ZB Movie Review

ZB Movie Review

This week, talking Iron Man 3 with Jack Tame, The Sessions and Pitch Perfect on DVD.

Even more Iron Man 3 images

Even more Iron Man 3 images

Iron Man 3 has just been unleashed in cinemas on this side of the world with Robert Downey Jr reprising his role as Tony Stark.

Read the Iron Man 3 Movie Review

And for fans not yet satiated by the film, here are a stack of images from the latest Iron Man movie

Brand new Star Trek Into Darkness clip

Brand new Star Trek Into Darkness clip

As we edge ever closer to the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, a brand new clip featuring the crew on board the Enterprise bridge has been released...

 It follows from last week's first look at a clip from Star Trek: Into Darkness starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

It comes with just a few weeks to go until Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood and Peter Weller all report for duty as Star Trek Into Darkness lands here on May 9

With just a couple of weeks' launch to the May 9th outing for Star Trek Into Darkness, we've got one final trailer released for JJ Abrams upcoming piece.

Here is the brand new Star Trek Into Darkness trailer...complete with a look at Benedict Cumberbatch's character...and Klingons???

It follows on from the brand new Star Trek Into Darkness trailer which has just played on the MTV Movie Awards.

Check out the latest look at Into Darkness here...









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.

Latest NewsTalk ZB Movie review with Jack Tame

Latest NewsTalk ZB Movie review with Jack Tame

This week on Newstalk ZB Saturday mornings with Jack Tame, I was talking the latest Gerard Butler movie, Olympus Has Fallen, kids animated fare Escape from Planet Earth and also The Croods.

Plus Jack shared the story of when he met Nic Cage - and delivered his killer opening question....

http://newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/player/ondemand/543163618-at-the-movies--april-20

MLB 13: The Show: PS Vita Review

MLB 13: The Show: PS Vita Review

Released by Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS Vita
Released on the PlayStation Network

Baseball - it's as American as apple pie and yankee doodle dandy.

This latest sports sim hits the handheld console and sees you given a stack of options for running a baseball team and, more importantly, heading out onto the field and fulfilling some of your Kevin Costner/ Field of Dreams fantasies. (Or is that just me?)


It's like any sports sim, really. You spend a little time pulling together the team you want - which will depend on how strong your knowledge of baseball actually is. Personally, I know zip all about the game and its players, so chose to rely on the statistics to help pull together a team of hitters and pitchers who could help me win the day.

I know there's a PS3 version of this around too, which explains why there's a little cross play functionality available with the game as well - but that's untested in this review I'm afraid.

MLB 13 - The Show is really a case of trying and testing methods as you aim balls at your opponents or press buttons with just the right amount of time to connect with the fastball which has been thrown your way. Graphically, it's not too bad for the OLED screen with its close up of players looking not too far off a decent computer resemblance; there are no crowd shots but they lurk in the back of the stadium like animated dots, wobbling with excitement and colour as the batter readies his swing.

And in all honesty, the atmosphere is there too - decent commentary works well to make you feel part of the stadium buzz - as opposed to some simulations where all that can be mustered is a random collection of repeated phrases and trite bon mots. It's the minor details which work well in this game - a stadium clock ticks in real time, animation works well - it sounds simplistic but for the non fan of the actual sport, these are the kind of things you look at as you negotiate your way through the moves. There's hardly any use of the touch screen tech at all, which is a shame, but the relatively simplistic controls mean even a rookie or seasoned pro can pick up the game and become addicted to the gameplay and given the format's portability and occasionally short soundbite style play, it's sure to hit a home run for fans of good solid sports simulations.

Rating:

Comedy Fest Questionnaire: Wilson Dixon

Comedy Fest Questionnaire: Wilson Dixon

1) What is your show is called this year?
Wilson Dixon Greatest Hits


2)  Why?
Because I did a show a few years back called Wilson Dixon Seldom Heard Songs You Probably Won’t Like and it seemed like a logical step

3) Can you give us a few hints as to what broadly your festival show is about? It’s all my hit songs together in one show. It runs for an hour. My Daddy was surprised it was running that long. He’s not that supportive

4) How much time have you spent crafting the show over the past 12 months since the end of the last festival? Honestly? Less than 3 minutes

5) The comedy festival is turning 21 this year – it’s a big age 21 – what are your memories of being 21? Or if you’re not old enough yet, you lucky person, what are your hopes for being 21?
When I turned 21 I decided to grow the fingernail on the little finger on my right hand as long as I could. It got up to about an inch long. It had a lot of uses. Keeping it clean was an issue

6) The Comedy festival is one big party and catch up for a month - is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing over here either socially or on stage?
Not really. I wouldn’t mind seeing Willie Nelson, but I doubt he’ll be around

7) What’s the comedy scene like at the moment who do you rate and why?
I have no idea

8)  What’s the best piece of audience interaction you’ve had?
At a show in Darlington, Mississippi, a guy in the crowd yelled out “I named one of my rabbits after you!” Afterwards he met me backstage and he had the rabbit with him, and he says “here he is, little William Daschian.” I said that I wasn’t William Daschian. He was really confused. It got pretty awkward after that. Mainly because he wouldn’t leave, and insisted he show me the rabbit’s party trick. After I while I said ok go ahead, and he puts the rabbit on the toilet and it poops in it like a human. I feel angry because I’ve got that in my head now and it’ll always be there

9) What’s the most memorable part of performing for you within the last 12 months?
I shared the bill at a show last August with a lady choral quartet in Wyoming. They sang a bunch of Tammy Wynette covers. One of the ladies was 95 years old and mean and bitter as they come. After the show she came into my dressing room and accused me of stealing one of her beers. I denied it, so she threw a cup of hot coffee at me. The inevitable tussle ensued and I ended up spending the night at the Sherriff’s dept. and had to share the cell with the local madman who’d been caught sending parcels of his own faeces to local community leaders. It’s not a happy memory, but certainly the most memorable over the last year

10) When we say New Zealand International Comedy Festival to you, what’s the first thing you think of?
A bowl of custard… is this some kind of word association psychology test?

11) How would you persuade people to come and see your show?
By telling them I sing a song about a horse. If that doesn’t get them, then I don’t want them

Comedy Fest Questionnaire: Eli Mathewson

Comedy Fest Questionnaire: Eli Mathewson

1) Tell us what your show is called this year?
Proposition: Great!

2)  Why?
The show is kind of sprung from the marriage equality debate from the last few years. Why are there ‘Propostions’ to ban things and make people unhappy when we could just forge ahead and build a better world?

3) Can you give us a few hints as to what broadly your festival show is about? It’s about me being 24 and in a serious relationship and suddenly having the option of marriage and how scary that is. Also about my awkward sexual encounters with girls. Also about dinosaurs.

4) How much time have you spent crafting the show over the past 12 months since the end of the last festival? I started thinking about my solo right after the festival, but it didn’t begin to form itself properly until the moment I was in Edinburgh live streaming NZ Parliament TV to see what they were going to decide about my future.

5) The comedy festival is turning 21 this year – it’s a big age 21 – what you’re your memories of being 21? Or if you’re not old enough yet, you lucky person, what are your hopes for being 21? When I was 21 I moved out of home for the first time, moved to Auckland, lived in a terrible cold flat, ate lots of sizzlers and mashed potatoes and had heaps of dress up parties. But by the end of the year I’d worked myself out alright. Sort of.

6) The Comedy festival is one big party and catch up for a month - is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing over here either socially or on stage? So many! Can’t wait to spend lots of time hanging with the FanFiction crew and seeing what awesome guest we have this year. Looking so forward to Josie Long’s show.  My best mate James Roque is doing his first solo show and it’s going to be awesome. My friends Chris Parker and Hayley Sproull are doing some kind of crazy sketch show that is going to be heaps of fun. Chris Martin is bringing his show that I saw in Edinburgh last year – it’s a great show and he is SUPER cute. Can’t wait to see what the other Billy T nominees come up with – 4 ridiculously good comedians I am honoured to be recognised with. But most of all Hedluv + Passman – I saw their show 4 times in Edinburgh and I’m hoping to see them so many more times well they are here; phenomenal, upstoppable Cornish casio rap.

7) What’s the comedy scene like at the moment who do you rate and why? I think comedy in New Zealand is in really good shape – so many awesome people are making a living out of comedy and there’s so much more NZ comedians  everywhere, especially on TV, where they are all killing it. I think Urzila Carlsen is a seriously one of kind, there’s no one else like her and she is on top of her game. Rhys Darby’s last show was pretty much a perfect stand-up hour. There’s a really fresh wave of new young comedians doing things their own way that’s really exciting – I think Heidi O’Loughlin is one of the funniest people ever, plus the originator and producer of FanFiction comedy which she has done an INCREDIBLE job. Stephen Boyce, Brendon Green, Pax, Joseph, Tom, Rose, Guy, Jamaine Ross – too many to choose from!

8)  What’s the best piece of audience interaction you’ve had? I very recently did a gig at a high school and someone threw their giant Pikachu backpack onto the stage when I was talking about Pokémon. It was huge and they found it on the side of the road. I really wanted to steal it.

9) What’s the most memorable part of performing for you within the last 12 months? The Billy T Showcase with the fifteen applicants for the award was out of this world. Everyone slayed it, somehow a two and a half hour show felt lightning fast. 

10) When we say New Zealand International Comedy Festival to you, what’s the first thing you think of? Stalking babin’ comedians at the Classic. Too many beers. Too many ice creams. Too many hot dogs.

11) How would you persuade people to come and see your show? I just hope they like narwhals cause there’s one on my poster and I think they are the coolest animal alive. Also I might give away a car. (I won’t).