DVD REVIEW-Hannibal series 1

Pop quiz! Whose toes would you prefer to accidentally stepon: the well dressed, mild-mannered gentleman in the 3 piece suit, or the crazy-eyed, unshaven mental patient who is rocking in a corner, mumbling to himself?

Did you pick the mild mannered gentleman? Congratulations! You are now pâté.
That’s right; you’ve just pissed off Dr. Hannibal Lecter, everyone’s favourite rudeness-abhorring, people-eating psychiatrist. In the new series, simply titled “Hannibal”, he comes in the form of a devastatingly elegant Mads Mikkelsen, who appears in every episode dressed to the nines in either exquisitely tailored 3 piece suits or equally exquisitely tailored chef’s whites – although those whites do tend to beliberally splotched in blood and guts of questionable origin.

The series takes place in the years leading up to HannibalLecter’s capture by Will Graham (as detailed in the book and film Red Dragon). The characters meet in a the first episode, where retired FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), is drafted back in to help catch a serial killer by FBI Director Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). Graham’s gift, his “genius”, lies in his ability to inhabit the minds of serial killers. This is illustrated in the show in the most literal fashion – Graham closes his eyes, and with a few soundtrackswooshes, we get to watch him mentally recreating each murder he investigates. His great fear, and the fear of everyone around him, is that he will lose the ability to separate himself from the minds of those killers. Concerned for Graham’s mental health, Crawford has him meet with noted psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter. As Graham continues to work with the FBI on further cases, he becomes a regular patient of Dr Lecter, ostensibly so that Lecter can keep an eye on his mental state, but really so that Lecter can observe Graham’s ongoing breakdown, like a creepy kid with an ant farm.

Where Mikkelsen plays Lecter with a formidable amount of grace, poise and an almost reptilian lack of emotion, Dancy’sWill Graham is a scruffy, rumpled mess who veers from twitchy, manic rambling to near catatonia in the space between ad breaks. You can actually see the emotions writhing across his face as he tries to differentiate between imagination and reality. When not losing his mind chasing murderers, Graham is a soft-spoken, soft hearted kind of guy, who adopts stray dogs off of the street, so you know he’s a goodie. Unfortunately, his talent for seeing himself, in his mind’s eye, committing horrific murders is sending him right off the deep end.
And boy, howdy – are these murders ever horrific. I would not be surprised to learn that the writers have a running bet on who can come up with the most gruesome tableaux. This series gives us such memorable gems as Human AppendageJenga; The Devil’s Cello; Still Life with Regurgitated Ear; and one of my personal favourites, Sweetbabyjesus I Will Never Eat Mushrooms Again.

The show is beautifully framed and shot with composition soartistic some scenes are like watching a painting come to life. This includes not only the stomach-troubling crime scenes, aswe also get to watch as Dr Lecter prepares a series of beautifully presented gourmet meals, comprised mainly of human organs. As a bonus, we also see him feed these lavish meals to his nearest and dearest and completely unsuspecting friends. If you find yourself screaming “Don’t eat that, it’s people!” at the TV, rest assured that you are not alone.
Supporting characters include Caroline Dhavernas as Dr. Alana Bloom, concerned colleague and almost-but-not-quite love interest of Will Graham; Kacey Rohl as Abigail Hobbs, the daughter of a killer who impales women on deer antlers; Lara Jean Chorostecki as Freddie Lounds, a tabloid blogger so greasily hateful you’ll be wanting to introduce her to Francis Dollarhyde personally; and of course Gillian Anderson as BlondeScully. No, sorry. She plays Dr. Lecter’sown shrink with a possibly shady past, Dr. BedeliaDuMaurier.

The series overall is well-written and features excellent performances from the whole cast, and it ends on a cliffhangerthat will have you counting down til next year’s second series. Best of all, if you watch it right before dinnertime,“Hannibal” can also serve as one hell of a diet aid.

Extras:
Eat The Rude Featurette
First Look Featurette
Forensics 101 Featurette

Hannibal is released on DVD and Blu ray from September 2nd.

My 6am (pre caffeine) thoughts on Batfleck

In a surprise announcement, Ben Affleck has been revealed as the new Batman, set to star alongside Henry Cavill in “Man of Steel 2,” slated for release on July 19th, 2015.

It’s a testament to Affleck’s rapid ascent as a director that my initial thought upon hearing the news was that he was being announced as the film’s director. While some skeptics have already voiced their disapproval, they were likely the same people who doubted that a skinny Welshman could play Batman, that Gary Oldman was a poor choice for Gordon, and that a muscular Australian could never pull off the Joker.

Affleck’s lifelong love for Batman is well-documented, having even used his first significant paycheck to build himself a Batcave. As an Oscar-winning writer and multi-award winning director, his mere presence on set is sure to elevate everyone behind the scenes to up their game. Now, all he needs to do is buy Zack Snyder a tripod.

If you’re one of the skeptics, just remember the doubts that were raised before Michael Keaton played Batman, before Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker, before Gary Oldman embodied Gordon, before Anne Hathaway donned the Catwoman costume, before Matt Smith became the Doctor, and before Daniel Craig stepped into the role of James Bond.

Personally, I think Affleck is an excellent choice, and I can’t wait to see him don the cape and cowl.

Who was Linda Lovelace? (Yes, I know who she was)

Most people know Linda Lovelace as the infamous porn star turned feminist Lovelacewho was the face of the sexual revolution of the 1970s – then stern anti-pornography activist of the 1980s. Linda’s story goes much deeper: From surviving years of abuse, to her drug use and arrest, and her final years of being a mother with serious health issues. As Amanda Seyfried brings Linda Lovelace to the screen on August 23rd, we’ve taken a look at the life of this tragic individual.

Growing Up

Linda Boreman was the only child of a police officer in New York City. She grew up strictly catholic and even had the nickname “Miss Holy Holy” in high school because of her modesty. Her mother believed in harsh discipline which Linda later recalled as being extremely abusive. At 19 she had a child that she claimed she was forced to give up. Linda was living in Florida with her parents, recovering from a traumatic car accident when her life changed forever.

The Chuck Traynor Years

When Linda met club owner/part time pimp Chuck Traynor, her life changed direction entirely. The pair married in 1971, and Linda started prostituting and performing sexual acts on film for money. Traynor was Linda’s manager and had her appear in 10-12 minute films known as “loops” before her breakout role in the hardcore feature-length porn film ‘Deep Throat’. Linda divorced Traynor in 1974 after she reportedly disguised herself and hid from him in order to escape. In Linda’s book ‘Ordeal’, she reveals how abusive Traynor was and that he threatened her life on multiple occasions to get her to cooperate and make porn.

Feminist

After a failure to salvage her film career as a mainstream actress, Linda quit the business altogether and became an advocate for anti-porn movements in the 1980s. She had two books published which completely disputed events in her previous ones. In the later books, Linda revealed that during the making of ‘Deep Throat’, she had a gun to her head the entire time. She accused Chuck Traynor of physically and mentally abusing her and using her for his own gain. With these revelations, Linda spent a couple of years touring around the US and speaking on college campuses about the evils of porn.

Mother

Linda married a construction contractor named Larry Marchiano in 1976. They had two children together and lived in Long Island. The couple divorced in 1996 when Linda claimed Marchiano to be a verbally abusive alcoholic. Linda worked a slew of odd jobs including working at a drug store, keeping books for a computer company, working in “user support” for an investment company, and cleaning office buildings.

Health Problems

Linda underwent a double mastectomy due to her silicone injections she received in 1971. During the procedure, doctors found her liver was failing due to Hepatitis C she had contracted from a blood transplant from her car crash in 1969. In 1987, she received a liver transplant and had to take an anti-rejection drug every month for the rest of her life.

Her Death

Linda died in 2002 after crashing her car into a cement pole in Denver, Colorado. She was on life support for two weeks before her family decided to switch off the machine. Linda was 53 years old.

Fast Facts

• Linda only appeared on camera for a total of 5 hours throughout her entire film career.
• Her daughter, Lindsay, had a child of her own at age 17.
• Had ‘The Linda Syndrome’ named after her in regards to ex-porn stars renouncing their past to receive favourable judgement from the public.
• Underwent an 11 hour lie detection test before publishers would publish her book ‘Ordeal’ in which she reveals the horrors Chuck Traynor put her through.
• Linda was paid $1,200 for her role in ‘Deep Throat’.

Lovelace arrives in UK cinemas August 23rd.

Episode 96:Kick-Ass (2010)

In which Martyn and Gerrod meet up with the intention to record a review of Kick-Ass. But, you know how it goes, they mostly talk about themselves.

As mentioned in this episode, we will be dropping the explicit tag for a few weeks.

The show can be accessed via different places, including Miro, Stiticher, Blubrry and Itunes.

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Review-The Lone Ranger

When John Reid (Armie Hammer) is on a train returning to his hometown, he 20130722-203159.jpgencounters Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), an outlaw who is going to trial for his crimes. Tonto (Johnny Depp) is also on that train, having been arrested simply for being an Indian warrior. When the train is robbed and attacked by Butch’s gang, Cavendish escapes. A spirit horse revives Reid after he’s untimely death and it soon becomes Reid’s mission to bring Cavendish to justice.

The film fails in almost every aspect, the script is clunky and the tone never feels right.
The script isn’t the only problem, the movie relies on the charm of it’s leading men. The problem is, Hammer and Depp have absolutely no chemistry . The movie is dull and doesn’t deserve your time or money.

 

Blu ray review-Parker

Parker, a movie based on the character from Donald E. Westlake’s long-running series of novels, has seen many iterations in the past, but the character has never been permitted to keep his name. Jason Statham portrays the titular character in this film, a career criminal who only robs those who arguably deserve it. He’s mentored by Hurley (Nick Nolte), who puts him in touch with Melander (Michael Chiklis) and a few other like-minded thieves with the intent of robbing a county fair. However, things go awry when his partners go rogue and start opening fire on innocent bystanders. Melander then attempts to bully Parker into using his share of the take to invest in a bigger robbery. When Parker refuses, he is shot, dumped in a ditch, and left for dead. A passing family finds him and takes him to a nearby hospital. As he recovers, he seeks revenge on the gang, who are now living in Palm Beach.

While in Palm Beach, Parker meets Leslie (Jennifer Lopez), a down-on-her-luck estate agent who has recently moved back in with her mother. She is about to have her car repossessed and is in danger of losing her job if she doesn’t make a sale. Parker poses as a wealthy Texan looking to buy property, but Leslie thinks something is off about him (probably Statham’s poor Texan accent). Parker soon reveals his true intentions to Leslie, and she agrees to help him for a cut of the profits.

Despite being promoted as an action-comedy, the trailers for Parker were misleading. Statham and Lopez are not the new Riggs and Murtaugh, and the film is not a comedy. However, the pair do have chemistry, and it’s refreshing that Lopez isn’t a love interest for Statham’s character, as he is in a fully committed long-term relationship.

Statham’s performances have improved with every film, and he has an instant likability that some actors would have difficulty pulling off. However, the actors in Parker are let down by the script and direction. The writers can’t decide what kind of man they want Parker to be, and the director, Taylor Hackford, comes across as a first-time director. You would never believe he had directed an Oscar-nominated film.

The blood and violence in Parker are a bit over-the-top, and the film almost becomes a laughable parody, which is fine for something like The Expendables, a love letter to over-the-top action films, but not for Parker. Overall, the film is a clichéd mess and could have easily lost 30-40 minutes. There are characters that don’t really fit in the movie or even need to be there. It feels incredibly forced when we’re asked to feel emotion for them.

⭐️⭐️

The extras include an informative commentary by Director Taylor Hackford in which he discusses the source novel, casting, production, and effects.

Episode 95: Star Trek into darkness

In which Martyn and Mark attempt to discuss the film, but find it difficult to stay on course and they travel around the trekverse.

The show can be accessed via different places, including Miro, Stiticher, Blubrry and Itunes.

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Episode 94:Man of steel

In this episode, we delve into the world of superheroes and explore the film that redefined the iconic character of Superman: Man of Steel. Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, this movie took audiences on a journey through the hero’s origins and his struggle to find his place in the world.

We’ll discuss the film’s stunning visual effects, epic action sequences, and emotional depth, as well as the controversial choices made by the filmmakers in terms of Superman’s characterization and the darker tone of the story.

Join us as we explore the themes of identity, sacrifice, and hope that are at the core of Man of Steel, and examine how it fits into the wider context of the superhero genre. We’ll also take a look at the legacy of the film and its impact on subsequent superhero movies.

Whether you’re a die-hard Superman fan or just curious about the movie that reimagined one of the most beloved superheroes of all time, this episode is sure to be a fascinating exploration of Man of Steel and its place in the cinematic universe.

It was recorded on an extrememly hot day, in Martyn’s garden so, there is a bit of background noise.

The show can be accessed via different places, including Miro, Stiticher, Blubrry and Itunes.

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Film Review-Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me grossed over $540 million in 2010 and became the 10th-biggest animated motion picture of all time. So, a sequel was inevitable. 1370857566_thumb

Set a year after the events of Despicable Me, Gru (Steve Carell) has settled in as a parent to his adopted children Agnes, Edith and Margo. Gru is a calmer character in this film compared to the 2010 film.

He uses his old Evil Lair, his chief inventor Dr Nefario (Russell Brand) and his Minions to produce jam. The film lacked the emotional depth of first film. But, that isn’t to say that it’s a bad film, I just felt a sense of déjà vu, it’s pretty much the same story, but with a love interest in place of the children.

It’s clear from the advertising that the Minions – those knee-high yellow Tic-Tacs, on a poster near you are key to the commercial equation of the franchise. So they swarm all over the place doing various child-pleasing routines in hard hats and beachwear, while Gru gets embroiled in an afterthought of a plot, involving a secret agent called Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who’s also, predictably enough, his love interest. Steve Carrel phones in his performance, with that not very funny accent.

It’s his co-stars that shine here, Russell Brand is once again brilliant in his role, as is Miranda Cosgrove. It’s worth stating that this cynical 30-year old isn’t the target audience for this, but children will undoubtedly love it. There were a few adult pleasing moments, a reference to Invasion of the body snatchers had me howling with laughter. If anything this feels like nothing more than a set up to the Minion spin-off, which is coming out next year. Fun, but forgettable it’s worth seeing in 3-D, for the end credits alone.

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