Boxset and movie reviews

I thought I would give a brief run down of my viewing over these past two weeks. And for the films, an explanation of the ratings I have given them.

TV
Utopia - full series (6 episodes)

Synopsis: Five strangers from an online comic book forum agree to meet after one of them gains possession of the original manuscript for the unpublished second volume of the cult graphic novel 'The Utopia Experiments'. They find themselves pursued by a shadowy organisation known as 'The Network', who are in pursuit of the manuscript and are willing to kill to track it down.

Verdict: At times brutal in its violence, this is a sophisticated thriller drawing on a culture of corporate/political conspiracy theories. The depiction of a group of people brought together online through a common interest rings true. As does their first meeting when online pretence is stripped away. The theme of betrayal runs deep as the groups gets closer to discovering the significance of the manuscript. The resolution of the series is perhaps a little telegraphed and comes as little surprise. There are weaknesses and plot holes, however this remains a classy dystopian and violent thriller.

Thanks to Jo for the recomendation


Sopranos - S1 eps 1-4

Synopsis: Tony Soprano runs a family business. It causes him stress and panic attacks. In his line of business you can't show weakness, so Tony goes to a shrink. Tony's dysfunctional relationships with family, colleagues and 'Uncle' Junior form the core of this modern mafia drama.

Verdict: Yes, I am the one person who didn't catch this show the first, or even the second time around. Right from the off you can tell this is a quality piece of tv drama. At times this show lulls you into thinking these are normal people and then a scene of brutal violence will shake you from your comfort zone. This is a slick production that steers clear of parody. You believe these characters. You even like some of them. It took 3 episodes to draw me in. Now I want more. Perhaps shows like The Wire have neutered some of the shock value, but it is still a quality series.

Thanks Tony for lending me these


Parks and Recreation - S1 eps 1-4

Synopsis: Incompetent small town officials want to create a park from some wasteland

Verdict: We've seen this kind of thing before. It is one of the better 'The Office' style mockumentaries. Not least because of the casting. Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope is a classic self-important and unwittingly hopeless bureaucrat in the mold of David Brent or Captain Mainwairing. Pompous yes, well meaning? - probably, oblivious to how pathetic she is? definitely. Around her is a great supporting cast, not least the wonderful Rashida Jones as a nurse who is supportive of Knope's plans. The only people more clueless than Knope are the people she surrounds herself with. How good is this show? Good but not great. I'm told season 2 is better than season 1. I'm willing to give it a go.


24 - S1 eps 1-8

Synposis: Someone is going to try to kill a Presidential candidate. Jack Bauer has been put on the case but there is someone inside his organisation working against him.

Verdict: The visuals created by this show have become so familiar and have been copied so often that they no longer feel innovative. But that does not detract from this show. Right from the start it is clear this is a complex and intelligent thriller. There are so many strands of plot, so many players. It shocks from the first episode onwards and never lets go of your interest. I'm 1/3 of the way through season 1 and the hype was justified. This show is great.

Thanks Al for lending me these


30 Rock - S1 eps 1-8

Synopsis: Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.

Verdict: How can you create such fine episodes in just 20 minutes of air time? Smart, funny, great characterisation, brilliant one liners. This show is a classic.

Thanks Tom for lending me these


Film / my rating out of 5

The Muppets 4/5

Synopsis: Jason Segal has a brother (Walter) who just happens to look like a muppet. Years after the Muppet Show has gone off the air Segal, his girlfriend played by Amy Adams and Walter go to LA to tour the Muppet studios and theatre. The Muppets have dispersed and their theatre is in disrepair. Walter discovers that an oil magnate plans to buy the theatre and drill for oil, and by buying the theatre also would own the Muppet name. Segal and Walter lead a Blues Brothers style reuniting of the Muppets for a one-off fundraiser.

Verdict: You know what is going to happen. Fill in the blanks after the synopsis and you won't be far wrong. But it's how it is done that makes this film so great. I doubt kids would get half of the jokes but they would love the goofiness. This is a tremendous rebooting of the Muppets and with songs written by Brett from Flight of the Conchords the musical numbers are funny and manage to avoid the sickening schmaltz of earlier Muppet films. This film has Rashida Jones in it, which only adds to its appeal. I'm looking forward to the sequel in 2014.


Beginners 3.5/5

Synopsis: A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover.

Verdict: The film for which Christopher Plummer won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The film was good enough to stop me switching channels. But I didn't feel that I was watching an award winning film or any award winning performances. Plummer's was a good performance, but by no means a great one. He could have phoned it in, and I don't believed it stretched him. Having seen all but one of the other contenders for that year's Oscar I can only imagine that the Academy was rewarding time served. For my money, Jonah Hill's performance in Moneyball was much more deserving of an Oscar.


Friends With Benefits 3/5

Synopsis: Dylan and Jamie want to have sex but not be boyfriend/girlfriend

Verdict: When all is said and done this is the standard rom-com plot. Boy meets girl, boy and girl secretly fancy each other, boy and girl fall out when one or both acts like a jerk or there is a misunderstanding, boy and girl get together at the end after a big romantic gesture.

This is possibly better than many of these. You can believe in Timberlake and Kunis as lovers. There some nice vignettes and the portrayal of Timberlake's grandfather struggling with the early stages of Alzheimers is spot on. All credit to them for that. 3/5 might be a little ungenerous. This is an enjoyable film if you like rom coms.


Jeff Who Lives at Home 4/5

Synopsis: Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.

Verdict: When you see a film stars Jason Segal and Ed Helms (The Hangover) you naturally assume that the film is going to be a comedy. Instead what you get is a rather interesting piece that flew under the radar. The IMDB synopsis calls Jeff (Segal) a slacker. He is clearly actually someone somewhere on the autistic spectrum. At times lucid and insightful and at other times driven by autistic/aspergers impulses.

The film is odd. Not a conventional Hollywood film for sure. I found it interesting and thought provoking. The supposed normal brother meltsdown while the misfit searches for and inadvertantly finds meaning in his life. This film is not for everyone, but I liked it.


The Space Between 4/5

Synopsis: A smart 10 year old Muslim boy from New York is put on a plane to LA having won a scholarship to a school. The day is September 11th 2001. When the flight is grounded, Omar is put in the care of a world weary alcoholic stewardess. Omar reveals that his father worked at the restaurant on top of one of the Twin Towers, and the pair embark on a road trip to NYC.

Verdict: Melissa Leo is wonderful as the jaded alcoholic stewardess, and the child playing Omar is simply superb. The film explores the tensions and prejudices that were rife at the time; misunderstandings and cultural differences; as well as the relationship between a boy and his father. There aren't a bundle of laughs in this film, but of the handful of films directly addressing 9/11 this is one of the better ones. A good film with much to say about loss.


The Challenger 4.75/5

Synopsis: When the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986 a commission was established to identify the cause. In failing health scientist Richard Feynman is the lone independent member of the commission (others having vested NASA, military or political interests). This film follows Feynman's battle to get to the truth.

Verdict: I'm a sucker for the lone truth seeker battling the corrupt system films. Hurt is believeable and sympathetic as Feynman. A guy with terminal cancer choosing to devote some of his last days to finding the truth. His persistence and insight identified the cause of the disaster, as well as complacency and mismanagement at the heart of NASA. Brilliant performances all round. True stories don't get told much better than this.


Genevieve 3.5/5

Synopsis: Gentle comedy about London to Brighton vintage car rally. Two guys take it a little two seriously causing much mirth.

Verdict: Who hasn't seen Genevieve? Surely everyone has by now. It is 60 years old and yet the rivalry between John Gregson and Kenneth More sparkles. Britain may have changed but this is a timeless piece of gentle British comedy. And it is surprisingly risque: Dinah Sheridan says "Stay and make love to me" before Gregson opts to play with the car instead, and there are allusions to what More plans to do with the women he takes on the rally each year (and is doomed to failure with). Whilst all of the main protagonists are now dead it is particularly sad to see Kay Kendall so full of life just a few short years before her premature death.


S1M0NE 2.5/5

Synopsis: Movie director Al Pacino falls out with actress Wynona Ryder. When things look bleak for him he is given the means to create a virtual movie star: Simone. The world falls in love with her and Pacino just can't bring himself to reveal the truth about his reclusive star.

Verdict: Interesting concept, but the film doesn't really deliver. There are too many moments that stretch credibility and too many logic gaps. Nonetheless this is watchable nonsense.


Yangtse Incident 4/5

Synopsis: HMS Amethyst is cruising up the Yangtse in 1949 when it gets caught up in the Chinese Communist Revolution. Fired on and damaged, the British and the Chinese are caught in a stand-off.

Verdict: Forgive the occasional crude racial stereotyping, and this 1957 is an engaging depiction of a real life crisis. Richard Todd is in his finest 'stiff upper lip' mode, and for Doctor Who fans there is the treat of seeing both William Hartnell and Bernard Cribbins on the same crew. Simon the cat gets much deserved credit for his morale raising and rat killing exploits.

When Todd orders the following message sent at the end of the film: "Have rejoined the fleet south of Woosung ... No major damage... No casualties....God save the King." the music swells as does the heart. They don't make films like this any more.


The Day the Earth Stood Still 3/5

Synopsis: A flying saucer lands and the stupid military assumes that the man who emerges and his robot are a threat and shoots at them. The people of earth are given a proof of the visitor's power and are given an ultimatum.

Verdict: This is very much a piece of its time. Its time being 1951. There is much to like, but in other ways it hasn't aged too well.Michael Rennie is well cast as Klaatu. You only have to contrast him with Keanu Reeves in the appalling remake to see quite how good he is. But in the end the film is a little too obvious with its preachy message. A nice slice of early 50s sci fi at the birth of the atomic era.


The Hunger Games 4.25/5

Synopsis: Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

Verdict: It is always entertaining to see school children turn feral and murderous. The Hunger Games is superficially similar to Battle Royale, however where this film trumps its predecessor is in the back story and the richness of its world. Where Battle Royale feels claustrophobic, The Hunger Games feels big. Both are excellent.

Jennifer Lawrence is superb as Katniss and you both engage with her and believe that she has the required inner steel to face her fate. Indeed the female children in the cast are excellent especially Amandla Stenberg who really could be a star in the making. The adult cast is excellent and if you can get past the oddity of the hyper stylised fashions in the capital city there is much to admire, though Donald Sutherland's President feels rather underused. This is not a perfect film, but unusually nowadays it was perfectly paced and did not outstay its welcome. I would like to see a Director's cut because it felt like much was left on the cutting room floor.


AND NEXT - two more weeks off work. More films and dvds to watch :