Brand new Oblivion posters unveiled

Brand new Oblivion posters unveiled

Entertainment Weekly's got the first look at some new Oblivion posters.

The Oblivion posters star Morgan Freeman and Tom Cruise.

Oblivion's due later this year.

On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind. Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete.Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Brand new Iron Man 3 poster

Brand new Iron Man 3 poster

Poor old Tony Stark.

He's been somewhat left off the recent round of new Iron Man 3 posters which have been out and about.

But that's been rectified with a brand new Iron Man 3 poster, featuring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.

Iron Man 3 hits NZ cinemas in April.

Paranormal Activity 4: Blu Ray Review

Paranormal Activity 4: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

In Paranormal Activity 4, Katie Featherston returns as Katie as the film takes up five years after a possessed Katie killed her boyfriend Micah and also stole her sister's son Hunter after offing her sister Kristi. It's 2011 and the action switches to the suburbs and a new family about to be terrorised by ghostly goings on.

This time, it centres on teenage girl Alex (Newton) whose family is going through fractured times and is weathering a breakdown of her parents' relationship. However, Alex is starting off a relationship with Ben (Shively) and a lot of it is carried out on Skype chats.

Things take a turn for the creepy when Alex and her family are forced to take in neighbouring kid Robbie (Allen) for a while after his mum is hospitalised. Robbie befriends Alex's brother Wyatt and the pair form an uneasy bond.

And things get creepier as bumps and noises and all manner of spooky things start happening right after Robbie moves in - having left his mum Katie behind....

Paranormal Activity 4 is to be frank a bit of a disappointment after the creative highs of the third film.

This time around, modern tech plays more of a part - there's no cam fan like in the third film but everything of the mundane daily life is taped via Skype chats or webcams. Perhaps the smartest piece of taping comes courtesy of the use of XBox Kinect which turns everything in the front room into an alien glow with green dots scattered around - this is a smart touch by the writers.

Once again, there are fake outs as the tension's gradually eeked out and extended as far as it can go - and I have to admit by setting a lot more of the creepier action during the daytime hours, the creative team aren't exactly resting on their spooky laurels and are trying to do something a little different.

Long swathes of monitored action take place with little scares on hand - sure, there are bumps and knocks and doors close unexpectedly here and there, but the effect is somewhat akin to a low rent haunted horror house rather than a full on spooktacular.

Also, whereas the third film extended some of the film's mythology and storyline, this one, despite its trailer promising to let you "see where all the activity's been leading", does little to deepen the demon storyline and the family possession background. It's bitterly disappointing on that front. In fact, the spirit this time around seems more malevolent and intent on simply killing the residents whereas in the past, there's been hints of manipulation and reasons for the paranormal outings. It's a real shame because the ending when it comes delivers in spades on scares and leaves you wishing that there were more of those final scenes throughout 

There are a few scares, but never enough to give it the truly frightening edge it deserves. I'm just hoping that any inevitable future releases for this series think seriously about putting an end to the Paranormal storyline and offering up a creative resolution which is now sorely needed rather than continuing to extend the franchise simply for the money.

Extras: 30 minutes of unseen footage leads to extended cut and the Recovered Files

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V/H/S: DVD Review

V/H/S: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

A horror anthology which promised to deliver the scares, V/H/S has certainly got the indie credentials. 

Its premise involves a group of utter losers breaking into a home to steal some videotapes from a house. As ever with the found film footage genre, they're taping their every action for us to enjoy. 

But while that's the wrap-around for the over-arching story, the hook comes in the videos that one of them watches while the others are searching the house. 

Comprising five tales, each from an expert in the genre, the quality is varying and the results sometimes scary and other times not so. In fact, to be honest, the first two found footage videos played didn't float my boat at all - and I wondered if the rest of the film would be frankly as uninspiring. 

How wrong, because the final three films are utterly brilliant and pack as many inventive scares and smart new ideas as any long form Hollywood horror movie can dream of. A trip to the woods, a Skype chat between two lovers which turns deadly and a ritual on Hallowe'en are the smartest pieces of genre film making I've seen in years. 

Grubby, lo-fi and packing nudity of male and female, V/H/S really does have something for everyone and while there are plenty of "WTF was that?" moments, there's certainly no real "Oops, I've soiled myself in fear" moments throughout. 

The filmmaking talent involved's smart enough to offer up enough chills to rejuvenate the format and using the Video footage means the audience is carefully scanning the screen trying to see what's coming. 

The beauty of this piece? You won't and what you do get will surprise and titillate even the most jaded of horror lovers with freshness and smarts.

Extras: Interviews with the segment directors

Rating:

New Monsters University character poster is here

New Monsters University character poster is here

Mike and Sully are on their way back....

To University.

Take a look at the new Monsters University poster here.

Brand new Iron Man 3 image

Brand new Iron Man 3 image

There's been a glut of new Iron Man 3 images recently.

Brand new images for Iron Man,  Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin and Don Cheadle as Iron Patriot have all been revealed.

And the trend shows no sign of letting up.

Empire Magazine's latest cover has Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man....

The Sweeney: Movie Review

The Sweeney: Movie Review

Cast: Ray Winstone, Ben Drew, Hayley Atwell, Stephen Mackintosh, Damian Lewis
Director: Nick Love

"Put your trousers on, you're nicked."

If those iconic words from an 1970s UK crime series mean anything to you, then you're already likely to know what lies ahead.

Based on the 1970s series which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman as Detectives Regan and Carter, the Sweeney is a UK film which centres on a rough group of detectives who take out the even rougher criminals. They work for the Flying Squad (hence, the name, based on the Cockney rhyming slang, Sweeney Todd).

In this update, Ray "Hardman" Winstone is Regan and softspoken Cockney rapper Ben Drew is Carter. When we first meet these tough boys of the law, they're taking down a group of armed robbers, by any means necessary.

And it's because of this "think like a criminal to catch a criminal" approach that Internal Affairs, headed by Stephen Mackintosh's Lewis, begins investigating them. Getting a tip off about a robbery at a jewellers, Regan and the Flying Squad are out to get their men - especially after one of the robbers kills a civilian.

While Regan's convinced one of his former troublemakers is back in town, there's no evidence to back it up - but that won't stop Regan from trying to get his man. Even if it means the Flying Squad's future being jeopardised and it could come at the cost of his own career or illicit lovelife as Internal Affairs tightens their
vice....

The 2013 remake of The Sweeney is as hard as nails as you'd expect from the calibre of Ray Winstone being involved.

It's also remarkably restrained and tightly directed by Love, who also wrote the screenplay and who is clearly a fan of the source material, with some of Regan's iconic lines being thrown into the script. But it also offers something a little different from what you would expect of a cops and robbers style film in terms of action.

Instead of crowded roads for car chases, The Sweeney offers up alternatives - a car chase down a single country lane and a final face off with the baddies with vehicles hurtling through a caravan park. Throw into that mix, a long action sequence with Regan and two of his squad chasing the baddies across and through iconic London landscapes (ooh, it's Trafalgar Square, ooooh, it's that Art Gallery), it offers something breathtakingly different and is a welcome breath of fresh air in at times tired genre.

Winstone is all swagger, Cockney bloated menace as Regan - though in his scenes with the feisty Hayley Atwell, he brings a real sentiment and softness to the hard bastard of the Flying Squad. Drew also proffers up a toughnut with a loyal side and moral compass as Carter, serving as a much needed foil. Damian Lewis and Stephen Mackintosh deserve some credit too as the suits running the Flying Squad and Internal Affairs (although MacKintosh's storyline simply fizzles out, which is a disappointment).

Overall, The Sweeney has a plot which won't tax you (but somehow manages to get a bit confused) and offers up a couple of storylines which go disappointingly nowhere. However, if you're willing to put your brain in neutral, you may find it keeps you entertained.

Rating: