CineVue | UK film blog for movie news and reviews

DVD Review: 'Four Flies on Grey Velvet' (Blu-ray re-release)

★★★★☆

The third film in Dario Argento's patchy 'animals trilogy', Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) is one of the filmmaker's most stylistically satisfying films. Following his astonishing debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and the weak Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), the film has been unavailable for many years due to disagreements with Paramount, with Shameless Entertainment now presenting a near-immaculate restoration to mark the film's 40th anniversary.

★★★★☆

David Mackenzie is one of Britain's most versatile and under-appreciated directors - his films are exciting, innovative and flawed, though these qualities might be somewhat linked by his wilful experimentation. Perfect Sense (2011), the filmmaker's seventh feature, is by far his strangest and most unique to date - and this is a man who began his 2007 breakthrough film Hallam Foe with lead Jamie Bell circling his nipples in lipstick.

Valentine's Day is swiftly approaching, so why not bulk up your rom-com collection with newly released UK efforts Love Birds (2011) and You Instead (2011), as courtesy of Icon Home Entertainment we have TWO DVD bundles to give away. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook fans, so if you haven't already, head over to facebook.com/CineVueUK, 'Like' us, and then follow the instructions below.

★★★☆☆

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) - starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore - is an enjoyable, if flawed, US rom-com. Its multi-strand focus upon teenage obsession, twenty somethings dating, and a middle-aged couple trying to save their marriage is clearly meant to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Your average Mr. Nice Guy, Cal Weaver (Carell), is devastated when his wife Emily (Moore) tells him over dinner she's had an affair and that their marriage of twenty-five years is over.

★★★★★

Snubbed at this year's Golden Globes, yet with 11 BAFTA nomintations and three Oscar nods for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Actor for its leading star Gary Oldman, Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was undoubtably one of the finest British films of 2011. One brief look at the cast list will tell you nearly all you need to know about the film, with Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and John Hurt all on fine form in a superbly understated espionage thriller.

★★★☆☆

Much has been made of the American Academy's apparent oversight in not fully recognising Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's effortlessly cool neo-noir Drive (2011) in the 2012 Oscar nominations - yet it's easy to see why they came to such a decision. Refn's thriller - starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston - is a dark, atmospheric study of violence and moral corruption that was never going to emulate the mass appeal of Academy-friendly 'issue films' such as War Horse (2011) or The Help (2011). However, it could also be argued that underneath its sleek, uber-stylish exterior, there really isn't that much going on beneath the bonnet.

StudioCanal are due to release John Flynn's mighty Rolling Thunder (1977) on DVD and Blu-ray on 30 January, and there is nothing CineVue likes more than the sight of an unhinged, middle-aged man on a violent killing spree. In fact, our giblets are so moist with anticipation that we've been casting our minds back to films of a similar ilk and here, for your reading pleasure, are five films featuring ageing men going through a murderous midlife crisis.

★★★☆☆

Independently financed and produced, Robin Holder's directorial debut Eliminate: Archie Cookson (2010) is an offbeat espionage thriller that successfully transcends the limitations of it meagre budget, with a cast including Paul Rhys, Claire Skinner, Paul Ritter and Georgia King.

★★☆☆☆

The found footage formula - much like 3D filmmaking - appears to have just as many detractors as it does enthusiasts. The Paranormal Activity money train trundles on, and the occasional exorcist mockumentary will take the US box office off-guard, but the horror genre does seem to be falling out of love with the 'shaky cam' aesthetic. Enter Josh Trank's Chronicle (2012), the first superhero movie to exploit the format, following a trio of high school teens (all played by relative unknowns) who suddenly become blessed with superhuman abilities.

Viewed by many as one of the coolest films of 2011 (with an electro soundtrack to die for), Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive - starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston - comes to DVD and Blu-ray on 30 January, and to celebrate we have FIVE (count them, FIVE) DVD copies of the film to give away to our valued readers. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook fans, so if you haven't already, head over to facebook.com/CineVueUK, 'Like' us, and then follow the instructions below.

Hidden away in an unassuming corner of Bermondsey, Roxy Bar & Screen is one of London's best-kept cinema secrets. It's an intimate screen which seats cinemagoers in a lounge bar setting, blurring the lines between pub and screen with an easy effortlessness. And it's a trove for film geeks, programming a stonking selection of double-bills or classics. One such night was held last week: a double bill of Ben Wheatley's acclaimed first two films, Down Terrace (2009) and Kill List (2011), with short introductions from two of the stars from both films (Michael Smiley and Neil Maskell).

★★☆☆☆

Whilst there is much to be enjoyed in Johnny Daukes' debut feature Acts of Godfrey (2012), including the poetic musings of Simon Callow and a suitably dark and comedic performance by comedian Harry Enfield, the film ultimately fails to deliver on its substantial promise due to a distinct lack of humour and a detectable air of pomposity.

★★★★☆

Betrand Bonello's latest film House of Tolerance (2011) (aka L'Apollonide), which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival, is sumptuous cinema devoid of the typical clichés that plague costume dramas. Instead, it offers a bold and intelligent representation of the lives of turn-of-the-century prostitutes in a rapidly changing Paris.

The week saw the long-awaited announcement of the Oscar nominees for this year's 84th Academy Awards. Among predictable nods such as Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist and Martin Scorsese's Hugo for Best Picture and Best Director, there were also some shocking absentees including Lynne Ramsay's powerful drama We Need to Talk About Kevin, Steve McQueen's Shame and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive.

★★★☆☆

If you know the track record of French animator Bibo Bergeron - responsible for 2004's Shark Tale and 2000's The Road To El Dorado- you may assume that it would be best to stay clear of his latest directorial effort A Monster in Paris (2011) - but you would be wrong.

★★★☆☆

Drake Doremus' Like Crazy (2011) is the latest in a long line of American independent films which have recently taken a bitter-sweet approach towards romance. Up-and-coming duo Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin (with support from Jennifer Lawrence) star as a pair of hopeless romantics imprisoned by their deep emotional connection, who through one misguided decision, find themselves on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

★★★★☆

Chilling in every sense of the word, The Grey (2012) - though visually stunning - is unlikely to make you want to visit Alaska anytime soon. Starring Oscar nominee Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo and Dermot Mulroney, this thriller from director Joe Carnahan is an enthralling study of man's breakdown when faced with nature's raw elements and the base instinct for survival.

★★★★☆

About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004) director Alexander Payne returns triumphantly after a seven-year hiatus with the wonderfully poignant, Hawaii-based comic-drama The Descendants (2011), starring Hollywood megastar George Clooney in what is arguably his most impressive role to date.

At 13:30 GMT today, US actress Jennifer Lawrence - star of Winter's Bone (2010) and the upcoming The Hunger Games (2012) adaptation - announced the Oscar nominations for this year's 84th Academy Awards ceremony, to be held on 26 February. Martin Scorsese's Hugo lead the way with 11 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, with Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, Brad Pitt's Moneyball and Steven Spielberg's War Horse also fairing well. In other big news, Gary Oldman picked up a nod for Best Actor in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with Meryl Streep receiving a nomination for Best Actress as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Full nominations shortlist below:

★★★★☆

The premise of 30 Minutes or Less (2011), the latest film from Zombieland (2009) director Ruben Fleischer, sounds slightly worrying - how was an action comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride, concerning a couple of inept crooks and a pizza delivery boy, really to going to amount to anything greater than a bargain basement DVD? Fortunately, 30 Minutes or Less is in fact a slick, fresh and surprisingly witty film.

★★☆☆☆

Sitting through Jes Benstock's The British Guide to Showing Off (2011) is (presumably) like a bad acid trip - loud, garish and leaves you with the worst come-down in history. This documentary about the alternative artist and sculptor Andrew Logan was (one suspects) intended to put him over to the public as an eccentric, fun-loving icon. Instead, you're left with the impression of an ageing drag queen with very little of the above.

★★★☆☆

Life, Above All (2010) - which has been compared to 2009's Precious - enjoyed a warm reception on the festival circuit and was met with a ten minute standing ovation on its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. In the context of the horrifying AIDS epidemic, South African director Oliver Schmitz explores the power of love and loyalty in the face of adversity.

★☆☆☆☆

It defies logic how some films get made - Scott Spiegel's Hostel: Part III (2011) has no redeeming virtues whatsoever, a perfect example of what would have been branded a video nasty during the 1980s. The third instalment in the notorious 'torture porn' series is 88 minutes of relentless gratuity, frequently interspersed with moments of mind-bogglingly sickening violence.

★★★☆☆

It's taken just over 18 months for Catherine Breillat's Bluebeard (2009) to make its way to DVD (courtesy of New Wave Films), following a limited UK cinematic release back in July 2010. Initial critical reception remained mixed, with many perplexed by Breillat's strangely restrained approach to Charles Perrault's classic French fairytale. As a feminist morality tale, the film works; yet as an adaptation of such a revered piece of Gothic fantasy, Bluebeard may leave fans of the source text some underwhelmed.

★★★★☆

The third feature from Chilean director Pablo Larraín, Post Mortem (2010) is a bleak, deeply melancholic portrait of his country of birth, set in the capital city of Santiago during the Pinochet coup d'état of 1973. Comparable with Luis Puenzo's 1985 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner The Official Story (La historia oficial), the film focuses on the impact of national socio-political events upon a few select characters amid violent protests and a host of sinister disappearances.

★★★☆☆

Directed by John Madden, The Debt (2010) is not only a highly entertaining, gripping thriller but also boasts a very impressive cast including Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciarán Hinds, actress of the moment Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington.

DVD Review: 'Four Flies on Grey Velvet' (Blu-ray re-release)

DVD Review: 'Perfect Sense'

Competition: Win 'Love Birds' and 'You Instead' on DVD

DVD Review: 'Crazy, Stupid Love'

DVD Review: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

DVD Review: 'Drive'

Special Feature: 'Rolling Thunder' and five other revenge film classics

Film Review: 'Eliminate: Archie Cookson'

Film Review: 'Chronicle'

Competition: Win Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' on DVD *closed

Event: 'Kill List' & 'Down Terrace' double-bill at Roxy Bar & Screen

Film Review: 'Acts of Godfrey'

Film Review: 'House of Tolerance'

Week in Film: 2012 Oscar noms, Theo Angelopoulos RIP and Welles forgiven

Film Review: 'A Monster in Paris'

Film Review: 'Like Crazy'

Film Review: 'The Grey'

Film Review: 'The Descendants'

84th Academy Awards: Oscars 2012 nominations announced

DVD Review: '30 Minutes or Less'

DVD Review: 'The British Guide of Showing Off'

DVD Review: 'Life, Above All'

DVD Review: 'Hostel: Part III'

DVD Review: 'Bluebeard'

DVD Review: 'Post Mortem'

DVD Review: 'The Debt'