Red Riding Hood: Blu Ray Review

Red Riding Hood: Blu Ray Review

Red Riding Hood
Rating: M
Released by Warner home Video

Red Riding Hood is the latest adaptation of the fairy tale and sees Amanda Seyfried's Valerie trapped in a love triangle with Shiloh Fernandez's woodcutter Peter and Max Irons' Henry - as well as a murder mystery, when the townsfolk she's living with in a high mountain range are picked off by the big bad wolf.

As fear continues to grip the snow-capped village, a priest (played with scene chewing aplomb by Gary Oldman) is called in to try and save them.

But as the climate of terror grows, the threat to Valerie and those she loves becomes greater - and soon she realises she's the key to saving everyone.

From its opening shot of villages in mountains as the camera sweeps across trees, it's very hard to not think about Twilight - which I guess to a degree is what you'd expect from the director of the very first film. Throw in lines like "If you love her, you'll let her go" and "I lost a sister - I can't lose you" and clearly you're in teen angst territory in more ways than one. Add into the mix a pair of boys and a love triangle - plus a wolf which looks like one of wolf pack from a certain other franchise - and you'd be forgiven for thinking you're watching a different film.

That said, while the rest of the cast are fairly wooden and stilted, Amanda Seyfried shines in this. With her big blue eyes (all the better for seeing you with, right?) and pale complexion, she stands out from the rest of the townsfolk - but physicalities aside, she also stands out with her slightly ethereal acting, bringing an air of mystery to her part as the film goes on. Gary Oldman is okay too - but he's clearly overacting in some parts which takes the edge off a little

With some striking visuals and a gothic air here and there, there's certainly something for genre fans to love - but many will feel they've seen it all before. Some may even argue they've seen it done better too.

Extras: A good bunch includes an alternate ending, commentary, gag reel, additional scenes, music videos - for once, a decent solid smattering of extra stuff.

Rating: 5/10  

Sucker Punch: Blu Ray Review

Sucker Punch: Blu Ray Review

Sucker Punch
Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

Set in the 1960s, Sucker Punch is the story of Babydoll (an innocent Emily Browning) who, framed for the murder of her sister, is committed to a lunatic asylum by her murderous father.

With five days to go before she gets a life-changing lobotomy, Babydoll retreats into a fantasy world to try and plan an escape from a fate worse than death.

Sucker Punch is an incredible film in many ways.

Incredibly frustrating, incredibly inventive and incredibly visual, it's easy to see why it doesn't quite make it.

It's stylish and astounding in spades (and the opening sequence which shows how Babydoll is committed is one of the best visually impressive scenes I've ever clapped eyes on) but narratively, it's not quite there and instead feels like a series of CGI sequences and some mightily impressive music videos.

Don't get me wrong - there are parts of this film that made my inner geek squeal with delight (impressive slow mo fight scenes, shots of 10 foot samurai warriors with red eyes being cut down by Browning's petite frame, dragons and planes, World War trenches with steampunk Nazis, an awesome OST) but therein lies some of the problem of Sucker Punch.

A film with a series of great moments strung together by some disappointing plot does not alone an outstanding movie make.

Visually amazing, thematically a little weak, Sucker Punch remains an intriguingly stylish watch.

Extras: Animated shorts, prequel pieces, behind the soundtrack - a so so bunch

Rating: 6/10 

Unknown: Blu Ray review

Unknown: Blu Ray review

Unknown
Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

Liam Neeson stars in this thriller as Dr Martin Harris a man who awakes after a car accident in Berlin to find that his wife (played by the lovely January Jones) doesn't recognize him and that Aidan Quinn has taken his identity.

Despite Harris' protestations that he is the real Dr Harris, he soon finds himself on the run and trying to work out what's going on - helped by taxi driver Gina, played by Diane Kruger, Harris soon finds he's being targeted for death and the pressure's on to find out exactly why he can't fit back into his own life.

Solid and relatively unspectacular, Unknown gets by thanks largely to a very credible performance put in by Neeson. His confusion and stoic insistences give the plot a but of credence and while the ending's quite a clever one and a twist with a difference, it's largely thanks to Neeson's performance that you buy into it.

Extras: Behind the scenes piece

Rating: 6/10 

The Double Hour: Movie Review

The Double Hour: Movie Review

The Double Hour
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Ksenia Rappoport, Filippo Timi, Antonia Truppo, Gaetano Bruno
Director: Giuseppe Capotondi
A tense psychological thriller,The Double Hour - or La Doppia Ora-is the tale of Sonia, an apparently shy chambermaid who meets the rugged former cop turned security guard Guido one night at a speed dating event.
Pretty soon, they're in a relationship and all's happy until one day while at Guido's work, their happiness is rudely interrupted.
Following a break in, Sonia soon finds her life changed in many ways - and as the film progresses, Sonia's past starts to surface causing all kinds of issues between the pair.
Twisty, turny, haunting and stunning in places,The Double Hour surprises you at every turn - it's a slick sophisticated thriller which is to be blunt a bit of a head trip and may cause you to shout"What The?"at the screen.
It's very clever and requires you to keep up as the labyrinthe plot expands -it's complex and wonderful in places thanks to the central performance of Ksenia Rappoport.

You won't know exactly what's going on - and when the revelations come there's a collective penny dropping within the audience. Clever film making, The Double Hour is a rewarding trip to the cinema for those who enjoy psychological thrillers.

Mr Popper's Penguins: Movie Review

Mr Popper's Penguins: Movie Review

Mr Popper's Penguins
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Penguins - six of 'em
Director: John Davis
So, school holidays are under way and there's plenty of clamouring for the family dollar at the box office.
This time, Jim Carrey stars as Thomas Popper, a real estate buyer for a firm, who's a separated dad from his son and daughter.
Popper Senior spent most of his life travelling around the world and never being present for his son, so when pops pops his clogs, Popper Jr is left a crate, in which he assumes, is a stuffed penguin from his father's world trips.
Trouble is that penguin comes to life and starts wreaking havoc in Popper's house - and at a time when he's got job stresses and trying to secure a building from a cantankerous elderly buyer (Angela Lansbury), it's not exactly what Popper needs.
And things get worse, when another five penguins show - soon, Popper's personal life is on the up while his work life is taking a slide down...
Mr Popper's Penguins is fairly inoffensive family fare - with a message of holding onto your loved ones as tight as you can for as long as you can, it's clear what this at times predictable piece is trying to achieve.
Jim Carrey's got a nice vein of sadness running through his Popper and Carla Gugino makes an affable enough foil to his career obsessed business man ways.
It's probably pitched a little towards the younger end (Popper gets a football in the groin and head a couple of times) and there's some penguins with wind which threaten to turn it into Mr Pooper's Penguins at one point - but the smaller kids in the audience won't mind.
Mr Popper's Penguins isn't too bad - it's neither here nor there in terms of entertainment; there are a few moments which the kids will love (turning a museum do into a water slide scored the biggest laughs for the funny fowl and their followers in the audience) but the parents may find their patience is a little tested by this.

My Wedding and Other Secrets: DVD Review

My Wedding and Other Secrets: DVD Review

My Wedding and Other Secrets
Rating: PG
Released by South Pacific Pictures

In this rom com, Michelle Ang stars as Asian film student Emily Chu, a geek who's at odds with the world around her.

While her fellow film students are claiming their influences number the likes of Fellini, Emily's talking about how Star Wars turned her to the dark side of film making...

She's a bit of an oddball and that geeky goofy charm extends to the rest of her life

But it also puts her into conflict with her Hong Kong parents - she's seen one sister nearly disowned after she dated a boy her parents didn't approve of.

So, when she meets good ole Kiwi James ( Go Girls' Matt Whelan) and the two spark, she's well aware of the potential divisions it could cause.

However, Emily's a dreamer and follows her heart over her head.

My Wedding And Other Secrets is a charming and sweet culture clash romantic comedy. It has an innocence and character which will melt your heart.

Michelle Ang manages to bring an endearing charm to Emily and life to the story. She veers on the right side of compassionate to her eccentric spontaneity rather than irritating - and she also has sincerity for the part as she juggles her heart, what's right and the wishes of her family.

And she gels very well with Matt Whelan's awkward and nervy James.

A sweetly charming cultural rom com which perfectly matches the times we live in.

Extras: Behind the scenes, bloopers, commentary, trailer and short

Rating: 8/10 

Billy T: Te Movie: Movie Review

Billy T: Te Movie: Movie Review

Billy T : Te Movie
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Billy T James, a wealth of mates and colleagues
Director: Ian Mune
"His mark on comedy is like a pen mark on a shirt - by a Vivid pen - it's indelible."
So a doco about the irrepressible and much loved Kiwi comic icon Billy T James finally hits the cinema
Te Movie is more about Billy T's life and draws inevitable parallels with Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins Untouchable Girls in terms of how it's put together.
Using archive performance footage, past interviews and current day recollections and reconstructions from colleagues, friends but no immediate family, this piece by Ian Mune is a sensitive, relatively rounded portrait of the man who clearly set the standard for Kiwi comedy (and whose groundbreaking talent and natural showmanship have yet to be matched from what I can tell.)
I should hold up my hands here and confess that I'd never been exposed to Billy T before as it's from before my time in NZ and so while that gives me a better perspective on the film making, it possibly would have disadvantaged me on what Billy T brought to the 80s Kiwi world.
Thankfully, Ian Mune uses footage of him truly rocking the house and reducing everyone to laughter to show what a talent he was - and what a stellar performer he was once he overcame his initial shyness and found his stride in the Maori Volcanics group.
He's also wisely chosen to adopt a somewhat matey approach to interviewing friends and colleagues of Billy T - a trio of bros is interviewed in a field in Auckland, quite a few other mates are interviewed near a cowshed - there's a very uniquely Kiwi and casual approach to putting together this film. Contributions also come from long term Billy T cohort Peter Rowley as you'd expect.
But it's telling that there's no real comment - other than archival footage - from immediate family and that's the one real hole and glaring omission which truly stops this from feeling like a rounded and full portrait of the man who seems to have crossed Maori and Pakeha divides and trailblazed the way for comedy on television and the stage. However, you do get a feel for a man who was a musician, a singer and comedy performer.
As for the Billy T who emerges from this doco, well, what can I say? Clearly this guy had some real talent, a drive to succeed and a selflessness which led him to overworking and eventual ill health - you'll be agog at how he bounds around the stage after having had a heart transplant and at the same time, you'll feel a real sense of sadness that he never went onto more. There's one moment where Mune gets everyone to reflect on Billy's passing and it's the only real slightly creaky moment within the film - sure, I can understand his intentions, but it's a little heavy handed and feels somewhat intrusive. Though, that said, I understand a lot of those involved with Billy never got the closure they needed after his sad early demise so perhaps this goes some way to providing some kind of relief.
Ultimately, because of the lack of immediate family, Billy T: Te Movie falls just short of greatness; don't get me wrong - Ian Mune's pieced together a warmly fitting tribute to the man who made such a difference to entertainment and Maori/ Pakeha relations.

And quite frankly, decades on, Billy T still has what it takes to reduce audiences to laughter - no matter how old or young they are in this charming doco which will have you giggling like Billy T when the lights go up.