Short Term 12: Movie Review

Short Term 12: Movie Review

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr, Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield
Director: Destin Cretton

Community star Brie Larson heads up this earnest lo-fi indie about a supervisor at a foster-care facility in America for teenagers.

She plays Grace, the slightly damaged go-to carer for these kids and who's trying to acclimatise one of them Marcus (Stanfield) to life on the outside. At the same time, a new teen Jayden (Denver) comes into the unit and Grace has to cope with a change in her own conditions...

There's an understated warmth to Short Term 12 that's engaging and entertaining - as well as a depth to the performances which is ultimately rewarding. Brie Larson gives a vulnerable yet strong turn as the fragile Grace, whose determination to help those around her almost comes at her own detriment as she juggles several lives at once. While there are some questions about whether Grace, who so clearly has issues of her own, would be running a care facility, Larson does much to assuage those doubts.

But the star is also Cretton who's crafted together something which has moments that shine.

One sequence where Marcus tries out a new rap with one of Grace's co-workers speaks volumes in the 30 seconds he has on screen about the pain and sadness of life before the foster home. Other directors would deliver a heartfelt, yet impassioned speech, but Cretton's simple use of a lingering camera and the actor is quietly impressive and totally emotionally mesmerising.

All in all, Short Term 12 exudes a confidence and empathy which is compelling to watch; it offers an insight into a world which reveals the daily doubts plaguing some of our youths, but also celebrates the daily victories of life in among the quietly authentic moments.

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Gambit: Blu Ray Review

Gambit: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Remade from the 1966 film of the same name which starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, Gambit's been languishing in development hell for a while. With various names attached to its screenplay - including Aaron Sorkin - it fell to the Coen Brothers to adapt the story and contemporize it.

Colin Firth stars as Harry Deane, a British art curator, who plots to seek revenge on his media mogul boss, Lord Shabandar (Alan Rickman) by conning him into believing a painting is a Monet and paying millions for it.

However, to do this, Deane needs to enlist the help of a flaky Texan Rodeo queen, PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz)....

Gambit is a curiously flat affair, which fails to bring any laughs as it winds out its story.

Despite some Pink Panther-esque opening titles which promise a screwball affair, what transpires is long-winded and weak, with only caricatures to latch onto.

Diaz is all rhinestone, cowboy hat and hillbilly drawl as the Texan cowgirl set as the honey trap in the sting; Rickman is his usual sneering condescending character as he plays the horrible boss toColin Firth's underling, Harry Deane. And Firth himself gives a very muted turn as the browbeaten employee determined to have the last laugh on his boss, and somehow manages to bring to mind a young Michael Caine (possibly in part due to the horn rimmed glasses he wears throughout). Creditable support comes from Courtenay, whose tweed clad Major is a venerable and respectable turn.

The only sequence where the farce really comes to life is a wonderfully sublime and underplayed piece where Dean finds himself needing to escape from a hotel suite and out on the ledge. But even that kind of old school gag is punctuated with a low brow fart gag, leaving all that transpired in its wake. All in all, Gambit lacks any real punch, any smartness of writing and any chance to actually care about the self-obsessed leads of Firth and Rickman. There's no punch the air moment of joy in this one upmanship battle and there are no moments other than the dumb ones which pervade a perfunctory and unexceptional script. Moribund and plodding, and lacking any contemporary resonance (it feels like a film from a bygone era), this "caper" is a real disappointment given the talent attached to it and the fact the Coen Brothers were involved.

Extras: Making of

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We're The Millers: Blu Ray Review

We're The Millers: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Warner Home Video

Back to the world of the road trip we go with this latest R-rated comedy to hit the multiplexes.

Former Saturday Night Live veteran Jason Sudeikis stars as veteran low-level pot dealer David. Ever since high school, he's been dealing dope and when he's robbed, he finds himself in debt to his dealer Brad (Hangover star Ed Helms). In order to pay off the debt, David's asked to move a "smidge" of weed across the border of Mexico into the USA - but realising that he'd attract the attention of the police, he co-opts himself a fake family from within his building.

There's home alone kid Kenny (Will Poulter), stripper and potential love interest Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and street teen Casey (Emma Roberts) - and so off they go in the RV, on the American vacation and off to make some money.

Inevitably though, it doesn't quite go according to plan....

Road trip comedies are films done to death already.

However, We're The Millers proves to be a relatively entertaining, if occasionally uneven entry, into an already crowded genre.

It succeeds largely on the charm and affability of its leads; Sudeikis and Aniston have good comic chemistry together as the drug dealer and stripper who share a love / hate relationship. Will (Son of Rambow) Poulter gets a good share of the laughs as the slightly dumb, slightly awkward teen and Roberts is perhaps the only one who feels a little underwritten as the "daughter" of the group. Their feeling real makes the family bond work without feeling forced. Of course, all they all want really is a family with each of them lacking it in their lives in some form or other - which is what leads to an inevitably mushy and rather sickly sentimental and utterly predictable ending that sticks in your craw.

The R-rated awkward laughs are sprinkled throughout and Thurber directs them with a taut eye that means they don't feel drawn out and pointless like some other recent entries of a similar ilk. Sure, there's gross out moments and an icky kiss-fest but they're peppered throughout and relatively snappy. It has to be said though that there could potentially be an argument for wanting more laughs or shortening the run time a little.

Much will be made of Aniston's warehouse strip tease in which she grooves and gyrates in the manner of a woman striking a blow in Hollywood for those over 40. Sure, it's a bit saucy but it's also self referential too with Sudeikis looking down the barrel of the camera at that point, rather knowingly. Since Horrible Bosses, Aniston's been determined to permanently bench her good girl image, so this is perhaps another notch in that quest.

Outside of the Millers, most of the other characters are stereotypes - the Mexican drug dealer, the Mexican hoodlum andThe Office and Hangover's Ed Helmsplaying a little OTT as the kingpin but it's due to the grounded characters and warmth of the leads that this doesn't tonally grate too much. Kathryn Hahn andParks and Recreation's Nick Offerman add a bit as a fellow RV family along for the journey too.

All in all, like any road trips, you hit a few speed bumps along the way but the destination is worth taking the journey for. This all sounds like faint praise for the film, and while the story's a little thin and the gags a little blander than what you may be used to, We're The Millers generally succeeds as a piece of throwaway entertainment.

Oh, and don't turn it off too quickly, as there's a gag reel with something very amusing directed at Jennifer Aniston...

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The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone: Blu Ray Review

The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone: Blu Ray Review

Released by Madman Home Entertainment
Rating: M

So, Shane Meadows' fanboy treatment of the return of the Stone Roses comes to the small screen.

It follows the reforming of the iconic 90s band in 2012 after a 16 year split and watches them rehearse and get ready for a major live tour, culminating in a show at Heaton Park in Manchester, their spiritual home.

Meadows' film is very much from the eye of the fanboy, and occasionally it clouds some of the judgement of the piece; a break up later on in the film during the tour is rather quickly glossed over, despite being documented and it leads to a real confusion over what went down.

Using his trademark black and white footage, Meadows though, manages to capture the essence of why the Roses were so adored by pulling together a simple documentary which concentrates on the music. From the larking about of the group at rehearsals to capturing songs when they're played live, this is a fan's wet dream of a Stone Roses movie.

Using some archive footage and capturing the essence of their friendship as well as some interviews from the era, Meadows builds and reinvents the mystique of the band - and from the euphoric joy of the fans to their blistering live performance of Fool's Gold, he makes you understand exactly why the Roses were so iconic.

When the band is given the chance to showcase their sound is really when this documentary shines and it's what you'll take away from the final product.

Extras: A 2 disc release is packed with great content, from commentaries, to additional performances to behind the scenes.

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Disney Infinity Wave 2: PS3 Review

Disney Infinity Wave 2: PS3 Review

Released by Disney
Platform: PS3

The Disney Infinity set is really living up to both parts of its name.

Disney is of course, synonymous with family fun and fare - and the Infinity part of this title certainly shows there are no bounds when it comes to the figures and gamesets being released for it.

This latest batch of released figurines and power discs concentrate a little more on the more recent cinematic Disney fare, with Frozen (their latest movie) and Wreck It Ralph being part of the sets. Plus Toy Story gets an expansion set which is set in space - and sees Buzz and Jessie teamed up (and Woody in another release)

The Toy Story in space set is quite good fun for all ages, as you take on either Buzz or Jessie and storm around the alien's world doing odd jobs such as rescuing one of their own or turning on the tower. Help comes from Rex and Hamm and add a real vibe to this latest which is kiddy friendly and generally fun-loving as you bounce around the world, unlocking vaults (though you need Woody to complete that task, which means you're forced to fork out) and throwing the Pixar ball around. As the world grows, the challenges do too and the engagement within. Visually the level is high (though Woody looks a little off with his shorter face) and the fact you can keep on building within and have a plethora of missions to complete as you help the aliens inhabit the world is certainly something which will keep the youngsters happy.

The other characters certainly expand the world of Disney Infinity in ways that you'd never have expected. Wreck It Ralph and Vannelope von Schweetz are beautifully crafted toys and ones which to be honest, I'd be happy to have as figurines on my shelf. Ralph has a fun adventure to take part in and it's very retro in many ways, even down to the graphics. Likewise, Vannelope is the same - though there's a level of cuteness to her outing too - and the visual representation of the character is utterly flawless and charming. As she races about in her adventure, you can't help but recall the film and that's a great thing to have.

The princess side of the set includes Anna and Elsa from Frozen and while they're charming, it has to be said the pull of those two isn't quite as strong as the others so far. Elsa gets to fire a catapult in a quest to grab all the collectibles and Anna uses a grappling hook. They're both perfectly fine but not as outstanding as the others released in Wave 2.

All in all, Wave 2 is a good solid start for 2014 and kids everywhere will adore them thanks to the level of charm within. The craft and artistry on the figures themselves is as in depth as the warmth brought to the gaming. You can't afford not to really expand your Disney Infinity set and with these latest figures, you've got the perfect opportunity to grow the set further.

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Pain and Gain: Blu Ray Review

Pain and Gain: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

In among the body-conscious world of Miami, Mark Wahlberg plays bodybuilder Daniel Lugo, a believer in the American dream, but not in the reality of working towards it. After taking on a rich new client, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), Lugo concocts a scheme to kidnap him and get him to sign over all his wealth and wordly possessions, believing he's entitled to it.

Lugo co-opts fellow gym buddy, Adrian (Anthony Mackie) a steroid riddled impotent into helping - and the final link of Dwayne Johnson's Paul Doyle, a former convict who's discovered religion and is trying to go straight - but faces temptation left, right and centre.

But Lugo's plan doesn't quite go as expected...and Ed Harris' PI, Ed DuBois is called in to track the group down.

Pain and Gain is a rather odd beast. Stylish rather than something with substance, it's an odd mix of the garish world of Miami with the ineptitude of three wannabe criminals whose ideas are executed laughably. There's a kernel of a sermon here about the American dream and how to aspire for it rather than simply to take it, but it's lost midway through.

Worst of all, the story goes for black comedy, but the reality of what happened (the film opens with a disclaimer that "Unfortunately, this is a true story") is actually quite horrific and you're left feeling unsure whether it's the right choice of material for a film in the first place, mixing in queasy laughs with some horrific situations in the sun soaked world of Miami with its glistening and perfectly sculpted bodies.

Wahlberg commits fully to the role as does Johnson (who spectacularly goes off the rails) but none of them are empathetic or sympathetic characters; even the kidnapped Kershaw is a beast to his employees and never really fully deserving of our care or time. A real lack of compassion is fatal in a story like this. The end result is that Michael Bay's concocted something that feels an unusual film - potentially torn from the lurid pulpy crime novels world, it doesn't quite work on the screen and which descends into hysterically OTT violence as it reaches its climax. Feeling wildly uneven and tonally a bit up and down, the film hits some stylish highs and can't sustain the initial satirical tone it was aiming for. Gallows humour there may be, but some of it just doesn't sit right as it unspools.

Over-long and flawed, this piece ends up being a little more about the pain, rather than the gain.

Extras: Behind the scenes pieces, a look at the true story involved

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Behind The Candelabra: DVD Review

Behind The Candelabra: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Everything's just a little bit fabulous and OTT in this biopic about Liberace.

Michael Douglas stars as Lee aka Liberace, and Matt Damon is Scott Thorson, whose memoir this is based on. In 1977, Thorson was working as an animal trainer when he met Liberace after an incredible performance on stage and ended up being inside his inner circle.

Gradually the two became lovers and Thorson, from a small American background, became wowed by the lifestyle. But along with the trappings of showbiz comes the excesses and soon Scott has a spiralling drug addiction which rages; but it's Liberace's promiscuity that ultimately causes friction within their relationship.

And things get even worse when Thorson's asked by Liberace to undergo plastic surgery to look more like him...

Behind The Candelabra is Steven Soderbergh's meisterwork, a biopic which is sensitive to the material around it and impressive in its execution. It's been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes and it's easy to see why.

Both Douglas and Damon are mightily impressive as their respective characters, with Douglas in particular catching the showmanship and monstrousness of the man down to a tee. Even Rob Lowe's scarily horrific plastic surgeon is a great character - the personas created on screen are no doubt perfect representations of who these people were but it's the commitment of the actors to the roles that makes Behind The Candelabra such a great watch.

From impressive outfits to great choreographed scenes, there's plenty to dazzle the eyeballs in this biopic which occasionally borders on the shallow as it plays on. All in all, while there's a bit of a lull towards the end of this, the whole film is going to be one which will be adored by some.

Expect to see it potentially get some awards next year.

Extras: Behind the scenes of

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