Rise of The Guardians: Blu Ray Review

Rise of The Guardians: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Starring Star Trek's Chris Pine as Jack Frost, Rise of The Guardians is the tale of a threat to the world from the evil Pitch (played by Jude Law).

When the collective group known as the Guardians - Santa (Baldwin), the Easter Bunny, (Jackman) The Sandman (doesn't speak throughout) and the Tooth Fairy (Fisher) - find children are stopping believing in them, they realise they're facing a danger bigger than they could have imagined. It turns out that threat is Pitch, a nightmarish character / Boogeyman (played by Jude Law) who is sick of lurking in the shadows and being ignored. So, The Guardians decide to recruit Jack Frost, the lone boy whom no-one sees to help them save the day.

Rise of the Guardians is a curious beast.

On one hand, the story is a relatively novel one, a kind of Avengers of the imaginary world unite.

But on the other, there's not quite enough to keep it going or enough knowing story subtext to engage the adult audience.

Visually, it looks - in places - stunning, painting in FX that are lush, subtle and gorgeous to behold. But then, it's almost as if the animators get carried away by how clever they feel they are and end up swamping the screen with so much unnecessary animation or, worse than that, throw in FX shots for no real reason other than because they can.

Also, it's a strange mix of story as well - these aren't the traditional characters as you'd come to expect. This Santa is a Russian accented, tattooed heavy who employs Yetis rather than the traditional elves; the Bunny is a gruff on-the-edge Aussie, and the lack of real recognition may mean some are put off in this slightly skewed tale.

But there are themes of belonging and belief melting through the Avengers recruitment feel of the film - and while it's not a bad mix overall, it's just neither fish nor fowl unfortunately. It's a film that's a little lacking in story, a little too ready to show off its animation and a little too dark to appeal to a mass audience of kids.

Extras: Behind the scenes pieces and commentary

Rating:

Side Effects: Blu Ray Review

Side Effects: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Steven Soderbergh brings you an unnerving thriller in this latest release.

It's the story of Emily Taylor (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's Rooney Mara) who apparently had it all - including a loving husband (Channing Tatum) who was sent to jail for insider trading. After 4 years alone, Emily's become depressed and is seeking the help of a psychiatrist, played by Jude Law. When he prescribes her some drugs, she suffers from some horrific side effects including murder...

Side Effects is a taut thriller, which while a little slow initially to unwind, has a way of ensnaring you in its web. Thanks to a powerful performance from Mara and a story which is a little twisty and needs some attention paying to it, its all too plausible premise plays out with horrific consequences and recalls some of Hitchcock's noirish intentions as it unspools.

Interesting ideas mix with some very realistic situations and soon you're no closer to knowing what's what and who's who until the final reveals are made.

Overall, Side Effects is a terrifically effective thriller and a film which will leave you agog in parts - mainly due to the fact that it appears it really could transpire.

Extras: None

Rating:

The World's End: Wellington Premiere

The World's End: Wellington Premiere

Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost were in the capital for the premiere of The World's End tonight in Wellington.

Also on the red carpet were Benedict Cumberbatch, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage and Sir Peter Jackson.

Here are some images from the World's End Premiere in Wellington.

Wolverine extended bullet train sequence and funeral scnes leaked

Wolverine extended bullet train sequence leaked

Good news for fans of Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine.

A brand new bullet train fight scene sequence has been unleashed for the new film which is due in a couple of weeks.

Take a look at the Wolverine - Extended train fight scene here.

Take a look at the Wolverine - Funeral scene here.

Another brand new The Wolverine trailer's dropped with a nice intro from Hugh Jackman.

Here's your first look at the brand new Wolverine Trailer.

It comes after director James Mangold released a 7 second tease of the full Wolverine trailer

And there's also a brand new The Wolverine poster out as well.

So get excited for the brand new full length The Wolverine trailer.

The World's End Featurette

The World's End Featurette

With just days until the Cornetto Trilogy conclusion premieres in Wellington, a new featurette's dropped for the World's End.

The world premiere of The World's End happens at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington on Saturday night.

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman and director Edgar Wright (among others) are encouraged to head to the red carpet by 5pm as they will also have the opportunity to delve into the premiere itself.  

Paramount's also revealed: We will be selecting a few people on the night who tweet @paramountnz with #WorldsEndNZ to also win a double pass to watch the film with all the stars.

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 Grand Theft Auto V gameplay trailer is here

Brand new Grand Theft Auto V gameplay trailer is here

Just dropped is the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V gameplay trailer from Rockstar Games.

Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV.

Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals plot their own chances of survival and success: Franklin, a street hustler looking for real opportunities and serious money; Michael, a professional ex-con whose retirement is a lot less rosy than he hoped it would be; and Trevor, a violent maniac driven by the chance of a cheap high and the next big score. Running out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life.

The biggest, most dynamic and most diverse open world ever created, Grand Theft Auto V blends storytelling and gameplay in new ways as players repeatedly jump in and out of the lives of the game’s three lead characters, playing all sides of the game’s interwoven story.

All the classic hallmarks of the groundbreaking series return, including incredible attention to detail and Grand Theft Auto’s darkly humorous take on modern culture, alongside a brand new and ambitious approach to open world multiplayer.

Developed by series creators Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V will be available worldwide on September 17th for Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3.

First Lovelace trailer is here

First Lovelace trailer is here

The first full trailer for the Linda Lovelace biopic, starring Amanda Seyfried has dropped.

Lovelace is the story of Linda Boreman’s rise and fall, from her early meetings with eventual husband Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), to her lusty dive into the world of X-rated cinema.

As well as starring Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace,Lovelace stars Juno Temple, Chris Noth, Adam Brody, Robert Patrick, Sharon Stone, Hank Azaria and Wes Bentley.

No word yet on a NZ release.