslet plays every shade of gray in her portrayal of Hanna, and Fiennes is riveting as the man who must rewrite history--his own and his country's--as he learns daily, hourly, of deeds that defy categorization, and morality. (Amazon.com)

Battlestar Galactica. Season four, Part two, the final chapter.
All will be revealed as the thrilling final episodes of Battlestar Galactica Season 4 land on DVD. From their initial action-packed battles against the Cylons to their desperate attempts to find the fabled 13th colony, Earth, a determined band of human survivors has captivated audiences everywhere with their desperate quest to find a new home for their dwindling numbers. Join them now as the fleet journeys into the furthest reaches of unexplored space and faces a crucial decision that will change all of their lives irrevocably. (Real Groovy)

Prison break. 4, The final season.
In retrospect, it’s amazing that Prison Break got this far. The original concept of the show surely demanded just a single season, but such was the success that it enjoyed, that further runs followed. It’s to the credit of the show’s creators that it managed to make this work, too, right down to the agreeable fourth and final season. Thus, this final season of Prison Break sees Wentworth Miller’s Michael Scofield attempting to hunt down The Company, the organisation that’s been behind the various events that have befallen him over the course of the show’s run. As you’d expect, this quest is laden with some dramatic twists and turns, in keeping with the spirit of the show, and it’s also got some major surprises up its sleeve. Yet it’s still very slick, and very enjoyable television drama. It’s also willing to take a few chances, which is certainly appreciated. With 24 episodes in all, this final season of Prison Break is a fine denouement for one of the most exciting TV shows of recent times. It might not be vintage quality by the standards that the programme has set itself, but it’s still proven to be a far tastier dish than many of the pretenders to its throne. (Amazon.co.uk)

Wallander.
Giving a rare and welcome television leading role to Kenneth Branagh, Wallander is a Swedish detective who is brought to the screen in three 90 minute adventures. Based on the hugely popular novels by Henning Mankell, each of these is then collected together in this DVD set. Branagh takes the title role, and he’s Wallander’s leading asset. His performance here is grumpy, downbeat and deliberately stuck, and he skillfully underplays his role. It’s a terrific performance from a very strong actor. Around him, mysterious and shocking crimes are taking place, and it’s his job to get to the bottom of them. He’s aided by a good, if unspectacular, supporting cast, although nods must go to Sarah Smart and Tom Hiddleston. Filmed on location in Sweden, yet still more British in feel than you’d perhaps expect. That said, Wallander is likely to be a divisive programme. It eschews quite a few of the conventions of the genre, instead playing things more downbeat than we’ve perhaps become accustomed to. Naturally, this is also what strengthens the programme. And, combined with Branagh in excellent form, there’s enough here to warrant further investigation. For at its best, Wallander is both brilliant, and a little bit different, and it’s very much worth checking out. (Amazon.co.uk)

DJ Breaking bad. The complete first season.
In AMC's Breaking Bad, Walter White lives in the suburbs with his wife. During the pilot, the cash-strapped chemistry teacher finds out he has inoperable lung cancer. He and Skyler (Deadwood's Anna Gunn) have one son, Walter Jr. (R.J. Mitte), and a daughter on the way. With two years to get his affairs in order, Walter comes up with a wild plan: he and former student Jesse (Aaron Paul), a drug dealer, will open a meth lab. In the hands of creator Vince Gilligan (The X-Files), Bad's first season plays like the improbable offspring of Weeds and The Shield. With nothing left to lose, the Albuquerque 50-year-old uses his death sentence as a catalyst to break every rule he's ever followed while keeping his family--including Skyler's radiologist sister, Marie (Betsy Brandt), and her DEA agent husband, Hank (Dean Norris)--out of the loop. Throughout these seven episodes, Walt takes on a hostage, a dead body, and a partner who likes to sample his own product. Based on the description alone, the program shouldn't work as well as it does, except Gilligan and company keep the situations psychologically believable and Emmy winner Cranston makes Walt surprisingly sympathetic as he swings between compassion and self-interest.(Amazon.com))

Mad men. The complete season two
Season Two of Mad Men picks up on Valentine's Day 1962, two years after the first season ends. It’s the Kennedy administration, an era marked by the growing civil rights movement, Bob Dylan, free love, increasing feminine discontent, crumbling marriages and the threat of nuclear annihilation. While Don and Betty Draper experience marital problems, enigmatic Don experiences a full-blown existential crisis while on a business trip to sunny Los Angeles, Pete Campbell becomes disillusioned with his own "perfect" marriage and realises he is in love with Peggy and Joan gets into relationship with disturbing consequences, all amidst looming Cuban Missile Crisis. Mad Men remains television at its best. (Real Groovy)

The secret life of bees
Headed by an all-star cast of women, The Secret Life of Bees is the heartwarming and well-told story of a young girl who finds love and acceptance from a trio of independent sisters. The Secret Life of Bees is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Sue Monk Kidd and centers around the plight of 14-year-old Lily (Dakota Fanning). Assuming the burden for her mother's premature death, she has a precarious relationship with her abusive father T. Ray (Paul Bettany). Lily's only friend is her caregiver Rosaleen (Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson). Set in South Carolina in 1964, when civil rights wasn't a given, Rosaleen's life is threatened by racists who'd just as soon see her dead than exercise her right to vote. Lily runs away with her to a town she believes may hold the secrets of her mother's life. There the pair meet the Boatwright sisters August (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys) and May (Sophie Okonedo)--who produce the area's famous Black Madonna honey. They eventually provide Lily with the unconditional love she never felt she had and also show Rosaleen that being a black woman in the South doesn't mean she can't have a sense of worth. The Secret Life of Bees doesn't try to pass itself off as a historical documentation of race relations in the 1960s. But the fictional slice of life still resonates because of the feelings of injustice that it stirs up. Though the film is written to show the disparity between blacks and whites, there is always a strong sense of hope, thanks to the lead actresses who bring empathy and dignity to their roles. (Amazon.com)

Piece of my heart
TVNZ commissioned television drama focused on the issue of adoption in New Zealand, told through the story of two women who must reconcile their past as young, unmarried mothers in the 60s. Barclay and Castle-Hughes play the younger counterparts of Whittle and Owen. (Real Groovy)

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