29 Mar 2010

Angels and Demons – On DVD now

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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




24 Mar 2010

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

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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



21 Mar 2010

Zombieland – on DVD now

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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




14 Mar 2010

Star Trek - on DVD now

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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




10 Mar 2010

Alice in Wonderland at cinemas now

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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




6 Mar 2010

Frozen River - Out on DVD now

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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



 

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