Topic: Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

[Tom]

Overview: The makers of 'Main Hoon Na' are back with the biggst film of 2007!

I wanted to wait with further recommendations but I couldn't let this go. "Main Hoon Na" is on my list for further recommendations for you. I quite enjoyed it.

[dfmorgan]

I wanted to wait with further recommendations but I couldn't let this go. "Main Hoon Na" is on my list for further recommendations for you. I quite enjoyed it.

Okely Dokely. On my to order list.

[dfmorgan]

Easy A

Year: 2010
Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes
Overview: In this charming, funny and critically-acclaimed tale of rumours and reputation, Olive (Emma Stone), an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing.

Now her classmates (Amanda Bynes, Aly Michalka) are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favourite teacher (Thomas Haden Church) and the distracted guidance counsellor (Lisa Kudrow). With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents (Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson) and a little help from a long-time crush (Penn Badgley), Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumour mill once and for all.

Watched: 6th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: Initially when this came up on the pre-release schedule I dismissed it after a brief look at the description offered on amazon UK. However I read further reviews of the film and decided to give it a chance and am pleased I did. Despite the theme of a girls reputation being destroyed I found this to be a fun and enjoyable film.

My Rating: A fun and enjoyable 4

[dfmorgan]

Alpha and Omega

Year: 2010
Director: Anthony Bell, Ben Gluck
Cast: Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper
Overview: Come along on the ultimate road-trip adventure that will leave the whole family howling with laughter! When Kate, a take-charge "Alpha" wolf, and Humphrey, a laid-back "Omega" wolf, are snatched by park rangers and relocated halfway across the country, the two must set off on an incredible journey home! With the help of a goofy golfing goose and his quacky duck caaddy, Kate and Humphrey won't let anything stop them –prickly porcupines, grumpy bears, even a speeding locomotive – from getting back to Jasper Park in time to help save their pack from rival wolves! And along the way, Kate and Humphrey learn that even though they are complete opposites, they make a pretty good team! It's a thousand miles of fun in this wildly entertaining journey the whole pack can enjoy together!

Watched: 6th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: An average animation which has its moments.

My Rating: A slightly enjoyable 3

[dfmorgan]

Let Me In

Year: 2010
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins
Overview: A haunting and provocative thriller written and directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), based on the best-selling Swedish novel (Let The Right One In). Chloë Grace Moretz (Hit Girl in Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious girl who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road), a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school. In his loneliness, Owen forms a profound bond with Abby, but as a string of grisly murders grips his wintry New Mexico town, he begins to realise that Abby is anything but 'the girl next-door'.

Watched: 11th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: The second film to be based on the novel 'Let The Right One In' by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Overall this film is the same as the original which is close to the book however areas do vary where each director concentrated on different aspects of the book. In this film there is less of the community spirit, less interaction between Owen (Oskar in the book and first film) and his mother but the detective has a higher profile similar to the book with a slight role crossover.

My Rating: An excellent slightly alternate take for a 4

[dfmorgan]

Taare Zameen Par

Year: 2007
Director: Aamir Khan
Cast: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra
Overview: Eight-year-old Ishaan's world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Adults are more interested in things like homework and marks. And Ishaan just can't seem to get anything right in class. When he gets into more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to boarding school to 'be disciplined'... New Art teacher, Nikumbh, soon realizes that something is wrong and sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.

Watched: 12th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: A captivating and really enjoyable film. No real surprises and a nice use of songs with no dance accompaniment.

My Rating: A captivating 4

[dfmorgan]

Veer

Year: 2010
Director: Anil Sharma
Cast: Salman Khan, Zarine Khan, Jackie Shroff
Overview: The Pindari warrior Veer (Salman Khan) plots to overthrow British rule in Madhavgarh, while falling in love with princess Yashodhara (Zarine Khan), daughter of King Gyanendra (Jackie Shroff) who as a prince, in the past, had betrayed the Pindaaris, leading to a massacre of 4,500 men.

Watched: 19th Mar.2011
My Thoughts: A mildly enjoyable film.

My Rating: A mildly enjoyable 3

[dfmorgan]

The Kids Are All Right

Year: 2010
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo
Overview: Academy Award® nominees* Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star in this funny, smart and vibrant portrait of a modern American family. Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) are your average suburban couple raising their two teens,Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), in Southern California. But when the kids secretly track down their "donor dad," Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an unexpected new chapter begins for everyone as family ties are defined, re-defined and then re-re-defined. Fall in love with this big hearted comedy!

Watched: 20th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: Oh dear, I should have listened to the Daily Mail's Christopher Tookey. He gave this 5 stars and rated it highly so I should have stuck with my usual instinct for his reviews and given this a miss but I didn't

Overall I didn't find this funny. I didn't feel for any of the characters even in the sad rather than funny areas that this film went into. It wasn't exactly boring but I wasn't grabbed by it.

My Rating: A ho-hum 2

[dfmorgan]

Machete

Year: 2010
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba
Overview: A bad-ass, star-studded action fest from Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico), MACHETE is the most outrageously explosive entertainment you're likely to see. Danny Trejo stars as a hard-as-nails Mexican Federale seeking revenge against a vicious drug lord (Steven Seagal), a ruthless vigilante (Don Johnson) and a power-mad politician (Robert De Niro). He is helped in his violent quest by a beautiful immigration agent (Jessica Alba), a tough revolutionary (Michelle Rodriguez) and by his brother, a priest (Cheech Marin), whilst also finding solace with a drug addict (Lindsay Lohan) along the way. Viva Machete!

Watched: 26th Mar. 2011
My Thoughts: A wonderful, outrageously over-the-top film. It starts like Rodriguez/Tarantino's Grindhouse with a scratchy print for the scene setting a couple of years back but moves into a clean print after the opening credits and into current times. Lots of hack and slash with plenty of guns, of all shapes and sizes, too. I found this to be immensely fun but it is not for everyone with plenty of blood and guts being spilled.

My Rating: A wonderfully OTT 4

[dfmorgan]

Summer Wars

Part of

Summer Wars / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Year: 2009
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura
Overview: Kenji is your typical teenage misfit. He's good at math, bad with girls, and spends most of histime hanging out in the all-powerful, online community known as OZ. His second life is the only life he has until the girl of his dreams, Natsuki, hijacks him for a starring role as a fake fiance at her family reunion. Things only get stranger from there. A late-night email containing a cryptic mathematic riddle leads to the unleashing of a rogue AI intent on using the virtual world of OZ to destroy the real world, literally. As Armageddon looms on the horizon, Kenji and his new family set aside their differences and band together to save the worlds they inhabit in this "near-perfect blend of social satire and science fiction". AinItCoolNews

Watched: 2nd Apr. 2011
My Thoughts: A lovely enjoyable romp. A bright and colourful update to the premise of Wargames. This time a malevolent AI is loose in the cyber-world of OZ and because practically everything in the world is run through OZ accounts the whole world is in danger.

My Rating: A thouroughly enjoyable 4

ETA: Part of

[Tom]

I also watched "Summer Wars" yesterday. You seemed to have enjoyed it more than I did. For some reason I didn't like it all that much.

[dfmorgan]

I also watched "Summer Wars" yesterday. You seemed to have enjoyed it more than I did. For some reason I didn't like it all that much.

I think I must have been in the mood for some lightish fun and this film delivered that to me last night. I sat down and watched this without interruption. Often I may do a little web-surfing on my laptop whilst watching films but didn't during this and that will always help gauge the rating I give the film i.e. if my attention is held it will generally be a 4 or 5 with a lack of attention being 3 or less.

[dfmorgan]

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Part of

Summer Wars / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Year: 2006
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Cast: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura
Overview: What would you do if you could "leap" backward through time? When tomboyish 17 year old Makoto Konno gains this ability after an accident in her high school chemistry lab, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. Before long, however, she realizes that even innocuous changes can have terrible consequences. Changing the past is not as simple as it seems, and eventually Makoto will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future for herself and her friends.

Featuring brilliant character design by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and stunning visuals by long time Studio Ghibli Art Director, Nizo Yamamoto, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a feast for the eyes as well as the heart.

Watched: 3rd Apr. 2011
My Thoughts: I know I saw this just over a year ago but I felt in the mood, after Summer Wars yesterday, for another anime and went for this the second film in the set. I found this to be still as wonderful a film even in this repeat viewing, although in High Definition on Blu-ray this time.

My Rating: A wonderful film so 5

[Tom]

Are you planning to submit new cover scans for these two?
I will do it, if the next time I am making scans none are submitted yet. But my scans are usually not that good. I don't have a good scanner and I don't bother much with retouching it.

[dfmorgan]

Are you planning to submit new cover scans for these two?
I will do it, if the next time I am making scans none are submitted yet. But my scans are usually not that good. I don't have a good scanner and I don't bother much with retouching it.

I was planning to get up to date with my submissions this weekend but didn't get as much done as I originally planned, however I will get something sorted within the next couple of days for these though.