Running Time: 73 Minutes / Rating: G
1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
DTS 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned
DVD Release Date: August 29, 2006
Single-sided, dual-layered disc (DVD-9)
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99
Black Keepcase with Embossed, Holographic Cardboard Slipcover

There is an important distinction to be made with Fuyuhiko Nishi's High Kick Girl. As a star vehicle for Rina Takeda - the titular high kicking girl - it's more than adequate. If the goal is simply to serve notice that Japan has a legitimate female martial arts star on their hands, High Kick Girl does a perfectly good job. Takeda commands the screen, she has good charisma, and - importantly - she is fearless in equal measure to her considerable martial arts skills. This film will very likely be a coming out party for Takeda and a calling card to further work on the international market, should she so desire. And - hopefully - it should do the same for Tatsuya Naka, who starred previously in Nishi's Black Belt and delivers a very strong turn here as Takeda's martial arts master. So, a better than passing grade on that front. If, however, you care to judge High Kick Girl on script or technical merits - cinematography, sound design and the like - then the marks come in considerably lower.

A Serbian soldier named Alex Obilich ventures to Chicago hoping to find his older brother Peter and ask him about a kidney transplant in an effort to save their dad. Peter escaped from Serbia with their mother years ago, leaving behind his brother and father to fight the war – not knowing their fates

Writer Andrew Davies, British television’s most busy adapter of period novels, is famed for sexing-up his screenplays – hence Colin Firth’s wet clinging shirt in Pride and Prejudice.

No need for Davies to emphasise hidden sexual impulses in his latest drama, the modern-day story Sleep with Me, which he adapted from Joanna Briscoe’s novel.

What to make of The Prodigy these days? Saviours of a post-electronica era or several years past their use-by date? The UK outfit has effectively transcended its rave origins, adopting a guise of rock star swagger underpinned by an electronic foundation. And by the looks of the crowd tonight, there’s still plenty of fans ready to follow their lead.