When looking for some home entertainment, this section of the blog offers condensed reviews of all the films, that are currently released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
"The Way Way Back" (12)
Directed by: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Liam James and Steve Carell.
Running time: 103 minutes.
Rated: 12 for containing one use of strong language, moderate sex references and drug references.
Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.
From the writers of "The Descendants", "The Way Way Back" tells the story of a young teenager's (Liam James) emotional yet funny summer holiday with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her new distasteful boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter Stephanie (Zoe Levin).
Coming of age comedies are rare, good ones even rarer, but "The Way Way Back" is almost perfect and lives up to the reviews which surround it, by creating a heartfelt comedy which is original and definitely worth watching.
Extras for the Blu-Ray include a documentary on the making of "The Way, Way Back", deleted scenes and behind The Scenes featurettes. The DVD copy includes all of the above, excluding the documentary.
Film = 4 Stars.
Extras = DVD - 3 Stars.
Blu-Ray - 4 Stars.
"The Great Gatsby" (12)Director: Baz Luhrmann.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton.
Rated: 12, for containing moderate sex, violence and bloody images.
"The Great Gatsby" follows the story of Nick Carraway (Maguire) a writer, who enters the strange, yet exciting city of New York; in the 1920's. Soon, Nick becomes friends with the famous, yet thoughtful Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio); but behind the glitter and glamour, Nick soon discovers that deceit and violence are always around.
"The Great Gatsby" (2013) is a well-rounded film, that likes to be daring and add in pieces that are suitable for younger generations. For example, the film contains a fantastic soundtrack; including music from Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and the likes of the rock band, "U2". There are also plenty of light-hearted moments, action and lots of drinking and partying.
Luhrman has not conformed to the traditionalist's view of the novel, and has instead put his own swing on it, which proves to be highly entertaining. The style of Luhrman is wonderful; the way he has set out the world of Gatsby is quite brilliant. It is colourful, vibrant and above all, true to the book.
The special features on the DVD are limited, only offering deleted scenes. However, the Blu-Ray edition contains a banquet of deleted scenes, interviews, documentaries and a trailer for the 1926 original.
Film = 3 Stars.
Extras = DVD - 1 Star
Blu-Ray - 4 Stars.
Released on the 11th of the November, 2013.
"This Is The End" (15)
Director(s): Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen.Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride.
Rated: 15, for containing very strong language, strong sex references, drug use and gore.
Following some of Hollywood's favourite actors, "This Is The End" delivers an often distasteful, yet hilarious take on the apocalypse film; from the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Moving from laugh to laugh, "This Is The End" just continues to entertain. It's possibly the best summer comedy in a long time; it's not to be missed.
The special features on the Blu-Ray edition are superb, including plenty of behind-the-scenes features, some fantastic deleted scenes and the original short "Jay and Seth Versus The Apocalypse"; which inspired "This Is The End".
Film = 4 Stars.
Extras = DVD extras - 1 Star.
Blu-Ray - 4 Stars.
Released on the 4th of November 2013.
"The Purge" (15)Director: James DeMonaco.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey and Rhys Wakefield.
Rated: 15, for containing strong language and bloody violence.
What begins with an exciting and different idea, descends into a piece of tedious, mundane cinema. "The Purge" has very little to offer in terms of plot (and the continuation of an interesting idea) and instead presents a pointless home-invasion thriller, with plenty of action; but little in terms of script. As aforementioned, "The Purge" has the right idea, but nothing else.
The DVD extras are weak, including a 'making of documentary' and nothing else. The Blu-Ray edition is just as bad, including the same documentary as the DVD.
Film = 2 Stars.
EXTRAS = 2 Stars for both DVD and Blu-Ray.
Released on the 21st of October, 2013.
"World War Z" (15)
Director: Marc Forster.
Starring: Brad Pitt, David Morse and Peter Capaldi.
Rated: 15, for containing sustained threat, strong violence and bloody injury detail.
Marc Forster ("The Kite Runner") delivers "World War Z", a loose adaptation of the Max Brooks novel, depicting the apocalypse, in a less gory style. Despite it's popular lead (Pitt), nothing can save this doomed piece of cinema, from becoming something extremely dull. Despite being a zombie film, the gore is absent, and the plot line is quite confusing. However, in defiance of it's quality, "World War Z" marched on; to become a box-office success.
The special features of the film are (to a large extent) good, but it does depend on the edition of the film. For example, the 'Sainsburys Exclusive Edition ' includes a 66 minute long interview with George A. Romero (the godfather of zombie cinema), Max Brooks ("World War Z's" author) and Steven Schlozman (author of "The Zombie Autopsies"); which is quite exceptional. The original edition includes two entertaining looks, into the production process.
Film = 2 Stars.
Extras = Exclusive Edition - 4 Stars / Normal edition - 3 Stars.
Released on the 21st of October, 2013.
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