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DVD & Cinema reviews 1 = Utter shite. 2 = Watchable, just. 3 = Good entertainment.
4 = Highly recommended. 5 = Sheer class.
United
93 March 31 DVD I watched the made-for-television version of the harrowing
events of the ill-fated flight 93 on September 11 2001 a while back, and this tells the exact same turn of events but with
more of a focus on the airline, military and passengers & crew inside the plane, leaving out any reactions from family
or relatives who received those horrible phone calls moments before the tragic conclusion.
This very real portrayal of what happened; by Brit director Paul Greengrass
still works very well and doesn’t shy away from the horror. The things
that went on during that morning still feel raw as you watch them unfold, and its tough stuff, especially in the closing moments. Yet I also felt a little cheated, having already seen another version of this, that
painted a much broader picture with more impact emotionally on myself that I was nearly brought to tears. This didn’t quite do that for me and its documentary feel was almost annoying with little drama in
the first half just lots of mingled voices giving me a headache. Yes that’s
how it was I suppose, but it was a little tedious until things started happening and the hijacking took place – then
this film woke up, which I know sounds awful if you’re just waiting for the ‘action’, but that’s how
it made me feel. Good, well meaning and doesn’t glorify events, but doesn’t
make for as good a film as Flight 93 did for TV.
Slither March 26 DVD The trailer to this is a riot.
Lots of gore, one-liners and great effects make this a worthwhile prospect. With
a quality script about a Sheriff and a bunch of townsfolk overrun by slimy ‘slugs’ spawned from an alien-infected
man, this comic-horror has plenty going for it. Cue then hapless ordinary folk
running from slugs that can turn them into mind-controlled zombies, nubile teenage girl encountering slug in bath tub (I know,
you saw that one coming) and lashing of cute one-liners that show this film’s tongue is so far in its cheek to be poking
out the other side. With a similar humour to Buffy
The Vampire Slayer, a story that feels like a 50s B-movie but with the budget of a A-List horror – and basically
all boxes are ticked. The only real downside is that for this kind of thing we
don’t get even one ‘tit’ shot, and well, its not the least bit scary – more gross and a little ‘jumpy’
in places - but even so, it worked well enough for me. Verdict: 3.5 /5
The Fast
& The Furious: It’s easy to like a film franchise whose primary draw
is beautiful sports cars and chases. Now if like me you love a good car chase,
then this will float your boat immediately. The second sequel looses both major
characters from the first film (we have no Paul Walker or Vin Diesel here) and only really has a simple story of wannabe car-nut who is sent to Japan to live with his Father
after he gets in predictable trouble with the law, then finds himself attracted to local illegal racing gangs linked to the
Yakuza. Now as you can expect, hot young American racer trying to prove himself
amongst Japanese gangs is not going to end well, and soon we get a love triangle and gang violence breaking out. The cast deliver the goods and if you liked the nineties TV show American
Gothic, then you may recognise the young star of that show now grown up and all Paul-Walkered out but with dark hair. We also get a hot Japanese girl and some tough Yakuza thugs – but more importantly,
we get cool cars doing some dangerous racing – and even though it lacks the Oomph of the first film (and much of its
heart) this still passes the time well.
Pan’s
Labyrinth March 16
DVD I was eagerly anticipating this film from the very moment I
heard it was out, and waited patiently over the following few months for it to arrive on DVD.
As a foreign film therefore it kind of missed any cinema where I live. So
I went out and got the DVD release as soon as it came out (I say went out, more like I ordered the special edition with exclusive
packaging from Amazon…). So why, I hear you ask was I so desperate to see
this film? It’s simple: Guillermo
Del Toro, the Mexican genius behind such quality films as Cronos, Blade 2 and Hellboy. I
think he’s one of the best directors currently around, and is somewhat the new Peter Jackson in my humble opinion, with
much of that director’s flair for visuals and intelligent storytelling. Regarded as the director’s masterpiece, I came to this
with high expectations, and was treated to a very absorbing story of a young girl caught up in the horrors of the Spanish
Civil War when her Mother moves away with her to a remote military outpost to live with a ruthless General. Amidst all this, the girl stumbles upon an ancient Labyrinth at the back of the house, and soon meets a
friendly (but creepy) faun, who tells her she is the reincarnation of his kingdom’s Princess, and that to prove her
worth she must complete three tasks. This is quality fantasy story telling from
Del Toro, and obviously a labour of love, with many references to the likes of Alice
In Wonderland, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe and The Wizard of Oz. Yet I was also surprised to find the realism of
the war and the battle between refugees and the military equally as interesting and filling up the film, with the fantasy
elements almost pushed to the background. The film is awash with wonderful imagery on a par with something
from Tim Burton (another obvious reference), and has some brilliant special effects, especially the fairies and the unnerving
‘Pale Man’, and the set design throughout is stunning in its gothic creepiness.
The young girl at the heart of the story is wonderful, angelic and fresh faced and really holds your attention as you
watch her various adventures and really care for her. I was also impressed by
the General, who I think was a thoroughly nasty screen villain and really made the film for me. Now is it really Del Toro’s masterpiece? I think not
- it didn’t quite have the ambition I was hoping for, that I know the director is capable of, and lacked a few really
big moments but for the wondrously scary Pale Man sequence. So this worked pretty
well, but I came away thinking it could have been so much more – and the ending feels a bit of a cop-out. As can be expected from the DVD-loving Del Toro, this 2 disk
set is packed with extra features, galleries and a commentary. Verdict: 4 /5
Hard Boiled Collector’s
Edition March 01 DVD I have seen this famed Chow Yun Fat, always a regular for Woo when he worked in Hong
Kong, is the charismatic tough cop that can’t be stopped, and is admirably supported by a brilliantly complex Tony Leung
(more recently known for the award winning In The Mood For Love, and the acclaimed
thriller Infernal Affairs) as an undercover cop posing as a triad hit man. Together they face a ruthless gang boss who will stop at nothing to get what he wants
(an always watchable Anthony Wong). Yet it’s not really the story or the
characters we’re here for –it’s the action, and Woo delivers in this final film before making the leap to
the states. What we get are several big and loud gun-crazy shoot outs, culminating
in what is possibly the finest and most perfectly realised gun fight in cinema history, a 30 minute shoot out through a hospital. Woo uses all his skill, with frequent use of slow motion, speeded up frames and style
– bags of style to make you almost overwhelmed. This is violent, brash
and stunning – and you won’t forget it in a long while. Of course
the story is basic filler to piece together the action, and lacks much of the emotional complexity of that other great Woo
flick The Killer – but if its action you want, you have it, and you wont
be disappointed. Having viewed previous releases, this is easily the best as
far as picture and sound go, and you get a choice between the dubbed version (that is done rather well, I might add) and subtitled
(also very well done), meaning all tastes are catered for. Yet still I feel we
haven’t been treated to the ‘definitive’ release, with hardly any extras and no commentary. Here’s wishing for a deluxe 2 disk set in the future!!
Following up the clever / innovative brit comedy horror Shaun Of The Dead
was not going to be easy. That sharp satire on the Zombie genre hit all the right notes, and was a runaway success.
This time the same team return to spin the cop thriller on its head, but instead of some comedy rendition of Heat set maybe in This is still very funny, razor sharp stuff from the Shaun team (with again a stand-out Nick Frost in perfect bumbling
side-kick form), and has some great lines, a loud, brash action packed second half, and shockingly more gore than the previous
film. Yet ultimately I felt I was left a little short changed, that the concept wasn't as good as Shaun, even if the
sight of pensioners diving through the air with sawn-offs refuses to shift from my mind, this isn't quite as fresh or as funny
as it thinks it is. Still it has to be seen, no matter what.
The Devil Wears Prada Feb 17 DVD Based
on a best selling novel, this light and funny glitz & glamour wake up call see’s new next big thing Anne Hathaway as an aspiring journalist who lands a job (seemingly of a life time) at a big name magazine, but
soon discovers it comes with the boss from hell (a brilliant Meryl Streep on fine
form). Through the course of the film it’s a classic tale of young hopeful
having to overcome great odds to emerge the winner in a back stabbing industry. This
is perfect family entertainment and Hathaway is perfect, adapting brilliantly to the script showing her as a frumpy nice girl
then a glamorous (and might I add Woof Woof!!) style icon and back again. She
is suitably supported by a scene stealing Emily Blunt who gets some of the best
lines as her bitter and twisted work colleague, and the always likeable Stanley Tucci is great as the effeminate under-study
to Streep who knows just the right advice to give and also when to put his foot down.
A quality evening’s viewing. Verdict: 3 /5 |
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