Extra Features...
The commentary with director Samuel Maoz is absolutely outstanding, bringing a personal perspective as he discusses his own wartime experiences hand in hand with the turbulent making of the movie.There are also essays on the conflict, but the commentary is the star of the show. 4 stars
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Reymond Amsalem, Ashraf Barhom, Oshri Cohen
Director Samuel Maoz
Format DVD & Blu-ray
Distributor Metrodome
Released August 23
Like TV hit Skins - with which it bears more than a passing resemblance - Cherrybomb distills the modern youth experience into an orgy of drink, drugs and stupid decisions. Grint impresses, in his first post-Harry Potter role, as Malachy, whose attempts to beat best pal Luke (Misfits star Sheehan) to the heart - and bed - of temptress Michelle (Nixon) bring life-shattering consequences.
Despite his efforts, and the film's attempts to shock, it's pretty pedestrian stuff, and won't hold much interest for anyone on the wrong side of 20. 2 stars
Extra Features
There's a making of, plus interviews with Sheehan and Grint. 2 stars
This review was originally published in movieScope Issue 18
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Rupert Grint, Robert Sheehan, Kimberley Nixon
Directors Lisa Barros D'Sa & Glenn Leyburn
Format DVD & Blu-ray
Distributor Universal
Released August 23
Read The Scouting Book For Boys Film Review
Extra Features
Just a handful of deleted scenes and the trailer; it's a shame there is no cast and crew commentary for such an intriguing British film. (1 star)
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Thomas Turgoose, Holliday Grainger, Rafe Spall
Director Tom Harper
Format DVD
Distributor Pathe
Released August 23
From troubled teens to tank-bound soldiers, here's our look at the best DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of August 23, 2010
Read The Scouting Book For Boys Review
Read Cherrybomb Review
Read Lebanon Review
Our guide to the best DVDs and Blu-rays released this week.
Culture clash
Roopi (Goldy Notoy) is an Indian girl who seems to be destined to be unlucky in love. Although she is intelligent, strong-willed and beautiful, it seems that the fact she is slightly overweight is enough to scare off all potential husbands - and their parents. Her mother (Shabana Azmi) despairs about her daughter's fate, and takes her frustrations out on those who have criticised her daughter; by killing them, no less. Her victims soon turn up as vengeful ghosts but, realising that they won't be able to move on until Roopi meets the man of her dreams, the spirits soon turn matchmakers and help Mr Sethi bring about her daughter's happy ever after. They are helped by the arrival of Detective Murthy (Sendhil Ramamurthy), a childhood friend of Roopi's who is investigating the murders, but the road to true love never runs smooth...
Intended, no doubt, as a gentle poke at traditional Indian customs, It's A Wonderful Afterlife is surprisingly off target given its talented director. There's nothing subtle about the comedy; it's more ribald slapstick than satire and, although there are occasional moments of genuine humour, an over-reliance on gross-out gags, obvious one-liners and cultural stereotypes dilutes any serious messages that otherwise could have been mined from the narrative.
The impressive cast do their best with the material, but sometimes look adrift in clunky dialogue and ludicrous set-pieces. Sally Hawkins is wonderful as the English girl seduced by the mystique of India, only to find that realities don't match up to her dreams, while Ramamurthy and Notoy are charming as the couple at the centre of the melodramatic maelstrom. But they just aren't given enough to work with, their characters not given the space to really explore the themes the narrative throws up. And the general tone is an uneasy one; aside from a wonderfully messy set piece which re-enacts the famous scene from Carrie with curry standing in for pig's blood nothing really seems to work, and the result is that It's A Wonderful Life feels misjudged and, surprisingly mishandled. 2 stars
Extra Features
Cast and crew interviews, premiere featurette and a handful of deleted and alternate scenes. 2 stars
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Goldy Notoy, Sally Hawkins, Shabani Azmi
Director Gurinder Chadha
Format DVD
Distributor Icon Home Entertainment
Released August 18
Bullet in the head
French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet may not be the most prolific of film-makers, having made just 11 movies in the past 32 years, but he's certainly one of the most interesting. And just as there were 10 years between his masterpiece Delicatessen (1991) and Amelie (2001), so nearly a decade has passed since Jeunet introduced the world to the quirky delights of Paris as seen through the wide eyes of Audrey Tautou, meaning the time is right for another slice of French cinema Jeunet-style. And even though Micmacs doesn't have the charming Ms Tautou at the helm, it's still an utterly beguiling piece of pure entertainment.
Bazil (Danny Boon) is a video store clerk, with seemingly no loftier ambitions than to learn the dialogue to all his favourite movies. One fateful day, however, Bazil is hit in the head by a stray bullet and it changes his life forever. With the bullet lodged in his brain casting a shadow of imminent death, Bazil struggles to make a life for himself on the streets. Falling in with a crowd of second-hand dealers, who welcome him into their junk-pile home, Bazil soon finds happiness. But when he discovers that the company who made the bullet is just across the street from the one that manufactured the landmine that killed his soldier father, he is galvanized to action. Teaming up with his new friends, including ex-con Slammer (Jean-Piere Marielle) and the aptly named contortionist Elastic Girl (Julie Farnier), Bazil concocts an elaborate and far-reaching plan that will bring down the corporations that have brought him such heartache.
Although dealing with such weighty themes as weapons manufacture and the black market arms trade, Micmacs handles these themes with such vibrancy and wit.The whole thing plays out like a colourful, manic fairy tale, the story zooming through glorious set pieces and enchanting sequences involving Bazil's wonderfully concocted plans. It's like an old-school heist movie mixed with the finest slapstick; Ocean's Eleven meets Buster Keaton turned up to 11. It's so beautifully crafted, artistically stylised that it would take multiple watches to take everything in, from the exquisite refuse sculptures built by Tiny Pete (Michel Crémadès) to the bullet-induced visions Bazil has when under pressure. And the cast more than stand up to the surreal, mad-cap antics, being a hugely likeable and quirky bunch who work well together. Leading man Boon is perfectly cast, lending Bazil an innocence and vulnerability which make him the pefect Jeunet hero.
Colourful, dazzling and utterly wonderful, Micmacs is another ravishing romp from one of the masters of modern French comedy. 4 stars
Extra Features
Just an interview with Jeunet. 2 stars
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Danny Boon, Jean-Piere Marielle
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Format DVD & Blu-ray
Distributor E1 Entertainment
Released June 21
Angst in her pants
Released as Greta in the USA and re-titled for its straight-to-DVD UK release, Surviving Summer occupies an awkward space between (young) adult drama and tween coming-of-age fable. For while it's clear that star (and co-producer) Hilary Duff is keen to move on from her squeaky clean Hannah Montana Disney poster-girl image, this film is not accomplished - nor edgy - enough to entice an older audience, while at the same time being near enough to the mark to alienate much of Duff's fanbase. And a 15 certificate, brought about by strong themes and a smattering of foul language, has cast Surviving Summer adrift in a demographic where it is going to struggle to find a foothold.
One thing is for sure; this is Duff as you've never seen her before. She is 17-year-old Greta, a smart-mouthed teen who, upon being dispatched to her grandparents' (Michael Murphy and Ellen Burnstyn) for the summer, immediately declares her intention to commit suicide when she turns 18. Living by her own ruled, Greta ignores all boundaries and rides roughshod over the locals, her rudeness and selfish behaviour knowing no bounds. When she meets restaurant chef Julie (Evan Ross), however, Greta begins to realise that life may be worth living after all, and the stage is set for a journey of self discover and redemption.
Unfortunately it's a journey that follows a dot-to-dot path of cliche and platitudes, with each step feeling more tired and well-worn as the film progresses. There's no attempt to mine new territory or give the film its own identity; it's as if the filmmakers are content to bet the farm on the shock value of seeing the squeaky-clean Duff play such a bad girl - albeit one couched in MTV-inspired terms of inoffensive rebellion - to carry the movie, rather than rounding out the narrative or the characters. And what such great players as Burnstyn and Melissa Leo, who turns up in a small cameo as Greta's despairing mum, are doing in this dross only adds to the confusion. One for die-hard Duff fans only; and even they may find her riot grrrl turn a tough act to swallow. 1 star
Extra Features
Nothing
ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Hilary Duff, Ellen Burnstyn
Director Nancy Bardawil
Format DVD
Distributor Icon Home Entertainment
Released June 21
