New RED 2 trailer drops

New RED 2 trailer drops

Good news for fans of Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren in RED.

The new trailer for RED 2 is now here...

Far Cry3 DLC details out

Far Cry3 DLC details out

Details have been released of the Far Cry 3: Deluxe Bundle DLC pack...

FACE MORE INSANITY WITH THE FAR CRY^®3 ‘DELUXE BUNDLE’ DLC PACK



AUSTRALIA – January 18, 2013 – Ubisoft has announced the release of the Deluxe Bundle, a DLC pack for Far Cry 3, now available on Microsoft’s Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system. PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC

The Deluxe Bundle extends the Far Cry 3 experience by offering the opportunity to unlock the bonus content included in the Insane Edition:

-      Six single player missions from Monkey Business and the Lost Expeditions

-      Four new animals to hunt: the Mountain Lion, Thylacine, White Tiger and Red Vulture

-      Two new single player weapons: Tribal Knife and Hunter’s M700 Predator

-      Two multiplayer weapon unlocks: Type-10 (flare/shotgun) and Predator Bow

-      One new character: Hurk and his monkeys

-      Two new end of match movies for multiplayer starring Hurk and his monkeys

The Deluxe Bundle includes all downloadable content from the Lost Expeditions, Monkey Business, Warrior, Hunter and Predator packs, and is now available for purchase on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Splinter Cell Blacklist Inauguration Trailer

Splinter Cell Blacklist Inauguration Trailer

Just released is the Splinter Cell Blacklist Inauguration Trailer...

There are only two real Presidents in the SC continuity: Bowers and Caldwell

President Bowers

At first largely unaware of the Splinter Cell initiative, Bowers used the intel it generated to his political advantage when he declared war on the Republic of Georgia. He then went from acting on Sam’s intel to creating work for him, driving the nation into aggressive action against Indonesian guerillas that ultimately exploded into the events of Pandora Tomorrow.

By the time of the North Korean missile crisis, Bowers was clearly aware of 3^rd Echelon and its importance, as he strategized with Col. Irving Lambert on the best response to the problem. While Sam never had direct contact with Bowers, Bowers regarded him as a vital instrument of expressing American foreign policy.

Sam and Bowers’ final interaction was an indirect one, as Sam defused a bomb in Nashville that would have killed Bowers (along with half the city). It was the transition to the Caldwell Presidency that would bring Sam into much more personal contact with the Oval Office.

                                                                                                                                               

Conviction

Anna Grimsdottir’s close working relationship with Caldwell translated into high esteem inside the Oval Office for Fisher’s capabilities, and Caldwell tasked Grim with getting him on board to combat the bed of sedition that 3^rd Echelon had become under Tom Reed. Before long, Caldwell was taking an active hand in Sam’s field operations – noticeably directing him during his surveillance of Lucius Galliard at the Lincoln Memorial, and personally sending a Secret Service agent to pull Sam out when he was ambushed by Reed’s forces.

The two did not meet face to face, however, until the climactic confrontation in the White House itself. A wounded Sam mounted a heroic effort and took Reed down, saving Caldwell’s life. However, it is what Sam did next that truly impressed the President. Presented with the opportunity to kill Reed in cold blood, Fisher instead stopped himself, forgoing personal vengeance in order to allow the system of justice he fought to defend to operate instead. Impressed by his willpower and his moral fiber (even if she did allow Grimsdottir to gun Reed down immediately thereafter), Caldwell cleared him past the late-arriving reinforcements and let him go his own way. An unspoken understanding existed between the two: each understood the decisions the other made, even if they didn’t approve, and each respected how the other took care of business.

Splinter Cell Blacklist

To Caldwell, Sam represented everything a covert agent should be: honorable, efficient, incorruptible, and brave. She insisted that Grim keep a close eye on Sam while he worked for Victor Coste’s Paladin 9, and when the Blacklist emerged, targeted Sam to lead the new 4^thEchelon initiative. This was done over Grim’s objections, but Caldwell knew what she wanted, and how to get it. Offering Sam Fisher the things he couldn’t refuse – operational authority, independence, and the chance to do right by the friend who’d trusted him – made it impossible for Sam to say no. He took the job, well aware that Caldwell had known which buttons to push, and respecting her for her ability to get what she needed to do the job.

The Impossible: Movie Review

The Impossible: Movie Review

Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

There are some events which are always going to feel too raw when you see them on the big or small screen.

The Boxing Day 2004 tsunami of Thailand is, still, perhaps one of them.

In this film, a regular family, Maria (Oscar nominated Naomi Watts) and husband Henry (McGregor), along with their three sons are heading to Thailand to spend Christmas there, amid some financial worries which are on the horizon.

However, when they're upgraded to a villa on the coastline, it seems as if the holiday is a perfect tonic set in an idyllic location, with Christmas with the family playing all together by the pool.

But that's when the devastating tsunami hits, violently separating them from each other and their paradise; Maria with her eldest and Henry with the two other boys are torn asunder...

And so, a desperate fight for survival begins.

It's hard to watch The Impossible without a tide of emotion sweeping over you, swallowing you up in a heap of discomfort and horror as the story unfolds. In fact, The Impossible was not a film I was relishing in many ways. Some events in history seem too raw still to explore on the silver screen, no matter how much time has passed. Certainly, a natural event which claimed the lives of some 230 thousand people, was not one which I wanted to see given the "Hollywood treatment", and particularly because it chooses to concentrate on a western family.

However, while not perfect, you couldn't be further away from the truth.

Directed and pulled together by a Spanish team, The Impossible takes the true story of a Spanish family and spins it through the machine (perhaps a little unnecessarily - there's no reason why these guys have to be relocated) and emerges with something primal that taps into all of our fears; separation, loss, anxiety, grief and fear itself.

And it's because of the sensitivity of how it's handled that it really stirs something so deep within.

10 minutes into the film and the tsunami strikes. But this is not a disaster which is catalogued from multi-angles and with slow-mo shots of devastation. In fact, it's utterly horrific as the wave and associated cacophony of sound comes hurtling towards you on the screen. It's brutal, battering and utterly numbing, replete as it is with the terrifying sounds of the ocean superimposed on your eardrums as the tumult grows.

The Impossible, initially, focuses on Maria and Lucas (an unbelievably good and breakout turn from newcomer Tom Holland). Bayona shows shots of Maria being pulled under, tossed around and struck by all manner of objects as the water hits - and all through, all Naomi Watts does is channel the fear that any parent has over what's happened to their child.

Watts has been nominated for an Oscar for The Impossible - and while she's pretty much bloodied, bruised and bed-ridden throughout the majority of the film, she's commanding in every scene she's in, mixing in raw emotion, power and hope through the truly horrific scenario Maria went through. I guarantee you plenty of her scenes will have you shifting uncomfortably in your chair and squirming as the extent of her injuries are revealed in quick cutaways here and there. (Which is another thing director Bayona gets right -the choice not to dwell or over-dramatise the situation)

Likewise, McGregor brings dignity and heart to a husband, hoping against all hope for some form of survival.  There's a class to McGregor's turn and both command an association and heartbreak you immediately identify with in what's, at its heart, the (relatively) feel-good tale of survival against the odds. A scene, where he breaks down making a phone call, is like an arrow to the heart and you'd be a hard bastard to not feel anything at that point.

However, where The Impossible stumbles slightly is in its depiction of life around those fighting for survival, as well as its inexplicable reason to mess with who was part of the story, by choosing European over Spanish - decisions which cast an inexorable pall over this international tragedy.

The picture of locals is nothing other than sketchy even as the story is told just as it no doubt happened. Granted, that may have been how it was in the reality of the aftermath, but the film feels questionable when examined under those moments, truth or otherwise. Likewise, an ending with empty seats on a plane feels awkward and uncomfortable, given the scale of what's occurred - though that could be naivety on this reviewer's behalf. It certainly hangs jarringly at the end. Similarly, the decision to cast Hollywood actors and move the family away from Spanish heritage could be a tactic to ensure more people see the film (and is no reflection on Watts, McGregor or Holland) - but it's one which jars, given a title board at the end which depicts the family.

All in all, The Impossible is, at its heart, a film about family, love and the universal bonds we all share as a human race. It's not a film to enjoy and in fact, in parts, it's more one which you endure as it rumbles on toward its pay-off, with moments of frenzied predictability and occasionally manipulative score.

That said though, it's breath-taking and will see you go through the gamut of emotions as the lights go down and the haunting images begin to flood toward you with one emotional sucker punch after another. But I guarantee you, that you'll not leave that cinema without swearing to always ensure you do your utmost for your loved ones - no matter what.

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Disney Infinity Announced

Disney Infinity Announced

It looks as if Disney is going to infinity - and beyond.

Disney Infinity has been announced today - and here's the full and exciting press release.

MELBOURNE, Aust. – (JANUARY 16, 2013) – Disney Interactive today unveiled its most ambitious gaming initiative ever, Disney Infinity. This all new game platform unlocks the freedom to create stories and play experiences starring beloved characters from The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios. Disney Infinity allows players to both experience original adventures in some of their favourite Disney and Pixar worlds and to build their own worlds using the power of their imagination.

“Disney Infinity introduces a new way to interact with the best of Disney on one game platform, both now and in the future," said John Pleasants, co-president, Disney Interactive. “With this innovative approach to gaming, Disney Infinity will bring to life new characters, stories and environments from The Walt Disney Company over time in a way that will delight fans and gamers alike.”

In a way that only Disney can, Disney Infinity integrates collectible character figures that come to life in the game.  These figures provide experiences that are true to these characters and stories, as well as the opportunity to bring characters from various Disney and Pixar films to play together in a virtual “Toy Box.” This all-new game universe will launch in Winter 2013 across all consoles and will have a phased roll out across mobile and online devices throughout 2013.

Throughout each story-driven experience, called a “Play Set,” players will solve challenging puzzles, battle enemies and explore iconic locations from famous Disney properties, while collecting unique characters, vehicles, and gadgets from each world and saving them to a virtual “Toy Box.” Players can access their “Toy Box” and build and customize their own unique virtual world using their favourite characters, vehicles, settings and accessories. Disney Infinity allows players the opportunity to share these unique creations in the “Toy Box” mode with friends both online and off.

The Disney Infinity Platform includes:

·         Disney Infinity Interactive Pieces – Initially a line of 40 collectible interactive pieces will be introduced that allow players to expand and customize their play experiences.

·         Disney Infinity Interactive Character Figures – Seventeen character figures will allow players to experience a variety of their favourite characters in true to property experiences and in “Toy Box” mode.

·         Disney Infinity Base – When figures are placed on the Infinity base, they unlock the world and play experiences of Disney Infinity.

·         Disney Infinity Power Discs – Interactive discs can be placed on the Infinity base to power up characters and “Toy Box” with unique powers, customizations and gadgets.

“Disney Infinity combines prominent Disney and Pixar characters and scenarios in a way that mimics how kids play in real life,” said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager, Avalanche Software. “With our platform’s unique gameplay mechanics and innovative approach to user generated content within the “Toy Box” mode, Disney Infinity will spark imaginations and provide endless hours of fun and creativity.”

Development for Disney Infinity is being led by Disney Interactive and Avalanche Software. The game currently is unrated by the OFLC. For additional information, please visit www.disney.com/Infinity, join the Disney Infinity Facebook Community (Facebook.com/disneyinfinity) and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/disneyinfinity). 

Moonrise Kingdom: Blu Ray Review

Moonrise Kingdom: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

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.

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 major treat.

Extras: Set tour with Bill Murray, a look inside and tour of the island 

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Whole Lotta Sole: Movie Review

Whole Lotta Sole: Movie Review

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Colm Meaney, Martin McCann, David O' Hara
Director: Terry George

In this independent comedy from Ireland, it's off to the world of hapless robbers and, erm, fish markets, for this flick.

Martin McCann is Jimbo, a man with a major gambling debt to the local mob and who, when threatened with the theft of his son by impotent mafioso Mad Dog Flynn (O'Hara) to pay back the debt, decides to rob the local fish market, figuring that it'll be rife in cash on a Friday in a predominantly Catholic area.

However, he bungles the robbery and is forced to go into hiding in an antique shop, run by Brendan Fraser's Maguire...

Soon, a hostage situation escalates and all manner of capers begin.

Whole Lotta Sole goes for British gangster comedy, but emerges with tedious, predictable "comedy" which is in no way amusing and whose schtick devolves rapidly into something testing your patience.

Fraser turns in a performance which is verging on the somnambulent and ever so slightly bored; and McCann isn't much better in a performance which screams first time actor, more than anything. The comedy of the piece is lacking and tires quickly, meaning the hostage situation is defused of suspense, tension and anything resembling a good story.

Predictable and outstaying its relatively short run time, Whole Lotta Sole blunders its comedy premise and settles for something which is far from enjoyable and, unfortunately, quite muddled, forgettable and messy.

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