Gnomeo and Juliet: Blu Ray Review

Gnomeo and Juliet: Blu Ray Review

Gnomeo and Juliet
Rating: PG
Released by Sony Home Ent

Romeo and Juliet - told in a gnomes' setting - with music (essentially his greatest hits) by Elton John.

I can tell you've already decided to divert your attention away but wait, come back.

Set in the back gardens of two rival neighbours, the gnomes have been at war with each other since forever. On the one side, the blue-hatted gnomes and on the other, the reds.

But when Gnomeo (James McAvoy) bumps into Juliet (Emily Blunt), the pair fall in love and decide to carry on regardless of the ramifications of their relationship.

However, as the feud between the two sides intensifies, the duo finds themselves trapped.

Gnomeo and Juliet is a colourfully garish diversion.

It's also a little bit smart too - with the opening packing in a few adult jokes or nods only Shakespeare fans may get, there are signs the humour is aimed at all the family. Visual gags like a banana on a laptop, as opposed to an apple, are prevalent - and they're used as much as a few lines of Shakespeare here and there to provide homage to the source material.

With a flighty, zesty script and an infinitely top-notch vocal cast (Ashley Jensen as Juliet's frog is an insane stand-out), the film crackles along apace and with an eye on the lunatic.

Extras: Deleted scenes, music videos and some additional stuff - good family entertainment

Rating: 6/10

African Cats - Movie Review

African Cats - Movie Review

African Cats
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Cheetahs, Tigers, Lions, Cute cubs, Samuel L Jackson as narrator
Director: Alastair Fothergill
From the Disney Nature stable comes this new nature doco which looks at two families trying to raise their cubs in the Kenyan wilds of a nature reserve.
On the one side, there's lion cub Mara being raised by her elderly mother Layla, and her quest to be part of the pride run by Fang, the revered leader (and so called because he's prone to showing his broken tooth gained from a fight); on the other, there's cheetah Sita, who's trying to raise five cubs as a solo mu and protect them from the threats of other predators.
Both parents face issues; Layla, facing the onslaught of old age and the prospect of being unable to care for her young; Sita faces the threat of hyenas picking off her young and threats from other lions looking to assert their place in the pride.
And that's really it for story - it's a year in the life kind of doco, narrated with a little over the top commentary from Samuel L Jackson from a script initially prone to hyperbole and over exaggeration - eg "This is where dragons live" when they're talking about the rivers.
Eventually that calms down and once the grandeur is dropped, the film springs to life thanks to an array of cute animal shots and the simple magnificence of the creatures involved.
That's the thing with a doco like this - while there are classic tales of fights, clashes and rejection, ostracism and a struggle for recognition within one's own, it doesn't need the narrative to watch it roar into life. Quite simply, the animals themselves bring it to the fore.
From a technical point of view, there are some interesting shots of the creatures - close ups of their backs and manes and fur in action in the build up to a fight or a tense moment are really something a bit different and give this doco the feel of something a little more original.
Sure, there are plenty of cute cubs, and shots of these beasts frolicking; but there are also heartbreaking moments as the camera lingers on Sita the cheetah calling for her cubs long after the hyenas have picked their prey off.

African Cats has a family feel and is a reminder there is something truly magical out there in the wilds; young kids will love it and while it's probably one of the most bloodless and sanitized nature docos I've seen (all of the killing takes place off screen), it's certainly worth putting aside 90 minutes to watch.

Blue Valentine - Blu Ray Review

Blue Valentine - Blu Ray Review

Blue Valentine
Rating: R16
Released by Madman Entertainment

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.

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

Extras: Commentary, Deleted scenes, Q&A, making of and home movies

Rating: 8/10 

Wild Target- Blu Ray Review

Wild Target- Blu Ray Review

Wild Target
Rating: M
Released by Warner Bros

Bill Nighy is Victor Maynard, a 54 year old life long assassin, who's hired to take out Emily Blunt's Rose, a con artist who rips off a local gangster played by Rupert Everett.

But after Maynard fluffs the initial attempt on Rose's life, the gangster sends in his goons to finish the job - and Maynard.

Things get even more complicated when Maynard runs into Rupert Grint's orphan Tony as he's about to kill Rose. Terry ends up saving all of their lives and the trio's forced on the run until it all blows over.

Wild Target is a quirky style farce which channels early Ealing comedies. There's dry humour aplenty to begin with and clearly something a little different to start off with.

Nighy is mightily impressive as Maynard; his unmoving expression and poker face give some of his actions a more comedic feel.

Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint offer good solid support - Blunt's Rose is a mischievous impish thief who doesn't realize until too late the trouble she's in. And Grint brings a bit of humanity to the orphan who's taken under Victor's wing.

The problem with Wild Target is that despite the talented cast, this feels a little too farcical (albeit very funny in places) to be completely successful. It doesn't offer anything radically new in terms of story and gags (an intelligence lacking hitman eats pot pourri mistaking it for a snack) and because of that, it doesn't soar as much as it could

Extras: Cast and crew interview

Rating: 6/10 

The Big Picture: Movie Review

The Big Picture: Movie Review

The Big Picture
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Romain Duris, Catherine Deneuve, Niels Arestrup, Marina Fois, Branka Katic
Director: Eric Lartigau
Who would have thought a bottle of Cloudy Bay wine would cause so much trouble?
Current French heartthrob Duris stars as Paul Exben, a successful partner in a French law firm; he has it all - a lovely wife, two young children, and is about to take over the firm when its founder (Catherine Deneuve) reveals she's dying.
But when Exben finds out his wife is having an affair with his photographer friend Greg Kremer, (after the discovery of a shared love of a New Zealand bottle of wine) a confrontation ensues and Greg is accidentally killed.
Exben flees - after disposing of the body and faking his own death - but he finds despite relocating and taking a job while posing as Greg, the noose is tightening around him.
The Big Picture is based on a book by Douglas Kennedy - and as was pointed out to me, doesn't follow the same narrative. While the wine reference is consistent, there's a change in other details and tone; the film version feels like a thriller whereas the source material is more black comedy.
However, Duris is impressive as Exben - he begins the film a cocky character all holding his head high; then after the shock of the death, he becomes a swarthy, huddled character who is covered in stubble and physically transformed.
While Duris is good, he can't really escape the plodding direction of the film - in many ways, it feels like two disparate films. The first is a suspense thriller as Exben finds out and the second part sees him trying to find himself. They don't quite gel.
Unfortunately this is where the film doesn't quite fit the bill; there's a confusing segueway into Exben's life in remote Yugoslavia and an untimely end to the film which feels frustrating and unrewarding to the audience because of a lack of real resolution. Sure, we get the trade off for Exben but it's so abrupt that it just stops.

The Big Picture is a muddled film, which feels overly long and disappoints. It's a shame because with such a screen presence as Duris projects, it could have been much much more.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Movie Review

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Movie Review

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon
Director: David Yates
And so it ends.
The final part of the final Harry Potter film is unleashed on the world - and with it, the end of a saga which has entranced a world and created a multi million dollar lifestyle for creator JK Rowling.
As you'll remember from the first part of the Deathly Hallows film ( read the review from last year here), Harry, Hermione and Ron set out to find the Dark Lord's Horcruxes (a sort of magical object which gives Voldemort his power) and destroy them - in the hope that that will end this battle once and for all.
This film takes up right after the end of the last, with Dobby the elf despatched, the battle lines drawn and Harry aware the ultimate battle is nearing a final perhaps fatal end.
But as the fate and destiny of Voldemort and Harry Potter play out, the path leads back to Hogwarts and to a dark secret which will finally settle the score between the Wizarding world and the Muggle World....
Yes, it's finally here - the in some ways, reviewer proof final film of the franchise which has spanned a lot of Rupert Grint gurning as well as millions (or is it billions) of book sales since its launch back in 1997.
And quite frankly, what a stunning, magical epic and emotionally rewarding end to the long running and much loved saga.
I'll preface this by saying I'm unaware of the source material and how it played out on the page, so this film was a genuine surprise in many ways - and an unexpectedly sumptuous narrative treat, blessed with some great acting. I for one didn't know how it ended for Potter et al, so I was suitably spellbound from beginning to end (which, as an aside, is probably a good thing as fans will flock to this regardless - but non-fans may be wary).
Granted, viewing of the previous films is probably helpful, but in many ways, this closing chapter has everything it needed to finally wrap it up and satiate those of us (well, mainly me) who felt JK Rowling had dragged out the books and the resulting films which simply saw Harry threatened and then deal with the threat summarily.
It's a truly unexpected film - there are moments of absolute silence where the acting simply takes the foreground and the soundtrack goes silent and thematically, there is much to engage the grey matter (although a spiritual flight of fantasy does feel a little unnecessary and meandering even though it's a metaphysical jaunt into Harry's psyche- and don't even get me started on the "19 Years Later" epilogue which is cloying and sickly saccharine and ultimately unnecessary and disappointing).
It's the emotional calm before the storm as we build upto the final showdown and the inevitable fight at Hogwarts. Every single member of this ensemble are perfect but Daniel Radcliffe really does up his game again, this time imbuing Harry with pathos, sadness, turmoil and pain as he sees what his fight has done to others and how it takes the ultimate toll on many. It's great to see how far he's come since the first film where his acting chops were quite frankly, obscured by his moptop and lack of age.
In an ultimate battle, there will be casualties - and sure, some fan favourites are despatched off screen, but you could argue that these deaths would have felt mawkish to watch, held back the story - and let's be honest, we've had some 14 years to get to know the characters so we do feel the emotional pain. It's also good to see that the smaller characters are the true heroes of the film - it's a nice touch in such an epic saga.
The other star of this film is director David Yates. The direction and perfect pace he brings to the film is its great saviour - and perhaps the franchise's saving grace. With swirling FX, a stunning and stirring score and some dark and portentous moments, this Potter is a restrained, mature and impressive, less is more kind of film which doesn't over indulge the fact it's the last time we'll see these characters or throw FX in for their own sake. There's none of the bloatedness which makes you feel the franchise has overstayed its welcome; in fact, it's perfectly wrapped up and left with the rich closure fans have sought for years.

This is the Harry Potter film I've been waiting for in many ways; perhaps, it was inevitable that it would be the final film which got it right, but as a closing chapter, it's near perfect and is the best send off it could ever have been given.

127 Hours: Blu Ray Review

127 Hours: Blu Ray Review

127 Hours
Rating: RP16
Released by Roadshow and 20th Century Fox

James Franco gives an Oscar-nominated performance as Aron Ralston, an American climber whose trip into the wild in 2003 changed his life forever when he became trapped down a canyon, with his arm crushed against a wall with a boulder.

He meets two girls (Mara and Tamblyn) before his life changes when he falls down a Utah canyon and is trapped by a boulder.

Over five days, his mental and physical health take their toll as Ralston reflects back on his life and faces the ultimate look at his own mortality.

127 Hours is claustrophobic, uncomfortable viewing in the extreme - thanks to one scene (more on that later).

But it's also terrific, with an undeniable energy and a mesmerising performance from Franco as Ralston.

Given Franco's on screen for most of the film solo, he really needed to pull out all the stops to chart the mental decline, hallucinations, guilt, and memories that Ralston goes through, and he delivers in spades in this total sensory experience of a film.

Every moment, as the camera tracks his wearying expressions, you can't tear your eyes away from Franco; partially that's because of the inevitability of knowing (slight spoiler ahead) he hacks off his own arm with a blunt knife to escape.

It's uncomfortable viewing but it's compelling too - I don't remember the last time I sat squirming and with nowhere to go, but it's so well done (thanks to bone-crunching sound effects) that it delivers the shock it needs and gives you the emotional and physical release you need after 80 minutes' worth of waiting.

Rating: 8/10