Primate: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Johnny Seqouyah, Troy Kotsur, Jessica Alexnader, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Miguel Torres Umba
Director: Johannes Roberts

Primate sets out its stall in its opening moments.

As a vet walks into a chimp enclosure, he's guided to a darkened part of it where an unknown force awaits...

Johannes Roberts' creature horror mixes elements of horror and odd moments of comedy, but in truth, it's a lack of development in the human side of things which proves to be a minor flaw in a largely enjoyable but forgettable ride that leaves it feeling lesser than it could.

As Lucy (Johnny Seqouyah) returns to her Hawaii home after the death of her animal linguistics mother, family tensions are strained. Her deaf father (Troy Kotsur) is obsessed with his book career rather than his family; her sister is distant, and the family ape Ben (yes, really) is about to have a really bad day after a mongoose bite.

Coupled with the fact a group of friends are at their home for the holidays, things go south quickly when it's clear Ben (Umba) has rabies and turns on them all, trapping them and leaving them fighting for their lives...

As the carnage picks up, the director makes great fist of the fact that Ben can't communicate (outside of a device which at one point, he uses to taunt them with the word 'dead' being repeatedly said) and becomes a killing machine that's mute in the vein of the shape from Halloween. (In fact the soundtrack seems to channel that iconic score in parts.)

But as with some horror films, you're not here for the character development and while there are a few moments of the cast doing stupid things, the kills are particularly brutal and viciously executed - even though a lack of depth prevents you directly caring.

However, there's a commitment to the atmosphere and an impressive continuation of a killer that can't be reasoned with or stopped which makes Primate effective in the moment in cinema.

Embracing the horror genre tropes and a terrific scene from a deaf point of view that is chilling in its execution, Primate proves it's not just here to ape around with horror conventions - it's here to deliver some killer blows too.

Backrooms: Movie Review

Cast:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell.
Director: Kane Parsons

The latest psychological horror to hit screens comes from the director of a viral web series exploring the existential fear of spaces and transitions, as well as the whole Creepypasta vibe.

When furniture store owner Clark (Ejiofor) discovers a series of rooms in his store that he wasn't aware of before, he starts to explore. But after his therapist (Sentimental Value's Reinsve) discovers he's missing, she sets out to find him.

In  many ways, Backrooms is best experienced unspoiled. It's a film that's destined to be dissected, debated and done to death with screenshots as online forums pore over every single visual clue and comment.

There's a distinctly unsettling edge to the 90s set story and visuals with found footage vibes meshing nicely with sly nods to the past, via way of Creepypasta-style dread and unease.

But it's a little obtuse at times, giving non-fans a workout in terms of what's happening. However, what proves to be most effective during the atmospheric film's unsettling aesthetic is the contortions of memory, the dread of empty space and the unending hum of lights buzzing away.

The liminal horror genre is prone to using slave to unsettle and Parsons peppers much of the environments with carefully disturbing imagery, a loop of visuals and mirror images twisting what you see.

Like the first Paranormal Activity film where the home camera swept from side to side, Parsons makes great fist of his spatial sets and unending corridors with shadowy elements lurking in the background. It's easy to see where Severance got its inspiration from.

But while the visuals provide the nightmare fuel, both Eijofor and Reinsve tap into the existential dread of their characters with ease, even if direct answers aren't coming and opacity clouds proceedings.

For Reinsve's therapist,it's looping memories of the loss of the family home that rattle her carefully structured solo world. And for Eijofor's Clark, it's the frustration of how his life went from architect to crummy furniture salesman, left by his wife.

If Parsons does much to expand his shorts series, it's by design. A slow burn throughout builds up to very little, but with mono-yellow vistas and droning hums if lights, the film's high on its own atmosphere.

But by focusing on just two characters and placing them in worlds that challenge their beliefs, he creates a vision that's deeply haunting and one which will never allow you in future to look at an empty corridor without some kind of dread.

Nuremberg: DVD Review

Cast: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Leo Woodall, Michael Shannon, John Slattery, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham

Director: James Vanderbilt

With its message of how Nazi propaganda can spread through charismatic mouth pieces, there couldn't be a more timely film than James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg.

Set at the end of the Second World War, the film begins with Russell Crowe's narcissistic Hermann Göring being arrested as he tries to escape. Assigned a psychiatrist, Douglas M Kelley (played with style and a wide-eyed smirk by Rami Malek throughout), the pressure begins to build a case against the surviving members of the regime.

But it's not just the pressure on Kelly - with a cross-international group looking to prosecute the war criminals, there's a lot hanging on this. A successful win will crush Germany and its legacy once and for all; however failure will leave the allies unable to ever take the high moral ground and prevent any further prosecution of other war criminals...

Nuremberg is a prestige piece of cinema that works solidly as a piece of fictionalised drama and one which is backed up by the impressive work of the cast within. Crowe underplays the role and creates a genuine feeling of a monster whose haughty beliefs delude him into thinking he's above everyone. There are chilling moments and Crowe does well to not overemphasise some of the elements. Equally, Malek is strong as Kelley, and Shannon makes the most of his screentime as the lawyer given the unenviable job of prosecution.

A kind of Silence of the Lambs relationship builds between Kelly and Göring, but it's a softer one that sees both actors channelling some of their best work in their shared scenes.

Yet, there's a somewhat glib atmosphere hanging over the dramatisation of the build-up to the Nuremberg trials that makes the initial part of the film feel like it's playing fast and loose with the devastating legacy of the Nazis and what they wreaked on the world.

Add to that the fact that the one surviving leader of the atrocities, the commander in chief of the Luftwaffe and the Nazis' second-in-command, Hermann Göring is humanised as a man separated from his wife and family, and suffering from a heart condition, plus the fact there are some obvious scripting gags early on, it begins to feel like Nuremberg is a little too knockabout for the weight of its subject matter.

If anything, most of the film spends a lot of time showing that Hermann Göring's family is human, papering over some of the more horrifying truths as Kelly goes back and forth to them delivering letters, drinking tea and listening to piano lessons from his daughter.

With Trumpian allusions and a courtroom scene that echoes Jack Nicholson's cross-examination in A Few Good Men, Nuremberg feels more like a broad film aimed at wanting to echo the warnings of the past to the widest audience possible. (A sentiment that is admittedly noble by any consideration.)

It's not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination and its 150-minute runtime hurtles past at speed. Plus its end is shocking to those who don't know the outcome - a devastating reminder that evil seems to triumph long-term, no matter what.

But it is extremely telling that in among all the acting that's going on, the one moment that speaks the most is genuine footage from survivors of the concentration camps that's played as evidence during the trial. With emaciated bodies, hollowed out eyes and piles of corpses being shifted by diggers, it's absolutely horrifying compelling imagery that still (rightfully) hurts decades on.

Ball x Pit: Nintendo Switch: Review

Developed by Kenny Sun
Published by Devolver Digital
Platform: Nintendo Switch

To say that Ball x Pit is addictive is an understatement.

The roguelite brick-breaking base-building game launched last year and pretty much surprised everyone by how playable it was and how well it handled multiple balls flying around the screen with no drop in fidelity.

With new updates launched this year that included new balls and new characters, the game's going from strength to strength - even if there is a lack of new levels being launched. (Which in of itself would be hard to see happen, given the game plays to completion and is about clearing levels before progressing.) This review won't cover the base game or its new levels, given the extensive launch review did exactly that, discussing the strong mechanics, smart playability and "one more game" mentality that's riddled all through it.

And it's expanded out to other platforms too, with a mobile version taking up hours of time as well. But while the console version's been extremely fun to play, thanks to short levels (unless you want to extend your expedition past the end of level boss), the new wave of portability adds another addictive element to the game. 

The Nintendo Switch version of the game plays just as well as the console - even if the screen's a little smaller. Yet size doesn't matter too much in the game, given how compressed the action turns out to be. However, that's both a good and a bad thing as once the chaos really ramps up with balls and enemies flying everywhere, the screen feels a little too cluttered at times. 

It's something which the Switch as a handheld generally suffers from, but in indie games such as this, it's here that it starts to make a case for a larger screen to cope with the speed and amount of action taking place. Which goes to directly contrast the portability nature of it.

And yet, the Nintendo Switch version of Ball X Pit retains the brilliance of the console game and proves to be a welcome boon for those on the go. It's certainly going to make commuting more bearable, and with even more content on the way, it makes a case for once again being extremely addictive and being part of any gamer's collection.

Free Screamer demo launches

There's a chance to experience the Screamer game for free.

Milestone has announced a free demo for Screamer, its newest arcade racing game. Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, the demo offers a glimpse of Screamer’s unique blend of innovative racing mechanics and fighting actions, set within a rich narrative unfolding in a dystopian world inspired by anime aesthetics and futuristic vibes.

 

Featuring contributions from international partners including Polygon Pictures and Troy Baker, the game is available with a 30% discount as part of a limited-time offer rolling out across both digital platforms and retail stores.

 

The demo immerses players in the first six chapters of the biggest illegal street-racing tournament ever. Organised by the enigmatic Mr. A, it brings together five teams of fearless racers eager to settle long-standing rivalries rooted in their past. Players will immediately have access to the Downtown Run track and the Green Reapers team, former Private Military Contractors seeking to redefine their identity after recent events have shaken the team’s balance. By progressing through The Tournament, players will also unlock Lavinia from the Jupiter Stormers, along with two additional tracks: The Port and Stadium Olympus. Like Downtown Run, these are set in the near-future city of Neo Rey, one of four environments featured in the full game.

 

Beyond the main campaign, the demo also includes two of the six game modes that complete the Screamer lineup, also available in split-screen. In Race mode, players can take full control and fine-tune every aspect of the gameplay, enjoying complete freedom and deep gameplay customisation. In Team Races, they join forces with other characters in special races where final rankings are determined by both final position and KOs executed. The latter will be the core of the upcoming Ranked Team Races, launching on June 18 and introducing a competitive layer to the Screamer online experience.

Resident Evil movie first look

The upcoming Resident Evil movie from Weapons director Zach Cregger has revealed an exclusive first look.

Discussing his vision for the upcoming movie, which releases on September 17, Cregger's revealed more about the inspiration for the adaptation of the horror franchise.

There's also been a reveal of the first poster for the movie.

From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling — and terrifying — reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.

Directed by: Zach Cregger

Produced by: Robert Kulzer, Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Carter Swan and Asad Qizilbash

Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser

Fackham Hall: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Thomasin MacKenzie, Damian Lewis, Hayley Mills, Katherine Waterstone, Tom Felton
Director: Jim O'Hanlon

When it comes to spoofing the likes of Downton Abbey, in many ways, it’s a very easy target.

The clipped speeches, the upstairs-downstairs shenanigans and the posh socialites of Julian Fellowes’ hit series is rife for parody, even if the films teetered on the unexpected edge of self-parody.

Enter Fackham Hall, a film that plumbs the puerile and fires so many sight gags, you get the sense there’s a feeling of desperation from the writers that at least something will amuse and titillate.

Unfortunately, unless you’re of an easily amused mind or partial to a few Dad jokes here and there, this scattershot approach to its subject leaves you wishing for the sophistication of the likes of Airplane, The Naked Gun or the gut-bustingly funny Top Secret.

Set in the 1930s and on the country estate of the Davenports, a stinkingly rich and frightfully oblivious family, it follows the fallout from daughter Rose (McKenzie, showing she’s got a wicked streak for delivery when it counts) as she pursues an illicit courtship with the latest addition to the downstairs staff – who may himself hold a secret.

Let’s be clear, there are attempts at clever humour in Fackham Hall. All of its players fully immerse themselves into the world co-created by the five writers, including comedian Jimmy Carr, who cameos as a “hilarious” vicar who puts the wrong emphasis on words from his liturgies to varying degrees of success.

It’s unfair to dismiss Fackham Hall as a laugh-free zone, but many of the finest moments feel ripped from the pantheon of better entrants. An extended riff on an Inspector Poirot character’s name reminds you that Abbott and Costello did it better nearly 90 years ago with their “Who’s on First?” routine; various lines feel ripped from the Leslie Nielsen school of stupidity – there’s clearly love for the wordplay (and sight gags) of the genre, including a genuinely funny Siri joke, but it all feels a little too much like it’s trying too hard at certain points.

Much like Downton Abbey itself, Fackham Hall all resolves in a highly neat way – and some will enjoy the gentle journey through parody.

But sadly, it feels that with a bit more control at the writing stage and a little more taut execution, rather than the formulaic fodder that unfurls on the screen, Fackham Hall takes its own title and applies it to its own audience and any complaints they may have.