TT3D: Movie Review
TT3D
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Guy Martin, a host of other TT racers, motorbikes, The
Isle of Man
Director: Richard De Aragues
"There's nothing to compare it with."
How often have you heard that from anyone involved in any kind of extreme
sport?
This latest sports doco looks at the legendary Isle of Man TT motorbike
racing event; one which has been running for years and has claimed around 231
lives in spectacular crashes and yet doesn't see a drop off in willing
participants.
De Aragues' film takes a look at the races of the 2010 event and in
particular follows the tousled mop topped and lamb chopped racer, the Englishman
Guy Martin, a fascinating and in some ways intimidating young character.
Martin is the classic loner - and also the classic self deprecator, full of
Northern English charm and the kind of guy who'd call a spade a spade and that'd
be that. When we first meet Martin, he's being interviewed in a garage pit
repairing a truck - before he takes his bike out to hoon around to see what
speed he needs for the upcoming race.
The following 100 minutes then chart the highs and lows of the race, The Isle
of Man
Tourist Trophy described as "the greatest motorcycle road
race in the world, the ultimate challenge for rider and machine."
But De Aragues has triumphed by making this film an edge of the seat,
thrilling piece about freedom of choice, spirit and endurance.
Thankfully the 3D is non intrusive - it's not used to make you duck in the
cinema when bikes come hurtling toward you, it's used subtly to bring depth to
the proceedings and give you a feel for the event.
Sure, some of the sporting clichés are there - phrases like "If it doesn't
excite you, then you're not alive and that's a fact" sit alongside the likes of
"it's like being able to fly" and slow mo shots of riders in action. But I'm
prepared to forgive all of those because of how gripping this actually is right
from the get go.
Eschewing charm and a straight talking style, Martin's an easy subject for De
Aragues to follow - but it also gives the sport a face and grounds the
competition in a humanity and warmth which make it feel universal, rather than
just a speed freak's wet dream of a film.
Guy Martin is an enigmatic guy - often seen being interviewed with a mug of
tea in hand and prone to sleeping in the back of his van and enjoying his own
company before a race, he's something of a riddle but his no-nonsense attitude
has won him a legion of fans - and this film is likely to cement that reputation
as it provides a fascinating insight into not only his mindset but the rest of
the racing fraternity.
I realised I was gripped when I was on tenterhooks and on the edge of my seat
to see if one racer had made it out alive after a crash - it's here that De
Aragues gets to the knub of what makes these riders tick because of one scene in
a hospital where a rider lets down his guard and finally shows some
vulnerability after an horrific crash - before a bit of the bravado came back.
It's a brief but telling moment and one which spoke volumes about all of those
who take part in this race.
Mashing archive footage and a candid look at one competitor, Guy Martin, this
doco is simply hands down one of the best sports docos I've ever seen - packed
with humour, tension, suspense and humanity - and believe me when I say that's
praise coming from a non sports fan.
Quite simply unmissable.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Hop: Blu Ray Review
Hop: Blu Ray Review
Hop
Released by Universal Home Ent
Rating: G
Hop is a part live action, part animated film, starring the vocal talent of Russell Brand, as EB.
A descendant of the Easter Bunny line from Easter Island, EB has a destiny to fulfil - he gets to become the Easter Bunny But selfish bunny two shoes EB doesn't want that - like any rebellious kid, he's got his own future marked out - as a drummer.
So running away from Easter Island to Hollywood via a portal, EB runs into Frank O'Hare (Marsden) a no hoper whose continual disappointment to his family has led to them intervening in his life to try and get it on track.
The pair accidentally meet - and EB throws himself into Frank's life - despite Frank's protestations to the contrary.
However, while EB is away, back at the Easter Island factory where the holiday season becomes real, the number two in charge, The Easter Chick, Carlos (voiced by Hank Azaria) is plotting a chicken coup d'etat
Hop is a disappointment.
With a script that hardly packs in many laughs early on, it tries to get by on the charm and roguish caddish ways of Russell Brand and early jokes about the Playboy mansion (just think about the inhabitants if you're struggling).
The animation is charming enough (from the creators of Despicable Me, you'd expect that) but the live action scenes don't really gel. Russell Brand is typically Russell Brand and you can tell the creators have played to his strengths; James Marsden seems a little lost and brings only goofiness to the role.
Even with a cameo from the Hoff (which has more cheese on it than he likes on his burgers), it's one which the parents may find a little difficult to sit through. The kids however, will love it.
Extras: World of HOP, All access piece
Rating: 4/10
Hop
Released by Universal Home Ent
Rating: G
Hop is a part live action, part animated film, starring the vocal talent of Russell Brand, as EB.
A descendant of the Easter Bunny line from Easter Island, EB has a destiny to fulfil - he gets to become the Easter Bunny But selfish bunny two shoes EB doesn't want that - like any rebellious kid, he's got his own future marked out - as a drummer.
So running away from Easter Island to Hollywood via a portal, EB runs into Frank O'Hare (Marsden) a no hoper whose continual disappointment to his family has led to them intervening in his life to try and get it on track.
The pair accidentally meet - and EB throws himself into Frank's life - despite Frank's protestations to the contrary.
However, while EB is away, back at the Easter Island factory where the holiday season becomes real, the number two in charge, The Easter Chick, Carlos (voiced by Hank Azaria) is plotting a chicken coup d'etat
Hop is a disappointment.
With a script that hardly packs in many laughs early on, it tries to get by on the charm and roguish caddish ways of Russell Brand and early jokes about the Playboy mansion (just think about the inhabitants if you're struggling).
The animation is charming enough (from the creators of Despicable Me, you'd expect that) but the live action scenes don't really gel. Russell Brand is typically Russell Brand and you can tell the creators have played to his strengths; James Marsden seems a little lost and brings only goofiness to the role.
Even with a cameo from the Hoff (which has more cheese on it than he likes on his burgers), it's one which the parents may find a little difficult to sit through. The kids however, will love it.
Extras: World of HOP, All access piece
Rating: 4/10
Never Let Me Go: Blu Ray Review
Never Let Me Go: Blu Ray Review
Never Let Me Go
Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox
From the 2005 book by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go has been adapted for the screen by Alex Garland.
It starts with an announcement that in 1952, a medical breakthrough means the average life expectancy now extends past 100 years old.
Then we fade into an idyllic English boarding school where we meet Carey Mulligan's narrator Kathy H as a school kid - she's been best friends with Ruth since forever. And their lives are completed by the friendship Kathy forms with Tommy (Andrew Garfield).
Gradually the bonds grow stronger between the trio - as their confined existence grows.
The children there are essentially clones, being nurtured as organ donors for those outside in the real world. In a climate of oppression, they're told never to leave the grounds, have limited social interaction with the outside world (they're taught in classes how to order tea in cafes) and are encouraged to paint for inclusion in an exclusive gallery.
But it's not good for the trio - Kathy's lost Tommy to a relationship with Keira Knightley's Ruth.
Years pass - and the three of them find their lives permanently intertwined as their inevitable path plays out.
Never Let Me Go is haunting, harrowing, depressing and yet incredibly powerfully compelling viewing.
It begins with an air of mystery and intrigue as you know there's something different about these children but the reality of what it is evades you initially.
Once the truth comes out (via a great interruption by Sally Hawkins' disruptive school teacher who's honest with the kids), it suddenly adds a level of poignancy to this forlorn trio
Essentially a three hander, this film is wonderfully acted by all three - Mulligan is hypnotic and shines as a detached forlorn Kathy, doomed to never be with her love; Knightley adds a subtlety to the manipulative Ruth and there's real anguish in Garfield's Tommy
Never Let Me Go will stay with you long after you've finished watching.
Extras: Behind the scenes, photos - not a major bunch for a good film.
Rating: 7/10
Never Let Me Go
Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox
From the 2005 book by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go has been adapted for the screen by Alex Garland.
It starts with an announcement that in 1952, a medical breakthrough means the average life expectancy now extends past 100 years old.
Then we fade into an idyllic English boarding school where we meet Carey Mulligan's narrator Kathy H as a school kid - she's been best friends with Ruth since forever. And their lives are completed by the friendship Kathy forms with Tommy (Andrew Garfield).
Gradually the bonds grow stronger between the trio - as their confined existence grows.
The children there are essentially clones, being nurtured as organ donors for those outside in the real world. In a climate of oppression, they're told never to leave the grounds, have limited social interaction with the outside world (they're taught in classes how to order tea in cafes) and are encouraged to paint for inclusion in an exclusive gallery.
But it's not good for the trio - Kathy's lost Tommy to a relationship with Keira Knightley's Ruth.
Years pass - and the three of them find their lives permanently intertwined as their inevitable path plays out.
Never Let Me Go is haunting, harrowing, depressing and yet incredibly powerfully compelling viewing.
It begins with an air of mystery and intrigue as you know there's something different about these children but the reality of what it is evades you initially.
Once the truth comes out (via a great interruption by Sally Hawkins' disruptive school teacher who's honest with the kids), it suddenly adds a level of poignancy to this forlorn trio
Essentially a three hander, this film is wonderfully acted by all three - Mulligan is hypnotic and shines as a detached forlorn Kathy, doomed to never be with her love; Knightley adds a subtlety to the manipulative Ruth and there's real anguish in Garfield's Tommy
Never Let Me Go will stay with you long after you've finished watching.
Extras: Behind the scenes, photos - not a major bunch for a good film.
Rating: 7/10
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
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
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
Monday, 22 August 2011
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
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
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
Thursday, 18 August 2011
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.
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.
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