Gangster No 1 [Blu-ray]

• UK Import
• Blu-ray
• Region-Free

"Fascinating" (The Hollywood Reporter) and "sensational" (Los Angeles Times), this bold, innovative thriller chronicles the bloody, single-minded climb of a barbarous crime lord to power. Starring Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), David Thewlis (Naked) and Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea), Gangster No. 1 enters the psyche of an unrepentant mobster and reveals the madman within. Bettany gives "a brilliantly eerie, star-making performance" (American Film Institute) as a ruthless mobster who slugs, claws and kills his way to the top. But when he learns that the former mentor (Thewlis) he put in prison is about to get out, this self-made monster must not only face a man whose life he ruined but the twisted remnants of his own demented conscience as well.This glinting, scalding gangland phantasmagoria offers a sort! of funhouse-mirror refraction of the life and career of a British hooligan so elemental in his right villainy that he's merely identified as "Gangster." The action begins in 1999, with Malcolm McDowell brutishly savoring his eminence as a crime lord; but more of the film is taken up with an extended flashback to 1968, when his youthful self--played by Paul Bettany (but voiced by McDowell during private reveries)--got his start. Bettany's patron is Freddie Mays, "the Butcher of Mayfair" (David Thewlis), a comparatively suave rotter whom "Young Gangster" more or less simultaneously worships, emulates, and craves to see destroyed. Director Paul McGuigan layers the eras and personalities in a kaleidoscope of jagged stylization (occasionally the image shatters like glass, then hellishly reconstitutes itself). The effect is less to tell a proper story than to suspend us in a state of mind--and a homage to McDowell's landmark role in A Clockwork Orange. But it does exert a! n unclean fascination. --Richard T. JamesonWhen a young! gangste r (Paul Bettany) starts working for gang leader Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), known as the Butcher of Mayfair, he dreams of being everything that Freddie is: smooth, sophisticated, impeccably dressed, always with the right women, and driving the fanciest cars. Freddie takes the young gangster (unnamed in the film but listed as Gangster 55 in the credits) under his wing as a potential war with a rival gang starts to heat up. After Freddie falls for Karen (Saffron Burrows), whom 55 had his eye on, the young gangster lies in wait for an opportunity to change things, and when that moment comes, he leaves a bloodbath of betrayal in his wake. Paul McGuigan's GANGSTER NO. 1 is framed by scenes set in the present, where the aging 55, played with delicious villainy by Malcolm McDowell, narrates the tale of his younger self's rise to power in Soho in the late 1960s. Bettany is a revelation as 55, who seems to enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence now and again; when he tells a potential victim (or even a friend) to look into his eyes, it is hard for the audience as well not to be mesmerised--and scared out of their wits. McGuigan's fast-paced direction includes creative split screens, extreme close-ups, fireballs coming right at the viewer, and a sweeping handheld camera all set to a swinging 1960s score.This glinting, scalding gangland phantasmagoria offers a sort of funhouse-mirror refraction of the life and career of a British hooligan so elemental in his right villainy that he's merely identified as "Gangster." The action begins in 1999, with Malcolm McDowell brutishly savoring his eminence as a crime lord; but mo! re of the film is taken up with an extended flashback to 1968, when his youthful self--played by Paul Bettany (but voiced by McDowell during private reveries)--got his start. Bettany's patron is Freddie Mays, "the Butcher of Mayfair" (David Thewlis), a comparatively suave rotter whom "Young Gangster" more or less simultaneously worships, emulates, and craves to see destroyed. Director Paul McGuigan layers the eras and personalities in a kaleidoscope of jagged stylization (occasionally the image shatters like glass, then hellishly reconstitutes itself). The effect is less to tell a proper story than to suspend us in a state of mind--and a homage to McDowell's landmark role in A Clockwork Orange. But it does exert an unclean fascination. --Richard T. Jameson

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Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

• THE MISADVENTURES OF TWO INCREDIBLY STUPID GUYS.You ll be dumbstruck. That s a good thing. Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) deliver a delirious no-brainer (Side A s Dumb and Dumber) as they hit the road to return a misplaced briefcase to its owner (Lauren Holly). The fellas don t know the case is crammed with ransom money. But you will. And so will the mob guys trying to get the case ba

DUMB AND DUMBER DOUBLE FEATURE - DVD Movie

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Hottie & the Nottie

• Nate Cooper (Joel David Moore) has been smitten with Cristabel Abbott (Paris Hilton) since he was six years old. But before he could try and snuggle up to her at nap time, his family moved away. Now, years later, he moves to Los Angeles to find his long lost love. The good news: Cristabel is still single and stunning. The bad news: Cristabel is still best friends with June Phigg (Christine Laki

A young man moves to L.A. to track down the woman he's been in love with since childhood, only to discover that his plan to woo her only has one hurdle to overcome: what to do with her ever-present, not-so-hot best friendCelebutante Paris Hilton takes on leading lady status in this fluffy comedy about the mysteries of love, and the importance of orthodontia. Nate Cooper (Joel David Moore) is an unfeeling commitment "challenged" lemon. His fed-up girlfriend runs out on him and he’s just about hit rock! bottom. Haunted by his childhood, he can’t seem to get over his kindergarten crush with the cutest girl at school, Christabel Abbot (Paris Hilton). Unable to move forward in love and life, Nate decides to track down Christabel, hoping to unlock the key to his future. As luck and movie magic would have it, Christabel has blossomed into LA’s hottest blonde who's miraculously single. Unavoidably however, there’s a catch: she’s still playing guardian to childhood best friend and physically cursed June Phigg (Christine Lakin) and has made a solemn vow of chastity until June has a boyfriend of her own. Considering June’s sad and highly exaggerated state of affairs (e.g. rotting teeth, whiskers, etc.), Nate is faced with a daunting task. As his hare-brained schemes to find June an appropriate suitor evolve, she begins to undergo an extreme inner and outer transformation. When her teeth are whitened and the moles and whiskers are removed to reveal a Hollywood actress-lik! e allure, Nate "suddenly" has an unobstructed view of her "in! ner beau ty" and in an epiphanic moment realizes that love and destiny are pretty confusing things. Lacking verisimilitude and plagued with gross-out jokes, spotty direction, and an underwritten script, much of the film plays out like Farrelly brothers' sloppy seconds. Nonetheless, there’s plenty of silliness, some good laughs, and a very willing cast who is more than up to playing along, most notably the talented Lakin and Moore. Hilton fans can rejoice in knowing that within the limited confines of the script, she aptly holds her own and when given the chance, has comedy potential. All in all The Hottie and the Nottie is a modest ultralight romantic comedy that though forgettable, is not without its charms. Neither a Hottie nor a Nottie, let’s just call this a Middle-of-the-Roadie. - Matt Wold

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