Short Term 12: DVD Review

Short Term 12: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

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 toShort 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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True Detective: Season 1 Blu Ray Review

True Detective: Season 1 Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Warner Home Ent

The runaway drama smash from HBO gets a small screen release, with some very big names in the mix.

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey star as a pair of mismatched detectives re-examining a case across a few time periods. Hart (Harrelson), a booze ridden philanderer and Cohle (McConaughey), a Zen loving meditating detective, are looking into a macabre murder, which appears to have cult overtones.

Their investigation was back in 1995, but the duo are forced to re-examine the case in 2012, but all is not what it seems for either them or their relationships.

Over eight episodes, True Detective dawdles and meanders as it heads to its destination. However, the journey is a pretty damn impressive one. Solidly mesmerising turns from both leads, complete with southern drawls, make it compelling viewing, complete with a philosophical bent. It's an acting masterclass from the pair of them as the darkness sets in.

The series is bleak in parts, but it's got hope running through it and that carries you through. One action sequence that takes you into the heart of a police raid is some of the finest directing I've seen on the small screen in many a year.

Ultimately True Detective is well worth investing 8 hours of your life in - it's unlike anything else that's been on TV for years and shows that sometimes the greatest talent is on the small screen.

Extras: Commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes, interviews

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Jersey Boys: Movie Review

Jersey Boys: Movie Review

Cast: John Lloyd-Young, Erich Bergen, Vincent Piazza, Christopher Walken
Director: Clint Eastwood

It's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in case you've never heard of the phenomenally popular Jersey Boys stage show that charts their rise and fall and rise again.

The original star of the Broadway show, the Travolta / Fonz look-a-like Lloyd-Young is Valli, a youngster in 1951 New Jersey, who's on the wrong side of trouble thanks to his friendship with Tommy (Piazza). But one thing they have in common is music - and that puts them on a path for stardom as they try to break through with their sound.

As ever, fame costs - and that where these Noo Joisey boys have to start paying - as the clashes and personal squabbles come to the fore during their ascent to the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 1990.

Taking the smash hit stage play and transposing it to the big screen was always going to be a big ask - even for a director like Clint Eastwood. And while Eastwood's delved a little more into the relationships and tensions between Tommy and the rest of the band, for anyone who's seen the stage show, there's a distinct feeling that this jukebox musical has lost some of its fun and shine as it made its way to the big screen.

The first hour which charts the Goodfellas wannabe actions of Tommy and his interaction with the Mob (as rendered by Christopher Walken who phones it in and inadvertently causes sniggers as Valli's music brings him to tears) plods amid a sea of browns and beige, so deeply evocative of the era.

In fact, in among the characters breaking the fourth wall to spout exposition, there's a feeling that the film just isn't going anywhere that's not been clearly and obviously signposted. Even worse, it feels like you're watching a dour downbeat made for TV movie about gangsters that's as widely derivative as the Four Seasons' early attempts at songs.

It's not until the sounds of Sherry, Walk Like a Man and Big Girls Don't Cry are wheeled out once the group meets singer / songwriter Bob Gaudio and the outrageously flamboyant studio producer Bob Crewe (Mike Doyle) that Eastwood injects something resembling life into the proceedings. But having given a blast of energy as these hits are tossed into proceedings, the wind's taken out of the sails once again as Valli negotiates domestic issues and toxic Tommy brings the group crashing down.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly where Jersey Boys doesn't fully work - because the live singing, as used in Les Miserables, gives it a credibility and vitality it desperately needs. But in transitioning the stage show to the screen and being faithfully slavish to the source material, somehow all of the energy that you get from a live show, its set changes and audience reaction is sucked out by a 2 hour 10 minute run time that lacks a real joie de vivre. Throw into that narrative emotional beats which are missing - Tommy simply disappears off screen after a confrontation, Valli's daughter dies with no real emotion - and the issues that you'd have with a stage show are even more glaringly obvious up on the big screen.

While Eastwood's done a great job of recreating the era, and an end sequence medley offers a hint at what could have been as it crackles with vitality and energy, Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys may appeal to some determined to wallow in a haze of nostalgia and to diehard fans of the stage show alone.

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ZB movie Review

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/listen-on-demand/audio/1582208734-darren-bevan--at-the-movies

Dracula Untold: Official Trailer drops

Dracula Untold: Official Trailer drops

Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals) stars in Dracula Untold, the origin story of the man who became Dracula.  

Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces the epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.

Watch the Dracula Untold Trailer below:

Are We Officially Dating?: Blu Ray Review

Are We Officially Dating?: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Sony Home Ent

Buddy boy rom-coms get another once over with this comedy with Zac Efron.

Efron is Jason, a lothario, who's all about the booty call and the lack of commitment. A book cover designer by day and barfly by night, he lives his life in the now, and always avoids that awkward moment in a relationship when it's about to turn serious.

But when his friend Mikey discovers his wife is cheating on him, he decides, along with their other lady killer buddy, Daniel (the ever impressive Miles Teller), that all three of them will stay single in a bromance commitment to each other for as long as they can.

However, that plan hits a roadblock when Daniel falls for the group's wingman (actually a woman) Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis) and Mikey keeps trying again with his wife. And things get worse for Jason, who falls for Imogen Poots' Ellie in a bar. After a one night stand, the pair bump into each other at Jason's work - and complications ensue.

Are We Officially Dating? aka That Awkward Moment is the kind of romcom that tries to appeal to the boys as it celebrates the bonds of bachelorhood but gets caught up in the schmaltz of typical romcom tropes.

It isn't always so during the start of the movie; there are playful moments and laugh out loud raunchy moments as anaked Zac Efron pivots on a toilet after taking Viagra and Michael B Jordan masturbates over a coaster from a woman whose number he got in a bar. But those moments fade pretty quickly as the script and story settles for something formulaic and entirely unenticing.

It's not really Efron's fault though - the story's lacking in any real fizzing moments as it plays out; Teller has some nice moments as he realises that the girl who's been helping him to hook up is the one for him and Jordan comes full circle as he realises that married life will never be the same. However, it's Poots' character who suffers the worst in this - she's initially feisty and a little bit independent but gradually begins to crumble as time goes on. Her worst crime is taking on Jason after he abandons her in an hour of need, just because of fears that by showing up, it would prove they're dating and committed.

All in all, Are We Officially Dating? has no incisive insight into modern relationships, nor does it offer enough of the stupidity to appeal to the male spectrum of cinema-goers. It's weak, lacking in ribaldry and fails to hit the spot at all.

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Calvary: Movie Review

Calvary: Movie Review

Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, M Emmet Walsh, Dylan Moran, Domnhall Gleeson
Director: John Michael McDonagh

The sins of the Catholic church hang heavy over this drama from the team that brought us the deliciously dark The Guard.

Re-teaming up are McDonagh and Gleeson - this time around, Brendan Gleeson is Father James Lavelle, a priest in a small Irish community near Sligo. As the film opens, he's taking confession - and the very first words he hears point to the horror that's been blighting the Catholic Church for years - abuse.

Listening in, Father James is told that he will have to pay for the sins of the Fathers before him with his life in seven days' time because killing a good man is more shocking. So, with no apparent idea of who is behind this threat, Father James is forced down a path he'd never expected as he tries to deal solace to his parishioners while wondering which of them is behind the threat.

Calvary is a devilishly dark piece with humour as black as they come.

Gleeson is absolutely astounding as the priest, mixing calmness with serenity and compassion as the deadline draws nearer; he's a man who puts his people first despite their problems. And in and around Sligo, there are a fair few of them - domestic abuse, drug abuse, a banker who's part of the economic rot, depression, suicide, loss of faith, a doctor who's haunted by one moment; the list goes on - and may be a little hard for some to believe such an underbelly exists.

For Father James, there's the omni-present battle with his own demons in the shape of the bottle and a daughter who's recovering from a suicide attempt (Kelly Reilly, who does little), all reminders of a life before he came to the church.

But it's Gleeson who gives this life of quiet questioning and frustration an empathetic edge from under a beard and world weary eyes that sparkle with tolerance. As the Sunday of his showdown nears, Gleeson brings a subtle shift in character to the fore as the villagers begin to turn on him, unaware of his plight. Moran and O'Dowd also deserve praise for turning in darker performances than perhaps you'd normally credit them for.

However, this is not a bleak film even if the central tenet may be one of the darkest. Gallows humour and deadpan humour litter the script in a most unexpected way, with odd lines proving to be the relief needed. For those of a Catholic bent, the name Calvary won't be a lost choice, being the place Jesus was crucified and the parallels are certainly here for all to see as Father James faces his long dark night of the soul.

Calvary is a haunting piece of cinema, a film that rises high on Gleeson's shoulders - it's certainly one of the finest character releases of the year and stays with you long after the silent credits have rolled.

While the issues explored are laced with a darker humour than perhaps you'd expect, this moving piece hits its highs in one solitary moment where Father James says there's been too much time spent on sin and not enough time on virtue.

It's a bold statement but one which gives this Calvary more than enough powerful reasons for you to see.

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