THE PRESTIGE Film Review - 30/11/06

Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "Batman Begins" follows the trials and tribulations of two stage magicians thrust into a bitter and deadly rivalry as each attempts to best the other and everything you view about this film is false. Plots illuminate threads inside other plots and Nolan creates a cinematic version of the magician's "sleight-of-hand" in a way that everything is there for you to see it just depends on how you interpret it? Halfway through something struck me that I hadn't realised and then another sentence set me thinking and I had picked up two plot threads out of thin air "just-like-that" but then again was I right? A strong dramatic cast pull this whole bizarre story together with a touch of romance and sci-fi and strangely enough it all work's in a similar vein to Milos Forman's "Amadeus" except set in turn-of-the-century London in the late 1800's with even a cameo of David Bowie as Nikolas Tesla. This intriguing drama plough's through a field of light-bulbs (I kid you not!) in such an engaging fashion that you don't at once twig just how you are being manipulated into a big fall (In more ways than one?) come the end.
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale face off against each other as the rivals abetted by Michael Caine in a very shrewd choice of role as Cutter the man who really makes things happen. A slick, clever thriller than never really detracts you from it's main story across it's two-hour running time. Victorian magic and stagecraft has been rarely presented better.
Even the posters for the film have an air about them - The further away from them you look at them the more defined they become in another attempt at forcing the viewer to see something in a different way. A classic film destined to be mentioned in the future as another one of "the greats" - Pure distilled dramatic moonshine! (And incidentally I've played with and on words with this review that you won't understand unless you see the film!!)

SAW 3 Film Review - 30/11/06

Having seen the first 2 installments of this series I had heard this part of the franchise was extremely gory - Well that's a bit of an understatement! Starting off from the end of the first sequel we get a character hacking off their foot with a ceramic toilet lid then snapping it off and when it got to the bit with the power drill and bone-saw hacking into the lead actor's skull that was the point when I closed my eyes before I puked - It was that graphic. The story is excellent and is a very good sequel to the other two - But I felt that a lot of the violence did not actually enhance the story and was just thrown in for good measure. Not only do we get some clever twists and turns we also get a lot of back plot that ties up a lot of loose ends and adds to the overall picture of the three films as a whole. Having watched "Saw 2" on DVD when it first came out I was amazed that they had already announced filming on "Saw 3" and so nearly a year or so later it has arrived but like a lot of things several surprise revelations keep you guessing to the end - Or is it?

PAN'S LABYRINTH (El Laberinto del Fauno) - Film Review 30/11/06

Guillermo Del Toro's "El Laberinto del Fauno" (Pan's Labyrinth) is more a companion piece to his previous work "The Devil's Backbone" than another Hellboy - Even though it does have those elements of ancient mythology scattered around in there. Wanting to see this of course; I had to travel up the local railway line to the next big city as the local flea-pit wasn't showing it, seems to be a bit of an art-house run because it's Spanish language and subtitled. It's the sort of fairytale which isn't going to end "happily ever after" and more so depending on how you view the story and from what angle. This dark - VERY dark fable has it's setting in the Spanish Civil War and the rise of the Fascist Government amidst a mythological tale spun around a faun and it's netherworld of creatures (Doug Jones from Hellboy crops up) and a child tasked to perform ancient rites to open a way home.
Feeling unfortunately a mite overblown the two hour running time certainly stunned my arse in the cinema's uncomfortable seating as I munched on down a Herta hotdog slathered in tomato sauce and slurped on a big slushy. The sharpness of "Hellboy" and "Blade 2" was missing from this opus and it certainly was very slow. Whilst I have a copy of "The Devil's Backbone" on DVD and think it a fine ghost story I certainly can't see me adding "Pan's Labyrinth" to my DVD Buy List. Interesting enough to watch once and certain parts are fantastical (Particularly the Pale Man sequence) it's a movie that is one thing disguised as another - half-and-half in fact; and in some places, it's very nasty indeed!

STAR TREK THE ANIMATED SERIES {1st./2nd. Season Complete} (DVD Review) - 26/11/06

Having recently got together with Mr. Periwinkle to sort out and organise a DVD Recorder because Paramount had shelved the issue of this series - Lo and behold if they didn't sort out the legal wranglings between themselves and CBS and eventually issue the last series of Star Trek finally to DVD several months down the line - Hurrah! There are 3 things I don't like about this set: Firstly the plastic case's opening clip is hard to undo and secondly the actual discs sit inside a cardboard slipcase that is unfortunately propped onto two plastic struts - Over a period of time this will certainly wear and damage the casing. Thirdly we have some wonderful pictures from the series inside the attached booklet - But for some strange reason they have coloured these all orange so you can't really make them out properly? The above picture shows the outside cardboard casing and the one below is minus the outer cover.
Boldly continuing where Star Trek The Original Series left off, these animated adventures chart the progress of Captain Kirk and his crew in a universe unconstrained by "real-life" cinematography and gives us another 22 adventures to enjoy again once more with Star Trek in all it's glory!!
With this version of Star Trek the actors (minus Walter Koenig) we find the ideals of the original Star Trek shining through in Production and Story values and we even get some slight Special Features. On selected episodes we get either Audio or Text Commentaries and even a Storyboard Gallery. We get a very nice 2006 Featurette "Drawn To The Final Frontier: The Making Of Star Trek The Animated Series" with a very brief Text feature on the Show History and rounding it off a "What's The Star Trek Connection?" with small snippets covering the animated series contribution to later Star Trek history.

Available on Region 1 (USA) & Region 2 (UK) DVD as a 4-Disc Boxset with a plastic outer case. Region 1 (USA) Not Rated - NTSC Colour. Canadian Rating: G. Full Screen Format. Dolby Digital English 5.1. Surround with Spanish/English Mono. Subtitles: English, Spanish & Portuguese. CC. Special Features Not Rated and some not Close Captioned. 1973-1974. Runtime: 526 Mins. CBS, Paramount/Viacom 2006. 03167/11111006490/ ISBN # 097360316728. The naff 70's Filmation animation is a joy to behold....

THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL EDITION DVD 26/11/06

This month's Special Edition is "The Pod" 2-Disc Collector's Edition of "Event Horizon". Only found out about this from a friend who had bought a copy and then found out it was sold-out everywhere and had to purchase a copy from ebay (as pictured above). Unfortunately the idiot that sold it to me posted it in an A4 brown envelope folded and the postal service(?) managed to scuff the corner of the box - luckily not badly. This great film comes in a pod designed like the front of the Event Horizon ship from the film. The top clicks open and folds back on itself revealing the tortured remains of the crew in a hellish interior design (see picture below) inside that is a plastic slipcase and once taken out; inside that is a cardboard slipcase with images from the film, a 2-Disc holder and a nice little booklet. Paramount have done a great job on this edition's release - but could have done with some better advertising of the product.
So what can you say about this film? Having seen it at the cinema when it first came out watching it again on DVD brought back all those unsettling memories - and this film is unsettling. There is something about it which just doesn't sit right? Not just scary and creepy because you don't actually really see anything. Just a start of vague unease that gradually gets worse as the film progresses and feeling your in the wrong place and you should really get away. The style of the film which has been termed "Techno-Medieval" is apt - the vast ethereal open spaces and massive sets which at the same time seem oddly claustrophobic all add to the eerie haunted texture of this ghost story in space. The literally freaky looking machines and workings of the ship would be enough to give anyone the jitters - sitting through it for an hour and a half certainly frightened the shit out of me all over again and it's all psychological preying on people's fears.
At the time of the film's original release it failed dismally - but I thought it was excellent. Over the year's I was proved right as it gained a cult-audience following and earned the respect it was due. From the stylish sets and lighting to the brilliant casting of actors it really has stood the test of time well and as the director Paul W.S. Anderson admits it's a riff on the classic film "The Haunting" (not the remake) that shows you don't need a monster to frighten anyone you can do that yourself!
DISC 1: Has the film with a Commentary. DISC 2: Has all the Special Features. SPECIAL FEATURES: 5 Part Documentary: The Making Of Event Horizon. Deleted & Extended Scenes. The Un-Filmed Rescue Scene Storyboard Montage and Conceptual Art with Commentary. Plus a final Featurette: The Point Of No Return. Digitally Re-Mastered with English 5.1. Dolby Digital Sound. Region 2 (UK) Rated 18 - Colour PAL. Feature Subtitles: English & Mainland European. Running Time: Approx 92 Mins. Anamorphic Widescreen: 2.35:1. PARAMOUNT 2006. PHE 8460/EC110411DP/GI110411BB/EU 110411/ ISBN # 5014437846037>

ALIAS {5th. Season} (DVD Review) - 19/11/06

I could start by saying this last Season of "Alias" was smart, sassy, snapping and sparkling - But I won't. Obviously the TV Company thought so as well and cut short the season from 22 to 17 episodes and not before time either. I mean who splashes FINAL SEASON on it's packaging as though it's a good thing? This tired series which got lost around the third season stumbles along with no sense or explanation - old characters appear and loads die - and J.J.Abrams drags out the dull McGuffin of Milo Rambaldi for a final round of padding. At least the evil Sloane gets a surprise in a way I myself have often thought about? Why do I get the feeling "Lost" is going to go the same way? SPECIAL FEATURES: Selected episodes feature a Commentary. Three Featurettes cover "Celebrating 100 Episodes" and "The Legend Of Rambaldi" with the third "Heightening The Drama" covering the music of Alias. We get a feature on the new recruit "On Set With Rachel Nichols" and a Bloopers Reel. Dolby 5.1. Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1) - Enhanced for 16x9 TVs. Spanish Subtitles and SDH. Colour - NTSC Region 1 (USA). Runtime: 724 Mins. Bonus Material Not Rated or Subtitled. Touchstone/Buena Vista 2006. 50208/L2401/ISBN # 0788867105.

CASINO ROYALE Film Review - 18/11/06

The first Bond film I saw on the big screen was 1974 and "The Man With The Golden Gun" and I've continued with that tradition ever since - so was eagerly looking forward to my Bond outing with the latest version of "Casino Royale". Having seen the cool poster (as above) and the pretty dynamic trailer I expected a real treat and I wasn't let down. All the Bond elements are in place apart from a few obvious characters with an explosive start which carries on with a very gritty portrayal of Bond the man. Gone is the five punches to the jaw and the bad guy gets up again - this time if you punch someone in the mouth they bleed and Bond gets a fair amount of ketchup on his hands - a lot of it his own - so this version we are playing for keeps. My only quibbles are the chronology of Bond is let down (this supposedly is his first mission with OO status) and the cartoony credit sequence which I'm hoping will grow on me. Also the ending is a bit flat - it feels like it has been left open - depending on how you view it?? But it's a superb film - all that crap about Daniel Craig not being able too handle the role was just that - crap - he pulls off an ace performance and still manages a trace of humour amongst the violence. We get villains galore; some expert stunt sequences and fight scenes, and even an "Indiana Jonesesque" ending in Venice with a neat twist. All-in-all a very nice start for the new Bond and I look forward to the next production currently filming now - as the end titles say "James Bond Will Return" and if this was anything to go by the next one will be a cracker as well!

JACKASS THE MOVIE (DVD Review) - 13/11/06

I watched the original version of "Jackass The Movie" on a plane over the Atlantic to Las Vegas in 2003 and laughed like a drain so much it hurt! Having recently seen the sequel and plowed through the complete boxset; I found they had reissued the original in a Special UNRATED Edition and thought I round off my viewing pleasure by watching all the new stuff. Total, total insanity and madness, mayhem and destruction, puerile stupidity and childish antics - Just how far can you go? Quite a distance if this is anything to go by - You get to a point where people are sleeping and getting irritated and pissed-off and it starts to get nasty. Grown men rolling around semi-naked on mousetraps is quite funny; it just depends on how much piss, shit and projectile vomiting you can stand? SPECIAL FEATURES: Two Audio Commentaries and MTV's "Making Of Jackass The Movie" and Outtakes. 27 Minutes of Additional Footage covering 19 segments. Further "Too Hot For MTV" Additional Footage in 9 segments. Plus an advance Trailer for "Jackass Number Two". This edition also had an initial promotion which gave away a free $12 cheque for use in the USA to see "Jackass Number Two" for free! Comes with a Collector's Edition cardboard slipcase cover. Rating: USA - Unrated/Canada - R. Runtime: 88 Mins - Colour NTSC. CC. Special Features Not Rated. Widescreen Version Enhanced for 16:9 TVs. Dolby Digital 5.1./English 2.0. English Subtitles. MTV/Paramount 2002/2006. 11111004850/11834/ISBN # 1415724628.

FLUSHED AWAY Film Review - 12/11/06

Unlike a lot of the current crop of CGI film efforts this production oozes sheer class and quality with a veritable who's who of British talent on show with the likes of Ian McKellan and Bill Nighy. Leading the show is Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet with the sinister French mercenary played by Jean Reno (Who else?) as the hitman Le Frog in a piece of inspired casting. Cropping up along the way we also get Andy Serkis and Shane Ritchie, with Kathy Burke, David Suchet & Miriam Margolyes. Spot on vocal talent and a classy story put this feature on the up - Unlike the abysmal dirge of "Chicken Run" - This production by Aardman and Dreamworks actually delivers, harking back to the visual style of "Dangermouse" and "Count Duckula" you can see Peter Lord's pedigree touch on everything.
Initially pitched as a pirate adventure that idea was pooh-poohed by Dreamworks as "pirates" wasn't a seller (i.e.) this was before "Pirates Of The Caribbean" hit big time! So with a few changes we get "Flushed Away" the story of an upper-class rat who ends in the sewers and discovers a dire threat from The Toad to the rat city below ground. Visually stunning in a coleslaw tub of colours across the rainbow the background detail and inventiveness is one to watch as various "in-jokes" and various movie homages and visual jokes whizz past the screen in seconds in a blink-and-you've-missed-them fashion.
The clever nature of this product makes me forgive Aardman/Dreamworks for the failure of "Chicken Run" and this is already added to the top of my DVD list. The humorous asides and singing sketches send the film into a spiral of speedy chases and jokes as our heroes attempt the impossible in saving the city and it's inhabitants. Every scene is packed to bursting with jokes and funny one-liners the scale of this must run into the hundreds as something is always going on - You just need to notice it. Not only an intelligent movie for adults but will appeal to children of all ages as well. Sheer Classic written all over it!

FORBIDDEN PLANET (DVD Review) - 12/11/06

What can you say about this glorious film? I have waited about 10 years for them to eventually release a decent edition on DVD and at last it is here - The 50th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition. (Strangely enough I still have a large list of films waiting for a decent DVD release!!) This is probably the ultimate of all the sci-fi films from the 1950's and this Special Edition is jam packed with some excellent unseen Deleted Scenes & Lost Footage. One of the films I'd seen as a child that was genuinely unlike anything I had ever seen before and really inspired me in so many ways with a love of science fiction and fantasy and it work's on so many levels. The thin thread of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" clearly shines through but the alien views and the MGM backgrounds looking like something from "The Wizard Of Oz" and the breathtaking scale and size of the matte paintings and landscapes is phenomenal. This version at last has a new digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements with a soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. and boy what a soundtrack! On the second disc we get another classic from the 50's with a Robby The Robot feature film called "The Invisible Boy" a true slice of that period in black & white and paranoia. We also get a further follow-up vehicle with Robby The Robot in the TV Series "The Thin Man" with an episode entitled Robot Client. We also get three documentaries with the revealing TCM Original "Watch The Skies!: Science Fiction, The 1950s And Us" which has a host of very well known film directors (Spielberg, Lucas, etc) speaking about all those aspects from the period plus the new "Amazing! Exploring The Far Reaches Of Forbidden Planet" and "Robby The Robot: Engineering A Sci-Fi Icon". We also get Walter Pidgeon in excerpts from "The MGM Parade" TV Series with him on set (at the time of shooting) and clips from the film which make interesting viewing. We also get a nice selection of Theatrical Trailers from the period with greats like "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" "Them!" and "The Black Scorpion" as well as "Forbidden Planet" "The Invisible Boy" and "The Time Machine". Also released is a nice Collectors Tin Edition which differs from the 2-Disc in that is has a collectable figure of Robby The Robot, Reproduction Lobby Cards & Film Posters and has a fold-out clip in cardboard slipcase within the tin. MGM have really done a good job on these releases and I'm proud to be able to at last add it to my collection. Languages: English 5.1. Dolby Digital & French Mono. Subtitles: (Feature Film Only) English, French & Spanish. Widescreen Version. CC - Bonus Material Not Rated Or Close-Captioned. Region 1 (NTSC) Rating G. Running Time: Forbidden Planet - Colour 98 Mins / The Invisible Boy - B&W 89 Mins. 66912/ISBN # 0790792141.

JACKASS - THE COMPLETE BOXSET (DVD Review) - 11/11/06

Having never really watched MTV or Jackass: I found a desire to catch their earlier exploits and got the Complete Boxset of Series 1 to 3 plus an extra disc of various Jackass orientated goodies. The sheer stupidity and jaw-dropping craziness of the whole set is madness upon madness. At some points I had to close my eyes and on the whole for the most part it's extremely funny. The only down point in the whole set for me is the extremely crass American abroad during the Gumball Rally 3000 when Johnny Knoxville pays a Latvian "peasant" cash to kick Chris Pontius in the nuts - extremely poor taste and I'm sure he felt he had done nothing wrong. Volume One covers 106 separately viewable skits, 93 for Volume Two and 84 for Volume Three. The fourth disc covers the various Special Features such as the Gumball Rally 3000 and an up-to-date feature on "Where Are They Now?" plus the Jackass Cribs Editions and the Jackass VMA Cast Appearances. With the extra Brad Pitt features "Abduction" & "Night Monkey 2" plus Commentaries on some of these and a short Photo Gallery. The Special Features are strangely enough Not Rated. Also included with this set is a 48-page book from an Insider's point of view. Region 2 (PAL) UK - Colour. Some episodes may be (unfortunately - my words) edited from their original network version. Rated: 18. Subtitles: English and Mainland European. Sound: Dolby Stereo. Aspect Ratio: Full Frame. Running Time: 365 Mins. 2005 MTV/Paramount. EC111198/GI111198SC/PHE 8900/ISBN # 5014437890030>

POLICE SQUAD! (DVD Review) - 5/11/06

Like most stupid TV Exec's Paramount Film & TV is no exception to stupidity and they more than prove it by the cancellation of the Zucker Brother's "Police Squad!" TV Series after 6 episodes - Checking under the Special Features the sheer moronic crassness of Paramount is even more shown up which I will come onto later. This show was produced in the glorious 80's in 1982 and had all the Zucker touches added to it - Sight gags, background detail, slapstick and all mostly played straight. I had never even heard of the show or seen it; until someone had year's ago mentioned it to me at work, and had not even seen the late 80's TV repeats. Having seen the "Naked Gun" spin-offs and thoroughly enjoyed them I was hoping this would one day come to DVD and now here it is in all it's glory on Region 1 & 2 DVD - Both releases being the same cover and Special Features. I certainly had a chuckle as the Star Guest of the week; say William Shatner in one episode, is introduced in the opening credits and immediately killed off in seconds which became a regular occurrence for that week's star. I could go on and on but suffice to say this show stands the test of time well and is still funny now. As many of the classic Cop Shows of that period did as the programme ended the picture would freeze on a still and the end-credits would roll - In "Police Squad" the programme ends and the actor's freeze trying to stand still as the credits roll with often hilariously funny results as they furiously blink and try not to shake as a chimpanzee runs riot over background desks. The Special Features on this disc are very interesting and show on the Production Memo Highlight's just how inane Paramount were in censoring episodes, moaning about dress code (Jeez!) and then cancelling the show - Which must have really pointed out how thick they were when "Naked Gun" was a smash success, spawned 2 cash-till ringing successful sequels and drove Leslie Nielsen's star career stratospheric worldwide as a comedian. Watching the Gag Reel and the Casting Tests of Alan North & Ed Williams we actually see some of the original material before Paramount censored it. We get a current Interview with Leslie Nielsen and a Behind The Freeze Frames Featurette and a pretty crummy Producers Photo Gallery Of Scenery, Sets & Props (Yawn!) plus the original List Of Celebrity Death Shots. Also on 3 episodes there is also a Commentary. Special Features not rated and some not close-captioned. CC. Full Screen Format. Dolby Digital English 5.1. Surround & English Mono. 1982 Colour NTSC Region 1 (USA). Canadian Rating: PG. USA Rating: Not Rated. Runtime: 150 Mins. 2006 Paramount Home Entertainment. 11111005859/04751/ISBN # 141572217X.
If you thought that was great check out the excellent film's from the series: "The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!" and "Naked Gun 2: The Smell Of Fear" and the final film "Naked Gun 3: The Final Insult".