 In The Night Garden: What Fun! (Cert. U) Narrated by Derek Jacobi, cert. U This new release in the In The Night Garden will be welcome by parents and toddlers alike. The latter will squeal with excitement as their favourite characters get to run around the garden in 5 episodes, while parents will be pleased that the BBC has carried on with the 'nap time' feature. Already present on previous releases this option takes you to a soothing screen at the end of the episode instead of going straight back into the next one. It won't stop the little ones begging for more but it may help you convince them that Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, The Tombliboos and Makka Pakka have gone to bed - and therefore so should they.  Jimmy Carr Telling Jokes (Cert. 18) If you think that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and like politically correct comedians, then stay well clear of Jimmy Carr's new DVD. His new show, Jimmy Carr Telling Jokes, contains plenty enough sarcasm and bad taste to delight his fans, and gain a few new ones. The title is rather self-explanatory, with Jimmy on stage at London's Bloomsbury Theatre tellling, well, jokes. There's plenty for everyone to be offended with: when the disc first arrived we thought the 18 rating was probably a marketing ploy to make it more appealing. Upon thorough inspection it's however the only logical certification this show could receive. As Jimmy explains: “It’s not for the faint-hearted (the faint-hearted should also avoid salt).” A hilarious new show from the master of deadpan delivery. Catch it on DVD now as it's unlikely to ever make it past the TV censors!  Role Models / Pineapple Express / Step Brothers (Cert. 15) Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Sean William Scott, John C. Reilly If you haven't seen Role Models yet you've missed one of the best comedies of 2009. This 3-film slim pack boxset won't take up much space on your shelf and is definitely credit crunch friendly as you'll also get stoner movie Pineapple Express and the excellent - if slightly bizarre - Step Brothers. Over 4 hours of all-out comedy for less than a pair of cinema tickets? That's Friday night's date sorted, then!  Family Guy - Season 8 (Cert. 15) Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, 2009, cert. 15 Review coming soon
 Last Chance Harvey (Cert. 12) Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Dir. Joel Hopkins, 2009, cert. 12 Review coming soon |
 Boogie (Cert. 15) Dragos Bucur, Anamaria Marinca, dir. Radu Muntean, 2009, cert. 15 Bogdan is married with one kid and another on the way. On a family holiday a chance encounter with old school mates takes him down the memory lane of his wilder days. Director Radu Muntean tells of Boogie's struggle between wanting a last chance at feeling young and free, and life as a grown-up family man - simply and thoughtfully. The result is an intimate, moving film, set against the backdrop of a seaside resort that fell from grace with Ceausescu's regime. Boogie comes with a bonus DVD featuring Muntean's The Paper Will Be Blue, a fictionalisation of the confusion that took Bucharest over after the dictatorship collapsed.
Santa Buddies (Cert. U, out 02 November) Christopher Lloyd, George Wendt, Danny Woodburn, dir. Robert Vince, 2009, cert. U  Paul Blart Mall Cop / You Don't Mess With The Zohan / I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry (Cert. 15) Kevin James, Adam Sandler, Ving Rhames A great value for money boxset containing 3 recent films with Kevin James and Adam Sandler. All 3 films did reasonably well when first released, but if you haven't bought them yet this is your chance. It's priced keenly and as a major bonus if your DVD collection is sizeable the box is as slim as a single disc case - so it won't clog up your shelved.  The Snapper (Cert. 15) Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Dir. Stephen Frears, 1993, cert. 15 Review coming soon |
    Public Enemies (Cert. 15) Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Dir. Michael Mann, 2009, cert. 15 Public Enemies falls a long way shy of greatness. Depp, Cotillard and Bale do their talented best to serve a decent script but are unfortunately let down by a slow paced, stilted direction. You may even catch yourself mouthing 'for Pete's sake, get on with it' at times. Michael Mann's great talent is not showcased at its best here. While he certainly gets stellar performances from his cast and crew - beautiful photography and gorgeous period costumes are treat for the eye, too - it feels though his focus is not always on moving the story forward. Public Enemies will delight the numerous fans of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, but while their performance is excellent the film doesn't quite gel. |
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