Best DVD's Out Now: It's Kind Of Tragic

NOW YOU SEE ME
There’s a difference between being dazzled and feeling cheated. And there’s the rub with Louis Leterrier’s latest feature, about a quartet of showbiz magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) who use their powers of illusion to rob a bank, giving the money to their audience. The Robin Hood politics are a sure-fire crowd pleaser, and the cast are solid. However, the characters are under-developed. With the magicians trying to elude Mark Ruffalo’s clichédly oafish detective, their tricks become increasingly convoluted. Meanwhile, the red herrings and plot twists are so numerous the viewer starts to tune out. In order for a film about magic to work, the tricks must be grounded in reality. Alas, Leterrier’s absurdly dramatic effects remove the story from the realms of possibility – and real enjoyment. Because where’s the fun in figuring it all out, when we know that what you’ve actually got up your sleeve is a green screen and millions of dollars worth of CGI? Extras include History of Magic featurette.

THE EAST
The East is the third feature by writer and actress Brit Marling, and her second collaboration with director Zal Batmanglij. Marling plays Sarah, a former FBI trainee now working to protect private clients from anti-corporate terrorism. As she infiltrates an eco-warrior group, the secrecy of her job has, it becomes clear, left her searching for true connection – a longing that could be fulfilled by the tactile, earthy group. But are they activists or terrorists? The film is packed with engaging characters, such as Alexander Skarsgård’s quietly compelling leader Benji; Ellen Page’s fury-fuelled extremist Izzy; and Patricia Clarkson as a brilliantly chilling example of corporate soullessness. These well-written protaganists make Sarah’s increasingly divided loyalties engaging to watch. The character scenes are well balanced and the thriller elements are well managed, in the first half at least. But as the film continues, the complex morality turns out to be rather simplistic and the ending is a trite cop-out. Extras include casting process.

WORLD WAR Z
Rising from an early grave of negative pre-release publicity, director Marc Forster and producer-star Brad Pitt’s much-maligned World War Z is surprisingly smart, gripping and imaginative. Very, very (very) loosely based on Max Brook’s novel, the film doesn’t, as zombie flicks usually do, use the shambling undead as a metaphor (for consumerism, viruses, rage, etc). Rather it investigates how ideologically disparate peoples and governments would respond to the crisis, leading to some intriguing social commentary. America does not fare well. Israel and North Korea do – the latter by imprisoning and removing the teeth of all its citizens. It’s sinister and genius. The film is action-packed and intelligent, focusing on family man and ex UN investigator Brad Pitt’s quest for a cure for the zombie infection. Along the way he traverses the panicked mobs of Philadelphia, walled-in hoards in Israel, ghostly South Korean military bases and an isolated research lab in Wales. Not disastrous at all. Includes behind the scenes featurette.

THE PURGE

In James DeMonaco’s dystopian thriller, America in the not-too-distant-future allows society one purge night a year when crime, murder and mob mentality are not just tolerated, but celebrated (just like Paddy’s Day here, then?). This twelve-hour aggression release allows the country to enjoy an existence otherwise free from crime. The Purge’s genuinely brilliant premise is beautifully introduced, as the soothing tones of Claude Debussy play over CCTV footage of vicious ‘purges’. The scene is set for an intriguing examination of society, fuelled by thought-provoking psychological insight and biting satire. Unfortunately DeMonaco immediately veers into a bog-standard home invasion thriller, featuring a largely unengaging Stepford family and evil-by-numbers villains. There’s no tension as random characters aimlessly wander through a confusingly cavernous house. The nonsensical action is only occasionally punctuated by painfully clichéd lines about the compassionless nature of the entitled, the only attempt to build upon the initial concept. Decent extras though.

MUSIC DVD's
FLEETWOOD MAC: A VIDEOGRAPHY
Drink and drugs, love affairs and divorces, hirings and firings, ever changing line-ups - and the members of Fleetwood Mac even found time to make some great music as well! There’s more drama in the Fleetwood Mac story than a dozen soap operas, and this interview-packed DVD gives a decent account of the group’s up and down history. With two triumphant Dublin shows recently behind them, the release is timely too.

TUPAC: LIVE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES
Tupac Shakur is one of the most iconic figures in the history of hip-hop. Since his death in 1996 there have been a number of posthumous DVD releases purporting to tell his story via interviews and documentary footage. This one is different. It captures the sheer raw excitement of Tupac on stage. Filmed at House Of Blues in LA, it features sets from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, concluding with Tupac and Snoop joining forces for the two track finale. Not for the faint hearted, the show finds Tupac delivering his strongly-held opinions and Snoop holding forth on sex and drugs.

NEIL DIAMOND: THE THANK YOU AUSTRALIA CONCERT, LIVE 1976
Neil Diamond is an American legend. One of the most successful songwriters of the last 40 years as well as a multi-platinum recording artist and one of the most dynamic and consummate live performers of his generation, this concert from the Sydney Sports Stadium was the culmination of his Australia and New Zealand tour of 1976. He was returning to the live stage after a creatively fruitful four-year live sabbatical. Tracks include ‘Sweet Caroline’, ‘I Am…I Said’, ‘Skybird’ and more.