As promised, here is my first set of DVD reviews for the start of 2011!
Centurion (2010)
Here’s another one that when I first saw the trailer thought was going to be a hit — but strangely, it either never screened or screened for such a short time that nobody noticed, then went straight to DVD.
Centurion is based on the Roman conquest of the Picts, told from the perspective of the ill-fated Ninth Legion. It’s dark, moody, gritty, extremely violent and gory, and a surprisingly enjoyable ride. Even though we get the story from the side of the Romans, there are really no good guys or villains in this one.
Excellent performances from a great cast, including Michael Fassbender, Olga Kurylenko and Dominic West, even though the script and characters probably don’t do the performances justice.
Centurion certainly doesn’t have the depth or wide appeal of Gladiator, but hardcore battle fans (like myself) might get a kick out of it because it does have some wonderful battle and fight scenes.
3.5 stars out of 5
Cop Out (2010)
This buddy cop comedy starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan (from 30 Rock) and directed by Kevin Smith has been on many of the ‘Worst Film of the Year’ lists, so I decided to check it out for myself.
And well…I didn’t personally hate the film, but it was pretty awful, especially when you factor in the director (Smith has been a favourite of mine, even though this is the first time he didn’t direct his own material) and the all-star cast (which also includes Rashida Jones, Jason Lee, Sean William Scott, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack).
My problem with Cop Out was that it wasn’t as funny or clever as it thought it was. I haven’t seen much of 30 Rock, but Tracy Morgan was extremely annoying. He just wouldn’t stop shouting and screaming all the time. It was exhausting to watch and listen to him go on like a lunatic for the overlong 107-minute running time.
There were a couple of amusing scenes but most of it was pretty stock standard stuff that you’d see in any B-grade comedy.
1.75 stars out of 5
Remember Me (2010)
Enter the non-Twilight star vehicle for Rob Patz to showcase his acting chops as Tyler Hawkins, an American college student who has a dead brother, a neglected younger sister and a father (Pierce Brosnan) who is too absorbed in his work to care. He meets and befriends Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin), a girl with a dead mother and an overprotective cop father. Sad, tragic, melodramatic love story.
Remember Me is depressing and tries too hard to tug at the heart strings through numerous ‘please feel sorry for me’ sequences. At its core it’s not a horrible film, but there’s not a whole lot going for it. It had a strong introductory sequence but went downhill from there, and even though I expected things to pick up and the various plot threads to be tied together, it never really happened.
The ending, which I’m sure gets discussed a lot, came out of nowhere, and I believe some might even find it offensive to pull a stunt like that.
Watchable for Rob Patz fans, but everyone else won’t be missing much by skipping this one.
2 stars out of 5
Knight and Day (2010)
Knight and Day is acomedy action film about an ordinary girl caught up in the world of CIA operatives and dangerous/revolutionary inventions. It’s fast paced, outrageous, over-the-top, and quite fun if you don’t take it seriously.
However, I didn’t really like it much. To be honest, it’s probably because the film stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I used to really like Cruise, but ever since he lost the plot there’s just something off about him, even on screen. Maybe he’s getting too old, but the suave routine he got used to pulling on Top Gun and Mission: Impossible doesn’t work for me anymore. As for Diaz, sorry if this offends anyone, but I really dislike her face. I know she’s considered one of the most attractive women in the world, but I simply don’t get it. It became a distraction to the detriment of the viewing experience.
Knight and Day is a film that runs on the charm and chemistry of the two main characters, so fans of Cruise/Diaz might enjoy it a lot more than I did. But unfortunately for me, I let my prejudices get the better of my objective judgment.
2.5 stars out of 5
Me and Orson Welles (2009)
A coming-of-age/character study film by Richard Linklater about a 17-year-old kid (Zac Efron) who got to spend a few months with Orson Welles (Christian McKay), the man credited with making Citizen Kane, a film widely regarded as the best of all time. However, this film takes place in 1937 (4 years before Citizen Kane), and it was about a stage production of Julius Caesar.
It’s pretty light-hearted, harmless stuff, but to me, it was more like ‘Meh’ and Orson Welles. Perhaps lovers of period pieces and those who appreciate meticulously designed sets and the threatre might enjoy it more than I did. I don’t deny that the film is well-made, though I can’t help it if it didn’t get my juices flowing.
Efron is adequate and McKay is actually brilliant as Welles, the egotistical, narcissistic genius, but neither the technical attributes nor the performances made me enjoy this film as much as I wanted to.
3 stars out of 5
I still have a few more left — Part II should be coming soon.
Gift Cards are so pointless!
January 5, 2011 in Blogging, Social/Political Commentary
Really, it was crazy. According to the Australia Post website, there are over 40 brands of ‘high profile gift cards’ ranging from Country Road to Angus & Robertson to Event Cinemas to iTunes to freaking AMF Bowling, and range in value from $20 to $200.
I have received and given gift cards before, as much as I am ashamed to admit, but seriously, what is the point of them? If you are going to be lazy enough to not pick out a specific gift for someone, why not just give them cash?
There are a host of reasons why a company might want to offer gift cards for their stores, products and services (and these are listed at the Australia Post website here), but why would anyone want to give or receive a gift card when a much better alternative (ie cash) is available?
A specific gift means you actually put some thought into what that person wants or you think they might want. It also has the advantage of disguising how much you spent on them (provided you remembered to remove the price tag).
Contrast that to the mighty gift card. First off, it shows you didn’t put much thought into the gift, if any. I don’t care so I’ll just give them a gift card for somewhere and they can go buy something there. Secondly, it tells the receiver exactly how much you spent on them, to the cent. There’s no more passing off a $100 gift you spent $30 on (because you got it on sale).
But the most illogical thing about gift cards is that they are awfully presumptuous of the giver because they assume that the receiver would actually want to purchase something from a particular store. Or perhaps, they think the receiver should get something from a particular store, or watch a movie, or go bowling, or read a book, or buy a song. It locks them in. Forces them to spend money on something they might not really want.
Which begs the question — why not just give cash? Let’s face it — given the same value, we would all rather have cash than a stupid gift card. It’s exactly like a gift card, except you can spend it wherever you want, whenever you want, or you don’t have to spend it at all! It’s also less presumptuous, and unlike gift cards, you can actually get change back when you purchase something less than the full value (rather than a silly voucher for next time).
Think about it. Are gift cards really that much less impersonal than cash? Does the fact that you went down to the post office (or store) and thought about which card to get offset the obvious disadvantages of a gift card? Have we all been duped by this now massive industry that is in fact completely pointless?
Tags: Australia Post, Cash, cash gift, Christmas, Gift, Gift card, gift card vs cash, gift cards, pointless, post office, shopping
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