Downey Jr. is more than up to the challenge too. Early scenes in Sherlock Holmes are more Fight Club than sleuth-influenced, with the hand of director Guy Ritchie behind the camera being very clear. But the film soon settles down and starts to have some fun, with the able assistance of Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams, among the supporting cast.

Yet this is Downey Jr.’s show, and he doesn’t waste the opportunity. He’s an engaging leading man at the worst of times, and he’s clearly having a ball here. What’s more, it’s immensely satisfying when his Sherlock Holmes gets down to the business of solving crimes, even though there are some really quite impressive action sequences to work through first.

There are problems, of course. There...
Great film, 2010-09-03
Love the combo offer. Can play on blue-ray, dvd or digital via iphone if I want. Great Movie, great actors.......

Chief among them is the excellent cast. The Boat That Rocked brings together a welcome collection of British talent, including Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Gemma Arterton, and then they’re joined by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Between them, they effectively recall the Radio Caroline story, as a pirate radio station is set up on a North Sea cruising yacht, broadcasting to England. Said broadcasts become wildly popular, making celebrities out of some of those concerned. Yet naturally enough, the authorities, led by Branagh’s Sir Alistair Dormandy, aren’t best pleased.

Curtis then laces The Boat That Rocked with plenty of comedy, and a killer soundtrack. But he loses his focus when editing the film down, as it’s a movie that, try as it might, still manages to outstay its welcome by a good 20 minutes. It doesn’t help that he’s simply trying to cram to...
The Boat that Rocked (DVD), 2010-08-31

Nostalgic, funny with a great cast and well selected music. have bought it as a present for a like minded friend.

These men all live in their home town of Cemetery Junction, each working for an insurance company. Joining them there is their boss, played by Ralph Fiennes, with the cast also fleshed out by the likes of Emily Watson, Gervais himself and the terrific Matthew Goode.

But it’s Christian Cooke who catches the eye in what turns out to be the lead role of Freddie. It’s Freddie’s evolving professional and personal life that forms the core of the narrative, and laced with some fine comedic moments, he anchors the film well. It helps that Gervais and Merchant are so focused on how to put across the story, with the dingy style of 70s Britain captured terrifically well.

It’s quite a low key project, perhaps, and it doesn’t tread too much in the way of new ground...
Carefully crafted and definitely worth a watch, or two., 2010-08-30
(First Amazon review after years of (far too much) shopping) Have been a fan of Gervais since the Eleven o'clock show and XFM, am a fan of The Office, Extras, stand up, podcasts, blog, etc...
If you enjoyed any of these, you've probably made up your mind to buy/watch this. For those of you on the fence, it offers a taste of the world of Merhcant / Gervais.

Cemetery Junction embodies the best of the Office, Extras, and the Podcasts (Derek & Clive for the 21st Century). In capturing the realistic characters, the frustrations and the surreal crudity of relationships it is essentially a love story with a plot set around the frustrations of coming of age. Clearly taking influences from Staying Alive and The Graduate, it about three working class lads and their struggle to come to terms with the hand life has dealt them. Stay where they are and become their parents aiming for a better standard of a wasted life or grab life by the balls and live it. The locations, characters and relationships are instantly familiar and this is the beauty of Merchant and Gervais' work, to tell stories that everyone already knows, but with their unique voice.

I always get the impression that Gervais is more of the creative writing force, with Merchant the structured disciplinarian to their work, perhaps this is reflected in the duo's thinking with Merchant the middle class film and literature graduate, Gervais the working class philosopher. Cemetery Junction is a very well told story from two very cautious and maturing artists.

Some reviewers have said the film is a pretty safe bet and nothing spectacular, but what they have done is prove that they can write and direct for the big screen with a quintessentially English voice. This is the type of cinema British film makers SHOULD be making more of and hopefully it will give others the confidence to back future projects. It has the look and feel of a classic, lovingly crafted with a lot of thought and planning, not just churned out like so much British fare that looks for originality of concept rather than trying to master the essentials and give a film substance.

Merchant and Gervais have proven that they can take a simple concept, write it well, make it funny, cast it well (with a mixture of new faces and established names; Julia Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Anne Reid) and choose the right look and the right music. These may be basics, but they're not always done well.

This is clearly M&G dipping their toes into the waters of film and a mere taster of future projects for the two, who keep expanding their repertoire and pushing their limits without sacrificing the integrity of their work (note the contrast in concepts between "An Idiot Abroad" and the (hopefully) upcoming "Life's Too Short").

The film looks great, sounds great and leaves you wanting more, what else can you ask for?
How about two seconds of the film showing a man with a perfectly spherical head wearing a tux and a false moustache, gawping like a dim-witted cun... He needs to be in a hot air balloon. Preferably during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games when the whole world will be watching. If David Beckham can kick a football off a bus in China, Karl can get in a wicker basket in Stratford...

The film traces the adventures of the two unlikely friends, who meet in a hospital cancer ward, each given six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a lifelong list of goals that a teacher of Chambers once advised him to compile--and achieve--"before you kick the bucket." Soon the two are off on what may be the last grand adventure of their life, vowing to tick off as many goals (skydiving, race-car driving, seeing the wonders of the world) as they can in the time they have left. What starts as a medical melodrama becomes a road trip, yet the men's mortality realities are never far from thought. The two leads give impressive performances, and remind the vie...
Good film., 2010-08-14
I saw this film years ago, and have been looking for it since. Once I found it, I was not disappointed. It's a good storyline, with great actors, including Morgan Freeman. The price was good, and came really quickly.

Happy as always with Amazon. :D