DVD RACK

We pick 5 old films we watched this week for your consideration.

THE HANGOVER: With the recent DVD release of the hilarious 'The Hangover Part II' lets spend an night in with Stu, Phil and Alan and watch this original classic. Comedy, gross-out situations, movie homage send-ups and Las Vegas has never looked so good. Plus from babies to Mike Tyson cameos haven't been this classy either. This film threw up everything from audiences stomachs to the careers of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis. Director Todd Phillips crafted another comedy classic that didn't take itself seriously at all. Stupid, silly, sick and sensational.

NINE MONTHS: Still if you prefer your comedies a little more family orientated this Christmas...and I do mean just a little why not try this labour of love starring Hugh Grant at his floppy, bumbling best. As he and the beautiful Julianne Moore are expecting a baby your due for some laughs, especially when the comedic delivery of Robin Williams, Tom Arnold and Jeff Goldblum are on hand. Sure this is cheesy, but it's also a hilarious, nighties, feel-good classic. From 'Barney' the dinosaur rip-offs to the worse nightmares you could have Hugh goes through it all just to keep us laughing. Set perfectly in beautiful San Francisco, this film also looks the part and sure Hugh's drive dash down those famous hilly roads is no 'Bullitt' but one of the most hilarious shots comedy cameras has ever taken.

ZODIAC: Let's stay in San Francisco but get serious for a second. One of the best crime-thrillers you'll see based on the true events of San Francisco's 'Zodiac' killer. Cold, chilling, tense and taught this drawn out film works as it's length mirrors the theme of the extensive, erratic killings and investigation. Just check the stunning time-lapse direction of the development of the Transamerica Pyramid building over the dark, deep Marvin Gaye classic 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)'. This film showed us that pretty-boy Jake Gyllenhall had the true grit for leading man acting, while born to play a cop Mark Ruffalo (see 'Shutter Island' and 'Collateral') was astounding as was excellent 'ER' actor Anthony Edwards. This film also brought back the uplifting Robert Downey Jnr before 'Iron Man' and 'Sherlock Holmes'. Enough evidence? Case closed. Seek it out.

DEJA VU: Denzel Washington as the good-natured, 'do the right thing', heroic leading man, haven't we seen this all before? In almost everyone of his movies, every year Mr. Washington brings this familiar, favourite character right when where fiending for him. Somehow as well it all feels fresh and new from the rest of the Hollywood fodder. This is because Denzel possess a one in a million, genuine quality and for that he really is the best actor of this generation and possibly the greatest black actor of all-time. This movie is so good it'd be most leading men's best, but with all of Washington's greats it gets lost somehow. That is until you find it out and watch. With Paula Patton (who will be coming to screens soon with Tom Cruise on the latest 'Mission Impossible' film) and Jim Cavizel this Tony Scott great is another example of another classic director/actor combo.

A MAN APART: This year Vin Diesel burned up the box office with 'Fast Five' but this thinking mans tough guy still is more then this, the 'Riddick' and the 'xXx' franchises. In this underrated over-bearing action thriller, the master of the revenge picture gives a real performance. Playing a narcotics cop whose wife is murdered Vin really captures the emotion of a man apart perfectly and I bet you thought this man couldn't act...WRONG! Surely the more emotive scenes in this movie helped inspire the evolution of his character in the fourth and fifth 'Fast & Furious' movies. This actors got more under the hood then you think. TIM DAVID HARVEY.