Being Human Series 4: Blu Ray Review

Being Human Series 4: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC And Roadshow Home Entertainment

Series 4 of Being Human was always going to be a difficult ask given that Aidan Turner's vampire Mitchell met his end.

So it's somewhat with a level of trepidation I approached these latest eight episodes of the series - it follows Annie, George and new friend Tom (This is England's Michael Socha) as they mourn the loss of Mitchell.

The body count's quite high as well within the first episode alone - with Sinead Keenan's Nina and original series member George meeting their makers. So that just leaves Annie and a baby Eve, who's got a prophecy hanging over its head.

However, Eve's very being attracts the interest of the Old Ones, an ancient league of vampires - and once again the group's on the run.

This series isn't as bad as you'd expect given only one third of the original group remains - but there is somewhat of a feeling that perhaps it could be time to wrap it all up and move on. That said, the introduction of new characters really gives the series the shake up it actually needed after the last couple had it wallowing somewhat in the melancholy rather than energetic and humorous.

The leads are watchable and the stories work well enough that you really care when the end comes around, which is emotional and gripping.

Whether a fifth season will work as well remains to be seen, but if it all ended now, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

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The Expendables 2: Movie Review

The Expendables 2: Movie Review

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude van Damme, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis (no room for anyone else)
Director: Simon West

Once more unto the breach, my friends. Once more, for these ageing action stars of yore.

Having successfully blown up a lot of stuff (and the box office in the process) in the Expendables back in 2010, it was perhaps no surprise that Sly and his mercenary team of stars from the 80s would return again. (Sly and the Family Stallone, anyone?)

This time around, it's a bit more of a personal quest for the group.

When CIA operative Church (a relatively non-smirking Willis) commands Barney Ross (Stallone) and his unit to extract a safe from a shot down plane, the group duly heads out to pay off their debt.

But what they don't realise is that sneering sunglasses wearing bad guy Jean Vilain (Seriously???) is also after the contents of the safe - and when he takes out one of their own, the Expendables' thirst for retribution propels them to seek revenge.

And that's really it for plot.

Except for plenty of explosions, big guns being shot and crowd pleasing cameos (if you're a fan of the 80s action genre), then the Expendables 2 doesn't do anything more than what it sets out to.

There are two schools of thought on this one - it may be bigger, louder and packed with more explosions and mayhem than ever before, but it doesn't half feel a little soulless as it goes about its plot.

This ageing action thriller is surely aimed at giving the 80s action stars some cred and show that they can still do it with the best. However, it ends up feeling more akin to an episode of The A Team populated by your slightly embarrassing parents, who are determined to show they can still do it, via some grunting, running and generally smacking down whatever they can to demonstrate they're still in shape.

It's incredibly dour with a bit of self deprecation here and there but not enough to carry it off; sure, there's cheese aplenty and cameos to tug at the toughest action hero heart as it enters its final furlong - and there's also risible dialogue throughout. Even with the addition of a female to the mercenary group seems like a shallow attempt to shake the dynamic up and get a few women into the auditorium.

And yet, despite railing against these ideas, I can't quite tell if the film deliberately chose those intentions or whether those involved are such geniuses of the genre that we've all had the wool pulled over our eyes.

Arnie's rolled out like some geriatric deus-ex-machina, and spends his little on-screen time stealing all his scenes, shooting everything and dispensing various catchphrases from his past (no sign of Hasta la vista, so maybe we should be grateful); there's a great use of the Sergio Leone theme from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, though the person who shows up afterwards is not who you'd expect, Liam Hemsworth gives an utterly ludicrous and laughable speech about how, despite the horrors of war, it was the killing of a camp dog which forced him out of the forces (and thus, being a bit vulnerable marks him for death); and even Stallone looks a little weary and tired as it wears on. Crowd pleasing cameos ensue and ultimately, the film's final set piece ends up at an airport, doling out more carnage than a security scanner would ever prevent from happening. Even the final smackdown between a vengeful Ross and wry Vilain lacks the punch-the-air-in-glee denouement you'd expect from such a confrontation you've been teased with over the past 100 minutes.

Despite all the macho gung-ho testosterone on show, and with all of the formulaic plot constraints and constant bombardment of explosions, and people being shot to bits (after dispatching one guy with guts and gusto, Stallone tells his victim to "Rest in Pieces"), if you check your brain at the door and fancy a piece of retro action which comes with a large side order of cheese and explosions, has little coherence and originality, then the Expendables 2 is the perfect night out for you.

Bear in mind though Arnie's final line - when his pals are given an ancient plane to fly off into the distance, and is told that it "belongs in a museum", the Governator smirkingly nods before announcing that "We all do."

Though with a third Expendables outing slated to go into production and with box office anticipation still high for these OAP mercenaries, that seems highly unlikely to happen.

Rating: 

Sound Shapes: PS3 Review

Sound Shapes: PS3 Review

Released by Playstation
Format: PS3

Sometimes, a game can very nearly defy belief and can suck you in completely when you're not expecting to enjoy it.

Such a game is Sound Shapes aka How I lost 36 hours of my life over one weekend.

Unleashed on to the PS3 and PS Vita, this is a brand new gaming experience, which may not be as easily understood by my words...but bear with me.

Designed by Jonathan Mak and Shaw-Han Liem, it's a platformer which will literally bring music to your ears. It's a side scrolling game which uses music to set the tone and also to help play the game. With tunes from the likes of Beck, Jim Guthrie and graphics that are as stripped back and barebones as you can imagine (think 80s gaming with a large dollop of garishness), Sound Shapes doesn't sound like it'd be much fun.

But it's fiendishly addictive; like seeing an album turned into electronica and put onto a screen in front of you. You race through levels as a little ball, clinging to walls, sticking to objects and collecting circular orbs. As you power through the orbs, the beat picks up - and through five mini levels within five other levels - you try to complete them all by collecting as many of the "beats" as you can.

And that's kind of it - except it's not.

Completion of levels gives you the building blocks to build your own levels, which can be shared online and with the community. The more orbs you nab, the more tools you get to play with - simple, eh?

Music and gameplay are fused effortlessly into this piece and while it's simple to play and you're likely to clock the levels pretty quickly, there are plenty of challenges left. Completion of the campaign unlocks the death mode (trickiness personified) and also provides you with heaps of bits to build your own levels, to share, play and complete.

It looks like UGC is the way to go with this game - and it offers up infinite possibilities and plenty of scope for musical fun.

Sound Shapes represents best what I like about the gaming experience currently.

With the arrival of the VITA, gaming's suddenly become a lot more fun, clever, intelligent and fiendishly different, it's not content to sit on its laurels and churn out the same content month after month; this kind of vibrant inventiveness deserves to be applauded and long may it continue.

Rating:

NZ Film Festival goes regional....

NZ Film Festival goes regional

The New Zealand International may have finished in the main centres for 2012 but it continues to roll out to the regions. I caught up with festival director Bill Gosden to get his thoughts on the year just gone - and also to see what the regions can look forward to this year - and what they shouldn't miss out on.

1)      So that’s the end of Auckland and Wellington (and Dunedin) for another year, how’s the festival been - both in terms of sales and experience?Sales exceeded 101,000 in Auckland and we’ve got to be happy about that. We were down 1,000 in Wellington which we attribute largely to the exact coincidence of the Olympics and a general air of caution pervading the capital. Dunedin has been great this year, 2,000 admits ahead of 2011.

2)      What have been the highlights for the main centres?Moonrise Kingdom, West of Memphis, Cabin in the Woods, The Angels’ Share, No, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Marley, From Up on Poppy Hill, and in Auckland, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Live Cinema.

3)      Which films do you think these audiences missed out on and that the regional centres shouldn’t miss out on?
In the Fog, the Imposter, Sleepless Night, Pictures of Susan, Shut Up and Play the Hits and The Red House have proven completely engaging – to smaller audiences than we felt they deserved.


4)      How do you think audiences differ as the festival tours the country?Because attending the festival there requires so much more effort than elsewhere, the Auckland audience is the most intensely focussed. Many Wellingtonians take a more nonchalant approach. The Dunedin audience is our most unnervingly spontaneous, rarely booking and turning up en masse (or not at all) from ten minutes before the advertised start. Elsewhere we can see small venues sell out in advance and schedule extra screenings, but never in Dunedin. This year we’ve had to turn away 100s from Dunedin Rialto screenings of Tatarakihi and The Last Ocean.

5)      Do many of the regionals have the DCP technology – and will people really notice the difference?They certainly will: in Tauranga, Masterton and Hawkes Bay we have no DCP at our disposal and the programme is much, much smaller. The Kiwi content is still strong as we are touring our own HDCAM player.

6)      What’s been your personal highlight so far?There have been many. The first DCP screening at the Civic, Beasts of the Southern Wild  got things off to a stunning start – and the finale with the APO was extraordinary. The response everywhere to such a large and varied New Zealand programme has been very gratifying.

 7)      What do you think will do well around the country?Cabin, Marley, Angels’ Share, Amour, The Last Ocean

8)      What plans do you have for the 2013 festival?Carlos Reygadas has already confirmed his Post Tenebras Lux… We are hoping DCP will be the standard medium by next year and that there will be no more fussing with myriad digital formats.

9)      What’s been the best audience reaction to what you’ve programmed this year?
The big receptions for Beasts and Tatarakihi pleased me the most. Ant gets the credit for orchestrating Cabin in the Woods euphoria.

10)   Just finally, how do you intend to spend the downtime after the regional tour finishes – is there any film or TV you’re desperate to catch up on? Or will you be hoping for a glorious summer to live alfresco and out of the cinema?It’s true that, despite my professional calling, summer is my favourite season, but I am very tantalised by the forthcoming release of 50s and 60s Hitchcock classics on Blu-Ray. 

For all the details of where the NZ Film Festival is hitting around the regions and what's playing, head to www.nzff.co.nz for more!

Moonrise Kingdom: Movie Review

Moonrise Kingdom: Movie Review

Cast: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand
Director: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson's latest whimsical outing collects together eccentricities, visual gags and quirks aplenty as it unfolds on the screen.

Set in 1965 New England, a tale of first love blooms as scout Sam (first time actor Gilman) breaks out from his troop and meets his love Suzy (also, first time actress Hayward) who frees herself from the shackles of her lawyer family (played by the ever deadpan Bill Murray and a stoic Frances McDormand).

But the 12 year old pair's escape doesn't go unnoticed in the small New England time and a search is launched for them as a hurricane approaches.

Moonrise Kingdom is trademark Anderson with his usual idiosyncratic quirkiness still present but dialled down a little.

The music of Benjamin Britten forms a major backbone of this lightly deft piece which is dazzlingly funny and heartfully humorous throughout, despite dealing with slightly precocious kids and more innocent times.

A star-packed cast offers up the very best of what's given to them but the film belongs firmly to the two leads and Anderson, whose eye for the artfully insane and utterly charming are once again spot on in this crowd pleasing sure-fire audience winner.

The main duo of Hayward and Gilman work very well together in this film which is drenched in the yellow tones of the 1960s; their performances are cute and watchable, as the little moments in the film make you laugh. It's a comedy of deadpan deliciousness in places which is sly and wry.

Every one of the cast fits into this oddball world with its over pronounced quirkiness and over accentuated dialogue.

Moonrise Kingdom is a delight; it's a salute to the simplicities of childish times as we view the unfolding romance. Coupled with some delightful comic rhythms, it's nothing short of a cinematic treat.

Rating:



 

Julia's Eyes: DVD Review

Julia's Eyes: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films

A Spanish horror/ psychological thriller which set Spain’s box office alight, Julia’s Eyes shows up with the tag, produced by Guillermo del Toro and with the weight of expectation.

Rueda (who made such an impact in arthouse thriller The Orphanage a couple of years back) is Julia; when Julia’s blind twin Sara hangs herself in her basement, Julia suspects foul play.

But Julia, like her twin Sara, suffers from a degenerative eye disease causing her to gradually go blind – and as she investigates further, she finds her eyesight failing and sliding into darkness.

Combined with the fact Julia’s hunt for a killer throws up more questions than answers, it becomes a race against time for her as her eyes begin to fail and the killer begins to get closer.

Julia’s Eyes is atmospheric, claustrophobic, unsettling and well acted – but at times, it does lapse into a “there’s a killer in the house, let’s run around blind (literally)” kind of horror, which is a shame as it detracts from the genuinely spooky start and feel of the flick.

Rueda is immensely watchable as the twins – and her growing horror is evident and well acted thanks to a restrained performance which is empathetic and gripping. With a creeping sense of “there’s something just out of the corner of my eye”, Rueda reels you in.

It’s just a shame that the story lapses into a few horror clichés and loses some of its freshness as the ever so slightly overlong story unspools.

Extras: Trailer, B Roll and Interviews

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Dr Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: DVD Review

Dr Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Into the show's 25th season and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.

Starring the dream team of Sylvester McCoy's 7th Doctor and Sophie Aldred's streetsmart Ace, the pair end up on a planet (ie quarry somewhere in England) after being invited to attend the psychic circus. Clowns,  gods of Ragnarok and the kid who played Adrian Mole on TV all these years ago await the duo.

Dr Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a pretty good and solid entry into the show's history; Aldred and McCoy have a great chemistry together and this serial throws up some genuinely unsettling imagery too - if ever you were a bit suspicious of clowns, then this show will put you off completely.

Sure, there are parallels between the ratings war between the Doc and Coro as the Doc's pulled into an arena and ordered to entertain or die, but Dr Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a fun slice of Whovian story telling, which sets the tone for future seasons and hints at a more manipulative Doctor.

An average set of extras completes the release - a nice piece looking over how the 7th Doctor's era was covered in the papers explains why there were a few issues - but overall, the set is not massively enhanced by the extra content.

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