The DVD & Blu-Ray Round-Up 22nd June 2009

It's back. After literally no clamour whatsoever following it's accidental disappearance, the DVD Lowdown sneaks back onto the site from its enforced sabatical- technical issues made it even later, but better to be fashionably late than non-existant. Happy goggling... Notorious Musical biopics seem to occupy more and more space within my DVD collection these days- some rightly so (Ray), and some somewhat inexplicably (I seriously own What's Love Got to Do With It?). On the merit of Biggy's personal history- his story, like Ray Charles' is just full enough of conflict and adversity to warrant the big-screen treatment- Notorious probably belongs to the first category, though it does distractingly feel a little too much like a music video at times (see 8 Mile). The other major problem is the overall naivety of it- the film runs a little cack-handed throughout, and initially feels as if it has been made by first time film-makers without the necessary credentials that their vision needed. No matter how I feel about this film, at the end of the day, I simply cannott say it any better than our very own Ray did in his review. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist How could I not adore it? A film starring Michael Cera, and the dangerously hot Kat Dennings, with indie-sensibilities, a phenomenal soundtrack and that certain Je Ne Sais Quoi that really makes the best Rom-Coms sparkle. I'm an unashamed fan of Rom-Coms (though of course universal- I find a lot of the most recent stuff obligatory and numbing) and find the best to live or die on the relationship dynamic between the leads. No better suited a leading duo has their been since Crystal and Ryan made furtive eyes at one another across mock-orgasmic coffee than Cera and Dennings- they are the embodiment of that ever so cool Modern Condition- social awkwardness- without ever being overly-neurotic (I find most recent "quirky" characters to merely be an offensive caricatured paradigm of Woody Allen-esque characteristics) or sabotaging their accessibility. Criticism levelled at Cera will no doubt point to a lack of range- he has ostensibly plays different versions of his Arrested Development character George-Michael in most of his roles to date, but never let it be said that the best in the business dont mostly revert to type- Pacino, James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart: all have surprisingly limited range and yet it is the wonderful familiarity in their artistry that make them so well loved. In that respect, Cera can count himself in good company. The plot: an ultra-contemporary tale of one hedonistic night in New York during which the lead characters seek to find a band called Where's Fluffy? (their gimmick is they play secret gigs- totally impractical I might add), and simultaneously find themselves (self-reallisation is of course so important in the familiar Rom-Com pattern) and one another. There is nothing new here, but it somehow feels very now, and very comforting- especially for a jaded old romancer like myself- mostly because there is limited suggestion of an infinite future together for Cera and Dennings characters (pragmatism and realism determine that even the most ardently committed rom-com fan surely cant believe in happily ever after any more). Because the narrative takes place over one night, there isnt the kind of extrapolated generation that most rom-com relationships go through- admittedly, there is the typical conflict and resolution to go through during the third act, but the film is all about the immediacy of falling for someone and it works well. The cast are without fault- Cera and Dennings both play to their strengths (though I still find Denning a little hard to understand when she is in full-speed flow), and the peripheral characters (notably Cera's gay bandmates and Dennings' hilarious drunkard of a best friend) are excellent and offer some more conventional humour when the quirkiness gets too much. I was expecting to find something that felt a lot like Juno in tone, but thankfully Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist steers well clear of the contrivedness (especially in the lead character) that was the only jarring point for that production. The best thing I can say about the film is that it deserves to be considered alongside When Harry Met Sally and Annie Hall, as well as rightfully being claimed as part of the chic modern Indie-esque movement that makes me happy to be a film fan. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.The Unborn Putting that kind of image on the front of a DVD is a dangerous game to play- especially when the film inside falls some way short of competing with that gorgeous peach of a backside. Hang on while I wipe this drool away... The film itself is mostly memorable because of the casting- why Gary Oldman attaches himself to projects that are so obviously beneath him will perpetually astound me. When you consider his performances in The Fifth Element, Hannibal, The Firm and even Sid and Nancy- roles that immediately justify his status as one of the best character actors in the business- it is unthinkable that this is the same man as appeared in Lost In Space, or who continually flirts with the Spyro computer game series, or who occasionally churns out shit like The Unborn. Not good enough. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.Vicky Cristina Barcelona I adore Woody Allen, but was beginning to feel like his recent releaseswere becoming somewhat obligatory: nothing about them is challenging or new, and you can only be so fond of such familiar fare when it is repeatedly offered. Thankfully, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a welcome return to form for the self-styled King of Neurotic Romance. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.Oliver's review says it all already. The Punisher: War Zone I cant help but wish that some of Marvel's works had been left in paper-form. Punisher, along with Constantine, forms the major culprit unfortunately, and such is the malice that I still hold for the last adaptation (I have come to reallise that my apparently inexplicable derision for Thomas Jane is rooted squarely in that movie) that I was very tempted not to watch this newer sibling at all. And what a shame that I allowed myself the time to hope- surely this couldnt be as bad... Well, it is. It is horrifically artless, and walks around with an undeserved swagger as if it should be proud of what it has created. Gore has never been as cool as War Zone seems to think it is- a disease that riddled Max Payne as well: this makes a mockery of the audience's intelligence, and is even an insult to the character. Okay so he is probably the most notoriously bloodied character in comic history, but Punisher has a style and panache that is simply lost in this violent pornography. The main problem is that the Punisher franchise is not as unworkable as the three attempts would have us believe. Hence the reason there are three of the fuckers polluting good people's DVD shelves. The character is definitely one of my Marvel favourites: he has the irresistible mix of tortured history and blood-thirsty efficiency that makes Wolverine another of my favourites, but crucially he has even less humanity- so much so that he was cast out of the Civil War rebel alliance. So, it is with a heavy heart, that I must deplore Marvel not to try again- this franchise needs to rest in peace for a good while before anyone thinks of resurrecting it, and next time it should be dealt with with far more dignity and grace than this festering heap was. I'll shed a tear for the character, but if this spells the end of the current filmic franchise, I'll shed no more. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.Franklyn You know what? I wanted so much to love Franklyn. I wanted it to be the coolest British sci-fi I'd seen in a long time- the height that the painfully underperforming American sci-fi genre should aspire towards (but probably wont). I wanted to, but I bloody well couldnt, because, despite a palpable desire, I wasnt sent Franklyn to review by either of the two PR companies representing it. It's probably as good as I think it should be, but at this point I can only offer conjecture. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD now.Also AvailableNCIS Season 5, The Apollo Missions, Queer As Folk USA Season 4, Occupation, Princess Protection Programme, Moving On, Tokyo Sonata (Masters of Cinema), The Crossroads, Cambell's Kingdom.