Since the dawn of time, people hath reserved a special kind of hatred for the weekday known as Monday. Then the DVD (and subsequently Blu-Ray) was invented, and suddenly all was right with the world! For it was written that new shiny discs would be released into the wild every Monday in the United Kingdom, and there was much rejoicing. Thusly, here are some Blu-Rays and DVDs coming out this week that are pretty cool.
After the success of previous release Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus, which generated some internet waves in 2009 (mainly due to the film’s signature ‘giant shark leaping into the air to devour a 747 in flight’ sequence and the presence of 80s pop starlet Deborah ‘Debbi’ Gibson), production company The Asylum would have been literally insane not to release a follow up. So, just when you thought it was safe to dip your toe back into the murky waters of the straight-to-DVD market, the Megaladon is back for another sub-aquatic scuffle, this time with an enormous prehistoric crocodile. As the tagline says, ‘Whoever wins... We lose!’
'Don't Look Now' (1973) kicks off with the drowning of a young girl in a pond – a moment to be regularly replayed in the memories of her parents, John and Laura Baxter (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.) The scene then moves to a wintry Venice which feels like an anteroom to the underworld. It's the end of the season, the hotels are closing, there's a terminal mood in the air. Young and in love and enjoying a privileged lifestyle, the Baxters are nonetheless divided by their traumatic experience. Laura needs to work through her feelings, while John rarely mentions their daughter and grows angry when Laura does.
‘And that completes my final report until we reach touchdown. We're now on full automatic, in the hands of the computers. I have tucked my crew in for the long sleep and I'll be joining them soon. In less than an hour, we'll finish our sixth month out of Cape Kennedy. Six months in deep space - by our time, that is. According to Dr. Haslein's theory of time, in a vehicle travelling nearly the speed of light, the Earth has aged nearly 700 years since we left it, while we've aged hardly at all. Maybe so. This much is probably true - the men who sent us on this journey are long since dead and gone. You who are reading me now are a different breed - I hope a better one. I leave the 20th century with no regrets. But one more thing - if anybody's listening, that is. Nothing scientific. It's purely personal. But seen from out here everything seems different. Time bends. Space is boundless. It squashes a man's ego. I feel lonely. That's about it. Tell me, though. Does man, that marvel of the universe, that glorious paradox who sent me to the stars, still make war against his brother? Keep his neighbour's children starving?’
Yet another turn on the Marvel merry go round sees jingoistic action hero Captain American take a leap from the comic book panel - and the collective minds of 300 million Americans - onto the big screen.
Perhaps it’s a tough sell taking a character synonymous with one country to a worldwide audience, but luckily director Joe Johnston manages to create a beautifully designed time capsule - national fervour against a war-torn backdrop of America and Europe. He does it so well that you’ll end up singing the star spangled banner on your way out of the auditorium.
J.J. Abrams’ latest is a sci-fi coming of age adventure that joins the creator of Lost and Alias with one of his biggest filmic influences, Steven Spielberg. Following the death of his mother in a factory accident, 14-year old Joe tries to find comfort by helping his best friend, Charles, with his big break project - a short zombie movie which he wants to enter a state-wide film festival.
Estranged from his father, the only person he feels he can express himself to is Alice, the leading lady of the kids’ film-within-a-film, who is also the daughter of his Dad’s worst enemy. However, their lives are thrown into turmoil when a train derailment brings the Air Force to the town and everyone is evacuated after a series of mysterious events.
Holy crap! I knew there was a Battleship movie coming, but I didn’t know it stars both rejuvenated badass Liam Neeson and legendary Japanese thespian Tadanobu Asano. Well, apparently it does, it also starts Taylor Kitsch (aka Gambit from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and John Carter from the forthcoming John Carter) and is directed by Peter Berg, who directed ‘The Kingdom’ and ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.
With Twitter and Facebook throwing links at you like Sho Kosugi unleashing ninja stars, it’s sometimes a little tricky to make sure you’re caught up with all the latest mini-masterpieces from the studios’ marketing departments. But fret no more, for we are here to help! This week is a bit of a look back at the big trailers of the last fortnight, hitting around the time of the San Diego Comic-Con partially in apology for not actually being there, as it seems a lot of the big movies have avoided it this time round. Worry no further!
The Remake - For those who have been living under a rock, TGWTDD is based on the international bestselling novel by the late Steig Larsson. The book was already turned into a successful Swedish film adaptation along with the second and third instalments of the trilogy. Some might say they need not be adapted again and that people should ignore their prejudices against subtitled foreign language films and grow up – an opinion Hollywood has chosen to ignore.
Sometimes, I feel a bit sorry for bad movies. As much pain and distress as they cause us, the internet is full of websites and blogs dedicated to railing against them, with no thought to looking at them in any positive way. Perhaps it’s time to change that. Perhaps it’s time for a champion to rise up, and try to look for the good in bad movies. Perhaps it’s time for someone to defend the indefensible.
