Coming Soon, Fantasy, Film, Film News, Foreign Language Films, France, WorldCinema
Luc Besson’s latest film is an adaptation of a comic book – Les Aventures d’Adele Blanc Sec.
The comics first appeared in the early 1970s in France and follow the adventures of Adele
The film is, unsurprisingly, produced by Europacorp with a soundtrack by Eric Serra.
Here’s the trailer (with subtitles)
The film is due to be released in France in April 2010
Action, blu ray, Film, Reviews, Science Fiction
2012 is a big production movie. While the Oscars this year may have gone to a much smaller film, 2012 is one of those films that you’d expect to see being mentioned for the sheer size of its budget.
2012 is being released on DVD and BluRay in UK and Ireland later this month, but I got my hands on a copy from the US yesterday.
Before I talk about the film, let’s have a very quick look at the bluray itself.
It is quite disappointing. The bluray comes with the now standard “digital copy” (does anyone actually use them?) and very little else. The “extras” are pathetic. There’s an “alternate ending”, which isn’t 100% finished, as you can see some of the CGI fillers. You’ll also find a commentary, but that’s about it. There’s no “making of” or anything on the visual effects. To be frank this annoyed me quite a bit, as I really wanted to know more about the visual effects and science they used in the film. Maybe it will turn up somewhere online, but do I have to “jump through hoops” to get this content? I’d have thought not.
So what about the film itself?
It is BIG.
It’s got a pretty big name cast (John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson) which is probably quite impressive in itself.
But what’s really big about it is the story and more importantly the special and visual effects.
If there was an award for most dramatic (and possibly over the top) scenes then 2012 would be a very strong contender.
The storyline is pretty simple and isn’t that different from previous “the end is nigh” type films. The notable difference this time round is that nobody is going to be drilling to the centre of the earth or going out in space to stop the comet / disaster / cause of destruction.
Is it entertaining?
Hell yes! I was completely riveted for the entire film.
Is it over the top?
Yes, but that’s no reason to knock it. I picked up the bluray of 2012 knowing it was going to be over the top. If it hadn’t been over the top I’d have been quite annoyed and disappointed.
Conclusion – see it. It’s great fun and the visual / special effects are amazing.
Word of warning though – some people might find another “end of the world” type tale to be quite depressing. I didn’t though!
HBO’s The Pacific (episode 1) aired in the US on Sunday. HBO are offering the first episode for free online, but future episodes will only be available to HBO subscribers.
(It’s still not 100% clear when The Pacific will air in the UK / Ireland)
So what’s it like?
it’s a BIG production. HBO has made a name for itself in producing very high quality miniseries that are of the same production quality as box office movies. The Pacific comes from the same stable.
The first episode opens with Hanks’ voiceover giving us a short historical overview of the events that led up to the US entry into WWII. We’re then whisked away to “join” the US Marines as they prepare to start “island hopping”..
As the episode progresses it’s clear that we will get to know some of the characters in greater depth. It’s also very clear that the producers don’t have any issues in with bumping off cast members if the script requires it..
All in all the show is very gripping and I’ll definitely be watching the other 9 episodes.
Will I order the bluray?
I’m not sure yet. I’d have to see how the extras were ..
The Pacific, which is produced by Tom Hanks, will be showing in high definition on several cable channels over the coming months.
The series, which follows the US Pacific campaign during WWII, is supposedly similar in style to Band of Brothers, which was a roaring success.
If you are a collector of TV and film memorabilia, then the Prop Store’s latest additions are for you. They’ve got a very nice selection of Pacific related items including both original props and costumes. I’ve bought some items from Prop Store in the past and the customer service was excellent.
The Hurt Locker was not a big budget movie – at least not on the scale of Avatar, yet it swept the boards at last night’s Oscars.
Irish hopes were not completely dashed, as Irish man Richard Baneham was awarded for Visual Effects work on Avatar.
This should be put in the “weird” category.
According to a story over on TrekMovie.com, JJ Abrams has been made an “honorary Irishman”.
Gotta love the way Oirish Americans get to give out those kind of titles ..
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