Video/DVD
video@list.co.uk
HORROR
BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 (18) 90 mins 00
The sequel to the phenomenally successful mock- documentary chiller was only ever gong to be crap, right? The opening of Book Of Shadows suggests that needn't have been the case. beginning with actual documentary footage (no, really) of the reactions of the inhabitants of Burkittsville (the first film‘s setting) to The B/ai'r Witch Project. Some folk resent their town being overrun by the film's fans, others are capitalising on it with murder t0urs. Book follows one such group into the forest where, surprise, surprise, something nasty happens to them. Thereafter, the film descends into B-grade run-of-the-mill horror hokum. You gots to wonder what documentary filmmaker (no, really) Joe Berlinger was up to. (Momentum rental; $19.99 on DVD) (Miles Fielder)
MUSICAL CRADLE WILL ROCK
(15) 129 mins 0000
Arch liberal Tim Robbins reconstructs a vainglorious piece of art history. In the throes of the 308 Depression, the US government sets up the Work Progress Administration to try and create employment. Part of this is The Federal Theatre Project. a low cost way of bringing theatre to thousands of Americans that is finally brought low by anti-
communist politiCians Against the background of the staging of the first and last pro-union musical. various historical figures make cameo appearances: Orson Welles. Nelson Rockefeller, Diego Rivera. This huge ensemble effort may have worked better in the hands of Robert Altman, but it is still solid, life-affirming stuff. (Buena Vista rental) (Paul Dale)
THRILLER
HARRY HE’S HERE to HELP (15) 112 mins 00..
It's Int}! If"
From the Saul Bass- style opening credits you know y0u're in Hitchcockian territory with Dominik Moll's superb domestic thriller. It all begins with a chance meeting (of course) between Michel and his family and old acquaintance Harry (Sergi Lopez. excellent) and his girlfriend. Michel‘s en route to his summer home, but he's having car and family problems and so the just-too—helpful Harry imposes his assistance. ls Michel just being uptight or is there more to Harry than a helpful hand? Cleverly, Moll uses sly humour to camouflage the encroaching suspense.
‘CTION COMEDY
CHARLIE’S ANGELS
(15) 90 mins 0
They said it was irony. That you shouldn’t take it all it so seriously. It was just a meaningless bundle of fun, helped along its merry way to nihilistic Nirvana by a self-inflicted lobotomy. Willingly removing all intelligent thoughts still adds up to a no-brainer, no matter how dense the camouflage. And who is McG, the mysterious directorial hand behind all this guff? Mind you, if I’d had anything to do with this
calamity, I’d hide myself away, too.
Kuwait or somewhere.
The plot, such as it is, of this big screen version of the small screen show revolves around the kidnapping of a computer genius and a less than cunning plan to unmask Charlie himself. Cammy (Diaz), Lucy (Liu) and Drewy (Barrymore) do lots of high-kickin’ and spout the sort of reductionist Girl Powerisms that would make Germaine Greer’s eyes bleed. The cast's on-screen chemistry is such (zero) that you can only conclude that those rumours of hair-pulling within the central trio simply must have been true. And Tom Green, Bill Murray and Crispin Glover: what the hell were you thinking of? ‘Ss’,
bringing it in by the tradesman's entrance. so to speak. (Artificial Eye 3:15.99; $19.99 on DVD) (Miles Fielder)
COMEDY
LITTLE NICKY (12) 90 mins 00.
Love him or hate him, Adam Sandler is big box-office. In this, his first self-penned movie, he plays the Devil's inept son, silly voice and all. After his infinitely more evil brothers (Rhys lfans and Tom ‘Tiny' Lister Jr.) escape from hell he has to travel to earth to restore the balance of good and evil and save his dad (Harvey Keitel). Skating dangerously close to the edge for a 12-rated movie with a plethora of bad taste sex and drugs gags. you can‘t help but be stunned into laughing. Crass. wholly unjustifiable but with a healthy dose of guilty
pleasures. (Entertainment rentali (Henry Northniore)
HORROR LOST SOULS (15) 98 mins 00
“SEAR? STUFFELI
Neither scary nor inadvertently funny, this sub-Exorscist hokuin falls badly between the stools. Winona Ryder is all big-eyed, pale and uninteresting as the demonic possession victim. who after getting a bit of exorcise “.‘Jllfi elderly priest John Hurt. joins a team of Lucifer-
Dumb is dumb, ironic or not
that’s what.
Possibly the major travesty of this ham-fisted, cock-eyed, vom-inducing return to 70$ kitschen stinks, is that it may well put off those who fancy tuning in to Channel 5 for the current batch of Angels repeats. That, oddly, would be a shame. For all its many faults, Charlie the series had a period innocence and superimposed charm that 90 million big ones simply can't buy. To McG and his millennial Angels, we say: flick off. (Brian
Donaldson)
I Anni/(thin for video rerita/ and DVD retai/ (f (Film) through CU/(I/llhlt’l Iristar' from Mon I)! May
busting priests. They encounter TV psychologist Ben ()haplin. who's troubled by oinens and bi/arre events courtesy of the prince of darkness Enter Ryder to help hiiii With his issues, Without the help of the team, who've all dropped out injured after some two split—footed tackling from him downstairs. A niildly surprising denoueinent doesn't save th s sorry affair. though. (Entertainment rental) (Steve Craineri
EPIC
THE MESSENGER: JOAN OF ARC (12) 151 mins 00
Babeheart more like it. Liic Besson drops adolescent action (Nikita. L (20/ l) for iiiedieval epic. the result is a patriotic adventure that's not a patch on Mel Gibson’s William Wallace
biopic So. back in 14‘)? a French peasant girl named .Joan has an audience With ()oil and leads her King's Elllll/ into battle against the invading [ nglish, but though victorious, the unsporting English burr. her at the stake anyway. You can imagine. then. the cliched Villainy, heroism and bloodshed Besson manages to bliidgeon his audience v/ith. And though Milla JOVOVICfl is less than impressive as the martyr. you get the impression it's not all her fault. (Columbia Tristar “2.99) (Miles fielder)
()OMf DY
NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS (12) 102 mins .00
Following on from the success of the first Nutty Professor filin comes more madcap coined/ With Eddie Murphy
the scenes and music Video promos
Purely Belter
Ouality Newcastle based football fan feature. from the director of Little Voice — disc extras include cast 8. crew interviews and behind the scenes features
High Fidelity
The ever excellent John Cusack stars in this bestseller based comedy — DVD includes deleted scenes and interview with director Stephen Frears
documentary. cast and crew information and search for the tenth kingdom game
Loser
Comedy reuniting American Pie stars Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari — DVD features loads of extras including behind the scenes features and the Wheatus pop promo Stir Of Echoes
Classy Sixth Sense type horror thriller starring Kevin Bacon — extras on the DVD include a director's commentary. behind
Star Trek 5: Final ’7 Frontier Next in the franchise instalment from Paramount is another 2 disc DVD set ~ this is available initially With a soundbyte CD from the Original series
Third Rock From
The Sun
First DVD release from the TV comedy series — extras include feature length episodes. con‘iplete 'Nllh 3D glasses and , over 70 mins of iitaking ofs Q‘s-'4“;
y, g. .515"
This Life - Complete Series 1
The entire acclaimed and much loved first series spread across 2 DVD discs — no extras of note. but you can skip straight to the best bits Tenth Kingdom
Triple DVD release of last year's Sky TV series — DVD contains a making of.
(a: "-fliltféifiifiil (Elli?) g ~ .‘ .3 iii}
1 14 THE LIST 1024 May 2001