Godzilla (Cert. PG, out 02 November) Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, dir. Roland Emmerich, 1998, cert. PG The Japanese monster inspired disaster movie makes its Blu Ray debut with a great transfer. When it first came out fans of the original Godzilla films screamed blue murder - true, the only common point with earlier films is the title, but it does its thing well. The project was spearheaded by Roland Emmerich who had previously directed Independence Day and went on to do The Day After Tomorrow - to say he knows a thing or two about destroying cities on film is an oxymoron. The giant lizard begs for another look in HD glory, not least for Jean Reno's truculent French secret service agent and the Madison Square Garden finale. Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (Cert. U) Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Roy Kinnear, dir. Mel Stuart, 1971, cert. U The Roald Dahl classic has been spruced up in time to delight a new generation of fans for Christmas. The colours look stunningly vivid, and good enough to eat: the chocolate river and waterfall look rather tempting, not that it does little Augustus any good! The hi-definition picture bring the Oompa Loompas to life, too - come on, all together now: Oompa-Loompa-Doompety-Doo, I've Got Another Puzzle For You...! To be honest the only puzzling thing about this release is the lack of extras on the disc we received - but frankly, who cares! The film looks fresh as a daisy, and Gene Wilder's wacky Wonka has that edgy darkness so dear to Roald Dahl, resuting in a lovely disc that will delight kids and grown-ups alike. |
 Year One (Cert. 15, out 02 November) Jack Black, Michael Cera, dir. Harold Ramis, 2009, cert. 15 With its full helping of one-liners Year One tries repeatedly - and succeeds with panache! - to cross the boundaries of good taste. Definitely one to avoid if you are easily offended so probably destined to become a cult classic. Year One is irreverent, rather gross at times, and definitely not afraid of poking fun at established religions and history... Student fodder? Absolutely, but non-members of the NUS should have a good laugh too. Michael Cera is hilarious, delivering some of the best lines in the film with deadpan mastery.
The Grinch (Cert. PG) Jim Carrey, dir. Ron Howard, 2000, cert. PG The Grinch makes its Blu-Ray debut as a 2-disc DVD and Blu-Ray set. We were only sent the Blu-Ray review disc, so couldn't compare the two formats - but from the disc we've seen it's looking good. Rick Baker, the Oscar-winning make-up effects behind The American Werewolf In London and Michael Jackson's Thriller video, takes credit for the unrecognisable Jim Carrey. The actor excels in this very theatrical role, playing Dr Seuss' much-loved anti-hero with just the right amount of camp. The works of Dr Seuss' are absolute kids classics in America, yet weren't that well-known over here until the film came out in 2000: Ron Howard has managed to deliver a very enjoyable film that will delight the whole family whether fans of the book or Seuss virgins.   It's A Wonderful Life (Cert. U) James Stewart, Charles Lane, Charles Williams, Bob Scott, dir. Frank Capra, 1946, cert. U
Review coming soon |
 Braveheart (Cert. 15, Out 02 November 09) Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, dir. Mel Gibson, 1995, cert. 15 Mel Gibson's tribute to Scotland and one of its best-loved heroes is getting a 15th Anniversary hi-def edition in time for the holidays. In Blu-Ray the film is as stunningly beautiful as you would hope. Scotland shines through, but it's the battles scenes that steal the show in this must-owned 2-disc set. The first disc contains the film, remastered in high definition under the supervision of award-winning cinematographer John Toll, Mel Gibson's insightful director's commentary and a brilliant picture-in-picture documentary entitled William Wallace's World. The second disc is packed full with additional content, with 2 and a half hours of interviews, featurettes and an interactive 3-D Battlefields of The Scottish Rebellion documentary. |
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