Last week, we were über excited to see the new that Universal Studios will be releasing Jurassic Park back into UK cinemas! 23rd September is the date you’re going to be wanting to head down to your local cinema to get a fix of one of the greatest movies made in the past 20 years.

Steven Spielberg’s classic is being re-released in cinemas to celebrate the Blu-ray release of the movie which follows on October 24th. The film has been completely remastered and if the conversion of Back to the Future this time last year is anything to go by, it’s going to be a rather amazing viewing experience!

We put up the trailer last week but it was in rubbish standard definition so I got in touch with Universal and asked them to send over the trailer in HD which they have very kindly done so, without further ado, here’s the Jurassic Park Trailer in full (nearly! – 1080p) high definition!

I think I may have actually felt a little bit of wee come out earlier when we heard the news that the legendary legends (!) from Universal Studios have decided to bring Jurassic Park back to the cinema! They did it with Back to the Future and it as one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had!

We were all geared up for the Blu-ray release but not we find out that it’s coming back to the cinema. I don’t usually like putting up press releases in full because they can often be boring BUT anything to do with Jurassic Park being remastered and coming to the big screen is far from boring! There’s also a few pics of the full box set which I’ve placed below so scroll down and read on to find out all your need to know about one of the greatest films of all time coming back to the cinema and on a Blu-ray Disc near you!

Jurassic Park to be Re-Released in Cinemasfrom September 23^rd, 2011 to Celebrate the Launch of this Ground-Breaking Trilogy on Blu-ray^™

 All Three Epic Adventures from Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Plus More Than Two Hours of All-New Bonus Features

Available on Blu-ray^™ For the First Time Ever On October 24, 2011

LONDON, August 27, 2011 – Universal Pictures UK is pleased to announce that Jurassic Park, the first film from Steven Spielberg’s famous trilogy will be re-released on Friday, September 23^rd, 2011 in UK cinemas to celebrate the launch of all three films on Blu-ray^™.

One of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III will debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray^™ October 24^th 2011 from Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment. Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by  Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide box office and featured groundbreaking visual effects that changed the art of movie-making forever. Now, all three epic films have been digitally restored and remastered in flawless high definition for the ultimate viewing experience. In addition, the films’ visceral sound effects and the unforgettable music from legendary composer John Williams can now be heard in pristine 7.1 surround sound.  This collectible three-movie set also features hours of bonus features, including an all-new, six-part documentary and digital copies of all three films that can be viewed on an array of portable devices anytime, anywhere.  The Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy is also available in a spectacular Limited Edition Gift Set, Ultimate Collector’s Gift Set and on DVD.

The Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy features an all-star cast including Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Attenborough, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mozzello, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, William H. Macy and Tea Leoni.  In addition to the talented cast of actors, the Trilogy features stars of a different magnitude—from the huge Tyrannosaurus rex to the vicious Velociraptor, the Jurassic Park films showcase an extraordinary level of realism and technical innovation brought to life by a talented design team which include: Stan Winston, Live Action Dinosaurs; ILM’s Dennis Muren, Full Motion Dinosaurs; Phil Tippett, Dinosaur Supervisor; Michael Lantieri, Special Dinosaur Effects and Special Visual Effects by Industrial Light & Magic.

 ————–

ALL-NEW BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY^™

• “Return to Jurassic Park” – this six-part documentary features all-new interviews with many of the cast members from all three films, the filmmakers and Steven Spielberg.
  • Dawn of a New Era
  • Making Pre-history
  • The Next Step in Evolution
  • Finding The Lost World
  • Something Survived
  • The Third Adventure

·         BD-LIVE^™: Access the BD-Live™ Centre through your Internet-connected player to watch exclusive content, the latest trailers, and more!

• MY SCENES:  Bookmark your favorite scenes from the film.
• pocket BLU^™: The groundbreaking pocket BLU^™ app uses iPad^®, iPhone^®, iPod^® touch, Android^™, PC and Mac^® to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray^™ player.  Plus iPad^® owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen and high resolution display.  Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray^™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before.  pocket BLU^™offers advanced features such as:
  • ADVANCED REMOTE CONTROL: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray^™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live^™ functions with ease.
  • VIDEO TIMELINE:  Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
  • MOBILE-TO-GO:  Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray^™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
  • BROWSE TITLES:  Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU^™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray^™.  They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
  • KEYBOARD:  Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

 

Other Blu-ray^™ bonuses include:

• The Making of Jurassic Park
• The Making of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• The Making of Jurassic Park III
• Steven Spielberg Directs Jurassic Park
• Early Pre-Production Meetings
• The World of Jurassic Park
• The Magic of Industrial Light & Magic
• Location Scouting
• Phil Tippett Animatics: Raptors In The Kitchen
• The Jurassic Park Phenomenon: A Discussion with Author Michael Crichton
• Industrial Light & Magic and Jurassic Park: Before and After The Visual Effects
• Industrial Light & Magic and The Lost World: Jurassic Park Before & After
• The Industrial Light & Magic Press Reel
• A Visit to Industrial Light & Magic
• Hurricane in Kauai Featurette
• Dinosaur Turntables
• The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park III
• Montana: Finding New Dinosaurs
• Animatics: T-Rex Attack
• The Special Effects of Jurassic Park III
• The Sounds of Jurassic Park III
• The Art of Jurassic Park III
• Tour of Stan Winston Studio
• Feature Commentary with Special Effects Team
• Production Archives: Storyboards, Models, Photographs, Design Sketches and Conceptual Drawings
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailers

 

BONUS FEATURES ON DVD

• The Making Of Jurassic Park
• Early Pre-Production Meetings
• Location Scoutings
• Phil Tippet Animatics Raptors In the Kitchen
• Foley Artists
• Theatrical Trailers
• Dinosaur Encyclopedia
• Storyboards
• Production Photographs
• Production Notes
• Talent Profiles
• The Making Of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• Deleted Scenes
• Jurassic Park Theatrical Trailer
• The Lost World Theatrical Trailer
• Jurassic Park III Theatrical Trailer
• Marketing: Posters & Toys
• Industrial Light & Magic
• The World of Jurassic Park
• Illustrations & conceptual drawings
• Models
• The Making of Jurassic Park III
• News Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park III
• Tour of the Stan Winston Studio
• A Visit to ILM (include concepts/ process/ muscle/ simulation/ compositing)
• Montana: finding New Dinosaurs
• Behind-the-Scenes (Spinosaurus Attacks the Plane/ Raptors Attack Udesky/ The Lake)
• Storyboards to final feature comparison (Lake/ The Aviary/ Boat Attack)
• Jurassic Park III Archives (Production Photographs & Poster Gallery)
• DVD ROM Features
• Dinosaur Turntables
• Feature Commentary
• Jurassic Park Trailer
• The Lost World Trailer
• Jurassic Park III Trailer

SYNOPSIS

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in worldwide box-office history. On a remote tropical island, an amazing living theme park becomes a game of survival for humans foolhardy enough to set foot on it. Meticulously recreated dinosaurs spring to astonishing life as the film’s breathtaking special effects and thrilling action sequences keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Each chapter of the history-making saga delivers even more action and spectacular visual effects than its predecessor, as nature’s ultimate killing machines once again rule the earth. Almost 20 years after its inception, the Jurassic Park Trilogy remains an unmatched cinematic experience.

Jurassic Park

A multimillionaire (Richard Attenborough) unveils a new theme park where visitors can observe dinosaurs cloned using advanced DNA technology. But when an employee tampers with the security system, the dinosaurs escape, forcing the visitors to fight for their survival. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern star in this thrilling, action-packed blockbuster from acclaimed director Steven Spielberg and based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Four years after Jurassic Park’s genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) by revealing that Hammond has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove (Julianne Moore) and a wildlife videographer (Vince Vaughn) join an expedition to document the lethal lizards’ natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.

Jurassic Park III

In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn’t long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new — and even more deadly — dinosaurs try to make snacks of them. Laura Dern, Michael Jeter, Alessandro Nivola and Trevor Morgan co-star.

www.jurassicpark.com

Join the conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jurassicpark

 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™:

Street Date: October 24, 2011

Releasing on:   Blu-ray Trilogy & Digital Copy RRP £49.99

Limited Collector’s Edition £59.99

Ultimate Collector’s Gift Set £89.99

Copyright: 2011 Universal Pictures International Entertainment

Selection Number:

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 1.85:1

Rating: PG-13

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French 2.0, English SDH, Spanish Subtitles

Run Time: Jurassic Park – 2 hours, 7 minutes

The Lost World: Jurassic Park – 2 hours, 9 minutes

Jurassic Park III – 1 hour, 33 minutes

 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD

Street Date: October 24, 2011

Copyright: 2011 Universal Pictures International Entertainment

Selection Number: 61114696

Layers: Dual

Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1

Rating: PG-13

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French & Spanish

Sound: English, French & Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

Run Time: Jurassic Park – 2 hours, 7 minutes

The Lost World: Jurassic Park – 2 hours, 9 minutes

Jurassic Park III – 1 hour, 33 minutes

 

 

Jurassic Park

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Produced By: Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen

 

Screenplay By: Michael Crichton and David Koepp

Based on the Novel By: Michael Crichton

Director of Photography: Dean Cundey

Production Designer: Rick Carter

Film Edited By: Michael Kahn, ACE

Music By: John Williams

Live Action Dinosaurs: Stan Winston

Full Motion Dinosaurs By: Dennis Muren, ASC

Special Dinosaur Effects: Michael Lantieri

Dinosaur Supervisor: Phil Tippett

Special Visual Effects: Industrial Light & Magic

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, B.D. Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards

 

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Produced By: Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson

Screenplay By: David Koepp

Based on the Novel “The Lost World” By: Michael Crichton

Executive Producer: Kathleen Kennedy

Director of Photography: Janusz Kaminski, ASC

Production Designer: Rick Carter

Film Editor: Michael Kahn, ACE

Music By: John Williams

Live Action Dinosaurs: Stan Winston

Full Motion Dinosaurs By: Dennis Muren, ASC

Special Dinosaur Effects: Michael Lantieri

Special Visual Effects: Industrial Light & Magic

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard

 

Jurassic Park III

Directed By: Joe Johnston

Produced By: Kathleen Kennedy, Larry Franco

Written By: Peter Buchman and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor

Based on Characters Created By: Michael Crichton

Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg

Director of Photography: Shelly Johnson, ASC

Production Designer: Ed Verreaux

Editor: Robert Dalva

New Music By: Don Davis

Original Themes By: John Williams

Live Action Dinosaurs: Stan Winston Studio

Animation and Special Visual Effects By: Industrial Light & Magic

Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter

It is hard to not enjoy a film, which uses ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’ by Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland in the starting titles.  The song sets a high bar and the film clears it-something of a feat considering it stars Matthew (Mahogany) McConaughey.  This is definitely worth a second look and if you have not seen it before, translates well on to the small screen.

The beginning of the film finds Mick Haller (McConaughey) go about his business and is there to very quickly determine our impressions of the main characters.  Haller is sharp, businesslike and comfortable with complexity and with getting the most for himself.  We see him interact with clients (Ryan Phillippe), colleagues (William H. Macy, Laurence Mason), his ex-wife (Marisa Tomei) and associates and we can understand this man has a past.

At this point it is difficult to see what critical incident has brought us as an audience to this story, but stick with it and the film becomes more and more rewarding and sufficiently enticing to the unfolding future.

What makes this film a good way to spend 118 minutes of your life is the heady formula of a good story translated well from Michael Connelly’s novel for the big screen by John Romano and directed with respect for the story, the actors and the audience by Director Brad Furman.  I have not seen any of Furman’s previous work with the exception of Erin Brockovich (2000) for which he is listed as an Assistant, but I will be keeping a closer eye having seen this.

This is an easy Blu-ray to recommend.  Buy it because there is always going to be a point in your life when you fancy watching a film that is at the same time quite clever, easy on the eye, nicely delivered by all involved and a vindication for enjoying McConaughey in action.

****~ (4/5)

]]> http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/07/22/the-lincoln-lawyer-blu-ray-review/feed/ 0 http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/07/01/win-the-lincoln-lawyer-on-blu-ray/ http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/07/01/win-the-lincoln-lawyer-on-blu-ray/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:30:14 +0000 Competitons http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/?p=92389

To mark the release of The Lincoln Lawyer on DVD & Blu-ray on the 11th July, Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray.

In the gripping thriller “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Matthew McConaughey stars as Michael “Mick” Haller, a slick, charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Having spent most of his career defending petty criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime: defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is accused of attempted murder.  However, what initially appears to be a straightforward case with a big money pay-off swiftly develops into a deadly match between two masters of manipulation and a crisis of conscience for Haller.

Directed by Brad Furman, the cast also includes Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Laurence Mason, Frances Fisher and John Leguizamo. The producers are Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character Michael Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 25th July at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

I haven’t seen Ryan Phillipe on screen for a while, not since he rocked that Scottish-ish accent in Gosford Park but he’s coming around again in Paramount’s newest legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer.

The Sun have bagged a new clip for the film, which has Matthew McConaughey playing lawyer to a charmless social wreck of a client, embodied by the man Phillipe, and this scene has McConaughey happening upon his scary faced client at home. Threats are made, their faces get very close, acting is done and it builds to a measure of tension.

The film is flung into cinemas all over the place on the 18th of March, and from the many, many trailers and clips we’ve seen I think the jury’s still out. Sorry.

Clip below,  judge for yourself. Sorry.

Here’s another new clip from The Lincoln Laywer courtesy of MTV. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins, Katherine Moennig, Erin Carufel and is directed by Brad Furman.

Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy accused of murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

The Lincoln Lawyer is released in the UK, 18th March.

A new clip for the Matthew McConaughey legal drama vehicle The Lincoln Lawyer as arrived and it’s tense and suspenseful in equal measure (how much that measure is though is up for debate), but having co-star William H. Macy looked concerned  in long hair is always worth watching.

Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy accused of murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

Here’s the third trailer for the new Matthew McConaughey’s movie, The Lincoln Lawyer. As well as McConaughey, the movie stars Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins, Katherine Moennig, Erin Carufel and is directed by Brad Furman.

Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy accused of murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

The Lincoln Lawyer is released in the UK, 18th March.

A new trailer has been delivered to us from Lionsgate who are eager to convince us that their Matthew McConaughey film, The Lincoln Lawyer, is a film worth looking out for in 2011, and while it earnestly argues its case I’m still a little unconvinced.

We’ve seen a teaser trailer and this new look is more of the same, here’s a handy synopsis,

Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of his career: defending Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a Beverly Hills playboy accused of rape and attempted murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

Directed by Brad Furman from a script by John Romano, The Lincoln Lawyer stars Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas and Michael Peña.

Here’s that trailer,

Here’s a second batch of images for Matthew McConaughey’s new movie, The Lincoln Lawyer to accompany those which we posted last week courtesy of The Boot. There’s also been a trailer for the movie which Jamie posted back in November.

The Lincoln Lawyer,  stars Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins, Katherine Moennig, Erin Carufel and is directed by Brad Furman.

Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy accused of murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

The Lincoln Lawyer is released in the UK, 18th March.

A film that popped up on my radar this week is The Lincoln Lawyer, a movie which stars Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins, Katherine Moennig and Erin Carufel.

Coming Soon have a bunch of new images from the movie which I’ve plaecd below but also give us a rundown on what the movie is about:

Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy accused of murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

As well as these new images, IMPA have a new poster (also embedded below) from the movie which is released in the UK, 18th March.

Lionsgate has released the first teaser trailer for The Lincoln Lawyer, an upcoming drama film based on Michael Connelly’s novel of the same name.

Directed by Brad Furman (The Take) from a script by John Romano, The Lincoln Lawyer stars Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas and Michael Peña.

The Lincoln Lawyer will be released in the UK on March 11, 2011.

A lawyer (McConaughey) conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.

Collider reported this.

Deadline has recently reported some great news straight from the Toronto International Film Festival.

What is it you ask?  William H. Macy is going to be playing a very wealthy alcoholic in the upcoming Charlie Matthau adaptation of Freaky Deaky.

Freaky Deaky was written by Elmore Leonard and is about a group of 60′s radicals who enjoy blowing stuff up in order to make some cash.  They’re explosive entrepreneurs if you will.  Macy stars as Woody Ricks, an alcoholic who loves showgirls, show tunes, and “a knack for not getting blown up.”

Myriad Pictures has been left in charge of selling foreign rights to the movie while Tom Ortenberg is responsible for the US distribution rights.  Tom will be executive producing through his company, One Way Out Media.

I like the concept of the story and I think Macy will be a great addition to what I hope will be a comical action/drama.

I know – it’s lucky Avatar didn’t have this bad boy to compete with. Going up against the cultural seismic event that is the Marmaduke Movie it truly would have been ‘Game Over Man’ for Cameron’s movie.

Disparaging comments aside, Twentieth Century Fox have let the teaser trailer for Marmaduke loose and it’s yours to watch below. It’s a little light on footage but it sets the tone nicely – it’s a movie about a talking dog and the kerazy antics he’ll get up too. It’s another family friendly rehash of a known character and it’s sure to find an audience somewhere.

A look at the cast and you have to wonder of the depth of pocket Fox had access to for this one to get off the ground, and yet I have to hope that my cynicism will be chewed up and spat out when this film is released next year.

Check Yahoo Movies for the original.

Today I was sent a screener of ‘SHORTS’, the new Robert Rodriguez film, and was lucky enough to go feed my inner child and watch it.

Shorts is another children’s movie by the versatile director who made such violent classics as Planet Terror, Dusk till Dawn, Desperado and Sin City and also the creator of well regarded children’s movies Spy Kids 1-3 and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

I haven’t seen any of Rodriguez’s children films but I have always wanted to have an excuse to see one, and this was my chance to see what this brilliant director can do with this genre.

I didn’t know what to expect from Shorts, Desperado for kids? or a regular childish story with kiddie humour and lots of fart jokes? Obviously it was no Desperado but gladly it wasn’t entirely a regular kiddie film either.

The description for the film reads ” A young boy’s discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it” Sounds pretty simple, but the film was a lot more.

The film sets off showing Part Zero, the first short story about two young kids, a brother and a sister, having a ‘no-blinking stare out’ competition which is really amusing as they carry out their daily lives not taking their eyes of each other no matter what, these two keep appearing throughout Shorts in background scenes and their expressions are hilarious.

The movie then goes to the main story set in a town called Black Falls where all the houses look the same and everyone works for Mr Black (James Spader) who owns Black Box Inc. that make the Black Box, a communication and do-it-all gadget that is sweeping the nation, everyone has one and everyone’s lives are ruled by it.

Our hero and narrator, a young boy called Toe Thompson who has no friends, played excellently by Jimmy Bennet (young Kirk in the New Star Trek), he wears braces and gets bullied at school until one day the bullies corner him and throw a magical rainbow coloured rock that hits him in the head, Toe is then encouraged by the rock to make a wish and he wishes for friends and is joined by little aliens who help him get revenge of the bullies.

The film suddenly fast-forwards quickly through rest of film showing glimpses of things to come then pauses on a baby surrounded by destroyed debris and a large alligator flying through the air about to eat her, our narrator explains the story needs to be explained from the start, and so in a form of ‘Shorts’ we are taken through short little stories out of sync about the adventure of the wishing rock passing from person to person in Black Falls and of the wishes they make.

Each little story is a fantastic chance for Robert Rodriguez to be able to let anything happen due to the wishing rock and it’s endless possibilities. One story is of three kids who want an adventure, and kids being kids dream of crazy things like pterodactyls endless supplies of chocolate bars and castles surrounded by snakes and alligators, but when one of the alligators eats the rock it makes a wish, naturally, and when the alligators start standing up on two legs and chase the kids, enough is enough and they get rid of the wishing rock where it finds it’s next owner.

Other stories are of paranoid germ hating scientist, played by the excellent William H Macy, and his son creating a big Bogey monster. Toe’s parents becoming joined together like conjoined twins at a fancy dress party, and Mr.Black getting hold of the one thing that can do more than his Black Box and using the wishing stone for evil.

Each little story is well told and quickly concluded, but all have a nice little morale to them and the underlying tale of a boy who wants friends is endearing when in the end he makes the best friends he could possibly want through the adventures of the wishing stone.

I did enjoy the film and could see why kids will be excited when they watch it. It was exciting, funny, imaginative and like a Pixar film un-patronising which made it a more adult friendly movie than i thought it would have been but there were a few fart jokes, but it wouldn’t be a kids film without a few would it?!

Robert Rodriguez is a truly wonderful director, he knows what he want to show on screen and knows his audience. He makes the sort of film he wants to watch with his kids and has an imagination that probably comes from his kids minds as well as his own which is why this works so well, the story is great and doesn’t slow down to bore even the shortest of attention spans.

Buy this DVD for your kids or watch it as an adult by yourselves if you fancy 86 minutes to fly by during a highly entertaining family friendly movie.

Shorts is available on both DVD December 7th. You can pre-order it now. Check out the trailer here.