DVD - June 06

Dust Devil (R2)

I first saw this film absolutely years ago on video and I was totally struck by its surreal and stunning visuals of the dessert. For those expecting a gore fest I'm afraid you will be disappointed. But if you like your Horror on a slow claustrophobic build, with a few good shocks along the way, then this is for you. The original release was completely hacked and drastically shortened by the studio against the directors Richard Stanley's express wishes. A true crime! You can read more about Stanley's fight to have the film release as he envisioned it here. Now finally presented in its full and uncut form, Dust Devil is one of the unsung horror masterpieces of the 90s from Richard Stanley, director of cult classic Hardware. Arriving in the drought-ridden South African town of Bethany, a shape-shifting hitchhiker begins to dismember its residents one by one, choosing for his victims the lonely and unloved, those who have lost everything but life itself. A local policeman enlists the help of a shaman in his search for the serial killer residents have named the ‘Dust Devil’. Will he be able to stop him before he completes his grizzly mission? Based on the myth of the Hitcher with No Name, Dust Devil is a visually striking, atmospheric horror film, which depicts a nightmarish world of mysticism and ritual slaughter. A Classic!

'Severed' - Forest of the Dead (R1)

Back in April we covered news of the release of this Zombie flick on dvd. At the time commented that for some reason it was only available in region 4 (Australasia). Now we're happy to say that it finally seems the other regions are to get it. As far as we can tell the region 1 release is identical the region 4, except in my opinion the cover art on the R4 release was far better. The dvd will hit the streets on the 1st of August with the extended title 'Severed - Forest of the dead'.

Severed trailer (downloadable AVI)

'King and The Clown' - Special edtion (R3)

The surprise success story of 2005, King And The Clown shocked everyone by coming out of nowhere to become the highest grossing film of the year in Korea, and making a star of its androgynous-looking star, Lee Jun Gi. A modestly produced feature, with a cast featuring no A-list performers, the film is set during the reign of infamous king Yeon-San. Two performing clowns (Lee and Gam Woo Sung from Spider Forest) produce a satirical play, which criticizes the country's ruler. While this makes them highly popular amongst the common people, it gets them into a world of trouble with the authorities. The two performers are arrested and accused of treason, a crime that carries the death penalty. The clowns then make a deal with the King (Jeong Jin Young - Hi, Dharma) - if they can make him laugh with their play-acting, he will spare them. They are successful, and become the official entertainers of the royal court. Things become more complicated, however, as the king shows increasing affection towards one of the clowns and they realize that their lives may have begun down an irreversible path. A thrilling drama exploring secret desire in the top echelons of power, King And The Clown is a taboo-breaking cinematic treat that tackles subject matter so rarely seen in Korean Cinema, but that this one time, has now been seen by a quarter of Korea's population!

'Immortal' aka 'immortel' (R2)

Directed by influential comic book artist Enki Bilal, based on his own graphic novels, Immortal is one of the first films in the world to be shot almost entirely on green screen, along with Sin City and Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow. Immortal is a film of extraordinary vision and a treat for comic book and sci-fi fans alike and has never before been released in the UK. In the year 2095, a giant extraterrestrial pyramid appears over New York. Inside, the ancient Egyptian god Horus is told he has just seven days on Earth before his destruction. Seven days to revisit the world he helped create, and mate with the beautiful blue haired woman Jill Bioscopin (Linda Hardy) in this maze of a city. In order to seduce Jill, Horus must find a human body capable of hosting his own form. In his search for a body that can be possessed without being destroyed, Horus leaves a trail of death and bloodshed. He finally discovers Nikopol (Thomas Kretchmann, King Kong, The Pianist), a rebel leader who has been cryogenically frozen for 30 years. Together, Nikopol and Horus pursue Jill, whose strange powers are also being investigated by Doctor Elam Turner (Charlotte Rampling, Swimming Pool).

'Vengeance' - Thai monster fun (R3)

I'm a huge fan of giant monsters on the rampage flicks so this had to go in. One of two big snake films to come out recently (the other being 'Boa'), 'Vengeance' is the story of a police team tracking down ruthless criminals into a mysterious forest where a tale has been told for generations that the forest is cursed. They discover a bizarre world in which mythic creatures exist, the curse of ancient treasure is real, and some secrets await to be revealed. They're involved in the most extraordinary adventure to explore the forest and survive back to their world. B-movie tastic!

Vengeance (Official site)

'Arsene Lupin' (R3)

Based on the French literary equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures Of Arsene Lupin sees the eponymous hero (Romain Duris) as a dashing jewel thief, liberating high society gals from their sparklers. Arsene has a jolly old time of it until he rescues femme fatale Josephine (Francophile Kristin Scott Thomas) from certain death. As a result, he's sucked into a sinister royalist plot to uncover hidden treasure and restore the French monarchy in what's an uneven, but gutsy adventure. There's also a hint of witchcraft to spice things up as Josephine weaves her feminine magic across Arsene's heart, binding him to her cause. It's then a race against time to uncover the three crucifixes that will reveal the location of the loot.The action tears along at breakneck speed, and its then the story begins to collapse under its own weight. Lets just say there are more than a few plotholes. All that aside the glossy production values make everything shine, the atmosphere is thrilling. A real old school adventure flick. Arsen Lupin (Official site)

'Yogen' - 'Premonition' (R2)

They are used to tell the past, but for a few unlucky individuals, they foretell the future. When Hideki picks up a newspaper he knows what he will see...death. Foretelling ill-omened fate of everything from slayings to train crashes, there is nothing Hideki can do to stop the event... or is there? When the paper predicts the demise of his daughter in a car crash, Hideki seeks out other like himself, searching for a way to change the future.

'Isabella' (R3)

On the eve of Macau's handover to China, police officer SHING (Chapman To) is having the worst time of his life. Suspended for suspected corruption, he tries to find solace with an elfin creature by the name of YAN (Isabella Leong) whom he just picks up. As he tries to smooth-talk her to bed, she suddenly snaps back with the biggest turn-off imaginable: that she is the daughter he never knew existed! While Shing desperately tries to hold himself together, his bachelor life inevitably falls apart as Yan insists on living under his roof. Together the two of them start roaming through exotic Macau, tracking down Yan's missing puppy and striving to acquaint with each other. No sooner has Shing grown into his new role as a father than he finds his hands full: when Yan is not fighting with his girlfriend KATE (Meme Tian), she is being bothered by her dorky classmate FAI (Derek Tsang). Will the newfound father and daughter, who have given up hope along the way, be able to find the true vocation of their lives at last?

'Narok' - 'Hell' (R2)

A production crew from a Bangkok advertising agency drive through the night to reach their destination before their deadline expires. Little do they know that the word deadline is going to leave an everlasting impression on their souls. Late at night after many hours of driving, Lae, an arrogant man with a big sexual appetite is involved in a head-on collision with a large ten-wheel truck. All seven of the victims believe they have escaped the terror until they step out of their mini van and find themselves in the middle of a dark and dissolute world full of demons, pain and torture. The fate of all seven now rests with Art and Ja, members of the production team who find themselves in Hell before their time. You can check out a review of 'Hell' over here at Black Hole dvd reviews.

'Gonggongui jeog 2'- 'Another Public Enemy' (R2)

Kang Chul Jung has just been promoted to Chief Prosecuting Attorney. As he settles into his new job, Kang notes a link to several different cases his department is investigating and they all lead back to one man - Han Sang Woo, a prominent Executive Director of the Myung Sun Corporation. As Kang begins his investigation, he discovers that the rich have ways to avoid legal issues. At first, Han tries to bribe his way out, but when that doesn't work - it's time to use a more personal approach, by force...

'Mirrormask' (R2)

Helena, a 15 year old girl in a family of circus entertainers, who often wishes she could run off and join real life. After a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls quite ill and Helena is convinced that it is all her fault. On the eve of her mother's major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. All is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by the MirrorMask, and it's up to Helena to find it. But as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether she's in a dream, or something far more sinister.

Mirrormask (Official Site)

The Uninvited (R3)

Jeong-won is a man with no memory of his childhood and his real family. At the beginning of the film he witnesses the deaths of two young girls. He begins seeing the girls dead bodies sitting at his kitchen table. He meets Yeon, a narcoleptic who is a witness in a infant murder case. She can also see the "ghosts" and he soon finds out she is psychic and can also help him recover his lost memories. After realising his horrific past Jeong-won cannot escape the miserable circumstances of his life, and is left in utter loneliness.

Princess Aurora: Special Edition (R3)

Directed and co-written by Pang Eun Jin, the edgy thriller Princess Aurora features the talented Uhm Jung Hwa in a remarkably different kind of role! Known primarily for her appearances in romantic comedies like Singles and All For Love, Uhm makes a dark transformation, as she portrays the key suspect in a brutal murder investigation! When a woman is killed in a department store, the authorities hope that it's an isolated incident, but two days later, another homicide occurs. This time around, a woman is suffocated to death. And thus, a series of murders start to take place in Kangnam, a high class neighborhood in Seoul. The only clue left behind at the crime scene is a children's sticker, depicting the cartoon character "Princess Aurora."