Dr Who: Mara Tales: DVD Review

Dr Who: Mara Tales: DVD Review

Dr Who - Mara Tales
Rating: G
Released by BBC and Roadshow

Peter Davison stars in these two classic Who tales which have been fan favourites for a long time.

In Kinda and Snakedance, companion Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Davison's fifth doctor take the spotlight as they take on the forces of pure evil, the Mara which infests Tegan's mind and threatens the universe.

The sequel Snakedance sees the Mara reborn again and on the verge of once again destroying both Tegan and the creature's homeworld Manussa.

Quite simply this is classic Who at its best - and worst thanks to budgetary confines; a brilliantly realized concept is crippled by the fact its main effect looks like a snake made from cardboard; but with the release of these DVDs and the steps made in technology, you'll be able to see how it should have been done - thanks to a re-envisioning.

The stories are well written and acted too - concepts of faith, Buddhism and belief in good and evil are all explored and given life; and Snakedance sees the very first acting job of Martin Clunes.

Once again, the extras are superlative and commentaries, deleted scenes and some great behind the scenes docos show why this pair of stories have an enduring appeal.

Sure, some will get lost in the fact it's 80s Dr Who - but fans will truly adore this set which has been a long time coming.

Rating: 7/10 

Made In Dagenham: DVD Review

Made In Dagenham: DVD Review

Made In Dagenham
Rating: M
Released by Universal

From the director of Calendar Girls comes a new UK film with a cast that reads like a Who's Who of Brit talent.

It's 1960s Britain, where Ford is at the height of its power - pumping out thousands of cars daily to the world.

But in the town of Dagenham, where one of the company's major plants is housed, trouble's a-brewing.

Well, specifically, in the machinist section of the plant populated by some 187 women, who are downgraded to a lower unskilled band and not happy - and in one of them, shy and quiet Rita O'Grady (a wonderful Sally Hawkins) they find the voice to complain to the management at Head Office.

It's fair to say that Made in Dagenham is crowd pleasing in the extreme; with the usual kind of humour that pioneered the mold with The Full Monty, this Brit flick sings in terms of soundtrack, dry humorous moments and some great performances.

Every actor turns in solid performances - but it's Sally Hawkins who really impresses in this role of the mousey, put upon Rita whose voice rises up when it's most needed. She's the emotional centre of the film and she succeeds because she's never showy and immensely watchable.

Sure, it's predictable in places - and you can see where the cracks will come dramatically (which may irritate the purists who feel that it's UK film making by numbers in terms of script, jokes and direction) but if the formula ain't broke, then I guess you don't need to fix it.

Extras: Commentary with director, deleted scenes, outtakes, doco and trailer - a reasonable bunch

Rating: 6/10 

Brighton Rock: Movie Review

Brighton Rock: Movie Review

Brighton Rock
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Andy Serkis
Director: Rowan Joffe
It's always hard to redo a film when another version exists that's deemed a classic.
This version of Brighton Rock (based on Graham Greene's 1939 novel) has had a few tweaks.
Set against a backdrop of unrest between the Mods vs Rockers scene, the action takes place in Brighton; a Brighton of the sixties where gangs of dissenting youth and mobsters roam the streets, taking to anything they don't like with violence.
Pinkie (played with resentful ferocity by Sam Riley) is one of those involved in a gang; he's more likely to crack a skull than a smile - and he finds himself wrestling with power and greed after he commits a murder.
Things get more complicated when Rose (a stunning Andrea Riseborough) finds herself unwittingly in the middle of evidence linking Pinkie's gang to the murder.
So Pinkie seduces the naïve Rose - as he tries to ensure she doesn't talk...
But Rose's boss Ida (Helen Mirren) knows something's not right - and soon finds herself embroiled in this tale of gangland by the sea.
Brighton Rock is dark and gloomy - both in tone and in lighting.
This story of shivs, shingle and shocks may take a while to resonate with audiences - and many of the older persuasion will take a lot to be convinced anyone can improve on Richard Attenborough's performance.
In many ways, Pinkie's supposed to be the archetypal anti-hero but he's very difficult to root for (sample moment - he decides whether Rose loves him by pulling the legs off a spider). He's cold, blessed with a permanent scowl, callous, ruthless and in Sam Riley's hands, menacingly watchable.
Likewise Andrea Riseborough's Rose is simply the soaraway success of this - brilliantly fragile, stupidly naïve and yet endlessly optimistic, she sums up much of the uncertainty of youth - and in the final scenes she will break your heart.
The problem with this Brighton Rock is it's a little slow to get going; and with the darkness pervading the script as well as the onscreen action, some may not be willing to give it the time to let it wash over them and get engrossed.

While the recreation of sixties seaside England is great and the performances impressive, overall, Brighton Rock is much like a trip to the British seaside. It promises so much but disappoints.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Review

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Review

Rating: 4/10
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane
Director: Rob Marshall
Hoist the main sail, shiver your timbers and ready your hearties, it's back to the high seas we go...
Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow, the ever so slightly shady and selfish captain in this latest, rumoured to be the start of a new trilogy.
Finding out someone is impersonating him, Jack attempts to track down the imposter but finds himself slap bang in the middle of a race between the Spanish, the English and some pirates lead by Blackbeard to get to the legendary fountain of youth.
Thrown into that mix is Geoffrey Rush's now one legged Captain Barbossa and Angelica, Sparrow's ex, played by Penelope Cruz.
Add in a hunt for a mermaid whose tears can activate the fountain's prophecy, Ian McShane's Blackbeard who's trying to thwart fate and you should have a fairly potent mix for a rewarding blockbuster.
And yet, this outing is as flat as a calm sea.
With jokes that fail to hit any high points (until near the end) and a script which fails to ignite any real sparks of interest, this overlong outing will have you thinking of bailing overboard.
Sure, Depp rolls out his drunken Keith Richards inspired routine but you can't help bit feel this ship has somewhat sailed - with an over powering soundtrack which blasts much of the continual sword play, the whole thing feels bloated and indulgent - and definitely suffers from a lack of Bloom and Knightley as solid supporting characters. An attempt to try and provide some Bloom lite surfaces in the shape of Sam Claflin's missionary, Phillip - but he's too wishy washy to make anything of the role.
That said there are some good moments; the hunt for mermaids is gorgeously shot as it skirts the boundary between sensual and downright scary; Rush impresses at the expense of McShane's weaker performance and some of the effects are very good. Add in some much needed hunour at the end and you get a sense of what really could have been. A lack of real chemistry between Cruz and Depp makes it hard to believe this is Jack's true love.

The inevitable seeds are sown for another but I think it's time to retire this crew and franchise and let the inimitable Cap'n Jack Sparrow sail off into the sunset.

From Time To Time: Movie Review

From Time To Time: Movie Review

From Time to Time
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Maggie Smith, Pauline Collins, Alex Etel, Timothy Spall
Director: Julian Fellowes
Based on best seller The Chimneys of Green Knowe, From Time To Time is a ghost story mixed in with family intrigue.
When thirteen year old Tolly (Etel) is sent to live with his grandmother (Smith) at her country estate, he becomes obsessed with the family secrets which are embroiled in the home.
Tolly discovers he can move between his world and the past - and begins to uncover family secrets of the estate which have lain dormant for years.
From Time to Time feels a little out of time to be honest - it's certainly enchanting in places and has some wonderful effects as Tolly travels from the present to the country home of the past.
Doors open and suddenly Tolly's back in a past brought to life by wonderfully evocative colours and society life.
But it's all a little plodding in places - it feels a little Secret Gardenish as they negotiate different times and along with simple acting and no real emotion from the lead, it's hard to become engaged in this tale.

Which is a shame because Fellowes manages to eke out maximum spookiness from the old mansion, wrings out the best from his locations and gets a great performance from Maggie Smith.

Hoodwinked 2: Movie Review

Hoodwinked 2: Movie Review

Hoodwinked 2: Hood vs Evil
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Patrick Warburton, Glenn Close, Bill Hader and Amy Poehler
Director: Mike Disa
When Red Riding Hood's grandma (Glenn Close) is kidnapped while investigating the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel, (Saturday Night Live alums Hader and Poehler) Red (Panettiere) is called in to try and rescue her.
But this mission sees her team up once again with the brilliant Patrick Warburton's Wolf - despite their objections.
Can they put aside petty differences and save the day?
The sequel to Hoodwinked is a curious thing.
Without Anne Hathaway in the lead as Red Riding Hood, Hayden Panettiere steps in and it just doesn't seem to be the same film in many ways.
The animation looks a little crooked in some ways and is more redolent of a computer game than a computer animated film.
And the script is flat in many ways - there's far too few throwaway one liners to give it the oomph that it needs and Warburton's Wolf is by far the best thing in this with his trademark laconic and deadpan delivery, it's not enough to deliver.
There are a few nods to other films - Star Wars and Silence of the Lambs being the most obvious, but there's little for the adults in the audience to appreciate here.

While there's a degree of lunacy to the animation and the feel of the film (a banjo toting goat from the first film returns to be continually plagued by things falling on him), the combination of a poor story overall and a hit and miss style make this instantly forgettable and nowhere near as good as the original.

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.