*** Competition Closed ***
*** Congrats to Peter, Sam and Emer ***
*** who pick up a copy of G.I. Joe on dvd ***
We have a huge sack of goodness for all you couch potatoes this week. So much in fact that you’ll be hard pushed to leave you settee until next weeks installment. We even have a competition to win one of this weeks movie releases, so be sure to enter to be in with a chance to win G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra!
First up Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s imaginative take on US activities during World War II. The movie, which caused my spell-checker commit hari-kari, tells the story of two plots to assassinate Hitler and his cohorts, one planned by a young French Jewish cinema proprietress, the other by a team of American soldiers known affectionately as the “Basterds”. In true QT style the movie is a mish-mash of styles and influences from Sam Peckinpah to Sergio Leone, in a type of spaghetti-western war movie. The visual flair and brash confidence of QT is evident but this time is married to a fine story and brilliant performances from all involved. Particularly of note is Christoph Waltz, as Colonel Hans Landa, “The Jew Hunter”, who commands the screen with a powerful and enigmatic presence. Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Krüger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent round out a great cast, and even tough Pitt is under-used and Roth is awful it never distracts from the story. Yet to feature in my Top 25 it’s one of the favourites for 1. The movie is available on DVD, Bluray and Special Edition Bluray, and I suggest the last one if you have the technology.
Our second movie release of the week is The Hangover. This fast-paced and hilarious comedy has already taken its place at 19 in my Top 25 movies of 2009. The plot follows four friends who, two days before a wedding, travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing the groom. Suffice to say that from its appearance in my Top 25 I rather enjoyed the movie. There is a star-making turn from Bradley Cooper, as the handsome, cocky, funny alpha-male of the group, but the real star is Zach Galifianakis. His performance as the loveable man-child Alan is the stuff careers are made on and right now I’d pay to see a movie just starring him. Old School director Todd Phillips really has little to do but point the camera and follow the action such is the writing from Jon Lucas and performances from Galifianakis, Cooper and Ed Helms. Laugh yourself silly with this one out now on DVD and Bluray.
The sixth installment of the JK Rowling mega-franchise, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, is our third feature. A prerequisite for these movies seems to be making them darker than the ones that went before and this one is certainly no different. Focusing on Harry and company’s sixth year at Hogwart’s, the story centres on Harry and Dumbledore’s attempts to learn more about the shadowy history of Tom Riddle, the boy who would become Lord Voldemort. The action sequences and special effects are the best in the series to date and understandably the movie made close to $400 million in its first 5 days. The central stars of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are all comfortable in their roles and this allows second director expand on the emotional turmoil felt by these 3. The movie itself is dark, frantic stuff, emotionally powerful with a light comic touch as necessary. More focused than those that went before it this is one of the best ones to date. Available now on one and two disc DVD and Bluray.
Last but not least is G.I. Joe - The Rise Of Cobra, based on the Hasbro action figures and inspired by the comic book G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The story follows two American soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, who join the G.I. Joe Team (a band of covert special forces operatives, under the control of the US Army) after being attacked by Cobra troops. Personally I found this movie rather enjoyable. Don’t try watching it expecting high art, instead prepare yourself for a full on assault of corny lines, big stunts, outlandish weaponry and good old-fashioned things blowing up. It’s popcorn entertainment of the finest calibre and pretty much everything Transformers 2 wanted to be. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great in his role as the treacherous Cobra Commander, while the rest of the cast have fun with roles that let them act like overgrown kids. Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston chews through scenery like Pac-man though ghosts, and Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols bring glamour to the otherwise boys-only action. Give it a chance you may up liking it despite yourself. Available now on Bluray and DVD.
TV on DVD:
It’s a week of 3s with 3 television shows seeing their third season released to the world. Also in there is one of the 3 Top Gear presenters with a new TV show of his own.
Gavin & Stacey: Season 3 - Following the initial romance and subsequent marriage of the title pairing, Gavin & Stacey is hugely popular TV. In a very odd move the third season is released before the whole series has even aired on television. So to be quite perfectly honest I don’t know whether it is any good or not.
The Tudors: Season 3 - Revolving around King Henry’s third and fourth marriages and the parlimentary goings-on with Thomas Cromwell, the third season continues the historical epics fine form from seasons one and two. Jonathan Rhys Meyers really has made the role of the King his own and it’s great to see an Irishman do so well even if he is portraying an Englishman!
Ugly Betty: Season 3 - The third season of the ugly duckling turned fashionista added ten new recurring regulars in an effort to expand the storylines and take pressure of America Ferrera. I honestly don’t watch it but if you’re a fan I’m sure you’ll enjoy another season.
James May’s Toy Stories - The series marks May’s attempts to bring his favourite toys of the past into the modern era, by using the toys in real life ways. May’s enthusiasm and the scale of some of his endeavours, take the life-size Airfix Spitfire for example, make this show unique and very watchable. It really is a must have for big children everywhere.
Competition Time:
To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 copies of this weeks blockbuster big release G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra simply leave a comment below naming your favourite children’s toy and why.
*COMPETITION CLOSED*
Pretty good week for DVD releases!
Fav toy when I was a kid had got to be lego. It was always hundreds of toys in one and the only limit really was your imagination.
Thats or my sisters barbie who provided myself and my brother with hours of pleasure working out ways to destroy her
My favourite toy was a toy farm.There was a cardbord plan of a farm with spaces for the farmhouse, stable block pig sty and chicken coup. The stables had half doors that opened so the little plastic horse could look over it ,
her foal was very unsteady with thin little legs ,I remember having to prop it up against it’s mother.
The pig sty had a red door on its little yard that opened and closed. The chicken coup was blue with yellow ramp for the chickens to walk up.
The farmer’s wife had two buckets in her hands all the time. There were random bushes, I used to form fields to keep the cow from wandering.
My matchbox cars were small so I
transported the animals on the roof.
Those were the days.
I’m a Barbie girl in the Barbie world
Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation !!
There you go - that says it all
Barbie was my favourite toy as a little girl. There was no end to the endless hours of fun i had with Barbie and Ken, can’t believe she has just turned 50 - legend!! And is still fancy KEN
Bit obscure but i had a matchbox orange ford sierra when i was 4 years old. Definitely my all time fav
My favourite toy from when I was a kid was my Scalextric, and I wasn’t from a rich family, it had been my dad’s old set that he bought in his thirties (in the 70′s) I found the set stuffed into an old box in the back of his office under a pile of other boxes and junk. He said I couldn’t go near it as I’d do damage to it, when he asked me what I wanted for Cristmas a week later I said I wanted that set. He was shocked and said are you sure, it’s old and might not work, you can have something new instead but I wanted it! I got it along with some other new stuff, but it was by far my favourite childhood toy. Funny thing I was cleaning out the attic about a month ago and I found the set again, bit rusty but I’m going spend some time over christmas restoring it to it’s former glory
My favourite Christmas toy was and still is my XBox 360. I could spend hours and hours on it and chat my friends online while playing. It just doesn’t get much better than that.
I loved my little ponies.
Would have great fun playing for hours combling their manes.
Also with my sisters we took our little ponies on magaical journeys in our minds.
Congrats to Peter, Sam and Emer who pick up a copy of G.I. Joe on dvd.
Woo Hoo!
Thanks very much!
Thanks a million - great xmas pressie!!