Sarah's Key - Blu Ray Review

Sarah's Key - Blu Ray Review

Sarah's Key
Rating: M
Released by Madman

Based on Tatiana de Rosnay's best selling novel, Scott Thomas stars as American journalist Julia Jarmond.

She begins to look into the Vel'd'Hiv Roundup in 1942 in France as part of a magazine article but discovers that she shares a key connection to what happened in the past to a Jewish family and their little girl called Sarah.

As she digs further into the past, and vivid flashbacks bring to light what happened, Jarmond finds that the present and future can definitely be influenced by what has already happened.

Kristin Scott Thomas has done little recently cinematically to impress after Leaving and Love Crime; so it's great to report that she's back on form in this exquisitely layered and powerful drama.

The film starts with two children bouncing and giggling in a bed in 1942; but with a dreaded knock at the door, everything changes.

This film is arrestingly good and packs a mighty wallop as the pieces begin to fit together; the story from 1942 is horrifically well realised, and conjures up a time we hope never to see again.

It's a strong sense of direction that delicately weaves together these two tales, stretched 67 years apart as they are - and thanks to the sensitive acting of Scott Thomas, you'll be left an emotional heap at the end.

Extras: Making of and trailer - same there was no historical piece

Rating: 7/10

Captain America - The First Avenger: Movie Review

Captain America - The First Avenger: Movie Review

Captain America - The First Avenger
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper
Director: Joe Johnston
So, another film from the Marvel juggernaut heads our way ahead of the release of the super powered The Avengers next year.
This time, it's the turn of Steve Rogers aka Captain America to take the centre stage ahead of the launch of the franchise.
Rogers is a weedy, asthmatic runt of a man whose quest to sign up for the American army and take on the Nazis is continually turned down because of his imperfect physique.
Overhearing one of his pleas to join up, Rogers is co-opted by Dr Abraham Erskine (a brilliant character turn from Tucci) into a platoon run by Tommy Lee Jones' Colonel Chester Phillips which is aimed at creating a super soldier to win the war.
With the injection of a super serum, Rogers goes from weedy wannabe to buff bodied hero - however, at the same time, Nazi Germany is gearing up for takeover with the help of the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) who's using technology from Odin's world and the might of his underground organisation HYDRA to push the weapons as far as they can go...and take over the world.
Well, let's get the good out of the way - Chris Evans is very good as the all American pie hero Rogers/ Cap America; he brings a real extra dimension to what is essentially only a one dimensional character. Rogers' whole mantra is "I don't like bullies - I don't care where they're from" and it doesn't really make for an in depth character to root for. Plus the Captain could do with a dash of something to prick his pomposity, be it self deprecation or a bit of sly humour.
Adding to the experience are Tommy Lee Jones as the gruff Colonel (who's given the lion share of the best lines) and Stanley Tucci as Dr Erskine - their turns give it a dash of humour that it desperately needs. And Hayley Atwell adds the requisite amount of heart and glamour as a British agent who's got more than a passing romantic interest in Rogers before and after his transformation.
Hugo Weaving's Red Skull chews up a little of the scenery and is a reasonable kind of villain but his ultimate defeat is so brief, you suspect he'll be cropping up in the Avengers next year.
Credit has to go to the digital team who've done a great job of digitally shrinking Evans down into his weedier version pre-transformation - the work is seamless, visually impressive and ranks as one of the best effects committed to celluloid thus far this year.
The whole Captain America affair is a kind of Boys' Own derring do, Saturday matinee piece of patriotic fluff. As a set up piece and origin story, it's slight and feels inconsequential to the likes of Thor, Iron Man et al. It does score points though for a song and dance routine...
There's nothing inherently wrong with this slightly cheesy, cornball, slow mo action shots explosion fest but it does feel like it's been shoehorned into release schedules to ensure everything's in line for the Avengers. It's only credit to Chris Evans that the film manages to work.

Talking of the Avengers, if you want a sneak peek at said film from Joss Whedon, stay through the very original and nicely presented credits.

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.