The Watson Twins release their full-length debut on CD...
Released during the summer, although this pair are big on the LA folk/country/rock
scene, while this 11-track release isn't perfect,
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts
confirms it's still a very good start.
Few of Doctor Who’s long-standing fans will tell you that The Trial Of A Time Lord is a story that hits their top ten list, and with good reason. A 14-episode opus that formed an entire series of Colin Baker’s reign in the Tardis, it’s a patchy production
, that does have some qualities to it, but is probably one for the hardened Who fan rather than the casual viewer.
The key to the story is that the Doctor is on trial, facing a potential death penalty, and the courtroom saga works as a backdrop to a collection of stories that sit on top. So there’s The Mysterious Planet, which is a decent enough yarn, the weak and puz
zling Mindwarp, the surprisingly enjoyable Terror Of The Vervoids, and then the twisty The Ultimate Foe.
While The Trial Of A Time Lord does have a few notable missteps, with some occasionally muddled writing, and while it does introduce arguably the worst companion the Doctor has ever travelled with (Bonnie Langford’s Mel), it’s still a fascinating series t
o watch, warts and all. Fortunately, it’s backed by a substantive collection of extras, including numerous commentaries and documentaries, that provide an honest glance back at a story that arrived in the midst of one of Doctor Who’s most troubled periods
.
Doctor Who: The Trial Of A Time Lord is out now on
DVD (£37.49).
Zodiac: Director's Cut.
David Fincher's (FIGHT CLUB, SE7EN) adaptation of the Robert Graysmith book masterfully transports viewers to the Bay Area in the 1960s and '70s by drawing on actual case files from the notoriously unsolved Zodiac killer mystery. As a murderer with seemin
gly random targets starts sending terrifying threats and cryptic codes to police and publishers all around San Francisco, fear and paranoia descend on the city. Through slow pacing, Fincher creates an effectively chilling atmosphere in which he spins a th
ick web of character-driven plotlines. Early scenes depicting the Zodiac's first-known murders vividly capture the victim's fear and agony and will leave viewers haunted.
When the Zodiac’s ciphers arrive at the San Francisco Chronicle, they spark the interest of Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young cartoonist with a penchant for puzzles. As the former Boy Scout earnestly tries to decode the messages, eccentric reporter Pau
l Avery approaches the case from a career-boosting angle. Meanwhile, a string of investigators from four jurisdictions carry on a complex and unsatisfying search for the elusive killer. Inspectors Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edw
ards) at times collide with Avery and Graysmith, whose interest in the case extends long after most have given up.
Even at two-and-a-half hours in length, this dense murder mystery should manage to keep its audience riveted throughout. Paired with stellar performances from Ruffalo, Downey, Gyllenhaal, and countless others, a clever script produces well-developed chara
cters, and the film's art direction, music, and costumes all combine to create an authentic sense of time and place. The sombre tone of the atmospheric thriller gives the film a documentary-like aesthetic at times, lending weight to the story’s facts whil
e never relying on cheap tricks. Unlike murder mysteries such as THE BLACK DAHLIA, ZODIAC invites viewers to develop theories of their own, allowing them to come to their own conclusions.
Bill Bixby stars in this classic television series inspired by the comic book, which ran from 1978 to 1982. When withdrawn research scientist David Banner is accidentally exposed to toxic radiation, even the smallest agitation transforms him from man to m
onster. Bright green and enormous, the Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) crushes anyone in his path, defeating his enemies left and right.
Features all five series in their entirety.
The Incredible Hulk: Complete Season 1-5 is out now on
DVD (£74.98).
Cybill Complete Season 1-4 Box Set.
Cybill Shepherd stars as Cybill Sheridan, a woman who has it all, two spiteful daughters (Dedee Pfeiffer and Alicia Witt), two clingy ex-husbands (Alan Rosenberg and Tom Wopat), an outrageous best friend (Christine Baranski), an unstable future and a hous
e on an eroding LA hillside. But with humour and determination, Cybill braves each new challenge that comes her way, while having the time of her life discovering that life after forty is anything but downhill.
This 16 disc box set contains all 87 episodes from all four series and features guest appearances by Tim Matheson, Morgan Fairchild, Bruce Davison, Jonathan Frakes, Kevin Sorbo, Ellen Greene, Stephen Root, Dick Van Patten, Peter Krause, Tracy Scoggins, Br
ian Keith, Wendy Malick, Chad Everett, Dom DeLuise, Denver Pyle, Ray Baker, Dan Castellaneta, Peter Coyote, Mary Page Keller, Robert Stack, Charles Durning, Seth Green and William Forsythe plus many more.
Cybill Complete Season 1-4 Box Set is out now on
DVD (£56.98).
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Helen Jerome
returns with a new 2-hour DVD that, as she confirms, is very much an arthouse
kind of "Now That's What I Call Short Films" with a classic selection of
excellent pieces of work that command your attention.
Prison Break's third card sits in an uncrackable safe as Season 4 continues...
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen returns with reviews
of the eagerly awaited fourth season of Prison Break, and this time there's
a number of obstacles, one after another, potentially stopping our gang from
getting the data from the third of six Scylla cards.
Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing at
Manchcester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won't differ
much from what's on in the rest of the country.
The new films out include: Taken, Appaloosa, Swing Vote, Redbelt, Death Race and Righteous Kill.
Released towards the end of last year,
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts
lists many reasons why the debut from this modern jazz instrumental combo should
be on your purchase list and why they were nominated for the prize which was
scooped by Elbow last week.
Blow the hell out of everything in Battlefield: Bad Company on Xbox 360...
Destructible environments are all the rage in this crash/bang/wallop piece
of fun as you take part in a Eurasian conflict in the near future, as you
and three other guys set about on a little personal mission to keep some of
the wealth for yourself. Turn the amplifier up to 11 when you fire off that
rocket launcher!
It could possibly be her final album, but while her voice has jaded somewhat,
she still fills her 24th release with collaborations such as Steve Earle,
Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Patty Griffin, but what does
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Elly Roberts
make of it?
Prison Break's second card-holder could be hard to access as Season 4 continues...
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen returns with reviews
of the eagerly awaited fourth season of Prison Break, and this time there's
a number of obstacles, one after another, potentially stopping our gang from
getting the data from the second of six Scylla cards.
The silver-screen version of SEX AND THE CITY is sure to inspire lust, though it may not be after its sexy male cast. Instead, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends wear enviable fashions from the industry's biggest names such as Zac Pose
n, Louis Vuitton, and, of course, Manolo Blahnik, and their gorgeous clothes--and accessories--threaten to steal the show. But for fans of the series' wit, drama, and sex, there's plenty to like in this romantic comedy filled with familiar characters.
Though four years have passed since the events of the series, not much has changed as the film begins: Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) are happy as they search for an apartment, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is blissful with her husband (Evan Handler) and ado
pted daughter, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is still with actor Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is trying to balance life as a mother, wife, and lawyer as she lives in Brooklyn with Steve (David Eigenberg). But Carrie and Big's apartmen
t hunt leads them down the road to marriage, and the destination may not be quite everything Carrie hoped for.
Though the film runs nearly two and a half hours, it flies by the way a marathon of episodes would for the devoted. Even minor characters from the show--Vogue editor Enid Frick (Candice Bergen), beloved Carrie pal Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), and hype
r wedding planner Anthony Marentino (Mario Canton)--make fan-pleasing appearances. SEX AND THE CITY is full of glitz, glamour, and giggles, but be sure to have a tissue nearby. These characters have become like friends to fans, and it's tough not to tear
up when things don't go exactly as they'd hoped.
The Wire Season 5 concludes the award-winning TV series with a bang. The bodies are piling up in Homicide, but funds for
police work have been diverted to the schools. Meanwhile business is booming on the streets as the war between East and
West Baltimore’s drug kings reaches a new intensity. McNulty is drinking again. Bubs is clean again. Omar is back with
a vengeance and Carcetti is struggling to make a difference as Mayor. After taking us through the streets, the docks, the
corridors of power and the schools, The Wire brings us to the Baltimore media, where the successes and tragedies of all
of our favourite characters become ammunition in the battle for circulation figures.
The sixth and final season of HBO's prison drama Oz--which aired in 2003--is brutal, passionate, and gritty. Compellingly addictive with taut storylines and superb acting, each of the eight episodes on this 3-disc set nicely paves the way for the series f
inale, which wraps the show up in a satisfying (and surprising) manner. Often told through the eyes (and voice) of deceased prisoner Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau, Lost), Oz isn't an easy show to watch. Inmates are routinely raped, tortured, and killed-
-not out of need, but out of boredom and cruelty.
And in a corrupt system where too few bureaucrats actually care about these men's lives, few are willing to do anything about it. Those that do give a damn--Sister Peter Marie (Rita Moreno, West Side Story), Father Mukada (B.D. Wong, Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit), Dr. Nathan (Lauren Velez), Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson), McManus (Terry Kinney)--face an uphill battle.
One of the strongest storylines is the ongoing romance between murderer Keller (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU) and Beecher (Lee Tergesen), who's hoping to be paroled. Series creator Tom Fontana doesn't allow their arc to be diluted by any idealisti
c expectations. The viewer is acutely aware that Beecher is an easy target for annihilation whether or not he is released from prison. The viewer is never quite as certain of Keller's motives--whether they're borne of love and affection, or a selfish need
to satisfy his own primal urges.
Like Beecher, Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) is trying to keep his own nose clean in the hopes that he'll be eligible for parole three years down the line. It's easy to understand the almost suffocating feeling he lives every day, knowing that three years may as
well be a lifetime when you're behind bars and the target of both your former gang and the Aryan brothers, led by Schillinger (J.K. Simmons, Law & Order: SVU, the Spider-Man films). And Ryan (Dean Winters) desperately tries to save his mentally retarded b
rother Cyril (played by Dean's real-life sibling Scott William Winters) from being executed.
Uwe Boll helms this follow-up to his own action-packed first film from 2006. The movie takes place 100 years after the
first BLOODRAYNE ended, and finds Rayne in a whole lot of trouble with some vampire cowboys. The cowboys are led by
Billy the Kid, so Rayne teams up with none other than Pat Garret in an attempt to stop Billy's bloody reign of terror.
Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing at
Manchcester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won't differ
much from what's on in the rest of the country.
The new films out include: Then She Found Me and Tropic Thunder.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts
describes this release as a hot 'n' passionate one from a new kid on the block
which guarantees him a big future. There are 12 tracks on this album which prove
the man has a massive talent.
Stephen Dorff is an actor who's certainly proved his worth in the past but
doesn't seem to hit the Hollywood A-list very often any more, but this low-budget
thriller really does deliver the goods and is mostly a three-hander, also
starring Neil Jackson and Sarai Givaty, as curiosity gets the better of them
down in Morocco.
The Passage
is online now and released on October 13th on DVD.
Pete Greenwood makes his solo debut on CD...
Although he's only been going for two years,
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Elly Roberts confirms
this is a mature and considered album with influences from Bob Dylan and
Paul Simon.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen returns with reviews
of the eagerly awaited fourth season of Prison Break, and for the second episode
in a row, there's a break IN to somewhere in the search for the mysterious
six Scylla cards.
Also, the new DVD releases for this week will be online tomorrow.
New DVD highlights out this week...
In a slight change from the norm, we look at a few titles in more detail, as there's not a lot out at the moment.
The titles of note for this week are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:
The Air I Breathe (15.99, ICA)
ER Season 12 (44.99, Warner)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Bluray, Universal)
Pushing Daisies Season 1 (39.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
South Park Season 8 (24.99, Paramount)
The Air I Breathe:
Starring an award-winning stellar cast including Forest Whitaker, Andy Garcia, Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser and
Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Air I Breathe is a powerful, thrilling and moving story of four strangers whose lives become
entwined by unpredictable twists of fate.
Created by director Jieho Lee, The Air I Breathe centres on the ancient Chinese proverb of Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow
and Love, and sees the lives of four previously unconnected individuals weaved together by the ruling of ruthless crime
boss, Fingers (Garcia; Ocean’s Eleven).
From the producers of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up comes a comic look at one guy's arduous quest to grow up
and get over the heartbreak of being dumped - if he can only make himself start Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall
(Kristen Bell). He's the guy left holding her purse in paparazzi photos and accidentally omitted from acceptance award
speeches. But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing
and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life.
To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Hawaii, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her
tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), are sharing his hotel. But as he torments himself with
the reality of Sarah's new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a beautiful resort employee whose
laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world. He also finds relief in several hundred embarrassing, fruity cocktails.
What began as a construction-paper film short evolved into a veritable pop-culture phenomenon for Trey Parker and Matt
Stone's outrageous animated comedy series SOUTH PARK. Centred on the hilarious misadventures of four potty-mouthed
primary-schoolers in the perpetually wintry environs of South Park, Colorado, the series skewers the vagaries of the modern
American cultural landscape with politically incorrect humour and satirical plotlines ranging from homophobia and terrorism
to boy bands and talking poo. This collection presents every episode from the show's eighth series.
ER follows the medical personnel and patients in the emergency room of Chicago's fictional County General Hospital.
Episodes Comprise: 1. Canon City,
2. Nobody's Baby,
3. Man With No Name,
4. Blame It On The Rain,
5. Wake Up,
6. Dream House,
7. The Human Shield,
8. Two Ships,
9. I Do,
10. All About Christmas Eve,
11. If Not Now,
12. Split Decisions,
13. Body And Soul,
14. Quintessence Of Dust,
15. Darfur,
16. Out On A Limb,
17. Lost In America,
18. Strange Bedfellows,
19. No Place To Hide,
20. There Are No Angels Here,
21. The Gallant Hero And The Tragic Victor,
22. Guns
Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing at
Manchcester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won't differ
much from what's on in the rest of the country.
The new films out include: Pineapple Express, The Women and Eden Lake.
Retro soundscapes, Hammond organ tracks and ballsy rock blasts are just part of
what's going on for this great second album from Howlin Rain. Read the review
from
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts
and check out why you should buy it.
Recorded at the famous Electric Lady Studios in New York, this latest attempt
doesn't quite hit the heights of his first and,
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts confirms,
it has mixed results with tracks that don't sit comfortably next to each other.
In a slight change from the norm, we look at a few titles in more detail, as there's not a lot out at the moment.
The titles of note for this week are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:
21 (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Bluray, Sony)
The Eye (2008) (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Bluray, Lions Gate)
Spooks Code 9 (24.99, Contender)
Tin Man (19.99, Brightspark)
21:
Inspired by a true story, 21 mixes Las Vegas casino wheeling and dealing with college-kid angst. Kevin Spacey is
crafty MIT professor Micky Rosa, who trains gifted students to count cards and then flies them out to Vegas to raid the
blackjack tables between classes. At first they rake in a bundle, but then catch the unwanted attention of tough-guy
security chief, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who wants to prove himself before he's replaced by face recognition
software.
Maths genius Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) originally joins the ring in order to come up with the $300,000 he needs for
tuition money, but he's also smitten with the ring's resident babe, Jill (Kate Bosworth). When he finds out Professor
Rosa hasn't been dealing entirely from a straight deck, Ben's high-end shopping spree dreams turn sour (though card
counting is not illegal) and the battle of wits is on, no second chances given. Spacey is in his preternaturally calm,
morally compromised element, stealing scenes left and right; Fishburne brings the hangdog depth; and director Robert
Luketic (LEGALLY BLONDE) succeeds in making the film glossy, stylish and thrilling. 21 is based on the bestseller
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE by Ben Mezrich.
THE EYE adapts the influential 2002 Hong Kong ghost tale by the Pang brothers into a star vehicle for Jessica Alba. While it
remains faithful to the original story, this version ups the number of jolts for thrill-seeking Western audiences.
Writing/directing team David Moreau and Xavier Palud, creators of the popular 2006 French thriller THEM, make their U.S.
debut with a screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (SNAKES ON A PLANE), putting a few new twists on a cult favourite.
Concert violinist Sydney Wells (Alba) has been blind since she was five, when an accident involving firecrackers damaged her
corneas. Now in her mid-20s, she has just undergone a transplant, a risky procedure that is not always successful. When the
bandages come off, her sight slowly returns, and everything she sees is a new experience. A happy occasion becomes terrifying,
though, when she begins to see horrifying visions of the dead. Fearing that she’s losing her sanity, she enlists the help
of Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola), who uncovers the identity of the donor of her new corneas and travels with her
to Mexico to unravel the mystery of her horrific visions.
Spare and effective, THE EYE retains the two most startling
sequences from the original film--a truly chilling floating dead man in an elevator and an elaborate, explosive set piece
at the conclusion. Moreau, Palud, and Gutierrez jazz the story up in other spots, with quick scares, sharp music cues,
and twitchy apparitions reminiscent of those in JACOB'S LADDER, but the essence remains the same. Alba is fine as damsel
in distress Sydney, and the always-enjoyable Parker Posey is uncharacteristically low-key as her airline hostess sister.
With no gore or anything else objectionable, the film may also be good choice for younger viewers who enjoy a good scare.
David Wolstencroft's counter-terrorist spy drama SPOOKS is launched into the near future in the innovative new six-part
drama SPOOKS: CODE 9. Set in the year 2013 following a devastating nuclear bomb attack on the capital, the show centres on
the bright young recruits of MI5's new Field Office 19. After the city's evacuation, teams such as theirs have been set up
all over the country to tackle any further threats to the nation's safety. With limited training and experience but with
unflinching determination and a fierce patriotic spirit, the new recruits face danger at every turn.
Charlie (Liam Boyle), Rachel (Ruta Gedmintas), Jez (Heshima Thompson), Vik (Christopher Simpson), Rob (Andrew Knott) and
Kylie (Georgia Moffett), all come from widely different backgrounds and possess a range of invaluable skills and talents.
Hand-picked by their experienced Field Office Leader Hannah (Joanne Froggatt), they must come together and work as a
team for the sake of Queen and country. Frenetically-paced, visually-striking and achingly-hip, SPOOKS: CODE 9 introduces
you to a future devoid of rules and structure, where protecting your country has never been so much fun.
A tent-pole miniseries release from RHI Entertainment and SCI FI Channel Tin Man is a modern science fiction update of L.
Frank Baum s timeless "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." When a sorceress named Azkadellia scorches the once-beautiful land of OZ
into a desolate wasteland the only hope lies in an "outsider" named DG a young Midwestern woman whose troubling dreams have
summoned her to the doomed paradise. D.G. embarks on a journey to find the great mystic man to save the O.Z. and on her way
she befriends a scarecrow named Glitch a tin cop named Cain and gentle manimal named Raw. Journey beyond the yellow brick road
withTin Man now on DVD for the first time in this 2-Disc Collector's Edition with amazing bonus features and collectible
packaging.
This sci-fi miniseries offers an alternative take on the classic tale of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and stars Zooey Deschanel
(WEEDS) as DG, Alan Cumming (THE L WORD) as Glitch, and Richard Dreyfuss (JAWS) as the Mystic Man.
Everyone will remember when this band rose to the Top 5 with the hit Breakout
back in 1986 and the fantastic vocals of Corrine Drewery, but they've continued
to make music all this time and now release their ninth studio album, but
even though they haven't been in the charts for almost 15 years, can they
recapture past glory days?
Ali Eskandarian has plenty to say that's worth hearing on CD...
As DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Elly Roberts confirms,
this new artist is having comparisons drawn with early Bob Dylan and Nick Drake
and this alt-folk-blues troubadour is seriously one to watch.
Prison Break returns with Season 4 and so does a familiar face...
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen returns with reviews
of the eagerly awaited fourth season of Prison Break, but what is planned for
Michael and Lincoln as they attempt to take down the company, what became of
the inmates of Sona and who will make a surprise return to the show?
Matthew's sweet music makes for a great 10th CD...
From working in Athens, Georgia in the mid-80s, and more recently with Susanna
Hoffs from the Bangles, his latest album takes a nod to prog-rock, Americana
and will appeals to even the plain curious, according to
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Elly Roberts.
Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing at
Manchcester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won't differ
much from what's on in the rest of the country.
The new films out include: Rocknrolla, Disaster Movie, Bangkok Dangerous, Sweet Land, El Cantante and The Duchess.
Positioned between the second and third film of the recent trilogy, the Clone
Wars are in full effect and both Anakin and Obi-Wan are at the top of their
game as they do battle with the Evil Empire with a plot that's paper-thin
but it's a film that feels like a series of computer game CGI cut-scenes
stuck together and put up on the big screen for 90 minutes of crash/bang/wallop
and it's fantastic fun!
Steely Dan's Walter Becker releases a new album...
Steely Dan are an absolute legend of a band, but while we won't be seeing another
one of those any time soon, someone else who's been taking their time - 14 years
since his last - is the band's Walter Becker, with a 12-track album that's has
a few good tracks but... not many.
DVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Elly Roberts
talks you through it.
In a slight change from the norm, we look at a few titles in more detail, as there's not a lot out at the moment.
The titles of note for this week are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:
Cashback (15.99 Universal)
Day of the Dead (2008) (15.99, Optimum)
Doomsday (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
New Tricks Series 4 (24.99, BBC)
QI: Series C (19.99, BBC)
The Red Hand Gang Series 1 (24.99, Fabulous Films)
Star Fleet Series 1 (29.99, Fabulous Films)
Yes: Director's Cut (19.99, Pinnacle)
Cashback:
Cashback is an expanded version of director Sean Ellis' Oscar-nominated short film of the same name about a bored supermarket
clerk who discovers that he has the ability to stop time. Sean Biggerstaff (from the Harry Potter franchise) is Ben, a lovelorn
young man whose chronic insomnia (due to a bad breakup) forces him to bury himself in pointless and repetitive work at a local
grocery store.
Once there, boredom causes him to believe that he can stop time, and he enjoys long and languid fantasies about undressing and
sketching the female shoppers. But reality intrudes in the form of recollections of his troubled past, as well as the lovely
presence of fellow clerk Sharon (Emilia Fox), who offers the promise of love in the real world. A gentle and artfully directed
independent film, Cashback doesn't run very deep in terms of emotion, but the special effects are clever, the cast quirky and
amusing, and its premise is an appealing mix of softcore reverie and boyish longing.
Nick Cannon, Mena Suvari and Ving Rhames star in this horror film based on the George A. Romero classic zombie film.
A mysterious virus has infected the small town of Leadville, Colorado, and the military is brought in to enforce a quarantine
and stop the spread of the disease. As people perish, survivors realize that the virus is creating the walking dead who
crave human flesh. Only a small number of people are immune to the virus, and those few survivors must battle to fend
off the infected zombies while trying to make it out of town alive.
Writer/director Neil Marshall earned the respect of horror devotees with his first two features, Dog Soldiers and The Descent,
refreshing and scary twists on the werewolf and expedition-gone-wrong genres. Where those works exemplified a respect for pure
horror, devoid of the tension-spoiling comedy that infects most fright films, Doomsday is Marshall's love letter to the
post-apocalyptic action-exploitation films of the 1980s.
Bubbling over with action, gore, and dark humour, his third film has all the bases covered for a fun and knowing viewing
experience. After a deadly plague results in the quarantine of Scotland (in a scene reminiscent of I Am Legend), a wall is
built around the country preventing anyone from going in or out.
Thirty years later, the British government believes everyone within the wall to be dead, but when they find signs of life and
learn of the possibility of a cure, a team of specially trained agents led by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) become the first
outsiders to venture inside the country since the epidemic. They discover that there are plenty of survivors who have
splintered into fierce, warlike tribes, living in a lawless society where cannibalism and murder are the order of the day.
Astute viewers will have a blast playing 'spot the influence', with loving nods to Escape From New York, Aliens, 28 Days
Later, and the Mad Max films. At the film's halfway point, Marshall switches gears, transforming the film from a punk-informed
futuristic action film into a medieval-style chase film, utilising Scotland's castles and sumptuous green landscapes to the
fullest. Mitra is an exciting physical presence as Eden, a female version of Escape From New York's Snake Plissken, and the
great supporting cast includes Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell.
Two full length concert performances featuring the ‘Classic’ line-up, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White,
Rick Wakeman recorded at The NIA Birmingham and Glastobury Festival. These were recorded during the legendary prog rockers' 35th
Anniversary World Tour in 2003 and there's also exclusive behind the scenes footage.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
