Dolphin Tale: Blu Ray Review

Dolphin Tale: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Warner Home Video

From the people who brought you the inspirational Blind Side, comes Dolphin Tale, a similarly spirited family movie based on a true story.

Gamble stars as Sawyer, the young kid of a broken family; his dad left him and his mum (Judd) years ago and as the flick starts, Sawyer’s about to lose his cousin to the war abroad and is forced to go to summer school to boost his grades.

However, whilst heading in on the first day, Sawyer finds a dolphin on the beach caught up in a crab trap. Sawyer helps cut the dolphin free and it ends up in the local marine aquarium, where Dr Clay Haskett (Connick Jr) and his co-workers try to nurse it back to health.

But things get worse for Winter (the name they end up giving the dolphin) when her fin has to be amputated – and facing an uncertain future.

And it’s not just Flipper’s pal who’s got trouble – Dr Clay’s Marine centre’s in dire financial straits and Sawyer’s schooling has also taken a dive.

The thing with a Dolphin Tale is you can see what it’s doing a mile off; it’s one of those films which feels like a made for TV movie that occasionally the American audiences revel in and the rest of us wonder why schmaltz like this continues to be made.

Firstly, aside from the opening where the dolphins frolic in the water, the 3D in this film is pointless; it adds little to the story.

Secondly, there are so many clichés at play in this you can see them before they even show; every stereotype is here – from the kid with a broken family who needs the wounded animal to heal – both for his well being and the animal’s - to the doctor facing financial adversity.

And yet, for everything that’s served up in this overtly sickly sweet film with terribly earnest acting, there’s just something about it which keeps it engaging – just.

That would be Morgan Freeman’s appearance as a prosthetic limbs specialist. He brings a welcome note of humour which pricks the dour feel of the film just at the right moment. Essentially he’s playing another nice guy, but the warmth he brings just about saves this saccharine celluloid outing.

All of the cast give it their all and there’s certainly something to be said for the family feel of this film – if you’re willing to leave your day to day cynicism at the door.


Extras: Animated short, behind the scenes with the real dolphin, spotlight on scene, additional scene and gag reel

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A Matter of Taste: DVD Review

A Matter of Taste: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Entertainment


Kiwi directed doco from Sally Rowe, this looks at the rise, fall and resurrection of English chef Paul Liebrandt, the youngest chef to ever get a 3 star NYTimes rating.

Over the course of a decade, we follow Paul as he espouses and lives his philosophy that "A chef who doesn't cook is a very miserable chef" and works in brasseries and joints which are clearly holding his career back.

Level headed (only one Ramsay style explosion is shown), Liebrandt is an affable doco choice with his determined nature the one thing which shines through from start to finish.

Beautifully shot and vibrant with shots of food which will make you salivate,this doco is a testament to dreams, creativity and culinary drive.

There's also an elusive hunt for a critic's visit but you are 100% behind this chef from the get go as we chart the highs and lows of a fickle trade.

It's a fascinating insight into what makes a chef tick and an excellently crafted film which is non intrusive and ultimately revealing and highly rewarding.


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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: Blu Ray Review

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Warner Bros Home Video

Back to the world of the fantasy lost island film genre we go after the success of Journey to the Centre of the Earth a couple of years ago.

This time around, when rebellious teenager Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) gets a coded distress signal from an island which shouldn't exist, he's convinced it's his grandfather, Alexander, trying to get in touch.

But Sean's faced with a couple of problems - a stepfather Hank (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) who's an embarrassment as far as Sean's concerned - and a lack of transport to help him get to the South Pacific.

So, when Hank helps decode the message, Sean "lets" the stepdad come along - and on the way, the duo hook up with Luis Guzman's Gabato, the only helicopter pilot willing to fly to the island - and Gabato's daughter -and potential love interest for Sean - Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens).

However, when the quartet finds the island, they discover their time will be cut fatally short as it's sinking and if they're unable to make their way off, they'll be stranded forever....

Journey 2 The Mysterious Island is skewed to a younger audience - a family with younger kids will definitely enjoy the relatively short outing (though the parents may find parts of it a stretch).

Hutcherson and Hudgens work reasonably well together; Dwayne Johnson has a goofy, if ever so slightly annoying, charm as Hank - even if he does try to be self effacing and ends up more irritating. When he's butting heads with Michael Caine's Alexander, there's a nice vibe between the pair, but it can't save the film.

Entirely predictable, Journey 2 The Mysterious Island plods along well enough with a side of cheese coating its dialogue and action sequences, which never fully soar.

The use of the 3D though is utterly appalling and lazy in the extreme - one sequence where Johnson gets to show off his "dancing pecs" (don't ask) is shoe horned in simply to have a series of objects shoot off the screen and into the audience. And that in a nutshell is what's wrong with this - if it was a little more relaxed and less cynical, Journey 2 would be watchable to all sections of the audience.

Rating:

Prometheus Movie Review...

Prometheus Movie Review...

Prometheus Movie Review... A look at the new film from Ridley Scott.

Stay tuned to the blog, to get a review of Ridley Scott's new film, Prometheus, this weekend..

For now, though, here's a new Prometheus featurette,

Le Havre: Movie Review

Le Havre: Movie Review

Cast: Andre Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Blondin Miguel
Director: Aki Kaurismaki

A winner of a Cannes prize in 2011, Le Havre is an oddball of a film.

It's the story of an aged shoeshiner, Marcel Marx, who lives in the port city of Le Havre. Marx lives a quieter life with his wife Arietty and his dog. His life is a simple one; it revolves around walking the dog, doing his job and visiting the local pub.

But when a group of illegal immigrants show up at the port at the same time as Marx's wife falls seriously ill, Marcel comes across an African young boy, who's a refugee who's escaped the police and the authorities at the port.

So, despite everything in his brain telling him otherwise, Marx decides to harbour the boy.

With the police and authorities closing in, it's not clear that Marcel and the boy will get away with their scheme...

Le Havre is a Finnish directed curio which is joyously simple both in style and story.

It's also incredibly old fashioned in its look and feel but it's also quite touching in many ways; Wilms has old school cinema appeal as an actor and also for the audience to get a hook in. With Kaurismaki's lingering camera holding on actors longer than their scenes, the feel of the flick does take a little while to get used to. But it's very rewarding once you sit back and let this film, saturated as it is with oddball moments, wash over you.

Le Havre is a reminder sometimes that simplistic film making is perhaps the hardest to achieve; it's a feelgood film which is fresh and different - a reminder that cinema going is a pleasant treat every time.

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ET Goes home - to Blu Ray

ET gets a Blu Ray release

As Universal Pictures celebrates 100 years, details are now out of the ET blu ray release - one of the most beloved films of all time has finally got a release date on the HD format - and details of what's contained within.

Here's what the release says:

"E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg’s magical adventure, celebrates its 30th Anniversary with its first-ever release on Blu-ray™ on 31st October 2012.

Featuring an all-new, digitally re-mastered picture that delivers six times the resolution of DVD, as well as all-new 7.1 surround sound, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes the 1982 theatrical movie, an all-new interview with director Steven Spielberg and “The E.T. Journals” which features an hour of never-before-seen footage from the set of the film.

The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack also includes a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, offering fans a chance to relive the mystery, laughter and wonder of the iconic movie anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice.  In 1982, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial became the biggest blockbuster of the year, debuting at No1. around the world.  Even today, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial remains one of the most successful and well-loved films of all time.

Nominated for nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Writing and Best Screenplay, the film took home four statuettes for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound and Best Music for John Williams’ (Jaws) memorable score. The unforgettable cast includes the adorable Drew Barrymore (He’s Just Not That Into You, Charlie’s Angels), Henry Thomas (Dear John, Legends of the Fall), Dee Wallace (10, Sons and Daughters) and Peter Coyote (Law & Order: LA, Jagged Edge)."