This week’s video-on-remand (VOD) round-up features a Valentine’s Day double bill, a look at the relevance of everyone’s favourite colourful little building blocks, an insight in to the mind of a legendary game developer and a dark suburban comedy.
Netflix
Animal Attraction
Animal Attraction stars Ashley Judd (back when it seemed that she might be the next rom-com queen) as Jane, a TV show talent scout who becomes an overnight sensation after writing a vengeful column accusing all men of being cheaters. Judd and her co-star Hugh Jackman have good chemistry and the film is produced by Lynda Obst – the woman responsible for some of the best contemporary female-centric films made in Hollywood, such as Contact.
Blinkbox
Enough Said
Nicole Holofcener’s grown-up rom-com was one of the best reviewed films of last year. It also marked the last on-screen appearance of the late great James Gandolfini. The film stars Julia Louis Dreyfus as a masseuse who starts dating a single dad, but things take a turn for the awkward when she befriends a new client. A funny, breezy comedy with great performances by the cast, Enough Said is a great antidote to all the dire rom-coms of recent years.
iPlayer
Lego – The Building Blocks of Architecture
As the Lego Movie continues its worldwide domination, now is the ideal time to look back at the cultural relevance of one of the world’s most popular toys. In this documentary for The Culture Show, presenter Tom Dyckhoff explores Lego’s intriguing relationship with architecture, and argues that it has changed the way we think about buildings. Dyckhoff meets a number of prominent architects to reflect on how Lego has influenced their work, questions the current status of the Lego franchise and looks at its digital successors (among them the popular PC game Minecraft).
Vimeo
Kaz: Pushing the Virtual Divide
One for the gamers, Sony’s documentary about Kazunori Yamauchi – founder of Polyphony Digital, developers of the Gran Turismo series – presents him as a gaming auteur. And many who have played Gran Turismo would probably agree with this view, taking in to consideration its astounding attention to detail. But unlike many game developers, Yamauchi isn’t interested in creating fantasy worlds and instead is very much obsessed with real-life simulations. Which is why his philosophical leanings – discussed at length during the film’s pastoral scenes, which show Yamauchi wondering the woods – are so interesting. In the end what you have is a three dimensional portrait of a gaming genius committed to his singular vision, which will appeal to both gamers and car enthusiasts.
Amazon LoveFilm Instant
Transparent
Another Amazon original pilot (last week’s VOD roundup featured Chris Carter’s The After), Transparent is a comedy that has been hailed by some commentators as the best of the bunch. The humour is akin to Girls and Louie – dry, adult and very much based on real-life – and it’s created by Jill Soloway, one of the people behind the critically acclaimed, long-running series Six Feet Under. The show stars a host of indie film stars, among them Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass and Jeffrey Tambor, and concerns the secrets and lies hidden under the surface of a seemingly placid middle-class American household. The banter between the siblings and their parents is funny yet realistic and the last act has its fair share of revelations, so don’t be surprised if you’re left wanting more.
