four Lions: DVD Review

four Lions: DVD Review

Four Lions
Rating: R13
Released by Roadshow
A comedy film about British Muslims looking to commit a terrorist act - there's already some of you out there reading this who've formed your own opinion of what this is.

Well, let me tell you - you're completely wrong.
British satirist Chris Morris turns his eye on four would be suicide bombers in this hilariously insane comedy.
The would be terror cell are so incompetent that their leader Omar (Ahmed) shows the messed up takes of their terrorist video to his son and says they could be deleted scenes for a DVD release.

This quartet wants to take their dreams of Jihadism to new levels - and plot to devastate the London Marathon. But Omar is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier - however, his views clash with that of white Islamic convert Barry (Lindsay) who believes a) that he's "the most al Qaeda one here" and b) that blowing up a mosque would be the best way to set the world alight.
As their ideologies and opinions clash, the group blunders ever closer to achieving their goals - despite their innate stupidity.
Granted there will be debate about how the four are portrayed - and some will take offence.
However, the writers planned for that during their in depth research and talking to Muslims - every sensitivity has been taken to ensure what you see on screen is not offensive or racist.
What Morris and his team of writers have done is take logical arguments over the matter to the absolute absurd end.
Four Lions remains a case of light the touch paper and stand well back - but it's searing entertainment which subtly plays with your expectations - and confounds them at every turn.
Extras: Deleted scenes, film premiere and behind the scenes

Rating: 8/10

Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee: DVD Review

Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee: DVD Review

Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee

Rating: R16
Released by Madman
Shane Meadows once again blazes a trail in this doco comedy about an inept rapper and his even more inept manager, Le Donk (a clueless yet loveable Paddy Considine.)
Dumped by his pregnant girlfriend, Le Donk is determined to get the somewhat dumpy Scor-zay-zee onto the stage to support the Arctic monkeys.
So with a camera crew in tow, the pair hit the motorways and appear to be on the verge of achieving their dream....
With a touch of Peter Kay in there somewhere and some top acting from Considine (brilliant in Hot Fuzz), this mocko doco is terrific fun.
Taking a while to adjust to the style of filming is rewarding as the hapless duo worm their way into your heart - they're not completely clueless; special mention needs to go to Olivia Coleman (From Peep Show) for her part in this.
Apparently shot over 5 days, Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee is a road movie with an insanely funny heart which will become beloved by many.
Extras: Deleted scenes and trailer - minimal.

Rating: 8/10 

Blue Valentine: Movie Review

Blue Valentine: Movie Review

Blue Valentine
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Director: Derek Cianfrance
With an Oscar nom in tow for Michelle Williams (but sadly no win), Blue Valentine turns an uneasy warts and all eye on a marriage in trouble.
One day, Gosling's Dean and Williams' Cindy are suffering under the strains of six years together.
On a whim, the pair palm off their young daughter to family and check into a crappy local motel to try and recoup some of the love.
However, as the night creaks under the weight of expectation, the cracks in their marriage begin to widen.
Blue Valentine is gritty, emotionally raw and heart breaking in places. Interspersed with flashbacks to their first meetings the films blessed with two compelling performances from a pair of actors hitting their peak.
Williams conveys every emotion of despair and desperation as the strain begins to show; but her Oscar nominated performance is matched by Gosling who veers from anger to frustration and love with ease - and consequently both actors are unmissable because of their opposite's performance.
Two compelling actors give their all to this and it soars because of it - it's not a comfortable watch by any stretch of the imagination but thanks to a clever way the narrative unfolds, it feels natural, upsetting and at times, tender way of looking at the ups and downs of love.
Blue Valentine runs the gamut of every raw and human emotion; it shines a spotlight on what makes - and breaks - a marriage and because of Gosling and Williams, it really does feel like a superior sobering two hander.

Grimy, raw and yet poignant in the extreme, Blue Valentine is a powerful watch - a piece of cinema which signals two actors have stars which are continuing to rise.

I Am Number Four: Movie Review

I Am Number Four: Movie Review

I Am Number Four
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron
Director: D J Caruso
Teen sci-fi is always a popular genre and I Am Number Four arrives on the screens, crying out the possibilities for a potential franchise.
Pettyfer is "John Smith", an alien on the run and one of a mysterious nine from his home world being hunted.
Holed up in Ohio, Smith, with his protector Henri (Olyphant) tries to blend in - enrolling in high school and just attempting to be a normal teen with the usual teen issues.
But as the others of his race are hunted down and killed, Smith complicates his life by falling for local girl Sarah (Agron), making it difficult for him to flee his pursuers.
So as the tensions grow with his pursuers, his guardian Henri, Smith decides to take a stand.
I Am Number Four is reasonably good teen fare - it's nothing original; new kid has issues with school bullies, resents the interference of his guardian, falls for a girl - they're all very universally explored themes.
While it zips along well, despite some impressive action sequences and effects, there's little that makes this stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Granted, its teen audience may be attracted to the ideas and the good looks (and at times moodiness) of the core characters, but that may be its undoing for the rest of the cinema going public.
Pettyfer (formerly of Stormbreaker) is fine as the alien on the run; his scenes with Palmer are okay too - there's nothing radical in them and there's nothing that makes you switch off or not engage with them throughout.

I Am Number Four ends with the potential for a sequel (and is from a series of books) but unless the drama is stepped up a little and the audience widened, it could end up being a case of a missed opportunity.

Rango: Movie Review

Rango: Movie Review

Rango
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty
Director: Gore Verbinski
Johnny Depp reteams with the Pirates of the Caribbean director in a computer animated comedy adventure and stars as a chameleon with an identity crisis.
No wait, come back - it's zanily brilliant.
Depp's pet chameleon finds his life changed one day on a road trip when he's flung out onto a desert road by accident.
Stripped of his life inside his terrarium, the chameleon finds himself in the Wild West, in the town of Dirt.
Dirt's the kind of ole town you used to see in the westerns - except this one's got various animals for residents. Iguanas, toads, cactus mice, armadillos, rattle snakes - the whole gamut's here.
Being of an actorly bent, the chameleon reinvents himself as Rango, and finds himself thrust into the role of Sheriff for Dirt.
But Dirt's got a problem - they're running out of water, the only commodity that talks in the town - and so Sheriff Rango sets out to try and save the day when their only source is stolen.
Rango is insane, loony and beautifully animated.
A film about critters and lizards it may be - but the level of detail in the animation of the characters and their depth is to die for.
The story takes a little bit of time to get going - but there's some genuine zaniness in some of the lines uttered by Rango and there are plenty of nods to westerns in general as well as a major tribute to Clint Eastwood.
It's your Classic western in many ways (even the name is a nod out to Django)- a stranger rolls into town, tussles with the local powers that be and ends up saving the day.
But what gives Rango its edge is the script and a commanding vocal performance from Depp as the lizard prone to spouting soliloquies and channeling acting; he's a wannabe thespian who's forced to play the role of sheriff to get by. Lunatic and laconic in ways Jack Sparrow never could achieve, Depp brings a joie de vivre to the thespian chameleon (did he ever think he'd see his name in a sentence like that?)
If Depp's good in this, what's more amazing and probably the bigger star is the animation.
Lushly detailed and rich in depth, every fibre of the creatures on screen stands out and every nuance of their unusualness is accentuated. These motley crew of characters are bound to become the new favourites of the young.
Prone to great one liners ("I intend to strip this mystery and expose its private parts" is just one of Rango's bizarre verbal outings) the whole film has a moodiness and tone which sets it apart from the average animation. It really is Oscar worthy on that level alone.

Stick with Rango - despite its slightly unusual opening, its oddball nature appeals and never irritates - and I for one, am hoping this chameleon and his wacky, at times, tripped out creators get another outing soon.

Dinner For Schmucks: DVD Review

Dinner For Schmucks: DVD Review

Dinner for Schmucks
Released by Universal
Rating: M
Taken from the original French film Le Diner De Cons (The Dinner Game) and Americanised, Dinner for Schmucks stars Paul Rudd as Tim, a mid level executive who's desperate to break through to the upper levels of the board room.

One day, he manages a break through by impressing his boss (Greenwood) over how to net a potential new client Mueller (David Walliams) and is invited into the upper echelons of the board room.

However, on arrival there, he's told of a monthly dinner hosted by his boss which he's duly invited to. But the crux of the dinner is that each of them has to bring an idiot along as a dinner date for their collective amusement - and it gets worse for Tim as he realises the boss picks a winning idiot to give a prize to.

That's where Steve Carell comes in - his IRS worker Barry is run over by Tim. And as Tim talks to Barry, he realises this taxidermist could be his in to win the Dinner. You see, Barry makes diorama and famous scenes with dead mice (eg the Mousea Lisa) and is clearly some kind of idiot in Tim's eyes.

I have mixed feelings about this film (and no I've not seen the original French farce)- Paul Rudd puts in yet another good and likeable act - and Steve Carell is once again, another version of Steve Carell but starts to irritate a little as the film continues. However, it's nice they've made him a loser with a back story that's revealed near the end rather than just a goof.

Dinner For Schmucks can be best described as a meal which promises so much - in the end it resembles a buffet which initally has you salivating but ultimately leaves you wanting.

Rating: 6/10 

Planet Earth: DVD Review

Planet Earth: DVD Review

Planet Earth
Released by BBC
Rating: PG
6 discs, a 24 page booklet and some truly gorgeous footage make up this stunning natural history release.
Narrated as ever by David Attenborough and made from the BBC unit, you know this is a quality release from the start - but what you never fully expect is to be blown away time and time again by the footage.
Produced some five years ago, each 50 minute episode covers the majesty of the world we live in - from the poles to the mountains; from the rivers of the world to caves, every nook and cranny of the planet is explored here - and what a stunning journey.
Its value to the history of the world is unquestionable - and Planet Earth is well worth seeing on the biggest television screen you can find.

What's more vital about it though is its tool as a resource; perfect viewing for all the family, its educational value cannot be faulted - and with creatures and environments for all to marvel at, this is one Planet Earth to savour.

Rating: 8/10