Feature: Finding Nemo - 10th Anniversary Blu Ray Easter Eggs Hunt & Facts

FINDING NEMO 3D

10 Year Anniversary

“Fish are friends, not food.” This mantra along, with many other memorable quotes, has stayed in the minds of many all over the world in the last decade, since Finding Nemo first swam into cinemas.  To celebrate its 10 Year Anniversary, Disney PIXAR are releasing the much loved film on Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray from 27 May!  There is no doubt that PIXAR has left a significant imprint on the world today, both on land and underwater.  “Just keep swimming,” as we go back in time to take a flashback at the trends, culture, and rising success of PIXAR that have drifted us to this celebration.  Also we have a short feature on the many secret "Easter Eggs" hidden within!

Starting with 2003 - What do you remember about how the world was?

After the release of Finding Nemo, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards and PIXAR took home the Oscar that year for Best Animated Feature.  Finding Nemo was also ranked second at the top of the US box office with a total gross of $339,714,978.

The introduction of Apple’s iTunes Music Store causes quite the craze.  Since its release iTunes has been used as the most popular music store to date.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – The Terminator -  is elected Governor of California 

2004

A year after the cinema release, Finding Nemo holds the number one spot as the best-selling DVD of all time, selling over 24 million in North America alone.  

For the talented animators it didn’t stop there. PIXAR released their film The Incredibles, which won two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Achievement in Sound Editing. In the first weekend, the film beat the PIXAR record at the box office, taking $70 million.

Can you remember the world without Facebook? Facebook was first introduced, paving way for the social media explosion.

2005

Royal wedding #1! of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles tie the knot.

Xbox 360 is first released by Microsoft, capturing the imagination of teenage boys, and supplanting every other leisure activity known to man!

Tony Blair is re-elected as British Prime Minister

 

2006

PIXAR celebrates its 20^th anniversary! It also releases Cars, a film filled with racing and passion.  The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, both Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original song.

Italy wins the 2006 world cup in Germany defeating France

Twitter joins the social media whirlpool, allowing people to tweet anything and everything on their minds. 

2007

Ratatouille premieres in cinemas, cooking up quite an interest. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The amazing Wembley Stadium is finally completed 

Apple reinvents the phone with iPhone combining a mobile phone, iPod touchscreen and an internet communications device

2008

PIXAR’s Wall-E took audiences out of this world. After its cinema release, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps breaks records and brings home the bacon—well, 8 gold medals to be exact. Marking this peak of his success, collectively the athlete’s career consisted of 14 gold medals and 16 in total. He certainly brings new meaning to Dory’s mantra: Just keep swimming!

The Shuttle Endeavour goes on a 16 day mission to the international space station

2009

Up, a film about the bond between two strangers on a mission to fulfil a lifelong dream, is released in cinemas. The heart-warming film was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home the Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score.

The death Michael Jackson affected all, from generation to generation.  Even though the King of Pop may be resting in peace now, his music and talent is as alive as ever.

Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States making history as the first African American President 

2010

Toy Story 3 is released and soon becomes the highest grossing animation of all time, breaking the billion dollar mark! The film went on to be nominated for five Academy Awards and won the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

Kate Middleton and Prince William announce their engagement!

Justin Bieber who was discovered through a video placed on YouTube in 2008 continues to dominate the charts around the world attracting millions of fans showing the power of social networking. 

2011

Lightning McQueen and partner in action Mater hit the big screen again. PIXAR comes back with the sequel to Cars with the release of Cars 2.

The Royal Wedding #2! it doesn’t get any bigger than this.

Richard Branson opens the first commercial Spaceport in the United States – Virgin Galactic

2012

PIXAR releases the film Brave in cinemas. The film’s storyline entails adventure, courage, and the bond of family.  The film also went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Animated Film, the Golden 

Globe award for Best Animated Feature film, and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.

Social media hits the jackpot with Instagram and the introduction of hashtags, combining Instagram with Twitter = #awesome

The Summer Olympics 2012 takes place in London with a spectacular opening ceremony thanks to Danny Boyle! 

2013: The 10 Year Anniversary!

“Sea” it for the first time ever on breathtaking Blu-Ray & 3D Blu-Ray on 27 May!

Finding Nemo is released on BLU-RAY™ & 3D BLU-RAY™ ON 27 MAY 2013, courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

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Review: The Hangover Part III

The Hangover Part III (15)

The Wolfpack return for what is being billed as one final run and on the evidence of part II and now part III lets hope it stays final.

It’s been two years. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are happily living uneventful lives at home. Tattoos have been lasered off, files purged. The last they heard from disaster-magnet Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), he’d been tossed into a Thai prison and, with him out of the way, the guys have very nearly recovered from their nights prowling the seamy side of Las Vegas in a roofie’d haze, and being kidnapped, shot at, and chased by drug- dealing mobsters in Bangkok.

The only member of the Wolfpack who’s not content is Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Still lacking a sense of purpose, the group’s black sheep has ditched his meds and given in to his natural impulses in a big way-which, for Alan, means no boundaries, no filters and no judgment-until a personal crisis forces him to finally seek the help he needs.

His three best friends to make sure he takes the first step. However when they are run off the road by a familiar face (Don't call me) Black Doug (Mike Epps) they soon discover that the Wolfpack are in bigger trouble than ever before and this time there hasn't even been a wedding or a stag night.

The key to this series of films is the initial set up of a hangover and all the trouble that has been caused and then working back through the previous nights carnage.  Part III drops this from the outset and tries with an all new set up, except it's exactly the same just without the Hangover.  The previous film was not a patch on the original being as it had a darker plot and the characters, Leslie Chow in particular turned out not to be funny after all, but downright nasty.  This dark edge is continued in part III and again it leads to the films downfall.

Most importantly of all The Hangover Part III removes the one key ingredient, humour.  Now this is not just saying that the jokes and set ups aren't funny, it's down to the fact that there isn't any actual jokes or set up in the film to begin with and it comes across more like a chase thriller than a comedy.  In fact everytime the film looks like it's going to do something funny, just as it's about to crescendo, Todd Phillips does something to turn it all around into something thats actually quite nasty.  The best example of this is in the trailer, Alan has bought a Giraffe and is driving along the freeway with, when you see a bridge and then hear the bump and finally the traffic carnage.  That in itself is quite amusing however in the film we get to see the rest of the sequence which involves seeing the decapitation and the giraffes head flying through a car window and traumatising a couple of children in the backseat.  Not so funny now.  

This pattern follows through the entire movie with less amusing moments, most of which are led by Leslie Chow, who in actual fact is a really nasty piece of work.  It just isn't funny and doesn't come across like it's trying to be either.  The familiar sub plots are there, and again are neither funny or original.  A film so bad that even Mike Tyson doesn't bother to make a reappearance.  The screening that this reviewer sat in was stoney silent.  Not one muffled giggle or anything.  Not a sound.  You would have been forgiven for thinking you were in a library.  It's a real shame as the first film was a great piece of 'dude comedy' but this..?  You'll be shaking your head in disbelief at just how terrible it is.

Ed Helms character is constantly bemoaning the situation throughout and after about 10 minutes you actually have sympathy for him as you are being dragged along for the ride as well.  Bradley Cooper looks bored throughout and Ken Jeong & Zach Galifanakis one trick pony jokes are well and truly over.  The only breif highlight is the cut scene post credits.  Which by that time you have long given up and possibly got out of your seat and left.  If you have then you may just miss the only moment that might raise a smile.

Unfunny, Unoriginal & Unwatchable.

Matt Bourne

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Review: Epic

Epic (U)

epic [ˈɛpɪk]

n

1. (Literature / Poetry) a long narrative poem recounting in elevated style the deeds of a legendary hero, esp one originating in oral folk tradition

2. (Literature / Poetry) the genre of epic poetry

3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) any work of literature, film, etc., having heroic deeds for its subject matter or having other qualities associated with the epic a Hollywood epic

4. an episode in the lives of men in which heroic deeds are performed or attempted the epic of Scott's expedition to the South Pole

adj

1. denoting, relating to, or characteristic of an epic or epics

2. of heroic or impressive proportions an epic voyage

[from Latin epicus, from Greek epikos, from epos speech, word, song]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Above is the dictionary definition of the word Epic.  With Epic being released at cinemas it conjures up a set of images in your mind of what this film will be like.  Does it live up to it's billing though?

You know that the summer season has well and truly started when the first big family blockbuster hits the cinema and this year is no different with the release this week of Epic from the studio Blue Sky who previously brought us the Ice Age series.

A girl named Mary Katherine or M.Kas she prefers (Amanda Seyfried), long separated from her father, Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), visits him in his old house near a forest, where he lives with his dog, Ozzie. Bomba has long studied the artefacts of what he believes to be a group of tiny warriors who live in the forest and protect it. He often goes into the forest to look for them and has cameras everywhere, in hopes of confirming their existence. One day M.K. decides to take a trip into the forest herself and when catching a leaf she ends up getting shrunk down to miniscule size.  The leaf she caught is Queen Tara (Beyonce knowles) who has brought her into her world to save the Leafmen from Boggans and their leader Mandrake (Christoph Waltz), who are out to destroy the very existence of the forest and plunge the world into darkness.  Helping M.K. on her quest are the leader of the Leafmen Army, Ronin (Colin Farrell), Nod (Josh Hutcherson) a rookie warrior in training who takes an instant shine to M.K &. Mub & Grub (Aziz Anzari & Chris O'Dowd) a slug and snail respectively.  They must journey to find Nim Galuu (Steven Tyler) the keeper of the scrolls who can reveal the answer in how to save the forest.  However with Mandrake and the Boggans on their tail, it becomes a race against time.

Epic is one of those safe movies, that all the family can enjoy, there's something in it for everyone young and old, it has a wholesome message throughout, it's bright, energetic and fun, without being anything spectacular.  And that is Epic's strength and weakness, it's one of those films that looks amazing from the posters and trailers and it let's you build up your own pre-presented hype, that will possibly deflate you somewhat once you have watched it.

This is not a bad film by any range of the imagination, it's very likeable, for the most part the vocal talent do a great job, some of the characters are great, the comedy duo of Mub & Grub are great fun as a later day woodland version of Laurel & Hardy, Christoph Waltz makes for a foreboding villain in the shape of Mandrake, but it's the three lead characters in Farrell, Hutcherson & Seyfried where the weaknesses appear, with paper thin background stories that don't even need to be told, to figure out where each of their part's of the plot will end up come the closing credits and their individual complete lack of sounding interested in their voices that weakens Epic's delivery.  The 3D once more is not outstanding either, so while most of your younger audience may not care, this makes the film that much harder to get through especially when you are most likely footing the bill for entry and popcorn etc.

That said there is a lot to like in Epic, a special mention should go out to Aerosmith's Steven Tyler too, whose vocal talents lend especially well to the character of Nim Galuu.  It's a decent enough entry into the family CGi fare, but not one that will live long in the memory much after you have left the cinema.  It's certainly unlikely to build Blue Sky with a new franchise in the Ice Age mould, that's for sure.  The problem with calling your film Epic, is that you have to deliver on the title and unfortunately Epic isn't Epic, but then Moderately Decent, wouldn't have made for a good title now would it?

Solid but unspectacular.

Matt Bourne

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Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby (12a)


The decadent and extravagant world of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, populated by super rich and shallow characters, bursts onto the big screen in vibrantly glossy colourful 3D. 

This is a blockbuster adaptation of what is perceived as the great American novel so if you are expecting subtlety and nuance you are going to be mightily disappointed as I fear these adjectives don’t exist in Baz Luhrmann’s cinematic vocabulary.

His interpretation is brash and bold as it captures the veneer of upper class social civility and the opulence and frivolity of the roaring twenties in explosive shades while he takes certain liberties with Fitzgerald’s classic work. As a plot device he places the narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) in a rehab clinic where he is writing  down his story as part of his recovery from an alcoholic breakdown.  
So through a series of flashbacks we learn how in the spring of 1922 Carraway moved next door to the mysterious and enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby  (Leo DiCaprio) in Long Island who lived across the water from Carraway’s cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her bullish, philandering blue blooded husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). 

DiCaprio, who hasn’t looked this dashing or youthfully handsome since Titanic, is splendid as the great Gatsby with a convincing hopeful optimism that is infectious. In fact he is the best thing in this. Mulligan is beautiful and vulnerable as the superficial poor little rich girl Daisy and Gatsby’s true love while Maguire is so inconsequential as Carraway that he makes bland look interesting.  

Essentially Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is an unforgiving case of style over substance despite sticking to much of Fitzgerald’s text which at times floats literally across the screen. The period and the characters lend themselves perfectly to Luhrmann’s flamboyant film making genius. His depiction of Gatsby’s lavish parties with their champagne fountains and frivolous bright young things is a veritable glittering visual feast.  They are big and they are very loud. 

But setting them to a modern soundtrack provided by Jay Z just doesn’t work. It is just wrong and  unlike in Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet where it was part and parcel of the narrative, here  it proves very distracting and takes you out of the moment. 

It is a terrible shame the novel’s subtleties and sub text, much of which is still relevant today, was completely lost on Luhrmann but he still delivered an entertaining Gatsby just sadly not a great one. 

Maria Duarte

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Competition: Win Django Unchained on Blu Ray & a Limited Edition Comic

Vengeance has a new name in the Oscar®-winning, global box office hit DJANGO UNCHAINED, riding in on Blu-ray^™ and DVD with UltraViolet™ May 20^th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This epic, action-packed Spaghetti Western from writer/director Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) was nominated for five 2012 Academy Awards® (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing), taking home awards for Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino) and Best Supporting Actor (Waltz). The film, with US theatrical rights held by The Weinstein Company, has grossed more than $400 million globally and features a stellar cast, including Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx (Best Actor, Ray, 2005), two-time Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz (Best Supporting Actor, Django Unchained, 2012 and Best Supporting Actor, Inglourious Basterds, 2010), Academy Award® nominee Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), Kerry Washington (Ray, TV’s “Scandal”) and Academy Award® nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Best Supporting Actor, Pulp Fiction, 1994; The Avengers). 

DJANGO UNCHAINED is a classic Tarantino revenge story about a slave (Foxx) who, with the help of a German bounty hunter (Waltz), rises up from the brutality of his former life to exact his own brand of personal justice in his quest to free his slave wife (Washington) from an evil plantation owner (DiCaprio).

The Blu-ray comes with two exclusive featurettes: “Reimagining the Spaghetti Western: The Horses & Stunts of Django Unchained,” giving viewers a look at the making of the film. “The Costume Designs of Sharen Davis” chronicles the costume choices of designer Sharen Davis, who imagined, designed and created every article of clothing and accessory featured in the film, from Django’s first outfit as a free man in vibrant blue to Calvin Candie’s three piece suits. Both the Blu-ray and DVD come with the featurette “Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of Django Unchained,” giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the selection of settings and style that Riva, who was the driving force behind the set design, used to visually tell Django’s story. The Blu-ray and DVD also come with the “Django Unchained Soundtrack Promo”.   

DJANGO UNCHAINED was produced by Stacey Sher (Pulp Fiction), Reginald Hudlin
(TV’s “The Boondocks”) and Pilar Savone (Inglourious Basterds). Executive producers are Bob Weinstein (Inglourious Basterds), Harvey Weinstein (Inglourious Basterds), Michael Shamberg (Pulp Fiction), Shannon McIntosh (Death Proof) and James W. Skotchdopole (True Romance).

DJANGO UNCHAINED has a run time of approximately 165 minutes on Blu-ray and 159 minutes on DVD and is rated 18.

DVD and Blu-ray Bonus Features:

• Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of Django Unchained
• 20 Years In The Making: The Tarantino XX Blu-ray Collection
• Django Unchained Soundtrack Promo

Blu-ray Exclusive Features:

• Reimagining the Spaghetti Western: The Horses & Stunts of Django Unchained
• The Costume Designs of Sharen Davis
• Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of Django Unchained
• 20 Years In The Making: The Tarantino XX Blu-ray Collection
• Django Unchained Soundtrack Promo

 

We have copies of Django Unchained on Blu Ray & a EXCLUSIVE comic to giveaway.  To enter all you have to do is:

1. Follow this blog (On the top left of the site)

2. Answer the question below

Who stars as Django in Django Unchained?

a) Christoph Waltz

b) Leonardo DiCaprio

c) Jamie Foxx

Once you have 'followed' this blog, please email your answer with your name, age address and contact number titling your email 'Django Competition' to:

screen1ne.competitions@gmail.com

Django Unchained is out on Blu-ray and DVD May 20^th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

  

Competition closes 10th June  2013.

ENTER MORE COMPETITIONS HERE 

www.facebook.com/DjangoMovie

#GoDjango

© 2012 Visiona Romantica, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Pro Wres: WWE Extreme Rules Prediction League

After beginning the new season of the Prediction League we now find ourselves at our next event Extreme Rules.  This used to be run on our now closed forum, but we have decided to move it to the main site so that more people can play!  We began with Wrestlemania and incorporate all WWE & TNA PPV events, ending with TNA Lockdown in April 2014.  So starting from now you have until Sunday 22:00 GMT time to register your picks.  

To register your picks simply add a comment at the bottom of this page with the names of who you will think will win each of the matches (One name per line) so for example if you think John Cena will beat The Rock and Ryback will beat Mark Henry then the comments box would have a commnent like this:

John Cena
Ryback

If you think the match will have a different outcome such as a double DQ or countout then list the match and the result:

John Cena/The Rock Double Countout

and so on until you have chosen all your winners.  Depending on how popular this becomes we may add a prize for the most points at the end of the season.  Points are awarded as 1 point for every correct guess then any bonus points that are included for any particular event.  The Prediction League table will be updated the week after each event and can be found in the Prediction League section of this website.

So, onto the Extreme Rules Predictions!  Choose your winners (One from each match unless you are logging a double DQ or Countout) and add them in the comment box below.  The more people who play the more competitive this will be.

Extreme Rules 2013 Predictions

WWE Champion John Cena Vs. Ryback (Last Man Standing)

Triple H Vs. Brock Lesnar (Steel Cage Match)

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Jack Swagger (I Quit Match)

United States Champion Kofi Kingston Vs. Dean Ambrose

WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No Vs. Reigns & Rollins (Tag Team Tornado Match)

Sheamus Vs. Mark Henry (Strap Match)

Randy Orton Vs. Big Show (Extreme Rules Match)

Chris Jericho Vs Fandango

The Miz Vs. Cody Rhodes (Pre-Show)

Make your picks from this list and enter them in the comment box below.  (The comments have to got through moderator approval so they won't immediately appear when you send them.) 

**Please ensure all your picks are correct as you cannot correct them once you send your comment**

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Competition: WIn a copy of Life of Pi on Blu Ray

The Inspirational Epic Journey, Winner of Four Academy Awards^® and

Two BAFTAs^®, arrives on
Blu-ray 3D^™, Blu-ray^™ and DVD this spring

Experience the Stunning Award Winning Cinematography on Blu-ray 3D With Over Two Hours of Bonus Material Including Deleted Scenes, Making Of Featurettes,
Inspirational Artwork and More

Believe the unbelievable.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents a groundbreaking cinematic experience you will have to see to believe when LIFE OF PI is released on stunning Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD from April 29 in the UK. Based on the acclaimed best-selling novel from Yann Martel that has been published in 40 languages, and brought to life by visionary Academy Award winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), this magical adventure of hope, wonder, survival, and the power of the human spirit has been celebrated by critics all over the world.

A visually spectacular cinematic masterpiece which has taken in over $500 million in worldwide box office, LIFE OF PI follows Pi Patel, a young man on a fateful voyage who, after a spectacular disaster, is marooned on a lifeboat with the only other survivor, a fearsome 450lb Bengal Tiger named

Richard Parker. Hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery Pi and his majestic companion make an amazing and unexpected connection.

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards^® LIFE OF PI walked away with Best Director for Ang Lee at the ceremony alongside awards for Cinematography, Original Score and Visual Effects. The film also won two BAFTAs^® including Cinematography and Special Visual Effects having originally been nominated for ten awards.

With incredible cinematography from Oscar winner Claudio Miranda** (The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button, Tron: Legacy) and masterful performances from newcomer Suraj Sharma,
Irrfan Khan (The Amazing Spider-Man, Slumdog Millionaire), Rafe Spall (Prometheus, Anonymous) and Gerard Depardieu (Paris, je t’aime, City of Ghosts), the LIFE OF PI 3 Disc Blu-ray 3D edition is loaded with over two hours of behind-the-scenes special features, including deleted scenes that will make you rethink the story (also presented in 3D), five featurettes that dive into the making of the visual spectacle, 60 pieces of inspirational artwork, storyboards and more. 

LIFE OF PI is available on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD from April 29 and on digital platforms from April 15. Available to pre-order from 8^th February at Amazon.co.uk

We have copies of Life of Pi on Blu Ray to giveaway.  To enter all you have to do is:

1. Follow this blog (On the top left of the site)

2. Answer the question below

Out of the 11 Oscar Nominations Life of Pi received, how many did it win?

a) 4

b) 7

c) 11

Once you have 'followed' this blog, please email your answer with your name, age address and contact number titling your email 'Life Of Pi Competition' to:

screen1ne.competitions@gmail.com

Dredd is released on DVD and Blu Ray on 14th January 2013 

  

LIFE OF PI is available on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD from April 29 and on digital platforms from April 15..

ENTER MORE COMPETITIONS HERE 

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Review: Fast & Furious 6

Fast & Furious 6 (12a)

As we all know, the Fast & Furious (They dropped "the" after part 3), was a movie franchise that was considered dead until Dwayne "Mr The Rock" Johnson stepped up to the plate and breathed new life into it and part 5 Rio Heist was born.  It was a commercial success and the goto movie for adrenaline junkies with its smash mouth stylings and incredible stunts.  However the film left us with a cliffhanger in the post credits scene that leads us to this point that there will be a 6th movie in the series.  Well here it is and it picks up the baton from part 5 injects it with some NOS and revs it up for part 6.

Since Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian's (Paul Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, the crew have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Luke Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

So the Fast and Furious series returns following in the wake of part 5 and the only way to make this one better than the last is to ramp up the action and the stunts, which Justin Lin and his team manage to do and then some.  In our review for part 5, we suggested that it was like main lining adrenaline into your eyeballs, well in comparison this is like being dropped into a vat full of adrenaline and being sealed into it for two hours.  The absolutely insane level that the stunts and chases go to in this film that you wonder where they can go to for part 7 (yes it's already being prepped).

However the films greatest triumph also is somewhat of a let down.  Because of the success of the previous film there is a knowing wink and a sense of smugness about it, that takes away some of the enjoyment from proceedings.  It's as if the film makers know they are cool and decide to let you know they are cool, by upping the cheesiness of the script and some of the shots such as when Dwayne Johnson walks into shot his arm turns up 20 seconds before the rest of his body does because it's so comically huge.  In fact you will probably need to see Fast And Furious 6 on a IMAX screen due to the size of The Rocks arms alone!  But then if your paying to watch this film then that's what you have come to see and you get it quantity.

When reviewing a film like this you don't base it on the script or even the plot (One for the films great ironies is that it's produced by Original Film) you've come for the action and chases and action and more chases etc.  Well on that basis, you are looking at another 5 star movie.  No film this year will get close to the level of insanity you get to watch during some of the most astoundingly plotted action sequences that include a high speed chase involving a tank, 3 high performance cars, 2 motorbikes and a whole freeway of disposable 'normal cars', you get an incredible tube chase/fight that's makes Skyfall's look like kids play.A so over the top finale on a cargo plane trying to take off (down the world's longest runway) that you will literally be coming out of your seat cheering and hollering as the whole thing transpires before your eyes.  Plus in the films signature moment Vin & The Rock become a tag team that put anything that the WWE/F ever had to offer over the years.

The cast are great (although you could probably do away with Paul Walker & Jordana Brewster now as they don't really add anything especially with their new addition, which we suspect may end up one of the story elements of part 7) and the new additions in Gina Carano, who demonstrates how to give kick ass on the big screen with aplomb and this years most evil bad guy in the shape of Luke Evans, while not doing anything particularly evil (Other than running over about 20 civilian cars with people in them in the tank sequence), just oozes real sinister levels of evil without being pantomime villainish, unlike another recent big budget blockbuster that is 'beaming up' box office takings currently.

Fast and Furious 6 doesn't have part 5's surprisingly good element about it however it is still the most amazing adrenaline fueled movie you will see this summer and the post credit sequence which sets up part 7 is worth the price of admission alone (Which we won't spoil for you here).  Needless to say if you like the Fast and Furious series then you are going to love this.  If you want to see big action, big stunts and big explosions, then no other film will do it for you like this one will.

Fast and Furious 6 is exactly what it should be a huge scale, fantastically enjoyable romp that will have you jumping out of your seat for more.  The epitome of the popcorn movie, although in this case it's more like the energy drink (Insert your favourite brand here) movie of the summer.  Put your brain into neutral, engage your adrenalin gland into high gear and witness action movie greatness.

Matt Bourne

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Review: A Hijacking

A Hijacking (12a)

Having not necessarily seen the poster, the film title automatically assumes a plane takeover at several thousand feet, like so many films before. However, this is a story of ‘terrorists at sea’ with writer-director Tobias Lindholm (The Hunt), putting to bed the romantic notion of swashbuckling pirates with a frank and tension-pounding pseudo-documentary account (based on real events) that is remarkably chilling to say the least.

Cargo ship chef Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk) only has a few days left at sea until he returns home to Copenhagen to see his young family. Unfortunately for him and his fellow crewmen, Somali pirates board the ship and demand a multi-million dollar ransom to free both crew and ship from the Danish parent company. Cool businessman and company CEO Peter C. Ludvigsen (Søren Malling) hires an expert to help negotiate with the pirates thousands of miles away, believing he can control the situation as efficiently as he normally does, only for things to escalate with potentially drastic consequences.

You can actually feel the mercury rising in the negotiators’ cramped, white-board-adorned room, as well as aboard the doomed vessel, and smell the deteriorating living conditions. Brilliantly imagined, Lindholm captures a startling sense of claustrophobia as events escalate and the tit-for-tat game of numbers draws out. This is incredibly powerful film-making that refrains from using visual displays of graphic violence on the whole, hence forcing your mind to fill in the gaps between stolen glances from the anxious characters.

There is also a deliberate and equally excruciating real-time delay to the plot momentum as each side plays the waiting game. In between exchanges, Lindholm makes sure the bad guys are not necessarily caricatures and completely demonised – in a sense, trying to show both sides of the bigger economic picture from both separate needs. There are also parts where captives and captors bond and are deemed to be ‘having fun’, but still with that ever lurking danger simmering beneath that things could switch at any moment and spiral out of control.

Lindholm has a nice array of characters at play, never totally black and white in reaction, from the amicable, easy-going Mikkel that Asbæk compellingly portrays, to the steely, rigid manner of Ludvigsen by Malling who is almost as egocentric as pirate negotiator Omar (Abdihakin Asgar). Every main character gets to portray different sides to their personality, and as the tension mounts, it’s anyone’s guess how each will act, keeping things more absorbing.

It’s not so much about the dialogue than the body language that is also fascinating, as well as the enclosed feeling when windows and doors show exit routes to the outside world. Oddly enough, perhaps the most entrapped character is actually Ludvigsen as the fate of the captives is already determined: Witnessing his mood swings is sometimes more riveting than what is going on, on the ship, as his cool exterior melts. The ending throws up a tragic surprise, with Lindholm’s final, parting shot suggesting more is at stake now than before. This is more satisfyingly and realistic than a happily-ever-after conclusion as first expected, further fuelling the docu-style ambiance.

Fledgling director Lindholm tackles a different perspective of capture with A Hijacking and its repercussions on man’s psyche and his forced adaptation to a gruelling situation, to his gritty 2010 prison-based film R, also starring Asbæk. That said what keeps things stimulating that both films share is a genuine sense of reality and how much of your own perception is invested in what you are watching. These qualities coupled with a remarkably astute writing talent make for exciting writing-directing prospects for future projects ahead from the Danish film-maker.

Lisa Giles Keddie

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