What DVD have you just watched?

Children Of Men

A real curates egg IMO.

Good acting;
Interesting Premise;
Excellent Production values;
Really weak story.

It is an elongated chase movie. There is no attempt to explain the central issue, or why the event the drives the film occurs.

What we have is a bleak dystopian not too distant future with Clive Owen playing an everyman hero, in what I think is his typical wooden style. There are a plethora of loose end in what I found was a really unsatisfying film.

M

Eragon

A film based on a highly derivative book. The script simplifies the plot and the, already, two dimensional characters.

....but, the film is OKish as a teenage fantasy tale. Compared to Dungeons & Dragons this is Shakespeare! The main issue I found with the film is poor acting. The lead was occasionally weak, Jeremy Irons was really quiet good, the British old stagers are typically professional, the rest - including John Malkovitch - are dreadful.

M

The latest Hally Berry and Bruce Willis film.

V. good twists!!!

quote:

The Hidden

@ Mr underhill - its brilliant. Any movie that starts with a rockin (and ruthless) car chase of the nature of The hidden and still manage a plot, is worthy of consideration. still love it after all these years.

Whump.

BiGH47, the bourne ultimatum, surely to are not suggesting we watch illegal pirate copys of films are you.

quote:

BiGH47, the bourne ultimatum, surely to are not suggesting we watch illegal pirate copys of films are you.

Absolutely NOT. My neighbour loaned me a genuine copy he got in a market in Paphos, Cyprus. So who am I to doubt him?

Hot Fuzz Simon Pegg and a lovely cameo cast. Bloody funny. Really bloody funny. I try not to have expectations; yet after Shawn of the Dead, I certainly had high hopes. Found it achingly funnny accompanied by a good pizza and a bottle of fine south australian shiraz. Thoroughly recommended film. The wine needs no recommendation, of course.

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
Tonight the classic Cheech&Chong's Up In Smoke.

Does that include the famous lets make a dope deal routine?

Mine is 300 loved it.

Mr Underhill did you read the book 'Children of men'

There is no attempt to explain why in the book either, and the bleakness and colour of the film really does the book justice.

I loved it.

However, I did borrow Alien V Predator from a mate today, having avoided it for three years. Quite possibly the worst film I have ever encountered. It was actually quite funny.

Hi Gary,

No - I take it you'd recommend the book?

M

quote:

Originally posted by mjamrob:
Hi Mr Underhill,

I will wait with interest for your report.

regards,

mat

Hi Mat,

Sorry for the delay - the DVD only arrived the week before last, and I was on holiday last week.

Dune - Extended Version

In short, this doesn't fix my main issues with the theatrical release, introduces new issues and has a a slightly poorer PQ.

The makers of this extended version have added to the commentary - re-recording it in a male fairly flat voice. The substantially extended intro is, to me, just a confused mess - unless you already know the story.

During this prologue a number of sub-par graphics are used; as further ones are at a number of points in the film.

The film extends many scenes and introduces new ones BUT the film is less even and more disjointed.

The film hints at the deeper plotlines of the book without properly dealing with them.

Finally the poor ending of the film is left unaltered.

For me the DVD is worth having as it shows what a good editing job was done to produce the theatrical cut ...I would LOVE to read the original screenplay.

M

Hi M,

Thank you for your review. It is a pity that the ending of the film is unaltered; the rain scene spoils the film.

Is your copy R2 and where did you get it? I have looked on play.com and their only listing is for a R1 DVD.

Kind regards

Rob

"Walk The Line" last night. Excellent Johnny Cash bio-pic.

OK, last night I watched probably the best film I've seen all year. It's called Joyeux Noel. It retells the remarkable events of Christmas Eve 1914 on the front line. I won't say any more but those of you who know your WW1 history will recall what happened. WOnderful, wonderful film... It's Christmas soon, so do everyone in your family a favour and go out and get this one. You will NOT regret it.

Oh, and as an aside, the transfer is really good on DVD

Capote



Can't say I got a lot from this. The man was unknown to me, and so had no resonance for me, I therefore had to take the film at face value bringing nothing to it.

The film tells of the researching and writing of his one famous novel, and the book that seemed to break him. He is played as effete - an interpretation that is borne out by some historic footage in the extras. Of more interest to me was the partnership with Harper Lee, whether this was consummated looks doubtful in the film.

As I love 'To Kill a Mockingbird' I did a bit of digging following the film and found that Lee lived next to Capote when growing up and based the character of Dill on him.

My problem with Capote is that I did not empathise with him. As events moved forward and he started to implode I just saw him as human leech and voyeur.

One I hired and won't be buying.

Helen Mirren - Prime Suspect - Inner Circles.

Very good.

Chris N

Nobody gets murdered. There are no car chases and nothing blows up.

I maybe an old softy but this is enjoyable with well painted characters and the usual extra atmosphere that Ridley Scott brings

Geoff

Monsters Inc.

Not strictly on DVD but recorded off-air to my HDD, "The Trench" an excellent small scale film set in the Western Front immediately before the Somme offensive on 1 July 1916. A fine cast of British and Irish actors, with Daniel Craig excellent as the veteran sergeant trying to look out for the young lads under his command. Not a blood-and-guts war movie but well worth seeking out.

"If" the brilliant Lindsay Anderson film from 1968. Surreal and revolutionary stuff. Has transferred well to DVD.

The 5 CD box set of BladeRunner movies has just arrived and I had a quick peek at the Final Cut. The picture quality is much improved as is the sound track. One amend that I did appreciate was in the scene with Bryant and Dekkerd when Bryant is describing his Replicant problem - he now says that two of the Replicants were fried on an electic fence so finally making more sense of the numbers remaining in the film.

I look forward to the arrival of a new 42" plasma to see the film in greater glory than via my PC's LCD screen.

KR

Rob

JR on Film 2007 showed a snippet from the Blade Runner 'extras' in which Harrison says he had to keep telling Ridley to remove any suspicion that Dekkerd was a replicant himself, from the way he had Ford portray the character in filming.

regards
Geoff

But...but....but...Deckard is a replicant!

That's why he dreamed of the unicorn, why he had all the old photos festooned on his piano.

quote:

That's why he dreamed of the unicorn, why he had all the old photos festooned on his piano.

yeh yeh.....and of course he was a poor man's version with no strength (couldn't deal with Rutger) who just happened to not have a body clock ticking down to zero !