DVD | Must Love Dogs

Rating: M - Contains Sexual References
Duration: 94 mins
Genre : Romantic Comedy
Actors: John Cusack, Christopher Plummer, Elizabeth Perkins, Diane Lane, Dermot Mulroney, Stockard Channing
Release Date: Available now.

Must Love Dogs is a gentle romantic comedy starring Diane Lane in the role of Sarah Nolan, divorcee. It’s been some time now and Sarah’s family have decided it’s up to them to get Sarah back in the game. But discovering how to be romantic after so long isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

After some disastrous attempts at setting her up, Sarah’s sister decides to enrol her on an on-line dating service, much to Sarah’s distress. But it’s through the on-line dating service that she meets Jake.

At first meeting Jake seems like a terrible mistake. But then it seems like a perfect match. Then it all falls apart.

If some what predictable, Must Love Dogs is non the less the formula that you’ll be wanting if you are looking for a romantic comedy – predictable and feel good are must haves for a romantic night on the couch with your significant other.

With clichés abounding and laughs along the way, Must Love Dogs isn’t the most action packed of movies, it’s entertainment value is in who you’re watching it with.


Food for thought
As you’d expect, there’s not a lot of substance in a movie like this, but it does raise the question of patience. How long would we be prepared to wait for the perfect answer to our needs? Do we try and force the solution, or are we prepared to rely on a higher power to come through?

Lady is a Zombie?

The latest trailer has got me excited about M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming movie, Lady in the Water. Mind you, anything done by the genius that is M, gets me excited. But this movie gives my warped mind just enough to play with that I think he might actually be doing a zombie movie.

Yeah, I know, I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again this time. But hell, I can dream can’t I?

News | Spiderman 3

I'm not a big Spiderman fan, the first two movies were ho-hum as far as I was concerned, but this has got me a little more interested:

The first 'Spider-Man 3' footage has appeared online, nearly a year before the film appears in theatres.

However, rather than being a subtle, action-free teaser, this is a full-blown, action-packed trailer, offering a glimpse at what Sam Raimi and co have in store for us next summer.

So prepare to see Sandman, the Green Goblin (mark two) and Venom (sort of) in all their dastardly glory, and prepare for a darker Spidey in every sense of the word.

V For Vendetta Release Date

V For Vendetta is set to release on DVD in New Zealand on the 16th of August. No word on what the DVD will contain, but seeing as all our DVDs get manufactured in Aussie, we should get the same three options as they are, right? Aussie specs below:

The Australian wing of Warner Home Video has announced the release of V For Vendetta for 9th August 2006. The release will be available in three flavours: single disc, double disc and a double disc special edition with comic book. The single disc will come with a featurette entitled, "Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta," which details the "intense" film making involved in V For Vendetta.

In addition to the featurette listed above, the double disc and comic book edition will also include:

• Designing the Near Future – artistic process of creating the frightening future world of V
• Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot – the story of Guy Fawkes
• England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics – origins of the original V story
• Cat Power Montage – Cat Power song played under images of the film
• Theatrical Trailer

The single disc will have audio tracks in English and German, with Dutch added for the two other editions. As far a subtitles are concerned, the single disc has English and German in both standard and hearing impaired formats, and an additional German narrative subtitle option. For the special editions, subtitles additionally cover: Dutch, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Icelandic.

Saw III Poster Has Teeth...

DVD | Saw II

Rating: R18 – Sadistic Violence.
Duration: 89 mins
Genre : Psychological Thriller
Actors: Donnie Walhberg, Tobin Bell, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith
Release Date: Available now.

If you’ve seen the original movie Saw, you’ll know what to expect. If you haven’t and you don’t like intense psychological thrillers, with lots of gore – oh yes, there will be blood – and an audaciously brilliant plot, then stay away from this. It’s not a movie for the squeamish.

Jigsaw is back, and this time the game he is playing is much, much bigger. This time he’s playing with a full house.

Detective Eric Matthews is on the case and they’ve got the notorious serial killer, named by the media as Jigsaw, in handcuffs. But Jigsaw still has the upper hand. On the monitors in Jigsaw’s workspace is live footage from the rooms of a very special house, with one special guest in particular: Eric’s son.

The movie is essentially played over two locations – the taught mind games with Jigsaw and the Cops, and the bloodbath house, full of Jigsaw’s devious and deadly traps. The game is on, and Jigsaw wants blood, but it’s the housemates that have to do the killing, and Jigsaw has got them playing off against each other.

The action is pretty much full on – there are breaks in the pace, but only enough time for you to get your breath back. Visually the film is dark and the sets are grimy and full of nervous potential. The camera work serves to keep the pace going and to keep the viewer on the edge of their seats, however It does delve into cheesiness on occasion, especially with the over use of strobe like sequences, but this doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the film.

The storyline is sheer brilliance – I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to top the first movie, but with the twists and turns of this plot, I’m even excited about the prospects of a third instalment.

If you like your movies to keep your adrenaline pumping, and your favourite colour is deep red, then this is just the guilty pleasure for you. If not, bear in mind the R18 rating and choose something a little tamer.

Food for thought:
What is the value of life? Do we value life? Our life or other peoples lives? Do we really live life to it’s fullest? Do we savour every moment? Do we do all we can to make the lives of others better? These are just some of the questions that you could ask your self if you manage to get through a movie like this.

News | Diesel Pulls Out

Vin Diesel has dropped out of the upcoming indie crime thriller BLACK WATER TRANSIT that was scheduled to begin production next month in Chicago. The move puts a serious crimp in the plans to keep the project on schedule though producers hope to keep the rest of the actors and location set. Diesel was set to co-star with Kevin Bacon, James Franco and Sophie Okonedo in the film based on the book by Carsten Stroud. The movie would've provided Diesel the rare chance to play a villain, in this case a former army colonel involved in illegally shipping guns to Mexico. The movie is the directorial debut of commercial and music video veteran Samuel Bayer who you might remember from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. Diesel hasn't got his next project lined up yet though he's rumoured to be starring in HITMAN and an upcoming romantic comedy for Disney titled PLAYER'S RULES. No explanation was given for Diesel's departure from the film.

No explanation other than the guy is a total dork for backing out of the chance to be in a movie with Kevin Bacon – an actor who knows how to pick interesting movies – and play a bad guy. C’mon Vin, get your stuff together man.

Source: Joblo

DVD | North Country

Rating: R13 - Contains Violence and Offensive Language and sexual references.
Duration: 127 mins
Genre : Drama, Biography
Actors: Charlize Theron, Frances McDoemand, Sissy Spacek, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean.
Release Date: Available now.

North Country is based on actual events that took place in the Minnesota Iron Mines in the 70’s. Charlize Theron plays the central character, Josey Aimes who takes a job at the mine after leaving an abusive relationship.

What she didn’t anticipate was the abuse she, and other women at the mine would have to endure every working hour. This is a gritty, deeply disturbing story of sexual harassment gone unchecked, and gone too far. It’s another hard-hitting role for Charlize, and once again she nails it.

But it is of course more than just sexism at work, Josey decides to take a stand against the abuse and closed door policies of the Mining company, and in the process alienates herself from the entire community.

The story is told through flashbacks based around a courtroom drama – the courtroom takes a distance second place but plays a pivotal role in the story telling.

To call this movie great entertainment would be to lie – it is in places extremely difficult to watch – it’s an emotional roller coaster that will have you fuming. But if it doesn’t entertain you, it does make you think. Like a sledgehammer to the head, this is a story that you won’t forget.

Filmed in a bleak winter setting, around a dirty (in many ways) mining operation, the visual impact of the movie suits the male dominated, dark storyline, and sets the scene for an emotional journey.

Food for thought
North Country looks at justice, but it also looks at friendship. It forces the viewer to think about how far you would go to stand up for a friend.

How far would you go to stand up for what you believe in?

America: Freedom To Fascism

Determined to find the law that requires American citizens to pay income tax, producer Aaron Russo (“The Rose,” “Trading Places”) set out on a journey to find the evidence. Neither left, nor right-wing this startling examination of government exposes the systematic erosion of civil liberties in America since 1913.

This looks like an interesting Michael Moore type doco, but could of course be just a load of smoke and mirrors. I mean, could any of it really be true? Scary.

DVD | The Gospel of Judas

Rating: E – Exempt from Classification.
Duration: 90 mins
Genre : Documentary
Actors: N/A
Release Date: Available now.

What if an ancient gospel was rediscovered that offered a radically different perspective on a man that history has painted as the ultimate villain? What if this account turned Jesus' betrayal on its head, and in it the villain became a hero?

Such is the premise for National Geographic’s look at the Gnostic document known as the Gospel of Judas. The document was found, apparently by a farmer in 1978, stolen, recovered and essentially abandoned for almost 20 years in a bank vault. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that an antiques dealer who believes that she was ‘chosen by Judas’ tracks it down and purchases it for US$300,000.

‘Chosen by Judas’? The documentary certainly starts off on shaky ground, with out a sliver of ascertainable fact. And it continues down this road with much speculation, and little in the way of grounded facts.

Whilst the arguments are portrayed as balanced the overall feel is one that wants desperately to give credence to this Gospel over any other, using any means possible. It plays the anti-sematic card in a effort to portray Judas as a person persecuted by Christians in an effort to out perform the Jewish religion.

In the end, the clear difference seems to be that this is a gospel written more about how great Judas was – “You will be greater than them all.” Jesus apparently tells Judas. Modesty isn’t a tool often used here.

Production wise, the documentary veers towards the cheesy. It attempts to legitimise it’s self through using selected experts. As far as entertainment value, it depends on what you want to hear. For many Christians there will be nothing new here – the history of the four Gospels is explained – but as a whole, The Gospel Of Judas does seem somewhat drawn out.

The special features revolve around extended interviews with the experts which ads more interest to the DVD. Allowing us to see Christianity as a diverse and far reaching religion with as many questions as answers.

Food for thought
Why do you believe what you believe?
Would the inclusion of the Gospel of Judas in the Bible adversely affect what you believe?

What will be your Harry Potter life?

What will be your Harry Potter life?
Name
Job	Dark Overlord
Partner	Remus Lupin
Death	Too much sex
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Oh crap – not being a Harry Potter fan, I didn’t know who Remus Lupin was, so a quick Google was in order, and it turns out that it’s a dude, which points to me being gay, which according to another survey is what strangers think I am. (I’m not, just in case you were wondering)

The Road to Guantánamo

Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge. This is a film that is sure to fire up some heated discussions.

Movies on iTunes?

The rumored marriage of iTunes and Hollywood movies is taking another step closer to the alter as Apple has begun "active negotiations" with all the major movie studios to hammer out a deal that would allow home video releases for sale on iTunes. So far most points have been agreed to except for one looming issue: price. Apple's first offer was similar to their current flat pricing structure for music with a $9.99 price for all films. That proposal was uniformly rejected by the studios who balked at the concept of selling, say, SUPERMAN RETURNS for the same price as LEONARD PART 6. Unfortunately for Apple, they have much more leverage in the music industry (where they hold a remarkable 80% share of digital music sales) than they do in the movie business and will likely have to acquiesce to a tiered pricing structure with prices ranging anywhere from $9.99 to $19.99. The deal is considered so important for Apple that Steve Jobs is actively involved in all aspects of the negotiations (Jobs himself is the largest shareholder in Disney). The desire to get films available for download at iTunes is likely to coincide with the updated video iPod, due later this year, which has been rumored to feature a widescreen viewing panel and a touchscreen monitor.
Of course, Kiwi's would just love to see iTunes available in New Zealand!
Source: Joblo

There's a New Blog in Town

My favorite blogger (sorry Frank, it's not you) has started a new blog. Pretty soon she'll have more blogs than me! Check it out now.

DVD | The Adventures of Tintin Vol.1

Tintin travels the world, usually accompanied by his little dog, Snowy. Maybe it’s because of his very keen reporters instincts, but somehow he always gets into some sticky situation that needs to be solved, everywhere he goes. In the first disk alone, we see him battling gangsters in Chicago (Tintin in America), learning the truth behind a supposed ‘curse’ in Egypt (Cigars of the Pharaoh), uncovering some dodgy political plots in China (The Blue Lotus), and heading to South America to solve a mystery surrounding a small idol with a broken ear (Tintin and the Broken Ear). Of course everybody has a number one enemy, and Tintin’s one is Rastapolius, film producer and criminal. Now of course, Tintin, like most detectives, wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for some help from friends. Apart from Snowy (his dog), there’s Captain Haddock, Thompson & Thompson, Professor Calculus, & Chinese orphan Chang. There’s just so much to keep you entertained, that you won’t even notice that it’s a bit old fashioned. If you love Tintin, then you’ll love this series.

Did you know?
Herge’s real name is Georges Remi.
Thompson & Thompson made a cameo appearance in the Asterix comic, Asterix in Belgium.
The very first Tintin book was Tintin in the Congo.
By Hope

Sylvia Park Mall = Yawn

We decided to see what all the fuss was about on Sunday – we guessed that the crowds would have settled down, and it was possibly safe to go visit Sylvia Park. We needed to buy something that the Warehouse sells, and sells cheapest, so we figured we’d go have a look. The traffic problem of the first couple of days were gone, but the lack on entrances, and being located on one of Auckland’s busiest roads still made getting in a lot more hassle that Botony or Manukau. Getting a park was relatively easy, more through luck than anything, but we were there, at the biggest, baddest, most wonderful shopping destination in New Zealand.

Except it wasn’t.

It was a mall just like any other mall – only smaller, really, but then it’s only the first stage. But as I said, the real reason was to go to the Warehouse Extra.

The Warehouse at Sylvia Park is big - and not just in size. It’s also the biggest change in retail shopping New Zealand has ever seen. The Warehouse Extra Sylvia Park is Australasia’s first store with food, general merchandise and clothing all under one roof. Now that’s big!

That last paragraph was, of course, the official media blurb from The Warehouse’s website. And it is stretching the truth. Quite a bit: Technically Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown have “food, general merchandise and clothing all under one roof” even if the clothes are only seasonal catalogue specials like jackets. But lets not split hairs – we were going because it was BIG.

Well, along with redefining the retail experience, The Warehouse have redefined the word BIG. The biggest and most impressive Warehouse I’ve been in is located in Hamilton (of all places!). It has two stories of Warehouse goodness. That was (semi) impressive. This wasn’t. I’ll be sticking with The Warehouse Manukau from now on – it has more (take away the overprice food and wine), its easy to get to, and it stocks what we were after!

We also decided to check out the new Foodtown, because as the huge billboards all around the place proclaimed – they were putting the SUPER back into supermarket. Um, wrong.

Sylvia Park: smaller (much, much smaller) than you’ve been led to think.

That’s Odd!

Tom Cruise is less popular than Saddam Hussein. In a recent poll, more respondents said they would rather go camping overnight with the Iraqi dictator than the Scientologist actor…

Source: Relevant

DVD | Ghost In The Shell 2

Rating: M - Contains Violence.
Duration: 99 mins
Genre : Anime
Actors: N/A
Release Date: Available now.

Mamoru Oshii's landmark Anime film, Ghost in the Shell helped define the cyberpunk genre and was a contributing influence to the Matrix films. The sequel, Ghost In The Shell 2 sees Batou, Major Kusanagi's former assistant, teamed up with a human partner; Togusa.

Together they are ordered to investigate a series of murders involving personal robots. More Bladerunner than iRobot, Ghost 2 is a visual feast with a blend of 2D and 3D animation, and a mixture of artistic styles. Imagination is the key, animation the canvas, and Ghost 2 is a truly remarkable work of art.

But like any work of art, its beauty can only be seen by those that enjoy the style, and fans of traditional movies will find the plot confusing and some what slow. Totally mind bending in places, the storyline sometime staggers along, with huge gaps between the anticipated action scenes.

Having not seen the original, I can’t comment on similarities, or if this, like the Matrix sequels, fails to deliver. What I can say is that it is full of compelling imagery, if not an entertainment extravaganza. And probably a very valid entry point into the world of Anime.

What Ghost 2 has over some other Anime styles is a style that has a more serious tone, that can be sometimes lacking. Many Japanese plots seem to get lost in the translation and end up cheesy and unintentionally funny. Not so Ghost.

Despite being an animation, this is at times a very violent movie with some brief nudity, and a message that is confusing, though it does briefly bring to the fore the subject of child exploitation.

Food for thought
What is reality? A number of scenes in this movie will have you thinking ‘what the?’ and like in the Matrix, reality isn’t always what it seems.
Does technology help or hinder us?
Can machines have a soul?

News | Bug

I’m not sure about this one – Lionsgate always seem to be wanting to push the boundaries on gore filled movies, but this sounds like more of a psychological-paranoid-thriller, and I like the way Joblo describes it…

It stars Ashley Judd as a waitress who escapes from her abusive ex-husband to a decrepit motel and becomes romantically involved with a stranger (played by Harry Connick Jr.) who is seemingly delusional about a bug infestation.

Or is he? Are the bugs merely a manifestion of this guy's psychosis? If so, why is she seeing the bugs too? Is she going crazy? There's a thin line between paranoia and psychosis? Has she crossed it? Is anything real? I'm just throwing out possible marketing slogans, by the way. I have no idea if any of that is actually true.

The big thing for me of course is that it has Harry Connick Jr. in it, which means that I could try and tell my wife that it’s a romantic comedy…

DVD | Red Dust

Rating: M - Contains Violence and Offensive Language.
Duration: 100 mins
Genre : Political Drama
Actors: Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Release Date: Available now.

Red Dust is brutal and graphic as well as stunningly beautiful. Set against the scorching background of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation hearings, in a country struggling to come to terms with it’s past, it is a film that will open your eyes to a world that, whilst being a far cry form our own, has some very identifiable similarities.

To call this movie entertaining would give the wrong impression. Sure it will have you on the edge of your seats, eager to know what is going to happen next, but your standard Hollywood fare this is not. It’s not action packed but it is explosive. It shows the underlying tension that still exists in a post apartheid South Africa, whilst showing a different form of justice than what we are used too. It shows a country on the verge of the precipice, with only a few people willing to help it back away from the edge.

The tension of the movie in subtly cranked up through out the movie as we uncover little by little the truth behind the events unfolding in front of us, and there I little time to sit back and relax.

The production and cinematography are flawless, showing the beauty of the country juxtaposed with the brutality of the crimes. Chiwetel Ejiofor shines as a successful, yet broken mad, struggling to come to terms with his past, and Hilary Swank serves as a supporting (lead) role that tries to see both sides, but ends up realising she has her own past to deal with.

The message of this film is simple, and is stated in the tag line: Let the truth set you free. It looks at justice and forgiveness in the most basic, yet real ways. Dealing with the past atrocities of apartheid, but showing that there is only one way forward.

Food for thought
What is justice? This is a movie that will make you examine how you perceive justice.
What does forgiveness really achieve?

Trailer Update

A couple of new movie trailers at apple.com to take note of. The first being Wicker Man; a supernatural thriller staring Nic Cage. Now I’m not sure about this one, Nic Cage in my mind is good at one thing: cheesy action flicks. I know my mate Jacob is gonna disagree with me on this one, as he’s a die hard Cage fan is will probably go all ga-ga over it, but check it out for your self.

Next is the new Bond movie, which some have been saying looks like nothing more than a glorified action flick. Hello! It’s James Bond, we want action, babes, and more action. Explosions, stunts and action galore please.

Finally is the new Pixar flick Ratatouille, Due out next year. Is it just me or does this look a little to traditional for a Pixar movie – it’s like the Disney cartoons of old. Have Pixar lost the plot?

DVD | Dolls

Dolls is a visually stunning, if somewhat hard to follow tale of love and tragedy. Or rather three intersecting stories that make one complete experience.

Cult director Takeshi Kitano uses the concept of traditional bunraku puppet theatre as the entry and exit point of this journey and at one point merges the two into one. Whilst this approach makes for a rather hard start to the whole experience, it does help it finish on a cliff-hanger.

These three stories show how love can be the strongest force in the universe, through three very different approaches, the first two being formed around men who have ignored their real love for career enhancement, only to realise later their mistake and try to rectify it no matter the personal cost to them. The last story revolves around how far someone will go to show the love they have for someone who is essentially a stranger.

DVD | Walk The Line

Walk The Line is the tumultuous story of Johnny Cash, from an unloved childhood to the highs of stardom. From the depths of drug abuse and divorce to the heights of finding himself again, Walk The Line is a gritty emotional story.

But storylines aren’t enough if the actors can’t make you believe what your watching, and both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon immerse themselves so completely in the roles that you believe all that you’re seeing to be gospel.

Talking of gospel, Cash was raised on it, but had to leave traditional gospel (music) behind to gain a foothold in the music industry, but his unsteady journey forced him to face, and overcome many demons, and end up once again a man of faith.

Though the movie doesn’t really focus on this aspect (and why would it) Joaquin’s character does have some memorable lines that make you realise he never really lost what he was taught by his mother as a child. What his father taught him on the other hand, was that he was no good, which was probably the root of many of his problems.

Robert Patrick gives a solid performance as the father you love to hate. The father who never forgave Cash for the death or his brother his favourite son. By the end of the movie, the relationship is orf course on the mend, as is Cash’s life.

With great performances and an emotionally charge true story, Walk The Line is a great movie that will have a much wider appeal than just Johnny Cash fans.

DVD | Third Watch S1

From the creators of ER and The West Wing came Third Watch. Instead of focussing on the lives of a single group of people, Third Watch went further – it made stories out of three emergency groups that work together doing radically different jobs.

Third Watch focussed on the New York Fire Department, EMS and Police, and kept it tight by focussing on the ‘Third Watch’. Between 3.00 and 11.00pm, New York’s finest are kept on their toes by the regular and not so regular emergencies around the dirty streets of New York City.

The action is intense, with the heat coming not only from the streets, but also from the diverse personalities that are forced to work together. The characters are as diverse as the call outs they attend, and this keeps the programmes fresh each episodes.

Of course for fans of Third Watch, and those like me who saw the first season a few years back, there are no real surprises – but what there is, is plenty of action and a great storyline that is just as good the second time around.

DVD | Hail Mary

Jean-Luc Godard’s modern re-telling of the story of the Virgin Mary is often confusing and extremely hard to get into. But perseverance does pay off as we see the story that means so much to us, yet one that has become sterile and uninteresting be made into a drama of proportions we never dreamed of.

Possibly drama is the wrong word, as some will struggle all through this film with feelings of boredom, but to do so would be to miss the wonderful characters of Joseph the Taxi Driver and Mary the Service Station Attendant, and their struggles with destiny.

Joseph struggles in his relationship with Mary, who wants his love but will not give herself to him. Who claims to be pregnant, but insists that she is a virgin. Even when the Angels try to slap some sense into him he doesn’t seem to get it. His is not an easy journey, but one that he finally does accept.

Then there’s Mary, who struggles with her pain, with her obedience to God and her own happiness. She senses the inner physical turmoil in her body and out ward emotional turmoil of dealing with life, a boyfriend and two of the weirdest angels ever.

As I’ve said, its not the easiest movie to watch, and I suspect many Christians will not get it – they will protest over the nudity, the attitude of the Angels, and the struggles that two humans with a divine destiny go through. But they will never get it. It’s a fresh perspective on a stale story, it’s an angle few of us will actually think about, but shows even more clearly what a miracle it was.

Interestingly this movie was rated R18 in Australia, but only given an M rating in New Zealand. I can see why the Australians gave it an R18 rating – it has the most full on nudity that I have ever seen in a movie. But whilst it contains some explicit nudity, it has no real sexuality, which I guess the New Zealand censors saw as a defining difference. But still, it makes you wonder just what the censors office use for guidelines.

DVD | Echo Of The Elephants

In January 1990, Cynthia Moss and Martyn Colbeck embarked on the first of what would become four remarkable films, following the life of Echo and her ever-growing family.

Based in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, Cynthia Moss has lived with and studied the elephants for a number of decades, and has known Echo since she was a little calf.

In this collection of four documentaries, co-narrated by David Attenborough, we see some of the most intimate and moving moments of elephant behaviours ever caught on film. It’s astounding just how family focussed elephants are.

When Ely, a male calf is born, he’s crippled and can’t stand up on his front legs. You immediately think about survival of the fittest and feel a pang of despair when you think that Ely will be left behind to die. But then something amazing happens. Echo’s maternal instincts set in and she tries to help Ely stand. He can’t, but they manage to figure out how to shuffle on his knees.

Torn by the need to go and get water and the fact that little Ely can’t keep up, Echo goes without and stays by her sons side, and miraculously, Ely finally manages to stand up – he’s a little shaky, and not as fast as the others, but he can now walk to the water, and his survival is almost guaranteed.

The documentaries are filled with moments like this, where the family unit is protected at all costs – there is no real selfishness in this family, everyone looks out for each other, under the constant leadership of the matriarch, Echo.

Of course no animal documentary is complete without some heartache, and the pain comes in various forms, from stillbirths to hunters, Echo’s family cannot protect everyone from everything, but through it all they stick together.

They also have enormous respect for their dead – the careful exploration of elephant bones gives you a sense that they can tell who the fallen comrade is, just from the skeletal remains. And they treat the skull in particular with careful reverence.

It’s not all about the Kenyan elephants as Cynthia takes a journey around Africa to see elephants as varied as beach dwelling ones to desert elephants.

This is a truly amazing and inspiring DVD.

News | iPod: Better Than Beer

According the biannual marketing research study by Student Monitor, a Ridgewood, N.J.-based firm, college students now love iPods 2 percent more than beer.

The Associated Press reports: "Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were 'in.'" Beer only hit 71 percent. Eat it, beer.

I've even heard that iPods make yourself and other people more attractive, too. And fewer headaches, provided the battery doesn't die.

Source: cult of mac

Sylvia Park shopping centre overwhelmed by crowds

Just in from the NZ Herald...

Police closed access to the new Sylvia Park shopping centre in Auckland today due to congestion in the area.

Inspector Matt Sillars said the closure at the Mt Wellington site would remain until further notice.

The Warehouse Extra hypermarket-style store opened today.

Oh, people are so predictable, and planners so lacking...

Book | Band of Brothers

I finished reading Band of Brothers yesterday lunchtime. When I got home and told my wife she just rolled her eyes.

It's only the third time I've read the book.

Who’s The Best Bond?

No surprisingly, Sean Connery took out the Best Bond. What was surprising is that Daniel Craig, the yet un-tested bond came in a close second.

This month we ask what is the best Next Gen Console? Microsoft have a healthy lead with the X-Box 360 having been released for a good few months, but Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii are both due out later in the year. Who will win the Next Gen Wars? Who deserves to win? Who really cares?

DVD | Murder On A Sunday Morning

Murder On A Sunday Morning is a damming, but riveting documentary on the American justice system. It focuses on the murder of a white tourist in Florida, by an unknown black assailant.

Several hours later the Police pick up a black teenager and charge him with the murder – even though the only similarity between him and the description given by the sole witness was the colour of his skin.

A confession is beat out of him and Patrick McGuinness, a chain smoking defense attorney is allocated the case. What at first seems like an open and shut case soon turns out to be a horrific miscarriage of justice as McGuinness discovers that the police did nothing that could be called an investigation. They essentially picked up a black male and framed him.

Bold and exceptional, this is a documentary that will get you thinking afresh about justice.

DVD | Millions

From the creative genius that brought us Train Spotting, Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later comes a touching story of two boys who’ve just lost their mother.

The oldest takes advantage of the situation, knowing he can get sympathy – and material gain – through the ‘pain’ of loosing his mum. The younger retreats into a world of Saints (they visit him and he always asks if they’ve seen his mum) and .a cardboard box fort he built by the railway line.

It’s in this fort, talking to a chain-smoking saint, that the story really kicks off – the fort is demolished by a bag of cash that falls from the sky.

Not knowing what to do, he elicits the help of his older brother who sees the money as a way to influence people (instant friends in their new school) and to make more money (Invest it in property). The younger brother however, on the advice of his Saint friends wants to help the poor.

But just how do you help the poor?

This warm and unexpected tale offers a parable on the role of money in our lives.

DVD | Transporter 2

Frank Martin is back, but this time he’s doing a favour for a mate and doing to school run for a well off family. Not quite the plot you’d expect for a Jason Statham movie, but then it’s not quite the usual suburban school run either – you see these bad people decide they want the kid. Oh yeah.

Statham is the definition of cool when it comes to action stars – he kicked arse in the original transporter (as well as Snatch and The Italian Job, and a way too small blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role in Collateral), and he doesn’t disappoint in this instalment. Some great fight scenes and nice car action give us all the eye candy we need from an action movie. It’s definitely a step up from the first, with one minor exception.

The boundaries of believability (yes, I know it’s only a movie) are pushed a little too much in a couple of the car stunts, and the obvious CGI lets the movie down, slightly.

Bout grab a big bucket of popcorn, large vanilla coke and settle back for a fun night in!

DVD | Everything Is Illuminated

Everything is Illuminated starts off as a quirky comedy that seems to get lost in translation, but along the way turns into a poignant lesson of faith, history and discovering who you are.

Elijah Wood seems to be only along for the journey in his very under performed lead role, but in a way that suits his character.

Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated will be a little hard to endure for anyone wanting to be entertained, but as is noted in one of the closing scenes of the movie, everything is illuminated through history.

DVD | Flightplan

A bereaved mother and daughter are on their way home to America, but at 30,000 feet above the Atlantic the impossible happens – her daughter vanishes off the plane.

The only problem is; no one can remember seeing the mother with her daughter. Is the woman delusional? Has the recent loss of her suicidal husband been too much for her fragile mental state, or is there more to this paranoid woman than meets the eye?

Jodie Foster plays the role of a mother falling to pieces with ease in this mind bending psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seats time and time again as the plot twists and turns faster than the flight they are entombed on.

Sean Bean plays a pivotal role as the Captain who is stuck between a rock and a hard place, having to balance the safety of the plane and it’s occupants against a neurotic woman and standard operation procedure.

Flightplan manages to show that the single location thriller is alive and well.

News | Saw 3 Plot

Saw was one of those movies with a plot so devious that you just had to see it – and it was fantastic. So much so there just had to be a sequel, and there was (I have it at home, waiting for a night when the wife is out so that I can finally watch it). But now Lions Gate Films have released details of #3!

Jigsaw has disappeared.

With his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) is unaware that she is about to become the latest pawn on his vicious chessboard.

One night, after finishing a shift at her hospital, Lynn is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse where she meets Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), bedridden and on the verge of death. She is told that she must keep the madman alive for as long as it takes Jeff (Angus Macfayden), another of his victims, to complete a game of his own. Racing against the ticking clock of Jigsaw's own heartbeat, Lynn and Jeff struggle to make it through each of their vicious tests, unaware that he has a much bigger plan for both of them…

Sounds every bit as devious as the first… let the games begin!

DVD | Michael Palin – Full Circle

Ex-Monty Python Michael Palin is at it again – another trip to regions around the world most of us never dream of, let alone visit. This time he’s doing the Pacific Ring.

It’s pretty much the same formula as all his other adventures, and is just as interesting a visually appealing. The funny thing is though; in this trip he visits New Zealand. This shows up two things – the first being how old this series actually is (it’s ten years old!) and just how brief and unrealistic his trips are. In New Zealand we briefly see downtown Auckland (from his hotel room) and then we’re in Dunedin for the students traditional initiation. Of course the Maori and sheep were mentioned, but that was it. New Zealand; a country of two cities and many sheep.

Oh well, it does serve as a reminder that whilst Palin’s trip are interesting and varied, they barely scratch the surface of what the countries are actually like.