WE’VE BEEN WATCHING
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Arrow Video, Blu-Ray
Terry Gilliam’s hallucinatory adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s notoriously unfilmable book receives an eye-popping 4K restoration here, making it even more of a visual feast than it was in the first place. Though it financially flopped, it has since become a cult classic, with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro at their most outrageous in this carnivalesque, drugged-up romp. This two-disc limited edition bulges with bonus material about the film’s history, Thompson and his original book, plus For No Good Reason – a 90-minute documentary about iconic Welsh illustrator Ralph Steadman, whose ink-splattered artwork graces the packaging. **** SP
THE IRISHMAN
Netflix
Martin Scorsese’s non-romantic take on American labor union official and mob hitman Frank Sheeran (who supposedly confessed to killing friend Jimmy Hoffa) is dreary and overlong. Spot-on period locations, sets, clothing and cars but the direction and writing aren’t up to par and lack suspense. The CGI de-aging of leads Robert De Niro, a miscast Al Pacino and Joe Pesci is distracting and alien-like: their younger faces don’t match their slow-moving bodies. These old pros give it a good try, but this vanity project should have been left swimming with the fishes along with De Niro’s blue eyes. *** RLR
EDGE OF THE AXE
Arrow Video, Blu-Ray
A masked axe murderer (a cross between Jason and Death from The Seventh Seal) runs wild in this naff made-for-TV horror. All the ingredients of your typical 80s slasher feature: schlocky acting, lurid colours, synth soundtrack. But it’s marred by tame killings and an awkward script that sounds like something by Tommy Wiseau. Extras include interviews with two cast members — one of whom became a schoolteacher — and the special effects artist who doesn’t seem to remember working on this movie at all. Despite this, it’s beautifully restored. No matter how trashy the film, Arrow will always treat it with tender love and care. ** SP
ELIZABETH IS MISSING
BBC
A welcome return to our screens, after an almost 30-year absence, for the formidable Glenda Jackson giving it everything she’s got. This mystery drama – adapted by award-winning screenwriter Andrea Gibb from Emma Healey’s novel – focuses on Maud (Jackson), an elderly woman spiralling downwards in the grip of dementia. Despite moments of clarity, her mind is as mixed-up and cluttered as the reminder notes she writes herself. She desperately tries to unscramble the disappearance of her friend Elizabeth and of the vanishing of her sister in 1949. A shatteringly honest and unflinching look at how the disease robs individuals and families. ***** RLR
THE TUCKERS
BBC
Attempting to reflect regional diversity, the Beeb commissioned this new sitcom by Steven Speirs about a dodgy-dealing Welsh family with the most English-sounding surname imaginable. Speirs stars as scooter-riding slob Glyn, Lynn Hunter shines as sunburnt matriarch Peggy, and Alan David amuses as one-legged villain Dai Up & Down. However, the hardworking cast can’t save a lacklustre script with paper-thin characters. Comparisons to High Hopes (especially with Glyn’s tearaway sons) and Stella are inevitable. It tries to emulate The Royle Family’s aesthetic but lacks the razor-sharp wordplay of Aherne and Cash’s masterpiece. Instead it’s lightweight and polite, with Valleys clichés galore, which some might enjoy simply because it’s rare to see an all-Welsh cast nowadays. But where are the laughs? ** SP
