SAND LAND demo is available now

Get a first hands-on experience with SAND LAND demo, available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. 

You’ll be able to explore part of the map alongside Beelzebub, Rao and Thief and experiment with some of their unique skills.

Whether cruising through the dunes or fighting off enemies, you will also get a feel for weapon customisation and other upgrades for your vehicle. Increase your vehicles’ efficiency during your battles and lead the gang to victory!

SAND LAND will be available on 26^th April 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC for Steam.

What's on Shudder in April

Here's everything streaming on Shudder on April.

SHUDDER ORIGINALS AND EXCLUSIVES 

Infested 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Friday 26 April  

Director Sébastien Vanicek makes his feature film debut with a story that follows Kaleb, who is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over a matter of inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend.  

Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a bazaar and brings it back to his flat. It only takes a moment for it to escape and reproduce, turning the whole place into a dreadful web trap. 

Starring Théo Christine (Suprêmes), Finnegan Oldfield (Final Cut), Jérôme Niel (Smoking Causes Coughing), Sofia Lesaffre (Les Misérables) and Lisa Nyarko. 

Mute Witness 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Monday 1 April  

From director Anthony Waller (An American Werewolf in Paris), A mute makeup artist working on a slasher movie being shot in Moscow, is locked in the studio after hours.  

While there, she witnesses a brutal murder, and must escape capture.  

The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness 

Streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ 

Film Premieres Monday 15 April 

On the 10th anniversary of the Australian found footage film The Tunnel, this documentary delves into the filmmakers endeavors to challenge how films are financed and  distributed, and the lasting impact The Tunnel had internationally. 

*The original film The Tunnel also available  on 15 April.

NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S FILM LIBRARY 

April 1 

Vesper 

Struggling to survive with her father after the collapse of Earth’s ecosystem, 13-year-old Vesper must  use her wits, strength and bio-hacking abilities to fight for the future.  

April 4 

Gateway 

In an ordinary abandoned house – on what could be your ordinary street – a gang of desperate  criminals have found something – or it has found them.  

April 15 

The Tunnel 

An investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep  beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story, it quickly becomes clear  the story is hunting them.  

April 22  

13th Floor 

As a child, a girl witnessed her father electrocute a young boy. When she grows into an adult, the  ghost of the murdered boy appears to her, and together they set out to expose the crimes of her  father. 

Final Cut (aka Death Games) 

A reporter and his girlfriend follow around a famous actor/entrepreneur and discover some dirt on him  to be made public.  

Road House: Movie Review

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, Jessica Williams, Billy Magnussen
Director: Doug Liman

Much like a punch to the face, the 2024 version of Road House offers some vicarious hits in among the bruises.

A buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal brings a degree of charm and smarm to his ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, a man who doesn't like to get angry and who is grappling with issues from his own past.

After a fight he is due to take part in is cancelled last minute, Dalton is approached by Frankie, (Williams) the owner of a road house in the Florida Keys and offered a job in security. Reluctantly he takes it, and finds himself slap bang in the middle of a war between the owners of the Road House and local real estate broker Ben Brandt (Magnussen) who wants to close down the establishment and take the land for nefarious reasons.

The thing with the 2024 remake of Road House is that it veers between tones with nary a moment of consideration for the viewers.

On the one hand, it's a film about a man dealing with his past demons; on the other, it's a film of cartoonish violence shot from a POV camera that feels like something from the 80s. Yet at the same time, it's possibly destined to become a guilty pleasure of a film, one that is solidly watchable in parts despite its absurdities.

Gyllenhaal is impressive as Dalton, and his obvious charisma and appeal is on show throughout. But his appeal becomes somewhat one dimensional as the movie goes on and his lack of any potential relationship with an ER doctor (Melchor) as hinted at earlier on, just fizzles out.

As for controversial UFC fighter McGregor, it's hard to know exactly what tone Liman wanted from his villain - other than "shoot for OTT and then go even further". After a memorable entrance, McGregor's character simply becomes a cartoon threat, one that's snarling and snapping and acting in a different film to everyone else.

There are moments when the fight choreography shines in its frenetic ways, but coupled with some poor lighting and some editing, it doesn't quite gel as perhaps it should. Certainly there's plenty of bone-crunching violence, but not the relevant amounts of gore to match what transpires.

Ultimately, the 2024 Road House is the kind of B-movie you'd probably watch after a few beers with some mates; it has a few pervasive pleasures, but feels like a movie that's confused by what it wants to be - an updated homage to the Patrick Swayze great.

Road House begins streaming on Prime Video from March 21.

Doctor Who to return in May

Calling across the Whoniverse! Disney Branded Television and BBC jointly announced the premiere date for the next “Doctor Who” instalment, the first-ever season to launch on Disney+ and release simultaneously worldwide. Beginning Saturday, May 11, at 12:00 pm NZST on Disney+ in New Zealand, audiences will return to “The Church on Ruby Road,” which premiered last December, and journey through two all-new episodes.
 

Accompanying the news, Disney+ released new key art and a gallery image featuring the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, and his companion Ruby Sunday, portrayed by Millie Gibson.
 
This season of “Doctor Who” follows the Doctor and Ruby Sunday through infinite adventures across time and space in the TARDIS. From the Regency era in England to war-torn futures, the duo champion the forces of good while encountering incredible friends and dangerous foes.
 
Showrunner, executive producer and writer Russell T Davies said: “At last, it’s my great delight to unleash a whole new season of the Doctor and Ruby’s adventures together. Monsters! Chases! Villains! Mysteries! And a terrifying secret that’s been spanning time and space for decades. Don’t miss a second!”
 
The previously announced guest cast includes Aneurin Barnard, Anita Dobson, Yasmin Finney, Michelle Greenidge, Jonathan Groff, Bonnie Langford, Genesis Lynea, Jemma Redgrave, Lenny Rush, Indira Varma and Angela Wynter.
 
“Doctor Who” is produced by Bad Wolf, with BBC Studios for Disney Branded Television and BBC. Under the creative vision of Davies, the additional executive producers include Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter. The new season features episodes directed by Ben Chessell, Jamie Donoughue, Julie Anne Robinson and Dylan Holmes Williams.

Win a Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire prize pack

To celebrate the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in cinemas March 21, thanks to Sony Pictures New Zealand, you can win a prize pack.

About Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. 

But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts

Inside each prize pack is:

Squishy keychain

Pencil case

Car window vinyl

Double pass to the movie

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in cinemas March 21

Skull and Bones: PS5 Review

Developed by Ubisoft Singapore
Published by Ubisoft
Platform: PS5

Skull and Bones has had a long gestating pre-release period.

First touted back in 2017, the live-action RPG went through many iterations and was seemingly inspired by the naval battles of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. But finally bursting onto the waters of the 2024 release schedule, the game's been somewhat battered by underwhelming reaction to what really is a very solid tactical game.

Perhaps some of the issue is the fact this high seas adventure looks graphically a little weak, with very little sign that any of it has been fixed up for the next gen consoles. But in truth, some of that can be overlooked by very polished mechanics of boats at sea, plundering the waves, even if some of the game feels like a grind and feels a touch repetitive at times.

From building craft to securing gold, upgrading cannon, it's a very realistic pirate experience that trades off a suspension of disbelief as well as a willingness to forego some of the moments where the game falls short.

Chiefly, the game does fall apart a little when it's played solo, as other players can take you down, and it feels in the early stages of it like it doesn't quite give you enough power to beat the combat at sea or avoid a fate in Davy Jones locker.

But pairing up with others provides spoils and plunders worth exploring and gives you a chance to build your boat up to a ferocious scurvy dog of the seas. Ship to ship combat is naturalistic and relies on your understanding of life on the water, from harnessing the best winds to make a speedy getaway or powering into combat with an all-powerful cannon.

There's much here to engage in and while the game takes its time to unfurl its grip, some will say it's only an extension of AC: Black Flag. But for those not familiar with the Animus' water offering, Skull and Bones proves to be the foundation of a very solid RPG set on the sea - particularly with a year's worth of content roadmap all laid out.

Maybe its narrative is somewhat lacking, and the single-player campaign is not as engaging as it could be - but Skull and Bones proves to offer fertile rewards when played online, and with others. It's a solid start that lays down the promise of something further. 

Hopefully that future promise won't be lost at sea.