Django Unchained: DVD Review

Django Unchained: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Set in America in 1858 and Jamie Foxx plays Django, a slave who's been separated from his wife Broomhilda (Washington) and part of a chain gang. He's sought out by former dentist turned bounty hunter Dr Schultz (a stunningly great turn from Christoph Waltz). Schultz seeks out Django as he knows what three of his quarry look like - and the pair form an alliance, working through the winter and capturing bad guys, dead or alive (mostly dead though in bloody Tarantino fashion).

But Django's got one thing on his mind - the return of his wife. And making a deal with Schultz, the pair set off for slave laden estate Candie land owned by Leonardo di Caprio's Monsieur Calvin Candie (who has a side line in mandingo fights) and run by Stephen (a cowed Samuel L Jackson) to free her once and for all.

What do you say about Django Unchained?

Violent, pulpy, bloody, funny and trademark Tarantino, it's a revenge flick through and through. Filled with, of course, historical liberties, it's a stylish film which has Quentin's pawprints all over it - from the fantastic soundtrack to patented patter and violence and zoom shots. (Plus an old Columbia logo at the start of the film sets the reverential tone for the westerns and cinema from days of yore.)

And yet, it's anchored by a tremendous turn by Christoph Waltz, who commands the screen from the moment he arrives on it, drawn by a horse and cart with a giant wobbling tooth attached by a spring on its roof. Through a calm and intelligent exterior, Waltz is a towering presence over the film and in some ways, overshadows everyone who appears - with the exception of Leonardo di Caprio, whose flouncy cotton plantation owner Calvin Candie is all flourish and charm, until his anger is aroused at which point the tension has you on the edge of your seat before it all explodes in violence. It's no wonder these two have been granted Golden Globe nominations - they're rarely matched on this celluloid outing.

Django Unchained also suffers a little from a long winding narrative, with some extra excursions (including Tarantino's bizarre appearance and attempt at an Aussie accent) seeming better suited to the cutting room floor than in this 2 hour 45 minute epic, occasionally over-indulgent and sprawling vengeance flick. A little more expeditious editing could have turned this occasionally sprawling N-word littered Western into a tighter piece without losing the character touches and humorous moments which stand out. (One riotous sequence sees a posse of sack wearing vigilantes railing about how they can't see through their eye slots)

Pulpy, trashy and true Tarantino, Django Unchained is a stunning and audacious piece of film-making which has artistic and stylish flourishes aplenty and offers up cinema lovers the typical Tarantino cocktail of furious film-making, guaranteed to nourish and at the same time, confront with its brutal -and brilliant -touches.

Extras: Doco on production, Soundtrack spot

Rating:

Interview with Ricky Cambier, designer on The Last Of Us

Interview with Ricky Cambier, designer on The Last Of Us

Ricky Cambier is a Game Designer on The Last of Us at Naughty Dog.  He has been making games since age 12 when he first learned to program in BASIC on an Apple II computer.  

Ricky returned to his video game roots in 2005 and has shipped eight titles including The Sims Stories, Wii: Ghostbusters, Wii: The Force Unleashed II, Cook Or Be Cooked, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. 

Ricky was in New Zealand recently for the launch of The Last Of Us and was good enough to grant me some time for a chat about life in general - and the world they've created in new game, The Last Of Us.

You’ve been designing games for a while – what was it that drew you in initially?
I designed games for quite a bit just for fun; when I was young and about 12 years old, I just loved making stuff that people could play and seeing that enjoyment and I liked programming and the logic of the idea. The kind of moments like if someone does this, then that happens, and you have that experience. I just wanted to use that to tell stories with. Story-telling is key to Naughty Dog. You want people to get invested and you want the player to get invested with these characters and their journey, much like the book, much like the film, you want to know what's going to happen. With video games, you have this interactive medium now which is totally different to the other mediums, so we put that in the player's hands and they get to drive the story..

How much time did you spend developing the back stories of the leads Ellie and Joel? You've mentioned the concept took over three years to bring together and I'm keen to know how much of that we actually don't see in the final game?
There's a lot that you don't know. When Neil, our creative director, started working on the story, creating these characters and the world, his mind is always turning for what fills in the world. In The Last of Us, we just want to reveal in the moment what's necessary, so it's an ongoing process, fleshing out the world, what questions to ask and answer, what hints do we want to drop about where Ellie was before this, what Joel did - it kind of becomes a full process where we have to go capture a scene, get the text down in detail and cover each moment.

How much creativity do you bring to the smaller moments within the game?
Those are the kind of moments we really encourage you to explore and knowing that we've had these characters and they're going on a journey. But we want you to get as interested in them as much as is possible, so think about the back stories and moments like Joel seeing a movie poster, and then acknowledging that he's seen the film. Ellie has a wonder to life and we want that to be everywhere. We want that to be a crucial part of the game - you turn a corner and a new world is there wherever you go. 

How difficult was the AI for Ellie and to ensure that it was spot on?
It was centre to our goals from the very beginning. We knew we were going to have this partnership, we knew you'd be spending a lot of time with Ellie and we're all gamers, we don't want you to have to worry all the time but we still want a balance of knowing that you are with a 14-year-old, albeit a very resilient one, so finding that right balance and ways that work is core to the game. We want you to feel what it's like to survive the world, but when it comes to Ellie, just treating her like a resourceful human is key. She is someone that can be vulnerable if you get in a really bad situation but at the same time, can also surprise you with her choices and her actions - she can really help you out.

What did Troy and Ashley bring to the roles of Joel and Ellie – and what extra above and beyond the script did they proffer up?
They got really invested and I think that was really important. They even influenced the scenes - they're thinking about the characters a lot, they're bringing ideas, they're affecting each moment. There were times when Neil would re-think some things because of Troy or Ashley. They'd even call us up when we were hanging out in the studio away from them and working on the game or send a text message, saying "What if Joel/ Ellie did this?" So they're incredibly passionate and we've created a rich enough character for them to get that excited about is a great thing. That's what we love - the collaboration.

What’s your reaction the overwhelmingly positive reviews?
Definitely a bit of jubilation! It was just when the embargo lifted and watching Twitter and chatting with the staff back at Naughty Dog, we were watching the scores, reading the reviews, getting excited - we were on baited breath as we had no idea really how it would be received. We had what we loved in the game, but we were also doing something new in the game - there's a lot here that people hadn't seen, there's a lot to the story that we hadn't revealed. There's so much to this game that nobody had experienced, so you're nervous. You're always nervous with something so different.

How difficult is it keeping the game's content under wraps, given the spoiler world we live in now?

You get that first core experience but it's also impressive given that we fight hard to protect things; we think very carefully about what we show, the clips and the videos. Just enough to paint a picture of the world, and maybe give you hints as to what to expect but not spoil anything. We also get inspired by the fans buying into that too - internet blackout was called for by some and others were saying they wouldn't go online until after the release date, and that's kinda inspiring too to see that kind of dedication. I think the game has a wonderful breadth to it - there are so many moments that are going to surprise and shock people. But we just want that sense of survival and tension, which is very palpable, to come across in the game. This character arc, the journey these two go on together - it's all key. In the office, we played through the game towards the end - even those who hadn't played much of the game at all and we had this guy who had completed it and he was watching them play with a sense of surprise seeing Joel and Ellie at the start and how different they are - that gave us all a sense of pride.  There are moments which are unique in the game - did you make that shot, do you need to craft that right now, did you just miss it so you're out of ammo - when you play again you'll have different supplies and the enemies will be in different positions as they're making different choices; all of that leads to situations feeling unique. It'll be exciting to see people in the forums discussing their choices, how they survived the way that they did, what they did here and why - that'll be cool. We strive for a lot of rich choices in the game as it plays out, then after that, you can play how you want to play. For those who want to investigate the game again and see the story choices, that appreciation is that it won't feel the same given what you face each time you play it.

And there's a multiplayer mode as well?
Yep, and you can see how all the core elements and characteristics of the single player game come into use for it as well. You see the high lethality, you see how important crafting is going to be - and then we've got this idea of a meta game, where you're trying to grow a clan, you're trying to survive for 12 weeks. So, each time you're playing, you're also collecting supplies and trying to accomplish the goals to help you survive. It's going to add a new depth to the survival genre.

Given the size of the world, and the fact it's a global pandemic, do you have limitless possibilities with this world?
It's fair to say that - but right now, we're just focussed on getting the game into people's hands rather than anything else yet. We've created a rich world and hopefully, people will love it. If we end up thinking we can tell interesting stories again within it, then, who knows? It's a wonderful world.

How do you rate the gaming world at the moment with the unveiling of PS4?
I think it's exciting times - for us to be able to deliver a fourth title on a console, that's amazing and speaks to how important having really strong hardware is.  I see how they push to that vision with the next console - so we're getting inspired by the hardware and platform choices which are being made. Me, just as a game designer, I get excited for those things and it's really just an exciting time for the industry in general.  I play a lot of games for fun, some for critical eye to analyse; it's hard to say what we at Naughty Dog will explore next. We'll continue to push character stuff and I do know as soon as I finished The Last Of Us, I had to take a look at Ni No Kuni as I just wanted to see Studio Ghibli's input onto a game and that beautiful world aesthetic they use; it was very different to The Last Of Us I can say!

What's next for you and next for Naughty Dog?
We've got the DLC for The Last Of Us -next for me is scuba diving and bungee diving and then taking a break. We worked really hard over the three years to deliver this game. The critics have it, that's awesome, but let's get it to the fans, that's the most important thing to us. Then after a break, we'll take a look and see where next we can push the game industry - that's what we always want to do.

The Last Of Us is out now on PlayStation 3

Read a preview of The Last Of Us here

Read a preview of The Last Of Us beta demo here

Look at concept art from The Last Of Us

Lincoln: DVD Review

Lincoln: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent

Daniel Day-Lewis takes on the role of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. Choosing to zero in on the last few months of PotUS' life and set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, it's the story of how he decided he wanted to abolish slavery by passing the 13th Amendment in the US constitution. It's also the tale of the fractures between the Republicans and the Democrats as Lincoln looks to get this bill through - come what may.

Lincoln is like watching a history lesson brought vividly to life before your very eyes.

It's also one which, if you don't have more than a basic grasp of American history, could sail over your head. Occasionally, it's like a somewhat stuffy school lesson as it's quite dialogue heavy and will require you to pay attention over 150 minute running time. This sounds like a couple of criticisms being levelled at the film, and it's not directly; merely, just a warning that this veers more into the worthy but dull territory.  

Thankfully, in among a sea of bearded and relatively faceless US officials who swoop in and out of the film at on so many occasions, it's one man's performance which stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Thanks to mightily impressive make up, a scholarly and erudite performance by a soft spoken Day Lewis, you can't help but watch him as the political machinations and extreme talk of deals plays out on the screen. But he also breathes life into a character whose attitude to his rivals was not one of scorn, but one of respecting their viewpoints - and by doing so, it makes Lincoln more of a rounded man than a man doggedly pursuing his own selfish political gains.

While retaining a lot of the backroom politics and information (and by letting it play out naturally as opposed to some quick fix deals), Spielberg's also wisely managed to humanise the man giving the audience outside of America (and outside of those who've studied Lincoln) a vital in road that's needed for the duration of the quite long film. All in all, Lincoln (based on the book Team Of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin) stands by the utterly wonderful character performance of Day Lewis, which anchors this moment in history which defined America - but it's a long road to that in the entire duration of the film. Expect it to a) leave you feeling a slight amount of inadequacy on your knowledge of American history and b) take home some accolades as the awards season begins.

Extras: Journey to Lincoln, Crafting the past

Rating:

ZB Movie Reviews

http://newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/player/ondemand/1277243181-jack-tame--film-reviews-with-darren-bevan

Despicable Me 2: Movie Review

Despicable Me 2: Movie Review

Cast: Steve Carell, Ken Jeong, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

In 2010, a fresh piece of animation landed on our screens, mixing madness and madcap with a bit of heart - and a lot of yellow minions.

That film was Despicable Me and rightly so, it was a fun and exciting time at the cinema. It was also incredibly popular, so there's no surprise that a sequel was commissioned.

In Despicable Me 2, Steve Carell's Gru is back - this time round, he's now a doting single father to his adopted daughters, Agnes, Margo and Edith. Pursued by some of the single women in the neighbourhood, Gru's content with life.

But when Dr Nefario (Brand) quits Gru's world, saying he yearns to be bad, Gru begins to question his life. And when he's recruited into the Anti-Villains League by Agent Lucy Wilde (Wiig) to help track down an evil villain living in the mall, he thinks he's found his calling.

However, Gru's about to discover several things which will rock the foundations of his world to their very core.

Despicable Me 2 is a little bit of a disappointment, when compared to the greatness which was the first film.

It's a perfectly acceptable choice for the school holidays and the youngsters will adore its madcap antics and colourful animation, but it feels a little like it's lost some of the shine which made it so special before.

Principally, it's to do with the story, which in itself, isn't quite strong enough to sustain the interest level of the adults. While the cast are perfectly adequate, the humour and strong touch points of the first film are missing and the whole thing feels a little flat. Sequences with Gru and his mission are presented nicely, but lack the punch that's needed of such a character - Gru has more fun being bad - and in its place, there's a lot of lunacy from the minions who are rolled out to accentuate scene changes and provide comic relief (which they do in spades and are very funny for it)

There's no real emotional pull from Gru - he's more fun as a villain rather than a doting dad, who's losing the plot because his eldest adopted daughter has discovered boys. He also needs a stronger nemesis to square off against to give him some bite - and unfortunately in this one, there's nothing as strong as Jason Segel's Vector. And there's certainly no feeling that there's a real and plausible relationship between Gru and Agent Wilde - there's no moment of epiphany other than something which feels forced.

The minions though provide the lion's share of the laughter - and it's clear their spin off film is likely to be a massive success given their popularity with the younger end of the audience.

Despicable Me 2 is a perfectly fine school holiday film - its animation is lush and exciting. It's just a shame that the story doesn't follow that lead. If anything, it's more Despicable Meh.Though, I'm sure it won't stop Despicable Me 3 from happening (or should that be Despicable M3?)

Rating:

Movie 43: DVD Review

Movie 43: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

When a film is so reviled in the critics' world and even called the Citizen Kane of awful, you always wonder where the vitriol is coming from. Movie 43 is such a film, and one train wreck which is rightfully receiving a major panning.

Its loose premise is that a washed up movie producer (played by Dennis Quaid) is so desperate to get his movie made, that he takes a studio executive (Greg Kinnear) hostage and forces him to listen to his crazed and deranged movie ideas. The catch? Those pitches involve some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

If you are a fan of extremely puerile humour, and set ups that have very little pay off plus are an adolescent boy, then Movie 43 is for you. As this series of 13 "interconnected" stories are rolled out, each of them suffers from a lack of any real humour or panache that you actually begin to wonder why the actors involved (who have some pretty impressive calibre) are even part of what's playing out - do the powers that be have some real quality blackmail on the cast to use?

There's the likes of Hugh Jackman with a pair of testicles hanging from his neck, Halle Berry going to extremes for truth or dare, Gerard Butler as a leprechaun, Anna Faris begging to be pooped on by her lover - the list of degradation and bad taste goes on without a hint of humour in sight. It may be the chance for such quality actors to act in such juvenile ways proved way too beguiling, but I can't fathom why they didn't realise it just wasn't as funny as it could have been. The only two segments which vaguely hit the spot are Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin as a couple trying to sort stuff out in a supermarket and an ad which claims small children working in vending machines have lives too - so, not exactly setting the bar high, but, trust me, when you see the rest of what's on offer, this is the cinematic pinnacle of this offering. Even though the segments are short, there's another terrible one lining up to take its place, with a major Hollywood star looking to lose an ounce of their own dignity.

With predictable pay offs, a lack of laughs despite occasional raunchiness, it's easy to see why Movie 43 is being roundly panned and I'd advise you to think twice about whether you want to go and see it. The attempts at gross out humour fail miserably and it makes the American Pie franchise look like Shakespeare and Benny Hill and Borat seem sophisticated.

It is, without a doubt, the worst film of 2013 - and if anything else reaches this level at any stage this year, it'll be a sad indictment of the death of the magic of cinema.
Extras: Find your daughter

Rating:

World War Z: Movie Review

World War Z: Movie Review

Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Einos, James Badge Dale, Daniella Kertesz
Director: Marc Forster

Once again, the apocalypse is upon us.

This time, it's potentially down to Brad Pitt to save the day after a viral outbreak turns the global populace into the chomping undead in an adaptation of Max Brooks' World War Z.

Pitt is Gerry Lane, a UN inspector brought in despite having left the organisation when the world's overcome - and he alone can help identify Patient Zero and potentially source a cure to save the human race. So, forced to leave his family with the military, off he sets on a global trip which takes him from Newark to South Korea via Jerusalem before finally ending up in Wales. (Yes, I just said Wales)

But as he tries to track down what caused it all, at every turn it appears that the virus could be about to beat him.

World War Z is a tense, thrilling, nerve-shredding ride in places - and curiously lacking in logic and sense in others.

It's also frenzied, frenetic and intense during its set pieces, which get underway very quickly after the non- too subtle ramming home of the fact that Gerry's now a family man (he makes pancakes for the family while watching details of the outbreak out of the corner of his eye on the TV). A cross town journey turns into something hellish within the first 10 minutes of screen time and then doesn't let up for a burst of edge-of-your-seat tension. As scene-setting stuff goes, it's right up there with some of the best as it instantly tells you everything you need to know about this post-apocalyptic world coming directly after such calm start. Foreboding is everywhere with a distorted voice on the radio intoning that "Containment is a fail" and hinting that the worst is yet to come.

And yet, once the story actually kicks in, it's actually a little lacking on the human side as Lane's globe trotting gets underway; he's torn asunder from his family that he's spent the first 20 minutes trying to protect and it robs the film of the emotional pull and personal danger that it needs. Although there are hints of tensions with the military, they're never fully explored or dramatically exploited, which is to the screenplay's detriment.

Pitt's perfectly suited to the role but it's a series of video game style moments which are sparingly sown together and narratively weak - flee the city, escape to the roof of the tower block, follow the troops on a raid through Z infected territory (Zombie Dark Thirty anyone?) and so on - which make it difficult to fully engage with. But that said, the short and often brutal bursts of intense suspense and knuckle gripping terror during the terrific set pieces work quite effectively though.

As for the creatures themselves, they're a fast, feral and ferocious bunch; contorting initially in horrific pain before becoming a speedy demon wanting to take you out. Basically, they're similar in look to the walkers on  The Walking Dead but not quite as rotting. There had been concerns of CGI creakiness but I have to say I saw no real signs of that - a terrific moment in a set piece in Jerusalem sees the Zees clambering the wall like rabid ants desperate to get to their victims.

Thankfully, the film in general spares the blood and gore of these types of thrillers and concentrates more on the intensity and suspense rather than going for the obvious moments. (Though that may disappoint some)

A final sequence on a plane plays into everyone's basic fears about flying before the film lapses into a horror cliche and a series of darkened corridors for its stretching credibility denouement. Coupled with a few lapses in logic and a solution which is a stretch, you find yourself taken out of the action a little and distracted from what's playing out. Add into that a lack of real backstory as to why Gerry's the expert everyone's been looking for and you find these niggles tend to play at you once you've left the cinema.

Pulling in the visual style of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (drenched in yellows) and using 3D wisely to bolster the backgrounds (rather than relying on a zombie jumping out of the screen - of which there is but one shot), World War Z overall, is a success. It blends thrills, spills and suspense to form something which leaves the heart and adrenaline pumping even if occasionally, the action and consequently story, slow to a crawl once the chillingly effective set pieces have ended.

Rating: