Zookeeper: Movie Review

Zookeeper: Movie Review

Zookeeper

Rating: 4/10

Cast: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, An array of vocal talents for talking animals

Director: Frank Coraci

Kevin James continues to mine his everyman shtick in this latest, a comedy about a zookeeper.
James is Griffin, who, at the start of the film has his proposal rejected by Leslie Bibb's Stephanie (the love of his life).

Cue five years later, Griffin's now head zookeeper and relatively content with his lot in life. Until at his brother's engagement do (at the zoo, naturally) his ex shows up and Griffin realises what he may have lost.

So determined to better himself, Griffin decides it's time to leave the zoo - and take a high earning job elsewhere to ensure he's not seen as a failure.

And that's the moment, the animals plot to keep him - and break their code of silence to reveal to him, and he alone, that they can talk&.

What to say about Zookeeper?

If you like pratfalls, talking animals, a creepy Asian zookeeper (step forward Ken Jeong), flat set pieces which lack fizz and sparkle, occasional laugh out loud moments and an array of stars (Stallone, Cher to name but two) talking as animals, then stop reading right here and pre-book your ticket for Zookeeper.
Granted the younger end of the audience is likely to enjoy this and there's a nice message about staying true to yourself and believing in yourself, but Zookeeper is pretty much your standard middle of the road fare.

James trades well on his everyman role once again but this time around, there's little for him to work with here - there's certainly no sophistication on display in the script but some of the younger end of the audience will love it in places (particularly the whole friendship he has with a gorilla, and a talking monkey too).

At the end of the day, if you want to see Kevin James being given advice on getting women from a group of animated animals who're prone to putting him in a succession of embarrassing situations, believe the kids will have a good time and you're prepared to leave your brain at the door, then Zookeeper is the one for your hard earned cash.

Dr Who: Paradise Towers: DVD Review

Dr Who: Paradise Towers: DVD Review

Dr Who - Paradise Towers
Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow

This four part serial from 1987 is not one of Who's finest hours.

When Sylvester McCoy's 7th Doctor takes Bonnie Langford's Mel to Paradise Towers to relax, the pair finds themselves in a world that's fallen into ruin.
Overrun by gangs and with a series of sinister goings on, the Doctor realises he must save the day - once again and overthrow a vicious evil lurking deep within Paradise Towers.

This adventure is a difficult watch - even for fans of the show.

McCoy spends a lot of the story gurning and Richard Briers is barely much better as the fascistic Chief Caretaker of the block; it's a serial which verges on tedious rather than entertaining.

Extras: Thankfully, these are a slightly higher quality bunch (almost as if those behind the release knew how weak it was) with a doco looking back at the making of the serial; a vignette on how McCoy was cast as the Doc and an interesting three hander where Sophie Aldred, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton reflect on their time as Who companions.

Rating: 4/10 

Grand Designs S8: DVD Review

Grand Designs S8: DVD Review

Grand Designs Series 8
Rating: G
Released by Roadshow

Kevin McCloud continues his quest to follow self builds in this latest batch of Grand designs.

Basically, the series doesn't veer too much from its successful formula with McCloud usually a bit suspect of the work done within the constraints of the English weather. But with eight episodes and a variety of houses under scrutiny, there's plenty of inspiration to marvel at.

You'd have to wonder if the show's producers are running out of volunteers but it's clear within the likes of a Scandinavian style house in Cornwall and loft hidden in a field, there's plenty of ingenuity around. Inspiring and watchable, this latest series is a clear example of it's not broke, then don't fix it - except with homes and projects that need a bit of extreme DIY.

Rating: 7/10 

The Big Lebowski: Blu Ray Review

The Big Lebowski: Blu Ray Review

The Big Lebowski
Released by Universal Home Ent
Rating: R16
Thirteen years after its initial release, this Blu Ray release of The Coen Brothers' seminal film remains an essential watch.
Jeff Bridges stars as "The Dude" who finds himself slap bang in the middle of a kidnapping after a case of mistaken identity. Things become further complicated when one of the Dude's friends plots to keep the cash for himself.
Quirky and appealing still after all this time, The Big Lebowski is the epitome of a cult film; panned on its initial release, it's become part of the hallowed world of the film lover.
A great collection of extras including docos really adds to the appeal of this set and give it the feel of an ultimate release for one of the most iconic films of the past 20 years.
Extras: Docos, making of, behind the scenes of the dream sequence

Rating: 8/10

The Thick Of It: DVD Review

The Thick Of It: DVD Review

The Thick Of It: Series one and Two

Rating: M
Released by BBC

The TV series which spawned the truly brilliant In The Loop film, this is a satire about the inner workings of the British government.

Starring Chris Langham as an inept minister, the series focuses on the fictional ministry of social affairs where policy changes as quickly as the weather. Episodes see the department forced to come up with policy in 40 minutes, focus groups and cabinet reshuffles. But it's a case of the entire cast underplaying their roles, combined with shaky cam that give this a verite feel and deliver such mirth.

However, it's Peter Capaldi as the vicious potty mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker who shines in this series which will appeal to those who loved Yes Minister and who love smart UK comedies.

Extras: Commentaries, bonus scenes, script guides.

Rating: 7/10

Brighton Rock: Blu Ray Review

Brighton Rock: Blu Ray Review

Brighton Rock
Rating: R16
Released by Madman Home Entertainment
It's always hard to redo a film when another version exists that's deemed a classic.

This version of Brighton Rock (based on Graham Greene's 1939 novel) has had a few tweaks.

Set against a backdrop of unrest between the Mods vs Rockers scene, the action takes place in Brighton; a Brighton of the sixties where gangs of dissenting youth and mobsters roam the streets, taking to anything they don't like with violence.

Pinkie (played with resentful ferocity by Sam Riley) is one of those involved in a gang; he's more likely to crack a skull than a smile - and he finds himself wrestling with power and greed after he commits a murder.

Things get more complicated when Rose (a stunning Andrea Riseborough) finds herself unwittingly in the middle of evidence linking Pinkie's gang to the murder.

So Pinkie seduces the naïve Rose - as he tries to ensure she doesn't talk...
But Rose's boss Ida (Helen Mirren) knows something's not right - and soon finds herself embroiled in this tale of gangland by the sea.

Brighton Rock is dark and gloomy - both in tone and in lighting.
This story of shivs, shingle and shocks may take a while to resonate with audiences - and many of the older persuasion will take a lot to be convinced anyone can improve on Richard Attenborough's performance.

In many ways, Pinkie's supposed to be the archetypal anti-hero but he's very difficult to root for (sample moment - he decides whether Rose loves him by pulling the legs off a spider). He's cold, blessed with a permanent scowl, callous, ruthless and in Sam Riley's hands, menacingly watchable.

Likewise Andrea Riseborough's Rose is simply the soaraway success of this - brilliantly fragile, stupidly naïve and yet endlessly optimistic, she sums up much of the uncertainty of youth - and in the final scenes she will break your heart.

The problem with this Brighton Rock is it's a little slow to get going; and with the darkness pervading the script as well as the onscreen action, some may not be willing to give it the time to let it wash over them and get engrossed.

Extras: A packed second disc with makings of, commentary with director, interviews with the cast, anatomy of a scene - a decent bunch for consumption

Rating: 6/10

The Devil's Rock: Movie Review

The Devil's Rock: Movie Review

The Devil's Rock
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Craig Hall, Gina Varela, Matthew Sunderland, Karlos Drinkwater
Director: Paul Campion
Horror and Nazis combine in this Kiwi flick.
Hall stars as Captain Ben Grogan, who along with his comrade Sergeant Joseph Tane (Drinkwater) is on a top secret government mission to destroy positions on the eve of D Day.
But when the pair end up on an apparently deserted bunker in Guernsey, they find more than they can handle - a series of bodies with entrails hanging out, a sole Nazi officer and a woman chained up.
However, it soon transpires that there's more to this story than meets the eye and Grogan finds all manner of problems and fears within...
The Devil's Rock is a pacy attempt at a good psychological horror; in many ways, the tense quiet opening as the pair negotiate the beaches is a traditional tale of any duo who find themselves in a minefield.
But when they get inside the bunker, it's here Campion abandons a lot of the war tenets and heads into horror territory as we hear screams, shots of tortured and mutilated bodies and see blood all over the walls.
Yet, it doesn't veer into OTT territory either with Campion preferring to give the film a more intimate and psychological feel as Hall and Sunderland's characters match wits and engage in verbal sparring initially as part of a two hander conversation. Gina Varela manages the right level of seductive menace as the Devilish woman chained up as the film heads into Exorcist meets Saving Private Ryan boundaries.

There's a lot of gore in this outing and that may put some off but as a well researched horror which is based on a degree of fact, it really does offer something a little different to the genre and may impress more than you'd initially expect.