The A Team: Movie Review

The A Team: Movie Review

The A Team
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Patrick Wilson
Director: Joe Carnahan
Some 27 years after the TV Series first debuted, The A Team finally make it to the big screen.
In this latest version we're treated to the rebirth of the series (a kind of origin film) and we see how the A Team came together.
The team first forms in Mexico - with "Hannibal" Smith (Neeson) enlisting the help of Face (Cooper), BA Baracus (Jackson) and Murdoch (Copley) to escape. The quartet form a close bond and become a clandestine unit for some successful 80 odd missions together.
But the one mission which changes their lives sees them as soldiers in Iraq and assigned by the CIA and their lackey (Patrick Wilson) to take back a US dollar bill printing press snatched by the remnants of Saddam's Iraqi guards.
However, the A Team finds themselves framed (as the infamous TV series opening goes) and they set out to clear their names and catch the bad guys.
But with the CIA and Jessica Biel's Captain Sosa out to shut them down, they could have bitten off more than they can chew.
Well, well, from a slightly underwhelming trailer, I have to admit this is a pleasant surprise.
The A Team remains faithful to fans of the show and yet manages to reinvent it for a new generation. A wonderfully action packed opener sees the gang thrown together and introduced in a clever piece of plotting - and from there on, you're charmed by all four main performances.
Each of them has retained the essences of what made the original series great - while Neeson may growl a little once too often, it's good those in charge have decided to stick so closely to the personalities perpetuated by the likes of George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz and Mr T.
For an action film, there's just the right amount of action too - it doesn't dominate the story - and even offers up some new takes on the stock action sequences.
But it's the chemistry between Cooper, Neeson, Copley and Jackson which really make this work - there's the whole feeling of camaraderie between them (and BA and Murdoch still squabble as much as they did before) which helps you through a plot which may be obvious to those who've seen a lot of films.
It's pitched clearly at the family blockbuster crowd with some comedy thrown into the relatively straight mix - and as the kids reviewers agree, for the most part it works.
16 year old Connor found he couldn't make out some action scenes but thought Murdoch was the best character because he was totally insane - although he was still clever and a team player. But the whole brotherhood teamwork shone through for him.
Younger brother Jackson loved the whole thing with a good story, great action and snappy dialogue. He also liked the bit with a falling tank too.
So this new version of The A Team is to be applauded; a faithful, straight and relatively intelligent action thriller which will appeal to fans new and old.
We love it when a plan comes together.

PS Watch out for blink and you'll miss it cameos from two of the original A Team too...

Dr Who: Peladon Tales: DVD Review

Dr Who: Peladon Tales: DVD Review

Doctor Who - Peladon Tales

Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG

So it's back to the 1970s for this double outing for Jon Pertwee's Doctor.

These two tales have been thrown together on one release as they're both set on the planet Peladon - in the first, The Curse of Peladon, The Doctor and Jo (Katy Manning) arrive at a time when Peladon is being considered for entrance into the galactic federation. But it appears someone will stop at nothing to ensure this doesn't happen.

In the sequel (of sorts) The Monster of Peladon, set 50 years after the first, the Doc returns - this time with new companion Sarah Jane Smith - to find Peladon torn apart by squabbling and with an ancient beast threatening to drag them back to their savage ways.

Each of the Peladon Tales releases sees the Doc facing off with his old nemeses the Ice Warriors - and for the first time in colour.

Both these adventures are pacy and zip along relatively well - given how time isn't always kind to early Doctor Who. It's also a great reminder of how popular and good Pertwee was in the role.

Extras: Once again, it's the set's extras which shine out rather than the stories themselves. For a two disc release, there's plenty to ponder on with commentaries from those involved (including the late much missed producer Barry Letts), a two part retrospective looking back at the making of these, a look back at the Ice Warriors, and a short piece from Katy Manning aka Jo Grant remembering the partnership she had with Jon Pertwee in her run of stories.

Rating: 7/10

The Informant: DVD Review

The Informant: DVD Review

The Informant
Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

The Informant! is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) a rising executive at the American agricultural firm during the 1990s.

Despite doing well within the company, Whitacre ends up blowing the whistle to an FBI agent (Scott Bakula) about apparent price fixing within the market instigated by the very people he works with.

However, as the FBI dig deeper into what's going on, Whitacre reveals more about the company's involvement with lysine, an additive used in the commercial livestock industry.

And that's nothing in comparison to the odd behaviour exhibited by Whitacre the closer the FBI gets&

Based on an apparently true story, there's a feeling of growing incredulity the longer the film goes on. Matt Damon's Whitacre is clearly a conflicted and bipolar character, whose tormented inner monologue at key moments see him ruminate on the minutiae of life - one side comment sees him wondering how polar bears learnt to cover their black noses when hunting given they had no concept of black and white.

It's a dark comedy that Steven Soderbergh's created in places - but with tremendously solid performances from the likes of Damon and Taranaki's very own Melanie Lynskey (who plays Whitacre's long suffering wife), you're never quite 100% sure where to laugh - or even if you should.

Rating: 7/10 

The Strength of Water: DVD Review

The Strength of Water: DVD Review

The Strength of Water

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

Sensationally simple and heartbreakingly direct, Strength of Water is perhaps one of the best New Zealand films I've seen.

Set in the Hokianga, it's the story of two 10-year-old twins Kimi and Melody whose lives are irrevocably changed by the arrival of drifter Tai to their small community.

A terrible accident follows and the community is ripped asunder by the shocking turn of events.

It's hard to say too much about this without spoiling it-but what I can say is although the cast are relative newcomers and first timers, Strength of Water is a stunning debut for those involved-Hato Paporoa's performance as Kimi is the stand out of the film- just the right amount of sadness, cheek and loneliness for the character and his life.

Director Armagan Ballantyne's captured perfectly the beauty and desolation of the coastal villages- the whole film is beautifully shot- a story of bonds, community and heart, Strength of Water achingly raw and is not to be missed.

Rating: 9/10

Away We Go: DVD Review

Away We Go: DVD Review

Away We Go

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Pictures

You would think that a film that's essentially a pregnancy road trip wouldn't be a winner.

However, this latest from Sam Mendes has everything a decent small film needs in spades.

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Burt and Verona, a pair of thirty somethings who are still trying to find their place in the world.

One night, in possibly the most original way ever, the pair discover Verona is pregnant - and armed with that news, they head to tell Burt's parents the joyous news. (Verona's parents died when she was in her twenties)

But when they tell the grandparents-to-be, Burt's ma and pa (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels) announce they're leaving the country.

This sets off the feeling that Burt and Verona need to find a home to settle down in as they were only living where they were because of his parents.

So armed with a growing belly, the duo head to various friends scattered across America to see if they can find somewhere new to live before the baby is born.

Away We Go is warm, wry, witty, whimsical and very unexpectedly funny thanks to some humour and deadpan moments from star John Krasinski (from the US version of The Office).

But the second the humour smacks you across the face, director Sam Mendes spins the world on its head and leaves you close to tears - and it's Taranaki's Melanie Lynskey who as a college friend of the duo is responsible for the melancholy.

That said, Mendes and the script don't wallow in it - it's the low-key warmth and the stunning performances by the leads which bring you back down to earth with a jolt.

Away We Go was one of the most under appreciated films of 2009 - it's time you picked up a copy of it and realized why it's so loved by a passionate few.

Rating: 8/10 

9: DVD Review

9: DVD Review

9

Released by Madman
Rating: M
In the latest computer animation to hit the big screen, 9 tells the story of the world after the machines attacked the humans. In a devastated land, a sack puppet with the number 9 wakes up and suddenly discovers that he is not alone.

After being attacked by a beast, and reunited with others of his type (all numbered from 1 onwards), 9 begins to realize that he holds the key to getting answers about what happened - and how they can live on.

9 is like a cross between PlayStation's Sackboy, a puppet and the Terminator - it's an odd film with a very interesting central premise - and talk of the soul. But Shane Acker's film doesn't do as well as it could.
Part of the problem with 9 is the story - while it's a nice idea, it soon becomes a little too stuck in its own groove. Characters are abducted time and time again and it gets a bit repetitive.

The performances are all perfectly fine - Elijah Wood has the right amount of mirth to be our eyes in this world; John C Reilly provides enough humour and pathos as 2 and Jennifer Connelly is on feisty form as 7, a fighter who left the pack to try and save the world.

Overall 9 looks fantastic on BluRay but with a bit more attention to the story, it could have been so much more than a sweet animation.

Extras: Deleted scenes, Commentary, on tour with Shane Acker and the original short which inspired the film make a decent package.

Rating: 7/10

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