Safe Haven: Movie Review

Safe Haven: Movie Review

Cast: Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons
Director: Lasse Hallstrom

As night becomes day, Valentines Day begets yet another romantic drama from the pen of the bloke who's wrapped up the genre and kept tissue companies in business since The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks.

In the latest weepie to hit the cinema and to prove the chagrin to all self respecting partners worldwide, Josh Duhamel stars as Alex, a widower with two kids who lost his wife to cancer. Alex runs a store in the quiet sleepy coastal town of Southport, which is in the middle of nowhere.

Into his life comes the blond Katie, (Julianne Hough) a mysterious young woman who wants to start life anew. But Katie has a secret and is unwilling to open up to anyone, preferring to keep to herself and stow her past away. Gradually though, she forms a bond with Alex and his two kids which blossoms into love.

Until Katie's dark sercret from her murky past threatens their future happiness...

The movie Safe Haven is formulaic Nicholas Sparks drama.

It ticks all of the boxes that you'd expect from the 8th adaptation from his batch of books. Scene in the rain? Check. Gooey romantic mush set to middle of the road music? Also, check. Cute kids, one who's for the new prospective love interest and the other who's against? Also, check again. Snatched looks between two people clearly meant for each other, despite adversity and who let down their guard to fall hopelessly in love? Again, check and you've got a full house from the Sparks' world of cliche and formulaic.

Vulnerable Duhamel and blonde quivery-lipped Hough have an easy affability to their characters, but there's little sizzle between the pair of them on screen. David Lyons plays the cop looking for Katie, and makes a reasonable fist of his baddie despite the OTT blaring of nasty soundtrack and attack of the sweats every time he's on screen. How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulders comes away relatively unscathed as Katie's best friend in Southport.

If you lower your expectations going into this on a date night or perhaps, because everything else in the multiplex is full, then perhaps you won't be surprised by what plays out. But, to everyone else, this predictable mix of the relatively bland and inoffensive drama will set their teeth on end as it plays out in true romantic drama fashion - and it's a relative carbon copy of Sleeping With The Enemy in many ways too.

Until the final few minutes, which throws in a twist which is worthy of a certain Bruce Willis movie, and which is totally out of left-field and makes no sense whatsoever, no matter how good looking the main cast are.

Ultimately Safe Haven is by the numbers, pleasantly inoffensive and gentle enough to hook in some on Valentine's Day when it gets its worldwide release. It's not as mushy as some previous fare, but it doesn't offer any real surprises.

Rating:

Something unmissable for Doctor Who fans

Something unmissable for Doctor Who fans

It's a big year for fans of the Time Lord, as any respecting sci fi fan would know.

And thankfully, New Zealand's getting in on the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who.

The show turns 50 on November the 23rd this year and with talk of what lies ahead for the anniversary, it's great to see that thanks to the brilliance of Bill Gerardts and his team, we won't get left out in the cold for the event.

A couple of years back, the Armageddon Expo got the drop on the exclusive launch of 8th Doctor Paul McGann's new costume and since then, it's been used on publicity for the Big Finish Dark Eyes' box set.

Tickets are on sale for the Lords of Time Convention on 13 April in Auckland.

Celebrating 50 years of Dr Who, with four doctors from the classic Doctor Who series in a special one day event, meet Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Colin Baker (6th Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor and star of the Hobbit films) and Paul McGann (8th Doctor).

Also present will be Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks and Cybermen in the new series. He's also the executive producer of the brilliant Big Finish audio plays range - and you should spend some time checking out the wonderful work those guys have done over the years. And Mark Strickson, aka Turlough, who now lives in New Zealand will be here too.

The convention will include special events, panels and a chance to purchase autographs and photos with the stars. This is the ultimate event for a Doctor Who fan and a rare change to see many of the Doctors together in one place - well, without the space time continuum exploding!

Schedule for the day is now in too:

Doctor Who NZ Lords of Time Schedule
8.30am – Doors open
9.30am – Mark Strickson
10am – Nicholas Briggs
10.45am – Power of the Dalek’s screening & Photo session start
11.45am – Lunch
1pm – Peter Davison
1.30pm – Colin Baker
2pm – Sylvester McCoy
2.30pm – Paul McGann
3pm – Break
3.10pm – The Four Doctors
3.40pm – All guests on stage
4pm – Auton screening

2 sets of photo sessions
ONE
10.45am – Four Doctors
11.30am – All guests
11.45pm – Peter Davison and Mark Strickson
Noon – Peter Davison
12.30pm – Paul McGann

TWO
11.45am – Nicholas Briggs
Noon – Colin Baker
12.30pm – Sylvester McCoy

Tickets available here

Two new Star Trek Into Darkness images

Two new Star Trek Into Darkness images

There's been two new Star Trek Into Darkness images released courtesy of the Star Trek Into Darkness app.

Take a look below:

BAFTA 2013 winners

BAFTA 2013 winners

The BAFTAs are currently underway in London, UK-town.

Here's the list so far of the winners of the 2013 BAFTA Awards

Best Film
Argo - WINNER
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Outstanding British Film
Anna Karenina
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Seven Psychopaths
Skyfall - WINNER

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Bart Layton (director), Dimitri Doganis (producer) - The Imposter - WINNER
David Morris (director), Jacqui Morris (director/producer) - McCullin
Dexter Fletcher (director/writer), Danny King (writer) - Wild Bill
James Bobin (director) - The Muppets
Tina Gharavi (director/writer) - I Am Nasrine

Film Not in the English Language
Amour - WINNER
Headhunters
The Hunt
Rust and Bone
Untouchable

Documentary
The Imposter
Marley
McCullin
Searching for Sugarman - WINNER
West of Memphis

Animated Film
Brave - WINNER
Frankenweenie
Paranorman

Director
Michael Haneke - Amour
Ben Affleck - Argo - WINNER
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty

Original Screenplay
Amour
Django Unchained - WINNER
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Adapted Screenplay
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook - WINNER

Leading Actor
Ben Affleck - Argo
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln - WINNER
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Leading Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Emmanuel Riva - Amour - WINNER

Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin - Argo
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained - WINNER

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Master
Judi Dench - Skyfall
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables - WINNER
Helen Hunt - The Sessions

Original Music
Dario Marianelli - Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat - Argo
Mychael Danna - Life of Pi
John Williams - Lincoln
Thomas Newman - Skyfall - WINNER

Cinematography
Seamus McGarvey - Anna Karenina
Danny Cohen - Les Misérables
Claudio Miranda - Life of Pi - WINNER
Janusz Kaminski - Lincoln
Roger Deakins - Skyfall

Editing
William Goldenberg - Argo - WINNER
Fred Raskin - Django Unchained
Tim Squyres - Life of Pi
Stuart Baird - Skyfall
Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg - Zero Dark Thirty

Production Design
Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer - Anna Karenina
Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson - Les Misérables - WINNER
David Gropman, Anna Pinnock - Life of Pi
Rick Carter, Jim Erickson - Lincoln
Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock - Skyfall

Costume Design
Jacqueline Durran - Anna Karenina - WINNER
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor - Great Expectations
Paco Delgado - Les Misérables
Joanna Johnston - Lincoln
Colleen Atwood - Snow White and the Huntsman

Make Up & Hair
Ivana Primorac - Anna Karenina
Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger - Hitchcock
Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Lisa Westcott - Les Misérables - WINNER
Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou - Lincoln

Sound
Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman - Django Unchained
Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst - Les Misérables - WINNER
Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill - Life of Pi
Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers - Skyfall

Special Visual Effects
Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley - The Dark Knight Rises
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer - Life of Pi - WINNER
Nominees TBC - The Avengers
Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth - Prometheus

Short Animation
Here to Fall
I'm Fine, Thanks
The Making of Longbird - WINNER

Short Film
The Curse
Good Night
Swimmer - WINNER
Tumult
The Voorman Problem

EE Rising Star Award
Elizabeth Olsen
Juno Temple - WINNER
Suraj Sharma
Andrea Riseborough
Alicia Vikander

The Sapphires: Blu Ray Review

The Sapphires: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

An unabashed utter crowd-pleaser, The Sapphires is one of heck of a roof-raising movie with soul aplenty.

It centres on four indigenous women (Gail, Julie, Kay and Cynthia) from an Aborigine mission, discovered by talent scout Dave Lovelace (a dishevelled but scene-stealing Chris O'Dowd) and who are moulded into the Aussie answer to the Supremes before scoring gigs entertaining the troops in Vietnam as the war rages there in 1969.

But Dave doesn't have an easy route, moulding these four wannabe singers; there are hints of problems between Gail and Kay which date back to the mission and have been lying dormant for years.

Sure, there are the cliches aplenty - the sassy fiery one, the sexy one, the naive one and the talented one make up the band, but thanks to a rousing soul soundtrack, The Sapphires rises above as the band comes together in Aussie under the tutelage of Dave and his very funny put downs.

Hints of tensions bubble under but unsurprisingly come to a head when the band hits Saigon and their naivety gives cause to many eye opening moments for the girls from the Aborigine mission.

While that may be predictable and the Saigon scenes play out in a somewhat sanitised way, (this film's never really about the politics of what's going on and things only come to an explosive end - unsurprisingly -when Dave and the sassy Sapphire Gail finally find a middle ground) The Sapphires is nothing short of a rollicking good time, with oneliners guaranteed to get the audience onside.

But it's Chris O'Dowd who really impresses here, building on his charming performance in Bridesmaids, he shows he's one of the best comedy actors around delivering lines with charisma, comic deftness and to killer effect.

Sure, the political is shoved to one side in favour of the superficial feel good, but when the feel good is so raucous and so rousing you can't help but get swept along in this tale of a family coming back together again and discovering their voices.

They shimmy through the slightly dodgy bits of storytelling with such ease that it's pointless to quibble with the energy, warmth and overall positive vibe of this feel-good, occasionally cheesy piece.

The Sapphires is occasionally less than polished, but it's never anything less than a great time at the movies.

Extras: Making of, Vietnam featurette, Character profiles, music videos, interview with the original Sapphires

Rating:

Movie 43: Movie Review

Movie 43: Movie Review

Cast: Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Stephen Merchant, Anna Faris,Emma Stone, Kieran Culkin, Elizabeth Banks - and other offenders
Directors: Various

When a film is so reviled in the critics' world and even called the Citizen Kane of awful, you always wonder where the vitriol is coming from.

Movie 43 is such a film, and one train wreck which is rightfully receiving a major panning.

Its loose premise is that a washed up movie producer (played by Dennis Quaid) is so desperate to get his movie made, that he takes a studio executive (Greg Kinnear) hostage and forces him to listen to his crazed and deranged movie ideas.

The catch? Those pitches involve some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

If you are a fan of extremely puerile humour, and set ups that have very little pay off plus are an adolescent boy, then Movie 43 is for you.

As this series of 13 "interconnected" stories are rolled out, each of them suffers from a lack of any real humour or panache that you actually begin to wonder why the actors involved (who have some pretty impressive calibre) are even part of what's playing out - do the powers that be have some real quality blackmail on the cast to use?

There's the likes of Hugh Jackman with a pair of testicles hanging from his neck, Halle Berry going to extremes for truth or dare, Gerard Butler as a leprechaun, Anna Faris begging to be pooped on by her lover - the list of degradation and bad taste goes on without a hint of humour in sight. It may be the chance for such quality actors to act in such juvenile ways proved way too beguiling, but I can't fathom why they didn't realise it just wasn't as funny as it could have been.

The only two segments which vaguely hit the spot are Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin as a couple trying to sort stuff out in a supermarket and an ad which claims small children working in vending machines have lives too - so, not exactly setting the bar high, but, trust me, when you see the rest of what's on offer, this is the cinematic pinnacle of this offering. Even though the segments are short, there's another terrible one lining up to take its place, with a major Hollywood star looking to lose an ounce of their own dignity.

With predictable pay offs, a lack of laughs despite occasional raunchiness, it's easy to see why Movie 43 is being roundly panned and I'd advise you to think twice about whether you want to go and see it. The attempts at gross out humour fail miserably and it makes the American Pie franchise look like Shakespeare and Benny Hill and Borat seem sophisticated.

It is, without a doubt, the worst film of 2013 - and if anything else reaches this level at any stage this year, it'll be a sad indictment of the death of the magic of cinema.

Rating:

Aliens: Colonial Marines Contact trailer

Aliens: Colonial Marines Contact trailer

Good news for fans of the Aliens franchise.

And for gamers too.

An extended trailer's been released for Aliens: Colonial Marines, which hits February 12th.

Underlined with a classical piece of cinematic music by Golden Globe nominated composer Clint Mansell, the trailer takes viewers on a vertical ride through the USS Sulaco with US Colonial Marines fighting for their lives against an incoming wave of Xenomorphs.

Take a look below: