Finally available for the first time on DVD, Anthony Mann’s historical epic

El Cid is a torrid three-hour tale of love, honour and conquest set in medieval Spain. Charlton Heston at his studliest plays Rodrigo Diaz, or the “Cid” of the title, a brave knight with the self-appointed task of saving Spain from its internal divisions (Christians, Moors) and from its external enemies (more Moors, these ones from Morocco). A sultry Sophia Loren plays his bride, who spends most of the movie hating Heston after he slays her dad in a duel.

This is old-school (well not that old-school… the movie was made in 1961) wide-screen Technicolor mythmaking at its finest. The movie features a few amazing action scenes, some saucy romance, gorgeous panoramic photography and the new DVD presents it all in a really beautiful restoration. The three-disc set includes the kinds of extras you’d expect from a package like this: commentaries, documentaries, even vintage radio interviews with the stars. If you spring for the special box set, you’ll get a reprint of the film’s comic book adaptation, some colour stills, a commemorative photo book thing, and a written introduction from fan Martin Scorsese.

30 Days of Night is a vampire B-movie, and as modern-day B-movies go, it’s not bad. The film’s premise is that vamps invade a far-north Alaskan town during the month it goes without sunlight, leaving them free to rampage as they please. The baddies are pleasingly animalistic and creepy, led by a gape-mouthed Danny Huston, and it’s cool to look at: the cinematography captures the icy bleakness of the north well. But I gotta say, Josh Hartnett, who plays the town’s hard-bitten sheriff, is so wrong for the role. He’s the most consistently miscast actor in the business. You could really see Kurt Russell kicking ass with a role like this, especially when he was in his prime, but Hartnett’s too boyish, and he always looks like he’s about to burst into tears, not the best attribute for an action star.