DVD Review - April 20

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray Pitch Perfect (Cert 12, 107 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Comedy/Musical/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99) Starring: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, John Benjamin Hickey.

Beca (Anna Kendrick) arrives at Barden College with dreams of becoming a music producer, to the chagrin of her father, university professor Dr Mitchell (John Benjamin Hickey). He promises to fund a career in Los Angeles if she becomes involved in campus life. So Beca reluctantly signs up with female a cappella group, The Bellas, who flopped spectacularly at a sing-off when soloist Aubrey (Anna Camp) projectile-vomited over the audience. Aubrey's right-hand gal, Chloe (Brittany Snow), embraces Beca's bold ideas to reinvigorate the repertoire but Aubrey insists they stick to her 1990s songbook. New girl Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), who claims to be "the best singer in Tasmania... with teeth", throws her considerable weight behind Beca but as a major competition draws near, tensions are evident. Glee meets Bring It On with the sassy swagger of Clueless in Jason Moore's unabashedly feel-great comedy about an all-girl singing group hoping to pitch slap their rivals at a national competition. Pitch Perfect delivers a menagerie of memorable characters, who are determined to chart a course through life with lyrical guidance from Madonna, Kelly Clarkson and Jessie J. Kendrick brings emotional depth to her plucky heroine, while Wilson scene steals with antipodean gusto, threatening to take down one male rival as only she knows how. "I'm going to finish him like a cheesecake," she growls. Kay Cannon's script, adapted loosely from the book by Mickey Rapkin, is an embarrassment of riches, peppered with deliciously tart one-liners. The cast deliver aca-mazing musical performances with plenty of vim and gorgeous harmonies as The Bellas prove they are "Dixie Chick serious" about winning the trophy.

Rating: **** Seven Psychopaths (Cert 15, 105 mins, Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment, Comedy/Thriller/Action, also available to buy DVD/Blu-ray £15.99) Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko, Gabourey Sidibe.

Booze-swilling Irish scribe Marty (Colin Farrell) has reached an impasse with a script called Seven Psychopaths, to the despair of his long-suffering girlfriend, Kaya (Abbie Cornish). "I got the title - I just haven't been able to come up with all the psychopaths yet," Marty tells best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), a jobbing actor who is involved in a dog-napping scam with elderly associate Hans (Christopher Walken). Billy places a newspaper advert asking bona fide psychopaths to share their life stories with Marty, and mad man Zachariah (Tom Waits) answers the call. Meanwhile, Billy and Hans kidnap a shih tzu called Bonny, unaware the pooch is the pride and joy of sadistic gangster Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson). Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths is a twisted black comedy that builds on the promise of the 2008 debut In Bruges. Like that film, Seven Psychopaths balances giggles, gore and giddiness, spattering the screen with lashings of crimson blood. Most scenes of carnage unfold in flashback as figments of the lead character's febrile imagination: a vengeful father slits his throat with a razor; a monk sets himself alight to make a forceful political statement. McDonagh blends a typically delicious cocktail of macabre humour and sickening violence, which aims a shotgun squarely between the eyes of political correctness. The paucity of detailed female protagonists is a disappointment and Farrell is somewhat bland but Walken, Rockwell and Harrelson savour their colourful supporting characters, whose fates become inextricably entwined in the desert.

Rating: **** Also released I, Anna (Cert 15, 87 mins, Artificial Eye, Thriller/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below) May I Kill U? (Cert 15, 84 mins, Eureka, Comedy, also available to buy DVD £12.99 - see below) What Richard Did (Cert 15, 86 mins, Artificial Eye, Drama/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below) Zaytoun (Cert 15, 105 mins, Artificial Eye, Drama, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below) New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray What Richard Did (Cert 15, 86 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama/Thriller) One reckless act has tragic consequences in Lenny Abrahamson's slow-burning drama, based on the novel Bad Day In Blackrock by Kevin Power. Eighteen-year-old Richard Karlsen (Jack Reynor) is a model student and son who is close to his parents, Peter (Lars Mikkelsen) and Catherine (Lorraine Pilkington). The young man takes a shine to pretty and popular school friend Lara (Roisin Murphy), who used to date his rugby team-mate Conor (Sam Keeley). Richard becomes jealous of Lara's close relationship with her old flame and he turns to the bottle. Following one boozy house party, he lashes out and there are terrible consequences. As Richard struggles to come to terms with his guilt, his father Peter must decide whether he should protect his boy at all costs or sacrifice his own flesh and blood for the sake of justice.

I, Anna (Cert 15, 87 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99, Thriller/Drama/Romance) Based on the novel by Elsa Lewin, Barnaby Southcombe's psychological thriller centres on Anna Welles (Charlotte Rampling), an emotionally fragile creature who lives in a cramped flat with her daughter and granddaughter. Anna suffers from amnesia as a result of a traumatic incident buried deep in her subconscious. She crosses paths with DCI Bernie Reid (Gabriel Byrne) at the scene of a brutal murder and instantly catches the eye of the cop, who is an insomniac in the throes of an acrimonious divorce. Bernie tracks down Anna and develops a powerful attraction to her, despite her obvious mental imbalance. As the bond between Bernie and Anna intensifies, the cop edges closer to compromising his professional ethics in the pursuit of his killer.

Zaytoun (Cert 15, 105 mins, Artificial Eye, DVD £15.99, Drama) Taking its title from the Arabic word for olive, Zaytoun is a moving drama about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, as seen through the eyes of two characters from opposite sides of the divide. Scripted by Nader Rizq, the film centres on Palestinian refugee Fahed (Abdallah El Akel), who has seen many of the people he loves die during the hostilities. He sells cigarettes in 1982 Beirut and has a lifelong friend in a spaniel called Churchill but Fahed secretly dreams of returning to his village to plant olive tree saplings, which his father tended so diligently. Israeli fighter pilot Yoni (Stephen Dorff) is shot down and captured by Palestinians including Fahed, who has been raised to hate the captive. Over time the boy forges a surprisingly tender bond with Yoni and they plot a daring escape so that Yoni can help Fahed to realise his goals during an incredible journey across decimated landscapes.

The Spirit Of '45 (Cert E, 97 mins, Dogwoof Digital, DVD £14.99, Documentary) In his gritty, award-winning dramas, which sometimes use non-actors to heighten realism, Ken Loach holds a mirror up to the changing face of Britain throughout the decades. In The Spirit Of '45, the director turns the clock back to a pivotal year in our nation's history, when the unity and sense of purpose that carried Britain through the devastation of the Second World War galvanised a desire to create a better, stronger social fabric. Loach draws upon footage sourced from regional and national archives to paint a vivid portrait of 12 turbulent and momentous months when community spirit coursed through our collective veins, and men, women and children of every class came together in the name of fairness and prosperity. Contemporary interviews cast a nostalgic eye over this unprecedented period of togetherness, when anything seemed possible.

30 Rock - Season 6 (Cert 15, 431 mins, Universal/Playback, DVD £24.99, Comedy) Three-disc box set of 21 hilarious episodes of the award-winning comedy created by Tina Fey, which chronicles trials and tribulations behind the scenes of a fictitious TV sketch show, TGS With Tracy Jordan. This series, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) gains popularity as a judge on the TV talent show America's Kidz Got Singing, which doesn't sit well with attention seeker Tracy (Tracy Morgan). Demanding boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) decides to run for mayor in order to clean up the streets of crime, and chaos reigns in a second live episode, which was broadcast twice for the east and west coasts of America, featuring guest appearances from Kim Kardashian and Paul McCartney.

May I Kill U? (Cert 15, 84 mins, Eureka, DVD £12.99, Comedy) Stuart Urban directs this jet-black comedy starring Kevin Bishop, Jack Doolan and Frances Barber. Barry Vartis (Bishop), aka Baz, is a model police officer who patrols the streets of London on his trusty bicycle. As riots break out in the capital, Baz is caught in the melee and suffers severe head trauma which drastically alters his personality. No longer a devoted public servant, Baz becomes a blood-crazed vigilante, who politely asks criminals, "May I kill you?" before dispatching them for their heinous crimes. The slaughter is captured on his helmet camera and Baz uploads these gruesome incidents to social networks under the screen name @N4cethelaw. Gradually, Baz gains a devoted following. However, his one-man crusade to clean the streets of degenerates leads to an ill-fated encounter with a relative of one of his victims that changes the public's perception of him forever.

The Marine 3: Homefront (Cert 15, 86 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £15.99/The Marine 1-3 DVD Box Set £19.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Action/Thriller) Scott Wiper directs this action-packed sequel about a highly skilled officer who single-handedly takes on a group of terrorists to save a loved one. Sergeant Jake Carter (Mike Mizanin) is on leave from the Marines and he returns to his hometown to discover that radical extremists, led by Jonah Pope (Neal McDonough), have kidnapped his sister. Carter is determined to rescue his sibling and as he tracks Pope and his crazed acolytes, the Marine realises they are plotting a terrorist attack and he is the only person in the right place to avert bloodshed on an unimaginable scale. A three-disc box set comprising The Marine and its two sequels is also available.

Reincarnated (Cert E, 96 mins, Proper Music Distribution, DVD £15.99, Documentary/Musical) Calvin Broadus Jr, aka Snoop Dogg, is one of the most colourful and outspoken characters in rap music. In Andy Capper's revealing documentary, he prepares to leave rap music behind and travels to Jamaica in the company of wunderkind producer Diplo to make a reggae record entitled Reincarnated, which he hopes will spark a spiritual reawakening. "They want me to rap, but I don't wanna rap," he observes. Far from home, Snoop Dogg is embraced by the Jamaican people and he immerses himself in the Rastafarian culture, connecting deeply with the people of Kingston and their problems. He meets Bunny Wailer in his home and is eventually reborn as Snoop Lion.

She Monkeys (Cert 15, 81 mins, Peccadillo Pictures, DVD £15.99, Drama/Romance) Emma (Mathilda Paradeiser) lives with her father and little sister Sara (Isabella Lindquist), but largely keeps to herself. She joins a team of horseback acrobats and falls under the spell of lead rider Cassandra (Linda Molin), who exerts control over the other members of the troupe. Very slowly, the balance of power in the team shifts from Cassandra to Emma, who thrills to the challenge of her newly elevated position. Meanwhile, back at home, eight-year-old Sara is gradually coming to terms with her rapidly developing body. Without a mother to guide her, the youngster muddles through her feelings for a male cousin, as she looks to fit in with her equally body-conscious peers.

Cougars, Inc. (Cert 15, 79 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £12.99, Comedy/Romance) Rebellious high school student Sam (Kyle Gallner) has been expelled from numerous institutions and now faces a bleak future without any obvious means to further his education. In order to finance a fresh start, Sam needs to make lots of money, fast, and he spots a gap in the local market by setting up an escort agency called Cougars Inc. that caters exclusively for lonely single mothers. Older women flock to the new venture and Cougars Inc. is more profitable than Sam could ever have imagined, but with wealth and success come pitfalls that test the young man's resolve to the limit.

Abandoned (Cert 15, 93 mins, High Fliers Video Distribution, DVD £12.99, Drama/Thriller) Gaby Dellal directs this drama about a single father whose life is destroyed by a seemingly harmless decision. Ethan (Thomas Dekker) takes his son Nate (Ameko Eks Mass Carroll) into the wilderness for an excursion. The lad falls asleep in the car and when Nate spies a herd of deer in the snow he decides to leave the boy slumbering while he investigates. The father returns to the vehicle and finds that Nate has disappeared. A frantic search of the nearby area ends with the shocking discovery of young Nate frozen to death in the snow. The local District Attorney (Jeremy Piven) arrests Ethan for negligence and prepares to hold the father to account for the death of his son, forcing friends and neighbours to take sides as they debate where to apportion blame for the tragedy.

Martin Clunes: Man To Manta (Cert E, 45 mins, IMC Vision, DVD £11.99, Documentary) Originally broadcast in January 2011, this one-off ITV special follows Doc Martin star Martin Clunes as he faces his anxieties about diving to investigate one of the sea's most elusive creatures, the reef manta ray. The actor travels around the world, meeting conservationists and wildlife experts, who allow him to get close to the ray and learn about its incredible life cycle.

Bob The Builder: Can-Do Pack (Cert U, 150 mins, HIT Entertainment, DVD £12.99, Children/Animation) Three-disc set of 14 episodes from the popular computer-animated CBeebies show which follows builder Bob (voiced by Neil Morrissey) and his gang of construction vehicles as they prove that anything is achievable when you work as a team. The box set includes the previously released compilations Can-Do Crew, Starting From Scratch and Super Scrambler.

DVD retail top 10 1 (-) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2 (-) Les Miserables 3 (-) Silver Linings Playbook 4 (3) Game Of Thrones - Season 2 5 (1) Skyfall 6 (9) Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred 7 (2) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 8 (4) Argo 9 (-) Game Of Thrones - Season 1 10 (-) Game of Thrones - Season 1-2 Complete Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk DVD rental top 10 1 (-) Silver Linings Playbook 2 (7) Sightseers 3 (-) Rise Of The Guardians 4 (1) End Of Watch 5 (2) The Bourne Legacy 6 (-) The Campaign 7 (4) Ted 8 (3) The Watch 9 (5) Looper 10 (6) Killing Them Softly Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com Film streaming top 10 1 (1) Despicable Me 2 (-) Life As We Know It 3 (3) Just Go With It 4 (2) Paul 5 (-) The Adjustment Bureau 6 (4) How Do You Know 7 (-) Faster 8 (-) The Ugly Duckling And Me 9 (5) Cockneys Vs Zombies 10 (-) Rampage Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com