Film: Greyhawk

Mal is a blind war veteran who meanders through life on a daily dose of alcohol, tobacco and the services of local sex workers. The only positive he has is his relationship with Quince, his guide dog.

When Mal’s army compensation comes through he decides that it’s time for a fresh start for him & Quince and he immediately makes plans to leave the dour Greyhawk estate where they live.

Unfortunately the pair are separated during a routine game of fetch and Mal finds himself alone and vulnerable, but determined to find his loyal companion.

After an excellent start this intriguing tale of one man and his dog becomes just another trawl through the type of tough council estate that we are all pretty used to seeing in urban thrillers nowadays. On his travels Mal encounters a variety of characters, some good and some downright nasty.

Alec Newman (A Lonely Place To Die) is excellent as the former soldier who refuses to give up on his only friend but the procession of surly tracksuit wearing street thugs does become slightly tedious. Some relief does come in the form of Zoe Telford as Paula, a long suffering Mother who does her best to help.

Greyhawk is available on DVD in the UK from 25^th May 2015.

Ric’s Rating: Good 

Film: Road To Paloma

Jason Momoa (Conan The Barbarian) makes his directorial debut in this off-beat road movie.

Momoa is Wolf, a native American on the run from the law after exacting revenge on those responsible for the death of his Mother.

Unfortunately we don’t see these events and the film concentrates on the relationship between Wolf and fellow traveller Cash as they embark on their journey. The casting of Momoa’s wife, eighties sex symbol Lisa Bonet, only seems to confirm this as somewhat self-indulgent as her character adds little to proceedings.

Watching this film I have learned that there may be nice scenery on The Road To Paloma but you’ll spend the entire journey waiting for something to happen.

Available on DVD and Blu-ray now.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.

TV DVD: The Escape Artist

David Tennant proves that Broadchurch was no fluke with this three part drama which was recently shown on BBC tv here in the UK.

Tennant is Will Burton, a lawyer who has won every case. Burton sees to it that the eccentric Liam Foyle (Toby Kebbell) is not convicted when charged with murder, but Foyle is not best pleased when the lawyer refuses to shake his hand at the end of proceedings.

Turns out that Foyle is one seriously unhinged individual and he soon turns his attention to Burton and his family.

The first episode of this crime drama is absolutely riveting. Toby Kebbell (Dead Man’s Shoes) is outstanding as the intelligent but deranged Foyle and further excellent support comes from Ashley Jensen, as Burton’s wife, and Sophie Okonedo as a rival lawyer.  Things cool down a bit in episode two when the characters concentrate on preceding events but it all comes to a glorious climax in the gripping finale.

With The Escape Artist David Tennant has cemented his status as the UK’s top tv drama star.

Available as a two disc set on dvd from 18^th November 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.  

  

TV DVD: Run

A Mother attempts to keep her wayward Sons out of trouble, an illegal immigrant wants out of the life she has, a former drug addict tries to stay clean and a Polish immigrant discovers that her boyfriend has been murdered. These are the four connected stories that make up this UK tv drama which was recently shown on Channel 4.

Olivia Colman (Broadchurch) delivers another fine performance as the long-suffering Mother but it’s Lennie James’ portrayal of former addict Richie that really steals the show. The episode where he just can’t seem to catch a break while attempting to mend his relationship with his daughter is by far the best of the series.

Run is a well written drama with good performances all round but it does suffer from a severe lack of humour. The makers of these types of shows would do well to remember that real life, even in the most trying circumstances, often makes us laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking for a comedy but a series like this is crying out for one or two lighter moments.

Run is available on DVD now in the UK.

Ric’s Rating: Good

TV DVD: The Fall

Gillian Anderson (The X Files) plays DSI Gibson, a top cop from London sent to help the Belfast police with an ongoing murder investigation in this 5 part British tv drama.

Gibson soon realises that several unsolved murders are connected and informs the team that they are looking for one man and unlike recent tv hit Broadchurch we are left in no doubt who that man is.

Right from the beginning we see that the murderer is Paul Spector, a family man and grief councillor played brilliantly by Jamie Dornan (Once Upon A Time).

Both points of view are presented as equally important. Gibson struggles with personal issues while working the case and Spector attempts to maintain the facade of all-round nice guy while he slowly unravels.

This is absorbing and often uncomfortable viewing. The scenes involving Spector’s young daughter are 

particularly upsetting as the young girl slowly discovers that something about Dad just isn’t right.

The Fall is an excellent complex and multi-layered drama which continues the recent run of high quality tv being produced in the UK.

Available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended 

Film: Sacrifice

A ruling Chinese dynasty is overthrown and all family members are slain but unbeknown to the new tyrant a newborn baby boy is smuggled to safety.

The young heir is raised by a man who sacrificed his own son to save him and soon begins to learn the ways of a warrior. Eventually he will attempt to reclaim his kingdom.

This Chinese historical epic has some fantastic battle scenes, especially the opening one, but they are too few and far between to maintain the excitement.

The youngster also seems to remain a baby for far too long and there are endless flashbacks to the events leading to his escape.

Sacrifice looks fantastic but it’s aimed so much at the Chinese market that it lacks broad appeal, although fans of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and House Of Flying Daggers may enjoy.

Sacrifice is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.    

TV DVD: Broadchurch

Taking its cue from Scandinavian dramas The Killing and The Bridge (see review elsewhere here) this superior British drama had the whole nation talking during its TV run. Such was the furore that bookmakers were taking bets and national newspapers ran extensive features.

It follows the investigation into the murder of a young boy found dead on the beach of the picturesque town of the title.

Local policewoman Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) expects to be put in charge of the investigation but her superiors decide to bring in an outsider. Enter David Tennant (Dr Who, Fright Night) as the baggage-laden Detective Inspector Alec Hardy.

Hardy and Miller follow the evidence through a town filled with eclectic and multi-layered characters. Everyone seems to have at least one skeleton lurking in their cupboard and the murder enquiry uncovers them all.

There are secret affairs, previous offences and unlikely friendships which soon emerge and help or hinder the hunt for the culprit.

The entire cast are fantastic with Colman and Tennant quite simply stunning in their portrayal of two completely different police officers working towards the same goal. I did manage to guess the killer quite early on but that didn’t detract from the totally compelling story as it unfolds.

This 3 disc set contains all 8 episodes of this captivating police procedural drama which hopefully heralds a new era in British television.

Broadchurch is available on DVD in the UK from 20^th May 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Essential.         

TV DVD: Journeyman

Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting) stars in this 13 part time travelling tv drama from 2007.

McKidd is Dan Vassar, a journalist who suddenly finds himself transported to different periods of time. His purpose for being there soon reveals itself and he faces a series of problems to solve ranging from preventing a murder to re-uniting estranged family members.

Along with these situations Dan also runs into his dead ex-girlfriend. She too has the ability to time travel and things get complicated when he encounters earlier events from his own life.

This show fell victim to the cut-throat world of US tv ratings but it’s great fun and Scottish actor McKidd even manages a pretty convincing American accent.

Fans of Quantum Leap and Back To The Future will love it.

Journeyman: The Complete Series is available as a 4 disc DVD box set in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.    

Film: I Didn't Come Here To Die

A group of volunteers head off into the American wilderness to build a camp for future organised tours but it isn’t long until things begin to go awry.

The camp comes with the story of a murdered girl who still wanders the woods seeking revenge.

Thankfully the film concentrates on a series of fatal mishaps and the diminishing sanity of the volunteers instead of the gruesome legend.

Each member of the group has their own reasons for being there and these are nicely explored around the campfire, endearing some of the characters and alienating others. 

If you can get past the silly grindhouse type opening scene and the continually grainy presentation you’ll find a little movie that isn’t half bad. Well timed moments of humour remind the viewer that this isn’t taking itself too seriously while the tension and gore will keep horror fans happy.

I Didn’t Come Here To Die is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.

Film: Bereavement

Following the death of her parents a teenage girl moves in with her uncle and his family and while out running she spots a young boy who went missing years earlier.

It turns out that the remaining occupant of a dilapidated family abattoir has been abducting young women (and the one boy) for years and subjecting them to procedures formerly carried out on the animals.

Bereavement is far better than many in this genre, particularly at the straight-to-dvd end. The production is reasonably good and there are some decent performances on display. Michael Biehn (The Terminator) is the most famous cast member and he is perfect as the estranged Uncle but Alexandra Daddario is excellent as the misguided and still grieving Allison.

Be warned though, there are some very uncomfortable moments involving the young boy, Martin. He has a rare condition which makes his brain unable to process pain, meaning that he is subjected to some vicious actions to which the character does not react. This makes for extremely unpleasant viewing but does make the film a pretty intense experience.

This is a superior horror / serial-killer film but many may find the scenes mentioned just too unpleasant to bear.

Bereavement is available on DVD in the UK from 1^st October 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

TV DVD: Inspector Montalbano Collection 2

Following the recent success of Scandinavian TV dramas such as The Killing and The Bridge, we now have the Italian entry to the genre.

Based on the books by Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano is an abrupt, no-nonsense type of Policeman who routinely shouts at his colleagues and often manipulates them to his own end.

This collection contains six feature-length episodes of the first series, two of which were available for review.

The Mediterranean setting is a world away from the gritty feeling created in the other dramas mentioned. Five minutes in and it felt like an episode of Bergerac in a slightly sunnier clime, but don’t be fooled, underneath the Miss Marple type tone there is a serious drama to be found.

Montalbano’s charm also eventually emerges making the character somewhat endearing and often very funny indeed.

The investigations contain the usual mix of murder, deceit, politics and intrigue and despite my initial reaction (and the often ear-bashing Italian dialect) this is actually a compelling and fun series, think Hercule Poirot meets The Shield and your on the right track.

Inspector Montalbano Collection Two is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.  

Film: License To Drive

The late Corey Haim and his on & off screen friend Corey Feldman star in this 1988 comedy which gets a UK DVD release courtesy of Second Sight.

Les (Haim) sees his driving licence as a ticket to freedom so he is devastated when he fails the test. Such is his shame that he can’t admit the failure and soon decides to go a night out driving to impress his friends and the gorgeous Mercedes (Heather Graham).

What could possibly go wrong?

I had fond memories of this one as I was a fan of the two Coreys and despite a shaky start it manages to retain much of its charm.

Haim is great as the underachieving Les and Feldman provides good support along with Richard Masur and Carol Kane as Les’ parents.

For good nostalgic fun and a few laugh out loud moments check it out.

License To Drive is available on DVD in the UK from 30^th July 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Good  

Film: Revenge Of The Electric Car

Who Killed The Electric Car was a 2006 documentary film that explored the fact that thousands of electric cars were recalled and destroyed by the companies that made them. This sequel charts the re-emergence of an idea once thought dead.

It follows the endeavours of four very different individuals as they attempt to bring new electric cars to market. There’s Bob Lutz, the larger than life GM executive, multi-millionaire Elon Musk who starts his own company, Carlos Ghosn the head of Nissan and Gadget Abbott, an independent backyard car designer.

It all starts off interestingly enough with footage of the previous film and contributions from the likes of Danny DeVito and Jon Favreau but this fast becomes a rather depressing story of corporate deals and the global economy.

Gadget Abbot does provide an interesting perspective as he struggles against unforeseen circumstances but despite the engaging premise this one is for car enthusiasts only.

Revenge Of The Electric Car is in selected UK cinemas from 20^th July 2012.  

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.

Film: Endurance

Second Sight films have decided to whet everyone’s appetite for this year’s Olympic games with a timely release of this 1999 film.

It tells the story of Haile Gebreselassie, an unassuming boy from an impoverished background in Ethiopia, who went on to become one of the greatest long distance runners in history.

The man himself participates in the film by playing the grown-up Gebreselassie as the story shifts between past and “present”. The twelve mile round trip to school every day provided the opportunity to run and young Haile took it in his stride, the lad seemed to run everywhere but his traditional Father soon encouraged him to find a “proper” job.

Culminating at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta this beautifully shot film manages to capture the spirit shown by a determined man as he pursues his dream and attempts to make his family and his country proud.

Captivating and stirring this docu-drama perfectly illustrates that no matter what your background, if you want to be the best, and you want to beat the rest….dedication’s what you need!

Endurance is available on DVD in the UK from 9^th July 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended. 

TV DVD: Earth 2

This cult sci-fi tv series was made by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment in 1994 and arrives on DVD in the UK on 28^th May 2012.

In the year 2192 Earth has been rendered inhospitable by pollution and war. Surviving humans now live in various space stations but an infection known as “The Syndrome” leaves many stricken.

A rogue group of survivors head to a seemingly habitable planet and attempt to begin a new life…….but not all is as it seems.

The cast includes Clancy Brown and Debrah Farentino with appearances by Terry O’Quinn and Virginia Madsen but with little background the viewer is thrust into what feels like an already ongoing story. The special effects are very poor, looking more like something from a sixties sci-fi show instead of a nineties one.

This 22 episode box-set will only appeal to those who are already fans of the show and fondly remember it although this could be a case of childhood memories being sullied.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy. 

Film: Sometimes They Come back

Recently released on DVD in the UK this 1991 shocker is based on a story by horror guru Stephen King.

Tim Matheson stars as a schoolteacher who returns to his childhood hometown and quickly realises that tragic events from the past have returned to wreak havoc on his new life and family.

The bullies who cased the death of his brother (Chris Demetral from the brilliant 90’s tv comedy Dream On) have somehow returned from the dead and are masquerading as students in his class.

I actually saw this on VHS back in the early nineties and it holds up reasonably well.
Matheson gives a terrific performance as the tormented adult who still grieves for his big brother and some genuinely touching moments help this rise above the mostly shoddy material.

Ric’s Rating: Good

Film: Raid On Entebbe

A plane is hijacked and the hostages become pawns in a political battle in this 1977 film which has recently been released on DVD in the UK.

Based on actual events this chronicles the daring Israeli rescue mission in Uganda.

There are lots of familiar faces. Charles Bronson gives his usual stoic turn as the army general and there are appearances by James Woods, John Saxon and Robbert Loggia to name but a few. However, it’s Yaphet Kotto’s performance as the irrepressible Ugandan President Idi Amin that steals the show.

The film has aged well and the opening half hour perfectly captures ordinary people mingling while travelling together before being dragged into a life-threatening situation but the running time of 150 minutes makes it seem like forever until we get to the rescue. The lengthy political discussions add little to the drama so when the mission finally came around I was beginning to feel like a hostage myself.

At the end I was glad it was all over.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy

Film: The Doom Generation

Three misfits embark on a crime riddled road trip in this 1995 film which has just been released on DVD in the UK.

Amongst the violence and soft-porn there are some strange attempts at humour here. Unfortunately it doesn’t work and we are left with a somewhat incoherent film with few redeeming features.

From talking severed heads to a bizarre ambush at the end watching this was a very weird experience.

Very unique but rather unpleasant.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy

Film: The Island President

This documentary film follows the rise to power of Mohamed Nasheed, a man once sent to prison for standing against the oppressive regime of his native Maldives.

Following his success in the 2008 election President Nasheed embarks on an ambitious quest to obtain agreement from all carbon producing countries to lower their emissions. If this is not achieved Nasheed believes that the results will be catastrophic for the Maldives as rising sea levels will submerge the islands.

Complicated negotiations begin leading to the Copenhagen climate change summit of 2009 where Nasheed emerges as a force to be reckoned with despite the limited bargaining power of his country.

Stunning footage, a dark past and a desperate plight make the Maldives an interesting subject matter and Nasheed comes across well as the political firebrand who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and his feet wet, literally.

The Island President is an educational, entertaining and fascinating account of the man himself and the islands he represents. Catch it in UK cinemas from 30th March 2012.

Thanks to Aim Publicity and Dogwoof for the screener.

Footnote: Mohamed Nasheed resigned as president of the Maldives in February 2012 in somewhat dubious circumstances.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended

DVD: This Boy's Life

Recently released on DVD here in the UK by Second Sight this 1993 film serves as a stark reminder of just how good Robert DeNiro can be.

This is the true tale of the childhood of author Tobias Wolff who moves town to live with his Mother’s new husband, the seemingly affable Dwight (DeNiro).

Dwight’s true obnoxious personality soon emerges and Tobias is subjected to mental and physical abuse while his Mother (Ellen Barkin) looks on.

This is an acting masterclass from DeNiro, he absolutely nails his portrayal of the deluded Dwight, who is convinced that he has the boy’s best interests at heart. Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic too as Tobias, a young man still trying to find his way while dealing with a horrendous family life.

Never having seen this before I was completely captivated from the beginning and even if you’ve already seen it it’s worth another look. The 1950s setting ensures that there is no dated feel and the snippets of information at the end provide suitable closure on all the characters involved.

Ric’s Rating: 89%