Avatar: Collector's Edition: Blu Ray Review
Avatar - Collector's Edition
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment
One year after it hit the cinemas and shook the box
office of all its cash, and on the heels of its own DVD release, comes this
collector's extended edition of Avatar.
James
Cameron's film's already been critiqued by many as the amazing effects/ shoddy
plot so what's the point of this release?
Well,
with an extended opening plus extra footage within the film, it serves to extend
and enrich the visit to Pandora - with three versions of the film making up one
disc and the other two devoted to extras (including docos and deleted scenes),
there's certainly much to enjoy on the set (even if you're not blown away by the
story of the film).
Avatar's collector's edition
is essential viewing as it really does go a long way to build the experience of
what went into the cinematic phenomenon - and with two other films on the way,
it's clearly only just the beginning. Sure, it's not the most perfect film ever,
but for spectacle (and in clear HD) it really is impressive.
Rating: 7/10
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Monday, 13 December 2010
Knight and Day: Blu Ray Review
Knight and Day: Blu Ray Review
Knight and Day -
Released by Roadshow
Rating: M
It's rare these days to get a seasonal blockbuster film which takes a fresh look at the tired action genre.
Knight And Day is that film - Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reteam in this action comedy. Diaz is a ditzyish June Havens who's on the way to her sister's for wedding duties; while at the airport, she literally bumps into Tom Cruise's enigmatic, beaming and slightly cocky Roy Miller.
There's an instant attraction and spark between them - and soon June finds she's on the same flight as Roy as the plane takes off.
But then things get a bit weird. As June freshens up in the bathroom, Miller becomes an action hero and despatches all of those on the plane who're trying to kill him.
After the plane's set down, Miller explains to June that the FBI (in the form of Peter Sarsgaard) will come looking for her and she's not to trust anyone.
So, June finds herself thrust into Miller's world and sent on a globetrotting quest&.in more ways than she could have expected.
Part of the joy of Knight and Day is how the plot unfolds (hence very little spoilers here) because it doesn't conform initially to your expectations. The mystery remains well until half way through the film - Mangold and the writers seem to have subverted the expectations of the traditional winter time blockbuster - while there's an action sequence at the start on the plane, a lot of it's broken up by the quick dialogue and interaction between the beaming Cruise and wide grin Diaz.
It's their sparky relationship which powers the majority of the film (although it lapses into a few stock action scenes later on) and peppered with some great one liners and funny moments, it makes for an entertaining mix and a refreshing piece of cinema.
Once the full extent of the plot is revealed, there is a bit of a lull, but thanks to good solid supporting performances of Paul Dano as a boy genius and Peter Sarsgaard as an FBI agent, it's no drag to get to the end.
Knight and Day is a welcome entrant into the sometimes tired comedy action thriller genre - and a welcome distraction from the school holiday movie fodder.
Extras: The release comes in a specially extended cut and includes featurettes, music videos and the viral videos which were shot for the film. A solid if unspectacular bunch for the film.
Rating: 7/10
Knight and Day -
Released by Roadshow
Rating: M
It's rare these days to get a seasonal blockbuster film which takes a fresh look at the tired action genre.
Knight And Day is that film - Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reteam in this action comedy. Diaz is a ditzyish June Havens who's on the way to her sister's for wedding duties; while at the airport, she literally bumps into Tom Cruise's enigmatic, beaming and slightly cocky Roy Miller.
There's an instant attraction and spark between them - and soon June finds she's on the same flight as Roy as the plane takes off.
But then things get a bit weird. As June freshens up in the bathroom, Miller becomes an action hero and despatches all of those on the plane who're trying to kill him.
After the plane's set down, Miller explains to June that the FBI (in the form of Peter Sarsgaard) will come looking for her and she's not to trust anyone.
So, June finds herself thrust into Miller's world and sent on a globetrotting quest&.in more ways than she could have expected.
Part of the joy of Knight and Day is how the plot unfolds (hence very little spoilers here) because it doesn't conform initially to your expectations. The mystery remains well until half way through the film - Mangold and the writers seem to have subverted the expectations of the traditional winter time blockbuster - while there's an action sequence at the start on the plane, a lot of it's broken up by the quick dialogue and interaction between the beaming Cruise and wide grin Diaz.
It's their sparky relationship which powers the majority of the film (although it lapses into a few stock action scenes later on) and peppered with some great one liners and funny moments, it makes for an entertaining mix and a refreshing piece of cinema.
Once the full extent of the plot is revealed, there is a bit of a lull, but thanks to good solid supporting performances of Paul Dano as a boy genius and Peter Sarsgaard as an FBI agent, it's no drag to get to the end.
Knight and Day is a welcome entrant into the sometimes tired comedy action thriller genre - and a welcome distraction from the school holiday movie fodder.
Extras: The release comes in a specially extended cut and includes featurettes, music videos and the viral videos which were shot for the film. A solid if unspectacular bunch for the film.
Rating: 7/10
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Megamind: Movie Review
Megamind: Movie Review
.Megamind
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jonah Hill
Director: Tom McGrath
So with the endless, long summer holidays just around the corner, there's a push to keep the kids entertained.
Enter the latest animated outing, this time from Dreamworks and starring Will Ferrell in Megamind.
Ferrell is big blue headed supervillain Megamind, a kind of cross between the Mars Attacks creatures and the Mekon. Dispatched from his dying planet by his parents, he begins a rivalry with Metroman (voiced by Brad Pitt), who was also sent from a dying world by family.
But unlike Metroman who landed in an estate with well to do parents, Megamind crashed into the penitentiary and was brought up as a villain.
After years of rivalry "where Metroman would win some battles, but I (Megamind) would almost win others," Megamind finally gains the upper hand and kills Metroman off.
However, after the initial thrill of dispatching his lifelong rival, ole Bluey realizes that his life is quite empty without someone to thwart his dastardly plans - and so conceives to give superpowers to a regular schlub to give him purpose in life.
Those powers go accidentally to Hal (played by Jonah Hill) who's in love with reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey). But when Hal's rejected, the world has a new villain to fight&.and it's upto Megamind to save the day.
Thematically similar in many ways to this year's Despicable Me, Megamind is still good quality family fare with a spark of originality about it.
But it takes a little while to settle in - the initial 3D with things being thrown in the air is lazy and unoriginal (and seems to be only there to showcase the fact the film is in 3D).
Once the film's settled down, there's much to enjoy though - with unexpected humour and great one liners through out (some of which will require a second viewing to really pick up on.)
There's also plenty of riffing on the Superman myth; right from the opening sequence to Megamind becoming a Brandoesque mentor to Hal when he gives him new powers. There's also some great visual gags peppering the film throughout - the best of which is an Obama inspired poster which amuses greatly.
While Ferrell brings his patented lunatic schtick and absurd banter to the role and the rest of the cast do well, yet it's Arrested Development's David Cross who really shines in this.
As Megamind's minion, a sort of fish in a goldfish bowl atop a robot, Cross is just brilliant with some of the best lines.
It's inevitable there'll be a sequel to this given how well it's already done in the states and to be honest, you can't do worse than this family entertainment piece to kill off a little time during the Christmas holidays.
.Megamind
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jonah Hill
Director: Tom McGrath
So with the endless, long summer holidays just around the corner, there's a push to keep the kids entertained.
Enter the latest animated outing, this time from Dreamworks and starring Will Ferrell in Megamind.
Ferrell is big blue headed supervillain Megamind, a kind of cross between the Mars Attacks creatures and the Mekon. Dispatched from his dying planet by his parents, he begins a rivalry with Metroman (voiced by Brad Pitt), who was also sent from a dying world by family.
But unlike Metroman who landed in an estate with well to do parents, Megamind crashed into the penitentiary and was brought up as a villain.
After years of rivalry "where Metroman would win some battles, but I (Megamind) would almost win others," Megamind finally gains the upper hand and kills Metroman off.
However, after the initial thrill of dispatching his lifelong rival, ole Bluey realizes that his life is quite empty without someone to thwart his dastardly plans - and so conceives to give superpowers to a regular schlub to give him purpose in life.
Those powers go accidentally to Hal (played by Jonah Hill) who's in love with reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey). But when Hal's rejected, the world has a new villain to fight&.and it's upto Megamind to save the day.
Thematically similar in many ways to this year's Despicable Me, Megamind is still good quality family fare with a spark of originality about it.
But it takes a little while to settle in - the initial 3D with things being thrown in the air is lazy and unoriginal (and seems to be only there to showcase the fact the film is in 3D).
Once the film's settled down, there's much to enjoy though - with unexpected humour and great one liners through out (some of which will require a second viewing to really pick up on.)
There's also plenty of riffing on the Superman myth; right from the opening sequence to Megamind becoming a Brandoesque mentor to Hal when he gives him new powers. There's also some great visual gags peppering the film throughout - the best of which is an Obama inspired poster which amuses greatly.
While Ferrell brings his patented lunatic schtick and absurd banter to the role and the rest of the cast do well, yet it's Arrested Development's David Cross who really shines in this.
As Megamind's minion, a sort of fish in a goldfish bowl atop a robot, Cross is just brilliant with some of the best lines.
It's inevitable there'll be a sequel to this given how well it's already done in the states and to be honest, you can't do worse than this family entertainment piece to kill off a little time during the Christmas holidays.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader; Movie Review
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader; Movie Review
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter
Director: Michael Apted
In this latest Narnia film, which has taken a while to arrive on the big screen following Disney's decision to leave the franchise behind, it's back to the land of Narnia for the Pevensie siblings, Edmund and Lucy (Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley).
Via a portrait of a ship on the sea, the duo - along with pesky cousin Eustace (Son of Rambow's Will Poulter) - are pulled back into the world and straight onto the ship, the Dawn Treader - and its quest.
Under the helmship of King Caspian (Ben Barnes), the gang are trying to locate the seven Lords and their seven swords to try and banish evil from Narnia.
But as all of them fall deeper into the quest, their faith and resolve are tested by the dark forces at play in Narnia.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a film which feels like it's from another time in many ways.
It's a very traditional family piece which will appeal to the younger end of the market - and certainly the kids in the audience with whom I saw the film were entranced by certain parts and the antics of animated, swash buckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Simon Pegg) as well as by Will Poulter's terribly annoying Eustace.
There's swashbuckling aplenty at any given moment in this - any excuse to take out swords and have a bit of a fight; unfortunately that leads to the film feeling a tad repetitive throughout as it negotiates "the fight, get captured, escape plot" running through.
Complete with comments such as "Evil has the upper hand", the film misfires a little and doesn't fully engage a wider audience. The kids do a reasonable job of giving their characters some life - and the majority of the laughs go to stuck up Eustace and Reepicheep, but there's little to keep the older section of the audience feeling like they're watching something new here.
That said, there are some pretty impressive effects; the scene where the water comes gushing out of the picture and brings the kids back to Narnia is well done - and the evil green mist floating around adds a layer of much needed menace.
Sure, there's messages in there about faith, being true to yourself and dealing with temptations (which some will understand more than others) but the unspectacular Voyage of the Dawn Treader treads dangerously into the territory of Voyage of the Yawn Treader.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter
Director: Michael Apted
In this latest Narnia film, which has taken a while to arrive on the big screen following Disney's decision to leave the franchise behind, it's back to the land of Narnia for the Pevensie siblings, Edmund and Lucy (Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley).
Via a portrait of a ship on the sea, the duo - along with pesky cousin Eustace (Son of Rambow's Will Poulter) - are pulled back into the world and straight onto the ship, the Dawn Treader - and its quest.
Under the helmship of King Caspian (Ben Barnes), the gang are trying to locate the seven Lords and their seven swords to try and banish evil from Narnia.
But as all of them fall deeper into the quest, their faith and resolve are tested by the dark forces at play in Narnia.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a film which feels like it's from another time in many ways.
It's a very traditional family piece which will appeal to the younger end of the market - and certainly the kids in the audience with whom I saw the film were entranced by certain parts and the antics of animated, swash buckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Simon Pegg) as well as by Will Poulter's terribly annoying Eustace.
There's swashbuckling aplenty at any given moment in this - any excuse to take out swords and have a bit of a fight; unfortunately that leads to the film feeling a tad repetitive throughout as it negotiates "the fight, get captured, escape plot" running through.
Complete with comments such as "Evil has the upper hand", the film misfires a little and doesn't fully engage a wider audience. The kids do a reasonable job of giving their characters some life - and the majority of the laughs go to stuck up Eustace and Reepicheep, but there's little to keep the older section of the audience feeling like they're watching something new here.
That said, there are some pretty impressive effects; the scene where the water comes gushing out of the picture and brings the kids back to Narnia is well done - and the evil green mist floating around adds a layer of much needed menace.
Sure, there's messages in there about faith, being true to yourself and dealing with temptations (which some will understand more than others) but the unspectacular Voyage of the Dawn Treader treads dangerously into the territory of Voyage of the Yawn Treader.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale: Movie Review
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale: Movie Review
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Tommi Korpela, Per Christian Ellefsen, Ville Virtanen, Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila
Director: Jalmari Helander
A Finnish fantasy tale, Rare Exports is an odd beast.
It's set in the Finnish Korvatunturi mountains; it's there a series of miners on an archaeological dig believe they've unearthed one of the biggest secrets of the festive season: Santa Claus.
But while the digging goes on, a pack of hunters in a nearby village is beset by strange goings on; their reindeer are slaughtered and children begin to go missing. However, while the hunters are at a loss to what's going on, one child Pietari (Onni Tommila) seems to be fully aware of the danger they face....
Rare Exports is a twisted slice of Christmas fare; from its Gothic opening titles where the horror of a folklore Santa Claus is revealed, it's clear this isn't a tale of "ho, ho, ho" more like "ho, ho, holy heck what was that?"
There's some beautiful scenery though; the white crisp snow and the mountains look absolutely stunning on the screen; and images such as the slaughtered reindeer look at odds with that. However, that's what the director's gone for with this - it subtly pulls the carpet from under you when you least expect it.
There's a slow atmospheric build up to the big reveal about what's hunting the hunters and what the miners have uncovered; but when the jolts come, they're fairly effective and you won't look at Santa again without seeing a ghoulish emaciated figure with a glint of pure evil in its eyes looking back. It's also odd seeing zombie style imagery being associated with the festive season - but it's that kind of film.
Rare Exports is aiming for cult glory and is bound to be embraced by those who love it; it doesn't quite live up to the initial idea despite the dry dark humour on display. It's a slightly odd maqcabre take on the Christmas story - with its dalliances of the potential evil nature of Santas past, it shows a devilish glint in its eye. It's for that very reason some will love it, and others will wonder why they do.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Tommi Korpela, Per Christian Ellefsen, Ville Virtanen, Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila
Director: Jalmari Helander
A Finnish fantasy tale, Rare Exports is an odd beast.
It's set in the Finnish Korvatunturi mountains; it's there a series of miners on an archaeological dig believe they've unearthed one of the biggest secrets of the festive season: Santa Claus.
But while the digging goes on, a pack of hunters in a nearby village is beset by strange goings on; their reindeer are slaughtered and children begin to go missing. However, while the hunters are at a loss to what's going on, one child Pietari (Onni Tommila) seems to be fully aware of the danger they face....
Rare Exports is a twisted slice of Christmas fare; from its Gothic opening titles where the horror of a folklore Santa Claus is revealed, it's clear this isn't a tale of "ho, ho, ho" more like "ho, ho, holy heck what was that?"
There's some beautiful scenery though; the white crisp snow and the mountains look absolutely stunning on the screen; and images such as the slaughtered reindeer look at odds with that. However, that's what the director's gone for with this - it subtly pulls the carpet from under you when you least expect it.
There's a slow atmospheric build up to the big reveal about what's hunting the hunters and what the miners have uncovered; but when the jolts come, they're fairly effective and you won't look at Santa again without seeing a ghoulish emaciated figure with a glint of pure evil in its eyes looking back. It's also odd seeing zombie style imagery being associated with the festive season - but it's that kind of film.
Rare Exports is aiming for cult glory and is bound to be embraced by those who love it; it doesn't quite live up to the initial idea despite the dry dark humour on display. It's a slightly odd maqcabre take on the Christmas story - with its dalliances of the potential evil nature of Santas past, it shows a devilish glint in its eye. It's for that very reason some will love it, and others will wonder why they do.
Easy A : Movie Review
Easy A : Movie Review
Easy A
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell
Director: Will Glack
The teen comedy genre gets a welcome shot with this new film, loosely based on the infamous book The Scarlet Letter.
Emma Stone, so wonderful in Zombieland with The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg, stars as Olive Penderghast, who finds her world changed when she's caught up in a lie.
After avoiding a friend's camping trip for a weekend, Olive's badgered into confessing that she slept with a college guy over that 48 hour period; something which is patently untrue but one which is given life despite her protestations to the contrary.
Within hours, the school campus is full of the rumour that Olive's become a harlot - and so much so, that one gay friend, Brandon, comes to her asking for help to get bullies off his back.
So Olive pretends to sleep with him at a public party and a reputation is cemented.
However, Olive soon finds that this faux harlot life is more of a curse than a blessing - and sets about trying to tell the truth - before everything around her falls apart.
Easy A is a success because of its sharp and funny script - but more importantly because of its star in the making turn by Emma Stone. I'm going to avoid any references or comparisons to other teen redheads who may have fallen off the rails in Hollywood, because I do believe this girl will be around for a long time to come. Self effacing, amusing and incredibly watchable, Stone carries the film and gives a performance which is pitch perfect.
But the script is also the star of this film - it sparkles with deadpan humour and sarcasm (mainly from Olive's liberal parents, brilliantly portrayed by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson) which will see many enjoy it. Throw in some 1980s references to teen films which have preceded this and you have a film which constantly tips a nod to what's gone before it and acknowledges its debt to influential teen genius John Hughes.
Yet this film is clearly Emma Stone's vehicle - she shows she's got a bright future ahead and can deliver wry and sparky material complete with unexpectedly humourous moments in a way which demonstrates she'll be around for a long, long time.
Easy A
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell
Director: Will Glack
The teen comedy genre gets a welcome shot with this new film, loosely based on the infamous book The Scarlet Letter.
Emma Stone, so wonderful in Zombieland with The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg, stars as Olive Penderghast, who finds her world changed when she's caught up in a lie.
After avoiding a friend's camping trip for a weekend, Olive's badgered into confessing that she slept with a college guy over that 48 hour period; something which is patently untrue but one which is given life despite her protestations to the contrary.
Within hours, the school campus is full of the rumour that Olive's become a harlot - and so much so, that one gay friend, Brandon, comes to her asking for help to get bullies off his back.
So Olive pretends to sleep with him at a public party and a reputation is cemented.
However, Olive soon finds that this faux harlot life is more of a curse than a blessing - and sets about trying to tell the truth - before everything around her falls apart.
Easy A is a success because of its sharp and funny script - but more importantly because of its star in the making turn by Emma Stone. I'm going to avoid any references or comparisons to other teen redheads who may have fallen off the rails in Hollywood, because I do believe this girl will be around for a long time to come. Self effacing, amusing and incredibly watchable, Stone carries the film and gives a performance which is pitch perfect.
But the script is also the star of this film - it sparkles with deadpan humour and sarcasm (mainly from Olive's liberal parents, brilliantly portrayed by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson) which will see many enjoy it. Throw in some 1980s references to teen films which have preceded this and you have a film which constantly tips a nod to what's gone before it and acknowledges its debt to influential teen genius John Hughes.
Yet this film is clearly Emma Stone's vehicle - she shows she's got a bright future ahead and can deliver wry and sparky material complete with unexpectedly humourous moments in a way which demonstrates she'll be around for a long, long time.
Friday, 26 November 2010
The American: Movie Review
The American: Movie Review
The American
Rating: 8/10
Cast: George Clooney, Violante Placido
Director: Anton Corbijn
With U2 in town it seems a good time to release a film from the band's visual director of their output. (Although I'm sure that's just a coincidence.)
Oh, and it has swooney George Clooney too.
Clooney stars as Jack, an assassin, who's been ordered to lie low in Italy after his cover in Sweden is blown, resulting in a bloodbath.
While there he befriends an elderly priest, falls for a prostitute Clara (Violante Placido) and takes on one last job.
However, the demons of the past are catching up with him...
The American is deceptive.
With a restrained performance from Clooney, it's hard to root for this assassin as we learn very little about him - many shots are of him constructing a gun or merely going about his day to day business while waiting for the storm to blow over.
But it's a good solid turn from Clooney which sees you sucked in very early on.
The film itself is typical Anton Corbijn; beautifully shot (the Italian locations are stunning and mesmerising), there's little action throughout. Yet it's that hypnotic touch and slow burning pace which sees you gripped - right from the initial opening which delivers a sucker punch to your gut right from the get go.
There's tension as you wait for the inevitable explosion as the mistrust, betrayal and fear spills over - but Corbijn masterfully delays all that and confounds your expectation if you're expecting a film chock full of action and explosion.
And that's why it's such a success; it's a gradually building, well acted and restrained drama which has you in its vice like grip as the final moments play out.
The American
Rating: 8/10
Cast: George Clooney, Violante Placido
Director: Anton Corbijn
With U2 in town it seems a good time to release a film from the band's visual director of their output. (Although I'm sure that's just a coincidence.)
Oh, and it has swooney George Clooney too.
Clooney stars as Jack, an assassin, who's been ordered to lie low in Italy after his cover in Sweden is blown, resulting in a bloodbath.
While there he befriends an elderly priest, falls for a prostitute Clara (Violante Placido) and takes on one last job.
However, the demons of the past are catching up with him...
The American is deceptive.
With a restrained performance from Clooney, it's hard to root for this assassin as we learn very little about him - many shots are of him constructing a gun or merely going about his day to day business while waiting for the storm to blow over.
But it's a good solid turn from Clooney which sees you sucked in very early on.
The film itself is typical Anton Corbijn; beautifully shot (the Italian locations are stunning and mesmerising), there's little action throughout. Yet it's that hypnotic touch and slow burning pace which sees you gripped - right from the initial opening which delivers a sucker punch to your gut right from the get go.
There's tension as you wait for the inevitable explosion as the mistrust, betrayal and fear spills over - but Corbijn masterfully delays all that and confounds your expectation if you're expecting a film chock full of action and explosion.
And that's why it's such a success; it's a gradually building, well acted and restrained drama which has you in its vice like grip as the final moments play out.
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