Chris Cox - Comedy Festival review

Chris Cox - Comedy Festival review

Chris Cox - Fatal Distraction

A mind reader who can't read minds but who's a bit more honest about it?

The Tui billboard writes itself really, doesn't it?

Except, with Chris Cox it about sums up his act.

As you wander into his latest show, Fatal Distraction, you're greeted by ushers wanting to get you to fill out some information and provide a list of things for Chris to do in his act.

But even if you think you know where he's going to go with it, I can guarantee you don't have the slightest clue about where the journey's going to take you.

He's asked that secrets of the show aren't revealed - and fair enough, I'll afford this boisterous Brit that very courtesy - suffice to say, it's loosely an act which has a story thread running through it. One of those threads is that you're only one "What if" away from a different life....

However, the major thrill of this show is the audience participation - Chris' show is not one where you can sit back and not get involved; thanks to the hurling around of a soft toy, his victims (in the loosest sense of the word) are chosen and feats performed that simply have you sitting there, scratching your head and voicing out "WTF?"

It's very easy to be cynical about an act like this - sure, you can argue the suggestions are placed in volunteers' heads by potentially loaded questions - though, to be honest, if you're thinking that, it's a surefire sign that this quick talking Brit, a crown prince of distraction, has got under your skin and got your grey matter puzzling away.

Cox is enthusiastic, fast talking, funny, (albeit with a bad line in some corny puns here and there) and the provider of a great hour's worth of entertainment. It's cleverly masterful stuff throughout and it's guaranteed to leave you puzzled but greatly amused.

Thanks to a generally good natured and genial host, you're happy to sit back and be confounded; Chris is even generous to stick around afterwards to meet the crowd.

I'd wanted to go to talk to him and profess to know how he'd done it (I didn't have the first clue if I was brutally honest but pure swagger would never see me admit that) but sometimes, the magic is simply left alone and you're best to bathe in the glow of a mind blowingly good, brilliantly entertaining show which leaves you beaming from ear to ear as it finishes.

The Adventures of Tintin - Blu Ray Review

The Adventures of Tintin - Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment


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. 

Extras: A whole feast of docos makes this collection a blistering set of bonus content and gives the film the depth it needs for real fans.

Rating:

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Blu Ray Review

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Your mission - should you choose to accept it.

Tom Cruise's 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 (Simon Pegg) and spy Jane (Paula 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. Michael 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 on the small screen.

Extras: On set with the team and looking at the stunt work, how the sandstorm sequence was brought to life and deleted scenes and alternate opening

Rating:

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: