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Easy Does It

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US cable giant HBO once more deliver the goods with this ambitious adaptation of Stephen E Ambrose's non-fiction bestseller, presented here as a box set. Produced by Saving Private Ryan alumni Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this 10-hour epic is the finest 'WWII through the eyes of one unit' drama s...

US cable giant HBO once more deliver the goods with this ambitious adaptation of Stephen E Ambrose’s non-fiction bestseller, presented here as a box set. Produced by Saving Private Ryan alumni Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this 10-hour epic is the finest ‘WWII through the eyes of one unit’ drama since Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One in 1980. Following the real-life exploits of the 101st Airborne Division’s Easy Company during their casualty-laced tour of the European theatre, Band Of Brothers foregoes flag-waving heroics (

Waking Life

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Richard Linklater takes the po-faced monologues of Slacker up a level with this extraordinary, state-of-the-art, animated dream trip. The endless navel-gazing and philosophising (Are we alive? Are we imagining everything? There's not gonna be a car chase in this, is there?) are undeniably wearing, but you have to admire the only sentient Texan's ambition and nerve. DVD EXTRAS: None. (CR)

Richard Linklater takes the po-faced monologues of Slacker up a level with this extraordinary, state-of-the-art, animated dream trip. The endless navel-gazing and philosophising (Are we alive? Are we imagining everything? There’s not gonna be a car chase in this, is there?) are undeniably wearing, but you have to admire the only sentient Texan’s ambition and nerve.

DVD EXTRAS: None.

(CR)

Sleeper Hit

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It's tempting to see Pedro Almod...

It’s tempting to see Pedro Almod

Horror Roundup

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American thriller writer Peter Neal (Tony Franciosa) arrives in Rome to publicise his latest novel. Then people start dying in increasingly grisly ways?all copied from Neal's book. Dario Argento's long-banned blood-drenched whodunnit is released in uncut form for the first time... but this hasn't cured the gaping holes in the plot. For gorehounds only.

American thriller writer Peter Neal (Tony Franciosa) arrives in Rome to publicise his latest novel. Then people start dying in increasingly grisly ways?all copied from Neal’s book. Dario Argento’s long-banned blood-drenched whodunnit is released in uncut form for the first time… but this hasn’t cured the gaping holes in the plot. For gorehounds only.

Pollock

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Years of Ed Harris' life went into realising this biopic of action painter Jackson Pollock. As director, he's workmanlike, though he does catch the exhilaration of the artist at work. As star, he's superb, avoiding clich...

Years of Ed Harris’ life went into realising this biopic of action painter Jackson Pollock. As director, he’s workmanlike, though he does catch the exhilaration of the artist at work. As star, he’s superb, avoiding clich

Windtalkers

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Action emperor John Woo raises hell in the Pacific for this noisy WWII epic, which is grounded in real events. The grand-canvas battle scenes rule, but Nic Cage's hammy turn as an emotionally scarred hero charged with guarding a Navajo code-talker lets the side down. Still, the battle sequences are up there with Sam Fuller's best. DVD EXTRAS: Several backstage documentaries, commentary by a genuine Navajo code-talker, shared chat between Cage and co-star Christian Slater. Rating Star

Action emperor John Woo raises hell in the Pacific for this noisy WWII epic, which is grounded in real events. The grand-canvas battle scenes rule, but Nic Cage’s hammy turn as an emotionally scarred hero charged with guarding a Navajo code-talker lets the side down. Still, the battle sequences are up there with Sam Fuller’s best.

DVD EXTRAS: Several backstage documentaries, commentary by a genuine Navajo code-talker, shared chat between Cage and co-star Christian Slater. Rating Star

O

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Despite the presence of the hapless Josh Hartnett, Tim Blake Nelson (him from O Brother, Where Art Thou) stirs up a sprightly, sinister revamp of Othello. Mekhi Phifer's fine as the school basketball hero who blows his future when jealous Josh, in the lago role, convinces him Julia Stiles is a duplicitous Desdemona. All this and Martin Sheen trying to look non-presidential as the sports coach.

Despite the presence of the hapless Josh Hartnett, Tim Blake Nelson (him from O Brother, Where Art Thou) stirs up a sprightly, sinister revamp of Othello. Mekhi Phifer’s fine as the school basketball hero who blows his future when jealous Josh, in the lago role, convinces him Julia Stiles is a duplicitous Desdemona. All this and Martin Sheen trying to look non-presidential as the sports coach.

Married To The Mob

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Two years before GoodFellas, Jonathan Demme nailed the comical backstage soap opera element of modern-day mobsters and their brassy womenfolk in this cheery 1988 farce. Michelle Pfeiffer is the blousy Mafia wife who wants out, while Matthew Modine plays the FBI agent on her trail. It feels a little too clean and lightweight today, but the roots of The Sopranos are buried in here somewhere.

Two years before GoodFellas, Jonathan Demme nailed the comical backstage soap opera element of modern-day mobsters and their brassy womenfolk in this cheery 1988 farce. Michelle Pfeiffer is the blousy Mafia wife who wants out, while Matthew Modine plays the FBI agent on her trail. It feels a little too clean and lightweight today, but the roots of The Sopranos are buried in here somewhere.

Bugsy Malone

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Leaving aside the Paul Williams soundtrack and Jodie Foster's performance (which aren't bad), Alan Parker's 1930s kiddie gangster musical, which dates back to 1976, combines a dozen bad things, including clunky dialogue, child actors, obvious sets and dull direction. Kids would probably find it patronising, and to the rest of us it falls somewhere between cloyingly cute and downright dodgy. DVD EXTRAS: Trailers, storyboards, trivia, character notes, photo gallery. Rating Star

Leaving aside the Paul Williams soundtrack and Jodie Foster’s performance (which aren’t bad), Alan Parker’s 1930s kiddie gangster musical, which dates back to 1976, combines a dozen bad things, including clunky dialogue, child actors, obvious sets and dull direction. Kids would probably find it patronising, and to the rest of us it falls somewhere between cloyingly cute and downright dodgy.

DVD EXTRAS: Trailers, storyboards, trivia, character notes, photo gallery. Rating Star

Murder By Numbers

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Sandra Bullock got little credit for branching out as a gum-chewing, neurotic hardcase in this clever Barbet Schroeder cop thriller. Two Dostoyevsky students commit the perfect murder as an intellectual challenge; it's up to boozy Bullock and sidekick Ben Chaplin to rattle their smugness. Schroeder ensures it has a dark heart.

Sandra Bullock got little credit for branching out as a gum-chewing, neurotic hardcase in this clever Barbet Schroeder cop thriller. Two Dostoyevsky students commit the perfect murder as an intellectual challenge; it’s up to boozy Bullock and sidekick Ben Chaplin to rattle their smugness. Schroeder ensures it has a dark heart.

The Last Supper

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Initially promising black comedy, acidly penned by Dan (Dead Man's Curve) Rosen, which follows a group of student types as their campaign for political correctness moves from right-on moaning to casually poisoning anyone whose views don't dovetail with their own. Even an early Cameron Diaz performance can't stop it losing momentum late on. DVD EXTRAS: None. (CR)

Initially promising black comedy, acidly penned by Dan (Dead Man’s Curve) Rosen, which follows a group of student types as their campaign for political correctness moves from right-on moaning to casually poisoning anyone whose views don’t dovetail with their own. Even an early Cameron Diaz performance can’t stop it losing momentum late on.

DVD EXTRAS: None.

(CR)

The Driller Killer

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Abel Ferrara's 1979 directorial debut achieved notoriety as a video nasty, but those seeking gore will be largely disappointed. It's an exceedingly bleak portrait of an artist (Ferrara) cracking up and relieving the stress by offing homeless bums with a hand drill. Doom-laden angst that's almost unbearable on any level.

Abel Ferrara’s 1979 directorial debut achieved notoriety as a video nasty, but those seeking gore will be largely disappointed. It’s an exceedingly bleak portrait of an artist (Ferrara) cracking up and relieving the stress by offing homeless bums with a hand drill. Doom-laden angst that’s almost unbearable on any level.

The Guru

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Typically inane British comedy which reduces centuries of Asian culture to a Carry On joke. Jimi Mistry, not an actor you want to see doing the Macarena, is a bozo mistaken for an expert on all matters carnal. Spotting a chance to whip her kit off, Heather Graham, the 21st-century's Greta Scacchi, turns up as 'love' interest. Imagine, if you will, Bombay Dreams starring Robin Askwith.

Typically inane British comedy which reduces centuries of Asian culture to a Carry On joke. Jimi Mistry, not an actor you want to see doing the Macarena, is a bozo mistaken for an expert on all matters carnal. Spotting a chance to whip her kit off, Heather Graham, the 21st-century’s Greta Scacchi, turns up as ‘love’ interest. Imagine, if you will, Bombay Dreams starring Robin Askwith.

Chance Encounter

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Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby both hit autumnal peaks in this immortal comedy from 1979. Based on Jerzy Kosinski's scathing novel about a mentally challenged gardener who's mistaken for a profound soothsayer by America's political elite, Being There does a balancing act between magical fable and caustic satire. Sellers plays the gardener, Chance, a childlike innocent abroad whose accidental encounter with a dying tycoon (Melvyn Douglas) and his sexually frustrated wife (Shirley MacLaine) propels him towards the highest office in the land. Despite a few lapses into clumsy farce, Ashby holds his nerve and delivers an incredibly rare example of mainstream US cinema steeped in intelligence, subtlety and ambiguity. Sellers partly based his Oscar-nominated characterisation of Chance on comic idol Stan Laurel. This timeless fairy tale about faith, hope and delusion is ever more terrifyingly relevant considering the jug-eared goon currently squatting in the Oval Office.

Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby both hit autumnal peaks in this immortal comedy from 1979. Based on Jerzy Kosinski’s scathing novel about a mentally challenged gardener who’s mistaken for a profound soothsayer by America’s political elite, Being There does a balancing act between magical fable and caustic satire. Sellers plays the gardener, Chance, a childlike innocent abroad whose accidental encounter with a dying tycoon (Melvyn Douglas) and his sexually frustrated wife (Shirley MacLaine) propels him towards the highest office in the land. Despite a few lapses into clumsy farce, Ashby holds his nerve and delivers an incredibly rare example of mainstream US cinema steeped in intelligence, subtlety and ambiguity. Sellers partly based his Oscar-nominated characterisation of Chance on comic idol Stan Laurel. This timeless fairy tale about faith, hope and delusion is ever more terrifyingly relevant considering the jug-eared goon currently squatting in the Oval Office.

Villa Des Roses

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Belgian director Frank Van Passel's handsome Euro-pudding adaptation of a novel by Flemish writer Willem Elsschot evokes bohemian, early 20th-century Paris with sepia-toned style?think Moulin Rouge meets Delicatessen. Sadly, a fine ensemble cast (including Julie Delpy, Shirley Henderson, Timothy West) are wasted on a routine, soapy plot about class, manners, infidelity and looming war. DVD EXTRAS: Trailers and scene selection.Rating Star

Belgian director Frank Van Passel’s handsome Euro-pudding adaptation of a novel by Flemish writer Willem Elsschot evokes bohemian, early 20th-century Paris with sepia-toned style?think Moulin Rouge meets Delicatessen. Sadly, a fine ensemble cast (including Julie Delpy, Shirley Henderson, Timothy West) are wasted on a routine, soapy plot about class, manners, infidelity and looming war.

DVD EXTRAS: Trailers and scene selection.Rating Star

Lovely And Amazing

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Touted as 'Sex & The City: The Movie', as Nicole Holofcener often directs the series, this nervy comedy's actually closer in neurotic spirit to her earlier, excellent Walking And Talking. Catherine Keener stars, but Brenda Blethyn's mugging threatens to upset the work of Jake Gyllenhaal and Emily Mortimer. Women on the verge.

Touted as ‘Sex & The City: The Movie’, as Nicole Holofcener often directs the series, this nervy comedy’s actually closer in neurotic spirit to her earlier, excellent Walking And Talking. Catherine Keener stars, but Brenda Blethyn’s mugging threatens to upset the work of Jake Gyllenhaal and Emily Mortimer. Women on the verge.

Kes

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Ken Loach's 1969 masterpiece (based on Barry Hines' novel and produced/co-written by Tony Garnett, later behind This Life and The Cops) remains the template for grim oop north dramas. Its honesty, spontaneity and spiky humour shame more recent dilutions such as the appalling, infuriatingly overrated Billy Elliot. When a young Yorkshire lad, ignored by his loutish mom and brother and beaten down by grumpy, bullying teachers, finds a baby kestrel on the moors, he discovers a purpose in life, vowing to train it to fly. Only one teacher (Colin Welland) is sympathetic. David Bradley (never to repeat this success) is starkly affecting as the boy, his eyes hosting twin worlds of fear and delight, and Loach patents his technique of mining comedy from communal despair. One of the most significant British films of its era, Kes makes a virtue of its rough edges. You'll believe a small falcon can fly. DVD EXTRAS: Original theatrical trailer, interactive menu screens, chapter selections. Rating Star

Ken Loach’s 1969 masterpiece (based on Barry Hines’ novel and produced/co-written by Tony Garnett, later behind This Life and The Cops) remains the template for grim oop north dramas. Its honesty, spontaneity and spiky humour shame more recent dilutions such as the appalling, infuriatingly overrated Billy Elliot.

When a young Yorkshire lad, ignored by his loutish mom and brother and beaten down by grumpy, bullying teachers, finds a baby kestrel on the moors, he discovers a purpose in life, vowing to train it to fly. Only one teacher (Colin Welland) is sympathetic. David Bradley (never to repeat this success) is starkly affecting as the boy, his eyes hosting twin worlds of fear and delight, and Loach patents his technique of mining comedy from communal despair. One of the most significant British films of its era, Kes makes a virtue of its rough edges. You’ll believe a small falcon can fly.

DVD EXTRAS: Original theatrical trailer, interactive menu screens, chapter selections. Rating Star

I’m Going Home

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A morbidly slow but ultimately touching vignette from France, starring the legendary Michel Piccolia an ageing actor whose wife and kids are killed in a car crash. He mopes around Paris, but is persuaded by an American director (John Malkovich) to take a movie part. He muffs his lines, ensuring no feel-good ending. It earns its melancholia. DVD EXTRAS: Interviews, trailers, production notes, filmographies Rating Star

A morbidly slow but ultimately touching vignette from France, starring the legendary Michel Piccolia an ageing actor whose wife and kids are killed in a car crash. He mopes around Paris, but is persuaded by an American director (John Malkovich) to take a movie part. He muffs his lines, ensuring no feel-good ending. It earns its melancholia.

DVD EXTRAS: Interviews, trailers, production notes, filmographies Rating Star

Eight Legged Freaks

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In a small Arizona town a toxic waste dump creates a plague of hundreds of giant spiders. Cue mass destruction and enormous fun, since the SFX are first-rate, the cast (led by David Arquette) is solid and the script strikes the right balance between laughs and twitch-inducing 'arach-attacks'. The best giant bug movie for decades. DVD EXTRAS: Trailer, commentary, deleted scenes, plus Larger Than Life?director Ellory Elkayem's first award-winning short horror film. Rating Star (PH)

In a small Arizona town a toxic waste dump creates a plague of hundreds of giant spiders. Cue mass destruction and enormous fun, since the SFX are first-rate, the cast (led by David Arquette) is solid and the script strikes the right balance between laughs and twitch-inducing ‘arach-attacks’. The best giant bug movie for decades.

DVD EXTRAS: Trailer, commentary, deleted scenes, plus Larger Than Life?director Ellory Elkayem’s first award-winning short horror film. Rating Star

(PH)

Marty

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Delbert Mann's earnest 1955 slice-of-life drama about an ordinary Bronx butcher (Ernest Borgnine) mustering the courage to find a girlfriend earned four Oscars?Best Picture plus one each for Borgnine, Mann and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, who later penned the far superior Network. It's decently acted and well-meaning but very slight, dated and a little condescending.

Delbert Mann’s earnest 1955 slice-of-life drama about an ordinary Bronx butcher (Ernest Borgnine) mustering the courage to find a girlfriend earned four Oscars?Best Picture plus one each for Borgnine, Mann and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, who later penned the far superior Network. It’s decently acted and well-meaning but very slight, dated and a little condescending.

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