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Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail which are due out soon. The prices listed are the current prices on Amazon.
War Horse From director Steven Spielberg comes War Horse, an epic adventure for audiences of all ages. Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows Joey’s the extraordinary journey as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets – British cavalry, German soldiers and a French farmer and his granddaughter – before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse – an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war – a best-selling book by author Michael Morpurgo, it was turned into an award-winning stage production and now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history. Starring newcomer Jeremy Irvine Albert Narracott, plus Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell, I’ve seen clips of this and I know it’ll head the bill at the Oscars but it’s the kind of film that really doesn’t interest me partly because it’s one of those films where they tell you that you MUST see it, and the subject matter does nothing for me either. War Horse is released on Blu-ray (£14.99) and DVD (£9.99). |
Doctor Who: Ace Adventures Box Set 
Ace Adventures Box Set: In these two classic stories Ace joins the Seventh Doctor aboard the TARDIS where she’s soon battling a biomechanoid and liberating a world where just feeling sad can get you shot! Dragonfire On the planet Svartos, the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Mel unexpectedly encounter an old friend – Sabalom Glitz. Joined by Ace, a teenage waitress with a love for explosives, the group ventures off to find the fabled Dragonfire treasure.
• Deleted / extended scenes • Trivia subtitles • Video & audio restoration • Coming Soon Trailer • Radio Times Billings (PDF) • Making-of documentary • Photo gallery • Danny Bang – documentary • The Doctor’s Strange Love – documentary The Happiness Patrol On the planet Terra Alpha, the population constantly displays happy smiles. Anyone feeling remotely glum disappears. Quickly. Having heard disturbing rumours, the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace arrive to topple the entire regime.
• “Ace” wishes Blue Peter Happy Birthday (archive clip) • Isolated score • Deleted / extended scenes • Trivia subtitles • Video & audio restoration • Coming Soon Trailer • Radio Times Billings (PDF) • Making-of documentary • Photo gallery Doctor Who: Ace Adventures Box Set is released on DVD (£19.99). |
The Syndicate
The Syndicate is a brand new five-part drama that follows five workers at a cut-price supermarket in Leeds whose lives are turned upside down after they jointly win the lottery, going from facing redundancy and battling the present economic downturn to having more money than they ever dreamt of. Timothy Spall plays supermarket manager Bob, whose newfound wealth cannot mask his persistent health problems. Joanna Page plays single mother Leanne, who although welcoming her financial freedom, is worried about the consequences that the win will bring. They are joined by their supermarket colleagues–dog-loving Denise, played by Lorraine Bruce (Dalziel And Pascoe, Benidorm), and brothers Stuart, played by Matthew McNulty (Five Days, Lark Rise To Candleford, Single Handed), and Jamie played by Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter). The Syndicate is written by Kay Mellor, whose previous critically acclaimed dramas include: Band Of Gold, Playing The Field, Fat Friends, The Chase and A Passionate Woman. The Syndicate is released on DVD (£11.99). |
Pillow Talk (Limited Edition Digibook)
Interior decorator Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and composer Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) share a phone line. Brad keeps the line occupied all day talking to his girlfriends, which annoys Jan terribly and animosity between them builds up. They, however, have never met and when by chance Brad sees Jan, he decides to add her to his list of conquests. Knowing how she feels about him, he poses as an innocent Texan country boy named Rex Stetson to win her, a plan which seems to work. Bonus Features:
• Back in Bed with Pillow Talk (22.00) • Chemistry 101: The Film Due of Doris Day and Rock Hudson (5.15) • Feature Commentary with Film Historians Jeff Bond, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman • Theatrical trailer • 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics (9.11) • 100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era (8.40) • 100 Years of Universal: Unforgettable Characters (8.17) Pillow Talk (Limited Edition Digibook) is released on Blu-ray (£9.99). |
Men In Black I & II
Men in Black, was one of many Marvel Comic-to-screen adaptations and the success of the summer in 1997, coming only a year after Will Smith’s other lucrative smash hit, Independence Day, which is also out in the US as a specially-extended version. The men, only known by a single initial are the alien F.B.I. You see, you may not realise it but aliens really are alive and well and living amongst us. There are some good ones, such as Willie in “V”, but most of them are bad and as the film begins it’s up to Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) to stamp them out. Agent Dee is due for retirement soon. He taught Kay everything he knows, so now it’s up to Kay to teach his new recruit Jay, aka James Edwards (Will Smith), the secrets of the organisation, but once you’re in, your original identity is erased and when your time comes to retire your mind will be wiped of all MiB knowledge. The plot is simple as Jay and Kay rid the world of aliens, gearing up for a spectacular finale and recruiting new Agent Elle, aka Deputy Medical Examiner (Linda Fiorentino), in the process. Vincent D’Onofrio, probably best known for his appearance as Private Pyle, the fat one in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, is Edgar – starting off as a simple farmer but it’s his body that the chief alien decides to reside in, taking his truck with it. Overall, Men in Black is a great fun film with brilliant special effects, sound and extras to match. It’s just a shame that the picture isn’t up to scratch and there are a couple of slight language cuts where the word “prick” is replaced with “jerk”. Men in Black 2 was dire, but Men in Black 3 gets a cinema release on May 25th… Men In Black I & II is released on Blu-ray (£12.49). |
Clone
Rebecca (Eva Green) and Thomas (Matt Smith) had a winning formula. Reunited childhood sweethearts, they overcame every obstacle which stood in their way but now comes their biggest challenge; can they overcome death? When Thomas dies suddenly, Rebecca struggles to live in a world without him. Consumed by desperation she even contemplates the idea of cloning. Can she bring Thomas back once more? Will she be able to live with the consequences if she does? More importantly, will anyone discover her shocking secret? Clone is released on Blu-ray (£9.00) and DVD (£6.00). |
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.