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The Inbetweeners 2 (15) Iain Morris, Damon Beesley DVD/Blu-ray (96mins)
This sequel is more puerile than the first, but it’s intermittently very funny. The four hapless twentysomethings – dim Neil (Blake Harrison), crude Jay (James Buckley), sensitive Simon (Joe Thomas) and cerebral Will (Simon Bird) – embark on another Carry On-style adventure, this time in Australia. The moment where one of Neil’s poos pursues Will down a water slide is both shocking and appallingly funny, but there’s also a whiff of poignancy here, as this will probably be the quartet’s last adventure before the real world and work intervenes. Trustafarians and the well-heeled are lampooned and this could account for The Inbetweeners’ appeal: the lads are very relatable to.
***
Peaky Blinders: Series 2 (18) Colm McCarthy DVD/Blu-ray (342mins)
Barely a scene goes by in the first two episodes without a gun being thrust in Tommy Shelby’s face in Steven Knight’s gripping answer to Boardwalk Empire. Tommy’s illegal operation is flourishing but he wants to expand into London, so he joins forces with Camden Town hoodlum Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy). The performances elevate this postwar Birmingham crime drama, particularly Cillian Murphy as Tommy, Sam Neill as the righteous chief inspector Chester and Helen McCrory as Aunt Polly.
****
Mood Indigo (15) Michel Gondry DVD/Blu-ray (94mins)
The manic invention and hyperactive quirkiness of Michel Gondry’s French romance is both migraine-inducing and emotionally alienating. Two doomed lovers, Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloe (Audrey Tautou) instantly connect at a party. However, Chloe falls ill on their honeymoon and matters unravel tragically. The visual flourishes are sometimes ingenious and redolent of film-makers Jan Švankmajer and Terry Gilliam, but Gondry doesn’t permit you enough breathing room to invest in the characters.
**
Ida (12) Pawel Pawlikowski DVD/Blu-ray (82mins)
Pawel Pawlikowski (My Summer of Love, Last Resort) charts a novitiate nun’s pilgrimage to unearth her personal history in this black-and-white drama, set in 1960s Poland. Agata Trzebuchowska plays 18-year-old Anna who leaves her orphanage to spend time with her only remaining relative, an abrasive, hard-drinking aunt who tells her that she’s Jewish and that the pair must find out what actually happened to Anna’s parents. Ida has been compared to Bergman but there are touches of Kubrick too.
****
Tammy (15) Ben Falcone DVD/Blu-ray (97mins)
Melissa McCarthy co-wrote and produced this uneven caper, directed by her husband Ben Falcone. She plays obnoxious Tammy, who loses her fast-food restaurant job then finds out her husband is having an affair. So she goes on a road trip with her grandma (Susan Sarandon). There are laughs to be had, but the flimsy script and plot are far too underdeveloped to make this memorable.
**
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