Easy Virtue [DVD] [2008]

Set in the twilight of the roaring twenties and at the cusp of the next decade, EASY VIRTUE is the story of John Whittaker, a young Englishman who, after falling head-over-heels in love with glitzy American Larita, finds himself getting married rather promptly. Returning to the family home, Larita's newfound mother-in-law develops an instant allergic reaction to the Whitakers' newest family member. While accommodating to Mrs Whittaker's prickly personality at first, Larita quickly discovers that in order to make her marriage work, she must play her mother-in-law at her own game, and a battle of wits ensue...

Sense & Sensibility : Complete BBC Series [2008] [DVD]

Sense & Sensibility

From the pen of Andrew Davies, the man who's brought some of the finest literary adaptations to the small screen in recent years, comes the BBC’s new take on Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. Running across three episodes, it proves to be as much as a sumptuous treat as much of Davies' previous endeavours.
Austen’s story of the Dashwood sisters and a romance with John Willoughby is a familiar one (and it was realised quite brilliantly in Ang Lee’s film adaptation in 1996), and so it’s left to the super cast and terrific production values to convince audiences to dip into Sense & Sensibility again. Fortunately, the production delivers with consummate ease.
Much of the credit for Sense & Sensibility’s success lies in its excellent cast. David Morrissey, Mark Williams, Janet McTeer and Charity Wakefield are among the many strong performers, and they’re matched by equally impressive work behind the camera too. There’s an argument whether it manages to eclipse the 1996 filmed version (for which Emma Thompson took home an Oscar), but it’s perhaps to best see them as companion pieces. And truthfully, you’re not going to be disappointed with either. Because once again, the BBC has brought further life to a tale told many times before, and its production of Sense & Sensibility is set to be enjoyed for many years to come. --Jon Foster

Outnumbered Series 1 [DVD] [2007]

Outnumbered follows the daily chaos of family life with two parents and three young children locked in an unequal contest. Containing strong elements of improvisation, this comedy is an honest portrayal of the well meaning parental incompetence that happens in most homes, as Mum and Dad attempt to raise their kids with the minimum of emotional damage for all concerned.
From the creators of Drop The Dead Donkey, Andy Hamilton & Guy Jenkin, Outnumbered is quite unlike any other family comedy seen before.

Merlin Vol.1 [DVD] [2008]

The latest classic tale to be dragged up to date by the BBC, the decision to revive Merlin as primetime entertainment was just about rewarded, even if it does manage to ride roughshod over history in the process.
For just as it did with its updating of Robin Hood for Saturday nights, the legend of Merlin has undergone something of an overhaul here, and sticklers for authenticity will have plenty to pick at. The occasional narrative bumps don’t help, either, and the special effects clearly leave it thirsting for a Doctor Who-like budget.
And yet, warts and all, Merlin really is quite good fun. The BBC has wisely wheeled in some experienced thesps to work alongside the likes of Colin Morgan in the title role, with Richard Wilson and Anthony Head happy to join in the fun. Don’t knock the aforementioned Morgan, though: he carries the show well on his young shoulders, and has a blossoming career ahead of him.
This DVD pack contains the first six episodes of Merlin, and they gradually introduce us to the land of Camelot, and the mysterious characters that lie within. They also offer a solid amount of rounded family entertainment, that sets the scene for an intriguing second half of the series. What’s more, there’s just enough here to suggest that young Merlin may have further adventures even beyond then. --Jon Foster

Brothers And Sisters - Season 2 [DVD] [2008]

The second season of Brothers and Sisters saw the terrific top-notch cast hit their stride. The chemistry between Calista Flockhart's Kitty and the Republican senator she works for, played by Rob Lowe, is palpable, and their engagement this season makes for a charming thread entwining the tales of the rest of the Walker family. And what a year they're having. Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) has lost custody of her kids, but is now running Ojai Foods, and trying to navigate through the family issues that accompany the family business. Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin) might be gay. Iraq vet Justin might be falling off the wagon. Affairs are lurking around every corner, tempting just about every Walker at one time or another. The sun around whom all the Walker planets spin, however, is still Nora (Sally Field), whose good humor and big heart go a long way toward giving the clan the glue it needs. When Justin apologizes for his snappish behavior at the family meeting the previous night addressing his drug use, Nora says, "No one expects you to be warm and fuzzy at your own intervention, dear." This season, Nora gets some affairs of the heart herself, with a charming guest appearance by Chevy Chase as Nora's college draft-dodging beau, back in the states as a teacher but still exactly on Nora's not-quite-reformed hippie wavelength. But tension awaits in the form of Isaac (Danny Glover), Nora's political opposite, but absolutely her equal mentally and emotionally. It's satisfying to see a woman older than 35 have a real love life, with real sparks--and real consequences. --A.T. Hurley

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa [DVD] [2008]

The sequel to the animated movie Madagascar gives more of everything audiences loved in the first movie: More of the penguins; more of Julian, king of the lemurs; more musical bits of classic rock; and many, many more lions, zebras, hippos, and giraffes. In the first film, a quartet of coddled zoo animals found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar in a misguided effort to return them to the wild. InMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a failed attempt to fly back to New York maroons Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) in an animal preserve on the African continent, accompanied by the four deranged penguins and the lunatic lemur king (deliriously voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat). By wild coincidence, this is where Alex was born--and where his father is still the alpha lion, and where his malevolent uncle seeks to take over (let's call this an homage to The Lion King). The other beasts have their own story arcs, but really it's all an excuse for daffy comic bits. Though the result is disposable, it's also entirely entertaining. The action sequences pop with dizzying spectacle; though some jokes are mainstream fodder, more often they're surprisingly quirky and engagingly oddball. This is the best kind of cotton candy filmmaking--it dissolves into nothing, but it's oh-so-sweet to the taste. --Bret Fetzer

Lost In Austen [DVD] [2008]

Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper) is a devoted Jane Austen fan; often immersing herself into a world of dashing gents, elegant corsets and picturesque manor houses. Unsatisfied with her life and relationship in modern day London, Amanda's ordinary existence is changed forever when she discovers Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton) alive in her bathroom and ends up replacing her in the very 'real' fictional world of Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. An all star cast bring Austen's classic characters to life in a cleverly modern context; with Hugh Bonneville as Mr Bennet and Alex Kingston as the irrepressible Mrs Bennet.

Saw 5 [DVD] [2008]

Continuing on with its story despite the death of namesake killer Jigsaw in the third installment, SAW V concerns itself with detailing who will carry on with his bloody work. Director David Hackl, the production designer on the previous three films, retains their familiar charnel house look. Though there are fewer grisly death sequences, faithful viewers will enjoy the creative plot twists. The film opens with a man strapped to a table above a pendulum. As the sharp blade begins swinging over his stomach, he has only a minute to stop it by inserting his hands into a device that will crush them. When the machine malfunctions, it's clear that it wasn't the work of the meticulous Jigsaw. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) continues the investigation he began in the previous film, only to wake up to find himself wearing a glass helmet filled with water. With a minimum of self-mutilation, he escapes and continues his investigation with the hunch that Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is somehow involved in the new rash of killings. Before long, a new group of strangers wakes up in Jigsaw's lair to face a series of brutal tests, and Jigsaw's ex-wife, Jill, is given a mysterious box at the execution of his will.An enormously popular and critic-proof series, SAW gives its fans what they want--creatively executed blood and guts. The fifth instalment in as many years, SAW V is more subdued in that department, but the sequences it does contain deliver the goods. Several lengthy flashbacks also allow Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) to make a few appearances. While SAW V isn't the place for beginners to start, those who have stuck with the story this far will find it a fitting entry, happy that SAW VI is just around the bend.

Pinocchio (2 Disc Platinum Edition) [DVD]

Pinocchio, a wooden puppet, is brought to life by the Blue Fairy, with the promise that he can become a real boy if he proves himself worthy. He is led astray by the wicked Honest John and his companion Gideon, who turn him over to an evil puppeteer, Stromboli. Pinocchio is sent to Pleasure Island, where wicked boys are turned into donkeys, but he escapes with the aid of his friend and conscience, Jiminy Cricket, and eventually redeems himself by saving his father, Geppetto, who has been swallowed by Monstro, the whale. The Blue Fairy rewards Pinocchio by turning him into a real boy.
DVD Bonus Features“No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio”Behind-the-Scenes the creation of this beloved filmStory of the Grandfather TreeA sequence planned for the film that never materialised The Sweat BoxDemystifying one of the lesser know animation processesGeppetto’s Then And Now Live Action Reference Footage Pinocchio Art & Collectable GalleriesCollection of Theatrical TrailersDeleted Songs Pinocchio Puzzles

Generation Kill - Complete HBO Series [DVD] [2008]

Generation Kill is a miniseries, based on the book by Evan Wright, that’s initial key selling point is a very, very compelling one. The very fact that it’s the latest project from the creators of The Wire, quite possibly the best American television series of the past decade or so, should alone be enough for people to sit up and take notice. Fortunately, the show itself has plenty of merits of its own to stand up on its own two feet.
Generation Kill, spread over seven episodes, follows the opening 40 days of the Iraq war, as viewed through the eyes of Marines’ First Recon Batallion. From there, the show pans out to give a snapshot of the horrors, dramas and sheer brutality of war. It does it though with genuinely three-dimensional characters, who have frailties, moments of humour, friendships and backgrounds. And the show allows space to genuine explore these, much to its credit.
Much like The Wire, Generation Kill doesn’t concern itself with cliffhangers, big action sequences or gimmicks. This is solid, grown-up drama, that treats its viewers as adults and is all the better for it. Granted, it’s not going to be to some tastes, and there are periods of inactivity that may test the patience of some viewers, but this is just the kind of television that people tend to complain that companies don’t make enough of. Well, they just have, and Generation Kill very much deserves success as a result. --Jon Foster

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2008]

More exciting than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian continues the movie franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy books. The movie picks up where the first left off... sort of. It's been a year since the Pevensie children--Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)--returned to England from Narnia, and they've just about resigned themselves to living their ordinary lives. But just like that, they're once again transported to a fantastical land, but one with a long-abandoned castle. It turns out that they are in Narnia again--and they themselves lived in that castle, but hundreds of years ago in Narnia time. They've been summoned back to help Prince Caspian (Stardust's Ben Barnes, resembling a young, cultured Keanu Reeves), the rightful heir to the throne who's become the target of his power-hungry uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). And he's not the only one threatened: Miraz's people, the Telmarines, have pushed all the Narnians--the talking animals, the centaurs and other beasts, the walking trees--to the brink of extinction. Despite some alpha-male bickering, Peter and Caspian agree to fight Miraz alongside the remaining Narnians, including the dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) and the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard). (Also appearing is Warwick Davis, who was in Willow and the 1989 BBC version of Prince Caspian.) But of course they most of all miss the noble lion, Aslan, who would have never let this happen to Narnia if he hadn't disappeared.
Prince Caspian is epic, evoking memories of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. (Some of the battle elements may seem too familiar, but they were in Lewis's book.) And it's appropriate for kids (Reepicheep could have come out of a Shrek movie), though the tone is dark and there is a lot of death, albeit bloodless. After two successful films, Disney and Walden Media's franchise has proved successful enough that many of the characters are scheduled to return in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com

The Tudors: Complete Series 2 [DVD] [2008]

It’s a very welcome return for The Tudors in this terrific second season of the show, which picks up once more on the earlier years in the reign of King Henry VIII. And once again, it pulls few punches, by turns violent, passionate and dramatic. It’s absolutely not family viewing, but it does grab you by the collar and simply not let up.
What’s more, The Tudors is once again powered by arguably a career-defining performance by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. He’s quite superb as the young King, capturing the obsession of Henry VIII in his quest for a male heir to the throne. He’s matched by a strong supporting cast, too, particularly Natalie Dormer’s Anne Boleyn. And with lavish production values grounding the show, it’s a sumptuous, surprisingly edgy slice of historical drama.
That said, once again, the show takes some liberties with history, and inevitably attracts attention for doing so. But those liberties are taken for a reason. The drama is never less than compelling, and it’s worth cutting The Tudors some slack for the decisions it makes. After all, the end result is genuinely gripping and engaging television, and come the final credits on the ten episodes here, chances are you’ll be thirsting for more. For even though you may know how the story ultimately ends, The Tudors is ample proof that the journey there is really what matters. --Jon Foster

Ghost Town [DVD] [2008]

Ricky Gervais is brilliant in Ghost Town, playing an unnervingly rude dentist, Bertram, who dies for a few minutes during surgery and acquires the unwanted ability to see ghosts. Chased throughout Manhattan by a gaggle of restless spirits begging him to take care of their unfinished business on Earth, Bertram turns them all away except Frank (Greg Kinnear). The latter, a rogue who cheated on his archaeologist widow, Gwen (Téa Leoni), wants Bertram to intervene in a romance between Gwen and a starchy activist (Bill Campbell). Misanthropic Bertram has to polish his relationship patter, but ends up sounding a lot like Gervais' infamous character in the original The Office, unable to complete a sentence without making others uncomfortable. In time, of course, Bertram falls for the wonderful Gwen, setting up a bunch of overlapping conflicts. Cowritten and directed by David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Ghost Town walks a fine line between comic freshness and a story idea with elements that have become overly familiar in movies and on television. Kinnear and Leoni have never been better on screen, but Ghost Town is well worth seeing because no one like Gervais has previously played the hapless hero in a high-concept film such as this one. With Gervais doing his familiar, hilariously discomfiting thing, it really doesn't matter what kind of movie Ghost Town is. Happily, it's a pretty good film in every respect. --Tom Keogh

Kung Fu Panda [DVD] [2008]

What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas [DVD] [2008]

Based on the book by John Boyne, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas didn’t really get the box office recognition it deserves on its theatrical release, struggling to find a foothold amidst a stampede of blockbusters. But this is a film that, surely, is ripe for discovery on DVD.
Directed with care and diligence by Mark Herman, whose CV includes the excellent Brassed Off! and Little Voice, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is set during the Second World War, in and around a Nazi concentration camp. It tells its tale through the eyes of two young boys. One is the son of the camp’s commandant, while the other is wearing the striped pyjamas of the title.
The two boys meet and ultimately befriend one another, and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas tells the difficult story of their companionship. It does it extremely well, too, careful to understate proceedings and demonstrate a restraint that serves the subject matter well. It’s also quite a lean film, and one boasting excellent performances, including David Thewlis as the aforementioned commandant.
If The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas has a problem or two, they pale in comparison to its strengths. For this is a tightly directed, moving film, that does real justice to the terrific book it’s derived from. It’s not always an easy watch, but it's very memorable.--Jon Foster