Food Inc: DVD Review

Food Inc: DVD Review

Food Inc
Rating: PG
Director : Robert Kenner

It's no surprise that at a time when sustainability and the grow your own ideals continue to permeate our society, we should get a doco about the truth about the foods Americans buy at their supermarkets.

In Food Inc, that's precisely what Robert Kenner does as he looks at what is consumed these days, how it's produced and what the personal - and long term - costs are.

With input from Fast Food Nation's author Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma, the veil on the industry is lifted.

However, what is shown on screen doesn't lose any of its impact - amid graphics, we learn of the personal horrors being committed by the mega businesses as they try and stop the family farm from growing. The cheap factory mentality manifests itself as you see how one farmer's being prosecuted for helping other farmers save seed - his actions and desire to prove his innocence have led to years of court cases, which he can't ever win - it's continuing proof that the odds are stacked against the Davids in this fight against Goliath.

All of the major companies talked about in this film obviously refuse to appear so it's fair to say while the doco isn't biased, it certainly doesn't have both sides of the argument represented.

That said, Food Inc presents a compelling case which you feel engrossed in throughout - it throws up several issues which, if you're not already aware of them, may shock you into wanting to do something to break the mega-corp influence.

Extras: The sole extra is a photogallery which while looking pretty as it slideshows across your machine does little to add to the experience; disappointing given that a film like this could always serve up an update as an extra.

Rating: 7/10 

Dr Who: End Of Time: DVD Review

Dr Who: End Of Time: DVD Review

Doctor Who - The End of Time
Rating: PG
Cast: David Tennant, John Simm, Timothy Dalton, Bernard Cribbins
Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment
And so the end comes to pass on one of the most popular Doctors in the show's 47 year old history.
The End Of Time - Parts One and Two (aka 2009 Winter specials) sees David Tennant's Doctor vacate the TARDIS for the last time as he takes his swansong.
Since the end of the Waters of Mars, the Doc's known his time is up and his death draws near - and so summoned by the Ood, he finds his old nemesis the Master (John Simm, all bleached hair and hoodie) reborn and on the brink of bringing around the end of time itself. However, what neither of them realize is that pretty soon everyone's lives will be changed forever by the return of something no-one could foresee&
The End of Time is brilliant in places - and infuriating in others. It's not just David Tennant's swansong, but it also sees the departure of the team which brought back the show in 2005 - including head writer Russell T Davies, who wrote these two episodes which clock in at over 2 hours of Whooey goodness.
But the cracks show in some of the story telling; if you're being nitpicky, you could claim that Davies has stolen various parts of fantasy elements for the (slightly absurd) resurrection of the Master; and when the big bads of these episodes are revealed, the plot holes abound.
That said though, while the first part of the story lacks a little, it's the end which sees this corker of a finale come to life - thanks in large to the acting of two people; David Tennant, who showcases all of his best at the end and Bernard Cribbins, who despite being in his eighties, shows what a wonderful actor he is. Simple scenes between this pair will leave most of you close to tears as they show (in one scene in a café) what good writing and superlative acting can do.
EXTRAS: On Blu Ray, the final product looks superb in full HD and is well worth investing in if you have the extra cash. Also included on the 2 disc set are the behind the scenes making of the final episodes (complete with David Tennant's last day on the set - and all the emotion which comes with that), as well as the BBC idents made specially for the series swansong over Christmas 2009. But the highlight has to be the David Tennant video diary in which we actually witness through his own camcorder, the end of the era - just brilliant.

Oh and one thing I almost left off - you get your first look at the 11th Doctor Matt Smith at the end of these episodes - and if you're not left salivating for more, you're clearly never going to be a Whovian. The perfect send off piece on a great set.

Rating: 9/10 

Seven: 15th Anniversary: DVD Review

Seven: 15th Anniversary: DVD Review

Seven - 15th Anniversary Edition
Rating: 18
Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

15 years after it first shocked audiences with its what's in the box denouement, Seven is repackaged and re-released to celebrate the decade and a half on.

David Fincher's vision is still chilling after all these years; the plot sees John Doe, a killer, exacting punishment on those who get off on being involved in the seven deadly sins.

Morgan Freeman's hard bitten Detective Somerset along with Brad Pitt's newbie Detective Mills are soon on his trail - but as each horrific crime is unveiled, the net draws closer on Doe - and also the pair who are hunting him.

Seven is still a killer despite all the time having passed; its impact on the thriller genre can't be dismissed and its ending certainly raised the stakes for what audiences would expect post its release.

Extras: The re-released set is a good one too - with 2 discs seeing an array of audio commentaries (from the likes of the sound team, the production team and the actors and Fincher themselves) which will add to the experience; coupled in with that are storyboards, filmographies, promos, notebooks and alternate endings showing what could have happened, this is a pretty comprehensive package.
Also thrown in for good measure is a limited edition 32 page comic which concentrates on the poor schlub who was the victim of gluttony - just don't read it after you've eaten.

Rating: 8/10

Is Anybody There? DVD Review

Is Anybody There? DVD Review

Is Anybody There?
Rating: M
Cast: Michael Caine, Bill Milner, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
1980s England - and in the stifling atmosphere of an old people's home, we find death and dementia not too far away.

10-year-old Edward (Bill Milner) lives in a care home run by his parents - but to get by on a daily basis, Edward has a morbid fascination with death - obsessed by the final moments of some of the residents, Edward spends his time recording their last dying breaths in an attempt to find out what comes after.

One day, while out walking and listening to the exit of an elderly resident on a pair of headphones, he's nearly run over by Michael Caine's ancient magician Clarence. The two form an unlikely bond as Edward realizes after Clarence tries to commit suicide, that he holds the secret to what comes next&

Is Anybody There? is a tear-jerker in parts - but thanks to a stellar performance from Michael Caine it avoids heading down the three hankies track. Once again, Caine manages to turn what could have been a fairly mawkish script into some truly emotive moments - there's pathos in spades here as Clarence first visits the home; he's shocked to realize that he will ultimately end up here but too weary to fight against the inevitability of his condition.

Bill Milner's Edward isn't a bad performance - while his morbid fascination and depressing endless questioning is a product of where he's been brought up, the sense of playfulness and earnest desire to learn about the afterlife and find some meaning in the world make the character rise above what could have been a tearful, doleful mire.

The only unwelcome note in Is Anybody There? is the family marriage melodrama which blights the final portion of the film - it's an unnecessary footnote to what's gone before.

Extras: None (disappointingly)

Rating: 7/10 

The Final Destination: DVD Review

The Final Destination: DVD Review

The Final Destination
Rating: R16
Cast: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Mykelti Williamson
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
When Nick O'Bannon (Campo) gets premonitions at the local speedway of a whole heap of deaths thanks to a speeding flaming car hitting the grandstand, he manages to get himself, his friends and a few bystanders out of the park before it's too late.

Just seconds after they've vacated the track, catastrophe strikes and over 50 lose their lives as the envisaged accident takes place escape. However, with one of the bystanders killed within hours of the race track carnage, and thanks to a little help from the worldwide web, it soon becomes clear to Nick and his friends that their cards are marked and death is going to find them one way or another.

The Final Destination franchise lurches on with yet another tale of teens in peril - this time though, death's saved 3D as its preferred method of dispatching people. There's little to offer in the way of character development, plot or anything sensible - but for this franchise which started a decade ago, it's never really been about anything other than the deaths.

And while the use of this new digital technology sees some very impressive Bond style opening credits which mesh all the previous deaths from prior films, it soon resorts to having you duck and squirm in your seat as various deathly implements head towards you in the cinema. However, half the problem of this film lies with its characters.

Obviously underdeveloped and with little back story or attitudes which make you like them, it makes it difficult to care about any of those the Grim Reaper has his eye on. Even one of the main leads, an airhead jock, is so unlikeable that you don't really care when he meets his maker.

Mercifully short and with the 2D and 3D versions included in this release, there will be some who will absolutely love it - and there will be others (myself included) who hope this really is the end of the franchise.

Rating: 5/10

What Just Happened: DVD Review

What Just Happened: DVD Review

What Just Happened
Rating: M
Cast: Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Sean Penn, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Stewart
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

In this "satire" of Hollywood, Robert De Niro stars as Ben, a fading producer.As the film opens, Ben's just witnessed his latest film, Fiercely starring Sean Penn, being savaged at a test screening - and he knows this could signal the end of his time at the top.

As if that wasn't bad enough he's having trouble with his ex Kelly (Robin Wright Penn) and to give him a trio of troubles, his attempts to get Bruce Willis to shave off his bushy beard so their latest project isn't canned, are not going well.

So Ben finds himself in the middle of a life crisis - as well as a career one - can he pull any of it back?
What Just Happened isn't a bad film; it's just not as savage as it could be - while Penn and Willis play themselves, De Niro seems to play another more chilled out version of himself as he tries to juggle all the respective balls.

Given how successful The Player was at doing this kind of satire years ago(and it's inevitable these two will be compared) I have to admit I was expecting a little more caustic wit and biting satire about the industry.

Overall, coupled with a complete lack of extras, What Just Happened is somewhat of a disappointment - when you consider what kind of potential there was here, it's just a shame nothing more came of it.

Rating: 6/10

Date Night: Movie Review

Date Night: Movie Review

Date Night
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Ray Liotta, William Fichtner, James Franco
Director: Shawn Levy
Steve Carell and Tina Fey team up in this comedy about mistaken identity.
They're Phil and Claire Foster - a NY husband and wife whose suburban lives have been besieged by the mundanities of two point four children; for whom each day is a series of routines - including their Date Night which sees them ordering the same dishes week in, week out.
So, shocked by the news one of their favourite couples is about to divorce, Phil decides to shake things up to prevent their marriage from being the next casualty.
On the spur of the moment, he takes Claire to a swanky Manhattan restaurant and refusing to give in because he doesn't have a reservation, takes someone else's.
And that's where the problems start - because it turns out the reservation was for two people who have big problems with the law and pretty soon, the pair are out of their depth and fighting for their lives.
You would imagine Date Night would be the dream partnership on the big screen; both Carell and Fey are much loved in The Office and 30 Rock - and to be honest, they work well together on the screen; they're a plausible pair of long time marrieds who've lost their spark.
Fey is particularly funny - I have to admit to never having been 100% won over by her charms but she really has some hoot out loud funny lines; likewise Carell is his usual toned down self but again, thanks to some great lines, gets the chance to shine. The pair have such great ways of delivering the lines that gives it some sparkle; with both of them, it's down to inappropriate lines and odd comments here and there which really make this likeable duo work well.

But unfortunately this caper doesn't quite work as a story and I don't know exactly what went wrong with it; it's not a bad film, it's just a bit lacking that 5% magic that needs to make it gel. Perhaps it's because in parts it feels like a blockbuster (complete with a well shot chase scene) mixed in with some old fashioned comedy, but the sum of its parts don't add up.

While the chemistry between Carell and Fey is great, there's just something about the film which leaves you a little disappointed at the end of the night.