We Bought a Zoo - Blu Ray Review

We Bought A Zoo: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent

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.

Extras: Over 2 hours of stuff including gag reel, extended scenes, commentary and doco

Rating:

The Iron Lady- Blu Ray Review

The Iron Lady- Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

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.

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 Jim 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.

Extras: The making of, featurettes and a look at the costuming

Rating:

New Year's Eve - Blu Ray Review

New Year's Eve - Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

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.

Extras: Music video, Times Square featurette, cast talking their New Year's and deleted scenes and gag reels

Rating:

Melancholia: Blu Ray Review

Melancholia: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Ent


This latest from Lars von Trier is a sumptuous piece where to be frank, very little happens but everything is affected.

Centring on Kirsten Dunst's depressed Justine's wedding day, the film sees her starting the day in a good mood and sliding into a depression as the night goes on-despite being wed to True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard.

It then switches to after the wedding where there's more of a period of gloom around - thanks to the fact a planet called Melancholia is passing by the earth - and with some fearing it'll hit, you've got cosmic fears on a very personal level as the level of doom rises on an ultimate scale.

From the opening sequences which are gorgeous eye candy - some of the best ever committed to celluloid - and which set a mood of uncertainty, Melancholia is a sumptuous experience (which admittedly some may find hollow).

But it's a mesmerizing and divisive watch - much like Tree of Life earlier this year was.

Dunst seriously impresses, providing her best work as the depressed bride who rallies when the end of the world comes - but equally as good is Charlotte Gainsbourg as her sister who's helpless to save her and who's futile attempts to try and save their already strained relationship.

As it leads to a downbeat ending which blows you out of your seat, this is a mind-blowing film.

Extras: A great bunch here; director's commentary, making of, interview with cast and crew

Rating:

The Illusionist: DVD Review

The Illusionist: DVD Review

Rating: G
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

From the same people who made The Triplets of Belleville, this beautifully animated tale is the story of a fading magician who leaves the French music halls to head to England for some more work.

He ends up in Scotland where he charms the daughter of an innkeeper and she promptly follows him to Edinburgh.

It's not sordid though - it's a thoroughly charming story about friendship and growing up; but there's also a sadness about it which left a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at the end as both grow up in ways they couldn't imagine.

The hand drawn animation is truly gorgeous; the majority of the film is dialogue free but packed with humour in ways you'd never expect - and the whole thing ends up feeling like a magical window into a more innocent world of the past.

There's also the idea that the magician is losing his place in a world which is embracing rock'n'roll rather than music hall variety- it's sad, strong stuff but wondrous to look at; a great emotive film which all ages will love.

Rating:

New Amazing Spiderman trailer swings in

Following the brilliant new The Dark Knight Rises trailer this week, there's a new contender for the title of latest comic book trailer to hit.

The brand new trailer for Amazing Spiderman is here...

Starring Andrew Garfield, Rhys Ifans and Emma Stone, it's hitting cinemas a little later this year.

And it looks awesome.

House of the Dead 4: PS3 review

House of the Dead 4

Platform: PS3
Released by SEGA

Zombies - there's just something about their shuffling, never stopping ways which brings out the violence in all of us.

So, enter into the fray, the PS3 version of the classic arcade game, The House Of The Dead 4.

Set in between episodes two and three of the series, this rolling scenes interquel is a hell of a lot of mindless shooty fun.

You take on the role of either James Taylor (not that one) from the second in the series or newcomer Kate Green as they fight their way through hordes of marauding creatures of varying strengths. Armed with a limitless supply of bullets and some grenades, you simply blast your way through each level and culminate in a smackdown with a level boss.

Sounds simple eh?

Well, it's kind of not, if you're looking to boost your skill set and points at the end of each level. Mindlessly just shooting everything doesn't net you the best score - a more carefully aimed skill shot at the head nets you a "Perfect" or "Amazing" leading to a higher bounty. It's a clever way to ensure some degree of tactics in what is effectively a shoot 'em up. But you also have to be strategic too, electing to use grenades to get take out hordes rather than continually having to reload - though with only three grenades, you have to be careful as well.

Shaking the Siaxis will help you reload the gun and also help shake off zombies who latch on for a feast, as well as opening doors etc - these feats are only done though when you're prompted to do so (and are more effective if you're using the Move technology to help the game progress).

That's perhaps one of the only frustrations of the game in that it keeps going; you're not free to control your characters movements and directions - merely to blast the heck out of everything around you. Still, if you think about it in terms of the genre and arcade gaming (where this series originated) it's true to its ideals. It's been faithfully brought over from the arcade version and looks nicely sharp in its HD form.

Ultimately, The House of the Dead 4 is a great way to kill a bit of time; it's tense, nervy stuff which gets the adrenaline flowing and the bullets flying.

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