Silver Linings Playbook: Blu Ray Review

Silver Linings Playbook: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Bradley Cooper is Pat Solitano, a bipolar disorder sufferer and former teacher, who is getting out of a mental health facility, 8 months after a violent incident which saw him hospitalised and restraining orders slapped in place. Released to his mother (Animal Kingdom's Jacki Weaver) he heads up home, determined to win his wife back and resume normal life. In denial about whether he needs medication to cull his manic ways, Pat sets about trying to get in touch with his wife but his plan is slightly derailed when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence on fine form), a young woman whose husband was killed and who has problems of her own.

Initially, the pair rub each other up the wrong way - but soon after, a friendship develops as Tiffany promises to help him deliver a letter to his wife - as long as he helps her achieve her dream of taking part in a dance competition.

But Pat's commitment to Tiffany puts him on a collision course with his father (Robert De Niro) who believes (thanks to OCD) that Pat is the key to his gambling successes...

Silver Linings Playbook is a romantic drama / comedy with heart and humour aplenty.

However, it also benefits from a career best performance from Bradley Cooper, who commands the screen from the beginning and imbues his Pat with manic energy and warmth, while resisting the urge to overplay the bipolar behavioural tendencies of his character. It's this humanity, coupled with Cooper's willingness to lay it all bare, which make Pat so relatable. This is no showy, "Look at me, I've got bipolar" performance, but a crowd-pleasing, warmly comic, instantly human turn.

Likewise, Jennifer Lawrence also impresses as Tiffany, the damaged woman who has her own issues. While some of the writing leaves you a little unsure as to why she's initially attracted to helping Pat, there's no mistaking the spiky, spunky relationship the pair strike up. But she takes what essentially could be a one note character and gives it depth. Equally, De Niro, with his character's OCD tendencies, gives such a great turn you almost forget some of the absolute drivel he's done recently. All three deserve their Oscar nominations - though Jacki Weaver is a little too sidelined to shine as the family bicker, quarrel and pick at each other the way all loving families do in among the chaos of daily life.

Mixing eccentricity with a warm gooey centre, Silver Linings Playbook is a slightly off-kilter crowd-pleaser of a film which is poignant, touching. moving and yet never overly sentimental.

ExtraS: docos and deleted scenes, alternate ending and dance rehearsals

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Six new character posters unveiled for The World's End

Six new character posters unveiled for The World's End

There are six new character posters now out for The World's End, the epic conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright.

Meanwhile, Wellington will roll out the carpet to celebrate The World's End on July 14th.

It's been announced  that actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright will be in the capital to walk the red carpet for the film's release.

In the most exciting news for a while, Paramount Pictures sent out this release:

Paramount Pictures NZ is pleased to announce that Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freemanand Director Edgar Wright will attend the New Zealand premiere of The World’s End in Wellington.  Fans will get a chance to see them walk the red carpet and sign autographs.

The World’s End marks the third instalment of Edgar Wright’s trilogy of comedies, following the successes of Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007).  As with the two earlier pictures, Mr. Wright co-wrote the script with Simon Pegg, who will once again star alongside Nick Frost.  Joining the team in the film are actors Martin Freeman (Shaun of the Dead, The Hobbit), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher).

In The World’s End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End.  As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realise the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s.  Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

It's been a busy week for news for this film:

A brand new The World's End trailer has just dropped (warning - some spoilers ahead)

The World's End releases in NZ on July 18th.



There's a brand new poster for The World's End, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - directed by Edgar Wright

The Cornetto trilogy is coming to an end.

And here's the first trailer for The World's End, starring the brilliant comic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Brand new Kick Ass 2 trailer is here

Brand new Kick Ass 2 trailer is here

There's a brand new trailer for Kick Ass 2 out now


Good news for fans of Hit Girl - a brand new Kick Ass 2 trailer has just dropped.

It's due out later this year - and will see Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz reprising their roles asKick Ass and Hit Girl.

And Jim Carrey will be starring in Kick Ass 2 as well.



The first official Kick Ass 2 image has been unveiled.

The first image shows Kick Ass (Aaron Johnson) and introduces Colonel Stars And Stripes played by Jim Carrey.

Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Red Mist return for the follow-up to 2010’s irreverent global hit: Kick Ass 2.  After Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, led by the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), our hero joins them on patrol.  

When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—reborn as The Mother F%&*^r—only the blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation.

Kick Ass 2 releases in NZ on 8 August.

Still Mine: Movie Review

Still Mine: Movie Review

Cast: James Cromwell, Geneviève Bujold, Campbell Scott
Director: Michael McGowan

Based on a true story, Still Mine is the tale of 89 year old Craig (played by Babe's James Cromwell) who is taking on the system over building a house.

The reason? Well, it's all about love.

Craig's wife (played by Geneviève Bujold) is losing her memory and is prone to dementia as well as accidents in their old home. So Craig decides to build on the land he owns, following the methods and construction taught to him by his father, who used to be a shipbuilder.

However, times have changed, and so have the planning laws - and Craig soon finds himself falling foul of the building inspector and the legal system. Despite being ordered to stop, Craig has more pressing matters at hand as his wife Irene grows sicker.

Still Mine is one of those films which is pleasant, watchable and has a wry humour which will resonate with many.

Both Cromwell and Bujold are perfect in their roles and bring to mind the loving duo of last year's Amour (but with a little less of the drama) - they encapsulate their roles well and don't force you to over compensate for them being older and pigeon holed as quaint old fogeys. Their battle is a real and realistic one blessed with little tender moments of humour and heart throughout.

Sure, there's the old one man versus bureaucracy angle at play here, but thanks to a wonderfully restrained turn by Cromwell, it's never anything less than fairly treated and sensitively handled.

Rating:

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

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