We review some of the latest DVDs out on the shelves, including T2 Trainspotting and local hit Keeping up with the Kandasamys:
[star rating=”3″]
COLLIDE. Directed by Eran Creevy, with Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley and Anthony Hopkins.
Much like a regular TV action movie, Collide’s plus points are mainly the two young stars’ fresh appeal; and Kingsley stretching out as a sleazeball Lothario makes a fun deviation from his often deadpan roles. Other than that this is an obvious heist story with a skinny, resourceful hero-on-the-run whose plans to hijack a whack-load of cocaine, to pay for a kidney transplant for his girlfriend, go awry.
Things unravel, folk turn mean, and the Autobahn carries much car action as the chase hots up. Hopkins channels his over-familiar, soft-spoken Hannibal Lecter villain, but even he can’t top up the general gravitas needed to ensure that Collide succeeds as serious cinema. – JANE MAYNE
[star rating=”2.5″]
KEEPING UP WITH THE KANDASAMYS. Directed by Jayan Moodley, with Jailoshini Naidoo, Maeshni Naicker, Madhushan Sinmgh, Mishqah Parthiephal.
Interfering moms steer this mildly funny Chatsworth drama. To intensify the theatrics, the Kandasamys and Naidoos are neighbours at war, unexpectedly complicated by the fact that romance is in the air. Stereotypical caricatures form the backbone of the familial play as rivalry between the two matriarchs leads to two unhappy Romeo & Juliet lovebirds who’re hoodwinked by their over-manipulative mothers.
Keeping Up isn’t a quirky or pretentious production, but rather fleshes out a familiar clichéd replay of suburban envy and discontented relationships. A colourful cast brings these conventional folk to life, creating a light comedy that’s slim on major surprises, but likeable enough in its recreation of humdrum suburban melodrama. EXTRAS: Trailer, The making of a Chatsworth Dream – JANE MAYNE
[star rating=”5″]
I, DANIEL BLAKE. Directed by Ken Loach with Dave Johns and Hayley Squires.
A chilly winter’s Sunday demanded an evening on the couch watching a movie, but I was absolutely unprepared for the emotional blow to the solar plexus that this tiny movie, I, Daniel Blake, would deliver.
Dave Johns plays a 59-year-old carpenter, Daniel Blake, who has to battle with social services in order to receive Employment and Support Allowance after suffering a heart attack. He forges an unusual friendship with a young, single mother, Katie (Hayley Squires) and her two children, who have moved to Newcastle from London, and who are in their own horrible financial situation. Added to the mix is the unlikely friendship of his next door neighbour, a hustler selling trainers on the black market.
Gritty, real and deeply critical of the ‘system’ of social welfare that is set up to help people but only causes the most horrible damage, this movie is pretty bleak. And yet is it so beautiful, and small, and sensitive, and even funny. The relationships that form, and the characters created are so special and moving, that it would take a heart of steel not to be undone by this movie. The last time I sobbed out loud in a film was in Once Were Warriors. Last night I burst into sobs at a torturous moment midway through, and then struggled to gain control for the rest of the film.
Part social commentary, part human drama, with a bucket load of feels, this movie will sneak into you, mess about with your internal organs and then sit in your throat, probably forever. – MEGAN FURNISS
[star rating=”4″]
T2 TRAINSPOTTING. Directed by Danny Boyle with Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle.
20 years after the glorious release of Trainspotting, the British/Scottish feature set in the grimy but surprisingly endearing world of heroin addicts in Edinburgh circa the 1990s, a sequel has been born. Yes, we know it sounds like a bad idea on paper – why revisit the scene of one of the most lauded contemporary British films made in the past 50 years? Why not be satisfied with the original? Well, we may never know what convinced director Danny Boyle and the original Trainspotting gang to get back together again, but it actually turns out to be quite a fun caper. Poignant, as well. All together, not too shabby.
When Trainspotting ended in 1996, Renton (Ewan McGregor) had absconded with the takings of a drug deal, leaving his friends Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Spud (Ewen Bremner) to handle the wrath of the psycho Begbie (Robert Carlyle). T2 starts when Renton returns to Edinburgh after two clean decades in Amsterdam, and picks up his friendship with Sick Boy and Spud. It’s not so simple, however, as hurt feelings abound. But the chance to make a few bucks by building an upmarket brothel is a lure. However, when Begbie escapes from jail and swears revenge, the heat is on. The Guardian described it as: “lively, stylish, funny and, yes, druggy, and no sentimental trip.” We agree. – KAREN RUTTER
[star rating=”2″]
JOHN WICK 2. Directed by Chad Stahelski with Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Riccardo Scamarcio.
Oh dear. Yes, we know John Wick is a series, and the way this one ends there will obviously be a number 3 down the line. But why? Does the world really need another 90 minutes of non-stop car chases, hand-to-hand combat and shootings? Actually, does the world really need another Keanu Reeves movie? After more than 50 attempts at acting on the big screen, you’d think he’d want to hang up his hat, pick up his bass guitar and return to Dogstar. But no, here he is, playing the world’s best assassin once again. In John Wick 2 he’s forced out of retirement to kill the sister of a dude he owes a favour. By the time Reeves finishes, the whole world wants to murder him. Literally. And you might too, after watching over an hour and a half of action clichés and hoping for a glimpse of irony, or a drop of humour, to lighten the load. And it never comes. But John Wick 3 will… – KAREN RUTTER
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