The Inbetweeners 2: Blu Ray Review

The Inbetweeners 2: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

The boys are back for one last blast.

Having torn up the UK box office with their first cinematic outing (widely condemned for encouraging laddish behaviour and drunken escapades in Magaluf), a second was perhaps inevitable.

This time, when Jay (James Buckley) sends the remaining trio of Will (Bird), Neil (Harrison) and Simon (Thomas) an email bragging of his escapades during his gap year in Australia, the over-sexed trio of losers decide to go and join him.

So, putting life on hold, the mates plunge into the world of backpacking, dealing with those on a gap year and generally head for humiliation all over again.

Sad to say, The Inbetweeners 2 is not a patch on the first movie, which, while mining vulgarity also showcased the bond between the boys to excellent effect.

This latest has ramped up the gross out gags as far as they can go, so that you end up cringing in your seats. An impressively directed sequence which sees Will the victim of Neil's irritable bowel syndrome at a water park sets a new record for being both laugh out loud funny and uncomfortably excessive. Equally, an act of desperation when the boys become lost in the outback is the same mix of cringe and crude. There's plenty of swearing, objectification of women and general offensiveness on show - which you'd expect to a degree, but the writers have really gone for it this time, meaning non-fans of the show may feel somewhat alienated.

And yet, under all the low brow moments, there's a level of heart and warmth that writers and directors Beesley and Morris have brought to this that helps you through what feels like quite an episodic film. It lessens the offensive and really makes you appreciate the boys' bond and the way the writers have so excellently managed to transpose the awkward relationships of groups of boys to the big screen. Also, this time around, there's a degree of life actually figuring into their best laid plans - with not everything going to plan.

Will's flirtation with a fellow traveller, Katie (Berrington) is sweetly handled (even if she's relatively underwritten as a one-note female character) and leads to some absurdly amusing consequences; likewise, his relationship with another pompous traveller who's determined to mine his spirituality and pretentiousness of so many on a gap year trying to discover themselves is brilliantly satirical. Simon's psychotic girlfriend back in the UK gives Thomas another chance to mine his embarrassed beyond belief routine and frustration which was so perfectly honed during the TV series and Harrison's gormless one-liner Neil gets a fair share of the laughs thanks to the unpredictability of what's coming out of his mouth. But it's Buckley's character who gets the biggest journey here as his over-sexed, over-desperate and under-achieving Jay discovers more of his sensitive side and gives a sweetness to dull the offensive and non-stop lavatorial humour.

Thankfully, directors Morris and Beesley haven't completely forgotten the bromance and banter between the quartet that helped the series become such a success; scenes with just them in it sparkle and crackle with the hidden emotions that lads hide and the jibes that they throw at each other through their formative lives. They're a welcome addition because, in parts, the movie feels a little flat - especially given how the boys are split up.

If this is the end of the road for The Inbetweeners (and the creators and stars say it is), this second film is perhaps a summation of everything that made them great and also repelled others - scatalogical decadence and puerile smutty grossness with some potty mouthed laugh out loud moments.

To be honest, it won't win any new fans and even the fans of the show may find it a bit of a slog in places, but a nostalgic glow of the characters and the actors will leave you either amused or appalled.

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Hercules: Blu Ray Review

Hercules: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Thrace yourselves because this Hercules has its tongue so far in its cheek throughout.

In a move that rips up the mythology of the man, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is Hercules, a sword for hire, who's taken on by Lord Cotys (John Hurt) to rid his kingdom of the horror that is Rhesus, a warlord apparently wreaking havoc on the world.

But when Hercules and his team investigate, they find there's more to Cotys' story than meets the eye....

Deciding to take on the myth of Hercules, using the graphic novel as the basis and giving him a team of mercenaries to help is a clever touch, but it gives way to an ongoing cheesy message of self-belief that's more irritating than galvanising in director Brett Ratner's take on the myth.

With a knowing wink to the audience - none more so than Ian McShane's soothsayer who keeps prophesying his own death and then getting it wrong- the film is tonally unsure of what direction it ultimately wants to head in. Choosing to remove the myth and the mystical may have been a bold narrative stroke but replacing it with nothing of merit is disastrous.

Dismissing the twelve labours tasks in favour of a political power struggle and corruption story is a storytelling back peddle given that nothing about the plot helps propel it compellingly from one battle shot to the next.

And talking of those, while the science behind it all is very sound, the action is incredibly workmanlike and uneventful, with no directorial flourishes on hand to help lift its game. 3D this time makes things a lot more murky than necessary and seems a little pointless in places.

Dwayne Johnson does his best but his troubled Hercules sits at odds with the rest of the happy go lucky mercenary team he has around him; plus a woman and adoring kid are simply brought in to  offer up some emotional pull for The Rock but fail to lift any stakes at all.

Elsewhere, his team fail to really hit the mark, offering a few quips here and there but generally are overshadowed by the glistening oiled up pecs on show, despite all their attempts to make this the H Team / Greek Expendables. Joseph Fiennes risks the wrath of the gods with one of the hammiest performances ever and Hurt puts Caligula to shame as the king of Thrace. 

All in all, Hercules is not preposterous enough to carry it off and not original enough to stand out from the swords and sandals pantheon.

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Planes 2: Blu Ray Review

Planes: Fire And Rescue: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by Disney

It's back to the skies for the second outing for the franchise Planes.

In this latest, which is dedicated to the work done by firefighters all around the world, Dane Cook returns as Dusty Crophopper.

After winning the round the world race from the first film, life's looking good for ole Dusty. But on learning that his gearbox is on the way out if he continues to race, he's forced into an early retirement and his rise to fame is grounded before it's really begun.

However, rather than accept retirement, Dusty heads into the world of aerial firefighting after starting a major blaze and causing the airfield to close down. But Dusty faces a rough ride as he tries to persuade the leader of the unit Blade Ranger (Ed Harris) that he's good enough for the job...

Planes: Fire And Rescue is a depressingly dull piece of formulaic computer animation that seems to have been put together by committee rather than with passion, vim and vigour.

The whole thing feels flat, lacks any real oomph and fails to remotely get off the ground, even though the creators are obsessed with using as many shots of the characters hurtling through the air to a piece of middle of the road music.

Despite throwing in a few corny puns here and there (quick gags about a boat superstar called Boat Reynolds being one of the more memorable), there's not enough to really grab hold of; and there are certainly not enough memorable characters to resonate with the kids long after the movie's done.

DisneyToons has certainly fired enough different kinds of creations to populate this world - from fire trucks, to daredevil young firefighters to a loving old RV couple - but it's stopped short of breathing any real life into them and injecting any kind of character, which proves to be the piece's fatal flaw.

Outside of some truly beautiful firefighting sequences within the National Park as Dusty's training, there's very little to satiate the eyes or the brain which is a real shame. Once again, the message of self-belief and pushing yourself get a look in, but the 3D in the piece feels largely wasted and redundant - both in the visuals and also in the characters themselves. It's hard to believe that this is executive produced by John Lassetter of Pixar because there's hardly any real heart within or anything to lift into life high above the skies.

The very younger end of the spectrum may enjoy parts of Planes: Fire and Rescue, and it's certainly good intentioned (although the dedication to the firefighters would have been better served up at the end), but it's just that this movie isn't cleared for lift off on the runway before it's even begun to taxi.

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The Dark Horse: DVD Review

The Dark Horse: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Transmission Films

From New Zealand's darker stories section comes the tale of Genesis Potini, a Gisborne man who inspired local youth through chess in a town riddled with drugs, gangs and potential dead ends.

Despite Potini's own issues with mental health (he was bi-polar all his life), he befriends Mana (Boy star James Rolleston) the young son of his brother and gang leader Ariki (played with true life grit by first time actor Wayne Hapi)

However, Ariki is determined that Mana will be inducted into the local gang for reasons which seem nefarious at the start but which are heartbreakingly and understandably revealed later on.

At the same time as Mana's undergoing the long dark night of his soul ahead of his patching, Potini's trying to inspire the youth, but with one eye always on the bigger picture, as well as battling his own mental health issues

It's here that the much needed light is shone through the inevitably dark New Zealand tale, which brims with bleakness in parts that it threatens to bleed over into the dread of the watching audience. It's a welcome and much-needed touch, given that parts of Napier Robertson's powerful drama simmer and ache with tragedy lurking ever around the corner.

The Dark Horse is Curtis' film through and through - and he masterfully rises to the occasion (even if Potini's back story is left woefully under-explained aside from 2 brief flashbacks) giving his character the vulnerable nuance he needs as he walks the street, muttering to himself, battling his own demons and trying to keep some of the younger kids inspired through his love of chess.

Equally, Rolleston shows a maturity that's likely to mark him out as a continually exciting proposition for the New Zealand acting scene. His Mana is underplayed, but nonetheless lacking in power as he tries to follow his heart and looks to avoid a life that he really doesn't want to be part of.

While others circle around the duo, it's undeniably their film and their relationship that rises above everything else going on around them. But it's Napier Robertson's final scenes which show The Dark Horse has a grim glimmer of hope as the denouement comes. While the flicker of hope given is a faint one, the power of the film and the central message is undeniable.

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Misfits: Series 5: DVD Review

Misfits: Series 5: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

The once great Misfits limps to an end with this final year that makes the show feel like a pale shadow of its former self.

Across 8 episodes - and with only Joseph Gilgun's Rudy offering any real shine - the ASBO brigade continues its irreverent jaunt against anyone who crosses their path. From a scout group possessed by the Devil to a lesbian gypsy, no stone is left unturned as the show heads to an end.

The problem is that it's just nowhere near as good as it has been; the characters in the group are less than memorable (even though a relationship between Rudy and Jess in the group feels natural) and the stories are less than remarkable.

Do yourself a favour and check out the show when it was in its prime - while the cast give it their all, there's nothing but relief when this series is done - and for a final curtain call, that really shouldn't be the case.

Extra: Behind the scenes

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Birdman: Movie Review

Birdman: Movie Review

Cast: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough
Director: Alexandro G Inarritu

There's no ducking the metaphor - and the meta - in Birdman.

Michael Keaton soars as Riggan Thomson, a former cinema superhero known as Birdman, who left the role and is trying to reinvent himself in a new Broadway play that he's adapted from Raymond Chandler.

But Thomson's creative gambit and vanity is threatened by those around him and more specifically by the doubts that eat away at him and manifest themselves as the voice of Birdman, gnawing at his self-confidence and fuelling the seeds of uncertainty.

Echoes of a past life haunt Michael Keaton and it can't be a coincidence that Batman allegories and allusions circle your mind as this thrilling piece that defies expectation and categorisation plays out.

Keaton delivers a career reinventing turn and shows that after the glutty excesses of the likes of Need For Speed and Total Recall, there's still some fire in that acting belly.

As he burns through the screen, Keaton's Thomson is a seething mass of uncertainty, awash in a world of self neuroses and in a world that blurs reality (Thomson appears to be able to channel his alter-ego's telekinetic super powers - although only it would appear for destructive intent and it's never witnessed by anyone else).

But there's something iconic about this role from an Icarus-like Keaton - from the moment he stalks through Times Square in just his tighty-whities to his searing confrontation with Lindsay Duncan's theatre critic in a bar (a scene that feels slightly false given the critic's vitriol but is made all the more plausible by Keaton's acting), Keaton owns the stage and finally delivers something close to a masterclass in acting that should see him garner some critical plaudits. (A deliciously ironic meta twist that's part of the perverse joy of Birdman). Switching emotions from scene to scene, Keaton channels everything he needs for Thomson meaning you simply can't take your eyes off him.

While the likes of Edward Norton as a temperamental method actor and Naomi Watts as an insecure actress on the brink of acceptance with Thomson's play soar in the early part of the film, they start to unfortunately take a back seat in the latter part of the movie. They fade away purely due to the power of Keaton's turn - although Emma Stone really delivers as the defeated and ignored daughter turned Thomson's assistant. Equally, a lighter Galifianakis as the show's producer and Thomson's agent, is a welcome mix to the ensemble.

Babel and 21 Grams director Inarritu also deserves plaudits for his direction. The whole movie feels like a camera is simply following Thomson from beginning to the end (which is likely to provoke much debate) and making the film feel more like a play than you'd initially expect as long takes and long shots prove to be the raison d'etre in this movie that seems to be commenting on Broadway, critics and actors alike. (The only scene to hit an unrealistic note sees Thomson confront Lindsay Duncan's theatre critic in a bar and let both barrels loose)

Thrilling and completely fresh, Birdman is a soar-away success; Keaton's portrayal of a man simultaneously unravelling and also rising up is nothing short of incredible.

Birdman is 2015's first true cinema experience; a film that commands your attention from the get-go it'll have you sitting bolt upright in the cinema and debating its artistic merits long after the lights have gone back up.

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Downton Abbey: Season 5: Blu Ray Review

Downton Abbey: Season 5: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Another year, another outing on the estate.

This time it's 1924 and the Crawley family faces new challenges as a new Labour government comes to power. The threat this time is to the future of the estate, and their very way of life, causing ripples between the downstairs and upstairs groups.

The whole tone of this year's outing is one of the past coming back to haunt them, particularly for Anna Bates who ends the year clapped up in chains. The fact this beloved character's facing issues should give you some idea of the overall feel of this year's piece; a relatively sanitised and entirely predictable plot thread that's woven throughout.

Unfortunately, it's starting to feel like time needs to be called on this estate, with the series' writers really starting to suffer from a real lack of originality or real development from within the cast. Granted, it's all acted well and looks delightful, but dare I say it, Downton's starting to feel a little tired and lacking the fizz (which as ever is played by Maggie Smith's dowager) that it needs to sustain itself.

While not exactly a vintage year for the estate, Downton Abbey: Season 5 will delight the fans who simply wish to wallow in yesteryear.

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