Blu-ray

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Anton van Beek  |  Jul 20, 2012  |  0 comments

The past few years have seen Liam Neeson transformed into Hollywood’s most unexpected action hero. While The Grey is more thoughtful and meditative than, say Taken, it still gives the actor plenty of tough-guy dialogue to work with, playing one of seven survivors of a plane crash trying to avoid being eaten by a pack of wolves in the Alaskan wilderness. Even if it isn’t quite the wolf-punching action flick the trailer promised, this is still a superior thriller with yet another star turn from its leading man.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 19, 2012  |  0 comments

David Cronenberg steps away from the world of body horror for a more ‘classy’ and cerebral kind of cinema with this study of the formative years of psychoanalysis. While this may disappoint some fans, those with a more open mind will find a fascinating movie powered by Keira Knightley’s ferocious performance as the disturbed young woman who falls under the spell of Michael Fassbender’s Carl Jung.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 18, 2012  |  0 comments

Based on Susan Hill’s best-selling novel, this period chiller stars Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer sent to oversee the sale of an isolated coastal house that locals claim is haunted by a terrifying apparition. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Kipps to realise that there’s more to the story than mere superstition. But how can he escape the ghostly curse?

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 17, 2012  |  0 comments

While it’s hardly the next Slap Shot, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with this crass comedy about a good-natured, but dim-witted oaf (Seann William Scott) whose brawling skills land him a spot as an ‘enforcer’ on an ice hockey team.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 17, 2012  |  0 comments

Woody Harrelson gives an astonishing central turn as a corrupt cop in this film set against the corruption scandals that rocked the LA police department in the 1990s. Indeed, it’s such a superb performance that you can’t help but wish it was anchored to a more interesting narrative than the rather predictable character study Rampart is content to serve up. At least the film’s visuals prove rather more arresting, something that shines through courtesy of the BD’s rich AVC 2.40:1 1080p transfer. Extras take the form of a 30-min Making of… documentary and a trio of interviews.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 15, 2012  |  0 comments

This sequel to Guy Ritchie’s successful 2009 cinematic reinvention of Conan Doyle’s ‘consulting detective’ finds Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Watson (Jude Law) joining forces with Gypsy fortune-teller Simza (Noomi Rapace) to foil the nefarious plans of master criminal Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris).

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 14, 2012  |  0 comments

Inoffensive is probably the best word to describe this latest film from Almost Famous-helmer Cameron Crowe. Based (extremely) loosely on the story of Dartmoor Zoological Park owner Benjamin Mee, Crowe’s slightly sappy flick shifts the tale to the US and – via the medium of cute animals and even cuter kids – makes it all about the importance of family.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 13, 2012  |  0 comments

Universal appears to be throttling back a little on its fondness for digital filtering if this latest catalogue release is any indication. While there are still signs of artificial smoothing in the AVC 1.85:1 1080p hi-def transfer, there’s also plenty of grain and fine detailing on show.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 12, 2012  |  0 comments

Having staked a claim as Hollywood’s modern master of crime cinema with 2007’s Zodiac, David Fincher returns to the genre for this English-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s bestseller.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 06, 2012  |  0 comments

A century after he first appeared in print, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ sci-fi hero has finally made the leap to the silver screen. Unfortunately, despite all of its flashy CG wizardry, John Carter can’t help but feel vaguely old-fashioned.

Anton van Beek  |  Jul 04, 2012  |  0 comments

The reputation of Hugh Hudson's award-winning film about real life athletes Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who competed for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics, has come under fire over the past decade. The film has become an easy target for those who wish to condemn the kind of 'heritage cinema' that the UK film industry has struggled to escape from in recent times.

Anton van Beek  |  Jun 20, 2012  |  0 comments

New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) just doesn’t seem to be able to catch a break. He spent Christmas 1988 dealing with terrorists holding his wife and other workers hostage in an LA office. Two years later his Christmas was ruined by mercenaries taking control of Washington’s Dulles Airport. No wonder that by 1995 he’d become a washed-up alcoholic, coaxed back in to action by a nutter with a vendetta against him. And then in 2007 he quit swearing and turned into a virtual superhero, surfing on the back of a jet in his quest to foil a computer hacker.

Anton van Beek  |  Jun 18, 2012  |  0 comments

Presumably due to some sense of loyalty to the Underworld franchise (and series creator/husband Len Wiseman), Kate Beckinsale has been persuaded to get her leather catsuit out of mothballs and return to the role of gun-totting vampire vixen Selene. But, in all honesty, she needn’t have bothered.

Anton van Beek  |  Jun 14, 2012  |  0 comments

The glory days of the film noir were long gone by the time director Roman Polanski joined forces with screenwriter Robert Towne in 1973 to craft a gripping thriller about corruption, deceit and murder in ‘30s Los Angeles. The film they concocted became one of the defining movies of the genre – a remarkable thriller powered by astonishing performances and themes that still resonate today. Cinema rarely gets much better than this.

Anton van Beek  |  Jun 13, 2012  |  0 comments

North by Northwest and Psycho. Other than the fact they were both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, what else links these two movies?

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