DVD Weekly Roundup – Monday 2nd November
PUBLIC ENEMIES
Got to admit I was a little under whelmed when watching this at the cinema. The main problem I found was the complete lack of pace and strangely for a Michael Mann film the editing was sub-par. I felt the narrative suffered a lot on the big screen. I was very disappointed because this was coming from one of the greatest filmmakers in America over the past decade.
Fortunately Public Enemies works much better on the small screen. The story of John Dillinger and the obsessive manhunt that took place is actually a very intimate one. The film has epic qualities but overall it really is just a story about one man that blurred the lines between criminal and hero.
Johnny Depp as always gives it his all; he captures the human being behind one of the most interesting figures in crime history. Christian Bale is well cast; his obsessive nature comes through perfectly. Marion Cotillard is slightly underused but her scenes with Bale are exceptional. The film definitely had the feel of an anti-blockbuster.
It’s a smart film that unfolds more like a slow burning novel than a traditional gangster flick.
Also available on Blu-Ray
YEAR ONE
Harold Ramis returns to directing duties with this pre-historical comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. Two cavemen, Zed & Oh embark on an adventure outside the safety of their tribe and take part in some of history’s most pivotal moments.
This should have been a lot funnier as the premise is brilliant. Here was a set-up that could have blown all other comedies out of the water but it just falls flat.
Not that the film doesn’t have glimpses of brilliance. The scenes involving Kane & Abel are pretty funny in a puerile way. The two leads are complete opposites with Jack Black being his usual shouty self and Michael Cera taking the more subtle approach.
The film fails for the simple fact that it just isn’t funny enough. The laughs are few and far between. The best comedy of the year is The Hangover so I urge all of you to wait for that instead.
Also available on Blu-Ray
FAMILY GUY: SEASON 8
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Family Guy and South Park are the funniest things on TV ever. Season 8 of family guy is near perfect. 13 episodes that are pee in your pants funny. The trials and tribulations of the Griffin family are taken up a notch here as Seth Macfarlane pushes the boundaries of taste and decency to extreme levels.
They just aren’t afraid to make fun of anything and that’s why the show succeeds. Where The Simpsons have to follow pre-watershed rules, Family Guy can let rip at society. Censorship is a very dangerous thing and I’m so glad that there are still people out there that have the guts to champion freedom of speech.
It’s hard to pick a standout episode from Season 8 but highlights include Peter being injected with the ‘gay’ gene for an experiment and Brian going back to Poland in 1939 where he witnesses the Nazi invasion. Pure brilliance. The word genius doesn’t even come close.
LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Harvey Shine is a down on his luck jingle writer. Very close to losing his job his boss tells him to deliver something special or he will be fired. Harvey decides to go to London for his daughters wedding and promises to be at work on Monday raring to go. A few mishaps result in Harvey missing his return flight and when his boss fires him on the phone he makes his way to a bar to drown his sorrows.
Enter Kate, a workaholic that has very little life and an overbearing mother. Together the pair learn to appreciate life from one another.
As you can see it’s not exactly the most original concept for a romantic film is it. We have seen it all before and as a result we are left with quite a boring little film that is predictable and slow. A waste of two great talents.
Also available on Blu-Ray
BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE
Based on a hugely popular anime short this tells the story of Saya. A vampire that is part of a covert government agency that hunts demons in post war Japan. She is sent undercover in a military school to discover which of her ‘classmates’ is a demon in disguise. This could have been amazing but for some inexplicable reason tons of aspects of western culture have been inserted into the film.
They have americanised the whole thing and as a result this great concept has been saturated with western culture.
There is some great choreography and lots of splashes of blood but ultimately it just isn’t Japanese enough. Japan has a great culture; it doesn’t deserve to be pushed to the background in what should be a Japanese film.
Also available on Blu-Ray
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