Page 38 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Observer Showbiz What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs
FILM: KONG - SKULL ISLAND: Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy. Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman. Year: 2017. Rating: M. Length: 120 Minutes. Stars: **** Verdict: Set in the early 1970's of the Nixon era and the height of the Vietnam conflict, a secretive team of explorers and soldiers travel to a mysterious uncharted island in the Pacific, unaware that they are crossing into the domain of a myriad of creatures, including the mythic and legendary King Kong. Big budget B-grade creature-feature yarn is a thrilling "Jurassic Park" meets "The Lost World" (1925-1960) meets "The Land Time Forgot" meets "Apocalypse Now" adventure-thrill ride filled with wildly over-the -top action and throwaway humour! Breathtaking filming locations include Queensland, Vietnam and Hawaii with top notch production values and startling CGI effects, and the outstanding cast including Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, the scene-stealing John C. Reilly and John Goodman are all in top form. Forget the pot-holes or logic, this creature-feature, along with few others, is well and truly a worthy addition to a formula that startled audiences as far back as 1925 with "The Lost World." Killer '70s soundtrack includes David Bowie, The Hollies, Jefferson Airplane, Black Sabbath and Creedence Clearwater Revival ... and lined with plenty of "Easter Eggs" for film buffs and fans of the genre! And watch right through the end credits. FILM: LIFE: Genre: Science Fiction Adventure-Horror-Thriller. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds. Year: 2017. Rating: MA15+ Length: 104 Minutes. Stars: ***1/2. Verdict: Six astronauts aboard the space station study a sample collected from a Mars probe that could provide evidence for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet, but as the crew begin to conduct research, a life form emerges that could prove more intelligent than anyone ever expected. A crackling sci-fi, adventure, horror, thriller that pays homage to its origins with nail-biting thrills and chills thanks to a smart and lean screenplay, taut direction, claustrophobic setting, solid performances from a top notch cast and a creature that is sure to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Clearly inspired by such greats as "IT! The Terror From Beyond Space" (1958), "Event Horizon" (1997), "Gravity" (2013), and most of all, Ridley Scot's ground-breaking "Alien" (1979) ... with a touch of "The Twilight Zone" for good measure. This knows exactly what it is doing, where this has been before and exactly where you it's going, and you would be doing yourself an injustice if you didn't take the journey. FILM: DUNKIRK: Genre: Drama/History/War. Cast: John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee. Year: 1958. Rating: PG. Length: 134 Minutes. Stars: **** Verdict: Top notch dramatization of the British Force's 1940 retreat to the beaches of France and the extraordinary home rescue seaborne evacuation by British civilians that saved it from utter destruction by Nazi Germany. Exciting and unforgettable recreation of one of history's most defining and heroic moments. Outstanding cast of British veterans all excel, along with taut and respectful direction by Leslie Norman (The Night My Number Came Up) and intelligent screenplay by David Divine and W.P Lipscom. Ranks along with such British WWII classics as "Reach For The Sky," "The Dam Busters," "Sink The Bismarck," "In Which We Serve" and "The Cruel Sea," to name a few. Thrilling and poignant all the way, and a wonderful tribute to those heroic civilian boat owners who helped save a nation and change the course of the war!
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Movies, DVDs With Jim Sherlock and Aaron Rourke
Rourke’s Reviews: Okja, To The Bone
Top 10 Lists JULY 23 to JULY 29. THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. 2. BABY DRIVER. 3. DESPICABLE ME 3. 4. CARS 3. 5. WONDER WOMAN. 6. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LONG HAUL. 7. TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT. 8. THE BEGUILED. 9. THE HOUSE. 10. MY COUSIN RACHEL. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: JULY 20: DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM: RADIO BIRDMAN, DUNKIRK, PARIS CAN WAIT, WISH UPON. JULY 27 A GHOST STORY, A MONSTER CALLS, KIKI, LOVE TO LOVE, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES.
● Paul Dano and Steven Yeun help a very unusual friend in the unique Okja, now streaming on Netflix. ■ Okja (M). 120 minutes. Now ror, and adventure, and backs it up with a first-class production. streaming on Netflix. The cast are terrific, with After suffering at the hands of notorious U.S. producer Harvey Swinton, Ahn, and especially Dano Weinstein with his previous film particular standouts. Okja herself is an impressive Snowpiercer, which was cruelly held back from release for nearly creation, and the special effects two years while the two locked bringing her to life are outstanding. Okja is great entertainment, but horns over what should be final cut, director Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up it is that rare beast that offers viewfeature arrives with no such ers something to think about amongst all the excitement, trouble. A Netflix production, Okja humour, and drama. RATING - **** proves to be the exact opposite, available quickly to everyone via To The Bone (MA). 107 minutes. the popular streaming format. The story centres around young Now streaming on Netflix. Though not as confrontational or teenager Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun), who along with her grandfather hard-hitting as it could have been, Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong), live a To The Bone is generally free of simple life on a farm located in the cheap melodramatics and a TV scenic mountains of South Korea. movie-of-the-week approach. The film introduces us to Ellen Amongst the usual chickens is a very unusual creature, a massive (Lily Collins), a young woman who has been suffering from anorexia super-pig named Okja. Sent there by the Mirando Cor- nervosa for a number of years now. poration, Okja is one of 26, sent to Recently kicked out from a rehavarious destinations around the bilitation centre, the latest in a long world as part of a competition to line of medical institutions who have raise the biggest and best super-pig, tried to help her, Ellen is accepted and if selected, will represent the into another, run by radical doctor company’s latest line of tasty meat William Beckham (Keanu Reeves). products. Here the combative newbie is When the intelligent creature is selected the winner by wacky TV introduced to her latest group of felpresenter ‘Dr’ Johnny Wilcox (Jake low patients, which include Brit Gyllenhaal), she is unceremoni- Luke (Alex Sharp), Megan (Leslie ously trucked to Seoul headquar- Bibb), Anna (Kathryn Prescott), and ters, but as such attracts the atten- Pearl (Maya Eshet), all of whom tion of an animal rights group headed suffer from the same disorder to by Jay (Paul Dano), who want to varying degrees. During her stay, living under free Okja from her corporate capsome unconventional rules, Ellen tors. Unimpressed with all this nega- will have the face her own fears tive attention is company CEO and addiction, while also slowly Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton), opening up to those around her, who who is slowly watching the perfect all want to conquer this crippling affliction. marketing strategy slip away. Writer/director Marti Noxon In the middle of all this is Mija, who wants her best friend back and (who penned I Am Number Four and the 2011 Fright Night remake) returned safely home. Bong (Memories Of Murder / thankfully underplays proceedings, Mother / The Host) combines a and doesn’t unnecessarily exploit number of different genres to tell the physical appearance of her his story, and confidently moves characters for cheap shock value. from comedy, drama, satire, hor- A former anorexia sufferer .
THE DVD AND BLU-RAY TOP RENTALS & SALES: 1. KONG: SKULL ISLAND [Action/Adventure/ Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson]. 2. LIFE [Science Fiction/Horror/Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds]. 3. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [Fantasy/Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans]. 4. T2: TRAINSPOTTING [Drama/Ewan McGregor, Ewan Bremner, Robert Carlyle]. 5. TABLE 19 [Comedy/Drama/Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson]. 6. SHIN GODZILLA [Action/Hiroki Hasegawa, Satomi Ishihara]. 7. CHIPS [Action/Comedy/Michael Pena, Jessica McNamee, Dax Shepard]. 8. BOSS BABY [Animated/Family/Comedy/ Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel]. 9. ALONE IN BERLIN [Drama/Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Bruhl]. Also: JASPER JONES, GENIUS, LOVING, THE SPACE BETWEEN US, A CURE FOR WELLNESS, POWER RANGERS, LOGAN, SILENCE, AFTERMATH, HIDDEN FIGURES. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: DENIAL [Drama/Timothy Spall, Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson]. U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS: MEN OF COURAGE [War/Drama/Action/Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore]. GHOST IN THE SHELL [Sci-Fi/Action/Fantasy/Scarlett Johansson]. RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA [Horror/Matthew Mercer, Kari Wahlgren]. BURN COUNTRY [Drama/James Franco, Melissa Leo]. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK: U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS: MEN OF COURAGE [War/Drama/Action/Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore]. GHOST IN THE SHELL [Sci-Fi/Action/Fantasy/Scarlett Johansson]. RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA [Horror/Matthew Mercer, Kari Wahlgren]. HEAT [1995/Remastered/Action/Crime/ Thriller/Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer]. NEW & RE-RELEASE AND CLASSIC MOVIES ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: HEAT [1995/Remastered/Action/Crime/ Thriller/Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer]. NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC DVD HIGHLIGHTS: PRISON BREAK: Season 5. MURDOCH MYSTERIES: Series 10. GIRLS: Season 6. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: Season 7 - James Sherlock