The Wrestler: DVD Review
The Wrestler
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
At a time when the fighting world is all about the comeback of David Tua
(link to sports), it's no wonder everyone's got return to form in mind when they
talk about Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler.
He stars as fading 80s wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson who believes in
making every fight real (even going as far as to cut himself to shed blood in
the ring).
However, in the aftermath of a fight, The Ram collapses and ends up in
hospital, with a stark warning to make some changes - or face life alone and
headed for the grave.
So The Ram tries to make amends with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) whom he
abandoned during the excessive days of his fighting career - and even tries to
convince ageing stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) to try and make a go of a
relationship.
But can The Ram change who - and what - he is before it's too late?
It's trite to say that this is Mickey Rourke's finest performance; the depth
and aching emotional rawness he brings to the role shows why he was always the
first choice.
And in director Darren Aronofsky's film, it's not as if Rourke is painted in
a brilliant light - with his long blonde trestles and bloated puffer fish face,
he doesn't exactly look like a star.
However, it's Rourke's performance which anchors the film as Aronofsky
examines a life gone wrong and the implications of wrong decisions during a
lifetime.
Granted you know the Ram isn't exactly heading for an easy path of redemption
- and much like Rourke himself, there are a lot of parallels between the actor
and character.
Extras are a bit lacking for the film with a behind the scenes doco and an
interview with Rourke himself - but quite frankly, after you sit through this
film, you may find it difficult to fight back the tears as it knocks you to the
ground and subdues you as it delivers the killer emotional punch.
Rating: 8/10
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
State of Play: DVD Review
State of Play: DVD Review
State of Play
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Video
Taking the stunning BBC series of the same name, State of Play headed to the cinemas with the weight of expectation.
As far as I was concerned, John Simm's Cal McAffrey was the definitive version - and no acting by Russell Crowe could convince me otherwise.
Well, I was kind of wrong.
Crowe plays the grizzled jaded newspaper journalist who ends up investigating the death of a research assistant of friend and Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
But as he digs deeper, he discovers a conspiracy which has implications beyond what he imagined.
State of Play is not as good as the TV series - it was never going to be as the film's 2 hours long in comparison to the longer running time of the series which was a slow burner character piece.
However, that said this version is equally as compelling, complex, intelligent and thrilling. Crowe's part as the journalist is perfect for him - it really shows him acting his chops off - but Crowe's also smart enough to realize he's part of a great ensemble cast.
And what a cast - from Rachel McAdams' young blogger journalist to Helen Mirren's gruff newspaper editor, no one of them puts a foot wrong.
The end result is that the film is deeply compelling and immediately engrossing. The only disappointment is the relative lack of extras - deleted scenes and the making of State of Play fills out the disc- it would have been nice to have seen a bit more.
The original source material's been topically updated to include Iraq, wars between newspapers and their online departments - it's all quite a stunning mix.
It's good to see Hollywood's still keen to put out films like this - intelligent clever, gripping film-making and suspenseful.
State of Play drags you in straight away and doesn't let go until nearly two hours later.
Rating: 8/10
State of Play
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Video
Taking the stunning BBC series of the same name, State of Play headed to the cinemas with the weight of expectation.
As far as I was concerned, John Simm's Cal McAffrey was the definitive version - and no acting by Russell Crowe could convince me otherwise.
Well, I was kind of wrong.
Crowe plays the grizzled jaded newspaper journalist who ends up investigating the death of a research assistant of friend and Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
But as he digs deeper, he discovers a conspiracy which has implications beyond what he imagined.
State of Play is not as good as the TV series - it was never going to be as the film's 2 hours long in comparison to the longer running time of the series which was a slow burner character piece.
However, that said this version is equally as compelling, complex, intelligent and thrilling. Crowe's part as the journalist is perfect for him - it really shows him acting his chops off - but Crowe's also smart enough to realize he's part of a great ensemble cast.
And what a cast - from Rachel McAdams' young blogger journalist to Helen Mirren's gruff newspaper editor, no one of them puts a foot wrong.
The end result is that the film is deeply compelling and immediately engrossing. The only disappointment is the relative lack of extras - deleted scenes and the making of State of Play fills out the disc- it would have been nice to have seen a bit more.
The original source material's been topically updated to include Iraq, wars between newspapers and their online departments - it's all quite a stunning mix.
It's good to see Hollywood's still keen to put out films like this - intelligent clever, gripping film-making and suspenseful.
State of Play drags you in straight away and doesn't let go until nearly two hours later.
Rating: 8/10
Dr Who: Delta And The Bannermen: DVD Review
Dr Who: Delta And The Bannermen: DVD Review
Dr Who: Delta and The Bannermen
Cast: Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford, Ken Dodd, Don Henderson
Rating: PG
Released by BBC/ Roadshow Entertainment
Another release from the Sylvester McCoy years, this three part adventure from 1987 sees the 7th Doctor back in 1959 South Wales - and ensconced in battle at a holiday camp - Hi De Who anyone?
When an alien princess heads to the Shangri La holiday camp, the erstwhile Doc and his companion Mel (Bonnie Langford) find themselves caught in a showdown which will decide the fate of an entire civilization.
1980s Doctor Who wasn't always at its finest - even the most ardent of fans can acknowledge that - but this 3 parter sees a fair amount of gung ho action and double crossing to show that its intentions were admirable.
McCoy gives it his all and it's a shame the show will be forever remembered for its terrible shonky effects rather than the subtle layered underperformance of McCoy himself - and it's amusing to see Ken Dodd in a cameo role as a tollmaster.
The package is once again rounded off by a good solid bunch of extras - with no major making of doco appearing on the set, it's left to a series of rushes from the scene and interviews taken at the time to cover how the story came to be; there's a commentary from the director and script editor at the time - as well as McCoy himself.
However, the best part of this set is the latest in the Stripped For Action series which covers the comic appearances of the Doctor throughout the ages - this one's focused on the Seventh Doctor's years which ran when the show went off the air and is a fascinating look at how the show endured its years in the wilderness.
While Delta and The Bannermen may not be the best story to remaster and release, a healthy set of extras means the fans have something to get their teeth into - that is until the forthcoming release in October of the seminal classic from the sixties, The War Games.
Rating: 6/10
Dr Who: Delta and The Bannermen
Cast: Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford, Ken Dodd, Don Henderson
Rating: PG
Released by BBC/ Roadshow Entertainment
Another release from the Sylvester McCoy years, this three part adventure from 1987 sees the 7th Doctor back in 1959 South Wales - and ensconced in battle at a holiday camp - Hi De Who anyone?
When an alien princess heads to the Shangri La holiday camp, the erstwhile Doc and his companion Mel (Bonnie Langford) find themselves caught in a showdown which will decide the fate of an entire civilization.
1980s Doctor Who wasn't always at its finest - even the most ardent of fans can acknowledge that - but this 3 parter sees a fair amount of gung ho action and double crossing to show that its intentions were admirable.
McCoy gives it his all and it's a shame the show will be forever remembered for its terrible shonky effects rather than the subtle layered underperformance of McCoy himself - and it's amusing to see Ken Dodd in a cameo role as a tollmaster.
The package is once again rounded off by a good solid bunch of extras - with no major making of doco appearing on the set, it's left to a series of rushes from the scene and interviews taken at the time to cover how the story came to be; there's a commentary from the director and script editor at the time - as well as McCoy himself.
However, the best part of this set is the latest in the Stripped For Action series which covers the comic appearances of the Doctor throughout the ages - this one's focused on the Seventh Doctor's years which ran when the show went off the air and is a fascinating look at how the show endured its years in the wilderness.
While Delta and The Bannermen may not be the best story to remaster and release, a healthy set of extras means the fans have something to get their teeth into - that is until the forthcoming release in October of the seminal classic from the sixties, The War Games.
Rating: 6/10
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II: DVD Review
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II: DVD Review
Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II
Cast: Erm, The Star Wars cast of toys- voices by Seth Green, Seth MacFarlane, Breckin Meyer, Carrie Fisher - a cast of hundreds
Rating: PG
Released by Madman
Given the way the Star Wars films were written, there was always room for parody.
And perhaps the fact the characters were so memorable there was always room to take liberties with how they behave.
So it is with Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II - hot on the heels of the very funny first episode, this latest special sees the characters back in for more comedy skits and more insane silliness than you can shake a stick at.
Loosely speaking, it's a series of sketches thrown together in no particular order - so you need to have a bit of knowledge of the Star Wars universe.
Because that way you can truly appreciate what's on offer - the brief sketches hit the same kind of marks they did in the first episode - you get an ongoing rivalry with The Emperor and Darth Vader, Gary The stormtrooper finding it difficult to take his daughter to the office in Take Your Daughter to work day&.there's all kinds of madness on show here.
And you can't help but wonder why some of this hasn't been plumbed before - Leia mocking Luke for seeing Ben die when she's lost an entire planet, the music from the Cantina being used for an ad - and perhaps best of all, the stuffy opening of Star Wars credits being turned into text talk&.
Given the rapid fire nature of the sketches, it's no wonder the original episode only ran to 22 minutes - this latest one has a wealth of extras to make the purchase all the more worthwhile.
With an extended broadcast version, the original version and a making of just being a few of the goodies on offer, there's nearly 2 hours worth of stuff to make up for the brevity of the actual episode.
But perhaps the best extra is the ability to get commentary on selected scenes via a device known as the Chicken Nugget - basically when prompted, the episode switches to an invision commentary which sees the creators explain their reasons for the sketch, what they were thinking - it's quite a nifty device and one which gives a bit of an insight into the lunacy.
There's been two episodes of this so far - and I can't for one moment imagine they've run out of ideas - if you fancy a bit of insane escapism and inspired lunacy, then Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode 2 is the best solution for these rainy days.
Rating: 8/10
Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II
Cast: Erm, The Star Wars cast of toys- voices by Seth Green, Seth MacFarlane, Breckin Meyer, Carrie Fisher - a cast of hundreds
Rating: PG
Released by Madman
Given the way the Star Wars films were written, there was always room for parody.
And perhaps the fact the characters were so memorable there was always room to take liberties with how they behave.
So it is with Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II - hot on the heels of the very funny first episode, this latest special sees the characters back in for more comedy skits and more insane silliness than you can shake a stick at.
Loosely speaking, it's a series of sketches thrown together in no particular order - so you need to have a bit of knowledge of the Star Wars universe.
Because that way you can truly appreciate what's on offer - the brief sketches hit the same kind of marks they did in the first episode - you get an ongoing rivalry with The Emperor and Darth Vader, Gary The stormtrooper finding it difficult to take his daughter to the office in Take Your Daughter to work day&.there's all kinds of madness on show here.
And you can't help but wonder why some of this hasn't been plumbed before - Leia mocking Luke for seeing Ben die when she's lost an entire planet, the music from the Cantina being used for an ad - and perhaps best of all, the stuffy opening of Star Wars credits being turned into text talk&.
Given the rapid fire nature of the sketches, it's no wonder the original episode only ran to 22 minutes - this latest one has a wealth of extras to make the purchase all the more worthwhile.
With an extended broadcast version, the original version and a making of just being a few of the goodies on offer, there's nearly 2 hours worth of stuff to make up for the brevity of the actual episode.
But perhaps the best extra is the ability to get commentary on selected scenes via a device known as the Chicken Nugget - basically when prompted, the episode switches to an invision commentary which sees the creators explain their reasons for the sketch, what they were thinking - it's quite a nifty device and one which gives a bit of an insight into the lunacy.
There's been two episodes of this so far - and I can't for one moment imagine they've run out of ideas - if you fancy a bit of insane escapism and inspired lunacy, then Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode 2 is the best solution for these rainy days.
Rating: 8/10
Last Chance Harvey: DVD Review
Last Chance Harvey: DVD Review
Last Chance Harvey
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Richard Schiff
Rating PG
Warner Bros Home Video
Lonely divorcee has chance meeting with permanent singleton.
Against the odds, the pair form a friendship and it evolves to a relationship - but the pair are from other sides of the world - how can their budding romance survive such insurmountable obstacles?
Granted, it's not the most original idea ever, but Last Chance Harvey just about manages to pull it off - even if it does dip into heavy schmaltz towards the end.
Dustin Hoffman is Harvey Shine, a NY based jingle writer, who is on his last chance with his employers.
With a big deal about to break, Shine has to head to England to see his estranged daughter marry.
Emma Thompson is Kate Walker, a customer services rep for an airline. Forever on blind dates and apparently consigned to spinsterhood, she's beset by a meddling mum whose husband ran off to France with a younger woman. Shine and Walker meet as he disembarks the plane - and he refuses to answer her questions.
Later, after being leaving his daughter's wedding early (that's how close ole Harvey is to the family), he bumps into Kate again.
And in a moment of self loathing and realizing he's lost everything, he starts to talk to her - and the two of them realize last chances should be seized - before it's too late.
What is there to say about Last Chance Harvey?
If you're prone to sentimental films and well up with emotion as the human condition is examined, then this flick is for you.
But it's a couple of very good turns by Hoffman and Thompson which raise this out of the mire of treacly schmaltz.
Just.
Hoffman's good as the world weary Shine - despondent after being rejected by a personal and professional world, he conveys just the right amount of sass and sadness to make his character likeable.
And Thompson puts in an admirable performance as the spinster who's always on blind dates or being set up by her mother - her breakdown towards the end of the film is deeply plausible as she faces the very real possibility of being alone for the rest of her life.
The only cloying part of this film is a sub plot involving Kate's mother and her new Polish neighbour - which exploits every possible racial stereotype concerning foreigners and has an extremely predictable outcome.
Rating: 6/10
Last Chance Harvey
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Richard Schiff
Rating PG
Warner Bros Home Video
Lonely divorcee has chance meeting with permanent singleton.
Against the odds, the pair form a friendship and it evolves to a relationship - but the pair are from other sides of the world - how can their budding romance survive such insurmountable obstacles?
Granted, it's not the most original idea ever, but Last Chance Harvey just about manages to pull it off - even if it does dip into heavy schmaltz towards the end.
Dustin Hoffman is Harvey Shine, a NY based jingle writer, who is on his last chance with his employers.
With a big deal about to break, Shine has to head to England to see his estranged daughter marry.
Emma Thompson is Kate Walker, a customer services rep for an airline. Forever on blind dates and apparently consigned to spinsterhood, she's beset by a meddling mum whose husband ran off to France with a younger woman. Shine and Walker meet as he disembarks the plane - and he refuses to answer her questions.
Later, after being leaving his daughter's wedding early (that's how close ole Harvey is to the family), he bumps into Kate again.
And in a moment of self loathing and realizing he's lost everything, he starts to talk to her - and the two of them realize last chances should be seized - before it's too late.
What is there to say about Last Chance Harvey?
If you're prone to sentimental films and well up with emotion as the human condition is examined, then this flick is for you.
But it's a couple of very good turns by Hoffman and Thompson which raise this out of the mire of treacly schmaltz.
Just.
Hoffman's good as the world weary Shine - despondent after being rejected by a personal and professional world, he conveys just the right amount of sass and sadness to make his character likeable.
And Thompson puts in an admirable performance as the spinster who's always on blind dates or being set up by her mother - her breakdown towards the end of the film is deeply plausible as she faces the very real possibility of being alone for the rest of her life.
The only cloying part of this film is a sub plot involving Kate's mother and her new Polish neighbour - which exploits every possible racial stereotype concerning foreigners and has an extremely predictable outcome.
Rating: 6/10
Entourage: Series 5: DVD Review
Entourage: Series 5: DVD Review
Entourage Season 5
Cast: Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven
Rating: M
Warner Bros Home Video
At the end of Season Four (currently airing on TV2 on Thursday nights - find out more here!), things looked a bit rough for the gang.
(Consider this your spoiler warning if you're about to catch up E, Vincent Chase et al on TV)
With all of them facing a lot of fall out from the Medellin saga (Chase's film about drugs baron Pablo Escobar), it looked as if it couldn't be anything but the bad times for the Entourage gang.
But, don't forget Hollywood loves a comeback.
And not only is Entourage Season 5 a comeback for Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) on screen, it's also a comeback for the series which, to be honest, was starting to hit a bit of a lull.
The problem with a show like this is somewhere down the line you reach the point where you feel there's nowhere for the writers to go as the gang hits a high, followed by a low, followed by an upturn - and every Hollywood excess has been mined for comedy gold.
However, there's no need to worry because this season is one of the best - with Chase having to claw his way back up the power lists, there's actually an emphasis on getting the guy to act - granted there are still the distracting subplots of Drama (Chase's brother, played by Kevin Dillon) who's forever determined to muck up his own career; and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) who's still in search of some kind of career rather than just being part of the Vinny Chase Entourage.
It's divided into two parts - the first is about Vince's comeback as a movie star and the second half sees him on a film which could either seal his comeback - or his fate.
But it's once again Kevin Connolly and Jeremy Piven who steal the series - Connolly's E is trying to make his way in the showbiz world (this season he's looking after some new writers played by Giovanni Ribisi and Lukas Haas) - and his nice guy approach is a direct contrast to the continuing foul mouth hard ass agent Ari Gold - played as ever by the brilliant Piven.
Piven is clearly the star of the show - from his insane behaviour and feud with a fellow agent in Season 5, the writers clearly have a ball with Gold - but thanks to Piven and an inherently decent streak underneath the foul mouth, Gold is pulled from the brink of stereotype and manages to pretty much steal every scene he's in. Piven relishes the role and brings so much gusto and spark to it.
This season doesn't skimp on getting the Hollywood high and mighty involved in some form of cameo - but the best appearance has to be Eric Roberts who takes the boys out to the desert and gives them magic mushrooms to help Vince make a career decision.
Brilliant.
Extras: While the show itself is great and you get the entire 12 episodes of Series Five, unfortunately the extras are somewhat lacking - a couple of commentaries and a behind the scenes piece. Those are ok but for a show this good, you'd hope for a little more.
Rating 8/10
Entourage Season 5
Cast: Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven
Rating: M
Warner Bros Home Video
At the end of Season Four (currently airing on TV2 on Thursday nights - find out more here!), things looked a bit rough for the gang.
(Consider this your spoiler warning if you're about to catch up E, Vincent Chase et al on TV)
With all of them facing a lot of fall out from the Medellin saga (Chase's film about drugs baron Pablo Escobar), it looked as if it couldn't be anything but the bad times for the Entourage gang.
But, don't forget Hollywood loves a comeback.
And not only is Entourage Season 5 a comeback for Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) on screen, it's also a comeback for the series which, to be honest, was starting to hit a bit of a lull.
The problem with a show like this is somewhere down the line you reach the point where you feel there's nowhere for the writers to go as the gang hits a high, followed by a low, followed by an upturn - and every Hollywood excess has been mined for comedy gold.
However, there's no need to worry because this season is one of the best - with Chase having to claw his way back up the power lists, there's actually an emphasis on getting the guy to act - granted there are still the distracting subplots of Drama (Chase's brother, played by Kevin Dillon) who's forever determined to muck up his own career; and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) who's still in search of some kind of career rather than just being part of the Vinny Chase Entourage.
It's divided into two parts - the first is about Vince's comeback as a movie star and the second half sees him on a film which could either seal his comeback - or his fate.
But it's once again Kevin Connolly and Jeremy Piven who steal the series - Connolly's E is trying to make his way in the showbiz world (this season he's looking after some new writers played by Giovanni Ribisi and Lukas Haas) - and his nice guy approach is a direct contrast to the continuing foul mouth hard ass agent Ari Gold - played as ever by the brilliant Piven.
Piven is clearly the star of the show - from his insane behaviour and feud with a fellow agent in Season 5, the writers clearly have a ball with Gold - but thanks to Piven and an inherently decent streak underneath the foul mouth, Gold is pulled from the brink of stereotype and manages to pretty much steal every scene he's in. Piven relishes the role and brings so much gusto and spark to it.
This season doesn't skimp on getting the Hollywood high and mighty involved in some form of cameo - but the best appearance has to be Eric Roberts who takes the boys out to the desert and gives them magic mushrooms to help Vince make a career decision.
Brilliant.
Extras: While the show itself is great and you get the entire 12 episodes of Series Five, unfortunately the extras are somewhat lacking - a couple of commentaries and a behind the scenes piece. Those are ok but for a show this good, you'd hope for a little more.
Rating 8/10
Zack and Miri Make A Porno: DVD Review
Zack and Miri Make A Porno: DVD Review
Zack and Miri Make A Porno
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords
Rating: M
Roadshow Entertainment
Cult director Kevin Smith makes a smutty return to the screen with Zack and Miri Make A Porno, a tender love story with some porn thrown in for good measure.
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are Zack and Miriam, a pair of roommates who've been friends for years but who are struggling to make ends meet and find themselves upto their necks in debt.
On the eve of their high school reunion, the pair find their water cut off - and after a conversation with some former classmates, they hit on the idea of making adult films to get some quick and easy cash.
Unsurprisingly though they start to realize they have feelings for each other and a spot of the green eyed monster begins to rear its ugly head during the filming of some of their spoof movies.
Smith's put together a good cast (although Rogen is playing yet another variant of those loser roles he excels so much at) but it just doesn't work as well as it could have done.
Granted, Craig Robinson (warehouse boss Darrell from the US version of The Office) is perhaps one of the best things in the whole film - he steals every scene he's in.
And there are some pretty funny laugh out loud moments scattered throughout - though honestly, that's because of a lot of fairly gross humour.
Smith carries on his Star Wars obsession - Zack and Miri's first attempt is Star Whores, complete with the characters Darth Vibrator, Hung solo et al - although rumour has it that version already exists.
The problem with ZAMMAP is that it veers so violently into stereotypical rom-com schmaltz at the end that you actually end up feeling cheated out of the film's original premise. It's a shame because the whole relationship between Zack and Miri is sweet and well played with a tenderness about it.
Elizabeth Banks starts off being a likeable character but ends up being annoying as she falls into moping for Zack mode - Rogen's Zack is, as mentioned earlier, a variant on all the roles he plays - although he does have some comic moments (sadly a lot of that is due mainly to crudity), they are few and far between.
There are funny one liners (which won't work by my quoting them out of context) and various pop culture moments - the team discuss what's actually going on on TV2's Lost while Zack and Miri have sex - but overall, Zack and Miri Make A Porno is lacking the money shot.
Extras include the now obligatory Deleted scenes.
Disappointing from someone as great as director Kevin Smith.
Rating: 5/10
Zack and Miri Make A Porno
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords
Rating: M
Roadshow Entertainment
Cult director Kevin Smith makes a smutty return to the screen with Zack and Miri Make A Porno, a tender love story with some porn thrown in for good measure.
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are Zack and Miriam, a pair of roommates who've been friends for years but who are struggling to make ends meet and find themselves upto their necks in debt.
On the eve of their high school reunion, the pair find their water cut off - and after a conversation with some former classmates, they hit on the idea of making adult films to get some quick and easy cash.
Unsurprisingly though they start to realize they have feelings for each other and a spot of the green eyed monster begins to rear its ugly head during the filming of some of their spoof movies.
Smith's put together a good cast (although Rogen is playing yet another variant of those loser roles he excels so much at) but it just doesn't work as well as it could have done.
Granted, Craig Robinson (warehouse boss Darrell from the US version of The Office) is perhaps one of the best things in the whole film - he steals every scene he's in.
And there are some pretty funny laugh out loud moments scattered throughout - though honestly, that's because of a lot of fairly gross humour.
Smith carries on his Star Wars obsession - Zack and Miri's first attempt is Star Whores, complete with the characters Darth Vibrator, Hung solo et al - although rumour has it that version already exists.
The problem with ZAMMAP is that it veers so violently into stereotypical rom-com schmaltz at the end that you actually end up feeling cheated out of the film's original premise. It's a shame because the whole relationship between Zack and Miri is sweet and well played with a tenderness about it.
Elizabeth Banks starts off being a likeable character but ends up being annoying as she falls into moping for Zack mode - Rogen's Zack is, as mentioned earlier, a variant on all the roles he plays - although he does have some comic moments (sadly a lot of that is due mainly to crudity), they are few and far between.
There are funny one liners (which won't work by my quoting them out of context) and various pop culture moments - the team discuss what's actually going on on TV2's Lost while Zack and Miri have sex - but overall, Zack and Miri Make A Porno is lacking the money shot.
Extras include the now obligatory Deleted scenes.
Disappointing from someone as great as director Kevin Smith.
Rating: 5/10
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