With the start of another month comes yet another set of films ready to be released on DVD and Blu-ray. This month includes a Tarantino flick as well as a comedic Best Picture winner.
Room
Room is the heartbreaking story of 5-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) and his Ma (Brie Larson) who live in ‘Room’, which is revealed to be a shed in the back of their captor’s garden. The premise of the film is both of their escape and their eventual coping within the real world. It is dark, emotive and shocking, tugging on the heartstrings from the word go, and be prepared: it will make you cry buckets. The novel it is based on is told from the perspective Jack, who believes his skylight gives him a glimpse into space, that the ‘real world’ he sees on television is made up, this view is captured effortlessly, especially by Tremblay’s fabulous portrayal and Larson’s Oscar-worthy turn as his mother.
Room is available to buy from 9th May 2016* | Words: Lily Blake
The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s latest marathon of a film, clocking in at 168 minutes. Fans of music in film will be excited to hear that this is the first Tarantino film with an original score. An original score which won big at the Golden Globes. Tarantino originally intended The Hateful Eight to be a sequel to Django, so it is unsurprising that this film also exists in a brutal world of bounty hunters and cowboys.
Despite this historical context, The Hateful Eight bears a remarkable similarity to Tarantino’s first film: Reservoir Dogs. The body of the film all takes place in one room, allowing for in depth exploration of character and motive. Tim Roth’s role also evokes nostalgia for Reservoir Dogs. Roth’s character in The Hateful Eight, a larger than life hangman, is a distinct departure from the naïve Mr Orange of Reservoir Dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis
The film tracks the actions of eight violent and quirky characters, heading towards a place called Red Rock. The eight, despite having taken different routes, all end up at Minnie’s Haberdashery. There’s a blizzard outside, so all eight are stuck at Minnie’s Haberdashery until it subsides. As this is a Tarantino film, I don’t imagine it counts as a spoiler to mention that there is a lot of violence, and that people will die.
The Hateful Eight plays out like a game of Cluedo, a complex and considered murder mystery. Who is poisoning people? Whose side is everybody on? An atmosphere of distrust pervades the film. Tarantino’s signature narrative structure ensures that the plot unravels with intricate precision before the viewer’s eyes.
The Hateful Eight is available to buy from 9th May 2016* | Words: LEM
The Big Short
Developed from the ingenious mind of director Adam McKay (Stepbrothers, Anchorman) and taken straight from the pages of author Michael Lewis’s non-fiction book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine; The Big Short brings audiences the story of the real ins and outs of the 2008 global economic crisis, and tells the world just how 4 outsiders in the world of trading were able to make millions from it. This film became a major player during this year’s awards season thanks to it’s killer script and perfect blend of humour and cynicism. Mix those things with an excellent director and one of the year’s best ensembles, including Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt as well as newcomer Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story) and The Big Short became of the standout pictures of the last 12 months.
The excellent feature about this film is the way that the story is told and how intelligent and thought provoking the script is; whilst being backed up by a variety of standout performances from the cast, the highlight being Christian Bale who received an Oscar nomination for playing the socially awkward genius Dr. Michael Burry. The use of breaking the fourth wall by allowing Ryan Gosling’s Jared Vennett and Finn Wittrock’s Jamie Shipley to directly address the viewer and tell their side of the story is a triumph, as it allows for a connection on a more personal level with the story. As well as the characters talking to the viewer, The Big Short includes several celebrity cameos including Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie; who humourously educate the viewer on some of the more complex financial terminology revolving around the film’s plot. Other highlights is the brilliantly crafted sound editing, which draws the viewer into almost believing you’re right there on Wall Street itself. In short, The Big Short is a must see for those who enjoy thought-provoking, relatively dark comedies and excellent acting performances. A standout film that thoroughly merited it’s 5 Oscar nominations and deservedly won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, it would be a shame to miss out on taking it home this month.
The Big Short is available to buy from 23rd May 2016* | Words: Elliot Jones
Also out on DVD and Blu-ray this month*: The Danish Girl – 16th May, Creed – 16th May, Spotlight – 23rd May
Compiled by Levi Eddie Aluede