Dr Who: Image of The Fendahl: DVD Review

Dr Who: Image of The Fendahl: DVD Review

Doctor Who - Image of The Fendahl
Starring: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson
Roadshow Entertainment/ BBC
Rating PG
As the new series of the TimeLord continues to grow in strength and audience numbers, the BBC continues to release serials from the classic series which ran non stop from 1963 to 1989 before its revival for the 21st century.
This one from 1977 sees fan's favourite Tom Baker, he of the toothy grin and multi coloured scarf, confronted by the eerie goings on at Fetch Priory.
There, a band of scientists have discovered an ancient human skull - and it's being used by Professor Fendelman in his Time Scanner experiments.
However, as the archaeologists continue to probe deeper into the skull's history, a chain of events is set in motion which could see the end of mankind (again - will we never learn) unless the good Doctor intervenes.
Sometimes, even the most passionate of fans find it difficult to defend the cause - and unfortunately Image of The Fendahl is not of the finest serials from the show's pantheon of entries which scared so many generations silly back when special effects were nothing more than an odd looking creature painted in a funny colour.
The 4 part series is nothing to write home about - there are some interesting performances from the supporting cast (including various members of Coronation Street and Eastenders before they made it big) but all in all, the story bears an uncanny resemblance to the Quatermass and The Pit Stories.
However, it's the extras which make these monthly releases of interest - this time with some stunning restoration and some genuinely informative Production notes (and amusing commentary from the ever eccentric Tom Baker), this disc is rescued from oblivion.
Just.
Extras: Commentary - With actors Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Wanda Ventham and Edward Arthur. After Image - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. Deleted & Extended Scenes, Trailers; Photo Gallery, Coming Soon, Easter Egg, Radio Times Listings, Programme subtitles and Subtitle Production Notes

Rating 5/10 

Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol: DVD Review

Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol: DVD Review

Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Tadanobu Asano
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating 16
Two of the very finest films of the last few years get a luxurious three disc release in this "Academy Award Collector's Edition".
Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro is the tale of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who against a backdrop of fascist Spain is sent to the countryside with her mother as they begin a new life.
But Ofelia's new life with her step father, the military Vidal (Sergi Lopez) is anything but idyllic - and as she struggles to fit in, she finds an escape through a mysterious faun, Pan, who believes her to be the long lost princess of a magical kingdom.
Mongol is the tale of Genghis Khan - the young Khan who had a mammoth destiny ahead of him - as well as personal tumult.
Nine year old Temudgin sets off with his father to search for a wife - but his destiny is brought sharply into focus when his enemies steal his bride to be.
Both of these films are masterpieces (a word so rarely bandied around) and are firmly deserving of the box set treatment - both engross you and envelop you in a world which it's a pleasure to be immersed in.
It's an interesting pairing but what they both have in common is the humanity of the central characters - Ofelia's quest is natural for one surrounded by so much violence; and young Temudgin's life shows the human side of the man seen by many as one of the most violent the world ever saw.
Both are essential viewing and are timeless - every time I watch them, despite knowing the plots, outcomes and twists, I am agog with wonder.
Recommended without a shadow of a doubt.
Extras - Mongol - The Making of Mongol; Pan's Labyrinth - director's commentary, Featurettes, Director's Notebook

Rating: 9/10

Taken: DVD Review

Taken: DVD Review

Taken

Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
Liam Neeson stars as an extremely paranoid former US spy Bryan Mills who's now estranged from his family - after they were driven away from him by his commitment to his work.
When Mills' daughter Kim (played by Lost's Maggie Grace) asks for his permission to head to Europe on a trip, his paranoia's ramped up even further.
And things get even worse when she's kidnapped while on the phone to him from France.
He vows he will find her and sets about tracking down the gang who stole her and wreaking furious vengeance upon them.
If the only decent thing you can say about a film - be it on the big screen or the small - is that it's mercifully short, then you know it's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination.
Taken is mercifully short.
Actually that's probably a little harsh - this apparent thriller from Luc Besson will appeal to those who love the cranked up car chases, pointless scenes of violence and breakneck paced fights.
My real problem with Taken is the lack of plausibility - while the sub plot of the daughter being kidnapped and getting addicted to drugs to be sold off is vaguely believable, the fact Neeson lapses into cold committed spy mode again just didn't convince me at all as he rushes to France to track her down.
I can just about buy the fact parents do anything for their children - but that Neeson manages to circumvent the globe and wreak havoc just didn't strike any chords with me.
Thankfully this appears to be a one off film rather than launching Bryan Mills as a spy action hero a la Bourne and Bond
Extras:
- Six Inside Action scenes
- Le Making of
- Avant Premier

Rating: 4/10

Passengers: DVD Review

Passengers: DVD Review

Passengers
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, David Morse
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
Anne Hathaway stars in this psychodrama about Claire a therapist who is called in to help five survivors of an horrific plane crash deal with the fall out.
But as she works with them, she's drawn to one of the survivors, Eric, who's coping with the flight by being unnaturally happy and blessed with joie de vivre.
As Claire grows closer to Eric, their relationship goes from the professional to the personal - however, her investigation into the crash causes ruptions with the airline and she's urged to drop it.
As she delves deeper into what actually happened, one by one the five survivors begin to disappear - but this does nothing to dampen her resolve to discover exactly what happened.
Passengers is somewhat of a mess of a film; mercifully short and bound up by a twist which renders part of the earlier plot incomprehensible.
While Hathaway's good as Claire and Patrick Wilson is passable as Eric, neither of them can pull themselves out of the mire of a film which is predictable and flawed. The so called shocking twist can be seen a mile off - and even though the actual plane crash itself isn't too badly done, the emotional journey is perhaps not one of the most involving.
Extras: Deleted Scenes; Director and Cast Commentary; In the Night Sky - The Making and Manifest of Passengers; Analysis of the Plane Crash

Rating 3/10

Taking Woodstock: Movie Review

Taking Woodstock: Movie Review

Taking Woodstock
Rating 6/10
Cast: Demetri Martin, Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber
Director: Ang Lee
Woodstock's all the rage again forty years on.
This time, the latest from Ang Lee is based on the autobiography Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Eliot Teichberg which details how Woodstock actually took place.
Demetri Martin plays Teichberg, the local lynchpin of the business community of White Lake, whose parents (Goodman and Staunton) own and run a local motel.
When the Woodstock festival's moved on from its planned site, it turns out Teichberg has the only musical permit offered in the region, which he proffers up to the Woodstock Festival organisers so they have somewhere to come and play.
While his decision could be Teichberg's making, some of the White Lake community (and his parents initially) fear the tidal wave of hippies could signal the end to their lives.
Having been fortunate enough to be around the Glastonbury Festival for five years, I was able to appreciate how Ang Lee's done a great job of showing the reality of hosting a festival and the ensuing melee.
Taking Woodstock is as close to the chaos among the ideal as you're ever going to see - and how good intentions may not always mean a festival becomes reality.
Martin has an easy going charm as Teichberg who at times, appears to be the calm in the storm as the festival chaos begins - although you're never quite sure whether he's actually in control or a bystander to the festival organisers.
And the supporting cast are equally as good - even if Imelda Staunton's henpecking mother is a little too much; Henry Goodman is great as father Jake and Liev Schreiber is very good as a cross- dressing former soldier turned security guard.
Despite an initial warming to the character, Ang Lee somehow manages to wrongfoot himself by over-egging the family tension of overbearing mother and timid son and his burgeoning growth as he decides to flee the coup.
And unfortunately it's this which detracts from Taking Woodstock overall - Lee does a superb job of evoking the atmosphere of the festival spirit of peace and love by swooping in and out of the crowds.
Yet when it comes to dealing with the more human side of the story, he's hamfisted and seems to sledge hammer in some of the family conflict - whereas earlier in the film, it's been done with a subtle and understated touch (and much the better for it) - and earlier plots which show conflict in the town simply fizzle away like a damp squib.
Like any trip, Taking Woodstock has a comedown and the last 20 minutes of the film are that low as the family trauma kicks in.

Taking Woodstock deserves to be seen as no other film I've seen has yet to capture the spectacular feeling of joie de vivre you get at any festival - it's just a shame Ang Lee wasn't content to leave it at that.

Orphan: Movie Review

Orphan: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Saarsgard, Isabelle Fuhrman
Director: Jaume Collett-Serra
It appears the scary kids are back.
Following hot the heels of the release of Renee Zellweger in Case 39, the latest contender Orphan arrives on the scene with its posters of a young girl, asking "What's wrong with Esther?"
Kate (Farmiga) and John (Saarsgard) are two parents trying to put the pieces back of their lives after losing a third child - however, the strain is showing as Kate also battles with going back on the booze and blaming herself for her youngest daughter Max's deafness after an incident involving a lake near their home.
So as they try to get back on track, they head to the local orphanage where they're immediately charmed by 9year old Russian girl, Esther.
Esther becomes a part of their lives - and splits the younger kids - with the elder Daniel wary and Max (Aryana Engineer) being overly welcomign and in thrall of her new sister.
However, it soon becomes clear that Esther is not all she seems&.
For the majority of its (slightly long) two hour running time, Orphan is racked full of suspense - with the sense of foreboding quite overpowering at times.
It's quite an honest portrait of a family trying to get back to a normal life - both Farmiga and Saarsgard are compelling and realistic in their portrayal of a normal couple who are stretched to the limits by what's happened.
It's also pretty damn good at creeping you out in some places and taking you somewhere you don't expect to go.
Of the younger kids, newcomer Aryana Engineer gives an impressive debut performance as Max (traumatized and empowered in equal measures)- but it's Isabelle Fuhrman who provides the requisite spooks and gives you the creeps as she skulks around on screen.
Some will find the brooding build up a little slow in places - and at times the soundtrack pulls no punches in screeching its terrifying intentions (not always to the best effect).
However, where Orphan triumphs over Case 39 (sorry, comparisons are inevitable) is in its revelation toward the end - I don't want to spoil it - but the twist is quite a smart one which director Jaume Collett-Serra just about manages to credibly pull off.

Unfortunately after the sucker punch, Orphan sadly has nowhere left to go and descends into a conclusion mired in clichéd horror films - but for shocks and moments where you find your nails digging into the cinema chair before the revelation, Orphan delivers in droves as it taps into everyday fears and makes them into a horrifying reality.

The Cove: Movie Review

The Cove: Movie Review

Rating 8/10
Cast: Ric O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Mandy Rae-Cruickshank, Kirk Krack
Director: Louie Psihoyos
Ok, first up, The Cove wears its unashamed activist colours on its sleeve.
It's a stunning call to action doco about trying to make a difference - and in places, it will break your heart before reassembling it into the inspired and galvanised heart of a crusader.
In the 1960s, Ric O'Barry was the world expert on dolphins - he spent years training the animals on TV show Flipper - which saw the rise of the popularity of world dolphinariums.
But one day, Ric had an epiphany - and in a moment of heart breaking sadness, he realized what he had condemned this species to.
And that's what this doco is about - for years, Ric's been trying to persuade world nations to open their eyes to what Japan is doing when it comes to the dolphins.
Enlisting the help of doco maker Louie Psihoyos and a gang of committed activists, they head off to Japan to try and capture some of the horrors which go on in a cove in Taiji, Wakayama.
Basically for years, the Japanese have denied that dolphins there are slaughtered or captured for use in dolphinariums- and activists have been unable to either negotiate their way past tight security or capture video evidence because of the rugged and hidden nature of the region.
It's no wonder The Cove has won various awards - it's riveting from beginning to end and it doesn't use heavy handed emotionally manipulative tactics to get its point across.
Yes, it is fair to say it's biased in places - and to be honest, that was only natural - but it's absolutely heart breaking as Ric eloquently recounts the moment he changed his view on dolphins and turns from their trainer to dolphin defender.
However, this is a remarkably restrained doco where you'd expect to see a stringing together of sensationalist emotional material aimed at turning you against the Japanese - this uses its power of reasoning and sense to argue its corner.
It's also like watching a live action version of Mission Impossible to protect the dolphins as you see the divers Mandy and Kirk try and place underwater microphones into the Cove's waters to capture the true sonic horror of what goes on there.
You would expect a film of this nature to have some footage which stuns you - and the final shots of what goes on at the Cove is shocking - set against a minimalist background with no music, the brutality of man versus animal is a cruel indictment of the evil we can do.
And yet, where the Cove is such a success is that it uses this footage as a footnote to its argument - it shows the Japanese are reticent to acknowledge the damage they're doing to their own people and the animal world; they refuse to face upto the facts which are presented.
Ultimately the Cove is about the bravery of someone standing up to one nation - risking their all and their lives (as well as their families) to ensure something changes.

I'm willing to bet by the end of this film, many of you will be wondering what exactly it is that you can do to make a difference - and for a small doco which is starting to make ripples around the world, it's only a matter of time before that change comes - surely, sometimes, that's what film making should be about?