Coco and Igor: Movie Review

Coco and Igor: Movie Review

Coco And Igor
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Mouglalis
Director: Jan Kounen
Following directly on from Coco Avant Chanel, this film takes a slightly darker tone when looking at Chanel.
It's 1913 in Paris - and Chanel (Mouglalis) is in love with her Boy and working hard within the industry.
One night she meets composer Igor Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen), a Russian forced to flee the revolution and who is about to perform for the first time in France.
He does so and his latest work is promptly booed off.
The pair meet again seven years later, when Chanel is mourning the death of Boy and Stravinsky has fallen on hard times.
So Chanel opens her house to the family and as time goes, ends up opening her heart to Stravinsky with the pair having a passionate illicit affair.
Coco and Igor is beautifully shot with sweeping swirling camera work but feels a little stifling. It's full of whites and none of the warmth you'd remember from Coco Avant Chanel's Audrey Tautou.
But then to be fair, this is a different Chanel - she's a harder woman, grieving and more career focussed than ever. So in some aspects, she really is more the real person.
Mads Mikkelsen is a little hard too - he's quite stilted in places and doesn't really do much to convey the apparent passion and electricity between the pair.

Coco and Igor is a disappointment but for those Chanel fans looking for a more rounded picture of their fashion heroine, it may offer some insight into the next stage of her life.

Lord Of The Rings trilogy: Blu Ray Review

Lord Of The Rings trilogy: Blu Ray Review

The Lord of The Rings trilogy - Blu Ray release Released by Roadshow Entertainment

So Sir Peter Jackson's take on the Middle Earth saga of Tolkien finally comes to Blu Ray - nearly 10 years after it wowed audiences in the cinema.
For anyone living under the rock and unaware of the Middle Earth story, this is the tale of Frodo Baggins and a group of hobbits. Life in Middle Earth is good for the gang - but with the evil Lord Sauron threatening their habitats, they find themselves involved in a quest to despatch the evil Lord when Frodo is given a ring.
That ring has the power to dispose of the evil which is hovering over them - however, as Frodo ventures further towards Mount Doom, he begins to realise he could lose his very soul in the quest - and pay the ultimate price.
It's great to finally have these films on Blu Ray - because the high definition gives the world of Middle Earth, of Orcs, of Gandalf and the Fellowship the sharpness and beauty which was always planned.
Sure, you can grumble that this trio of films is only the original versions and not the extended editions and that most of the DVD extras have been transferred across rather than supplying new material, but for spectacle alone The Lord Of The Rings blu rays cannot be beaten.
Take for example Gollum's wonderfully vivid realisation - in High Definition, you can truly appreciate what WETA did and the level of detail which went into these creatures. Every scale and ripple on his rugged body is accentuated by the format.
The Lord of The Rings trilogy remains an essential purchase for any fantasy fan - and in this Blu Ray format, (and even with the possibility of the extended editions being released on Blu Ray) it's a great start as we get ready for The Hobbit.

Rating: 9/10 

Dr Who: Dalek War: DVD Review

Dr Who: Dalek War: DVD Review

Dr Who: Dalek War
Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
The classic series continues to release some solid sets - this time round it's two much loved serials from the 1970s featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor.
In Frontier in Space, the Dr and his companion Jo find themselves pitted against the Doctor's mortal enemy, The Master (a wonderful final performance from Roger Delgado) and must do everything they can to stop the universe being plunged into all out war.
Following on directly from that is the serial Planet of The Daleks which finds an injured Doctor and Jo trapped on the planet Spiridon. With the Doc incapacitated, Jo finds there's thousands of Daleks waiting to take over the universe - can they stop the dastardly machinations of the Master coming to fruition in time?
The Dalek War box set features two fairly by the numbers Doctor Who stories - but where it exceeds once again is with the definitive set of extras. Frontier In Space was a turning point for the show - for all the wrong reasons. Roger Delgado's final performance was in this serial before his untimely death in a car accident - so the set is tinged with the sadness of what could have been. Shortly after his death, Jon Pertwee decided it was time to move on.
In one of the extras, there's a wonderful look back over Delgado's career and the sense of loss is keenly felt by those providing insight into the era.
Throw in a colourised episode which was thought long lost and it's pretty much the dream of any fan of the classic series.
Extras: Numerous - but include production notes, behind the scenes docos, a tribute to Roger Delgado, commentaries - all perfect for the true fans of the show

Rating: 7/10

Avatar: DVD Review

Avatar: DVD Review

Avatar Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
So the biggest film ever which shattered box office records for 3D films - and non- 3D films finally makes it to the small screen.
Even though Avatar's still performing in the top 20, it was always going to be about the test of how it translates given that TV technology has yet to catch up.

Avatar is the story of a marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralysed former Marine who takes his dead brother's place on a mission to new world Pandora.

It's there that the Earthlings find themselves in conflict with the planet's indigenous people, the Na'vi (a 10 foot tall, blue skinned cat like spiritual race)

The Earthlings want to get their hands on a rich deposit of unobtainium, a rare mineral which could prevent the energy crisis back on earth.

However, that deposit is slap bang in the middle of the Na'vi's spiritual land - so Sully is sent in (via his own blue skinned Na'vi avatar) to try and see if there's a solution - be it military or negotiation...

Given that Cameron and the WETA team always wanted to set a benchmark with the effects, it's fair to say while they look good on the small screen, they can never match up (yet) to the big screen treatment. That said, thanks to the vivid blues and purples of the landscapes, they still work well. If you're one of those who's not seen Avatar (There must be some out there who haven't) then this version is not a bad way to appreciate what's been created and what's been vividly brought to life.

What that means is there's more of a focus on the plot - which was never the strongest point - although to be honest, it doesn't fare any worse.

Sure - you can argue that this speedy vanilla release with barebones (except for a log in to the Avatar experience) is going to have many fans holding off waiting for the ultimate edition, but Avatar remains a spectacle and an important step in the evolution of film effects.

Rating: 7/10

Samson and Delilah: DVD Review

Samson and Delilah: DVD Review

Samson and Delilah Released by Madman
Rating: R16
An incredibly powerful piece which set tongues wagging in Australia on its original release, this the tale of Samson (Rowan McNamara) and Delilah (Marissa Gibson) both Aborigine who live on a reservation.

Life for them is hard - a series of repetitive monotonies (as signified by Samson's brother's band which bashes out the same tune daily) and with no real hope in sight.

One day Delilah's nan dies and after she's set upon by locals who claim she didn't look after her nan properly, Samson takes matters into his own hands, steals a car and the two head away from the reservation for what they believe is a better life.

However, they end up on the streets, struggling to get by and much worse off than they were - will they survive?

On first viewing on the big screen, Samson and Delilah was a moving, powerful and sickening film - even on the small screen and with the fore knowledge of the story, it's still a shocker.

Director Warwick Thornton's taken examples of his life in Alice Springs and put it up on the big screen for everyone to see.

It's mesmerising, horrific, humorous and will leave you wondering how anyone could live in a place such as this. Thanks to the sparse performance of the two main leads, who spend the majority of the film hardly talking, you will be captivated by what you see.

Samson and Delilah is at times bleak and painful to watch - but you are glued to the screen and left fully aware that for some, this is the daily reality of their life.

Extras: Interviews with director Warwick Thornton, a theatrical trailer, a making of and Warwick Thornton's previous short films.

Rating: 8/10 

Robin Hood: Movie Review

Robin Hood: Movie Review

Robin Hood
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Max von Sydow, Mark Addy, William Hurt, Oscar Isaac
Director: Ridley Scott
And so the Legend begins...
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have reteamed for their fifth collaboration - and a new take on the folklore hero of Robin of the Hood.
It's 1199 and a glowering Crowe is Robin Longstride, an archer in King Richard The Lionheart's army, who's been fighting in the Crusades for the past decade.
Following the death of the king in battle Longstride and three comrades (Will Scarlett, Little John and Allan A'Dale) head back to England to try and restart their lives. But before Longstride can resume his life (despite never knowing exactly who his father was), he has to keep a promise made to a dying knight, Robert of Loxley.

The problem is that when he returns to Loxley in Nottingham, Robert's father (a frail Max von Sydow) asks him to impersonate his son to keep the village alive with hope - particularly as the recently crowned King John (Isaac) has started a crusade of taxation.

But all of that pales into insignificance with the treacherous machinations of the half French half English Sir Godfrey (a wonderful as ever Mark Strong) who's leading a charge to help the French invade...

Ridley Scott's Robin Hood is a good epic take on the story - sure there will be some who'll feel that he's taken liberties with the story - but what he's crafted is an intelligently told and thoughtful story which in no shape or form is simply Gladiator with Bows and Arrows.

Russell Crowe is restrained as Robin; plenty of scowling but you can tell he is the kind of man who does the right thing. Longstride's relationship with Cate Blanchett's Maid Marian works well as the flick takes time to build it up - giving it more of a realistic feel and one which feels human. The film becomes a thoughtful piece with more of an accent on characters rather than action.

There's some pretty impressive action sequences in the film too - thankfully not too many clichéd slow mo shots of arrows being fired. Each battle scene is bloody, brutal and violent - reminders that combat in those days was painful and difficult.
The final epic sequence which culminates on a battle on England's Dover cliffs is stunning - cameras swoop in and capture every nuance of the action.

If there's to be one complaint of the 150 minute running time, it's that you may leave feeling there were some lulls; coupled with a feeling that very little actually happens over a long time, it's fair to say that Ridley Scott's Robin Hood hits the target - but just narrowly misses the bullseye.

Mary and Max: DVD Review

Mary and Max: DVD Review

Mary and Max
Released by Warner Bros Home Video
Voices by Barry Humphries, Toni Collette, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Eric Bana

This beautifully funny, wry and affecting stop motion claymation film tells the apparently true story of an Australian 8-year old girl, Mary, socially outcast and awkward.

One day in 1976, she decides to start a pen friendship with a random name she pulls out of the phone book.

That person turns out to be Max, a 40something clinically obese, diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, NY resident.

So they begin corresponding and an unlikely friendship grows thanks to the extraordinary frankness of these two penpals.

Mary and Max is a beautifully dour piece of claymation animation, tinged with a sadness and dark (at times bleak) humour.

It's narrated by Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna) and has its main characters voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette - it's hard to pin down exactly what its appeal is.

It's a nice mix of humour in unexpected places - laugh out loud funny in some and reflective in others. There's also some sadness in the film but overall Mary and Max is a crowd pleasing treat. It takes a little while to get used to - but before you know it, you've invested so much in this delightful pair and are hanging on every letter to be delivered between these two unlikely penpals.
Mary and Max is just a sweet and oddly engaging film; it's dripping with poignancy and black humour - and a real celebration of the simple joy of unadultered friendship.

Rating: 8/10