Divergent Official First teaser is revealed

Divergent Official First teaser is revealed

Here's your first look at Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior in upcoming film, Divergent.




DIVERGENT is a thrilling action-adventure film set in a future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. 

Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. 

When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late. 

Based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth

Ben Affleck is the new Batman

Ben Affleck is the new Batman

In news just to hand, Ben Affleck's been announced as the new Batman.

In a post on the Warner Bros Facebook wall...

BEN AFFLECK REVEALED AS BATMAN IN WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ NEW SUPER HERO FEATURE FILM, NOW SLATED TO OPEN JULY 17, 2015

The Oscar^®-winning star joins Henry Cavill in the first ever onscreen match-up of DC Comics’ most iconic characters.

BURBANK, CA, August 22, 2013 – Ending weeks of speculation, Ben Affleck has been set to star as Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne.  Affleck and filmmaker Zack Snyder will create an entirely new incarnation of the character in Snyder’s as-yet-untitled project—bringing Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen and continuing the director’s vision of their universe, which he established in “Man of Steel.”  The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing andInternational Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The studio has slated the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.

Last month’s surprise announcement of the new movie featuring both Superman and Batman created a wave of excitement and immediately fueled discussion and debate—among fans as well as in the media—about who would put on the cape and cowl of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego.

Snyder successfully re-imagined the origin of Clark Kent/Superman in the worldwide blockbuster “Man of Steel,” which has earned more than $650 million worldwide to date, and climbing.  The director will now create an original vision of Batman and his world for the film that brings the two DC Comics icons together. 

Affleck will star opposite Henry Cavill, who will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent.  The film will also reunite “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.

In the announcement, Silverman stated, “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some.  His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

Snyder also expressed his excitement about the casting of Affleck, noting, “Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman.  He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne.  I can’t wait to work with him.”

Kroll added, “We are so thrilled that Ben is continuing Warner Bros.’ remarkable legacy with the character of Batman.  He is a tremendously gifted actor who will make this role his own in this already much-anticipated pairing of these two beloved heroes.”

Affleck recently starred in the Academy Award^®-winning Best Picture “Argo,” which he also directed and produced, earning acclaim and a BAFTA Award nomination for his performance in the film, as well as a number of directing honors.  In 2010, he starred in and directed the hit crime thriller “The Town.”  His recent acting work also includes “The Company Men,” “State of Play,” and “Hollywoodland,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Earlier in his career, Affleck starred in and co-wrote (with Matt Damon) “Good Will Hunting,” for which he won an Oscar^® for Best Original Screenplay. 

The new Super Hero film is being scripted by David S. Goyer from a story he co-created with Zack Snyder.  Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as executive producers. Production is expected to begin in 2014.

The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.

Warm Bodies: Blu Ray Review

Warm Bodies: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

In this offbeat non-traditional girl meets boy romance, Nicholas Hoult stars as zombie R, who's an oddly introspective member of the undead. He spends his time shuffling around and trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world where the population's been turned into zombies.

One day, when out hunting, R meets Julie (Teresa Palmer) and decides to save her from the masses on an impulse. Hiding her away, R begins to form a relationship with her, and it starts in many ways, to bring him back to life. But it turns out Julie is the daughter of military man, Grigio (John Malkovich) who's in charge of the safety of the rest of the planet...Coupled with the fact, a skeletal race known as the Bonies, are looking to attack anything with a vague semblance of a pulse, and R's got his work cut out.

The Warm Bodies movie is not your traditional zombie flick.

In fact, it's a smart, funny, warmly amusing sly take on the old tale of Romeo and Juliet (R and Julie??) while managing to bring something entirely different and welcome to the genre with a new and intriguing twist on the undead apocalypse.

It works in a large part, due to Nicholas Hoult's clever underplaying of the romantic lead and the story's messing with tropes of the rom-com genre. Throwing in a voiceover and subtly turning the first part of the film into a universal look at how we fail to communicate with each other (R's best friend, played by Rob Corddry, and he communicate by a series of grunts and argghs) and then goes into the eternal question of how to talk to girls, Hoult gives it his all. And it works so well in parts - that you're even able to overlook some of the holes of the plot later on (such as how the zombie hordes can suddenly all speak )

Warm Bodies is a charming piece of sincere film-making - it'll amuse and delight in equal measures and it's definitely worthy of your affections.

In fact, you could almost say it puts the beating heart back into the undead world.

Rating:

Payday 2: PS3 Review

Payday 2: PS3 Review

Platform: PS3
Released by 505 Games

Ah, bank robbing.

The old heist - carefully planned, properly cased and suitably geared up, nothing can go wrong with it, can it?

Well, actually in PayDay 2, all manner of problems can beset your plans to mask up and rob the bejeebers out of everyone around.

You play one of the original PayDay crew, who's just back from vacation. Setting up in your safe house, you get a call, asking you to be back in the game - and suddenly in this co-op four person shooter, you're on your way back into a life of crime.

Negotiating your way around the computer system known as Crime.Net (either in online or offline mode) you can choose different missions to be part of. Either a simple jewellery smash and grab, a bank heist or a nightclub takedown, the choice is yours - and of course, the pay-offs range dependant on how tough the job actually is. Once you've selected your heist of choice, you're taken into the action and it's all up to you to carry it off.

And that's usually where the problems start - no matter how much planning you've done, it only takes a curious bystander intrigued by a group of men together to raise the alarm; or it could be the moment you put on your mask which sets the heist in motion and alerts the police that you're about. Throw in delays caused by trying to drill into safes (which frequently need restarting) or pesky SWAT teams trying to take you down, and the heist just can't get done in the manner perhaps you'd intended.

Pay Day 2 is simply good fun - in the same vicarious way that doing bad in Grand Theft Auto feels so much fun. The minute the mask goes on and the heist gets underway, the adrenalin starts to surge (thanks in part to a pumping soundtrack) and the game becomes an addictive thrill. Especially when the robbery fails in the last few minutes, it's frustrating in the extreme and will be guaranteed to see you re-start the level, determined to get it right this time around.

Graphically, the game is occasionally a bit of a let down as you are able to walk through bystanders, SWAT teams shooting at you and generally appearing to ignore some of the laws of physics. It's a shame and while it doesn't detract from the playability of the game itself, it's a shame not enough attention was given to that side of it all. Another frustration is an inability in offline mode to leave a mission when it's failed and head back to Crimenet. It occasionally makes you feel that you're stuck repeating the same level unless you exit the game.

Taking it online gives you more options to play with others - which is really what the co-operative level of the game is all about. Being part of an anonymous crew or friends is fun and brings a different dynamic to the game, allowing for more planning and more sensible ways of dealing to trouble makers.

The game's also about levelling up - from gaining experience from each completed job to unlocking skill levels which will benefit you during robberies (including a Stockhouse syndrome where you can make hostages help you), there's plenty of reason to keep on shooting through. Obviously the tougher you become, the bigger the jobs become and the greater the result is. Add into that, the chance to develop your skills and the apparent fact different jobs offer different scenarios, dependant on how your previous robbery ended, there's endless possibilities in Pay Day 2. You also get the chance to customise your mask as well - a minor thing to be honest, but if that's your kind of thing, you'll be in criminal heaven.

Pay Day 2 is a fun game - sure, occasionally some of the missions can feel a bit repetitive, but the determination to get it completed when you're thwarted at the last moment is addictive. Once you load up this game, don't be surprised if you find yourself immersed in it for hours - and begin to unleash your inner thug as the game progresses.

Just don't take it out onto the streets, eh....

Rating:

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: Movie Review

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: Movie Review

Cast: Lily Collins, Robert Sheehan, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, Aiden Turner, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Director: Harald Zwart

So, another YA series gets a big screen outing.

This latest, is the first of a six book series from author Cassandra Clare and was published back in 2007.

City of Bones focuses on Lily Collins' Clary, who has her New York world thrown upside down on her birthday. Not only does her mother disappear but she finds out she is a descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret group who are locked in an eternal battle against demons for the protection of our world.

Clary is forced to join forces with these Shadow Hunters to try and track down her mother and an object of power known as the Mortal Cup - but that places her and her long time friend Simon (Misfits' star Robert Sheehan) in peril by putting them into a world of runes, vampires, werewolves, warlocks, angels and demons - and in the midst of a war, described portentously by one character as "A war that can never be won but always must be fought..."

But it also puts Clary in a position of discovering herself and a new potential love in the form of Jamie Campbell Bower's Jace, a hooded, blonde tousled fighter for the cause.

So, once again the teen / YA / supernatural genre gets another entrant, and once again, all the teen cliches and tropes, poor dialogue, brooding,  love triangle and dodgy acting are present.

I'm not 100% sure that it's the fault of the film that's launching The Mortal Instruments series, particularly if they are following the source material, but the generally cliched tone will mean that it won't appeal to all audiences. At times, it feels like a generic piece, with a lot of familiar elements in place from thousands of films you've seen before. References to Ghostbusters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an homage to the Exorcist, a Star Wars feel, a kiss in manufactured rain in a greenhouse between Clary and Jace (hello, Nicholas Sparks) and other moments et al - there are plenty of nods to others of its ilk and the end result is that The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones feels like a patchwork quilt of supernatural fantasy elements of the genre and doesn't really have a full identity of its own to stand on its own two feet.

Some of the CGI is a little off as well - with the werewolves looking slightly off kilter and feeling out of place. And a final showdown between Jonathan Rhys Meyers' boggling eyed baddie and just about everyone else goes on for way too long and places too many in jeopardy that by cutting back and forth, director Zwart loses any palpable feeling of tension for any of our heroes and heroines.

Plot threads are left dangling as well, with two major ones not resolved - though, this, I'm guessing, is intended to ensure future films are made (and is, in my understanding, in keeping with the books) but means it's a frustrating touch for the casual viewer.

In terms of the acting; Collins is okay as the lead - she does the doe-eyed girl in love well, but never quite convinces as the action heroine (though, she's a step up from a few others within her genre); Campbell Bower is a little too wooden and emotionless to feel any real chemistry between him and Collins; Sheehan impresses with some comic relief (though, to be frank, he's playing a lower level version of his Misfits character Nathan) but he's sidelined towards the end.

All in all, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie may well appeal to those teen audiences looking for a new YA fix now that Twilight has departed - but for the rest of the audience, there will be a general rolling of the eyes and a feeling that everything here's been done before. And in some cases, in a better film.

Rating:

Much Ado About Nothing: Movie Review

Much Ado About Nothing: Movie Review

Cast: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Nathan Fillion
Director: Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon's latest, Much Ado About Nothing sees a gathering of the Whedonverse alumni in a take on Shakespeare's play which has lost none of the subtlety and fizz of the Bard's work.

Keeping the actual text in place, and tweaking only some of the minor details, it still focuses on the quarreling relationship of Benedick and Beatrice (played by Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker) and the relationship of Claudio and Hero amid modern times.

Set on a sumptuous estate (Whedon's own) this black and white adaptation is a virtuoso of subtlety and wit. The dialogues between the characters shine with nuances and revel in the language, frolicking in the back and forth of Benedick and Beatrice as well as Nathan Fillion's constable. But there's also some silly visual humour such as when Benedick finds his three friends discussing how Beatrice has fallen for him - those moments of comic capery will delight audiences.

Acker and Denisof are perfectly cast (even if Acker out-acts Denisof), balancing the moments of lightness and tomfoolery with the seriousness needed by Shakespeare's text; other players circle around them but to be honest, they barely register as highly as this duo. With perhaps the exception of Nathan Fillion.

A Shakespeare to be watched and enjoyed, Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing is a zesty treat which feels fresh and sparkling.

Rating:

Batman: Arkham Origins new character revealed

Batman: Arkham Origins new character revealed

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment unveiled a new trailer for Batman™: Arkham Origins titled “Nowhere to Run.” The trailer showcases the indomitable super villains hell-bent on taking down the Bat and gives a first look at Firefly, one of the eight assassins featured in Batman: Arkham Origins, capable of raining fire from above.

You can view the Batman: Arkham Origins - Nowhere to Run trailer here.

Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City.  Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships. 

Batman: Arkham Origins is the next installment in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise and will be available for the PS3™, Xbox 360®, the Wii U™ system, and Windows PC. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate™, the handheld version developed by Armature Studio, will be available for PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system.  The game will release on all platforms worldwide on Oct. 25, 2013.