Bernie: Movie Review

Bernie: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey
Director: Richard Linklater

Jack Black reteams with Richard Linklater in this latest film, a tale that loudly proclaims "What you're fixing to see is a true story."

Set in small town Texas, Black stars as the slightly effeminate Bernie Tiede, a local mortician and all round good guy - the kind of guy who'll go the extra mile to ensure the widows are all happy after the event by delivering flowers, hugs and the personal touch.

Plus, his dedication to his community sees him delivering everything they need - and more thanks to an over generous personality.

But when Bernie befriends the nastiest  (and latest) widow in town Marjorie (played with relish by Shirley MacLaine), the friendship pushes Bernie over the edge and he commits murder.

Jack Black impresses mightily in this straight role, finally showing some depth of performance which has hitherto evaded his career. His subtle dialled-down performance (as opposed to the usual OTT he brings) means his character feels multi dimensional and real;  MacLaine, by contrast, is monstrous, imbuing her widow with spite and nastiness. McConaughey spins out another lawman, taking on the role of a district attorney with a determination to catch whoever killed Marjorie.

Bernie's an odd film - Linklater uses plenty of talking head interviews from locals in the small town of Carthage to get into the mentality of what actually went on. Plus, the fact it's based on a true story adds a frisson of something deliciously different.

Bernie is charming and memorably warm - a subtly blended mix of small town ideology and dark comedy.

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Brand new Lord of the Rings LEGO trailer unveiled

Brand new Lord of the Rings LEGO trailer unveiled

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of the LEGO games - they're fun, inventive and respectful of the source material.

So, the latest trailer for LEGO LOTR was always likely to be a hit with me...No word on a Hobbit version yet

Based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, LEGO The Lord of the Rings follows the original storylines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, taking players through the epic story events reimagined with the humour and endless variety of LEGO play.  

Trusted with the dangerous task to destroy an ancient magical ring that threatens all that is good, Frodo is forced to leave his peaceful home.  But the ring wants to be found and the road to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed, will be perilous and riddled with Orcs and fouler things.  

To help Frodo, a Fellowship is formed —Aragorn the Ranger, Gandalf the Wizard, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Boromir a Man of Gondor, and Frodo’s Hobbit friends Sam, Merry and Pippin.  Players relive the legend through the LEGO minifigures, as they explore wonders, solve timeless riddles, and overcome endless foes in their quest to destroy the Ring.   

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is scheduled to be available this spring for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation® Vita, and PC. 

Dr Who - The Krotons: DVD Review

Dr Who - The Krotons: DVD Review

Rating: G
Released by the BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

It's a crime some of the most exciting of Dr Who stories 49 years of TV are missing.

And it's even more of a crime that some of the most interminably dull stories exist in their entirety.

So it is with The Krotons - hardly vintage Dr Who but it has the auspicious title of being the last complete Patrick Troughton Second Doctor story released onto DVD. From 1968/69, the 4 part tale sees Jamie, the Doc and Zoe on the world of the Gonds who live under the control of the Krotons. But once the Doctor shows up, the seeds of revolution are planted and soon, society's gone to hell in a handcart.

Largely unremarkable and with baddies which seem to wobble and talk in South African accents, The Krotons is a watchable if unexciting tale from the 60s. It succeeds largely because of the trio - Pat Troughton's never been less engaging as the Doctor and the trio of him, Jamie and Zoe have such chemistry that they propel you along this story.

Much more pleasurable though are the extras on this set - in particular, the Second Time Around doco which looks at the challenges faced by the production team as they gambled on the show's future. It's a fascinating and enthralling watch and is worth the price of admission alone. Part one of a doco about Frazer Hines' companion Jamie is also enjoyable.

The Krotons may be an unremarkable release but thanks to the completist nature of these DVDs, it's an essential own - but not for the story, merely for the additional content which is stand out.

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Wrath of the Titans - Blu Ray Review

Wrath of the Titans - Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

The sequel to the Clash of the Titans has a lot to live upto after being widely derided upon release two years ago.

While it wasn't a bad story and bringing to life of the old Greek myths, it really was lambasted for its poor use of 3D.

This time around though, The Titans are hoping for a new lease of life.

Set a decade after he defeated the Kraken, Sam Worthington's Perseus, the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) is trying to live a quieter life than the action man of yore.

But above him, all hell is breaking loose among the gods as they begin to lose control of the imprisoned Titans and former enemy Kronos - and Zeus, the father of the gods, starts to lose his grip on what's around him. Plus throw in betrayal into the mix and an old enemy and it's all on.

Worse still, Kronos' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor and fallen god Hephaestus, Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus and save mankind...

So, the big question is if this sequel is better than the first one a couple of years back?

Well, the answer is sort of.

You're not really in any danger of having your cerebral cortex being troubled by any major plot or character development - but then this really was never that kind of film. Any subtleties of Greek mythology have been jettisoned too in favour of actions and fiery explosions.

It's more about spectacle - which I have to say this delivers a lot more than first time round thanks to some truly apocalyptic CGI.

Acting wise, Worthington holds his chops and gives Perseus a gruff exterior; making him more of a fighter doused with love for his son; Fiennes and Neeson have a little gravitas as the warring Hades and Zeus; Toby Kebbel brings a bit of self awareness and levity as Poseidon's son Argenor, and Pike brings a bit of class to a slightly bland Queen Andromeda. Bill Nighy deserves some praise as a nutty and insane Hephaestus who talks in a broad Yorkshire accent - his is also the only nod back to the previous generations of the film thanks to an iconic Titans artefact.

But the film, at its heart is simply a sequence of action sequences; a brash and noisy blockbuster that cares not for its characters merely services them with moments to hack and slash their way through their next challenge.

You may feel the luck of the gods has finally run out in this visually stunning and epic film, which is lacking in depth but is perfect popcorn entertainment.

Extras: The Path of men or the Path of Gods choices, storyboard comparisons, focus points, picture in picture

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Twenty Twelve: DVD Review

Twenty Twelve: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Hugh "Downton" Bonneville, Jessica "Spaced" Hynes and a cast of others come together for this docu-fly-on-the-wall comedy series, looking at the build up to the London Olympics 2012.

Perfect timing perhaps, but what's more surprising is how prescient this show was.

It takes in the work of the London Olympic Deliverance Committee as they gear the capital up for the Games which kicked off in July.

Dry, wry and a little bit lighter on the satire front than the likes of The Thick of It, Twenty Twelve benefits from solid performances all around - everyone gives their all to this perfectly timed comic piece of mockumentary.

Ironically, some of the topics covered by the show came up in real life (clock breaking down, athletes delayed on roads), suggesting that Twenty Twelve wasn't too far removed from the truth. Bonneville and Hynes give the best performances throughout - but it's a gently wry, mocking UK comedy which the Brits do very well.

Twenty Twelve gets the gold and is certainly worth watching.


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Planet Dinosaur: Blu Ray Review

Planet Dinosaur: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

What is it with dinosaurs?

We've been fascinated with them for years - from Jurassic Park to the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs series.

So this six part doco series was always likely to be a hit.

Narrated by John Hurt, it concentrates on some 50 different species of dinosaurs throughout the run. Using computer generated visual FX, it takes a look at a whole bunch of creatures, hitherto unexplored on the screen. From the likes of spinosaurus to brontosaurus through to the famed T Rex, this series doesn't shy away from populating the ancient world with a menagerie of animals.

But it's presented in a somewhat curious way with shaky camera work and electronic monitors detailing where the bones were found. Ultimately, a lot of the sequences exist simply to showcase the stunning work of the Visual FX team as they pit creature against creature in 3D fight arenas.

The result is this is more of a visual spectacular than an examination of science and archaeology (which sounds like a silly thing to say) but Planet Dinosaur is more about the fighting than the exploration of the world as it unfolded around us billions of years ago.

Don't get me wrong, Planet Dinosaur is nothing less than a spectacle but it's not quite the standard educational series you've come to expect from Auntie Beeb.

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The Lorax: Blu Ray Review

The Lorax: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

From the team who brought us Despicable Me comes this latest computer animated outing The Lorax.

Zac Efron is 12 year old Ted, who lives in the world of Thneedville, a walled city where all the trees are dead and their world is covered in plastic inflatable trees as well as other artificial bits and bobs.

Smitten with Taylor Swift's Audrey, Ted is determined to win her over and make her the girl of his dreams - his way of doing this? Getting a tree for her.

So, when his Grammy tells him that a mysterious being known as the Once-ler who lives outside the walled city has the key to the trees, Ted sets off to break out of Thneedville and discover what exactly happened. 

But Ted's quest isn't going unmonitored - for hot on his heels and watching his every move, is greedy corporate baddie Mr O'Hare who owns a bottled oxygen company and who fears that if Ted gets his way, his empire will come crashing down.

However, when Ted finds the Once-ler, he discovers the guilty secret that he holds and how his quest to make a Thneed from the trees left them with a wasteland - despite the intervention of the spirit of the forests, the moustachioed Lorax (Danny De Vito).

Can Ted make a difference to what's gone on?

I'm not familiar with Dr Seuss' source material for this one; I understand it's based on Seuss' worries over economic progress at the expense of the environment -and I have to say this latest computer animation reeks of indoctrination from beginning to end.

The songs which permeate the brightly orange coloured film are clearly cleverly written to support the whole "Let's save the environment" stance of the piece. And it gets a little tiresome quite quickly. There's something insidious about the lyrics which get stuck in your head - the final song, a gospel style ode to the trees, is called "Let It grow" and for days, it's been lodged inside my brain like a seed growing away. 

There's nothing wrong with that stance and fair play to the creators for so heavily pushing it but I just feel like the message was sledge hammered home over any level of subtlety.

Which is a real shame - because the animation, complete with its requisite looniness which you'd come to expect from the creators of Despicable Me, suits the piece perfectly. There's little of Seuss' rhyming within the film itself though and while the younger end of the audience won't care or notice, maybe fans will feel a little cheated. 

Overall, The Lorax isn't bad - it's just that without the much needed easing off of the "Save the Trees, Save the Planet" message, the whole thing's a little heavy handed and leaves a sour taste in the mouth rather than the bouncy joy a Dr Seuss book should be.

Extras: 3 mini movies, a heap of interactive pieces and learning how to draw your favourite characters


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