As we enter the new year, here are some of the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases heading your way in January. This month’s selection of cinematic treats include an action thriller featuring Scarlett Johansson, a hard-hitting insight into the privileged lives of British Upper Class students and Richard Linklater’s incredible 12 year project that is already one of the frontrunners for this year’s Award Season.
Lucy
Luc Besson’s latest science-fiction action flick has caused much debate in both critical and public circles. Namely, because of it’s overly weird and complicated plot. The film focuses on a 25 year old American woman called Lucy – played by Scarlett Johansson – who is tricked into becoming a drug-mule for her boyfriend. Inevitably things turn sour, (don’t do drugs, kids) when the nasty Korean drug-lords forcibly sew a highly valuable synthetic drug into her abdomen and keep her imprisoned. When one of her captors kicks her in the stomach however, the bag bursts and suddenly – with the drugs in her bloodstream -she becomes the ultimate bad-ass. It turns out that the drug has the capability to increase the power of her brain to such levels that she can move things with her mind, change her appearance and time-travel. Pretty nonsensical, yes. You can certainly see why people came out of the cinema to this film tweeting such acronyms as “WTF”.
But while it’s not a film for everyone – there are some parts of the movie that are easier to get your head around. Scarlett Johansson, for example, remains to be one of the most watchable actresses of our time – this film only increasing her aptitude for playing badass femme fatales. Speaking of which, I’m willing to believe that if you cut out all the scientific bullshit that Morgan Freeman is (unjustly) made to spew – and the bizarre ending of course – you’d be left with what is basically a blonde Black Widow. And that’s cool. As well as this, it is of course, bloody wonderful to see a woman being represented as something other than a sappy love interest. And the visuals of the film – though sometimes odd – are quite intriguing to behold. It’s one of those films that excels in style and action, but lacks in substance. Depending on which of those you favour, you may/may not want to try this movie.
Lucy is available to buy from 12th January 2015*
The Riot Club
Based on Laura Wade’s 2010 play ‘Posh‘, the film is centered on the eponymous ‘Riot Club‘ – an exclusive all-male dining club at Oxford University. The intentions of the club are simple: To dine until they are literally sick in an evening of all-out extravagance, showcasing their wealth and vanity. However, the arrival of their newest members, Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin) causes sparks to fly, and in moments of drunken, egotistical madness, despicably dark things begin to happen. Directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education, One Day), the film is certainly thought-provoking – especially when you consider that this fictionalised group is in some part influenced by the real-life Bullingdon Club, of which politicians of today such as David Cameron and Boris Johnson were members. And there are certain moments which are incredibly tough to watch, as the boys go too far in their efforts to ‘have a good time’.
The visuals of this film are as decadent and rich as the characters themselves, and in such a character-driven plot as this, one cannot dispel the talents of the cast. Claflin’s turn as the right-wing, poor-bashing Alistair is performed with precision, distinctly showcasing the actor’s ability to be more than just a pretty face. While Irons’ much more sympathetic and relatable character of Miles is played with similar aplomb. The supporting cast, made up of rising actors such as Douglas Booth, Freddie Fox, Holliday Grainger and Natalie Dormer, is also brilliant. Despite it’s peppy soundtrack, and it’s initial promise of posh larks, this film is certainly not an easy ride. The ending is sure to rile up emotions – and not necessarily good ones – but nevertheless as a showcase of young British acting talent, it’s well worth the watch.
The Riot Club is available to buy from 19th January 2015*
Boyhood *THE PICK OF THE MONTH*
Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s ground-breaking twelve year project that revolves around the lives of two siblings, Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) as they grow from young children to college students. The film touches upon all the milestones of an all too similar childhood, from the competitive squabbling between young siblings to the struggles of juggling time between separated parents (played by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette respectively) and their new families. It’s hard not to feel completely consumed by this film; The nostalgic familiarity of growing up in the noughties – for my generation certainly – makes Boyhood an incredibly relatable watch. The fact that it was filmed in bursts of real time also adds to that sense of watching a version of a shared memory, rather than a detached cinematic experience.
Ellar Coltrane’s gradual, continuing performance as Mason is really joyous to watch – most refreshingly because we actually get to watch him grow from boy to man. In this cinematic climate where producers easily wheel out child actors and label them as the “younger” incarnation of a character, it’s a terrifically inspired choice on the filmmakers’ part to actually take the time to document the ageing of one actor in real time. And though it did take twelve years to shoot – and you can certainly feel the years go by, what with fads like Harry Potter passing through the characters’ childhoods just as they did ours – the actual running of the film is incredibly slick. Another performance to note, is Hawke’s turn as Mason and Samantha’s Father. His attempts to connect with his kids, despite long periods of absence is incredibly heartwarming, whilst also being realistic to the truths of a broken family. Already a frontrunner for the Golden Globes, and I expect the BAFTAS and Oscars too, Boyhood is a mesmerisingly perfect coming-of-age tale.
Boyhood is available to buy from 19th January 2015*
The Boxtrolls
From the makers of Paranorman, comes a quirky animated tale about a boy called Eggs (voiced by Game of Thrones‘ Isaac Hempstead-Wright) who is raised by a group of subterranean creatures, called Boxtrolls. In the town of Cheesebridge, the Boxtrolls – who wear cardboard boxes and all sound a bit like Gollum from Lord of the Rings – scavenge the streets at night, looking for useful pieces of trash that could be used for their inventions. Despite being peaceful, kindly creatures, the town has been corrupted into fear of them by the dastardly pest exterminator, Archibald Snatcher (who has a look of the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang to him and is voiced by Sir Ben Kingsley -not that you’d guess.)
It’s not an every-man film by any means – for a start, it isn’t half weird. The Boxtrolls are actually quite grotesque looking, despite the oddly-adorable way in which they function. And the human characters in the film are also so very far removed from the smooth, polished beauty you might expect from characters in a Disney film – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The aesthetics of the film are also very interesting to behold, and are slightly Tim Burton-esque in their feel; films like Corpse Bride and Coraline seem eerily similar in their slightly gothic, oddball style. The cast is comprised of a pretty decent bunch of performers too, including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jared Harris, Elle Fanning and Richard Ayoade to name but a few. Overall, the story is a little outlandish in moments and is no doubt kooky, but in their own weird way, the Boxtrolls are quite cute and well worth a go.
The Boxtrolls is available to buy from 26th January 2015*
What We Did On Our Holiday
From the makers of Outnumbered – the sitcom famed for it’s risky (but terribly amusing) mix of improvisation and young children – comes the quaint British comedy, What We Did On Our Holiday. In a similar vein to Outnumbered, writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (who also direct) focus in on the exploits of another young family – only this time without the episodic narrative. David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, The World’s End) star as parents of three, Doug and Abi, who unite after a tense separation in order to travel with the kids to the Scottish Highlands for the birthday party of Doug’s terminally ill Dad, Gordie (Billy Connolly).
It’s not quite a giggle-a-minute comedy -though there are some genuinely endearing and amusing scenes between the children and Billy Connolly’s character – as the middle of the film, without spoiling, gets a little too dark for comfort. In an effort to distinguish this film as different to their sitcom, the writers include an event in the plot that does not fit with the light and otherwise breezy other parts of the film. The cast is decent and affable, but it’s fairly likely that this is not the best you’ve seen of any of them. It’s not as perfect and joyous as the above trailer would have you believe – but if you’re a fan of Outnumbered, you may very well enjoy it.
What We Did On Our Holiday is available to buy from 26th January 2015*
Also out on DVD and Blu-ray this month*: Before I Go To Sleep (12th), The Equalizer (26th) and A Walk Among The Tombstones (26th)
*Please note that all release dates referenced are UK only. International release dates may differ.
Words by Annie