The latest releases reviewed.
THE JODOROWSKY COLLECTION *****
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Jodorowsky's El Topo (1970), one of the great reinventions of the western, is bundled with the even barmier The Holy Mountain (1973) and a collection of lesser-known shorts in this gorgeous six-disk package from Tartan Films. The Chilean master does tend towards indulgence, but no feeling person could question his sure instinct for a breathtaking image. The best-known features are available separately, but the anthology, which includes soundtracks on CD, is well worth the extra coin. DC
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND ****
Directed by Kevin Macdonald. Starring Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, 15 cert
Whitaker received an Oscar for his exuberantly intimidating portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in Macdonald's taut drama, which artfully blends fact and fiction when Amin employs an impressionable young Scot (McAvoy) as his personal physician. MD
BOBBY ****
Directed by Emilio Estevez. Starring William H Macy, Sharon Stone, Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, Harry Belafonte, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham 15 cert
Estevez attracted a stellar cast for his absorbing, poignant picture of overlapping stories set over the June 1968 day when Robert Kennedy was assassinated at a Los Angeles hotel. He laces these adeptly juggled storylines with heartfelt sorrow for RFK's fate. MD
VENUS ****
Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Jodie Whittaker, Richard Griffiths, Vanessa Redgrave 18 cert
There are echoes of Pygmalion and shades of Lolita in this witty, bitter- sweet picture. O'Toole is on prime form as an irascible, ageing actor who finds himself unexpectedly drawn to the sassy 19-year-old grandniece (Whittaker) of his best friend (Phillips). MD
BABEL ***
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Koji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi 18 cert
A bleak reflection on the lack of communication and propensity for conflict in the modern world, Iñárritu's globetrotting thriller is set on three continents as it gradually intersects four narratives, one of them exceedingly tenuously, in an overrated film ultimately less profound than its ambitious aspirations intended. MD
ROCKY BALBOA ***
Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes PG cert
Everyone's favourite slugger, now a restaurateur in Philadelphia, gets one last chance to fight the current champ. The film is far from subtle and the ageing hero's return to the ring fairly strains credibility, but it would take a very hard heart indeed not to be moved by this unpretentious little treatise on the dying of the light. A charming DVD commentary from Sly offers further unexpected pleasures.
DÉJÀ VU **
Directed by Tony Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel 12 cert
While investigating a bombing, Detective Washington learns that his colleagues have discovered a way of looking into the past. Then things start to get silly. The DVD of this preposterous film includes a gimmicky "surveillance window" feature that encourages you to pretend to be Denzel. DC
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS **
Directed by Gabriele Muccino. Starring Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton 12 cert
Smith plays a driven individual who, despite being laid low by debt and briefly rendered homeless, triumphs to become an investment broker. Will's sincere performance stops the film from becoming as sentimental as that scenario suggests, but the script is too repetitive by half. Dull extras. DC
THE RETURN **
Directed by Asif Kapadia. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sam Shepard 15 cert
Overcoming child- hood traumas, Gellar - still no Fay Wray - returns home to Texas. In between unhappy visions, she finds herself menaced by a dangerous man from her past. Leaden horror is all sinister build- up and no trousers. Avoid. DC
