The Dilemma: Blu Ray Review

The Dilemma: Blu Ray Review

The Dilemma
Rating: M
Released by Universal
In this dramedy from Ron Howard, Vince Vaughan is Ronny, whose best mate since college days is Kevin James' Nick. These two are tight and are probably one of the best definitions of bromance I've seen for a long time - they work together and party together.

Nick's married to Winona Ryder's Geneva and has been for years - but one day Nick sees Geneva in the arms of another man.

That throws him into a moral quandary - should he tell his best buddy and risk their friendship and business partnership falling apart? Or should he keep quiet?

It's a mixed bag - some painstakingly raw honest moments are well done and the drama is good too. But with a two hour running time and not enough funny, you may feel in a bit of a quandary yourself about whether this film is good or not.

Vaughan is okay as the suitably downbeat Ronny whose world falls apart amid suspicion and mistrust - and Winona Ryder (who appears to be undergoing something of a cinematic comeback this year) certainly gives her all as the morally challenged wife.

The main quartet are realistic and genuinely well acted to be believable and Ron Howard brings an assured eye to the direction yet The Dilemma lacks that certain kind of pizzazz and oomph which it needs to keep it moving along.

Extras: Alternate ending, deleted scenes, gag reel and a doco

Rating: 5/10 

The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell: DVD Review

The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell: DVD Review

The Hopes and dreams of Gazza Snell
Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

Set in East Auckland's Howick, The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell is the story of William McInnes' manchild Gazza Snell, whose world is falling apart with a failing business.

All he's obsessed with is getting his eldest son to Milan for a karting championship in Milan.

However, when his youngest is seriously injured in a crash, Gazza loses all touch with the horrifying reality of what lies ahead - and instead becomes insistent on focussing solely on the karting.

That causes the family rift to widen.

The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell is a feelgood Kiwi battler kind of treat- despite the initial beginnings there's plenty of warmth in this tale of a suburban dad; thanks to good solid performances from McInnes and Robyn Malcolm as his desperate housewife, it succeeds - even with its sentimental ending.

It's thanks to the everyman feel of the film that it becomes a winner - the universal tale of Gazza needing to grow up is clearly based on a degree of reality.

There's also a lot of honesty on display in this film - in the performances, the writing and the direction - it's an unashamedly crowd pleasing film which is easily identifiable to many of us.

Extras: Trailer, Video, bloopers, deleted scenes, interviews and commentary

Rating: 8/10 

Burlesque: Blu Ray review

Burlesque: Blu Ray review

Burlesque
Rating: M
Released by Sony

Christina Aguilera (and her warbling pipes) stars as Ali, a small town American girl with a great voice who dreams of making it big in LA. (There's the first cliché for you.)

So, after quitting her crummy job in a bar, she heads to the city of lights and stumbles across the Burlesque Lounge, a failing but stomping club run by Cher's Tess with a little help from Stanley Tucci's stage manager Sean.

Talking her way into a bartending job there, she strikes up a friendship with the bar manager Jake (Twilight's Cam Gigandet) and manages to find her way onto the stage - but not without making an enemy out of Kristen Bell's Nikki.

However, unless Tess can find a way to keep the club afloat, Ali's time in the spotlight may be brief.

Burlesque is essentially a series of extended music videos - broken up by some clichéd plot and some, at times, frankly awful (and unintentionally funny) dialogue.

Aguilera acquits herself brilliantly in the singing portion of the film but brings little extra in terms of acting to the role of Ali; Cher is lacking any real emotional depth (and facial movement) as Tess - so the two leads are a mixed bag.

At the end of the day, the overlong Burlesque is about the spectacle more than anything else - while the club scenes and songs rock the joint, they certainly do little (with one exception) to capture the sexiness and seductive tease of Burlesque.

Extras: Entire song performances commentary, bloopers and alternate opening; plus the blu ray throws in featurettes on the music, dancing and cast

Rating: 5/10 

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.