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 award-winning UK comedy In The Thick Of It (naturally dumped here without warning at inconvenient times slots so nobody saw it) this has been spawning catchphrases in England both within and outside the political establishment. Most are too rude to mention here.
The film centres on Capaldi's foul-mouthed political spin doctor as he attempts to keep vacuous MP Simon Foster from making to many embarrassing public comments in the lead up to an Iraq-type conflict. Into the mix are thrown Gandolfini as a anti-war general, David Rasche as a pro-war congressman and Steve Coogan as a man whose collapsing garden wall could just bring down the whole shebang.
This is the sort of comedy that demands a second viewing to catch all those quick-fire one-liners that you were laughing too hard to take in first time round. Brilliant stuff.

Funny People (***) is going to disappoint a lot of people. As Judd Apatow's third directorial effort (after 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up), starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan and a veritable plethora of American comedic talent, one might somewhat justifiable be expecting a knock-down comedy. But it ain't. There are some very funny moments and great lines, but this is a film about comedians, more yer sort of drama with jokes.
Hats off to Apatow, however, for covering the big issues. After sex and childbirth he has moved here to death, as Sandler's famous funnyman finds he has a terminal disease. Male bonding and soul-searching ensue until the diagnosis proves false. Then it becomes a left-field love story. An odd film whose biggest problem is that it's about 45 minutes too long.

In Hoax (***) Richard Gere plays Clifford Irving, who, in the early seventies created - with huge worldwide publicity - a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. The film is laid-back and playful, with nice seventies detail. Gere easily catching the Irving's narcissistic edge and self-destructive character while a herd of gullible publishers learn the lesson that things which look too good to be true are often just that.

In a role that some might think is tempting fate a little, Athol Kutcher in Spread (**) plays an LA pretty boy whose only talent is getting it on with rich older women. The film focuses on one particular hook-up, with Anne Heche's lawyer, and when that predictably falls apart the young stud meets and falls for his hustling female equivalent. Will true love prevail? Despite the frequent hot sex, do we care? These are boring two-dimensional people without self-awareness, and ultimately the film is much like them – pretty vacant.

The Devil's Tomb (**) has a solid opening and interesting cast led by Cuba Gooding Jr. A group of mercenaries are sent to an underground Middle Eastern archaeological site to rescue a missing professor but in the claustrophobic tunnels things go quickly off the rails for the soldiers and the film as they are assailed, first by a pustule-ridden priest then by a wild-eyed Henry Rollins ranting about hallucinations and prisons for fallen angels. Yep, it's a religious horror flick. Sadly, as they are picked off one by one, incoherence builds and finally overwhelms the film.

So there's this DA (Michael Douglas) and a young journo thinks he manufactures evidence. How to prove it? Naturally he waits for a murder then frames himself for it to see if the crooked DA will plant incriminating extras. To describe Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (*) as stupid barely does it justice – it's also badly written and horribly acted. Avoid.