Julia's Eyes: Movie Review

Julia’s Eyes

Cast: Belen Rueda, Lluis Homar

A Spanish horror/ psychological thriller which set Spain’s box office alight, Julia’s Eyes shows up with the tag, produced by Guillermo del Toro and with the weight of expectation.

Rueda (who made such an impact in arthouse thriller The Orphanage a couple of years back) is Julia; when Julia’s blind twin Sara hangs herself in her basement, Julia suspects foul play.

But Julia, like her twin Sara, suffers from a degenerative eye disease causing her to gradually go blind – and as she investigates further, she finds her eyesight failing and sliding into darkness.

Combined with the fact Julia’s hunt for a killer throws up more questions than answers, it becomes a race against time for her as her eyes begin to fail and the killer begins to get closer.

Julia’s Eyes is atmospheric, claustrophobic, unsettling and well acted – but at times, it does lapse into a “there’s a killer in the house, let’s run around blind (literally)” kind of horror, which is a shame as it detracts from the genuinely spooky start and feel of the flick.

Rueda is immensely watchable as the twins – and her growing horror is evident and well acted thanks to a restrained performance which is empathetic and gripping. With a creeping sense of “there’s something just out of the corner of my eye”, Rueda reels you in.

It’s just a shame that the story lapses into a few horror clichés and loses some of its freshness as the ever so slightly overlong story unspools.

Rating:

Aliens game announced

Remember Alien? Remember Aliens?

Well, good news for fans of the genre who like to exercise their thumbs too.

Aliens: Colonial Marines has just been announced on PC, PS3 and Xbox.

Here's what the release says about those face huggers getting digitised....

"SEGA® Europe Ltd. And SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that the highly-anticipated first-person shooter, Aliens: Colonial Marines™, will be launching in spring 2012 on PC, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and developed by critically acclaimed studio Gearbox Software, Aliens: Colonial Marines will bring new levels of bone-chilling suspense and adrenaline-filled action to the renowned franchise. The game pits players against the universe's ultimate alien killing machines, the Xenomorphs, in claustrophobic environments guaranteed to produce blood curdling thrills that the movie is renowned for.

"To Gearbox Software and its peers throughout the industry, ALIENS is one of the most influential science fiction properties of all time," said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. "Aliens: Colonial Marines, designed as an interactive successor to the landmark films from Twentieth Century Fox, is a dream project about which our studio is deeply committed and passionate."

"Aliens: Colonial Marines will be THE definitive ALIENS gaming experience," said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. "Gearbox Software are doing a brilliant job translating the thrill and horror that ALIENS stands for into an action-packed shooter experience with co-operative gameplay at its core."

Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President of New Media for Fox Consumer Products added, "It's no easy task to take on one of the most influential films of all-time, but SEGA and Gearbox are not going to disappoint. This game will be a must-have for fans of the ALIENS franchise and gamers around the globe."

Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426. Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe. Aliens: Colonial Marines features authentic environments, such as the surface of LV-426 and Hadley's Hope, weapons inspired by the film series and is designed to provide an exhilarating and engaging new chapter in the Aliens universe."

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available spring 2012 on PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360 and PC.

Check out the trailer here: Be warned though - you need to be 18 or over for this frightening trailer.

Futurama: Season 6 DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

There's just something about Matt "Simpsons" creator Groening's space age comedy animated show which is so wonderfully insane and endearing.

Cancelled after four TV seasons, it lived on in a series of straight to DVD specials which sold so well, it ended up getting a new series on TV - albeit on a different channel.

This collection of 13 episodes (actually from the second half of the sixth season transmitted on TV) are a great showcase for the inventiveness of a story which centres around a 20th century pizza delivery boy who wakes up in 30th Century Earth - to be surrounded by a motley crew of helpers at a space delivery company called Planet Express.

Time travel, kids TV shows, robots mayhem (courtesy of hard drinking cigar chomping robot Bender) and general insanity are all the trademarks of this show which is often witty, clever and when it wants to be heart warming and poignant.

Stand out eps include Ghost in the Machines, a Bender centric ep and Reincarnation, wherein the Planet Express crew deliver 3 mini eps in the style of anime, Disney and videogame.
IT's this kind of freshness which makes each of the 21 min eps so much fun and enjoyable.

Extras: Commentaries on every ep, a featurette, deleted scenes - a lot of great animation stuff which will appeal to fans of the show and the genre as well

Rating:

Win Win: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent

Paul Giamatti once again dons his slightly sadsack look for this indie quirky piece about a lawyer Mike Flaherty whose small business is facing a bit of a financial struggle.
Flaherty also moonlights as the coach of a small high school wrestling team - and they're struggling as well.

So, when he sees a cash lifeline from an elderly client, he decides to cash in and becomes the oldster's guardian.

However, that backfires when the grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) shows up and Flaherty's family takes him in. And when Mike realises Kyle can wrestle, suddenly it's all looking up.

But the fragile world is shaken up when Kyle's mum (our very own Melanie Lynskey) shows up, straight out of rehab...

Win Win is the definition of indie. It's from the director of The Visitor and The Station Agent and is once again another powerhouse performance from Paul Giamatti who seems to excel (and is in danger of being typecast) in these world weary character roles.

It's also wryly funny and heartfelt with great performances from Lynskey, who manages to turn a relatively loathsome character into something a little more nuanced and plausible - and Shaffer in particular who manages to get the teenage awkwardness down to an art form. He is a real discovery of a first time actor.

It's the ensemble which works well - Giamatti and Ryan impress with their humorously laconic relationship; Tambor and Cannavale are funny as the assistant coaches and as the house of cards crumbles that Flaherty's created,  McCarthy does a good job of handling the situation rather than reducing it to mush.

There's a little case of the film sagging somewhat after an hour or so -but when they throw in a frankly hilarious wrestling scene, you're prepared to forgive it.

All in all, Win Win is a breath of fresh air and a quality indie with an impressive cast.

Extras: Deleted scenes, music video by The National, Directors' insights.

Rating:

Apollo 18: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

An American sci fi horror, Apollo 18's central conceit is that in 1970, when the US government announced there would be no future Apollo missions to the moon, one was secretly launched to try and place sensors on the moon to prevent any Russian attacks.

The two manned mission never returned and until now, thanks to the Department of Defence, the tapes of what happened were sealed.

But now, those tapes have been released - and the true horror of what actually happened on the moon to astronauts  Commander Nathan Walker, Lieutenant Colonel John Grey and Captain Benjamin Anderson can finally be told.

A found footage film it maybe, but this one has a good central premise and a surprisingly lo fi attitude which works initially in its favour.

Early shots around the moon capture the tech of the era well and thanks to a somewhat grainier reproduction you're never quite 100% sure what's going on. But once it's revealed what's happening, that's when unfortunately it starts to go a little awry.

Apollo 18 starts off atmospherically but about 15 minutes into the film, you start to feel like it's dragging - it's no reflection on the actors but those behind the story waste too much time trying to build an atmosphere, you end up wanting something to happen - and it doesn't.

Ultimately the film descends into traditional horror territory and while the start of the ride is entertaining and different enough, what plays out is predictable and disappointing - despite some jump out of your seat moments, this Blair Witch/ Paranormal space wannabe just doesn't quite cut the mustard.

Extras: Commentary from director and editor

Rating:

Abduction: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

So Taylor Lautner launches his bid to become an action star and put those pesky werewolves from the Twilight Saga behind him.

He stars as Nathan Harper, who by a series of coincidences, discovers that he's been adopted and his parents aren't his real family.

Normally, that's cause for a serious rift - but in this case, it turns out Nathan's actually wanted by the CIA and a baddie (Michael Nyqvist) for all kinds of reasons - but predominantly, because his real father turns out to have connections on both sides.

Suddenly, Nathan's on the run with his neighbour, Karen (Lily Collins) in tow...

But the bad guys aren't too far behind.

Abduction is a fairly generic run of the mill action thriller - it's really there to try and give Lautner a new career - look he fights, look he tries to do romantic, look he's shooting moody looks at the neighbour he's wanted for years - but to be honest, it falls pretty badly short. Unless you're a Lautner fan to be frank.

It's fairly soulless and lurches from one action set piece to the next but you don't really end up caring about Nathan, his troubled past and the reason he's being hunted. And is it now the case that Michael Nyqvist is Hollywood's go to bad guy?

All in all, the teen market who lapped up Twilight will love this. Anyone else should really avoid.

Extras: Production diaries, gag reel, brief behind the scenes piece.

Rating:

SAG Awards point toward an intriguing Oscars?

Awards season is well and truly here in Hollywoodland.

But with the announcement today of the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, it looks like the Oscars could be anyone's guess.

The Artist's been the number one prediction for an Oscar success - what with 10 nominations; but it looks like The Help's staging a resurgence of sorts. But it looks like Jean Dujardin's quest for Oscar is a little more cemented after another win - as is Christopher Plummer, who won the Globe for Beginners and now receives a SAG nod too.

Winners are in bold with the whole list of nominees too...

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"Bridesmaids"
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Help"
"Midnight in Paris"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "J. Edgar"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Armie Hammer, "J. Edgar"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
"The Adjustment Bureau"
"Cowboys & Aliens"
"Harry Potter and the Deahtly Hallows - Part 2"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"X-Men: First Class"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie Or Miniseries
Laurence Fishburne, "Thurgood"
Paul Giamatti, "Too Big to Fail"
Greg Kinnear, "The Kennedys"
Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce"
James Woods, "Too Big to Fail"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie Or Miniseries
Diane Lane, "Cinema Verite"
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"
Emily Watson, "Appropriate Adult"
Betty White, "The Lost Valentine"
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams, "Suits"
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Betty White, "Hot In Cleveland"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Breaking Bad"
"Dexter"
"Game of Thrones"
"The Good Wife"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"30 Rock"
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"The Office"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
"Dexter"
"Game of Thrones"
"Southland"
"Spartacus: Gods of the Arena"
"True Blood"

Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award
Mary Tyler Moore