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La Grande Vadrouille (out 15 February 10, Cert. PG) Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Terry-Thomas, dir. Gérard Oury, 1966, Cert. U, in French with English subtitles MonkeyScore: 71% WWII, Occupied France. A British plane is shot down above Paris on its way back from a raid. The crew manage to jump but land in incongruous locations. Speaking no French they must enlist the help of hapless painter-decorator Augustin Bouvet (Bourvil) and Paris Opera house resident conductor Stanislas Lefort (Louis de Funès) to first rendez-vous with their squadron leader Big Moustache (Terry-Thomas) then escape to German-free southern France. La Grande Vadrouille is something of a phenomenon in France, directed by one of France's most successful film-makers and starring Bourvil and De Funès, two of the biggest names in French comedy. Indeed it took Titanic & 31 years to better its incredible 17 million cinema-goers. The title loosely translates as The Great Wandering Around, a nod to its more serious WWII classic The Great Escape. Action & Comedy director Gérard Oury wrote the film with his daughter, dialogues whiz kid Danièle Thompson: the sharp humour is written into fast and furious chases across France, but while the film works on a basic slapstick level à la Carry On much of the subtlety is sadly lost in translation. Just about everyone in France can quote lines from this film, and the younger generations get to catch up with this essential part of French culture every Christmas on TV (think gallic Wizard of Oz.) This first English-subtitled DVD release has been greatly anticipated by all French nationals living in Britain, able at last to share this most French guilty pleasure with non French speaking partners and friends. La Grande Vadrouille is charming and funny - a real delight. We have a splendid 5 copies of La Grande Vadrouille DVD for you to win to in our competition this week, courtesy of Optimum.
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Pandorum (out 15 February 10, Cert.15) Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, dir. Christian Alvart, 2009, Cert. 15 MonkeyScore: 67% Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Cpl. Bower (Ben Foster) wake from suspended animation in a spaceship with no memory of their mission. The sleeper ship they were travelling on, with no sign of its 60,000 passengers, seems deserted. As they explore the ship, however, they quickly realise that they are not alone. Pandorum sank without a trace when briefly released in cinemas last October - yet while this doesn't usually bode well the film is actually quite enjoyable, provided you have reasonable expectations. The characters feel familiar, because you've seen them in many other films before, yet they kind of work. The acting is as solid as you would expect from Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and the direction moves the story along nicely. There is more gore than you could possibly have use for, and some nifty special FX, too. Add a few scares, some decent tension and even twists that you may not see coming: Pandorum is worth watching, if you like your sci-fi bloody.
Borderland (out 15February 10, Cert.18) Brian Presley, Rider Strong, Jake Muxworthy, Sean Astin, dir. Zev Berman, 2007, cert. 18 MonkeyScore: 59% College student Phil (Strong), Ed (Presley), and Henry (Muxworthy) head south of the border to
Mexico for fun break. They cross path with the Palo Myombe satanic cult, who practice human sacrifices to become invisible while smuggling drugs. Borderland is based on a true events that took place in in 1989. The opening sequence calls a solid stomach - if you flinch easily this is not the film for you. Writer / Director Zev Berman never makes you a voyeur but the level of violence and general nastiness make for a very uncomfortable viewing nonetheless. The DVD includes a documentary about the real-life events, "Rituals de Sangre", narrated by one of the police officers who worked the case at the time. A disturbing movie that will challenge your ability to keep your lunch down. . |
Up (out 15 February 10, Cert.U) Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, dir Pete Docter / Bob Peterson 2009, cert. U MonkeyScore: 89% Carl Fredricksen is a retired balloon salesman who has always worshipped the adventurer Charles Muntz. Muntz fell from grace many years ago after being accused of forging the discovery of the Monster of Paradise Falls, and disappeared. Carl and his wife Ellie had always dreamt of going to there and build a house at the very top of the falls, but never got around to it. After she passes away, facing eviction from their beloved home, Carl ties thousands of balloons to the house and sets off to South America. Shortly after take off he discover a stowaway, chubby Wilderness Explorer Scout Russell, who was hoping to earn his Elderly Assistance Badge.
Ben 10 Alien Force volume 2 - Max Out (out 15 February 10, Cert. PG)
MonkeyScore: 80% This spin-off from the
original animated series sees young Ben Tennyson returning to service to save the world. Ben was a regular 10-year-old until he discovered a mysterious watch hidden in a crashed meteorite
five year back. It gave him the power to turn himself into 10 different
aliens, each with its own incredible abilities. Ben eventually gave up
his role as a defender of Earth, and returned to normal life. But when
Grandpa Max disappears, it sets Ben and his friends on a new course of
interstellar adventures. Forget Batman and Superman: for boys between the ages of 4 and 9, Ben 10 is the superhero of choice. While anyone outside of the main target demographics may be left wondering what the world has come down to, Ben 10 is quality animation. A great addition to the family DVD collection as far as young boys are concerned. For the rest of the household, Ben 10 Alien Force vol. 2 - Max Out means 44 minutes of peace and quiet! We got our hands on 3 copies of this new Ben 10 DVD - head out to our competition page via the link below for a chance to win!
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