"DON'T LET HIM IN" from Image Entertainment -- coming to DVD January 3rd

FROM IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT: WHEN TERROR DARES TO STEP OVER THE THRESHHOLD… "DON’T LET HIM IN"

Crossing onto DVD January 3, 2012

Chatsworth, CA – A quiet weekend getaway in the country becomes a nightmarish race for survival! On January 3, 2012, Image Entertainment releases Don’t Let Him In on DVD. Premiering at this year’s BAFTAs®, Don’t Let Him In is already creating a buzz amongst the horror community on this side of the Atlantic. SRP is $27.97, and pre-book is December 6.

Paige (Sophie Linfield, Mrs. Palfrey at The Claremont) and Calvin (Rhys Meredith, “Henry VIII,” “State of Play”) have decided to leave the city for the weekend to enjoy the calming English countryside.  Their rural retreat is interrupted when Calvin’s brazen sister brings along Tristan (Gordon Alexander, Sucker Punch), a city trader she picked up a one-night stand.  Relations turn from uncomfortable to unnerving when the group learns  a serial killer -- “The Tree Surgeon”—has been terrorizing the area.  When the facts start to fall into place, and the blood begins to flow, they will have to face the true nature of their uninvited guest.

Also starring Sam Hazeldine (“Midsomer Murders,” the upcoming The Raven) Don’t Let Him In “delivers on the body count, has an awesome serial killer, and there’s a nice twist at the end.” (QuietEarth.us)  It is a cautionary tale full of foreboding and fear, ending with a warning that resonates throughout the English woods:  Don’t Let Him In!

About Image Entertainment:
Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB: DISK ) is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth , California . For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

Don’t Let Him In DVD
Genre:                         Drama, Horror, Thriller, Slashers/Serial Killers, Mystery/Suspense
Rating:                        Not Rated
Language:                   English
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     English, Spanish
Year:                           2011
MSRP:                        $27.97
Street Date:                 January 3, 2012
Pre-Book:                    December 6, 2011
Length:                        80 minutes
UPC:                           014381768022
Cat#:                           IMW7680DVD

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LOOK: SEASON 1 -- DVD review by porfle

If you liked writer-director Adam Rifkin's 2007 mockumentary LOOK as much as I did, then this Showtime television series of the same name is worth spying on as well.  With its eleven half-hour episodes, LOOK: SEASON 1 (2010) is a long-form continuation of the film, identical in style but with an almost entirely new cast of characters whose private lives we observe in minute detail through the lenses of all those hundreds of security cameras, camcorders, and other electronic eyeballs that are constantly trained upon each and every one of us more often than we'd like to imagine.

While this may sound like an awkward way to tell a story, it's surprisingly easy to get used to.  The fact that Rifkin has no shortage of camera angles to choose from in most scenes reminds us of just how many hidden cameras there are watching us, with the variety of media and unique look of each one keeping the show's visuals fresh. 

This also lets the director add some unexpected dramatic accents here and there, such as a sudden traffic-cam freeze-frame on a driver's face or an aerial sweep from one part of the city to another via a geological survey map.  All of this footage is cleverly edited, with zoom-ins for emphasis and rewinds to reveal things we missed first time through, as though manipulated by some omniscient storyteller.



All of this is aimed at titillating our inner voyeur--let's face it, it's fun to watch other people when they don't know we're watching them--and what's more fun to peep at than illicit sex and nudity?  LOOK, not surprisingly, is loaded with both.  As in the film, much of it is due to the antics of two spoiled, narcissistic high school girls, Molly (Ali Cobrin) and Hannah (Sharon Hinnendael), and, also as in the film, these underage characters are played by twenty-somethings to allow us guilt-free gawking as they prance around naked before various cameras or shoot homemade porno flicks. 

Although pretending to be her best friend, Hannah is deviously plotting a romantic match between virgin Molly and bad-boy jock Shane (Colton Haynes) only to set her up for a fall.  Meanwhile, we watch them skipping class and liberally wielding their credit cards at the mall--lounging through expensive pedicures and massages, binging and purging fast food, and cavorting in dressing rooms while whooping, dope-smoking security guards ogle them via a bank of video monitors.  An added dimension to this and other subplots is our ability to eavesdrop whenever characters text each other, revealing the various deceptions upon which entire relationships are often based.

Also holding up her end in the sex department is bored, coked-up housewife Stella (Claudia Christian, the gun-toting alien-possessed stripper from THE HIDDEN), who voraciously screws strange men in her own livingroom under the watchful eye of a home security camera while mild-mannered husband Leonard toils late at the office to support her lavish lifestyle.  Christian is a marvel to watch as her comically repellent character blows through the series like an ill wind, neglecting her children, mercilessly browbeating Leonard, griping about her oppressive life while getting bikini waxed, and indignantly berating a mall cop who catches her shoplifting. 

Other storylines are less sex-centric but equally interesting.  There's Dan the Weatherman (Robert Curtis Brown), a local meteorologist whose cornball antics during his TV news segments are popular with the oldsters but a constant agony to station programmer Andy (Jordan Belfi) who's striving for a hipper audience.  Brown is the perfect smarmy, golden-voiced, fake-cheerful weatherman type (which is why daughter Hannah despises him), while Belfi's Andy revels in being despicable not only to Dan, whom he's plotting against, but to everyone else as well. 

After Andy haughtily dresses down a waiter for bringing the wrong kind of sauce for his shrimp, the hidden camera reveals the secret ingredient the waiter adds to it before presenting it to the disgruntled customer, confirming one of our worst fears about dining out.  Andy's habit of visiting a local strip club after work for a "lapdance 'n' more" will become an integral part in one character's precipitous downfall later on.



The sole survivors from the original film are gangly mini-mart clerk Willie (Giuseppe Andrews), an aspiring singer-songwriter, and his slacker pal Carl (Miles Dougal), who seems to live at the store.  A lot happens during Willie's graveyard shift including a naked rampage by a pathetic, mentally unbalanced homeless man whom we observe throughout the series, never having a clue about how he sunk to such a sad state until the final episode.  The site is also visited by a carload of drive-by paintball assassins who plague the city during the season, one of their victims being a terrified Dan the Weatherman as he does a live location spot.

Several of the show's other characters pass through the mini-mart sooner or later--Leonard, Hannah and Molly, Andy (who, as you might expect, gripes at Willie for no reason), a couple of cops who become familiar after a few episodes, and a serial rapist (Richard Speight, Jr.) whose chance encounter with one of the main characters supplies a chilling cliffhanger ending to the season.  Much is made of Willie and Carl staging a live concert at the store to draw attention to Willie's music, and, while that particular storyline didn't do much for me, our frequent visits to this setting do provide some much-needed comic relief from some of the grimmer aspects of the series. 

The 2-disc DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby stereo sound and English subtitles.  There are no extras.

While some of the segments may seem a bit pointless and unrelated at first, the slowly-developing storylines (Rifkin is able to take his time here much more than in the movie) eventually begin to intersect and intertwine in interesting, funny, and often very surprising ways.  Other random vignettes (the booger incident is a cringeworthy example) may serve merely to illustrate some of the things that happen to us all the time which we're unaware of.  But the camera--our impassive, ever-present observer--sees all, knows all, and the addictively entertaining LOOK: SEASON 1 shows all.


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OUR IDIOT BROTHER -- DVD review by porfle

It's usually a bad sign when a movie opens with a happy-go-lucky acoustic guitar ditty, but OUR IDIOT BROTHER (2011) gets away with being precious because it's such a wry poke at preciousness.  And the main character, Ned (Paul Rudd), is happy-go-lucky to such a wide-eyed fault that he brings comic ruin to the serious-minded around him.

Paroled after serving jail time for selling weed to a uniformed cop, Ned returns to the farm where he worked to find his former girlfriend Janet shacking up with another guy--the spaced-out Billy, with whom Ned becomes fast friends--and claiming custody of his beloved dog, Willie Nelson.  Adrift, Ned is taken in by his mother (the venerable Shirley Knight) and three sisters, whereupon he proceeds to accidentally wreck their lives with his uncomprehending innocence, honesty, and trust.

The three actresses playing Ned's sisters are all excellent.  Elizabeth Banks is Miranda, the frantic overachiever whose attempts to score a Vanity Fair interview with a controversial heiress are complicated when she befriends Ned and opens up to him about her newsworthy scandal, the details of which he then refuses to divulge to Miranda because they were told to him in confidence.  Banks plays the altercations between Miranda and Ned with just the right tone of frazzled, incredulous indignation along with a sort of desperation we can identify with.



Emily Mortimer is Liz, a New Age mom who, along with her snobby, unfaithful documentary-filmmaker husband Dylan (Steve Coogan), is horrified when the repressed trophy child she's trying to raise begins to emulate free-spirited Uncle Ned.  Lastly there's the youngest, Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), who almost splits up with her lesbian lover Cindy (Rashida Jones) when Ned inadvertently spills the beans about her pregnancy due to an impromptu fling with a male artist.

Rudd is effortlessly funny as Ned because he doesn't try too hard to convince us that he is, and neither does the film.  This allows a subtle warmth and charm to spring naturally from the conflicts between honest Ned and his sisters, who, like most of us, rely on a certain amount of deception to keep their lives from falling apart.  And when they do fall apart one by one, the drama is so easily interlaced with the humor that there's no need for the story to jarringly alternate between the two.  At least, that is, until an emotional outburst which has been building throughout the film finally erupts, setting up the nice, albeit somewhat pat and anticlimactic ending.

It's fun watching Ned wander through his family's midst causing friction at every turn without even trying, and, to the sisters' consternation, earning the respect and friendship of those closest to them with his laidback, open attitude.  One of the funniest scenes has lawyer Cindy eagerly joining him on a commando raid to get Willie Nelson away from Janet, which comes to a screeching halt when Ned chooses the wrong moment to inform her of Natalie's pregnancy (as usual, Ned and Billy exchange pleasantries while Janet berates them both).
 


Another highlight comes when Ned barges in on Dylan's illicit love tryst with a Russian ballet dancer, and totally buys Dylan's cock-and-bull story about how he must "get naked" himself in order to coax his reticent documentary subject into baring her soul to him.  And then there are Ned's perilously frank conversations with his nonplussed parole officer Omar (Sterling Brown), whom he regards as a kind of therapist.  But perhaps the nicest moments are those between Ned and his nephew River (Matthew Mindler), whose joy at being allowed to be himself and do forbidden fun stuff--like watching slapstick "Pink Panther" movies or taking a karate class instead of dutifully practicing on an obscure woodwind instrument--is infectious.   

The DVD from Anchor Bay and the Weinsteins is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Bonus features include a commentary by director Jesse Peretz, deleted scenes and alternate ending, and a making-of featurette. 

Barring that one big emotional blow-up scene late in the film, OUR IDIOT BROTHER does a great job of maintaining the perfect blend of warm, playfully irreverent comedy with a story and characters that are realistic enough to care about.  I like that Ned doesn't self-righteously try to change his sisters, their values, lifestyles, etc., but rather wields a great and ultimately beneficial influence on their lives simply by being himself.  And the funniest thing about it is that, yes, sometimes he really is an idiot. 


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THE RIVER WHY -- DVD review by porfle

THE RIVER WHY (2010) is a fishing movie, but it's not aimed at the kind of fishermen who like to toss a cooler full of beer into their bass boat and head out to the lake.  Rather, it's a sweetly boring story about the placid art of fly fishing, the people who love it and live it, and how it represents life.  Not exactly exciting, but then again, if you wanted excitement you wouldn't be watching a movie about fly fishing.

Gus (Zach Gilford) is undergoing a spiritual crisis, because (a) he doesn't like being called by his full name, Augustine, which his dad (William Hurt), a renowned fishing author, insists on doing, and (b) he's fed up with his mom (Kathleen Quinlan) and dad constantly arguing, even though they only argue about fishing and their arguments are about as benign as marital arguments can be.  But all this is still too much for Gus to take, so one night during dinner he erupts in a fit of anger, throws his dad's prized fish trophy into the fireplace, and flees to a secluded cabin on a river in Oregon to fish, fish, fish.  Thus begins Gus' spiritual journey.

This is one of those "go find yourself in the woods" movies with the main character narrating his story in would-be poetic ways that sometimes get a little too on-the-nose; as with Harrison Ford's voiceover in BLADE RUNNER, we could probably do without lines like "As we walked upriver, I felt like we were on a primordial journey to some forgotten ancient home.  The fisherman in me was being unmade."  The often beautiful visuals are enough to help us figure out what's happening in scenes such as this, which is one of the reasons we watch movies adapted from literary works instead of just listening to books-on-tape.

Seeking solitude, Gus naturally runs into a succession of eccentric characters such as wilderness philosopher Titus (Dallas Roberts), whose casually brilliant insight helps define Gus' search for his soul.  Titus is one of those characters whose stilted speech comes off better on the written page and is hard for any actor to play realistically.  Roberts does his best, though.  His erudite refugee from the big city helps Gus see the beauty and poetry in fly fishing and how it relates to life, and even gives him soul-searching pointers over a game of pool in a local bar.  Then, his job done, he disappears from the film. 

William Devane makes a brief appearance as Dutch, a fishing columnist who's so thrilled by some pointers given to him by Gus that he turns the recluse into something of a sought-after local celebrity.  Gus toys with the notion of reconnecting with the human race but rejects it, just in time to run right into the love of his life, a pretty blonde fisherwoman named Eddy (Amber Heard).  Metaphors like "the one that got away", "hard to land", and "reeling her in" define their somewhat tiresomely coy courtship after a series of meet-cutes in a movie where just about every meeting is a meet-cute.  Gus and Titus meet cute, Gus and Dutch meet cute--even in a flashback that shows Gus' mom and dad's first riverside dispute over a prized fish, they meet cute.  Apparently, fly fishing has this effect on people.

While Gus searches for his soul at the end of a fishing pole, director Matthew Leutwyler gives it all a lazy-day feel that viewers will find either relaxing or excruciating, with some acoustic guitar ballads wafting airily through each scene.  Gus finally goes on that "primordial journey" with a fish late in the film, bringing his spiritual quest to just enough of a climax that it registers as a turning point in his life.  Which, at this point, is just about as much excitement as we can stand.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is a selection of brief cast and crew interviews.

At first, THE RIVER WHY had such a gentle, homespun vibe that I didn't even want a story to intrude and disturb it.  After awhile, though, I started to feel as though I were fly fishing myself for hours on end without getting a bite.  But I guess that's part of the experience--the act of fishing itself is a slow, contemplative thing that is its own reward.  As for me, I found this movie somewhat rewarding in the same way that I enjoy taking an afternoon nap.



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SARAH'S KEY -- DVD review by porfle

Alternately harrowing and bland, SARAH'S KEY (2010) is two different movies shuffled together, and only one of them is really worth our time.

A magazine writer in Paris, American-born Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas) is assigned to do an article about the little-known rounding up of over 130,000 French Jews in 1942 at the behest of the Nazis--by the French bureaucracy itself--after which they were sent to the death camp at Auschwitz. Julia is shocked to find that her husband Bertrand's family, the Tezacs, availed themselves of an apartment forcibly vacated by the Starzynski family, whose youngest son Michel was hidden in a locked closet to avoid capture.

In addition to gathering data for her magazine piece, Julia becomes obsessed with two things--locating the Starzynski's daughter Sarah, whom records show was never sent to Auschwitz, and confronting the Tezacs with their guilt.  Needless to say, this doesn't do wonders for her marriage to Bertrand, which is already on thin ice over her unexpected pregnancy (she wants the baby, he doesn't).  Julia singlemindedly pursues the mystery of Sarah until she discovers what became of her, to the detriment of he own family.



When SARAH'S KEY focuses on ten-year-old Sarah's sudden plunge into a waking nightmare and her struggle to escape, it's a heartrending drama skillfully handled by director Gilles Paquet-Brenner and brought to life by an outstanding cast.  The Starzynskis are forced to spend several days in a sweltering indoor racing arena with thousands of other Jews, with little food or water and no toilet facilities ("Imagine the Superdome in New Orleans, only a hundred times worse," Julia's editor explains), before being split up and placed in a detainment camp to await final transport to Auschwitz.  The terror of having their lives turned upside-down is vividly shown through Sarah's uncomprehending eyes, while she desperately clings to the key that will free Michel from his closet prison. 

Sarah's escape from the detainment camp with friend Rachel (Sarah Ber) leads to more suspense and uncertainty when the girls are taken in by an older couple who try to help Sarah get back to Paris somehow, under constant threat from Nazi soldiers and French whistleblowers.  The shattering conclusion to this segment of the story is powerfully handled, not least by amazing young actress Mélusine Mayance who is so good as to be absolutely riveting.  Her surprisingly mature performance would be considered impressive for an adult actress but for a child her age it's almost unworldly, raising the entire film to a level of realism and emotional resonance that it otherwise would not have reached.

Unfortunately, as Sarah's story begins to fade into the background, Julia's comes to the fore and pales in comparison.  Her handling of the Sarah business in regard to husband Bertrand and his family--in effect washing her hands of them with a curdled air of moral superiority--is off-puttingly unsympathetic, and we wonder exactly what feeling there ever was in Julia and Bertrand's sketchily-drawn marriage to begin with.  She seems confident that, unlike the Tezacs, she would've done "the right thing" back in 1942, yet she chides a young coworker at her magazine for implying precisely the same thing.  It's puzzling that the filmmakers would allow her character, with whom we're meant to identify, to appear so self-righteous.



As Sarah's character grows older, the more enigmatic and less interesting she becomes.  Her story is resolved (more or less) in an unsatisfying way that lacks any kind of closure or meaning and doesn't seem true to the character as we've gotten to know her.  Meanwhile, Julia's search for her becomes a sort of shaggy dog story which eventually reaches a similarly inconclusive end, fizzling out along with the film itself.  I had to go back and watch it again to see if I'd missed anything that would've made it more effective, but even a late appearance by Aidan Quinn as Sarah's son lacks the relevance I was looking for. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay and the Weinsteins is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is an in-depth hour-long documentary, "The Making of 'Sarah's Key'." 

SARAH'S KEY might've been a better movie if the Julie character had been eliminated altogether--Sarah's story is more than strong enough to have carried the entire film, especially since the two storylines never really relate to one another in any meaningful way.  All the present-day stuff does is to remind us that something important happened in 1942 which shouldn't be forgotten.  The flashback segments of the film are indeed memorable, and well worth experiencing, but rest of it is quite forgettable.


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Prepare for "THE DEAD"! February 14th on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment

“Not just another zombie movie. The best zombie movie of the year” – Mark L. Miller, AICN HORROR

“A beautifully shot horror film...with epic quality.” – Screen International

INTERNATIONAL HORROR SENSATION "THE DEAD" UNLEASHED ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD FROM ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- Unlike anything audiences have been exposed to before, The Dead grabs you by the throat and takes you on a visceral journey across the harsh but stunning landscapes of Africa where the sole survivor of the doomed final evacuation flight out of the continent, has more than just the unforgiving terrain to deal with.  Written and directed by Howard J. Ford and Jon Ford, The Dead has also stunned audiences at such prestigious film festivals such as Fantastic Fest, FrightFest and the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. Garnering hundreds of rave reviews during its theatrical release, The Dead truly has become an instant cult classic.

The first horror film entirely filmed in Africa, The Dead takes the zombie legend back to its original roots and has justly been hailed as “superbly crafted...it’s a knockout” by the Village Voice, “one of the finest zombie films I’ve ever seen” by the Horror Channel, Bloody-Disgusting declared it “one of the most buzzed-about films of the year.” Anchor Bay Entertainment proudly announces the February 14th Blu-ray™ and DVD release of The Dead, the critically acclaimed horror film that wowed both audiences and critics worldwide. SRP is $26.98 for the DVD, and $29.99 for the Blu-ray™. Pre-book is January 18th.

When the last flight out of war-torn Africa crashes off the coast, Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) is the sole survivor in a land where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. On the run in a hostile and inhospitable parched landscape, Murphy has to use his wits and ingenuity if he is to get home alive to his family. When he crosses paths with local solider Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), a man frantically searching for his son, they join forces. Two desperate men from two very different cultures fight side-by-side to survive across the incredible vistas of Africa as the world around them succumbs to the deadliest of viruses.

Bonus features on The Dead Blu-ray™ and DVD will include audio commentary by writer/producer/director Howard J. Ford and writer/director of photography/co-director Jon Ford, “Unearthing The Dead: Behind the Scenes” featurette and a deleted scene.

THE DEAD Blu-ray™
Street Date:                 February 14, 2012
Pre-book:                    January 18, 2012
Cat. #:                         BD23469
UPC:                           0 1313 23469-9 1
Run Time:                    105 minutes
Rating:                         R
SRP:                            $29.99
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                      English SDH, Spanish

THE DEAD DVD
Street Date:                 February 14, 2012
Pre-book:                    January 18, 2012
Cat. #:                         DV23464
UPC:                           0 1313 23464-9 6
Run Time:                    105 minutes
Rating:                         R
SRP:                            $26.98
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                      English SDH, Spanish

"TEXAS KILLING FIELDS" starring Sam Worthington and Chloe Grace Moretz coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31 from Anchor Bay Films

ANCHOR BAY FILMS PROUDLY PRESENTS A FILM BY MICHAEL MANN

Directed by Ami Canaan Mann -- Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 31, 2012

STARRING SAM WORTHINGTON, JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, JESSICA CHASTAIN, CHLOË GRACE MORETZ and JASON CLARKE­

“The best crime film of the year.” - Jami Philbrick, IAmRogue.com

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Films is proud to announce the release of TEXAS KILLING FIELDS on both Blu-ray™ and DVD  January 31, 2012.  Directed by Ami Canaan Mann, produced by Michael Mann and Michael Jaffe, and based on the real life, headline-making series of unsolved murders, TEXAS KILLING FIELDS is a haunting story of two detectives and one desperate race to catch a killer. The release also contains audio commentary with Director Ami Canaan Mann and Writer Donald F. Ferrarone.

Inspired by true events, this tense thriller follows Detective Souder (Sam Worthington, Avatar, The Debt) a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh (Jeffrey Dean Morgan Starz’ “Magic City,” The Losers, The Watchmen) as they track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims’ mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call “The Killing Fields.” 

Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. Despite his partner’s warnings, he sets out to investigate the crimes. Before long, the killer changes the game and begins hunting the detectives, teasing them with possible clues at the crime scenes while always remaining one step ahead. When familiar local girl Anne (Chloë Grace Moretz Hugo, Let Me In) goes missing, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save the young girl’s life.

Also starring Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus, Tree of Life, The Help), and Jason Clarke (The Great Gatsby, Public Enemies) Texas Killing Fields is an unforgettable and disturbing thriller.

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CASE HISTORIES -- DVD review by porfle

Who knew Jason Isaacs (A CURE FOR WELLNESS) could be cool?  I've seen him play tight-assed military officers, mild-mannered brainiacs, and the like (can't speak for his "Harry Potter" character since I haven't delved into that series yet), but never anything like private investigator Jackson Brodie.  Then again, the protagonist of the Scottish TV series CASE HISTORIES (2011) isn't your average private investigator.

We first see Brodie acting as a "bedroom dick" a la Jack Nicholson in CHINATOWN, so we know he's not above snapping pics of cheating spouses on the sly to bolster his coffers.  What really drives him, however, is his compulsion to help people, for which his occupation gives him the perfect outlet.  His specialty is missing persons, and, as shown by a frequent flashback of him as a child, searching in vain for his murdered sister, he knows how it feels to lose someone.

Isaacs' Brodie is as cool as they come, but not in the usual hardbitten action-guy way.  (The word "soft-boiled" pops up in one episode.)  The scripts are based on the novels by Kate Atkinson, who describes Brodie as a male version of herself, so he displays a touchy-feely quality you'd never see in the likes of Mike Hammer.  Caring and sympathetic to a fault, Brodie likes to get really involved with his clients, even having affairs with some of them--the ones that he can stand, anyway--which means that the barrier between his personal and professional lives is often nonexistent.



Not to say he isn't tough, though.  When the situation calls for it, this ex-soldier, ex-cop (despised by many of his former peers on the force for being too honest) can handle an attacker with swift brute force.  Sometimes he even has to do this during visitations with his young daughter, Marlee (Millie Innes), which delights her--their scenes together are funny and endearing--but horrifies his ex-wife Josie (Kirsty Mitchell), who's planning to whisk their little girl off to New Zealand with her.  Brodie's growing anguish over this, along with the lingering sadness of his failed marriage, is a major theme that adds even more emotional depth to his character.

The six episodes of CASE HISTORIES are divided into three two-part adaptations of the Atkinson novels "Case Histories", "One Good Turn", and "When Will There Be Good News?"  The first one focuses on cold cases, beginning with the false hope that his sister's unknown killer has finally been found.  Another girl who disappeared thirty years earlier is sought by her three eccentric sisters, one of whom has romantic designs on Brodie, in a melancholy tale that's both quirky and dotted with black humor. 

Meanwhile, Phil Davis (the cabbie in the "A Study in Pink" episode of the BBC's recent "Sherlock") is a devastated father who can't rest until he knows why his daughter was murdered.  Yet another missing person case that suddenly falls into Brodie's lap becomes linked with this one in a way that strains credulity to the breaking point.  Still, I find that all of these subplots are not only well-juggled, but blend together almost seamlessly regardless of the coincidences we're sometimes asked to accept.  Even plot holes don't really bother me if I'm being entertained, and sometimes a little improbability can be fun.

"One Good Turn" thrusts Brodie into a mystery involving Russian prostitutes (one of whom he finds floating near the beach during his daily run), a middle-aged wife who's just a little too happy about her husband's disabling heart attack, and a road rage incident that saddles Brodie with a nervous mystery writer who thinks a hit man is after him.  Once again, these elements all become intertwined in interesting ways and the sudden bursts of violence Brodie has to deal with, including a baseball bat-wielding killer, add some excitement to the usual drama and pathos.

"When Will There Be Good News?" starts off with a bang as Brodie tries to rescue a woman whose car has overturned on a railroad track and gets hit by a train.  As the title suggests, nothing seems to go right for him in this one--in addition to being badly injured, Brodie's daughter is in New Zealand and a killer has stolen his identity, which lands him in jail.  But there is good news when a vivacious young nanny named Reggie (Gwyneth Keyworth) enters his life and asks for help searching for her kidnapped employer and her baby.  With the lovable Reggie giving him much-needed emotional support, Brodie tackles the case and reveals a surprising secret behind a long-ago attack which left the missing mother the sole survivor of her family.



Amanda Abbington plays Brodie's ex-partner DC Louise Munroe, whose love-hate relationship with him is a major asset to the series.  Despite Brodie's tendency to annoy her to distraction, Munroe appreciates his abilities and often grudgingly relies on his help while their true feelings for each other remain forcibly submerged.  Zawe Ashton co-stars as Deborah, the traditional sassy secretary who runs the traditional hole-in-the-wall office and keeps him on his toes.   

One thing you won't see on CASE HISTORIES is a lot of shaky-cam, fancy editing tricks, and other stuff designed to give the impression that things are faster and more exciting than they really are.  Breakneck pace and pulse-pounding excitement aren't Brodie's style or the show's--"leisurely" and "contemplative" would be more apt descriptions for both.  The subtle, low-key storytelling is greatly enhanced by beautiful locations in and around Edinburgh, Scotland.

The two-disc DVD from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound and English subtitles.  A 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette (including interviews with Isaacs and author Kate Atkinson) is the sole extra. 

Offbeat and unpredictable, with moments of wry humor and riveting drama, CASE HISTORIES wears its heart on its sleeve even when the main character is forced to beat the hell out of a bad guy.  For a refreshing change of pace, Jason Isaacs' kinder, gentler private eye is just the man for the job.



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VENICE UNDERGROUND -- movie review by porfle

The first thing I thought after watching VENICE UNDERGROUND (2005) for a couple of minutes was, "This looks like an episode of a TV series."  But after awhile I began to realize that if this were indeed the pilot for a series, no network executive in his right mind would pick it up.  In fact, if your dad had followed you around with a movie camera when you were a kid and filmed you and your friends playing cops and robbers, he would probably accidentally make a better movie than this one.

A prologue takes us to the office of police captain John Sullivan (veteran character actor Ed Lauter) as the mayor chews him out over the phone because of the ongoing carnage caused by two Venice Beach gangs, the Northside Surf Crew and the Southside Crips, who are waging an ongoing battle to control the local drug trade.  It seems like a hopeless situation until one of his underlings, an ambitious young sergeant named Frank Mills (Randall Batinkoff), waltzes in with a peach of a idea -- they will pluck a group of raw but attractive cadets out of the police academy, set them up in a beach house, and have them go undercover! 

That, of course, will be a lot better than putting experienced cops on the case, because, as Mills explains:  "The kids are all instinct and street smarts.  They know no boundaries."  Visions of "The Mod Squad" and "21 Jump Street" begin to dance around in Capt. Sullivan's head, with a little "Charlie's Angels" and "Baywatch Nights" thrown in for good measure.  What a great idea!

With their origin story out of the way even before the day-glo main titles have hippity-hopped their way across the screen, we are thrust right into the non-action as we join the J.N.F. (Junior Narc Force) keeping tabs on various gang members and trying to fathom their nefarious activities.  But they must deal with their own raging hormones as well, as Agent Tyler (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) jealously observes her heartthrob, Agent Gary (a not-looking-too-good-these-days Edward Furlong), cavorting with a bikini babe.  It's all part of his cover, of course, but darn it, he just seems to be enjoying it a little too much.



Meanwhile, Agent Samantha (Nichole Hiltz) just failed her home pregnancy test, and isn't quite sure whether the father is Agent Danny (Eric Mabius), who wants to marry her, or good ol' Sergeant Mills, who just can't seem to keep his own member away from certain other members of the task force. 

These romantic entanglements play like a bad script from "Beverly Hills, 90210" performed by a grade school theater group, and the scenes of actual detective work that we witness from time to time seem to have been inspired by random episodes of "Scooby-Doo."  They even have their own mystery-mobile, a candy-apple red, mid-60s Mustang convertible, in which they all sit in broad daylight brandishing their guns as if to announce to any passing bad guys, "Yes, we are undercover narcs." 

Amazingly, though, no one ever figures this out, except for a mysterious figure who seems to anticipate their every move as he secretly watches them through blurry POV-shots like a stalker in a slasher flick, and, early in the story, actually kills one of them with his gold-plated revolver.  Who is this unknown enemy?  You're not supposed to know until the end, so try to act surprised.  Here's a hint:  it isn't the old caretaker at the haunted amusement park.

Director Eric DelaBarre is your basic point-and-shoot man but tries to "hip" things up with shaky camerawork, scattershot editing, and various other effects cribbed from music videos.  The acting, except from old pro Ed Lauter and Robert Rodriguez stock player Danny Trejo, is hopelessly amateurish, and the dialogue they're forced to recite is frequently laughable. 

This film resembles the kind of cheap exploitation flick they used to show on USA's "Up All Night" -- you know, the ones with all the good R-rated nudity and violence cut out and just the boring junk left in, although a few bare boobies make a cameo appearance about halfway through.  Soon after that we see a brief fistfight, and then later there's a small shootout, and at the end the mystery bad guy gets shot and a car blows up.  Actionwise, that's about it. 

I kept thinking about what Andy Sidaris, the guy responsible for all those great low-budget sex-and-violence thrillers like PICASSO TRIGGER and SAVAGE BEACH, could've done with a premise like this.  He wasn't a great filmmaker, but at least he gave us something fun to look at. VENICE UNDERGROUND barely even makes an effort.


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BLACK WATER -- movie review by porfle

You don't watch BLACK WATER (2007), you subject yourself to it. This is one of those movies where I don't want anything to happen. The periods of inactivity between croc attacks are such a relief that I would've been happy just to see these people sit safely in that tree over the water until the end credits. But they're only a temporary respite between moments of either unbearable suspense or sudden, grueling horror.

During the lazy opening minutes, in which sisters Grace (Diana Glenn) and Lee (Maeve Dermody), and Grace's husband Adam (Andy Rodoreda), embark on a tranquil river tour in the Australian outback while on vacation, we're lulled into a sense of false security that is shattered when a huge crocodile overturns the boat and starts eating their guide. Grace and Adam manage to scramble up one of the trees that's growing out of the water, while a terrified Lee is stranded on top of the upended boat.

And that's just the beginning. With no prospect of rescue in sight, each of them must venture into the water at one time or another in an effort to retrieve the boat or scramble for shore, never knowing when the ravenous crocodile will strike as it lurks beneath the murky water.

Since there are only three people in the cast for most of the running time, I knew that one or more of them were going to get chomped somewhere along the line, so I hoped that I wouldn't care about them. Why couldn't this have been about Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Charles Manson getting eaten by crocodiles? That would've been fun. But nooooo...these characters had to be nice people who are instantly likable, damn it. And worse, they're apparently pretty tasty, too.



After the main situation is established, this "based on a true story" story by writer-director team David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki (THE REEF) is mined for all the potential nerve-wracking events that can be dug out of it. The cast is convincing, and so is the crocodile. The box art made me suspect that this would be a monster movie like ANACONDA or LAKE PLACID, with a big fake-looking CGI beastie. But most of the time Mr. Croc's appearances are handled about the same as with Bruce in JAWS, with just enough shown to give the illusion that we're seeing the real thing. Even when it jumps straight out of the water and snaps at the people cowering precariously on a tree limb--giving new meaning to the phrase "leapin' lizards!"--the effect looks real.

BLACK WATER is done about as well as a movie of this sort can be done. It's definitely a riveting experience, although I can't say I enjoyed it much. In fact, while my relief was palpable, I felt a bit sick to my stomach from all the constant tension after it was over. But I expect that's exactly the effect the filmmakers were aiming for, so BLACK WATER must be considered a success. Be prepared to suffer through it, though--light entertainment it ain't.


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"DIRTY GIRL" from Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company -- coming to DVD January 17

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT AND THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY PRESENT THE AUDIENCE FAVORITE "DIRTY GIRL" ON DVD

Full Of Humor And Wit, Dirty Girl Heads To Retail On January 17, 2012 

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company announced today the DVD release of the “hilarious” (Ariana Anderson, BUST) comedy, DIRTY GIRL, from first time writer-director Abe Sylvia.  DIRTY GIRL, which won the HBO Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2011 Provincetown International Film Festival, features a top-notch cast that includes Juno Temple (ATONEMENT) in the title role, Milla Jovovich (STONE), William H. Macy (BART GOT A ROOM), Mary Steenburgen (THE PROPOSAL), Dwight Yoakam (PANIC ROOM), and newcomer Jeremy Dozier.  In the same vein as such audience favorites as JUNO and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, DIRTY GIRL heads to retail on January 17, 2012 for an SRP of $29.98 for the DVD. 

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, film critic Michael Rechtshaffen called DIRTY GIRL “a genuine crowd-pleaser.”  Hellin Kay of The Huffington Post described the film as “A pitch-perfect comedy!  Part John Hughes, part John Waters, and completely unique.”  Wrote BUST magazine’s Ariana Anderson, “DIRTY GIRL will melt even the coldest of hearts.” 

DIRTY GIRL is the story of Danielle (Juno Temple), the dirty girl of Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma, circa 1987.  Her reputation takes an unexpected hit when her misbehavior gets her banished to a remedial class, where she is paired on a parenting project with Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), an innocent closet-case with no friends.  When her mother (Milla Jovovich) announces her engagement to her family-minded boyfriend (William H. Macy), mortified Danielle vows to get to California to find the father she’s never met!  Clarke is desperate to escape being sent to military school by his homophobic dad (Dwight Yoakam) and repressed mom (Mary Steenburgen), prompting the two mismatched misfits to make their getaway: on a cross-country road trip that leads to an unexpected and serendipitous friendship. 

The DIRTY GIRL DVD bonus features include an audio commentary with writer-director Abe Sylvia, as well as deleted and extended scenes.  Note: Special features are subject to change. 

Learn more about DIRTY GIRL at: www.dirtygirlmovie.com

DIRTY GIRL DVD
Street date:                January 17, 2012
Pre-book:                  December 21, 2011
Catalog #:                  WC23283
UPC:                         0 1313 23283-9 3
Run time:                    90 Minutes
Rating:                        Rated R for sexual content, including graphic nudity, and language.
SRP:                           $29.98
Format:                       2.40 Widescreen
Audio:                         English Dolby Digital 5.1

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Experience "LITTLE DEATHS" on DVD from Image Entertainment -- coming December 13th

“Given the rich history the UK currently enjoys and the long line of horror anthology predecessors, the latest addition to the movement, Little Deaths, is certainly the sickest of the bunch.” -- Fearnet.com

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT INVITES YOU TO SAMPLE "LITTLE DEATHS"

Enter the Forbidden December 13th

CHATSWORTH, CA – What would you do for the ultimate sexual rush? Welcome to a world where illicit sexual desire propels seemingly ordinary people to act out fantasies that can separate monotony from ecstasy…but also transform life into agonizing death! On December 13th, Image Entertainment releases the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Little Deaths on unrated DVD. The opening night film at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, Little Deaths presents three titillating and terrifying tales of sex, power – and retribution – and what happens when these primal forces are violated. SRP is $27.97, and pre-book is November 15th.

In the vein of such classic horror anthologies as “Dead of Night,” “Tales from the Crypt” and “Tales from the Darkside,” Little Deaths takes the hunger for sex beyond pain and pleasure into the realm of a living nightmare. Have at it...if you dare!

In “House & Home,” written and directed by Sean Hogan, the ultimate revenge fantasy gets a kinky upgrade. Affluent couple Richard and Victoria (Luke DeLacey and Suibhan Harrison) have a particularly debasing sexual foible. They pose as religious good Samaritans and lure less fortunate women to their luxurious home, only to abduct and assault them as part of their “entitlement” to the good life. But their latest capture, a homeless woman named “Sorrow” (Holly Lucas), just might show that they’ve bit off more than they can chew...

In Andrew Parkinson’s “Mutant Tool,” Jennifer (Jodie Jamieson) is a former prostitute and drug addict trying to get her life back on track, but living with her former pimp/drug dealing boyfriend Frank (Daniel Brocklebank) isn’t helping matters. Jen’s seeing a psychiatrist, who suddenly has Jen taking a new medication. While warned of potential side effects, Jen starts experiencing psychic connections and shocking visions of someone behind plastic curtains – bound, helmeted, dangling in the air and in a painful state of perpetual sexual arousal. As these hallucinations intensify, Jen comes to realize that she’s part (with Frank’s collaboration) of a terrifying experiment in manufacturing – and bottling – the ultimate sexual high.

Written and directed by Simon Rumley – the indie sensation behind Red, White and Blue -- “Bitch” details the sado-masochistic relationship between receptionist Claire (Kate Braithwaite) and her docile and obedient boyfriend Pete (Tom Sawyer). Ironically, while Claire literally treats Pete like a dog – going so far as occasionally leashing him and having him sleep in a doghouse – Claire also suffers from a pathological fear of canines. But when Claire’s sexual games become more than he can bear, Pete puts in motion a series of events that will not only give Claire a taste of her own medicine, but add new meaning to “going to the dogs...” 

About Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com. 

Little Deaths DVD
Genre:              Horror, Thriller
Rating:              Unrated
Languages:       English
Format:            Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:              Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:           English, Spanish
SRP:                $27.97
Street Date:      December 13, 2011
Pre-Book:        November 15, 2011
Length:             94 minutes
UPC:                014381767629
Cat#:                IMW7676DVD
Bonus:              Behind-The-Scenes

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The title says it all: "NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS" coming to Blu-ray and DVD this Valentine's Day from Image Entertainment

THEY’RE WEARING HABITS AND PACKING HEAT! IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS "NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS"

Locked And Loaded on Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 14, 2012

Chatsworth, CA – The convent:  a place of peace and quiet, a retreat for the cultivation of spirituality.  Hardly the backdrop for criminality, abuse – and revenge! On February 14, 2012, Image Entertainment presents Nude Nuns with Big Guns – a story of good vs. evil; of a war fought in the most unlikely of places.  An epic adventure in the grindhouse tradition, Nude Nuns with Big Guns will be available on DVD for an MSRP of $27.97 and on Blu-ray™ for an MSRP of $29.97.  Pre-book is January 17, 2012. 

Shortly after entering a convent, Sister Sarah becomes enslaved and victimized by drug-pushing predators that lurk within that haven.  Suddenly there is only one message that matters to Sarah – and it isn’t a divine one!  Seeking revenge against those who would desecrate her heavenly refuge, she becomes a sister of no mercy. Changing her spiritual vows to earthly vengeance, Sarah goes on a rampage against these unholy men and their profane partners in crime, a gang known as Los Muertos.  Packed with sex, violence, and unhallowed havoc, Nude Nuns with Big Guns is cut from the same cloth as the great drive-in action classics – a celestial grindhouse experience! 

Starring Asun Ortega (“Friends with Benefits”), David Castro (The Lincoln Lawyer), and Perry D’Marco (“Malcolm In The Middle) Nude Nuns with Big Guns is an tale of retribution and justice…where charity ends and cruelty begins!  Against Sarah’s righteous anger, her enemies haven’t a prayer of a chance! 

For your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, nothing says “I love you” like Nude Nuns with Big Guns!

About Image Entertainment:
Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB: DISK ) is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth , California . For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

Nude Nuns with Big Guns Blu-ray™
Genre:                        Action/Adventure, Thriller, Feature Film
Rating:                        Unrated
Language:                   English 
Format:                       Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)  
Audio:                         DTS HD Master Audio 5.1               
Subtitles:                     N/A 
Year:                           2010
M SRP :                        $29.97
Street Date:                 February 14, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 17, 2012
Length:                        92 minutes
UPC :                           014381751253
Cat#:                           CAM7512BD

Nude Nuns with Big Guns DVD
Genre:                        Action/Adventure, Thriller, Feature Film
Rating:                        Unrated
Language:                   English 
Format:                       Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)  
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     N/A 
Year:                           2010
M SRP :                        $27.97
Street Date:                 February 14, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 17, 2012
Length:                        92 minutes
UPC :                           014381738421
Cat#:                           CAM7384DVD

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DVD
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CARJACKED -- DVD review by porfle

Having just watched CARJACKED (2011), I must admit feeling a little confused.  I can't decide if the filmmakers were actually trying to make a serious thriller, or if they were aware that they were making one of the dumbest movies I've seen in quite a while.  Either way, it isn't much fun until it decides to go full-out goofy in the second half.

The story opens with divorced mom Lorraine (Maria Bello, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, PAYBACK) attending a touchy-feely women's group therapy session.  Dumped by her husband Gary and facing a losing custody battle over their son Chad, Lorraine is too much of a simpy doormat to fight back or get angry about it as her brassy session mate Betty (Joanna Cassidy in an ultra-brief role) urges her to do.  When she relates how she earned the nickname "Klutzy" by accidentally shooting her dad's friend in the ass at the gun range, her counselor asks, "How did that make you feel?"  Yikes.

Already an emotional wreck, all she needs is for her and Chad to be carjacked by an escaped bank robber named Roy (Steven Dorff, BLADE, PUBLIC ENEMIES) on their way home, which of course is what happens.  Forced to drive Roy to a rendezvous 350 miles away, Lorraine somehow makes a connection with the chatty criminal and shares her feelings with him instead of being totally terrified like a normal person would.  Thus, we're not really all that scared for her and apart from a couple of halfhearted escape attempts, little suspense is generated by her ordeal.  At one point she even seems to consider running off to Mexico with Roy and his money.



Maria Bello, whom I've always considered a pretty good actress, is pretty awful as Lorraine.  Never convincing as a kidnap victim, she plays the role with a series of weird expressions and nervous tics, occasionally getting a comically peeved look when Roy says something threatening or offensive.  We expect Lorraine to eventually turn the tables on Roy, which will be just the thing to boost her confidence and assertiveness, but she's remarkably stupid--during an attempt to call 911 on her cellphone while in the bathroom, she gets 411 instead and can't understand why the operator keeps asking, "What city, please?" 

At first, Dorff plays Roy as the most patient and non-threatening carjacker in movie history, reducing his character's menace during the film's first half and even coming off as sympathetic while talking with Lorraine--for awhile there, it seemed this was going to turn into a road trip movie.  It's only later that we find he enjoys lulling his victims into a false sense of security before doing something horrible to them, as Lorraine discovers when they finally reach the rendezvous. 

At that point, it looked as though CARJACKED was finally going to turn into a tense thriller, but instead it seems to morph into a black comedy designed to have us thinking "WTF?"  In addition to some comical rednecks at a truckstop (the kind played by actors who have never actually seen a real one), we get a car chase that looks like something out of a Hal Needham movie followed by some highly improbable hijinks in a deserted warehouse.  With believability well and truly thrown out the window, all that remains is for the film to end with a wrap-up scene that seems to have been written under the influence of laughing gas.



John Bonito's direction is okay if somewhat self-indulgent at times, although that thing where the camera does those little zoopy zoom-ins on a character's face while they're driving doesn't even look good when Michael Bay and Paul W.S. Anderson do it.  Acting-wise, Dorff is okay while Cassidy isn't in the film long enough to make an impression.  Bello is hard to figure out--she seems aware that the film is going to turn into a semi-comedy in the second half, but since we don't know that, her performance seems curiously flaky throughout.  I kept thinking, "I hope she's in better form taking over Helen Mirren's role in PRIME SUSPECT."

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with English 5.1 and Spanish mono sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is a very brief behind-the-scenes short.

After a so-so start, the last twenty minutes or so of CARJACKED are so unexpectedly nutty that I actually began to enjoy it on that level.  But I still can't figure out if the filmmakers were trying to make a serious thriller and failed, or if they were just messing with my head the whole time.


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DISAPPEARED -- movie review by porfle

DISAPPEARED, aka "She's Gone" (2004), starts with a simple premise and dives right in--well-to-do English husband and father Harry Sands (Ray Winstone) finds that his daughter Olivia, who is doing charity work with a friend in Istanbul during a college hiatus, is missing, and he goes there to try and find her.  When he arrives he discovers that the two young women have been working as strippers, and suspects that a certain customer with overly-amorous intentions has kidnaped Olivia. 

Ever since MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, Turkey has seemed like a scary place for Westerners to get swallowed up in, and while it isn't presented here as quite the hellhole Billy Hayes made it out to be, it's still a daunting location for a stocky, middle-aged English businessman to go blundering around sticking his nose into things.  The most tense confrontations occur when Sands starts making trouble at the shady strip club where his daughter and her friend have been working, especially when he finds out that another girl who worked there has gone missing some time before.  Olivia's mysterious admirer at the club, Peter Vine (David Westhead), turns out to be a business tycoon in the middle of a big-money deal that the British foreign office would like to see go through, which makes their weaselly representative less than cooperative with Harry's harrassment of him. 

Ray Winstone, who played "Captain Stanley" in 2005's excellent Australian Western THE PROPOSITION, gives an outstanding performance as Harry Sands.  He's interesting to watch every second he's on the screen and is utterly convincing in the role even when the camera is half an inch from his face, which is often.  Lindsey Coulson is also good as his wife Joanna, who joins Harry later on in Turkey after it's found that an unidentified woman has been using their daughter's passport.  And as if they didn't have enough troubles already, the nightmarish situation begins to expose certain chinks in their marriage for them to agonize over. 

Emily Corrie plays Olivia's friend Manda, who, while helping Harry in his investigation, reveals some interesting factoids about Olivia's personal life that knock Harry for a loop.  Haluk Bilginer does a solid job as Inspector Yilmaz, a Turkish cop with much more pressing matters to deal with than one missing woman.  The rest of the cast is more than capable as well.

While the story remains compelling throughout and a certain level of suspense is maintained, DISAPPEARED never really builds up much of a head of steam.  I kept expecting things to get really scary and tense, and for a mood of oppressive dread to begin to develop at some point, but the film rarely achieves anything approaching this.  Aside from a couple of twitchy scenes between Harry and the strip club owner and a pretty surprising revelation toward the end, there's not much here to get the blood racing or the mind boggling, including a barely-there ending. 

I couldn't help comparing this movie to Paul Schrader's 1979 thriller HARDCORE, the quintessential movie about a conservative father descending into a nightmare world of depravity to find his missing daughter.  Compared to that pulse-pounding tour of Hell, DISAPPEARED is merely a fairly absorbing distraction that you could play for your guests during teatime without unduly upsetting any of them.


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"SINNERS AND SAINTS" from Anchor Bay Entertainment -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 10, 2012

"Terrific!… A top notch action packed thriller!" - Steve Barnett, Co-Producer, 300

“As slick and expensive and explode-y as any Michael Mann movie!" – Film Threat

“Impressive action....Delivers in Spades...This is a hard edged thriller!” -Cool Target

“A GRITTY, FAST-PACED COP THRILLER...FANTASTIC ACTION SCENES!" – JADE MAGAZINE

“Fabulous, old school action… with strong acting and intense gun battles… a refreshing take on the tough guy action genre!” -Twitch Film...

LOCK ‘N’ LOAD FOR NON-STOP ACTION IN ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT’S "SINNERS AND SAINTS"

Take No Prisoners January 10th on Blu-ray™ and DVD

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Remember those hardcore, old school, action movies, when it  was all about blowing up stuff...in-camera, without CGI enhancement? When fights actually looked real?  When actual stuntmen did actual stunts? Anchor Bay Entertainment remembers with the January 10, 2012 Blu-ray™ and DVD release of Sinners and Saints.

Directed by William Kaufman (The Hit List, One In the Chamber), Sinners and Saints boasts a powerhouse action-genre cast including Johnny Strong (Black Hawk Down, The Fast and the Furious), Kevin Phillips (Notorious, Pride), Costas Mandylor (Saw 3D: The Final Chapter – VII), Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints & Boondock Saints II, Saw3D: The Final Chapter), legendary UFC Champion Bas Rutten (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Here Comes the Boom), Clifford “Method Man” Smith (How High, The Fast and the Furious, Gone In Sixty Seconds, 8 Mile, The Sitter), Kim Coates (Black Hawk Down, “Sons of Anarchy”), Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Jolene Blalock (“Star Trek: Enterprise”), and Oscar® nominee Tom Berenger (Inception, Training Day, Platoon).

So, buckle up for non-stop thrills with high-powered gunfights, bloody fistfights, high-octane car chases and 100% adrenaline-rushing action! SRP is $22.98 for the DVD, and $24.99 for the Blu-ray™. Pre-book is December 14, 2011.

Location: New Orleans, post-Katrina. As the leader of an elite “Street Crimes” task force squad, New Orleans Detective Sean Reilly (Strong) is trying to cope with the death of his young son and the abandonment of his wife. But when a routine warrant “serve” results in an ambush and the vicious murder of his partner, this may be the last straw that finally sends Sean over the edge.

Re-assigned by his mentor Captain Trahan (Berenger), Sean and Det. Will Ganz (Kevin Phillips) investigate a baffling gangland homicide. As the clues stack up on the case, Sean and Will realize that Colin (Flanery), one of Sean’s childhood friends, and a security contractor just back from the Middle East, seems to be at the center of their horrible case.  The two quickly realize there is something far more sinister going on than either could have ever imagined.

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DVD
Blu-Ray

Best Brit TV on DVD - Jason Isaacs in "Case Histories", "Tinker Tailor", and "Brideshead" on Blu-ray - Acorn Media Calendar

Acorn Media (British TV) and Athena (Best Documentaries) DVD Release Calendar

“Acorn Media, chief curators of the best Brit TV” –TIME Magazine

October 25:

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – Coinciding with the star-studded feature film adaptation starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, Oscar®-winner Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia) stars in John le Carré’s classic Cold War spy drama. Guinness delivers the performance of a lifetime in his BAFTA-winning role as George Smiley, a retired spymaster recruited to find a mole in the British intelligence service. Hailed as one of the finest dramas ever made for television, this 1979 BBC miniseries garnered universal critical acclaim for its stellar ensemble cast, literate writing and intricate plots. This repackaged and discounted DVD 3-disc set includes six episodes, along with a 28-min. interview with John le Carré. Acorn Media is also re-releasing its sequel, Smiley’s People, on October 25th.

Joseph Campbell: Mythos III (DVD Debut) – Third installment of Joseph Campbell’s fascinating lecture series, seen on PBS. Offering five newly remastered and visually stunning lectures from one of greatest storytellers of our time. Hosted by Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon, these remarkable talks broadcast continually on PBS explore subjects ranging from Arthurian romances to modern myth. Over a career that spanned nearly 40 years, eminent scholar Joseph Campbell inspired artists, academics, and laypeople with his passion for myth and is best known from The Power of Myth interviews with Bill Moyers, inspiring George Lucas to create Star Wars, and his “follow your bliss” philosophy. (5 Episodes)

Bill Moyers: Own Our Own Terms (DVD Debut) – “An extraordinary achievement” (The Washington Post) - Newest release from Bill Moyers’ acclaimed library features insightful, practical discussions about death and dying in America. Moyers interviews dozens of terminally ill patients in this four-part exploration of end-of-life issues. The 2000 series offers illuminating perspectives on the sometimes controversial ethical, medical and economic forces that can drive a person’s decisions surrounding death. (4 Episodes)

November 1:

Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray debut, DVD) – Blu-ray debut in all-new transfer from an HD source and even more extras. Called “The best series ever” by The Washington Post, the iconic miniseries won 17 international awards and launched the career of Jeremy Irons. Also starring Anthony Andrews, Diane Quick, Sir John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, and Sir Laurence Olivier in an Emmy®-winning role. Special features include a Revisiting Brideshead documentary, four commentaries, new photo galleries, outtakes, viewer’s guide, and more. Based on the timeless novel by Evelyn Waugh, the series took a staggering two years to make and is the equivalent of seven feature films back-to-back. Waugh tells a poignant story of romantic yearning and loss set in the world of British aristocracy.

Pie in the Sky Complete Collection – Value-priced complete collection of the popular culinary detective series. Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter) stars as DI Henry Crabbe—a semi-retired cop who would rather be in the kitchen than collaring criminals. Seen on public television, Pie in the Sky debuted on BBC1 in the U.K. in March 1994 and aired for five series. The series has featured a plethora of well-known guests stars, including Michael Kitchen (Foyle’s War), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), Jane Wymark (Midsomer Murders), Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Nicola Walker (Touching Evil, MI-5), and Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs).

November 8:

Case Histories (DVD Debut) – Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The Patriot) stars in the acclaimed new drama, which recently premiered on Masterpiece Mystery! (October 16-30). From the co-creator of Life on Mars comes the brilliantly acted, character-driven drama based on the bestselling Jackson Brodie novels by Kate Atkinson. Golden Globe®-nominee Jason Isaacs stars as a good-hearted but tough private investigator based in the rugged, Scottish city of Edinburgh. A hit with fans and critics alike, the series has already been commissioned for a second season. Includes 3 two-part episodes, along with a 15 min. behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Acorn Media Highlights from Jan-Sept. 2011:
Without Motive; On the Road with Charles Kuralt: Americana Collection; Bonekickers (Blu-ray debut); Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren; Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal (U.S. Debut, Blu-ray/DVD); Visions of Europe (Blu-ray debut); The Red Green Show: The Geezer Years (DVD Debut); Lost Empires starring Oscar® winner Colin Firth; Queer as Folk: Complete U.K. Collection; New Tricks, Season 5 (DVD Debut); Midsomer Murders: Barnaby’s Top 10; Rosemary & Thyme: Complete Collection; Vera (U.S. Debut) staring Brenda Blethyn; Murphy’s Law Complete Collection; Midsomer Murders, Set 18 (U.S. Debut); Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Movie Collection, Set 6 (Blu-ray/DVD); Garrow’s Law, Series 2; Upstairs, Downstairs Complete Series: 40th Anniversary Edition in a 21-disc collection with 25+ hours of never-before-seen extras; Agatha Christie’s Marple: The Pale Horse (DVD) and Complete Series 5 (Blu-ray debut); George Gently Series 3 (Blu-ray/DVD, U.S. debut), Doc Martin Collection: Series 1-4; Murdoch Mysteries Season 3 (DVD/Blu-ray); The Norman Conquests (DVD Debut); and NBC and Lisa Kudrow’s Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1 (DVD Debut)

From Athena, Art of the Western World; HBO’s The Battle for Marjah (Blu-ray/DVD combo); Emmy® winning campaign documentaries The Making of the President: The 1960s (DVD Debut); Weapons Races; The Genius of Design; The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide (U.S. Debut); Bill Moyers: The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith, God & Politics and The Language of Life; and Genius of Britain: The Scientists Who Changed the World (U.S. Debut)

Acorn’s and Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com and www.athenalearning.com. For the complete press releases, please visit: www.acornmedia.com