Since there’s nothing new coming out this week for us to shout about, we’re devoting this week’s This Week to the finest fresh releases of the past month. It’s possible we should have renamed the blog Last Month @ blockbuster.co.uk, Xciting Xmas Xssentials or something even snappier, but we didn’t.
A lightly re-invented origin tale detailing a mutated teen’s (Andrew Garfield) efforts to thwart a monstrous lizard-man (Rhys Ifans) and date a perky peer (Emma Stone), The Amazing Spider-Man heralds an exciting new era of web-swinging wonder. From whizzy point-of-view shots that take us swinging through the city to stunning slo-mo moments that perfectly capture our hero, mid-swing, it’s a comicbook come to life. Delivering varied and imaginative action highlights, the movie as a whole is played with humour and drama and never fails to grip.
Something I particularly liked in this incarnation was Spidey’s creative use of webbing, not just to swing on but also for defence and attack, to pull himself out of tight spots and to hurl himself skywards with an elastic twang. It’s stuff that comicbook fans have long been familiar with, but that somehow on the big screen never came across so successfully. At least, not until now. The depth of thought and attention to detail that the filmmakers so obviously devoted to every aspect of this movie is impressive indeed. It’s a great, fun film and a classic Spider-Man adventure.
If you’re a Blockbuster by post customer and can’t wait for this In-store Exclusive to become available online, you can rent it for half price, on Blu-ray and DVD, at your local Blockbuster store.
In spectacular addition to his Impossible Missions Force and Avengers duties, Jeremy Renner kicks a thrilling amount of ass in franchise reboot The Bourne Legacy. From Duplicity writer/director Tony Gilroy comes the tale of a second double-crossed, triple-skilled agent who, together with sympathetic science type Rachel Weisz, hits the road on the run from just about everyone, figuring things out while chasing and shooting and jumping and stabbing and crashing and smashing every step of the way. Smart, slick and action-packed, we loved it to pieces and reckon you will to. Buy or rent it now on Blu-ray and DVD, in store and online from blockbuster.co.uk.
A tale not only of the Bat, but also the many splendid folk inhabiting Gotham, The Dark Knight Rises is elegantly photographed with sets worthy of vintage Bond, costumes to die for and gadgets that never cease to amaze. Though it sports surface gloss to spare, the secret to its success lies with what’s underneath the hood. Detailing the climactic confrontation between Batman (Christian Bale) and a host of villains in occupied Gotham City, it’s beautifully written with as much heart as intelligence. The performances too, are uniformly strong, as intimate as the movie itself is epic. You’ll love it. If you’re a Blockbuster by post customer and can’t wait for this In-store Exclusive to become available online, you can rent it for half price, on Blu-ray and DVD, at your local Blockbuster store.
Subtle, sophisticated, credible, thoughtful and understated are just five of the many words that no one will ever use to describe The Expendables 2, a blatantly bonkers revenge thriller starring virtually everyone who was anyone back in the day.
A blood-thirsty, old school slay-fest with a body count rivalling the world wars, corny one-liners that do violence to your ears and so many mad explosions you’re gonna think your telly’s on fire, it’s an unrepentant lad’s fest that is almost so stupid, it’s clever.
Murderous males bonding over consequence-free ultra violence include Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, Van Damme, Li, Norris, Willis and, because he said he’d be back, the 38th Governor of California. Trade your brain for a beer and enjoy! Buy or rent it now on Blu-ray and DVD, in store or online at blockbuster.co.uk.
A riotous celebration of friendship, immaturity and the joys of making fun of stuff, Seth MacFarlane’s Ted is exactly the debut feature you’d expect from the guy who gave the world Family Guy. Rude, crude and peppered with farts, foul-language and so many affectionate Eighties references, I almost forgot how badly that decade actually sucked, it’s a polished, quickfire comedy with a healthy gag-to-laugh ratio.
Delivered in the Family Guy style, by which I mean utterly unrestrained, eager to appal, loaded with surreal, parodic flashbacks and chock-full-o-cameos, Ted is equal opportunity offensive, targeting every race, religion and sexual orientation without fear or favour. The twisted tale of a thirtysomething slacker (Mark Wahlberg) and his delinquent magically animated teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane), it’s a shamelessly hilarious, irresistible comedy treat. Buy or rent it now on Blu-ray and DVD, in store and online from blockbuster.co.uk.
