Kung Fu Panda 2: Blu Ray Review

Kung Fu Panda 2: Blu Ray Review

Kung Fu Panda 2
Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Ent
The big fat cuddly Karate kid of the animal world, Po is back in the sequel to the multi million grossing Kung Fu Panda.

This time around, Po, along with the Furious Five his kung fu gang, are forced to face off against Gary Oldman's peacock Lord Shen.
Shen was banished from China's Gongmen City after wiping out the pandas whom he believed would be responsible for his downfall thanks to misunderstanding a prophecy
But he's back and harnessing the power of fireworks to take back the city he was kicked out of.

Meanwhile, Po's on a dual quest - not only one to vanquish Shen, but a personal one to find out who his family were; however, his search is haunted by flashbacks as he nears the truth - can he find inner peace and do what needs to be done to save himself and his friends?

Kung Fu Panda 2 is an animated joy to watch; this time round, the creators have gone deeper on many levels.

Firstly, the animation is stunning and with frenetic and frantic kung fu fight scenes, there's visually so much to take in. Throw in some beautiful nods to Oriental artistry and shadow puppetry for ancient tales from their past and there's truly something to marvel in. But it's the clever use of different types of animation which make this - Po's quest in China is in computer animation and then for flashbacks to his childhood, they've used more traditional hand drawn animation - it's these flourishes which add to the richness of the story.

Secondly, the characters have been given a bit more depth this time round - no doubt thanks to the involvement of Guillermo del Toro; sure Black still brings his goofy wacky vocal ways to Po, but thanks to a push to give him a bit of an emotional journey to go on, there's more humanity on display too - which is rewarding
With an ending which tugs at the heartstrings, and hints at a third film to make this series a trilogy, Kung Fu Panda 2 is the perfect mix of fun and heart; it's perfect filmic fodder for the upcoming holidays
Extras: Commentary, panda stories, learn to speak Chinese - a reasonable bunch for a great story

Rating: 8/10 

Puss In Boots: Movie Review

Puss In Boots: Movie Review

Puss in Boots
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris
Director: Chris Miller
Fresh from his starring role in the Shrek films, Puss in Boots finally gets his own spin off tail (apologies - I mean tale) in this computer animated outing, unleashed in time for Christmas.
Set before Puss met Shrek and Donkey, it tells of how the Ginger haired man Spanish kitty cat came to be an outlaw. Puss is a wanted beast after his part in a robbery with his pal Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) but is determined to clear his name by tracking down the legendary magic beans.
However, they're currently the property of Jack and Jill (Bob Thornton and Sedaris) but that doesn't stop the kitty trying to get possession of them. But what Puss hasn't reckoned with is the appearance of a female feline, Kitty Soft Paws, who tries to snatch the beans.
When Puss learns Kitty is allied with Humpty, the trio teams up to steal the beans, make a beanstalk and steal the Golden Goose and live happily ever after...
Puss in Boots is a riot fest. Sure, it's nothing fabulously new or original in terms of groundbreaking animation or story telling but it is good old fashioned fun, with a mix of lunacy thrown in for good measure. Clearly the writers have been on the catnip to get a story like this together.
With lines like "What can I say? I was a bad kitty" as Puss leaves a one night stand behind, it's clear you're going to get some tongue in cheek scripting and a humourous feel to this origin story which explains how the cat got the boots and became the hero.
But once again, Dreamworks has shown why its animation arm is so good - the backgrounds and scenery shots which frame Puss' antics are so gorgeous on the eye (thanks to the real 3D effect as well) and so breathtaking, it's just yet another reason to celebrate a golden age of deft and ambitious animation.
Hayek and Banderas make a neat duo (again) and Galifianakis is a good foil in Humpty; but the winner here is the overall pieces of the puzzle.

Whether it's throwaway lines, visually dazzling moments, gags which are thrown in for amusement (stand by for the return of Puss' wide eyed cuteness - but in a whole new context) or just sheer lunacy, there's much to love in this unfurling of the near purrfect myth of Puss In Boots.

New Year's Eve: Movie Review

New Year's Eve: Movie Review

New Year's Eve
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert de Niro, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Ryan Seacrest, New York
Director: Garry Marshall
Ah, New Year's Eve - the end of another 12 months and the endless possibilities of another 12 ahead.
But in reality, it's always a desperate scrabble to find a good party or make sure you're somewhere with a loved one.
So into the fray of New Year and with an ensemble cast that seems to have just about everyone involved comes the latest from the guy who brought us the slightly sappy Valentines Day. This latest is the intertwining tale of several New Yorkers coming together on that night, weighed down with expectation - and is once again, into chick flick territory we go.
All of the various stories are captured here; from Hilary Swank's Claire Morgan, who's in charge of ensuring the ball drops tradition in New York's Times Square goes ahead to Jessica Biel's Tess Byrne who's about to give birth; there's also Ashton Kutcher's New Year hating grinch Randy who ends up stuck in a lift with Lea Michele's singer Elise; and there's Robert de Niro's Stan who's dying alone in hospital - and Katherine Heigl's Laura who was dumped by Jon Bon Jovi's rockstar Jensen...the list really, really does go on. But to be fair, it's a truly stellar cast gathering for this romantic drama. And once again Sofia Vergara is playing the same role she does in the ever brilliant Modern Family.
The bottom line with a film like this is pitching it to the right audience - and I am not the right audience. And the right audience who were in the screening of this actually loved it. The intertwined nature of the stories actually works reasonably well. Sure, many of them are predictable and inevitable eg, two people in a lift who initially have differences but find common ground, a mum who finally bonds with her daughter, a father looking for forgiveness at the end of his life - you can see what's coming a mile off in this sentimental schmaltz fest.
When you're faced with a film which throws out the line "Second chances - they don't expire till midnight", you know exactly what you're going to get. And when it's set in New York and one of the characters has a wishlist of things to do, you can guarantee there'll be an ad for the city in some form or other...There's so much talk of that famous ball dropping in Times Square during this flick, it's almost as if the writers dropped the ball when it came to an original script.
On a final note though, the product placement is this is utterly shameless - and the closing shots which include a poster for an upcoming release from the same studio probably takes it to a new level.
Overall, personally, I found New Year's Eve one of those bland, nicely put together, over indulgent and quite manipulative at pulling at your heartstrings films which get made by Hollywood studios from time to time - but like the much (rightfully) maligned Valentines Day, it'll find its audience.

It just won't include me.

A Cat in Paris: DVD Review

A Cat in Paris: DVD Review

A Cat In Paris
Rating: PG
Released by Madman Home Ent

One cat + two lives = lots of laughs and loveliness in this sublimely hand drawn animation from France.

Dino is the perfect pet - by the day delivering lizards to her master Zoe but by night, she's aide to a cat burglar who runs atop the roofs of Paris.
However, Zoe's bereft of a father figure after he was murdered by local gangster Costa and her mother, the chief of police is determined to track him down and tie up the local art thefts which have been going on - but the two things are connected by one feline...

Beautifully presented with heart, warmth and humour, A Cat in Paris is an universal treat.

There's some original animation on show, more than on a par with anything CGI can achieve and the inventiveness sings from the screen as the story unfolds.

With an eye on fun and an adventurous story, this beautifully told tale is one for all the family and can be enjoyed by all ages-it's not very often one says that about film these days and it's great to do so about Cat In Paris.

Extras: English version (stick to the French one though), featurette and trailer

Rating: 8/10 

Game Review - Tekken: Hybrid

Game Review - Tekken: Hybrid

Tekken Hybrid
Rating: M
Platform: PS3
Released by Sony
So the granddaddy of the fight genre returns in a packed set.
Tekken Hybrid boasts a Tekken 3D movie, Blood Vengeance, Tekken Tag Tournament HD and a playable (if brief) demo of Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Prologue.
Tekken's not really moved on much from the arcade days where you'd bruise and wear out your fingers, jabbing buttons and move a joystick from side to side, while trying to smash in the face of your opponent.
And it's a shame to say there's little new added into this pack to be honest; while there's nothing inherently wrong with the gaming which has been remastered from its PS2 version, it's little more than a two on two fight against the clock as opponents like Roger the Kangaroo, Devil, True Ogre, Hwoarang et al face off against each other. Throwing in the option to tag in and tag out is a clever touch as well which gives it a feel of something a bit more akin to a street brawl.
Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the games on several levels; be it due to the quality HD upgrade, or the pure one on one face to face fist fight or the survival mode where you plough on fighting to win as many bouts as you can in one go; it's just that I didn't see the need to go back to the game once the system was turned off. Which is a major blow for any game really.
The demo prologue is relatively playable too but a little too brief and feels like an extended teaser taking in characters from the film Blood Vengeance and is clearly a set up for a future release. It's a nice package though for fans of the genre with a bowling game thrown in too, but all in all this is a little too much of a leave you salivating for next release kind of piece, which is a bit frustrating. Unless you're a massive Tekken fan, of course.

Rating: 6/10

Game Review - Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7

Game Review - Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7
Platform: PS3
Released by Warner Games
Once again, and for one final time in this series anyway, it's back to the world of the bricks we go.
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 is the latest from Travellers' Tale Games, who've excelled in this series of Lego crossovers - from Star Wars to Indiana Jones, Batman to Pirates of the Caribbean, there's little they can't do in this arena without a few cheeky moments and some relatively easy gameplay.
This latest collects together the final chapters of the Harry Potter franchise and is an extremely rewarding game for you if you're going to put in the hard yards.
Once again, Harry has to collect studs, solve puzzles, collect spells and rescue other students in various elements of peril in this pulled together storyline from the final three books. Each chapter's broken down into other chapters and there's certainly plenty of reasons to go back and replay each one as you try to achieve the true wizard level on each by collecting as many Lego studs as you can and collect Gold bricks and school emblems which are scattered fiendishly throughout. Add onto that the need to get every character unlocked from within the game and you can see why it's fiendishly addictive.
But what is also apparent is just how charming it is as well. There's certainly a lot of humour throughout with the cut scenes, despite the darker nature of these final chapters of the Potterverse. It also makes it a joy to watch these scenes rather than pushing buttons to get them to hurry on. There's plenty of detail to the backgrounds and the worlds in which Potter finds himself and one early flying sequence on brooms through London's skyline is just brilliantly good fun.
All in all, Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 is one of the perfect Christmas presents for this year; while it's true to say the LEGO series is aimed a little more at the younger end of the market, it's certainly bound to give all ages hours of entertainment thanks to its charming feel and clever, deeply rewarding gameplay.

Rating: 8/10

Game Review - Saints Row: The Third

Game Review - Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row - The Third
Rating: R18
Released by THQ
Sometimes, when you're playing a game, you really just have to put any grip on reality into the far recesses of your mind.
And with Saints Row - The Third, it's more about hyper reality than any other kind.
An open world action game - kind of like Grand Theft Auto in many ways, but a little more violent and intellectually lacking, Saints Row The Third is actually a hell of a lot of fun.
It begins with the Saints gang being forced into a neighbouring suburb and from there on, it's all on as the new gangs on the block find their quest for turf is to be threatened on many levels.
Sure, there's a series of missions and things to be done but man, you sure can have a blast (at times literally) doing them.
Saints Row - The Third doesn't really take itself too seriously; it's so over the top that it's ludicrous and any prudes will really not want to be playing a game like this. But to be brutally honest, it's pure intellectually challenged escapism, with character, humour and plenty of bang for your buck.
Within minutes of starting this game, you're plunged into scenarios which see you taking hostages and shooting your way out of situations as well as flying through the air trying to save colleagues and smashing through aeroplanes to try and land them. It's a real visceral thrill and engrossing right from the get go.
Throw in the chance to customize your characters, downloadable content, multiple outcomes for missions and the option to go online and have others involved in the mayhem and you've pretty much got a recipe for pure escapism and unlimited hours of juvenile entertainment.

Rating: 8/10