Review Archive: April 2006

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Kev reviews Square Enix's CG animated sequel to one of the most beloved video games of the last ten years. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is available to own on DVD now.

Thundercats: Season 2, Volume 1

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thunder - Okay you know the drill. Kev continues his coverage of Warner Bros' split-season releases. Season 2 proves to be a bit of a turning point, with the introduction of some new cats and a new, evil threat. The first 34 episodes are available to own now.

Day of Wrath

Anthony Nield reviews the BFI's Region 2 handling of Day of Wrath, Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1943 drama set to a backdrop of 17th century witch hunts. As with the BFI's other Dreyer titles, the disc comes with an as-good-as-it-gets presentation and a fine array of extra features.

The Prisoner of Shark Island

Mike Sutton looks at the very impressive Masters of Cinema release of John Ford's excellent 1936 film "The Prisoner of Shark Island".

Hôtel Du Nord

The first release from Soda Pictures new Vintage label is an edition of Marcel Carné’s 1938 classic of poetic realism – the story of two lovers to go to a rundown hotel to commit double suicide and the subsequent effect it has on the hotel’s inhabitants.

Top Spot

From Tracey Emin comes this short film of six teenage girls growing up in Margate, her own home town. Sometimes autobiographical, sometimes not, this is

Hidden (Caché)

When a middle-class family start receiving menacing surveillance tapes of their home, a hidden past is dragged out into the open. Typically however, everything is not how it seems in Michael Haneke's film, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest films of the decade. Noel Megahey reviews Artificial Eye's forthcoming June DVD release.

Earth: Final Conflict - Season 1

Kev looks back at the wonderful first - and best - season of Gene Roddenberry's posthumous series, which is now available to own care of Universal.

Northern Exposure: Season 4

Northern Exposure returns for its fourth season with Anthony Edwards joining the cast as the bubble-dwelling Mike Monroe, who settles into Cicely with a still-flinging Chris, the returning Adam and Eve and the crazy-about-each-other/just-plain-crazy Fleischman and O'Connell...

PJ Harvey On Tour: Please Leave Quietly

Anthony Nield takes a look at Island Record's Region 2 release of Pleae Leave Quietly, a record of PJ Harvey's 2004 tour and first DVD release.

Samurai Commando Mission 1549

Anthony Nield reviews Momentum Asia's Region 2 release of Samurai Commando, a somewhat average 2005 remake of the gloriously ridiculous Sonny Chiba vehicle G.I. Samurai.

The Producers

Anthony Nield reviews the Region 2 offering of the 2005 version The Producers, released this week by Sony.

Brokeback Mountain

Mike Sutton looks at Universal's Region 1 release of Ang Lee's magnificent "Brokeback Mountain".

Uno Bianca

Michael Mackenzie has reviewed NoShame Films' recent release of Uno Bianca, a 2-part, 3-hour TV movie helmed by Michele Soavi (The Sect, Dellamorte Dellamore) and based on true events. The 2-disc R0 US set features a disappointingly non-anamorphic transfer, but boasts solid audio and some informative extras.

Ozu Collection Volume 3

Tartan's third Ozu collection captures the director's move from b&w to colour films with Tokyo Twilight, Equinox Flower and the delightful Good Morning, and thankfully there is a corresponding improvement in quality for this set.

Justice League: Season 1

One of the most popular animated shows on the air, Justice League arrives heroically on DVD. Have Warner Bros. treated the adventures of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman et al to an equally fantastic box set? D.J. Nock finds out, as he swoops in to catch the Region 1 package...

Night Watch

Bex peers at today's R2 release of Night Watch, the first of a planned supernatural trilogy set in modern-day Moscow and filmed entirely in Russian. Sufficiently gothic and visually quite striking, the film chronicles the appearance of one who is destined to turn the tide in the endless stalemate between the forces of Dark and Light.

Stormy Monday

Gary Couzens has reviewed Stormy Monday, a romantic thriller starring Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones, Sting and Sean Bean. Mike Figgis's big-screen debut is released in Rgeion 2 by Optimum as part of their Classics range.

Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0

Not a tech reference to the second series but more an acknowledgement that this is not the full second season. Set 2.5 will be along later in the year...

Lacombe Lucien

Ending our series on Louis Malle, Mark Boydell takes a look at the controversial Lacombe Lucien which is given a very good release by Criterion with a deservedly updated transfer finally bringing what many regard as Malle's masterpiece into the new millenium.

Water

Mike Sutton takes a look at Anchor Bay's Region 2 DVD of "Water", a film which helps to demonstrate what happened to the British Film Industry.

Aeon Flux

er...A-on, E-on or, on the slim possibly that she may be from more rural parts, Yon

Memoirs of a Geisha

Gary Couzens has reviewed the Region 1 release of Memoirs of a Geisha, the Oscar-winning historical drama given a two-disc release by Sony.

Patton (Cinema Reserve)

Mike Sutton takes a look at Fox's R2 re-release of "Patton" as part of their Cinema Reserve series.

Princess Mononoke

This epic, magnificent film has now been released as part of Optimum's Studio Ghibli collection but in spite of the riches of the film, the DVD is something of a disappointment as Special Editions go...

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