The Raid: Blu Ray Review

The Raid: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

You may have heard of The Raid; you may have heard of it talked about in gushingly reverential terms...you may even know someone who's seen The Raid.

But quite frankly, nothing can prepare you for what you experience in this intense Indonesian martial arts action film.

Directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, The Raid stars Iko Uwais as Rama, a member of a SWAT team called in to help take down the crime lords living in a downtown Indonesian high rise building. Rama's about to become a dad and so has everything to fight for in this raid. Once inside though, the crime lords appear to have the upper hand and set the residents onto the SWAT team - and Rama can't prepare himself fully for what lies ahead - betrayals, shock and plenty of fighting....

And that's it for plot - because, quite simply, that takes second fiddle to some unbelievably violently intense and technically impressive fight sequences which pepper the entire film. Sure, there's a few lulls and quiet moments here and there between the action scenes - but man, oh man, what a stunningly good action film this is.

The Raid is unbelievably violent, utterly adrenaline soaked and will beat you into submission - in a good way.

The body count is incredibly high - people are gored and impaled by a door, shot thousands of times, taken out by machetes and even by fluorescent light tubes. The novelty factor of some of the kills is something audiences will lap up and you can't help but pump your fist in the air as the action escalates.

It's utterly watchable though thanks to spot on direction from Evans and there's something almost balletic about the way the lead up to the action is choreographed; with a slow brooding electronic soundtrack or beating drum, you're taken to the edge of your seat and then smashed in the face with the inevitable beat downs. 

There's a real adrenaline rush to this intensely brutal flick - but the martial arts sequences when the guns are jettisoned and it's just hand-to-hand combat are simply stunning, sensationally choreographed and visually gobsmacking.

The Raid is heading for an American remake - and that's ok with those involved in it because it means there'll be money to make a foreign sequel; my advice though is to see it now while it's in its purest form and at its most thrilling.

Extras: Inside the Raid, TIFF Premiere, Q&A with cast

Rating:

The Women on the 6th Floor - DVD Review

The Women on the 6th Floor - DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

It's off to 1960s Paris we go in this Upstairs, Downstairs social drama about the owner of a house and his relationship with the maids he employs.

A starched Fabrice Luchini is stockbroker Jean-Louis Joubert who lives with his socialite wife amid the perks of wealth. One such perk is the owning of maids; but when the head of the household quits, Joubert ends up hiring Maria (Natalia Verbeke), a Spanish maid new in town, who soon makes his mark in the household.

But not for the wrong reasons - her bright breezy attitude opens up Joubert's eyes to the injustice and suffering of the Spanish help as this cross cultural dramedy unfolds.

The Women on the 6th Floor is a gentle Gallic charmer of a film - it runs foul of a few cliches here and there as it negotiates the day to day life and politics of a stiffly starched yet compassionate relationship and tensions between the French and the Spanish as the Civil war continues. 

Luchini and Verbeke make a pleasant couple - with her youthfullness and joie de vivre bringing out the compassion over time of his repressed socialite. Occasionally, their relationship feels a little forced and lacks perhaps some of the sizzle that you'd expect of the story.

All in all, The Women on the 6th Floor is a light, breezy Gallic treat of a film to wile away a Sunday afternoon.

Extras: Cast interviews, behind the scenes, deleted scenes, theatrical trailer

Rating:

AVATAR gets the 3D Treatment

AVATAR gets the 3D treatment

News reaches Darren's World of Entertainment that Avatar's getting the 3D treatment.

Here's the release, which fans of the phenomenally popular film will want to savour:

PANDORA COMES TO LIFE LIKE NEVER BEFORE WITH THE ULTIMATE HOME VIEWING EXPERIENCE

AVATAR ON BLU-RAY 3D
 

Over 33 Million Facebook Fans Receive Exclusive Global Announcement as the Film That Became a Worldwide Phenomenon Arrives on Blu-ray 3D in October 
 

Auckland, New Zealand – The world of Pandora has never looked better as over 33 millionAVATAR Facebook fans were the first to learn of the upcoming release of the AVATAR Blu-ray 3D Collector’s Edition, available in New Zealand from October 24 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. A home entertainment experience like no other, for the first time ever, fans will be able to welcome James Cameron’s global box office sensation into their homes in stunning 3D high-definition.

“3D television is the future of home entertainment,” said James Cameron, the Oscar® winning Director. “I’m a huge proponent of the technology and very pleased that AVATAR can be viewed in the living room the way it is meant to be seen.”

“As the number of homes with 3D televisions continues to grow, we thought it was important to bring the biggest 3D film ever right into your living room,” continued Jon Landau, Academy Award® winning Producer of Avatar. “This is the only way fans should experience the world of Pandora and this release offers the highest picture quality possible. ”Previously only available to consumers through an exclusive deal with Panasonic, the two-disc AVATAR 3D Blu-ray Collector’s Edition will feature the original theatrical release and be available in all-new collectible packaging. Seen by more than 310 million people worldwide, the Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in more than $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time."

Avatar 3D Blu ray hits October 24th

Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

There's been a whole heap of trailers out from Gamescon - and here in one handy little blog, are some of the best trailer.

First up, Rocksmith - I've had hands on with Rocksmith on PS3 already - but this trailer makes it look even more awesome.



Next, there's Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth:



And there's even more of a look at Assassin's Creed 3 - Official Liberation Feature:




Plus, a first look at SpyHunter... I used to love and live this game, so the classic looks cool when updated for 2012....

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment
Rating: M

So, amid all the hype, the first part of Suzanne Collins' wildly successful young adult series The Hunger Games is unleashed.

The film's set in a not too distant futuristic world known as Panem, which has risen from the ashes of a rebellion.

Those behind the rebellion have been defeated by the ruling classes and now live in run down districts outside of the main centre of Panem, The Capitol. But there's a heavy price for this rebellion as the powers that be hold the annual Hunger Games - where in a boy and a girl from each of the 12 Districts is chosen by ballot annually and must fight to the death in an arena with the world watching on. 

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12. She's the carer for her widowed mother and younger sister, Prim, after their father was killed in an explosion down a mine.

But when Prim is chosen as one of District 12's Tributes during the annual Reaping ballot, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games - and she's whisked into the Capitol along with baker's boy Peeta (Hutcherson) to train for the life and death ceremony...

The Hunger Games arrives with a hefty weight of expectation on its shoulders; from the fans, a desire to see their beloved books adapted well; from the studios, a chance to potentially launch a new franchise and for the non-fans, a chance to see what the hype is about and buy into the rest of the series.

And thankfully - mainly due in large part to Jennifer Lawrence and a lot of restrained direction from Ross, it's a success.

Lawrence's Katniss is a well rounded, focussed yet vulnerable character; a hunter gatherer whose desire to protect herself and her loved ones blinkers her to the world around her. Lawrence once again excels in a lead role and shows she can hold your attention for long swathes of the film. Through a subtly nuanced performance which internalises her emotions and showcases Katniss' stillness, Lawrence imbues the heroine with a series of instantly recongisable traits - fear and calculation mixed in together when she's hunting in the life or death situations and uncertainty when having to deal with emotions and new situations. Clearly once again, she demonstrates an acting talent beyond her years.

Along with great supporting turns from Kravitz as Cinna, Katniss' stylist, Harrelson as Haymitch, a former winner of the Games, Tucci as a slick and slimy Master of Ceremonies and Banks as the District 12 escort, this is a film which impresses on many levels.

That said, it's not without its flaws; an over reliance on shaky cam at the start quickly outstays its welcome; there's confusion over what rules the sponsors (who have the chance to help the tributes inside the arena) must conform to other than offering a deus ex machina once in a while; and the film stumbles a little as its length kicks in and it awkwardly centres on a love angle between Peeta and Katniss, as well as trying to throw in a love triangle with Liam Hemsworth's Gale, one of Katniss' friends from back in the district.

Fans of the book will adore The Hunger Games - others should be suitably impressed by Lawrence's trail blazing turn - and while purists may claim it's been done before (Battle Royale anyone?), The Hunger Games is a brilliantly rousing mix of teen drama, futuristic sci fi and rebellion - which results in an extremely impressive film and a very confident start to the franchise.

Let the Games begin...

Extras: The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games - an eight-part documentary covering the making of the film in all aspects from the pre-production process all the way through the theatrical release and fan reactions, Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon featurette, Letters from the Rose Garden - featurette insights from Donald Sutherland on the development of his role as President Snow, Controlling the Games featurette - stories and concepts behind creating the control center, 
A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell, Propaganda Film (in its entirety) Marketing Archive, 
Preparing for The Games: A Director's Process (Blu-ray Exclusive)

Rating:

Little Big Planet: PS Vita Preview

Little Big Planet: PS Vita Preview

Sackboy, je t'adore.

Ever since I first clapped my chubby little fingers on Little Big Planet on the PS3 all those years back, I fell totally for the Sackboy experience.

It'd been a while since the creativity and cleverness of a little cloth character and his on screen antics had filled me with such joy (not since the childhood days of the Wombles in fact) so to say I have great anticipation for the handheld PS Vita Little Big Planet, fully interactive Sackboy experience is a complete understatement.

The preview for the BETA I was given is restricted only to the first world and the first level of the second - despite looking to all intents and purposes like it's the full game.

And if this is what we've got to look forward to when it comes out, then, boy oh boy, is the VITA going places quickly.

In this latest outing for Sackie and his cute ways, it's off to the people of Carnivalia for Sackboy's quest - and our visit to the world of the inventive.

It begins with the usual Stephen Fry narrative about the Imagisphere and then quickly moves on to providing a bit of background to the adventure.

Basically, a bad being known as the Puppeteer has snatched all the good from a normally fun place and is making the Sackboys and girls sad no faced creatures known as Hallows. Once a popular entertainer on Carnivalia, the Puppeteer's now filled with raging darkness and determined to take out the people of Carnivalia.

But as ever, Sackboy's here to save the day.

In this BETA preview, it's upto you as Sackboy to learn the skills needed to defeat the mean old Puppeteer while under the guidance of Colonel Flounder, a multi-whiskered gibberish talking man who talks you through the basics. There's an almost Tim Burtonesque feel to the shadowy world of the Puppeteer, and a lot of it feels like a darkly gothic world with shadow puppets and creatures lurking in the background.

If you're a LBP player, the basics of what's ahead won't be new to you.- jumping over things, dragging stuff about to reach those higher places, swinging off objects while holding on and customising your character to look cool (or hilarious).

But what is new is the use of the interactive tech offered up by the VITA.

First there appears to be the capability of moving objects around the screen to help Sackboy get through a level - blue blocks can be moved to ensure the little fella can head up higher into the upper echelons of Carnivalia. But what's great about this is that they can be shifted around while Sackie's in motion, giving you the feeling you're about to react on the fly to what comes up. It's a smart use of the touch tech for the VITA and one which offers up a heap of potential - not just some gimmicky feel to it all.

Equally as clever is the use of the rear touch pad to shift green blocks around (which turn blue once bashed but can be moved back and forth) - the great thing about this is that you can use a combination of front and rear to help reach higher up and complete levels.

It's the interactivity which appears to be the key to the latest version of LBP. Tilting the VITA helps give Sackboy some form of expression; heads up or heads down, using the joysticks and the L1 to help him wave or not; and NEAR tech apparently will help you find other Sackboys and girls nearby to get involved. Once again, some levels will need 2 to complete so this short term, quick fix gaming is going to pay off for the portable version.

Plus taking your own pics with the camera and splashing them around the world is quite a unique touch as well.

The levels of the first world which I've played are your fairly standard kind of challenges with hints of plenty more to come within the La Marionetta training camp. It's plenty playable enough and utterly addictive once again as Sackboy races between bubbles, scores and level completion.

The game frustratingly ends in the first level of the arcade, where you play a game called Tapling which uses the touch tech to bounce a ball with eyes and try to free some trapped lumino type characters. It's quite important to get the timings right on this, and fat fingers aside, the touch reacts so well and quickly to your timed moves.

Side levels look fun too - one sees you having to tilt the VITA to one side to essentially carry out a Sackboy version of Whack-a-mole. The inventiveness of this suggests real potential for the full game when it comes end of next month.

I have no doubt Little Big Planet will be a big hit on the VITA - there are plenty of building blocks to suggest a community life which will live on much longer than the story levels themselves. After all, that's what the initial joy of Little Big Planet was - an embracing of the interactivity, the fun and the sheer genius of the tools to provide a game which was bigger than anything beyond what the developers had in mind.

I cannot wait for the full game which clearly has bags of potential - Sackboy's reign will continue on the VITA - and long may it do so.

The Bourne Legacy: Movie Review

The Bourne Legacy: Movie Review

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Albert Finney
Director: Tony Gilroy

Matt Damon is gone from the Bourne movie, but his presence casts a shadow over this latest outing.

Jeremy Renner is now the Bourne again spy in this action thriller, which has been stripped of its original team but tries to revamp the Bourne series.

Renner stars as Aaron Cross, an agent being trained in black ops program, Operation Outcome. the training's brutal; abandoned in the wild, Cross is taking blue pills to increase his mental skills and green ones which enhance his physical skill sets.

However, when the events of the Bourne Ultimatum come to fruition with Jason Bourne exposing the details of Operation Blackbriar and Treadstone Project, the CIA decides to close all their ops down and eliminate their assets thanks to the involvement of Edward Norton's clandestine agent Eric Byer.

But Cross discovers he's been double-crossed and escapes...

At the same time, scientist Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) escapes a massacre at her laboratory (which was testing the subjects of Outcome) and finds her life threatened by her involvement in the undercover operation. Luckily though, Aaron Cross is there to save her and the two end up on the run...

What to say about The Bourne Legacy?

Firstly, this parallel-a-quel really does suffer from a murky and confusing script and not exactly heaps of tautly put together action sequences which proliferated the first three films, excellently put together by Paul Greengrass. There are chunks of heavy exposition from plenty of scenes of CIA suits standing around monitors and barking orders - which don't serve to add to the tension or suspense, merely to slow it down.

Secondly, it's incredibly hard to warm to Jeremy Renner's character, regardless of how well he acts throughout the film's rather dour, slightly stuffy and overlong running time.

Don't get me wrong, Renner is nothing less than electric as he launches  a career as an action man of the movies - even if he does lack the charisma of Damon; but it's symptomatic of the film that you don't really warm to Cross in a way you did with Bourne. It could potentially be something to do with what's at stake for each - with Bourne, it was about finding out who he was (a very personal motivation) whereas with Cross, it appears to be that he just wants to get his fix of his blue pills so he doesn't slump back in his mental prowess and slide back into average Joe territory. It's an odd motivation and one which lacks the humanity which is needed to grip you in a thriller like this.


While Weisz brings a permanently pained and shocked expression to her Marta Shearing, she adds very little else except to maybe serve as a potential love interest and to run about in need of saving. Norton's nothing less than icy and cold as Byer and presents a menacing presence for future films.

There's not enough action throughout The Bourne Legacy - and while there are some impressive sequences when they do show up, they're never as immediate or gripping as what's gone on in previous films.

In some ways, Gilroy's made a parallel franchise which is solid, but unfortunately unspectacular. It may seem a little unfair to tar this film with the previous trilogy so much, but given Jason Bourne casts such a pall over the film, it seems unfortunately inevitable. The final chase sequence which concludes the film ends abruptly and the film ends equally as abruptly immediately afterwards.

The Bourne Legacy feels like an extended first act with no face off or ultimate conclusion between the good and bad guys, giving it the feeling of one (over)long tease which offers hardly any pay off. Interesting it may be and a solid thriller it is, but it's just not quite enough excitement to sustain and enthral you for 2 and a quarter hours of your life.

Rating: