Saturday 20 August 2011

DVD Reviews

Scream 4
Starring: David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell
Director: Wes Craven
Entertainment In Video

Available from Monday 22nd August - DVD & Blu-ray
Review by Blake Harmer

Set ten years after the events of Scream 3, Sidney Prescott, who is now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book-signing promotion tour. Whilst there, she once again meets with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who have since become married to each other, and her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. However, Ghostface has also returned with the intent of re-enacting the horrors of the original Woodsboro murders.

As with the original Scream, one of the best things about Scream 4 is the ability to mock itself and the rest of the horror genre. There are plenty of great one-liners and banter between the characters as they mock the prequels, horror remakes, how modern day horror movies have changed the rules of the original Scream, and that at the end of the day, you would have to be Bruce Willis to survive as a cop in a slasher movie. It isn’t all humour though, the film still benefits from some creative kills, plenty of blood.

As good as some of the humour is in the film, the film never really tries to scare you like you would expect from a slasher movie. Getting too busy deconstructing the previous films (as well as itself), Scream 4 forgets that the main reason people go to see horror movies is that they are scary, and it is here that Wes Craven falls down. Despite some creative kills, some fairly decent attempts at creating suspense, and a couple of jumpy moments, I walked away from the film feeling it was more of a below average comedy than a horror movie with some laughs thrown in.

The Emotionally Fourteen Rating
Violence:
Lots of stabbing and cutting and plenty of blood as you would expect from the Scream franchise.
Sex/Nudity: None, although you do get to see lingerie.
Swearing: Plenty of swearing, mostly uses of the f-word.
Summary: Without the scares to be considered an outright horror movie, or the big laughs to make it a comedy, Scream 4 falls into realm of the identity crisis along with Evil Dead 2 and Drag Me to Hell. The film is enjoyable for the most part but doesn’t throw up anything comparable to the original. 6/10

IRON & BLOOD: THE LEGEND OF TARAS BULBA


With its timeless story, vast sweeping battle scenes and extraordinary visual elegance, Iron And Blood: The Legend of TarAs Bulba is a feast for the eyes as well as an epic tale of knightly honour and heroic warfare.

It is the 16th Century and the terrifying might of an invading army is laying waste to the land and butchering the besieged population. When the wife of the legendary warrior Taras Bulba becomes a victim of the bloodshed, he takes up arms again and leads his feared soldiers on a righteous crusade to repel the invaders. But a betrayal from within will threaten not just the life of a legend but also the survival of an empire.

Based on what author Ernest Hemingway called "One of the 10 greatest books of all time", Iron And Blood is the astounding adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's epic masterpiece.

Thanks to our friends at Metrodome, we've got three copies of Iron and Blood: The Legend of Taras Bulba on DVD to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Saturday 27th August, making sure to put "Iron and Blood" as the subject. The first three entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a free copy!

Don't forget to put "Iron and Blood" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.

Iron and Blood is available from 22nd August, courtesy of Metrodome.

Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.

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