RED DWARF VIII (DVD Review) - 29/3/06

Lister: "What in the 7 hells of Hades is that?" KRYTEN: "It's a Lesbion, Mr. Lister, Sir" Lister: "You mean Lesbian, gimboid" KRYTEN: "No, that's the male android version, Sir"
This is the final season of Red Dwarf to be released on Region 2 DVD and like Season 7 before it; come's as a 3-Disc Set with the Episode's: Back In The Red 1-3, Cassandra, Krytie TV, Pete 1-2 & Only The Good... lucky for us both Back In The Red 1-3 and Pete 1-2 come in feature-length editions (as well as their individual episodes) as they were meant to be shown as envisaged by writer Doug Naylor. Back In The Red 1-3 also feature's additional scenes in it's feature-length version. Now a lot of Red Dwarf fan's were not happy with the loss of Rob Grant at the end of Season 6 and thought the last two Series awful. I'm sorry - But I can't agree with that. If your a fan of a show you either like it in all it's forms or not. This Season 8 has a lot going for it with some Classic Red Dwarf moment's and some excellent comedy set-pieces that are very worthwhile. The introduction of several new character's like Kill-Crazy and Ackerman also add to the fun; as well as bringing back several old cast members. With a totally new setting and style this is a great DVD Set round-off before (hopefully?) we get to see further Red Dwarf on the big screen for it's feature-film debut. More Red Dwarf please!

SPECIAL FEATURES: On this 3-Disc Set the bonus features are a Cast Commentary and "The Tank" Original Documentary. You also get Deleted Scenes, Smeg Ups and a "Comedy Connection" Red Dwarf Special. Plus a "Super Models" Featurette and Storyboard Sequences, Children In Need Sketch, PBS Sketches & Idents, "Fight" Featurette, Trailers & Raw FX Footage. Further features include the Isolated Music Cues, "Dave Hollins" Radio Sketch, Photo Gallery, Weblink & Easter Eggs. It also come's with a Collector's Booklet. Rating 12, Aspect Ratio 4:3, English Stereo Soundtrack, Disc Format DVD9x3, Feature Length 227 Mins Approx, Extras 350 Mins Approx, Region 2 + 4 Colour PAL UK, Subtitles English Hard Of Hearing, BBC DVD 1693 - 2006 ISBN 5014503169329.

THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL EDITION DVD 26/3/06

This month's Special Edition DVD is the Complete DVD Collection Seasons 1-3 of "Millennium". This was Chris Carter's far superior series to the "The X-Files" in an 18 Disc Boxset currently only available in the UK on Region 2. The Special Features listed were exactly the same as the individual Series release with the only change being the cover to Series 2 in the Boxset. Both available in the UK and the USA as stand alone Series releases 1-3. So why feature this Boxset? Because quite simply it is one of the finest TV Series ever made that again was cut short by a mindless Fox TV Exec who had no idea what to do with it?? No only does the series plumb the dark depths of humanity it also reaches for it's highest points. Demons and Angels clash while man fight's against his basest desires in a struggle to preserve good against evil. Lance Henriksen in what can only be described as his finest moment as an actor strive's to keep his family safe from the many ills of the world around him and pursues evil down to it's very core while all the time trying to hold back the avalanche of despair building against him. I'm writing this with tears in my eyes - This series hooked me from the start and each episode revealed to me something about the world and the squalor that man can bring to it while also showing me the true beauty of love and a higher purpose. This has always been a dark series and amongst the darkness there is light........Frank with his love for his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and his daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady) struggle's with loss and desperation as he come's to terms with his psychic gift through three seasons of serial killers, psychopaths, rapists, government plots and shadowy occult organisations in probably some of the most graphic horror to hit TV screens. Forget the mass appeal of Chris Carter's other work - This is the TV Series that will stand the test of time. Season 1 cover's more of the serial killer/sociopath elements as most of our characters are introduced - Season 2 take's a diversion into the realms of mystery with the Millennium Group and Frank get's a partner for the first time - Season 3 expands on the first 2 series with elements of both and a new partner for Frank. I won't go into depth on the individual series or episodes suffice to say this is the only TV series that ever frightened me and it was worth watching for that alone.

SEASON 1: The Special Features on this opening season have two commentaries for the "Pilot" with Chris Carter and "Gehenna" with David Nutter. A documentary "Order In Chaos: Making Millennium Season One" and two featurettes"Chasing The Dragon: A Conversation With The Academy Group" and "Creating The Logo And Title Sequences". Plus eight TV Spots.

SEASON 2: Special Features on this set feature the commentaries for "The Hand Of Saint Sebastian" with Tom Wright and "The Mikado" with Michael R. Perry. Plus the two featurettes "The Turn Of The Tide: The Making Of Season 2" and the "Academy Group: Victimology".

SEASON 3: Special Features comprise the commentaries for "The Innocents" with Lance Henriksen and Klea Scott and "Collateral Damage" with Tom Wright. Two featurettes - "Endgame: The Making Of Millennium Season 3" and "Between The Lines". Plus an added bonus is the "Millennium" Episode from Season 7 of "The X-Files".

A SOUND OF THUNDER - (DVD Review) 25/3/06

Having always enjoyed time-travel tales I was always impressed with Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound Of Thunder" having read it more than 25 years ago now and thought it would make a good film. Having heard all sorts of horror tales about this film's production it doesn't come off that badly - Feeling like an extended episode of "The Twilight Zone" or some such? Having suffered the Prague flooding in 2002 and then the Production Company going bust it was a wonder this film saw the light of day at all - And in a couple of places it shows - Especially in the really bad early on CGI designed car scenes. One minute it feels like a feature film then drops into TV serial then back to feature film again. All it's problems withstanding - It's mildly entertaining and the edge of your seat thrills come from the "what if?" scenario. As time is changed; events spiral out of control and things just get worse. Ben Kingsley slimes across the screen as the sleazy head honcho of the dubious Time Safari Corp in a white shock wig which is fairly repellant in itself. Fighting in their own corners Edward Burns and Catherine McCormack try to hold the thin plot together under the direction of director Peter Hyams ("Timecop") Obviously Warner Brothers/Franchise Pictures shoved this Region 1 vanilla disc out with nothing but the trailers on it to hopefully recoup some of their expenditure. Expect it on TV or Satellite/Cable soon.

RUNNING SCARED - Film Review 20/3/06

Now please tell me why dross like the current "Pink Panther" remake get's a huge run at the flicks and a quality film like "Running Scared" last's about 2 weeks and get's no promotion at all. No posters, no big reviews, nowt?? The director Wayne Kramer wrote the screenplay/story for the film "Mindhunters" and I find it very suspicious that that film was also treated badly and left on the shelf for about 3 years before it got a belated DVD release - When in fact it's a tense, superb thriller directed by Renny Harlin with a host of stars like Val Kilmer and Christian Slater. Much the same with Wayne Kramer's excellently taut and tight thriller that grabs you from the get-go and doesn't let go from start to finish. This 18 certificate does not pull any punches and the drug-deal gone wrong from the start blazes into gunfire and erupting gouts of blood. Paul Walker has everything that could go possibly wrong in nail-biting agony happen to him as the character of Joey and Chazz Palminteri pops up as a sleazy cop following hot on his tail. John Noble from "The Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy also crops up as a russian head mobster and is a real nasty bastard. The story rattle's along at a frenetic pace not letting up for an instant and some scenes really drag you through the grist-mill. Wanted by both the Mob and the Cops Walker has to tread a fine line between both while trying to achieve his objective - The return of a stolen gun used in a shooting. By the time the film roars through; 2 hours later to it's shattering conclusion, tears were pricking my eyes and I was determine to get this on DVD as soon as it's available. Hopefully not a crappy vanilla release but a solid disc(s) packed with Special Features on the film and it's making. A pity that this film has been let down by the usual Exec Suits and Money Men. This is quality film making at it's best with a solid story and well fleshed out characters treated disgracefully and deserve's a much wider audience than it currently has.

ULTRAVIOLET - Film Review 19/3/06

Another film I wanted to watch mainly because the director Kurt Wimmer had directed "Equilibrium" with Christian Bale which I thought was far superior to "The Matrix". It also had Milla Jovovich in the lead and having seen her in "The Fifth Element" and "Resident Evil" I thought this would be interesting. Nick Chinlund is the bad guy Daxus you may remember as Toombs from "The Chronicle's Of Riddick" and plays a suitably unpleasant person with a hygiene fetish. It slaps you in the face from the start with swords meshing from bodies in hi-tech nano-wear suits and all guns blazing. Futuristic weaponary melds from hands and high speed chases with a bike roaring from floor and then sideways across walls as gunships rake destruction left, right and centre make this the film that "The Matrix" trilogy should have been - Followed by hand-to-hand fighting, swordplay slice-and-dice and then a confection of dazzling gunplay and explosions. The vampiric element to the story really take's a back-seat as the story is more about the "metaphor" of infection; which in our world actually come's across as quite close, with the current spread of HIV and the recent Bird-Flu invasion. Similiar in style and vision to "Aeon Flux" I feel this is the better film of the two. I look forward to Kurt Wimmer's next film and also look forward to Milla Jovovich in the next "Resident Evil 3" film.

HOODWINKED - Film Review 19/3/06

Heard the dvd was out in May this year 2006; so having seen the film, I will be buying it to watch all over again and again. Starting off as the classic children's tale of "Little Red Riding Hood" it soon morph's into a parody of "The Usual Suspects" and from then on the in-jokes run riot. Iniatially I found the animation hard on the eye but as I adjusted to this scewed world it gradually lost it's grating effect and dragged me wholeheartedly into these strange character's world. Glenn Close as Granny rips it up a storm and the Triple X pisstake is a brilliant hi-light of the film. The bad guy I picked up on fairly early in the film - But I'm not telling you who it is! The caffeine high squirrel Twitchy is fantastic and along with the voice talent's of Andy Dick and David Ogden Stiers with Anthony Anderson really put on a good show. Chazz Palminteri pops up as a sheep (another "Usual Suspects" nod) and all in all I enjoyed this tale. It has a number of good elements to it and I suppose you could say it's the "modernized" version of the story for today's audience. If you want an animated film that's unusual then I'd say check this out!

THE PINK PANTHER (2006 REMAKE) - Film Review 18/3/06

Saw the trailer for this and although amusing didn't think the film would be that entertaining and boy was I wrong. It was absolutely dire! After getting into the cinema and finding our seat's the guy next to me on the left was absolutely pissing himself with laughter, the tears were running down his cheeks, he leant forward guffawing and slapping the armrests and took another slurp of his bucket size Coke and HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA- and carried on and so forth. Unfortunately this was only the adverts and the film hadn't even started yet so this guy in his forties wipes his eyes and settles down. One can only think that a group of Hollywood Execs and Money-Men had decided to churn out another Pink Panther film having got their hands on the property and get some much needed cash into their coffers and which comedian would sink low enough to do it? Start it off with the original film theme tune and bung in a few cartoon titles and instant cash-cow - Much like the original series kept churning out. I mean does the world really need another Pink Panther film?? The film starts and my was it painful - so painful - that Steve Martin (Who did the screenplay) should take a host of Peter Seller's work and basically mangle it. I was never that fond of The Pink Panther Series or Peter Sellers (except for "Being There") but this was truely awful - excruciating in fact - I felt embarrassed watching it. I'm afraid that Jean Reno had wandered in from another film because he looked fairly bewildered by what was going on and I can only presume Kevin Kline had some bills to pay and this would cover the cheque. Beyonce Knowles probably needed another credit on her resume and thankfully Clive Owen's cameo as 006 was at least a saving grace for him as he was uncredited. Which lead's me onto the trailer: If you watch a trailer you expect it to advertise the film your going to watch, why then did this trailer have a scene in it that wasn't in the final film? A glass-cutting sequence that was actually funnier than some of the scenes in the film was used in the trailer but wasn't in the final cut - Why use it as advertising? Horrible! Absolutely horrible!! Guy to the left then get's up 20 minutes into the film and stepping on toes and banging knees need's to go to the toilet after Round 10 of big-slurp from bargain-bucket Coke which was a nuisance because it disturbed the film watching which actually came as a relief. Martin's parody of the Clouseau character drags the whole bumbling idiot routine through the mill and then suddenly out of nowhere in the last 10 minutes goes from moron to super-cop explaining the complete plot with intelligent observations and nuances without even blinking a comedy eyelid. Totally unbelievable! That this garbage should get a cinema showing and other quality films get put on the back-burner is truely disgraceful. This film was a total waste of time and I'm sorry but a couple of chuckles, a wry smile and a titter, do not a good comedy film make.

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN - Film Review 11/3/06

Like a lot of things, I got around to seeing this because I'd seen the trailer and thought it looked pretty good and I wasn't wrong. A fine cast - headed in the lead with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu as a pretty good double-act hold things together for the other's played by Ben Kingsley (Notice I say Ben Kingsley and not SIR - He's a fine actor and has done some excellent work but sorry luvvie; this affectation for being called Sir all the time is a little sad - Your a grown man and need to act like one!) with icy hitman Mr. Goodkat played by Bruce Willis weaving in and out of the story. Stanley Tucci plays a world weary policeman who is trying to sort through all the mess being left behind. Lastly Morgan Freeman brings some much-needed but softly-spoken class to the ensemble. But in this thriller what you see doesn't mean what actually happened and what may look like throw-away lines lead to something else entirely. The script is pretty taut with amusing one-liners and fairly memorable phrases with a smart turn of conversation(s). What start's out as a fairly light thriller twists into a shocking ending with a number of turns you may or may not get unless you watch closely from the opening titles to the end - Because nothing is as it seems and although I picked up on one plot point early on, other parts threw me. It get's rather visceral in several places; so this probably with the language, gave it it's 18 certificate. Suffice to say if I say anymore it'll give the whole game away - So watch this enticing thriller and make your own mind up. I certainly felt satisfied with the whole experience and the fantastic cast don't disappoint for a second.