Splice: Blu Ray Review

Splice: Blu Ray Review

Splice

Rating: R16
Released by Madman

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley team up in this flick about two scientists who splice human and animal DNA together.

But despite a lack of morals and ethics at the start as they're caught up in the heady excitement of the experiment,the pair are quickly divided when the resulting creature is born.

Polley's Elsa wants to keep the female creature but Brody's Clive, despite wanting to be a dad, wants shot of it.

There's little really of the legal and ethical debate but it becomes quite a curious mix of horror and unsettling incest toward the end-but thanks to a sensitive performance from Delphine Chaneac as the creature (who's a mix of Gizmo and the bald chick from Star Trek 1) it's really quite an impressive piece of film and not a bad entrant into the mad scientist/ abhorrent experiment genre.

Sure there's the icky moments and the slightly disturbing moments, but this is sensibly put together scifi horror which is watchable - even if occasionally that is from behind the sofa.

Extras: Interview with director; featurette, behind the scenes and trailer - nothing outstanding but nothing too disappointing either.

Rating: 7/10

Triangle: DVD Review

Triangle: DVD Review

Triangle
Rating: M
Released by Warner Bros
A mindbender, riangle is the tale of Melissa George's Jess who one day goes sailing with 5 friends.
Out on the water, they end up capsized when a storm passes by.
From out of nowhere, a ship appears and the remaining survivors jump up on it-finding it deserted, they try to see who's onboard and how they can get home-but soon, one by one, they're dying.
All except Jess...
Triangle is a superior piece of film; it draws out the tension by leaving it for quite a while before the horrors begin to unfurl.
But if you're expecting horror on the boat of the nutter on the loose kind, you're on the wrong track as director/writer Chris Smith throws in a time travel plot as well.
It's really smart, suspenseful stuff and holds you right until the very end. Sure you may guess some of the tricks(if you've seen the marvellous TimeCrimes)but the pieces don't fall into place until the very end.
Mindblowing and head-scratching, this needs your love and time.
Extras: Making of doco, story boards, look at the special effects for the storm, deleted scenes and audio commentary with the director - a decent bunch for a good film.
Rating: 8/10

The Simpsons S13: DVD Review

The Simpsons S13: DVD Review

The Simpsons: Season 13

Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
With the beaming face of simpleton Ralph Wiggum on the front, the latest Simpsons release hits the shelves.

With some 22 odd episodes and a raft of features - including a lovely little collection of Ralphisms, this set is a welcome addition to any fan of the show - or any casual viewer who wants to appreciate the genius of the writing.

Sure, after 13 years, there's some creaks here and there - but the misses are outweighed by the hits and the cameos keep coming. Included on this set are REM, Pierce Brosnan in a great Halloween cameo, Paul Newman, Julia Louis Dreyfus - to name but a few.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this release - it's just after 13 releases, you'd kind of hope the creators would do something a little different with the format as it's feeling a little tired. Don't get me wrong, that's not a criticism of the quality merely that there's nothing overly new in the format of these releases.

That said, it's still money well spent.

Rating: 7/10

Love And Other Drugs: Movie Review

Love And Other Drugs: Movie Review

Love And Other Drugs
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt
Director: Ed Zwick
It's back to the heady mid 90s with this new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.
Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a man who has the gift of the gab. This guy can sell you anything with his charm - as well as himself to the ladies. After being kicked out of his latest job, Randall (a med school drop out) decides to enter the world of pharmaceutical drugs sales with a company called Pfizer.
So Randall applies his talents to selling the drugs and staking out the doctors to encourage them to sell their brand of anti depressant rather than Prozac. Throw in Viagra into the mix too and Randall's in heaven.
And that's where Randall meets Maggie (a brown doe eyed Anne Hathaway) who's at the doctor's to get drugs for her stage one Parkinson's disease. But there's an instant attraction and the pair end up having a one night stand.
Randall falls hard for Maggie - but the road to romance is always tough - particularly if both sides have their own problems and demons to battle.
Love And Other Drugs is an odd sort of film - it starts off with tremendous, lusty gusto with wide-eyed Jake charming the pants (literally)off everything that moves. That bravado and braggadocio are pushed even further when he pairs up with Anne Hathaway and the film heads into a sex comedy (particularly with the addition of Jamie's down on his luck, kicked out by his wife brother played by Jack Black/ Jonah Hill cross Josh Gad) complete with plenty of sex, smut and humour. There are some great, funny moments in this portion of the film - however, there's a slight problem with the film.
Halfway through, there's a complete tonal change and it becomes romantic drama with a good dose of obstacles thrown in for good measure.
That tonal change happens so fast (although, to be fair, it's signposted from early on) that you almost feel like you're watching a completely different film as it heads towards the end.
But, when performances are as compelling as they are from Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway (who have sizzling steamy chemistry), you can almost forgive them anything. The duo has an easy chemistry and a sparky rapport which works well on the big screen. But it's Hathaway who delivers the more naked performance of the two - both physically and emotionally. She has a warmth and is so believable that you can't help falling for her character.
However, those are nearly derailed by some of the staples of romantic drama - the sweeping speeches over piano music threaten to ruin all which has gone before.

Love And Other Drugs is like a pill in many ways - it may offer you dizzying highs but as with any wonder drug, there's side effects afterwards.

Gulliver's Travels: Movie Review

Gulliver's Travels: Movie Review

Gulliver's Travels
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Jack Black, Amanda Peet, Chris O' Dowd, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly. Jason Segal
Director: Rob Letterman
There seems to have been numerous versions of this story - so does the world need another one? And one in 3D?
Jack Black stars as Lemuel Gulliver, a long term mailroom attendant at a New York travel magazine.
He's been there for years, with no real thoughts about promotion or advancement - a geek with a love of Guitar Hero and Star Wars - and a seriously long brewing crush on the travel editor Darcy (Amanda Peet).
One day after deciding to finally act on the crush and ask her out, he chickens out last minute and ends up offering to take on a travel assignment in the Bermuda Triangle.
However, that job finds him stranded in Lilliput - and a towering presence to those who live there.
And not everyone's impressed with Gulliver's arrival - least of all, General Edward (The IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd) who feels threatened by the new face - and plots to get rid of him.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about Gulliver's Travels - firstly, the 3D adds nothing to the film (aside from the opening titles which are so cutely done, rendering a miniature world to life as they do) and secondly the plot is entirely predictable.
Sure, the story's been told many times before - and this one at times, appears to have its tongue firmly in its cheek with some of the acting. But it didn't feel to me like those involved in it really knew 100% what they wanted it to be - either a parody or satire or outright comedy.
Jack Black plays another variation on himself as the lovable schlub, who this time is "never going to be big" - and even busts out his dance moves at the end (which we've all seen before); the rest of the ensemble cast are fine - and Chris O'Dowd stands out from them with his predominantly lead role as the buffoonish bad guy.
However, there's a bit of charm thrown in here and there - and it may keep the very young end of the family amused.

Just one final thing - it's worth getting there early to make sure you don't miss the extremely hilarious new outing from Scrat The Ice Age critter who's always worried about his nut. It's head and shoulders above Gulliver for humour and packs more in in 4 minutes than the actual film itself.

The Kids Are All Right: Movie Review

The Kids Are All Right: Movie Review

The Kids Are All Right
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Beloved of the festival scene, The Kids Are All Right finally arrives in New Zealand cinemas.
It's the tale of a pair of siblings Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) who, despite living with their two moms Nic and Jules (Bening and Moore), decide they want to know who their father is.
On Joni's 18th birthday, Laser persuades her to contact the sperm bank to find their dad - and that's how they end up meeting the laid back and non committal Paul (a superb turn by Mark Ruffalo).
However, the uptight Nic's none too impressed with Paul and despite attempts to get to know him, she appears threatened by the whole situation. Matters - and tensions - get worse when Jules starts spending time with Paul...
The Kids Are All Right is going to be one of those films which is acclaimed by some but others may be at a loss to see what its appeal is.
But it's great performances from all involved which mean it's to be enjoyed in the cinema - there's a very real tenderness between Nic and Jules (despite their fighting and snippiness) and it's well portrayed by a spiky Annette Bening and a passive Julianne Moore.
However, it's Mark Ruffalo who truly impresses in this - as he negotiates the wedge driven between the two moms with a carefree attitude and an inappropriate smirk here and there. It's really one of the best performances I've seen from him - and yet another reason why he's one of Hollywood's most underappreciated talents.

The Kids Are All Right is quirky, a bit indie and very funny in places - director Cholodenko never sends the screen play into melodrama and keeps it all on the level.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest: Movie Review

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest: Movie Review

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist
Director: Daniel Alfredson
So, the final part of the Millennium Trilogy arrives on the big screen.
In the third film based on Stieg Larsson's books, the action takes up just moments after the close of the second film. Lisbeth Salander is being choppered to hospital, shot repeatedly and on the brink of death after tracking down her father Alexander Zalachenko and exacting her revenge.
Facing charges of attempted murder, Salander is trapped - with the police wanting to hurry her trial along and with the shadowy cabal The Section determined to get rid of her before their existence becomes known, her prospects don't look good.
But as ever, her faithful friend and journalist of the Millennium magazine Mikael Blomkvist (the ever stoic faced Nyqvist) is determined to clear her name.
However, his quest for justice this time could come at a very high personal cost as those planning the conspiracy are getting closer to achieving their aims....
I'll freely admit that I've never been blown away by these films - sure, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a good watch but the sequel The Girl Who Played With Fire was a bit of a disappointment with its penchant for car chases.
However, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest is a triumphant end to the trilogy - and while some will be put off by the lack of action, the tension in this one is nail biting.

Sure, with most of it taking place in drab corridors, inside a hospital or a courtroom, there's a lot more expected of the actors - and the main duo Rapace and Nyqvist deliver in spades.
Their performances this time around are not showy - they're subtle, layered and peppered with looks and glances which tell you everything you need to know about the characters. Both throw in extremely watchable turns - with Nyqvist making his Blomkvist doggedly determined to clear his friend's name and Rapace saying so much by physically saying so little. It's credit to this pair - who once again, unfortunately spend so much time apart (as the story dictates) that you care so much how it ends.
Yet, it's the story which is more of the star this time (one character even remarks "It's like a classic Greek tragedy") as the various threads are drawn together in the web of decades old conspiracy, the drama is tautly pulled together; so much so that at the devastating end in the courtroom, the restrained directing and story telling works so much better because of it.

The best moment of this film though is the final scene - beautifully poignantly played and not at all what you'd expect given the journey these two share, it is a wonderful testament to the end of the trilogy - and one can only hope that the forthcoming Hollywood remake doesn't abandon it for something much more showy and crowd pleasing.