Advetureland on DVD now

A coming of age comedy set in 1987, Advetureland follows James Brennan (Eisenberg) who instead of spending his graduation holiday travelling around Europe, has to take a job in ‘Adventureland’ when his dad loses his job. In Adventureland Brennan is placed working on the fixed ‘games’ rather than the cooler ‘rides’ area of this fun down, fixed theme park. Here he meets Em (Stewart) a fellow employee, can their relationship get to first base let alone blossom in the boiling pot of teenage hormones and skewed relationships that surround them.

Directed by Greg Mottola who also directed Superbad another teenage comedy, Adventureland again focuses on teenage dreams and the angst of growing up. Eisenberg, more recently seen in The Social Network, is great in the geeky / intelligent role, where he more than matches Michael Cera in a niche he thought he had cornered and Stewart as the object of his affections clearly starts to map out her post Twilight career admirably.

It’s a good film, although not one necessarily I would recommend someone goes out of their way to watch, if it was on the television I would suggest it but I wouldn’t want to recommend it as cinema viewing. Its funny, although not laugh out loud funny, its twisted, although only slightly and never to the highs and lows reached by Superbad. Having said that there are some obscure, weird and great back characters who shine when they are on screen and the main characters are suitably angst and troubled although the film gets a little bit predicable the more it continues.

Don't miss it but wait until it gets to TV – this low key film deserves to be seen, sometime.

Director: Greg Mottola


Cast:
Jesse Eisenberg - James Brennan
Kristen Stewart - Em Lewin
Bill Hader - Bobby
Kristen Wiig - Paulette
Ryan Renoylds - Mike Connell


and  a half

Invictus on DVD now

Invitus is centered around the South African based 1995 Rugby World Cup, where a new apartheid free South Africa take their first step on the world stage. The central figure in the story is Nelson Mandela, in a role that Morgan Freeman was born to play, and the film follows his struggle to unite the nation under the new flag – overcoming generations of prejudice and distrust.

Joining Mandela as a uniting force in South Africa is Francois Pienaar (an excellent Damon) the Rugby captain who Mandela asks to spearhead his campaign. The problem is that the Springboks are seen as the ‘white’ side of South Africa and bringing people together under the new flag is going to be a difficult job. Can Mandela use sport to unite a fractured nation?

Well rugby fans will know the history of this match – and for anyone else who doesn’t I'm not going to spoil the outcome of the final match with the Springboks and the All Blacks. As for the film itself it takes an interesting slant on South Africa's recent past and looks at the early hangover from apartheid and Mandelas recent release from prison. Eastwood directs well the film looks great and the two leads have morphed seamlessly into their respective characters – for that alone this film is worth viewing.

Mandela in life is the closest person to a living saint – and these are credentials that are not questioned in this film. Every speech he makes takes him closer to being a deity – is the man never angry / frustrated or even sharp with people? Maybe this is the sort of film that is looking but not digging into South Africa’s recent past and subsequently although its good there’s something slightly lacking.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast:
Morgan Freeman – Nelson Mandela
Matt Damon – Francois Pienaar

For the official website click here

Bunny and the Bull - On DVD now

Stephen (Hogg) is a man trapped by routine and lists; he hasn’t been out of his flat in a year lives alone, has relationship problems and definitely has some major issues. One day he begins to recall a trip around Europe he undertook over a year ago with his friend Bunny (Farnaby) when they meet Spanish free spirit Eloisa (Echegui).

Stephen and Bunny’s eventful trip brings both good an bad memories, visits to some of Europe’s more obscure museums (cutlery museum anyone?) and some weird and unusual characters all of this punctuated by Bunny’s compulsive gambling and visits to Captain Crab restaurants.

This was billed as a comedy from the makers of the Mighty Boosh but personally although some of the characters were strange and unusual I didn’t laugh out loud once. To me the film was more of a bittersweet story in which Stephen finds a way to step out of his front door. I suppose I didn’t really relate to any of the major characters and in some respects I found them a bit superficial and ‘nice’ rather than feeling real.

The film looks great the sets are produced in a very innovative way and add a magical playful edge to Stephen’s reminiscing. For me though, this was not enough to sustain my interest and engage with the film. Overall visually great but its not good when the characters appear to be made of cardboard rather than the sets.

Director: Paul King

Cast:
Edward Hogg – Stephen
Simon Farnaby – Bunny
Veronica Echegui - Eloisa

For the official website click here

Harry Brown on DVD now

Harry Brown (Caine) is a retired ex marine living in a sprawling inner city estate. His wife is terminally ill and his best friend Leonard (Bradley) is being harassed by a notorious gang on the estate. Browns life changes when his wife dies and Leonard is beaten to death by the gang. Harry is visited by the police and he realises the gang will claim they acted in self-defence and that there would be no justice for Leonard so he decides to take matters in his own hands.

Think Alfie as an OAP, think Grand Torino set in a London inner city, don’t think of a big surprise or a plot full of revelation and twists. Caine is great, as usual, but I have to say this character isn’t stretching his acting abilities – its Alfie with a freedom bus pass.

The film is ok although not ground breaking – it’s a story that has been done before and Harry Brown doesn’t bring anything new. Harry is a man on a revenge mission, a man with nothing to live for and nothing to loose. The rest of the film is populated with stereotypical hoodies, thugs and junkies – which is a little bit disappointment. There are also a rather dated looking ‘riot’ – which looks like it was pulled from the 80’s not 2009.

It’s a good film, watch it if you’re a Caine fan but don’t expect an intriguing plot as you can pretty much decipher what is going to happen before the opening credits.

Director: Daniel

Cast:
Michael Caine – Harry Brown
Emily Mortimer – D.I. Alice Frampton
Charlie Creed-Miles – D.S. Terry Hicock
David Bradley – Leonard Attwell

For the official website click here

Where the Wild Things Are - On DVD Now

Where the Wild Things Are is the film based on everyone’s favourite childhood book written by Maurice Sendak’s classic book of the same name, in this version it is director Spike Jonze who brings the short but charming children's story to life. The story revolves around a boy called Max (Records – a real future find) a lonely, stubborn boy with a bug imagination.

One day after a game he is playing goes wrong he runs away – in his imagination as well as physically, he sails over the sea and lands on an island – where the Wild Things live. Max joins in the Wild Things wild rumpus and is declared King.

Where the Wild Things Are is a strangely haunting and atmospheric, this is not a children's film despite its source material. The film has no flashy effects – yes the effects are there in nearly every scene but on screen but they are so subtle you actually believe the Wild Things exist. As for the Wild Things they are beautifully realised – everything you can remember from the book but here in Jonze’s world they are given personalities, neurosis and worries. Actually Max gives them these parts of his personality, it is more than strange though watching a huge monster talk about insecurities rather than roaring and just fighting. As Max is verging on adolescence he and the Wild Things cling onto what they know.

Its not for kids, and its not for people who want high action and fast paced films, it is though visually beautiful, touching and thought provoking – and I never thought I would write that about a film that contains a giant goat!

Director: Spike Jonze

Cast:

Max Records – Max
James Gandolfini – Carol (voice only)
Paul Dano – Alexander (voice only)
Catherine O’Hara – Judith (voice only)
Forrest Whitaker – Ira (voice)

For the official website click here





Coming Next - Harry Brown starring Michael Caine

A Perfect Getaway on DVD now

An apparently naive American couple, Steve (Anderson) and Cydney (Jovovich) are honeymooning in one of the more remote islands on Hawaii decide to follow a remote walking trail with the hope of camping out at an idyllic paradise beach. Along the way they encounter Nick (Olyphant) and Gina (Sanchez) who are much more experienced travelers. All is going well until reports are overheard of the slaughter nearby of honeymooners and soon begin to suspect that their fellow travelers seem to fit the description of the suspects. All this leads to suspicion and distrust in an isolated place where the couples are forced to rely on each other.

Normally I would not have rented this film, its basic premise didn’t really appeal to me but I had read good things about it and thought that I would step outside my usual choices and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed. At the beginning of the film I cringed at the stereotypically xenophobic attitudes displayed by the central couple maybe its because I have traveled that I don’t approach everyone and everything with suspicion and fear (and if its that bad why put yourself through it!).

Later though as the film develops it does become more interesting and there is a twist, which is unexpected although it ultimately makes the film itself less believable. The problem with the twist was that even in private moments the antagonists seemed to be unaware of their actual role in the movie. Maybe it might have been better if I didn’t analyse and think back to earlier scenes in the films but I couldn’t help myself so glaring where the script inaccuracies.

Nicely shot, adequately acted – that’s about all I can say for it.

Director: David Twohy

Cast:

Steve Zahn – Cliff Anderson
Timoth Olyphant – Nick
Milla Jovovich – Cydney Anderson
Kiele Sanchez – Gina

For the official website click here

Sherlock Holmes on DVD now

Arthur Conan Doyles Victorian super detective gets a reboot for 2010 courtesy of Guy Richie, Robert Downey Jnr, Jude Law and in no small way the script writers Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham – and its done with some style. The film hits the ground running and apart from a few pauses barely draws breath for its whole duration. It reminded me of the James Bond Casino Royale (2007) reboot – once you have seen it theres no comparison to the previous films.

Holmes and Watson foil serial killer Lord Blackwood who is executed for his crimes, mysteriously though Blackwood rises from the dead and resumes killing. What follows is a twisting and enjoyable romp through Victorian London with Holmes picking up clues and deducting as he goes.

Downey Jnr, is charismatic, troubled and charming and is such a stunning actor he easily carries the film and the personality of the maverick, unpredictable and impulsive version on Holmes without a deerstalker in sight. Law, for me, was a total surprise, easily fitting into the supporting role and providing a steady partner to the volatile Holmes, for the first time ever I can honestly say I enjoyed his acting, he seemed to be a character rather than himself in different costumes.
Richie redeems himself as a director and his vision of Victorian London is amazingly realised, as a Londoner myself it was as if I was given a glimpse of what London was like in the middle of the industrial age – fantastic.

Strong also is excellent as another great Hollywood villain (hes had back to back movie villains in Kick Ass, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood) hes suitably sinister and hiss worthy as Lord Blackwood determined to bring down Holmes and gain power in the process. McAdams as Adler is sufficient, shes a good leading lady never to distracting from the movie but also never really gives enough spark to stand out – which is a good thing in this movie as she doesn’t detract from the clever twists and turns of the plot line.

Really enjoyable, really fun – I hope it’s the first of a franchise!

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast:

Robert Downey Jnr – Shelock Holmes
Jude Law – Dr John Watson
Rachel McAdams – Irene Adler
Mark Strong – Lord Blackwood
Eddie Marsan – Inspector Lestrade

For the official website click here

The Box on DVD now

Norma (Diaz) and Arthur (Marsden) Lewis are a happily married couple whose lives change in one day – Norma is facing redundancy and Arthur misses out on his dream job and finds himself questioning his future when a box with a red button lands on their doorstep followed by the sinister Arlington Stewart – the excellent Langella. Stewart explains that if the couple press the button on the box they will receive one million dollars but also that someone, somewhere will die. They have 24 hours to decide what course of action they want to take.

This 70’s set movie is very much like an expanded episode of the Twlight Zone, which isn’t a bad thing. The couple have to face up to consequences of their spur of the moment action which plays out like a morality tale. Langella is brilliant as the sinister Stewart and the CGI effects are excellently executed.

It’s a good movie – it wont shatter the box office but try and catch it at some point.

Director: Richard Kelly

Cast:
Cameron Diaz – Norma Lewis
James Marsden – Arthur Lewis
Frank Langella – Arlington Stewart

For the official website click here



,

Paranormal Activity on DVD Now

A horror film in the same vein as The Blair Witch Project or Rec (the original Spanish version) which sees a young couple Katie and Micha after they buy a video camera to record the strange noises and bumps that seem to be happening in the night. Everything is unexplained until Katie confesses this isn’t the first time this type of activity has happened around her they seek advice and try to get help while the locked off camera in the bedroom records all of the nocturnal bumps and activity.

It is a simple premise – a young couple setting up a camera to get a record of what is happening in the night. The camera is all POV or from a set tripod in the bedroom and because of its simplicity and uncomplicated set up you as the viewer gets dragged straight into their dilemma. You find yourself watching for any changing shadows or unaccounted noises as the camera records the night scene and as the strange incidents add up your nerves become more frayed.

It worked for me, I have read criticism that Micha is insensitive or jarring and he is oblivious to his girlfriends dilemma but I can honestly say that didn’t occur to me as I watched it. Its simple but clever, there have been similar films (good examples mentioned above) but its still surprising that an apparently obvious premise still manages to get your nerves on edge.

Its not flawless but it is still very good and worth a view.

Director: Oren Peil

Cast:
Katie Featherston – Katie
Micha Sloat – Micha

For the official website click here

Surrogates on DVD now

The latest film from Mostow – the director of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is set in the near future when human beings stay indoors while their surrogates (or avatars – if another film hadn’t stolen the title!), live their live for them. The surrogate has the humans consciousness (signature), are nearly always perfect looking and are replaceable – unlike the fragile human live they imitate. This leads to a near crime and trouble free world.

One day a surrogate is destroyed with a weapon that also destroyed the human controlling it – this leads to FBI agents Tom Greer (Willis) and Peters (Mitchell) uncovering a conspiracy that goes further than expected.

This is a return to action for Bruce Willis which I was eager to see but unfortunately for me ultimately disappointed. I liked the idea of the perfectness of the surrogates – its would be like living in the world of the airbrushed (or second life for that matter), where everyone is slim, perfect skin, perfect teeth, perfect hair and beautiful. Everyone that is apart from Willis whose surrogate has a most disturbing hairstyle that made me snigger when I saw it – hes also notably older than the other surrogates but as its Willis you forgive him.

It’s the story though for me that disappoints, the premise is interesting and I feel so much more could have been done with the ideas that were out there rather than just a run of the mill thriller with a human twist.

Could have been so much more.

Director: Jonathan Mostow

Cast:
Bruce Willis – Tom Greer
Radha Mitchell – Peters
Roasmund Pike – Maggie
Boris Kodjoe – Pike
Ving Rhames – The Prophet

For the official website click here

New Moon on DVD now

New Moon is the second of the vampire franchise phenomenon that is Stephanie Myers famous / infamous ‘Twlight Saga’ to hit the screens. If you haven’t heard of the films and books – where have you been? Surely even the most cynical and sceptical person must have seen the rising stars of Robert Pattinson (cant walk anywhere without being followed by hordes of teenage girls) and Kirsten Stewart the recent recipient of the BAFA rising star award.

The story for those who don’t know is a teenage vampire saga, (the one that has now launch nearly all of the others hitting our screens) Edward (Pattinson) is a vampire who falls for Bella (Stewart). Apart from the small fact of him being undead they have to overcome numerous trials in the quest for true love. In this film Edward decides to protect Bella by separating from her – which devastates her. Bella eventually though she seeks out her best friend Jacob (Lautner) to help fill her days – but Jacobs obviously smitten with her and is himself hiding a supernatural secret.

Largely a review for any Twlight film is going to be irrelevant – you will either be into the films or you wont – its kinda like Marmite. So if you are into the franchise you will love it, its got more action than the first film and although Edward is absent for a large part of the movie Weitz has cleverly inserted his image to be a guide / warning to Bella. Theres also a lot more abs on show and a lot of werewolf action that works very well.

Theres not much else to be said except I'm into the films – hence the star rating - if your not into it this might not be the best one of the franchise to start on – begin at Twilight, and as for me roll on Eclipse due in cinemas in June 2010.

Director: Chris Weitz

Cast:

Kristen Stewart – Bella Swan
Taylor Lautner – Jacob Black
Robert Pattinson – Edward Cullen
Billy Burke – Charlie Swan
Ashley Green – Alice Cullen
Anna Kendrick – Jessica

For the official website click here

Doghouse – On DVD now

This British horror comedy twists the classic ‘battle of the sexes’ scenario to the extreme. We begin with Vince, soon to be divorced whose friends decide that what he needs to cheer him up is a lad’s weekend – booze and birds and testosterone. The group of friends take themselves off to the isolated village of Moodley where they hear that there are 3 women for every man – what could go wrong?

Unfortunately the village isn’t all that they expected as the female population has been affected by a classified military experiment that has turned them into flesh eating zombies – feeding off the men and guess who are now on the menu.

I came to this film with not many expectations, the only thing I knew about it was that Noel Clark and Danny Dyer are in it and it’s a British zombie film. I suppose that should have meant that I had nothing to loose by watching it which I guess is just as well as this film disappointed on many levels.

The male vs. female premise was flimsy and crude to say the least, for me I cannot understand why you would feel sympathy for a bunch of misogynists, admittedly some of the characters are not – token gay guy for instance but they are few in number and largely underdeveloped. As for the portrayal of women from the outset – even before the group hit Moodly they are portrayed as screaming harpies only good enough to be called ‘slag’ or ‘Candy’ and when in the village there are so many more stereotypes it just gets really boring.

The script to largely borrows from the superior Shaun of the Dead, or numerous other zombie films but falls short of being funny. You are much better watching Shaun or Zombieland – at least they deliver the undead and humour. Noel Clarke is also wasted in this movie - he deserves so much more.

All you are left with is a lot of gory effects and the loosest possible storyline – if that’s your thing by all means watch this film.

Director: Jake West

Cast:
Danny Dyer – Neil
Stephen Graham – Vince
Noel Clarke – Mikey
Terry Stone – Sgt Gavin Wright
Christina Cole – Candy

For the official website click here

Kick Ass - at cinemas now

Matthew Vaughan brings the outrageous comic Kick Ass to the big screen. The hero of the story is Dave Lizewski (Johnson) an average slightly geeky teenager and comic book fan. He decides that he will dress as a superhero and do good deeds around the city – and so Kick Ass a hero without any special powers is born.

While Lizewski dresses in a adapted wet suit and go through various levels of pain there are two real superheroes – Big Daddy (Cage) and the excellent Hit Girl (Moretz) who easily put Kick Ass’s efforts in the shade. Big Daddy and Hit Girl are determined to bring down crime lord Frank D’Amico (Strong) by whatever means possible.

This film is great, its fast, its funny, its gory, its over the top, it plays at 100 miles an hour. Its like being on a film roller coaster – exhilarating and exciting and you don’t want the ride to stop. Its also a film that’s so over the top and the graphic violence and swearing Im sure will offend middle England (all the more reason to see it!).

The cast is perfect, from the slightly geeky but also handsome Johnson (recently seen as a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy), hes going to be one actor to watch in the future. Cage begins to return to a form he was at many many years ago, Strong is excellent and Mintz-Plasse (Mclovin from Superbad) is great as the hero with all of the gadgets Red Mist. It is Moretz who effortlessly steals the show though, from the first time she appears on screen to the stunning Matrix-esque fight scenes – shes gotta be around for a long time. The mixture of deadly killer and schoolgirl is not something that can be easily studied but boy she sure pulls it off!

If your not easily offended and want some fun catch Kick Ass

Director: Matthew Vaughan

Cast:

Aaron Johnson – Dave Lizewski / Kick Ass
Mark Strong – Frank D’Amico
Chloe Moretz – Mindy Macready / Hit Girl
Nicholas Cage – Damon Macready / Big Daddy
Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Chris D;Amico /Red Mist



For the official website click here

The Informant – On DVD now

Steven Soderberg works again with Matt Damon to bring to the screen the true story of Mark Whitacre based on Kurt Eichenwald’s book. Whitacre is an executive in the US firm ADM who turned whistle blower in the early 1990’s. Hes intelligent, wealthy and in a position of trust when he becomes a spy for the FBI, recording hours of tapes over years to expose the company that he works for. Unfortunately Whitacre begins to thrive on being a ‘spy’ and who, if anyone, is telling the truth.

Once you get over the shock of seeing Matt Damon look portly and sporting a comedy tash you find, underneath, an enjoyable amusing movie. Its not a comedy as such, I found myself smiling rather than laughing out loud as you follow Whitacres increasingly erratic behaviour. The audience is, for a large part of the film, left out of the truth in the story and you are left not quite believing your ears – which partially mirrors FBI officer Shepards (Bakula) reaction.

Damon is great as always making you feel sympathy for a difficult to understand and confusing character. He appears on one hand to be a an intelligent, family man, upper management concerned about price fixing whereas he also appears to be a fantasist, who leaps from one lie to another while revelling in his ‘spy’ status.

I liked this film but didn’t love it, I feel that it falls between genres – people who go to this movie wanting a comedy will be disappointed, people who go wanting a drama, will also be disappointed. There is a serious side to Whitacre’s behaviour but when this is revealed it feels rushed over. I also feel that the story remains the same there is no dramatic punch to the film which is a shame as this film could have been so much more.

Directed by Steven Soderberg

Cast:

Matt Damon – Mark Whitacre
Scott Bakula – Brian Shepard
Melanie Lynskey – Ginger Whitacre

For the official website click here

Angels and Demons – On DVD now

Here Ron Howard directs the second of Dan Brown’s ‘conspiracy’ books, although this film is released after the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons was actually published before Browns more famous book.

In this film we again are joined by Langdon (Hanks) (thankfully minus his mullet) and he is is racing through a series of clues to halt the destruction of the Vatican City. In his adventure he is aided by Vetra (Zurer) a CERN scientist who is drawn into the drama when the secret antimatter she has been developing is stolen. Throw into this mix a dead pope, a flock of cardinals, clues that are centred on the four elements and a secret society called the Illuminati – typical Dan Brown ingredients really.

So is it any good? Well after the stuttering Da Vinci Code, this is better, it flows more and Howard has done his best to make it more of an action movie rather than a series of monologues lifted from the original book. Still though for me this is a flawed film. Fans of the book will miss the logic behind the leaps of deduction that Langdon makes to solve the clues that are left for him – why is it that bad guys always leave clues? The film therefore also seems very rushed – its like a whistle stop tour of Rome but without being able to look or see anything of the city.

Hanks plays the part sufficiently as Zurer as his accomplice does well in a rather flimsy role – she seems to be more window dressing than being given a real character or personality. For me though is was McGregor who stuck out like a sore thumb, I was confused as to where he was supposed to have come from, his name suggests Irish – and there sometimes was a hint of that in his accent but the rest of the time he slipped into US southern – like his turn in Tim Burtons Big Fish, maybe it was that he was as confused as the rest of us!

More like a made for TV movie with a bigger budget.

Directed by Ron Howard

Cast:

Tom Hanks – Robert Langdon
Ewan McGregor – Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Avelet Zurer – Vittoria Vetra
Stellan Skarsgard – Commander Richter

For the official website click here

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) – In selected cinemas now!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo brings author Stieg Larsson first novel to the big screen and with the unique and intriguing character Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) as fans of the trilogy of books will know.

The story begins with reporter Blomkvist (Nyqvist) who is found guilty of libel who while waiting to service his sentence is employed by a reclusive retired businessman Henrick Vanger – who is also the head of the rambling and dysfunctional family. Henrick asks Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his niece, Harriet, 40 years ago.

Blomkvist finds help in the investigation from the feisty Salander – a many tattooed and pierced investigator who specialises in illegally hacking computers to get the information that is needed. Between them they unravel a series of murders in the hope it will lead them to solve the mystery of Harriet’s disappearance.

The book is very well realised on the screen, in particular Noomi Rapace takes the role of Lisbeth brilliantly, conveying the uncompromising, defensive but intelligent character. She’s a little bigger than I expected – don’t get me wrong the Rapace is tiny but in the book Lisbeth is described as almost childlike in build but that’s the only negative I have about her performance – I cant wait to see her in the next two films. For me the weak character in the film is Blomkvist – hes not the most exciting of characters and in the book hes described as easily handsome who is attractive to women and Nyqvist, for me, doesn’t really fit the bill. He looks distractingly pasty and is sadly quite bland – not the charismatic man I expected. I wonder if he would have come over better if I hadn’t read the book – but I will never know.

As for the film – its great, its full of twists and turns and also for fans of the book doesn’t compromise on Lisbeths problems with her guardian – although I do concede that the scenes might be a bit strong for some people to handle. The sweeping landscapes are also brilliantly shot and although I feel that the story may jump into happy coincidence too easily if you haven’t read the book its more than worth a view.
Roll on the next two films and go and watch it now!

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev

Cast:

Michael Nyqvist – Mikael Blomkvist
Noomi Rapace – Lisbeth Salander
Lena Endre – Erika Berger
Peter Haber – Marting Vnager
Sven-Bertil Taube – Henrik Vanger
Peter Andersson – Nils Bjurman

For the official site of the author and creator Stig Larsson

Zombieland – on DVD now

Take four mismatched survivors of a Zombie invasion in the US, add lots of guns, lots of blood (and guts) and above all lots of humour and there you have the main ingredients in Zombieland! Firstly you have Columbus (Eisenberg) an awkward shy loner with phobias, who is overly cautious he teams up with Tallahassee a gun totting wise cracking zombie slayer on a mission to get the last Twinkie on earth. The two are joined by Wichita and Little Rock and the foursome head off to LA.

What is it about Zombies that makes them the prime ingredient for horror / comedy movies, first there was Shaun of the Dead and now Zombieland. Its gory, touching, silly and laugh out loud funny. I love the references to Columbus’s guide to survival and although it occasionally gets cheesy the rest of the film more than makes up for it – including the ‘surprise’ celebrity cameo that everyone has heard about.

Harrelson is great as Tallahassee – hes like a young Dennis Hopper with a southern accent and very big guns and he plays the complete opposite to Eisenberg – who plays the sensitive geeky guy perfectly. The film has a great script and if you can stomach the gory Zombies and cartoonish violence it’s a film well worth a look.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Cast:

Woody Harrelson – Tallahassee
Jesse Eisenberg – Columbus
Emma Stone – Wichita
Abigail Breslin – Little Rock


For the official website click here

Star Trek - on DVD now

J J Abrams reboot of the Star Trek franchise sees the familiar characters of the original Star Trek as they are starting out. It’s a film that has attempted to open up star trek to a new generation and also to make the cast a lot more youthful.

The story centers around James Kirk a maverick who is reluctantly recruited into Starfleet to follow in his deceased fathers footsteps. Here he meets familiar characters that are given a new lease of life – Spock, Bones, Uhura and Scotty as they begin their careers on the Starship Enterprise.

This was billed as a Star Trek film when the viewer doesn’t need to be a Star Trek fan (and Im not) so it was with interest that I watched this film. To be honest there were so many nods to the existing Star Trek I felt left out of the fun, like being invited to the party but no one talks to you when you get there. Without being a Trek fan I feel that there is a lot of story missing in this film. It looks good – the effects are good, the cast have been chosen and fulfil their roles very well but I found the story flimsy and I found that for me it fell well short of a good si-fi film.

Directed by J J Abrams

Cast:

Chris Pine – James T Kirk
Zachary Quinto – Spock
Leonard Nimoy – Spock Prime
Eric Bana – Nero
Bruce Greenwood – Christopher Pike
Karl Urban – ‘Bones’ McCoy
Zoe Saldana – Nyota Uhura
Simon Pegg - Scotty

For the official website click here

Alice in Wonderland at cinemas now

Alice in Wonderland at cinemas now

Tim Burton teams with long term collaborators – Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to give us a unique twist on Lewis Carroll’s surreal world of Alice in Wonderland. In this version over imaginative Alice (newcomer Wasikowska) is 19 years old and is struggling to fit into a repressive Victorian society, when she spies a white rabbit which she follows to a rather large rabbit hole….

Theres no surprises for guessing what happens to Alice at the rabbit hole – its after she has fallen in the hole that the fun really begins. She falls into a world inhabited with strange and surreal creatures, fantastical characters, evil queens, talking animals, a Jabberwocky and possibly the best tea party ever.

There are not many people who don’t know at least some of the story of Alice but in this version Tim Burton exaggerates and twists his characters – in looks as well as personality to put his own unique stamp on this classic tale. Wasikowska does well in her debut as Alice but the real stars of the show are Depp and Bonham Carter who excel at bringing out the heart and grotesque (respectively) in their characters. The supporting (CGI but with familiar British voices) are great too from the familiar the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), March Hare (Paul Whitehouse) and Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) to the lesser known Baynard (Timothy Spall), and it is these characters that bring the most humour and provides a new angle on an old tale.

I wonder though quite where this will find its audience, it seems a little too twisted and wordy for children and a little too young for adults – but currently its No 1 in the film charts so what do I know! Great fun – a must for all Burton / Depp fans.

Directed by Tim Burton

Cast

Mia Wasikowska – Alice
Johnny Depp – Mad Hatter
Helena Bonham Carter – Red Queen
Anne Hathaway – White Queen
Crispin Glover – Knave of Hearts

For the official website click here

Frozen River - Out on DVD now

Set at the bleak border of the USA and Canada two women become unlikely accomplices sharing a common goal – that of keeping their families together in the face of poverty and hopelessness. The frozen river of the title refers to a vast lake in a Mohawk reserve that spans the US & Canadian border. Ray (Leo) unwittingly becomes involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into the US by Lila (Upham) a Mohawk.

Central to this film is an examination of the lengths the two female central characters will go to provide for their families. Faced with scratching an existence in minimum wage jobs in a remote isolated town both women are thrown into an uneasy partnership to provide for their families. The two lead actors – Leo and Upham, play their parts in a controlled and understated way, they both know they need each other but they don’t trust each other. They do what is necessary to survive.

There is a simplicity to the film the bleak landscapes, the deadly, dangerous expanse that is the frozen lake the miserable lives lead by these women which adds to the desperate need to provide their children with a better future. McDermott also needs a special mention as he plays a 15 year old with far too many burdens and worries.

It’s a really good film, I guess its also a film that would be difficult to ‘sell’ to a wider audience I'm really pleased I watched it and would definitely recommend it – its not as oppressive as it may seem and ends up being strangely uplifting.

Directed by Courtney Hunt

Cast

Melissa Leo – Ray Eddy
Misty Upham - Lila Littlewolf
Charlie McDermott – Troy J ‘TJ’ Eddy
Michael O’Keefe – Trooper Finnerty

For the official website click here

Tyson on DVD now

Mike Tyson retells the highs and lows of his career in this documentary. It begins with his tough Brooklyn upbringing, his discovery by his mentor Cus D’Amato. The film then documents his years at the top, his years of excess and his many falls from grace and his loss of boxing prowess – where he blatantly admits he was boxing ‘for the money’.

The film has some good archive footage, of the early Tyson and more importantly footage of his fights – so rarely seen due to copyright issues serve to remind the viewer of how menacing and unbeatable he was in his prime, which is made all the more poignant when looking at his later career.

Toback does have an annoying habit of splitting the screen up – as if to be an obvious analogy with Tyson’s own split persona. Tyson himself comes across as a man who has two distinct sides to his personality, physically hes one of the scariest (to me anyway) people on the planet and yet he has one of the softest girlie voices – not that I would tell him! He either views women as whores or something to be protected and kept safe, having said that I found the section when he is talking about what he wants from a woman quite disturbing – if I’m being honest he scares the hell out of me.

Tyson speaking about his old mentor is genuinely touching, hes realises the debt he has to Cus D’Amato who saved him from the street but didn’t live long enough to see his rise and fall in the world of boxing. Would Tyson’s story be any different if he had been there to steer his path?

Its an interesting documentary, Tyson comes across as a mass of contradictions and it also made me realise that boxing is now a corporate sport on pay per view, not seen on terrestrial television for the masses, which even though I don’t like the sport, is a shame for future generations.

Directed by James Toback

Cast

Mike Tyson – himself
The rest of the cast are seen in archive footage.

For the official website click here

Avatar 3D in cinemas now

Famously ten years in the making, follow up to Titan James Cameron’s baby Avatar in 3D the film he designed a whole new technology for.

Jake (Worthington) is brought in at the last minute to replace his brother in the Avatar programme. The programme is based on a planet called Pandora and its native inhabitants the Na'vi, a ten foot high humanoid race living in the forest of Pandora. Jake uses his Na’vi avatar to ingratiate himself in the culture which is fine until man and Na’vi clash.

So is it any good?

Well visually its great, its beautiful and the 3D isn’t too obvious or imposing (although I did feel a little queasy until I got used to it). The Na’vi look good, you can see the actors faces in the blue race, and their emotions are there – without the previous problem of dead eyes. Cameron has created his own world although to me a lot of it seems to be taken from his other passion – under the sea, some of the plants look like sea anemones or coral but visually was as far as this film worked for me.

The plot is so obvious you would have to be a small child not to see whats happening – why, like Titanic, has Cameron done this. Visually I would give it four stars – maybe even five for the technology but this is a film that is severely hampered by a cliché ridden script. Ferngully anyone?

Directed James Cameron

Cast

Sam Worthington – Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana – Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver – Dr Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang – Col Miles Quaritch

For the official website click here

The Hurt Locker - on DVD now

Set in post invasion Iraqi The Hurt Locker follows the bomb disposal squad as they are joined by SSG James (Renner) following the death of a previous squad member. James turns out to be an adrenaline junkie seemingly willing to ignore orders and endanger lives. James is cocky and confident and he relishes his work which is more than a little unsettling for the rest of his team.

Bigelow has created a great movie, a movie that like the soldiers in the bomb squads, doesn’t ask questions about what is right and wrong, it just does what it does. And what it does is put you in the centre of the action, and gives you the closest sense of the unknown and confusion that reigns in conflict areas available. You get the idea of how tough it must be for troops living on adrenaline, making snap decisions that can cause tragedy in a second.

This is one of the must see movies of the past twelve months and for a good reason, its tight, crisp and so well acted your swallowed up in events before the first 2 minutes have gone by. If there is any justice Bigelow will walk away with the Oscar for best director.

One of the best films I have seen in a long while – don’t miss it.

Directed Kathryn Bigelow

Cast

Jeremy Renner – SSG William James
Anthony Mackie – Sgt JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty – Spc Owen Eldridge

For the official website click here

Where the Buffalo Roam on DVD

Bill Murray plays the madcap journalist Hunter S Thompson in this semi biographical tale of drugs, alcohol, attorneys and the occasional mention of journalism. Murray is instantly recognisable in ‘Hunter’ garb although he doesn’t go in for the full bald head unlike Johnny Depp in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. That though is probably the main difference in these two Hunter based movies.

Hunter crashes a convertible, Hunter consumes lots of drugs, Hunter consumes lots of alcohol, Hunter is accompanied by his Attorney, Hunter trashes a hotel room, Hunter tries and fails to cover a major sporting event – theres even a weird hitchhiker and flying bats. Excuse me if you have heard this before but if you have seen Fear & Loathing you have also seen it before. I know its unfair of me – Where the Buffalo Roam was made in 1980 but I have only just seen it, although I feel that I have already seen it – watch one, either one but not both, its way too repetitive.

Directed by Art Linson

Bill Murray – Hunter S Thompson
Peter Boyle – Lazlo

Moon - On DVD now

Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell a Luna Industries employee coming to the end of a three year contract as the lone employee mining on the moon. His only companion in his lonely existence is the computer GERTY (voiced by Spacey), and sporadic messages from earth as there is no direct communication link available.

One day Sam is involved in an accident whilst mining and awakes after a few days to find GERTY caring for him. This leads to a discovery that will change Sam’s life and affect the chances of him returning to his wife and child on earth.

What starts as a low key si-fi movie with the base visually echoing the Nostromo from Alien, and with a sole occupant talking to his plants and looking forward to returning home turns into something completely else entirely. Rockwell is great as Sam, the man desperate to finish his contract and fulfill his duties. His performance is low key but powerful and more than holds the film together. What starts as a study of loneliness twists and turns to an unexpected conclusion. The disembodied computer voice has parallels with HAL from 2001, but that is where the comparison ends – you expect GERTY to become the sinister protagonist but there is something a lot more ominous threatening Sam’s existence.

Its very good film and well worth a look, there is a really slow build up and then after the accident you, as the audience, are left largely bewildered until the larger picture is revealed. It also keeps you thinking long after the end titles have rolled.

Director – Duncan Jones

Cast:
Sam Rockwell – Sam Bell
Kevin Spacey (voice only) - Gerty

For the official website click here