The series has suffered a drop in ratings over the last few years. “Free Falling” appears to reflect the show when a giant sinkhole opens up in Seattle. The hospital must act in the wake of the natural disaster. The first bit of order is for April (Sarah Drew) to take over as chief resident. Somebody has to be in control. Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Owen (Kevin McKidd) finally deal with their unexpected pregnancy. Will they go through with having the baby? “She’s Gone” keeps up the sinkhole crisis. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) continue to bicker, but they can’t break up. They want to adopt. “What Is It About Men” finds another creative medical emergency. This time there’s a riot at a comic book convention. The hospital is overwhelmed with injured nerds in super hero outfits. At least it wasn’t an ER convention since then the staff would be confused by the medical garb wearing attendees. “This Magic Moment” has the surgeons team up to saw conjoined twins in half.

“Hope For the Hopeless” celebrates the 10,000th surgical operation by Mark (Eric Dane). What do you give a man for such an event? The best guess is steak knives. His big surgery is a liver transplant between sisters. “If/Then” makes the hospital happier when Meredith changes her attitude in a dream. Can it really be that simple? “All You Need Is Love” turns the ER into a sickly pick up bar. Nothing like “how we met” stories that involve triage and co-pays. “If Only You Were Lonely” has a coffee shop blow up. Oh the Mochachino! Dozens of people are rushed to the hospital with massive cups and scones sticking to their wounds. What about the free wifi? Did that get hurt? This is the greatest fear of anyone in Seattle. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” puts a big cat on the prowl. A lion escapes from the zoo and puts people into the hospital. “Moment of Truth” is a very special episode when April goes all the way. Adding to the pressure is plenty of the staff going through their oral exams. The test results dominate “Let the Bad Times Roll.” “Flight” gives the mega-cliffhanger when a plane filled with the doctors crashes in the wilderness. Who will survive their injuries? Will they treat each other without a referral?

Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Eighth Season ramps up the soap opera qualities of the show. The doctors’ libidos are wrapped in outrageous emergencies. Lion attacks, injured super heroes, explosive coffee and sinkholes are a lot to experience even a busy town like Seattle. The show seems bent on outdoing General Hospital. The outrageous elements didn’t flatline the series. Grey’s Anatomy has now joined the rank of medical drama miracles that survive for nearly a decade on the air.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfers look fine with medical details shining in the operating rooms. Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. The mix lets you hear all the steamy passion and painful heartbreak without boosting the volume. The episodes are subtitled in English, Spanish and French.
A Journey Home with Kevin Kidd (14:25) is a tour of Scotland from the Trainspotting star. He even has time to record a record with his old pals.

Deleted Scenes includes snips from 9 episodes. Nothing too startling in the selections.

In Stitches: Outtakes (2:23) proves talking medical words can be tongue twisting.

Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Eighth Season pumps up the medical emergencies while complicating the romantic relationships between the doctors. The show goes all out to excite viewers including a heartbreaking plane crash cliffhanger.


ABC Studios present Grey’s Anatomy: Complete Eighth Season. Starring: Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Eric Dane, Kevin McKidd and Patrick Dempsey. Boxset Contents: 24 episodes on 6 DVDs. Released: September 4, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
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The film will be voiced by Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Julie Walters, Bill Connelly, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.

Plot Summary: Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida (Macdonald) one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest – and serving as comic relief – are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Coltrane).

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The film will be voiced by Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Julie Walters, Bill Connelly, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.

Plot Summary: Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida (Macdonald) one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest – and serving as comic relief – are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Coltrane).

Here’s the trailer, in case you missed it.

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Editor’s note: This review originally ran October 5, 2010. We are republishing it to coincide with the film’s release on VOD today.

Bunraku is one of the strangest films you’re likely to see. The movie is a weird amalgam of comic book sensibilities, kung fu melodrama and western trappings — all pushed into the visual pedigree of Bunraku (the Japanese tradition of puppet theater). Guy Moshe wrote and directed this futuristic tale of revenge. Set in a world that has long outlawed guns, order is now carried out by the point of a sword. Ruling above all is Nicola the Woodcutter (Ron Pearlman), a murderous crime lord and the most powerful man east of the Atlantic.

Enforcing his rule are a team of assassins and their mob of henchmen, the Red Gang. Killer # 2 (Kevin McKidd) is Nicola’s right-hand man and potentially the most dangerous man alive. Smooth as a snake and with a dapper sense of style, Killer # 2’s dangerous as he is stylish. McKidd is amazing in the role. He dresses like a White Stripes band member and dances like Fred Astaire but don’t be fooled: he’s also really deadly with a sword and might just be mentally unstable.

Josh Hartnett stars as The Drifter, a cowboy in a world without guns. Rolling into town in search of Nicola and the vengeance he plans to wrought upon the crime lord, The Drifter quickly befriends a group of fellow heroes in wait including Yoshi (Japanese popstar Gackt), a samurai warrior who has refused to take lives, and The Bartender (Woody Harrelson), a source of drink and information who just happens to be a pop-up book enthusiast. There’s a great scene in which The Bartender shows off his latest pop-up book creation — a weirdly translated-through-the-ages tale of Spider-Man.

The real star of the movie, though, is the film’s unique visual style. Produced in much the same way Sin City or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow were filmed, Bunraku creates an almost entirely artificial world around its characters. Instead of hyper-realistic computer animation, though, the world of Bunraku is made-up of towering paper landscapes and origami buildings. Bunraku is a film that continuously breaks the fourth-wall — wearing its influence (the Japanese theater style where the puppeteers would be on stage alongside their show) on its sleeve. Strings will drop down into a frame showing captions or infographics. Weird transitions bring to mind Michel Gondry’s Björk music videos. Much like the bunraku style of puppet theater, Bunraku utilizes the wry, over-the-top narration of an unseen commentator (Faith No More’s Mike Patton).

Unfortunately, Bunraku is a film that easily lets its visual style overwhelm its story and characters to the point where the film is pretty to look at but its plot is ultimately unsatisfying.

No number of amazingly choreographed fight sequences that mix martial arts alongside contemporary dance can change the fact that the film’s story is as flat as a sheet of paper used to build an origami swan. That’s what the director was shooting for, though. Bunraku theater is known for its timeless stories told in unique ways. Director Moshe was so dedicated to presenting an accurate representation of Bunraku theater that he went out of his way to find as clichéd and well-worn of a story as possible. Drifters avenging slain loved ones and samurais seeking peace may seem old hat but that’s because it purposefully is. Bunraku is more about the experience than the movie. The film literally throws in everything but the kitchen sink — animated sequences, musical numbers, flash cut editing, killer acrobatic clowns. Bunraku even has Demi Moore in the role of Nicola’s despondent lover.

Bunraku is a film definitely worth seeing — if only for the fact that there are few films like it that exist in the world. There’s something for everyone in Bunraku — if only just a taste. The plot may be shallow and the visual style may wear thin by the end but you can’t be a lover of film and not find something to enjoy in the weird stew that is Bunraku.

Director: Guy Moshe
Notable Voice Cast: Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ron Pearlman, Kevin McKidd, Gackt Camui
Writer: Guy Moshe

http://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bunraku-120×120.jpg

Bunraku is one of the strangest films you’re likely to see. The movie is a weird amalgam of comic book sensibilities, kung fu melodrama, western trappings pushed into the visual pedigree of Bunraku (the Japanese tradition of puppet theater).

Guy Moshe wrote and directed this futuristic tale of revenge. Set in a world that has long outlawed guns, order is now carried out by the point of a sword. Ruling above all is Nicola the Woodcutter (Ron Pearlman), a murderous crime lord and the most powerful man east of the Atlantic.

Enforcing his rule are a team of assassins and their mob of henchmen, the Red Gang. Killer # 2 (Kevin McKidd) is Nicola’s right-hand man and potentially the most dangerous man alive. Smooth as a snake and with a dapper sense of style, Killer # 2’s dangerous as he is stylish. McKidd is amazing in the role. He dresses like a White Stripes band member and dances like Fred Astaire but don’t be fooled: he’s also really deadly with a sword and might just be mentally unstable.

Josh Hartnett stars as The Drifter, a cowboy in a world without guns. Rolling into town in search of Nicola and the vengeance he plans to wrought upon the crime lord, The Drifter quickly befriends a group of fellow heroes in wait including Yoshi (Japanese popstar Gackt), a samurai warrior who has refused to take lives, and The Bartender (Woody Harrelson), a source of drink, information and all-around pop-up book enthusiast. There’s a great scene in which The Bartender shows off his latest pop-up book creation — a weirdly translated-through-the-ages tale of Spider-Man.

The real star of the movie, though, is the film’s unique visual style. Produced in much the same way Sin City or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow were filmed, Bunraku creates an almost entirely artificial world around its characters. Instead of hyper-realistic computer animation, though, the world of Bunraku is made-up of towering paper landscapes and origami buildings. Bunraku is a film that continuously breaks the fourth-wall — wearing its influence (the Japanese theater style where the puppeteers would be on stage alongside their show) on its sleeve. Strings will drop down into a frame showing captions or infographics. Weird transitions bring to mind Michel Gondry’s Björk music videos. Much like the bunraku style of puppet theater, Bunraku utilizes the wry, over-the-top narration of an unseen commentator (Faith No More’s Mike Patton).

Unfortunately, Bunraku is a film that easily lets its visual style overwhelm its story and characters to the point where the film is pretty to look at but its plot is ultimately unsatisfying.

No number of amazingly choreographed fight sequences that mix martial arts alongside contemporary dance can change the fact that the film’s story is as flat as a sheet of paper used to build an origami swan. That’s what the director was shooting for, though. Bunraku theater is known for its timeless stories told in unique ways. Director Moshe was so dedicated to presenting an accurate representation of Bunraku theater that he went out of his way to find as clichéd and well-worn of a story as possible. Drifters avenging slain loved ones and samurais seeking peace may seem old hat but that’s because it purposefully is.

Bunraku is more about the experience than the movie. The film literally throws in everything but the kitchen sink — animated sequences, musical numbers, flash cut editing, killer acrobatic clowns. Bunraku even has Demi Moore in the role of Nicola’s despondent lover.

Bunraku is a film definitely worth seeing — if only for the fact that there are few films like it that exist in the world. There’s something for everyone in Bunraku — if only just a taste. The plot may be shallow and the visual style may wear thin by the end but you can’t be a lover of film and not find something to enjoy in the weird stew that is Bunraku.

Director: Guy Moshe
Notable Voice Cast: Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ron Pearlman, Kevin McKidd, Gackt Camui
Writer: Guy Moshe

http://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bunraku-120×120.jpg

Every great BBC comedy series seems to run two seasons or less with few exceptions. The Office and Extras followed Fawlty Towers in stopping at its peak, as opposed to dropping in quality. It’s coincidental that historical epic Rome would follow suit, but mainly because neither network wanted to foot the series’ $100 million per season price tag. But, at two seasons, perhaps not moving any further was a wise move as the series went out at its very peak.

Following the tale of Roman soldiers Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Pullo (Ray Stevenson), we are given a look into the politics of Rome from the time of Caesar’s ascension to his assassination, and the battle for power in the vacuum that followed his death. We get to see the era, with significant dramatic license of course, in all its glory and squalor alike, as the empire of Rome goes through one of its more turbulent eras as it transcends from Republic to Dictatorship. The interesting thing is that historical figures such as Caesar, et al, all pop in as we get to see a fictionalized version of historical events.

The first thing that stands out about this series is how rich and vibrant it looks. This is a series that was expensive and it looks better then most period swords and sandals films of the past several years. This is a dirty, grimy world outside of the grand city of Rome and there is no glorification of the era’s living conditions. It’s remarkable to behold as purely a spectacle, but the series is much more then that.

This is a series with a large, epic story that focuses on smaller storylines to comprise it. One of the more tumultuous times in period is jazzed up a bit, given a more soap operatic effect as opposed to a true look at the history of the time, but the show makes it work because it has an overall story to follow. With the actual history already being written, it’s a matter of filling in the blanks so the show doesn’t’ have much to invent. It does it, however, with a lot of style and manages to take what could be a dull subject and makes it interesting. With enough sex and violence to keep the drama from coming stale, Rome manages to gives us a good starting point for those interested in the era.

Though only 22 episodes, this is one of the finer things to come from HBO.

Presented in a widescreen format with a Dolby Digital surround, the series looks and sounds magnificent. This is a series that cost a lot to make and the DVD makes every penny come alive, as the transfer looks and sounds terrific.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen is a brief piece where each of the main members of the cast discusses their respective character in slight detail.

All Roads Lead to Rome gives you factoids and other bits of information to give an in-depth, historical perspective on the proceedings.

Shot X Shot is a series of features scattered throughout the disc set, each focusing on a particular episode. Each feature goes into some depth about the technical aspects of creating various “big moments” in some of the more prominent episodes of the series.

The Rise of Rome is a 24-minute piece about the making of the series, more specifically the actual scenery used to recreate the era.

When in Rome is another feature about trying to recreate the context of the era, from its religious worship to its moral codas and its treatment of women.

A Tale of Two Romes is a look at how the aristocracy and the common man differed in various ways, from religious services and practice to drug use.

The Making of Rome, Season II is a piece focusing on the production aspects of the second season, obviously.

The Rise of Octavian: Rome’s First Emperor is a historical retrospective piece on Octavian’s rise to power, featuring most of the cast and crew commenting on the events as well as various historians discussing his reign as well.

Antony & Cleopatra is a retrospective on the romantic liaison between the two, and how he compromised it all for her, is covered in slightly over 20 minutes. While not nearly enough to give it anything more then a cursory look,

Rome may have only had a fleeting moment of time to be televised, it’s further proof that you don’t need an extended run to have a great television series.

HBO presents Rome: The Complete Series. Starring Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker. Simon Woods, Lindsay Duncan, James Purefoy, Ciaran Hinds, Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, Indira Varma, Allen Leech, Camilla Rutherford. Created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, William J McDonald. Running time: 1229 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: 11.17.2009. Available at Amazon.
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