Scum
Directed by Alan Clarke
By Travis Mackenzie Hoover

There are two ways to see Alan Clarke’s vision of juvie hell: the one that hits like a club, or the one that cuts like a knife. Both versions feature a young Ray Winstone as the “daddy” of a British boy’s prison that’s run by a religious nut, administered by bigoted thugs, populated by confused and angry young men, and moved by a vicious streak that nobody has the power to stop. The first, however, is the notorious BBC telefilm version, which embarrassed the “powers that be” enough to get itself banned from broadcast; the second is the somewhat better capitalised on film version, which contrasts the original’s grimy brown interiors with a more hospital white vehicle of pain. But no matter which one you prefer, its laundry list of human suffering offers a series of degradations that leave everybody tarnished and the idea of just punishment revealed as the pathetic farce it is. Winstone is transfixing in both versions as the victim who won’t say die, working his violent way up to the master of his wing just to make sure he has what little stature he can muster; it all ends in one of the great prison riot scenes and offers an editorial dialogue between a “screw” and an inmate that underlines the madness of the rules of the game. The films are two of the best by perhaps the finest British filmmaker since Hitchcock. Extras on the TV version include a giggly commentary by cast members David Threlfall and Phil Daniels with producer Margaret Matheson, and selected scene commentary by Winstone. The theatrical version features an awed Winstone commentary, a so-so interview with writer Roy Minton and producer Clive Parsons, poster and still galleries, and the theatrical trailer. (Blue Underground)
Dog Day Afternoon - Dir. by Sidney Lumet
Amongst numerous memorable moments in cinema history, some of the most iconic ones turn out to be improvised. ...Read More
The Squid & The Whale - Dir. by Noah Baumbach
Eleven years ago, an unknown writer/director dropped a low budget Gen X dramedy called Kicking and Screaming on art house cinemas that portrayed a group of college alumni struggling to cut the academic umbilical cord and enter the real world. ...Read More
9 to 5: The Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition - Dir. by Colin Higgins
A History of Violence - Dir. by David Cronenberg
Aeon Flux - Dir. by Karyn Kusama
Bee Season - Dir. by Scott McGehee and David Siegel
Brokeback Mountain - Dir. by Ang Lee
C.R.A.Z.Y. - Dir. by Jean-Marc Vallée
Carole Lombard: The Glamour Collection
Class of 1984 - Dir. by Mark Lester
Crumb: Special Edition - Dir. by Terry Zwigoff
Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Dir. by Doug Miles
Dreamer - Dir. by John Gatins
Event Horizon - Dir. by Paul W.S. Anderson
Fun With Dick And Jane - Dir. by Dean Parisot
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ - Dir. by Jim Sheridan
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Dir. by Mike Newell
Jarhead - Dir. by Sam Mendes
Just Friends - Dir. by Roger Kumble
King Kong - Dir. by Peter Jackson
Magic - Dir. by Richard Attenborough
Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch House / Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns - Dir. by Stuart Gordon / (Directed by John Carpenter
Memoirs of a Geisha - Dir. by Rob Marshall
Michael Parenti: Rulers of the Planet
Mission: Impossible - Dir. by Brian DePalma
Planet of the Apes: The Ultimate DVD Collection
Remember the Titans - Dir. by Boaz Yakin
Silver Streak - Dir. by Arthur Hiller
South Park: The Complete Seventh Season
Spymate - Dir. by Robert Vince
Stalag 17 - Dir. by Billy Wilder
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother - Dir. by Gene Wilder
The Dark - Dir. by John Fawcett
The Greatest Game Ever Played - Dir. by Bill Paxton
The Ice Harvest - Dir. by Harold Ramis
The Passenger - Dir. by Michelangelo Antonioni
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio - Dir. by Jane Anderson
The Replacement Killers - Dir. by Antoine Fuqua
The Ten Commandments: 50th Anniversary Edition - Dir. by Cecil B. DeMille
The Thing Called Love: Director’s Cut - Dir. by Peter Bogdanovich
The World’s Greatest Lover - Dir. by Gene Wilder
The Year Of The Yao - Dir. by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo
Threat - Dir. by Matt Pizzolo
Phoenix / Holy Fuck - Sound Academy, Toronto, ON December 5
Saturday night is meant for hand pumping and fraternal writhing, and nothing inspires it like Parisian pop. With an armoury of feel-good songs — almost all single-worthy — and a stellar warm-up act in Holy Fuck, French six-piece Phoenix played a joyous and infectiously amiable Sound Academy show.Full Review
Misstress Barbara - Montreal, QC November 21
One of this city’s superstar DJs, Misstress Barbara specializes in big beats for the masses, and with her three-piece band Girls on a Ducati, she’s extending her house pop chops to a more traditional live setting. With a guitar and mic, as well as keys and effects, she’s a capable front-woman but he... Full Review
Transit / Man Overboard - Transit / Man Overboard
The deliberately lo-fi, yet earnest, split between Transit and Man Overboard sounds like the product of a bunch of friends growing up on punk and hardcore throughout the '90s. The hardcore leanings of Boston fivesome Transit lay the groundwork for the pop punk tendencies of the Jersey kids in Man Ov... Full Review
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the April 2006 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Questionnaire  •  Research  •  Technology  •  Timeline • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews • Music School --> Label Life  •  Meet & Greet  •  Need to Know  •  Where I play • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues