2 Razors

Nick Willing’s Neverland

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Neverland
  • IMDB: link

neverland-dvdWritten and directed by Nick Willing Neverland is a two-part mini-series and prequel to Peter Pan which throws in a little Oliver Twist for good measure. When we meet him Peter Pan (Charlie Rowe) is the leader of a group of young homeless thieves under the command of the Fagin-ish John Hook (Rhys Ifans).

While robbing an antique house the boys and Hook come across a mysterious glowing orb that is the man’s ticket into a different reality. Simply by hitting the orb Hook transports them all into Neverland. The first we witness the orbs’ power in in the mini-series opening scene in which an entire shipload of pirates, led by Captain Elizabeth Bonny (Anna Friel) find themselves transported to a magic land where they never grow old.

While Hook and the rest of the boys find themselves abducted by pirates who are obsessed with the magical properties of pixie dust, Peter and Fox (Lorn Macdonald) meet a tribe of Indians.

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Happy Feet Two

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Happy Feet Two
  • IMDB: link

happy-feet-two-blu-rayHappy Feet Two is an unimaginative, paint-by-the-number sequel to a very average animated film. Happy Feet told the story of Mumble (Elijah Wood), a young penguin who couldn’t sing but had a talent for dancing. In the sequel its Mumble’s son Erik (Ava Acres) who is a bit of an outcast because he is afraid to dance and prefers to dream about flying.

Much like Mumble in the first movie, Erik will be separated from the main group of penguins and together with a few friends will learn valuable lessons about life and being yourself. The only thing the sequel adds is the presence of humans who are used more like a McGuffin that anything else.

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Act of Valor

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Act of Valor
  • IMDB: link

act-of-valor-posterActing, it turns out, is harder than it looks. The experiment from co-directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh to cast real Navy SEALs instead of actors for the lead roles in Act of Valor produces mixed results and probably shouldn’t be repeated any time soon.

Act of Valor isn’t an awful film but it feels oddly put together. At times it films like a documentary, a pseudo-documentary, an action flick, and a hamfisted USA Armed Forces recruitment film. Despite giving us a group of impressive action sequences these pieces don’t fit together well.

It’s hard to blame the SEALs, who were chosen to showcase what the real soldiers can do in combat situations, when they are given such uneven writing to work with. It’s true, that with the possible exception of the oldest member of the team, the group certainly aren’t natural actors, but Kurt Johnstad‘s script doesn’t do them any favors with its share of awkward dialogue.

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Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-dawn-of-the-jedi-1I understand full well that Star Wars comics are a mixed bag. Although I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe novels that have continued the tales of Luke, Han, Leia and their children, the expanded comics stories have more misses than hits.

When I heard the idea of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi I was intrigued by how John Ostrander would choose to tell the beginnings of the Jedi Order. I know I should have known better, but I gave it a shot.

This comic is a mess, from beginning to end. Although the art by Jan Duursema has a cinematic quality to it, and is pretty enough to look at, the story itself is a disaster that begins with a 12-page narration of the beginnings of the Jedi Order… and then moves quickly into the future to give us a story seemingly only slightly connected to the “Dawn of the Jedi.”

Also troubling is the fact the series takes at the beginning but Jedi already have lightsabers? And there are Sith (who look like generic Vader wannabes)? The Force is not strong with this one. Pass.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Tower Heist

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Tower Heist
  • IMDB: link

tower-heist-blu-rayDirector Brett Ratner hasn’t had what I would call a distinguished career. Other than the fun, but increasingly dumb, Rush Hour series the director’s filmography mostly contains movies which are best left forgotten.

However, at least for me, the true highlight of Ratner’s career was a heist film he made back in 2004 starring Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, and Don Cheadle. After the Sunset isn’t a great film by any definition, but it is a pretty good heist flick that’s far more fun than it has any right to be.

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