Movie Reviews - March - 2010

DISTRICT 9

Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James

For once the aliens haven’t chosen America to visit, they’ve chosen Johannesburg. Given asylum, their presence is quickly resented by the locals because of the aliens tendency towards criminal and destructive actions.

So they are restricted to a camp, District 9, which is secured and guarded by a sizeable security force.

This soon turns into a slum complete with illegal weapons trade and the such, and when the film starts, we're looking at the attempts to start a relocation to a new camp, run by the private company Multinational United.

While serving eviction notices, MNU field operative Wikus Van De Merwe (Copley) is exposed to a contaminant, causing mutations to start and setting him on a path that leaves him labeled a terrorist by the authorities as he tries to find a cure, joined by an alien and his child, who only want one thing - to leave earth.

Absolutely brilliant. AR

FEATURES Widescreen, Dolby 5.1, subtitles, commentary by Neill Blomkamp, deleted scenes, featurettes and more.

PUBLIC ENEMIES

Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard

One of my all-time favourite actors, Johnny Depp, takes lead role in this film about the well-known American bank robber, John Dillinger.

Based in large on the non-fiction work by author Bryan Burrough, ‘Public Enemies’ starts off with Dillinger’s escape from jail, where he heads to Chicago to start the robberies again. Chasing him are members of the newly-formed FBI, led by the determined Melvin Purviss (Bale), whose initial attempts to capture Dillinger are chaotic, bloody, and ineffective, leading to his decision to bring in two hardened Texas Rangers.

Another capture and escape from jail follow, which only escalates his reputation I the public eye, but Dillinger soon finds that the times are changing, and that the criminal syndicates that once were happy to shelter him, now regard him as unwelcome.

With his options becoming increasingly limited, Dillinger finds himself chased by Purviss, with very few places left to hide. Very good - well worth getting out or buying for your collection. AR

FEATURES Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby 5.1, subtitles, feature commentary

CRANK II: HIGH VOLTAGE

Jason Statham, Amy Smart 

Jason Statham is no longer in danger of forever locking himself into Over The Top action films – it’s a done deal, and I think that ‘Crank II’ is likely to have been the film that sealed that deal.

Here, in spite of having died at the end of the first ‘Crank’, hitman Chev Chelios’ damages seem to have somehow been limited to his poisoned heart, despite having fallen from a helicopter and bounced off a car and onto the road. Because he’s rushed off to this secret hospital where an artificial heart is implanted with the apparent aim of keeping him alive until his other organs can be harvested on the black market.

Of course, when he regains consciousness, he’s none too happy, and so sets off to find out who did this to him. Only problem is that the new heart is a bit dodgy, and so needs recharging on a regular basis, which leads to numerous... well, shocking moments. 

Leave your brain at the door, crank up the sound and enjoy. It’s so over-done that it would be a comedy if it weren’t for the ‘18LVNS label. AR  

FEATURES: Dolby 5.1, Letterbox, trailers.

LOADED

Jesse Metcalfe, Corey Large

Tristan Price is quite simply one of those blokes you hate: good-looking, good job, comes from a rich family, has a girlfriend who looks like a model. Yeah, pond scum, I tell you. I’d slash his tyres if I could.

Then things start going adrift one evening while after a bit of fun at various strip-clubs, he meets up with the character of Sebastian Cole (Large), and his goody-two-shoes character finds itself strangely attracted towards Cole’s lifestyle of drugs, fast cars, fast women, and violence.

It’s a downward spiral, and before too long Price is in danger of losing everything, but despite the pleas of his family and girlfriend, he stays the path with his so-called exciting friend, until Cole eventually reveals his true intentions, by which time it’s clear that Price has a huge problem on his hands.

I review a lot of films over the course of a year, and ‘Loaded’ is certainly one of the better ones I’ve sat through, without feeling the need to hit the ‘fast-forward’ button every few minutes. Strange, though, in this day and age to find a DVD with only a 2.0 soundtrack. AR

FEATURES Dolby 2.0, full frame anamorphic, trailers.