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I am a reviewer of films and television at Spryfilm.com and I upload stories to thisissouthtaranaki.com.
  • DVD Review: “CSI Finale” (2016)

    DVD Review: “CSI Finale” (2016)

    “CSI Finale” (2016)

    3-stars

    TV Show/TV Movie/Finale

    Running Time: 90 minutes

    Created by: Anthony E. Zuiker

    Featuring: Ted Danson, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, David Berman, Elisabeth Harnois, Jon Wellner, William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Paul Guilfoyle, Melinda Clarke

    Catherine Willows: “Listen, I need a favor. The new girl, she’s having a bit of a rough one. She thinks she let you down. I was hoping you might be able to help her process the suitcase, give her a little of that Grissom TLC? She could really use it.”

    Gil Grissom: “I’d rather not. I’m quite content here. Where did that girl come from, anyway?”

    Catherine Willows: “My vagina! You don’t recognize her? Grissom, that’s Lindsey, my daughter.”

    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, began on October 6, 2000, and ran for fifteen full seasons. Starring William Petersen, Ted Danson, Marg Helgenberger, Elisabeth Shue, and Laurence Fishburne, the series concluded its run with a two-hour finale entitled Immortality on September 27, 2015.

    CSI’s first spin-off and the second series within the franchise is CSI: Miami, which ran for ten seasons between 2002 and 2012 and was canceled on May 13, 2012. Miami stars David Caruso, Kim Delaney, and Emily Procter, with its lead character, Horatio Caine, based upon LAPD bomb squad technician Detective John Haynes.

    In 2004, CSI: Miami spun off CSI: NY, the third series in the franchise and the only indirect spin-off of CSI. It was canceled after nine seasons on May 10, 2013. The series starred Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, and Sela Ward. In 2014, CSI spun off CSI: Cyber, its second direct spin-off and the fourth series in the franchise. Cyber premiered in 2015, and starred Patricia Arquette and franchise alum Ted Danson – the only actor to appear as a series regular in more than one CSI series. The lead character, Avery Ryan, was inspired by cyber-psychologist Mary Aiken who is attached to the series as a producer. The final active series, CSI: Cyber, was canceled on May 12, 2016.

    So after all that the series comes down to a television finale where a suicide bomber detonates his vest on the floor of the Catherine Willows-owned Eclipse casino, the FBI Special Agent returns from Los Angeles in order to join the investigation. Gil Grissom, meanwhile, working to preserve sharks in international waters, is arrested for trespassing at the Port of San Diego, and D.B. Russell offers Sara Sidle the chance to supervise the local investigation into the bombing. Sidle, who is vying for the position of Director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, is initially irked when Sheriff Conrad Ecklie inquires as to Grissom’s location when “Lady” Heather Kessler is linked to the crime. Ecklie ensures Grissom is released from custody, and he and Willows, alongside Eclipse security officer Jim Brass, assist in locating the suspect.

    As the team works to restore safety to the streets of Las Vegas, D.B. decides it is time for him to “head East” and pursue new challenges, while he places a plaque, dedicated to the memory of Julie Finlay, alongside his personal possessions. Catherine expresses an interest in leaving the FBI and working alongside her daughter Lindsey in the Las Vegas Crime Lab, noting that, should Sara reject the promotion she is going to be offered, Catherine will accept it in lieu of her former colleague. The series ends with the newly promoted Sara, upon hearing a recording of Grissom confessing his love for her, sailing from the Port of San Diego with Grissom.

    To be honest this finale feels like a longer episode and does not really even feel very inclusive with George Eads being conspicuously absent as he left in the final regular episode – as a long time viewer I thought it was sad Nick Stokes did not make one final appearance.

    That being said I think it was time for CSI to end and to make way for younger fresher shows – it did start the procedural TV show, which now goes on in other forms. Farewell CSI!

  • DVD Review: “Rams” (2015)

    DVD Review: “Rams” (2015)

    “Rams” (2015)

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    Foreign/Drama

    Running Time: 93 minutes

    Directed by: Grímur Hákonarson

    Featuring: Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving

    “Rams” (2016) is a great antidote not only to English language films but also to the huge overblown action spectaculars of the year – I think it is also safe to say that at this time of year and after the US election it is nice to see that troubles can also be had in the most remote of places amongst the smallest amount of people and animals.

    “Rams” is primarily about two sheep farming brothers, who haven’t spoken to each other for decades, but are are affected by the infection of one of their flocks by scrapie. They live in adjacent properties and are  are attached to their flocks, which may explain why they are both unmarried. All the sheep in both farms and across their valley have to be destroyed to avoid re-infection, and their wooden pens must be burned and barns disinfected. One brother, Gummi, kills his own flock before the biohazards team arrive, but hides a few ewes (seemingly free of scrapie), and a ram, in the basement of his house. They are the last of their breed. His errant brother Kiddi, who refused to kill his own sheep to disinfect his barns and is frequently drunk and abusive after his sheep were exterminated, accidentally discovers Gummi’s saves. So does a member of the cleanup team, who reports to his superiors. The two brothers are then forced to collaborate to save the sheep, taking them to the highlands in a blizzard.

    Sibling rivalry is one of the oldest storylines and plots in narrative story telling and goes back to the Bible, with Kane and Able – we all know how that turned out. Hákonarson as both writer and director shows us a complex relationship through a huge landscape that reflects the gap between the brothers own chasm of difference. The film’s title has many meanings and of course one cannot help but think of the brothers as the Rams of the title butting heads until they are united by  a common issue.

    This is a drama tinged with a large amount of humour and the dividing line at times is very slim – but the viewer will be rewarded with a film and story that at once may be familiar to many New Zealanders and their own family issues (and possibly animal issues as well).

    Hákonarson has a history of documentaries and short films and in this film he lets us witness long periods of reflection where we can act as witness to a tragedy that slowly morphs into a tale of redemption for both brothers – it is ultimately a story of making the right decisions at the right time. This is a must for any fan of foreign dramas.

  • DVD Review: “The Avengers Series 1 &2” (1961-1962)

    DVD Review: “The Avengers Series 1 &2” (1961-1962)

    “The Avengers Series 1 &2” (1961-1962)

    3-stars

    TV Show

    Running Time: 1400 minutes

    Creator: Sydney Newman

    Featuring: Ian Hendry, Patrick Macnee, Philip Stone

    John Steed: “Who are you?”

    John Steed: “I’m very sorry, I can’t tell you that. But I’m on the side of the angels, believe me.”

    One of the first and still fine British spy tv shows created, The Avengers ran from 1961 until 1969, screening as one-hour episodes its entire run. The pilot episode, “Hot Snow,” aired on 7 January 1961. The final episode, “Bizarre,” aired on 21 May 1969.

    The Avengers was a spy-fi British television and initially focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed’s most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity.

    The TV show has recently been released in either one box set or in individual sets – except for the first two which have been issued in one set together as there are many series one episodes that are no longer in existence.

    To be honest the series was at its best from series three to five but these little seen first two series show a television series in its nascent stages and having the anility to change not only characters but the way in which the show was to evolve. Also look out for a variety of great special guests including Christopher Lee.

    Special Features:

     – Five audio commentaries featuring actress Honor Blackman (moderated by Paul O’grady), producer Leonard White, writer Martin Woodhouse and Actress Julie Stevens

    – Interview with Honor Blackman

    – Episode Introductions by Julie Stevens

    – Bonus disc with 14 series 1 episode Reconstructions

    – Original caption cards

    – Full police surgeon episode: Easy money with introduction

    – Collector’s lot: collecting the avengers with honor Blackman

    – The avengers at 50: never-before-seen interviews from the 50th Anniversary convention featuring Honor Blackman, Leonard White, Brian Tesler and John Carson

    – Pdf content including series one episode guide with original telesnaps and Press cuttings, script archive, vintage production papers, magazine covers and articles

  • Film Review: “Moana” (2016)

    Film Review: “Moana” (2016)

    “Moana” (2016)

    5stars_small

    Animation

    Running Time: 107 minutes

    Directed by: Ron Clements & John Musker

    Featuring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk

    Maui: “Do you know who Maui is? The greatest demigod that ever lived, who stopped the sun, who pulled up islands out of the sea, and battled monsters. Do you know why I know all this? That’s because, *I* am Maui!”

    The latest in a long line of Disney Princess movies arrives this week, but unlike other Princesses this one has agency, she does not rely on a man, or is even interested in a man in that love story kind of way. If anything, she is an enabler of the leading muscle bound hero, but does not need him in any traditional way. In fact this film is more about brain than brawn!

    “Moana” begins with a small pounamu stone that is the mystical heart of the goddess Te Fiti is stolen by the demigod Maui, who planned to give it to humanity as a gift. As Maui made his escape, he was attacked by the lava demon Te Kā, causing the heart to become lost in the ocean along with his magical fishhook.

    A millennium later, young Moana Waialiki, daughter and heir of a chief on the small Polynesian island of Motunui, is chosen by the ocean to receive the heart. Her father, Chief Tui, insists the island provides everything the villagers need. But years later, fish become scarce and the island’s vegetation begins dying. Moana proposes going beyond the reef to find more fish. Tui rejects her request, as sailing beyond the reef is forbidden.

    The film moves along at a brisk place and like most recent Disney Animation films it follows the trope of a road movie and borrows from others, this is definitely not a negative – one of my favourite parts could be lifted straight from last years “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) when Maui and Moana are attacked by sentient coconut pirates called Kakamora, who surround their boat and steal the heart, but Maui and Moana retrieve it. This for me was one of the more technically complex parts of the film and the director’s pull it off as well as George Miller ever could.

    In fact the entire film (as you would expect from Disney) looks incredible, the animation is slick enough that at one point there are animations within animations within animations, that leave you forgetting that the main part of the film is for all intents and purposes a cartoon – my hat, as always goes off to the animators – and except for this years “The Jungle Book” (2016) has to be one the best animated films I have ever seen.

    Another fantastic part of the film is the music composed by wunderkind, and I am sure soon to be EGOT winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (and Opetaia Foa’I and Mark Mancina) – his touch is all over the music and lyrics and he even sings on the soundtrack (now available). Without the great music leading the way this film would still be great, but with the music, it adds another layer to the movie and lets us experience the fantasy of Moana and Maui – as well as helping us feel for them as real life characters and by the end of “Moana” you will be humming the music for quite some time.

    Except for the scene stealing Jemaine Clement and Disney’s good luck charm Alan Tudyk the movie is filled with new actors providing both their spoken and musical talents. The standout is of course Auli’i Cravalho as the voice of Moana, in her debut role, who matches her onscreen alter ego with a voice that is both strong and vulnerable, she matches up against her co-stars like she is the one with all the experience. Of course there is the one and only Dwayne Johnson, who has a voice made for Maui but maybe not the singing in a Disney film – he does have only one song so all is forgiven pretty quickly! Finally, in a film with many surprises Jemain Clement as a giant crab named Tamatoa with his Bowie like song really ups the ante of how Disney characters can behave and almost steals the show, until the brilliant and inventive ending, with a twist you might not see coming.

    This is not only a film for the holidays but is undoubtedly one of the films of the year and one I must say should be considered at the Oscars for not only Animated Film of the Year, but also a best picture nod – this is one of the most original and groundbreaking (with it goes the term populist) films of the century. Not only is the film not a typical princess film but all of the characters are non-white, but has a cast that is non-white as well – remember this is the year when a Japanese animated film is voiced by all white actors and movie stars. One of the most mainstream film companies on the planet has had box office success with twists on familiar genres and has made them all original – Disney is my MVP for the year – bring in 2017!

  • Blu-ray Review: “American Honey” (2016)

    Blu-ray Review: “American Honey” (2016)

    “American Honey” (2016)

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    Drama

    Running Time: 163 minutes

    Directed by: Andrea Arnold

    Featuring: Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough

    Krystal: “Where’s that accent from?”

    Star: “Texas.”

    Krystal: “So you’re a southern girl. A real American honey like me. You know that song?”

    Star: “No.”

    This is not a film for everyone, but for those that experience the madness and wonder of Andrea Arnold’s film they will truly have something that will stay with them for some time. Arnold, as a British film-maker brings her own point of view to a kind of coming of age tale that involves some of the worst vices around, she lets us in on what it means to be poor, young and desperate, while finding your way through adolescents and all the fear, danger, humor and fun that it involves.

    The film almost entirely revolves around Star (Sasha Lane) is a teenager living in Oklahoma. She takes care of two younger children while being groped by their father (Johnny Pierce II). While trying to hitchhike home she spies a car full of teenagers and makes eye contact with one of the boys inside Jake (Shia LaBeouf). She follows them to a local K-Mart making eye contact again with the stranger from the car. When his phone drops out of his pocket she follows him to the lobby to give it back to him where he kisses her on the cheek and tells her to come with him to Kansas where he will offer her a job. Star declines but the stranger nevertheless tells her to meet them in the parking lot of the local motel.

    Star decides to go with the group. Packing her belongings she takes the children she watches to a club where their mother (Chasity Hunsaker) is dancing telling her it is now her turn to take care of them. Though the mother refuses, Star ends up running away from the club and sleeping outside the van of the strangers till morning. The stranger, Jake, is delighted that she came. She is “interviewed” by Krystal, who runs the entire crew and who hires her after she establishes that Star is 18, no one will miss her and that she promises to work hard.

    In the car on the way to Kansas, Star meets the other members of the crew including Pagan (Arielle Holmes) who is obsessed with Star Wars, in particular Darth Vader, and death.

    “American Honey” is an old fashioned road film, so it does not really have a plot as a such, it is more about experience and what happens to people when they are (kind of) forced into making a living for themselves and their ‘mother’ (a cruel surrogate) – it is exploitive on one hand and completely freeing on the other. The kids have one thing to be concerned about, making a living selling their magazine subscriptions (legal or a rip off I am not to sure). They all live a life of sex, drugs, alcohol and partying. They are all con artists and revel in what they have chosen to do – it is no secret that if they don’t like what they are doing then they should leave and don’t look back.

    Sasha Lane, the actress portraying Star is a newcomer and in fact was discovered by director Arnold whole on a beach in the US – she approached her about being in the film and the rest is history – Lane has an immediate, honest and original look, her nature is one that it seems like she has been in movies for years – I look forward to seeing her blossom in the coming years. The actor that has to be talked about is Shia LaBeouf, possibly one of the most mercurial and enigmatic stars working today – ever since his huge success in Michal Bay’s “Transformers” (2007-2011) the actor has chosen challenging and inspired roles while shunning the limelight that he had issues with early in his career. In this film he subsumes his own ego and gives himself over to this role that moves between kind and exceptionally cruel.

    As with many adolescents music plays a major part in this film with Rihanna’s, “We Found Love” playing twice, including when Star (Sasha Lane) first encounters Jake (LaBeouf) and the magazine crew that will soon become her de facto family at a local Target. The film’s namesake track plays in the third act, during an impromptu cast sing-along that recalls Almost Famous. As with “We Found Love,” Lady Antebellum’s 2010 single was in the film from

    Along with “Fishtank” (2009) which put director Andrea Arnold on the map, “American Honey” is a grand achievement and for an independent road movie has a major running time of over two hours and forty minutes, this gives us the time to really get to know and inhabit the world of the characters and Arnold really shows us new true and original lives she has made an outstanding film and it is one of my top 10 films of the year.

    Track listing

     1 Beginning Of Anything – Quigley

    2 Uber Everywhere – MadeinTYO

    3 Take Your Time – Sam Hunt

    4 Out The Mud – Kevin Gates

    5 Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

    6 Choices (Yup) (Explicit) – E-40

    7 All The Time (feat. Natasha Mosley) (Explicit) – Jeremih

    8 Ride (feat. Ludacris) – Ciara

    9 Recharge & Revolt – The Raveonettes

    10 No Type (Explicit) – Rae Sremmurd

    11 Bricks (feat. Migos) (Explicit) – Carnage

    12 Fade Into You – Mazzy Star

    13 8896 – Låpsley

    14 You Guessed It – Og Maco

    15 I Like Tuh (Feat. I Love Makonnen) (Explicit) – Carnage

    16 Careless Love – Bonnie “Prince” Billy

    17 American Honey – Lady Antebellum

    18 God’s Whisper – Raury

    19 I Hate Hate – Razzy Bailey

    Released 22 February 2017

  • Film Review: “Moonlight” (2016)

    Film Review: “Moonlight” (2016)

    “Moonlight” (2016)

    5stars_small

    Drama

    Time: 119 minutes

    Directed by: Barry Jenkins

    Featuring: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Janelle Monáe and Naomie Harris

    Juan: “I’ve been here a long time. Out of Cuba. A lot of black folks are Cuban. You wouldn’t know from being here now. I was a wild little shortie, man. Just like you. Running around with no shoes on, the moon was out. This one time, I run by this old… this old lady. I was running, howling. Kinda of a fool, boy. This old lady, she stopped me. She said…”

    Juan: [imitates old lady voice] “Running around, fishing in a boat of light”. “In moonlight, black boys look blue”. “You’re blue”. “That’s what I’m gonna call you: ‘Blue’.”

    Little: “Is your name ‘Blue’?”

    Juan: [laughs] “Nah.”

    Juan: “At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you’re going to be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.”

    Maybe the Oscars won’t be ‘so white’ this year, on the surface anyway. There have been a number of films that have rebuffed the fact that there are no minority films being made such as the Sundance hit, “Birth of a Nation” (2016), directed, written and starring multi-hyphenate Nate Brown – who has had issues that would seemingly distance himself from the white Oscar voters this year. There has also been the absolutely revelatory Jeff Nicholls “Loving” (2016) and of course this film, “Moonlight” (2016) from Barry Jenkins who had only directed one other film which no one had seen – although I suspect people will be searching YouTube for it now. This is a film that will challenge you on many levels and is very much an old fashioned independent art film that has social meaning very much identifiable in todays world.

    “Moonlight” is a film that could be considered a characters piece and has a through line, but at he same time is made up of three distinctive chapters:

    Little

    Shy and withdrawn child Chiron (Alex Hibbert), dubbed “Little” for his meek personality and size, is chased into an abandoned motel by a pack of bullies. He is later found by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a crack dealer, who takes Chiron to the house in which he lives with his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monáe). After being fed dinner and allowed to spend the night, Chiron begins to open up to them. The next morning, Juan delivers Chiron back to his controlling and emotionally abusive mother Paula (Naomie Harris), who grounds him for not returning home the previous day. Chiron and Juan continue spending more time together, the latter teaching Chiron how to swim while advising him to make his own path in life.

    Chiron

    Now a teenager, Chiron (now played by Ashton Sanders) is frequently bullied, harassed and openly threatened by one of his peers, Terrel (Patrick Decile), though continuing to remain close to Kevin (now played by Jharrel Jerome). Paula has since become addicted to crack, solicits herself, and physically coerces Chiron to give her money given to him by Teresa, with whom he continues to spend nights over, despite Juan now being deceased.

    Black

    Now a hardened and tougher adult, Chiron (now played by Trevante Rhodes), going by the name “Black” (a new nickname that had been previously given by Kevin as a teenager) is a drug dealer living outside Atlanta. Having moved up since running drugs after leaving juvie, he now leads a similar life to the one Juan led, living in a large house and driving the same car. He has trouble sleeping and receives frequent calls from Paula, asking him to visit.

    Once again I am not going to spoil this film – it really has to be experienced – and it looks fantastic on the big screen

    It can be hard to believe that a film directed with such purity, rawness and realness could be Barry Jenkins second film, it is such a step up from his previous film one could even be forgiven for thinking this is a film made after a long career – but it is not. “Moonlight” evokes such feelings of joy, sadness, empathy and humor that it truly is a film that does not come along every day – and the way in which we have three separate actors playing the same person over three distinct time periods means that we are (and the relevant actor) not focused on the differences but on the commonalities and the links between each chapter. There is a cause and very real effect from one element of the story to another – and one that is made easily accessible by the director, writer, editors and actors – it is truly a monumental feat.

    I had been waiting eagerly to view this film after I had heard some of the rumblings out of early reviews I can say that it is that special film that exceeds expectations unequivocally – there is no way you are able to walk out of this film without feeling something truly special has not been seen but witnessed – it does not trade on unearned emotion or fall down in relying on any archetype that it supposed to evoke feelings that haunt many of todays movies. In fact this story always moves the characters forward even when it is against their own personal safety or interests to do so – a prime example is Chiron’s mother, you just want to reach out and shake her to her senses.

    As with any great film the performances and direction become one and sync in a way that even the casual movie goer can recongnise something special is happening and in this case the cast, writer and director are all working from the same page – this is apparent in every scene and every word uttered.

    This film has a large cast, my own standouts and the three I see being the most revelatory are Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe and Naomie Harris who inhabit their roles even though they do not appear in the entirety of the film – but these are the ones that stand out. The obvious actors that hold our attention are the three that play Chiron (or Black or Little) – Trevante Rhodes, Alex Hibbert and Ashton Sanders – whilst each the central character are cast perfectly, it is not a huge leap to imagine these three people becoming each other as each highlights different aspects of that characters personality.

    This is a film that does not just rely on its actors as Barry Jenkins has an excellent eye and a technique that proves he is a very good director and one to watch out for the future. My favorite part of the film is the first chapter, to me  you can identify what he is doing with the camera – except for the opening scene that is full of on the nose dialogue, the camera remains quite still and we see the characters enter and leave frame which indicates their role in this chapter. Jenkins knows what he wants and he executes perfectly in a way that compliments the screenplay and the actors.

    This is an incredible film and at this point is my film of the year which is saying something, I believe it is superior to both “Loving” (2016) and “Fences” (2016) my other two films that I have rated highly. This is because “Moonlight” is contemporary and tells a story sorely lacking in films today – it is also more relevant in this post election period as it focuses on minorities, but also minorities within those same minorities. This film also asks questions about masculinity, love and what it means to hide one’s self every single day and the relief that comes from revealing the truth of that self.

  • Film Review: “Passengers” (2017)

    Film Review: “Passengers” (2017)

    “Passengers” (2017)

    3-stars

    Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller

    Running Time: 132 minutes

    Directed by: Morten Tyldum

    Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen

    Arthur: “You two look fine this evening.”

    Aurora: “We’re on a date.”

    Arthur: “Very nice.”

    Aurora: [to Jim] “Took you long enough to ask.”

    Believe it or not there was a time when quality Sci-Fi films were far and few between, the only way to get a fix was to rent a direct to video B movie and suffer through terrible special effects, unoriginal scripts and awful acting. However, over the past ten years (since the advent of new special effect techniques and the release of “Avatar” (2009)) they have become a staple of not only the US Summer season but like the release of “Passengers” has moved into the prestige part of the year. “Passengers” is an effective and enjoyable film that combines many tropes, the lone man who eventually meets a girl who is his perfect match and then both face decisions of self sacrifice to save a way of life – it makes for great entertainment.

    “Passengers” is set on the starship Avalon, on its 120-year voyage to a distant colony planet known as “Homestead II” and transporting 5,259 people, has a malfunction in two of its sleep chambers. As a result, two hibernation pods open prematurely and the two people that awake are stranded on the spaceship, still 90 years from their destination. Aurora Dunn (Jennifer Lawrence) is a journalist from New York City who is interested in cosmic travel.[9] Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is a mechanical engineer from Denver who wants to leave Earth and bought the ticket for the journey. The two soon discover that the malfunction that caused them to be awakened prematurely is not the only problem afflicting the huge spaceship, and as they try to find a way out, they soon find themselves falling in love.

    Morten Tyldum directs from a script written by Jon Spaihts, who has previously written this years excellent “Doctor Strange” (2016) and the mixed “Prometheus” (2012), so he is no stranger to sci-fi or to films that follow distinct tropes – he is also able to mix these to generate something original but that, at the same time, seems very familiar. Tyldum whose last film “The Imitation Game” (2014) garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Director follows up his moody period piece here with a gigantic blockbuster with two of the most popular actors working today, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, as well the magnificent supporting cast Michael Sheen and Laurence Fishburne. To my mind he is having a blast with a massive budget and a high quality script with two actors wanting to make a moody, what is a character piece.

    There is plenty to admire within this film and the special effects are something to behold, so this demands to be seen on the big screen – the space walks and the temporary loss of gravity on the ship are pretty not only incredible but breathtaking, it does remind me of some elements of not only “Prometheus” but other movies set entirely on a spaceship, this one however eschews action for a tense drama with two main characters struggling with what it means to leave a life behind, and knowing that they will never reach their goal and fall short by decade – whilst self sacrifice plays a part so does the selfishness that only humans can act on.

    There is also an Adam and Eve story here that includes a tree and a sickness that envelopes the idyllic “Eden” wherein the two principals have to work together to solve their issues and decide whether to separate or stay together and build their own Eden – I will not say what the solution is but it is unique and the ending is satisfying and even includes an Andy Garcia cameo – which is always good to see.

    If you are looking for a food solid sci-fi yarn with a love story thrown in and a comment on the current state of technology (and its limitations) and where we may be heading as a race then this is the film for you!

  • Film Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)

    Film Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)

    “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)

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    Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller

    Running Time: 132 minutes

    Directed by: Gareth Edwards

    Featuring: Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelson, Ben Mendelsohn, Forrest Whittaker, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

    Mon Mothma: “On your own from the age of fifteen; reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined.”

    Jyn Erso: “This is a rebellion, isn’t it? I rebel.”

    The film we have all been waiting for has arrived, and it is a brilliant piece of Sci-Fi and it’s a Star Wars prequel, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, and like those other prequels it has an amazing cast and takes place before the now classic “Star Wars” (1977), and its on par with “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), as well as all this, it is a far superior product to last years “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015). However without last years effort this one could not exist and not in its dark ominous and dare I say it adult form.

    Petty criminal Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is pressed into service by the Rebel Alliance when word is leaked in regards to an Imperial weapon of mass destruction – one designed in part by her father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen). It soon becomes apparent exactly what they are up against, and a team of misfits led by Jyn and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) races against time to obtain the means necessary to defeat this battle station.

    Their primary obstacle is the full might of the Imperial forces, represented in the form of ladder-climbing douche-weasel Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). The Death Star is his pride and joy, as well as his path to the Empire’s inner circle – something the security leaks have put into jeopardy.

    This film, directed by “Monsters” (2012) and (the remake) “Godzilla” (2014) director Gareth Edwards, brings together the film written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, into a singular vision that helps to explain the opening of the original “Star Wars” and why there was such an obvious flaw in the Imperial Death Star – geeks around the world will be very happy about that one. While there was some worry this year when reshoots were ordered, this has never really bothered me and has had no obvious negative effect on the film – most large budget movies have reshoots happen on a regular basis, it should not be a reason to be concerned.

    Michael Giacchino seems to be the go to guy for modern scores and Disney seem to love him, here he has composed a score that fits in well with the accompanying John Williams pieces – an Oscar nomination perhaps?

    Without giving away any spoilers, it is an interesting point that there are two characters from the previous “Star Wars” that are here and have been created digitally – to my mind they both work well but it will be different for different people. There are old characters that make an appearances from the Lucas prequels as well as Episode IV and they are most welcome – and almost a tip of the cap to those previous movies.

    The action and special effects are of course as good as you would expect from a new Star Wars film, but it is the believability of the actors and environments they are given to work with that is the real strength of the movie. That, and the message of hope that of course leads directly into the title of the movie that comes after – “A New Hope” – it has real ramifications for the future of the franchise which leads us to “The Force Awakens” and the next few episodic films. It would be great to see or hear something of this adventure in the upcoming Episode VII.

    As far as I am concerned this is a must see film and one that has made my top ten of the year – it fulfills the promise of what the George Lucas prequels could have been and offers hope for the future of the franchise and why it was a great investment for Disney.

    Go see and enjoy a glorious Sci-Fi entertainment!

  • Blu-ray Review: “Stephen King Collection”

    Blu-ray Review: “Stephen King Collection”

    “Stephen King Collection” (2016)

    3-stars

    Horror

    This new blu-ray Stephen King Collection contains four of King’s novels adapted to film in one box set. These movies run the gamut from excellent to passable, but overall they are all very entertaining and feature some top line talent in each film. Below is each film, a description and their relevant special features and synopsis.

    “The Dead Zone” (1983)

    Directed by David Cronenberg

    Featuring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt

    Johnny Smith: “Do you know what God did for me? He threw an 18-wheeled truck at me and bounced me into nowhere for five years! When I woke up, my girl was gone, my job was gone, my legs are just about useless… Blessed me? God’s been a real sport to me!”

    This is the first of David Cronenberg’s foray into the US studio system, and it was an adaptation of the Stephen King novel “The Dead Zone” that drew him in. Up until this time he had been making features and shorts in his homeland of Canada and was lured to Hollywood with this horror/thriller which was viewed as a bit of a disappointment at the time, but I believe it has actually aged very well, and it eventually spawned a long running TV show based around the novel and parts of the film.

    The movie revolves around Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), who is a schoolteacher in Maine and after surviving a terrible road accident, emerges from a five-year coma cursed with psychic powers, which enable him to see into the future. When he then meets Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), Johnny has a vision of the apocalyptic disasters, which would befall the world if this man should ever win office, and realizes that it is his destiny to prevent such a thing from ever happening.

    “The Dead Zone” is pretty tightly plotted and moves along at a brisk pace and ends with a bang – in fact there could have been more plot in the end – and in fact I can see why a TV show was so appealing. This is a must watch in particular for Cronenberg fans who can start to see some familiar commonalties between this and his future works.

    Special Features:

    Audio Commentary, Memories from the Dead Zone Featurette, The Look of the Dead Featurette, Visions and Horror, The Politics of the Dead Zone

    “Christine” (1983)

    Directed by: John Carpenter

    Featuring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul

    George LeBay: “My asshole brother bought her back in September ’57. That’s when you got your new model year, in September. Brand-new, she was. She had the smell of a brand-new car. That’s just about the finest smell in the world, ‘cept maybe for pussy.”

    John Carpenter had been making movies for a number of years before this project came his way, and this film came in the middle of his historic 1980s run where everything he directed has now become a classic – it fell in between the amazing and timeless horror “The Thing” (1982) and the Sci-Fi “Starman” (1984) which earned Jeff Bridges an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor.

    “Christine” revolves around the car of the same name, which has an otherworldly aspect to it and latches onto a young new owner who becomes obsessed with the new car. The film follows the standard trope of a killer following and finding victims, the twist in this case is the killer is a car.

    This again is a very good film that has aged quite well and is directed with skill and ease by Carpenter who at the time was one of the better directors around. The film becomes pretty dark and anyone that has a friend that becomes interested in someone else can feel the pressure that the antagonist feels in this and why ‘Christine’ seems on the surface the answer to his prayers,

    Special Features:

    Audio Commentary, 20 Deleted Scenes, 3 Exclusive Featurettes

    “Sleepwalkers” (1992)

    Directed by: Mick Garris

    Featuring: Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick, Alice Krige

    Captain Soames: “Look, you got one hysterical girl with a very vivid imagination and all that girl needs is a good smack on the butt and her mommy and daddy won’t do it, I’ll be happy to volunteer.”

    Mick Garris has a long history with King and has either written or directed a number of King’s books, and this was his first crack at a King property and was successful enough ofr them to become very close.

    This a classic horror story that takes a perfect Norman Rockwell town and turns it inside out. Brian Krause and Alice Krige star in this terrifying tale of modern-day vampires who prey on virtuous young women.

    This was a theatrical release and was a small hit and it is a good film that has a very good cast which helps a twist on a familiar subject and it is even better if you like cats.

    Special Features:

    Trailer

    “Pet Sematary” (1992)

    Directed by: Mary Lambert

    Featuring: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Fred Gwynne

    Jud Crandall: “The soil of a man’s heart is stonier, Louis. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. ‘Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own… always comes home to you.”

    Mary Lambert was and has been one of the few woman directors working in horror and looking back this is her most successful film both critically and commercially – which is a shame as she has been pushed to the sidelines and her career seems to be halted in a way.

    The film revolves around the Creeds who after moving to an idyllic home in the countryside, their life seems perfect but not for long. Louis and Rachel Creed and their two young children settle in to a house that sits next door to a pet cemetery – built on an ancient Indian burial ground. Their mysterious new neighbor, Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne), hides the cemetery’s darkest secret…until a family tragedy brings the secret to life.

    This is a pretty good horror and out of the four this is the third best as it covers all the creepy thngs that King is known for and once again is one of his works dealing woth animals, but is more satisfying than both “Cujo” (1983) and “Sleepwalkers” (1992).

    Special Features:

    Audio Commentary, Stephen King Territory, The Characters, Filming the Horror

  • Blu-ray Review: “Fail-Safe” (1964)

    Blu-ray Review: “Fail-Safe” (1964)

    “Fail-Safe” (1964)

    3-stars

    Drama

    Running Time: 112 minutes

    Directed by: Sidney Lumet

    Featuring: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman

    [FINAL CREDIT]: “The producers of this film wish to stress that it is the stated position of the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force that a rigidly enforced system of safeguards and controls insure that occurrences such as those depicted in this story cannot happen.”

    This and the film “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964) were released in the same year and were both based on the novel “Red Alert” with “Fail-Safe” being sued by the author for being too similar. It is no doubt the Kubrick film is superior with a more expansive plot and it also having elements of satire and black comedy this almost absurdist nature hits more of a punch.

    The film is based around what happens when a military computer error deploys a squadron of bombers to destroy Moscow, the American President (Fonda) tries to call them back. But their sophisticated fail-safe system prevents him from aborting the attack, so he must convince the Soviets not to retaliate. In desperation, the President offers to sacrifice an American city if his pilots succeed in their deadly mission over Moscow.

    The President struggles to find a resolution that will stop the Soviet Union from launching a counterattack; if he fails, an all-out nuclear holocaust will be unavoidable. He offers to sacrifice an American target to appease the Soviets, and he orders an American bomber towards New York City. The President’s advisers in the Pentagon discover that the First Lady is visiting New York City.

    The lone surviving American bomber devastates Moscow. The President orders General Black (Dan O’Herlihy), whose wife and children live in New York, to drop the same nuclear payload on that city, using the Empire State Building as ground zero. After releasing the bombs, Black, who is flying the bomber, commits suicide. The last scenes of the film show images of people in New York going about their daily lives, unaware that they are all about to die.

    This is no doubt a very dark film for its time, and juxtaposes Dr.Strangelove as I have said that had a large amount of black comedy and was satirical of just about every power structure going  – this is completely serious and there is absolutely no humor at all.

    “Fail-Safe” does ask some serious questions about who is actually responsible for events that unfold and at what point should the decision to go to nuclear war be a political or military one. The film does offer a kind of answer but as it unfolds it becomes people making decisions and talking about destroying our way of life with little regard for the ‘reality’ of that decisions. After fifty years this is still a heck of a watch and leaves the viewer feeling angry, sad and bewildered about the knife we still live under all these years later.

    The film has a huge cast and for my mind Henry Fonda as the US President and a very young Larry Hagman as a Russian translator steal the film, they are incredible and show why they were both character actors and stars for most of their lives and careers. They are honest and unflinching with no one to answer to but their own moral code.

    I recommend this film highly as with those below as a quick and enlightening education on how easy it is for life to end with either human or computer errors and why it makes sense for these weapons to disappear from our world now and forever.

    Special Features:

     Featurette, Commentary, Trailers

    If you enjoyed this then watch:

    “War Games” (1983)

    “The Day After” (1983)

    “Testament” (1983)

     

  • Blu-ray Review: “South of Hell: Season One”

    Blu-ray Review: “South of Hell: Season One”

    “South of Hell: Series One” (2016)

    stars-2-5

    Horror – TV Series

    8 Episodes

    Created by: Matt Lambert

    Featuring: Mena Suvari, Zachary Booth, Lamman Rucker, Paulina Singer, Drew Moerlein, Lauren Luna Veléz, Bill Irwin

    The latest in a long line of supernatural television series that mixes horror, action, thrillers and detective shows into one hoping to recreate the success of a Buffy, Angel or Supernatural franchise is interesting enough but will it be enough to spawn further seasons?

    In Charleston, South Carolina, Maria and David Abascal are demon hunters for hire. In Maria’s body resides a demon called Abigail, who feeds off the evil that Maria exorcises of others. As Maria does her job of vanquishing evil, she must find a way to exorcise Abigail out of her body. But getting rid of Abigail is not an easy task, as she finds it immensely appealing to reside deep within a conflicted soul such as Maria’s.

    The best parts of this television show are all the exorcism or demon-related scenes, which steal from not only movies but a number of better other shows. Where this show fails is in every other aspect and this is where a show like “Ash vs Evil Dead” does best on a weekly basis.

    So, while this is an inferior show it could be a useful diversion to other shows in their off seasons so with this I could say watch but with a grain of salt.

    Special Features:

    None.

    South of Hell
  • Film Review: “The Edge of Seventeen” (2017)

    Film Review: “The Edge of Seventeen” (2017)

    “The Edge of Seventeen” (2017)

    images

    Drama/Comedy

    Running Time: 104 minutes

    Written/Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig

    Featuring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner

    Nadine: “There are two types of people in this world. The kind that naturally excel at life, and the people that wish those people would get blown up in an explosion”.

    There are very few universal commonalities that exist in the world, one of those is the passage of adolescence, this is a stage of life that can sometimes make or break a person, depending on many things, which include family, friends, cliques and the kind of teachers one has to steer through this rocky time of life. “The Edge of Seventeen” lets us view this complex and intense time of life through the eyes of Nadine, as portrayed by Hailee Seinfeld, who has over the past six years blossomed on screen since her memorable role in  the Coen Brothers “True Grit” (2010) for which she received an Oscar nomination.

    Steinfeld in “The Edge of Seventeen” is in her first completely solo leading role with a character that is believable, and shows us that being seventeen is not easy – it can be a time when emotions are on the surface and bounce around ones psyche like no other time in your life. She shows the inner and the outer struggle of living a life that is not perfect and with her supporting cast shows us that no ones life is perfect.

    “The Edge of Seventeen” primarily revolves around Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) who has always been a loner and a little difficult – her mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick) favors her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) whereas Nadine is closer with her father Tom (Eric Keenleyside). At school, Nadine is constantly bullied for being different. One day, she befriends Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) and the two end up becoming best friends. At thirteen her and her father get into a car accident after Tom begins to have a heart attack behind the wheel. The next day, he tragically passes away, which spirals Nadine’s life to four years of misery.

    As a 17-year old junior in high school, Nadine continues to suffer from depression and social anxiety and Krista is still her only friend. In contrast, Darian is a handsome, fit, and popular athlete at school. When Mona leaves town for the weekend, Nadine invites Krista over for the night, and the two end up getting drunk. After Krista takes care of Nadine in the bathroom, she ends up talking to Darian. The next morning, Nadine walks into her friend in bed with her brother, which leads to a feud between the three of them that spans for several days.

    The film is rounded out with Kyra Segwick as Nadine’s mother, and Woody Harrelson as one of Nadine’s teachers who while being a quip machine is there when Nadine falls hard – and boy does she. However, while Nadine’s brother and best friend are also great, my stand out newcomer is Hayden Szeto as Nadine’s go to guy Erwin, who becomes a confidant and sounding board and is there for her every step of the way. He is certainly a young actor to watch out for in future roles.

    Even though the film stays true to most other coming of age films where everything ties up nicely at the end and almost everyone has some kind of revelatory moment or an understanding of some sort – and Nadine as the heroine of the piece makes her way to some kind movement towards her future she goes from a loner to possibly having a new clique and the ability to make new friends. It is also a revelation to watch her as audience member watching Erwins short film and see her slowly realise there is an entire world she knows nothing about – but really wants to learn about it.

    This is writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig’s first film and it is an auspicious debut with a great cast and a very good story – whilst not completely original it has enough spark and comment to get ahead of the pack – particularly at this time of year. As well as this it is produced by producer/writer/director James L. Brooks who over the years has directed similarly emotion films such as “As good as it gets” (1997) so this is completely in his wheelhouse and his experience shines through on this film.

    This is a very good film and I recommend to all – go see as soon as possible. In fact i can see it and Seinfeld’s performance making top 10 lists from critics and hopefully this will lead to some awards attention.

    If you enjoyed this then try these:

    “Some kind of wonderful” (1987)

    “Sing Street” (2016)

    “Pretty in Pink” (1986)

  • Blu-ray Review: “The Accountant” (2016)

    Blu-ray Review: “The Accountant” (2016)

    “The Accountant” (2016)

    3-stars

    Thriller/Action

    Running Time: 128 minutes

    Directed by: Gavin O’Connor

    Featuring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons

    Christian Wolff: [Dana is coming on to him] “I have trouble socializing with people… but I want to.”

    This is the third film this year that Ben Affleck has appeared in, and it is the first one he is headlining by himself after “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) and “Suicide Squad” (2016). This film is more grounded in reality but the quality of it is similar to his previous two outings, in that it attempts to be more than the sum of its parts – and ultimately fails to be anything meaningful – just another popcorn movie.

    The plot of the film is based around Christian Wolff, a mental calculator, who works as a forensic accountant at ZZZ Accounting in Plainfield, Illinois, tracking insider financial deceptions for numerous criminal enterprises brokered to him by a Voice on his phone, from a restricted number. As a child, Christian had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of autism and offered an opportunity to live at Harbor Neuroscience Institute in New Hampshire. Although Christian had bonded with Justine, the mute daughter of the institute’s director, his father declined, believing that Christian should overcome the hardships inherent in his condition rather than expect the world to accommodate. The pressure of raising a special-needs child later drove Christian’s mother to leave him and his younger brother, Braxton, with their father, a decorated military officer, who arranged for them to receive extensive training in combat skills, including martial arts and sharpshooting.

    Christian is being pursued by Raymond King, the director of FinCEN in the Treasury Department, who knows Christian by the alias “The Accountant”. King blackmails young data analyst Marybeth Medina into helping him identify and arrest the Accountant prior to his retirement, threatening to expose her undeclared criminal past if she refuses. King’s only leads are Christian’s numerous cover names.

    This sets up the film and sets up a hell of a plot which meanders around jumping from one crazy thing to another with enough twists to make you think maybe they are making it up as they go along. This may sound like a serious criticism of the movie but actually in an odd way makes it more enjoyable. One of the more humorous scenes is reminiscent of the Martha scene from “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” – it would have been nice if it had have been intentional but it is still quite enjoyable.

    This is truly an odd film I will be honest, but I found myself enjoying it for all the reasons I have not enjoyed Affleck’s other films this year – this one tries not to take itself too seriously and neither do the rest of the supporting characters, everyone is just chewing up the scenery – its great. The cast includes J.K. Simmons fresh off his Oscar winning role in “Whiplash” (2014) he really plays a great antagonist (sort of) and looks like he is having plenty of fun earning his paycheck. The only people I can see taking it seriously are Affleck and Anna Kendrick, as the kind of love interest and damsel in distress. It’s not a great role for Kendrick and she doesn’t have a lot to do – in fact she is absent from the last third of the film for no apparent reason, which is a little jarring and odd, but she does make an appearance at the end – just to reassure us she is ok and getting on with her life.

    If you want to watch a decent thriller and action film then this film is for you – there is no real artistic merit to it but it is entertaining and fun. In a year or two you may even re-watch – but for now go back to directing Ben, and maybe you could have a break for actually being the star in films.

    If you enjoyed this then try:

    “Jack Reacher: Never go back” (2016)

    “Inferno” (2016)

    “The Girl on the Train” (2016)

  • DVD Review: “The Fixer” (2015)

    DVD Review: “The Fixer” (2015)

    “The Fixer” (2015)

    Thriller

    Running Time: 120 minutes

    Created by: Peter Howitt

    Featuring: Kathleen Robertson, Eric Dane

    “The Fixer” DVD released this month is actually a cut down version of a four hour mini series broadcast on Fox in 2015. I have watched both and this two-hour version is definitely the one to watch as is has more pace and does not linger on non important plot points – I recommend this over the mini series as it a much better watch and more satisfying as well.

    This movie revolves around the after effects of a devastating accident involving a freighter and an oil rig, NAIA Investigator Ellie Molaro (Kathleen Robertson) is approached by an enigmatic man named Carter (Eric Dane), who claims the event was planned, and part of a massive country wide conspiracy.

    This is a conspiracy thriller that is vague enough to ring true but really fails to deliver any promise of a good story with a film made on what is a pretty small budget.

    The acting is ho hum with what seems like two actors in two different films. Kathleen Robertson as Ellie takes things quite seriously and offers a character with depth and heart. On the other hand Eric Dane’s Carter is all surface and all through the film there is nothing to hang on to, in fact all Dane does is yell a lot and offer no reason as to why he is doing anything in the film – it is quite a mystery – in fact if you figure out his story at please contact me.

    All in all worth a watch if there is nothing else going on otherwise skip it.

  • Blu-ray Review: “The Natural” (1984)

    Blu-ray Review: “The Natural” (1984)

    “The Natural” (1984)

    3-stars

    Drama/Sports

    Running Time: 138 minutes

    Directed by: Barry Levinson

    Featuring: Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Barbara Hershey and Wilford Brimley

    Pop Fisher: “You know my mama wanted me to be a farmer.”

    Roy Hobbs: “My dad wanted me to be a baseball player.”

    Pop Fisher: “Well you’re better than any player I ever had. And you’re the best God damn hitter I ever saw. Suit up.”

    In 1923, a 19-year-old Hobbs is on his way to Chicago to try out for the Chicago Cubs as a pitcher. Along the way, Hobbs encounters Harriet Bird, an alluring woman, who becomes fixated with him. Bird lures Hobbs to her hotel room, shoots him, then commits suicide. It is revealed that Bird kills rising athletes, having already murdered two others.

    Skip to 1939. The New York Knights sign the now 35-year-old Hobbs to a contract, to the ire of the team’s manager and co-owner, Pop Fisher. With the Knights mired in last-place, Pop is angry over being saddled with a “middle-aged” rookie.

    The film is primarily a tale of lust, crime, original characters and baseball. It is not sentimental and takes itself quite seriously at times. It is fun seeing the ins and outs of a baseball team almost a hundred years ago – things have not changed much, there is still tension between the owners and the players – the money at stake has increased of course. There are metaphors that represent the journey of life and family as well as what is important to the central characters – this has become quite standard for sports films as well as the overcoming of odds to fulfil dreams.

    It is ably directed by Barry Levinson, who at the time had only directed the drama “Diner” (1982), which had placed him on the map, and this film would mark the second of nine films he would make in the 1980s, it would place him on the map as one of the best directors of the past thirty years – he would an Oscar for directing the hit “Rain Man” (1988) – which would also nab star Dustin Hoffman an Oscar as well.

    The real star here is of course Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, who had not acted in a film for four years, but had won an Oscar for directing “Ordinary People” (1980), so this was a welcome return to the big screen and a sizeable hit for him. The supporting cast is huge and Kim Basinger turns up as a love interest but the part is not great although she was starting to make a name for herself in the movies, having been a staple on US TV since the mid 1970s.

    “The Natural” is a very long film and it feels it, mainly because of the a sub plot concerning game fixing and gambling which while accurate for the day feels dated and better handled in other films – it seems shoe horned into a story that feels like it should be more personable and dare I say it nostalgic – before tehnology started to enter society in a large way and baseball saw its first real erosion of the public to the game.

    I do recommend this as well as looking at the directors cut which Levisnon released in the mid 2000s – it gives a little more insight into the earlier life of Hobbs and may even out the story just a little.

    Special Features:

    • Includes directors cut as well as theatrical cut;
    • Featurette “The Heart of the Natural,” a 44-minute documentary featuring comments from Cal Ripken, Jr. and Levinson;
    • “When Lightning Strikes: Creating The Natural,” a 50-minute documentary discussing the origins of the original novel and the production of the film;
    • “Knights in Shining Armor,” which addresses the mythological parallels between The Natural, King Arthur and the Odyssey; and “A Natural Gunned Down” which tells the story of Eddie Waitkus, a baseball player who was shot by Ruth Ann Steinhagen, a female stalker, in an incident which inspired the fictionalized shooting of Roy Hobbs.
  • DVD Review: “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Series 1 – 3” (1962 – 1964)

    DVD Review: “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Series 1 – 3” (1962 – 1964)

    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – Series 1 – 3 (1962 – 1964)

    Mystery

    Running Time: 3000 minutes

    Created by: Alfred Hitchcock

    Featuring: James Mason, Robert Redford, Vera Miles, Peter Falk, Jayne Mansfield, Angie Dickinson, Tony Randall, John Forsythe, Peter Graves, Gene Barry, William Conrad, Bob Crane, Dean Stockwell, Diana Dors, Dabney Coleman, Gig Young, Christopher Lee, Martin Landau, Ray Milland, Bob Newhart, Leslie Nielsen, Anne Baxter, Robert Culp, Gloria Swanson, Darren McGavin, Roddy McDowall, George Segal, Bruce Dern, John Cassavetes, Dick York, Lillian Gish, Robert Loggia, Peter Fonda, David Carradine, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr, Vera Miles, Angie Dickinson, Anne Francis, Roddy McDowall, George Kennedy, Peter Lawford, Lola Albright, Lee Majors, June Lockhart, Ann Sothern, Bruce Dern, John Cassavetes, James Cann, Sally Kellerman, Jack Cassidy, Walter Koenig

    Alfred Hitchcock: “Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual.”

    Alfred Hitchcock is one of the greatest directors to ever create films, his legacy is complete and his films are timeless. His masterpiece is arguably “Vertigo” (1958), although of course he made many other amazing films – check them out!

    While his films had made Hitchcock’s name strongly associated with suspense, the TV series made Hitchcock a celebrity himself. His irony-tinged voice and signature droll delivery, gallows humor, iconic image and mannerisms became instantly recognizable and were often the subject of parody.

    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, which was a continuation of the program “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (1955–60). The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, like its predecessor, is an anthology series in the thriller genre. NBC renamed the program when they extended its running time from about 25 minutes to about 50 minutes and Hitchcock hosted both shows.

    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour premiered on 20 September 1962, three months after the conclusion of the seventh and final season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In its new incarnation with a 50-minute running time, the show lasted for three seasons. All three of these seasons are included in the DVD Box set.

    The three seasons still look very good in terms of today’s standards and the stories are still excellent even if a little dated in terms of content – but the overall themes remain relevant.

    Naturally, the language and violence are nothing that audiences are used to today, but they are sophisticated enough to want sharp and compelling storytelling, great acting and something that could look perfectly at home on the big screen. That’s what you get with The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The picture is razor sharp and of outstanding visual quality, whilst the mono audio soundtrack is as clear as a bell. The episodes range from being deadly dark to humorously macabre, and just watching Hitchcock slyly put down the shows sponsors, as well as his opening and closing skits, is worth the price of admission.

  • DVD Review: “CSI: Season 15” (2015)

    DVD Review: “CSI: Season 15” (2015)

    “CSI – Season 15” (2015)

    3-stars

    Procedural/Crime

    Running Time: 880 minutes

    Created by: Anthony E. Zuiker

    Featuring: Ted Danson, Elisabeth Shue, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, David Berman, Wallace Langham

    Kyle Ellis: “A freezer chest! What do you think?”

    Nick Stokes: “That’s never good!”

    CSI Mixing deduction and character-driven drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation follows a team of Crime Scene Investigators, employed by the Las Vegas Police Department, as they use physical evidence to solve murders. The team is originally led by Gil Grissom (William Petersen), a socially-awkward forensic entomologist and career criminalist who is promoted to CSI Supervisor following the death of a trainee investigator. Grissom’s second-in-command, Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), is a single mother with a cop’s instinct. Born and raised in Vegas, Catherine was a stripper before being recruited into law enforcement and training as a blood spatter specialist. Following Grissom’s departure during the ninth season of the series, Catherine is promoted to Supervisor. After overseeing the training of new investigator Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne), Willows is replaced by D.B. Russell (Ted Danson), and recruited to the FBI shortly thereafter. Russell is a family man, a keen forensic botanist and a veteran of the Seattle Crime Lab. In the series’ twelfth season, Russell is reunited with his former partner Julie Finlay (Elisabeth Shue), whom like Catherine, is a blood-spatter expert with an extensive knowledge of criminal psychology.

    In the final full season Finlay finds her car rigged to explode (“The CSI Effect”) as Sara and Greg are quarantined (“Bad Blood”) in the fifteenth and final season of CSI. As Russell and Finn are forced to embark on a hunt for the elusive Gig Harbor Killer, their team investigates a final series of gruesome and unusual cases, including a fatal shooting at a marijuana store (“Buzz Kill”), a chemistry experiment gone awry (“The Book of Shadows”), a death at a rehab (“Road to Recovery”), the world of rubber dolls (“Rubbery Homicide”), a murder at a jail (“Let’s Make a Deal”), a victim who died twice (“Dead Rails”), and a case that leads the team into the world of aeronautics (“Angle of Attack”). Meanwhile, Morgan, Sara and Finn are met with a shootout at a forensics conference (“Girls Gone Wilder”), D.B. turns to Avery Ryan for advice on the psychology of killers (“The Twin Paradox”), and the CSIs reopen a ten-year-old investigation (“Dead Woods”). Also this season, a chrome-covered victim perplexes the investigators (“The Last Ride”), the abduction of two teenagers leads to a surprising offer for Nick (“Under My Skin”), murder memorabilia brings back bad memories of the team (“Merchants of Menace”), Stokes leaves Las Vegas, and Finlay is left comatose after coming face to face with the Gig Harbor Killer (“The End Game”).

    CSI went through a number of changes over the past fifteen years, cast changes and multiple spin-offs, which have all been cancelled – and really the series went out with a whimper rather than a larger send off it probably deserved. The show rejuvenated the careers of some and created new careers for others. It also altered the way crime shows illustrate drama as well how crimes could be solved for better or for worse. For a number of years it also stayed away from the personal lives of the main characters, and when it did involve their lives took many episodes to investigate these fully.

    This season much like all CSI seasons covers a variety of inventive crimes and does have an overarching story, which concludes in the TV movie that is arriving on DVD in a month or two.

    This is recommended for fans of the show not for new viewers, but I do recommend watching all of the seasons – they are all available now.

    Special Features:

    – Deleted Scenes

    – Cool Cars

    – Girls Gone Gadgets

    – Following The Evidence

    – Killer Crime Scenes

    – All Dolled Up

    – That’s All, Stokes

  • Film Review: “Loving” (2016)

    Film Review: “Loving” (2016)

    “Loving” (2016)

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    Drama

    Running Time: 123 minutes

    Director: Jeff Nichols

    Featuring: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Nick Kroll, Michael Shannon and Marton Csokas

    Virginia Judge: “Richard Perry Loving being a white person, and Mildred Jeter being a colored person did unlawfully cohabitate as man and wife.”

    Isn’t life hard enough without having people and governments telling you how you can live and where you can make a home with your family? This is the dilemma faced by The Lovings, and one of the meanings behind this new film directed by Jeff Nichols, and arrives at a time where the US is as divided as any point in its history. This film could not be more relevant and in its way as prescient as if it were made fifty years ago.

    “Loving” follows the courtship and marriage of Mildred Jeter (Ruth Negga), a black woman, and Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton), a white man. They are arrested and sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958, because their interracial marriage violates the state’s anti-miscegenation laws. Exiled to Washington, D.C., they sue the state of Virginia in a series of proceedings leading to the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Loving v. Virginia, which holds that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional.

    This is the second film from Jeff Nichols this year and could not be more different that one; it was the Sci-Fi “Midnight Special” (2016), which in itself was also about family and relationships, themes that inhabit all of Nichols work from “Take Shelter” (2007) through to “Loving”, possibly his greatest cinematic achievement so far.

    “Loving” is a film that comes at a time when the issues raised in the film are going to be the number one concern moving into the next ten years as a Trump Presidency takes hold. After little more than two weeks since the US election there has been violence against minorities in ways that are condoned like a time not seen in fifty years. It is a shame that this film resonates through our current lives as people with little agency are unable to speak for themselves.

    The two lead actors Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton play two very different charcters, Edgerton plays Richard Loving a man of few words but giant actions as a white man who doesn’t see the color of peoples skin, he just see friends and family; Negga on the other hand is a woman raised in the country and she see this as her natural home with the city being an alien environment. All they want to is to be left alone and through many trials they gain their metaphorical and literal freedom from others.

    If you watch enough movies Joel Edgerton is an actor who has been making his mark over the past ten years in films such as “Kinky Boots” (2005), “Warrior” (2011), “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012), “The Great Gatsby” (2013), “Black Mass” (2015) and “Midnight Special” (2016), and he is turning into an actor that inhabits his roles and is not playing versions of himself – a tricky prospect for an Australian actor in Hollywood – and he shines here in what must be his most successful role yet.

    Ruth Negga is more of unknown quantity to most audiences and is probably best know for the number of excellent English TV shows she has been involved in. Negga is also a main part of the excellent new show “Preacher” (2016-) and this film lets her shine as the lead in a film that illustrates her skill as an actress to keep an eye on.

    The film recreates some of the actual photos taken of the couple and you see these in the film – the one that stands out and is seen at the very end of the film is Richard laying in Mildred’s lap while they are watching TV – it is a very good reflection of the couples relationship as they were devoted to each other and their three children.

    For me this is one of the films of the year and you should seek it out as soon as possible. “Loving” is also one of those films that will come to reflect our times right now and a warning to all that would seek to subjugate any person.

    If you enjoyed this then try:

    “Love Field” (1992)

    “In the Heat of the Night” (1967)

  • Film Review: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016)

    Film Review: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016)

    “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016)

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    Fantasy

    Running Time: 133 minutes

    Director: David Yates

    Featuring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo and Colin Farrell

    Percival Graves: “You’re an interesting man, Mr. Scamander. Just like your suitcase, I think there’s more to you than meets the eye. Kicked out of Hogwarts for endangering human life with a beast, yet one of your teachers argued strongly against your expulsion. I wonder… what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you, Mr. Scamander?”

    It’s 1926, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in New York, carrying a mysterious suitcase that is home to dozens of magical creatures that he has saved from around the world.

    In the streets of New York, he comes across Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) preaching about the existence of witches and other magical people. While Newt listens to Mary Lou, a Niffler, a small furry creature attracted to precious metals and gems, escapes from his suitcase and runs into a bank. Newt chases after it, causing mayhem everywhere and inadvertently dragging along a “No-Maj” (American Muggle) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a World War I veteran and canning factory worker who is at the bank seeking a loan for a bakery. After retrieving the Niffler from the bank vault, Newt takes Jacob outside and prepares to obligate (wipe his mind) him, but Jacob strikes him with the suitcase and escapes. Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), a demoted auror, arrests Newt and takes him to Seraphina Picquery, the president of MACUSA (the Magical Congress of the United States of America), who dismisses them as unimportant.

    From here the plot moves along at a real place, we are introduced to many characters and a huge back-story, the real issues of the film start to form around Newt, Tina and Jacob and they become part of a larger narrative – much bigger than what resides in the mysterious suitcase. The film is a prequel (of sorts) and so we hear familiar terms and names muggle, Hogwarts and Dumbledore, you cannot help but smile when these subjects are talked about – it is actually quite refreshing to make the link from this film to the Harry Potter series. But, make no mistake about it, this film and the ones to follow are not about children but adults, in a much larger world that is going to be overtaken by a very real fascist and a war that will reshape their environments.

    As usual for these films there are plenty of great actors involved, and they all know their place in supporting Eddie Redmayne as Newt, such as Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo and Colin Farrell. But my personal favorites are the scene stealing Dan Fogler as Newts new friend Jacob, and Alison Sudol as Queenie, Tina’s roommate, who happens to have a thing for Jacob and has her own unique magical powers. They are both revelations in their roles and I found them both to be most interesting and I can only hope they will somehow return for the sequels.

    This film is once again directed by David Yates, fresh of the very average “The Legend of Tarzan” (2016) and returns to the world he knows so well, maybe even better than Potter author and screenwriter here J.K.Rowling, in a cinematic sense anyway – after all Yates has directed the four most successful Potter movies and will return for four more Fantastic Beasts sequels.

    This first film has a few differences to the original films, it is set in New York in a mostly human world and there are few children in sight. And in this story even when children do appear humans are using them. There are many parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and in a possible coming Fascist state, there is indeed war brewing not only between the humans, but also the magic states that exist in this world.

    I, without hestiation, recommend this film to all, but particularly to adults as well as children – there is none of the heavy adolescent angst that permeates the other Harry Potter films and that is a welcome relief.

    If you enjoyed this then try:

    The Harry Potter Series of course

  • Film Review: “The Founder” (2016)

    Film Review: “The Founder” (2016)

    “The Founder ” (2016)

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    Drama/Biopic

    Running Time: 120 minutes

    Director: John Lee Hancock

    Featuring: Michael Keaton , Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Patrick Wilson, Ric Reitz, and Wilbur Fitzgerald

    Ray Kroc: “I know what you’re thinking, how the heck does a fifty-two year-old, over the hill, milkshake machine salesman build a fast food empire with sixteen hundred restaurants and an annual revenue of seven hundred million dollar? One word: persistence.”

    This is a film that doubles as a kind of biopic (although covering a brief period of time) and a correcting of a myth that some people may not be aware of. “The Founder” (2016) tells the true story of how Illinois salesman Ray Kroc met brothers Mac and Dick McDonald, operating a hamburger restaurant in southern California in the 1950s. Kroc subtly maneuvers himself into a position to take control of their company, which grows into one of the world’s best-known brands after he buys the chain for $2.7 million in 1961.

    John Lee Hancock has been making movies for some time and has directed a number of ‘based on a true story’ movies such as “The Rookie” (2002), “The Blind Side” (2009) and “Saving Mr. Banks” (2013), as well as numerous produced screenplays – he is a pro of the first order although lacks a signature or real credibility like some auteurs have. In saying that, the one thing he can do is extract great performances out of actors that may not be known for the one thing they are employed for. Hancock was part of Dennis Quaid’s re-entry onto the A List with “The Rookie”, he assisted Sandra Bullock to her first Oscar win with “The Blind Side” and made the under rated “Saving Mr. Banks” with solid performances from everyone including Colin Farrell.

    The star of “The Founder” is Michael Keaton, who from the opening scene carries this film like he has no other (maybe except “Birdman” (2012)), he is in every scene and plays comedy to drama to musical without any hesitation and is completely believable in every way – it helps he has a super supporting cast led by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch, as the McDonald brothers. It would not surprise me after all these years that Keaton would win an Oscar for this role, after narrowly missing out a few years ago.

    As the ‘hero’ of the story,  Kroc is a straight shooter, and after a disappointing work life he stumbles across the idea of McDonald’s, and can see it will be his golden goose and goes after it like his life depends on it. What is interesting is the fact that his belief is so strong everything in his life becomes secondary, his wife, friends and even what it means to be successful. There is no doubt that Kroc was ambitious but there is no way anyone that knew him could imagine he could be as ambitious as he is portrayed in this film. I cannot think of anyone better to portray Kroc than Keaton – he can switch gears from loving husband to ruthless businessman to a charming Lothario.

    At its heart this is a film about how an idea can become a global phenomenon and a business that has its fingers in many pies, as well as being able to influence global business and politics. This is also a film about capitalism and success beyond ones own life. There is no doubt that there are winners and losers in life and within this movie – but on balance it is also about rigidity and flexibility and cutting to the core of any matter – maybe an example of how America used to be?

    This is a very good example of what films can offer audiences in terms of a true story and the complexities that exist – the strength of the film is that it really is told from Kroc’s point of view – what may have been interesting is a story from the McDonald point of view – recommended highly.

    If you enjoyed this then try:

    “The Blind Side” (2009)

    “There Will be Blood” (2007)

    “Legend” (2015)

    This 1950’s handout photo received 13 April 2005, shows the first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois. McDonald’s is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year on 15 April 2005. Ray Kroc’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened on 15 April, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois. Fifty years later, McDonald’s serves nearly 50 million customers each day in more than 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries around the world. AFP PHOTO/MCDONALD’S CORPORATION (Photo credit should read HO/AFP/Getty Images) LJM04