iPad Round-Up 2 - GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

When I was a pre-teen and we all obsessively watched the lo-rent sci-fi TV comedy, RED DWARF, the phrase "almost Swiftian in its rapier-like subtlety" became a standard term of praise, long before we'd read Swift in class and fully appreciated the radical, deliriously scabrous nature of his political satire. That was back in the day when schools taught children useful shit like calculus and Latin.  Nowadays, family audiences have no use for political satire - although one might have thought that in the post global financial crisis world - with governments insolvent and political systems ossified by special interests - now would be EXACTLY the time for it.  And so, dear reader, we get the movies we deserve. Towit, Rob Letterman's utterly banal children's movie, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS - a film based on Swift only insofar as it incorporates a man who wakes up in a land filled with tiny little people called Liliputians.

So, Swift aside, how does it fare as simple family entertainment? Shockingly poor.  A mindlessly simple plot, piss-poor CGI effects, hammy acting from the largely British cast of character actors, and Jack Black playing the character he always plays - the childish, rock-obsessed but ultimately love-able frump. Director Rob Letterman and writer Joe Stillman display none of the wit or imagination seen in MONSTERS VS. ALIENS or SHREK. Must try harder.

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was released over the 2010/2011 holiday season. It is now available to rent and own.

Justifiably overlooked DVD of the month - MRS RATCLIFFE'S REVOLUTION

MRS RATCLIFFE'S REVOLUTION is a film based loosely on the true story of a naive British family that voluntarily moved to East Germany in 1968, such was the father's passionate belief in Communism. His wife is more agnostic, but moves out of love for her husband and being swept up in his enthusiasm. Once there, they realise how oppressive the country is and hatch an escape. Apparently, the father is now a Tory, which is rather amusing.

Unlike this film. Presumably, the film-makers had a choice about how to explore this story. They could have made a very penetrating movie about life in the GDR - few people have had the experience of both Capitalism and Communism in practice. However, the writers have chosen to make a naive film about naive people. The movie attempts a whimsical, low-fi British comedy feel and the colour scheme is bright and sunny. Yes, the family make a grievous mistake, but they extricate themselves in a fairy-tale ending that is rather trite.

All this is a great shame. We know the writers could have made something far more closely observed, far more heartfelt, and (if they had really wanted to go down this route) far more funny. They did all this in the bittersweet British comedy SIXTY SIX. Moreover, MRS RATCLIFFE'S REVOLUTION benefits from a sterling cast including Iain Glen as the father of the family and the wonderful comedienne Catherine Tate as his wife. Tate gives glimpses of a great talent that runs beyond her usual comic fare - I hope she starts to be offered and accepts more serious dramatic parts in future.

MRS RATCLIFFE'S REVOLUTION was released in the UK in September 2007 and is available on DVD.

DVD round-up 1: SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE**

SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE is a mischieviously mis-titled movie. There is no rumpy pumpy on show. What we DO have is a number of couples on a sunny day on Hampstead Heath - a large park in North London with commanding views of the city. The couples are young, old; gay, straight; in mature relationships, blind dates, or being paid for their company. All of life is here, struggling to make a connection and be happy: the ultimate indulgent concern of the developed world's middle classes. The vignettes are alternatively funny, sad or awkward. But they are universally populated with well-known and high-class British character actors plus Ewan MacGregor for the marketing campaign. The vignettes are also, more unhappily, midly interesting to watch, but instantly forgettable. Still, it's considerably less contrived and twee than your usual Richard Curtis flick, and I look forward to seeing what writer Aschlin Ditta and director Ed Blum do next.

SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE was released in the UK in November 2006, is currently playing in Russia, and is available on DVD.