Solitary Man: DVD Review

Solitary Man: DVD Review

Solitary Man
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
Michael Douglas once again reprises his rogueish cad act for his part as Ben Kalman, a New Yorker who's had it all - and blown it.
Once a car dealership owner, this ladies man has destroyed his life through bad choices - but appears to be in the throes of pulling it back again.
He's now with Jordan (Mary Louise Parker) and using her connections in the car world to help get himself back on his feet.
And Ben's also agreed to try and help Jordan's daughter get back into his former Uni - by taking her to the interview.
However, a leopard can never change his spots and after a night of guilty pleasure, Ben's about to lose it all again.
Solitary Man is an average sort of film - it gets by on the fact that Douglas rolls out his well worn schtick as that caddish charmer (which we're likely to see again in Wall Street 2) and some solid performances from the supporting cast (Susan Sarandon, Jesse Eisenberg, Danny DeVito).
But overall, it's a little plodding and hard to root for a guy who keeps screwing it up - even when it's played so well by Douglas.
Extras: None

Rating: 5/10

Alice In Wonderland: Blu Ray Review

Alice In Wonderland: Blu Ray Review

Alice In Wonderland

Rating: PG
Released by Disney DVD

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton reteam once again - this time it's for an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland.

Mia Wasikowska is 19 year old Alice, a girl who's facing the possibility of being married off to a man she doesn't love and on the verge of enduring a life she really doesn't want.

As she runs off to consider the proposal, she falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in Wonderland.

However, on her entrance to Wonderland, she finds she has a destiny to fulfill - she must free the land from the tyranny of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham-Carter) and restore happiness to the land she visited as a child in her dreams.

But with the Red Queen on the war path, and the evil Jabberwocky to be unleashed, Alice is facing a whole heap of trouble.
Burton's created a nightmarish version of Wonderland - full of odd colours and architecture which seems perfectly in tune with his vision; there's some great images - such as Alice negotiating a raft of heads the Red Queen's had cut off and cast in the moat around her castle. It seems as if technology's finally got to give Burton the chance to create the vision he's always hinted at in previous films - and he's relished the opportunity to create a memorable Wonderland.

Ultimately, this Alice In Wonderland is an insight into Burton's mind - it's zany and visually crazy in parts; however, due to a bit of a lack of an emotional connection, it's a little bit sprawling at times and doesn't quite live upto its initial promise.

Extras: The Mad Hatter, Finding Alice and Effecting Wonderland - all behind the scenes docos

Rating: 6/10

Daybreakers: Blu Ray Review

Daybreakers: Blu Ray Review

Daybreakers

Rating: R16
Released by Sony Home Pictures

This latest entry into the vampire genre is set in 2019 and sees the world swept with the vampire pandemic. With pretty much everyone overtaken by the desire and necessity to consume blood, real stocks of the red stuff are in short supply.

Enter Ethan Hawke's Edward Dalton, a haematologist working for Sam Neill's Charles Bromley. Bromley owns a human farm which is keeping the vamp population in blood - but it's running low and Dalton's desperately trying to find a substitute for human blood.

However, when Dalton literally runs into one of the last surviving groups of humans, he finds out from Willem Dafoe's Elvis that there is a cure for vampirism and one which could free them all from their misery.

Daybreakers is an intriguing entry into the vampire genre with a solid central premise - the idea of vampirism being a condition which is parasitic and debilitating was explored in the brilliant Let The Right One In. So in terms of bringing something new to the table, Daybreakers doesn't quite make it on that front - but what it does manage to do with its pale sharp colours is create a Blade Runneresque world with a tinge of Nightwatch about it.

A minor misfire, Daybreakers has missed opportunity written over it - and while the teen audience will love the gore element of it, some will feel with a little more love, this could have been the start of an intriguing new franchise.

Extras: Trailer, commentary, poster gallery - nothing earth shattering

Rating: 5/10

Crazy Heart: DVD Review

Crazy Heart: DVD Review

Crazy Heart

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

It was the film which saw Jeff Bridges finally take home a gold statuette - and man, what a performance he gives.

Bridges is Bad Blake, a 57 year old washed up, living the twilight of his life country singer playing bowling alleys and bars in deserted American villages. But Blake's loved - while his fans appear to be in the final years of their lives, wherever he goes he gets a rapturous reception - as well as some very pleased to see him groupies.

Blake is the archetypal bad boy of the country scene - battling alcoholism, refusing to write new material and a little envious of the success of his protégé Tommy Sweet (a pony tailed Farrell), he's clearly in need of redemption.

That salvation comes in the form of Jean (Gyllenhaal) who turns up one day asking for an interview - however, a burgeoning relationship blossoms - has Bad finally found what he needs to turn his life around?

It's not a new story in many ways - it's the same thing the screen's seen many times before. However, what elevates Crazy Heart is Jeff Bridges. His grizzled, weary rocker is so well played, you'll forgive the script for its at times unoriginal route.

Coupled with some great music, this toe tapping tale of redemption is perfect for the wintertime blues.

Extras: Disappointing - only deleted scenes. Would have been great to have had something a little more for a film which gave Bridges the recognition he's long been owed.

Rating: 8/10 

Dr Who: Myths and Legends: DVD Review

Dr Who: Myths and Legends: DVD Review

Dr Who - Myths and Legends

Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment

Three classic 1970s Who tales from two different doctors find themselves bundled in one package with the slightest tie in.

The trio of releases this month deals with the Myths and Legends aspects of the show - for a sci fi show, Who was never ashamed to adapt some of the greatest legends to fit in with its central premise.

Starring Jon Pertwee as the third Doctor, The Time Monster ropes in Atlantis as the Doc deals with yet another threat from his nemesis The Master; with Tom Baker's fourth Doctor, we get a retelling of the Minotaur tale in the ham infested Horns of Nimon and a trip to the Underworld in erm, Underworld.

There's nothing inherently wrong with these stories - Baker's efforts are not the best acted and Horns of Nimon veers dangerously close to pantomime at times thanks to some of the OTT performances from all involved. But they don't represent the best of what the show had to offer - and with classic releases nearing the end of the range, it's inevitable there would be some which don't live upto the mark.

However - the same can't be said for the extras on the set which are once again excellent. The centre piece is a documentary about the close relationship between Dr Who and kids show Blue Peter in which the linking of the series is closely examined. It's a great device and a doco which has been a long time coming. Coupled with commentaries from some of the main actors in this triumvirate of stories and the ever informative Production information subtitles which light up the screen, these three extras (of a wealth of many) bring the release out of the mire.

Rating: 6/10 

Gentlemen Broncos: DVD Review

Gentlemen Broncos: DVD Review

Gentlemen Broncos

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

So the director of Napoleon Dynamite returns with this film.

Set in mid town America, Michael Angarano stars as aspiring sci fi teen author, Benjamin Purvis, home schooled and naïve in the ways of the world. Sent to a writers' camp, Purvis meets his hero, esteemed sci fi author Ronald Chevalier (FOTC's Jemaine Clement) and enters his manuscript (the terribly titled Yeast Lords) into a competition to win a deal.

However, Chevalier is struggling to find inspiration for his next book - and so, inspired by Purvis' Yeast Lords, he promptly plaigarises the whole thing.

But at the same time, Benjamin's sold the story to some local (terrible) film-makers and when their movie comes out, a creative showdown's on the way.
Gentlemen Broncos goes for quirky and ends up with severely irritating - it's only thanks to the performances of Jemaine Clement and Sam Rockwell that I carried on to the bitter end of this. I can see what the writer and director were trying for but the whole puerile tone stops it ever getting off the ground.

Extras: Deleted scenes, outtakes and doco behind the scenes

Rating: 3/10 

Gallants: Movie Review

Gallants: Movie Review

Gallants
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Teddy Robin Kwan, Wong You Nam
Director: Derek Kwok Chi-Kin, Clement Cheng Sze-Kit
Wong You Nam stars as loser Cheung in this chop socky old school kung fu martial arts film which is part of the Hong Kong Film Festival.
Cheung is a dweeby kind of guy - the kind who would practice kung fu when younger but would still get beaten up - and has been beaten up both physically and metaphorically in his life ever since.
Cheung's sent to the backwaters by his bosses to help with real estate deals and get the land ready for redevelopment - however, he ends up being bullied and befriends those who run the Master Law teahouse which is in the bad guys' sights.
So, it becomes about regaining honour and nobility as Cheung ends up taking part in a martial arts tournament&will he be able to save the day?

Gallants has an old school feel to it - which isn't a negative thing at all; it simply feels like a nod to the past and with the zero to hero angle, it's quite a welcome piece of comic fun.

There's some great fight scenes which feel like they're from a computer game but updated with freeze frames and slow mo - and there's a frenetic energy to the editing which seems the film jump from place to place in its plot with ease - and thanks to some of the comic acting, it feels nostalgic rather than mocking.