Release of the week

The Kings of Summer

The Kings of Summer

Film

Think ‘Stand by Me meets Lord of the Flies’ (with a sprinkle of Beasts of the Southern Wild, throw in for good measure). Then bake with a mixture of part early David Gordon Green, part Michel Gondry and you’re ready to feast upon the disarmingly surreal world of The Kings of Summer.

Joe (Nick Robinson) is forever battling his stern, widowed father Frank (Nick Offerman, giving a wondrously droll performance) that he decides to make a break from his family and brave the suburban wilderness with best friend, Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and bizarre tag-along Biaggio (Moisés Arias). The trio take building a den to the next, altogether fantastical level, and construct a two-storey house in which they plan to make their permanent domicile. So far, so idyllic and carefree, until Joe invites his dream girl to view the property, unbeknownst that Patrick has his eye on her, too.

Having made at big splash at this year’s Sundance, this assured first-time feature from Jordan Vogt-Roberts failed to find a substantial audience during its meagre big-screen release over here. Luckily, it’s now ripe for discovery on DVD and Blu-ray, where it’s winning mix of wry, off-kilter humour and thoughtful, keenly-observed teen angst should position it as a future cult coming-of-age favourite.

[Rating:4/5]

Special features

Pretty sparse. All there is here is a 20 minute behind-the-scenes documentary. It’s a film which deserves a little more.

[Rating:1/5]
Adam Lowes

Lifeforce

Lifeforce

Film

A scrubbed-up version of this big-budget 1985 sci-fi/horror from infamous 80’s producers, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus arrives via a lovely transfer from Arrow Video. Directed by Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Tobe Hooper, this is a nostalgic, schlock-tastic treat for fans of the video shop era, and a chance to watch an assortment of older, distinguished British thesps shamelessly over-acting, and more flesh on show than an episode of Game of Thrones.

A joint US/UK space expedition discover a giant alien ship hidden within Halley’s comet which houses huge winged, bat-like creatures and a three perfectly-formed humanoid bodies. Things goes horribly wrong and the crew perish, while their (still intact) discoveries are taken to the European Space Research Centre in London. Breaking free, the aliens possess a vampiric-like ability to suck the life out of their victim. A SAS colonel (Spook’s veteran Peter Firth) and the surviving member of the spaceship (Steve Railsback) are dispatched to find the beautiful female creature before she can wreak havoc on the entire world population.

Lifeforce was panned upon initial release, but it’s a true cult treat, stuffed with genuine WTF moments and nutty exposition delivered in an admirably straight-faced fashion by the cast (which also includes a pre-Enterprise Patrick Stewart). It’s utterly bonkers, but thoroughly entertaining and made with a surprising amount of love and effort (the shimmering catacombs which hold the aliens are a jaw-dropping piece of pre-CG, gigantic physical production design).

[Rating:3/5]

Special features

Once again, Arrow have come up trumps with the supplementary material. A 100 minute making-of documentary offers tons of great on-set anecdotes and reminiscing from key crew members. Three separate mini-docs focus on star Railsback, Hooper and the stunning lead villain Mathilda May (who, at the young age of 18, was required to be completely naked for almost all her time on screen).

On the second disc is the theatrical version of film, which had 10 minutes lopped off it at the behest of distributors TriStar Pictures. There’s also a trailer comparison between that company and the original makers, Cannon. A feast for genre film fans.

[Rating:5/5]
Adam Lowes

Hawking

Hawking

Film

Directed, filmed and produced by Stephen Finnigan, Hawking attempts to tell the story of possibly the most famous and revered scientist working today: Stephen Hawking. Beginning with his birth to Oxford graduates Frank and Isobel, the documentary traces his own path to Oxbridge, where he achieved a first class degree at Oxford before embarking on a PhD at Cambridge. Around this time, however, the young theoretical physicist was diagnosed with motor neuron disease, and had to overcome enormous physical disability in order to make his name in the discipline, first by writing a thesis on the Big Bang theory and then by revolutionising the study of black holes.

Hawking is an incredible man; a force of intelligence, he is also a survivor, a celebrity and a record-breaking author. Having co-written the film with Finnigan and Ben Bowie, his personality comes across as much as his intellect, the filmmakers doing a great job of exploring the unique situation Hawking has found himself in. His banter with the nurses, command of the stage and regard for his first wife are completely disarming, and what might have been a serious discussion of one man’s genius or a slightly morbid portrayal of one man’s disability is instead a very human exploration of love, will and life. Considering much of the discussion is rendered in Hawking’s own dispassionately artificial voice, his conversations are surprisingly full of warmth, wit and emotion.

Technically, however, Hawking is a pretty ordinary documentary about a very extraordinary man. Finnigan has unprecedented access to Hawking, as well as his friends and family, and yet it doesn’t feel like the definitive documentation of Hawking’s life. There’s nothing particularly cinematic about the images, while the interviews themselves aren’t as stimulating as they might have been. That said, it undoubtedly serves as a welcome reminder of the pioneering and unparalleled work of a British genius, and following his presence at the Paralympic Games last year one that produces a similarly heartening sense of national pride.

[Rating:4/5]

Special features

It’s slim pickings as far as extras go. There’s a message from Stephen Hawking and an audio commentary with director Stephen Finnigan, but that’s your lot.

[Rating:2/5]
Steven Neish

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