The Orator: Movie Review

The Orator: Movie Review

The Orator
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Fa'afiaula Sagote, Tausili Pushparaj, Salamasina Mataia, Ioata Tanielu
Director: Tusi Tamasese
The Orator (O Le Tulafale to give its Samoan title) arrives with a certain amount of prestige behind it.
The tale from first time director Tusi Tamasese has been submitted for consideration as Best Foreign Language Film for the 84th Academy Awards®, to be held in Hollywood on the 28th of February 2012.
It's the story of Vaaiga, (Pushparaj) who's been banished from her ancestral village - she's now living with little person Saili (a stunning turn from debut actor Sagote) who's angered neighbours near their home by refusing to move the graves of his parents.
In fact, he insists on tending them every day and chopping down taro plants which are being grown by the neighbouring villagers - much to the ire of those trying to make a living.
Vaaiga's brother Poto (Tanielu) is also causing problems for this small family; he's sick and wants her to return home.
However, Poto's wish has disastrous consequences for all of them.
Quite frankly, if you fail to be moved by The Orator, you don't have a pulse.
Lusciously shot and beautifully subtle and nuanced, this entirely Samoan film is one for the heart as well as the eyes.
First time actor Fa'afiaula Sagote and first time director Tusi Tamasese make a stunning double act - there's the pain of dishonour and the weight of expectation etched across Saili's weary face throughout and you can't help but feel for him as he faces what he faces. Tamasese brings a level headedness to this cultural debut which captivates you from the opening moments to the heart-stopping climax.
This isn't all about highly compelling slow-burning drama; there's a rich vein of subtly dry humour running throughout - mainly thanks to a Samoan rugby team - which gives the weightiness of the script a much needed touch of lightness.

Ultimately though The Orator is simply strong measured storytelling and impressive acting; it's engrossing, heartfelt and in its final scenes, profoundly moving.

Real Steel: Movie Review

Real Steel: Movie Review

Real Steel

Rating: 6/10

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, A sad faced robot

Director: Shawn Levy

In the not too distant future on earth, robots have taken the place of humans in the boxing ring.

It's in this world we meet Charlie Kenton (Jackman), a former boxer whose glory days are past him and who now spends time using his skills to guide fighting robots in the ring.
Only ridden with debt, Charlie's got a few problems - he's got creditors threatening him, his former girlfriend Bailey (Lost's Evangeline Lilly) is about to lose the family gym because of the debt
Charlie's racked up and to make matters worse, Charlie gets his young son Max dumped on him after his ex-wife dies.

But when Max discovers an old robot and decides his discarded bot will be a fighting champion, Charlie indulges his son and gives him a chance to experience life as a fighter.

However, when Max's robot starts to win, Charlie soon discovers he's got a chance to change his life.

This feel good family flick feels at times like a simple smash em up robot smackdown; a sort of Robot Wars for the new CGI digital age. But at its core, it's an old fashioned tale about the underdog, the broken family and second chances.

Which means some of it feels a little old hat and unoriginal - despite the futuristic setting and blaring heavy metal soundtrack each time the robots fight in the ring, there's something very old fashioned to the story telling.

While it avoids the cliché of the mop haired kid, there's a very real feeling to the relationship between Max and Charlie; Hugh Jackman brings his requisite charm to the role and while there's some cheesy lines in the film (Max tells Charlie at one point: You just throw away anything you don't need), there's a heartfelt warmth underneath.

The robot fight scenes are quite cool to be honest - and will indulge the father/son bonding nature of this flick; and I have to admit to being very impressed by the animatronic robots (but that's the nerd in me coming out).

At the end of the day, Real Steel is a brash and at times noisy affair with a gooey heart deep within and it's certainly going to have limited family appeal.

The Smurfs: Movie Review

The Smurfs: Movie Review

The Smurfs

Rating: 6/10

Cast:Neil Patrick Harris, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, The Smurfs, Gargamel

Director: Raja Gosnell

The Smurfs are somewhat of an institution - so the idea of seeing them redone for a big screen release is one that may give some fans of Peyo's original cartoons a bit of a nervous shudder.
Small creatures of blue with white pointy hats, they live in an enchanted forest away from human contact - but always with the threat of evil wizard Gargamel (a brilliant Hank Azaria) trying to track them down.

So one day, after a series of mishaps when Clumsy Smurf accidentally reveals the location of their perfect village to Gargamel, a handful of them are forced to flee through a portal to New York - and into the life of uptight father to be Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris).

And while Patrick's pregnant other half Grace (Jayma Mays) is happy to embrace them, Patrick isn't too pleased to welcome Smurfette, Poppa Smurf, Clumsy et al into his life.

Things get even more complicated when Gargamel heads through the portal too trying to track them down...

Will they ever be able to return home? Will they be able to fight off the wizard? And will Patrick avoid being fired from his job by Cruella de Vil like boss Odile (Modern Family's Sofia Vergara.)

The Smurfs is a lot of family fun - and much more bearable than you'd believe of a computer animated film about small blue people.

There's a cartoony feel to it in places - but not one which makes it feel childish and silly; it's more of a joyous self knowing celebration. Katy Perry's Smurfette even reveals at one point, that she kissed a Smurf and she liked it.

There's a playfulness to the script and while Gargamel veers dangerously close to pantomime territory, thanks to Azaria's great acting and some clever laugh out loud oneliners, he's more fun than complete caricature.

Sure, there's a schmaltzy message for Patrick's father to be and some extremely gratuitous product placement, but The Smurfs is a solid family outing and proffers up a lot more fun than you'd ever expect from a group of blue people.

Game Review: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Game Review: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Released by THQ
Platform: PS3
A video game starring the awesome character Mark Strong is never something to be sniffed at.
And so it is with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.
Strong stars as Captain Titus, leader of the elite fighting force, The Ultramarines. He and his troops are called in to help fight off the menace of a marauding Ork force - and pretty soon, the troops (and by extension, you) are engaged in a battle of brutal force.
I'd like to give you more of a plot here but to be honest, while there's a simple one at play, there's little else to the game except fighting off hordes of slavering, slobbering orks - who either shoot or hack at you.
Essentially though, this third person shooter will rise or fall on whether you enjoy this kind of gameplay; sure, there's plenty of fun to be had from simply massacring everything around you with either a gun or an array of chainsaws but there are some frustrations too.
That initial rush of killing joy soon begins to wear off as you realise that's predominantly what the game has on offer and the fact you are unable to deviate from the route mapped out for Titus and explore the world, means in some ways you are trapped.
Conversely though, that's outweighed by the fact there are some nifty weapons (combat knife, bolt pistols) on show and you need to use smarts to progress through levels rather than just killing everything in sight.
Strong adds a degree of credibility to the game with his voice over and some of the cut scenes are almost cinematic in scope - but at the end of the day, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is fun to play if you're willing to leave your brain off and simply go on a spree of violence.

Rating: 7/10

The Lion King 3D: Movie Review

The Lion King 3D: Movie Review

The Lion King
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane
So, a limited big screen 3D release of Disney's award winning tale is unleashed.
And I'm not entirely sure why it's getting either a bit of 3D treatment or a limited release ahead of its Blu ray debut - but best to put that marketing cynicism to one side I think.
It's the African based tale of Lion cub Simba (played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) who will become the Lion King of Pride Rock after the natural death of his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones).
However, jealousy rears its ugly head when Mufasa's duplicitous brother Scar (Jeremy Irons) moves against him, bitter at Simba succeeding him as king.
So when Simba's framed for his father's death, he's forced to flee Pride Rock for good.
But when hyenas ravage Simba's homeland and a former friend Nala inadvertently finds him, he decides to return home and claim what's rightfully his.
It's hard to knock the majesty of the Lion King up on the big screen (particularly for those who've not seen it before - and there will be young kids who've not, as well as a few adults) and it's hard to stay cynical at the reasoning for the release when Tim Rice's brilliant songs rear their musical heads.
Nearly 20 years on, this still has charm, even if the animation is showing its age a little; it's primarily to do with the story though - covered as it is with shades of Biblical overtones, Shakespeare and the humour within.
There's certainly plenty on this emotional ride - as well as scares for the younger end of the audience - to keep the whole family engaged but I'd question the use of the 3D as it adds nothing to the original experience and seems useless.
At the end of the day, The Lion King 3D needs only to shout about its story to get bums on seats - it doesn't need bells or whistles because thanks to a fantastic ensemble, a variety of toe tapping medleys and a great story, it remains a roaringly good piece of entertainment.

Hakuna Matata indeed.

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