Hobo with a Shotgun (DVD Review)

DVD review of the Canadian explotation feature film Hobo with a Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer, directed by Jason Eisener.



Image: Courtesy of Alliance Films.
Legal Line: Copyright © 2011 Hobo Inc. / 3243988 Nova Scotia Limited. All Rights Reserved. Distributed Exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Jason Eisener (Treevenge)
Cast: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Robb Wells, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Nick Bateman
Canada/USA, 2011

Reason to see: Doesn't the title say it all? Plus: Rutger Hauer and it's Canadian.

Ever wonder what would happen if a hobo rolled into a town overrun by anarchy and chaos? I know one way to find out: watch Hobo with a Shotgun! Rutger Hauer (Ladyhawke, Blade Runner) stars as our hobo in a town where no one is safe from fear, violence or torturous activity which runs rampant for the films 1h 27 minutes duration. This is purely for the extremist crowd with blood, guts and gore along with one liners and everything else you'd expect to go hand in hand with an exploitation film. And for that audience, it's amazing. Crazy over the top characters, brutal violence and kills and of course lots and lots of blood.

I'm not going to lie, there were moments that even I found hard to sit though and I'm well versed in a lot of extreme cinema. It starts off full throttle and keeps the level of tension and terror very high throughout the film. But, because it's so over the top you have to laugh and I did, a lot. Especially at some of the more bizarre characters which were, quite frankly, brilliant. I loved Rutger Hauer's pitch perfect performance as the rugged, tired and homeless hobo who has had enough and feels like the only sane man in an insane town.

Oddly, what I didn't expect from an exploitation-style film were things like a rather solid plot. That isn't even a dig, as it can be fun in these types of films to note the things that don't make sense but this proves that the plot making sense can work just as well! What I actually adored about the film is the beautiful retro look of hot/bright colours (see images below), hilarious and fitting costumes and overall wonderful art direction and production design that all work hand in hand creating this crazy world where Hobo with a Shotgun takes place.

It's quite astonishing that it can keep the extreme tension up for so long, and that's likely why it feels longer than it's just under 90 minute running time. But to be honest, like the hobo, I'm not sure I could have taken much more! A must-see film for extreme film watchers. And the post cards included in the DVD were a freaking nice touch to boot.

Warnings: extreme violence, gore, torture, disturbing ideas & imagery that persist for the entire film

DVD Extras
The 2 Disc DVD set has a bucket loads of bloody extras including postcards. Here are the details of the extras:

Disc One - Includes the film, audio Commentary, Shotgun Mode and Shotgun Mode Clips

• Feature Commentary with director Jason Eisener, writer John Davies, producer Rob Cotterill and actor David Brunt who played "Hobo" in Grindhouse trailer - very entertaining commentary with it's fair share of colourful language - even chatting about the colourful language in the film and discusses everything from films & character inspirations to technical info and often notations to how non-technical the shots are, notations of the (minimal) use of CGI, discussion of the make up and special effects, when different scenes were shot, the challenges of filmmaking and challenges of keeping certain scenes in the film, discussion over the inclusion of nudity, changes along the way, stories and inspiration behind ideas, scenes, moments and dialogue as well as scenes & ideas that were from the short Hobo with a Shotgun. Also has some really nice special touches like importance of fonts for opening credits (and the opening credits in Hobo are awesome) and, I kid you not, grizzlybear insights.
• Shotgun Mode: a icon appears on the screen at times when you can see behind the scenes looks of the film or you can watch the 40+ Shotgun Mode Clips with there Shotgun Mode extra gory shotgunness on the own or as a set.

Disc Two - Special Features

• More Book, More Heart: The Making of Hobo with a Shotgun, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending, Video Blogs, Camera Test Reel, Fangoria Interviews, HDNet: A Look at Hobo with a Shotgun, Grindhouse Trailer Contest Winner: Hobo with a Shotgun, Hobo with a Shotgun Faux Trailer Contest Winner: Van Gore, Redband U.S. Theatrical Trailer and Canadian TV Spots

Plus

• Free Collectible Hobo Postcard Set (7 Postcards)

Hobo with a Shotgun is available on DVD as of July 5, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.com (DVD)

Shannon's Overall View:
It was more brutal than I expected
I'd have to be in an extreme mood, but I would watch it again
I highly recommend it to fans of extreme films, exploitation films and over the top horror films

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Molly Dunsworth stars as Abby in HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, an Alliance Films release


Nick Bateman stars as Ivan in HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, an Alliance Films release


Hobo With A Shotgun, an Alliance Films release

Wake Wood (DVD Review)

DVD review of the awesome Irish/UK Horror film Wake Wood starring Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Ella Connolly and Timothy Spall


Image: Courtesy of eOne Films

Dir: David Keating (The Last of the High Kings)
Cast: Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Ella Connolly, Timothy Spall, Ruth McCabe, Amelia Crowley
UK/Ireland, 2011

Reason to see: Horror with creepy kid and pagan potential

Wow, wow, wow! I loved Wake Wood. LOVED it. I can be hesistent when the first time I'm hearing about a horror film is when it's being released on DVD, but I always remain hopeful and Wake Wood is reason to keep up hope for horror.

In the film we follow a family who is relatively new to the quiet rural neighbourhood of Wake Wood including veterinarian Patrick (Aidan Gillen of "The Wire" and "Game of Thrones") and pharmacist Louise (Eva Birthistle). The town has a very quaint and has a bit of a sleepy quality to it, which fits the sombre tone of the couples relationship and gives the audience a 'something amiss' idea.

This 'somethings amiss' is one of the many things I love about the film, which very successfully portrays tone and style without revealing too much at any given time. You always slightly unsettled and looking for more, which is exactly where I like to be with horror films. And it is, without a doubt, a horror film. Although it can be quiet and quirky, it's also dark, shocking and grisly. I think I might have even had to look away from the screen, which is a very rare thing. Add that it's got a haunting minimalist score, delves into ritual, binding and nature and you can't help but get creeped out. The cast is filled out by Timothy Spall who in a refreshing turn as a oddly-normal-give-it's-horror role of the local leader of sorts Arthur, and Ella Connolly who is very strong as Patrick & Louise's daughter Alice.

Wake Wood is a great horror film with restrained but potent visceral imagery that's disturbing, but always fitting to the moment in time. It's well acted, has a great human story and haunting ideas that are easy to embrace for both the characters and the audience. It's smart, creepy and atmospheric and that is one of my favourite mixes for horror. I highly recommend checking it out.

Warnings: disturbing imagery, grisly imagery

DVD Extras:

• Deleted Scenes (8 scenes, 14 minutes) really nice selection of deleted scenes, many are short and not-so-sweet and a few have a really nice high creep factor, others can either add to the mystery and strangeness of the setting and story. Most are short deleted but there is also 1 long extended scenes included.
• Trailer

Wake Wood is available on DVD & BluRay as of June 28, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.com (DVD)

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll watch it again
I highly recommend it horror fans

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Ella Connolly in Wake Wood


Timothy Spall in Wake Wood

Season of the Witch (DVD Review)

DVD of the historical set supernatural adventure film Season of the Witch with starring Nicolas Cage, Claire Foy & Ron Perlman


Image: Courtesy of Alliance Films

Dir: Dominic Sena (Whiteout, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Swordfish)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Claire Foy, Ron Perlman, Ulrich Thomsen, Robert Sheehan, Stephen Campbell Moore, Stephen Graham, Christopher Lee
USA, 2011

Reason to see: I tend to like historical adventure type films, although the shift in release date from 2010 to 2011 had me a bit leery.

It's amazing to think back on how Season of the Witch was the first film I saw theatrically in 2011 during a freaking snowstorm, and what an interesting way to start off the year. My expectations were low as the film was pushed from 2010 to January 2011 (I can't remember another film pushed *to* a January releases). Plus, it's set during a time of witch-hunting and the plot is centred on that activity, and I'm not a big fan of that in general. But, there was just something about it that kept me being curious about the film and I really like the cast so I was going to give it a chance. I'm glad I did.

The film is centred on Behmen (Nicolas Cage) and his buddy Felson (Ron Perlman), both Crusaders more keen on battles and fighting itself over whom or what they are fighting for. But the light eventually does dawn on considering the morality of their actions, which creates conflict in their tasks of delivering the supposed plague-causing witch to stand for her 'crimes'.

Many things about the film surprized me, I loved Ron Perlmas as Felson who is often the comic relief of the film and I loved how they didn't make him simply a brute because he can (and is) much more. I was thrilled to see Ulrich Thomsen (Fear Me Not / Den du frygter), who plays the regal widower Eckhart and fits in perfectly in this setting. Claire Foy is also great as The Girl, who had a challenge of limited mobility during the film but worked very with those limitations. I liked how the film given the setting, didn't exclusively present the angle of 'witches are evil!', and which was very refreshing. It's certainly has that tone from a lot, but not all, of the characters.

There are also lots of horror influences here, and a fair amount of disturbing images, actions and ideas, but it still maintains the structure and tone of an adventure films with a 'quest-like' task and band of travellers, and those are two things I almost always enjoy in stories and I certainly did here. Although it's easily Nicolas Cage's film, it's rounded out with a great supporting cast of new and familiar faces that bring it all together.

Is the film perfect? No, nowhere near. The dialogue is in particular can be bit off, even though the blending of 'historical' and current day language often was entertaining, it also fall flat. I did love Ulrich Thomsen as Eckhart, enjoyed seeing Ron Perlman as the sidekick character and enjoyed the quest-like story. Overall it was fun, kept me engaged and would easily be a film I'd watch again.

DVD Extras:

• 2 Featurettes: Featurette 1 (8 minutes) film clips, behind the scenes, interviews with producer Alex Gartner, Tippett Studio, Art Director Nathan Fredenburg, Tippet Studio, computer graphics supervisor Aharon Bourland, Tippett Studio, Animation Supervisor James W. Brown, Tippet Studio compositing supervisor David Schnee on creating the effects for characters in the film including, the complicated nature of characters and what they go through that's represented by the effects, different design ideas, creative problem solving from re-shoots to changes of changes along the way, plus showing some of the scenes and how they were designed shot-by-shot with the effects. Featurette 2: On a Crusade (6 minutes) film clips, behind the scenes, rehearsals, storyboards and interviews with producer Alex Gartner, stunt coordinator Andy Armstrong, 2nd unit director Vic Armstrong on the appeal of action and battle scenes, the motivation behind including the epic battle scenes, and how to show the passage of time thought the crusades, signature movements for Ron Perlman & Nicolas Cage's characters and how they maximized using a small number of people and ending up with it looking like thousands. I loved this featurette - it was so cool see it go from idea to rehearsal to the final sequences, it really beautifully comes to life.
• Deleted Scenes (7 scenes, 10 minutes) combination of deleted and extended scenes including a 'explainy' opening scene/character introduction with voice over, extended prologue, additional scene with Christopher Lee, and some really great atmospheric scenes. I loved that they are all finished and easily could have been incorporated into the film with full effects, costumes, lighting, etc.
• Alternate Ending (9 minutes) Wow, really long alternate ending and hard to share without over sharing! I liked getting to see a different interpretation but I like what they decided to go with in the actual film.
• Theatrical Trailer

Season of the Witch is available on DVD & BluRay as of June 28, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.com (DVD)

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it as light adventure flick with some horror tones

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011
Originally reviewed for Theatrical Release - January 24, 2011


(Left to right) Nicolas Cage and Claire Foy star in SEASON OF THE WITCH, an Alliance Films' release. © 2010 Season of the Witch Distributions, LLC All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit Egon Endrenyi


Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman star SEASON OF THE WITCH, an Alliance Films' release. Photo Credit Egon Endrenyi


(Left to right.) Stephen Campbell Moore, Nicolas Cage, and Ulrich Thomsen star in SEASON OF THE WITCH, an Alliance Films' release. © 2010 Season of the Witch Distributions, LLC All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit Egon Endrenyi

Beastly (DVD Review)

DVD Review of urban fantasy film Beastly, starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens based on the book Beastly by Alex Flinn, a modern day a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast.


Image: Courtesy of Alliance Films
Legal Line © 2011 CBS Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved. © 2011 CBS Films Inc. Tous droits réservés. Distribué exclusivement au Canada par Alliance Vivafilm. Tous droits réservés.

Dir: Daniel Barnz (Phoebe in Wonderland)
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter Krause, LisaGay Hamilton
USA, 2011

Reason to see: It was on my Most Anticipated Films of 2010 List (before it got shifted to 2011 release).

Based on the books Beastly by Alex Flinn, the film Beastly is a modern day a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast following a high schooler who has everything Kyle (Alex Pettyfer of I Am Number Four) but miffs off the wrong girl and then he has to face the challenge of his own ugliness come to light.

I was a little leery when the release date of the film shifted from 2010 to 2011, and I remained leery going into the film but always hold out hope for seeing urban fantasy come to life on screen. The film certainly had it's challenge, the primary one of the story and film is the representation of 'ugly' in the context of vanity and social acceptance in contrast with love and inner beauty. Perhaps I'm showing my 90's club card when I say that the look of tribal tattoos and lack of hair is more unattractive than not, but the addition of scars that look like burns kind of creep every one out. Speaking of creepy, there is a very high creep factor in the films that does carry over from the book and original story involving entrapment that I think you just can't accept in the modern day. The blending of urban and fantasy was unfortunately not very successful, and although I could often buy into the fantasy of the transformation I never bought into the urban realities presented, especially anything involving city living, safety or general out and about behavior. The film also had huge pacing issues, which is tragic considering the story is so strongly centred in the passage of time and although I like how they threaded some of the time overall it felt unbalanced with certain moments coming to quickly and others having no sense of build up when that was desperately needed to gain potency over time.

There were a few unexpected surprizes of enjoyment in the film including performances from Mary Kate Olsen as Kendra and Neil Patrick Harris as the Kyle/Hunter's tutor, both of whom are involved in some witty dialogue that genuinely make me laugh. But with the logic issues and creep factor it overall was a bit of a painful watch. The biggest challenge when taking on this kind of transformation story it feels like the message is that it's all about what you do and who you are, but there still seems to that note of 'but also be attractive too'. Maybe that's intrinsic to the fantasy element of the film, but it just didn't sit right with me. Even with a sweet romance and good chemistry between Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens at the heart of it, I wasn't feeling the logic behind the love, and I think you need that just as much.

DVD Extras:

• 2 Featurettes: A Classic Tale Retold: The Story of Beastly (10 minutes) film clips and interviews with director/screenwriter Daniel Barnz, novelist Alex Flinn (author of Beastly), actors Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen and Neil Patrick Harris, on the book, the message, the effect and focus on looks and vanity, the setting of starting in high school, the casting, the characters of Kyle, Lindy, Kendra & Will, symbolism, themes, the development of Hunter & Lindy relationship and seeing the beauty of life. Creating the Perfect Beast (5 minutes) concept designs, behind the scenes on filming and images of the process, film images, film clips and interviews with director/screenwriter Daniel Barnz, special make-up effects and prosthetics Tony Gardner, actor Alex Pettyfer & Vanessa Hudgens on the design of the beast, decisions and consideration of what would be considered ugly, the process of creating the look, the effect of being in the make up and a time delay of the 3 1/2 hour process of make up application
• Alternate Ending (10 minutes) Lengthy and quite a different feel this alternative ending takes, which manages to be more dark as well as kind of corny. It has some pretty cool effects and there were some things I like better, but I think they went with the right choice with the theatrical version. Maybe a combo of the two would have been perfect.
• Deleted Scenes (3 scenes, 4 minutes) combination of extended and deleted scenes, these actually have some quite nice moments in this selection of scenes several of which have Hunter waling around town and I actually think that most of these should have been kept in the film at least in part but there are a few moments that are way to familiar moments reminiscent of other films so I can see why they wouldn't be included.
• "Be Mine" Music Video by Kristina & The Dolls (3 minutes)
• Plus: Limited Edition Magnetic Picture Frame

Beastly is available on DVD & BluRay as of June 28, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.com (DVD)

Shannon's Overall View:
I was very disappointed by it
Oddly, I would watch it again
It's hard to recommend, only for die-hard fantasy/romance fans and/or fans of the book I think would get something from it

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews, Beastly reviewed on the Movie Moxie Podcast

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Vanessa Hudgens as Lindy and Alex Pettyfer as Kyle in BEASTLY, an Alliance Films release.


Alex Pettyfer (as Hunter) and Neil Patrick Harris (as Will) star in BEASTLY, an Alliance Films' release.


Mary-Kate Olsen stars as Kendra in BEASTLY, an Alliance Films' release.

Barney's Version (DVD Review)

DVD Review of the Genie winning film Barney's Version, starring Paul Giamatti based on the Mordecai Richler


Image: Courtesy of eOne Films

Dir: Richard J. Lewis (Whale Music)
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Scott Speedman, Rachelle Lefevre, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Greenwood
Canada/Italy, 2010

Reason to see: One of the big heavy hitting Canadian films from 2010 and winner of 7 Genies.

Barney's Version follows the story of Barney Panofsky, played by Paul Giamatti, who over the years has many great friendships, falls in and out of love and also has a few tragedies along the way. His life Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler of the same name, you can certainly feel the love of the story and characters run strong in the film, with the care taken to create rich settings at every turn from bars to television studios to cottage homes on top of several weddings from simple to all the bells and whistles.

I knew going in to the film that it was going to be focused on Barney (from the title), but when I saw the trailers I didn't really connect to him and seeing the film and was primarily because it's Canadian and it did well, and I like to be on the up and up of Canadian film as much as I can. Even though I didn't always agree with Barney's actions along the way, I found myself very surprized to empathize with him at almost every turn. He doesn't have the hardest life or the easiest life, but it certainly throws him more than a few curve balls along the way and he really tries to deal with them as gracefully as he can. It's no surprize that Paul Giammati has won awards for his performance here, as he gives us depth and range and he makes Barney as hard to hate as he is easy to love.

As the film is a winner of 7 Genies, including 3 in acting categories of Paul Giammati (Actor in a Leading Role), and both supporting acting categories (awarded to Dustin Hoffman & Minnie Driver), it does sometimes make me a bit miffy when big Canadian films have non-Canadian in all the big roles. They are great performances though so I can't, and won't, fault them or the film because it really hits all the right marks. I will say in addition to the acting awards it won, I would also give big kudos to Scott Speedman who gives an absolutely fantastic performance as Barney's friend Boogie, and was easily one of the highlights of the film for me. Rosamund Pike is also wonderful as the calm, cool and collected Miriam, who Barney is taken with at first sight.

It's a drama that works it's magic over the test of time, following Barney through thick and thin. While watching I was impressed when it got me, which was more often than I had imagined but for the praise not as much as I hoped. I think keeners of dramas with longevity characters will definitely get a lot from it.

DVD Extras:

• Feature Commentary with director Richard J. Lewis, writer Michael Konyves and producer Robert Lantos Wow, you can really feel the love for the story and the cast as they discuss the film and reminisce over casual in jokes, the process, Canadian-isms, the meta-level of several of the references, changes from the book to the film, iconic things about the Barney character, shooting on location, the transitions in time throughout the film, the actors, musical themes, cameos, shooting on location in Montreal and Italy, the make up research for the characters, the importance of capturing Montreal at the time in which the film is set, and changes, different version and choices about the film along the way. The commentary starts with director Richard J. Lewis & writer Michael Konyves, and producer Robert Lantos comes in at about 24 minutes.
• Interview with Mordecai Richler (3 minutes) discussion about the novel Barney's Version, the first person nature of the novel, shared point of view and differences between him and the character of Barney and also includes reading of excepts of the novel.
• Deleted Scenes (9 scenes, 27 minutes) combination of extended & deleted scenes, mostly conversational and most deepening relationships with Barney and other characters in the film as well as more insight into Barney himself. I quite enjoyed the scenes with Paul Giamatti and Rachelle Lefevre and a couple of great additional scenes with Rosamund Pike & Bruce Greenwood.
• 92nd Street Y Q&A with Paul Giamatti & Annette Insdorf (61 minutes) Q&A really in depth Q&A included here which goes over a lot of discussion about the film and the role, how he became involved with the project, on if he had any reservations on the role, the character of Barney, the draw to the role, what it was like playing a character that ages throughout the film as well as questions from the live audience.
• On the Red Carpet (4 minutes) on the red carpet with director Richard J. Lewis, producer Robert Lantos, actors Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Jake Hoffman and AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga discussing the draw of the film, what the film is about, casting, working together and believing in love at first sight, true love and craziest thing they have done for love.

Barney's Version is available on DVD and BluRay as of June 28, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.com (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Shannon's Overall View:
I didn't love it
It's not likely I'd watch it again
I'd recommend it fans of character-driven dramas that focus on the depth of one person over time

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Scott Speedman,Paul Giamatti, Rachelle Lefevre in BARNEY'S VERISON Photo Credit Sabrina Lantos Courtesy of eOne Films


Paul Giamatti and Minnie Driver in BARNEY'S VERSION Photo Credit Takashi Seida Courtesy of eOne Films


Rosamund Pike and Paul Giamatti in BARNEY'S VERSION Courtesy of Sabrina Lantos Courtesy of eOne Films

Happythankyoumoreplease (DVD Review)

DVD review of the beautiful and touching drama Happythankyoumoreplease starring Josh Radnor, Michael Algieri, Malin Akerman and Kate Mara.


Photo - Courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment

Writer/Dir: Josh Radnor - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Josh Radnor, Michael Algieri, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan, Pablo Schreiber, Tony Hale
USA, 2011

Reason to see: Had strong acclaim which got me curious.

Happythankyoumoreplease is a fantastic film following the lives of friends in New York. I almsot hesitate to open with that as it sounds so cliche or blase, but believe me Happythankyoumoreplease is neither blase or cliche, it's very honest, funny and emotionally real. I loved that it finds the truth of it's characters, and even when those truths are not the most glamourous or endearing, it still shows them with an honest and open light.

We follow Sam (Josh Radnor who also wrote, directed & produced the film) a writing working on getting his book published and making the transition from short stories to novels. He's friends with Annie (Malin Akerman of Watchmen), pseudo-cousins with Mary-Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and currently interested in Mississippi (Kate Mara). Wow, I just noticed that one of the things I loved about the film was that it showed non-romantic male/female relationships, and that's even more evident as the other guys in the film are mostly attached to one of the women's stories, not Sam's story. Furthering the drama is Mary-Catherine whose is at a tipping point in her relationship with Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) and Malin Akerman dealing with the challenges of love and work, or sometimes both with another Sam in the film, played by Tony Hale.

The cast is amazing at showing the depth and complexity to the relationships of the characters. I was particulary taken with Malin Akerman and Zoe Kazan, as well as the young Michael Algieri who plays Rasheen. I also loved that our main guy Sam (Josh Radnor) is that amazing balance of not unlikable, but so 'guy' ish, doing things that you think "He isn't going to do that.. is he?" and is believable 100% of the time. I always believed the characters in the film, their troubles and trials along the way, from their outbursts to their moments of acceptance and true friendship. The film really resonated for me on a positive emotional level, something that feels rather rare. Happythankyoumoreplease lays things bare and is emotionally real without feeling like you are being raked over the coals. I felt for each and every character in the film, whether they we doing something beautiful or being a bit of a jerk, you could always understand where they were coming from and why they did what they did. A truly masterful film and one that I highly recommend.

DVD Extras:

• Audio Commentary with producer/writer/director/actor Josh Radnor and producer Jesse Hara I really enjoyed the commentary which serves as a open discussion and reflection on the film and process of film from decisions of locations, casting, working with the actors and actor interaction, the timing and locations of when scenes where shot, on what was improved on the day, logistics, changes along the way, the use of music including the score and songs by Jaymay, the inspiration for moments, lines and characters plus using the red camera, being a first time filmmaker, shooting in 22 days, the challenge on independent cinema, on being festival circuit and lots of notations and shout outs to friends, extras and people that helped and supported the film along the way.
• Happythankyoumoremusicplease - featuring Jaymay (6 minutes) film clips, music and interviews with producer/writer/director/actor Josh Radnor, music supervisor Andy Gowan and singer/songwriter Jaymay on the music in the film in terms of how the music came together for the film, the New York nature of the music and the film, the emotional honesty of both the film characters and the music and how the music interplays with the film, especially with the song Never Be Daunted
• Deleted Scenes (5 scenes, 9 minutes) great selection of scenes here and as often with extra scenes I can see why most of them were cut but I loved having the chances to see more from these fantastic actors in the roles of great characters. I was particularly with a scene between Zoe Kazan and Pablo Schreiber that had such an emotional intensity that it blew me away. Well worth checking out.
• Trailer

Happythankyoumoreplease is available on DVD and BluRay as of June 21, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD), Amazon.ca [Blu-ray] & Amazon.com (DVD), Amazon.com [Blu-ray]

Shannon's Overall View:
I adored it
I'll watch it again
I highly & widely recommend it

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Josh Radnor and Kate Mara in Happythankyoumoreplease. Photo - Courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment

Beat the World (DVD Review)

DVD review of Canadian hip hop dance film Beat the World starring Tyrone Brown, Sho-Tyme, Chase Armitage, Christian Loclair, Stephanie Nguyen, Kristy Flores, and Lil'C


Image: Courtesy of eOne Films.

Writer/Dir: Robert Adetuyi (Turn it Up)
Cast: Tyrone Brown, Mishael Morgan, Sho-Tyme, Chase Armitage, Christian Loclair, Stephanie Nguyen, Kristy Flores, Shane Pollard, Nikki Grant, Christopher Toler (Lil'C)
Canada, 2011

Reason to see: Canadian film that fuses dance with parkour? That's made for me!

I was so excited to hear about Beat the World, a Canadian dance film with a crew that decides to blend parkour with hip hop. Great place to start! Turns out that it actually follows three streetdance crews from around the world on their way to the Beat the World competition in Detroit. The crews all all have their own dramas and challenges along the way.

The film mainly focuses on the Fusion, the Windsor group that is working with fusing street and parkour including Yusan (Tyrone Brown) who actually serves as the films protagonist, Justin (Chase Armitage) the London boy who brings the parkour action, Cherry (Nikki Grant) and familiar faces to dance fans Easy (Sho-Tyme) and Deray (Christopher Toler aka Lil'C). I have to admit that seeing both Sho-Tyme and Lil'C were HUGE highlights of the film for me as I'm a fan of both of them. We also have Maya (Mishael Morgan) as a part of the Windsor folk, not as a dancer but she is Yusan's girlfriend and plays into the romance of the film and the larger story of the challenge when dance and the rest of life collide.

Circling around the globe we also have Berlin crew Flying Steps featuring loverboy/player Eric (Christian Loclair) and Nina (Stephanie Nguyen) and the Brazil crew Revolustion led by the not-so-responsible Carlos (Shane Pollard) and also includes (Olivia) Kristy Flores. These crews don't get as much screen time, but I did really enjoy seeing Stephanie Nguyen (Streetdance), she's a beautiful and versatile dancer and gets a fair amount of screen time dancing here, as well as some time with the larger story as well - and her character is fierce.

Beat the World is a dance film at heart and pretty much keeps to the formula of a competition based dance film, of having drama with romance, jealousy and the conflict of doing something new versus sticking to the tried and true. The dance and the parkour are where the film really shine, giving the viewer lots of great sequences to enjoy throughout the entire film. There are tons of talented dancers here, and it was a joy to see them, specifically Sho-Tyme, Lil'C, Stephanie Nguyen and Christian Loclair. On the parkour side of things Chase Armitage was amazing, I am always floored to see bodies so swiftly in motion - and the DVD extras have some great stuff on the parkour side of things. Truly amazing.

I do have to point out though that the pacing of the film through me for a bit of a loop, there were certainly moments where it felt like what was happening couldn't have happened in the time given or that sequences that were supposed to be over time were all filmed at the same time. But, it's a dance film at heart and the dancing is where it's at. Plus, huge added bonus was that Sho-Tyme delivers one hell of an actor performance. Who knew? He totally blew me away. Fun times.

DVD Extras:

• Behind-the-scenes Featurette (8 minutes) film clips, behind the scenes, and interviews with writer/director Robert Adetuyi, actor/parkour choreographer Chase Armitage, actor/choreographer Sho-Tyme, actor Tyrone Brown, Nikki Grant, Lil'C on the film, their characters and often specifically about their personal connection to their characters in the film, the films theme of love and love for dance, the idea of fusing parkour and hip hop, the authenticity of portraying a streetdance crew and lots of behind the scenes on the parkour training and rehearsing.
• Parkour Featurette (7 minutes) 3RUN: The Team Behind the Film - interviews with 3RUN co-founder Sam Parham, 3RUN director (and Beat the World actor/parkour choreographer) Chase Armitage and 3RUN athletes Cole Armitage & Mathew Kaye on parkour, free-running, martial arts and the art of movement, plus discussing how 3RUN began, how they work together, how they got connected with the film, making their own films and nice selection of test footage with really impressive selection or free running in a variety of settings from nature to gyms to urban settings.

Beat the World is available on DVD and BluRay as of June 21, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD), Amazon.ca [Blu-ray] & Amazon.com (DVD), Amazon.com [Blu-ray]

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it, especially the dancing & parkour
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it to dance film fans

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© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Chase Armitage (Justin), Teresa Espinoza (Fusion Dancer), Sho-Tyme (Easy), Nikki Grant (Cherry) in BEAT THE WORLD Photo by Sophie Giraud Courtesy of eOne Films


Lil'C (Deray), Chase Armitage (Justin), Tyrone Brown (Yuson) in BEAT THE WORLD Photo by Sophie Giraud Courtesy of eOne Films


Fusion Dance Crew in BEAT THE WORLD Photo by Sophie Giraud Courtesy of eOne Films


Mishael Morgan (Maya) in BEAT THE WORLD Photo by Sophie Giraud Courtesy of eOne Films

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (DVD Review)

DVD review of the awesome cheese-fest, monster vs monster SyFy flick Mega Python vs. Gatoroid starring 80's singers Tiffany and Debbie Gibson.


Image: Courtesy of eOne Films.

Dir: Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary, The In Crowd, Clubland)
Cast: Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, A Martinez, Kathryn Joosten
USA, 2011 (DVD release)

Reason to see: I listened to a review or if on Tuning into SciFi: Saturday B-Movie Reel and it sounded like bucketloads of fun.

Who could resist a monster film that stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson and has a vs. in the title? I couldn't. No way, no how. I knew I had to see Mega Python vs. Gatoroid and since it's a SyFy original I was thrilled to see it get a DVD release so I could finally see it in all it's cheesy glory. And there is a lot of cheesy glory.

In Mega Python vs. Gatoroid we have Chief Ranger Terry (Tiffany) as the law enforcement trying to ensure the antsy locals hunters don't hunt the oddly under norm alligator population in the estuary. Enter Dr. Nikki (Debbie Gibson), animal activist who is pro-let nature take care of herself and does some of her own tampering to 'balance' things out. On paper the 80's singers feel like they would be on the same page, but nothing could be further from the truth. At odd at every step, the added vs. in the film is none other than Terry and Nikki!

The film is ridiculous and enjoyable in every way. The dialogue is hilarious, the plot is more than ridiculous and the effects are very obvious, but the film made me laugh at every turn. It's over the top at every step, and I had oodles of fun watching it. I loved Kathryn Joosten who plays another ranger Angie, and also serves as a no-fuss no muss mom-like character Tiffany and I adored her 'I'll take care of it' attitude, regardless of the ridiculousness of the situation. We also have Dr. Diego Ortiz (played by A Martinez!), as the non-local but close-enough who seems to know everything they need about the nature, science and tech side of everything - plus he can pilot a helicopter. Pretty awesome, eh?

Overall, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid is a boat load of fun. It's completely cheesy, sassy and knows exactly who it's audience is and caters specifically to them. If you like your cheese, this is totally for you and is extra special goodness for folks of the Tiffany/Debbie Gibson rivalry generation. I had so much fun watching it and easily would watch it again.

DVD Extras:

• Featurette (11 minutes) behind the scenes, film clips and interviews including with director Mary Lambert, stunt coordinator Steve Hart, visual effects supervisor Mark Kochinski and actors Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Kathryn Joosten and A Martinez on what drew them to the project, working together, on the characters and the drive of the characters and the fight scene, the campy nature of the film, working with real animals, the inspiration and creation of the effects, the challenge of working with effects and they even touch on the legacy of the rivalry between singers Tiffany & Debbie Gibson.
• Trailer

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid is available on DVD and BluRay as of June 21, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD), Amazon.ca (BluRay) & Amazon.com (DVD), Amazon.com [Blu-ray]

Shannon's Overall View:
It cracked me up
I'll watch it again
I highly recommend it as a campy monster movie

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Debbie Gibson in MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID. Courtesy of eOne Films.


Tiffany in MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID. Courtesy of eOne Films. / A Martinez in MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID. Courtesy of eOne Films.