Flight of The Conchords: Series 2: DVD Review

Flight of The Conchords: Series 2: DVD Review

Flight of the Conchords Series 2
Starring: Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby
Rating: M
HBO Home Ent/ Warner Bros Home Video
The boys are back for another slice of the Big Apple.
Following on from the end of Series One, which saw Rhys Darby's manager Murray make the big time, the Conchords are down on their luck and struggling even more to get by.
However, the laconic pair find themselves in a brand new series of misadventures and generally confused at life around them.
Coupled with Murray's ineptitude, it's an explosive comedy cocktail which is so loved by many - and rightly so.
It's possible this second season could be the last for the Conchords - and if that's true, well, there's no finer way for them to go out.
With a clutch of high profile guest stars through this season (Lucy Lawless, Alan Dale, Art Garfunkel), it's clear the Conchords' fame has spread as their star continues to soar.
The laid back pacing of the comedy and occasional cringeworthiness of the material is the best possible mix - and before you know what's going on, they've reeled you in and you're instantly immersed in their world.
Some of the Conchords' musical interludes suffer a little this time around though - possibly because of the pressure to produce a second series for an eager audience and also possibly because some of the songs in this series feel a little manipulated in rather than the slightly more naturalistic feeling of those in series one of the show.
However, there are still some priceless musical moments - including the Hurt Feelings from the episode The Tough Brets where Bret takes on the rapper community of America.
And of course, there's the sublimely hilarious episode Unnatural Love which sees Jemaine waking up next to an Australian&.
Extras: FOTC: On Air Doco, Dave's Pawn Shop Commercials, NZ Consulate meeting with Murray and Greg, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes

Rating: 7/10

24 Season 7: DVD Review

24 Season 7: DVD Review

24 Season 7
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Cherry Jones, Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: Restricted 13
Jack's back in another pulsating series of perennial favourite, 24, the seventh day of torture, twists and trouble.
After the incredible disappointment of Day Six where the peril seemed to be apathetic writing off screen and Bauer's family onscreen, the pressure was on to ensure Day Seven didn't repeat the dizzying lows of the previous one.
And this time, it doesn't disappoint.
You know the formula - over 24 episodes, each lasting an hour, Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer is faced with a variety of plots, terrorism, deaths and shocks as he tries to save the day.
Four years after CTU (the Counter Terrorism Unit) has been disbanded, Jack's facing a senate hearing - however, his time of snarling in court doesn't last long as he's pulled in to help the FBI face one of the worst terrorism threats ever.
Only this time, ghosts from the past and threats from the present cause absolute mayhem for Bauer (Sutherland is never anything less than gripping as he deals with twists and turns left, right and centre) - and as the clock edges ever closer to the end of the day, it could finally be curtains for one of the greatest heroes the spy genre has ever seen.
24 Season 7 is a welcome return to form for the show which was, to be honest, starting to lag and appeared to be running out of creative juice.
However, this time, the threat of average seems to have lulled the writers and producers to pull out all the stops - with plenty of tension throughout each episode (and relatively no lows) this Day of 24 is perhaps one of the most dazzling yet.
There's rumours Day 8 could be Bauer's last - and it's incomprehensible to think the show will go on without him - but if this really is the case, it's nice to see the show which so radically shook up episodic television when it first erupted on the screens in 2001 could be going out on a high.
With an interesting mix of extras including audio commentaries on selected episodes, and the usual deleted scenes (well, the ticking clock has to stop somewhere), the 6 disc set of 24 Season Seven should be an addition to any fan's shelf - or a great introduction to those who've not experienced the thrills of Jack Bauer's life.
And yes, I have no idea why he never stops to eat or go to the toilet either....

Rating 8/10

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