DVD Round-up

Alas, not all the movies I watch end up on the blog (I know, your shocked and saddened at the revelation), so here is an impromptu round-up of recent reels.

Lucky Number Slevin - A self consciously hip thriller in the mold of 90's post Tarantino. Thankfully the knowingly cool air gives way to a slick, enjoyably tangled noir gangster thriller. Willis, Freeman, and Kingsley are on good form; Hartnett is better as the wrong guy in the wrong place. Nicely topped off with an unexpected sucker punch ending (though the game is given away for those paying attention).

Key Largo - Black and white Bogart and Bacall, but don't go expecting the sizzling Big Sleep dialog. Instead this is a tense showdown of a movie, set within the confines of a hurricane battered hotel. Classic slice of golden age noir; director John Huston's other movies from the era are on my Christmas list.

Ring - Having sat on my "to watch" pile over four years it finally finds it's way into the disc spinner. Sadly the protracted wait blunted the impact to disappointingly non-scary; final scene of the video is still brilliantly unsettling though. It's subsequent influence on Japanese horror is clearly seen in movies and games today.

Appleseed - The CGI remake is miles better than the Saturday cartoon original. Beautiful to look at, with fluid motion captured animation. Some may find it a little harsh compared to traditional techniques, but it suits the hi-tech storyline to a tee. Kick ass soundtrack by the Boom Boom Satellites too.

HellBoy - Solid comic book adaptation by Guillermo del Toro (look out for Pan's Labyrinth in cinemas this month). Ron Perlman is ideally cast as the big red guy, fighting evil in the form of demons and Nazis. Nice turn by Selma Blair as the love interest, and John Hurt lends some English austerity to proceedings.

La Cite des Enfants Perdus - Visually stunning, wonderfully inventive and imaginative slice of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Retaining the look of Delicatessen, this is a sci-fi fantasy par excellence. Ron Perlman (albiet much younger) and Judith Vittet carry off a beautiful relationship, in a twisted world of stolen dreams.

Heavy Metal - Because sometimes you feel like an adolescent kid in need of blood, aliens, heavy metal music, and cartoon breasts. Cult classic.