Page 82 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Observer Showbiz What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs
● Standout veteran British cast (from Left to Right) Pauline Collins, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and the irreplaceable Maggie Smith in the delightful and heart-warming Quartet, directed by Dustin Hoffman in his directorial debut and also starring the great Michael Gambon. FILM: QUARTET: Genre: Thriller/Horror/Romance. Cast: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins. Year: 2012. Rating: M. Running Time: 98 Minutes. Format: DVD and BLY-RAY. Stars: **** Verdict: The delightfully quirky story of a home for retired musicians who hold and annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday which is disrupted by the arrival of Jean (Maggie Smith), an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents. This is a beautiful British character driven comedy-romanticdrama brought wonderfully to life thanks to the extraordinary and legendary British talent under the beautifully guiding hand of, get ready for it, Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman in his first role as director. Brimming with humour and honesty, this is a joy for both young and old. FILM: LIFE OF PI: Genre: Drama. Cast: Irrfan Khan, Suraj Sharma, Gerard Depardieu. Year: 2012. Rating: PG. Running Time: 127 Minutes. Format: DVD, BLU-RAY and BLU-RAY 3D. Stars: **** Verdict: Great adventure story of a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurled into an epic journey of survival and discovery in a lifeboat with one other survivor, a fearsome Bengal tiger. Director Ang Lee, who's previous work includes Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the Oscar winning Brokeback Mountain, delivers a visually stunning and totally captivating journey filled with thrills, excitement, humour and poignancy. A great technical achievement! Nominated for 11 Academy awards and winner of four including Cinematography, Visual Effects, Music and Direction. FILM: 10 UNFORGETTABLE FILMS Collection Box Set: Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama. Cast: Virginia McKenna, Trevor Howard, David Niven, Celia Johnson, Rex Harrison, Margaret Rutherford, Kenneth More, Peter Finch, Gregory Peck, and Many More! Year: Assorted Years. Rating: M. Running Time: Assorted Running Times. Format: DVD. Stars: ***** Verdict: Outstanding DVD box set of timeless romantic-drama-comedy British classics that includes David Lean's masterpiece Brief Encounter, the unforgettable A Matter Of Life And Death, David Lean and Noel Coward's wonderfully whimsical high spirited comedy Blithe Spirit, Love Story (1944), The Red Shoes, A Town Like Alice, The Million Pound Note, This Happy Breed, the captivating true story of Carve Her Name With Pride and the classic comedy Genevieve. All a must for every collection. FILM: THE GREAT GATSBY: Genre: Drama. Cast: Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Sam Waterston. Year: 1974. Rating: PG. Running Time: 143 Minutes. Format: DVD and BLY-RAY. Stars: **1/2 Verdict: Based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald it tells the story of a young man living on a Long Island estate at the height of the jazz age in the 1920's who finds himself compelled by the mysterious past and extravagant lifestyle of his neighbour, the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby. Previously filmed for the big screen in 1926 with Warner Baxter and in 1949 with Alan Ladd, and yet again this year with Leonardo DiCaprio, this is the first colour film version of the famed story. Sadly, all the richness and extravagance on offer falls flat and the results uninspiring. With a fine screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola, done shortly before the release of his epic The Godfather, and a fine performance by Robert Redford in the title role, it is a clear case of misdirection and misinterpretation by too many others involved. No classic but is still worth a look. Hopefully, one day they'll get it right. - James Sherlock
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Movies, DVDs With Jim Sherlock and Aaron Rourke
AARON’S REVIEWS
Top 10 Lists THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. IRON MAN 3. 2. THE BIG WEDDING. 3. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN. 4. THE CROODS. 5. OBLIVION. 6. DRIFT. 7. THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. 8. WARM BODIES. 9. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES. 10. IDENTITY THIEF. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: MAY 9: EVIL DEAD, SPRING BREAKERS, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET. MAY 16: A PLACE FOR ME, BROKEN, SATELLITE BOY, SNITCH, TABU, THE CALL.
● Carloto Cotta and Ana Moreira in the magical romantic film Tabu ■ Tabu (MA). 118 minutes. Opens with Rui Pocas' luminous, black-andwhite photography deserving special in selected cinemas on May 16. A sleeper hit at the 2012 Melbourne praise. Hypnotic and spellbinding, Tabu is Film Festival, Tabu is a moving, intoxicating ode to the early days of cinema, the kind of film that showers an audiusing the magic of movies to present a ence with everything that is magic in love story that is both passionate and cinema, an inventive and involving experience that genuine movie-goers tragic. After a gentle opening sequence in- crave for, and it is a pity that there volving a heartbroken explorer, the film aren't more films like this lighting up moves to modern-day Lisbon, where Australian screens. RATING - ****½ Pilar (Teresa Madruga), a lonely ★ middle-aged woman, becomes increasKon-Tiki (G) (1951). 58 miningly concerned about her next-door neighbour, the elderly and very eccen- utes. Now available on DVD. With the Oscar-nominated movie tric Aurora (Laura Soveral). Aurora, who lives with her seem- adaptation currently impressing audiingly stern servant Santa (Isabel ences around Australia, it is great to Cardoso), is a chronic gambler who has see the original 1951 documentary rebeen spurned by her daughter for rea- leased on DVD, and it certainly makes sons unknown, and she feels respon- for fascinating viewing. The incredible footage shot by Norsible for the cold relationship between wegian biologist Thor Heyerdahl durthe two. As events unfold, Pilar contacts ing his (and a crew of five) famous someone from Aurora's past, a man journey from Peru to Polynesia (4,300 called Gian Luca Ventura (Henrique nautical miles) is compelling, with a Espirito Santo), who confesses to her number of scenes faithfully recreated in the new big-screen version. the connection he has with Aurora. Winner of the Oscar for Best DocuThe story, set in colonial Africa, is mentary in 1951, Kon-Tiki still holds revealed in flashback as we see a young Ventura (Carloto Cotta) and Aurora up wonderfully as a vivid account of a (Ana Moreira) slowly fall in love, hair-raising, historically important adamongst the growing turmoil happen- venture. RATING - ****. ing in Africa at the time. ★ This section is lovingly crafted as a Traffickers (R). 111 minutes. silent film, with joyous musical interludes and narration by the older Coming Soon. What may end up being the nastiest Ventura, elevating the affair into something completely mesmerising and en- thriller of the year, Traffickers takes a disturbing premise (black market organ chanting. Co-editor/co-writer/director Miguel trafficking) and plays it to the hilt, and make viewers think twice before Gomes (who also provides the sooth- will booking their next holiday cruise. ing voice of the narrator) beautifully The story, which involves an insurconveys the deep feelings of love, loss, ance who takes his wheelchairand loneliness, and how such warm and boundagent wife on a sea cruise holiday; a emotionally enveloping sensations can corrupt officer is in deep debt to become complicated and bittersweet. some gangsters;who his criminal brother; Gomes (a former film critic) wears a nurse who is trying to finance a his love of cinema on his sleeve, dem- and for her ill father; takes a numonstrating to the audience the true transplant ber of twists turns, and does offer power of the moving image, and how some genuineand surprises. those images can carry us away and Though not entirely credible, this effect us on many different levels. well-crafted, thriller does inPerformances are heartfelt, with volve, and itswell-cast ruthless at times Cotta and Moreira perfect as the young bloody) nature does keep(and proceedings lovers, and there is also a standout turn unpredictable, and makes for tense, by Madruga as the somewhat melan- dour, and unsettling entertainment. choly Pilar. RATING - ***1/2. Technically the film is first-rate, - Aaron Rourke
THE DVD TOP RENTAL & SELLERS: 1. LIFE OF PI [Drama/Adventure/ Irrfan Khan, Suraj Sharma]. 2. THE HOBBIT: An Unexpected Journey [Fantasy/Adventure/Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen]. 3. SKYFALL [Action/Adventure/ Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench]. 4. LES MISERABLES [Musical/ Drama/Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway]. 5. WRECK-IT RALPH [Animated/ Family/John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer]. 6. QUARTET [Comedy/Drama/ Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly]. 7. ARGO [Thriller/Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman]. 8. TWILIGHT SAGA: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [Drama/Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson]. 9. THE SESSIONS [Drama/Helen Hunt, John Hawkes, William H. Macy]. 10. PARENTIAL GUIDANCE [Comedy/ Family/Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei]. Also: ALEX CROSS, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE, RED DAWN, PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, DREDD, THE INTOUCHABLES, TAKEN 2, PITCH PERFECT. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: GANGSTER SQUAD [Crime/Drama/ Action/Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling]. HITCHCOCK [Drama/Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston]. THIS IS 40 [Comedy/Maude Apatow, Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd]. HAMILTON: But Not If It Concerns Your Daughter [Thriller/Stephen Waddington]. NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSICS ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: THE HAUNTED PALACE [1963/Horror/Thriller/Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr, Debra Paget]. LADY IN WHITE [Thriller/Lukas Haas, Katherine Helmond, Alex Rocco]. ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE [1973/ drama/Cult/Robert Blake, Mitch Ryan]. BARFLY [1987/Drama/Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige]. THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE [1976/Drama/Thriller/ Jodie Foster]. FOXY BROWN [R18+ -1974/Action/ Drama/Pam Grier]. Turn To P87