Inception: DVD Review

Inception: DVD Review

Inception

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

One of the films of 2010, Inception finally arrives on DVD and Blu Ray.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, who works in subconscious security and steals ideas from people's minds while they're sleeping - via a shared consciousness.

He's approached by Ken Watanabe's Saito who wants to bring down a rival company and its head Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) using corporate espionage by getting Cobb and a team to plant an idea into a rival's brain. However, inception of an idea isn't the easiest thing to carry out...

Still mind bending, Inception remains a great watch - even if you've seen it before, you can pick up on the clues of what's already gone before and see how the puzzle fits together.

With a wealth of extras, this is a great release, with stunning effects and an enigma which still requires a lot of intelligence to crack.

Extras: A heap on different formats, but worth seeking out the Cobol Job; a comic prelude which give the movie some grounding. Genius.

Rating: 9/10

Family Guy: It's A Trap: DVD Review

Family Guy: It's A Trap: DVD Review

Family Guy - It's a Trap

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

So, the final Family Guy spin off gets its time to shine.

These at times puerile parodies have been a bit sporadic on the laughs and the creators acknowledge that in this latest release which urges us "To lower our expectations."

And they're right - if you do that, you'll probably enjoy this Family Guy version of Return of the Jedi (the least loved of the Star wars films). With throws to Star Trek, David Letterman, Lost In Space and many more, there's certainly a fair few laughs to be had here and there.

Characters from other Seth McFarlane animated shows like American Dad make appearances and it does feel like creatively they've run a little short on steam. Still, like Piranha (recently released on the small screen), this works with a few beers and a few friends.

Extras: Commentaries from the creators, outtakes animatics and Trivial pursuit make an interesting bunch.

Rating: 6/10

Predicament: DVD Review

Predicament: DVD Review

Predicament

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

Adapted from the novel by New Zealand author Ronald Hugh Morrieson, this is the tale of naive teen Cedric Williamson (newcomer Hayden Frost).

Cedric is bullied at school and has an odd family life (to say the least). His father (Tim Finn) is building an enormous tower in their front yard from rubble, as he copes with the loss of his wife.

One day Cedric meets Mervyn Toebeck (Heath Franklin aka comedian Chopper) and the pair forms a friendship, with Mervyn abusing the bond to bludge off Cedric and his family.

When pasty white oddball Spook (Jemaine Clement) shows up, the trio hits upon the idea of blackmailing the locals - and Cedric's determined to use the scheme to get revenge against the Bramwells (the developers who stole his family land).

But the revenge plot goes a little wrong.

Wannabe Gothic comedy it may be, but Predicament remains a difficult and divisive watch. Sure Clement and Franklin make good watching, and while the scenery is beautifully realized and shot, there's little that's actually engaging in the film itself.

Which is bitterly disappointing - I can't exactly pinpoint why Predicament doesn't do anything for me; but it is a curio of a film.

Extras: Trailers, featurettes and cast and crew interviews - nothing sensational.

Rating: 5/10

Salt: DVD Review

Salt: DVD Review

Salt
Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Entertainment
Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent whose life is turned upside down one day when, on the eve of her wedding anniversary, a Russian defector comes in from the cold and fingers her as a Russian sleeper agent.

It gets worse when Salt's accused of being the one who will kill the Russian president in America, igniting fears of Day X (a feared day when America and her allies will be attacked on all sides) coming true.

Mind you, Salt doesn't help herself by running - to try and clear her name.

Salt is a thriller which doesn't thrill as much as it could. It's fine in the action stakes and kudos need to be given to those involved as the majority of the stunts are done without the use of CGI...but it's the story which has hokum written all over it.

The main trio of actors involved- Liev Schreiber, Chijetel Ejiofor and Jolie acquit themselves fine - they're all very dour and G man in various ways - and the whole film does take itself rather seriously.
Jolie's ok when she's kicking some ass but she looks so slight that it's a hard ask to be convinced that she'd be the one to better the bad guys (or are they the good guys?).

Underwhelming - and disappointing given this could be the first of the franchise.

Extras: Doco on Ange as action hero; a look at the costumes and commentary with Philip Noyce, director.

Rating: 5/10

Piranha: DVD Review

Piranha: DVD Review

Piranha

Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: R18
You want a plot? It's all there in the title - well, aside from the gratuitous nudity and gore.

It's spring break in Arizona and with thousands of randy ready to party teens heading to town and on Lake Victoria itself, local sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) has her hands full.

But matters are made worse when an earthquake rips open a prehistoric cavern where thousands of vicious death fish live&.can the sheriff save the day?

B grade at its very core and very finest, this exploitation flick has its tongue in its cheek (even if the director won't admit it). While the cinema release benefited from the novelty of 3D, this DVD version adds little - and with a lack of 3D feels somewhat flat; so much so that the plot starts to drag.

File Piranha under guilty pleasure and bloody good fun - if you like countless deaths, gratuitous nudity and B movie acting (and have had a few beers with some mates) this is the film for you.

Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes and the trailer - not much trawled up in this net.

Rating: 6/10

Mademoiselle Chambon: Movie Review

Mademoiselle Chambon: Movie Review

Mademoiselle Chambon
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain
Director: Stephane Brize
The ever present Vincent Lindon crops up as Jean in this new film.
Jean's a happily married man, a loving father whose wife is expecting again and whose life is filled with the routine of the construction site, his father's ailing health and his son's school days.
And it's at that school that when picking up his son, Jeremy, he meets alluring Mademoiselle Chambon (Kiberlain).
Mesmerised, Jean starts to wake from his perfectly happy life and ponders whether he should take a chance on another life altogether...
Mademoiselle Chambon is one of those restrained, engrossing French dramas which is artfully directed, well acted and guaranteed to leave you swooning in its path.
Thanks to the rugged charm of Lindon, it's not an unpleasant film to watch - thanks to plenty of restrained looks, glances and daring eyes, there's a nice build up to the dilemma he faces.
Kiberlain is also good as Chambon, a woman whose flitting from school to school lifestyle attracts Jean - it's easy to understand the attraction and the reason for Jean's dilemma.

However, it's also down to restrained direction; it's kept plausible with the build up and not just seen as some rushed situation aimed at titillation - there's an emotional core to this. And while that core may not attract all, there's certainly something here for people to lose themselves in.

Morning Glory: Movie Review

Morning Glory: Movie Review

Morning Glory
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson
Director: Roger Michell
So it's into the heady world of breakfast television we go with this frothy light comedy piece from the director of Notting Hill.
McAdams stars as Becky Fuller, a producer on a television news show. Fired from her current role, she ends up being offered the job as a producer on a failing show called DayBreak.
Single and not tied down by relationships or family, Fuller lives for the job and seizes the opportunity thrust her way by Jeff Goldblum's laconic TV exec Jerry Barnes. On her first day she fires weird co-anchor Paul McVee (played brilliantly by Modern Family's Ty Burrell) and suddenly finds she needs a co host for Diane Keaton's Colleen Peck.
Enter Harrison Ford's prickly and slightly bitter former news anchor Mike Pomeroy. Once a newsmaker and a newsbreaker, Pomeroy's in the twilight of his career and not willing to sacrifice news values for fluffier breakfast time pieces.
However, when Fuller's told DayBreak's on the verge of being cancelled, she realizes she has to do everything she can to get Mike into the swing of things to save all their jobs.
Morning Glory is as fluffy as the genre it's parodying but it's kept alive by the performances of both McAdams as the annoyingly perky and optimistic Fuller and Ford as the gruff and irritable co anchor Pomeroy. In fact it's probably fair to say it's more Ford's film as he has endless fun refusing to do stuff, compromise his ideals and values as well as be opposed to everything. He also gets the lion's share of the best lines too - with bon mots like "News is a sacred temple" and "Half your audience has lost the remote control - and the other half are waiting to be turned over by the nurse." It's that kind of sarcasm which pervades the script and keeps things going.
Diane Keaton is a little sidelined in this unfortunately - but it's a solid performance from her too.

Unfortunately the end of Morning Glory sinks into a schmaltzy mire (perhaps, inevitably) and the whole thing leaves a bit of a saccharine taste in your mouth - overall, Morning Glory may well appeal more to those in the television industry and the media who'll recognize the egos, the debates and the problems; the rest of us may well be wondering what else is on the other channel.