Page 82 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Observer Showbiz What’s Hot and What’s Not in DVD and Blu-Ray releases FILM: J. EDGAR: Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer. Genre: Crime/Drama/Biography. Year: 2011. Rating: M. Running Time: 137 Minutes. Format: DVD and BLU-RAY. Stars: ***1/2 Verdict: Director Clint Eastwood's biopic on legendary 20th Century lawman J. Edgar Hoover, the powerful head of the FBI for nearly 50 years, is a compelling, fascinating yet not completely fulfilling look back on his controversial professional and personal life. Leonardo DiCaprio is a standout as J. Edgar Hoover, head and founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but Eastwood's approach to Hoover comes across surprising soft for a man who was feared by President's, Hollywood and people from all walks of life, a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it, a powerful reign and persona were tremendously complex and were at once ruthless and heroic. By the end of its 137 minutes you feel that you want to know more, but as it stands there is more than enough to give you a good idea, and satisfying one at that, of an extraordinary man who, behind closed doors, held secrets that could have destroyed many people, even his own image, career and his life. Naomi Watts does well as his long running and trustworthy secretary who guarded the secrets, Judi Dench as his overprotective mother, and most notably, Armie Hammer as his companion and confidant, A worthy addition to an unprecedented legacy as a filmmaker, Oscar winner Clint Eastwood has done a superior job under difficult circumstances, delivering with firm fisted professionalism a captivating glimpse of one of the most extraordinary men in history. FILM: WE'RE NO ANGELS. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Adolph The Snake. Genre: Comedy. Year: 1955. Rating: PG. Running Time: 106 Minutes. Format: DVD. Stars: **** Verdict: The delightfully quirky and wonderfully whimsical comedy classic of three prisoners who escape from the infamous Devil's Island to a French small coastal town where they decide to rob a store to get some money and travel by ship to another place. They pretend to be there to fix the roof, but soon realize that the financial condition of the family they intend robbing is not good, because of the selfish and mean owner of the establishment, so as the three wise convicts spend Christmas night with the family, and as they have been so well treated by them, they decide to help, with the aid of a pet that will hopefully fix the crisis. It is impossible to single out any one performance as screen greats Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov are so perfectly cast and work so beautifully together, each in their own right in one of the best and most memorable roles of their respective careers. Superbly adapted for the screen by Ranald MacDougall {The Naked Jungle, Mildred Pierce) and directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mildred Pierce, Yankee Doodle Dandy), We're No Angels is an enchantingly unforgettable off-kilter comedy with three lovable rogues who will tickle the funny bone, warm the heart and refuse let go for a long time after the credits have finished. FILM: HARD TIMES: Cast: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin. Genre: Drama/Action. Year: 1975. Rating: M. Running Time: 90 Minutes. Format: DVD. Stars: ***1/2 Verdict: A strong, tough and exciting hard edged depression era tale of a strong silent streetfighter, who joins a promoter for a series no-holdsbarred bare-fisted street boxing bouts. Screen tough guy Charles Bronson demonstrates exactly what tough is all about in this two-fisted action drama about a drifter suddenly caught up in the fight game as a downon-his-luck loner who hops a freight train to New Orleans where, on the seedier side of town, he tries to make some quick money the only way he knows how, with his fists, and the help of a hustler (James Coburn) who convinces him that he can win money for them both. Originally released in Australian cinemas in 1975 as The Streetfighter, director Walter Hill (48 Hours, The Long Riders, The Warriors, Crossroads, Red Heat) pulls no punches (no pun intended) in its raw brutal depiction of a no-nonsense underground culture. Charles Bronson is right in his element as the mysteriously silent fighter with a deadly fists, and James Coburn also a standout as the promoter who hustles their way into the ring. Superb period recreation, cinematography, direction and performances all combine to make Hard Times an intelligent, taut, tense and totally thrilling and compelling entertainment experience! - James Sherlock
www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
Movies, DVDs
With James Sherlock
Reviews by Aaron Rourke
PROMETHEUS 3D
● Michael Fassbender from Prometheus ■ (MA). 124 minutes. Now showing Another major problem is the lack in cinemas everywhere, including of a compelling lead character to enIMAX. thrall an audience, and Noomi Rapace Director Ridley Scott makes his fails to offer a commanding central highly anticipated return to not only performance. the science fiction genre, but to the Known for her star-making turn in particular universe that was part of the trilogy of films that began with The one of his most iconic and important Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Rapace films, Alien (1979). seems unable to take control of her After much hype and admittedly character this time (or her accent, excessive advertising, this expensive which changes on a regular basis), but outing proves to be hugely disappoint- it doesn't help when she has to sprout ing, failing to expand on a number of awful dialogue and endure some interesting ideas and just as impor- laughable scenes. tantly, not giving us characters of any Her character Shaw is no Ripley, worth. and Rapace is not even a shadow of Opening in the Isle Of Sky in Scot- Sigourney Weaver. land circa 2089, we are introduced to The only decent performance anthropologists Elizabeth Shaw comes from the ever-reliable Michael (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Fassbender (Hunger / Shame / A Holloway (Tom Hardy look-a-like Dangerous Method / Centurion / Fish Logan Marshall-Green), who dis- Tank), who is so good as the curious cover during one dig a painting that android David that he amplifies how pre-dates other cave drawings by badly written the human characters thousands of years. are. The painting seems to be an inviScott's return to Alien territory untation from an outerspace civilisation fortunately has not seen a return to to visit their homeland far, far away. form, and while the film looks very This attracts the attention of long- slick (thanks to him having a better time Company chief Peter Weyland cinematographer this time, the great (Guy Pearce), who finances a mis- Dariusz Wolski, who shot The Crow, sion to explore what connection this Dark City, Crimson Tide, The Fan, race of super beings have with man- and Sweeney Todd), it still lacks that kind. genuine Ridley Scott look and feel that Travelling on the spaceship marked his earlier work. Prometheus Shaw, Holloway and their A mediocre music score by Marc crew of 17, which includes Company Streitenfeld (who worked on Scott's representitive Meredith Vickers A Good Year, American Gangster, (Charlize Theron), Captain Janek Body Of Lies and Robin Hood) does (Idris Elba), and android David not help. (Michael Fassbender), make their References to Alien abound (and two-year trip to the planet singled out in some cases Aliens), with set dein the drawings, landing there on sign, dialogue, sound effects, music, Christmas Day 2093. and even camera angles apparent Finding a dome-like structure, the throughout which will initially amuse crew investigate inside, and what they fans of the series, but the fun disapdiscover will lead to horror, danger, pears as the growingly silly and empty and a major questioning of faith. nature of the story envelops the film. Scott wants to build Prometheus The special effects and production up slowly in the same way he did design, as expected from a large-scale Alien, but it does not work this time opus such as this are impressive as is round as there are no characters worth the use of 3D, which shows off the caring about, due to the poor script by effects and sets to maximum effect. Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) and Prometheus could have been an Damon Lindelof (Cowboys And outstanding sci-fi film that introduced Aliens / Lost TV series / Crossing Jor- fascinating ideas and themes to a clasdan TV series) who instead of creat- sic series, but due to inept writing, oneing real, believable people, gives us note characters, dull performances, cardboard constructs who are merely and a frustratingly under-developed there to be killed later on. story, it ends up being a complete misThis affects the mostly generic fire, coming from a director who is cast who deliver underwhelming per- truly starting leave his fans feeling both formances, making the human ele- dejected and betrayed. ment of the story feel hollow and pointTo top everything off (and to indiless. cate to us even more that it was coEven good actors such as Theron authored by a TV writer), a number (Monster / North Country / The of story threads are left deliberately Road), Idris Elba (Thor / 28 Weeks unanswered as the door is left wide Later / American Gangster / The Wire open for a sequel, much in the same TV series), Kate Dickie (Red Road / way a pilot show ends to then lead Outcast), and Patrick Wilson (Hard into a TV series. Candy / Little Children) cannot rise RATING - ** above the weak writing. - Aaron Rourke
Melbourne
Observer
Top 10 Lists THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. PROMETHEUS. 2. MEN IN BLACK 3. 3. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING. 4. THE AVENGERS. 5. THE DICTATOR. 6. FRIENDS WITH KIDS. 7. DARK SHADOWS. 8. THE WAY. 9. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. 10. SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: JUNE 14: LE CHEF, MARGARET, ROCK OF AGES, SEEKING JUSTICE, TAKE THIS WALTZ, THAT'S MY BOY, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS. JUNE 21: A ROYAL AFFAIR, BRAVE, ELENA, MARLEY, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, THE THREE STOOGES, NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE - FRANKENSTEIN V2. THE DVD TOP SELLERS: 1. J. EDGAR [Drama/Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts]. 2. UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING [Action/Thriller/Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy]. 3. MAN ON A LEDGE [Action/ Drama/Jamie Bell, Sam Worthington, Ed Harris]. 4. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS [Adventure/Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law]. 5. SAFE HOUSE [Thriller/Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds]. 6. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO [Mystery/Thriller/Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara]. 7. HUGO [Adventure/Asa Butterfield, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley]. 8. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY [Drama/Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy]. 9. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL [Action/Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner]. 10. THE MUPPETS [Family/Adventure/Amy Adams, Jason Segal, Chris Cooper]. Also: JOURNEY 2: MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, ALBERT NOBBS, SHAME, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED, WAR HORSE, THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN, PUSS IN BOOTS, TOWER HEIST, THE DESCENDANTS, THE IRON LADY. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: CONTRABAND [Action/Drama/ Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster]. MY WEEK WITH MARILYN [Drama/True Story/Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh]. MEMORIAL DAY [War/Drama/ James Cromwell]. ONE FOR THE MONEY [Comedy/ Katherine Heigl, John Leguizamo]. NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSICS ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: LONG JOHN SILVER [1954/Adventure/Robert Newton]. THE W.C. FIELDS COLLECTION: The Golf Specialist, Pool Sharks, The Pharmacist, The Fatal Glass of Beer, The Barber Shop, The Dentist. Turn To Page 87