Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rating: 8/10
Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton, Brian Cox,
John Lithgow Andy Serkis
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Modern day San Francisco and Will Rodman (Franco) is a troubled scientist,
working on a cure for Alzheimers disease and using chimps as well as illegally
using his father (Lithgow) to see if the ALZ 112 cure works.
When one of the chimps which is showing signs of growing intelligence thanks
to the trials in the lab breaks out and is killed, Rodman discovers she's
protecting a baby - whom Rodman promptly takes home and raises as his own test
subject.
Three years later and Caesar the test subject is also showing signs of
inherited intelligence and has learned sign language - however, when Caesar
attacks a neighbour protecting Rodman's dad, he's locked up in a primate
sanctuary.
But it's not long before Caesar's plotting a break out from the chimpanarium
his human captors have imprisoned him in...
A reboot of the Apes franchise was in no way on my radar after the somewhat
messy Tim Burton/ Mark Wahlberg attempt back in 2001 - but quite frankly, this
reboot is perhaps one of the best of the series - and one of the best reboots of
a flagging franchise I've ever witnessed.
That's mainly, it has to be said, due to the work done by WETA in creating
the chimps and Andy Serkis' motion capture suit work as the lead Caesar. We've
now reached an age where digital technology can do pretty much anything and can
do it astoundingly well.
While the early digital realisation of the baby chimps is something akin to a
Mogwai/Ape cross and a little creaky, when Caesar ages and comes into his own,
it's really an astonishingly good cinematic moment (even if early shots of him
careering around a home are unnecessary and feel shoehorned in as if to show off
what the tech can do) as the ape rises up and begins to emote. There's so much
feeling conveyed in Caesar's eyes that you can't help but connect with the
primate and his kin and for that, those involved in this film really do need
huge kudos as it's never easy to get an audience to empathise with digitally
created creatures.
Most of the humans are really confined to second fiddle in this to be honest
and some pretty unsurprising stereotypes are rolled out as well; the boss of the
genetic research company rolls out such clichés as "I run a business - not a
petting zoo" and "You make history - and I make money". Coupled with Tom
Felton's cruel cage master, that side of the story is somewhat predictable,
clunky and a little jarring. Plus when you throw in a couple of plot holes -
convenient lapses of security aid some of the narrative but will irritate some,
there's clearly some further evolution of the script needed.
That said, director Rupert Wyatt (who did the superb The Escapist) is in need
of praise for helming this origin story, which tips a hat to the mythology as
well (if you're an Apes fan, there's some pretty sly and cool nods to the
franchise in the past - look out for them, you won't be disappointed) but also
for helming a terrifically well paced and reined in blockbuster. The final set
piece is also to be commended as it breaks some of the conventions of Hollywood
blockbusters and dials down the action which actually adds to the tension and
suspense of the film.
All in all, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best blockbusters of
the season; it's a thrilling, emotion filled and intelligent ride which
reinvigorates the franchise and has got me salivating for a potential sequel.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Dr Who: Frontios: DVD Review
Dr Who: Frontios: DVD Review
Dr Who - Frontios
Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Ent
Heading back to 1984, this four part adventure from Peter Davison's tenure in the TARDIS sees the Doc having to deal with the threat facing the last surviving humans on a planet far far away.
But the TARDIS team soon find out there's more than just one threat as a series of parasites known as the Gravis and the Tractators are out for survival too.
Redolent of the blight of the scripts in the 1980s, this serial is nothing sensational for the range - it's perfectly watchable if you're a Who fan but it's not exactly welcoming to non fans of the Time Lord.
The baddies are well realized (particularly the moments when the good guys are pulled underground) and there's some good solid acting on show from the likes of Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Janet Fielding and Jeff Rawle, but this tale isn't going to set the world alight.
A reasonably light smattering of extras by the range's standard complete the package, but there's a sense there's very little to add to a story which doesn't stand out from the Classic series.
Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, isolated score and a making of the story - about average for the range.
Rating: 5/10
Dr Who - Frontios
Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Ent
Heading back to 1984, this four part adventure from Peter Davison's tenure in the TARDIS sees the Doc having to deal with the threat facing the last surviving humans on a planet far far away.
But the TARDIS team soon find out there's more than just one threat as a series of parasites known as the Gravis and the Tractators are out for survival too.
Redolent of the blight of the scripts in the 1980s, this serial is nothing sensational for the range - it's perfectly watchable if you're a Who fan but it's not exactly welcoming to non fans of the Time Lord.
The baddies are well realized (particularly the moments when the good guys are pulled underground) and there's some good solid acting on show from the likes of Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Janet Fielding and Jeff Rawle, but this tale isn't going to set the world alight.
A reasonably light smattering of extras by the range's standard complete the package, but there's a sense there's very little to add to a story which doesn't stand out from the Classic series.
Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, isolated score and a making of the story - about average for the range.
Rating: 5/10
Monday, 1 August 2011
Game Review: Street Fighter IV - Super Arcade Edition
Game Review: Street Fighter IV - Super Arcade Edition
Street Fighter IV: Super Arcade Edition
Released by Capcom
Platform: PS3
Sometimes, in the world of gaming, if it ain't broke, you don't need to fix it.
That's certainly the case with this release which essentially takes the smackdown, smack'em in the face world of Street Fighter and injects a healthy dose of gameplay within.
With 39 fighters to choose from, each with their own signature moves and moods, there's certainly no lack of choice when it comes to choosing your weapon of street bound destruction.
Throw in an online multiplayer mode and there's definitely plenty of fist fights and showdowns ahead. It takes a little time to adjust and learn the combo moves you need to succeed but this is part of the fun of a game like this - adapting to the circumstances and reacting to the challenges in each fight as the time ticks down.
With backgrounds which are a little 3dimensional and give a street fight feel, there's something nostalgic and simple about this game - it doesn't really need whistles and bells to grab your attention - essentially, you need to win a fight over three rounds. It's as simple and as much fun as that.
Kicking ass and progressing through the levels, you have to adapt to survive and that ensures you can't get lazy on the technical front; you need to learn combos, assess the dangers and react to newer foes.
Ultimately, whether it's one player, two player or the multiverse, Street Fighter IV Super Arcade Edition is just good ole fashioned fun - the kind you used to lose all your pocket money to down in the arcades.
Rating: 7/10
Street Fighter IV: Super Arcade Edition
Released by Capcom
Platform: PS3
Sometimes, in the world of gaming, if it ain't broke, you don't need to fix it.
That's certainly the case with this release which essentially takes the smackdown, smack'em in the face world of Street Fighter and injects a healthy dose of gameplay within.
With 39 fighters to choose from, each with their own signature moves and moods, there's certainly no lack of choice when it comes to choosing your weapon of street bound destruction.
Throw in an online multiplayer mode and there's definitely plenty of fist fights and showdowns ahead. It takes a little time to adjust and learn the combo moves you need to succeed but this is part of the fun of a game like this - adapting to the circumstances and reacting to the challenges in each fight as the time ticks down.
With backgrounds which are a little 3dimensional and give a street fight feel, there's something nostalgic and simple about this game - it doesn't really need whistles and bells to grab your attention - essentially, you need to win a fight over three rounds. It's as simple and as much fun as that.
Kicking ass and progressing through the levels, you have to adapt to survive and that ensures you can't get lazy on the technical front; you need to learn combos, assess the dangers and react to newer foes.
Ultimately, whether it's one player, two player or the multiverse, Street Fighter IV Super Arcade Edition is just good ole fashioned fun - the kind you used to lose all your pocket money to down in the arcades.
Rating: 7/10
Limitless - Blu Ray review
Limitless - Blu Ray review
Limitless
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
What if you could find a drug which stimulated all of your brain?
What if you were that dude from the Hangover aka Bradley Cooper and someone presented this premise to you?
Cooper stars as out of work, down on his luck writer Eddie Morra, who's dumped by his girlfriend Lindy (Abby Cornish) because he's going nowhere.
On the very same day, he bumps into his former brother in law whom he's not seen for nine years - and on his advice, Morra takes a techno wonder drug NZT48.
Soon, Morra's finished that book he's been working on for years, made a killing on the stock market and generally stimulated his life more than he could ever have expected to.
When he learns the drug could kill him, Morra's in dire straits...
Limitless has some impressive moments; Cooper does well as Morra, the man who becomes addicted to the drug and improving his life. He brings the behaviour mannerisms of any addict to life and yet manages to keep this druggie affable and watchable.
Director Burger also starts off well - using some clever lighting techniques and camera ideas to reflect the highs of taking the drug (everything becomes crystal clear and bathed in a yellow light).
But then he blows it - as Burger soon himself becomes addicted to the thrill of using the same psychedelic tricks over and over and over again; any subtlety and appreciation for the novelty is pounded out of you with their repetition. It's akin to your senses being visually pummelled repeatedly with a very blunt object.
Throw into the mix some frankly ludicrous plot developments (Morra encourages his girlfriend to use the drug to think her way out of a tight spot - even after he's learnt how dangerous the drug is) and you begin to realise Limitless has found its own boundaries
Extras: Behind the scenes piece, alternate endings and commentary
Rating: 6/10
Limitless
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
What if you could find a drug which stimulated all of your brain?
What if you were that dude from the Hangover aka Bradley Cooper and someone presented this premise to you?
Cooper stars as out of work, down on his luck writer Eddie Morra, who's dumped by his girlfriend Lindy (Abby Cornish) because he's going nowhere.
On the very same day, he bumps into his former brother in law whom he's not seen for nine years - and on his advice, Morra takes a techno wonder drug NZT48.
Soon, Morra's finished that book he's been working on for years, made a killing on the stock market and generally stimulated his life more than he could ever have expected to.
When he learns the drug could kill him, Morra's in dire straits...
Limitless has some impressive moments; Cooper does well as Morra, the man who becomes addicted to the drug and improving his life. He brings the behaviour mannerisms of any addict to life and yet manages to keep this druggie affable and watchable.
Director Burger also starts off well - using some clever lighting techniques and camera ideas to reflect the highs of taking the drug (everything becomes crystal clear and bathed in a yellow light).
But then he blows it - as Burger soon himself becomes addicted to the thrill of using the same psychedelic tricks over and over and over again; any subtlety and appreciation for the novelty is pounded out of you with their repetition. It's akin to your senses being visually pummelled repeatedly with a very blunt object.
Throw into the mix some frankly ludicrous plot developments (Morra encourages his girlfriend to use the drug to think her way out of a tight spot - even after he's learnt how dangerous the drug is) and you begin to realise Limitless has found its own boundaries
Extras: Behind the scenes piece, alternate endings and commentary
Rating: 6/10
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Love Birds - Blu Ray Review
Love Birds - Blu Ray Review
Love Birds
Rating: PG
Released by Warner Bros
From the director of the Kiwi smash hit Second Hand Wedding, comes this new film aimed at showing us another side of Rhys Darby.
Darby stars as Doug, a council worker who's happy with his life, living at his parents' place and cruising along. One day, though, his long term girlfriend Susan (Smythe) decides enough is enough and takes flight.
Within moments of that, Doug suddenly finds an injured Paradise Shelduck dumped on his roof.
With no-one to care for the duck, Doug takes on the job - and his adventure brings him into contact with Sally Hawkins' zoo worker Holly.
Gradually, the injured animal learns to live and love again - and so does the duck....
Love Birds is your fairly conventional rom com fare - guy meets girl, complications and problems follow.
But what sets this above from the rest is Rhys Darby.
This is a career redefining moment from the guy who's prone to playing (in his words I might add) a bit of a dick.
In Love Birds, Darby is a revelation - he's a forlorn, lost, vulnerable and romantic lead who proves to be very watchable in what is a traditional tale. Darby has to straddle that line of acting with animals too - as the majority of his scenes are with Pierre the duck. But with laughs thrown in and a generally charming tone, he manages to more than adequately get by.
Quirky and funny, this sweetly charming tale will win more fans on DVD and Blu Ray and that's a good thing
Rating: 7/10
Love Birds
Rating: PG
Released by Warner Bros
From the director of the Kiwi smash hit Second Hand Wedding, comes this new film aimed at showing us another side of Rhys Darby.
Darby stars as Doug, a council worker who's happy with his life, living at his parents' place and cruising along. One day, though, his long term girlfriend Susan (Smythe) decides enough is enough and takes flight.
Within moments of that, Doug suddenly finds an injured Paradise Shelduck dumped on his roof.
With no-one to care for the duck, Doug takes on the job - and his adventure brings him into contact with Sally Hawkins' zoo worker Holly.
Gradually, the injured animal learns to live and love again - and so does the duck....
Love Birds is your fairly conventional rom com fare - guy meets girl, complications and problems follow.
But what sets this above from the rest is Rhys Darby.
This is a career redefining moment from the guy who's prone to playing (in his words I might add) a bit of a dick.
In Love Birds, Darby is a revelation - he's a forlorn, lost, vulnerable and romantic lead who proves to be very watchable in what is a traditional tale. Darby has to straddle that line of acting with animals too - as the majority of his scenes are with Pierre the duck. But with laughs thrown in and a generally charming tone, he manages to more than adequately get by.
Quirky and funny, this sweetly charming tale will win more fans on DVD and Blu Ray and that's a good thing
Rating: 7/10
Rango: Blu Ray Review
Rango: Blu Ray Review
Rango Blu Ray
Rating:PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment
Johnny Depp stars as a chameleon with an identity crisis in this zanily brilliant computer animated outing.
Depp's pet chameleon finds his life changed one day on a road trip when he's flung out onto a desert road by accident.
Stripped of his life inside his terrarium, the chameleon finds himself in the Wild West, in the town of Dirt.
Being of an actorly bent, the chameleon reinvents himself as Rango, and finds himself thrust into the role of Sheriff for Dirt.
But Dirt's got a problem - they're running out of water, the only commodity that talks in the town - and so Sheriff Rango sets out to try and save the day when their only source is stolen.
Rango is insane, loony and beautifully animated.
A film about critters and lizards it may be - but the level of detail in the animation of the characters and their depth is to die for.
The story takes a little bit of time to get going - but there's some genuine zaniness in some of the lines uttered by Rango and there are plenty of nods to westerns in general as well as a major tribute to Clint Eastwood.
Stick with Rango - despite its slightly unusual opening, its oddball nature appeals and never irritates.
Extras: Deleted scenes, storyboarding, behind the scenes docos and interactive trip to Dirt
Rating: 8/10
Rango Blu Ray
Rating:PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment
Johnny Depp stars as a chameleon with an identity crisis in this zanily brilliant computer animated outing.
Depp's pet chameleon finds his life changed one day on a road trip when he's flung out onto a desert road by accident.
Stripped of his life inside his terrarium, the chameleon finds himself in the Wild West, in the town of Dirt.
Being of an actorly bent, the chameleon reinvents himself as Rango, and finds himself thrust into the role of Sheriff for Dirt.
But Dirt's got a problem - they're running out of water, the only commodity that talks in the town - and so Sheriff Rango sets out to try and save the day when their only source is stolen.
Rango is insane, loony and beautifully animated.
A film about critters and lizards it may be - but the level of detail in the animation of the characters and their depth is to die for.
The story takes a little bit of time to get going - but there's some genuine zaniness in some of the lines uttered by Rango and there are plenty of nods to westerns in general as well as a major tribute to Clint Eastwood.
Stick with Rango - despite its slightly unusual opening, its oddball nature appeals and never irritates.
Extras: Deleted scenes, storyboarding, behind the scenes docos and interactive trip to Dirt
Rating: 8/10
Friday, 29 July 2011
Hall Pass: Blu Ray Review
Hall Pass: Blu Ray Review
Hall Pass
Rating: R16
Released by Warner Bros
The guys behind There's Something About Mary bring us a new comedy where a couple of dudes get given a week off their marital obligations to do whatever they want.
Owen Wilson is Rick, who's been married to high school sweetheart Maggie (Fischer); Jason Sudeikis is Fred, married to Christina Applegate's Grace.
The pair love their wives but are constantly on the look out whenever anything female crosses their paths.
So, sick of their visual straying, the wives grant them a "hall pass", a magic ticket for a week off marriage and any obligations so these guys can get their urges out.
I'm no prude but this uneven and at times flat and unfunny film feels like it tries to shock simply because it's a Farrelly Brothers' joint. It does little to propel what plot there is along and simply serves to show the guys can still offend and gross out if they so desire.
Owen Wilson is likeable enough as the middle aged schlub who actually loves his wife and can't cut it when "back on the scene" - and when paired with Sudeikis, the duo are completely clueless when it comes to the dating game
Hall Pass is probably one for the boys with some beers - a couple of humourous moments but overall, way too patchy for a great night in.
Extras: Extended cut plus gag reel - about what you'd expect
Rating: 4/10
Hall Pass
Rating: R16
Released by Warner Bros
The guys behind There's Something About Mary bring us a new comedy where a couple of dudes get given a week off their marital obligations to do whatever they want.
Owen Wilson is Rick, who's been married to high school sweetheart Maggie (Fischer); Jason Sudeikis is Fred, married to Christina Applegate's Grace.
The pair love their wives but are constantly on the look out whenever anything female crosses their paths.
So, sick of their visual straying, the wives grant them a "hall pass", a magic ticket for a week off marriage and any obligations so these guys can get their urges out.
I'm no prude but this uneven and at times flat and unfunny film feels like it tries to shock simply because it's a Farrelly Brothers' joint. It does little to propel what plot there is along and simply serves to show the guys can still offend and gross out if they so desire.
Owen Wilson is likeable enough as the middle aged schlub who actually loves his wife and can't cut it when "back on the scene" - and when paired with Sudeikis, the duo are completely clueless when it comes to the dating game
Hall Pass is probably one for the boys with some beers - a couple of humourous moments but overall, way too patchy for a great night in.
Extras: Extended cut plus gag reel - about what you'd expect
Rating: 4/10
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