Pause.

Ok, so I've been way too busy with FilmGuide and watching DVDs, playing on my 360, going to movies and being a family man, that this blog has suffered. In fact some might claim that this blog has died. I'd prefer the term Paused. Just like when you need to go to the toilet during a DVD, you hit the pause button and go and do your thing. Well I'm doing my thing elsewhere and I'm pausing this blog, but don't despair, you can still read all my reviews, and some reviews by other people over at www.filmguide.co.nz... it's not the best looking site at the moment, but I'm working with a great guy (whose wife is due to give birth any day now) to make the site a little more pleasing on the eye.

And if you want some light relief, head over to my mate Mike's new blog, What's Up Mike?

The Simpsons Movie

Because of my role with FilmGuide I've been able to attend a number of media screenings of movies, the most recent of which was The Simpsons Movie.

The Simpsons Movie was an absolute ball, the funniest movie I have seen for some time. It starts off brilliantly, and keeps the odd ball laughs going for the entire movie, even throughout the closing credits. Yes, throughout. This isn't a lame movie like POTC that adds a cheesy scene at the end to 'reward' people who watch credits, it's a movie that continues through the entire credits. Go watch it today, and read Josh's review over at FilmGuide.

The down side with my working for FilmGuide of course is that I don't have as much time for this blog, but I promise to start regular posting again!

A Mighty Heart

Rating:
Duration: 100 mins.
Genre: Drama.
Actors: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Archie Panjabi, Will Patton, Irfan Khan, Sajid Hasan, Aly Khan, Denis O'Hare.
Director: Michael Winterbottom.
Release Date: Selected dates during the NZFF, general release 18 October 2007.

Synopsis
On January 23, 2002, Mariane Pearl's world changed forever. Her husband Daniel, South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was researching a story on shoe bomber Richard Reid. The story drew them to Karachi where a go-between had promised access to an elusive source. As Danny left for the meeting, he told Mariane he might be late for dinner. He never returned…

The Reality
Being the opening film for the 2007 New Zealand Film Festival, A Mighty Heart was never going to be an action spectacular, despite the lead role going to Hollywood darling, Angelina Jolie.

Rather it’s a taught drama, paced brilliantly by both Winterbottom’s directing and Jolie’s grasp on her characters strengths, stamina and emotional character.

In fact one could possibly say it’s Angelina Jolie’s best performance to date.

Of course without the story line and the ensemble of supporting cast Jolie’s acting would have been for nought.

Frustratingly confusing at times, the storyline becomes a jumble of flash backs, imaginations and repetitive actions by the Pakistani police, but rather than inhibit the story telling, it illuminates perfectly the tangled web of lies, confusion, pride and inability that plagued the various groups represented, in their dire attempts to find out who has kidnapped Daniel Pearl.

Visually the movie is a mishmash of authentic news footage, home video style flashbacks and on the run, shoot-from-the-hip filming. In any other movie, this would be jarringly unacceptable, but in A Mighty Heart it only adds to the realness and frustrations felt by Mariane Pearl as she struggles to keep her head above water.

A brilliant, powerful, through provoking movie.

Food for thought
In reality, it all boils down to religious conviction, if we got rid of religion, the world would be at peace, right?

Invincible

Rating: PG - Contains Low Level Offensive Language.
Duration: 100 mins.
Genre: Drama, Sports.
Actors: Greg Kinnear, Kevin Conway, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Nouri, Michael Rispoli, Elizabeth Banks, Kirk Acevedo.
Director: Ericson Core.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Inspiring sports movie starring Mark Wahlberg as a Philadelphia Eagles fan who lost his wife and his teaching job. He decides one day to show up for an open tryout for his favourite NFL team, only to see his wildest dreams come true…

The Reality
The first thing I noticed whilst watching Invincible was the colour. Everything seemed to be infused with the colour yellow. Yellow, normally associated with cowardice, was the flavour of this true story of an underdog who over came everything thrown at him, to live the dream.

But cowardice is not the theme of the movie, nor is it what yellow conjures up in this instance. Yellow is the colour of age, of authenticity. It’s used to make the film feel like you’re watching something from the 70’s. Of course the imagery and sound is crisp and clean, but the colour alone keeps you grounded in the 70’s and gives the story a genuine feel.

Being based on a true story, the feel is an important factor, and this alone turned the movie from a ‘oh well, lets watch this one’ to a ‘hey, this is looking interesting’ kind of movie that took my attention for the entire 100 minute run time.

Sure it’s predictable, and anyone with any knowledge of American Football probably knows the entire story, but it’s a great feel good movie that shows that nothing is impossible, so long as your give it your all, heart, body and soul.

It’s exactly what Mark Wahlberg seems to be doing as well as he creates a convincing figure in the role of Vince Papale, in what could have been just another play by the numbers Disney flick.

An inspirational tale for the whole family.

Food for thought
The only thing Vince’s wife left him was the phone and a note that proclaimed he’d never make anything of himself. It’s this note that Vince holds onto as he tries out, and makes the cut for the Eagles. But as well as spurring him on initially, it plays him like a cancerous disease, eating him alive on the inside. It’s not until he finally lets go of the note, and believes in himself that he is able to shine. Don’t hold on to cutting remarks from people who have no faith in you, instead focus on the one who created you, and believe in yourself.

Special Features (not reviewed)
• Becoming Invincible: The Story of Vince Papale
• Audio Commentaries

Shadowrun

Rating: R16 - Restricted to persons 16 years and over.
Console: Xbox 360

Initial thoughts
Microsoft’s Shadowrun sought to unite Xbox 360 console gamers with Microsoft Vista computer gamers in the first game to be able to be played by both different pieces of hardware in the same game. This in itself is an interesting feat and worthy achievement all on it’s own. However one could argue that it’s only self serving as in only unties Microsoft controlled players with, um, well, Microsoft controlled players. One could also argue that with something in the region of 7 Million online players, Xbox live doesn’t really need computer gamers invading its turf.

So just what is Shadowrun? Apparently it’s based on a 1989 pen-and-paper RPG and essentially has been given a Counter Strike makeover to bring it into the 21st century.

Sadly that just about sums it up.

After some training levels, that help you come to grips with some of the unique attributes you can give your character (walking through walls anyone?) it’s onto the game-play.

What? No single player campaign? Just the ability to play against (and with) bots? Now that’s not a very deep concept. With the enticing subject of an ongoing battle for control of some magical artefacts, I was expecting a campaign where my magical abilities depended on gaining control of the artefacts as the game progressed.

Sadly what could have been a fast paced single player game with on-line playability, shrunk into an online only game.

Now that I’ve played it a bit more
Fortunately I’ve got a one month trial on Xbox Live and was able to play online. It certainly shows it’s true colours online, and as such is a strong game with many unique features.

Graphically it’s impressive, though parents be warned – this is an adult game, as there is blood galore. It is after all a first person shooter at heart, and the name of the game is to destroy your opponent’s team in any manner possible.

Longevity
Sadly Shadowrun just didn’t cut it for me personally in the long run. I’ve played a fair bit of Call of Duty 3 since getting Xbox Live, and the ability to re-spawn means that the games are longer and there is less waiting around watching the games finish. Of course to be honest, I’d always choose a World War Two FPS shooter over anything futuristic, so with that in mind, I’ll say that Shadowrun is a great game to keep your skills sharp whilst you wait fro Halo 3 to hit the stores.

Flags of our Fathers

Rating: R15 - Depicts Graphic & Realistic War Scenes.
Duration: 132 mins.
Genre: War.
Actors: Jesse Bradford, Paul Walker, Ryan Phillippe, Neal McDonough, Jamie Bell, Robert Patrick, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery.
Director: Clint Eastwood.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Based on the book of the same name, Flags of our Fathers reconstructs the events that preceded and followed the infamous photograph taken on Iwo Jima that came to symbolize the U.S. troops' triumph and America's indestructible spirit.

The Reality
Flags of our Fathers is an interesting movie. Interesting as it does not sit happily in the standard war movie genre. In an approach that almost causes too much confusion for it’s own good, the story is told through a series of multi-level flash backs, from the training, to the assault on Iwo Jima, through the Seventh War Bond Tour right too the present day.

It’s certainly more of a movie for history buffs than straight out war movie fans, as a lot of the focus is on three individuals who are basically forced to become heroes and tour the US selling War Bonds.

We get to see just how these three men became the focus of the whole country, and how the war, combined with this instant hero-dom, along with their own value systems, plagued each of them in different ways.

The movie shows how a culture celebrates the heroes (living) whilst not wanting anything to do with those that payed the ultimate price.

By the end of the movie, the confusing layers of flashbacks have all but been forgotten as we have gotten used to the technique and realise their necessity. We are left now to dwell on the events that took place, and reflect on their meaning in the fresh light of what we have seen.

Visually Flags is spectacular, far better than Saving Private Ryan, and just as gruesomely realistic, whilst being desolate and uninspiring at the same time – though only because the landscape of Iwo Jima was desolate and moonscape like.

As a complete package, it has its flaws, but despite it’s very different approach, will sit amongst the top ten war movies of all time.

Food for thought
Do you fight for your life or for the truth?

Special Features (not reviewed)
• An Introduction by Clint Eastwood
• Words on the Page - Clint Eastwood along with screenwriters Paul Haggis, William Broyles and writer James Bradley discuss the creation of the book and the adaptation of the script, along with the challenges and victories each possessed.
• Six Brave Men - Clint Eastwood and the key cast members introduce us to the real- life characters portrayed in the film; including their roles in the historic events and their relationships to one another.
• The Making of an Epic - Led by Clint Eastwood, we take an inside look at the creation of the film with many of the key players involve d, including the production design with Henry Bumstead; the photography with Tom Stern; editorial with Joel Cox; and the rest of the team that brought this epic film together.
• Raising the Flag - Clint Eastwood and key cast members discuss reenacting the historic flag-raising on Iwo Jima.
• Visual Effects - The visual effects team (including visual effects supervisor Michael Owens, and Julian Levi and Mathew Butler of Digital Domain) discusses the approach and creation of the “invisible” digital effects in the film, including before and after examples, as well as the various steps taken to realize them.
• Looking into the Past - A documentary, real- life look at the battle, the two flag raisings at Iwo Jima and the resulting bond tour, using historical footage and newsreels.
• Theatrical Trailer

Life on Mars

Rating: R16 - Contains Violence, Offensive Language & Sex Scenes.
Duration: 600 mins.
Genre: Television, Drama.
Actors: Philip Glenister, John Simm, Dean Andrews, Noreen Kershaw, Marshall Lancaster, Tony Marshall, Liz White.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Remember the 1970s? Sam Tyler doesn't - he was only four at the time. Smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is at the top of his game. Then, after a near-fatal car accident, Sam finds himself mysteriously transported back to 1973…

The Reality
Trust the British to inject some much needed originality into the Television Cop Drama genre, and they’ve done it in style with Life On mars.

Struggling to accept that he has been mysteriously transported back to the early seventies, Sam quickly alienates himself to everyone but a lowly female cop. I say lowly because this is the seventies, and females were still relegated to the ‘nice bot of skirt’ mentality.

Figuring that he may as well get the job done while he figures out how to get back to his life in the naughties, Sam causes even more friction at work with his new fangled approach, and insistence on doing things right, for putting the truth ahead of forced confessions.

But his style, honesty and fresh approach starts to be seen as valuable to his new boss, who takes him under his wing, as they fight crime, the old fashioned way, finishing everyday at the local pub.

There’s much to love about Life on Mars, there’s the nostalgic look back at the seventies, a time when the PC brigade hadn’t sucked all the fun out of life, a time where there was still hope for the world. There are the lovable characters, an oddball assortment, that as individuals would drive you crazy, but together seem to just click.

Then there’s the storyline, as Sam’s old life keeps intersecting with his new life, and as he learns to accept where he is, and make the most of it.

Roll on season two.

Food for thought
It’s only through honest work that the truth comes to light.

Special Features (not reviewed)
• Take a Look at the Lawman: A 60-minute documentary covering the making of the programme
• Get Sykes: A 30-minute interview with the production designer
• Outtakes reel
• The Music of Life on Mars
• Audio commentaries on all episodes with cast and crew

Forza Motorsport 2

Rating: G - Suitable for general audiences.

Initial thoughts
The original Forza re-defined driving games. It bought the shiny graphics and exotic cars of PlayStation’s GranTurismo, and added realism, edge of your set action, and fun.
Graphically it was the best of the best, and playability was unmatched.

It seemed that the only thing to make it perfect would be some V8 Supercars style damage. But alas, all you could do was scrape paint. A minor point considering the complexity of the game and what Microsoft had managed to do.

So now we have the next-gen X-Box 360, and Forza 2. Initially not a lot looks different. The graphics are as you expect them to be – more lush, more detail, but possibly not mindblowingly awesome – at least in comparison to what we were expecting. The graphics were nice, and the play smooth, and that’s what counts.

So pretty much the same game, the tacks (as with all sequels of any decent driving game) feel slightly different, but the cars handle much the same – bone crushingly realistic, especially when you try and take a corner too fast – and it’s at this point that you notice that Microsoft have added so ‘removable parts’ to you beautiful shiny car.

What you may not notice is the attention to detail, especially to the technical side of things, now whilst driving you can call up you HUD, and get the Telemetry. For me, this is a little too much information, but luckily they still have the simple damage indicator and tire temp icons.

So if not that much has changed, why bother? Because it’s the best driving game on any console, period. It’s been improved upon on so many little ways, but it feels just like the original, which is a great achievement, you’ll as comfortable in Forza 2 as you were in Forza, its just that if you take the time to look around you’ll see a lot more detail, like the smoke coming from your bonnet after rear ending that car on the hairpin. Or the dust cloud billowing out behind you as you get a wheel slightly off track.

There’s not really much else to say, if you’ve driven the original, then you’ll gonna love part 2, if you’ve never played Forza, then you’re in for a mind blowing treat.

Now that I’ve played it a bit more
I think any downplaying of the graphic of Forza 2 were un-warrented. On reflection there is a heck of a lot more going on, the tracks aren’t just grey, but a mixture of surfaces depending on the track, and a whole lot of rubber. The attention to detail off track is amazing as well, with the entire area modelled right down to trucks parked row upon row on the infield of an American oval circuit.

Why you might ask would you bother – well because you do notice, and its these little things that on reflection make you realise just how much better the graphical grunt is on the 360.

The other nice improvement is the AI. The computer cars are a lot more imperfect in their driving, and at time down right aggressive. From time to time you hear the distinctive noise of colliding metal and two cars behind you fight for the corner. Computer cars will continue racing on with smoke belching from their engines. No one is the perfect driver in Forza 2, and it’s refreshing.

Longevity
Forza is a huge game, with so many options in customisation of your cars alone, add to that the many different race options available and you have a challenging game that will take you a while to unlock everything on offer.

X-Box Live
The arrival of Forza 2 coincided with the arrival of broadband in my home, which meant one thing, I was going to hook up the 360 to Live and see how I fared against real people. I was worried that New Zealand’s under performing broadband speeds would make the game laggy and un-enjoyable. It didn’t. 95% of the time everything was smooth, with the only problem being the other players.

It could be the curse of our time zone but there were precious few options when it came to playing with other people online (No, I have no Live ‘friends’) and those who did want to play with me seemed intent on shunting me off the road at every opportunity.

A Scanner Darkly

Rating: R13 - Contains Drug Use & Offensive Language.
Duration: 100 mins.
Genre: Animated, Sci-fi, Thriller.
Actors: Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey, Rory Cochrane.
Director: Richard Linklater.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Working as an undercover cop in a world where almost everyone is addicted to Substance D - which produces split personalities in its users - Fred Arctor (Reeves) sets up an elaborate sting to nab a notorious drug runner named Bob. But little does Fred know that "Bob" is… his alter ego.

The Reality
Richard Linklater might not be a familiar name for most people, but for anyone who recognises the genius of Before Sunset, Before Sunrise and TAPE, and the artistic merits of Waking Life, the name Linklater means only one thing; it’s going to be an interesting, thoughtfully and passionately made movie.

The choice to use Philip K. Dick’s book of the same name as the source for a movie is natural, his books always make for good cinema, the decision to go back and reinvent a better form of rotoscoping than was used for Waking Life is a little more interesting.

By going the rotoscoping road, it’s almost as if Linklater is saying ‘stuff you Hollywood’ as it’s not only going against the grain for the genre, but it’s also sentencing the movie to a niche audience and therefore less profit.

But for any Linklater fan, indeed for any movie going with an open mind and an eye for the creative, it’s pure genious.

Then of course there’s the subject matter.

Paranoia, greed and addiction are the main themes of this movie, and the trippy quality that rotoscoping adds to an animated movie help to increase the feeling that the viewer is held captive by the same drug infected world where the story takes place.

Substance D is the problem, at least on the surface. Everyone is addicted to it, and it’s major side effect – it gives the user a split personality – sets up the unique storyline. Fred Arctor is an undercover cop, determined to bring down a notorious drug runner known as Bob. The only problem is that unbeknownst to Fred, Bob is actually his alter ego. As I said, everyone is addicted to Substance D.

If that’s not enough of a twisted plot, then get ready for the greed and corruption, that bring about some major plot twists that I’m not about to mention here.

Suffice to say that A Scanner Darkly is a highly original anti-drug thriller. It’s not going to set the world on fire and help solve the problem. It will however make you think, keep you entertained for the whole 100 minute run time, and give you an appreciation for the non-Hollywood school of film making.

Food for thought
Which is worse, the cure or the disease?

Special Features:
• Commentary by screenwriter/director Richard Linklater, Keanu Reeves, Isa Dick Hackett (daughter of Phillip K. Dick), producer Tommy Pallotta and Phillip K. Dick historian Jonathan Lethem
• One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming A Scanner Darkly
• The Weight of the Line: Animation Tales
• Theatrical Trailer

I watched enough of the commentary to know that A Scanner Darkly is staying on my shelf for a revisiting in the near future to watch gain with the commentary – it’s almost an essential with a movie such as this. The behind the scenes documentary looking at the process of making the movie, is also a must look.

All in all a tidy single disc package.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia

Rating: PG.
Duration: 95 mins.
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy.
Actors: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick.
Director: Gabor Csupo.
Release Date: 14 June 2007.

Synopsis
Bullied school kid Jesse Aaron befriends new girl Leslie Burke. An attraction between outsiders, their friendship feeds on her words and his pictures; together they create an imaginary kingdom in the woods behind their homes …

The Reality
Bridge to Terabithia is based on the Katherine Paterson book. Filmed in Auckland with special effects by Weta Workshop, it’s certainly a children’s classic that should find a home in the hearts of many kiwis.

But a children’s movie it is, and going to children’s movies always fills me with the dread of bad acting and cheesy scripts. Fortunately Terabithia turned out to be an enjoyable, engrossing movie experience for my entire family.

Sure, it’s got a swag load of predictability and clichés, but the casting was great, acting believable and the special effects, well, they were done by Weta, what more needs to be said?

Terabithia’s strength is in that of children’s imaginations, and the film actively encourages the viewer to embrace that, which can only be found in dreams. In short it encourages kids to be kids. In one scene Leslie tells her teacher that she doesn’t have a television at home because her father believes that TV only makes you dumb. In lieu of television, Leslie has grown up having to rely on her own fantasy world to entertain herself.

So if you want an infusion of imagination into your life, take the family to the land of Terabithia, you won’t look back!

Food for thought
Imagination is a gift, if we don’t use it, we insult the giver of the gift.

Invisible Waves

Rating: M - Contains Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 116 mins.
Genre: Foreign.
Actors: Eric Tsang, Gang Hye Jung, Asano Tadanobu, Maria Cordero, Toon Hiranyasup, Ken Mitsuishi.
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Kyoji is having an affair with Seiko, his boss’s wife. His boss, Wiwat, discovers the affair and forces Kyoji to kill his wife, and then sends him on a holiday to Thailand whilst everything at home settles down.…

The Reality
Ok, so totally weird movie that seems to keep you hooked by constantly making you think ‘what the?’

It starts off very intriguing with the boss’s wife coming over for a romantic dinner, and more. But the dinner doesn’t go as planned as Kyoji seems distracted, and we’re not sure why.

A few scenes later we find Kyoji dragging her lifeless body across the floor, but we’re not sure what has just transpired.

Move on to Kyoji being sent on a cruise to Thailand to hide out whilst everything settles down, but hold on, some one seems to be following him.

On the cruise ship nothing seems to be going right for Kyoji, and you start to think that maybe this is all a dream. Then we arrive in Thailand and things go from bad to worse for Kyoji.

As a movie there’s not much to praise about Making Waves, it seems to drift lifeless on and ocean, much like a stricken yacht. Its direction tussled by the waves beneath it.

But venture beneath the surface and you see the genius of the title; its all about cause and effect. Kyoji’s life is now controlled by the invisible waves of his actions, that all began with his illicite affair.

Kyoji soon begins to come to this realisation, and at one point if given the chance to take back control of his own destiny, but can Kyoji break free from the pull of the waves?

Food for thought
Our actions always have consequences beyond what we can initially see.

Special Features (not reviewed)
• Making of.
• Cast and crew interviews.
• Trailers.

A Good Year

Rating: M - Contains Offensive Language.
Duration: 112 mins.
Genre: Drama.
Actors: Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish, Richard Coyle, Freddie Highmore, Archie Panjabi, Giannina Facio.
Director: Ridley Scott.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Highly successful investment expert, Max Skinner, inherits the vineyard of his childhood when his estranged uncle dies. Intending to sell the vineyard as quickly as possible, he takes leave to visit and sort out the legal requirements, but along the way rediscovers the magic of his childhood…

The Reality
A Good Year in reality is light fluff, with no real substance. It’s a predictable if somewhat charming, occasionally funny drama.

Russell Crowe plays the part of Max Skinner, an investment expert who plays hard and fast and is at the top of his game. He likes to live in the fast lane, and settling down isn’t in his plans.

So when his estranged uncle dies and leaves him the French Villa and Vineyard where he spent most of his childhood, only one thing comes to mind: how much can I get for it.

Of course to sell it he has to take a – gasp – holiday and re-visit the Villa and sort through the legal procedures.

As predictable as they come, not everything goes according to plan and Max starts a gradual change in his outlook on life.

It’s pretty much movies – and acting – by the numbers, but does make for an easy, enjoyable night on the couch.

Food for thought
Is it time you re-visited your childhood?

Special Features
• Audio commentary with director Ridley Scott and Marc Klein
• Behind the scenes
• Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe Promo
• Music videos

There’s not much in the special features, the Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe Promo is nothing short of a cheesy infomercial for the movie, the commentary plays like two men discussing their conquests, and the music video’s are all of Russ and his band.

The West Wing Season Six

Rating: PG - Contains Adult Themes.
Duration: 910 mins.
Genre: Television, Drama.
Actors: Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Richard Schiff, Stockard Channing, Joshua Malina.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the US capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humour and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life…

The Reality
Season Six hits the ground running as we follow on from the Season Five cliff-hanger. Colin and Josh stay at Donna’s bedside, whist the Bartlet administration struggles over what kind of a response is appropriate.

But in reality this is all just high-tension candyfloss, a transition between the two seasons, just enough of a high octane hit to get you drawn back into the series.

Not that any long time fan would need an excuse to get back into the West Wing, especially as fans are only all too aware that Jed Bartlett has little over a year before he has to step down, and the series as a whole will have to face a serious dilemma.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Season Six is probably one of the most unique since the whole concept of the West Wing as thrust upon us many years ago. It’s time for massive change as new presidential hopefuls rise up, as the country gears up for a year of campaigning. Well known and loved members of the Bartlet team will have to make some tough choices as the focus gets split between Martin Sheen’s Jed Bartlet, and Presidential hopefuls played by Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda.

But as the Bartlet team fractures and changes, the President still has a country to run, and politics to play.

All in all, Season Six is probably one of the most diverse and interesting so far, and only sets fans up for a roller coaster ride in Season Seven.

But what is it that makes the West Wing so compelling. What gives it its legs to lead it into a seventh season? Possibly it’s the intrigue of the behind the doors working of the White House, the great story writing and lovable characters. Perhaps it’s also the fact that the writers never go down the usual TV series trap of rampant relationships and sex between the key characters, and this is something that I believe makes for series that resonates with authenticity.

Food for thought
Jed Bartlet is surrounded by advisors to keep him honest, who keeps you honest?

Special Features
None

Keane

Rating: R16 - Contains Drug Use & Sex Scenes.
Duration: 90 mins.
Genre: Psychological, Thriller.
Actors: Damian Lewis, Abigail Breslin, Stephen Henderson, Tina Holmes, Amy Ryan.
Director: Lodge Kerrigan.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
After losing his daughter at a bus terminal, distraught New York father William Keane’s life spirals out of control. Using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain, Keane’s life is on a downward spiral into the darkness of mental instability. Then he befriends Lynn Bedik and her 7-year-old daughter, Kira and suddenly his life has purpose again…

The Reality
Damian Lewis, made famous through the Band of Brothers TV series, seems a little out of place. With my fanatical Band of Brothers viewings, I can only see him as Dick Winters.

But Lewis does an admirable job of Keane, a man who seems like he has mild autism, as well as a life spiralling out of control. As a vignette of mental instability following a traumatic loss, Keane does a great job. The movie is riveting.

Riveting up to a point. Unfortunately after a while, you’re left wondering if this is all the movie has to offer, and like the recent 2:37 the final scenes of the movie nearly save it from being an abysmal waste of time, but for most people this will be too little, way to late.

On one level it’s hard to say where the movie goes wrong, as subconsciously we know that this is true to life, this is what does happen, but then maybe that’s just it. Our voyeuristic tendencies want to be titillated, teased and entertained. Keane on the other hand wants to reveal the mundane life of one who has lost everything, and doesn’t seem to be able to find the way back.

Or possibly want to.

There’s a good chance that I’ve missed some subtle subplot, that further viewings would uncover, but Keane doesn’t really jump out and grab me, screaming ‘watch me again, fool!’ and as such, will just collect dust on my shelf.

Food for thought
Is loosing everything the end, or just a new beginning?

Special Features:
None.

Blood Diamond

Rating: R16 - Depicts Graphic & Realistic War Scenes.
Duration: 143 mins.
Genre: Action & Adventure.
Actors: Michael Sheen, Jennifer Connelly, Arnold Vosloo, Djimon Hounsou, Jimi Mistry, Stephen Collins, Leonardo DiCaprio, Basil Wallace, Marius Weyers, Ato Essandoh, Kasigo Kuypers.
Director: Edward Zwick.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Set during Sierra Leone's bloody civil war in 1999, the paths of Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler and Solomon, a local fisherman cross and Danny sees a quick way to early retirement…

The Reality
Blood Diamond is one of those rare movies that does three things. It entertains you, makes you think about what’s going on and challenges you to change the way you live.

Some people might come away from the movie and question how such a violent movie could ever be called entertainment, but they’d be missing the point; movies are entertainment, it’s up to us (primarily) or the directors (rarely) to make something more out of the movie experience.

With Blood Diamond even the most cynical movie goer will realise that something is wrong with the way the world operates after witnessing the brutality of this fictional tale of Solomon and his journey to find his son.

During Sierra Leone's civil war, the RUF (Revolution United Front, the rebel army) decided that because the Government was going to allow the people to use their right hand to vote, they would go from village to village, killing people or cutting off their right hands.

Solomon and his family are lucky, he manages to help his family escape but is captured himself, but because he is a fisherman, his strong physique makes him useful to the rebels, and they force him to work in a diamond mine.

One day he finds and incredibly rare and valuable blood diamond and miraculously manages to hide it.

What he doesn’t know however is that on their journey to the refugee camps, his wife and daughter get separated from their only son, who is grabbed by the rebels and inducted into their child army.

When government forces attack the mining camp, Solomon is captured and put in prison where he meets up with Danny, who promises to help him find his family in return for the location of the Blood Diamond.

The problem is its people like Danny who are helping the rebels, through smuggling arms for diamonds. The rebels use the diamonds to buy guns then steals the children to fight for their cause.

It’s a vicious circle, without the diamonds, the conflict may never have started, but Sierra Leone would be a poor country.

Blood Diamond manages to show with extreme clarity the destructive nature of greed, on all levels. Though without wanting to give away too much, the movie does offer up a decent serving of hope by the end of the story.

Food for thought
Who’s paying for your easy life?

Special Features:
• Director’s Commentary
• Theatrical Trailer
• Blood on the Stone (50m) – Follow the path of a diamond from the ground to the store.
• Becoming Archer – A profile of Leonardo DiCaprio and how he trained for the war.
• Journalism on the Front Line – Jennifer Connelly on Women Journalists at war.
• Inside the Siege of Freetown (– See how Ed Zwick tackled the pivotal scene.
• Music Video, “Shine On Em” by Nas

I’ve yet to watch all of the special features on this two disc special edition, but I can say that one you have to watch is Blood on the Stone, a budget documentary that goes to Sierra Leone to see if anything really has changed in the world of illegal diamonds.

Saw III

Rating: R18 - Contains Sadistic Violence.
Duration: 109 mins.
Genre: Psychological, Thriller.
Actors: Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, Angus MacFadyen, Shawnee Smith, Barry Flatman, Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Lyriq Bent, Bahar Soomekh, Alan Van Sprang, Franky G.
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
After eluding the cops at the end of the second installment, Jigsaw sets up in an abandoned warehouse and with the help of his protégée Amanda kidnaps a doctor who's forced to keep him alive. Barely clinging to life, Jigsaw starts another chapter in his experiments on those he sees as already being dead…

The Reality
The Saw movies have always fascinated me. Here is a story about a serial killer, who has never killed anyone. Sure plenty of people have died in the devices he has set up, but they all had a chance at freedom.

More so, Jigsaw’s intention has always been to force them to actually live the life they have been given rather than squander it away. Of course not many of his – lets call them contestants – have managed to grasp the freedom that has been offered – or is that forced – upon them.

All three Saw movies are bloody and graphic, and definitely not for the squeamish. But one thing they don’t seem to be is gratuitous. Of course people will disagree with me on that point, but I’ve seen the other so called masterpiece of this genre, Hostel, and that is an exercise in the gratuitous.

Saw uses graphic scenes to make you uncomfortable, to force you to think hard about what is going on, to try and make it real. In a way the viewer is being forced to play one of Jigsaw’s mind games.

The real clincher for most fans I would have to say is the fact that the Saw movies are never dull, there are no fillers to make the movie longer and there is never any predictability in the plot. I don’t think anyone could come away from any of these movies and say; ‘I saw that coming a mile off.’

So what does the third instalment offer? It carries along a similar vein to the previous movies, but – and this is the part where I warn you there may be plot spoilers from now on – this is the one where a lot of questions are answered.

The movie starts off with the usual warm up victims, but this time something seems off, there doesn’t seem to be any real chance of escape for these victims, and this isn’t how the game is supposed to be played.

And then there’s the body count – it’s looking like its going to end up being a lot lower.

With less players you might start wondering if the pace is going to be slower than expected, but no, this is an edge of your seats ride as we follow Jeff, a man dying on the inside from the loss of his son, with the agony of un-forgiveness consuming him.

It’s this raging internal struggle that Jigsaw tries to set right by putting the lives of everyone involved in his sons death into Jeff’s hands. If he can help save their lives and at the same time let go of his dead son, Jeff will find the freedom that only forgiveness brings.

If he doesn’t, he’ll find himself permanently stuck in the hell of un-forgiveness for the rest of his life.

But it’s not all about the victims this time, as the creators seem to want to bring this franchise to a close, we find out a lot more about the back story of the entire series. We are given hints as to what may have influenced Jigsaw’s lust to be a brutal judge and jury. We discover how Amanda became his protégée, and ultimately despite looking like the final instalment of a trilogy, the creators of Saw seem to have set up for an entirely different incarnation of the franchise.

Saw 3 is probably the most brutal, twisted masterpiece to date.

Food for thought
If you’re not willing to let go of the pain, then you will never find freedom from the things that have hurt you.

Special Features (not reviewed):
• Never-before-seen deleted scenes
• 'The Traps of Saw III' - a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie
• 2 additional behind-the-scenes featurettes.

2:37

Rating: R18 - Contains Violence, Suicide & Disturbing Content.
Duration: 97 mins.
Genre: Festival.
Actors: Gary Sweet, Joel Mackenzie, Frank Sweet, Clementine Mellor, Sam Harris, Marni Spillane, Sarah Hudson, Chris Olver, Xavier Samuel, Teresa Palmer.
Director: Murali K. Thalluri.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Just your average Aussie high school day, with your average Aussie students, going about their lives, unique struggles and fears. Unlike every other normal day however, on this day, one student will take his or her own life.

The Reality
2:37 plays out like Gus Van Sant’s brilliant Elephant, though instead of the mundane countdown to a school shooting, 2:37 has us embroiled in a kind of macabre who dunnit.

As with Elephant we know what’s going to happen, the movie will finish with the suicide of one student, but instead of taking us through the school day watching to see what the killers are going to do, we get force fed one red herring after another, as director Murali K. Thalluri pushes the boundaries and breaks a few taboos.

2:37 has it all, the homophobic, but gay jock, his bulimic girlfriend, the rich kid nerd and the disabled freak, clichés are thrown left right and centre, all in a effort to make you believe one of them will top themselves before the day is out.

It’s not an easy movie to watch, in fact some of it turns out to be very uncomfortable viewing, but the biggest annoyance is the reliance of some kind of video diary confessional that punctuates the story at frustratingly all to frequent moments.

The movie’s most powerful moment is the actual suicide, and the person who believes that life is no longer worth living. The internal struggle that goes on during this scene almost redeems the movie as a whole, and the reasoning behind the desperation hits the teenage nail on the head.

If Murali had only taken a more subtle, well rounded course to this moment, 2:37 would have been an un-missable classic, but his heavy handedness and determination push the envelope of acceptability is his – and the movie’s – own undoing.

The Look
The actual look of the movie verges on the home handycam, not just in the follow behind the person perspective, but also in the subtle lack of quality of the film. Weather this was the director’s intention or just budgetary constraints I don’t know, but it was a little off putting at first.

Being set almost entirely in a high school we do get the perception of claustrophobia, as after a while everything starts to look the same, but it’s this sameness and forced conformity that is probably the root cuase of half the problems that the students believe they have.

Food for thought
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you have to make it through the day to be able to see it!

Nacho Libre

Rating: PG - Contains Medium Level Violence.
Duration: 92 mins.
Genre: Drama, Biography.
Actors: Peter Stormare, Jack Black, Hector Jiminez, Ana DeLa Reguera, Richard Montoya, Carla Jimenez.
Director: Jared Hess.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
After being cared for as an orphan in a Mexiacan monastry, Ignacio decides to stay on as their cook. But he has a dark secret that he keeps hidden; he secretly wants to become a professional wrestler…

The Reality
If you come to Nacho Libre wanting a laugh out loud comedy like Jack Black’s School of Rock, you’ll end up disappointed. Nacho is a more sedate outing that has more of a feel good storyline than the outrageous comedy that Black is known for.

Not that that’s a bad thing, and there are some wonderful moments of hilarity, it’s just that these moments seem too far apart, and the story as a whole seems patched together.

Essentially Nacho turned out to be light and fluffy, something more suited for your kids’ entertainment.

So I decided to put it on for the kids to watch the following night, and what a difference. The kids were laughing their faces off! Black has obviously found a calling as a children’s comedian, and possibly should focus more on these light and fluffy tales, but get Paramount to market them as kids movies…

The Look
The whole look and style of the movie suits the slapstick, children’s movie scenario very well. It’s not too flash, but a long way from cheesy. Ok, so Nacho’s many outfits are right on the money for cheesy, but that’s what’s expected.

Food for thought
In the immortal words of Sister Encarnación (Nacho’s infatuation) “If you fight for something noble, something right, only then will God bless you”.?

Jindabyne

Rating: M - Contains Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 123 mins.
Genre: Festival & Foreign.
Actors: Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Chris Haywood, John Howard, Leah Purcell, Deborra Lee-Furness, Eva Lazzaro, Stelios Yiakmis, Simon Stone.
Director: Ray Lawrence.
Release Date: Available Now.

Synopsis
Four men from a rural Australian town go on their annual fishing trip, at a remote location in the hills. It’s a fair hike to the campsite, so when they discover the dead body of an aboriginal girl in the river, they’re not sure what to do. In the end they decide there is nothing to be done an continue with there planned fishing.

The Reality
Jindabyne doesn’t start off as I was expecting it to. For some reason I was expecting an adult version of Mean Creek; but Jindabyne goes much deeper than that.

It starts off feeling more than Wolf Creek, but instead of gratuitous violence, we are treated to an electrifying performance of a small community coming to terms with the grave misjudgements of four of it’s men, along with the terrifying reality that they must all now face the hidden demons that have been lurking below the surface.

To say that Jindabyne is all about death would be a misrepresentation, but death permeates the entire movie, from the obvious to the subtler, there are signs of death everywhere.

Death however des not have the final say, as Jindabyne is a story of dealing with our own fears and losses, be they physical loss or emotional loss, the loss of dreams, the loss of love, the loss of community.

And it’s through dealing with our loss that we can find healing, not only for ourselves, but for the community as a whole.

The Look
As this was a screener, the quality is not intended to represent the final product. Such is life. But the great thing is that the quality wasn’t as issue for Jindabyne, as the story itself was plenty to keep you glued to the edge of your seat, and with some great acting and stunning natural backdrops, the whole feel of the movie was amazing.

Form time to time however, the thematic music seemed a little odd and out of place, but most of these was contained in the first part of the movie and was soon forgotten as the story get down to business.

Food for thought
If we don’t treat the dead with respect, what hope do we have of living?