Woody Allen: A Documentary
(Soda, cert 15, Blu-ray/DVD)
There was a shorter cut in the cinemas but here’s the three-hour original, exhaustive and revelatory — Allen hated Manhattan, for instance — a history of the man’s life as gag writer, stand-up, essayist, clarinettist, actor, writer and director.
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
(Kaleidoscope, cert 15, Blu-ray/DVD)
This overview of rap from Ice-T (pictured) shows him to be an excellent interviewer, and he speaks to almost everyone who matters. Entertaining, informative, surprisingly joyous, this is probably the best documentary on the scene there’s ever going to be.
Dark Shadows
(Warner, cert 12, Blu-ray/DVD/UV)
Johnny Depp as a vampire who just doesn’t get the modern world, a nugget of goodness in a Tim Burton film that’s typically a bit of a letdown, in spite of Addams Family humour and a good cast.
The Thompsons
(Lionsgate, cert 18, DVD)
This sequel to the Butcher Brothers’ The Hamiltons sees the vampire family swapping the California desert for Ludlow in Shropshire. Yes, that is a cue for flashes of comedy. Otherwise, some ketchup, some breasts, some hope.
Wrath of the Titans
(Warner, cert 12, Blu-ray/DVD/UV)
Giant fiery beasts, a winged horse, the gods of Mount Olympus, yadda yadda ... this sequel writes the book on incoherent direction and sparks to life only when the lead Sam Worthington isn’t on screen.
Box set of the week
The Newsroom: Season 1
(HBO, cert 15, blinkbox £19.99)
Arriving as a download months before it gets to DVD, Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The West Wing repeats the same trick — slightly breathless torn-from-the-front-page drama intercut with angsty relationships.
