"Frequency" - A Review Of The 2000 Movie Reissued On A New Line Home Entertainment American REGION FREE BLU RAY

Here is a link to Amazon UK to buy this US BLU RAY at the beswt price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007NQVRNS

"...Picking Up Signals..." 

I bought the American BLU RAY of "Frequency" on New Line Home Entertainment because I've always loved this 'talking to my Dad 30 years ago' Fireman movie with a passion.

Directed by GREGORY HOBLIT and written by TOBY EMMERICH (older brother of the respected actor NOAH EMMERICH – see below) - "Frequency" has built up a bit of a cult fan base since its 2000 release. I’ve had it on many 'Slipped Through The Net' Amazon lists for years.

It's the night of 10 October 1969 – the Baseball World Series will be played out on television sets across American Homes the following day. But that night the atmospheric dance that is the Northern Lights of The Aurora Borealis is doing strange things to the skies over Brooklyn. It’s even messing with the airwaves.

Lighting a cigarette - Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid) looks up at the phenomenon and smiles. Frank is a hero father and all round good egg - a fireman that fights the blue beast with courage by day, rides his Harley home afterwards and plays catch with his 'chief' son of 6 on the sidewalk outside their home at night. Until 11 October 1969 - when Frank enters a warehouse down by the docks and in trying to rescue a woman on the top floor – takes a wrong turn to get out of the building. Neither makes it and The New York Post sadly reports the death of another true blue who didn’t make it…

Cue to 30 years later in October 1999 and Jim Caviezel is John Sullivan – his 'chief' all grown up – a cop who is boozing, losing his wife and still hurting over his Dad’s loss. His buddies since childhood on the Force Satch and Gordo (Andre Braugher and Noah Emmerich) are worried about him. Gordo (the excellent Noah Emmerich - Jim Carrey’s Sea Haven mate in “The Truman Shoe”) drops by with his son for a chat and to share a Brewsky. But his bored young son (an early part for Michael Cera) finds an NYFD Radio Transmitter in a locked box hidden in a cupboard that everyone’s forgotten about. The device is old school with glowing valves – and you need a licence just to use it. John gets it working – but when no one is in the house and through the crackles – John hears a man’s voice – his Dad Frank from 30 years back.

Disbelieving at first - John then begins to realize the potential of the situation and tells Dad how to save his life, which will end the next day (in his time). Dad does just that and John’s future changes accordingly. Frank hasn’t died in 1969 but in 1989 from lung cancer. But now a serial killer called "Nightingale" who targets nurses has also lived and killed 15 women instead of 3 – one of which is John’s Nurse mum Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell from “Lost” and “Revolution”). Now both father in 1969 and son in 1999 are locked into a cat and mouse game with this monster to ‘alter’ that list. And on it goes to a genius ending that is wholly satisfying…

Special features include:

1. Commentary by Director Gregory Hoblit

2. Commentary by Writer/Producer Toby Emmerich and Actor Noah Emmerich

3. The Science And Technology Behind Frequency

4. 4-Animated Solar Galleries

5. Music Only Track with Commentary by Composer Michael Kamen

6. Deleted Scenes

7. Theatrical Trailer

The picture is 1080p High Def with an Aspect Ratio of 2.4:1 (16 x 9) so it stretches to the full screen and looks great – rich colours and hues – even in a lot of the darker night sequences. Subtitles are English SDH and Spanish only.

There are times when you can’t quite nail why a movie gets to you so much – or why you hold it in such affection. Perhaps it’s the father and son thing – the good guy wins – the pig gets his comeuppance – or perhaps it’s just the sheer likeability of the lead actors given great material to work with.

Whatever way you look at it – "Frequency" on an American BLU RAY is a winner. Great movie, top extras, nicely rendered and reasonably priced into the bargain.

Let "Frequency" burn its cosmic greatness into the table of your viewing lounge real soon...

“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist”. A Review of the 2009 Movie Now On DVD and BLU RAY.

“…Friends With Benefits…”

All cool movies have a secret weapon – and in “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” - it’s KAT DENNINGS.

Not since Emily Blunt in "The Jane Austen Book Club" have I seen an actress so utterly gobsmacking in every way – a young woman who is just going to be the hugest star.

Possessed of a main of flowing red hair, Dennings is extraordinarily voluptuous - her chest is likely to make most men take a dip in the Volga to cool down – and even that won’t work - her lips are so succulent that it may be detrimental to your heart rhythms to write about them let alone actually experience them - and don’t get me started on her eyes - as vast and as deep and as beautiful as Natasha McElhone – one of the classiest actresses in the entire world.

But none of this would matter if there wasn’t that 'X' factor about Dennings that so many of the other wannabes don’t have – Kat is the kind of actress the camera adores. And on top of this, she engenders genuine affection in her audience - men will fall hopelessly in love with her, while women will want to be her best buddy and pal. It’s very, very rare – it really is – and this young Philadelphia lady has it all in spades.

“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is a 2009 teen romcom adapted by LORENE SCAFARIA from the hip novel by RACHEL COHN and is directed by PETER SOLLETT who had an Indie hit a few years back with “Raising Victor Vargas”.

Another breakthrough performance is that of Norah’s permanently pissed girlfriend Caroline brilliantly played by ARI GRAYNOR - she’s a blast as the ditzy blonde - very funny and very likeable (there’s a scene in a toilet involving puke, a mobile phone and chewing gum that will test your wince factor to the max and make you laugh out loud).

The fantastically evocative early hours New York locations are peppered with the usual Indie soundtrack (the BLU RAY images shine here) - while Noah’s three friends are an assortment of varying nutjobs in a gay band called “The Jerkoffs”. They drive around in their van all night arguing about their name and will abandon anyone and anything to find out the venue for a secret gig by ‘the’ band of the moment who are called “Where’s Fluff?” (there are rabbit logos all through the credits and movie).

MICHAEL CERA plays Nick (he seems to have cornered the market in dweeb guys), who is broken-hearted about his break-up with the feckless Tris (ALEXIS DZIENA) until he chances on Norah in a nightclub (KAT DENNINGS). His performance is essentially the same as Juno, and while he’s very good at it, it does stretch credibility a tad that babes like Norah and Tris would fancy him at all, let alone sleep with him. That aside – there is a genuine, lovely and undeniable chemistry between Cera and Dennings that carries the whole movie and keeps you watching and hoping to the end that they’ll make it… (no prizes for guessing what happens there).

“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is young, alive, hopeful and warm – and in a way that so many gross-out comedies fail to be nowadays. It’ll wheedle its way into your heart, it really will.

I liked it a lot…and if you’re looking for a nice night in – then look no further.