This month’s DVD picks:
SAUSAGE PARTY ****
15 (Sony)
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s animated comedy tells the story of Frank, a sausage, in supermarket where the food and products wait with anticipation to get picked by customers. Upon learning what happens to them after being bought, Frank goes on an adventure to save his foody friends. It’s actually surprisingly smart, touching on shock comedy, spoof and satire, and tackles themes from war to religion.
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MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE ****
15 (Altitude Film Distribution)
Louis Theroux brings his unassuming documentary style Scientology with an unconventional approach, where he “auditions” actors by recreating incidents involving high-profile Scientologists, in an attempt to make contact with them. It was denounced by the Church of Scientology, which is as good as any glowing review. While it’s fantastic for Theroux’s style, Gibney’s Going Clear portrays the insidious goings on with more seriousness.
STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES **
U (Paramount)
In honour of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, The Animated Series is released in a special edition DVD with behind the scenes documentaries explaining why it still holds up (debatable), in addition to the 22 episodes. Sometimes referred to as the fourth season of the Star Trek original series, it’s got something of a cult following. With most of the original cast involved, and recycled Star Trek plots, it’s a little gem for hardcore TOS fans. It’s rather strange.
DEATH NOTE: COMPLETE SERIES AND OVA COLLECTION ***
15 (Magna)
The hit anime series and its rewrites are bundled together in this collection. Light Yagami is a high school student who finds a mysterious book that allows him to kill whomever he wants, simply by writing their name in the book. He sets out to save the world from itself by ridding the world of evil, and those he believes to be evil. Philosophical and tense at its best, but a whiny teenager with big hair at its worst.
BLAIR WITCH ****
15 (Lions Gate)
The sequel to the 1999 found footage genre maker, Blair Witch tells the story of the brother of Heather Donahue, who went missing in the woods while filming a documentary about the legendary Blair Witch. With only a couple of silly jump scare scenes, and a well-crafted disturbing atmosphere throughout most of the film, it stands out as one of the creepier films of the past few years. To be fair, its competitors are fairly feeble.
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PLANET EARTH II *****
PG (2entertain)
Attenborough’s latest outing, a follow up to the critically acclaimed 2006 nature documentary series Planet Earth, is a triumph. The photography is absolutely stunning, with footage that gets right up close and personal with the wildlife being observed. It’s a celebration of life and all that comes with it, from terrifying predatorial chases and grieving lost young, to exuberant mating displays and play. This is the BBC at its best. Next up, Attenborough hunts Trump.
LIFE ON THE ROAD ***
15 (20th Century Fox)
David Brent is back in this feature film which features Ricky Gervais’ character embarking on a nationwide tour with his band, taking unpaid leave from his day job as a tampon salesman. As ever, the character is painfully funny. While the humour is still there, there’s no new development to the character and it seems to be missing Merchant’s input. The appeal of The Office wasn’t just in Brent, but the other characters around him, but with this, it’s just a one-man show. A funny one though.
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