DVD reviews

Pink Panther 2
cast Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Andy Garcia, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Lily Tomlin, Alfred Molina, John Cleese
director Harald Zwart
genre Comedy
rating (G)

Celebrated French Detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau is reluctantly summoned by boss Inspector Dreyfus to lead a top-level international detective team after three treasures go missing from Italy, England and Japan. The only link between the thefts of the Shroud of Turin, a copy of the Magna Carta and a priceless sword is ‘The Tornado’ visiting card left at every scene. And soon after Clouseau sets out on the mission with his dream team – Pepperidge from England, Vincenzo from Italy, Kenji from Japan and Sonia from India – the prestigious Pink Panther diamond gets stolen too. Clouseau’s secretary Nicole, who doubles as his love interest, and detective-friend Gilbert Ponton also join forces. Apart from the investigation, Clouseau’s weakness for all things clad in tight skirts and his racial point of view finds him sitting with etiquette teacher Berenger and also a special place with Sonia. The silly goof-ups and buffoonery make this sequel a dull watch. A letdown for all Inspector Clouseau fans.
sneha may francis


Lakeview Terrace
cast Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington
director Neil Labute
genre Drama/Thriller
rating PG15

LAPD officer Abel Turner is a no-nonsense guy. Ever since his wife’s death he’s meted out a military rule of sorts for his kids – daughter Celia and son Marcus. His bitterness translates into his work as well, where he effortlessly bad-mouths his way through each day.
His ire now falls on his new neighbours – Chris and Lisa Mattson, whose inter-racial relationship irks Abel as he believes it’s a bad influence on his children. He continuously tortures the couple in an attempt to shoo them away from the neighbourhood. From placing flashlights that flood the Mattson’s bedroom to leaving warning parking notes, his tactics tick off the couple. But they are stubborn about not leaving their dream house because of an abusive cop.
Despite numerous attempts to reconcile their differences, Chris finds it difficult to convince Abel. Since Abel’s profession proves a roadblock for the couple to file any complaint, they suffer in silence and only rarely retaliate. Often disturbing, this DVD is not for the faint of heart.
SMF

(Published in e+, Gulf News August 20th, 2009)