The Prince of Persia: Movie Review
Prince of Persia
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina, Ben
Kingsley
Director: Mike Newell
Blockbuster season's clearly underway at the moment.
What with Iron Man and Robin Hood pulling them in, it seems the action
flick's clearly in Hollywood's mind this year.
And Prince of Persia is no exception.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dastan, a young street urchin orphan boy who's taken
into the Persian royal court at an early age and who comes to love the ruler as
if he were his dad.
However, later on as the Persians are laying siege to a city they believe is
hiding weapons which have helped their enemies (spot the parallel here), Dastan
finds himself cast out from the royal court after he's believed to have
assassinated the king.
Forced into hiding and into an uneasy alliance with Princess Tamina (a dusky
sultry Gemma Arterton) Dastan tries to unravel the plot and figure out exactly
what a sacred dagger has to do with his father's death and the end of the
world.
How could the Prince of Persia go wrong? Practically everybody I've talked to
about this film has had something to drool about - whether it's the buffed up
Jake Gyllenhaal or the doe eyed Gemma Arterton, there's been something laid out
for everyone.
And yet, somehow this adaptation of a phenomenally popular computer game just
doesn't seem to get it 100% right on the big screen.
From the opening chase scene through to the FX laden final scenes, the
problem is this film is relying a little too much on its source material - and
the medium it came from. That is, it feels like it's a computer game on the big
screen.
Scenes are held together by one of three plot devices - either a fight scene,
a chase scene or plot exposition. There's also some humour thrown in in the form
of Alfred Molina's comedy relief Sheik (and his brilliant ostrich racing - when
was the last time you saw that on screen?) but it feels like less than the sum
of its parts.
That's not to say though that the Persian recreation is anything less than
stunning; with swooping camera work, it weaves through the city skylines
creating a wondrous version of Persia.
But there's too much which feels like a misfire; the villain feels like
something out of pantomime (and is just missing a handlebar moustache to twirl),
Jake and Gemma have little chemistry together - and Jake spends most of the time
mixing accents and smirking.
I have a feeling this could be the start of franchise - and I'd be willing to
give another film a go because there's plenty of potential in these characters -
but Prince of Persia aims for family blockbuster fun. It may succeed in parts
thanks to some pretty good (but unrelenting) action scenes but a disappointing
script sees this ancient story confined to the desert.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Every Jack Has A Jill: Movie Review
Every Jack Has A Jill: Movie Review
Every Jack Has A Jill
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Justin Bartha, Melanie Laurent, Billy Boyd
Director: Jennifer Devoldere
Fresh from the success of The Hangover (Justin Bartha) and Inglourious Basterds (Melanie Laurent) comes this sweet (almost sickly) story.
Laurent is Chloe, a 20 something living alone in Paris and in her dream world, searching for her perfect man; Bartha is Jack, a 30 year old American who wins a trip to Paris from a Coke can - and is promptly dumped by his girlfriend.
So Jack heads to France at the behest of his best friend (a marvellous Billy Boyd) - however, on his arrival he's missing his suitcase. This lost luggage ends up in Chloe's hands on the other side of Paris and despite warnings from her friends not to open it, she does - and falls in love with the contents. And therefore the owner too.
So she decides to do everything she can to find this man of her dreams...will it work out?
Every Jack Has A Jill will find a perfect audience with the romantic; Chloe's the epitome of the dreamer - gazes into the distance wistfully, zones out etc; and Jack is the perfect foil to her; a bit little boy lost with rugged good sadsack looks.
The wheel's not broken here - and Devoldere does little to fix it. Throw in a couple of racial stereotypes with the surly French hotel owner and the English family abroad, and this film is your average romantic drama.
Both Laurent and Bartha play their roles well and make good protagonists; plus there's points to the script for keeping the pair apart for the majority of the film.
Depending on how much you're willing to forgive Every Jack Has A Jill, will depend on how much you'll love it. If you're a little world weary and cynical it'll do nothing to change your world view.
However, if you're prone to dreaming and believing in romance, it'll rock your world.
Every Jack Has A Jill
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Justin Bartha, Melanie Laurent, Billy Boyd
Director: Jennifer Devoldere
Fresh from the success of The Hangover (Justin Bartha) and Inglourious Basterds (Melanie Laurent) comes this sweet (almost sickly) story.
Laurent is Chloe, a 20 something living alone in Paris and in her dream world, searching for her perfect man; Bartha is Jack, a 30 year old American who wins a trip to Paris from a Coke can - and is promptly dumped by his girlfriend.
So Jack heads to France at the behest of his best friend (a marvellous Billy Boyd) - however, on his arrival he's missing his suitcase. This lost luggage ends up in Chloe's hands on the other side of Paris and despite warnings from her friends not to open it, she does - and falls in love with the contents. And therefore the owner too.
So she decides to do everything she can to find this man of her dreams...will it work out?
Every Jack Has A Jill will find a perfect audience with the romantic; Chloe's the epitome of the dreamer - gazes into the distance wistfully, zones out etc; and Jack is the perfect foil to her; a bit little boy lost with rugged good sadsack looks.
The wheel's not broken here - and Devoldere does little to fix it. Throw in a couple of racial stereotypes with the surly French hotel owner and the English family abroad, and this film is your average romantic drama.
Both Laurent and Bartha play their roles well and make good protagonists; plus there's points to the script for keeping the pair apart for the majority of the film.
Depending on how much you're willing to forgive Every Jack Has A Jill, will depend on how much you'll love it. If you're a little world weary and cynical it'll do nothing to change your world view.
However, if you're prone to dreaming and believing in romance, it'll rock your world.
The Losers: Movie Review
The Losers: Movie Review
The Losers
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Jason Patric
Director: Sylvain White
So blockbuster season continues apace with this adaptation of a DC Comics series.
A CIA black ops team led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Clay is left for dead during an operation in Bolivia.
But this team of five guys with names like Roque, Pooch, Jensen, Clay and Cougar are determined to fight back - and get Max the man who set up the team.
However, Max has bigger plans for world domination (when don't they?) and soon Clay and the gang are trapped, desperately trying to clear their names.
Along the way, they join forces with the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who appears to have a grudge against Max too - but who's playing whom?
If The Losers sounds familiar, then that's probably because it is.
It's a similar plot to most other action thrillers (and sounds uncannily like the TV Series The A Team) and to be honest, there's nothing fabulously new to see here.
Trademark slow-mo action shots, things exploding, a hammy villain (yes Jason Patric I'm looking at you) and gratuitous long camera shots on the lead actress are all present and correct.
Also present is the continual cliché of what I like to term The A Team syndrome - which is where the good guys are seriously outnumbered by the bad guys, but it seems the villain's hired the worst shooters in the world as none of them can hit anything, regardless of how well stacked the odds are against the goodies.
But if you don't take the Losers too seriously, it's fairly good fun. Sure, it's all been done before, but some witty dialogue scattered throughout and some misfits on the team (as well as a charismatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan) make 90 minutes pass relatively quickly.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with this slyly mocking derivative action flick, it does feel like a missed opportunity and with hints that there could be a sequel, here's hoping a slightly smarter and stronger script does it more justice second time around.
The Losers
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Jason Patric
Director: Sylvain White
So blockbuster season continues apace with this adaptation of a DC Comics series.
A CIA black ops team led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Clay is left for dead during an operation in Bolivia.
But this team of five guys with names like Roque, Pooch, Jensen, Clay and Cougar are determined to fight back - and get Max the man who set up the team.
However, Max has bigger plans for world domination (when don't they?) and soon Clay and the gang are trapped, desperately trying to clear their names.
Along the way, they join forces with the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who appears to have a grudge against Max too - but who's playing whom?
If The Losers sounds familiar, then that's probably because it is.
It's a similar plot to most other action thrillers (and sounds uncannily like the TV Series The A Team) and to be honest, there's nothing fabulously new to see here.
Trademark slow-mo action shots, things exploding, a hammy villain (yes Jason Patric I'm looking at you) and gratuitous long camera shots on the lead actress are all present and correct.
Also present is the continual cliché of what I like to term The A Team syndrome - which is where the good guys are seriously outnumbered by the bad guys, but it seems the villain's hired the worst shooters in the world as none of them can hit anything, regardless of how well stacked the odds are against the goodies.
But if you don't take the Losers too seriously, it's fairly good fun. Sure, it's all been done before, but some witty dialogue scattered throughout and some misfits on the team (as well as a charismatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan) make 90 minutes pass relatively quickly.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with this slyly mocking derivative action flick, it does feel like a missed opportunity and with hints that there could be a sequel, here's hoping a slightly smarter and stronger script does it more justice second time around.
Paper Heart: Movie Review
Paper Heart: Movie Review
Paper Heart
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake Johnson
Director: Nicholas Jasenovec
Paper Heart is a curio of a film.
Part documentary, (small) part animation, it stars Charlyne Yi, as an accentuated version of herself.
She's an American teen comedian who in this film sets out to find out what love is, having never personally experienced it herself.
So she heads across America at the behest of her doco producer and talks to various couples to get their stories on how they fell in love and to see if she can get some inspiration on being struck hard by Cupid's bow.
But on the journey, she meets up with Michael Cera (Year One, the great TV show Arrested Development) and they end up forming a bond and a little bit of a relationship.
However, Charlyne begins to realize her quest may have had unforeseen results...
Paper Heart treads a fine line between mockumentary and doco - the scenes of couples telling their stories of how they realized they loved each other are sweet and the paper animation that Charlyne uses to bring them to life are just wonderful.
She meets a pair of judges who tell of how a rain storm brought them together; she gets blasted by a psychic's vision of her future and she goes to a wedding to see how it's all done - this film is clearly not aimed at the cyncial.
But yet, it's hard not to be cynical as she forms the relationship with the ever affable and permanently awkward Michael Cera. While it's well played on screen, personally that was the problem I had - it felt played. There's some discussion of it being awkward with the cameras there, musings about whether they should kiss on camera take a bit of heart out of the film.
Further reading about Paper Heart afterwards only give more credence to the fact I felt a little conned at the end - but that's a minor complaint.
While parts of Paper Heart don't work as well as they could, there's a lot to love in this film - it has a charming heart and an endearing spirit.
Paper Heart
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake Johnson
Director: Nicholas Jasenovec
Paper Heart is a curio of a film.
Part documentary, (small) part animation, it stars Charlyne Yi, as an accentuated version of herself.
She's an American teen comedian who in this film sets out to find out what love is, having never personally experienced it herself.
So she heads across America at the behest of her doco producer and talks to various couples to get their stories on how they fell in love and to see if she can get some inspiration on being struck hard by Cupid's bow.
But on the journey, she meets up with Michael Cera (Year One, the great TV show Arrested Development) and they end up forming a bond and a little bit of a relationship.
However, Charlyne begins to realize her quest may have had unforeseen results...
Paper Heart treads a fine line between mockumentary and doco - the scenes of couples telling their stories of how they realized they loved each other are sweet and the paper animation that Charlyne uses to bring them to life are just wonderful.
She meets a pair of judges who tell of how a rain storm brought them together; she gets blasted by a psychic's vision of her future and she goes to a wedding to see how it's all done - this film is clearly not aimed at the cyncial.
But yet, it's hard not to be cynical as she forms the relationship with the ever affable and permanently awkward Michael Cera. While it's well played on screen, personally that was the problem I had - it felt played. There's some discussion of it being awkward with the cameras there, musings about whether they should kiss on camera take a bit of heart out of the film.
Further reading about Paper Heart afterwards only give more credence to the fact I felt a little conned at the end - but that's a minor complaint.
While parts of Paper Heart don't work as well as they could, there's a lot to love in this film - it has a charming heart and an endearing spirit.
Monday, 17 May 2010
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.
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
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
Sunday, 16 May 2010
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
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
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