Check out this week’s DVD picks from musical Blinded By The Light to Playmobil: The Movie

BLINDED By The Light, a Bruce Springsteen musical set in 1987 Luton, is an unexpected joy, anchored by Viveik Kalra’s winning central turn.

The intimate documentary Mystify casts new light on the sad tale of ill-fated INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. And Daniel Radcliffe breathes life into plastic in Playmobil: The Movie.

DVD of the Week: Blinded By The Light

(12A) 114mins, out Monday

HUGELY likeable musical comedy-drama, based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, about teen poet Javed (Viveik Kalra) escaping the horrors of 1987 Luton via obsessive Bruce Springsteen fandom.

Much of the fun comes from the period setting, which is mined mercilessly for nostalgic laughs — assuming you find things like moustaches, big hair and rolled-up jacket sleeves inherently hilarious — while the soundtrack is ripped from early Now tapes (ask your parents) as well as The Boss himself.

But there is heart and soul too, anchored by Kalra’s winning turn as he pursues dreams of getting into uni, writing for a living and, most importantly, copping-off with a real-life girl.

The era’s polarised politics and widespread racism are handled deftly, never overwhelming the comedy. Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha here plays another blinder.

★★★★☆

Mystify: Michael Hutchence

(15) 102mins, out Monday

INTIMATE portrait of the charismatic INXS frontman, directed by his pal and long-time collaborator Richard Lowenstein, with much of the early running in the late singer’s own words.

There are spine-tingling moments from triumphant live performances, plus tender moments courtesy of candid interviews with his exes Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen. If nothing else, their time together sounds like the happiest period in Kylie’s life.

This desperately sad tale loses none of its impact for the grim inevitability of its conclusion. Hutchence was a thoughtful character battered by fame and “sick of himself” even before the head injury that transformed his personality and plunged him into a spiral of depression and rage.

While his brother Rhett’s battles with substance abuse offer a grim foreshadowing of Michael’s very public end, this is not your typical tale of rock’n’roll excess.

★★★★☆

Playmobil: The Movie

(U) 99mins, out Monday

ALTHOUGH comparisons to the all-conquering Lego Movie franchise are inevitable, this isn’t trying to bottle that same snarky lightning.

It is aimed at a much younger audience, with only a couple of sly gags for grownups.

There is some of that kinetic energy and a few nice visual flourishes as it romps along harmlessly towards the usual well-meaning messages about following your dreams and smashing robots.

Vikings, cowboys, dinosaurs and Romans all crop up in a hotchpotch of a plot that might have been put together by any random assembly of sugar fuelled toddlers.

Oddly, Daniel Radcliffe crops up as superspy Rex Dasher in an otherwise underpowered voice cast.

Solid adventure fare for youngsters but little to hold the attention of mums and dads.

★★★☆☆

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

(18) 113mins, out Monday

AS his decades-delayed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote finally nears British cinemas, Terry Gilliam’s seminal surrealist Vegas head-trip gets an exhaustive limited-edition Blu-ray release packed with bonus uppers and documentary downers.

Now you can enjoy all those giant lizards and Johnny Depp’s uncontrollably flappy hands in stunning 4k.

At times deliriously entertaining, the main feature peaks early and rather runs out of puff in the final third.

There simply aren’t many places left to go once the hallucinations reach a certain pitch.

But it remains a testament to the director’s unique visual sensibilities and his uncanny affinity with the subject’s gonzo writing.

★★★★☆

The Limits of Control

(15) 116mins, out Monday

HAZY, narrative-free mystery from US indie king Jim Jarmusch, getting a Blu-ray release ten years after it first ambled enigmatically across screens.

Not a lot happens in this minutely observed, slow-burning puzzler, which viewers will find either seductively ambiguous or maddeningly obtuse.

Or possibly both.

Isaach De Bankole is a taciturn presence as the sharp-suited tai-chi fan questing across Spain two espressos at a time.

He trades clues with a cycle of oddballs played by thesps including Tilda Swinton and John Hurt.

Then on he drifts, drinks more coffee, meets a new stranger… and that’s pretty much it.

Even the climax is deliberately ambiguous.

It is beautifully shot, with that lost, disconnected feeling typical of Jarmusch — not least in some now-uncomfortable scenes featuring Paz de la Huerta, these days probably best known as one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers.

But its wilful opacity won’t be to all tastes.

★★★☆☆

Yves Saint Laurent: The Last Collections

(PG) 73mins, out now

IS there an industry that takes itself as seriously, with so little justification, as fashion?

This profoundly unengaging documentary about Yves Saint Laurent took three years to film and was buried for almost 20, so horrified was the designer’s partner Pierre Berge by what it might reveal.

It’s hard to imagine even fashionistas getting fired up about the plodding minutiae on display here. Instead, this film begs the question: Couldn’t they have buried it for 40 years instead?

★★☆☆☆

 

---

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk

---