DVD Easter parade

Belleville Rendez-Vous is good for all the family
Evening Standard11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Television viewers face a long weekend of of repeats over Easter so forget TV this weekend - here's the expert's guide to the best films to see...

BEST FOR ALL THE FAMILY

By Antonia Quirke, Evening Standard film critic

Belleville Rendez-Vous
Memorable French animation about a champion cyclist, his pushy mother, and their terrific dog.

Holes
Idiosyncratic, funny, and stars the cute Shia LaBoeuf on top form.

The Princess Bride
Always enjoyable goofy fairy-tale about a princess in strife.

Seabiscuit
Sweet real-life drama about an unlikely colt who went on to win all the races in Depression-era America. Even granny will love it.

BEST FOR A GIRLS' NIGHT IN

By Nina Ahmad, Acting Editor of Cosmopolitan

Down With Love
To-die-for retro glamour and, of course, former Cosmo naked centrefold Ewan McGregor, wooing Renée Zellweger.

Charlie's Angels
I love this for its unapologetic "kick-ass, girl-power" style.

Bridget Jones's Diary
Although things have moved on since Bridget Jones, it still has laughout-loud emotional detail all women can relate to.

Dirty Dancing
I don't know a single woman who doesn't smile when Jennifer Grey berates herself for saying "I carried a watermelon."

BEST FOR A LADS' WEEKEND IN

By editor Martin Daubney and the staff of Loaded magazine

Where Eagles Dare
Seminal war classic that, controversially, isn't really about eagles.

The Thing
Arctic chiller that stars exploding dogs, Kurt Russell and no women.

Scarface
Al Pacino in all his savage, scenery-chewing, language-mangling, chainsaw-wielding glory.

Love Actually
Classic female pacifier that gives blokes a great excuse to go and talk rubbish down the pub.

BEST FOR CINEPHILES

By Nick James, editor of Sight & Sound magazine

Herzog/Kinski box-set
Five films that director Werner Herzog made with Klaus Kinski, including Fitzcarraldo. These are films about human extremity and the sublime, that no other combination of actor and film-maker have reached.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sergio Leone's best western, including deleted scenes. If you want to know where Tarantino got his ideas for Kill Bill, look here.

Blue Velvet
This remastered version of David Lynch's unsettling classic shows it at its best.

The Singing Detective
The DVD of the original TV series is vastly better than the recent movie. This was Dennis Potter's finest hour.

BEST COMEDIES

By Al Murray, The Pub Landlord, comedian

This Is Spinal Tap Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest's spoof rock documentary is the greatest comedy film ever made.

Zoolander
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson try out their Starsky and Hutch pairing in a hilariously dumb film that would never get made in Britain because it's a) not a "rom-com" and b) funny.

Monty Python's Life of Brian
Whoops, take that last one back. The Pythons get far more satiric use and laughs than Mel Gibson managed to squeeze out of the same material.

Laurel & Hardy in the Music Box
A classic (and if it's unavailable, you could always rent My Gaff, My Rules, the first live DVD featuring Al Murray as the pub landlord, out now on VVL Video. See www.publandlordlive.com for more information).

... AND FOR A TRULY HORRIBLE WEEKEND

Pete Clark, Evening Standard writer and horror-film aficionado

Dawn of the Dead
Keep one step ahead of the recent fashion for zombie movies by going back to the originals. George Romero's masterpiece is the finest of the genre.

The Evil Dead series
For shocks and laughs at the same time, these films can't be beaten, particularly Evil Dead II, in which the hero's arm becomes possessed and turns against him.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Tobe Hooper's film remains a must for those who have pigged out over the holiday season. That Leatherface is quite a caution.

The Shining
The great scourge of hotel bookings, particularly those made out of season.

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