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Pulp—Hits

Pulp's early-'90s videos for "Babies" and "Lipgloss" perfectly capture that periods new optimism, while the promos for "Common People" and "Disco 2000" were Britpop's peak visual moments. But it's the extras on this three-hour DVD that provide evidence of Jarvis Cocker's surreal ubiquity back then: ...

Pulp’s early-’90s videos for “Babies” and “Lipgloss” perfectly capture that periods new optimism, while the promos for “Common People” and “Disco 2000” were Britpop’s peak visual moments. But it’s the extras on this three-hour DVD that provide evidence of Jarvis Cocker’s surreal ubiquity back then: impersonations courtesy of Harry Hill, Chris Morris and Mr Blobby, appearances on This Morning With Richard & Judy and Da Ali G Show, and a take-off on Stars In Their Eyes.

Big Beach Boutique II

The first gig since Castlemorton to make front-page news, Fatboy Slim's massively over-attended 2002 beach-front hoedown was greeted as armaggedon by the Daily Mail but, as this film shows in fact consisted of a bald man in a Hawaiian shirt playing 19 records very loud. Watch 200,000 ecstatic bodies...

The first gig since Castlemorton to make front-page news, Fatboy Slim’s massively over-attended 2002 beach-front hoedown was greeted as armaggedon by the Daily Mail but, as this film shows in fact consisted of a bald man in a Hawaiian shirt playing 19 records very loud. Watch 200,000 ecstatic bodies moving in unison to “Born Slippy”, though, and you’ll realise the Mail had a point. Goosebump-inducing.

DVD EXTRAS: Interview with and full commentary by Norman Cook, choice of playing the tracks in your own order. Rating Star

Suede—Introducing The Band

A document of their 1994 Dog Man Star tour, this captures Suede just about surviving the notorious crisis of losing that album's principal architect, Bernard Butler. Still, Brett Anderson bumps and minces with considerable verve and new boy Richard Oakes oozes confidence nevertheless. More interesti...

A document of their 1994 Dog Man Star tour, this captures Suede just about surviving the notorious crisis of losing that album’s principal architect, Bernard Butler. Still, Brett Anderson bumps and minces with considerable verve and new boy Richard Oakes oozes confidence nevertheless. More interesting are the accompanying tour films, dedicated to Derek Jarman and visibly influenced by said director’s Smiths promos.

DVD EXTRAS: Lyrics menu, rare NFT video footage, teaser for accompanying Lost in TV DVD. Rating Star

Nico—An Underground Experience – Heroine

By the early-to-mid '80s, Nico was holed up in Manchester on the comeback trail junkie habit in tow. A live performance at the Library Theatre, Heroine is a funereal study of stark cool, drawing on The Velvet Underground?"All Tomorrow's Parties", "Femme Fatale"?alongside rather less celebrated fare ...

By the early-to-mid ’80s, Nico was holed up in Manchester on the comeback trail junkie habit in tow. A live performance at the Library Theatre, Heroine is a funereal study of stark cool, drawing on The Velvet Underground?”All Tomorrow’s Parties”, “Femme Fatale”?alongside rather less celebrated fare from Camera Obscura (1985) and Drama Of Exile (1981).

The inferior An Underground Experience places her in a nameless club?haunted, drawn and distant. The highlight is the painfully squirming interviewer struggling amidst bored, monosyllabic replies.

DVD EXTRAS: Complete discography, individual track access. Rating Star

The Prisoner 35th Anniversary Companion

On this "Special Edition" DVD you get a wealth of biographical information and visual material, as well as a Renault 21 TV ad based on this legendary Cold War-era feast for late-'60s conspiracy theorists. The holy grail for Prisoner fanatics, however, is a rough-cut, alternative version of episode o...

On this “Special Edition” DVD you get a wealth of biographical information and visual material, as well as a Renault 21 TV ad based on this legendary Cold War-era feast for late-’60s conspiracy theorists. The holy grail for Prisoner fanatics, however, is a rough-cut, alternative version of episode one, “Arrival”, never officially available before, featuring different intro music. Scoff if you like, but remember we’re talking here about probably the most iconic opening sequence in British TV history.

DVD EXTRAS: Patrick McGoohan biography, stills and merchandise gallery, production notes for each episode. Rating Star

Easy Does It

US cable giant HBO once more deliver the goods with this ambitious adaptation of Stephen E Ambrose's non-fiction bestseller, presented here as a box set. Produced by Saving Private Ryan alumni Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this 10-hour epic is the finest 'WWII through the eyes of one unit' drama s...

US cable giant HBO once more deliver the goods with this ambitious adaptation of Stephen E Ambrose’s non-fiction bestseller, presented here as a box set. Produced by Saving Private Ryan alumni Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this 10-hour epic is the finest ‘WWII through the eyes of one unit’ drama since Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One in 1980. Following the real-life exploits of the 101st Airborne Division’s Easy Company during their casualty-laced tour of the European theatre, Band Of Brothers foregoes flag-waving heroics (

Waking Life

Richard Linklater takes the po-faced monologues of Slacker up a level with this extraordinary, state-of-the-art, animated dream trip. The endless navel-gazing and philosophising (Are we alive? Are we imagining everything? There's not gonna be a car chase in this, is there?) are undeniably wearing, b...

Richard Linklater takes the po-faced monologues of Slacker up a level with this extraordinary, state-of-the-art, animated dream trip. The endless navel-gazing and philosophising (Are we alive? Are we imagining everything? There’s not gonna be a car chase in this, is there?) are undeniably wearing, but you have to admire the only sentient Texan’s ambition and nerve.

DVD EXTRAS: None.

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Sleeper Hit

It's tempting to see Pedro Almod...

It’s tempting to see Pedro Almod

Horror Roundup

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 cu...

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.

Pollock

Years of Ed Harris' life went into realising this biopic of action painter Jackson Pollock. As director, he's workmanlike, though he does catch the exhilaration of the artist at work. As star, he's superb, avoiding clich...

Years of Ed Harris’ life went into realising this biopic of action painter Jackson Pollock. As director, he’s workmanlike, though he does catch the exhilaration of the artist at work. As star, he’s superb, avoiding clich

Windtalkers

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 ...

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. Rating Star

O

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 dupli...

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.

Married To The Mob

Two years before GoodFellas, Jonathan Demme nailed the comical backstage soap opera element of modern-day mobsters and their brassy womenfolk in this cheery 1988 farce. Michelle Pfeiffer is the blousy Mafia wife who wants out, while Matthew Modine plays the FBI agent on her trail. It feels a little ...

Two years before GoodFellas, Jonathan Demme nailed the comical backstage soap opera element of modern-day mobsters and their brassy womenfolk in this cheery 1988 farce. Michelle Pfeiffer is the blousy Mafia wife who wants out, while Matthew Modine plays the FBI agent on her trail. It feels a little too clean and lightweight today, but the roots of The Sopranos are buried in here somewhere.

Bugsy Malone

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 patr...

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. Rating Star

Murder By Numbers

Sandra Bullock got little credit for branching out as a gum-chewing, neurotic hardcase in this clever Barbet Schroeder cop thriller. Two Dostoyevsky students commit the perfect murder as an intellectual challenge; it's up to boozy Bullock and sidekick Ben Chaplin to rattle their smugness. Schroeder ...

Sandra Bullock got little credit for branching out as a gum-chewing, neurotic hardcase in this clever Barbet Schroeder cop thriller. Two Dostoyevsky students commit the perfect murder as an intellectual challenge; it’s up to boozy Bullock and sidekick Ben Chaplin to rattle their smugness. Schroeder ensures it has a dark heart.

The Last Supper

Initially promising black comedy, acidly penned by Dan (Dead Man's Curve) Rosen, which follows a group of student types as their campaign for political correctness moves from right-on moaning to casually poisoning anyone whose views don't dovetail with their own. Even an early Cameron Diaz performan...

Initially promising black comedy, acidly penned by Dan (Dead Man’s Curve) Rosen, which follows a group of student types as their campaign for political correctness moves from right-on moaning to casually poisoning anyone whose views don’t dovetail with their own. Even an early Cameron Diaz performance can’t stop it losing momentum late on.

DVD EXTRAS: None.

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The Driller Killer

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 unb...

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.

The Guru

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, t...

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.

Chance Encounter

Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby both hit autumnal peaks in this immortal comedy from 1979. Based on Jerzy Kosinski's scathing novel about a mentally challenged gardener who's mistaken for a profound soothsayer by America's political elite, Being There does a balancing act between magical fable ...

Peter Sellers and director Hal Ashby both hit autumnal peaks in this immortal comedy from 1979. Based on Jerzy Kosinski’s scathing novel about a mentally challenged gardener who’s mistaken for a profound soothsayer by America’s political elite, Being There does a balancing act between magical fable and caustic satire. Sellers plays the gardener, Chance, a childlike innocent abroad whose accidental encounter with a dying tycoon (Melvyn Douglas) and his sexually frustrated wife (Shirley MacLaine) propels him towards the highest office in the land. Despite a few lapses into clumsy farce, Ashby holds his nerve and delivers an incredibly rare example of mainstream US cinema steeped in intelligence, subtlety and ambiguity. Sellers partly based his Oscar-nominated characterisation of Chance on comic idol Stan Laurel. This timeless fairy tale about faith, hope and delusion is ever more terrifyingly relevant considering the jug-eared goon currently squatting in the Oval Office.

Villa Des Roses

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 Wes...

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.Rating Star