Film: Battle Of Warsaw

This Polish film may be marketed as an all-out action War film but it’s really the tale of newlyweds Ola and Jan and the effect war has on them and their relationship.

Jan goes off to fight against the invading Russians while Ola attempts to keep her job as a nightclub singer.

As we might expect each has a different set of circumstances to deal with. Jan finds himself amongst the enemy and must use his intelligence to survive and Ola quickly has to fend off the advances of an amorous old colonel.

Although the production is a bit rough round the edges this is an enjoyable film that throws in some nice touches of humour amongst the tragedy.

Are Ola and Jan reunited?

Catch Battle Of Warsaw on DVD in the UK now to find out.

Ric’s Rating: Good  

Film: McCullin

This documentary feature covers the life and work of renowned photo-journalist Don McCullin.

It charts his escape from a poor violent upbringing and explores his coverage of many wars including those in Vietnam, Cyprus and Congo.

McCullin himself contributes greatly to the film and attempts to explain how he coped with documenting some horrendous scenes of inhumanity while retaining his own sanity and surviving some very precarious situations.

I hadn’t heard of the man prior to watching this but he is a very interesting and articulate guy. The story is peppered with images taken by McCullin, some of which are very powerful indeed.

This documentary will appeal to those interested in how conflicts are covered in the media and also how the politics of newspapers in Great Britain have developed.

McCullin is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.      

Film: Detachment

Substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) arrives at a High School full of rebellious teenagers and attempts to make a difference.

While coping with numerous issues at the school Henry also has to deal with the failing health of his elderly Grand-father and the welfare of young hooker Erica who he befriends during many late night bus rides.

This story has been done many times before (Dangerous Minds, The Principal) but Brody’s performance along with that of the rest of the cast, which includes James Caan, Christina Hendricks and Lucy Liu, elevate this from the pack.

Detachment is a powerful and emotional film but the constant down-at-heel feeling could have been helped by some lighter moments.  The overall mood created is one of despair and I can’t help thinking that it needn’t have been quite so vivid.

Detachment is available everywhere on DVD and is currently showing on Sky Movies in the UK.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.

Book: Birthdays For The Dead by Stuart MacBride

Detective Ash Henderson has a secret. Everyone thinks his daughter ran away years ago but he knows different, because he has the pictures. Ash’s daughter was taken by the notorious serial killer known as The Birthday Boy but he can’t tell anyone or he’ll be taken off the case.

When victims are found Ash must work with the eccentric psychologist Dr MacDonald as she attempts to build a profile of the man they are tracking down.

In this novel Stuart MacBride takes a break from his successful Logan McRae series but manages to retain his trademark humour amongst some very grisly goings on.

As well as finding the killer Ash has the local gangsters to contend with but as a former bare-knuckle fighter he’s not one to back down from a confrontation. This set-up makes for some fantastic scenes. Mr Pain paying Ash a visit and a fabricated lead which ends in big trouble provide added drama to an already enthralling tale.

Some parts of the story’s climax are pretty predictable but that doesn’t detract from what is another superior crime fiction book from one of Scotland’s top authors.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.    

Film: Welcome To The Punch

James McAvoy (Wanted) plays a cop obsessed with capturing the elusive criminal (Mark Strong) who wounded him during a pursuit.

The film begins with the aforementioned pursuit and then resumes three years later. McAvoy is plodding along with his career but his interest is rekindled when the son of his old adversary turns up dead.

This big budget British action film looks great but unfortunately the story is muddled and incomplete. There is no background to either main character and the eventual outcome can be easily guessed by the casting of David Morrissey (The Walking Dead).

Writer / director Eran Creevy please take note…cool lighting, sleek car chases and violent shoot-outs alone do not make a good film.

Ric’s Rating: Poor. 

Film: Thale

“Troll Hunter’s twisted cousin” exclaims the poster. But does this Norwegian folklore flick meet the same high standard?

Leo and Elvis are specialised cleaners, they clean crime scenes and houses where the dead have lain for quite some time. While cleaning a remote cabin they make a startling discovery, one of the occupants is still very much alive.

Meet Thale, a beautiful young woman who has apparently been kept captive in the cabin. It soon emerges that Thale isn’t exactly a typical 20-something. She can sense illness and impart her memories through touch. As the guys wait for help to arrive others begin to sense Thale’s presence.

The film mostly takes place in the cabin and relies heavily on the performances of the three main actors. Thankfully they are up to the job and we are treated to a tense and creepy film that even manages to handle the weirdness on display very well indeed.

Thale isn’t quite as good as Troll Hunter but it isn’t far off it and will appeal greatly to fans of that film.

Thale is available on DVD in the UK from 25^th March 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended. 

TV DVD: Survivor Series 2012

Survivor Series is an annual event staged by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which traditionally features 5 man tag-team elimination matches.

Now in its 26^th year the event has firmly cemented itself as a favourite on the calendars of grapple fans.

The 2012 show was staged back in November and featured matches such as:

Team Foley v Team Ziggler

CM Punk v Ryback v John Cena in a triple-threat match for the WWE Championship.

Divas Championship match.

United States Championship match.

It’s all a far cry from the days of Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant but still good fun and fans of the current crop of “superstars” will no doubt enjoy.

Survivor Series 2012 is available on DVD and in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.  

Film: Jackpot

Based on a story by bestselling author Jo Nesbo this Norwegian film starts with a Tarantino-esque shoot-out in a strip-club. The story of four co-workers winning a mega-money jackpot on football betting is then gradually revealed.

Oscar runs a factory that employs ex-offenders and he reluctantly agrees to join a betting syndicate with three of the workers. When their results come up it isn’t long before greed, rivalry and some long-forgotten grudges begin to influence the behaviour of the group.

The result is a violent and often hilarious film that keeps the viewer guessing how things will turn out.

Jackpot is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended 

Film: Mama

Two young girls are rescued after spending years fending for themselves in a remote cabin and are sent to live with their Uncle and his musician girlfriend.

As the girls attempt to adjust to regular life the questions remain about how they managed to survive alone for so long.

It quickly becomes apparent that they weren’t exactly alone. Someone or something was watching over them, and they call her Mama.

This ghost story is superior to many similar films thanks to a great script and some fine performances. Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse are fantastic as the girls who struggle to live in everyday family life while still enjoying the company of their ghostly guardian.

The story behind Mama herself is also the type of tragedy befitting such a tale.

Ignore the silly special effects and enjoy a good old fashioned scary movie.

Mama is in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

TV DVD: Top 100 Raw Moments

Here we have another 3 disc collection from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). This time it’s the top 100 moments from their long-running tv show Monday Night Raw.

Discs 1 & 2 feature the countdown from 100 to 1 which includes classic moments such as:

Ric Flair’s retirement.

DX imitating Shane & Vince McMahon

Vince’s “Bret screwed Bret” interview.

And.....The 123 Kid beating Razor Ramon.

These will appeal to WWE fans old & new but this set features lots of moments covered better in The Attitude Era set (see review below) and does feature lots of relatively recent moments. I mean who can really agree that Santino Marella’s comedy tea party should be included?

Disc 3 is the 1000^th episode of Raw with a “making of” thrown in.

This is decent enough but the fans that this will appeal to will enjoy The Attitude Era much more.

Available now in the UK.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy. 

TV DVD: The Attitude Era

“It was like a big party…and everyone was invited”. So begins the story of the most controversial and influential period in American professional wrestling.

The year is 1997 and WWE (then known as WWF) chairman Vince McMahon announces that the company’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, was about to become an edgier style of programme. This was an attempt to win the ratings war with rival company WCW.

The result was some fantastic tv. Gone were the typical hero vs. villain type storyline and in came an altogether different bunch of characters who blurred the lines between right and wrong.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was arguably the most popular and his long-running feud with McMahon himself resulted in some fantastic, and often hilarious, moments. Other characters who came to prominence at the time were The Rock (now a movie star), Mick Foley and his various personas and the outrageous group known as Degeneration X. An iconic moment of the era was when DX “invaded” WCW.

The Attitude Era has been released as a 3 disc set:

Disc 1 contains the documentary with contributions from various participants including Road Dogg, Stephanie McMahon, Pat Paterson and Christian.

Discs 2 & 3 feature many matches and moments from the show including dangerous ladder matches, a brilliant hardcore title match and the car crash tv that was the Brawl For All. This was WWE’s ill-judged attempt at having “real” matches. It was a career-ender for many of the participants, either through injury or a complete failure in their marketability afterwards.

The Attitude Era is available on DVD & Blu-ray in the UK now and it’s a cool nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers the time. It also works as a showcase for WWE, proving to some that it wasn’t always the kid-friendly show it was in the 80’s and has somewhat become again now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.            

Book: The Party by JD Carter

Cab driver turned author J D Carter takes us into the London crime scene with this self-published debut.

A London gangster revels in the attention lavished upon him at his 50^th birthday party but little does he know that one of the guests plans to expose him as a murderer and informant.

At 181 pages The Party is a relatively short book which makes it suffer when too many characters are introduced. The plethora of “geezers” is hard to keep up with but the various trips into the murky past of all involved does keep the reader interested enough to see how events pan out.

Ric’s Rating: Good.