An Education: DVD Review

An Education: DVD Review

An Education
Released by Universal Home Video
Rating: M
An Education arrives on DVD having been feted through the awards season.
It's the story of Carey Mulligan's Jenny in 1960s London who's on the verge of finishing school and embarking on the next stage of her life, which is likely to be university if everyone around her is to be believed.
However, Jenny one day meets David (Peter Sarsgaard) a thirtyish man who offers her another way of life - that of swinging London. So throwing much caution and abandon to the wind, Jenny joins David and his friends for a bally good time.
But David is of course only intent on one thing - seducing her and soon Jenny finds her world around her is falling apart.
An Education is a fairly average coming of age film based on Brit journo Lynn Barber's memoirs of the time.
There's one thing though which elevates it above the normal straight to DVD fare - Carey Mulligan.
This teen actress is simply brilliant as Jenny; she wonderfully encapsulates her dilemma about entering this world and the headiness of teen years where rebellion is always the norm. But thanks to a stunning performance, Mulligan manages to help paper over the cracks in the film's plot; whether it's watching it with 21st century eyes, her life seems destined to go awry but it's due to her onscreen presence that the film manages to triumph.
Alfred Molina and Peter Sarsgaard offer adequate support but are simply acted off the screen by Mulligan - trust me when I say this girl is destined for big things.

Rating: 7/10

Up In The Air: DVD Review

Up In The Air: DVD Review

Up In The Air

Released by Universal Home Entertainment
Rating: M

George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a corporate gun for hire who is called in when the bosses are too cowardly to cut loose their staff.

Bingham spends 100% of his life in the air and on the way to one sacking after another - and he's happy with it his non-committal lifestyle, living out of a suitcase and out of emotional harm's way.

So when his boss (Jason Bateman) brings in Natalie Keener (Twilight's Anna Kendrick), he's appalled to discover her solution is to ground the staff who do the sacking and get them to do it via webcams.

However, Ryan becomes determined to show her a little something about life and takes her across America so she can see how it's done - and how he does it differently.

Up In The Air wears its heart on its sleeve - if you're fairly film savvy, you may see some of the twists coming; however, even if you're a film cynic, there is still plenty to enjoy with the snappy dialogue and smart humour.

Extras: Deleted scenes, commentary and a few others make up this package

Rating: 7/10

Cold Souls: DVD Review

Cold Souls: DVD Review

Cold Souls
Released by Madman
Rating: M
Paul Giamatti (complete with sad sack eyes and jowly cheeks) plays Paul Giamatti, a fictionalized version of the actor, who's struggling with his part in Uncle Vanya. Clearly Chekhov's play is resting heavy on him - and one day, he sees an ad for a Soul Storage place which piques his curiosity.

So, with the ad's slogan "Is your soul weighing you down?" he heads to see if he can find some relief.

What he actually finds is a surgery which can remove souls and hold them in special units (or if they want to avoid tax, can be shipped to New Jersey) to give their owners a new lease of life.

Giamatti undergoes the treatment - and things get more complicated for him when a soul trafficking group from Russia ends up stealing his soul to satiate a Mafioso style don's girlfriend. Giamatti ends up facing the possibility of heading to St Petersburg or remaining soulless for the rest of his life.

What can you say about Cold Souls? It's slightly odd, slightly heart warming and entirely different. Once again, Giamatti shows why he's a talented actor and wins over the audience with this existential type role which could have backfired.

It's an interesting premise which is well executed (aside from feeling a little long at the end) but Cold Souls offers up some interesting ethical and soulful dilemmas.

Rating: 6/10  

Sherlock Holmes: DVD Review

Sherlock Holmes: DVD Review

Sherlock Holmes
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
A Holmes for the new generation.
Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law - along with director Guy Ritchie - bring a new take on the Sherlock Holmes/ Dr Watson dynamic which for years has had a measured and slightly stuffy feel.
Upon arresting the nefarious Lord Blackwood (the ever brilliant Mark Strong), Holmes is riddled by taunts from Blackwood that this is only the beginning of the game.
When Blackwood appears to come back from the dead and starts haunting London, Holmes begins to realize there's more afoot - and sets out to try and crack the riddle.
But on the domestic front, Holmes is about to lose Watson to marriage and is distracted by the return of old flame Irene Adler (a wasted Rachel McAdams) - can he crack it all and save the day?
This new Sherlock Holmes is slightly disappointing as it's more about relaunching the franchise rather than providing a solid story. The plot's somewhat muddled and is more about setting up a sequel rather than giving the series a good solid start thanks largely to another crowd winning performance from comeback kid Downey Jr.
The end result means that some of Ritchie's more dazzling moments are crippled; a great action sequence and excellent way of showing how Holmes cracks problems are nice touches to the genre but this is a slightly missed opportunity.
Extras: Sherlock Holmes Reinvented looks at how the franchise was relaunched.

Rating: 6/10

Under The Mountain: DVD Review

Under The Mountain: DVD Review

Under The Mountain

Released by Sony Home Entertainment
Rating: M

In this version of Under The Mountain, (a little removed from the iconic eighties television series) teen twins Theo and Rachel (Tom Cameron and Sophie McBride) are growing apart after the death of their mother.

The psychic bond shared by the pair is under strain as Theo refuses to face the reality of the situation - however, the pair stay with relatives in Auckland and discover their future lies in helping Mr Jones (Sam Neill) defeat the Wilberforces before they unleash the power beneath the volcanoes and destroy the world..

Personally I think it's hard to really appreciate Under The Mountain out of context of New Zealand - the whole production is clearly a NZ venture; from the sweeping panoramic shots of Auckland and the NZ countryside to a very funny aside about the reality of calling in the New Zealand Army, Under The Mountain is steeped in Kiwiana.

It's also perfect for the small screen - while there's nothing inherently wrong with the effects, that, coupled with the scenery, make it a good ride on the telly.
While Neill, and Oliver Driver do well with their iconic roles, there is a moment when Under The Mountain slightly fumbles the ball.
That comes after the 60 minutes mark - after building an incredible atmosphere of menace and threat, it all becomes a little unstuck and the ending is somewhat rushed and a little muddy. A moment of sacrifice from a major character unfortunately doesn't ring as emotionally true as it should and it clouds the film's denouement.

Rating: 7/10

Amelia: DVD Review

Amelia: DVD Review

Amelia

Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG

Hilary Swank stars as the symbol of optimism and hope to many during the great depression in this latest attempt to bring Amelia Earhart to the screen.

Earhart's story is obviously one which is well known given how her final flight turned out - although the mystery behind it has never been solved, there's been endless speculation about what exactly happened when she disappeared.

The story's told in flashbacks as we see Earhart taking her final flight, the 1937 round the world attempt from which she disappeared - book ended with her first meeting with publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) the film attempts to build up a picture of the woman who meant so much for so many in difficult times.
And yet it fails to soar - or even take off as it follows an entirely predictable path. Yes Swank really does look like Earhart but in all honesty, Amelia just doesn't gel together; the story's a little flat and it's hard to emotionally engage with Amelia herself and sympathise with her plight as she tried desperately to pioneer her way in the skies.
Which is a real shame.
Extras: Deleted scenes which don't really add much to the overall disappointment.

Rating: 4/10

Whip It: DVD Review

Whip It: DVD Review

Whip It

Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M

Drew Barrymore is the one behind the camera for the majority of this her debut.

It's a coming of age story starring Juno's Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar, a young girl in a mid American town who wants to get away. Her mum insists she enters beauty pageants and Bliss goes along with it because she doesn't want to hurt her feelings.

However, one day Bliss comes across the world of roller derby. Bliss decides she will join the local downtown Austin team, The Hurl Scouts, and becomes Babe Ruthless, the team's latest addition.

But she can't tell her folks and soon Babe Ruthless becomes a star - and Bliss is left facing a very real choice.

Whip It is wonderful - a deft directing debut from Drew (who appears as a fellow roller derby player) which charms and makes the simple soar.

There's a simplicity of story with Whip It - it wears the cliche on its sleeve (although the ending is anything but) and thanks to some good solid performances, you will find yourself walking out with a big grin. It manages to nicely capture the frustrations of small town America as well as the desperation of wanting to shine at something rather than a family tradition.

Whip It has heart and soul aplenty - there's an exuberance to this tale of girl power which will affect you more than you want to admit.

Rating: 8/10