24: Redemption: DVD Review

24: Redemption: DVD Review

24: Redemption

20th Century Fox/ RoadshowRating: M
Bridging the gap between Day 6 and Day 7, 24: Redemption sees Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer thrown back into the action - despite his attempts to stay out of the terrorism game which has cost him so dearly.
At the end of Day 6, Jack was left a broken man after finding his family involved in a plot against the US Government.
As 24: Redemption opens, Bauer is in the African nation of Sangala, working as a missionary and wanted by the US government for questioning over his torture methods of dealing with suspects.
However, Bauer's quest for inner peace is torn apart when a ruthless warlord begins drafting innocent children into his army.
Against that backdrop, a new female US president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is being sworn into the White House - and pretty soon, as the situation in Africa escalates, it becomes clear to the President elect that this will form the first crisis of her new reign.
24: Redemption follows the tradition of prequels for the TV series - although this is the first full length film to be released (all the other prequels have been just moments long)
It also comes hot on the heels of a season which was critically panned and badly received by fans who felt Day 6's threats and personal connections to Jack Bauer reached an all time low.
Couple that in with the writer's strike in America which stopped Day 7 (the seventh series) from being filmed, and it's clear those involved had a lot to prove.
The events still unfold in real time (this time over 2 hours) but 24 Redemption suffers from a condensed timeline.
Whereas the show's plotting allows the storylines to breathe over the course of 24 episodes, 24: Redemption suffers by comparison as it races to get it all in over 2 hours.
Granted, there are still some of the thrills and absurdities you've come to expect of the show, but a lot of this telemovie feels like a set up for the new season (which was probably inevitable) with new characters being introduced and new threats unveiled.

Extras:
- The Making of 24: Redemption
- Blood Never Dry
- Child soldiers in Africa
- 24 Season 6 in four minutes
- 24 Season 7 sneak peek
- Deleted scenes

Rating 6/10

Boosh Special Edition: DVD Review

Boosh Special Edition: DVD Review

Boosh Special Edition
Starring: Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding
Roadshow Entertainment/ BBC
Rating M
Collecting together the three television series and a wealth of extras, over a seven disc set, Boosh Special Edition is perhaps the most definitive collection the fans could want.
The comedy sees the collected escapades of Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) and Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) as they negotiate the slightly strange, incredibly surreal world they live in.
In Series 1, they're a pair of inept zookeepers at the Zooniverse - during their time there, they end up looking for a missing diamond in the Arctic, trying to get out of limbo and generally trying to get out of countless scrapes.
Series 2 and 3 see the duo move away from the Zooniverse Universe (yes I do realize how this all sounds when it's written down) as they shared a flat with a shaman and worked in a shop.
It's an absurdist comedy to be frank - and while the first series is very, very funny - if you're prepared to let it all go with the madness and surreal nature of it all, the final two don't see them reach the dizzying heights of everything that's gone before.
That said, this is a gorgeous set with a seventh disc containing a whole raft of extras.
But the one glaring omission which would have made this perfect is the live show which has been released on DVD over here.
However, with over 14 hours of entertainment, this set is one for the fans to treasure.
Extras: An absolutely definitive collection (far too numerous to list here but including Q&As, cinema trailers, outtakes) There's around 150 minutes of stuff exclusive to this collection including the unreleased "A Journey Through Time and Space" documentary where Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt tell the story behind The Mighty Boosh in their own words; Noel's very own illustrations grace the out-of-this world packaging, booklet and collector's cards are enclosed in the collection

Rating 7/10

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.