Best DVDs Out Now

Identity Thief
In this sub-par comedy Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy plays Diana, an insecure but outrageous con artist who steals the identity of straight-laced accountant Sandy (Jason Bateman).
Thanks to some preposterous plotting, Sandy is forced to drive Diana from Florida to Denver to save his job. Diana’s approach to life is much like McCarthy’s approach to Hollywood convention: she may not play by the rules, but through determination, charm, irresistible humour and utter fearlessness, gets what she wants.
Identity Thief is far from her finest project. Without momentum or originality, the well-worn slapstick humour feels tired, as do the generic road-trip tropes of dodgy motels, car chases, vehicle changes and an inevitable trek through a forest.  However, McCarthy plays brilliantly off Bateman’s mild-mannered deadpan schtick, humiliating him during the two genuinely funny sequences where she poses as his ‘fat-shamed’ wife. Her boundless talent for ad-libbing is genius, as is her ability to create unexpected moments of heart-wrenching emotion. Great actress, bad film. Extras include gag reel.

Robot & Frank
Charming but slight, Jake Schreier’s debut is a sweet meditation on aging, technology and finding friends in unexpected places. Set in the not-too-distant future, Robot & Frank sees the delightful Frank Langella cast off the dark cloak he wore in Frost/Nixon and instead settle into the comfortable slippers of a cantankerous grump.  A retired cat burglar in denial about his dementia, Frank’s anxious son (James Marsden) insists that he get a health-care robot. With Peter Sarsgaard providing the mellifluous voice of the earnest Robot, the joy of this film comes from watching the characters develop an unconventional relationship. At just 90 minutes, the movie is too short to build momentum or delve deeply into the issues raised.  Underwhelming extras include commentary.

Arbitrage
A crisp, procedural thriller that addresses entitlement, moral dissolution and our ambivalent feelings towards the financial elite, the directorial debut of Nicholas Jarecki sees Richard Gere play Wall Street billionaire Robert Miller, a smooth operator trying to conceal an affair and high-level fraud. After a bloody accident and some astute investigations by his idealistic daughter (Brit Marling), Robert’s coolly rationalised and carefully controlled world teeters on the brink of well-deserved ruin. The best he’s been in years, Gere is regal, nuanced and assured, his trademark open features hardening as his sense of entitlement and invincibility are put to the test. Marling is stunning as Robert’s foil, a symbol of trust and naiveté destroyed in the crossfire.  There’s much to admire about Jarlecki’s assured directing and the dark and jazzy score. Extras include deleted scenes.

Stoker
A Hitchcockian stew of familial jealousy, sadism, and psychosis tied together by one teenage girl’s homicidal coming of age, Wentworth ‘Prison Break’ Miller’s screenplay is as full of holes as his hit show. But thanks to excellent performances and the spooky atmosphere conjured by director Park Chan-Wook, the film is elevated into something rather interesting. Mia Wasikowska does the medium-heavy lifting here as teen girl India, infusing what is basically a generic raven-tressed Goth girl undergoing a sexual awakening with a raw, needy energy. Following the death of her father Richard, India is left with her estranged and unstable mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and Richard’s brother Charlie (Matthew Goode). Incestuous fantasies, Freudian elements and general creepiness ensue. Park and cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon stick to India’s subjective point of view, so we’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s not. Extras include deleted scenes.

Music DVDS:

Frank Zappa: 200 Motels
200 Motels is a 1971 American-British musical surrealist film co-written and directed by Frank Zappa and Tony Palmer, starring Zappa’s band The Mothers of Invention. The film addresses the difficulties of life on the road , but with a surreal twist. The plot sees The Mothers of Invention go crazy in the small town Centerville. The soundtrack features a combination of rock and jazz, orchestral music and comedic spoken dialogue.

Saint Etienne: A London Trilogy
This trio of beautiful short films by much-loved electronic indie trio Saint Etienne and filmmaker Paul Kelly documents London’s ever changing landscapes. Finisterre is a homage to the city. What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? follows paperboy Mervyn Day on his round, tracing the fascinating hidden history of East London’s Lower Lea Valley. Finally, This is Tomorrow lovingly records the immense labour that went into the refurbishment of Royal Festival Hall, one of London’s most distinguished concert venues. Also includes a feature on Banksy.

The Beatles: All You Need is Love
In the mid ’70s, at the suggestion of John Lennon, celebrated journalist and film director Tony Palmer decided to document the ‘Story of Popular Music’ and set about interviewing and filming all the major players in the industry at that time, past and present. Even in the mid ’70s this was regarded as a monumental task. Palmer was more than up to the challenge. With Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, George Martin, Murray the K, Roger McGuinn, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Donovan, Bill Graham, Ravi Shankar, The Mamas & The Papas, Brian Epstein, Derek Taylor, Allan Williams.