It’s tempting to see Pedro Almod

American thriller writer Peter Neal (Tony Franciosa) arrives in Rome to publicise his latest novel. Then people start dying in increasingly grisly ways?all copied from Neal’s book. Dario Argento’s long-banned blood-drenched whodunnit is released in uncut form for the first time… but this hasn’t cured the gaping holes in the plot. For gorehounds only.

Action emperor John Woo raises hell in the Pacific for this noisy WWII epic, which is grounded in real events. The grand-canvas battle scenes rule, but Nic Cage’s hammy turn as an emotionally scarred hero charged with guarding a Navajo code-talker lets the side down. Still, the battle sequences are up there with Sam Fuller’s best.

DVD EXTRAS: Several backstage documentaries, commentary by a genuine Navajo code-talker, shared chat between Cage and co-star Christian Slater.

Despite the presence of the hapless Josh Hartnett, Tim Blake Nelson (him from O Brother, Where Art Thou) stirs up a sprightly, sinister revamp of Othello. Mekhi Phifer’s fine as the school basketball hero who blows his future when jealous Josh, in the lago role, convinces him Julia Stiles is a duplicitous Desdemona. All this and Martin Sheen trying to look non-presidential as the sports coach.

Leaving aside the Paul Williams soundtrack and Jodie Foster’s performance (which aren’t bad), Alan Parker’s 1930s kiddie gangster musical, which dates back to 1976, combines a dozen bad things, including clunky dialogue, child actors, obvious sets and dull direction. Kids would probably find it patronising, and to the rest of us it falls somewhere between cloyingly cute and downright dodgy.

DVD EXTRAS: Trailers, storyboards, trivia, character notes, photo gallery.

Abel Ferrara’s 1979 directorial debut achieved notoriety as a video nasty, but those seeking gore will be largely disappointed. It’s an exceedingly bleak portrait of an artist (Ferrara) cracking up and relieving the stress by offing homeless bums with a hand drill. Doom-laden angst that’s almost unbearable on any level.

Typically inane British comedy which reduces centuries of Asian culture to a Carry On joke. Jimi Mistry, not an actor you want to see doing the Macarena, is a bozo mistaken for an expert on all matters carnal. Spotting a chance to whip her kit off, Heather Graham, the 21st-century’s Greta Scacchi, turns up as ‘love’ interest. Imagine, if you will, Bombay Dreams starring Robin Askwith.

Belgian director Frank Van Passel’s handsome Euro-pudding adaptation of a novel by Flemish writer Willem Elsschot evokes bohemian, early 20th-century Paris with sepia-toned style?think Moulin Rouge meets Delicatessen. Sadly, a fine ensemble cast (including Julie Delpy, Shirley Henderson, Timothy West) are wasted on a routine, soapy plot about class, manners, infidelity and looming war.

DVD EXTRAS: Trailers and scene selection.

Touted as ‘Sex & The City: The Movie’, as Nicole Holofcener often directs the series, this nervy comedy’s actually closer in neurotic spirit to her earlier, excellent Walking And Talking. Catherine Keener stars, but Brenda Blethyn’s mugging threatens to upset the work of Jake Gyllenhaal and Emily Mortimer. Women on the verge.

As Tom Clancy’s square-jawed CIA hero Jack Ryan, Ben Affleck’s the only man on earth who can prevent terrorists from sparking nuclear showdown between the US and Russia. Not even solid support from Morgan Freeman and Alan Bates can inject life into this dead-on-arrival Cold War throwback.

DVD EXTRAS: Commentaries from director, cinematographer and Clancy, documentaries and trailer.