DVD, Blu-ray and TV

XX – XY

Excellent, thought-provoking love triangle drama, with Mark Ruffalo for once living up to his overcooked reputation. He's entwined in a threesome at college, but years down the line all the participants have evolved... except him. About to marry, he craves a rekindling of the flame. Not wise. Writer/director Austin Chick keeps it sparky and twisting like a fish, always a jump ahead of you.

Cher

A video compilation that's light on the '60s stuff but heavy on her years dressed as a member of Mötley Crüe: "If I Could Turn Back Time" is particularly fine. "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" guest stars the young Winona Ryder (it was from 1990's Mermaids), "Love Can Build A Bridge" ropes in Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton, and "Believe" is that irritating gay anthem with the Vocoder hook.

TV Roundup

After a timid first season, Smallville gets evil and horny—at least in a nice, family viewing kind of way. Young Clark Kent comes across red Kryptonite and turns moody; cue much pondering on whether he's been sent to Earth as saviour or destroyer. The love interest with Lana warms up, but in "Heat" Clark, like everyone, falls for a sexy new teacher. Educational.

Battle Royale II: Requiem

Muddled straight-to-DVD sequel to the 2000 classic. As in part one, a class of schoolchildren are sent to an island to fight or die for the pleasure of their elders. But this time they're battling the survivors of the first film, who've formed a guerrilla army dedicated to overthrowing the sadistic adults responsible. After a promising start, it never recovers from the death of veteran director Kenji Fukasaku during the shoot.

John Lee Hooker

Respectful, if bitty, retrospective, laying out the boogie man's career by linking archive performances with comments from the likes of Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt and Hooker himself. It could have done with more of the early years, and less of what Nick Cave once called "unfortunate guitar work from Carlos Santana."

The Principles Of Lust

Underrated, atypical Brit film from Penny Woolcock, smartly mashing up the thrills of Fight Club with the what-are-we-here-for musings of French existentialism. Marc Warren and Alec Newman are competitive males into bareknuckle bouts, drugs and strippers; Sienna Guillory is the single mum they soften for. Confused climax, but till then alarmingly gutsy.

Cleopatra Jones

Nine out of ten people will tell you Pam Grier starred in this 1973 landmark blaxploitation 'classic'. She didn't: it's Tamara Dobson as the CIA's tough female agent, taking out drug dealers with athleticism, attitude and a healthy amount of sheer spite. The soundtrack is very cool but in truth the film's pretty rubbish: comic-book at best, lazily indulgent throughout. Bring on Foxy Brown!

Check Your ED

Six volumes of highlights from the Sunday night US television show that was the MTV of its day

The Three Colours Trilogy

Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy is one of the standard bearers for 'arthouse' cinema. And though the movies occasionally hint at self-importance (in Zbigniew Preisner's intrusive scores and the colour-coded shooting style), Kieslowski's steely control of storytelling always keeps the narratives fiercely compelling

The Brothers McMullen

This made Edward Burns' name as an actor-writer-director when it won Sundance back in '95 on a matchstick budget. He plays one of three Irish-American siblings trying to understand each other and the women in their lives. Straight-talking, romantic yet unsentimental, it's the kind of comedy we wish Woody Allen still made. Or, for that matter, Burns himself.
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