The Wolfman: DVD Review

The Wolfman: DVD Review

The Wolfman
Released by Universal Home Video
Rating: R16

Released in an extended director's cut just a few months since its release in cinemas, The Wolfman remains a much maligned horror film.

In 1880s London, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro) is summoned to the family home after the disappearance of his brother Ben.

Talbot is reunited with his father (Anthony Hopkins) - something that he hadn't planned on after fleeing domestic life after the death of his mother. After being called back by Ben's wife Gwen (Emily Blunt), the hunt soon turns to a funeral after the discovery of Ben's mutilated body.

Talbot begins an investigation into the brutal slaying of his brother - and even Scotland Yard's finest (including Hugo Weaving) are called in. But as Talbot digs deeper into claims an animal killed his brother, he's drawn into a dark world and finds himself facing his deepest fears.

A remake of the 1914 film, this version remains a darkly compelling and gory take on the Victorian legend. Full of spooks and shocks (as well as blood), it's great to see a Wolfman which is nightmarish as its original premise suggested it would be.

Del Toro is good as the tortured Talbot - and one scene inside an asylum where the wolf breaks out is just terrifically terrifying.

16 minutes of extra footage make this version worthwhile - and I still standby the fact this was dismissed as boring and slow in the cinema. It's actually a nice character piece which has some great set moments which really ramp up the fear.

Perfect entertainment for the dark, winter nights.

Extras: Not so exciting, deleted scenes - sometimes, there's a reason why they're deleted.

Rating: 7/10

The Sarah Janes Adventures S1 and S2: DVD Review

The Sarah Janes Adventures S1 and S2: DVD Review

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Series One and Two
Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
Much loved former 70s Dr Who companion Sarah Jane Smith (played with chutzpah by Elisabeth Sladen) gets her own spin off series aimed at the younger end of the Who spectrum.
Writer Russell T Davies always said Dr Who was aimed at all ages; whereas spin offs Torchwood was for the older end and Sarah Jane adventures was for the younger generation.
Each series features twelve episodes broken down into six stories (except the first series which includes the pilot Invasion of the Bane) and sees Sarah Jane and her team of teen youngsters Luke, Clyde and Maria dealing with the threat of Slitheen, Sontarans and new recurring enemy The Trickster. The second series has Maria leave and the gang gets a replacement in the form of new girl Rani.
It's easy to write off the Sarah Jane Adventures as a childish fantasy spin off - but thanks to some smart writing, there's plenty to admire here. Writers have taken the everyday and put a slightly nightmarish tinge on it - for example one adventure sees the gang menaced by a clown scary enough to rival Stephen King's IT. But there's also an adult vein to the writing as Sarah Jane faces her own past and the chance to right some wrongs - the Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (series 2) and Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (Series 1) show some of the best and most mature writing in children's TV these days.
Extras: A clutch of special features on both sets - including interviews with Elisabeth Sladen, trailers, behind the scenes visits and many others make these sets good fun.

Rating: 7/10

Jennifer's Body: DVD Review

Jennifer's Body: DVD Review

Jennifer's Body
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
You would have thought that the combination of Megan Fox and a script from Diablo Cody, the genius who wrote Juno would be a sure fire winner.
Jennifer's Body sees Megan Fox as Jennifer a high school girl who's BFFs with Amanda Seyfried's Needy - they're yin and yang to each other. Needy's the dowdy one and Jennifer's the one who garners all the high school lads' attention.
One day, attending a concert at a local tavern, the pair narrowly escape an inferno which kills plenty of the local population.
But Jennifer returns from the night a different person - and with an insatiable appetite for seducing and boys&.in more ways than one. Needy gradually begins to realize that she needs to be stopped before it's too late.
Jennifer's Body is a strange film. It pitches somewhere between smart quippy dialogue with Cody's trademark use of hipster slang and B grade horror. Plus the camera lingers on every inch of Megan Fox's body - which will score points with certain sectors of the core teen boy audience.
But it's a slightly off key mix - and the end result feels more like a B grade horror which tries a little bit too often to be serious. It could have been a slightly more vicious satire on the high school life but doesn't quite add up. The frenemies plot works well and Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox gel together as BFFs.
Chalk this one up to a great idea and central premise which failed to live up to its potential.
Extras: 2 versions of the film - the theatrical and extended version sees an extra 5 minutes added in. Plus deleted scenes and a gag reel round off the package.

Rating: 5/10

Looking For Eric: DVD Review

Looking For Eric: DVD Review

Looking For Eric

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

Looking for Eric sees the king of gritty drama making a comedy/ fantasy of sorts.

Ken Loach brings the philosophical genius(cough) of Eric Cantona to a postman whose live has gone down the gurgler since his family fell apart.

Eric, this Man United obsessed postman (played with world weary aplomb by Steve Evets) finds solace in weed and chats with the legendary Eric Cantona as he tries to get his life back on track and tries to bring the family back together.

For the most part, it works - but then director Loach, formerly the king of miserable realises he may have lightened up too much - and halfway through, a big slab of unhappiness is thrown into the mix.

The film violently switches from fantasy drama to kitchen sink melodrama mixed in with gun culture.

And it's this move which endangers the film by making it feel like two flicks tacked together - even Cantona (imaginary or otherwise) disappears when the reality hits.

It's an odd mix but Looking For Eric is strangely rewarding.

Rating: 6/10 

New Moon: DVD Review

New Moon: DVD Review

New Moon

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Pictures

The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens with a shot of a full moon and ends with Bella taking a breath - and, in between for the fans of the saga, there's everything they could want. But for those who are probably not 100% bona fide Team Edward/ Team Jacob, there could be a lot of eye rolling and wondering what on earth the continuing obsession is about.

The story takes up where Twilight left off - with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (R Patz) deeply in love and on the eve of Bella's 18th birthday. Despite her protestations, the Cullens throw Bella a birthday party - but a paper cut sees Bella shed some blood, which sees Edward's brother Jasper try to take her life.

As Edward ends up hurting Bella while trying to protect her, he decides it's safer for him to be out of her life - for good.

Destroyed by the rejection of her first love, Bella falls apart - enter Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who plugs the hole in her heart (despite hiding a secret about himself) with companionship and sworn oaths of fidelity.

But Bella finds he's not enough and when she discovers that thrill seeking and becoming an adrenaline junkie allows Edward to appear to her, Bella chooses to live life on the edge to be with her one true love.

Danger for Bella is just around the corner though - with vampire Victoria out for revenge after the death of her mate (whom the Cullens despatched in the first Twilight) and hot on Bella's trail. A series of miscommunications leads Edward to believe Bella's dead and forces him to sacrifice himself at the hands of the vampire clan, The Volturi (a la Romeo and Juliet.)

Can Bella save Edward in time? And more importantly, will she sacrifice her burgeoning relationship with Jacob for the star crossed love of her life?

Some films are review proof - and the latest in the Twilight franchise is one of those. It soared at the box office and continues to soar on DVD and Blu Ray.
Sure, I could spend time telling you how there's a gratuitous excess of abs on slow-mo show here (both with Jacob and Edward) - but that's what the fans want to see (certainly judging by the lusty cat calls and wolf whistles at the NZ premiere); I could reveal there's some horrendously corny teen love lines - such as Edward's "You gave me everything just by breathing" to Bella, but the swoons of any audience watching this suggest to me that that's just pandering to the fans - and I could tell you that parts of the film play like music videos as the soundtrack swells over aching teens caught up in their relationship and during the Wolf Pack chasing Victoria the vampire - but again, that's what the diehard fans of the franchise want.

With the third film almost here, it's a welcome burst for fans of the saga; everyone else may wonder what the fuss is all about - and some may claim New Moon with its bustling buff bodies and lustful tones as a guilty pleasure.

Extras: A sneak peek at Eclipse among a wealth of other goodies for fans of the Stephenie Meyer series.

Rating: 7/10

Nine: DVD Review

Nine: DVD Review

Nine
Rating: M
Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Daniel Day Lewis stars as Italian film director Guido Contini, the maestro of cinema Italiano, who's under pressure to create his ninth film. Contini's revered in Italy (despite a string of recent flops - a running gag in the film) but is struggling to come up with a script for his ninth outing on the big screen.

But despite seeking inspiration from the women in his life - a prostitute from youth (Fergie), his mistress Carla (a fiery sparky Penelope Cruz), his wife Luisa (an ever dependable Marion Cotillard), his mother (Sophia Loren) and his muse (Nicole Kidman), he's got nothing.

With the studio on his back, sets being built and time running out, Guido's got nowhere to hide - can he get his magic back?

Nine is a sexy, spectacularly lavish affair - with its women giving their all both vocally and physically on the screen, it seemed destined not to fail. And yet, somehow, it manages to do so.

Despite a stunning ensemble cast, beautiful Italian scenery and some lavish musical numbers, it somehow manages to miss the emotional mark.

It's more about style over substance - but in some moments - and thanks to a feisty Penelope Cruz, you may well forget the lack of substance and just appreciate what's on the screen.

Extras: 8 Featurettes, commentary with Rob Marshall and 3 music videos - exclusive to Blu Ray there's a Screen actors guild Q &A with the cast.

Rating: 6/10

Get Him To The Greek: Movie Review

Get Him To The Greek: Movie Review

Get Him To The Greek
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs, Elisabeth Moss
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Jonah Hill stars as record company employee Aaron Green.
Looking for a boost for his career, Green suggests to his boss Sergio (Combs) that they get Aldous Snow (Russell Brand in a surprisingly good turn) to perform a tenth anniversary live concert.
Snow's fallen on hard times - split from his wife Jackie Q (the lovely Rose Byrne of Damages fame ) and with his last record African Child panned, he's up for one last blast. (You may also remember his hard rockin' ways from his appearance in the awkward comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall.)
So Green's sent to London to get Snow to the Greek theatre on time for the gig - but along the way, Green finds his every attempt thwarted by the self destructive rocker.
Coupled with the fact Green's med intern girlfriend Daphne is about to move to Seattle, he's on the verge of a breakdown as he tries his best to please everyone.
This one gets chalked upto guilty pleasure. With its crass and boorish moments, as well as some awkward comedy situations, there's some real hilarity within Get Him To The Greek.
Russell Brand is a revelation as Aldous Snow in this - his shambolic hard rocking on-screen persona seems to be perfectly married to the off screen bad boy who caused so much outrage and furore in the UK. He's also spot on in the parodying of certain rock stars who champion causes without really having a clue - granted that may not be original in some ways, but Brand sends it up very well. He's also got the petulance of a spoilt child and his traditional bad boy swagger and is perfect for Snow.
And Jonah Hill carries off the role of the put upon assistant very well - he manages to balance the usual geek that he brings to the role with the humanity of a man on the edge - as well as negotiating brilliantly the awkward humour.
There's heaps of cameos from people within the music industry as well which will have eagle eyed music lovers drooling.
But it's the script which sizzles (written by director Stoller and Jason Segal) with hilarious unexpected one liners and (some immature) moments which catch you completely off guard and will leave you laughing.
Although it does sag a little towards the end and you can see what's coming, that doesn't detract too much from the general feeling you get walking out after it's done.

Get Him To The Greek won't be to everyone's tastes to be honest - but for a fun night out with the lads, it's the perfect film.