Video] DVD
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HORROR THE OTHERS (12)104min eeee
, h
Tension builds until a corkscrew of an ending
fl. ‘V‘
Tom Cruise executive produced The Others while he and Nicole Kidman were in the thick of marital disharmony; which may explain the rather maniacal look she wears throughout. A far more likely explanation however, is that Kidman is a genuinely fine actress. One who manages to spook the bejesus out of us as she plays a paranoid, over-protective, Bible-bashing mother in Alejandro Aménabar’s atmospheric
thriller.
Left alone by her soldier husband in a sprawling mansion on Jersey, shortly after Nazi occupation, Grace (Kidman) employs three servants to help keep the house in order. Both her young children, Anne and Nicholas are dangerously sensitive to light, meaning every door has to be kept closed, every curtain drawn. Despite this, the two under-tens (played by remarkable young talents Alakina Mann and
James Bentley) are feisty and spirited, until Anne
starts talking about ‘the others’: people she has seen around the house. At first Grace (and the viewer) puts the sightings down to childish fancy, but it soon becomes apparent that there’s more to this palatial property than meets the eye. So too the seemingly innocuous servants. As the story unfolds, the tension and our curiosity builds, until finally we’re handed a corkscrew of an ending, all twists and turns. Yet as admirable as the storyline and direction are,
it’s the performances which make this the stand-
out thriller it is; with the possible exception of gardener, Eric Sykes, who’s more wooden than the eponymous star of his 1960s skit, The Plank.
(Kelly Apter)
I Aver/able to rent on VHS and DVD from Mon 29
Apr thrOugh Buena Vista.
COMEDY THE ANIMAL (15) 80min 0
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Adan: Sander prooticed the 'uDDtSl‘ in \J/loich his pa: Rot; Scnneider Deuce Bryn/ow: i'/la/e
Gigolo; plays MarVin Mange. a Village idiot who wants to be a cop. One day he drives off a cliff and gets saved from the wreck by a mad vet who puts him back together With animal parts. He's got a hairy monkey's arse and he can swrm like a dolphin and he becomes a local hero.
Spectacularly unfunny. the strongest Jokes here are killed by Schneider's laCK of charisma and a truly appalling so;indtrack that lRClUOeS Such sophomore Eigntv.reigrts as Train.
Video/ DVD
Come back John Belushi. all is forgiven. (Columbia Tristar VHS rental; DVD retail) (Paul Dale)
THRILLER D-TOX (18) 92min ee
Sylvester Stallone may have created a role to remember with his sleepy-eyed. monOSyllabic Rocky. but the muscleman has long since been on the ropes. Here Sly plays an FBI agent who is sent to a D- TOX clinic in order to recover from the horrors of his last case on the trail of a serial ‘COp-killer‘. However. a snowstorm cuts the patients off from Civilisation. just as another killer strikes within the clinic.
It's predictable stuff. yet Within this there lies a certain amount of entertainment: rugged hero. beautiful victim, plenty of dodgy characters and lots of violence. Of course. it's been done a million times before. and in better ways. (Universal VHS and DVD rental) (Vicky Shenkin)
DRAMA GLITTER (PG) 100min ee
.' ~AN,‘a.-l
This could so easily have been a disco version of A Star Is Born: talented
“ young singer Billie
(Mariah 'don't give up the day job' Carey) is discovered by hot-shot DJ and producer Dice (Max ‘what were you thinking‘ Beesley). only for her success to eclipse his. leaving him drunken and bitter. Instead. it's a painfully directed. badly scripted vehicle for a former chart-topper whose star is on the descent.
Glitters one saving grace is its soundtrack (early 80s funk) and even that's pretty poor. If Carey's profile weren‘t so low just now. the film might w0rk on a
Britney/Crossroads level. As it stands. it's late-night Channel 5 movie fodder way before its time. (Columbia Tristar VHS rental; DVD retail) (Kelly Apter)
MARTIAL ARTS KISS OF THE DRAGON
(18) 94min eee
A few high kicks and some carefully placed acupuncture needles go a long way when it's Mr Jet Li delivering them. This Paris-set. above average Kung Fu thriller delivers all you could ask of it: some great fight scenes. a really horrible villain (Tcheky Karyo) and the good old tart—with-a- heart (Bridget Fonda). who helps our fish-out- of-water hero.
This is a lot of fun that borrows from the best (Bruce Lee and John Woo. mostly). Screenwriters Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and director Chris Nahon maintain the dark mood with the cross Cultural gags thankfully kept to a minimum. (Fox Pathe VHS and DVD rental) (Paul Dale)
COMEDY
WILD ABOUT HARRY
(15) 93min eee Celebrity TV chef Harry McGee (Brendan Gleeson). is an
unfaithful. drunken, womanising bully who is about to lose his wife Ruth (Amanda Donohoe). his home and his family. That is until he gets mugged. falls into a coma and wakes up knowing nothing about the last 25 years of his life.
His wife then tries to change him. his son tries to drown him and an ex- lle tries to shoot him, but Harry is still determined to win back the love of his wife and family in this easy-going
on war. Fox DVD retail. The Monkey’s Mask NOir-ish thriller with a lesbian slant based on the poetry of Dorothy Parker. Momentum VHS and DVD retail.
Shower Thought provoking Chinese drama looking at the role of tradition in the modern world. Momentum VHS and DVD retail.
Shooters Yet another British gangster flick. Will Self liked it. apparently. RDA VHS and DVD rental.
story with plenty of laughs and an odd Irish accent or two. (Universal VHS and DVD rental) (Jane Hamilton)
ALSO RELEASED Gabriel And Me Another (and not very good) it's-grim-up-north tale in the Billy Elliot mould. Billy Connolly stars. Fox Pathe VHS rental
M'A'S'H' Special Edition Two disc. extras-packed DVD reissue of Robert Altman's superb satire
Amelie/Delicatessen - HMV Exclusive Box Set Released: 15 April 2002
Outside of Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon this is the UK's highest grossing foreign language film. HMV are featuring award-winning Amelie as an exclusive box set together with the film Delicatessen. which is released on DVD for the first time.
America’s Sweethearts
Released: 15 April 2002
Romantic comedy starring John Cusack. Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The DVD extras include 5 deleted scenes and director's commentary.
Apocalypse Now Redux
Released: 22 April 2002
Coppola has revisited his 1979 Vietnam ClaSSlC. adding more than forty minutes of additional footage for DVD viewers. HMV will have an exclu- sive pocket movie guide book specific to the film.
Man Who Wasn’t There
Released: 22 April 2002
The Coen Brothers' follow up film to Oh Brother Where Art Thou? Stars Billy Bob Thornton as a barber trying to escape his humdrum life.
Pop Idol - A Star Is Born
Released: 22 April 2002
Now available on DVD with all of Will‘s and Gareth's songs, plus 19 extra songs from the other finalists and Will's audition.
Thpac Shakur - Thug Angel
Released: 22 April 2002
The DVD format includes full-length interviews with Tupac at the gun range and when he was seven- teen years old as well as personal audio record- ings of Tupac talking about his life and career.
Wicker Man - Special Edition
Released: 22 April 2002
Horror masterpiece starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. released as a double disc set featuring both the theatrical and director's cuts of the film.
Andromeda - Season 1 Box 1
Released: 29 April 2002
New science fiction franchise from Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek). starring Kevin SOrbo. The complete series will be released across 5 DVD box sets in total.
25 Apr—9 Ma) 2002 THE LIST 109