My Darling Companion: DVD Review

My Darling Companion: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

A discovery of a dog on the side of a freeway serves as only the precursor to a menopausal drama playing out in this latest film from Lawrence Kasdan, which is reportedly part of his Big Chill generational series.

When Diane Keaton's Beth takes the dog home, husband Joseph, a successful spine surgeon played by Kevin Kline isn't in favour - but gradually the dog wins him over. Cue one year later, when at their daughter's wedding, the doc accidentally loses the dog out in the woods - and subsequently Beth breaks down.

Enlisting the help of a psychic gypsy (!), Beth and Joseph, along with family and friends try to search for the missing pooch as well as navigating a series of crises, self discoveries and ultimate acceptance of old age.

My Darling Companion benefits from a great ensemble cast - the pairing up of Mark Duplass and Richard Jenkins is inspired - but it falls short from a script which is more talky, and full of whiny people with problems.

It's a shame because it has a lot of potential rather than just becoming a film where people just mope rather than serving to move the narrative briskly along. It's probably aimed more at the older generation admittedly who will get a lot more due to recognition from the situations. While there's a message about working at relationships in the later years, there's little else which stands out from this piece which is admittedly well acted and directed.

And to save you the time, spoiler alert - the dog.... Well, actually, no I won't tell you.

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L!fe Happens: DVD Review

L!fe Happens: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Don't Tell the Bitch in Apartment 23's Krysten Ritter stars as a young mother Kim trying to juggle having a small child and getting back some semblance of a life after birth in this rom com.

When she tries to jump back into the dating scene, and juggle the lives of her two flatmates, she finds it all so difficult. Cue fall-outs, the inevitable lying about having a child to get a relationship and other such hilarity.

I'm sure a gaggle of girls on a night out would enjoy this, but it really did leave me cold I'm afraid with its life lessons and oh so obvious twists coming from a mile off. It's well played and with a cast who are more than competent, but it's never anything more than a Sunday afternoon matinee film about three BFFs - with a bit of raunchiness thrown in for good measure.

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Assassin's Creed 3 - Game Review

Assassin's Creed 3 - Game Review

Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS3

Revolution is a word oft bandied about, but in Assassin's Creed III, it's totally appropriate.

Not just because of the game itself, but it's setting as well. And man, oh man, what a complete ride it is.

You take on the role of Connor Kenway at the time of the American Revolution in the 18th Century, as well as Desmond Miles in the current day.

While initially, you relearn the controls from playing as Desmond Miles, who's negotiating a cavernous world, you're soon thrust back into the Animus and back to the American Colonial times of 1753 to 1783 where you play on as Connor. (After completing an assassination task as his father).

From there, it starts off as life on a boat, trying to prevent the onboard mutiny before heading to the shores and cities of  Boston and New York and to a series of missions to complete your quest. I'm loathe to reveal too much about the actual plot of Assassin's Creed III because to be frank, some of the joy is watching it unfold.

The scope of the actual game is mightily impressive - from brilliantly cinematic visuals which unfold in cut scenes to the wondrous scope of roaming the various cities and wildernesses, there is much to marvel at and to cause the eyeballs to drool excessively. It's not just the main story arc of this game which commands your attention - it's the world around you. It only becomes clear at one point what this open world game has to offer - and that was when I'd spent a good 45 minutes to an hour, exploring the world around me, interacting  with the locals and going so far off track, I had to re-check exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Richly detailed and with a life completely of their own, the surroundings are truly astounding. From a thief stealing an apple at the docks when you first pull into Boston, through to petting animals which litter the world, there's so much to lose yourself in. You can tell a game is vibrant when you don't realise how much is actually going on in the background - it's almost as if the developers had created such a world around the main protagonist that it's exactly what you'd expect if you were watching a historical TV series playing out; that's to say everything feels so naturalistic and of the era, that nothing stands out.

As for Connor himself, he's a lithe creature. Whether it's jumping from roof to roof fleeing the authorities, or negotiating deeper patches of snow in a white wilderness, to playing games for money with the bad pennies which litter various parts of the game, this is an experience which is utterly engrossing, and totally addictive.

There's no jerky movement from the character, no real glitches which I've found and no odd moments which take you out of the game-play. Stealth missions, chase missions, assassinations - there's plenty to hook you in once you're into the campaign itself.

If there's to be a criticism, it's that a lot of the cut scenes interrupt the flow of the story initially. But, given how stunning they look, that's a minor niggle which you can soon skip through or sit back and wallow in. With technical prowess and game-play which offers online potential as well, there's plenty to give you bang for your buck here.

Overall, Assassin's Creed III is a richly rewarding experience. From the main storyline, through to the options to look around the world and explore, there's so much to do within the game that you really can't afford not to own this.

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Smart As: PS Vita Review

Smart As: PS Vita Review

Released by Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS Vita

Brain games are always fun, right?

A chance to beat a computer at its own game and to brag to others about how smart you are. Well, it looks like Sony's got in on the act as well with this portable little noggin tester title, aimed at luring you back daily and connecting to the worldwide web to show off your prowess in competition with the rest of the world.

Taking in challenges involving logic, vocabulary, maths and observation, your daily training is divided up into four tasks - and as time goes on, you're given the chance to unlock mini games within. Sure, developers have used the whole PS Vita experience by getting you to swipe, write and fiddle on the touch screen as well as the rear pad too. The games start off relatively simply too - with 4 different levels within each of the mini games, you get the chance to improve your own skills. Games are finding the lost letter to complete a word, maths sums, working out if things are the same or different in observation and some fiendishly tricky to master logic games (until you work out what's needed)

But the real draw will be the chance to improve on your daily score - or until, you fail to radically do so.

That's when the game starts to lose a little of its novelty as you realise you're not actually garnering many new skills by playing the same levels time and time again. And while the developers have realised this and thrown in a depth of games, the reason to go back daily, if I'm honest, soon wanes.Initially, I began this with the push to beat it daily, but a few days went past and I didn't go back in - that's not anything against the game itself but does demonstrate there's not a huge pull once all the games are unlocked.

Also, there are a few frustrations on the recognition tool - which, when you're against the clock is extremely irritating. Sometimes, the computer mistakes a R for a N in the letters, and a 4 for a 7, which is utterly unacceptable in a game when you're a) against the clock and b) being ranked on wrong answers.

Throw in some use of the AR cards and token use of the camera, and at least the designers have attempted to take on the facilities offered by the VITA.

With a voiceover from John Cleese, Smart As isn't a bad title - it's fun and initially quite a tantalising proposition - the chance to brag against the rest of the world and show off to your mates. And despite looking graphically clear and sharp, it's a very basic title, which while playable may be one of the PS Vita's first truly disposable titles. It's good for a few days or maybe a challenge at a party (a la Buzz or Singstar) but I'm not convinced this title has the longevity it needs - even for a platform that's supposed to be all about bitesize entertainment.

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Rampart: DVD Review

Rampart: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

Woody Harrelson reteams with his Messenger director for this searing piece of police drama, based on a true story.

Harrelson is morally bankrupt LA Cop Dave Brown, one of the last renegade law enforcers, who believes he's a law unto himself. However, when he's captured on camera attacking a LA man, the net around him begins to tighten. Coupled with a scandal which has engulfed his department, it looks like time is up for Dave. Thing is though, he's not ready to go yet.

Rampart is a fine piece of drama from novelist James Ellroy and Oren Moverman - Harrelson gives a compelling performance as the cop, who's convinced he's completely in the right, despite being as morally lacking as a very, very bad man.

But the one thing which derails Rampart slightly is its ending, which simply comes without warning and leaves you feeling a little cheated after all you've been through.

That said, Rampart is a solidly well acted drama which once again shows Woody shouldn't be written off and is doing some of the most interesting work of his career currently.

Extras: Featurette, trailer

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Jeff, Who Lives At Home: Blu Ray Review

Jeff, Who Lives At Home: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

The latest addition to the mumblecore movement is a sweet, under-appreciated nugget.

A dialled down Jason Segel plays Jeff, who spends his time living in the basement of his home with his mum (Susan Sarandon). One day, his mum insists the slacker leave the house to buy some glue to fix a cupboard; however, before Jeff leaves, he receives a call for a Kevin. Believing that everything is fated, Jeff sets out to find Kevin after a series of consequences - and his actions have ramifications for his mother, as well as his brother Pat (Ed Helms) and his troubled marriage.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is another triumph by the Duplass brothers - buffeted by a wonderful performance from Segel for such a hokey concept (man follows series of coincidences to epiphany). But it's so well put together with acting that's so believable, engaging and watchable that you can't help but be swept along by it.

Segel wonderfully underplays and it's to the film's benefit that he does as the tale of a broken family bond plays out.

Do yourself a favour and buy Jeff, Who Lives at Home - you won't be disappointed by its gentle charm.

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A Fantastic Fear of Everything: Blu Ray Review

A Fantastic Fear of Everything: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment.

Simon Pegg stars in this quirkily offbeat film about a children's author, who's moved more into crime writing.

Pegg is Jack, whose life has become a paranoid cell, trapped inside his own home as he's been crippled by the research into serial killers he's been carrying out. Soon, everything around him represents a potential threat.

But, when his agent calls to tell him he has a Hollywood mogul interested in his latest book, Jack's got to face his fears, leave the flat and try to break into the successful world of crime novels.

First though, he needs to find some clean underwear and socks...

Pegg is perfect as the quirky reclusive writer - and some of his performance recalls his heyday as the flatmate in Spaced. In fact, there's a very similar vibe to this with jumpy cut editing and close ups as well as a drawn out soundtrack here and there.

But there's not quite enough story to see it through unfortunately, which is a real shame because the original vision and brilliant visuals really make a difference here and represent something totally new to the screen.

Ultimately, A Fantastic Fear of Everything just gets by on Pegg's stand out performance with every nervous tick nuanced and subtle rather than OTT and played simply for laughs. It's just a shame that as the paranoia escalates, the story can't match its lead actor.

Extras: Commentary

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