Joe Carnahan’s big screen A-Team movie was seemingly the perfect summer blockbuster. As over the top and bombastic as expected it certainly satisfied hardened nostalgics as well as introducing Face, B.A., Murdock and Hannibal to a new generation.

The Blu-ray and DVD is out on the 29th of November and to whip you into a furious frenzy of anticipation we’ve been given this exclusive clip from the Blu-ray special features which has Jessica Biel telling us about her character and the A-Team experience.

We reviewed the film on its cinema release here, and we”ll be delving into the handsome Blu-ray edition very soon, so until then – enjoy the clip.

Tonight London played host to the UK premiere of one of the summer’s biggest films, Joe Carnahan’s A-Team and our friends from Upbeat were there to collect the footage and interviews.

Tracy reviewed the film here, and along with The Karate Kid the 1980s return to gather the rose tinted nostalgics into the cinemas and in assembling a cast of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copely director  Carnahan has done pretty well in recreating the team of Face, Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock.

The team assembled in the big smoke along with Jessica Biel to welcome the film to the UK and we’ve got the footage for you below.

Photo: EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

“…if you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe you can hire, The A-Team.”

Those are golden words to a generation of kids who made sure, that no matter what, they were planted in front of the TV in the 80′s when The A-Team was at it’s peak.  Now as adults, those same people get to revisit their childhood and their heroes, but this time it’s on the big screen.

The A-Team is directed by Joe Carnahan and stars Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson as B.A. Baracus, and Sharlto Copely as Murdock.  Wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, the quartet break out and go on the lam in order to clear their names and reclaim their careers and lives and bring the true criminal to justice.

I’ll admit that I didn’t really watch The A-Team growing up.  I only started watching it in my 20′s and early 30′s so I can’t speak from a nostalgic point of view.  For me, this film delivers all of the fun that a typical summer popcorn film is supposed to deliver.  It’s was fast paced and full of explosions, humor, absolutely ridiculous stunts and reality impaired action. But oh what a ride it was.

The Story
Not really knowing the original story of the team I wouldn’t have known any different about what the film was trying to do.  I did however go to see this with a true A-Team aficionado.  In the beginning she wasn’t real happy when the characters were introduced but once it became clear that they were providing the viewers with a bit of an origin story, she became happy again.

If you’re familiar with any of my reviews, you will know I don’t do spoilers of any kind.  I keep the synopsis to an absolute minimum and try to keep any key details out.  So as far as the story goes, I’ll just give you the basics.  You see the team as they first meet one another and are then taken to a point 8 years later after they have established themselves as a team.  You go through the court hearing, conviction, jail time, break out and the mission to clear their names.  It moves quickly, but it doesn’t really linger in one place too long.  Sometimes this type of pacing can be a detriment, but it’s easy enough to follow along so you’re not left scratching your head trying to figure it out.

The Cast
What can I say. I think they nailed it.  From the pictures that were first released I was surprised at how much they all looked the part.  Liam Neeson just keeps getting better with age.  He’s got that twinkle in his eye that George Peppard had and you can tell that the man really does like it when a plan comes together.  He conveyed the aura of a leader and that made him the perfect Hannibal.

I always have a giggle when I think of Bradley Cooper.  I can’t help but remember him from Alias.  Boy has come a long way.  Even though he looks great without a shirt on, you may not think of him as any type of action film actor.  I am rethinking my stance on this point because here he’s able to hold his own in the action scenes. He also provides a bit of comic relief as well which is not unexpected.  He’s got the comedy chops to pull it off without it being awkward.

My first thought when I heard about Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson as B.A. was ‘Who?’.  I don’t follow the UFC or MMA so I wasn’t familiar with him.  I was a tad nervous for anyone trying to fill Mr. T’s shoes however.  He is, after all, an icon.  But Jackson does an awesome job. Bringing the qualities that made B.A., the mo-hawk, the scowl, the fear of flying, alive once again.  B.A. was a perfect role for Jackson, and I’m excited to see what else he does in the future.

Oh Sharlto Copley.  You had me at District 9, but now I’ll forever be smitten with you.  After hearing his Wikus accent in District 9, I was wondering how he would sound with an American accent that has a bit of a southern drawl. The answer is he sounded American.  Go figure right? At one point, when Murdock had to use a different accent, they did a nice little shout out and he reverted back to the Wikus accent. His portrayal of Murdock was spot on I thought.  He had the crazy eye, and crazy talk down to a science.

The Film
I’ve said that it’s fun and fast paced and what a summer film should be.  There were parts of the action that I had a hard time following only because they used the late night drunk camera to film it.  I guess a steady cam wouldn’t work in that type of scene though.  Otherwise there were plenty of explosions, fighting and gun fire to make this action movie fan happy.  Some of the CGI could have been a little better, but that’s just getting nit picky.  The tank scene provided some great action along with some hearty chuckles.  It stuck to the fun and cheesiness of the series even if it went a bit beyond with the death toll and sexual innuendos.  I will tell you to keep your eyes open as you watch this.  I found out about some little Easter eggs after I saw it and am thinking I need to go again so I can catch them.  They are subtle so keep your peepers open.  I didn’t stick around for the credits though, so I can’t say if there is anything afterward.  If there is and you see it, let us know in the comments.

All in all, The A-Team delivers exactly what you think it will.  It’s a film that you can go zone out on and leave the real world behind for 2 hours, have some laughs, get excited over some good action and just have fun with.  It’s not an Oscar winner, but it’s not meant to be.  And that’s ok with me.  I get nervous with all of these remakes, re-imaginings, and reboots that are happening these days.  But with The A-Team, I’ll just say, I love it when a reboot comes together.

Blood: The Last Vampire fights its way to Blu-ray and DVD November 2. The movie is a slick and stylised English adaptation of the hugely popular cult hit anime series of the same name. The movie is full of blood and gore, so in celebration of this release, we have compiled a short list of some of the bloodiest films to date. Chances are, if you loved these films and relished the blood, then you will love Blood: The Last Vampire. The name speaks for itself!

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)

It is clear to see that Blood: The Last Vampire sticks true to its gory genre. In many of the scenes, Saya is surrounded by a group of demons. The creativity of their deaths is the winning factor here, for example in one scene she decapitates a demon by throwing a metal grate at it, and slices another in half to create an upward blood fountain, always escaping the blood spurts after killing someone. Ultimate gore!

The Shining (1980)

In The Shining Wendy sees blood rushing out of elevator doors which sloshes down the hallway. What puts this scene onto our list is the sheer amount of blood on display! It is a sea of blood. It flows like a river and encapsulates the viewer. It’s pretty shocking for a film of its time, and a timeless classic to this day. Not to mention the rest of the films climatic expertise and creepiness.

Blade (1998)

Perhaps one of the most creative uses of blood is seen in Blade. Picture the scene ““ clubbers dancing away at a night club, when blood starts spraying out of the fire sprinklers all over the patrons below. To your typical clubber, it’s pretty sick. However, naturally there are some vampires in the club, who are thrown into ecstasy, and start to gyrate with each other under the slick red rain. Enter Blade, who proceeds to kill the instantly identifiable vampires by shooting and stabbing them. Lots and lots of blood, in a contemporary setting, what more could a horror fan want?

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

In A Nightmare on Elm Street we witness an unbelievable amount of blood in a very familiar place- one’s bed. Dragged into the middle of his bed by the infamous Freddy, Glenn is literally sucked into the underworld. Following his being dragged down into the depths, copious amounts of blood then spray aggressively onto the ceiling. The Blood shoots out of it like a geyser, or a high powered pressure washer. It’s all pretty surreal and strangely amusing to watch. His screaming mother only adds to the dark humour.

Kill Bill (2003)

When one thinks of bloody films, of course Kill Bill comes to mind. Specifically the scenes from The Bride where “˜88′ crazy suited men try to kill her, but get a little more than they have bargained for. And the highlight of this bloody battle? When The Bride kills one of the 88′s by pulling his eye out completely. She also does a break dance move and cuts the shins, ankles, and legs of the 88′s, spraying their blood everywhere. That girl can move, and it is mesmerising yet stimulating to watch!

Saw (2004)

Another high contender in the gore stakes is the Saw collection. In one particular scene in the first Saw, Amanda’s head is in a reverse bear trap. There is a key to unlock it, but it’s buried in the guts of her seemingly dead roommate. In true Saw fashion, Amanda is expected to use a knife to retrieve the key from his stomach. The next few minutes see her riffling through his liver, intestine and other organs. As one can imagine, this is quite a messy job and she ends up covered in his blood and guts. Several points for creativity!

Scream (1996)

No horror movie list would be complete without reference to the ultimate classic, Scream. Let’s take the Casey Becker scene. She is running from the killer and, well, she doesn’t get very far. He stabs her in the chest, slits her throat, and then continues to stab away until she couldn’t be any deader, and his knife couldn’t be any redder. He kills her brutally with a kitchen knife! Lovely and lots of blood for good measure too.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Final Destination 2- or actually any of the Final Destination collection- wins where gore is concerned. In this particular scene we see another incredibly gruesome and original death take place. A woman is involved in a car accident that causes a piece of pipe to break in her car. Whilst fire fighters use machinery to free her from the mangled car, the airbag goes off and the back of her head is thrown onto the broken pipe. Her death is unexpected and sudden, leaving her with a pipe coming out her forehead, with brain matter and a pool of blood streaming down her face.

Hannibal (2001)

Another master of creativity would be Mr. Hannibal Lecter. Remember the scene where he tied up Detective Pazzi with duct tape in Hannibal? Having secured one end of a rope round the detective and the other around a separate chair, he sliced his abdomen and threw him off a balcony. The rope around the chair stopped Pazzi mid fall, but not his guts. These kept falling, out through the hole in his stomach, and spilled onto the ground below as the force of gravity took its toll. What an ingenious, blood-thirsty, gory way to kill.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie takes blood to the high school movie. A geek that falls victim of the bitchy girls at school thinks she has finally overcome it all when she wins the coveted title of prom queen. Unfortunately for her, some of her tormentors manage to tip a bucket of pigs over her whilst on stage, in front of the entire student body. The neat thing about this scene is the realism, the fact that it could actually happen. As Carrie stands dripping in blood, the scene is compounded by the awkward silence that follows and the true horror of her situation comes to light.

Blood: The Last Vampire is out on Blu-ray and DVD November 2

http://www.bloodthelastvampire.co.uk/