The Grim Cellar

1948, US, Directed by Charles T Barton

Black & White, Running Time: 79 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Universal, Video: 1.33:1, Audio: Mono

Several years after the conclusion to Universal’s domination of the horror genre, and their effective delineation of the very definition it could be argued, they were clearly out of ideas so the merging of two successful franchises seemed like sure success. It had already worked to some extent for one of the very franchises they were now attempting to grant new life to - the amalgamation of several of their famous monsters had prolonged the lifespan of said monsters with such films as Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman and House of Dracula. Despite some general critical dislike of such films I personally really enjoy them, almost as much as their real classics from the previous decade in fact. So, completely unable to inject any imagination into fright films Universal bring in Bud Abbott and Lou Costello to add their renowned comedic touch to drag out the classic monster series just a little bit further. So how did it go? Abbott and Costello play Chick (that’s a man’s name in America apparently) and Wilbur respectively, two bungling baggage clerks who are assigned to personally overseeing the delivery of two crates ostensibly containing the remains of both Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula to a wax museum. Once inside the museum basement Chick assigns Wilbur to various menial tasks while he attends to things nearby, at which point Stoker’s infamous vampire awakens - much to Chick’s discontent. Dracula manages to revive the monster (in a rather silly way, reminding me of the most uninspired scene from Living Dead at Manchester Morgue) before heading off into the dark. Implicated for the loss of the crates’ contents Wilbur and Chick find themselves in jail and under scrutiny in an insurance investigation while Dracula seeks help from a couple of scientists to insert a new brain into the monster for its obedient slavery: ultimate purpose undisclosed.

Wrapped up in the story are a number of characters, all with distinct motivations - a female insurance investigator who woos Wilbur to get to the bottom of the case, a female doctor who woos Wilbur so she can get his docile brain inside the monster, the guy who owns the crates and wants his creatures back, etc.; this labyrinth of activity nicely provides some weight to the overall scenario. A&B’s antics kick off almost immediately with some Laurel and Hardy-like shenanigans and this early scene barely raises a smile. But during the following act where they drop off the crates to the museum’s storage area, the edges of your mouth being to force their way upwards - the repeatedly opening coffin resulting in Wilbur’s hysterical panic can’t help but come across as downright funny. They get so much mileage out of this it’s crazy that it actually works, but it does. The laboratory is on an island by itself and is a truly glorious Universal horror setting, surprisingly invoking some atmosphere and the sort of place it would be cool to have a wander around. What effectively happens is a workable collision between the two aforementioned franchises because it really seems like Abbott and Costello have accidentally sauntered into Universal’s realm of the supernatural, completely at odds with each other but having the intended impact nonetheless. I still don’t like the wolfman’s impotent scenes and Chaney, with his relentlessly doom-laden approach, doesn’t seem to realise his hairy character is being taken the piss out of, but aside from that I found myself having a great time watching this film far more than expected. The big question for fans of the Universal classics - and one I feel qualified to answer - is, does this movie ruin the studios more serious outings in what may appear to be a lack of respect for them? Personally I still feel able to go back and indulge those chillers any time so I don’t think there’s any damage done; possibly the contrary may be true.

…Meet Frankenstein is packaged on DVD with the way inferior …Meet The Mummy, which followed six years later and unsuccessfully attempted to approximate the preceding film’s formula - a largely different team were behind the production (though John Grant returned to take sole credit for writing the screenplay) so it’s no surprise the overall impact differs, specifically being diminished. The later film consists mostly of people running around the sets like fools and rarely looking at things they should be looking at in order to get a rise out of the audience, but it tends not to work. Because it’s bundled with a much better film the buy is not so bad, and both looking pretty good considering age it’s a nice little set to have in one’s collection.

1967, Canada, Directed by David Cronenberg

Black & White, Running Time: 63 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Blue Underground, Video: Anamorphic 1.66:1, Audio: Mono

It’s generally considered that Cronenberg tends to wander between moderately commercial products (e.g. History of Violence, Dead Zone) and less commercial, more personal outings (e.g. Crash, Dead Ringers), sometimes blurring the boundaries as bigger names such as Ralph Fiennes become attached to ideas that would otherwise leave the general public completely cold, such as Spider. To really put his less commercial outings into perspective, however, one only need take a look at his very early work and the likes of Rabid and Naked Lunch suddenly become comparatively more approachable. Going way back to the late sixties we find that Stereo is undoubtedly a unique experience but not necessarily an enjoyable one: opening with a shot over two large hostile-looking stone buildings a helicopter drifts into view before letting off someone who oddly dresses himself almost as if he is a wizard. As the strange man attempts to find a way into the inaccessible structures a narrator articulately tells us about an experiment taking place within, something designed to investigate telepathic powers in a selected group of willing participants. Inside, the volunteers (all dressed in tights) wander the corridors occasionally interacting with each other, physically as well as on a telepathic level presumably, if the words of the narrator are anything to go by. Gradually they lose touch with the reality outside the premises that we never truly see.

The camerawork is quite engaging, adopting a personal perspective on many occasions as we wander through the barren corridors with the completely odd inhabitants of the institute. Use of slow motion, while quite clichéd in the likes of action movies, etc., is highly perceptive on Cronenberg’s part here and indicative of the talent that was later to embed itself into cinema history forever. The film plays almost silent - there are no sound effects and there is no music. The only things we ever hear are the voices of varying narrators explaining the intricate details of the scientific studies taking place in telepathic communication. The dialogue here is excessively intellectual but, while initially it may occur to the viewer that this is pretentiousness for the sake of ego, the relentless nature of the suffocating and informed depth of the words ultimately results in the appearance of authenticity, facilitating belief in the subject matter - this latter aspect comes about for the simple reason that it’s hard to imagine a subject being treated with such academic intelligence if there is absolutely no foundation in truth. There are some interesting points made amongst the concentration-stretching passages, for example the gradual introduction of the sexual relations between volunteers combined with the suggestion that such relations facilitate the telepathic connection brings to my mind the possibility that cerebral evolutionary development (which the narrators indicate is the consequential factor of man’s continued existence) is something designed purely to improve the reproductive chances of affected organisms, and therefore the genes within. Listening to this film is really as close as I can imagine to reading a textbook in parapsychology, the problem being that there are few such books that can be any fun to scour through and the film therefore becomes an extremely arduous task to sit through. That’s not to say there’s anything bad about Cronenberg’s debut, but the balance between scientific, philosophical detail and cinematic approachability that the director would later achieve is clearly a long way off being established here.

Blue Underground present Stereo looking superb considering its mega-low budget origins and age - there are celluloid flaws that are unlikely ever to be eliminated from the source. A pillarboxed 1.66:1 ratio takes advantage of anamorphic enhancement for a small but appreciated boost in resolution while audio is well represented, though it only has voices and silence to contend with - this is one instance where any kind of surround track would truly be a waste of bit space. What would have been very welcome is a commentary from the director, if only to decipher some of the film’s occurrences while explaining some of the thought processes involving in realising such a cinematic oddity, but perhaps having things left to our own personal delineation can prove to be a challenging experience (and therefore a deterrent for the majority no doubt). Considering the fact that this is included in a package with Fast Company and Crimes of the Future, this is a superb buy.

2007, US, Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Colour, Running Time: 113 minutes

Cinema screening, Image: 2.20:1 Digital 3D, Audio: English (plus ancient tongues)

Just had a pretty cool experience at the cinema. No, the usherette didn’t invite me to the back room for a bit of sword and sorcery role play (they’re not that attractive where I come from) - it was in fact a digital 3D projection of Beowulf, the new ‘animated’ film from Robert Zemeckis, ImageMovers and Warner Bros. (the latter taking primary care of distribution). Adopting the mythical Beowulf story/poem as a template modern technicians and artists have attempted to recreate the Viking world of Scandinavia (Denmark specifically), giving it unprecedented visual detail and texture and bringing the viewer right into it by utilising recent three dimensional projection techniques. Story is a fairly simple one: a small establishment of townspeople and their king are threatened periodically by a truly monstrous creature they call Grendel, something that emerges from nearby caves whenever he/it is disturbed by the louder sounds emanating from the king’s domain. He destroys anything in his path and appears to be unstoppable so the king calls upon a warrior hero who can rid the town of its curse. Enter Beowulf, a mighty Viking who is adept at combat as well as in possession of near superhuman strength and athletic ability. He soon kills Grendel but also finds that the creature’s mother dwells in the caves also. In exchange for untold riches and power Beowulf gives in to temptation and mates with the seductive but demonic woman. Thereafter Beowulf takes the throne when the old king dies but years later it seems the curse has returned when an overwhelmingly destructive dragon emerges from the very same caves from which Grendel first set foot.

The story itself is relatively straightforward material, at least on the surface. In Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings mould it’s a fantasy adventure where warriors make combat with inhuman monsters. What I believe may be beneath the surface is a socio-political subtext on the responsibilities of fatherhood along with the dangers of yielding to temptation. In these respects it’s quite a significant piece given the wayward nature of today’s youth when it comes to impregnating one another before departing to leave others to pick up the tabs. In fact, in this light it’s poignant and possibly controversial - leave a bastard child born purely out of lust and you risk creating a monster. Where the film can fall a little is in the characterisations, which are lacking leaving onscreen people who are mostly incapable of eliciting sympathy (though this seems to be rectified to an extent by the film‘s final third), and also the ‘acting’ seems a little wooden, if the term can be applied here. I don’t think Ray Winstone (as Beowulf) is the best choice to portray an animated character but I suppose his tough guy image seems to fit the character’s omnipotent nature, being as he is the stereotype ideal male. The hero is flawed, both morally and in his ability to stand up to temptation - it’s initially easy to dislike him, but by the film’s conclusion I think perception of this fallible man is suitably turned around. It was of some concern when Beowulf goes to visit the mother of Grendel, a supreme sexual beauty who no male can deny, and rising from the water with her rubber dinghy lips is… Angelina Jolie??? Perhaps the casting department should have consulted some real people for their opinions instead of FHM before bringing in one of the supposed sexiest women in the world. Saying that, her 3D doppelganger is not something one would say no to (after half a pint of shandy), so I suppose the point was made. Many of the characters resemble the actors who are voicing them so it’s often a little uncanny to watch these virtually photo-realistic renditions of people we’ve seen before (John Malkovich is lovely to watch and listen to as his character Unferth). Obviously motion captured for the most part this kind of work I’m not really in favour of and I think more interesting results could have been obtained with proper animation. It’s much more time consuming, as I can personally testify, but if an unreal world is going to be painstakingly created with 3D graphics it always seems like an odd choice to implement ‘real’ movements instead of embellishing what’s been created with artist-propelled movements. Hints at Viking mythology are welcome though generally in the background; for example I was particularly pleased to see one of the characters receive a traditional Viking funeral by having his body set to sail in a burning ship.

Technically the film is supreme without much doubt: the modelling on display is exemplary of what’s capable in 3D graphics, lighting should attract an Oscar nomination, texturing is simply astounding with detail levels amazingly sharp; minute hairs on faces are visible in closer shots and millions of them too - this must have been a rendering nightmare! The 3D effect itself is of course obtained using glasses, as in the old days and with current IMAX presentations. In fact, this film was designed with IMAX cinemas in mind and 70mm versions have been struck for such screenings. I saw it at CineWorld but even here the effect was excellent and very often an immersing experience. Close-ups look slightly artificial but group shots and landscape work is quite incredible. The dragon battle is one of the most awe-inspiring audio-visual sequences I think a person can absorb. Many camera movements take full advantage of this, swooping you through the world. It’s important not to confuse all this marvellous technical work with great film-making but I think the movie just about holds up as something worth checking out in its own right - the real test will materialise when it ends up on good old 2D DVD. As it is at the cinema, for the spectacle of the 3D effect alone (especially the jaw-dropping dragon battle) this film is worth paying a few quid to witness.

1989, Canada, Directed by Bruce McDonald

Black & White, Running Time: 85 minutes

DVD, Region 1, VSC, Video: Letterbox 1.82:1, Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

Not to be confused with the slasher film that later claimed a similar name (specifically, Road Kill, that movie being a Australian and UK re-titling of Joy Ride) this is actually a fairly obscure low budget rock n’ roll road movie made in Canada by the competent but relatively unknown team of director Bruce McDonald and writer/actor Don McKellar. Valerie Buhagiar plays an assistant to the obnoxious music promoter who sends her out on the road to shut down a tour being undertaken by an Indie band called Children of Paradise. Catching up with them, she finds the band in a state of disarray because the singer has gone off on a spiritual quest, leaving them to continue the schedule without him. Taking it on herself to restore order as the boss becomes increasingly agitated about the fact that he’s wasting money on apparent losers, she soon loses the band again but while in pursuit of them comes across a strange collection of lost individuals who populate the lesser known parts of the vast Canadian suburban and rural backdrops. These include a self-proclaimed serial killer (who’s yet to actually kill anyone), a band who stand in the middle of nowhere pounding out cool music, a fifteen year old boy who she makes love to, and an ostensibly mute hotdog salesman, among other weirdos.

Quite a rarity and difficult to pick up on disc I originally saw this at my local arthouse cinema when they actually used to screen arthouse films (nowadays it‘s more likely to be Transformers or the like). Clearly shot with a very low budget and using many non-actors it creates a distinctive sort of world where souls seem to have lost their way, assuming there was ever a way to really follow, a realm where people become enveloped by their own idiosyncrasies and those around them don’t take any notice anymore. Ramona (Buhagiar) is someone who notices the strange tendencies of others on her journey to prove her worth, taking time to briefly entangle herself in the lives that would otherwise never have become known to her. She mutters early on in the film (as she’s been forced to take a several hour taxi journey by a driver who refuses to let her use the train) that she’s never been that far north, as though she’s somehow entered another dimension populated by alien beings. This is almost true from the viewer’s perspective also. There’s also an interesting contrast between the ethics of one of the film’s main characters, the music promoter, and those of the people who made the film itself: while the promoter cares only about the potential financial returns of a musical venture, screaming down the phone and eventually even killing people to enforce his point, the makers seem to utilise music to illustrate Ramona’s journey at every opportunity, be it known material such as The Ramones or that of almost completely unknown outfits, thereby providing free promotion to bands who might otherwise get none while also proving that music doesn’t have come from the supposed upper echelons of popularity to be significant and meaningful. The soundtrack creates some surprisingly emotive moments. The characters also offer partly humorous, partly philosophical contributions as they carry on about issues that may at first appear to have little value in the reality in which we think we have become immersed, but actually demonstrate about as much value as the things that common people seem to hail as relevant - that is, what’s to be considered important to a person is really a subjective area and therefore not necessarily of any greater or lesser concern that what’s important to another. As Ramona takes her unusual journey, so is the viewer taken along with her.

This disc is the only release I’m aware of for Roadkill and comes from Canada itself. The meagre budget is evident in the non-anamorphic transfer as grain is abundant throughout. For once, a rough transfer seems to be appropriate for a film that exemplifies what road movies should be about - the hazy recollection of life‘s noteworthy points. The extensively used music collection is suitably represented by a stereo soundtrack and there are a few extras to note, including a commentary from the writer and a couple of odd but skilfully executed short films from the same team. The package is rounded out with a liner sheet containing a short statement from McDonald.

1988, US, Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Colour, Running Time: 96 minutes

DVD, Region 2, MGM, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Dolby Digital Surround

Affluent couple, John and Ann, are living an apparently idyllic lifestyle that conveniently conceals the adulterous behaviour and vocational amorality of the former (he’s a lawyer…) along with the marital discontent and sexual repression of the latter. John is mating with Ann’s sister (obviously without Ann’s knowledge) while Ann is in therapy talking about excess garbage around the house in an attempt to steer around the issues that are subconsciously disturbing her. Things are shaken up with the arrival of John’s old college friend, Graham. Graham stays at their house for a few days while looking for an apartment in the area, during which he gets to know Ann with significantly more intuition than her husband is capable of. Finally getting himself set up properly, Graham later receives a visit from Ann in his new apartment, the prudish woman clearly enamoured by the striking young man. There she finds, to her disapproval, he has built a large collection of personally filmed videotapes consisting solely of women talking about topics related to sex. She leaves immediately, later ‘warning’ her promiscuous sister (Cynthia) who has already become interested in the mysterious man she has only hitherto heard about. Cynthia is of course adamant she still wants to meet Graham and manages to dig up his address so she can visit him for herself. Being the complete opposite to Ann, Cynthia is more intrigued and decides to stay so she herself can be interviewed on videotape by Graham. Later on, Ann is shocked by Cynthia’s participation, the affair between Cynthia and John is put into jeopardy in addition to the fact that Ann herself is questioning the validity of her own marriage, particularly when she finds evidence of the affair.

Soderbergh’s feature-length directorial debut is impressive mainly due to its intensive character studies, an intricate weaving of the lives of a small number of people entwined, in one way or another, by sex. Graham is considered to be a disturbed individual by Ann due to the fact that his unorthodox lifestyle revolves around filming and viewing women discussing sex but, as he points out, compared to the suburbanites around him whose surface normality masks distorted psychology, he feels relatively healthy. Of course that’s not quite true, as his own unusual behavioural tendencies have arisen from a complex array of events just as they have in everyone, and are, as a result, difficult to explain (it’s still, however, something which Ann’s therapist tries in vain to do). The point I think is that there is not really any such thing as complete normality - abnormalities can only be concealed. Possibly this film may progress too slowly for some people but the dramatic microcosmic universe can absorb the senses to a degree where the viewer becomes almost as involved in the world portrayed as the inhabitants are. Indeed, when Graham’s videotapes are playing Soderbergh often fills the entire frame with them as if it’s us who’s watching them rather than just Graham. James Spader has had a knack for choosing roles that are unconventional and brave from a popular actor’s point of view (e.g. see also Secretary and Driftwood) and his interpretation of Graham was brilliant enough to earn him an award at Cannes. The other actors (including Andie McDowell [before her temporary rise to grace] as an easily embarrassed Ann) suitably become their characters also while Cliff Martinez provides a dark, ethereal, understated score that emphasises the twisted elements of the characters’ brains - he later also composed the exquisite score for Soderbergh’s often misunderstood Solaris remake. As an exploration of the way sex has become an isolated and sometimes maligned (but persistently dominating) entity in the wake of social progression using characters that are encumbered by its perpetual burden, Sex, Lies… is a fascinating study.

The image quality, while displaying a little fuzz, is very detailed for a catalogue title but the sound could have done with a little muscle added, betraying as it does the limitations of the original recordings. It is technically a surround track but there is little surround activity, though the source is primarily vocal-based. As far as extras are concerned you don’t get a damn thing on the UK disc. This is one film that really could have benefited from a director commentary and is sorely missed here - indeed, the US disc included that commentary so why wasn‘t it on the UK equivalent? There’s not really much excuse for that. However I wanted to own this film so the disc (which can admittedly be cheaply purchased) will do until such a time as MGM consider this worth working on an SE for.

2002, US, Directed by Miguel Arteza

Colour, Running Time: 89 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Fox, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

Justine is a thirty year old woman gradually losing her interest in life. She works in a local retail store surrounded by people who appear to be blissfully (or otherwise) ignorant of the perpetually meaningless nature of their mundane existences, while at home her husband is equally unaware of her discontent with their marriage as they unsuccessfully try for offspring and maintain the semblance of normal domesticity. A light seems to be projected into her waning life when a nerdy young man joins the store to work on the tills. Budding writer Holden is similarly disenchanted with the world, this being reflected in his work where he depicts characters based on himself and those around him in hopeless situations. Finding someone who is able to empathise with her snowballing cynicism the reluctant Justine embarks upon an affair with the younger man but fails to foresee the obsession that grows within him, an indicator that his grip on mental balance is not entirely rigid. But one thing that Holden does seem to be able to provide is unpredictability, an invaluable asset in a world that presents only commonplace experiences. How far is she able to progress with the amoral life of a bored adulteress and would it ever be possible to experience fulfilment with a husband that may just be a pot-smoking slob?

Combining comedy elements (though leaning towards black humour) with romance and metaphysical drama, The Good Girl does not end up going in the direction that you might expect. It adopts the attitude of an independent film taking on the analysis of everyday life and does a very good job of it. Playing Justine, Jennifer Aniston demonstrates her skill and flexibility as an actress - I mean, it’s always been evident in Friends, and I have no love for that show, but it takes daring excursions such as this to really show people what she’s made of. She doesn’t even look supremely attractive in this film; simply ordinary. Justine is an ‘everyman’ (is that term applicable to females too?), a person whose existence is directionless (other than following the same path of working and spawning paved by billions before her), someone who finally realises that to take a risk might break her free of the reigns which have entangled themselves around her. Her immoral behaviour is a derivative of her crumbling zest, but does that make it acceptable? Understandable certainly, but questions arise regarding the moral intentions of the writers (perhaps they’re merely reflecting a reality of life rather than passing judgement on it). The outcome of the story certainly embellishes these questions for me and a level of ambiguity results from the conclusion - I have a few theories on where they were coming from/going but to outline them here would be to spoil the first time viewings of others. Convincingly portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, the Holden character is not the ray of light he first appears to be, rather a person ruined by unexplained circumstances. He presents an element of mystery that initially intrigues Justine, but ultimately may be too dangerous to associate herself with. Justine’s husband too is not what he first may appear and it might be that we’re seeing a reflection of the world through Justine’s eyes more than anything. The acoustic soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the reflections of an almost amusingly melancholic existence and reminds me of the music composed for The Straight Story. Coming from 20th Century Fox, this is a rare treat.

The DVD comes with a very naturally contrasted and coloured transfer as well as an audio track that rarely leaves the front speakers, overall looking and sounding very nice. Aniston provides a mini-commentary (about quarter of an hour of scene specific observations) while the director and writer give us the full monty. There’s the pointlessly indulgent gag reel featuring the actors laughing at their own cock-ups (something that hopefully should have disappeared thanks to Pixar spoofing the ‘phenomenon’ on a number of their animated film extras), as well as some unused scenes and a limited alternative ending that could have done with some explanation. Generally though, a reasonable disc. The cover is unfortunately emblazoned with one of Empire’s typically insightful comments (‘seriously funny’) which may help find the film the wrong audience, but slightly daring, offbeat films like this from Hollywood are always a welcome surprise.

2001, USA, Directed by Jon Favreau

Colour, Running Time: 91 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Momentum, Video: Anamorphic 1.75:1, Audio: DTS

Struggling professional boxer, Bobby, has managed to bag himself a gorgeous girlfriend who also happens to be a lap dancer, the problem here being the fact that he can’t stand seeing her slide her smooth body all over other men. Because his main vocational passion isn’t proving to be particularly lucrative (even when he pays his mate to fight him and take a fall he ends up with a draw) he also supports himself doing small jobs for a mob boss while accompanied by his loser friend, Ricky. After beating up one of his girl’s punters Bobby is forced to do the boss a favour, this fortunately landing him and Ricky with a shot at big time earnings as they’re persuaded to temporarily spend some time in New York performing some ‘drops’ there for gangster Ruiz. Once on their way, however, the socially retarded Ricky can’t seem to help making complete fools of both of them as he manages to get on the wrong side of just about everyone (including the gangsters) they encounter in a vain attempt to somehow prove himself worthy of street credibility and sex-god status. Will Bobby’s one chance at carving a normal life for him and his woman be ruined in the process?

Probably financed on the success of Swingers and with a bigger budget to boot, this reunites the two main stars of that film once again though Made is not actually a sequel (as much as the marketing department would probably have wanted you to believe otherwise with statements such as ‘They used to be money but now they’re made…’ and ‘The guy‘s [sic] from Swingers are back…’). The similarities are this: Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn play the lead characters (here, Bobby and Ricky respectively) in both films, and Favreau wrote both films. They’re not the same characters so this is no sequel, plus they’re in entirely different situations compared to Mike and Trent. In fact, with Favreau also producing (alongside Vaughn) and directing, this seems like something of an ego trip. Despite that, it’s Vaughn as Ricky who gets most of the onscreen lines, his voice probably taking up about 70% of the soundtrack and becoming a little tiresome along the way. Ricky’s irritating nature is well played by Vaughn but he also succeeds in irritating the viewer no end, to a point where you’re hoping his head will explode just to shut him up. The dialogue is good (aside from exorbitant use of the word ‘fuck’) but it’s not as relevant to the human condition as in Swingers, seeming to go nowhere of any significance. The other thing that bothers me is the documentary-style shaky-cam - there’s no talent involved in randomly swinging the camera back and forth between two conversing characters and visual composition becomes a redundant term in the process. The soundtrack and editing are much better but they almost appear to be concealing the fact that there’s not a great deal of value in the core material itself. It’s not actually a ‘bad’ film but the ostentatiousness on display along with Vaughn’s excruciating character prevent it from rising above average. On first viewing it almost tricks you into thinking you’re watching a credible follow up to Liman’s film but after a while (or perhaps a second viewing as was the case with me) you realise Made is not nearly as smart as it is pretending to be.

Surprisingly accompanied by a very able DTS track the image on the disc is detailed and naturally coloured while the ratio is slightly pillarboxed to anamorphic 1.75:1 rather than the 2.35:1 claimed on the back of the UK DVD packaging - a strange choice anyway considering the intended projection ratio is reportedly 1.85:1. There are lots of extras padding out the disc making it a package worth trying out if you can find it at a reasonable price - you may like the film (Empire magazine did, for whatever that’s worth) but I think it fails to hit its intended nail on the head by a notable margin.

1996, US, Directed by Doug Liman

Colour, Running Time: 96 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Miramax, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Dolby Surround

Mike Peters has moved to a small apartment in Los Angeles in a simultaneous attempt to use the locale to advance his stand-up comedy career while putting his long-term New York girlfriend behind him. Neither plan is working. His career involves a once weekly evening at some low grade joint while his depression over the split relationship persists even six months after the fact. His best friend, Trent, is adamant that he’s going to show Mike a good time to take his mind off the woman and takes him to Las Vegas for a weekend of gambling and pulling. There he lectures Mike in the art of acquiring phone numbers and they continue to put this into practice when back at home touring various parties and bars. Despite Trent’s convincing instruction Mike can’t seem to help making a complete mess of any attempt at forging a new relationship and the poor guy now seems ‘doomed’ to a life of bachelorhood and misery. But then he meets Lorraine, someone who provides the compatibility that may have been lacking in the others.

There are two things that really help this low budget ($5 million) comedy-drama hit its mark: the performances and the script. As reflected in the above synopsis, the story is relatively simple: one man’s battle to recover from a broken partnership through meeting as many other potential mates as possible while hanging out with buddies. His clumsy ride is at once embarrassing and funny, one of my favourite bits being the aftermath of actually managing to acquire a woman’s phone number - his foolish telephone conduct becomes cringe worthy as he manages to both almost begin dating someone and putting an end to the whole thing within a matter of minutes (and then getting dumped anyway). Mike (Jon Favreau, who also wrote it) mopes around with the weight of a planet on his shoulders, refusing to permit himself the freedom from melancholy we’re not even sure he truly desires. Trent (Vince Vaughn) is the irritating friend who can seem to pull women despite (or because of?) his obnoxious, arrogant nature, and is probably inherently unable to appreciate his good fortune with experience. Their trip to Vegas is equally hilarious - initially setting out as a pair of excited youngsters they’re almost ready for bed after several hours of driving later, plus their infiltration of the wrong casino table is suitably embarrassing. It’s truly a sad existence to have one’s entire motivations revolving around the female species and thankfully it only happens to me periodically, but that’s enough to provide amusing identification with the traumas that Mike endures. The soundtrack does a thorough job of capturing the moods while visually Swingers goes for the grittily realistic look. The film has the word ‘cool’ stamped all over it and its cult status was destined from its inception, but aside from those potential stumbling blocks it’s an original and captivating metaphysical ride through the trivialities of the mating game.

On both sides of the pond this has been released in bare-bones editions followed by SE versions. Obviously opt for the latter. Extras are quite plentiful and image is good, if somewhat over-saturated. Audio arrives in the form of outdated Dolby Surround, but most of the sound is centre-driven anyway, this being a primarily dialogue focused movie, and thus the track serves its purpose adequately. A 5.1 upgrade would not sufficiently enhance the experience. Check out Swingers if you’ve not already done so.

1975, Italy, Directed by Lucio Fulci

Colour, Running Time: 104 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Anchor Bay, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Mono

In a town called Salt Flat, a passing outlaw, Stubby, is thrown into jail for his sins where he meets several other downbeats including the mentally imbalanced Bud, a man who may or may not be able to see ghosts, the alcoholic Clem, and an attractive young prostitute called Bunny. The town comes under a nocturnal attack by a horde of masked raiders who bloodily to wipe out a significant portion of the population but forget to invade the small prison before departing. Everyone in the jail is overlooked during Death’s brief visit and the sheriff decides to release his prisoners. The four mismatched associates set off into the desert, heading for some utopian place called Sand City. Along the way they come across a group of travellers who they temporarily bond with, later meeting a malevolent lone bandit called Chaco who invites himself into their party. He soon betrays them by drugging them, tying each of them up (using this opportunity to violate Bunny), and leaving them to die in the desert as he takes off with their transport and possessions. Chaco fails to acknowledge that the group are stronger than he expected: soon they’re on the move again by foot but it’s not long before they find the travellers they met earlier on during the trek - Chaco has slaughtered them all; Stubby vows that the bandit has to die. Increasingly encumbered with the disadvantages that his friends bring with them (Bunny is pregnant and weak, Clem has been shot and now unable to walk, Bud is rapidly losing his marbles) Stubby leads them on south through the blistering heat towards their near-mythical objective. Discovering and deciding to briefly stay the night in a deserted ghost town, Bud appears to be in his spirit-witnessing element and Stubby begins to realise just how far gone the black man is, Clem’s physically deteriorating condition adding significantly to these problems (not to mention Bunny‘s expanding belly). The group is falling apart but Stubby still has his vow to fulfil and Chaco is not far ahead.

One of the last of the spaghetti westerns Fulci makes a distinctive mark on the fading genre. The characters exhibit problems that make their journey through hell even more difficult - Clem lives to drink, Bunny has been impregnated by one of her unseen customers, Bud can barely act sanely, progressively becoming more unhinged as the distance travelled increases. Stubby is the only one amongst them who can keep things moving and it makes one wonder why he even bothers tagging them along. Scenes of gore and violence punctuate the action sequences that were extreme for their period - not expecting them I found them all the more gruesome; a man is tortured by being skinned, the pregnant Bunny is raped, a bullet is graphically removed from Clem’s bloody wound, the horrifying revelation of Bud‘s insane attempt to find the group some food, etc. The impact of these scenes is enhanced by the respective character responses, which are quite convincing sometimes. Anchor Bay have done well to locate and reinstate the nastiest of this footage back into a print that was once excised of it. The landscape is appropriately photographed and utilised to create the backdrop of an almost surreal nightmare, this being underlined by the environmentally incongruous towns the group encounter - some blisteringly hot, one drenched in pouring rain, and one seemingly womanless place that’s covered in snow. The film does lose pace somewhat during the prolonged birth sequence, unnecessarily focusing on the effects that it has on the townsfolk and remaining primary characters, and shortening this could have improved the sombre pace (which sometimes drags for me) significantly in my opinion. Otherwise we’re left with something that may not appeal to fans of traditional westerns, but has merits in many areas for those willing to undertake its fairly harrowing voyage.

As mentioned, AB have compiled the most complete cut retaining the Italian audio track in its entirety along with an English dub that covers 98% of the dialogue (one scene was never dubbed for English markets and switches to Italian with English subs for a minute or so). They’ve also put together a series of retrospective interviews with Fabio Testi (Stubby - the actor later also appeared in Fulci’s boring Contraband) and Stubby’s nemesis Chaco, played by Tomas Milan, the latter speaking in English for his segments. They’re quite revealing both in opinions and facts (e.g. the snow-town was shot in Austria; Lynne Frederick (Bunny) was the wife of Peter Sellers, etc.) and the 17-minute piece makes a worthwhile addition. Film image looks very good considering its age, being clean and free of damage, and this disc (along with its recently re-released identical brother on the Blue Underground label) can be looked at as the definitive rendition of one of Fulci‘s more interesting projects.

1999, UK/USA, Directed by Martha Fiennes

Colour, Running Time: 102 minutes

DVD, Region 2, EIV, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

Eugene Onegin is rich, handsome, fortunate, admired, popular, and bored. He’s invited to gatherings, concerts and other social events hosted and attended by people that fail to interest him. Hearing of the death of a wealthy uncle who dwelt in a provincial state, a reluctant Onegin and his servant embark on a trip to briefly visit the place for the will reading. Attaining more land as well as a mansion from the deceased, his attention is almost immediately captured by the young, exquisite Tatyana, the naïve sister of the fiancée (Olga) of his newly acquired friend, Vladimir. Onegin decides to stay in the country location for a while, clearly his presumed-dead enthusiasm for life has been stirred into motion but unexpectedly Tatyana also develops an infatuation for him over the coming weeks and, possibly emulating something from one of the novels she regularly borrows from the Onegin mansion, she decides to write him a letter in an attempt to explain the increasingly powerful feelings that are afflicting her. But, invited to a nameday gathering in her honour, Onegin’s cynicism prevails and he outright rejects her affections. Seemingly as a means of concealing his own emotions from himself he dances with Olga at the party and then insults her in a conversation with Vladimir. Overwhelmed by the assumed threat that Onegin poses to the stability of their relationship, and the dishonour directed towards his fiancée, Vladimir declares that they must face each other in a duel at dawn. The rich noble is not entirely convinced this is the way to solve their personal problems but is culturally obliged to go along with it. Tragedy follows, forcing Onegin back to his abode in St. Petersburg, but a chance encounter later causes him to realise that his original acknowledgment of Tatyana’s presence may actually be evident of genuine love, this initiating a change in his attitude and behaviour towards the now-married woman.

Based on a classic nineteenth century Russian serialised poem (later to be published in its entirety as a novel) by Alexander Pushkin called Eugene Onegin, the film follows previous adaptations going as far back as 1911. It’s a historically-set romantic tragedy utilising the skills of Ralph Fiennes as the titular character (pronounced onn-yey-gen), his sister Martha making her directorial debut, Toby Stephens as Vladimir and, surprisingly, Liv Tyler as Onegin’s soul mate. The cast and crew do a brilliant job of creating a lost time and universe inhabited by people who either are damaged or will be at some point. Onegin is not someone who is easy to sympathise with because his boredom has so encompassed his existence he has in turn become boring, appreciating nothing - not even the potential devotion of the beautiful and nubile woman he seemed destined to meet. There is indeed the suggestion that these people cannot escape their fate, no matter how doomed it may leave them. Despite his apathy there is passion remaining in Onegin’s soul somewhere, obviously evident in his eventual realisation of his love for Tatyana but also in his emotive response to the result of the duel with Vladimir. Martha Fiennes does an amazing job in directing her crew to delineate potent imagery, emphasising the cold and indifferent world that the characters are forced to reside within. The morning duel scene is a great example of her intuition, being set against the backdrop of a misty lake next to an old mill that is functioning incorrectly. The film is full of these powerful cinematic paintings.

Released before EIV really understood the DVD format the picture is slightly soft and the dull stereo track does little to embellish the score that should have enveloped the viewer with its inherent poignant beauty, but the film is strong enough to carry the average transfer. The on-set interviews are informative but didn’t too add much to my enjoyment. Almost a family effort with several of the Fiennes making a contribution, Onegin proves to be an appropriate representation of an unusual and revered book.

2007, US, Directed by Sam Raimi

Colour, Running Time: 139 minutes

Cinema screening, Image: 2.35:1 Super 35 (VistaVision for FX), Audio: English language

On the run from the police a hapless crook escapes into a scientific test facility where his molecules are accidentally fused with those of sand - it later turns out that this is the same guy that may have shot Peter Parker’s uncle several years ago, rather than the villain Spider-Man allowed to die. Simultaneously, a meteorite hits Earth releasing a symbiotic alien entity that latches on to Parker, a malevolent life form that integrates with its host and begins influencing it. Facing mounting personal problems with his separation from Mary-Jane, attacks from an unforgiving Harry Osbourne (AKA the new Green Goblin) and wrestling an angry inner drive for revenge against his uncle’s killer, now affectionately known as Sandman, the mutated hero begins to realise that his behaviour has been changing for the worse and manages to rip the alien from his body, only to find later that it has crawled onto another victim, a rival photographer whose dishonesty has been exposed by Parker, to give birth to the monstrous Venom. Venom and Sandman both want Spidey dead and join forces to destroy him.

Well I’ll make myself unpopular: it seems there have been a lot of internet opinions suggesting Spidey 3 is a mess but I enjoyed the latest chapter. It certainly is a little long and could have done with the removal or trimming of one or two obtrusive scenes (there is probably too much emphasis on Parker’s romantic life). But as superhero story combined with soap opera (which the Spider-Man comics effectively are) it generally works well enough - the story contains multiple parallel threads, most of which gradually come together. I would complain about the liberties taken with the Gwen Stacy character (a subplot designed to cause a rift between Parker and MJ) - Stacy died at the hands of the Goblin in the original comic story and her implementation here is unfaithful. Non-readers of the comics, however, wouldn’t find a problem with this, but as a big fan of the comic through the 70s and 80s it does make me wonder why she was used in this way.

The action sequences are exciting (though I do wish Raimi would stop having Spidey fight unmasked), particularly on a cinema screen, and again the violence is a little excessive for smaller kids. With most of the relevant cast and crew involved from the first two movies there is suitable continuity that helps blend it with the other films. I think people probably want to dislike this film partly due to the widespread popularity of the series but, aside from a few unnecessary minutes (I couldn’t quite get my head around the extent to which Parker’s Venom-influenced ostentatious activities were exaggerated), it’s a nice continuation of the character’s adventures. Oh, and Bruce Campbell has another great cameo!

2006, US, Directed by Gil Kenan

Animation, Running Time: 87 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Sony, Video: Anamorphic 2.39:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

In an American suburb the local kids are terrorized by a bitter old man whenever they step on his property or let their toys fall on to his lawn, causing a real stink on Halloween when kids like to go trick-or-treating. One boy in particular, DJ, is suspicious of what goes on in the old man’s spooky house, setting up a telescope in his bedroom and generally becoming obsessed. As his parents shoot off for holiday, er, sorry - vacation, and the old man himself is taken away by ambulance, DJ enlists the help of his fat friend and the local babe (if you’re 13 or under of course) as they begin to realise that the house itself seems to have a mind of its own, apparently ‘eating’ anything that it can. The police understandably don’t believe a word of it, so the youngsters decide to take the matter into their own nicely modelled hands - they start formulating a plan to break in.

Coming across as a modern mix of The ‘burbs and The Goonies, Monster House is a fairly creative CGI movie showcasing advances in technology to quite astounding effect. The story itself is not groundbreaking but the characters are a joy to watch. The script is executed at a slower pace than expected by the usual roundup of ’stars’ who do an adequate job with the material. Rendering has reached such heights that the visuals could almost pass for stop-motion photography if the character movements themselves were not so smooth, which almost makes one wonder if the film could just have been shot as live-action utilising CG special effects (especially considering the extensive use of motion capture, which is not true animation). Made using an innovative 3D process for its original theatrical screenings, the technique has stimulated plenty of inventive virtual camera work that helps draw the viewer into the action even in 2D. There seems to have been a little influence from Tim Burton here also, the score itself coming across as a Danny Elfman imitation on occasions. An acceptably delightful film.

The digital transfer, while not as sharp as expected (probably due to the fact that they deliberately added ‘film grain’ in post-production), is delectable - the images created by the Sony team are often quite stunning and they are well represented here. The surround mix is equally absorbing making the disc a good demonstration piece for your system whether you enjoy the film or not. Should you be brave enough yet it’s also available on superior Blu-ray Disc but on either format Monster House is quite a fun ride.