DVD: 13: Game Of Death (dir: Chukiat Sakveerakul, 2006)

"People today hide behind morality. It's just a mask."

Saw and Hostel have had a global influence on the horror genre worldwide in the noughties, and this Thai film takes its inspiration from them but fashions a compelling and well-structured narrative that maintains viewer interest and actually has something valid to say about today's society. The director takes time at the start to paint an evocative portrait of the empty life of our protagonist Chit, a salesman drone for a big company (here, Yamaha) whose dull, frustrated existence falls apart and is offered salvation by participating in a mysterious gameshow, controlled via his mobile phone, with the offer of escalating sums of money for completing 13 tasks. The consequences of seemingly simple actions pull together in the manner of Stephen King's Needful Things, and the later tasks revel in some nicely-executed set pieces (watch out for Number 10!). Some of the acting performances may seem stylised to Western audiences, but Krissada Terrence throws himself into the lead role and his performance becomes much stronger as the film progresses. Production values are quite simple but the film shows ambition and uses a range of locations well. The 'twist' ending is pulled off quite effectively, leading the film to an inescapably dark and bleak conclusion. If Hollywood is looking for another film to re-make for lazy Western audiences who cannot be bothered to read subtitles, 13: Game Of Death could actually work...but, as is so often the case, an 'American version' is completely unnecessary as the original film is fine as it stands.

DVD: His Name Was Jason - 30 Years of Friday The 13th (dir: Daniel Farrands, 2008)

"Jason can survive anything."

Considering how the UK DVD editions of the Friday The 13th films have been starved of extras, Anchor Bay's two-disc documentary goes a very long way to sate the fans of this oft-maligned but much-loved horror franchise. The first disc is the 90-minutes long documentary itself, featuring an extraordinary number of Friday actors, writers, directors and crew (including every Jason!); the main feature would have benefited, however, from giving more time to those actually involved instead of some unnecessary 'talking heads' from the horror world (although some of the interviews can be found in extended form on disc two). Tom Savini is as ever a genial host, although the framing walkthrough of the theme park attraction becomes irritating. It would be churlish to point out some absences (e.g from leading cast members) when there is so much on offer, and to see key actors such as Adrienne King and Amy Steel talk about their roles with such enthusiasm is a joy. Indeed, King's subdued recounting of her obsessive stalker shows the real human background entwined with any level of the movie-making business. This is very much by fans for fans, and there is scope for more coverage of the series' fascinating transition from the-little-indie-that-could to studio franchise and the MPAA struggles, but overall each entry is covered positively in the limited time available. The second disc offers up extended interviews and the occasional treat (e.g. the visit to the original barn from Part III ), but other content is less essential (such as weak fan-films). Overall, His Name Was Jason is a treat for Friday fans, in spite of offering little that is really new in terms of information. It says something about the times when the original UK 18-rated video release of The Final Chapter saw a cut to Jason's death scene, yet here it is presented in its full glory on a DVD Exempt from Classification!

FILM: [REC]2 (dirs: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza, 2010)

"Be very careful."
"Don't worry!"

[REC]2 could have been one of those completely unnecessary sequels, but it turns out to be great fun - at turns hilarious, brutal and revolting, staying true to the original but giving the story an unexpected new direction which actually works. The story picks up literally from the ending of the first film and wastes no time throwing a SWAT-style team into the 'infected' apartment block. As a sequel, it is fun to revisit locations from the first film and also to discover new locations within the confined space of the building, rather like the thrill of unlocking new levels in a videogame. This time the 'real' footage comes not only from cameras but also the troopers' helmet-cams, giving the added bonus of PIP and also using the helmet-mics, making the dialogue mostly very upfront and immediately intimate. Indeed, the well-developed soundscape demonstrates the potential missed in this area in Paranormal Activity. Riffs from other horror classics are blatant and often used very cleverly (to name any specifically here would be too much of a spoiler for the film's overall theme), and any concerns that Idiot Plot kicks in very early are dispelled by the fact that the characters acknowledge and react to these situations and choices. The cast throw themselves into the insanity wholeheartedly, and the convergent narrative strands are controlled very effectively. [REC]2 cannot quite match the shock value of the original film, but the attacks are ferocious and the surprises often inventive - this is a much better and far more enjoyable film than could have been expected.

FILM: The Losers (dir: Sylvain White, 2010)

"Donut! Donut! Donut!"

The Losers sounded such a good concept on paper, but the reality of it falls very short of the mark, sadly. By targeting a PG-13/12A classification, the film feels constantly compromised and misses opportunities to create real strength. The opening mission which sets the whole plot in motion is surprisingly powerful, but nothing else in the movie matches it, and once the plot starts jumping the shark with some ill-conceived 'comic book' events and characterisations it seems that it cannot stop doing it, and viewer interest becomes replaced by annoyed raised eyebrows. In an undernourished script, dialogue is frequently dull, and thankfully Chris Evans gets the best lines and uses his seemingly effortless comic timing and delivery to frequent good effect. Zoe Saldana is captivating if looking alarmingly skinny. Racial stereotyping and misogyny are uncomfortable throughout, and Jason Patric's hammy villain Max is at times almost unwatchable. Max says at one point that, "It's like giving a handgun to a six-year-old," and this sums up the filming and editing styles which seem to have been done by the lovechildren of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. The Losers strives so hard to be cool, but ends up as mostly feeble.

DVD: Daybreakers (dirs: Michael and Peter Spierig, 2010)

"Ow!"

Daybreakers is clearly a labour of love for the Spierig brothers, as witnessed by the exhaustive 'Making Of...' on the DVD which runs almost as long as the movie. The film looks polished with gleaming visuals and real attention to detail which effectively creates this alternate existence where vampirism rules. Sam Neill, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe provide genuine credibility and gravitas, with a good turn by Michael Dorman as Hawke's conflicted brother - it is worth noting that female roles are scant and underwritten throughout - and Daybreakers is a sombre and serious attempt to give the vampire genre some dramatic weight which the Twilight franchise has taken away. There are some gleeful moments of splatter, notably in the early experiment scene with synthetic blood and also a couple of Day Of The Dead-style demises towards the end. The narrative becomes somewhat haphazard in the final half-hour, and overall this movie does not come close to the mythical and emotional punch of Near Dark, but Daybreakers is efficiently made and told and is to be credited for giving movie vampires back some, er, bite.

FILM: Prince Of Persia - The Sands Of Time (dir: Mike Newell, 2010)

"Did you know ostriches have suicidal tendencies?"

Prince Of Persia - The Sands Of Time is an enjoyable romp overall . Although it has typical faults of modern blockbusters - overstretched runtime, simple-minded construction, unconvincingly stilted 'serious' dialogue - it largely overcomes these with an enjoyable pairing of Jake Gyllenhaal with an impressive English accent as Prince Dastan and (surprisingly) Gemma Arterton, whose well-timed bickering and developing relationship comes across very well. Mike Newell - here more in Harry Potter mode than Four Weddings - directs the frantic action sequences to great effect, and the opening quarter of an hour in particular captures the spirit of the character/videogame that brings to life the free-running hero in a way that is appropriately just beyond realism. In terms of the main cast, Newell creates an unusually intimate story in amongst the epic scale of the desert and ancient times. The film is efficient rather than thrilling, and as the first outing in what Disney hopes will be their new big franchise, it perhaps lacks some of the genuine charm of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. Nevertheless, this is considerably better than audiences have come to expect from a computer game adaptation, the setting is created with some beautifully lush visuals, and the film tries very hard to please throughout (and mostly succeeds). Ostrich racing - a movie first?

DVD: Sherlock Holmes (dir: Guy Ritchie, 2009)

"You seem surprised."

The pairing of Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law - both excellent actors - as Holmes and Watson was inspired, and it is their strength and relationship on-screen that holds the movie together. The story is quite straightforward and just about holds attention. Guy Ritchie does a much better job with his actors than his overall handling of the pace, and Hans Zimmer provides an extraordinarily irritating music score. The recreation of London and its nineteenth-century is largely very successful, in spite of some low-end CGI. This version of Sherlock Holmes sits a little uncomfortably between period piece and modern sensibilities, but overall it is moderately entertaining.

FILM: A Nightmare On Elm Street (dir: Samuel Bayer, 2010)

"I've been here before."

The current trend of remaking 'classic' modern horror movies serves a function in updating old films for a contemporary audience in a similar way that Hammer studios did with their bold colour remakes of the Universal greats half a century ago. The first Elm Street film came at the end of the first wave of 1980s slashers, giving an interesting slant on the increasingly formulaic genre. An enjoyable modern film is not made by the simple addition of mobile phones and computer graphics, as this workmanlike Elm Street remake amply demonstrates. A generally leaden pace and lack of invention is occasionally lifted by a couple of effective set-pieces - in particular Nancy's attack in the chemist's shifts between reality and dreamworld beautifully - and there are a couple of magnificently staged kills. Overall, however, this 2010 version does lack the Grand Guignol energy of Wes Craven's 1984 original. The unusually effective cast punches way above the limply-written dialogue (notably TV veterans Kellan Lutz and Thomas Dekker), and in an unexpected contrast to the original film, the female roles are very underwritten. Jackie Earle Haley's take on Freddy Krueger makes the character come across as a somewhat weedy paedophile rather than the monster of your nightmares. Steve Jablonsky provides a suitably strong, melodic score, and the often aggressive sound mix keeps the viewer awake. If this is your very first experience of the Elm Street franchise, you may find it mildly engaging; for older fans who have grown up with the movies, it it like listening to tepid cover versions of songs from your favourite album with the tracks in the wrong order.

FILM: Iron Man 2 (dir: Jon Favreau, 2010)

" I know exactly what I'm doing."

With most of the 'new' back-story dispensed with in the opening montage, Iron Man 2 gets straight down to business and rattles along at a fairly breathless pace for the most part. The rapid-fire dialogue is delivered effortlessly by a truly staggering cast - Downey Jnr is a joy to watch, his relationship with Paltrow's Pepper Potts is spot-on and more entertaining this time round, and Mickey Rourke gives real gravitas and surprising nuance to Stark's main nemesis Ivan Vanko. When the secondary leads are actors of the calibre of Scarlett Johannon, the excellent Sam Rockwell and even director Favreau himself, quality is never in question, with these three performances all proving highly effective. Some early critics have pointed to a mid-section lull, but that is to misunderstand the nature of the film; it is not an all-out superhero movie as such, more of a drama punctuated by some terrific action scenes. The set-pieces are relatively short, sharp and stunning in execution, with the Monaco Grand Prix sequence a breathtaking standout. The only casualty of the pace of the movie is that characters and issues can feel little short-changed, but this is necessary to create this finely-directed and tightly-presented entertainment.

FILM: Repo Men (dir: Miguel Sapochnik, 2010)

"How can anything be alive and dead at the same time?"

It is this endlessly duelling nature within Repo Men that lies at its heart and is probably the reason which critics have not liked it. It is a pure pulp sci-fi action movie straining to be something much deeper. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker provide one of the oddest cinematic pairings in recent memory, yet they play off each other effectively and as actors give performances way above those of the usual talent that this type of fare attracts. The film displays some excellent if inevitable Blade Runner-influenced dystopian visuals and design, yet it also displays the same ham-fisted voice-over which plagued the initial studio cut of that influential film. There is barely enough gore and action to satisfy genre fans, yet the leads play the more talky, philosophical sections like it is Shakespeare. Repo Men is a curious film, one which should not be overlooked entirely but which ultimately does not wholly satisfy.