Water For Elephants: Movie Review

Water For Elephants: Movie Review

Water for Elephants
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz
Director: Francis Lawrence
RPatz tries to put the vampire sparkle behind him in this adaptation of the Sara Gruen historical novel.
Set in Depression times in America, Pattinson plays Jacob (yes, we're aware of the irony too) a vet student who's about to sit his final exams at Cornell University.
However, when his parents are killed in a car accident just moments into his exam, his life changes as he loses everything - not just his family, but his home.
So, running away he jumps on a train which turns out to belong to the Benzini Brothers circus troupe.
Convincing the owner August (a mightily impressive Waltz) that he can contribute and showing his vet knowledge, Jacob is soon welcomed into the upper echelons of the carny society.
However - that also includes an attraction to August's wife Marlena (Witherspoon) which proves dangerous as August is a brooding man, prone to explosive outbursts and abusing the animals....
Water For Elephants starts off well - the Depression era is brilliantly captured and recreated and the tone is perfectly set for a nice historical love story.
But that's where the problems begin with Water For Elephants.
For a story like this to work, you need to have sizzling chemistry between two leads - and to be frank, Pattinson and Witherspoon have as much chemistry as a wet weekend. And that really lets the tale down and brings the whole thing crashing into an average reality.
While RPatz and Witherspoon fail to bring any real spark, there is some consolation in Waltz. He is fantastic; bringing the horrendous menace and explosiveness needed to an evil man but also showing hints of a man conflicted by his behaviour.

Water For Elephants is massively disappointing after such a good set up.

Megamind: Blu Ray Review

Megamind: Blu Ray Review

Megamind
Rating: PG
Released by Universal Pictures

Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt star in this animated outing which remains as impressive on the small screen as it did on the big.

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.

There's much to enjoy here - 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.

Insane and amusing, it's a treat for all the family.

Extras: Behind the scenes, commentaries, games and a brand new short with the return of Megamind and minion.

Rating: 8/10

Skyline: Blu Ray Review

Skyline: Blu Ray Review

Skyline

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

It's alien invasion time - again.

A trip to LA to celebrate a friend's birthday ends in absolute chaos for Eric Blafour and Scottie Thompson's Jarrod and Elaine.

After a good night out, celebrating with Terry (Donald "Turk from Scrubs" Faison), the gang awakes to find bright blue hypnotic lights raining down over the city and huge machines invading the city.

As they try to escape, it becomes clear their chances to survive are limited - as are mankind's.

Skyline is an unmitigated missed opportunity of a film - replete with some C List actors and some great FX, it's a weird combination which never quite gels.

It's clear the directors are FX geniuses and wizards because the initial shots of the skyline and alien invaders is quite impressive. Less so is the story - which simply becomes a pick off the heroes and see who survives kind of plot.

That said - it's got to be seen for the unbelievable final sequences which depict life within the spaceships themselves. Simply jaw dropping - and not in a good
way

Extras: Deleted scenes, extended scenes, commentary - very little enticing.

Rating: 3/10

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest: DVD Review

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest: DVD Review

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

Rating: R16
Released by Vendetta Films

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.

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.

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 - but talk of that is spoilery, so discover it yourself.

Extras: Interviews with the main actors and a trailer - not bad but a little disappointing given how the series has ended and a retrospective piece may have been in order.

Rating: 8/10

The Insatiable Moon: DVD Review

The Insatiable Moon: DVD Review

The Insatiable Moon

Rating:M
Released by Vendetta

Shot on a shoestring budget when the Film Commission passed, The Insatiable is the story of Arthur (a tremendous powerhouse performance from Rawiri Paratene) who believes he's the second son of God and who frequents a halfway house run by Greg Johnson's Bob in Auckland's suburb of Ponsonby.

However, Arthur's life becomes permanently intertwined with Sara Wiseman's social worker at a time when the boarding house is threatened with closure.
With residents galvanized into trying to save their home from those who've got closed minds, the clock begins to tick - and Arthur starts to unravel.

The Insatiable Moon is a story of heart and compassion, populated with some truly brilliant and crowd pleasing performances from the central cast.

It's got audience pleasing moments throughout as well as some laughs but it's Paratene's impishness and charm which sees this film from beginning to end; with big eyes and a disarming grin, he's the heart and soul of the Insatiable Moon - and manages to bind the whole thing together.

Extras: Trailer, Interviews, outtakes and deleted scenes

Rating: 7/10

TRONLegacy: Blu Ray Review

TRONLegacy: Blu Ray Review

Tron Legacy

Rating: PG
Released by Disney

Nearly 30 years in the making comes the film Disney had high hopes for.

In TRON Legacy, Garrett Hedlund stars as Sam Flynn, the son of former inventor and computer genius, Kevin (Jeff Bridges). Kevin disappeared nearly 30 years ago, leaving behind Sam, a major company Encom and a lot of questions.

Since that disappearance, Sam's now grown up and is somewhat restless, flitting between being the CEO of Encom and running into trouble with the law.
But when he receives word from family friend Alan (Bruce Boxleitner) that a page was sent from Flynn's arcade (run by Kevin in the 80s), he heads to see how that's possible and if his father is truly still alive.

And then, he's sucked into the world of the computer run Grid and into a fight for his life.

Visually and aesthetically, I was gobsmacked by the digital world they've created for this - it looks stunning and is spectacular with its vibrant neon blues and oranges standing out in the Blade Runneresque computer world. Scenes of combat, reminiscent of the gladiator's arena from Roman times, are also sensationally shot.Coupled with an incredible electronic soundtrack of dizzyingly good synth from Daft Punk, the cyber-look of this film is, hands down, easily one of the best of the year.

But the problem comes with the overall plot. Or rather, a real lack of it.

With clunking dialogue, this lumbers from one scene to the next - and it's a real shame.

Not a major disaster by any stretch of the imagination - but if the story had measured upto the effects, it could have been unmissable.

Extras: Doco and cast info

Rating: 6/10

Source Code: Movie Review

Source Code: Movie Review

Source Code
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Director: Duncan Jones
From the director of last year's brilliant Moon, comes a new sci fi thriller which has heart and soul as well as intelligence and action.
Gyllenhaal stars as Captain Colter Stevens, who finds himself on a train and facing a woman Christina (Monaghan) he's convinced he's never met before.
To make matters worse, he looks in a mirror and sees the face looking back at him is not his own.
Before he's got time to make head or tail of what's going on, a bomb destroys the Chicago bound train - taking him, and all the passengers with it.
When he wakes up though, he finds himself being questioned by the military (led by Vera Farmiga) and trapped in a capsule.
They explain he's got just eight minutes on the train to find out who is responsible for bombing it and send him back in - and will keep doing so until he's successful.....
Source Code is perhaps one of the best scifi thrillers ever made - but more than that, it's a compelling film which is grounded in humanity rather than just scifi.
Duncan Jones seriously impressed with Moon and he builds even more here with this thrilling and exciting ride. It's a fiendishly intriguing premise which throws you right in at the beginning by giving you few clues and so immediately you empathise with Stevens as he tries to find out what's going on.
Gyllenhaal is mightily watchable as Stevens; as the truth unravels, you understand and really feel his puzzled viewpoint; the thing is, it's all due to Gyllenhaal and his steely determination mixed with vulnerability.
But credit must also go to Monaghan; her Christine becomes the emotional touchstone on the train and the reason Stevens keep coming back - she helps give the story the humanity it needs to keep it from simply being a thriller with a large dollop of sci fi.
The other star is the script - initially complex and layered, it rewards an intelligent audience who are willing to take the ride and embrace the mystery of what's going on on the train as well as what's going on with Stevens. It also helps the director's really invested a degree of real time into this - each section on the train lasts only 8 minutes so you begin to feel the desperation as the clock ticks toward the inevitable explosion. It's a sort of scifi Groundhog Day in many ways.

Source Code is one of the best films of 2011 - it's intelligent, ferociously good film making, and a brilliant experience which rewards with multiple viewings.