Results tagged “review”

The original Clash of the Titans wasn't "great cinema", but it obviously did well enough to attract interest in this remake. Unfortunately the remake it a bit of a damp squid.

On general release in both standard and 3D, Clash of the Titans is one of those films that you can happily wait for the DVD or Bluray release to watch.

Avatar's Sam Worthington plays Perseus, son of Zeus (Liam Neeson). His "father" on earth Spyros is played by Pete Postlewaithe, so on the casting side of things they've definitely got plenty of heavy hitters.. and don't forget Ralph Fiennes as Hades.

But it's pretty clear that the casting cannot compensate for the truly awful script. Sitting in the dark of the cinema you literally find yourself fidgeting, which is not a good sign!

On the plus side, some of the visual and special effects are pretty slick, but only when you compare them to the original. However a few special effects and a good cast doesn't really save this film.

If you want to watch it so be it, but there are better ways to spend a couple of hours.

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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!

"Did You Hear About The Morgans?" is not going to change your life or make cinema history. You wouldn't expect it to.

What it is, however, is a good little romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.

The Morgans are having problems with their marriage. When they happen to witness a murder and end up being put into a witness relocation program the fun really begins. Both of the Morgans are high powered execs that live their lives with their Blackberries and are used to the New York city life. The US Marshalls place them in a tiny town in the middle of Wyoming where they're completely cut off from the city life and all they are used to.

The results are amusing. Not hilarious most of the time, but quite amusing.

Hugh Grant plays Hugh Grant basically. While that can be quite amusing at times it can get a little tired.

The supporting cast include Sam Elliot (Ghost Rider, The Golden Compass), who seems to have been playing cowboys for an eternity. This time round he's matched with Mary Steenburgen (Step Brothers) , who seems to like guns more than jewelry.

Here's a clip:

Jennifer's Body stars Megan Fox (Transformers), who reprises her "hot babe" style role and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia) who is trying to play a convincing "ugly duckling".

Basic plotline - Jennifer thrives on the flesh of boys. If she doesn't get flesh / blood often enough she begins to lose her looks - getting paler and more "washed out" over time. The fresh blood keeps her looking young and attractive

I could go into more detail about the dynamic between the two leading female actors. (The lesbian undertones are quite interesting... )
I could try to justify the script's weaknesses
I could even try to convince you that it was worth going to see, but who am I kidding?

Jennifer's Body will be available on DVD, BluRay and cable TV. Wait until it is.

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Largo Winch is based on a Belgian comic book series. While the comic books may have been Belgian, the film is French made with an international cast.

The film's plot is quite reminiscent of James Bond, possibly mixed in with a few other characters, though to be frank, I'm not really sure who.

The Winch corporation is one of the top five richest companies in the world, so when the head of the corporation dies suddenly the group's future hangs in the balance. Enter Largo (Tomer Sisley), Winch Sr.'s adopted son. Of course that would be quite boring, but Winch junior is anything but the ideal heir to the corporate "throne". He's rough and quite dangerous - a bit like Daniel Craig's James Bond in many respects.

As the story unfolds there's both the corporate shenanigans surrounding the inheritance, coupled with the all action hunt to find out who was responsible for Winch's death.

There's plenty of action, gorgeous girls (Mélanie Thierry and Bojana Panic), dodgy gun runners (Karel Roden) Kristin Scott Thomas speaking French, some sex, more action and plenty of intrigue.

The plot twists quite a bit which was a pleasant surprise, so you are kept guessing almost to the end.

If for nothing else you should watch this film for the locations. Large parts of the film were shot in Sicily, Hong Kong, Bosnia and Malta, so the scenery is stunning.

The bluray edition that I got offered two audio tracks:
VF - ie. 100% dubbed into French, in 7.1, while the VO ie. mixture of French, English and other languages with French subtitles, comes with 5.1. Bit of an odd choice, but the audio quality is excellent nevertheless.

Extras include commentary from Jerome Salle and Tomer Sisley, two "making of" documentaries, deleted scenes, the stunts, physical preparation for Largo Winch, The creator of Largo Winch, Storyboard comparison, Trailer and another feature on the character of Largo Winch.

According to some online sources they are currently working on a sequel, which could be interesting.

In any case, if you like good action films then grab a copy of Largo Winch (warning - it's not available in English as yet)

The Blade trilogy naturally lend themselves to bluray.

All three films have great visuals and a pumping soundtrack which deserves the kind of audio treatment only bluray transfers can really bring.

So why is it that Blade's only bluray release so far is the Canadian one?

And why is that release completely devoid of extras?? (Unless you count a choice of 3 audio tracks as an extra .. )

If you ignore the total lack of extras what are you left with?

The picture quality is pretty good, but not exactly amazing.
The audio track is excellent for the most part, though several people seem to have expected the bass track to be a lot heavier. Personally I didn't notice, though I did have to turn down the volume!

Amazon.ca is listing upcoming releases of both Blade sequels on bluray, but if the releases are as underpowered as this one I wouldn't rush to get them.