No: Movie Review

No: Movie Review

Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers
Director: Pablo Larrain

It's to 1988 we go with this official entrant for the 2013 Oscars from Chile.

Bernal plays Rene Saavedra, an ad man brought in to try and help ensure the oppressed people of Chile vote No in a referendum called by Augusto Pinochet. The referendum is urging the people to vote Yes to allowing Pinochet to stay in power, as calls grow outside of Chile to get him out of government and to free the people.

But Saavedra helps concoct an advertising campaign through the 15 minutes the opposition is allowed nightly on the TV during the 27 days campaigning window.

However, as Saavedra and his team, with limited resources, manage to start to get the message of No out there, the net around them grows tighter as intimidation and scare tactics really kick in. But, with an apathetic populace, can Saavedra and his campaign manage to do for Chile what's not been done for years?

No is a curious beast of a film.

Shot on a 1983 U-matic video camera, it certainly evokes the era, with its grainy fuzzy visuals and browns and drab colouring. It also takes a little while to get used to such a look but given that it's mixed with action from the 80s, it's a bold directorial choice and one which does stand out.

In among the commercials of the time (some of which are quite comical), there's the real sense of the birth of dirty politics and marketing tactics to sway a populace and it's a fascinating document on that and potentially the start of viral marketing in many ways.

But No is also a slow, long and at times, laborious film which could have lost some of its overall run time. Bernal spends a lot of the time looking a little aloof and it takes a while to warm to his character - not through any acting issues but simply because the film's not really a character piece at all, more an examination of what happened.

A few powerful moments shine through - such as a group of mothers who sing and dance while intoning their sons are among the "disappeared" - and there's a complex but realistic relationship between Saavedra and his politically opposite counterpart who happens to be his co-worker in an ad agency.

All in all, No is worth a watch - but it never quite gets under your skin in the way you'd expect - but as a document of the time, it's a morally interesting debate and a fascinating examination of how governments should never underestimate the power of the people when it comes to politics.

Just say Yes.

Rating:

Details of PlayStation Plus for April revealed

Details of PlayStation Plus for April revealed

Celebrate Spring with an Enticing Subscription Offer and Brand New Content Heading to PlayStation^®Plus This April

 Get 90 extra days free when you sign up for a year’s subscription this April and enjoy all of the exciting new titles available on PlayStation^®Plus

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has today announced the April line-up for PlayStation^®Plus (PS Plus) subscribers with favourites such as Okami HD, Lord of the Ring: War in the North and The Cave arriving just in time for spring.  On top of this, SCEE will also be offering newcomers 90 extra days free with the purchase of a one year subscription to the service. Fans that already have a current PS Plus membership can still take advantage of this deal and extend their membership by stacking on top of their current membership. 

Grab your celestial brush and take on the role of Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu in Okami HD where you’ll use her magic to restore the world to its previous glory and defeat the destructive demon. Or test out the strengths of Farin, Andriel or Eradan as you battle through the iconic Middle-earth universe in Lord of the Rings: War in the North. If you’re still hungry for adventure, descend into the ancient and mysterious depths of The Cave and embark on an epic journey to discover where the most desired treasures can be found. All three titles will be available to play from 3^rd April onwards.

To take advantage of the fantastic offer, which allows you to buy a year’s subscription and get 90 days for free, fans can redeem a one year PS Plus subscription online or in store between March 20^th and April 10^th. New subscribers will automatically get an additional 90 days membership at no extra cost and existing members can also take full advantage of the offer by stacking on top of their current membership.

If that isn’t enough you can grab your PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) and enter a game of life or death in the novel-style title Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward, which will be available on PS Plus from 10^th April, or try using your magical skills to help characters find their way in Thomas Was Alone, narrated by Danny Wallace and available from the 24^th April.

PS Plus subscribers receive an array of exclusive features and access, including 2GB cloud storage (1G for PS3 & 1G for PS Vita ) for game saves which will be welcomed by members keen to take advantage of the Instant Game Collection. Automatic update and beta access, as well as a huge collection of exclusive dynamic themes and PlayStation®Network avatars, makes PS Plus the place to be in 2013.

PS Plus is now available on PS Vita, extending the service to two platforms for a single price of $89.95 for a one-year subscription or $24.95 for a 90 day subscription will give users the same fantastic features including exclusive access, special features and huge discounts.

Monsieur Lazhar: DVD Review

Monsieur Lazhar: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

Monsieur Lahzar arrives on New Zealand screens after a solid performance at the New Zealand International Film Festival earlier last  year.

This Canadian/French drama won an Oscar nod and features some of the strongest ever performances by child actors I've ever seen. 

It centres on a Bashir Lazhar (Mohammed Felag), an Algerian immigrant and teacher, who comes to an elementary school after one of the teachers hangs herself in the classroom. Lazhar has his own demons to deal with as well - with family killed in attacks back home. 

But gradually, Lazhar heals as do the children in his care who are deeply traumatised and repressed after the hanging. Fighting the school at every level, Lazhar encourages the children to open up to heal their hurt - but with his attitudes at odd with the school's official line, how long will it be before the ethical clash becomes too much.... 

Enormously affecting, Monsieur Lazhar deals with grief, hope and offers a picture of healing which many will latch onto. The two child leads who play the kids who find the teacher hanged simply blow the adults off the screen with their simple, honest acting being a real tour de force set of performances. Some may see echoes of Dead Poets Society within, but it's a much stronger outing than that, with frissons of sentiment and proof of how important teachers can be. Felag commands the screen, but to be honest, it's the child actors who really dominate this drama.

Sensitive, deeply affecting and utterly riveting, Monsieur Lazhar is well worth your time.

Extras: Interviews, trailers

Rating: 

Rust and Bone: Movie Review

Rust and Bone: Movie Review

Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts
Director: Jacques Audiard

Screened to critical acclaim at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, Rust and Bone now arrives on NZ shores.

It's from the director of the wonderful A Prophet and stars Marion Cotillard as Stephanie, an Orca trainer at a local Marineland Water Park. A chance meeting at a club one night means she meets drop out Alain (Schoenaerts) who's penniless and landed with his 5 year old son.

Despite Alain's attempts to hit on Stephanie failing miserably, the two are forced into each other's respective paths after an accident at the Water Park cuts short her career. Alain is a semi drifter, interested only in one night stands and a lack of real commitment, as opposed to Stephanie's warmer approach to life.

Faced by a life changing situation, Stephanie finds that Alain's aloofness is suddenly engaging and the pair form an unlikely relationship.

Rust and Bone is about two people dealing with their inner demons, and whilst it's been critically acclaimed, it is, in parts, somewhat aloof.

Cotillard is sensational as the trainer who finds she needs unexpected support - her restrained and subtle performance conveys every necessary nuance and emotion without being showy or over-sentimental as these films occasionally have a tendency to be. Likewise, Schoenaerts' dropout may be lacking a lot of emotion and living only from day to day via violent or sexual interactions, but he's the perfect foil to Cotillard; a brutal yet downbeat man, who's trying to make his way in the world. Initially, it's hard to fathom why Stephanie calls but in the slow reveal of the film, it's abundantly clear that Audiard is once again reuniting with his themes of two disparates who find their lives intertwined.

There are a couple of gasp aloud moments within the film, which shock and rock, but there are also swathes of slow patches too. But it's a potent mix, firing together a dramatic cocktail worth drinking down - even if the narrative choices at the end are a little lacking the punch needed for a more satisfying resolution.

Ultimately, Rust and Bone is engrossing cinema, anchored by a stunning performance from Cotillard.

Rating:

Brand new Doctor Who Series 7b Images

Brand new Doctor Who Series 7b Images

Here's a couple of new promotional images from Entertainment Weekly for the new series of Doctor Who series 7B starting in the UK on March 30th.

The cover shots from Entertainment Weekly show new shots of Matt Smith as the Doctor and a Cyberman and Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman as the Doctor and Clara.

Brand New Star Trek Into Darkness trailer

Brand New Star Trek Into Darkness trailer

Now, this is a great way to start the weekend- a new Star Trek trailer.

Well, to be more accurate, a new Into Darkness trailer.

Just launched into space is the brand new Star Trek Into Darkness trailer - take a look below.




And new Star Trek Into Darkness poster too

Here's a wrap up of all we know so far for Star Trek Into Darkness:

A new Star Trek Into Darkness trailer is here - and a brand new viral campaign for Star Trek Into Darkness has been unveiled too. AreYouthe1701.com has launched - see if you can spot it in the trailer...


See who the villain of Star Trek Into Darkness is here....

The announcement Star Trek Into Darkness trailer has landed....

Watch the Star Trek Into Darkness trailer.



And as if that wasn't exciting enough, the Japanese trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness has 15 seconds more footage - here it is...including a rather worrying homage to Star Trek The Wrath of Khan - is this where we see the demise of Zachary Quinto's Spock???

Star Trek Into Darkness synopsis

In 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness.

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Returning again will be NZ’s own Karl Urban, along with a cast that includes Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch.  

Star Trek Into Darkness: releases in NZ on 16 May 2013.

The Last of Us: Hush

The Last of Us: Hush

You've already seen that I've had some hands on time with The Last Of Us, the upcoming Naughty Dog game.

Well, now those in charge have released the first in a video development series about the game - the first is called Hush:


A look at the origin and characterstics of the Infected in the first video of The Last of Us Development series.The Last of Us is in stores June 14, 2013. Pre Order now.

The Last of Us is genre-defining experience blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. Cities are abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Remaining survivors are killing each other for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a young teenage girl who's braver and wiser beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States.

Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is being made exclusively for the PS3 system.