July 31st 2009:

July 31st :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• Waveriders on DVD
• Diagnosis: Death on DVD and Blu-ray
• This Is Spinal Tap – 25th Anniversary Edition on DVD and Blu-ray

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: G-Force, Land of the Lost, Taking of Pelham 123 and Bruno Snipped.

July 30th :CHARTS: JLS vs Mr Hudson – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-Sept.

July 28th :Will you recover from The Hangover at the cinema?…

It’s another stoner comedy featuring characters and a cast who are old enoughto know better, but does it add something new to the genre, or is it just ‘OldSchool’ tat?DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owenbreaks open the popcorn and finds out.

This review originally premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

The Hangoveris online and out now.

July 27th :Killer machines on the loose in Hardware on Blu-ray…

Out now:

When Mo buys the head of a disembodied droid which turns out to be part of a failed government project because theyturned out to be unreliable, he finds out just how much when he gives it to his girlfriend for a sculpture project…

Hardwareis online and out now on Blu-ray.

The Lemonheads release a CD of cover versions…

Over 23 years, Evan Dando’s band has certainly been around for a long time, so now it’s time for them to releasean album of cover versions andDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertssets out to discover whether this is a case of inspiration or desperation.

The Lemonheads: Varshonsis online and out on CD now.

Penny Smith rides the Big One on GMTV…

Not really, but she appeared with money guru Martin Lewis in this bizarre feature where they appeared to be on arollercoaster as he read out a load of bargains to be had at fairgrounds over the summer.

DVD comps closed…

The comp for Flame and Citron has now closed, and the winners will be notified soon, but the answer was thatMads Mikkelsen plays Le Chiffre in Casino Royale.

Look out for more comps soon!

CHARTS: JLS vs Mr Hudson – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Bottle Shock (19.99 DVD, Paramount)
• Columbo Season 10 Vol.2 (29.99 DVD, Universal)
• Comrades (22.99 DVD, 27.99 Blu-ray, BFI)
• CSI Miami 6.2 (34.99 DVD, Momentum)
• CSI Miami Season 6 Complete (49.99 DVD, Momentum)
• Diminished Capacity (19.99 DVD, Paramount)
• Embodiment Of Evil (24.99 Blu-ray, Anchor Bay)
• Duplicity (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
• Final Fantasy VII – Advent Children (24.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
• Hope Springs (24.99 DVD, Acorn)
• Il Divo (15.99 DVD, Artificial Eye)
• Kylie Minogue: Kylie Live X2008 (19.99 Blu-ray, Fremantle)
• Omid Djalili Show Series 2 (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• On Thin Ice (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• Passengers (12.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu-ray, Lions Gate)
• Stargate SG-1: Children Of The Gods (19.99 DVD, Fox)
• Watchmen (24.99 DVD, 29.99 Blu-ray, Paramount)

Watchmen:

Everybody’s favourite graphic novel comes to the screen (after years of rumours and false starts), less a roaring work of adaptation than a respectful and faithful take on a radical original. Watchmen is set in the mid-1980s, a time of increased nuclear tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as Richard Nixon is enjoying his fifth term as president and the world’s superheroes have been forcibly retired. (As you can probably tell, the mix of authentic history and alternate reality is heady.)

Things begin with a bang: the mysterious high-rise murder of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a masked hero with a checkered past, puts the rest of the retired superhero community on alert. The credits sequence, a series of tableaux that wittily catches us up on crime-fighting backstory, actually turns out to be the high point of the movie. Thereafter we meet the other caped and hooded avengers: the furious Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the inexplicably naked Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup, amidst much blue-skinned, genital-swinging digital work), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode).

The corkscrewing storytelling, which worked well in the comic book, gives the movie the strange sense of never quite getting in gear, even as some of the episodes are arresting. Director Zack Snyder (300) doesn’t try to approximate the electric impact of the original (written by Alan Moore–who declined to be credited on the movie–and illustrated by Dave Gibbons) but retains careful fidelity to his source material. That doesn’t feel right, even with the generally enjoyable roll-out of anecdotes. Even less forgivable is the blah acting, excepting Jeffrey Dean Morgan (lusty) and Patrick Wilson (mellow).

Watchmen certainly fills the eyes, although less so the ears: the song choices are regrettable, especially during an embarrassing mid-air coupling between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II as they unite their–ah–Roman numerals. In the end it feels as though a huge work of transcription has been successfully completed, which isn’t the same as making a full-blooded movie experience.

Watchmen is out now onBlu-ray (£15.98) andDVD (£15.68)

Duplicity.

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen surprise and delight on multiple levels in Duplicity, a caper film that keeps the audience guessing if the tone is cheeky, seriously, or both in exactly the same scene. Owen smolders as the relaxed, craggy sexual beast he’s become–effortlessly–and Roberts is surprisingly mature and tic-less. And their chemistry threatens to explode out of the beaker. On one level, Duplicity is a sparring romance, bringing to mind the no-holds-barred zingers between Cary Grant and Roz Russell in His Girl Friday.

But the film has layers of action and suspense, as well as a neat spin on the spy business. Instead of hunting for, or protecting, confidential state nuclear secrets, as each character once did when they first met, now they are beholden to captains of industry and Madison Avenue–seeking secrets not of national security, but of formulas to the next great… moisturiser.

Director Tony Gilroy, who wrote all the Bourne films and wrote and directed Michael Clayton is clearly carving out a snappy path for himself as a master of sleek, suspenseful, energetic films that nonetheless appeal to a mass audience. A special shoutout to the opening scene of a mano a mano fistfight on a tarmac between Armani-clad CEOs (one played by an especially memorable Paul Giamatti). “You on one side, me on the other,” says Roberts’ Claire at one point to Owen’s Ray.

Duplicity is out now on Blu-ray (£16.88) andDVD (£9.98)

Stargate SG-1: Children Of The Gods.

Eclipsing many of the rival shows it pitched itself against, Stargate SG-1 went on to become the longest-running North American science fiction show in history, with ten seasons and 214 episodes in all. This new release of Children Of The Gods, however, offers a chance to see where it all began.

Spun out of the 1994 movie, Stargate, Stargate SG-1’s story picks up events a year afterwards, which is where Children Of The Gods kicks in. Originally broadcast as a two-part pilot episode, this new DVD release has been recut into movie format, with freshly added material, and brand new special effects. And a nice job has been done, too.

Not that it detracts greatly from the adventure. It still acts as the kick-starting of the Stargate programme, as Colonel Jack O’Neill leads a team to the planet of Abydos, but while on his mission, stumbles across what turns out to be a map of Stargates around the galaxy. Yet, without spoiling it for those who haven’t seen it, Children Of The Gods takes this as a starting point for things really going wrong…

Children Of The Gods is sometimes a little uneven, and for purists, it lacks the full frontal nudity that was shown when the episode was first broadcast, but has never been seen since. But no matter: the work done on boosting this opener into a TV movie has paid off, and it’s a handsome way to check out where such a long-running TV show got started…

Stargate SG-1: Children Of The Gods is out now on DVD (£13.98).

Hope Springs.

It’s been a rough life for Ellie, Hannah, Josie and Shoo – all ex-cons with nothing to show for their lives – but not for much longer.

Today won’t be like any other day. Today they embark on the final stage of their long-held plan: To live out the rest of their lives on a beach in Barbados, courtesy of £3million stolen from Ellie’s lying, cheating, violent gangster husband. If all goes to plan… but it doesn’t.

A cruel twist of fate, finds them on the run, as the glamorous girls end up in hiding in Hope Springs, a remote Scottish village, without passports, without a plan and more or less without hope.

If they can just hide their true identities and keep their heads down long enough to make a break for it – but Hope Springs has other things in store.

Hope Springs is out now on DVD (£10.98).

July 24th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• Let The Right One In on DVD and Blu-ray
• The Killing Room on DVD
• Five Minutes Of Heaven on DVD
• Sexy Killer on DVD
• The Ramen Girl on DVD
• Tormented on DVD
• Network DVDs for 1st half of August 2009

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: The Proposal.

July 21st :CHARTS: Cascada vs JLS – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-Sept.

July 20th :Tom Hardy is Charles Bronson on Blu-ray…

Out now:

And Michael Peterson, who renamed himself Charles Bronson after he became a prize-fighter in jail, is playedmagnificently by Tom Hardy, but there’s something about the film that doesn’t quite gel. Read on why in this review.

Bronsonis online and out now on Blu-ray.

Buffy Sainte-Marie returns to the music on CD…

I only really remember her from her 1992 single, The Biggest Ones Get Away, but asDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms, she’s been in the business a long time and this new 12-tracker is her first album in 15 years.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Running For The Drumis online and out on CD now.

John Woo’s Stranglehold – several new levels now online on DVDfeverGames…

There’s not been a great amount of new stuff on TV recently, and I know this is an oldie but it’s a goodie and I finallygot round to playing a few more levels. I only had level 1 up before, but now there’s levels 2-5 as well. Enjoy!

New DVD comp online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Flame & Citron on DVD

CHARTS: Cascada vs JLS – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Cadillac Records (15.99 DVD, 22.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
• Casualty 1900s (29.99 DVD, BBC)
• Dallas Season 11 (29.99 DVD, Warner)
• Doctor Who: Remembrance Of The Daleks Special Edition (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• Elephant (15.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• Frederick Forsyth Collection (44.99 DVD, ITV)
• Freefall (15.99 DVD, BBC)
• The Haunting In Connecticut (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, EIV)
• Hellraiser (19.99 Blu-ray, Starz)
• Ladies of Letters (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• Mumbai Calling (19.99 DVD, Sony)
• Redacted (15.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• Ross Kemp in Search of Pirates (15.99 DVD, BBC)
• The Secret Of Moonacre (15.99 DVD, 22.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Switchblade Romance (15.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 3 (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• WWE Wrestlemania 25 (29.99 DVD and Blu-ray, Silver Vision)
• Yellowbeard (15.99 DVD, Optimum)

Doctor Who: Remembrance Of The Daleks Special Edition:

London, 1963, and the Doctor returns to Coal Hill School with his new companion Ace, where he has unfinished business. His oldest foes, the Daleks, are on the trail of Time Lord technology – an artefact the Doctor himself left behind on Earth. Enlisting the assistance of the local military, the Doctor must protect the Gallifrey an secret of time travel as two opposing Dalek factions meet in an explosive confrontation, with the fate of the entire Universe at stake!

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Commentary by Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor)and Sophie Aldred (Ace)
• Back to School – Cast and crew talk about the making of the story, accompanied by rare behind-the-scenes material. Featuring Simon Williams (Gilmore), Karen Gledhill (Alison),writer Ben Aaronovitch, script editor Andrew Cartmel and director Andrew Morgan
• Remembrances – Cast and crew discuss the influences and references to other Doctor Who adventures that are spread throughout the story
• Extended and Deleted Scenes – Unused scenes, introduced by Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred
• Outtakes – Bloopers and gaffes from the recording of the story
• Multi-Angle Sequences
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
• 5.1 Mix A new Dolby 5.1 surround mix, specially produced for this DVD
• Photo Gallery • Radio Times Billings(DVD-ROM PDFs – PC/Mac)
• Production Information Subtitles
• Trailers & Continuity & Isolated Music Track

Doctor Who: Remembrance Of The Daleks Special Edition is out now onDVD (£12.98)

Casualty 1900s.

Featuring true cases, characters and events taken from the London Hospital records, nurse’s ward diaries and intimate memoirs, these gritty medical series show the lives – and forbidden romances – of pioneering doctors and nurses a hundred years ago.

Run with a will of iron by formidable Matron Eva Luckes, the hospital in London’s poverty-stricken East End deals with anything from infectious diseases like syphilis, pneumonia and tuberculosis to shocking injuries of the times such as self-abortion injuries, victims of anarchist bombings and an East End gang member wounded in a shooting.For the volunteer nurses and doctors – including Nurse Russell, Dr Culpin, Nurse Bennett, Dr Walton and the surgeons Hurry Fenwick and cocaine-addicted Dr Dean – work is tough and relentless. Relationships between staff might be strictly forbidden, but romance continues to blossom away from the Matron’s gaze.

In a time of great change, the hospital constantly faces up to the future. Pioneering radiographers work with the perilous x-ray equipment, chloroform is scandalously introduced as an anaesthetic and the use of revolutionary new electro-mechanical devices are instigated.Equally gritty and heart-warming, these series bring the Edwardian hospital compellingly to life – illuminating the dramas and romances of a fascinating medical era.

Casualty 1900s is out now on DVD (£17.88).

That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 3.

Off-the-wall sketches, new characters and the return of a few old favourites as Robert Webb and David Mitchell return for another series of the BAFTA-award winning comedy.

This third series includes the accident prone adventures of Hennimore; a TV quiz show from after the end of civilisation; the real purpose of the Giant Death Ray; Russ Claus, Santa’s troubled brother; an inventor too far ahead of his time; and the secret space cult of Vectron. You’ll find the return of drunken super-sleuth Sir Digby Chicken Caesar; more from the Lazy Writers; and a plethora of sketches on subjects as varied as murder mystery; an argument between Queen Victoria and her prime-minister about a rather rude tree; and why firing a dog out of cannon is so much better than a doorbell.

That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 3 is out now on DVD (£13.98).

Freefall.

How far would you go to get what you want?

A powerful and moving drama, Freefall follows the lives of three men with everything on the line. Gus (Aiden Gillen) is the high flying city exec who packages and sells bundles of mortgages for extortionate profit. Dave (Dominic Cooper) is the mortgage broker who can make anything happen, and when Dave offers Jim (Joseph Mawle), his old school friend, a way out of the council flat he and his family have been stuck in for years, it’s an offer that is too good to refuse. A way of fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a homeowner.

When the market collapses, each character is confronted by a shocking, revelatory truth that shines a burning light on the new realities we face.

Freefall is out now on DVD (£10.98).

July 17th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• Cradle Will Fall on DVD
• God Man Dog on DVD
• The Fox Family on DVD
• The Lucky Ones on DVD
• Streets of Blood on DVD
• Bill Maher: Live on DVD
• The Secret of Moonacre on DVD and Blu-ray
• Wrestlemania 25 on DVD and Blu-ray
• Network DVDs for 2nd half of July 2009
• FC Barcelona further strengthens its partnership with Empire of Sports
• Ian Rush joins Empire of Sports
• Tour de France 2009 available on Xbox LIVE Arcade

The latest press releasesare online now.

Is Matt Schofield a Clapton-beater on CD?…

That would be quite a tall order for anyone, but DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsdescribed this man as an old-school bluesman with 21 century tricks, and has him down as THE rising star of the Bluestoday.

Matt Schofield: Heads, Tails & Acesis online and out now on CD.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

July 16th :Gibson magic from Chris Flegg on CD…

His sixth album, this time concentrating on jazz with a selection that mostlyconsists of standard covers, but with three original tracks also, andDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms that this instrumental album works beautifully.

Chris Flegg: Her Favourite Floweris online and out now on CD.

July 15th :CHARTS: Cascada vs Arctic Monkeys – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-Sept.

July 14th :The Danes revenge against the Nazis in Flame & Citron on Blu-ray…

Out now:

Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen take the lead roles in an intriguing game of bluff and double-bluff as they’re sentto kill off Nazi sympathisers as World War II rages on with no end in sight. However, when they begin to have to questionthe information they’re receiving, it can clearly only end in tears, but for who?

Flame & Citronis online and out now on Blu-ray.

Paul Carrack live on DVD…

I’ve been a big fan of Paul Carrack for many years, as isDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts,and as he says, the man should be a household name by now. He’s certainly one of those people you’ll know but you mightnot be able to put a face to, hence the title of his latest album and DVD.

Paul Carrack: I Know That Name Liveis online and out on DVD now.

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh on The Wright Stuff…

Last Wednesday, the critically-acclaimed author appeared on the show to talk about his new book, Reheated Cabbage,and also talked about the day’s news and topics.

New DVD comp online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Flame & Citron on DVD

CHARTS: Cascada vs Arctic Monkeys – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Ashes To Ashes Series 2 (39.99 DVD, E1 Entertainment)
• Hotel Babylon Series 3 (29.99 DVD, BBC)
• Hotel For Dogs (19.99 DVD, Paramount)
• Little Ashes (15.99 DVD, Spirit)
• Mad Men Season 2 (29.99 DVD, 44.99 Blu-ray, Lions Gate)
• Mad Men Season 1 & 2 (39.99 DVD, 49.99 Blu-ray, Lions Gate)
• Midnight Express (19.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
• Red Mist (15.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu-ray, Revolver)
• Religulous (17.99 DVD, Momentum)
• Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon (17.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Icon)
• Torchwood: Children of Earth (24.99 DVD, 29.99 Blu-ray, BBC)
• Young Victoria (19.99 DVD, Momentum)

Torchwood: Children of Earth:

An ordinary day soon segues into terror when every one of Earth’s children suddenly stops. This inexplicable phenomenon is soon followed by a message to each of the world’s governments: ‘We’re Coming’. Captain Jack finds himself in a vulnerable position when it becomes apparent that the events of his past threaten to reveal an unspeakable truth.

Torchwood is forced underground, as the powers that be take brutal action. With the members of the Torchwood team being hunted down, the country itself risks becoming a rogue state, with the shadowy 456 edging closer and Armageddon with it. Can Captain Jack, Ianto and Gwen overcome these insurmountable odds in order to save the day?

Torchwood: Children of Earth is out now onBlu-ray (£17.88) andDVD (£15.98).

Ashes To Ashes Series 2.

This second series of the time-bending ASHES TO ASHES—itself a spin-off of the popular LIFE OF ON MARS—continues where the first series left off. After sustaining a serious head injury, naughties era Detective Inspector Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes – THE BANK JOB) wakes to discover she’s living in 1982 and working under the watchful eye of the incredibly un-P.C. DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, reprising his star-making role from LIFE ON MARS).

For a progressive, career-driven woman, Drake finds herself at odds with the 1980s’ method of investigation and a Scotland Yard unaccustomed to having a female voice heard. With the mystery surrounding the death of her parents now solved, Alex desperately seeks to find out how she has become trapped in the past, but must first unravel a conspiracy within her department that involves police corruption, a wealthy entrepreneur and a shadowy Superintendent involved with the Free Masons.

Ashes To Ashes Series 2 is out now on DVD (£27.88).

Hotel Babylon Series 3.

Welcome to Babylon, Hotel Babylon, that is; a luxury hotel with an eclectic workforce driving it along; Through a veil of consummate professionalism, the guests aren’t privy to the murkier goings-on but let head receptionist Charlie be your guide to what no one else is meant to see; glitzy manager Rebecca keeps the hotel ticking along but isn’t capable of balancing her working week with her home life; receptionist Anna has a seductive eye for the wealthier guests; concierge Tony can get you anything you need, just as long as you’re willing to pay; and then there’s the chambermaids – working on the frontline and seeing everything.

But if the staff aren’t wacky enough, into their world come the guests; a mixed bag of millionaires, eccentric rockers and high class whores; a concoction of lethal and sometimes hilarious ingredients. Includes all the episodes from the show’s third series.

Hotel Babylon Series 3 is out now on DVD (£13.98).

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon.

With his country thrown into dismay by violent civil war, a modest man is given the task of commanding China’s vast army into battle with the enemy.

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon is out now on DVD (£9.98) andBlu-ray (£15.98).

July 8th :God Help The Girl, but it’s still a great CD…

A project five years in the making and with the input from Belle & Sebastianand The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, this can surely only succeed?DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms that it does.

God Help The Girl: God Help The Girlis online and out now on CD.

July 7th :CHARTS: Cascada vs La Roux – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-August.

July 6th :Smash everything to bits in Red Faction: Guerilla on Xbox 360…

Out now:

Yes, it’s been some time since the last game in this series came out, but this time round the physics are betterthan ever since there seems to be very little that can’t be smashed to a crisp. Take the role of mining engineerAlec Mason and get smashing everything up!

Red Faction: Guerillais online and out now on Xbox 360.

A Beck oldie gets re-released on CD…

And this time there’s 32 tracks on it, as this low-fi alt.folk explosion gets put out as a Special Edition,but how does it stand up today and, also, how does it compare to his best works?DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertstells all.

Beck: One Foot In The Grave: Deluxe Editionis online and out on CD now.

The Spirit does battle with The Octopus on DVD…

Now, that might not make sense to a lot of people but,asDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owenconfirms, The Spirit is another comic creation from Sin City’s Frank Miller, but will this be as great as that filmor as bad as those Robocop sequels he wrote?

This review originally premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

Sex Driveis online and out on DVD now.

James Cracknell has plenty of man-love for Ben Fogle…

It’s gross, but funny 🙂

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Flame & Citron on DVD

The other competitions have now finished and the winners will be contacted shortly. The answers were thatfor Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray, Max has to liberate Norway from Nazi oppression,and for Damnation on Xbox 360, the game’s hero is Rourke.

CHARTS: Cascada vs La Roux – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Prison Break Season 4 (50.99 DVD, 149.99 Season 1-4 Boxset DVD)
• Marley & Me (19.99 DVD, 28.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
• Doctor Who: The War Games (24.99 DVD, BBC)
• The Take (19.99 DVD, ITV DVD)
• Highlander: Immortal Edition (Limited Edition Steelbook) (24.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• The International (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
• Bronson (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, E1 Films)
• Doubt (17.99 DVD, 23.99 Blu-ray, Walt Disney)
• Wrestlemania 25 with Mini Encyclopedia (29.99 DVD, Silver Vision)
• S. Darko: Donnie Darko 2 (15.99 DVD, 22.99 Blu-ray, 19.99 DVD Double bill, Lions Gate)
• Doom (19.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
• True Romance (17.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Quincy Jones’ 75th Birthday Celebration: Live At Montreux 2008 (21.99 DVD & Blu-ray, Eagle Vision)
• Star Stories Series 1-3 (39.99 DVD, 4DVD)

Prison Break Season 4:

In retrospect, it’s amazing that Prison Break got this far. The original concept of the show surely demanded just a single season, but such was the success that it enjoyed, that further runs followed. It’s to the credit of the show’s creators that it managed to make this work, too, right down to the agreeable fourth and final season.

Thus, this final season of Prison Break sees Wentworth Miller’s Michael Scofield attempting to hunt down The Company, the organisation that’s been behind the various events that have befallen him over the course of the show’s run. As you’d expect, this quest is laden with some dramatic twists and turns, in keeping with the spirit of the show, and it’s also got some major surprises up its sleeve.

Determined to bring things to a proper close, this final season of Prison Break does indeed bring things to an appropriate conclusion. It’s a fairly bumpy ride in comparison to the more confident earlier seasons, and it’s clear throughout that this is a show coming to the end of its lifespan. Yet it’s still very slick, and very enjoyable television drama. It’s also willing to take a few chances, which is certainly appreciated.

With 24 episodes in all, this final season of Prison Break is a fine denouement for one of the most exciting TV shows of recent times. It might not be vintage quality by the standards that the programme has set itself, but it’s still proven to be a far tastier dish than many of the pretenders to its throne. And it will be missed.

Prison Break Season 4 is out now onDVD (£35.88) andSeason 1-4 Boxset DVD (£99.88).

Marley & Me.

David Frankel (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA) delivers another charming comedy. Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, MARLEY AND ME chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage and work to start a family. By their side is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall, got kicked out of obedience school, and never met a leg he didn’t like. The cute pup’s antics come to signify the unexpected challenges that everyone faces in adulthood, and the film is ultimately a paean to unconditional love; others may see Marley as the ‘world’s worst dog’, but throughout it all, he proves to be the couple’s most faithful friend.

MARLEY AND ME plays like a modern day Norman Rockwell portrait with a little more bite, courtesy of the snark-friendly screenwriters and the title’s wild mutt. The sets are sumptuous, with every shot lovingly lit to look like a Hallmark card. The winning lead performances help elevate the picture above its feel-good counterparts; Aniston is radiant and Wilson shows off sharp dramatic chops, giving some maturity to his loveable comedic persona. Alan Arkin gives a scene-stealing performance as Wilson’s boss, and Kathleen Turner proves to be a great sport with her physically demanding cameo as Marley’s obedience instructor. But in the end the picture belongs to the dogs, and for once that’s a good thing. A film that keeps the audience cooing, cracking up, and crying, MARLEY AND ME is sure to become a family favourite.

Marley & Me is out now on DVD (£11.88) andBlu-ray (£17.99).

Doctor Who: The War Games.

The Doctor returns to Earth to find himself passing through the times in history when Man was at war….

Doctor Who: The War Games is out now on DVD (£13.98).

Highlander: Immortal Edition (Limited Edition Steelbook).

Russell Mulcahy’s original saga of immortal Scotsman Connor Macleod, one of a race of immortals who can only be killed when beheaded with a sword. After living in peace for four centuries, he is challenged by an old enemy named Kurgan. During a fierce sword battle in the 1500s, Connor MacLeod, a simple Scotsman known as a poor fighter, is mortally wounded — but he does not die.

MacLeod learns from the mysterious Ramirez that he is of a race of immortals. These rare knights never age and never reproduce, they can only meet death by the blade of another of their kind. Leaping back and forth through the centuries, MacLeod once again meets the evil Kurgan who nearly killed him 500 years ago.

Highlander: Immortal Edition (Limited Edition Steelbook) is out now on Blu-ray (£16.88) andDVD (£11.98).

July 3rd :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on Sony PSP
• Ashes To Ashes Series 2 on DVD
• Infestation on DVD and Blu-ray
• Dallas Season 11 on DVD

The latest press releasesare online now.

Foreign Born, but is it a CD for everyone?…

10 new tracks from a Los Angeles band, which features multi-instrumentalists and in which they’ve also recruiteda further 18 members. DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts also mentions them in the same vein as the up and comingFleet Foxes. Find out if you agree in this review.

Foreign Born: Person to Personis online and out now on CD.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Ice Age 3 and Public Enemies.

July 2nd :Joker’s Daughter – the new CD is seriously good…

The first collaboration between mixmaster Danger Mouse and multi-instrumentalistHelena Costas and the 14 tracks make up an album whichDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsdescribes as gorgeous, beguiling, sweet, quirky, ethereal and stunning.

Joker’s Daughter: The Last Laughis online and out now on CD.

July 1st :CHARTS: Kelly Rowland vs La Roux – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-August.

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