Topic: Tom's Random Reviews

[Tom]

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012/United Kingdom) Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Director: Laurence Connor, Nick Morris Writing: Length: 104 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Subtitles: English

Stars:
Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot
Melanie C as Mary Magdalene
Chris Moyles as King Herod
Ben Forster as Jesus Christ
Alex Hanson as Pontius Pilate

Plot:
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock classic Jesus Christ Superstar returns to its roots with this sensational performance filmed during the Live Arena Tour.

An incredible cast including Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, Melanie C as Mary Magdalene, Chris Moyles as King Herod, and ITV "Superstar" winner Ben Forster as Jesus Christ, perform hit songs including I Don't Know How to Love Him, Gethsemane, Heaven on Their Minds, Everything's Alright, King Herod's Song and Superstar in an exciting and contemporary interpretation hailed as "a thrilling production" (The Independent).

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes
• Interviews

My Thoughts:

A very good production of Jesus Christ Superstar. It is a live performance.
Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite musicals. And the 2000 stage production released on DVD is my favorite version of it. This one comes close. I very much like the sets here. Also the singers were good, but I preferred the 2000 version. I especially liked Judas there better.
My favorite character interpretation here is Pontius Pilate. Very much different than in the 2000, though I really liked that version as well.

Rating:

[samuelrichardscott]

My brother saw this production live and said he really enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of Tim Minchin's comedy but it would be interesting to see him in this sort of role. Thanks for the review Tom, adding as a very low price point and low priority pricewatch for possible future purchase.

[Tom]

The Vampire Diaries: Season Three (2011/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United Kingdom) Director: Writing: Length: 848 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

[tom]5051892074919.4b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:


Plot:
The sexy and supernatural cast of The Vampire Diaries are back with the compelling 5-DISC 22-EPISODE SEASON THREE. As Stefan succumbs to Klaus, Damon and Elena wrestle with the guilt of their growing bond while they work together to bring Stefan back from the edge. And when Mikael the Original vampire hunter, Esther the Original witch and their children arise from their caskets to resolve a 1,000-year-old power struggle, Mystic Falls becomes a battleground for World War Vampire, with Elena caught dead centre between them – and, as always, between Damon and Stefan.

Awards:
Won:

Teen Choice Awards (2010)

Choice TV Villain (Ian Somerhalder)

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes

My Thoughts:

Another season which really captivated me. And now with that ending I am really want to watch the next season. But it will probably be a year until I get the chance to.

#	Episode	Rating
01	The Birthday
02	The Hybrid
03	The End of the Affair
04	Disturbing Behavior
05	The Reckoning
06	Smells Like Teen Spirit
07	Ghost World
08	Ordinary People
09	Homecoming
10	The New Deal
11	Our Town
12	The Ties That Bind
13	Bringing Out the Dead
14	Dangerous Liaisons
15	All My Children
16	1912
17	Break On Through
18	The Murder of One
19	Heart of Darkness
20	Do Not Go Gentle
21	Before Sunset
22	The Departed

[Tom]

The Lucky One (2012/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (Germany) Director: Scott Hicks Writing: Nicholas Sparks (Original Material By), Will Fetters (Screenwriter) Length: 101 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish

[tom]5051890109972.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Zac Efron as Logan
Taylor Schilling as Beth
Blythe Danner as Ellie
Riley Thomas Stewart as Ben
Jay R. Ferguson as Keith Clayton

Plot:
Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling und Blythe Danner spielen die Hauptrollen in diesem kraftvollen und romantischen Film, der auf dem Bestseller von Nicholas Sparks beruht. Nach drei Einsätzen im Irak reist der US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Efron) nach North Carolina, um die unbekannte Frau zu suchen, deren Foto während des Kriegs für ihn Trostspender und Glücksbringer war.

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Digital Copy
• Featurettes
• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

I didn't expect much. But I still was disappointed. I saw "The Notebook" and enjoyed it, and I expected something similar engaging. But the dialogue was just so cliché and the acting so bad, that it seemed more like a parody of a romantic melodrama. Even though I have to say that I groaned multiple times because of the stupidity of the screenplay, and had to laugh at the ridiculous of supposedly dramatic scenes, I was not bored.

Rating:

[Tom]

Take Me Home Tonight (2011/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (Germany) Director: Michael Dowse Writing: Topher Grace (Original Material By), Gordon Kaywin (Original Material By), Jackie Filgo (Screenwriter), Jeff Filgo (Screenwriter) Length: 98 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, French: DTS 5.1, Italian: DTS 5.1, Japanese: DTS 5.1 Subtitles: Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic

[tom]5050582865479.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Topher Grace as Matt Franklin
Anna Faris as Wendy Franklin
Dan Fogler as Barry Nathan
Teresa Palmer as Tori Frederking
Chris Pratt as Kyle Masterson

Plot:
Four years after graduation, an awkward high school genius uses his sister's boyfriend's Labor Day party as the perfect opportunity to make his move on his high school crush.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Wendecover

My Thoughts:

Not actually any surprises in the movie, but I enjoyed it. It came to my attention because of Anna Faris. She does a good job as usual, but of the four on the cover, her role is the smallest. Or at least it seemed like it. I also wanted to check out this movie, because of Teresa Palmer, who I only knew from "I am Number Four" beforehand.

Rating:

[samuelrichardscott]

Thanks for the review Tom. Sounds/looks like fairly standard fare so I've put a pricewatch at £6.

[Tom]

Thanks for the review Tom. Sounds/looks like fairly standard fare so I've put a pricewatch at £6.

Yeah, it is rather standard fare, with a few nice moments. £6 sounds about right.

[Tom]

Teri Meri Kahaani (2012/India) IMDb | Wikipedia Alive, Rapid Eye Movies (Germany) Director: Kunal Kohli Writing: Robin Bhatt (Screenwriter) Length: 122 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shahid Kapoor as Govind / Javed / Krrish
Priyanka Chopra as Ruksar / Aradhana / Radha
Prachi Desai as Mahi
Neha Sharma as Meera
Raj Singh Arora

Plot:
The true love between a couple in 1910, 1960 and 2012. Their love is so strong that even destiny wants to bring them together.

Extras:

• Featurettes
• Scene Access
• Trailers

My Thoughts:

I didn't expect much of this movie. Especially because of the rather low rating on IMDb. But I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it throughout. All the three storylines were fun to watch. The music was also okay. And there was a very nice sequence which was paying tribute to Charlie Chaplin.
I bought this movie because of Priyanka Chopra. There are some movies with her that I really enjoy. Like "Krrish", "What's Your Rashee?" and "Pyaar Impossible". But she also has some really big turds. Luckily this is one of her good works.


Rating:

[Tom]

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012/India) IMDb | Wikipedia Rapid Eye Movies, Alive (Germany) Director: Yash Chopra Writing: Devika Bhagat (Screenwriter), Aditya Chopra (Screenwriter) Length: 175 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35 Audio: German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Hindi: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan as Samar Anand
Katrina Kaif as Meera Thapar
Anupam Kher as Meera's father
Anushka Sharma as Akira Rai
Rishi Kapoor as Imran

Plot:
After finding and losing his true love in London, Samar Anand defies death by becoming a bomb disposal expert for the Indian Army. Returning to London after 10 years, he suffers amnesia after an accident. Will he be reunited with his love?

Awards:
Won:

Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Lyricist (Gulzar)
Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Supporting Actress (Anushka Sharma)

Nominated:

Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Actor (Shah Rukh Khan)
Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Lyricist (Gulzar)
Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Playback Singer - Female (Neeti Mohan)
Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Playback Singer - Female (Shreya Goshal)
Filmfare Awards (2013)		Best Playback Singer - Male (Rabbi Shergill)

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This movie has a lot of milestones. It is Yash Chopra's first film after an eigth year pause (his last film was the great Veer-Zaara, also with Shah Rukh Khan). It marks his 50th anniversary of his Bollywood career. And sadly it was also his very last film, because he died shortly after filming it. Another milestone in this movie: Shah Rukh Khan's first on-screen kiss. Kissing in Bollywood movies has been a taboo which only has been broken more and more in recent years. Even though, Shah Rukh Kan was still holding out. I had read an interview of him, where he said he would never do it. So imagine my surprise, that he did in this movie.
I bought this movie on the day of the release, even though the price was quite high, because I really wanted to see another Shah Rukh Khan movie, which was more like his older movie and not like the ones in recent years. It promised to be more like Veer-Zara, and it almost kept this promise. It is not quite as great, but still a lot of fun and at times touching. Both love interests did a great job. I really happy to see Anushka Sharma and SRK together in another movie since Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is one of my favorite movies. Katrina Kaif also did a good job. Though it would have been fun to see SRK reunite with Preity Zinta for this movie (who starred with SRK in Veer-Zara and Kal Ho Naa Ho).

Rating:

[Tom]

The Ugly Truth (2009/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Germany) Director: Robert Luketic Writing: Nicole Eastman (Story By), Nicole Eastman (Screenwriter), Karen McCullah Lutz (Screenwriter), Kirsten Smith (Screenwriter) Length: 96 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish

[tom]4030521719040.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Katherine Heigl as Abby
Gerard Butler as Mike
Bree Turner as Joy
Eric Winter as Colin
Nick Searcy as Stuart

Plot:
A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

Awards:
Nominated:

Teen Choice Awards (2009)		Choice Summer Female Hottie (Katherine Heigl)
Teen Choice Awards (2009)		Choice Summer Movie - Romance

Extras:

• BD-Live
• Bonus Trailers
• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• movieIQ
• Outtakes
• Scene Access
• Trailers
• Wendecover

My Thoughts:

I have bought this movie in a bargain and it has been in my unwatched pile for a while now. After Pete posted his review today I thought it would be a good time finally watching it. And I must say I was really surprised how much I was enjoying this movie. Definitely better than I was expecting.

Rating:

[samuelrichardscott]

Agree with both yourself and Pete. It's not breaking any barriers but it does sit with me better than most Hollywood rom-coms. I like Heigl and Gerard  Butler was the right choice here than your usual boyband type male lead.

[Tom]

By the way I would be the first in line to see a Captain America (my favourite super hero) movie, even buy the old Albert Puyn (?) one if it would be available.

Jimmy, I stumbled across this old post. Have you seen the Captain America movie with Chris Evans? I am not sure if you commented on it yet.

[Jimmy]

You mean the recent one? If you talk about that one the answer is no, just looks too CGI for me like the majority of the super-hero studio movies made those days.

But I have the Albert Puyn one on pre-order wich is more my cup of tea.

[Tom]

Lover Come Back (1961/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Director: Delbert Mann Writing: Stanley Shapiro (Writer), Paul Henning (Writer) Length: 103 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1, French: Dolby Digital 1, German: Dolby Digital 1, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

[tom]I91A820AE2DCF113F.4b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Rock Hudson as Jerry Webster/Doctor Linus Tyler
Doris Day as Carol Templeton
Tony Randall as Peter Ramsey
Edie Adams as Rebel Davis
Jack Oakie as J. Paxton Miller

Plot:
ROCK HUDSON, DORIS DAY and TONY RANDALL light up the screen with laughter aplenty in this romantic comedy that features Day and Hudson as two Madison Avenue advertising rivals.

Awards:
Nominated:

Academy Award (1961)		Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning)
AFI (1961)		100 Years... 100 Laughs (2000)
Golden Globe (1961)		Actor in a Supporting Role (Tony Randall)

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Trailers

My Thoughts:

After the recent talk about Doris Day movies, I decided to watch the second movie of my three-movie set today. The other I already have seen a while ago was "Pillow Talk".
I enjoyed this movie. I am not sure, if it was on purpose of the writers, but it adds a whole new level to almost anything that Rock Hudson's character says, if you know that Rock Hudson was a closeted gay man.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Hunger Games (2012/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Lionsgate Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Gary Ross Writing: Gary Ross (Screenwriter), Suzanne Collins (Screenwriter), Billy Ray (Screenwriter), Suzanne Collins (Original Material By) Length: 143 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

[tom]5060223767291.4b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen
Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne

Plot:
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Sixteen year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister's place and must rely upon her sharp instincts when she's pitted against highly trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Awards:
Won:

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2012)		Best Actress in an Action Movie (Jennifer Lawrence)
Empire Magazine Awards (2013)		Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Female Performance (Jennifer Lawrence)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Fight (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Alexander Ludwig)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Male Performance (Josh Hutcherson)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best On-Screen Transformation (Elizabeth Banks)

Nominated:

Golden Globe (2012)		Best Original Song - Motion Picture (Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T-Bone Burnett)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Cast
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Hero (Jennifer Lawrence)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Best Kiss (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Breakthrough Performance (Liam Hemsworth)
MTV Movie Awards (2012)		Movie of the Year

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Photo Gallery
• Featurettes
• Interviews

My Thoughts:

When I first heard about this movie, my first thought was that it sounds like a total Battle Royale rip-off. So I wasn't all that keen to watch this movie. I have waited until the price for the blu-ray came down. After seeing it, I still think it rips off Battle Royale. Though it has a much slower start and a not as effective pay off. They had been rumors of a Battle Royale remake, but I fear if they do it now, people will think that it rips off The Hunger Games. I rewatched BR after watching Hunger Games to make sure if I still feel that it is the superior movie. And yes, it is by far.

Rating: