GRAN TURISMO Races onto Bluray

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and Digital from director Neill Blomkamp, PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the story of gaming to reality with GRAN TURISMO.

Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) takes a chance going to Nissan and pitching an idea no one else would dare. The idea is to find the best Gran Turismo video game players and turn them into real race car drivers. The concept is so far fetched that Nissan agrees! Turning to someone who can train the racers, Moore calls on Jack Salter (David Harbour) who needs a moment and a talk down from his driver to walk away and join in the vision.

At home, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) is a teenage gamer who is set on Gran Turismo much to his father Steve’s (Djimon Hounsou) dismay. When it is announced that there would be a qualification race to join the GT Academy, Jann believes this is his chance to prove his father wrong. When his chance is put to the test, Jann has to again compete but this time against the other gaming winners to get the final seat.

Jann realizes he must earn his professional license to get a contract with Nissan. Race after race, the young man learns what it takes to go from being behind the wheel of a video screen to the wheel of a real race car. Up against tested racers, he is also up against those who don’t believe a gamer should be anywhere near the race track and put him in danger. After many challenges, it is Le Mans that will test Jann and Salter to finally do what they both have dreamed possible!

Madekwe as Jann is a young man with a dream that is not impossible even though others around him might disagree. Given the chance, Jann is proving that not only is dreaming a good thing but that he is going to go further than he ever imagined. I truly enjoyed watching Madekwe portray the young driver. He is portraying a real person of course but he does it to the point that I forget he isn’t the real Jann. That’s what a surprise this was for me.

Harbour as Jack is a man who has his own issues and carries a big of an anger bag around with him. Not seemingly a nice person with his snaps and quips, he finds a relationship with Jann that is solid and positive in a way the young man needs. I always enjoy watching Harbour create his characters and their range or lack of range of emotion, he mixes them together and what comes out is so very cool.

Bloom as Moore is a marketing executive at Nissan who came up with the idea to bring gamers to the race track. He is a bit over zealous and an even bit more controlling, but up against Salter he doesn’t win much of the time. His success is his career and understandably he wants things to go well, when they don’t – he melts down a tad but sees that Jann is really in it. Bloom doesn’t get as much screen time but when he is, the emotions are clear and set. Win!

Shout out to Maeve Courtier-Lilley as Audrey, Jann’s love, as she sees something special in the young man and cheers him on at every track turn.

Other cast include Josha Stradowski as Nicholas Capa, Daniel Puig as Coby, Pepe Barroso as Antonio Cruz, Emelia Hartford as Leah Vega, Sang Heon Lee as Joo-Hwan Lee, Max Mundt as Klaus Hoffman, Mariano Gonzalez as Henry Evas, Harki Bhambra as Avi Bhatt, Lindsay Pattison as Chloe McCormick, Theo Christine as Marcel Durand, Nikhil Parmar as Persol and Takehiro Hira as Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of Gran Turismo.

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Special Features include 4K UHD, Bluray and Digital Extras, Deleted & Extended Scenes, The Engine: Driving the Visuals,,The Pit Crew: Action and Stunts, The Garage: The Amazing Automobiles, The Plan: The True Story of Jann Mardenborough, and The Wheels: The Fast-Acting Cast. On DVD the Special Features include The Plan: The True Story of Jann Mardenborough and The Wheels: The Fast-Acting Cast.

The Gran Turismo game came about in 1992 by Kazunori Yamauchi as he took five years to complete. The idea was to create a game that came to be subtitles “The Real Driving Simulator” with vehicles that drive like actual cars. Each incarnation of the game created more and more definitive aspects as Gran Turismo released its 7^th version in 2020.

GRAN TURISMO is definetly exciting for several reasons, one if that it is the true story of a young man who stayed true to his dreams. It is also a story that resonates with other gamers who have dreams, perhaps not to race, but to do what others think they may not. Even the creator Yamauchi could never have imagined how his own dream would become so captivating to the world.

It is also the story of a young man who sees the world differently in that his loves his father despite their differences, has great fondness for his coach Salter and concern for his fellow racers whether they know it or not. Mardenborough’s story is a classic ‘rags to riches’ but it is also an inside look at what it took to accomplish his goal.

Director Blomkamp managed well to mix the story with intense and pretty darn awesome racing action. Hearing and seeing the interaction between Jann and Salter was intense and exciting at the same time and brings so much to the story being told.

In the end – from gamer to racer!

 

 

 

Based on a True Story Comes THE OUTPOST

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to limited release in theatres and On Demand from Screen Media is the story by author Jake Tapper and director Rod Lurie and the brave men guarding THE OUTPOST.

Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood) and his men Specialist Ty Carter (Caleb Landry Jones), Staff Sgt. Justin Gallegos (Jacob Scipio), Sgt. Josh Kirk (Jack Kesy) helicopter ride into a deep valley in Afghanistan. Surrounded by mountains, they are attacked daily by the Taliban. First Lt. Benjamin Keating (Orlando Bloom) gives the men a tour of the camp letting them know that they must always be at the ready.

It does not take long before the new crew takes a few hits and sees what they are up against. When they get the call to take a very large vehicle to another camp, Keating takes Romesha on roads that aren’t meant to be traversed. When an accident happens, Sylvanius Broward (Kwame Patterson) is sent in telling the men that the camp is going to be shut down. What should be good news really is not.

Their own Afghan interpreter tells the men that the Taliban are coming and although they listen, they go about their mission. Each attack gets a little bolder until the capture a young man who comes into the camp taking pictures of everything he sees. When caught, Romesha along with Broward go to the town elders to explain why the promise made by Lt. Keating of funds is being held up.

Romesha is frustrated because he does not see that Broward is listening to anything the people who live at the outpost are telling him. That is until the camp is hit again. One more time the men must gather together to protect the outpost even though there are more and more Taliban in the mountains above.

When one massive explosion follows another, every takes their places to battle the men coming towards them with more weapons than the outpost has seen. Now, Romesha and his men will do what they must to protect one another and stay alive until the call for help can bring what they need to stop the invasion.

Now they wait.

Eastwood comes on the scene strong with the attitude of a military man with concerns for his men, especially when he sees the camp by the light of day. He turns in a solid performance that isn’t over the top but instead storytelling with the entire cast. Jones as Carter is a young man who is dealing with the stress and anxiety about everything happening around them. When the men need him the most, he puts himself on the line time and time again. Carter gives us the human side of those feelings.

Bloom as Keating knows they are in a raw deal with where the camp is located but tries to make the best of it for everyone. Never sending a man to do something he wouldn’t do himself, he is respected by the men. Scipio as Gallegos and Kesy as Kirk aren’t thrilled with their situation and even less thrilled with those who claim to be in charge but they follow their leader. Both men are a definite benefit to the film. Shout out to Gibson for his second time in a film dealing with war and soldiers as he was in the 2016 film HACKSAW RIDGE directed by his father Mel Gibson.

Other cast include Petar Petrov as Malak, Ahmad Sakhi as Commander Zahid, George Arvidson as Captain Cordova, Brandon Wengrzynek as Sgt. Breed, Jeremy Jones as PFC Jordan Wong, Scott Coffey as Michael Scusa, Jack DeVos as Sgt. Hardt, Ernest Cavazos as Sgt. Avalos, Jonathan Yunger as SFC Jonathan Hill, Alexandar Aleksiev as Sgt. Janis Lakis, Alfie Stewart as Sgt. Yunger, Marin Rangelov as Nasir, Cory Hardrict as Sgt. Vernon Martin, Taylor Smith as First Lt. Andrew Bundermann, Celina Sinden as Cpt. Katie Kopp, Will Attenborough as Ed Faulkner and Milo Gibson as Capt. Yllescas. 

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THE OUTPOST is bases on The New York Times best seller The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. Written by CNN journalist Jake Tapper, he tells the story of soldiers living in the remote mountains of Afghanistan and Combat Outpost Keating. It is a story about the battle to defend against a coordinated Taliban attack that later came to be known as The Battle of Kamdesh.

Bravo Troop 3-62 would become the most decorated unit of the 2009 Afghan War. Staff Sgt. Cliff Romesha and Specialist Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor. Rod Lurie, the director, is a graduate of West Point and former soldier. Adding to the realism of the film, he added veterans to play various military roles including Henry Hughes and Daniel Rodriguez.

“The gates of Heaven and the gates of hell are claimed to be in the same spot. During the firefight, COP Keating was like the gates of hell: violent, bloody and full of sorrow. However, watching men sacrificing themselves to protect each other, I could see the true form of brotherhood and love, making the firefight at COP Keating like the gates of heaven as well.” Ty M. Carter, Medal of Honor Recipient.

The cast brings the story to us all in a way that allows us to care about them because they each have a story. Adding to that the fact that most of us have family members who are active military, the scenes where the soldiers are calling home are moving and intense at the same time. There is also clearly camaraderie between the cast that transitions into the people they are portraying.

In the end – the mission was survival!

Amazon Studios CARNIVAL ROW brings Mystery and Fantasy

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Amazon Prime is the first season of an original mystery and fantasy along CARNIVAL ROW.

Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) is a fae who has escaped from an attack on her homeland from the Pact. Finding her way to a ship, a storm then sinks it and she is the sole survivor. The ship belongs to Ezra Spurnrose (Andrew Gower) and seeing Vignette as an indentured servant on the ship expects her to now work in his home as a maid. Knowing she must survive in this new place, Vignette visits Carnival Row and finds Tourmaline (Karla Crome). They have so much to catch up on but the biggest surprise is discovering that the man she loves, Philo (Orlando Bloom) is actually alive. Living the past seven years believing he was dead, Vignette is shocked and angry.

Philo is investigating the recent attacks on what are known as fae-folk as a police inspector. Aisling is one of the fae that is murdered and Philo continues to follow the clues. Taking it step by step he talks to everyone involved with the victims only to come up against a man warning him that a creature he calls the "dark-god" is responsible. If that isn't freaky enough, Vignette makes herself known to Philo and she does so with a vengeance. She doesn't understand how he could have gone all this time letting her suffer thinking she had lost him and Philo has no answers for her.

Spurnrose lives in the richer part of town with his sister Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) and both are horrified to learn that their new neighbor Agreus (David Gyasi) is a faun which is unacceptable to them. It is considered ridiculous that a creature would try to make his way into society. When Spurnrose finally confides in Imogen that their finances aren't what they should be, a deal is struck with Agreus - his backing for a new ship for introduction into high society. Imogen agrees to make that happen.

The Chancellor Absalom Breakspear (Jared Harris) is trying to keep the peace in the city along with his wife Piety (Indira Varma) and son Jonah (Arty Froushan). He knows something is going on and advises them to steer clear of Carnival Row. That doesn't stop Jonah from being kidnapped but they don't know who is responsible.

It is finally revealed how Burguish soldier Philo met Vignette. Her village becomes a station for the soldiers are looking for the best location for keeping an eye out for the Pact while fixing the telegraph line. While out, Philo, Vignette and his friend Darius are attacked by wolves. When the Pact attack the village in a brutal way, Vignette is taken away but told that Philo has been killed.

Now, more people are being killed and it is becoming clear that what they have in common is knowing Philo. Vignette is trying to separate herself from him as her anger toward what has happened to her people outweighs any feelings she might have for him. To that effort Philo takes his landlady out for dinner and tries to begin something but he is still in a dark place.

The Chancellor believes that Longerbane (Ronan Vibert) is responsible for the kidnapping but after he meets with disaster, his daughter Sophie (Caroline Ford) steps in and Jonah is actually found. The young man believes he knows who is actually responsible for his capture but doesn't want to call it out in case he is wrong. Seeing Sophie in chambers for the first time, he is captivated by her but mom Petrie isn't as happy about it.

As more secrets are brought out in the open, Philo and Vignette realize that they must work together to find out what is killing those in Carnival Row. The landlady isn't as happy and tells Philo's officers a secret that she knows about him leading to his arrest for murder.

The relationship between Agreus and Imogen has her brother aggravated and wants it to stop. He understands that they may need his money but as others in town start offering to socialize with Agreus, he sees no need to keep up appearances for his sister. Chancellor Breakspear wants to help Philo and Vignette but doesn't realize that he is about to have his life altered by a Puck, the last group that would ever be suspected.

The dominos are starting to fall and it is leading a showdown on Carnival Row that no one could have ever imagined!

Bloom as Philo has the look of a man tortured by his orphaned past, losing his love and seeing the worst of mankind in his role as an officer of the law. When Philo sees Vignette, he is reminded of so much of the past that it could interfere with what is happening right in front of him. Bloom has taken on such a dark character but it wouldn't be the first time. In CARNIVAL ROW he has the added bonus of so many dark characters all around him and a story that is filled with twists that he fits right in.

Delevingne as Vignette is a fierce fae who isn't about to put her people or their culture ahead of anything else, except for maybe love. Not a fan of Philo in the beginning, she begins to realize that he doesn't mean her or the fae any harm. When she thinks him gone, it breaks her heart but not her spirit. She can easily take care of herself but once on Carnival Row, Vignette realizes that her anger at Philo is far down the list of what it takes to survive. Delevinge is quite perfect for this role in that she has the fae look and makes the role her very own and I love that about this character.

Gower as Spurnrose is absolutely yucky from top to bottom of his character and this actor plays it dripping with distain. That's what makes it such a fantastic role! I can't stand Spurnrose yet I also can't wait to see how he's going to make me dislike him even more and Gower doesn't disappoint. Merchant as Imogen is as stuck up as one would expect from a woman of her time and station. She doesn't care about anything or anyone but herself and her finery and yet it takes a Puck to make her see past all of that.

Gyasi as Agreus is a Puck to isn't about to let anyone, human or otherwise, tell him how to live his life. Enjoying the fine home he purchased for himself and man-servant Jim, he also has the uncanny knack of knowing what humans are thinking. His relationship with Imogen is not one either is happy about but it does have its clever perks. Crome as Tourmaline sees what her friend Vignette is going through and it hurts her heart but for more reason that either wants to openly admit.

Varma as Piety is a woman who understands the politics that her husband is part of but also enjoys the lifestyle it provides. She also knows that something is changing on Carnival Row and wants her son to stay away. When he is kidnapped, she suspects everyone. Froushan as Jonah is a young man who is use to a certain lifestyle and doesn't have much expected of him. Smothered by his mother and feeling like he is disappointing his father, he finds a strange solace at Carnival Row. Ford as Sophie begins to provide Jonah with another kind of distraction and no one is pleased about it. She is a strong character who doesn't mind breaking the rules in order to get higher up in the ranks.

Harris as the Chancellor continues to be on an amazing streak of roles in the last few years. I absolutely love everything he does including the recent HBO mini-series CHERNOBYL, the AMC series THE TERROR, and the series THE CROWN. There is a presence about this actor that I'm drawn to see what role he will take next and in CARNIVAL ROW he once again is full of human frailty hidden under the robes of politics - even if it is the politics of the different.

Shout out to Alice Krige as Aoife who also is an actress that I follow because she is so multi-dimensional and in CARNIVAL ROW she is creepy yet honestly a character I was never afraid of. Of course Aoife could probably turn me into a toad if she wanted but there is something straight forward in this role that I appreciated and was fascinated by.

Other cast include Ariyon Bakare as Darius, Maeve Dermody as Portia Fyfe, Jamie Harris as Sgt. Dombey, Waj Ali as Constable Berwick, James Beaumont as Constable Cuppins, Jim High as Fergus, Erika Starkova as

Aisling and Simon McBurney as Runyon Millworthy.

This year CARNIVAL ROW made a showing at San Diego Comic Con International 2019 and the crowd couldn't have been happier. Of course what made it even more special was that Bloom and Delevingne hid underneath costumes so that the big reveal brought the crowd to their feet with cheers. The audience was then treated to a special screening of the series and some even lucky enough to walk away with a pair of very luminescent wings. I knew then that the show was something special and am pleased to say that there will a second season.

I absolutely love the darkness of the show and I don't mean the less than colorful costuming but the story and the characters that are wrapped up in every fiber of it all. Just when you think it's all figured out - nope! Let's be honest, the show starts out in a million knots and we are left, episode by episode, to unravel it like a fine chain necklace. Those who have ever tried to get knots out of a fine chain necklace know exactly what I'm talking about.

Vague in this review? Absolutely. There is no way I want to dive to deeply into the story because that is what makes CARNIVAL ROW such a draw. There is a lot going on so instead of giving it all away, I brought out some of the characters that I appreciated because something tells me we haven't heard the last from any of them (well, maybe a few of them).

The story is based in a fantastical mythology of fae, pucks, spells, history, culture and a tale that is all too familiar in that what is different people are afraid of. By the end of the series you will understand why a second season is not only needed but necessary. I personally want to see where Philo and Vignette are going to take this journey of theirs and for reasons you will see when you binge watch the first season of CARNIVAL ROW on Amazon Prime.

In the end - they each have a story to tell!