Blu Ray Reviews IV

Not The Messiah 

Not The Messiah, He's a very naughty boy was the musical concert based on the film Life of Brian done in the style of Handel's Messiah (Get it?  Not the Messiah, Clever huh) to celebrate Monty Python's 40th Anniversary.  Featuring pythons, Idle, Palin, Jones & Gilliam along with a huge choir and orchestra it was held at the Royal Albert Hall last October and has been recorded and now released for all to see.  Now before people draw comparissions to Spamalot (The Monty Python stage musical based on Holy Grail), while featuring a musical adapted from argueably the funniest of the Python films it really is very different.  However with that being said there is room for them to put this on the stage.

The concert cracks on at a blistering pace featuring many songs and scenes that any fasn of Python and The Life of Brian will recognize (No Blessed are the cheesemakers or big nose though).  At one point they even manage to shoehorn in the unconnected Lumberjack song before rousing rendition of Always look on the brightside of life for a finale.  The encore is a little too much but the crowd seem to enjoy it.  This is hugely enjoyable, however it lacks the atmosphere of being there so even on blistering BLu Ray it fails to deliver the real feel of the event.

The Blu Ray is nearly flawless and looks and sounds magnificent.  As previosuly mentioned it does lack the atmosphere of the Albert Hall, but that was always going to happen.  A lack of decent extras also hampers the disc too with just a couple of viginettes and a making of with connection to Blu Ray live for the disc, they missed a trick here and could have included some Spamalot features maybe?  Python and Life of Brian fans will lap this up and should make it an addtion to their collection, for everyone else its worth seeing, but probably only once.

Extras:

• Making of
• 2 x Viginettes
• Blu Ray Live Features

Main Feature:

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Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie turns his hand from his usual Cockerney Gangster type of films to one of Englands greatest literary heroes in the shape of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.  With Robert Downey Jr in the lead role and Ritchie's panache behind the camera they have managed to reinvent the legend with a more modern spin on proceedings than other big screen incarnations.

The film opens with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) catching multiple murderer Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) with the help of Dr. Watson (Jude Law) and having him sent to prison.  There Blackwood is convicted and hung, but soon after a groundsman in the cemetery reports seeing Lord Blackwood rise from the grave.  Thus begins a brand new investigation for Holmes and begrudgingly Watson (Who is engaged to be married and wants to lkeave the world of criminal investigation behind).  Before all is said and done the plot races along covering, murder, secret sects, devil worship and corruption in the ranks of the Goverment.  Throw in a fun sub plot with Holmes's ex flame Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) and of course somewhere lurking in the background is always Proffessor Moriarty..

Sherlock Holmes is an excellent reboot/reimagining of these classic novels and with Ritchies flourishes throughout it has given Sherlock Holmes legs to run and run as a new franchise (The sequel is already underway).  The cast are fantastic Robert Downey Jr and Mark Strong in particular are fantastic.  It's worth noting too that this is where Jude Law excels as a side kick/companion and not as a lead man as this years Repo Men will attest.  The entire cast look as though they are having a blast throughout and it really comes across during the film.

The films setting in Victorian London with Ritchie's signature look and feel also combines to work especially well here, the direction is tight and well paced and the film bounces along with gleeful abandon to a fantastic finale which ends up on the under construction Tower Bridge.  So with the back story with the shadowy Moriarty as well, it looks like that the sequel is well set up.  With a film of this standard long may it continue too.

The Blu Ray is simply brilliant too, making London's Grime sparkle in the right way, the dulled greys and blacks are rich as well making this absolutely beautiful to watch.  The sound is top draw too, really pinging out of the surrounds with a standout scene being Blackwood hiding in the shadows in the slaughterhouse factory and booming out of the various surrounds as Holmes and Watson try and work out where he is.  With a decent amount of extras, all in HD too this weighs up to a decent package worth owning.

Extras:

• Includes DVD and Digital Copy
• Makings Of
• Featurettes
• BD LIVE Features

Main Feature:

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The Box

Based on the short story by Richard Matheson, that was used in an episode of the Twilight Zone The Box stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child. One day they receive a  wooden box as a gift, which is simply a button.  It comes with a note saying that they will be visited soon to explain.



A mysterious stranger (Frank Langella) arrives and tells them that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world... Someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the crosshairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

The Box is another marmite type of film (You'll either love it or hate it.) from the director of Donnie Darko Richard Kelly.  Featuring Cameron Diaz spouting a very uncomfortable accent and James Marsden looking lost.  Frank Langella as the mysterious stranger is equally annoying and pointless as the plot unfolds.  Visually however at times this can look amazing, however overall teh film just comes across annoying and dull.  The premise however of what you would do faced with dilemma is quickly surpassed by a formulaic chase movie with a few interesting twists.  By the time the final credits roll you will likely be scratching your head or yawning or maybe even a combination of both.

A decent concept completely wasted with a lame plot, daft acting and pointless visuals (No matter how good they look).  Definetly one to avoid unless you are a huge fan of Donnie Darko, but you will have to be a massive fan to forgive this sorry mess.

The Blu Ray here does it job without articularly shining.  The depth is sometimes a little bit out, however the best scene is the 'water on the celing' moment, aside from that though it doesn't jump out at you.  THe sound also is very workmanlike and by the numbers.  For something as weak as this, having a poor package to go with it doesn't help it's case either.

Extras:

• Trailer
• Making Of

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Dumbo

Dumbo is one of the few classics that truly deserves it's title.  Coming in at just over 70 minutes this film doesn't waste time and tells the story of Mrs. Jumbo who has her baby elephant delivered by stork.  The baby elephant soon becomes the laughing stock when they discover he has rather large ears.  In a fit of rage Mrs.Jumbo gets herself locked up as a mad elephant so poor old Dumbo is left to fend for himself.  He is soon befriended by Timothy Mouse and together they meet up with some crows who hand him a 'Magic Feather' which enables him to fly.

Dumbo is an amazing piece of early animation from the 'House of Mouse' Dumbo is a true classic in every sense of the word.  never outstaying it's welcome, it features the classic tune 'When I See An Elephant Fly' and some rather out rageous visual sequences.  This is one of those films that you should own whether you are an adult or a child as this really deserves a place on your shelf.  Also the HD workl done on the film is of an outstanding quality especially in regards toi how old this film is.  Like Snow White before it, this is the bar that all back catalogue films should be remastered at.  It's surprising that some films from around 5 years ago don't look this good with the HD treatment.  An absolute must for anybody's collection Dumbo deserves to be owned on Blu Ray.

Extras:

Deleted Scenes

• Deleted Scene: The Mouse’s Tale
• Deleted Song: “Are You a Man or a Mouse”

Backstage Disney

• Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo
• Magic of Dumbo: Ride of Passage
• Sound Design Excerpt from “The Reluctant Dragon”
• Original Walt Disney Television Introduction

BD Only

• DisneyView / Cine-Explore
• Art Galleries
• Featurette: “Celebrating Dumbo”
• Bonus Shorts: “The Flying Mouse” and “Elmer Elephant”
• Games: “What Do You See?” (Family Play) and “What Do You Know” (Smart Play)

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Law Abiding Citizen

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) has his wife and daughter brutally murdered at home and yet his lawyer does a deal to let the murderer get off, which doesn’t sit too well with him and 10 years later he extracts his revenge. Then a complicated game of cat and mouse ensues with his lawyer Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) as Clyde seems to be taking out the members of the law community who were part of the miscarriage of justice despite being behind bars.

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Universal Soldier Regeneration

In 1992 two of the world's most popular action superstars were brought together to create one of the most unforgettable martial arts/action/sci-fi cult classics of its time. The film was Universal Soldier, the stars were Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD, Legionnaire, Bloodsport, Kickboxer) and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, The Punisher, Direct Contact). In 2010 director John Hyams (NYPD Blue, One Dog Day, The Smashing Machine) has brought these legends of action cinema together again for the ultimate future killing machine showdown, Universal Soldier: Regeneration.



The world is in danger and the government is being threatened. Crazed terrorists are on the loose and will stop at nothing to cause death and destruction. Using stolen technology they have created their own version of the Universal Soldier: a lethal robot warrior whose only programme is to kill and kill again. The government's only hope is to regenerate Luc Deveraux, a decommissioned Unisol and expert assassin. His mission: to infiltrate a highly armed fortress, slaughter the enemy and save the world from nuclear disaster. But somebody - or something - is waiting for him, something intent on crushing the future into oblivion. Let the combat commence.

JCVD and Dolph Lungdren both return for what looks and smells like a shameless cash in.  The acion is few and far between, however the last 20 minutes or so are relentless.  Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andre Arlovski certainly looks and acts the part and is favourably given not a lot to say or do other than to smash heads.  Dolph Lungdrens return is a bit odd as he's on screen for all of about 5 minutes and basically is there as a roadblock to JCVD and to get you to buy/rent it.  In fact the plot makes no sense to why he is there at all...  FInally JCVD, again not on screen for most of the film only really crops up in the final showdowns and does a good (As it can be for this type of film) job but is now starting to look his age.

As for the disc itself, the HD holds up pretty well despite the gloomy and dark setting.  THe sounds is nothing special, which is surprising considering the amount of explosions and various creepy moments they could have done something special with.  THis is a hard sell and unlikely to keep Universal Soldier fans happy.  One for bargain bucket.

Extras:

• Audio commentary featuring Dolph Lundgren and director John Hyams
• Making of universal soldier: Behind the lines
• Trailer

Main Feature:

Extras:

 Planet 51

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it.



To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders... like Chuck!



With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

Dwayne Johnson lends his vocal talents this time to his first animated feature with great aplomb.  His vocals lend very well to the self absorbed Chuck Baker, who isn't a million miles apart from the 'heel' Rock, the character Dwayne Johnson made so famous in the WWE rings.  The Blu ray as with most CGI features looks excellent and the colours just bound off the screen.  The sound is passable, with that great 50's soundtrack which makes you think of Back to the Future (And how much we need that on Blu Ray soon) which can only be a good thing.  A decent family movie worth catching if you get the chance.

Extras:

• Exclusive to Blu-ray "Target 51" Game with optional iPhone controller App download from iTunes!
• Planetarium - The Voice Stars of Planet 51
• Extended Scenes
• The World of Planet 51 - Explore the Sights and Sounds of Planet 51
• Life On Planet 51 - Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
• Music Video Montage
• Animation Progression Reels

Main Feature:

Extras:

Lord of the Rings 

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy tells the story of Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), a hobbit who battles against the Dark Lord Sauron to save his world, Middle-earth, from the grip of evil. In the films, Frodo and his fellowship of friends and allies embark on a desperate journey to rid Middle-earth of the source of Sauron's greatest strength, the One Ring -- a ring that has the power to enslave the inhabitants of Middle-earth. The trilogy tells tales of extraordinary adventures across the treacherous landscape of Middle-earth and reveals how the power of friendship, love and courage can hold the forces of darkness at bay. Beside Wood, the films star Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, featuring Sean Bean, and Ian Holm, with Andy Serkis as Gollum. The films also star Marton Csokas, Craig Parker and Lawrence Makaoare.



The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring: In a time before history, in a place called Middle-earth, a dark and powerful lord has brought together the forces of evil to destroy its cultures and enslave all life caught in his path. Sauron's time has come and he needs only one small object - a Ring that has been lost for centuries - to snuff out the light of civilization and cover the world in darkness...



The Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers: The fellowship is now divided with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys Davies) helping to restore some order to the land of King Theodon (Bernard Hill), whose mind has been poisoned by the machinations of Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Wormtongue is a secret emissary of wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), now ready to unleash his army of the night on Middle-Earth. Meanwhile, Frodo (Elijah Wood) is falling deeper under the dreaded influence of The Ring, as he journeys with Sam (Sean Astin) towards Mordor...



The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King: The remnants of the Fellowship marshal their forces for one final attack as Hobbits Sam (Astin) and Frodo (Wood) are led by Gollum to Mount Doom in the hope of destroying the One Ring forever...

Now before you get excited it has to be pointed out that these are not the Director's Cut's, but the original theatrical editions.  So you may want to save your money and wait for the inevitable re-release of these editions with all the added extras instead. (Maybe around the time The Hobbit hits the big screen?)  However if you can't wait and simply have to own the films on Blu Ray then these films will be more than adequate.  The transfers are excellent with the blacks really working well and the battle scenes really popping.  The sound isn't as good as prehaps it might be, but Im sure that'll be sorted by the time the Directors Cut's hit the shelves.

Extras:

• Trailers for all three films
• "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy Supertrailer
• Special Extended DVD Edition Preview
• Welcome to Middle-earth: Houghton Mifflin In-Store Special
• Quest for the Ring: FOX TV Special
• A Passage to Middle-earth: SCI-FI Channel Special
• Academy Nomination
• Epic Oscar
• Enya "May It Be" Music Video
• Special Extended DVD Edition Preview
• Behind the Scenes Preview of "The Two Towers"
• On the Set "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
• Starz Encore Special:Return to Middle-earth: WB Special
• "The Long and Short of It" A Short Film Directed by Sean Astin
• The Making of "The Long and Short of It"
• Emiliana Torrini "Gollum's Song" Music Video
• Special Extended DVD Edition Preview
• Behind the Scenes Preview of "The Return of the King"
• "The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest" Game Trailer
• The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision
• A Filmmaker's Journey: Making "The Return of the King"
• National Geographic Special - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
• Featurettes:: Finding Hobbiton, Hobbiton Comes Alive, Believing the World of Bree, Ringwraiths: The Fallen Kings, Rivendell: The Elven Refuge, Languages of Middle-earth, Two Wizards, Music of Middle-earth, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Ian McKellen, Weathertop: The Windy Hill, Forces of Darkness,Designing the Sounds of Middle-earth, Edoras: The Rohan Capital, Creatures of Middle-earth, Gandalf the White, Arms and Armor, The Battle of Helm's Deep, Bringing Gollum to Life, Aragorn's Destiny, Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor, The Battle of Pelennor Fields, Samwise the Brave, Èowyn: White Lady of Rohan, Digital Horse, Doubles, Two Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots, Heart/Frodo, Every Path, Test, Aragorn, Time, Every Step, Sword, Decided, Time Review, Decided Review, Step Golden Globes, Globe Nominations, New Epic Globe
• TV spots

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2012

 

Roland Emmerich is back and ending the world again in his latest ‘epic’ 2012. This endtime saga sees John Cusack trying to save his estranged family from the end of the world by getting them to some mysterious government 'ships' which are located in China.

 

The basis for 2012 is on some ancient predictions made by the Mayan culture. Unfortunately they didn’t predict about the disaster that this film would turn out to be. What the brilliant John Cusack was thinking when he signed up to this movie is anyone’s guess, however even he struggles in this mess of a movie which relies far to heavily on the desturuction of the world effects (Which are nothing short of astounding at times and the only thing worth seeing this film for).

 

The destruction of earth is not the only disaster in this movie it also features a near 2 3/4 hour run time which even the most hardy of cinema goer is going to find pretty hard to bear. Then there is the script which is nothing short of atrocious. Some of the worst lines you will hear in a film this year and possibly for the last few years, it is a complete mismash with no-one really looking like they believe in what they are saying. 

 

The implausibility of the plot with the big set pieces (See an small plane fly through crumbling buildings in zero visability with a learner pilot pulling off manoevers the Red Arrows would be proud of. See John Cusack outrun a volcanic explosion and following mushroom cloud on foot! Finally see a stretch Limo outrun the eastern seaboard falling into the sea, including jumps over chasms in the road etc.) It’s so ridiculous at times that the plot makes a James Bond movie look realistic. 

 

The film does have it’s good points in the effects which are incredible to watch at times and a rather amusing if not completely over the top turn from the recently reinvigorated Woody Harrleson. It does a very good job of ticking the disaster movie checklist, Large mostly B-List stars, blowing stuff up and generally destroying famous landmarks and yes the dog survives. Although some of this also suffers as the various destroying of the world set pieces are more than reminisciet of recent disaster films such as Armageddon, Deep Impact, Posiedon, Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. In fact it at times kind looks like a paraody akin to Disaster Movie, but this is meant to be serious?!?!  However please be warned it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and you may wish you were in one of the first waves of destruction by the time the credits roll. 

The Blu Ray though however does stand up very well to the HD test and is far from a disaster. The sound also is incredible with every cry for help every brick that falls razor sharp.  The disc itself on these grounds are worth having, however be warned having to sit through the main feature may be hazardous to your health.



Extras:

• movieIQ (logo) and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
• Interactive Mayan Calendar -Enter a date to reveal your horoscope and personality profile! Delve even further into the secrets by watching Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar.
• Picture-In-Picture: Roland's Vision-Includes Pre-Visualization, storyboards and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with filmmakers, cast and crew
• Commentary with Writer/Director Roland Emmerich and Co-Writer Harald Kloser
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Ending
• Designing The End Of The World
• Roland Emmerich: The Master of the Modern Epic
• Science Behind The Destruction
• The End Of The World: The Actor's Perspective

 

Main Feature::

Extras:

Toy Story/Toy Story 2

Ahead of next years eagerly awaited Toy Story 3, Disney/Pixar have decided to re-release the first two movies (Toy Story October, Toy Story 2 Jan 10 and then Toy Story 3 in July 10), but this time in glorious HD on Blu Ray.

For those of you who haven’t seen it the story follows the toys that live in Andy’s room led by Woody a sheriff doll (Voiced by Tom Hanks) and everything is fine and dandy until Andy’s birthday party where he receives the latest toy, a space ranger doll called Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen).  A contest of wills ensues between Buzz and Woody.  After a plan to get Buzz to fall behind a desk goes wrong, Woody and Buzz end up in the big scary real world and they will have to work together if they are to return back to Andy before Andy and his family move to a new house and they end up lost toys forever…

This film is already a 5 star classic however with the addition of the HD if at all possible it has become that much better.  It even looks like the film was originally conceived for HD despite absolutely nothing being changed from the original release.  Various scenes look absolutely majestic on the big screen including the brilliant finale with the chase to the back of the removal truck.

This is a real chance for a generation of children who have grown up watching this film only on a TV screen to get a real taste of how this film is meant to be viewed and with the addition of the wonderful HD it’s like you are seeing a brand new film, so why not let Toy Story captivate you all over again?

The discs are a direct copy of the US special collectors editions released a few years ago with the bolt on of the Toy Story 3 sneak peaks which are nothing more than abridged trailers.  Don't let this put you off though as the collectors editions featured a plethora of extras which will take you weeks to get through and are facinating as well as immersive.  The quality of the HD is possibly Disney's best yet and you can tell they have yaken time with these to make sure they are of the highest quality.  Make sure you get these now as every Blu Ray collection should have these films!

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Extras:

Jennifer’s Body

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Up 

Pixar’s first foray into the land of 3-D (Toy Story was done after this had been completed.) follows the adventures of the 78 year old Carl Fredrickson and his journey to South America the adventure he and his wife had always planned to do.  After his wife dies he sits at home wishing for the life that could have been when after an unfortunate incident the local construction firm try to get him evicted so they can begin work on a new set of properties, however on the morning they plan to do just that, the ex balloon salesman reveals he has attached thousands of balloons to his house and it launches off into the atmosphere for the adventure he always wanted.  However, he soon discovers he has a stowaway on board in the shape of 8 year old wilderness explorer Russell who is on the front porch when the house lifts off, thus beginning the journey of a lifetime not only for Carl but also for Russell who is only trying to attain his last wilderness explorer badge…

Pixar are back with a story which is very risky as having a 78 year old central character is not one that might capture the imagination of the younger crowd.  However that doesn’t matter because as per usual, Pixar have created a wonderful story that transcends generations to make a beautiful heart-warming tale that is full of action, adventure thrill, spills and plenty of laugh out loud humour. 

The cast once again play a huge part in this with such luminaries as Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer and Delroy Lindo.  Jordan Nagai as Russell is extraordinary and Bob Peterson as Dug the brilliant Golden Retriever round out proceedings.  The vocals put to the characters simply are brilliant with some very clever techniques used to deliver some of the laughs (The first words spoken by Dug and when the lead Rottweiler turns up lets just say he won’t be what you are expecting).

While this is just short of the instant classic tag that WALL*E hit, this is just shy of that brilliance, it is by all accounts an amazing movie.  With this and the recent Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs we now 2 very high level, brilliant family movies out.  This is before we mention the 3-D.  The 3-D used in Up is also a marvel as the various layers of things like for example the clouds which look so real you want to reach out and touch them, will simply leave you in awe.  Pixar have taken the 3-D bar and as they did when they unleahed Toy Story on a unsuspecting world they have taken and raised by several notches leaving the animation world scratching their heads with the same ‘How did they do that?’ that they had after Toy Story.

Up is not an easy sell as mentioned at the top, but it will surprise you, it’s likely to make you cry too as one of the more touching sequences is Carls montage near the beginning of the film.  If it had carried on with that promise throughout you would be looking at another 5 stars for the Pixar team.  Up is brilliant but it’s not without its flaws..  Still it is fantastic so make sure you see it! 

Extras:

• Feature film in Blu-ray, DVD and Digital formats!
• "Dugs Special Mission" - All new short follows the misadventures of Dug
• "Partly Cloudy" - Theatrical short
• Cine-Explore - The making of UP with Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
• The many adventures of Muntz - Alternative scenes
• Global Guardian Badge Game - A multilayered geography game
• Married life - Expanded character back story
• 8 all new documentaries - Including "Adventure is out there" - Travel to the real Paradise Falls

Overall Rating:

Extras:

Fame  

Way back in the 80’s Alan Parker made a little film about a group of up and coming students who attended the High School of the Performing arts and their struggles within as they progressed through their school life there.  It had some amazing songs (For the 80’s) and started something of a trend back in the 80’s (Leg Warmers at the ready people), it then went on to spawn a highly popular TV Show imaginatively titled ‘The Kids From Fame' which became as popular as High School Musical is today.  So someone in one of the big studios somewhere decided this was the next movie to befall the very hit and miss remake process.  On the back of popularity of things like the aforementioned High School Musical, Hannah Montanna and the Jonas Brothers, it was deemed that it was time to want to live forever again.

The Story itself follows a familiar path here retreading a lot of the themes of the original with a few deviances and character shifts.  Bruno  and Coco are now embodied in one female character.  The unpopular names of Montgomery and Doris are dropped and so on.  This is what causes the film its problem, it either is or it isn’t a straight remake, some of the songs from the original have made it (Obviously ‘Fame’ although this has now been souped up and relegated to the soundtrack over the titles) and others haven’t.  The film also lacks the warmth of the original and to a certain extent it’s soul.  Improvements have been made the dance sequences, fortunately the leg warmers having gone (Nobody wants to see them making a comeback…).  The director is a renowned choreographer and it shows, the song and dance sequences are simply brilliant however the more storyline driven moments and drama is watered down, clumsy and non convincing.  Overall this one may not achieve the lofty heights of it’s predecessor and most likely will not catch a nations imagination as the Kids from fame did 20 odd years ago, but it gives it, it’s best shot.

Overall Rating:

Extras:

N/A

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Gamer

Gamer is yet another one of these futuristic movies in the mould of the Running man and (Dare we say it) The Condemend.  Unfortunately for Gamer is more like the latter than the former.  Set in a world where people leave their real lives to take part in a worldwide virtual reality world ala the PC Game The Sims, everyone is engrossed, then a new game is created where convicts and felons are made to compete in a First Person Shooter type game and if they survive 20 games, they get their freedom..  Sound familiar?  Well, that’s because it isn’t exactly the most original concept on the planet.  However this time it has been made by the guys who gave us Crank, so there’s far more zip to the proceedings and while the film doesn’t stay in game for too long, there are some rather exciting set pieces.

The film though falls apart roughly around the time they move past getting out of the game, rescuing his wife and then off to confront the creator for a final showdown.  With some very wishy washy plot lines and a very strange song and dance number in the middle this all adds up to a very below average move from some very above average film makers.  Gerard Butler plays it like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, but with no soul, seemingly going through the motions this film ends up being patchy and messy and devoid of any real fun fun.  Put in the if you have too box.

Extras:

• Audio Commentary - with Writer/Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and actors Amber Valletta. Alison Lohman and Terry Crews
• ICon Mode - The making of Gamer
• Inside the Game: Controlling Gamer - Gamer from concept to completion, a multi-part documentary with the cast and crew
• Cheat Codes - dissecting scenes from Gamer via video and audio explanations from the crew

Overall Rating:

Extras:

 

 

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Aliens in the Attic

 

In the tradition of films like Small Soldiers, Gremlins, Critters comes the latest kids flick for the end of the summer, Aliens in the Attic.   When a group of Grandchildren are taken by their parents to their Grandmothers house for a holiday, they find themselves fighting to save the earth from Alien Invasion by the group of little Aliens that just so happen to have crash landed in the eponymous Attic of the title. With the adults not believing them and no other way of dealing with it, they take matters into their own hands and try and stop them themselves.

 

This being a kids film, plenty of destruction and slapstick follows in an hour and twenty minutes of good clean fun. There’s Alien mind control devices which ensures that people will end up hitting themselves and of course that slapstick staple, injuring the nether regions on banisters and garden tools etc. There’s the usual collection of characters, the Mathelete who just wants to be ‘cool’, the prima donna sister, the devious boyfriend who also happens to be a narcissist, the rebel whose always getting the others into trouble, the little sister (For the screaming and ET style befriending of one of the aliens and the mischievous twins. So far, so generic. The Aliens themselves also follow the staple rules as well, with the leader who really doesn’t know what he’s doing, the gun crazy weapons one, the token female, who seems as tough as the weapons alien and the peace loving tecchy who doesn’t want to take over the world.

 

While this is hardly going to break out of the box, it has kept the formula simple enough to be an enjoyable and light enough not to tax your brain so you can just kick back and enjoy the silliness for an hour and a half. The slapstick is performed amazingly well and the cast bubble along without standing out. The film has been marketed as having Sharpay from High School Musical to ensure that it has box office potential, however Ashley Tisdale is not one of the main characters and doesn’t share a lot of screen time which may disappoint some of the audience. However the film doesn’t outstay its welcome and manages to do what it says on the tin and is a good option when the younger bored members of the household need to do or watch.

 

Extras:

 

'Triple Play Edition' includes the movie on 3 formats: Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Copy!

• A premium Blu-ray pack that now includes both the DVD format and Digital Copy to allow you to enjoy the film whenever, wherever you want
• Blu-ray for the best quality experience on the big TV screen, just like in the cinema but in the comfort of your own living room
• DVD version that can be enjoyed in other rooms
• Digital Copy for your laptop or media player (iPod) that can be enjoyed on the go

Overall Rating:

Extras:

There is so much going on that the 90 minute run time flies by and you’ll probably find yourself wanting it to go on for just that bit longer… This can only be a good thing. Make sure you get yourself to screening near you soon. You won’t regret it. 

Extras:

• A premium pack that includes both the DVD format and Blu-ray to allow you to enjoy the film whenever, wherever you want.
• Flint's Food Fight Game
• 'Raining Sunshine' Music Video
• 'Raining Sunshine' Sing-A-Long
• Behind the Scenes of the 'Raining Sunshine' Music Video
• Directors' Commentary
• The Voices of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
• Progression Reels with Commentary
• Extended Scenes
• The Making of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
• Interactive Splat Button - throw food at the screen while you watch the movie

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Inglorious Basterds

 

Quentin Tarrantino is back with his latest offering which he describes as his masterpiece which has been creating for over 10 years now, it’s been through changes and many re-writes until Quentin was happy that this is the final completed version that he wants to bring to the screen. Once again Quentin has made a film that is quintessentially a film that is a love letter to himself, his life’s work all wrapped up in 148 minutes of darkly funny bloody mayhem. 

 

Now as this is Quentin’s World War II flick, you would expect plenty of trench warfare, close quarter combat, lots of people being blown up and torn asunder in a hail of bullets in a way that Tarrantino excels in right? Wrong. Inglorious Basterds may be set in World War II, but there is no trench warfare barely any bullets shot and you would struggle to see that it was a war film if wasn’t for the fact that everyone is wandering around in military uniforms. That’s not to say however that there’s no violence or shooting, there’s plenty of scalping (Shown in grisly detail) and in one intense sequence a (albeit) brief shoot out. But don’t think for one minute that this makes for a dull Tarantino movie… In fact it makes for his movie since Pulp Fiction. It may not be his ‘masterpiece’ as he would have you believe but, it is up there with his best output. 

 

The film is chaptered once again and features the stories of Lt.Aldo Raine (A Brilliant Brad Pitt) who leads his band of Apache Soldiers who are on a mission to strike fear in ‘The Nazi’ and get their 100 scalps as they terrorize the Third Reich behind enemy lines. Also, Shossanna Dreyfus (Again brilliantly performance from Melanie Laurent), a young girl who witnesses the assignation of her family by the ‘Jew Hunter’ Nazi colonel Hans Landa (A Maniacal Christoph Waltz), she escapes to take ownership of her aunt’s and uncles cinema in Paris, whereby a young Nazi hero Frederick Zoller who killed 300 Allied troops over 3 days has had a film made about his exploits by Goebbels becomes infatuated with her and ends up convincing Goebbels to have the premier at her cinema. With all the Nazi high command in attendance Shoshanna finally plans her revenge on those who took her family away from her. However the ‘Basterds’ led by Raine have met up with double agent and German actress Bridget Von Hammersmark who will get them into the premiere so that they can reek havoc with their own plan…

 

Once again a tightly knit Tarantino plot descends into mayhem in the last couple of reels as all the threads come together as one for the hectic finale. Tarantino builds the film in seemingly unrelated chapters which feature some excellent cameos from the likes of Mike Meyers (Yes the Austin Powers Mike Meyers) as a British officer, plus a star turn from splatter director Eli Roth (Hostel I & II, Cabin Fever) as one of the Basterds Donnie Donowitz. The film flashes with sustained brilliance and while it maybe a little too talky again and it maybe a little too long it is still brilliantly put together and eminently watchable, Tarantino is back, not that he ever really went away, he just tripped over with the self indulgent Death Proof (Less said about the better..). Finally a film to get excited about Inglorious Basterds is darkly humorous in every scene, tense, bold and brilliant everywhere else. Inglorious Basterds scores on every level a film to be proud of, Tarantino maybe mis-titled the film… On the evidence here it probably should have been called Glorious Basterds. Welcome back Quentin.

 

Extras:

• Extended & Alternated Scenes
• Roundtable Discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell (31 mins) (HD)
• The Making of Nation's Pride (HD)
• The Original Inglorious Bastards
• A Conversation with Rod Taylor (HD)
• Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters (HD)
• Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel
• Hi Sallys
• Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell
• Inglourious Basterds Poster Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers (HD)

 

Main Feature:

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