New Reacher trailer hits

New Reacher trailer hits

Yesterday we brought you the first poster for Reacher, starring Tom Cruise.

And today, we've now got a brand new Jack Reacher trailer.

Take a look below!

Jack Reacher Poster unveiled

Jack Reacher Poster unveiled

We've had already the Jack Reacher trailer as the new Reacher film starring Tom Cruise nears release.

And now we have the US poster for the upcoming Jack Reacher film.

Take a look at the Jack Reacher poster below!

Paranormal Activity 4 - NZ Scared?

Paranormal Activity 4 - NZ Scared?

Paranormal Activity 4 hits NZ cinemas tomorrow - and now, reactions from the secret screening I attended have been unveiled...

Take a look at the video below:

First look at Frodo in the Hobbit

First look at Frodo in the Hobbit

As we gear up for the Wellington premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey next month, we're starting to get more peeks at the characters from the Hobbit.

Including a first look at Frodo in the Hobbit.

Spanish site Cinemarcado.com has unleashed some pics from The Hobbit - and here they are below for people wanting to see Elijah Wood as Frodo.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey  hits theaters on December 14 this year,  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug  on December 13, 2013 and  The Hobbit: There and Back Again  has scheduled to debut July 18, 2014.

Rock of Ages: DVD Review

Rock of Ages: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

It's 1987 and the Sunset strip, Los Angeles in Hollywood - enter Julianne Hough's small town girl, Sherrie Christian, fresh off the bus and hoping to find her dreams. But within seconds of stepping off the bus, she's been robbed of her most vital possessions - her rock records.

Enter Diego Boneta's Drew, a bartender at famous rock joint, The Bourbon Club (run by Alec Baldwin's Dennis Dupree) - who comes to her aid and falls instantly in love with the fresh face.

But there's a storm brewing - and not just for the two lovers.

A new mayor's (a barely there Bryan Cranston) trying to get into power and the main thrust of his campaign, run by his wife, the evangelical Patricia Whitmore (a perma-bronzed Catherine Zeta Jones) is to get rid of the Bourbon club and sweep all of its rock'n'roll depravity into the confines of history.

Throw into volatile mix, the return of the original bad boy rocker and legend, Stacee Jaxx (played by Tom Cruise) who's about to go solo and is in town for one last gig with his band Arsenal at the Bourbon Club - it's all about to go down.

If you're after plot and deep character exposition then move on - this is a musical. But if as the song says "You ain't looking for nothin' but a good time", and you can cope with a bit of guilty pleasure music then, Rock of Ages  with Tom Cruise, really is for you.

Along with the cheese and a hint of comedy, comes a large side order of ham as some of the cast throw in a bit of over-acting here as is the wont of musicals. It is really the music which is the star of this flick - even if there are a few too many tunes belted out all over the place. 

Chalk Rock of Ages up to a guilty pleasure. It's as bloated and as excessive as the overblown 1980s rock music scene but hell, it's a fun night out  - if you're prepared to just put your brain in neutral and go with it.

Extras: Look at the real Sunset clubs, music featurette and Def Leppard live at the premiere.

Rating:

Madagascar 3: PS3 Review

Madagascar 3: PS3 Review

Released by Namco
Platform: PS3

I'm quite happy to admit that I really enjoyed the latest cinematic Madagascar outing for Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, Melman the giraffe and Marty the Zebra - it was a sign that lightning does indeed strike three times in a row.

So, I was kind of bemused to see if the small screen game tie in would offer the same level of zaniness and originality that made the time in the cinema a lot of fun.

Sad to say that Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted The Video Game doesn't really hit the bar of the same level - unless you're a child or 2 children playing together in a co-operative. (I should have probably known when it said for ages 3 and upwards on the front cover.)

The platformer is still quite cartoony and follows roughly the same kind of script as the film - the gang has to avoid animal control  - but adds in a few newer layers.

Initially though in Story Mode, you have to complete some basic levels and get used to the various controls and ideas which permeate this title. After the same level of lunacy in the story telling as pervades the movie, you're into the game - but not before King Julien's interrupted the Penguins who are trying to tell you what to do. It's here that Madagascar The Video Game really captures the madcap spirit of the movies and begins to amuse you.

Sadly though, that laughter was lost when the actual gameplay began to roll out.

The theme here is co-operation with each of the animals bringing their own skillset to the table - and you needing to wise up quickly to take advantage of these skills to achieve what's expected of you. For example, Gloria can side bump boxes but you'll need Marty's kicking skills to send them exactly where you need to get to. It's with this move that the game really comes more alive for a couple of kids wanting to sit down and play a little together, as a Billy-No-Mates one player has to keep switching between characters to get the job done. There's nothing wrong with that but it certainly does slow down what are essentially mini-games and occasionally interrupts the flow of it all. Add into that mix, a level of repetition and wandering around which becomes tiresome after all and the story mode is somewhat difficult to fully immerse yourself in.

Circus mode for the game is perhaps a bit more fun - well, if you fancy a bit more of a mini bitesize mood to the game. Taking the roles of different characters in the circus, you get to do a variety of games by tapping the circle, square, cross and triangle buttons - it's a fairly predictable way of doing it but with the games proffering up such gems as hurling bananas or peach at a baying crowd, guiding Vitaly the tiger through hoops or taking Gloria on the tightrope, it's a fairly disposable fun way to spend a bit of time.

Graphically, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted The Video Game does well at capturing the likeness of its lead characters but they do little other than exist on the screen - that's not to say that they don't leap out at you, but even with the talent reprising their voices, it's still unremarkable if loyal work. That's actually perhaps the best thing about this game - the voices; it's great to have a tie in with ties to the movie.

But the problem with this release is that it doesn't tend to offer a long gaming session on the PS3 - it's more about bitesize gaming and challenges and as such would perhaps be better suited to a portable system to keep the kids happy in the back of the car for an hour. It's certainly colourful and respectful of the tone of the movies in general, but it's lacking a real reason to engage with it for prolonged amounts of time.

All in all, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted The Video Game will keep the kids amused more than anything; it's a childish platformer which clearly skews younger in terms of demographic and certainly won't be loved by adults forced to play it thanks to repetitive gaming and a real lack of anything other than momentary entertainment.

Rating:

World's End poster revealed

World's End poster revealed

Colour me wet my pants excited...

I've just seen the first World's End poster and had to share it with you.

For those not in the know, World's End is the third re-teaming of the Cornetto trilogy team of Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and follows the brilliance that was Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.


Here's a bit more about World's End:

Working Title Films and Big Talk Pictures have commenced filming on The World’s End, the third instalment of Edgar Wright’s trilogy of comedies, following the successes Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007).  The new movie is filming in the U.K. As with the first two movies in the trilogy, Universal Pictures International (UPI) will distribute The World’s End internationally and Focus Features will distribute it in North America.

As with the two earlier pictures, Mr. Wright co-wrote the script with Simon Pegg, who will once again star alongside Nick Frost. Joining the team are actors Martin Freeman (Shaun of the Dead, The Hobbit), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher).

The World’s End also marks Mr. Wright’s third movie with Working Title and Big Talk, following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz; The World’s End is produced by Nira Park of Big Talk and Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The film will be executive-produced by James Biddle, Mr. Wright, Mr. Pegg, Mr. Frost, and Liza Chasin.

Mr. Wright is also reteaming with such creative collaborators as director of photography Bill Pope, production designer Marcus Rowland, hair and make-up designer Jane Walker, editor Paul Machliss, stunt coordinator Bradley Allen, and VFX Double Negative. Guy Speranza is the film’s costume designer.

In The World’s End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End.  As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realise the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.