We Bought A Zoo: Movie Review

Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Elle Fanning

Director: Cameron Crowe

Based on a true story and a best selling book, this latest from Crowe is an unashamedly clichéd, feel good flick about a family following their dream.

Matt Damon is recently widowed father of two Benjamin Mee; he has two different relationships with his kids - the one with his teen son Dylan is fractious and argumentative and the one with his young daughter Rosie is all sweetness and light.

When Dylan gets expelled from school and with advice from his brother to "let a little sunlight in", Mee sees this as a catalyst for change and promptly ups the whole family to a house in the country to start again.

The only problem is this house comes with a rundown zoo, its animals and its motley and jaded crew of helpers, led by head zookeeper Kelly (Johansson).

So, with the odds stacked against him and financial struggles aplenty, Mee decides to what he can to reopen the zoo and make a go of it - thus healing himself and his family.

Cliches abound in We Bought A Zoo - there's precious bon mots dispensed left right and centre and a warm feeling of gooey predictable sentimentality on display from the get go. And yet, despite all of that, you can't help but feel a little something for Mee and his family as the tale unfurls.

Thomas Haden Church has some great oneliners as the dry laconic brother of Mee; and Damon once again flexes his everyman appeal in this.

However, the rest of the cast are largely underused - Johansson resorts to a lot of grinning and sideways head-cocking as the inevitable romantic subplot unfolds; they very talented Elle Fanning is left with little to do - and the rest of the zoo keeper cast are pretty much confined to the background, with precious scant input.

Crowe pretty much milks a lot of the sentimentality too - with close ups of cute kid (who's also wise beyond her years) Maggie Elizabeth Jones and shots of Dylan declaring his love as the rain pours down.

You can see exactly what's coming in this flick - but for the holiday period and with its messages of self belief, family, and healing, I can't help but feel this will leave many with a rosy glow after exposure to the triumvirate mix of mawkish sentimentality, cute kids and animals.

We Bought A Zoo: Movie Review - Rating:

Albert Nobbs: Movie Review

Cast: Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Rodrigo Garcia

In 19th Century Ireland, a butler lights candles in a hotel.

As the light flickers fully into focus, it reveals Glenn Close's Albert Nobbs, a worker in a hotel. But this is no ordinary worker, it's a woman dressed as a man.

Nobbs has been dressing as a man for some thirty years to make a living - and has ended up working at a hotel making enough to get by and save for her dream of owning a shop. No-one's ever suspected a thing - that is until she's forced to share a room with Mr Page (Janet McTeer).

It's then that Nobbs' secret is revealed - but Page has secrets of his own too.

And gradually, Nobbs begins to realize that he/ she's trapped and now wants more than ever to break out.

Albert Nobbs is a real drag of a film - and not in the obvious pun kind of way.

Despite the parallels between the hotel staff and an episode of Downton Abbey, there's little life in it despite purporting to be a comedy.

Extremely slow, very plodding and taking a long time to get going anywhere, it really only scores because of Glenn Close's utterly astounding performance - and some truly impressive make up/ prosthetics.

Under a stiffly starched appearance, Close has to convey a lot through her eyes, and a whole range of emotion she manages to get across too; sadness, hope, fear and uncertainty. There's one scene where she's liberated on a beach and it's the only uplifting moment in the entire film. She's already been nominated for a Golden Globe and it's a worthy nomination.

McTeer and Close make a great contrasting pair and both really blaze the trail in this - but as it spools out its tale of repression and self pitying, you can't help but wish there was a bit more life in this flick.

Albert Nobbs: Movie Review Rating:

Happy Feet 2: Movie Review

Cast: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink, Sofia Vergara, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Hank Azaria, Hugo Weaving

Director: George Miller

Back to the world of the dancing penguin for this latest computer animated outing.

Elijah Wood is back as Mumbles, who's now a dad to a brood of fluffiness and struggling to really work his penguin magic as a poppa to son Erik in Emperor Land.

However, when Erik runs away, Mumbles sets out to rescue him - but the fragile peace of Emperor Land is threatened by a large iceberg which cuts off the colony from the rest of the world.

Facing death, it's upto Mumbles and his son to try and do whatever they can to save the rest of their kind from starvation.

Happy Feet 2 is an okayish sort of kids' movie.

It's brightly animated, the environments look suitably chilly and beautifully animated but yet, it really does take a while to get into the story. It begins with a series of songs and dances which really showcase how well the animators can do crowd scenes but then shifts into a series of disjointed scenes and encounters.

The focus shifts from the penguins to a couple of krill (voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) trying to escape their swarm and change their lives. Again, these are beautifully animated but it stops any real flow of the story , reducing it to a series of meetings and moments between Mumble and various characters as well as he traverses the land trying to save his kin.

That's not to say the kids won't enjoy this; the colours are bright, the songs chirpy and effective and there's enough to keep them engaged throughout.

Happy Feet 2 looks adorable and scores highly in the fluffy cute stakes but all in all, while the kids will enjoy it, adults may find it a little difficult to keep them amused for 90 minutes during the Christmas break.

Happy Feet 2: Movie Review: Rating:

The Iron Lady: Movie Review

Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Iain Glen, Anthony Head, Olivia Colman, Richard E Grant

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Here comes the first real contender for Oscar acting glory.

Meryl Streep is former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, whose policies polarised the nation back in the 1980s and whose mark in politics will always be felt.

This biopic looks back on Thatcher's life as she battles illness; it begins with Maggie slipping out and avoiding her guards to go and buy a pint of milk and then flashes back to her early days as a political hopeful in the Conservative party before she swept to power.

But as the film unfolds, it's clear Maggie's a lady who's just about clinging to reality; haunted by visions of her husband Dennis; she's bewildered by the noise of a mobile phone and the emphasis these days on feelings rather than thinking.

The film weaves back and forth between key moments in her political career; the Falklands conflict, the bombing of the Brighton hotel, the death of her trusted aide by the IRA, and her eventual departure from Number 10 Downing Street.

Quite frankly this film is nothing without its lead - Meryl Streep is a commanding, towering figure in this who becomes Thatcher both in stature and speech; the resemblance is uncanny, terrifying and is perhaps easily one of the best character performances of the year (and should bag her an Oscar nom).

To say she is the centre of the film is an absolute understatement; her presence in it ensures the film's lifted from just run of the mill biopic and occasionally heavy handed directing. There are times when the director uses flashbacks to Maggie's youth to hammer home a message - and it's totally unwarranted. Plus the slightly lumpy back and forth flow of the film holds it back a little.

But it's the quieter moments she shares with the ghost of Dennis (played with such simplicity and heart by Broadbent) that elevates the film into the echelons of a love story. There's also a few humorous moments too which give it light and clarity as a story.

In creating this film, the writers have managed to bring a degree of sympathy to a political figure whose policies and sheer obstinate behaviour caused such heartache for so many in the UK in the 1980s.

Ultimately the Iron Lady sets the bar very high for character performances this year and Streep definitely deserves an accolade for superbly catching the haughty arrogance of Thatcher - and for proving, when it comes to it, she truly can act.

The Iron Lady: Movie Review - Rating:

The Adventures of Tintin: Movie Review

Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

Director: Steven Spielberg

Blistering barnacles....the wait for the cinematic version of Tintin is finally over.

Jamie Bell takes the lead of the eponymous hero in Spielberg's animated adaptation of Herge's famous investigator.

Along with his trusty dog Snowy, Tintin's caught up in a new adventure after he purchases a model ship called The Unicorn. Within seconds of this purchase, he's accosted by Daniel Craig's Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, who wants to get his hands on the model.

Sensing there's something to the ship, Tintin starts investigating - but soon, he's captured by some of Sakharine's goons and imprisoned on another ship. Desperate to escape, Tintin (along with Snowy) teams up with Captain Haddock (a brilliant Andy Serkis).

But Haddock's got more to do with this mystery than he first realises - and soon Tintin and Haddock are on a globetrotting journey to try and save the day - and to crack the secret of the Unicorn.

Family entertainment doesn't really get better than this rollicking boys own adventure from Spielberg and Peter Jackson. The performance capture 3D way of making film certainly has had a bit of a rough ride with films like Mars Needs Moms and The Polar Express managing to freak people out more than impress them.

However, from the opening frames of this sublimely animated flick, it's clear something magical's been created on celluloid.

With its initial credits recalling the Catch Me If You Can openers and Saul Bass' greatest work, Tintin is just entrancing from the get go. The animation is beautiful to look at and captures the essence and look of Herge's original novels - but it's the level of detail which is most impressive in every single frame.

But it's not just the animation which impresses; the script's been given a good dose of heart and humour which fleshes out the whole experience.

Scenes where Haddock recalls his ancestors and the action swoops in and out of the past are some of the most impressive ever committed to the big screen; there's even a nice nod to Jaws which not only gives you a giggle but goes to showcase the marvellous work which has been done to ensure water is animated perfectly.

Throw in some good solid action sequences and the whole gamut is here.

All of the actors give their all to this tale of derring do - and while Thompson and Thompson are a little underutilized, there's certainly more than enough to keep you stupidly entertained from beginning to end.

A sequel's inevitable and quite frankly, if it's as good as this first outing, you can count me in without a shadow of a doubt.

The Adventures of Tintin: Movie Review - Rating:

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: Movie Review

Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist

Director: Brad Bird

Your mission - should you choose to accept it.

Ethan Hunt's back in the fourth Mission Impossible outing - and what a return to form for the series.

When Ethan and his team are blamed for the bombing of the Kremlin as he carries out an undercover mission, the whole crew is disavowed by the US Government. However, it transpires the bombing is the work of a secret operative hellbent on unleashing nuclear war on the world.

So Ethan - along with his core crew of computer expert Benji (Pegg) and spy Jane (Patton)-  are forced to go rogue and clear their names, as well as stopping terror being unleashed on a global scale.

When it comes to the plot, this latest Mission Impossible is really nothing out of the ordinary; at the end of the day, it's an American secret agent forced undercover and facing overwhelming odds takes on a Russian agent and a mad scientist hellbent on nuclear destruction.

But what they've managed to do with this is turn it into a tightly produced, restrained and tense thriller which will have you on the edge of your seat.

From its opening scenes, where you're thrust directly into the action, it's clear Brad Bird and Tom Cruise have ramped up the stakes in this latest (seeing it on an IMAX screen will help too) when it comes to packing together a zippy film which is suspenseful, tense, adrenaline filled and slick in the extreme.

By dialling down the team to just four members as well, it gives the film a tauter, tighter edge and really does up the ante for character work; Simon Pegg's on great form as the edgy, nervy, quippy computer techie, Paula Patton's impressive as the get the job done spy who almost comes undone; and Jeremy Renner's got an air of mystery as Brandt, who is unwittingly caught up in the action. Nyqvist brings a cool crisp menace as Hendricks, the baddie of the piece.

But it's Cruise who impresses too - his aged Ethan, world weary in scenes and in control of others is a much improved Hunt that we've not really seen in the past films. The slightly harder edge makes him a great leader and gives the flick a much needed point of focus.

Plus throw in some truly impressive global set pieces - including an eye popping sequence on the exterior of Dubai's building, the tallest in the world - as well as some truly astounding technology and gadgets, and you've got the right recipe for a perfect thriller.

The only minor niggle is the film comes a little undone in its final climax, a jaunt to Mumbai which doesn't really pack the punch it needs after some two hours of thrills and spills - and it gives it the feeling of being a little longer than maybe it needs to be.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the best of the franchise; your mission - and I dare you not accept it - is to catch one of the best action films of the summer while it's on the big screen.

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Downton Abbey: S2: Blu Ray Review

Downton Abbey: S2: Blu Ray Review

Downton Abbey
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

So the phenomenally popular costume drama series makes its second appearance.

Eight episodes of Julian Fellowes' terribly posh and slightly different version of Upstairs Downstairs unfold.

Set in the looming shadow of world War One, season one ended with the spectre of war ahead for the inhabitants of the Downton Abbey. And its shadow is cast long over this latest outing - even if the overall feel of the series is a little more rushed than the first.

Downton will always appeal to the fans - it's all about studied and measured performances from its central cast; the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith all impress - but this second uneven series feels a little slight in comparison to the relative lyrical highs of the first. Sure it all looks impressive and is beautifully shot, but its appeal is somewhat limited this time around. Plus setting a lot of the series around the first World War means you're taken out of the walls of the Abbey, which is where most people would rather see the comings and goings.

It's to be hoped the creative highs of season one are rediscovered for the next season otherwise, Downton Abbey will be a one hit wonder.

Extras: Commentary on ep 1, featurettes

Rating: 6/10