Win Win: Movie Review

Win Win: Movie Review

Win Win
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Melanie Lynskey, Jeffrey Tambor
Director: Thomas McCarthy
Paul Giamatti once again dons his slightly sadsack look for this indie quirky piece about a lawyer Mike Flaherty whose small business is facing a bit of a financial struggle.
Flaherty also moonlights as the coach of a small high school wrestling team - and they're struggling as well.
So, when he sees a cash lifeline from an elderly client, he decides to cash in and becomes the oldster's guardian.
However, that backfires when the grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) shows up and Flaherty's family takes him in. And when Mike realises Kyle can wrestle, suddenly it's all looking up.
But the fragile world is shaken up when Kyle's mum (our very own Melanie Lynskey) shows up, straight out of rehab...
Win Win is the definition of indie. It's from the director of The Visitor and The Station Agent and is once again another powerhouse performance from Paul Giamatti who seems to excel (and is in danger of being typecast) in these world weary character roles.
It's also wryly funny and heartfelt with great performances from Lynskey, who manages to turn a relatively loathsome character into something a little more nuanced and plausible - and Shaffer in particular who manages to get the teenage awkwardness down to an art form. He is a real discovery of a first time actor.
It's the ensemble which works well - Giamatti and Ryan impress with their humorously laconic relationship; Tambor and Cannavale are funny as the assistant coaches and as the house of cards crumbles that Flaherty's created, McCarthy does a good job of handling the situation rather than reducing it to mush.
There's a little case of the film sagging somewhat after an hour or so -but when they throw in a frankly hilarious wrestling scene, you're prepared to forgive it.



All in all, Win Win is a breath of fresh air and a quality indie with an impressive cast.

Paul: Blu Ray review

Paul: Blu Ray review

Paul
Rating: R13
Released by Universal Home Ent
Aliens, geeks and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost back on screen - how can it go wrong?

The duo from Hot Fuzz, Spaced and Shaun of the Dead reteam (and write) this comedy about two guys, Graeme and Clive who head to geek mecca Comic Con after years of dreaming of making the trip.

Sated on the nerd fest that is Comic-Con, the duo then decide to roadtrip around the States, taking in some of the best UFO spots in America.

On a remote highway, the hapless pair chance upon Paul, a grey alien (voiced by Seth Rogen).
The little chap needs a helping hand to escape the government and get home - so Graeme (Pegg) obliges - and the great alien road trip begins.

Throw in a couple of FBI agents chasing, an accidental kidnap of Kristen Wiig's Ruth from an RV camp and a shadowy figure trying to stop them, and you've got the recipe for the rest of this scifi-geek-steeped-pop-culture film.

Eschewing many sci-fi references (ET, Close Encounters, Aliens, Star Wars et al), Paul is likely to appeal more to a certain sector of the audience than others.

That said, don't let the scifi bent of this witty (at times puerile) script put you off.

The trademark bromance chemistry between long time working partners Pegg and Frost continues to amuse on many levels and ensures Paul is a good night at home.
Extras: Featurettes, bloopers, trailers, Simon's silly faces&.

Rating: 7/10 

Game Review - Rugby World Cup 2011

Game Review - Rugby World Cup 2011

Rugby World Cup 2011
Released on Platform : PS3
In case you hadn't noticed, there's the small matter of the Rugby World Cup currently on the go.
As the whole nation heads descends into rugby madness, it's certainly a contagion which is infecting the gaming world as well with the latest tournament now being released onto the consoling world.
Well, I say the latest tournament but to be honest, this one is lacking a little Kiwi action with the All Blacks being signed up exclusively for another game, meaning this tournament feels a little lacking in the current action.
You have choices to make on many levels in this - be it on the team front, strategies, penalty kick choices, tournaments or one off games, there's certainly enough options to keep you busy.
Enlisting in a tournament means you have to go through the process of progressing through stages and how far you go, will all depend on who your opponents are. The earlier stages are of course easier and when you get to the finals, as you'd expect, there's a possibility of a real fight on your hands.
As for gameplay itself, well, to be fair, it's a playable affair - if an unspectacular one.
As ever with these kind of games, the crowd background adds very little to the atmosphere because they're sort of blurred out and relatively undefined.
Coupled with a generic commentary, the signs are there for a bit of a yellow card to be honest given these factors fail to immerse you deeply into the game.
On the pitch itself, the players are glimpsed mainly from the back of the head and on the rare occasion when they do face camera, the graphics are fairly blandly put together and look akin, in places to Mr Potato Head.
Thankfully, while these niggles aren't ideal, they don't detract too much from the game play itself which, even the most inept and uneducated to the sport will be able to grasp.
Overall, this official game is a bit of a disappointment; it's certainly one to wile away the hours in between watching the coverage on TV ONE and on tvnz.co.nz but it's not quite worthy of a placing in the upper echelons of essential sporting console games.

Rating: 6/10

From Time To Time: DVD Review

From Time To Time: DVD Review

From Time To Time
Rating: G
Released by Roadshow
Based on best seller The Chimneys of Green Knowe, From Time To Time is a ghost story mixed in with family intrigue.

When thirteen year old Tolly (Alex Etel) is sent to live with his grandmother (Smith) at her country estate, he becomes obsessed with the family secrets which are embroiled in the home.
Tolly discovers he can move between his world and the past - and begins to uncover family secrets of the estate which have lain dormant for years

From Time to Time feels a little out of time to be honest - it's certainly enchanting in places and has some wonderful effects as Tolly travels from the present to the country home of the past.

Doors open and suddenly Tolly's back in a past brought to life by wonderfully evocative colours and society life.

But it's all a little plodding in places - it feels a little Secret Gardenish as they negotiate different times and along with simple acting and no real emotion from the lead, it's hard to become engaged in this tale.

Which is a shame because Fellowes manages to eke out maximum spookiness from the old mansion, wrings out the best from his locations and gets a great performance from Maggie Smith.

Rating: 5/10

The Housemaid: DVD Review

The Housemaid: DVD Review

The Housemaid
Rating: R16
Released by Madman

Just what is it with rich families?

So much money, so much opulence and luxury - and clearly so many issues -this remake of a Korean classic sees a young divorcee given the role of a housemaid in the Hoon family house.

The man of the house suddenly starts taking the master and servant a little too far (despite a daughter and heavily pregnant wife) and soon, all manner of problems are on the way as she becomes pregnant.

Soon the mother in law is poisoning her daughter and the duo plot to get her our of their lives for good-and however they can.

It's quite a slow building film but one with some racy moments and some wonderful visual touches; there's plenty of starched white around as well-from snow to shirts, this is a house which stinks of repression.

But it's a believable story, well told (aside from the final few scenes which take away some of the overall feel of what's gone on).A strong thriller and one which you can sink into and watch unfold thanks to the strong central performances

Rating: 6/10 

Misfits S2 - DVD Review

Misfits S2 - DVD Review

Misfits Season 2

Rating: R18
Released by Roadshow and BBC

A second season of the brilliant series about five outcasts given superpowers when a storm strikes them as they work to fulfill community service obligations.

This time around, a masked superhero is stalking the gang and it appears many others have gained powers in the storm - and are making life difficult for them.

As ever, a mix of crudity, humour, great oneliners and some smart stories give Misfits the chance to rise out of the mire that sometimes can be superhero shows.

In this seven episode series, there's a bit more heart on display as well as some gross out moments; the writers have gone further to give the gang a bit more depth and the Superhoodie storyline surprises on many levels.

Throw into that mix, a bold final episode which gives the gang the chance to change their powers and you've pretty much got a blank canvas for the upcoming series - Misfits continues to excite and amuse in equal levels and it's well worth investing seven hours of your life in.

Rating: 7/10

Battle Los Angeles: Blu Ray review

Battle Los Angeles: Blu Ray review

Battle Los Angeles
Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Entertainment

Do you like alien invasion films?

Do you like plenty of shooting?

Do you like a minimal plot which sees a leader looking for redemption after the loss of troops in former combat?

Do you like stuff blowing up?

If you've answered yes, then move along, this review won't matter to you. Because right after you've read the title, you'll be firing up the DVD.

It's about a platoon of marines recently returned from combat, who've suffered the loss of their own thanks to the decisions of Aaron Eckhart's staff sergeant.

24 hours later this crew of gung-ho grunts (including one who's about to marry, one who's got post-traumatic stress, one who's a marine on the brink of retirement - just the regular collection of cliches) is heading into battle when a series of meteors land at strategic points around the world.

Pretty soon, it's clear this is an invasion force - and the marines are one of the last lines of defence in the war against this unnamed extra terrestrial army.
It's got the tenets of a B movie, a war film and an FX spectacular thrown in - as well as the predictable Iraq allegory (the aliens are after our resources; they use water for fuel ... subtle it may not be).

But visually, its style is impressive - it looks like a war film with its handheld cameras, verite style following the marines as they try to save civilians from behind enemy lines (which resemble war-torn streets of Iraq). It really gets you into the heart, paranoia and uncomfortable nature of battle.

If you're after an adrenalin-filled spectacle for two hours, full of bullets, bangs and boys (and slightly dodgy alien FX), then it's for you - ultimately, it's not adding anything new to the genre but is distracting enough.

Extras: Behind the battle, Aliens in LA, Creating LA - reasonable pieces

Rating: 6/10