Archive for June, 2009
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Out to own on DVD and Blu-ray 23rd November
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Are you ready for adventure; for danger; for death? Are you ready for the third episode in the Ice Age series? Boldly going where no other mammals dare to tread, the lovable bunch of sub-zero heroes, Manny, Ellie and Diego, are led from the comfort of their icy surroundings, as they know it, into a dangerous, but tropical and submerged dinosaur world below the ice layers, all because Sid the wreckless sloth reckons he has he has the superior parenting skills of Jolie or Madge. Yes, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs does offer more adventure, animated theatrics and thrilling chases - and all in 3D, even though the plot isn’t exactly rocket science. But try as hard as any film critic might to knock the latest tale, the saga’s infectious, slapstick fun brings out the kid in all of us, and melts any cynical old heart.
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Released 3rd July 2009
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Being honest, when the synopsis for this low-budget horror first dropped into the inbox, there was an initial buzz of excitement of a possible 2009 UK version of Flatliners - minus the A-List cast, of course. Coupled with that was the knowledge that promising Shrooms director Paddy Breathnach was at the fore of the project - yes, here’s admitting that Shrooms wasn’t a bad little psychedelic chiller in a universally difficult film genre to succeed in, even though it ripped off Blair Witch quite unashamedly. Plus, Breathnach stayed close to his roots and located Shrooms in Ireland, a place full of superstition, folklore and the like. But fast-forward two years to Red Mist. It’s set in the States - somewhere, anywhere, which automatically sucks any originality out of it, and puts it in danger of being another generic campus horror bore. It’s enough to make the red mist form in front of your very eyes at the lost potential of what such a story could have been, particularly as it was shot in Belfast and part-funded locally.
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Released 26th June 2009
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Cue sadness and sombre self-reflection: Nick Cassavetes‘ new drama is the ultimate, shameless weepy amidst the mega-bucks blockbusters in recent weeks. But it has an encouraging provocative and rather uncomfortable twist that will question anyone’s family loyalty. From the opening scenes, Little Miss Sunshine darling and frighteningly astute youngster Abigail Breslin sits in mournful mode, contemplating the meaning of life - well, her character’s life, anyway. In an intriguing and highly manipulative fashion, the film sets along the path of genetic controversy, asking the viewer to question their stance on social engineering through the experience of 11-year-old Anna (Breslin) who has been ‘created’ for (crudely put) ’spare parts’ for her leukaemia-suffering big sister, Kate, played by swollen-lipped Sofia Vassilieva.
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Out to own on DVD and Blu-ray 2nd November 2009
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In a nutshell, Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are your typical losers with a heart on a journey of self-discovery. Here, they are cavemen who have been expelled from their Garden of Eden paradise. So, off they trot on a road trip through the ancient biblical world - apparently one can get from jungles to farms, to deserts, and transcend hundred of years, just by walking forward. Who knew?! Things get even more complicated when the women they loved from their tribe get kidnapped, sold into slavery, and get catapulted into this random mash-up of history, too.
