Observe and Report: DVD Review

Observe and Report: DVD Review

Observe and Report
Cast: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta
Director: Jody Hill
Released by Warner Bros Video
Rating: Restricted 16
Seth Rogen stars as Ronnie Barnhardt, a bi-polar head of mall security in this odd mix of comedy and downbeat humour written and directed by Jody Hill.
Bargain hunters at the Forest Ridge Mall are being terrorized by a flasher - Ronnie sets out to catch the pervy perp; figuring after a visit from Ray Liotta's Detective Harrison that this collar could lead to a career in the police force.
And the flasher makes things personal when he exposes himself at the object of his desire, Brandi, the make up counter girl (Anna Faris).
But Ronnie soon learns that the way to the top cop is never an easy one.
Observe and Report is not your average comedy - and it's not all comedy. It's a curious mix of downbeat melancholy, peppered with generous amounts of swearing and a general lack of overtly funny material.
Throw in a controversial sex scene involving Faris and Rogen and it's an uneasy beast which spans 83 minutes.
Rogen is his usual self but is tinged with an odd streak of human loser in this one - there's not too many hilarious lines or endlessly quotable moments throughout. Whether I was missing the point a little, I'm not entirely sure. Had some of the "laughs" been removed from the script and you'd have probably been left with an interesting look at the mentality of mall security and how, in this case, they're a bunch of underachieving oddballs.
The appearance of Liotta's Harrison sparks jealously in Ronnie and also gives him that push to try and leave this life behind. Sadly though what it doesn't do is push the film into sparkier territory; despite the truncated running time, it feels long in places.
Observe and Report serves as a tangential curio in Rogen's career - whether it'll be one he wants to forget further down the line, is anyone's guess.
Extras: Gag Reel - seriously, when did people laughing and corpsing as well as messing up constitute a decent extra? Disappointing - but given the source material, there was little else to pull together.

Rating: 5/10

Blindness: DVD Review

Blindness: DVD Review

Blindness
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal
Rating: 18
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
From director Fernando Meirelles, who did The Constant Gardner, Blindness is a thriller with an intriguing premise and some genuinely unsettling moments.
As the film opens at a busy intersection, a man stops dead in his car, claiming he can no longer see. Helped by those around him, the man ends up still without sight (he says he feels like he's swimming in milk with his eyes open) and in an A&E asking for help.
But within 24 hours of contact with this mysterious Patient Zero, all those who helped are struck blind - and suddenly without warning, an epidemic begins to sweep the world.
The initial carriers are placed in an isolation ward - the doctor who treated him (Ruffalo) is bundled off to an isolated hospital. However, the doc's wife (Julianne Moore) isn't affected and to make sure she's not separated from her loved one, she feigns blindness to be with him.
However, as the White Sickness (as it's monikered) spreads, more and more people find themselves in the hospital. As the numbers swell, a society begins to grow - and the situation brings out the worst in some...will the world come through the epidemic?
Blindness is a strange experience; initially compelling and a fascinating portrayal of what happens when society goes to hell in a hand cart, it becomes nasty and unsettling when the psychos on the ward come out.
Moore does well as the wife - her vision isolates her from those around her and also give her the insight into the horrors around; and while the ensemble cast are perfectly fine (though Danny Glover's wasted in his brief appearance), it's quite hard to offer up your sympathies to the afflicted as very few of them are likeable characters.
Given the subject matter, it's also quite cold emotionally to engage with the story - and you find your feelings are ones of repulsion and shock as the situation unfolds. But then, that's probably what Meirelles wanted you to feel. There's also a degree of frustration as there are no clear answers or solutions offered - however, as a study of a crumbling society, Blindness is a shocking, gut wrenching watch - it's just not a comfortable one.
Extras include a doco about the making of the film and deleted scenes.

Rating: 6/10

A Christmas Carol: Movie Review

A Christmas Carol: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Before I start I need to get two things out of the way. First this new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is NOT a comedy, despite Jim Carrey's name above the title. And secondly this is NOT for young children; parents should note that the movie has some dark and scary moments.
Director Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express and Beowulf) returns with more motion-capture animation, and while the film is stunning to look at, it is missing the key ingredient in Dickens' work - heart.
The tale is faithfully told - Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a money man who "bah humbugs" his way through Christmas. Gary Oldman plays his faithful, and put upon assistant Bob Cratchit while Colin Firth pops up as Scrooge's nephew. All the cast are made to look like "Dickensian" versions of themselves, with Carrey in particular given lean, menacing features.
But while Carrey is famed for his manic physical comedy, that is on limited display in A Christmas Carol. It seems strange to have a man used to extorting his body on screen to be hampered by animation.
The ghostly appearance of his old business partner Marley (Oldman's voice again) sets the dark tone for the movie - his pounding at the door and the sound, and sight, of his shackles are brilliantly realised.
He warns Scrooge of the error of his ways and that he will be visited by three ghosts of Christmas. And so Scrooge goes on his journey of self discovery to realise that life is worth living.
The story is so well known that at times you end up asking why, despite all of the stunning graphics and 3D elements, yet another version was needed.
One major irritation is the accents given to the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present (both Carrey).
Our Christmas Past ghost is represented by a candle with an otherworldly Irish lilt straight out of the pages of "Hollywood Orish accents circa 1955" but that's not a patch on the bizarre English-Scottish brogue given to Christmas Present.
The typical jolly interpretation is handed an accent which laughable moves from Scotland to Liverpool to Newcastle to Wales - all in the space of one sentence, it truly is terrible and distracting.
Thankfully things pick up for the very scary Ghost of Christmas Future (mercifully no speaking for him), which is likely to frighten more than its share of adults as well as kids.
The ending won't surprise anyone who knows the novel or the countless other movie adaptations of Dickens' tale and perhaps the problem with Zemeckis' version is that it does suffer in comparison. Despite it being a visual treat it doesn't seem to offer anything new.

Films such as Scrooged and, dare I say it, The Muppets Christmas Carol, had more heart and emotion.

My Sister's Keeper: Movie Review

My Sister's Keeper: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Thomas Dekker
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Take the tissues.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jodi Picoult, this is the tale of Kate and her dysfunctional family, the Fitzgeralds.
They're as dysfunctional as any normal family - except for two differences: Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) has leukaemia and her sister Anna (Breslin) has been created for the sole purpose of donating organs/ blood/ cells to help get her through the treatment.
Only there are two problems with this - one, Kate's getting sicker and two, her sister Anna's gone to a lawyer to seek medical emancipation so she can live her life and not always endure painful operations for Kate.
With that in mind, the scene is set for a showdown, heartbreak and plenty of tears - as well as a sprinkling of flashbacks to life before the illness.
My Sister's Keeper is what you'd expect - it's emotionally manipulative in parts (right down to the slow motion backed with piano music and power ballads) and will be guaranteed to move even the most hard hearted of cinemagoers to succumb to tears.
However, while there is severe over milking of the emotional issues at stake - a family torn apart trying to do the right thing, a dying young girl wanting her family to heal and a couple of moments - and dialogue - designed purely to pull at the heartstrings, what will surprise you is the unshowy performances of the ensemble cast.
Sofia Vassilieva doesn't make Kate mawkish and sad sack - she brings a quiet dignity to the dying girl who has realized her time is up; likewise Abigail Breslin does well as the sister grown purely to help her sister and failing to do so; Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric play admirable roles in making the suffering parents whose lives have been dragged through the wringer a reality; and Thomas Dekker's fellow sufferer shows a depth of subtlety hinted at during TV2's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

My Sister's Keeper won't win any prizes for originality and there are a few cloying plot holes (how can a mother who's a lawyer be involved in the case of her daughter without it being a conflict of interest is just one), and perhaps the sentimentality has been heaped on a little too much. But what it does do is show the importance of family at times of crisis and how devastating a disease cancer continues to be during and after life.

If you're in the mood for having your heart strings pulled and want an emotional release which will see you crying buckets, then My Sister's Keeper strays on just the right side of sentimental mawkishness - thanks to the performances of its cast, you'll be heading out into the foyer sniffing and holding on tightly to the one you love.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: Movie Review

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: Movie Review

Rating: 8/10
Cast: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Andrew Garfield
Director: Terry Gilliam
Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room - yes, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the last film with Heath Ledger in following his untimely death.
But it's important to note, he's only part of an ensemble cast - and isn't the real star of the film; granted there'll be a lot of attention on it because of that, but that's not the main reason to see this.
Anyway, I've got a bit ahead of myself there - plot wise, it's the fantasy tale of Dr Parnassus (a wonderfully world weary Christopher Plummer) who travels the land with his carnival troupe (including Verne Troyer of Austin Powers fame) and his daughter Valentina (a porcelain doll like Lily Cole).
Granted immortality, Parnassus is locked in an ongoing battle with Tom Waits' Devil - and the Devil has arrived to collect his due. You see, years ago, Parnassus wagered his first born and now to stop the Devil taking what's his, he bets he can win over five souls.
Into this mélange of madness in modern day London, arrives Heath Ledger's shyster Tony. Mysteriously left for dead, he's taken in by the troupe - and could be the tipping point in Parnassus' quest to finally beat the Devil.
Yes, it's sprawling and a bit unfocussed at times, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is perhaps one of the most visually original pieces of cinema you'll ever see - there are flashes of pure genius from director Terry Gilliam as he weaves his surreal web.
Within minutes of the film's slightly sinister opening, we're thrown directly into the wondrous world of The Imaginarium and see what wonders it offers those who peer in. I don't really want to spoil the visual surprises on offer moments into the film - but suffice it to say, I'm pretty sure you'll have never seen anything this audacious or original up on the big screen before - both in terms of landscapes and scale - it's simply awe inducing.
If there's a star to this film, then it's director Terry Gilliam - while Ledger shows why he was always a cinematic presence, his dodgy dealer Tony, with his Jack Sparrowesque stylings, is not as outstanding a performance as his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight (although it was never meant to be). The rest of the cast are pretty damn good too - from Waits' seedy Devil to Plummer's put upon Parnassus, to Lily Cole's debut performance; each rise to the challenge laid down by their director.
Gilliam has had the wonderful visionary flair to create something magical among the mundane; his flights of fancy transform the film and turn it into something fantastical and new.
It was, after all, his vision which allowed him to give the film a life after Heath Ledger's death; it was his idea which gave Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law the chance to be part of it - and he manages their arrival into proceedings flawlessly and so perfectly, you have to double take how you've been given the visual equivalent of sleight of hand.
It's not a perfect film - and its rambling ways and narrative sometimes threaten to derail it; but for flights of fancy and unique spectacle, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is astonishing on so many levels. The journey is fantastic and so moving that by the end, you'll fight hard to keep a tear back.

If this is Ledger's legacy, then he can be grateful Terry Gilliam helmed his final outing - because what they've produced is simply unique. Easily one of the best films of the year - if only for the sheer audaciousness of it all.

Blackadder: Ultimate Collection: DVD Review

Blackadder: Ultimate Collection: DVD Review

Blackadder: The Ultimate Edition - Remastered
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment/ BBC
Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnery, Miranda Richardson
Ah Black Adder, the bastion of comedy quotes since it first began back in 1983 and much loved still, despite being just shy of its thirtieth birthday.
It was the sitcom which saw Rowan Atkinson charm the public (before he goofed around as bumbling idiot Mr Bean) and watching this wonderfully remastered collection of all four series and three after show specials, it's easy to see why.
From the brilliant wordplay to the continuing lunacy - and indeed poignancy - the show's got an enduring urbane appeal and is guaranteed to make you laugh time and again.
Admittedly, the first series was not one of the best -but by the time, Richard Curtis had found his feet in the Elizabethan years, BlackAdder was guaranteed a place in Television history.
And this set should be guaranteed a place in a) TV on DVD history and b) on your shelves at home. Not only content with remastering each of the quartet of series, there's a whole host of interviews/ behind the scenes footage and documentaries for the most ardent of fan to delve into. And if you're not a fan, you'll pretty much be guaranteed to be one at the end of the set.
It's difficult to pick one stand alone moment from the set - from Tony Robinson's suffering buffoon Baldrick to Hugh Laurie's performances throughout, there's more than enough to ensure repeat viewing.
But it's hard to beat the closing moments of BlackAdder Goes Forth when it comes to poignancy - having suffered the idiocy of life in the trenches during World War I, the gang finally goes over the Top to certain death. There was not a dry eye in the house back in 1989 when it first screened - and 20 years on, it still puts a lump in your throat.
If the series are great, then it's a testament to why it never worked 100% afterwards - while the specials are good, they don't hold a candle upto the originals (and certainly the ill conceived BlackAdder Back and Forth shows that) but for a completist, this 6 disc set (which clocks in at over 16 hours) is the perfect way to wile away any spare time you may have.
Extras: Too numerous to list here - but commentaries and extended interviews from the cast and Richard Curtis, Costumes Revisited, an hour doco celebrating the show's 25th anniversary are just a few of the goodies on offer here.

Rating: 9/10

The Reader: DVD Review

The Reader: DVD Review

The Reader
Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
From director Stephen Daldry, this is the film which finally saw Kate Winslet enter the pantheon of Oscar winners after five prior nominations.
She stars as Hanna Schmitz, who begins a torrid affair with a 15 year old boy Michael Berg (a stunning turn by David Kross). Years later, when the pair's paths cross again, he's enrolled in a law school and she's on trial for war crimes - not exactly the reunion either would have planned&
The Reader sees Daldry tread some tricky ground - it's difficult to feel anything too much for Schmitz's character because Winslet plays her as cold, unemotional and very matter of fact. Although he does make it an interesting look at how far some would go to protect a secret.
It starts off as a love affair type story and then switches to a court room drama which packs a bit of an emotional sucker punch around the 90 minute mark.
Ralph Fiennes is okay as the elder Michael Berg who ends up dealing with the emotional fall out of his relationship with Schmitz; but it's David Kross who carries most of the film with his performance - it's a compelling turn from a relative newcomer which anchors the film and provides an emotional heart to what is, by all accounts, a thespian's dream role.
The solid extras (the usual docos of behind the scenes and trailers) round off a reasonable package - and while The Reader may not be the easiest night's entertainment, it's certainly understandable to see why the Academy honoured this performance from Winslet.
Extras: Making The Reader; Kate Winslet on the art of ageing Hanna Schmitz; A New Voice- a look at the Reader's composer; Production Designer and a trailer flesh out the DVD

Rating: 7/10