Blancanieves: Movie Review

Blancanieves: Movie Review

Cast: Maribel Verdú, Emilio Gavira, Daniel Giménez Cacho 
Director: Pablo Berger

Blancanieves is an incredibly brave film. 

Spain's Academy Award submission is a black and white film, no doubt buoyed by the widespread success of Oscar winning The Artist. 

Set in 1920s Spain, it's the tale of Carmen, an orphan whose mother died in child birth and whose father Antonio, a famed matador, was left crippled after a bull gored him in a fight. 

Marrying his former nurse, the cruel and crazed Encarna, Antonio manages to bond briefly with his newly discovered daughter before Encarna orders their demise. Narrowly escaping Carmen teams up with a group of bull-fighting dwarves before an inevitable showdown with the big bad of the day. 

Wonderfully reminiscent of the films of yesteryear with a transcendant and magical score, which marks this film out as a potential future live cinema event, this is a silent film the likes of which have not been seen for years. It deserves to be seen on the majesty of the big screen. 

Wallowing in the medium and lavishing the monochrome, it feels like a full blooded piece from 1920s Hollywood as it takes on the Snow White legend in passing; it's romantic, eye-poppingly gorgeous and a nostalgic piece which is spell-binding and perfectly crafted.

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The Loneliest Planet: DVD Review

The Loneliest Planet: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home entertainment

Slow cinema doesn't come more divisive than this.

We follow the soon-to-be-married Nica and Alex (Hani Furstenberg and Gael Garcia Bernal as they backpack around Georgia. This is a happy couple, a playful couple and a couple whose future seems set.

However, when they start trekking deep into the mountains with a guide, it seems as if everything is going their way.

But, when they encounter another trio, something happens which shocks the foundations of their relationship and has repercussions for the three of them.

Beautifully shot, with long still frame images of the group walking against the marvellous backdrop of nature, The Loneliest Planet is an interesting rumination of what it means to be a man, what it means to be in a relationship and how one single decision can have lasting implications.

The emphasis here is on more shots of the landscape, local music and less on the dialogue which is sparse. But by hanging back, giving less, there's more of a sense of devastated frustration

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Rust and Bone: DVD Review

Rust and Bone: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Hopscotch and Universal Home Entertainment

Rust and Bone is from the director of the wonderful A Prophet and stars Marion Cotillard as Stephanie, an Orca trainer at a local Marineland Water Park. A chance meeting at a club one night means she meets drop out Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts) who's penniless and landed with his 5 year old son. Despite Alain's attempts to hit on Stephanie failing miserably, the two are forced into each other's respective paths after an accident at the Water Park cuts short her career. Alain is a semi drifter, interested only in one night stands and a lack of real commitment, as opposed to Stephanie's warmer approach to life.

Faced by a life changing situation, Stephanie finds that Alain's aloofness is suddenly engaging and the pair form an unlikely relationship.

Rust and Bone is about two people dealing with their inner demons, and whilst it's been critically acclaimed, it is, in parts, somewhat aloof. Cotillard is sensational as the trainer who finds she needs unexpected support - her restrained and subtle performance conveys every necessary nuance and emotion without being showy or over-sentimental as these films occasionally have a tendency to be. Likewise, Schoenaerts' dropout may be lacking a lot of emotion and living only from day to day via violent or sexual interactions, but he's the perfect foil to Cotillard; a brutal yet downbeat man, who's trying to make his way in the world. Initially, it's hard to fathom why Stephanie calls but in the slow reveal of the film, it's abundantly clear that Audiard is once again reuniting with his themes of two disparates who find their lives intertwined.

There are a couple of gasp aloud moments within the film, which shock and rock, but there are also swathes of slow patches too. But it's a potent mix, firing together a dramatic cocktail worth drinking down - even if the narrative choices at the end are a little lacking the punch needed for a more satisfying resolution.

Ultimately, Rust and Bone is engrossing cinema, anchored by a stunning performance from Cotillard.

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Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors: DVD Review

Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors: DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Ent

So it's to 1967 we go for a seminal tale of the second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton which has been brought back to life using animation, given that two of the six episodes are missing.

It's also the debut of the Ice Warriors, the iconic lumbering foe which were a real step up in the creature design.

Despite being deemed a classic serial, time's not been kind to this epic, given that parts of the story feel drawn out and shudder a little under the six episode format. Basically, as humans shiver over the arrival of an ice age, a hidden Martian craft is discovered beneath the ice. As those scientists charged with trying to stop the onslaught of the glaciers fight on, the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria show up - just as an evil Ice Warrior is dug up from within the ice....

The animation works well, giving more expression than has been glimpsed before on the other two outings and there's a feeling of 3D which makes you forget (to a degree) you're watching drawings.

All in all, Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors is a nice addition to the range - and the extras give it a bit more life. A making of doco, and a doco on the animation are perhaps the highlights.

Special Features: Commentaries, Subtitles, Beneath the Ice: Behind the Scenes, Blue Peter: Design-a-Monster,  Doctor Who Stories: Frazer Hines part two, Cold Fusion: Making Of , Photo Gallery, VHS Links, Radio Times Listings(DVD-ROM), Digitally Remastered Picture & Sound Quality.

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GI Joe: Retaliation: DVD Review

GI Joe: Retaliation: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

The GI Joes are back.

When the GI Joes are tasked with getting back a nuclear weapon by the US President, they find themselves thrown into a conspiracy when they're framed for crimes against the country. As their mortal enemies Cobra try to take advantage of the power hole, it's up to Roadblock (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and his team of two surviving Joes to expose the conspiracy, save the day and the world...

GI Joe 2: Retaliation is all guns, gadgets and gung-ho. As you'd perhaps expect from a film based on a toy franchise....And yet, the first half of GI Joe 2 is a great mix of seriousness and excellently put together action sequences. One such set piece, atop mountains and scaling Himalyan cliff faces, is simply one of the best bits of choreographed kick-ass fight scenes committed to celluloid in a long time. Director Chu uses the 3D so cleverly during it that you get a real scale and sense of depth as it plays out its thrilling premise and set piece.

But, that's the thing with this film - for the most part, with good solid characters, bad guys a-plenty and blockbuster thrills, it really does up its game and give you a damn entertaining popcorn treat. Which is why it's a real shame to note that in the last 30 minutes, the goofiness and cheesy one liners which have been so absent from the start, are thrown willy-nilly into the mix amid a hail of bullets and explosions as a new Hasbro line of GI Joe action vehicles are launched into the collective cinema conscience. Characterisation is secondary to the action in G.I. Joe Retaliation - and once you're willing to sacrifice that and go with the action, then this piece of high class hokum with its first rate action sequences will keep the big kid in you entertained for a couple of hours.

Extras: True face of evil, commentary

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Escape from Planet Earth: Blu Ray Review

Escape From Planet Earth: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

In the latest CGI outing, Brendan Fraser stars as little blue man, Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser). He's a brash, blue, bolshy big head Buzz Lightyear type and the hero of the Planet Baab. Much to the chagrin of his brother, Gary (Rob Corddry) who runs the mission control and saves Scorch's bacon every time. When Scorch heads to the "Dark Planet" aka Earth, he's caught by evil general Shanker Saunderson (William Shatner) after straying into Area 51 - and his brother Gary decides he must do all he can to try and save him, whatever the cost....

Escape From Planet Earth is disposably good fun which skews to the younger end of the spectrum.
With its hues of blues and occasional sci-fi nods, it's certainly fun despite being a little plot light. There's a degree of lunacy here and there as well as a menagerie of creatures is revealed in Area 51. Fraser gives good idiot as Scorch; Rob Corddry builds his growing reputation as the nerdier, brainier one of the pair - and Shatner seems to riff on his own personality / back catalogue with his portrayal of the General; but it has to be said Alba and Jessica Parker are hardly noticed in their time on screen.

Escape from Planet Earth passes by relatively quickly and with plenty of moments which will amuse here and there - with some adult nods to sci-fi to keep the older end of the spectrum amused as well as a very obvious poke at Pixar Animation, there's certainly a bit of depth here and there in this story of brawns vs brains.


As one character says at one point, "Turn off your brain and hang on", it's probably a fair analogy for anyone else along for the ride, which packs in colourful animation and a relatively lightweight throwaway story

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Spring Breakers: Blu Ray Review

Spring Breakers: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by ICON And Roadshow Home Entertainment

Babes, boobs, bikinis, bongs and beer.

And then some.

That about sums up the lurid and somewhat trashy Spring Breakers, which is busting out into cinemas and is more of an experience than a fully-formed story. Opening with bright pink titles and a slow-mo, extreme close up of plenty of amply bosomed half-naked nubile young women partying with the boys on a Bacchanal-style beach, Spring Breakers is anything but subtle.

Brit, (Ashley Benson) Candy, (Vanessa Hudgens) Faith (Selena Gomez) and Cotty (Korine) are four college girls who are wanting to head to Florida for the annual American debauch-fest that is spring break. Faith is the only one who's slightly different in their group, coming from a loosely Catholic upbringing and who spends her spare time in college in prayer groups, rather than Brit and Candy who swap crude graffiti notes during lectures. When Brit, Candy and Cotty rob a local diner with water pistols, the group suddenly has enough to head to Florida - and party down, believing the booze-fest will offer them some kind of escape from their miserable existence.

However, while initially the group has fun in party central, the quartet end up in jail during a bust on a party. But that's when gold-toothed, corn-rowed rapper Alien (Franco in a loopy performance) bails them out in the hope they'll do some dirty work for him....

But fractions form within the group as the excesses of Spring Break and the reality of their lifestyle choices come crashing in.

Spring Breakers is an intriguing film; it's been a while since I've seen it now, but to be honest, I can't quite get it out of my head, which is always an interesting phenomenon for a movie. Like the ladies contained within, there's scant plot, and hardly any real characterisation from the main four girls and James Franco's dealer. I think that's intentional from Harmony Korine, but it makes it somewhat difficult to latch on to any of the emotional plight of the characters. Gomez and Hudgens do plenty to dispel their past as the teen Disney queens, but there's very little full on acting for them to do - Hudgens trashes her carefully constructed image with a part in a threesome, and Gomez drinks to excess while others writhe around on the floor, wearing very little;Ashley Benson (from TV's Pretty Little Liars) impresses. A general feeling of everything being unresolved for two of the characters annoys, given that one at least has had some investment in her journey from naive college girl to finding her faith and belief in life tested.

And yet, for Franco, the drug dealer role is one perhaps of a lifetime, a repulsive and repugnant character whose take on life is skewed by perceptions from TV shows and video games; so is Korine condemning us and the younger generation for aspiring to this lifestyle? I'm not sure, but it's a testament to his film making and the final product that I'm still as confused on this film now as I was.

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