Britgeek here.
Welcome to the third part of my DVD and Blu-ray review special where I take a look at the latest home entertainment releases to hit the UK. Let's get started then, shall we?
My continued thanks to anyone who orders any discs by clicking the links and images, as a small portion of the purchase price will count towards supporting my efforts in bringing you AICN UK. Your support is greatly appreciated!
THOR (DVD)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray now
I must admit, I am getting rather bored of all these superhero movies. In principle, that is. I of course appreciate a good film when I see it, and THOR is indeed a good, solid movie.
Kenneth Branagh was an interesting and bold choice to helm such an inevitable blockbuster, and it was a job well done. Where the film suffered, however, was with the script. It just wasn't that compelling and, to be frank, Thor just wasn't Thor for long enough. Throw in Natalie Portman as a disposable love interest and a general lack of character development, with Thor himself being the exception, and you have an underwhelming and ultimately forgettable film. Let's just get THE AVENGERS over with, no?
Extras: An audio commentary with director Branagh, four deleted scenes and a featurette titled Road to THE AVENGERS.
DANGER MOUSE: 30th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
Good grief, the colourful adventures of everyone's favourite pint-sized secret agent are now available for the very first time in their complete broadcast order as DANGER MOUSE hits DVD in a big ol' box set to mark the show's 30th anniversary. Comprised of ten discs, the release features all 89 episodes, plus the unaired pilot and a nest of bonus material, making this a must-have for all fans of the eye patch-wearing mouse and his sidekick Penfold.
DANGER MOUSE is one of the cartoons that I fondly remember from my childhood. It ran for just over a decade and had ended by the time I could comprehend the magic of the moving image, but I practically grew up on the reruns. It was one of the few older programmes that took my fancy when I was younger. I may have spent most of my time glued to Cartoon Network, Fox Kids and Nickelodeon, watching the likes of ED, EDD, 'N' EDDY, DEXTER'S LABORATORY and the downright bizarre COW AND CHICKEN, but reruns and old tapes of DANGER MOUSE, G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS were always a source of great enjoyment for me.
It's nice to know, then, that the show retains its appeal all these years later, and hearing the legendary David Jason's voice in the title role, not to mention that of the narrator, is sweeter now than ever before, being that I'm presently far more familiar with his body of work than I was as a child. It's actually quite a witty series at times and has humour that will appeal to adults more so than kids, so those who, like me, grew up on the show may just find this box set to be a somewhat new viewing experience, and a charming one at that.
Extras: Stills galleries; two quizzes; the DANGERMOUSE AND FRIENDS documentary from 1987 that takes a look at Cosgrove Hall, one of Britain's foremost animation studios; interviews with co-creators Mark Hall and Brian Cosgrove; behind the scenes footage; animated shorts; character biographies; the pilot episode MYSTERY OF THE LOST CHORD; and four raw studio recordings of potential theme tunes for the show.
EROTIBOT (DVD)
From the makers of BIG TITS ZOMBIE 3D comes EROTIBOT, a weird-but-not-wonderful sex comedy out of Japan that lacks the quirk and fun of the aforementioned film. It appears to be inspired by the work of Philip K. Dick, putting some kind of strange and uncomfortable twist on the androids of BLADE RUNNER. “Android erotica”, you might say. Sooner or later, samurai swords become part of the picture, turning this film about a sheltered teenage heiress with three robotic servants rather messy.
Extras: An interview with stars Asami and Maria Ozawa, and the trailer.
THE IRON HORSE (DVD)
John Ford is one of the most celebrated American directors of all time, and for good reason. With films such as THE GRAPES OF WRATH and WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE under his belt, you can see exactly why. But the film that put him on the map was his first Hollywood feature, THE IRON HORSE, an epic 150-minute silent western from 1924 detailing the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
It's not his best film, nor is it even one of his best, but there are plenty of flashes of Ford's brilliance, such as his talent for composing then-original shots. It's an incredibly important film, and many of the storytelling devices that we refer to as classic or cliché today were innovated by THE IRON HORSE, an extremely patriotic film comprised of a bit of everything, from a love story to a one-dimensional enemy in the form of stereotypically warring Indians.
Its grandiose length is a problem, however, as the film feels like somewhat of a shoehorned epic, immensely drawn out, but when it's compelling, it sure is compelling.
Extras: An illustrated booklet, plus an audio commentary by film scholar and historian Robert S. Birchard, as well as a 20-minute video essay written, narrated and produced by Tag Gallagher, author of JOHN FORD: THE MAN AND HIS FILMS, included on the second disc, which features the 130-minute international version.
THE CAT O'NINE TAILS (Blu-ray)
The legendary Dario Argento's second film as both writer and director, 1971's THE CAT O' NINE TAILS followed in the wake of the excellent THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE's success. And while THE CAT O' NINE TAILS is an inferior offering from Italy's master of horror, it's still very much a commendable, enjoyable giallo, and certainly isn't a film to be looked down on as much as Argento himself does. He considers it his worst film, yet, in the grand scheme of things, it's much closer to being one of his best.
Two journalists, one working for a newspaper and another blind and retired, team up to solve a series of murders but find themselves on the killer's hit list the deeper they get in their investigation.
It's bloody, stars James Franciscus post-BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, and has a great score by the one and only Ennio Morricone, as well as a number of memorable scenes. One in particular that has always stood out to me is the scene in the graveyard.
THE CAT O' NINE TAILS looks decent on Blu-ray, but it is not one of the best Argento remasters. Nevertheless, this is an Arrow Video release, and they always give you your money's worth.
Extras: The disc includes three great features: Dario's Murderous Moggy: Dario Argento Remembers THE CAT O' NINE TAILS, Luigi Cozzi: THE CAT O' NINE TAILS in Reflection, and Sergio Martino: The Art and Arteries of the Giallo, plus the original theatrical trailer. But that's not all. As is usual with Arrow Video titles, the film is packaged with reversible sleeve artwork, a double-sided A4 poster, and an exclusive collector's booklet written by film critic and Argento expert Alan Jones. Unfortunately there is no commentary track with Jones nor Kim Newman.
CHALET GIRL (DVD)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray October 3
I'd like to say that us Brits would have better representation in this week's column, but it looks like we'll have to cuddle up to DANGER MOUSE, as another flimsy Brit rom-com has arrived, and its name is CHALET GIRL.
Felicity Jones stars as a 19-year-old ex-champion skateboarder who dropped out of the sport to look after her dad (Bill Bailey) when her mother died in a car accident. Hard up for cash, she takes a well-paid job working for a wealthy family as a chalet girl in Austria, but finds more than she expected when she meets a handsome young man and enters a snowboarding competition.
The romance angle in this comedy actually develops rather late, and when it does, all the clichés that you would expect from such a film come fast and furious. Although it's by no means a terrible movie, it's far too unoriginal to be compelling, and a winter wonderland does precious little to make it feel fresh.
Extras: Audio commentary with director Phil Traill and star Felicity Jones, a featurette on the premiere and the trailer.
Don't forget to enter my latest competitions. You could win CHALET GIRL and WAR GAMES on DVD, plus the complete DANGER MOUSE: 30th Anniversary Edition box set!
Coming up next week, reviews of:
BLITZ
DEADTIME STORIES: VOLUME 1
KILL THE IRISHMAN
BLOOD OUT
WAR GAMES
and more!
TTFN.
Follow me on Twitter!
