Senna: Blu Ray Review

Senna Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

You wouldn't expect a film about Ayrton Senna to be so moving unless you were a Formula One fan.

You would be wrong.

This doco, simply made using archive footage of races, interviews and home movie footage is one of the most rewarding films of the year.

It tells the story of his life -mainly on the track to be honest - and his rivalry with fellow driver Alain Prost, the Frenchman with whom discord became all out war.

But what emerges from director Asif Kapadia is an intimate portrait of a focussed and driven man who's knocked around by the system because all he wants is success and isn't willing to play the game.

Scenes of racing, some of which come from cockpit cameras are scintillating; there's footage of drivers' meetings which have been hitherto unseen and hint at some of the conflict felt by Senna as he butted heads with the powers that be; and of course, there's a wealth of footage from races thanks to videoing done at the time. By not using the traditional talking heads in a studio format, Kapadai's interlaced dialogue over footage of Senna - and it's a nice touch which immerses you more in Senna's life rather than taking you out and transporting you back to the studio every five minutes.

Throw into that some family footage, scenes of holidays and truly, Senna is a wonderfully multidimensional picture of the man who was a star on the tracks and a role model to so many Brazilians who were living through some truly horrific times back home.

The whole film is a truly emotional journey as it becomes a fascinating battle of wills, tactics and rivalry as the feud between Senna and Prost heats up.

Add in the final section of the film which deals with Senna's death in Imola in 94 and it's just heartbreaking, leaving you a wreck after the preceding joyous celebration of the legend.

Ultimately this doco is one of the best of the year; at the end, I left having been through the gamut of emotions and brimming with interest at a subject I didn't remotely care about when I initially sat down to watch this.

 

Rise Of The Planet of The Apes - Blu Ray Review

Rise of the Planet of The Apes
Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox

Modern day San Francisco and Will Rodman (James Franco) is a troubled scientist, working on a cure for Alzheimers disease and using chimps as well as illegally using his father (John Lithgow) to see if the ALZ 112 cure works.

When one of the chimps which is showing signs of growing intelligence thanks to the trials in the lab breaks out and is killed, Rodman discovers she's protecting a baby - whom Rodman promptly takes home and raises as his own test subject.

Three years later and Caesar the test subject is also showing signs of inherited intelligence and has learned sign language - however, when Caesar attacks a neighbour protecting Rodman's dad, he's locked up in a primate sanctuary.

But it's not long before Caesar's plotting a break out from the chimpanarium his human captors have imprisoned him in...

A reboot of the Apes franchise was in no way on my radar after the somewhat messy Tim Burton/ Mark Wahlberg attempt back in 2001 - but quite frankly, this reboot is perhaps one of the best of the series - and one of the best reboots of a flagging franchise I've ever witnessed.

That's mainly, it has to be said, due to the work done by WETA in creating the chimps and Andy Serkis' motion capture suit work as the lead Caesar. We've now reached an age where digital technology can do pretty much anything and can do it astoundingly well.

While the early digital realisation of the baby chimps is something akin to a Mogwai/Ape cross and a little creaky, when Caesar ages and comes into his own, it's really an astonishingly good cinematic moment (even if early shots of him careering around a home are unnecessary and feel shoehorned in as if to show off what the tech can do) as the ape rises up and begins to emote. There's so much feeling conveyed in Caesar's eyes that you can't help but connect with the primate and his kin and for that, those involved in this film really do need huge kudos as it's never easy to get an audience to empathise with digitally created creatures.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best blockbusters of the season; it's a thrilling, emotion filled and intelligent ride which reinvigorates the franchise and has got me salivating for a potential sequel

 

 

 

Dolphin Tale: Movie Review

Cast: Harry Connick Jr, Winter the dolphin, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd,  Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson

Director: Charles Martin Smith

From the people who brought you the inspirational Blind Side, comes Dolphin Tale, a similarly spirited family movie based on a true story.

Gamble stars as Sawyer, the young kid of a broken family; his dad left him and his mum (Judd) years ago and as the flick starts, Sawyer’s about to lose his cousin to the war abroad and is forced to go to summer school to boost his grades.

However, whilst heading in on the first day, Sawyer finds a dolphin on the beach caught up in a crab trap. Sawyer helps cut the dolphin free and it ends up in the local marine aquarium, where Dr Clay Haskett (Connick Jr) and his co-workers try to nurse it back to health.

But things get worse for Winter (the name they end up giving the dolphin) when her fin has to be amputated – and facing an uncertain future.

And it’s not just Flipper’s pal who’s got trouble – Dr Clay’s Marine centre’s in dire financial straits and Sawyer’s schooling has also taken a dive.

The thing with a Dolphin Tale is you can see what it’s doing a mile off; it’s one of those films which feels like a made for TV movie that occasionally the American audiences revel in and the rest of us wonder why schmaltz like this continues to be made.

Firstly, aside from the opening where the dolphins frolic in the water, the 3D in this film is pointless; it adds little to the story.

Secondly, there are so many clichés at play in this you can see them before they even show; every stereotype is here – from the kid with a broken family who needs the wounded animal to heal – both for his well being and the animal’s - to the doctor facing financial adversity.

And yet, for everything that’s served up in this overtly sickly sweet film with terribly earnest acting, there’s just something about it which keeps it engaging – just.

That would be Morgan Freeman’s appearance as a prosthetic limbs specialist. He brings a welcome note of humour which pricks the dour feel of the film just at the right moment. Essentially he’s playing another nice guy, but the warmth he brings just about saves this saccharine celluloid outing.

All of the cast give it their all and there’s certainly something to be said for the family feel of this film – if you’re willing to leave your day to day cynicism at the door.

Dolphin Tale: Movie Review - Rating:

The Thick of It: Specials: DVD Review

The Thick of It: Specials: DVD Review

The Thick of It Specials
Rating: R16
Released by BBC and Roadshow

A couple of specials released by the Thick Of It are actually head and shoulders above any other comedy around.

Peter Capaldi once again reprises his vicious spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in the Rise of The Nutters and Spinners and Losers, in these two mini serials. Capaldi once again dominates the satirical proceedings with his caustic wit, powerhouse performance and blistering presence.

But the show wouldn't be as good as it is without the smart and spot on writings of the team behind it - viciously targeting the absurdity of politics and politicians, it makes for an insightful piece which is also side splittingly and intelligently funny.

Rating: 7/10 

This Is England 86: DVD Review

This Is England 86: DVD Review

This Is England 86
Released by Madman
Rating: M

Director Shane Meadows returns to familiar pastures with this 4 ep series spun off from the successful This Is England film.

Set three years after the film and influenced more by the Mods than the skinheads this time round, it still concentrates on the same gang of Shaun, Woody, Lol, Smell, Gadget, Meggy et al and follows their escapades as they try to negotiate life in 1980s England.

It begins with the attempted wedding of Woody and Lol but quickly spirals away from that as life takes a hand (to reveal too much is to spoil the central story) in events.

With recession and lack of jobs affecting the UK at that time, there's plenty of material for Meadows to broaden the depths of his characters - and despite some initially dour moments, there's a welcome shot of dry humour throughout this mini series.

Joe Gilgun and Thomas Turgoose give great central performances and are compelling from beginning to end; it'll help to have some familiarity with the characters from the film but This Is England 86 gives welcome life to the gang - and while it could be said to be quite downbeat and perhaps a little miserable in places, it's still British drama at its finest.

Rating: 8/10  

Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows: Movie Review

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, Rachel McAdams

Director: Guy Ritchie

Following the successful 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie once again reteams with the gang for another outing with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective.

But it's all change for the duo - Jude Law's Dr Watson is about to marry his sweetheart and the partnership appears to be over. However, Holmes is investigating a series of bombings across Europe amid fears that this case could have global implications.

And he believes that his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty (Harris) is behind it all and trying to ignite tensions between France and Germany.

Holmes' investigation leads him to gypsy fortune teller Madam Simza Heron (Rapace) whose involvement with separatists could give them the break they need.

Soon, Holmes and Watson are plunged into their deadliest conflict yet, with an enemy who appears to be smarter and swifter than the pair of them...

Downey Jr is once again back on form as this ramshackle brilliant version of Holmes; a self assured but insane Holmes with ADD who jumps around as he tries to keep up with his own intellect. There's the usual bickering between the duo and both Law and Downey Jr and their rapport works well.

Stephen Fry does admirably playing essentially an extended version of himself as Mycroft - and Guy Ritchie's brought his directing flair to some very impressive speed up and slow down set pieces (a sequence inside a wood as the group are under attack is simply breathtakingly good); he manages to score highly for this because of the dialled down nature of the action sequences rather than opting for over the top action.

However, it's the quieter moments of the film where you really appreciate this flick - particularly in the one-on-one exchanges between Holmes and Moriarty.

Jared Harris is brilliant as Holmes' nemesis; he can flick between anger and brooding menace with ease and it's the perfect foil to Downey Jr's manic detective. It's a great partnership and a wonderful capturing of the essence of their relationship.

The only damp disappointing squib in this is Noomi Rapace - she's grossly underused and feels very surplus to requirements.

A Game Of Shadows has it all; humour, action and character - it's great to see this second Holmes soaring above the heights of the first.

Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows - Rating:

The Muppets: Movie Review

Cast: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit, Walter, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo, Swedish Chef, Miss Piggy, Waldorf and Statler, Rashida Jones, Chris Cooper, Jack Black

Director: James Bobin

After 12 long years away, the Muppets are back.

But in a world where TV has moved on and the Muppets are no longer cool, they've become obsolete.

Except to Walter (a Muppet himself and brother of Jason Segel's Gary) who idolizes them still after discovering them when he was young.

So when Gary and long time girlfriend Mary (Adams) decide to go to Hollywood to celebrate their tenth anniversary, Walter is taken along too - and discovers that evil businessman Tex Richman (Cooper) wants to tear down the Muppets studio and mine for oil.

Walter takes the news of this to Kermit - and his greenness decides to get the gang back together and raise the cash they need to buy the studios back.

However, a major spanner's in the works because none of them are still in touch - will they be able to put aside their differences and find it's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights; in short, will the Muppet Show ever go on again?

The Muppets is perhaps the best Muppet film ever.

Heartfelt, humorous, hilarious and wholesome, it's a welcome journey back into the nostalgia and the brilliance of Jim Henson's creatures.

There's a simplicity to the story which is just charming and will reduce you to a dewey eyed sense of yesteryear. There's also a brilliance around the jaunty songs which pepper the flick; some have an almost Flight of the Conchordianesque feel (no surprise given Bret McKenzie and former FOTC showman James Bobin are involved) - and every single one of them a bright showtune, bathed in lyrical brilliance and clever lyrics.

The Muppets is a self knowing film; it mocks what they've become but never in an overly knowing way; it's a sly wink to the sophisticated audiences these days but one which really does make you remember how brilliant these guys were back in the day. And how brilliant they are once again.

At its very core, this is another chance to see the Muppets do their weekly show which so enriched our younger years, with its music hall sensibilities and its corny gags. They take on the bad guys too and an array of guest stars drop by - the majority of whom have made their showbiz names since the lights went down on the Muppets' weekly show. Sure, it's probably nostalgia which is giving this its wondrous feel and maybe it's aimed more at the adults than the kids, but it works so, so well that you can't help but crack a huge beaming smile and shed a joyful tear at how funny, clever, bright and engaging this film is.

Quite simply, as we head to the end of 2011, The Muppets is an unmitigated joy, a welcome return to form and easily the most spectacularly heart warming family film of the year.

The Muppets: Movie Review - Rating: