Categories
DVD & Blu-ray

DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 28th March 2011

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Mad Men: Season 4 (Lionsgate UK): The fourth season of the acclaimed TV show continues its fascinating exploration of the life and times of a New York ad agency. [Read our full review here] [Blu-ray / Normal]

Unstoppable (20th Century Fox Home Ent.): Tony Scott’s latest film is stimulating mainstream fare about two railway engineers (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine) who must stop a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals. [Read our full review here] [Blu-ray / Normal]

The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series (Mediumrare): After years of delay, Garry Shandling’s immortal comedy series about a late night talk show comes to DVD. Although pricey at £69.99, it remains one of the greatest TV series of all time. [Buy the DVD box set at Amazon]

ALSO OUT

Babies (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Charlie Chaplin: Limelight (Park Circus) [Blu-ray / with DVD – Double Play]
Concert for George (Warner Music Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Fantasia (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Fantasia 2000 (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Life As We Know It (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Locked Down (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Machete (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Mad Men: Seasons 1-4 (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Secretariat (Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Tamara Drewe (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Warrior’s Way (EV) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Top Gear – The Great Adventures: Volume 4 (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (New Wave Films) [Blu-ray / Normal]

Categories
Awards Season Behind The Scenes

The Sound of Unstoppable

Soundworks have a new video showing how the Oscar nominated sound design of Unstoppable was done.

The action thriller, directed by Tony Scott, has been nominated for Best Sound Editing and here Mark P. Stoeckinger and his team describe how they achieved the soundscape of the film.

> Soundworks
> Unstoppable review

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 26th November 2010

NATIONAL RELEASES

The American (Universal): Anton Corbijn’s second film as a director is a stylish, existential drama about an enigmatic American hiding out in a remote Italian town. Beginning with a prologue in wintry Sweden, we first see the titular character, Jack (George Clooney), as circumstances force him to relocate to the Abruzzo region in Italy.

There we slowly learn more about him: he makes a rifle for an assassin (Thekla Reuten) under the orders of his handler (Johan Leysen), befriends a priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and falls for a local prostitute (Violante Placido), as he begins to think about changing his life.

Although The American appears to be channelling the minimalist crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville (especially Le Samouraï), the form and structure resemble a Sergio Leone western, with its story of a stranger arriving in a new town, extended silences and widescreen cinematography.

As a vehicle for Clooney, this is an unusually European film – despite being a US/UK production – and the slow burn pacing and gradual revelations will probably limit its appeal to a mass audience.

The trailer and TV spots have misleadingly sold it as an action thriller but its respectable opening in the US probably meant the box office ends were justified by the marketing means. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

* Read our full review of The American here *

Unstoppable (20th Century Fox): Tony Scott’s latest film is stimulating mainstream fare and, after last year’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, he has returned with another film involving a train and Denzel Washington.

The setting this time is rural Pennsylvania and, inspired by true events, it deals with two railway engineers (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine) who must stop a runaway train which is loaded with toxic chemicals.

The supporting characters include a plucky yardmaster co-ordinating the rescue (Rosario Dawson); a weakly corporate boss (Kevin Dunn); a visiting safety inspector (Kevin Corrigan); and a persistent railroad welder (Lew Temple).

Like much of Scott’s work, this is a nakedly commercial project executed with considerable technical skill, utilising his stylistic palette: multiple cameras, desiderated images, whip-pans, crash zooms and frenzied editing.

In the wrong hands this could be deeply average and clichéd, but under Scott’s direction there is an invigorating professionalism to the whole film that elevates it above most studio fare. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]

* Read the full review of Unstoppable here *

Machete (Sony Pictures): Based on one of the trailers from the Grindhouse project (the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double bill movie from 2007), this is about a rouge Mexican hit man (Danny Trejo) who seeks revenge after being double crossed and left for dead.

Directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez, it co-stars Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and Robert De Niro. The mixed reviews from the US suggest that it might struggle to compete with other films in a crowded weekend at the UK box office. [Nationwide / 18]

London Boulevard (Entertainment): The directorial debut of screenwriter William Monahan (who wrote The Departed) is a crime drama about a man just released from prison (Colin Farrell) who falls for a reclusive young film star (Keira Knightley) and finds himself at odds with a vicious gangster (Ray Winstone).

Early buzz for this is not promising although the presence of heavyweight stars might attract adult audiences eager for a home grown crime film with recognisable stars. [Nationwide / 18]

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures): The third and final part of the Swedish version of Millennium trilogy sees Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) hospitalized after meeting her father, and put on trial. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) tries to prove her innocence whilst uncovering the reasons why she has been targeted by the Swedish authorities.

Directed by Daniel Afredson, the mixed reviews might put off fans of the books in a busy week at the UK box office. The US version is currently filming in Sweden with David Fincher at the helm. [Cineworld Haymarket, Odeon Covent Garden & Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Waiting For Superman (Paramount/Vantage): A documentary about the failings of America’s education system directed by Davis Guggenheim.

Although it won an audience award at Sundance and is a potential Oscar winner, it has generated considerably less buzz over here, possibly because its subject matter doesn’t resonate outside America. [Curzon Soho & Picturehouse Clapham/ PG]

Leap Year (Axiom Films): Not to be confused with the Amy Adams comedy which came out earlier this year, this study of urban alienation in Mexico is the debut feature from Michael Rowe and earned him the Camera D’Or at Cannes earlier this year. [Key Cities / Axiom Films]

An Ordinary Execution (Arrow Films): Based on his novel of the same name, Marc Dugain’s debut feature is the story of an imagined encounter between the ageing Joseph Stalin (André Dussolier) and a young doctor Anna (Marina Hands) who has healing powers. [Cine Lumiere, Clapham Picturehouse & Nationwide / 12A]

Break Ke Baad (Reliance Big Entertainment): A romantic coming-of-age dramedy directed by Danish Aslam and starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan. [Cineworlds Feltham, Ilford, Wandsworth, Woodgreen & Nationwide / PG]

> Find out what films are showing in your area with Google Movies or Find Any Film
All the UK cinema releases for November 2010
UK DVD and Blu-ray Releases for Monday 22nd November 2010

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Unstoppable

Tony Scott’s latest film is stimulating mainstream fare that may strike an unexpected chord with American audiences.

After last year’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, Scott has returned with another film involving a train starring Denzel Washington.

The setting this time is rural Pennsylvania and, inspired by true events, it deals with two railway engineers (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine) who must stop a runaway train which is loaded with toxic chemicals.

The supporting characters include a plucky yardmaster co-ordinating the rescue (Rosario Dawson); a weasly corporate boss (Kevin Dunn); a visiting safety inspector (Kevin Corrigan); and a persistent railroad welder (Lew Temple).

Like much of Scott’s work, this is a nakedly commercial project executed with considerable technical skill, utilising his stylistic palette: multiple cameras, desaturated images, whip-pans, crash zooms and frenzied editing.

Whilst not as visually hyperactive as recent films like Man on Fire (2004) or Déjà vu (2006), it still retains the director’s trademark energy.

Perhaps the most welcome aspect is how quickly we are plunged into the drama, as the train is let loose before the opening credits have even finished.

What follows is essentially an extended chase, filled with the hallmarks of a traditional action film: set pieces, explanatory dialogue, characters gradually learning to respect one another and a grand finale which involves frequent cutaways to crowd cheering crowd in a bar.

In the wrong hands this could be deeply average and clichéd, but under Scott’s direction there is an invigorating professionalism to the whole film that elevates it above most studio fare.

The likeable lead and supporting performances help, whilst the script does a taut and efficient job of making them seem believable people coping with extraordinary events.

But it’s in the action sequences that the film really earns its money, as Ben Seresin’s camerawork and some dramatic sound design all expertly crank up the tension.

One thing Hollywood often gets wrong is the depiction of news TV coverage, but here the graphics and presentation are highly believable and form another perspective to the action as relatives and viewers tune in via television.

The setting of the film might well have been influenced by the tax incentives afforded by shooting in Pennsylvania, but it captures the wintry vibe of rural, working class America very well for what is ostensibly an action drama.

Given the current state of the U.S. economy and the devastation wrought on rust-belt states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, the film might have an unexpected resonance with mainstream audiences affected by the recession.

Throughout the film, the heroics and stoicism of Washington and Pine are contrasted with corporate types that care more about their company’s profits than their employees.

Clocking in at an agreeably lean 98 minutes, Fox might have a bigger hit on their hands than they initially thought.

The central concept easily sells itself and in an age of CGI fantasies and films pandering to nerds, Unstoppable might hit a nerve amongst audiences looking for traditional, expertly crafted drama involving real people.

Unstoppable opens in the US on Friday 12th November and in the UK on Friday 26th November

> Official site
> CNN on the 2001 incident that inspired the film
> Reviews of Unstoppable at Metacritic