DVD REVIEW-TAKEN 2

Taken 2 sees Liam Neeson reprise his role as Taken 2 DVD coverBryan Mills, the man with a “certain set of skills”. Taken 2 is not a particularly good film, but it’s not THAT bad either.

The action takes place in Istanbul, Bryan is now back on active duty as a private bodyguard for the rich and famous. His ex-wife and daughter decide to fly out and surprise him. The families of the gangsters of the first film, seeking to avenge the people Bryan killed. He and his wife are taken and he then gives his certain set of skills to his daughter, over a mini-phone he keeps in his sock.



There are some intense sequences, but the action is not quite as good as the first film, the writing is generic and the editing pretty convoluted and kinetic, sometimes working and sometimes not. What really hurts the film is the fact that the studio pushed for a lower rating, so there is a lot of ‘cut to gun firing, cut to a body falling on the floor’ moments. The most laughable death occurs when Liam Neeson breaks someone’s neck, simply by putting his arm under the man’s nose.

There are also some huge logic gaps in the film, Bryan and Kim steal a cab, crash through the US embassy and the US embassy just seemingly let Bryan go back to shoot up Istanbul. Strangely the film succeeds in entertaining, I was never bored. If you’re looking for an engaging action film, stick Taken on. If you’re looking for something to watch at the end of a hard day, stick Taken 2 on. Look out for the inevitable Taken 3, where it turns out Kim’s boyfriend is the gangster’s second son, Marco.

DVD extras

  • Extended and Theatrical Versions

Taken 2 is released on DVD on February 4th, 2013.

Episode 82:Sweeney Dredd

In which Martyn gets drunk and he and Gerrod discuss the 2012 films, The Sweeney and, Dredd.

This is a raw, unedited discussion by two drunk people. Enjoy. Play along at home, by listening out for Gerrod’s ghost and our secret word ‘mouse’.



The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

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Being Human spoiler-free review

“Fill a bowl with boiling water and washing up liquid, this is two sets of Marigold problem”.

Being Human returns at the end of the week and gets off to a flying startBeing Human series 5. Tom, Hal and Alex (Michael Socha, Damien Molony and Kate Bracken) return as our supernatural trio.

The story picks up a few weeks after the events of series 4. Tom and Hal are still grieving for Eve and Annie-though neither are mentioned, which is a very smart move. Series 5 is about as distant as we could get from the original show and, that’s no bad thing.



Michael Socha and Damien Malony reprise their roles effortlessly. Hal and Tom have managed to inject the humour that vanished in the later part of George and Mitchell’s tenure. Kate Bracken is brilliant as Alex and is a million miles away from Annie.

This is a great first episode and will no doubt win over any George and Mitchell fan-girls, or general naysayers that felt Being Human had lost its spark. I’m going to call it now, a sixth series is a given.

Being Human returns to BBC Three, February 3rd at 10 pm

Episode 81:Django Unchained

In which Martyn and Gerrod take a look at the highly anticipated new Tarantino django-unchained04film, Django unchained.

The show can be accessed from different places, including Miro, Stitcher, Blubrry and Itunes.

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Martyn-@BadWilf

Gerrod-@Nerdthropology

Continue reading Episode 81:Django Unchained

DVD REVIEW-The Sweeney

What you lookin’ at, slag?

In 2007, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg brought us Hot Fuzz. Hot Fuzz was the answer to the question ‘why doesn’t Britain make big, over the top cop movies’. Everybody involved in this has clearly never seen Hot Fuzz.

Now, it’s not that the Sweeney is a bad film, it really isn’t. It just isn’t the Sweeney. It’s directed by the uber-talented Nick Love. the problem is, Love seems to think he is directing the next big classic. But, this isn’t Heat, and Winstone and Plan B aren’t DeNiro and Pacino. However, Ray Winstone is well cast as Reagan and puts in one of his best performances in recent years. But, Plan B just comes across as a poor man’s Tom Hardy. He mumbles his lines and tries to come across as sinister, but just comes across as miscast. The film doesn’t quite know if it wants to be a full-on action film or a police procedural. It doesn’t do both particularly well. There is a fantastically shot, shoot-out in Trafalgar Square that falls flat, due to the fact that there are approximately 11 bystanders, that’s right 11 by-standers in Trafalgar Square, the streets of central London have absolutely no traffic, which means we get cool shots of Winstone speeding along Waterloo bridge, but if you know anything about London, it instantly takes you out of the moment.



The villains are two-dimensional and get interrogated in a white office, with a great view of London, full with the latest Macbook’s and digital video cameras, but they never ask for lawyers.
If you’re a fan of the original series and you’re thinking of watching this, don’t. But, If you’re at a loose end one evening, stick this on and enjoy with the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

The Sweeney is out on DVD January 21st

DVD review-A very Harold and Kumar Christmas

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is the third adventure from the stoner duo 20130102-091551.jpgand for some reason has taken two years, to arrive on DVD.

The movie is set six years after their escape from Guantanamo bay. They’ve drifted apart, Harold (John Cho) is now married to Maria (Paula Garces) living in a nice house and is working for a successful company on Wall Street. Harold and Maria are planning a nice quiet Christmas with her intimidating father (Danny Trejo).

Meanwhile Kumar (Kal Penn) is still living in the same old apartment, but he has new younger friend. After failing a drug test, Kumar was kicked out of medical school and has slowly become a complete wreck. One day a package addressed to Harold arrives at his door, Kumar takes it to his house, where they have an awkward Reunion. The Christmas tree that Harold’s father-in-law brought for the occasion, is accidentally set on fire and in order to save Christmas, the dynamic duo have to find an identical tree before 2am, when everyone else returns from midnight Mass.

More than anything, these movies rely on the chemistry between everybody involved and, everybody involved works amazingly well. In the hands of lesser writers or actors, Harold and Kumar could be very two-dimensional, but both actors show the depths of their characters and both characters are extremely likeable.

This franchise always offers moments of absurd and unconventional humour. There’s a scene where our heroes get mistaken for actors and end up in a musical with Neil Patrick Harris, who explains how he came back from the dead and hilariously spoofs his own coming out, it was all a PR stunt. At another point, they’re drinks are spiked and they suffer some violent hallucinations, which render them in Claymation.

On its cinematic release the title of the film was ‘A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas’. The movie makes fun of itself for being in 3D, which is funny, but it falls a bit flat when watching the 2D version, but it doesn’t distract you too much. There isn’t a lot of substance here, but there doesn’t have to be. It takes a real genius to do dumb humour so well. If you’ve had a long-hard day at work, come home and stick this in. In the words of Neil Patrick Harris “I’ll see you in the 4th”.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Film review-This is 40

Judd Apatow has evolved as a director, progressing from his earlier works, such as “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” which relied heavily on funny-vulgar humor, to his more recent movies like “Funny People” and “This is 40.” In his latest film, Apatow deftly interweaves deeper subject matters, such as love, marriage, parenthood, responsibility, and family, with his trademark irreverent humour .

“This is 40” is a spin-off to “Knocked Up,” with Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, and Iris Apatow reprising their roles. Katherine Heigel and Seth Rogen are notably absent, the former having openly criticized Apatow during the press conferences for “Knocked Up.” However, Rogen’s character is mentioned in the movie.

The film revolves around the struggles of the family, with Sadie going through puberty and becoming a drama queen, while they face significant financial difficulties. Pete’s record company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and his deadbeat dad (Albert Brooks) is mooching off him.

The first half of the movie follows the familiar Apatow comedy formula, but as the story progresses, it delves deeper into the characters’ relationships and problems, making it more engaging. What sets this film apart from others is that it lacks the typical Hollywood happy ending. The characters still have their quirks and annoyances, and there is no quick fix or happily-ever-after conclusion, making it a refreshing departure from formulaic comedies.

While the movie was enjoyable, it did feel a bit too long, with some scenes that could have been trimmed. Nevertheless, with the same cast and creative team, “This is 40” could be adapted into an excellent HBO or Showtime series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️