Poll Results: What Subgenre of SciFi Do You Enjoy?

You have voted and the results are now in for What Subgenre of SciFi Do You Enjoy? It was a multiple click poll so lots of folks choose lots of choices but reigning supreme was Time Travel with 62%! Yay! We like Time Travel, or at least more than 1/2 or use really really like Time Travel. In second was a tie at 43% between Aliens & Utopic/Dystopic Societies (one of my personal faves).

Lots of the categories got lots of love, so it seems clear that we love our SciFi in many of it's Subgenres. Here are the complete results:

62% - Time Travel
43% - Aliens
43% - Utopic/Dystopic Societies
37% - Classic SciFi
37% - Monsters
37% - Post-Apocalyptic
37% - Space Travel
31% - Mutation
25% - Conspiracy SciFi
25% - Disaster SciFi
25% - Futuristic SciFi
25% - Realistic SciFi
25% - Robots
18% - Virtual Reality

Thanks for voting!

Book to Film Club June 2011 Book: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

On the Road by Jack Kerouac



The classic road trip novel of the Beat Generation which is also apparently largely autobiographical. I think this really will be the most guy-ish of the year and easily just 'one of those you have to read' types of book. It was my most hesitant choice for the club but curiosity as well as being such a well-known and well-loved title made it make the cut in the end. Personally, it's my least fave of the Book to Film Club, but I don't want to rain of the parade of those who enjoyed it so I'll keep my opinions separate (you can read my review of the book here).



Things to ponder on the book:

• Did you enjoy reading it?
• Was it what you were expecting?
• What did you know about the book before reading it?
• What did you think about the writing style?
• What did you take away from reading the book?
• Is there anything you would change about the book?
• Who would you recommend the book to?

About the upcoming film adaptation:

• How do you feel about the casting of the film (Sam Riley as Sal, Garrett Hedlund as Dean)?
• What do you hope to be the focus of the film?
• What do you think is essential to keep from the book in the film?
• What do you think they can trim away from the book to the film?
• What do you think the challenges of the adaptation may be?
• Do you have any hesitations on the adaptation?
• What are you most looking forward to about the film adaptation?

If this was a re-read:

• How did reading it this time compare with your previous time reading it?
• Did you notice anything different this time round?
• Did your interest and focus stay on the same stories, places and moments, or did it shift?

If you choose to shelf this out one:

• Was there a barrier (genre, focus, reception) ?
• Have you already read it?
• Would you consider trying it later?
• Will you join us again in July for The Help?
  
  

Reviews by Book to Film Clubbers:

Shannon



Film Adaptation

Film version stars Sam Riley (Control, Franklyn) as Sal, Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Country Strong) as Dean, Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Adventureland) as Marylou and Kirsten Dunst (Bring it On, Interview with the Vampire) as Camille; directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station). Specific release date is still to be confirmed, but it still is listed at 2011. I'll be keeping tabs on it for the Book to Film Club and certainly will share when a confirmed release date has been announced.



We are half way through the year in the Book to Film Club, but you can join our journey at any time. Sign up for updates here.

On the Road (Book Review)

Book: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Reason to Read: June Book Selection for the Book to Film Club, and just 'one of those' that is on many to-read lists.

On the Road was a huge challenge to get through, and if it wasn't for the Book to Film Club I would have stopped reading it pretty soon after starting. I will admit that at about the half way point I sped-read the remaining half, which didn't feel all that different from the first half. I sense that it must be very much 'of it's time' and represent ideas and experience that people may want to have, but it just didn't do anything for me.

The book follows Sal and his friend Dean in the 1940's who have several cross country adventures (and misadventures) around the US. Sal is the protagonist, but it feels like he always puts himself in the shadow of Dean, and in a way I always felt the book put itself in the shadow of something else. The focus and energy is almost about what they could be doing or would be doing, and rarely enjoyed what they were actually doing. They seemed to want crazy experiences, but then when they had them never seemed to be happy - at least Sal, as the book is from his perspective. I also felt like they were presented as friends, but they weren't really even nice to each other. It was all about chasing the dream, and I prefer stories about living the dream.

Oddly, the book was pretty much as I expected. I had hoped to connect to it more but in all honestly it's not a book for me - I'm sure I'm not the target market and I doubt any woman is. It's easily the most male of the titles on the Book to Film Club and although I always try to see things from different perspectives and I find reading is a great way to understand different people and different points of view, but in this I couldn't find any way to relate and eventually became disinterested.

I will give it that the casting for the film is absolutely perfect with Sam Riley (Control, Franklyn) as Sal and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Country Strong) as Dean. No real comment to the casting of the women in the film, although I like both Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst but the women characters seemed so undimensional I could barely tell one from another. The film version is directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station) and a specific release date is still to be confirmed, but it still is listed at 2011. I'll keep you up to date when we get confirmation of a release date and I'll certainly see it being the completist that I am and loving the cast, but that's the draw for me over the subject or story.

Film Fan Fridays for Friday June 24, 2011

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday June 24, 2011!

In limited release this week we have just two release this week starting with The Future is Now! which is a documentary-style film exploring the importance of art and it's connection to us and society through the eyes & journey of skeptic and we also have The Beginning of the Great Revival which boast having 150 stars in it (wow) and is a chronicle of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

In wide release this week we have 2 releases this weekend with animated automotive sequel Cars 2 along with Bad Teacher which stars Cameron Diaz as a teacher who decides to save up for implants to snag a man to take care of her. We also have in wide release mid-next week revving up for the holiday weekend with Transformers: Dark of the Moon as a Wednesday release and it's the third film in this TV to film series adaptation about robots in disguise from director by Michael Bay.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Greek Film Retrospective
June 24 - 26, 2011 at The Royal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

International Indian Film Festival
June 24 - 26, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada including the IIFA Awards on Saturday June 25, 2011 at Rogers Centre

Parkdale Film and Video Showcase
June 24 - 26, 2011 at various locations in Parkdale in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ReelHeART International Film Festival
The Filmmakers Film Festival
Continues until June 25, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday June 24, 2011 Releases

Bad Teacher
Dir: Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Orange County)
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, John Micheal Higgins
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Beginning of the Great Revival
Dirs: Sanping Han & Jianxin Huang (The Founding of a Republic)
Cast: John Woo, Andy Lau, Wei Tang, Daniel Wu, Liu Ye, Chang Chen, Chen Kun
China
Limited Release
No Official Film Site Found, IMDb Page, Trailer

Cars 2
Dirs: John Lasseter (Cars, Toy Story) & Brad Lewis (feature film directorial debut)
Cast: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Joe Montegna, Cheech Marin
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Future is Now!
Dir: Gary Burns & Jim Brown (Radiant City).
Cast: Paul Ahmarani, Liane Balaban
Canada
Limited Release
NFB Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Wednesday June 29, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Dir: Michael Bay (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Pearl Harbour, The Island, Armageddon)
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Alan Tudyk, Hugo Weaving, Leonard Nimoy
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of June 24, 2011**

Movie Moxie Podcast 41: Super 8 and True Legend

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon chats about recent releases of Super 8, True Legend, shares a funny thing happened on the way from the theatre story and as always looks at DVD releases and upcoming Theatrical releases. Please don't mind the ambient sounds including thunder, rain, cat purring and a few sirens. Ah, summer living in Toronto!

You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

0:00 - 01:30: Intro
1:30 - 5:45 Super 8
5:45 - 9:30 True Legend
9:30 - 12:00 A Funny Thing Happened....Story Time!
12:00 - 18:30 DVD Releases
18:30 - 22:30 Upcoming Releases
22:30 - 24:30 Outro

Show Notes:

• Theatrical Films Reviewed: Super 8, True Legend
• DVD Releases for June 21, 2011
• DVD Films mentioned: The Adjustment Bureau, Battle: Los Angeles, The Eagle (DVD Review), Happythankyoumoreplease (DVD Review), Beat the World (DVD Review, Podcast Review), Mega Python vs Gatoroid (DVD Review)
• I mention the Tuning into SciFi TV B-Movie Reel Podcast, specifically the Mega Python vs Gatoroid epidode
• Review for upcoming release of The Future is Now!
• I mention the Transformers: Dark of the Moon Trailer

Promo: Tuning into SciFi TV's Saturday B Movie Reel Podcast

Summer of SciFi Announcement

Sad news, folks. I'm having to put a hold on my Summer of Sci Fi and epic exploration of tons of the awesome sub-genres, niche genres and genre mashing goodness. Originally I just delayed the marathon but I've realized it's just too much at the moment. I've never, ever, stopped a marathon, challenge or anything-a-thon once I've started our of the 16 I've participated in, led or done on my own over the years. Since I first announced the Summer of SciFi I've found out that I'll be moving smack-dab in the middle of summer and I know with that in mind I can't do this marathon to justice with the time and attention it deserves. I'll still be reviewing all the 2011 summer science fiction films that I see (and that's still lots!) and hope to come back to this exploration in the future.

I'll keep the original post as a home base for reviews for summer SciFi films, and it already includes X-Men First Class and the awesome film Super 8 and I look forward to Cowboys and Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and many more of the films coming out this summer.

Thanks so much for your understanding! Looking forward to getting settled in a new place soon.

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

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© 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.

DVD Releases for June 21, 2011

Time to take a look at a selection of DVD releases for Tuesday June 21, 2011!

• The Adjustment Bureau This science fiction/romance starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt will easily be one of my favourite of the year. Highly recommend.
• HappyThankYouMorePlease (DVD Revew) Absolutely fantastic drama centred of life, love and friendships. Highly recommend.
• The Eagle (DVD Review) I rather enjoyed this sword & sandals adventure starring Channing Tatum & Jamie Bell, based on the novel The Eagle and the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.
• Beat the World (DVD Revew) Canadian dance film following a streetdance crew that mixes up hip hop and parkour for a competition in Detroit. Dance fans will recognize familiar faces here like Stephanie Nguyen (Streetdance) and Lil'C, plus a special treat with a stand out (dancing & acting) performance from Sho-Tyme.
• Mega Python vs Gatoroid (DVD Revew) It's pythons vs gators in the all out smackdown SyFy film that faces off the monsters as well as it's 80's singing cast of Tiffany vs. Debbie Gibson. Hilarious.
• Funkytown Patrick Huard stars in this French Canadian 70's set film centred on club culture. I really, really, really want to see this one.
• Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen stars Donnie Yen and Shu Qi and looks awesome from the trailer.
• Day of the Triffids recent UK science fiction/disaster miniseires based on the novel by the same name by John Wyndham starring Dougray Scott, Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Brian Cox.
• Film Socialism Jean-Luc Godard's latest which mostly seems to rub folks the wrong way.
• Love's Kitchen Wow more stars Dougray Scott! He stars alongside Claire Forlani and Chef Gordon Ramsey in food centric film that's also called No Ordinary Trifle
• Medium: The Final Season The last season of the Patricia Arquette series following a psychic who works for/helps the police in this procedural crime TV show.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid more chaos will be unleashed! Stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick.
• Cedar Rapids Convention set comedy starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly and Anne Heche.
• Unknown this Liam Neeson self-discovery through action was previously announced to be on DVD a while back but it appears that it's actually out today.
• Battle: Los Angeles This alien invasion/war-ensemble cast human drama was one of the happy surprizes of the year so far. It came out last week (June 14, 2011), however at the time I couldn't for the life of me find it listed anywhere. It is listed everywhere, now. Enjoy!

Titles on Amazon.ca(Canada):


Titles on Amazon.com (US):


Funkytown and Film Socialism not currently available on Amazon.com

The Eagle (DVD Review)

DVD Review of the historical adventure epic The Eagle starring Channing Tatum & Jamie Bell, directed by Kevin Macdonald, based on the book The Eagle and the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

Image: Courtesy Alliance Films, Legal Line © 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved. Oscar(s)® and Academy Award(s) ® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Dir: Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play, Touching the Void)
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong
UK/USA, 2011

Seen: February 11, 2011 at Scotiabank

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#19), I'm a big fan of both Channing Tatum & Jamie Bell as well as having a general love for Sword & Sandals films.

I had quite the experience leading up to seeing The Eagle, initially being really excited about it but then starting to read the book but not totally digging it. Then I got excited again, but reigned it in after the trailer which felt pretty spoilery. Then I got excited again, and then heard a chance mentioning that again felt super-spoilery. That meant that going into the film, although I was still rather excited about it and it is on my Most Anticipated Films of 2011, my expectations ended up being pretty low which I'm not all that thrilled about but in the end I did up seeing and enjoying the film.

Set in 140 AD Roman Britain, The Eagle follows Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum of Step Up, Fighting, Dear John), a new centurion whose family is thought of not in the best of lights as his father was part of the Ninth Legion who disappeared along with the eagle standard. Although Marcus is the clear protagonist in the film, it's just a hair away from feeling like a double protagonist with the introduction of the slave Esca (Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot, King Kong), whom together become an unlikely and reluctant duo. I was initially a little leery of Channing Tatum in a period piece although I'm a big fan of him as an actor it was just the accents and dialogue I was worried about but but they made some interesting choices to completely negated that issue. I was suprized but relieved at that as it really settled him into the world and then from there we were treated to one of beautiful and unique things about Channing Tatum, which is the ability to present a balance of physical strength and adeptness along with a sweet emotional range and sensitivity with believability, and that is essential to the character of Marcus. I also continue to he impressed with Jamie Bell whose presence and performance here is fantastic, although I have to admit I didn't always understand his character, which feels in part intentional but I still wanted to know more.

The film presents fascinating explorations of power, from power dynamics to powerlessness to being judged for things that are out of your power. These ideas presented a complexity to the characters that I wasn't expected and found continually engaging. The heart of the film really is a quest for restoration and redemption, and I was surprized to see the amount of heart in the film which could easily been swayed to be simply a sweeping historical action/adventure. It certainly has both action and adventure, but for me it was the character journeys that kept me interested and engaged and hungry for ore. One of the big highlights of the film was the Seal People, their costuming and design was fantastic, as it feels both in-your-face and also serves as camouflage. The actors who portrayed them had a fantastic physical presence and together with the design was such a delight.

I think it's important to note that the film is based on the first in a series of children's novels (The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff), so it's follows the lines of an adventure film, even though the characters are adults. It certainly fits in the sword & sandals genre nicely and is very much of the quest variety, but also serves up a fair amount of action and a lot of heart in the characters journeys. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again.

DVD Extras:

• 2 versions of the film: Theatrical Version & Unrated Version
• Feature Commentary with director Kevin Macdonald challenges of the film in terms of the story of The Ninth and incorporating the back story, the locations of where the film was shot in comparison to the setting and time period where the film was set, research and history of references and moments of the film, the casting - particularly locals in various regions, working with the actors, the actors working together, the characters and their stories, character motivations, the challenges of the film in particular doing a major a fight scene for the first time and keeping scenes dark but not too dark, notations to different cameras used, the choice and limited use of CG and lots of discussion around the music and themes. The commentary discusses the alternate ending, so I definitely recommend checking that out first and then listening to the commentary and discussion around the different endings.
• Alternate Ending (4 minutes) very different ending from the theatrical version in terms of comment, content & tone although does have a nice consistency with the film and the original ending. I think I actually prefer the alternate ending although I can understand why the theatrical version was chosen instead.
• Deleted Scenes (2 scenes, 6 minutes) Really great scenes here, I can only assume they were cu for pacing as I'd have loved to see them in the film. It includes one scene I remember from the book (I'm impressed I remembered it) that's pretty exciting and the second is a great insight and more in depth look at the relationship between Marcus & Esca.
• The Eagle: The Making of a Roman Epic (12 minutes) film clips, behind the scenes and interviews with director Kevin Macdonald, producer Duncan Kenworthy, military advisor Paul Hornsby, sword master Richard Ryan, production designer Michael Carlin, prop master Muffin Green, set decorator Rebecca Alleway, and actors Channing Tatum & Jamie Bell on what drew them to the project, background on the history that inspired the book, connection to the book, also looks at the characters, their motivations, challenges and their journey together. I loved that here was a lot of behind the scenes on location and in rehearsal of putting together the armies, the locations and the fight sequences and how much of the locations were build and how so much of the props and sets were made from real materials specifically for the film. The making has an occasional voice over which is a choice I've not often seen in making of's recently, and it guiding us through the different bases it touches on and gives it a slight made for TV feel to it and because it does go into depth of certain aspects of the film including characters, moments and locations I would highly recommend watching it after seeing the film

The Eagle 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
I'll watch it again & and read the book
I'd recommend it to folks who like historical adventure films

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011, 2011 Book to Film Adaptations or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011
Originally reviewed for Theatrical Release - February 14, 2011


Channing Tatum (right) stars in the Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE, an Alliance Films' release directed by Academy Award® winner Kevin Macdonald. Photo Credit Matt Nettheim


Jamie Bell (left) stars in the Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE, an Alliance Films' release directed by Academy Award® winner Kevin Macdonald. Photo Credit Matt Nettheim


Tahar Rahim stars in the Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE, an Alliance Films' release directed by Academy Award® winner Kevin Macdonald. Photo Credit Keith Bernstein

Super 8

Writer/Dir: J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek)
Cast: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Amanda Michalka, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Joel Courtney, Zach Mills
USA, 2011

Seen: June 17, 2011

Reason to see: It felt SciFi, which was enough for me!

I had a feeling I was going to enjoy Super 8 from the can't-really-tell-what's-going-on trailers that give you a science fiction *and* 70's feel, that brings you in enough without saying to much. And that feeling was bang on because it is (late) 70's set and science fiction, and to be honest that's enough for me. But add that it follows a group of kids who are making a movie, and well... I wish I wrote the dang thing!

We follow Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) who is friends with aspiring director Charles (Riley Griffiths) who has set the summer project of making a movie. The ragtag team of friends includes prone-to-explode stuff Cary (Ryan Lee), acting leading man Martin (Gabriel Basso) and Preston (Zach Mills) as well as leading lady Alice (Elle Fanning of Somewhere). Lovingly set in the late 70's there is a great nostalgic tone to the film plus it allows for a setting where the kids can get themselves into all kinds of good trouble without things being dire. Or course trouble does seem to find a way to find them anyway. That's were we get into the science fiction and thriller elements of the film. But I love that even among them we have a strong emotional through line with the realism of the emotional journeys of the kids. From challenging family situations to sweet buds of romance everything reads true. I loved how no one was glamed up and no one was over the top, they all just felt like regular kids and regular families even if they weren't perfect. In fact, no one was perfect - maybe that's what made it feel so real!

There were so many things to enjoy about the film, I loved that it's an ensemble cast even though we follow Joe, who isn't the leader of the group of friends or the leading man in their film, he's just a kid trying to do his best in the situation he's in. He's often playing against the trying relationship he has with his dad (played by Kyle Chandler), his friendship with director Charles as well as 'the girl' Alice. We also get more family drama between Alice and her Dad (Ron Eldard), and somehow even though it's set in a pretty small town they avoid the cliche's it could have easily fallen into. Instead we get honest characters who earnestly do their best in extreme circumstance. I love that.

The kids are great band of ruffians who are surprizingly good actors holding the film as their own for the majority of the time. At times I felt like I was watching a Robert Altman film with kids, with them talking over each other lots going on with all of them at the same time. I was particularly impressed with the performances by Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney and Ryan Lee. Overall, Super 8 was highly enjoyable and easy to recommend. There are some scary elements to it which is the only reason I can't no holds barred widely recommend it, but for most people it will just adds to the excitement. Super 8 has some of my favourite moments I've seen on film this year so far and I can't wait to watch it again.

Side note: I also have to admit that I love Super 8 just a touch more than an average film for the fact that the trailers were pretty spoiler free. J.J. Abrams proves time and again that not only can this be done but that it adds to the experience of seeing the film. When I think of projects he's been involved with from Star Trek (2009) to Cloverfield to the TV Show Lost, they all have the element when seeing the story unfold in the moment has power and meaning and the marketing thankfully finds a nice balance of intrigue but stays spoiler free. It can be done! Yay!

Shannon's Overall View:
I really enjoyed it
I'll happily watch it again
I highly recommend it, especially to sci fi fans and/or to anyone who likes to get nostalgic over the 70's

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

True Legend / Su Qi-Er

Dir: Yuen Woo Ping (Iron Monkey)
Cast: Vincent Zhao, Zhou Xun, Andy On, Guo Xiaodong, Jay Chou, Michelle Yeoh, David Carradine, Gordon Liu, Cung Le, Luxia Jiang, Will Liu
China, 2011

Seen: June 18, 2011

Reason to see: Martial Arts films are a yes for me!

True Legend / Su Qi-Er is a historically set martial arts film following two brothers: the family man & successful Su Can (Vincent Zhao) and the power hungry adoptive brother Yuan Lie (Andy On). Add a branch on that family tree to intertwine them even tighter as Su Can is married to Yuan Lie sister Yuan Ying (played by Zhou Xun).

I'm going to keep it the plot just that simple as with historical films it's sometimes hard to find the right place to draw the line between knowledge and spoiler. And to be honest, sharing more about the plot might be a little challenging as I felt that the film veered of in a few directions that made it feel a bit clunky and almost confusing. But, don't let that stop you from seeing it because at the heart of it we are really following the great characters who are on very interesting journeys. Personally, I loved the Yuan Lie, who was totally creepy and fascinating character and oddly I could connect to him more than protagonist Su Can's tormented journey to and away from martial arts in an effort to protect his family and maintain his sanity.

The draw of this film is pretty strong. The characters are interesting, the setting are gorgeous and the action is spectacular and in a martial arts film that's more well than enough than I need. There are lots of great sequences with both Vincent Zhao and Andy On along with several other actors and in particular I loved Luxia Jiang and Will Liu as Iron Maiden & Iron Clad. Totally cool Plus, we also have a sliver or two of the supernatural and spiritual with characters like God of Wushu / Drunken God (Jay Chou of The Green Hornet) and Bearded Man (Gordon Liu of Heroes of the East / 中華丈夫) given the film and insightful depth and unique perspective. I also really enjoyed the art direction, production design and a lot of the transitions.

True Legend / Su Qi-Er is a slick film on multiple levels. It has great action, awesome production values and interesting journeys. The story confused me a little a times, but I think on multiple viewings it might come to a clearer, and I certainly intended to watch it again. Fun times.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'd watch it again
I'd recommend it to martial arts film fans

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

X-Men: First Class

Dir: Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Stardust, Layer Cake)
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Bryne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till, Edi Gathegi
USA, 2011

Seen: June 11, 2011 at the AMC in ETX

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (23)

X-Men: First Class just barely scraped into my Most Anticipated Films of 2011 at #23, which is suprizing and our of character for me as I am a fan of the X-Men universe from the films (I loved all but X-Men: The Last Stand), the animated series, the comics and specifically the Dark Phoenix Saga graphic novel. I was initially over the moon excited for X-Men: First Class, especially with the powerhouses of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto, two actors whom I go out of my way to see their work. Why is the film not higher on my anticipated list? It was the trailer that got me nervous as it hinted at something I never had seen in an X-Man film: gender crap. All the women in the trailer were sexualized and/or not wearing much clothing. How annoying is it that an scifi/action film about mutants with super-power could have gender crap. But I'm sad to say that the trailer in this case did the film justice as all of the major female characters (and a lot of the extras) appear either mostly, the majority of the time or at least once with almost no clothes on. I'm so disappointed with that that I barely care enough about it to review the rest of the film but since I've started I might as well finish!

They pack a heck of a lot into the 2hr 12 minutes of the film, which in theory is structured about the origin of the friendship between Xavier and Magneto. Too bad they don't actually feel like friends,.... at all. I love both James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted) and Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank, Centurion) and think they are very talented actors but I was not feeling the friendship here at all. This is really hard to take given that it's an origin story and I know it exists from seeing X-Men and X2 where Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan brought it to life. Anyhow, so I wasn't feeling that. We also are in a world on the cusp of the existence of mutants being revealed to the public which sets up Charles as a 'lets work together' side of things along with the goverment including Moira MacTaggert (Rose Bryne), folks that are not keen on working together like Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and Emma Frost (January Jones) all alongside the setting of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I didn't find much of that interesting as I wasn't invested in any of the characters.

Amidst all the other action and drama, somehow there is time to seek out and recruit a bunch of new mutants to bring them together for the greater good. These characters were one of the only things I enjoyed about the film, because we got some really interesting characters learning to come into their own and some really great performances from promising young actors. In particular I was impressed with Lucas Till who does an amazing job as the tormented and withdrawn Havoc, this is the first I've seen him but I'll certainly keeping my eye on him. I also loved Nicholas Hoult as the brilliant and subtle Hank McKoy, he did a great job here and if you are trying to place him you've likely seen him before in either A Single Man, the UK version "Skins" or as the kid in About a Boy, I've been keeping my eye on him and he just keeps getting more and more impressive. Rounding out the impressive performances is Caleb Landry Jones as the awkward Banshee, and my initial thought was he was great but could be easily typecast, until I remember him playing a very different role in The Last Exorcism, both there and here in X-Men: First Class he delivers very powerful performance and I have a feeling we are going to be seeing many more from him in the future.

Overall, X-Men: First Class is definitely one of the disappointments of the year for me, and it's certainly more so because it's a world I already know and love. There was too much packed into the film and the characters on screen did not feel like the characters I had grown to love and/or love to hate. I can see that they could have been going to the analogy to discuss the idea acceptance or fighting in terms of different-ness, but I'm not biting that bait. I'm not sure where, if anywhere, they will go from here but I likely muse over X-Men, X2 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine and try to forgive & forget this entry in the saga.

Shannon's Overall View:
I was very disappointed in it
I'll probably buy it just due to being a completist
I can only imagine it being liked if you can tune out gender crap

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011 and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Film Fan Fridays for Friday June 17, 2011

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday June 17, 2011! Six new films to choose from hitting Toronto theatres this week and it's odd to say this but that feels like of light. Weird! Even so there are several out of the bunch that I want to see!

In limited release this week we have both emotions and epic choices. Pulling the emotion card we start with Beautiful Boy starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello as the parents of a son is at the centre of a school tragedy. Then we have Beginners a comedy/drama starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic which has both whimsical and touching feel to it. I'm thinking both of them will be KR (kleenex required) films. If epic is more your pace than True Legend should be right up your alley, the trailer for this martial arts film had me at "Two brothers.... One destiny...". Yep. I'll be seeing that.

In wide release this week we have start with superhero comicness of Green Lantern (odd, I really thought it was 'The' Green Lantern, but it isn't...) which stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a pilot whose given the responsibility through the power of an alien ring to help the safety of the universe. I'm a little skeptical on that one to be honest, even though I usually quite like Ryan Reynolds. We also have Mr. Poppers Penguins, which stars Jim Carrey and you guessed it ... lots of penguins. Last up for wide releases we have The Art of Getting By a sweet looking romance starring Freddie Highmore & Emma Roberts.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Luminato
Toronto Festival of Arts + Creativity
Continues until June 19, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

North by Northeast Music and Film Festival & Conference (NXNE)
Continues until June 19, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ReelHeART International Film Festival
The Filmmakers Film Festival
June 20 - 25, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival
June 19, 2011 at Innis Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screening Gekijouban Trigan: Badlands Rumble
Okay, I read a bunch about this animated film but still can't figure out much about it except that it sounds fans will be excited and it's a bit deal. It's showing Wednesday June 22, 2011 at various theatres including Scotiabank & Fairview (see listing here) and find our more by watching the trailer here.

Friday June 17, 2011 Releases

The Art of Getting By
Writer/Dir: Gavin Wiesen - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Beautiful Boy
Dir: Shawn Ku (The American Mall)
Cast: Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Kyle Gallner, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Austin Nichols
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Beginners
Writer/Dir: Mike Mills (Thumbsucker)
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Green Lantern
Dir: Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye)
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Temuera Morrison
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Mr. Poppers Penguins
Dir: Mark Waters (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Cast: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

True Legend
Dir: Yuen Woo Ping (Iron Monkey)
Cast: Vincent Zhao , Zhou Xun , Andy On, Guo Xiaodong , Jay Chou, Michelle Yeoh, David Carradine, Gordon Liu, Cung Le
China
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of June 17, 2011**

Movie Moxie Podcast 40: The Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class & Summer of SciFi Announcement

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares her spoiler-free reviews of recent releases of The Tree of Life and X-Men: First Class along with an update on the Summer of SciFi and as always looks at recent DVD releases & upcoming theatrical releases.

You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

0:00 - 0:45 Intro
0:45 - 4:20 World Domination Summit-ness
4:20 - 11:10 The Tree of Life Review
11:10 - 14:35 Summer of Sci Fi Annoucement
14:35 - 21:35 X-Men: First Class Review
21:35 - 24:00 2D & 3D Thinking, Seeing & Visualization tangent
24:00 - 27:45 DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
27:45 - 28:40 Upcoming Releases for June 17, 2011
28:40 - 29:59 Outro

Show Notes

• The Tree of Life Review
• I talk about the Summer of Sci Fi
• DVD Releases for June 14, 2011
• Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review)
• Kill the Irishman DVD Review
• I mention the World Domination Summit
• I mention Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural podcast I co-host

Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review)

DVD review of Haven The Complete First Season, supernatural drama TV series based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid


Image: Courtesy of eOne Films.

Haven, Season One (13 Episodes)
Directors: Adam Kane, Rachel Talalay, Tim Sotham, Keith Samples, TW Peacocke, Ken Griotti, Rob Lieberman, Rick Rosenthal, Lee Rose, Mike Rohl, Fred Gerber
Cast: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Nicholas Campbell, Richard Donat, John Dunsworth, Mary-Colin Chisholm, Michelle Monteith, Anne Caillon, Maurice Dean Wint, Stephen McHattie
Canada, 2010

Reason to see: Stephen King based shows are always going to get me, plus this one is filmed in Nova Scotia and has a supernatural spin!

Based on "The Colorado Kid" novella by Stephen King, Haven follows FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) who follow a routine case which takes her to Haven, Maine, a place where nothing feels routine. Haven is a small town where we see people afflicted by what they call "The Troubles", which are supernatural-toned powers or phenomena which are often unwanted or denied and defy explanation. The Troubles intrigue Audrey, who tries to unveil the mysteries along with the help (or hindrance) from the locals including cops Nathan (Lucas Byrant) and Chief Wournos (Nicholas Campbell) and importer/smuggler Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour of Skyline, Dinoshark). Looking past the everyday, Audrey also sees a possible personal connection to the sleepy town of Haven.

There are so many things to love about Haven. I love that although so much is shrouded with mystery, it's actually rather sweet. Audrey approaches the problems, or rather The Troubles, with the perspective of trying to not only solve the case but help the person involved. And it's not an either/or but rather a both - she cares and she's wants to solve the case. I love how the show often is very grey, not only visually as it's shot in beautiful Nova Scotia, but also in terms of the history of the characters and the action to deal with the troubles. When you see a show that has cops and a smuggler as the main characters, it feels like it will be black and white in terms of right and wrong, but it isn't. It's grey, misty and moody all the way but maintains a beautiful human spirit and accepting nature, even if there is no understanding. That is so rare, as and it's one of the many reasons I love the show.

The cast is fantastic, and they really bring the world of Haven to life. Emily Rose is brilliant as Audrey who plays the logic card with heart at each step and it's so exciting to see a strong, smart female protagonist in the lead of the series. Eric Balfour is great as the charismatic smuggler Duke and Lucas Byrant really won me over as the cop-who-can't-feel (literally) Nathan. We also have Nicholas Campbell who is great as no nonsense stick in the mud Chief Wournos, who has the knowing-but-distant thing down and is highly quotable to boot! And that's just the main cast. We are also treated to an array of locals including kind hearted medical examiner Eleanor Carr (played by Mary-Colin Chisholm) and the hilarious Haven Herald newspaper brothers Vince & Dave Teagues (played by Richard Donat and John Dunsworth), along with occasional appearances from Audrey's FBI boss Agent Howard (Maurice Dean Wint).

Watching Haven does require a few leaps of faith along the way as the stories can seem far-out, but it's worth it to go along for the ride. Each episode has it's own mystery along with at least a crumb more into arc mythology leading us deeper in to the mysteries of Haven. I love how the show plays both the long arc game and episodic mystery, which gives the viewer curious and wanting more, without feeling like the characters are in imminent peril until the next time we see them. It's a slow burn style is a great parallel to the idea of a small town not taking in newcomers right away, just as the audience watches Audrey try to unravel the mysteries into Haven.

Haven was easily my favourite TV show of Summer 2010. I loved the supernatural tone & charismatic characters, plus it successfully plotted out a long arc mystery as well as episode-by-episode intrigue. If you want to hear even more ravings about the show you can check out Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural where I chatted about Haven every week with my sister Suzie. I'm thrilled to see that it's on DVD now so even more people can enjoy it and I can't wait for Season 2!

DVD Extras
I had a blast watching the extras on the DVD set, they are a lot of fun and include lots of behind the scenes footage, interviews and 12 commentaries. Great quality, highly enjoyable and one of my favourite things: not much repeat content over the different extras. Yay! Here are the details.

3 Making of Featurettes:

• Welcome to Haven (18 minutes) behind the scenes footage, show clips, interviews with co-executive producer Adam Fratto on how he came to the novella The Colorado Kid, interviews with executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, executive producers Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan, supervising producer Stefani Deoul, director of photography Eric Cayla, production designer Jennifer Stewart, actors Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour and Nicholas Campbell on the script, Haven's surrounding mythology, the challenge of the developing into a TV series and production partners, casting, characters, possible locations, the beauty & challenges of the location including Lunenberg, creating Haven including the interiors and working in the Stephen King world.
• VFX of Haven (5 minutes) behind the scenes, show footage and interviews with interviews with executive producer Shawn Piller, visual efects supervisor STARGATE STUDIOS Kris Wood, director of photography Eric Cayla and actor Emily Rosediscussing the use of effects, choice of what kind of effect to use, how they blend them into the real world and lots of show footage of transitions of how the effects pre and post from aerials, day to night, lights - I was so impressed by this and how many of them are really enhancing the environment that I had no idea were actual effects.
• Mythology of Haven (6 minutes) interviews with co-executive producer Adam Fratto, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, producerLloyd Segan, production designer Jennifer Stewart, actors Eric Balfour, Emily Rose and Nicolas Campbell, on how the series is about secrets and the creation of an entire world and the layers and the importance to have the episodes self contained aas well as having a huge amount of mythology, that intentional seeds that are planted along the way, and the actors discuss the experience of shooting when they don't know where their characters or the stories are going, plus the fun of the homages to Stephen King in the episodes and touch on the amount of mythology that has the potential to play out.

6 Behind-the-Scenes Video Blogs

• What is Haven to You? (4 minutes) show clips plus interview responses from actors Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour on what the show means to them and working on a Stephen King project, their characters and working together.
• Let the Good Times Roll... (4 minutes) pretty funny behind the scenes with Emily Rose on location with in Chester, Nova Scotia during the filming with a particular look the effects and jokes surrounding the props for.
• Episode 2, Location, Location, Location (2 minutes) on location with Emily Rose at Peggy's Cove (so beautiful! and windy), on the water with Emily Rose & Eric Balfour.
• Emily Rose Q&A (3 minutes) from the SyFy office answering questions on how she is like her character Audrey, the mysteries of her character, possible romance, her favourite episode, what her supernatural power would be.
• Stephen King References in Spiral (3 minutes) selections of the episode Spiral with pop ups explaining Stephen King references.
• Sci Fi Wire Interview with Emily Rose (2 minutes) includes her take on her character, connecting to her character, her response to reading the novella it's based on.

Commentaries (12 Episode Commentaries)
Huge amount of commentaries included for one season and Episode 1 even has 2 different commentaries! All in all, all but three episodes (7, 9 & 10) have a commentary and some even have two (Episodes 1 & 5) which is amazing for a TV on DVD set. Really impressive. I did really enjoy the especially on episode 1 and 5, they have a great, relaxed and fun feel to them with lots of jokes and really shows a sweet camaraderie between everyone. I would recommend watching the entire season and then checking out the commentaries as they will mention now and again references from future episodes and reveals in Season 1 and there even feels like a few quiet hints beyond that as well. There are lots of notations to the series arc & mythology, working on location, how certain scenes and effects were created, the audition process, and stories from the cast & crew working together. The commentaries feel like they are being recorded as the season progresses, as along the way they aren't sure if the show will get picked up for Season 2 (which is has and will start airing in mid-July 2011) until late in the commentaries. Here's a detail of the commentaries:

• Episode 1 Has 2 Commentaries: Commentary 1 is with Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producers Lloyd Segan & Shawn Piller, co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and actors Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose and Commentary 2 Director Commentary with episode director Adam Kane.
• Episode 2 Commentary with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst.
• Episode 3 Commentary with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and co-executive producer Jose Molina.
• Episode 4 Commentary with co-creater, executive producer and writer Sam Ernst & co-executive producer Jose Molina.
• Episode 5 Has 2 Commentaries: Commentary 1 is a Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producers Lloyd Segan & Shawn Piller, co-creater, executive producer & writer Sam Ernst and actors Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose and Commentary 2 is with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst.
• Episode 6 Commentary with co-creater, executive producer & writer Jim Dunn
• Episode 8 Commentary co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst
• Episode 11 Commentary with executive producer Shawn Piller, co-creater, executive producer & writer Sam Ernst and actors Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose
• Episode 12 Commentary with consulting producer/writer Charles Ardai and publisher of crime novels including The Colorado Kid
• Episode 13 Commentary Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producer Shawn Piller, co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and actors Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose

Plus:

• Cast Interviews with actors Emily Rose (2 minutes), Lucas Bryant (2 minutes) and Eric Balfour (2 minutes) on describing the show, the town of Haven, their characters & their characters relationship to Haven and preparation and challenges of their roles.
• Seasons Two Writers' Room Sneak Peak (4 minutes) interview and discussions with executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, head writer/show runner Matt McGuinness and discussions in writers' room (I didn't watch this, I want to be surprized!).
• Season One Trailer

Haven The Complete First Season is available on DVD and Blu-Ray as of June 14, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca (DVD) & Amazon.ca [Blu-ray] and Amazon.com (DVD) & Amazon.com [Blu-ray]

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I can't wait to watch it again, and for Season 2 to start!
I highly recommend it to fans of supernatural and/or mysteries stories as well as drama fans

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose in HAVEN.


Eric Balfour in HAVEN.