Year One: DVD Review

Year One: DVD Review

Year One
Released by Sony Home Entertainment
Rating: M
It was one of the films I enjoyed least of 2009 so it was with a degree of trepidation that I watched the DVD and Blu Ray release of Year One, the comedy with Jack Black and the ever brilliant Michael Cera.
They play Zed and Oh respectively, a pair of cavemen who find themselves kicked out of their tribe and thrust into the real world. Along the way, the feeble hunter (Black) and the timid gatherer (Cera) form an unlikely friendship and find themselves in a bit of a predicament.
The problem with Year One is the script - it's clearly not with the performers and the legendary director Harold Ramis (who may be destined to be remembered for Groundhog Day) but the material is a little feeble and just tragically unfunny - which is not great for a comedy.
There are some great supporting performances as well from the likes of House's Olivia Wilde as an empress and Cera's fellow Arrested Developmenter David Cross - but it's just not enough to pull the film together and make it any more cohesive.
Year One ranks as one of the year's hugest disappointments - younger teens will love it - but the rest of us may wonder what's so funny.
Extras: Quite a good collection here - a theatrical and unrated version give you twice the thrills if you feel like it; alternate scenes, deleted scenes, gag reels, commentary with director and stars and a featurette are the lion's share of the extras

Rating: 4/10

Boy: Movie Review

Boy: Movie Review

Rating: 9/10
Cast: Taika Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu
Director: Taika Waititi
Unmissable.
Quite simply that's the only way to describe this latest film from the genius behind Eagle Vs Shark, director Taika Waititi.
It's the story of Boy (a superb James Rolleston) and is set in 1984 on the rural East coast of New Zealand.
Boy's a dreamer - he loves Michael Jackson and lives with a clutch of cousins, his Nan and his brother Rocky (who believes he has super powers after his mum died giving birth to him). He also believes he'll score the girl of his dreams.
He imagines his dad, a deep sea diver, carpenter and owner of some totally boss Michael Jackson moves is overseas - the reality is his father Alamein (a glorious Waititi) is serving a stretch behind bars for robbery.
One day, his dad gets out - and both he and Boy gradually bond. But as the pair start to find their way in the world, and despite Alamein's love for ET, Boy's forced to face the reality of his life.
Poignant, hilarious and heartfelt - and unmissable, Boy is a beaut of a piece of New Zealand rural nostalgia, crammed full of funny moments and heartbreak as the reality of Boy's life starts to take sharp focus in this coming of age vignette from Waititi.
While there is a measure of the quirky, there's also a lot of humanity in the story as Boy begins to realise that his father isn't everything he wants him to be and that he doesn't want to grow up to be like his inept dad. Likewise Waititi's Alamein is a beautifully textured performance; by turns he's comic relief, then simmering violent resentment and finally accepting what life's given him. Te Aho Eketone-Whitu's subtle performance masks a sadness in Rocky at being bereft of a mother and facing the guilt she died giving birth - in fact both the central performances from the two young leads are just beautifully sublime and will see you go through the gamut of emotions.
Waititi's world is one I'd love to spend more time in - from its family message about being true to yourself and your whanau, to some wonderful fantasy scenes and animations, I really can't wait to see what he'll do next.

From the opening quote (from ET no less) and with the strains of Poi E bursting onto the screen - right to the final moments (this critic won't spoil those but let's just say, stick around when it looks like it's over), Boy is a Kiwi delight and deserves to be loved worldwide.

Automorphosis: Movie Review

Automorphosis: Movie Review

Rating: 8/10
Director: Harrod Blank
How much do you love your car?
Well, I can guarantee your love isn't as much as the love displayed by the characters on show in this doco which is out at the World Cinema Showcase.
Automorphosis follows the very American world of art cars as they explain why they love the phenomenon and how it's taken over their lives.
Basically Harrod Blank's doco meets up with those who are most proud of their car handiwork - from the Spoon Man who's decorated his vehicle with spoons, to the man who'd heard copper was good for arthritis and decked out his entire car with copper pennies (as well as a copper jumpsuit), these are all people who have a story to tell and a passion to spread.
Initially, you find yourself agog, wondering what on earth these people are thinking and whether, quite frankly, they're nuts and their hobby is a little out of control.
But what you begin to realise is everyone has a damn good reason for doing what they do and the world would be an emptier place without these guys and gals.
In a film littered with so many visually amusing moments and images, there is no way I could do it justice on this page - you really do need to see them for yourselves. What's engaging about it is that the director is actually a part of this world and is trying to get people into his passion - and with infectious light story telling, Harrod Blank can't fail but to hook you in.

Automorphosis is a brilliantly entertaining look at the world of art cars; and I'd be surprised if you didn't leave this doco feeling like it's time you did some work on your own motor.

Fish Tank: Movie Review

Fish Tank: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Griffiths, Kierston Wareing
Director: Andrea Arnold
This British film about a 15 year old girl on a council estate has had accolades hurled at it left, right and centre in the UK.
Showing as part of the World Cinema Showcase, it's the story of Mia (brilliantly played by newcomer Katie Jarvis) and her life in the "fish tank" of her world.
Mia's an angry outsider, scornful of the other girls around her and more likely to let loose a tirade of foul mouthed language than try to fit in. In her grey tracksuit, she's a snapshot of many UK teens who feel their lives are going nowhere.
But her world changes one day when her mother brings home a new boyfriend, Connor (Inglourious Basterds' Michael Fassbender) - she's intrigued by this stranger, and the scales fall from her eyes and she starts to see a life outside of her own small world.
There's a certain degree of inevitability to this story - you can see what's coming a mile off; but what you can't see is how powerful the central performance by Katie Jarvis is. She's brilliantly captured the futility and anger of the teen years as she deals with one disappointment after another. However, when she meets Connor, thanks to a multi layered and subtle performance you start to warm up to this lower class ladette as you're drawn into her life.

It's unusual to recommend a film because of one person - but Fish Tank is that film. It rises because of Katie Jarvis' performance and marks out the fact she will be a talent to watch in the future.

How To Train Your Dragon: Movie Review

How To Train Your Dragon: Movie Review

How To Train Your Dragon
Rating: See Below
Vocal Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Craig Ferguson
Director: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
It must be school holiday time very soon.
The reason I say that is because there's animated fare on the way - and this is the first off the block.
How To Train Your Dragon is the story of Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) a scrawny wannabe Viking, who works as a trainee blacksmith while his Viking father and leader Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler who appears to be channeling Leonidas from 300 at times) tries to protect their village from the invading forces of dragons.
But while Hiccup yearns to learn how to kill dragons and make his dad proud, Stoick isn't convinced his son's ready for such a task. One day, however, Hiccup brings down the most revered and rarest of dragons, the Night Fury. But when Hiccup meets the creature, he forms an unlikely friendship and realizes that the dragons are not to be feared but rather befriended.
Will he be able to persuade his father in time as well as get through Dragon academy without compromising his new found morals?
How To Train Your Dragon is the latest 3D film to hit - and it's a joy from beginning to end - and a relief to report that the 3D is used as a tool of the film rather than a gimmick. Sure, it's the traditional story of the son trying to grow and go his own way, but thanks to some pretty impressive dragon flying scenes, a sparse (and underused) vein of humour and a gorgeous soundtrack, it'll keep the kids - and parents - amused for 90 minutes.
Once again, the kids reviewers, Jackson and Connor, came along to help appraise the film - and this is their verdict:
Connor: 10/10: Loved the film overall and liked how the 3D was not in your face and was subtly used; he thought the scene which saw the Night Fury dragon tamed was great and demonstrated the good use of well placed humour; in summary, despite admitting to a love of dragons in literature, he reckons this is the best film of the year so far.
Jackson: 8/10 - he liked the very beginning of the film which saw the Viking village under attack and the idea that dragons were pests like rats and mice; he was also impressed with how well the Vikings could draw dragons and was won over by a scene which saw a small dragon steal a fish from Toothless, the Night Fury dragon. However, as is normal with Jackson, he wasn't so quick to decide which dragon he'd like as a pet - and spent a long time after debating the pros and cons&.I'm still waiting to hear.
Overall, How To Train Your Dragon's a good start to the holiday season; with a lot to indulge the actual children and the children within it should see you happily entertained for 90 minutes.

Final rating (using averages from the kids) 9/10

Bronson: Movie Review

Bronson: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Tom Hardy, James Lance, Amanda Burton
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Tom Hardy (TV ONE's Sunday Theatre The Take, Rocknrolla) stars as Charles Bronson, the man dubbed the most notorious UK inmate, in this biographical take on his life and times.
The story is told in a rather unusual and visually captivating way - in front of an audience, Bronson tells us he always wanted to be famous; with his bald head, polished dome and large handlebar moustache, he cuts a comical figure; almost clown-like in his mannerisms and speech - but heaven help you if you mock him - because there's also an explosion of violence around the corner.
And it's merely minutes before the fighting begins; Refn cuts directly back and forth from Bronson's speech on the stage to his taking on a series of guards and battering them black and blue.
Cutting back to his (brief) life before prison, we learn a little more about Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson - but quite frankly it appears a life of petty crime was only the precursor to a blooming time in jail which sees him thrive; Bronson becomes a star taking on the guards and starts to believe his own celebrity.
However, Bronson the film is a savage assault on the senses - thanks to the stunning and towering performance from Hardy himself; while Bronson's never going to be a likeable character, it's Hardy's performance which makes him so compelling to watch.
There's some great visual touches and an extension of the performance of a clown sees Bronson at his peak - Hardy's mesmerizing turn never sees you off guard; you're 100% sure of his propensity for explosive violence but yet you can't help but watch this portrayal.

Bronson may be a difficult film for some to watch; it's violent and shows no sign that this prisoner can be rehabilitated - but thanks to Tom Hardy's acting and some visually curious moments, it remains a film which will haunt you over you've seen it.

The Men Who Stare At Goats: Movie Review

The Men Who Stare At Goats: Movie Review

Rating: 8/10
Cast: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey
Director: Grant Heslov
Based on a book by Jon Ronson (and an apparently true investigation) comes the film adaptation of The Men Who Stare At Goats.
Ewan McGregor stars as small town reporter Bob Wilton, who one day looks into the story of Gus Lacey who claims to have psychic abilities. After dismissing the story, Bob's life falls apart as his wife leaves him for his boss and he ends up going to Iraq.
Quite by coincidence one night, he stumbles across Lyn Cassady (a deadpan turn by George Clooney) who Lacey claimed was a major part of the operation. With his journalistic nose well and truly piqued, Wilton follows the story having learned that Cassady was a "Jedi warrior" and part of a psychic unit started up by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges in Dude a la Lebowski mode).
So the two set out on a road trip which finds them in the Iraqi desert - and then Lyn reveals he's actually on one last mission.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is a deadpan shaggy dog style story - with terrific turns from Clooney as the Jedi Warrior and McGregor as the increasingly interested and slightly gullible Wilton.
(Incidentally, The Men Who Stare At Goats is titled so because soldiers in Iraq were apparently training to use their psychic powers to make goats' hearts stop - yes it's that kind of slightly offbeat quirky humour.)
While it veers from incredulity to outright "What did they just say?," The Men Who Stare At Goats manages to keep the right side of absurd. Sure, there's plenty of in joke moments to see McGregor told "The Force is strong with this one" and various Jedi references but there's also a lot of very unexpectedly farcically funny moments which catch you off guard and amuse.
Once again, Clooney demonstrates his O Brother Where Art Thou? skill of humour - he never once mugs to the camera or overeggs the jokes; it's a pitch perfect performance.
Jeff Bridges also shines as the man who started the New Earth Army psychics; Kevin Spacey amuses as the runt of the squadron whose jealousy pushes him to the limit and Ewan McGregor displays heart as the reporter who's just after something in his life when it all falls apart.

While The Men Who Stare At Goats' ending comes a little unravelled (and the final scene is a bit of a disappointment) the journey is a scarily funny one with some great one liners, hysterically odd situations and moments where you actually question a) whether these soldiers truly had psychic powers and b) whether what you've just witnessed was based on some grain of truth.