DVD OF THE WEEK THE DAMNED UNITED **** Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Brendon Gleeson Dir: Tom Hooper Lovers of good English drama, look no further – here another of those classy films that proves that it’s not the subject matter that is important but how you tell the story. I say that because the story of The Damned United is probably going to put people off, people that is who aren’t followers of football, or soccer as it is more commonly known here, the More...

DVD OF THE WEEK MOON **** Dir: Duncan Jones Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey Perhaps because of the expense of special effects, sci-fi films tend to be aimed purely at the popcorn crowd. Which is all very well - who doesn’t enjoy some extravagant space-aged action – but it does leave a bit of a hole and an occasional longing for the science fiction of the pre-Star Wars seventies, when the genre was also a vehicle for exploring complex philosophical ideas and pushing the More...

DVD OF THE WEEK RELIGULOUS **** Dir: Larry Charles Starring: Bill Maher Larry Charles is the guy who directed Borat; Bill Maher is an American comedian, writer and political commentator, but mainly a comedian. Together in this very funny documentary they take on the forces of religion in the world. And, as I say, they have created a very funny film, which is both the strength and weakness of Religulous. It’s not actually hard to find crazies on the fringes of the religious scene, More...

DVD OF THE WEEK LA JETÉE / SANS SOLEIL ***** Dir: Chris Marker Starring: Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich, Jacques Ledoux Nothing much new has popped my cork this week, certainly nothing of the exalted standard needed to be a “Pick of the Week”. Fortunately this double bill of brilliance from France was re-released a couple of weeks back and will delight and astonish film buffs. I say “from France” but both films are actually in English since More...

DVD OF THE WEEK THE COVE **** Dir: Louie Psihoyos Starring: Ric O’Barry, Hayden Panettiere, Isabel Lucas Those with long memories may remember Ric O’Barry. He was the main-man on an old Aussie TV show called Flipper. Yes, the one about the “faster than lightening” dolphin. Ric is now older and wiser and a leading campaigner to stop dolphins being kept in captivity. And he’s on the hunt to find out about a secretive cove in Japan’s Taiji where thousands More...

DVD OF THE WEEK IN THE LOOP ***** Dir: Armando Iannucci Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini The sharpest, funniest comedy of 2009 has finally arrived in New Zealand and, unfortunately, it’s going to prove a tough sell for some people. After all, satire is a tricky endeavour and political satire all the more so. But for those who dig sharp British humour at its best there is a goldmine waiting here. Following on from two TV series of the More...

DVD OF THE WEEK UP ***** Dir: Pete Docter Starring: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jason Nagai While many of the very many recent animated features rely on either celebrity voices or easy pop-culture jokes - Ice Age 3 being a current example of both failings - Pixar continue to set the bar, telling unconventional stories with humour, heart and soul. Up offers an unexpected set-up, centring as it does on a curmudgeonly old man and an irritating young boy. A series of misadventures bring More...

OK. Last week I zipped through documentaries, animated films, action and horror. This week a quick round up of the best mainstream English-speaking films and my favourite foreign language films of the year. Films In English And, although it seems a long time ago now, the various films nominated at last year’s Oscars were actually a pretty good crop. Slumdog Millionaire, the Best Picture winner, was as good as everyone says, creating a brilliant vision of Bombay, from the cruellest More...

At this time of year it’s traditional for me to look over the past year of DVD releases and pick the best of 2009. And who am I to buck with tradition? This week we’ll do animation, action, documentary and horror. Next week, mainstream and world cinema. Let the games begin! Cool Cartoons This would have been the category for Up to win but for reasons unavailable it hasn’t been released yet in New Zealand. No matter since we have the brilliant Coraline, a story that spooked More...

DVD OF THE WEEK THE RED RIDING TRILOGY ***** Dir: Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand Tucker. Starring: Andrew Garfield, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey This is a bit of an epic, and brilliant it is too. English author David Peace’s quartet of northern noir novels have been made into a series of three films by UK television, each directed by a prominent filmmaker, and starring a cast of top British talent. The result is an outstanding achievement, three remarkable films that paint a More...