The Boat That Rocked: DVD Review

The Boat That Rocked: DVD Review

The Boat That Rocked
Starring: Bill Nighy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Darby, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Kenneth Branagh
Universal Home Video
Rating: M
The swinging Sixties get yet another revisiting in this comedy "romp" from Richard "I'm single handedly responsible for Hugh Grant" Curtis.
It's 1966 when British radio wouldn't play much music to a public which clearly was living the pop music boom.
So the pirate radio industry is singlehandedly led by Radio Rock, a boat in the North Sea which doubles as a radio station complete with a gang of ramshackle DJs and a never ending supply of records, booze and babes.
18 year old Carl is dragged onboard to spend time there after his mother decides he needs straightening out (though quite why a pirate radio station replete with immature jocks and all manner of debauchery is the best place is anyone's guess)
However, Carl's not prepared for what's ahead as he's thrown into a world of hedonism and swinging sixties love and rock and roll.
But it's not all plain sailing for Radio Rock - Kenneth Branagh's evil Minister Dormandy is determined to scupper the scourge of the airwaves and rid the radio of the pirates.
The Boat That Rocked isn't a bad film - it's clearly in need of a bit of trimming and could have done with a beefier plot befitting of its truly excellent ensemble cast and superb soundtrack, which brilliantly evokes the sixties.
Unfortunately what emerges from Curtis' script is a somewhat bloated and beached affair which sees continual shots of people dancing by the radio and the antics of the DJs reduced to extended comedy moments.
I don't doubt the crew had a blast making this film - but without much of a story to go on, you can't help but feel that you're a little excluded from the fun and frivolity.
Extras: 11 deleted scenes, and commentary by Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Hilary Bevan Jones and Richard Curtis.

Rating: 4/10

Inglourious Basterds: Movie Review

Inglourious Basterds: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, Melanie Laurent
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Is this the Tarantino film which will divide the fans and the critics over the wunderkind's abilities?
Set in an alternative World War 2, where Germany still invaded, Inglourious Basterds is essentially two stories intertwined into a common narrative.
The first is that of Shosanna, (Melanie Laurent) the only Jewish survivor of an attack led by Nazi Colonel Landa (an absolutely stunning debut by Christoph Waltz).
After narrowly escaping with her life, Shosanna finds herself running a cinema in France where Hitler and the rest of the high rank and file of the Third Reich are to attend a premiere.
At the same time as Shosanna plots her revenge, Lieutenant Aldo Raines and his motley crew of Nazi (or as he says in his southern Tennessee twang, Nah-zee) hunters are in league with the British and a German double agent and plotting to kill Hitler at the very same premiere - as well as killing Nazis wherever they find them (after having been dropped into France to wreak havoc on the Nazi regime)
So the traps are sprung - but will any of them bring about the end of World War 2?
Inglourious Basterds is a curious beast - it will be the Tarantino film which the diehard Tarantino fans will adore but may leave others lost as to the ongoing appeal of the man who revolutionized films with the likes of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
Tarantino has grown as a director - sure, he's still referencing and homaging his favourite film genres (Basterds is in part spaghetti western, part Mel Brooks, and the Dirty Dozen) and providing long scenes of stretched out dialogue (which all end in graphic violence) as well as running strands of narrative into a giant patch work screen quilt.

But some are going to find this film a little drawn out in parts (dare you even whisper it, slow)- and an odd sum of all of its parts.
Personally, I felt its best scene was its opening one - as Landa quizs a French farmer about hiding Jews over a glass of milk in occupied France. The dialogue and sense of dread during this section of the film had everyone in the cinema on the edge of their collective seats.
If the one great thing to take from this film is Christoph Waltz's debut movie performance as the lead Nazi, then that's enough for me - his Landa is oozing slime and menace mixed together with a multi lingual charm. You're never quite sure when he's about to explode - and when he does, it's equally mesmerizing and shocking.
Maybe that's part of the Basterds' strength - it has some stunning character performances (leaving aside Brad Pitt's Aldo Raines - which seems to have come directly from a comedy or an outtake of O Brother Where Art Thou? - and Mike Myers who appears to channel Austin Powers as a top UK official).
But more than the character moments, it has some of the most gorgeous long shots committed to the screen; sweeping camera movements and Tarantino's trademark 2 hander scenes where character swap dialogue and deep rooted opinions - it's clearly a director who's still in love with creating beauteous moments of cinema.
And once again, he uses music sparingly to great effect - with long scenes simply using the dialogue to bring them to life before the music kicks in as a precursor to some violence.
Ultimately Inglourious Basterds will spark plenty of debate after you leave the cinema - as some claim, it's an intelligent antidote to a summer which has seen many in-your-face action flicks; whereas others believe Tarantino has lost the plot.

Go and see it yourself - and make up your own mind.

Wallace and Gromit: DVD Review

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Roadshow Entertainment
Starring: Wallace and Gromit
Rating G
Rating: 8/10
More animated brilliance as Wallace and Gromit return to the small screen after their Curse of the Were-Rabbit feature film.
This time, the pair have started their own bakery "Top Bun" whose slogan is delivering from Dough to Door.
Business is booming - but poochy pal Gromit is deeply worried about the news 12 bakers have been dispatched to the great bakery in the sky during the past year.
Wallace, however, is unconcerned by the news; preferring instead to go dough eyed in love with Piella Bakewell, the new woman on the block.
But when Gromit digs deeper, he discovers Piella's not all she's cracked up to be&.and the pair face a new danger.
A Matter of Loaf and Death continues the tradition of brilliance (and bad puns) from Aardman Animation.
The sheer imagination with which Park and his co-creators bring to life this duo's world and adventures gets ever more astounding.
A behind the scenes doco shows just how well this is story boarded - but the work which goes on behind the camera at all levels is just astonishing.
Their eye for detail during the film - and cinematic references (which this time include Aliens, Hitchcock and Batman) make the whole 30 minutes short zip by - although there must also be credit given to those behind the story as the narrative flows seamlessly from beginning to end.
Funny, warm and touching, A Matter of Loaf and Death will keep kids of all ages amused for an hour or so - not just for the short but for the extras which keep on piling on the hilarity.
Extras:
- The Making of A Matter of Loaf and Death
- 10 Cracking Contraptions
- 10 Cracking Contraptions - behind the scenes
- When Wallace Met Harvey

Rating: 8/10

Bottle Shock: DVD Review

Bottle Shock: DVD Review

Bottle Shock
Cast: Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Freddy Rodriguez, Rachael Taylor, Eliza Dushku
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman stars in this true story about vintners, wine snobbery and how the wine world changed back in the 1970s.
Rickman is Steven Spurrier, who, stuck in France and tired of the wine snobbery of those who've been in the wine industry for years, heads to America to see if there are any wines out there waiting to be discovered.
He ends up in California's Napa Valley and meets Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) a struggling vintner whose Chateau Montelena is on the brink of collapse. Initially skeptical about Spurrier's motives and with no sign that his Woodstock hippy son Bo Barrett (Star Trek's Chris Pine) is ready to take over, he's not sure he wants in. Throw into the mix Chateau Montelena's foreman Gustavo (Six Feet Under's Rodriguez), a wannabe winemaker and an intern Sam (Rachael Taylor) and you have a fruity bouquet.
However, what transpires over the film's 1hr 45minutes, changed the history of the wine industry forever - and opened up the market to more than just competition.
Bottle Shock (terrible title - even though it has wine making connoitations) is a gentle piece with a great ensemble cast which looks great in its locations and vineyards. Pullman and Rickman are clearly head and shoulders above the rest; but Pine et al do well with what could so easily have become predictable and unoriginal.
Though there's some question about what actually happened (the real Spurrier's taken exception to the story), it manages to be a pleasant day's viewing - it won't exactly set the world alight, but if you're after a gentle character piece, then Bottle Shock is your vintage.
Extras: Deleted scenes and a featurette about the Chateau Montelena Winery complement the package

Rating: 6/10

Let The Right One In: DVD Review

Let The Right One In: DVD Review

Let The Right One In
Starring: Lina Leandersson, Kayre Hedebrant
Rating: M
Rialto Home Cinema
The Vampire genre is pretty quickly becoming a crowded one thanks to the Twilight phenomenon.
However, this superior film deserves a place on any self respecting cinephile's shelf - even if it is next to the Lost Boys.
Set in the chilly sheer white world of Stockholm, it's the tale of 12-year-old Oskar, who's being bullied at school and ignored at home.
Gradually, he retreats into a world where he plots revenge on the bullies - and despite the domestic conditions, he's fiercely intelligent and is interested in crime scenes and murders (your average pre-teen healthy interests).
One day he meets Eli, a young girl with whom he forms a friendship - but of whom, he knows very little.
However, as the partnership begins to blossom, each of them open up more and begin to reveal the truth about who they really are.
Let The Right One In is a superior entry into the vampire genre - it's a classy, slow burning affair which centres itself on moody shots, stark contrasts (plenty of blood on deep white untouched snow), and a lot of suspense.
It's also a very intelligent piece - whereas Twilight romanticises the notion of the vampire, this film sees them as parasites, forced to feed where they can and only to satiate a never ending hunger - it's vampirism as a curse, rather than a gleeful alternative to life.
Without a doubt, this film is gripping, beautiful yet violent and a masterpiece.
Extras: None

Rating 8/10

Case 39: Movie Review

Case 39: Movie Review

Rating: 4/10
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Kerry O'Malley, Bradley Cooper, Callum Keith Rennie

Director: Christian Alvert.
Well, well, it appears creepy kids are coming back again in Hollywood.
In Case 39, Renee Zellweger's social worker Emily Jenkins is overworked and over caring about all the cases she investigates.
And just when her workload threatens to fully take over her life - both professionally and personally - she's given one more case to look at on top of her 38 case strong workload - the eponymously titled Case 39.
But this case is the straw which breaks Jenkins' back - troubled 10-year old Lilith Sullivan (Ferland, soon to be seen in the Twilight Saga ) whose parents are, in her own words, trying to kill her.
So Jenkins manages to get the girl away from her potentially murderous family - and into her own care - however, that's where the trouble begins - as it appears Lilith's parents may have had justifiable cause for trying to despatch their demonic daughter.
Case 39 is a standard by the numbers kind of horror - there's a few shocks and jolts here and there but all in all, it's a little of a disappointment.
It's no wonder this has been bumped back and forth in the release schedules - and was first talked about back in 2006. Zellweger looks pained throughout - and while she puts in a reasonable performance as Jenkins, she's saddled with a bit of a dog of a script.
The supporting cast are all satisfactory - although it's Jodelle Ferland's performance as troubled ten year old Lilith which stands head and shoulders above the rest - she channels just the right kind of spooky and creepy and somehow manages to out act some of her onscreen co-stars (Bradley Cooper I'm looking at you)
Case 39 is a reminder of why some horror films don't always work - it's a lazy script and while it sets out to be shocking in places (as you may have seen from the sponsored scene put on Facebook of the child being put in the oven), it doesn't manage to scale the heights of what it wants.

Transporter 3: DVD Review

Transporter 3: DVD Review

Transporter 3
Starring: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Natalya Rudakova
Rating: M
Icon Home Entertainment
Jason Statham (aka Britain's action hero answer to Bruce Willis) is back as Frank Martin in the third high octane fuelled portion of the Transporter series.
He's a courier with the will to get done what needs to be done - and this time, the former Special Forces mercenary is going to need all his nous about him.
He's forced to deliver Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), a kidnapped girl - but with a twist; if he moves more than 75 feet away from his car to avoid delivery, a bomb on his wrist will explode.
There's not really much plot at play here - and to be honest, this film really isn't about reems of exposition - it's about things exploding, cool car chases and really really bad guys.
And Jason Statham ripping his shirt off to have a bit of a fight.
But then if you're a fan of this series, you'll already have this DVD and will have enjoyed it multiple times - it all looks perfectly good on the small screen but as far as I'm concerned it feels a little soulless.
Although having said that, there's a very, very cool chase scene which sees Frank taking to a BMX to catch up with his car before the explosion goes off - and that's probably the most original part of the whole 1hr 45mins.
Extras: Commentary with director Oliver Megaton.

Rating: 3/10