House of Pleasure: DVD Review

House of Pleasure: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

A French drama film set at the turn of the 19th Century and set in a Parisian bordello - I imagine some of you  have already formed your own opinion of what this film could be about.

The film follows the women who work in the bordello and their clients as well as how they feel they will cope with the coming century and what it may bring. There's also an undercurrent of nastiness too as one woman's been mutilated (think Joker in Dark knight to get an idea) by one of her clients.

It's a sumptuously put together film which looks beautiful in terms of costume although it is to be honest, a little slow going as it meanders over the two hours running time. It's not a salacious film either - sure, the women don't look bad at all but a lot of the film is about sexual diseases which they're prone to and talk of money let alone any kind of sleazy shenanigans. Throw into the mix, a fifteen year old girl who wants to be a part of this life and you're left with an uneasy mix of social commentary and lounging around.

Occasionally, it's like looking at an art book from the time, reflecting on people and pastiches of life rather than specifically anything major happening. Sure, there's a sisterhood running through and a support network but after about 70 minutes, the lack of real pace becomes a problem and the film starts to feel like it's not going anywhere fast, any time soon.

Period drama it may be and while it's brilliantly recreated, you can't help but wish the relative lethargy would let up and some more drama kick in.

Rating:

New TED featurette brings the naughty

New TED  Restricted featurette brings the naughty and the filth..

It's out in a couple of weeks but now a little featurette that's on the funny and filthy side has brought out a little more of the plot of TED, the upcoming flick from Seth "Family Guy" MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.

This is a little risque but based on this, TED will be a raucous night out at the movies - just don't bring a prudish mate.

Ted hits cinemas in NZ on July 11th. In a bad way and based on this, I actually can't wait.

A Royal Affair: Movie Review

A Royal Affair: Movie Review

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, Mikkel Folsgaard
Director: Nikolaj Arcel

Mads Mikkelsen continues his rise to cinematic glory in this sumptuous period piece set in Denmark in 1766.

It's a turbulent time in Denmark, with the masses oppressed and downtrodden by a King who's mad and politically ineffectual, there's scant hope for those who pursue the ideals of the Enlightenment movement.

But when new Queen Caroline Mathilde (an entrancing Vikander) comes to join her husband from England, Mikkelsen's recently appointed royal physician Johann Struensee starts to fall in love with her.

Their dangerous liaison leads to love and the chance for Denmark to change as Struensee begins to exert his Enlightenment beliefs both on the Queen and on a willing King.

However, not everything in this love story ends happily as the consequences of Struensee's actions begin to play out.

A Royal Affair is a slightly over-long look at dramatic events in Denmark which shaped a nation and played a part in the formation of European history.

Gorgeously costumed and stunningly shot, it's an intelligent period piece which screams lounge back in your seat and wallow away but it does take a little while to get going and become engrossing.

Mikkelsen and Vikander are perfectly cast as the physician and the royal who're engulfed in the passion of the romance and the burning desire for change for their oppressed nation. Folsgaard is also solid as the mad King who flounces around whoring and being weak and ineffectual (even if he does remind you a little of Hugh Laurie's King from Blackadder).

The drama is powerful in this piece and while it may take a while to grip you as the slow burn kicks in, be aware that the (somewhat abrupt) ending may resonate more with you than you first realise.

Overall, A Royal Affair is a strong piece of historical film making; it offers light into a period many will be unaware of and thanks to strong acting, it's a striking celluloid outing for one of Denmark's most difficult periods.

Rating:

First full Dredd trailer is here

First full Dredd trailer is here

Finally, it's the moment fans of Judge Dredd and 2000AD have been waiting for...

The Judge Dredd trailer is here...

The first full trailer for Dredd which hits NZ cinemas in October and stars our very own Kiwi Karl Urban, and is of course based on the iconic Brit comic 2000AD.

The trailer's leaked a little early online so take a look here...and am I alone in thinking it's a sci fi version of The Raid?? Although to be fair, the Dredd film was written and filmed before the Raid Redemption was released....

This is the official version of Machinima's debut - all other versions are being pulled down due to copyright laws from Lionsgate.

Brand new Breaking Dawn Part 2 trailer released

Brand new Breaking Dawn Part 2 trailer released

Fans wait no longer - the trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 has been released...

Snow White and the Huntsman: Movie Review

Snow White and the Huntsman: Movie Review

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Bob Hoskins
Director: Rupert Sanders

Honestly, you wait for one film and then two come along at the same time...

Earlier this year, we had a more family friendly (some would even say lighter comic) version of the Snow White story - with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins starring in Mirror, Mirror. (Get my take on this version with the Mirror Mirror movie review here).

In this somewhat darker version, teen fave Kristen Stewart takes on the role of the fairest in the land, who's imprisoned in a dark tower when the Evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) kills the King and takes control.

When the mirror tells the Queen that Snow White poses a threat to her, she decides to have her killed and promises Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman his dead wife back if he kills her.

But the huntsman is betrayed and the pair team up to rid the land of the Evil Queen once and for all...

So the question is - is this version of Snow white better than the earlier effort this year?

.
Well the answer is: sort of.


This latest is a more adult, gritty and medieval take on the fairy tale with its opening portentous voiceover and is blessed with some stunning visuals and some impressive performances.

Charlize Theron's evil queen Ravenna is certainly impressive.  Despite bellowing a lot of lines, she gives us a damaged Queen, a Queen ravaged by the darkness of the magic she was exposed to as a child. Prone to menace in all of her scenes, Theron is certainly the star performance of the piece without straying too far over the top. It's interesting though that Hollywood doesn't just go for completely evil characters any more, preferring to give them a back story and history which prevents them from being down and out baddies.

Unfortunately, Kristen Stewart seems a little miscast as Snow White and in between her acting through half closed eyes most of the time and channelling that teen awkwardness that made her popular, her Snow is a little weedy and weak, spending a lot of her scenes looking pained and almost constipated.

Hemsworth is fine as the Huntsman (apart from an accent which is all over the place) - he's all boyish bravado despite a vulnerability and sadness lurking beneath the exterior - but the chemistry between him and Kristen Stewart is sadly lacking. And when they show, the digitally shrunken dwarves are a welcome respite from the long slow paced thematic darkness which precedes their entrance.

One major problem is that there's no real passion in this; it's curiously flat at times - in dialogue, story and emotion -and is lacking a central love story which is really the heart of this fairy tale.

Despite Sanders bringing some mightily impressive visuals to the screen (a sojourn to the Fairy Kingdom is beautifully realized with its lush verdant greens and colours in comparison to the nightmarish dark forest with its twisted trees and ghoulish spectres), he has a tendency to not rise above his commercials directing background. His over-reliance on slow-mo shots proves too much and his lack at propelling the narrative along in places is all too evident.

All in all, this version is to be commended for bringing some of the nightmares back into fables but it's hardly the fairest of them all.

Rating:

Safe: Movie Review

Safe: Movie Review

Cast: Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Robert John Burke, James Hong, Reggie Lee
Director: Boaz Yakin

In this gritty action thriller, The Stath is back once again to kick some serious bottom and punch some serious face.

When cage fighter Luke (Statham) doesn't throw a fight he's supposed to, he finds himself in trouble with the Russian Mafia.

Things get worse when Luke's wife is murdered by the mob and told he must spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, waiting for the bullet that will end his days.

Near the end of the line, and with nothing to lose, Luke is about to commit suicide on the New York subway, when he sees a young girl and maths prodigy Mei (Chan) followed by the mobsters who killed his wife.

Deciding to intervene, Luke grabs Mei and saves her life. But, things get worse for Luke when he discovers Mei is on the run from the Chinese Triads...and with corruption all around in the police, Russian mafia and Chinese triads, they soon discover nowhere is safe.

If you're looking for a film that pushes the boundaries and redefines the action genre, then Safe is not it.

If, however, you're looking for a film which adheres to the action formula and expands Statham's limited range as a UK equivalent of Bruce Willis / Stallone, then congratulations, Safe is for you.

With its "when you've lost everything, you've got nothing to lose" mentality, it's really a case of formulaic action thriller with set pieces and smack downs. And to be fair to both Yakin and Statham, that's exactly what they bring through a series of quick cuts, action sequences and loud bone crunching beatings.

And yet, there's a reasonable enough bond between Statham and the young girl played by Chan that you feel connected to this - well, enough of a bond to put your brain on hold and sit through the unwinding cliched conspiracy and corruption yarn that unfurls in front of you.

Statham's carving out quite the celluloid career here in this genre and this latest will merely chalk up another notch on the action belt; he doesn't push himself and his director doesn't do the same; but each action sequence is well handled and smartly put together that it's never too overwhelming with bullets, fights and explosions.

With improbable twists, some relatively faceless acting from the supporting cast, Safe is a fairly solid, if relatively unmemorable and occasionally rough around the edges action thriller filler for a cinematic night out.

Rating: