Machete Kills trailer is here

Machete Kills trailer is here

It's finally here - the Machete Kills trailer.

From Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo, it looks like it's going to be fun.

Safety Not Guaranteed: Blu Ray Review

Safety Not Guaranteed: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

A quirky little indie film, Safety Not Guaranteed is a gentle nugget of cinematic genius.

Aubrey Plaza is Darius, a grad who's unable to get a job and ends up working as an intern at Seattle magazine. When reporter Jeff (a Mark Ruffaloesque Jake Johnson) suggests he looks into an ad in a newspaper promising to take a trip back in time, but with "safety not guaranteed", Darius, along with studious intern Arnau head to Ocean View to find out more.

But while Jeff uses the opportunity to look up an old flame, Darius discovers that the guy who placed the ad, is a curious oddball called Kenneth (a brilliant Duplass). Kenneth works at the local store and is convinced the authorities are following him as he nears completion of his time machine.

So, the question is - is Kenneth telling the truth or is it the mutterings of a mid American nutjob?

Safety Not Guaranteed is a real charmer of a film and an unexpected humour filled delight, which will amuse and engage your heart too.

From its start where we first meet Darius being rejected for a job right to its final shot where something unexpected happens, it's a film which confounds your expectations and surprises you.

It's a low key, lo fi indie film in many ways which hits all the right notes; part rom com, part sci fi flick, part road trip and part relationships/ hipster film, it's a mash up of many genres and all of them sensitively and sensibly handled with charm and ease.

The central premise is an intriguing one and throwing together the trio works very well; from the lazy, just out to hook up Jeff to the uptight Indian intern Arnau, mixed in with a dash of sullen sarcasm courtesy of Aubrey Plaza, the final resulting cocktail works very well.

But the film scores its major points with Mark Duplass  as Kenneth, a denim jacketed slight oddball of a man about whom you're never quite sure if he's a sandwich short of a picnic or actually onto something with his notion of time travel and reasons for it. (And his occasional resemblance to 1990s Scott Bakula in time travelling TV series Quantum Leap is uncanny at times - or perhaps, a deliberate nod). Thanks to sensitive acting and a bit of depth of character, he remains an enigma throughout and a character you can't quite get a handle on.

As one character remarks "This mission has to do with regret, mistakes and is about love" - it's an adage which helps us identify with the characters and engage with what could be a lunatic proposition.  With dashings of deadpan humour thrown in, and a final act which once again confounds your expectations by swiftly whipping the carpet from asunder, Safety Not Guaranteed deserves to be a hit thanks to its charm, performances and touchingly heartfelt and yet universal story.

Whether or not it will be depends on how much you're willing to gamble on this - my advice, roll the dice and enjoy every moment of what is one of the best character films of the year.
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Sightseers: Blu Ray Review

Sightseers: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

Sightseers is the best black comedy you will see this year.

Steve Oram and Alice Lowe play Chris and Tina, a pair of recent lovers who decide to escape Tina's stifling mother by heading away on a caravanning trip around the Yorkshire dales in the UK. But Chris is a veritable powder keg of anger, waiting to boil over...and as the mundane turns to murderous, the very dark humour is ratcheted up to 11.

The thing is combined with Tina's slightly creepy attitude (scarred after her mum's dog died in a knitting needle accident that she caused) and Chris's bristling ginger beard of pure rage, SightSeers manages to be a spectacle which heartily amuses and equally horrifies.

A radical dosage of ultra violence complements (and yet never overshadows) this apparently occasionally improvised mix; throw in some great banter (one scene sees Tina's mum shouting that her daughter was an accident) as well as a whole heap of phrases which are destined to become quotable (brown lipstick anyone?) and this is the perfect concoction of horror and humour. But what Wheatley's also managed to capture is the various personalities who inhabit caravan holidays - be they the annoying pedants, noisy neighbours or new age nutjobs, it's a perfect dichotomy of lives lived in middle England.

Replete with great shots of the countryside and a cup so filled with black darkness that it runneth over, Sightseers is to be wholeheartedly recommended if you've got a slightly warped view of life.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Blu Ray Review

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

And so, part one of the trilogy (!) hits the small screen.

A perfectly cast Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit movie and Sir Ian McKellen is back reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey in this. Baggins, a Hobbit, lives in Bag-End, and enjoys the quiet life - so when Gandalf shows up on his doorstep, offering him a chance to be involved in an adventure, Bilbo politely, but firmly refuses. Later that evening, a company of 13 dwarves gradually show up at his homestead, ransacking his pantry and determined that Bilbo will join them on their quest - to reclaim treasure stolen by thedragon Smaug and to help Thorin Oakenshield (a broody Richard Armitage) take back his lost kingdom of Erebor.

Against his every fibre of being, Bilbo finds himself going on this adventure - a trip which will change them all forever...

While the stunning work of WETA shows off a lot, it's not all perfect on the FX front - while the Goblin Kingdom looks impressive, some of the shots when Gandalf and the gang ride a walkway down to try and escape don't quite fit together as well as they could, lacking the cohesive FX touches - and likewise, when the first reveal of Rivendell comes, it looks a little too much like a painting in the background, with action superimposed on the front. To be honest, though, these are minor niggles of the process rather than glaring FX distractions.

As for the human side of the film, Martin Freeman easily stands (a little) head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. His Bilbo is a perfect combination of deadpan well-timed comedy, Englishness and a hint of a Hobbit about to grow up. Plus, having seen Martin Freeman as Bilbo, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. The sequence where he riddles with Gollum is just astounding as a two-hander and is a real stand out of the film; particularly for Andy Serkis' work as Gollum, as he runs the gamut from childish glee to murderous malice in his game.

Magical, majestic, mystical and utterly masterful, The Hobbit movie is an enthralling, engrossing and unmissable return to Middle-Earth (especially if you're a committed LOTR fan); it's a fantasy film which reinvents the genre and is in someways game-changing for all that will follow it.

But I have to say I'm disgusted with the DVD treatment - not a hint of an extra in sight with everything saved for the Blu Ray. It's a real kick in the teeth to fans to be frank - and I'm hoping it means an extended DVD with some stuff on will be here soon. Warners - you should be absolutely shamed at how you've treated the casual DVD viewer.

Extras: NONE - a disgrace on the DVD - on the Blu Ray, it's a fuller picture. If you're willing to upgrade to the Blu Ray though, you get around 10 mini features -and a 3D pack as well, so that adds for some quality.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Blu Ray Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Based on Stephen Chbosky's novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is likely to strike a note with anyone who ever felt alienated at school. 15 year old Charlie (Logan Lerman) is an outsider, and an introvert. When he doesn't fit in at high school, he figures the time he spends there will be nothing short of horrific. But, when he's taken under the wings of two seniors Sam (Harry Potter's Emma Watson) and Patrick (a scene stealing Ezra Miller), he's introduced into the real world - and suddenly finds that by being an outsider, he actually fits in.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age film which fires on all cylinders.

From its strong trio of leads to a brilliant soundtrack of the times, it's likely to connect with anyone who's ever made a mix tape for a wannabe lover or felt a little on the edge of the popular world. Lerman particularly impresses in a performance which packs layers on underneath the awkwardness of being a teen at school; and Watson certainly does all she can to say "Expelliarmus" to her time as Hermione, encapsulating the insecurity of the teenage years. There's a tenderness to Lerman and Watson's relationship on screen and is immediately relatable. Miller is also incredibly good in the outgoing flamboyant role of Patrick, whose bravado masks a secret.

Throw in a hint of sadness, mix in some adolescent angst amongst an occasionally hit and miss script and you're pretty much likely to get one of the best teen coming of age films in a long time. Occasionally nostalgic and totally memorable, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a film which will speak to a generation and is one to be treasured and enjoyed with a cast who impress from the beginning.

Extras: Commentary, cast and director, deleted scenes and featurette

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ZB Movie Review - Live from Oamaru

ZB Movie Review - Live from Oamaru

This week, it was live from Oamaru for me when I checked in with Jack Tame on Saturday mornings on Newstalk ZB.

Reviews this week were - the new Fast and Furious 6 film, New Zealand film Shopping and on the small screen, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Check it out below:

Or you can click on the link here

http://newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/player/ondemand/1979017592-darren-bevan-at-the-movies--june-1

Captains of the Final Frontier: DVD Review

Captains of the Final Frontier: DVD Review

Rating: Exempt
Released by Magna Home Entertainment

A flashy all substance and no real style documentary, Captains of the Final Frontier is a fluffy piece looking back at all of the actors who played the various Captains of the Star Trek series.

Focussing more on the interviews than footage from the series, it takes a wry look at what made the captains unique - in the opinions of other actors from the show (which is a curious choice) It's an intriguing look at the longevity of the show, but to be honest, it suffers somewhat from having a lack of real star names of the major captains involved.

Kate Mulgrew fronts and while the piece is more homage than anything serious, for fans of the show, it's a good watch as it spools out over its 90 minutes.

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