DVD OF THE WEEK
SHINE A LIGHT ****
Starring: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood
Dir: Martin Scorsese

Another tour another Rolling Stones concert film. So what is so special about this one?
Well, for starters, it's directed by Martin Scorsese, who is pretty much as good as it gets at this stuff, proving himself conclusively thirty years ago with the Band's Last Waltz concert film, still a classic of the genre.
Here he includes some pre-concert preparations, including the musicians being presented to Bill Clinton (for whose charitable foundation the Stones are playing), and what seems like a bit of a power struggle as Jagger withholds the final setlist from his anxious director. There are also some amusing concerns about the possibility of setting fire to Mick.
But the concert is the meat of it and is – the odd dubious duet aside – pretty sensational. The Stones may be a little frayed at the edges but they can play rock ‘n' roll with a groove that others can only envy. Towards the beginning Scorsese uses the unusual technique of focusing on particular instruments and subtly changing the sound mix to show what each does. This gives a fascinating insight into the famous twin guitar rhythm of the band.
There's an interesting mix of songs too: as well as some of the less frequently played greatest hits, the tunes from Some Girls get a good outing and there are rarer gems such as Keith's spirited sing on 'You Got The Silver” or 'Connection” from the Between the Buttons album.
As to the guests, they are – even Jack White – superfluous, with the exception of a sparkling Buddy Guy, an old mate from way back, once idolised by the band. He lends a touch of class on Muddy Waters' 'Champagne and Reefer” and is obviously having just as much fun as his younger acolytes, the shared history between them shining clearly through the music.

The Incredible Hulk (***) is the second crack at the jolly green giant, the first, Ang Lee's fascinating metaphysical superhero, proving too cerebral for the fanboy contingent. This time round it's different, Ed Norton taking the lead and the emphasis moving more to the approach taken by the TV show, but it isn't really much better. Once again the Hulk ends up battling a larger version of himself, though the high point of the film is actually their encounter earlier on. Especially after last month's Iron Man, which hit all the right button with characters and humour, this feels a bit dull, lacking the wit and any particularly interesting story.

Aliens are taking over in limp tele-movie They're Among Us (*): two intrepid journos (ex-lovers, natch) track the conspiracy to an evil corporation infecting water and veggies with nasty alien stuff. They want to breed you see, and the earth is their nursery. Cheap, silly, and indifferently acted (Isabella Rossellini is the worst offender) this might possibly be fun in a so-bad-it's-good way if the viewer has access to sufficient intoxicants. Unfortunately I was unable to confirm this theory.

With as strange a premise as one can imagine, Wristcutters – A Love Story (**) is nothing if not unusual. Set in an afterworld where suicide victims go when they die, this follows a young guy's quest to find his girlfriend after hearing that she too has offed herself. Despite some surprising moments the film isn't as interesting or philosophically complex as it promises, though the presence of a (surprisingly restrained) Tom Waits does liven things up a little.

Summer Heights High (****), the Australian comedy smash, has finally hit DVD, and brilliant it is too. Presented as a documentary set in the titular school, Chris Lilley plays three roles (drama teacher, private school girl on exchange, and 13 year old Tongan hoon), all of whom are so ghastly that it is astonishing he manages to create some weird sympathy for them. But he does. Obviously indebted to the films of Christopher Guest (Waiting For Guffman in particular) this is comedy on a par with our own Flight of the Conchords. What higher recommendation could you give?