Together: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman
Director: Michael Shanks

Michael Shanks' body horror thriller Together may go for the shock factor, but there is more devastation to be found in the ripples between a long-term couple facing the consequences of relationship indifference.

Brie and Franco are Millie and Tim, a pair who've been together for a while, but whose lives as a couple have hit a rut. Millie's just got a new teaching job requiring her to move to the country, something which permanent manchild Tim isn't wild about.

While he's continually chasing a musical career and traumatised by the death of his mentally ill parents, he's stuck in the not knowing what he wants, a trait that's less than endearing to his partner who, in the movie's first awkward scene, proposes to him in front of their friendship group at a farewell party.

Needless to say, it doesn't go well and Tim's distance from Millie merely makes things harder when they move. Setting off on a hike, the pair soon get lost and in a mysterious cave with a well, church pews and a bell - despite their resistance to the idea they end up drinking the water to get through the night.

But the day after, things get weird between the pair of them when they wake up stuck together...

Together is supposed to be about co-dependency, but thanks to Franco and Brie's lived-in relationship vibe, it ends up more of a film about a relationship teetering on the edge that throws in some supernatural elements and a garble of last act exposition.

From jump scares to barbs, throwaway comedy lines and disorienting the visuals, the movie makes great fist of its awkwardness - but never at the expense of the central two performances. Herriman works as an occasional interjecting side character, yet in truth, this belongs squarely to Brie and Franco.

With Shanks' slow-drawing out of events and atmospheric pacing, the film gradually heads for full-on body horror mode - some of which is more successful than other parts, yet it never betrays its central conceit. 

Namely that being part of a couple can be all-enveloping whether you want it too or not. Together may not really offer new insight into this revelation, but it does prove to be a riotously uncomfortable time getting there.

The Wolves Always Come At Night: DVD Review

Director: Gabrielle Brady

An intriguing documentary about a Mongolian couple Daava and Zaya, a nomadic couple in the Gobi Desert, The Wolves Always Come At Night takes a look at the impact one single event can have on an entire community and family.

When a vicious sandstorm rips through their settlement and wipes out their flock, they have no choice but to relocate to the outskirts of a nearby village, far away from the world they've known through the years.

To say The Wolves Always Come At Night is a case of slow cinema in extremis is an understatement. 

With gorgeously swooping and desolate visuals, the film's eye for both the nomad lifestyle and the bleakness of parts of the Gobi Desert is both compelling, alienating and also heartbreaking.

Early scenes find the pair counting their animals - an admittedly small flock - something which builds a level of connection that's not scored by any traditional narrative. Arid lands give way to a raging sandstorm, a visual that as destructive as any wrought by CGI on screen in a blockbuster.

But this intimate tale hints at the damage done by global warming, with the herders revealing in an emergency meeting of their ilk that if they can have at least one in three years that's decent to their crops and stock it's a bonus.

Yet what also emerges in this tale is a strong feeling of resilience, of families and livelihoods shattered by events outside of anyone's control. Not once does the camera allow any kind of manipulation here, with the film providing an honesty that's as compelling as it is raw.

The Wolves Always Come At Night is part of the 2025 NZIFF. For more, visit nziff.co.nz

The Conjuring: Last Rites: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Steve Coulter
Director: Michael Chaves

There's plenty of portentous talk in the supposedly final outing for the Conjuring team of Lorraine and Ed Warren.

With pre-marketing discussing much of the fact that this was the final case and on-screen titles warning that this was the investigation that devastated their family, The Conjuring: Last Rites has a lot to live up to.

Unfortunately, despite some impressive atmospherics and a sense of unease throughout, the film doesn't quite deliver on the dread and feels creepily inert when it should be scaring the willies out of everyone.

Centring on both the Warrens' first case and the haunting of a house and family of eight in Pennsylvania, there's much fertile ground to be mined here. 

From the growing concern over the future of their daughter Judy to their own health concerns, gloom hangs over like a pall in this - and casts a shadow over proceedings.

But in truth, while returning director Chavez delivers a solid film that feels a little unspectacular in places with the obvious build-up to jump scares and a crashing soundtrack to foreshadow any moments, The Conjuring: Last Rites never really feels funereal at all - more a fairground ride of expected jolts and turns

Both Wilson and Farmiga settle back with ease into their characters, imbuing each with thr familiarity of previous outings and adding a few more layers of depth to what's gone on

But it's Tomlinson as the grown up Judy who shines here, with her gradual unraveling amid the strain of the family line truly starting to show. The emotional core of the film rests with her and she lifts it well, even when the movie itself puts narrative jolts above psychological depth.

With cameos from Annabelle the haunted doll,The Conjuring Last Rites closes the chapter nicely on the Warrens, with real-life footage over the credits sealing their legacy - but thanks to predictable direction and a script that never quite elevates itself away from carnival-style flights, this is a film that in parts feels like an indulgence, rather than a case not to lay the franchise to rest.

Bring Her Back: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Billy Barrett, Sally Hawkins, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

There's something deeply disturbing and yet elegantly elegaic in the Philippou brothers' latest film.

The story of siblings Andy and Piper who are fostered out after tragedy comes knocking on their door. Sent off to live with Sally Hawkins' counsellor Laura, the pair find life becomes a little more tricky as time goes on - and Laura's son Ollie, who's turned mute after something happened, does nothing to dispel that concern.

To say more about Bring Her Back is really to take the beats out of the film.

And while it's marketed as a horror, no doubt after the success of debut flick Talk To Me, this sophomore release from the Rackarackas contains some thematic similarities with said film.

Grief, family, trauma, ostracism - they all sit alongside an increasingly disquieting tone of unease that builds constantly throughout. From dismal settings to torrential rain and psychosomatic concerns over showers and water, there's a lot here to build a slow-burning atmosphere.

And build it does thanks in great part to Barrett's anguished performance as the recently bereaved teen who also takes the care of his younger sibling very seriously. In an unshowy performance, Barrett deals with much going on under the surface while bristling up against Hawkins' seemingly troubled Laura.

But the direction keeps the film anything but cliche and a restrained delivery of a slow simmering and bubbling upset proves to be distinctly immersive and entirely traumatising. While perhaps the use of cult material that sets things up is the only weak link of the film, Bring Her Back proves to be a deeply unsettling film that keeps itself grounded while haunting as well.

It may be a grim outing but Bring Her Back really does show the Philippou brothers know how to spin a tale that subverts some of the genre and produce something intimate that stays with you long after the cinema lights have gone up.

A Working Man: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Michael Pena, Maximillian Osinski, David Harbour, Arianna Rivas
Director: David Ayer

If Jason Statham was hoping to reclaim some of the energy and excitement he garnered with The Beekeeper in his latest outing, he's sorely mistaken.

While A Working Man, with its Sylvester Stallone-helmed plot and production, has elements that work well colliding the everyday with the muscle-crunching fights, most of what transpires is just unterminably dull and dour.

Statham is divorced dad Levon Cade, a former Marine Commando living in Chicago and now working a construction site for a family-led business. A wayward soul, who's given food by plenty of members of the workforce, Cade's the reliable force who sticks up for his immigrant colleagues when the bad guys show but rarely allows himself to be part of a family.

However, when the construction boss's daughter is kidnapped after a night out celebrating school, he's spurred into action at the behest of the family, setting him on a path with a group of child sex traffickers, Russian mobsters and his own troubled past - all while trying to negotiate life as a single dad.

A Working Man is just endlessly and needlessly slow, promising to build to a climax that promises much as the angered sides converge on a single location. But despite maybe 10 minutes of well-orchestrated mayhem, the result is anything but enticing, a damp squib of an ending that hints at Cade colliding with an angered Russian again.

Statham does what he does in the genre - and what he has been doing for years - but the dour touches of the script do little to lighten the mood and even give a hint of warmth to the character. Maybe Cade is damaged by his time in the marines, but the script cares so little for depth that it barely even registers after an initial mention and his father-in-law ranting about how damaged he is.

Ayer's penchant for dyeing everything in a perma-yellow and quick cutting during the action sequences soon grows tired too, leaving you longing for either some well-choreographed fight scenes rather than brutally cut encounters that deny you the thrill of the chase.

It helps little there's no fun nor charisma on show here - and if anything it may be called A Working Man, but you can't help but shake the feeling that it's the audiences that have to work for anything in this film - and that's nothing short of a travesty.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Ana de Armas, Gabriel Byrne, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus

Director: Len Wiseman

Early on in the latest John Wick spinoff, Ana de Armas' character Eve is told the best way to fight is to improvise, to step away from the expected and to go rogue.

In truth, it's something this new film (easily written off as a Jane Wick) seems to have taken literally - because while the fight choreography is taut and as expected for a John Wick franchise entrant (and matches the work done by The Continental Prime Video series), the rest of what transpires on the screen feels like a collection of episodes pieced together by bone-crunching fights and little else to thread it together.

For what plot there is, a powerful de Armas' Eve witnesses the murder of her father early in life. Shattered by his death, she's co-opted into the world of the assassins by Ian McShane's Winston Scott, who puts her in the care of Anjelica Huston's Director.

Despite being trained and told to not chase those responsible, Eve goes off the beaten path to pursue vengeance.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina does little to subvert the expectations of a John Wick movie and director Len Wiseman brings a workmanlike edge to the proceedings, something akin to what you'd expect from the eye behind the Underworld franchise. There's nothing showy nor original here whatsoever.

Neon-soaked club fights, the aftermath of carnage after one of Eve's contracts is carried out and on-street gun-fu is all very well, but the film can't quite kick the idea of something new - other than having a leading lady doling out the beatings.

For her part, de Armas has little emotional depth to work with in a linear story - her pain and sadness is what fuels her, but there's little sign of that on display other than early on. However, she more than gets the job done and proves worthy of her place in the John Wick world. (But she fares better than The Walking Dead's Reedus who barely merits more than a slightly extended cameo's worth of screen time).

Creatively, the franchise feels on a knifepoint - and while the inevitable showdown between Wick and the Ballerina eventually appears, the film does little else to provide a new power to what's going on.

A final snow-set village showdown complete with the fact everyone's an assassin (one of the film's high points) and some flamethrower escapades try to enliven the film's back third, but emotionally, audiences will be checked out by this point, wearied - and dare you say it, bored - by a lack of heft other than multiple beat downs. 

LEGO® Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight to Launch Worldwide on May 29, 2026; Pre-Orders Available Now

Warner Bros. Games and DC announced LEGO® Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight is scheduled to launch worldwide on May 29, 2026, for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). Pre-orders are available now for the Standard and Deluxe Editions of the game on the aforementioned platforms* (full content details below).

As part of the announcement during The Game Awards, the audience was greeted by a special guest presenter – LEGO Batman live from the Batcave, who introduced a brand-new trailer with a first look at action-packed gameplay of several playable characters and DC Super-Villains.

Joining the Caped Crusader in the fight to save Gotham City are Robin with his trusty line launcher, Nightwing and his battle staff, Batgirl sporting her versatile hackarang, and Catwoman with her signature whip and loyal companion kitten – all equipped with their own unique abilities, progression trees, combos, and gadgets.

The trailer also revealed new DC Super-Villains that players will take on, such as Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Firefly, and Mr. Freeze, along with other members of the notorious Rogues Gallery in The Joker, The Penguin, Ra’s al Ghul, and Bane. Plus, fans will catch an initial glimpse of the iconic Batmobile from Batman: The Animated Series and Batpod from The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises films, which can be used to traverse the in-game open world.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Standard Edition

Pre-Order Now – Available now ($109.95) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store)

Main Story Campaign

Bruce Wayne’s journey from origin to legend as he trains with The League of Shadows, becomes the hero of Gotham City, and forges a new family of allies with Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Jim Gordon, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul who each bring unique skills and signature gadgets to uncover crimes, complete challenges, and explore an immersive Gotham City full of secrets and surprises.

Players will confront an ever-growing threat from across Batman’s Rogues Gallery, facing off against The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Bane, and more.

100 Suits & Outfits

An array of Batsuits and individual outfits for every playable character, inspired by Batman’s legacy in film, television, comics, and games.

Over 20 Vehicles

A range of Batmobiles and Batcycles to drive around Gotham City's open world in style, including rides like the legendary Tumbler.

Over 250 Batcave Props & Trophies

A wide range of items to display and customise the Batcave and celebrate achievements.

Pre-Order Bonus

All pre-orders will receive The Dark Knight Returns Batsuit (at launch), inspired by the acclaimed comic book series.

 LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Deluxe Edition

Pre-Order Now – Available now ($139.95) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store)

All LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Standard Edition Content & Pre-Order Bonus

Legacy Collection (Available at Launch)

Arkham Trilogy Pack, Batman Beyond Pack, and Party Music Pack – Over 30 launch-day items across three (3) themed content packs, each with seven (7) new suits (one [1] per playable character), one (1) new Batmobile, and a set of five (5) Batcave customisation props.

Mayhem Collection (Available Sept. 2026)

New Mayhem Mode featuring The Joker and Harley Quinn as playable characters with their own abilities, gadgets, and takedowns.

New Story Mission with The Joker and Harley Quinn breaking out of Arkham Asylum and causing chaos on the streets of Gotham City.

Sinister Pack – Seven (7) new suits (one [1] per original playable character), one (1) new Batmobile, and a set of five (5) Batcave customisation props.

Pre-Order Bonus

Deluxe Edition pre-orders will receive 72-hour early access to the game beginning on May 26, prior to the main launch on May 29.

Players can unlock the Golden Age Batsuit (at launch), a classic outfit based on the Caped Crusader’s debut look from Detective Comics #27 (1939), accessible for eligible users who create a Warner Bros. Games account, as well as those who already have an account.

 

Additionally, four new LEGO DC Batman sets are available for pre-order now (launching March 1) and will include in-game digital content redeemable when LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight releases. The LEGO® DC Batman™: Batman Logo set will unlock an exclusive gold Batsuit for the videogame, while the LEGO® DC Batman™: The Batman™ Batmobile™, LEGO® DC Batman™ Batman v Superman™ Batmobile™, and LEGO® DC Batman: Batman & Robin™ Batmobile™ sets will each include a playable version of the respective vehicle, plus an exclusive gold variant of that vehicle, for the videogame. Please note, the exclusive in-game gold Batsuit and gold vehicle variants are only available through purchase of the sets.

 

*Release timing in 2026 for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 version of the game will be announced at a later date. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is available to Wishlist now.