Win a double to Auckland's Armageddon

Win a double to Auckland's Armageddon

It's almost time - time for one of the most awesome events thrown in Auckland.

The Armageddon Expo returns to the ASB Showgrounds from October 25th and thanks to our pals over there, I've got double passes to giveaway (sadly no transport to and from so you'll have to find your own way there).

We're giving you a chance to win a double to either one of those shows - simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com  and in the subject line put  Auckland, your name and address and the answer to this question....

Where is the Armageddon Expo based in Auckland in October?

I'll draw tickets by Friday October 18th at midday and get them to you before the show - good luck and maybe see you there!

About Armageddon

Kiwi muggles, hobbits and zombies don’t usually get together in one reality, but they’ll be lining up with all kinds of other superheroes, fantasy creatures and gamers when Armageddon Expo returns to the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland on 25^th – 28^th October.

With huge stars already confirmed, Auckland’s show is set to break Armageddon records again and is expected to beat the 50,000 fans that attended in 2012.

Guests will include Billy Boyd, Pippin from The Lord of the Rings; Evanna Lynch, Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series; as well as multiple stars from Doctor Who (current series) and Supernatural, with still more to be announced.

Comic fans will delight with Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, making an appearance as well as Dan Slott, writer of Marvel comic Spiderman.

Armageddon Expo organiser Bill Geradts says that the 2013 show will be massive.

“Zombies are the new vampires, so we’re expecting a huge turnout for David Morrissey, and Evanna Lynch is our first ever Harry Potter actor and the response to her attendance has been incredible,” says Geradts. “We’ve confirmed some amazing talent, with gaming displays and previews still to be announced.”

Alongside the big and small screen stars, Armageddon Auckland has comic, gaming and anime names a plenty.

“We’re really looking forward to having Matt Melvin, the artist of the internet comic sensation Cyanide and Happiness, on board for the first time. I’m hoping he might feature New Zealand in a comic in honour of visiting the expo,” says Geradts.

All of the popular events that take place at the show will be happening again this year.

The infamous Burning Man will explode on the Friday night with a fiery pyrotechnic display, and the all-ages masquerade ball on Sunday night will be a stunning parade of Cosplay outfits and creative masks alike leading up to the announcement of the Trans-Tasman Cosplay winner on Monday 28^th October.

“Cosplay entrants have been working on their costumes all year, and if the Hamilton and Wellington competitions are anything to go by, Auckland is going to be a spectacular exhibition of the best Cosplay in the country. I can’t wait,” says Geradts.

Tickets are on sale now at www.iticket.co.nz

The Fifth Estate: Movie Review

The Fifth Estate: Movie Review

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Alicia Vikander, David Thewlis, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney
Director: Bill Condon

From the director of the final Twilight Saga movies, we get this blockbuster insight into Wikileaks, its founding and its moral and ethical divisions. The Fifth Estate is an adaptation of two books on Wikileaks, (Domscheit-Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website, as well as WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by British journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding) both dismissed by founder Julian Assange as being propaganda and who's staunchly opposed to them.

The film starts with Assange meeting up with Daniel Bruhl's Daniel Berg at a techno conference, before recruiting him to the cause of revealing the truth via his fledgling whistle-blowing website. But the further into Wikileaks Berg gets, the more he finds his morals and ethics challenged by Assange's desire to publish all at any expense.

Assange has made it his crusade to reveal the wrongs of the world from the war in Kenya to Scientology.
But the pressure really grows on the group when they're handed the biggest leaks of their life from Bradley Manning and also the Iraq War Logs, which took in a Baghdad airstrike which killed civilians.

And it's here that the cracks start to show as the tension and conflict between Berg and Assange is ramped up - with Berg worrying of the effect and aftermath on those they name and Assange only being interested in revealing all...

The Fifth Estate is a case of style over substance thanks to its intriguing directorial choices.

With a pumping Eastern European score blasting out in parts, the film resembles some kind of ongoing music video with the trappings of a Eurobeat hit. Complete with some awful dialogue ("Super cool" and some "crazy shit in Kenya" being among the worst), the frenetic editing style gets the better of a film which could have been built solely on the idealistic tension and diametrically opposed attitudes of Berg and Assange.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as a white haired paranoid genius who prances around like some kind of louche Iggy Pop style Messiahnic rocker, dispensing such bon mots as: "Courage is contagious" and "No-one can bar the road to truth" throughout to inspire his troops. It's telling though, that unlike Berg, we get to learn little about Assange and his motivation, with his methods and reasons remaining as much of an enigma at the end than at the beginning. Director Bill Condon throws in a few sample piece meal flashbacks to Assange's time in a cult in Australia when he was young, but proffers up little insight into his psyche. Cumberbatch gives a chameleonic and almost electrifying performance as Assange, working with what he's got and cpaturing some of Assange's mannerisms perfectly.

Tellingly (given the movie was adapted from his book) Berg emerges as a more rounded character, with personal insights into the sacrifices he makes as a co-founder being on display - a relationship with a girl played by Alicia Vikander being the main victim of Assange's moral crusading. Bruhl brings a kind of solid performance to the role which is unshowy and very nearly is sidelined by Cumberbatch's turn.

If those involved had chosen to spend more time on the tension, debates and conflict rather than crafting together some kind of extended music video, The Fifth Estate would have been a much stronger film and a greater insight into the Wikileaks sensation. A side story into a government department and White House security being compromised by the organisation feels shoe-horned in and sidelined in the wake of the overall piece.

By reducing The Fifth Estate to a techno thriller in the vein of Hackers (there's even a virtual never-ending office to signify Wikileaks' servers and embody the internet) rather than concentrating on the inter-personal conflict of the likes of The Social Network, you can't help but feel there's a more definitive WikiLeaks / Julian Assange film to be made - while The Fifth Estate is not exactly a mess, it does do a reasonable job of boiling down a complex ethical debate and organisation into a blockbuster thriller aimed at the masses.

Rating:

Grand Theft Auto Five: PS3 Review

Grand Theft Auto Five: PS3 Review

Platform: PS3
Released by Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto V has been on every gamer's lips for a while now.

And with each early press release, Rockstar did nothing but whip them into a frenzy with trailers and promises of a game that would save the day, late into the PS3's life.

But, what a game to deliver.

Grand Theft Auto V is incredible. It's immersive, exciting, enthralling and graphically excellent.

The game begins with a bank heist in a snowy American town and it's here that you're swathed in details and shown the excellence and bravura of Rockstar's plans. As the bank heist goes wrong, you get to flip from your character of Michael to another in the room to aid your escape. It's a clever touch from the initial set up which sets out Rockstar's stall and lets you realise that they've covered every possible angle. As the snow pours down on the screen, the ensuing shoot out and chase take an almost cinematic feel as they play out.

It's here the game begins with Michael seeing a shrink and discussing his problems. After leaving the shrink's office, Michael sits down on a bench on the seafront as two young kids wander past. They stop and ask him where a house is - and suddenly, the game swaps from Michael to Franklin. And just like that, you realise that Rockstar has produced an interwoven narrative which is expansive and actually spent time on the story mode.

A little later on, you get to meet the third protagonist, Trevor, who's an aggressive on the edge type. But his nervy energy brings a life to GTAV that you'd expect.

Each of these characters have different skills and as in any real life situation, it takes time to build them up; they also have special abilities which can be activated during the game - for Michael, it's a shooting ability and for Franklin, it's a driving ability. Granted, these only last a brief while, but they add a welcome touch to help you out so that your floundering skill levels don't cause you to fail the day every time.

There are story missions to carry out, as ever with any GTA game - and there's also the chance to burn around the vast city of Los Santos, wreaking havoc, running people over, attacking them in an unwarranted manner and generally cutting loose in way you never could in real life. It's here that you realise the scope of the game and also the amount of time you could spend burning around could prevent you from ever completing the game itself. Once again, the developers have excelled themselves when it comes to creating the world outside - from strip clubs to simply people on the street, there's more than enough to keep you amused, entertained and in trouble. A main series of heists will keep you and your characters engaged throughout, but my goodness, it's totally easy to get distracted from the story mode.

And talking of the crime, a mention has to go to the police. In the past in these games, it's been rather easy to knock them down, steal their car and go nuts. Not this time around. My first attempt to engage the cops after a low level crime wave of running down three pedestrians led me to my first confrontation, which ended after the cops immediately shot me dead without worrying about that pesky questioning first business. Combined with the fact that a helicopter can be dispatched and that it's notoriously difficult to shake off, it seems the AI of the police this time around has been boosted substantially - and while that's a good thing, it doesn't half make the challenge of the game a little harder.

The free-wheeling nature of the game hints at the epic, but it's the story thread running through and the clever interconnected feel of it all that makes this one of the best games of the year, period. Sure, it's got the usual confrontational GTA streak that pushes the censors, but as a depiction of life in America, it's spot on. And it's also graphically utterly entrancing - everything feels so natural. From landscapes which are beautifully crafted and seamlessly integrated to a city scape which is never repetitive, so much attention to detail has gone on the world of Los Santos and its surroundings.

Even though the main characters in this are nasty to a degree, there's no shaking the fact that Rockstar's created a totally immersive experience which will take hours of your life without you even realising that they're gone. But it's an investment - and given the sprawl and scope of GTA V you will never find everything that's been hidden, but you will have a hell of a good time trying to find it all and exploring.

Rockstar deserves to take a bow - sure, there's a seedy underbelly to GTA V which will irritate and downright annoy some purists, but gamers will adore what Rockstar's created this time around. A great central story, some clever ways of gaming and some impressive use of characters show that creativity is its own reward.  While the online environment's yet to fully work (and I'll talk about that when it's properly up and running) there's so much to do here.

Utterly engrossing, totally rewarding and completely addictive, Grand Theft Auto V is one of the games of the year - it's raised the bar for future developers and certainly fired off a last shot for the PS3 as the next gen of consoles lurk around the corner.

Rating:

New American Hustle posters bring the seventies - and the sex appeal

New American Hustle posters bring the seventies - and the sex appeal

We're gearing up for David O Russell's next film, American Hustle and it looks like the publicity is starting to kick in for this piece now.

Today's seen the release of five character posters for American Hustle.

American Hustle, which reunites Lawrence and Cooper with their Silver Linings Playbook director David O Russell,  focuses on the FBI’s infamous Abscam operation of the late 70s and early 80s, which ultimately led to the conviction of a US senator and five members of the US Government’s House of Representatives.

Star Trek Into Darkness - Interview with Chris Pine

Star Trek Into Darkness - Interview with Chris Pine

Q: Chris, how different is “Star Trek Into Darkness” from the first one?

PINE: This one is so much faster. It’s like a bullet train. It never stops.

Q: There is a new villain on deck in the second one, right?

PINE: Yes. His name is John Harrison, played by the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch. His ability to manipulate people brings Kirk to face his own vulnerability and his own feelings of self-doubt about whether he can lead the crew into battle.

Q: This is the second of three planned Star Trek movies. Do you think you could be Captain Kirk for even longer than that?

PINE: You know, I do love the franchise. But everything depends on the script, on the story. If it’s good, sure, I am in. If you want to do it just to have a third film, then I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Q: Do you still feel a lot of pressure when you have to slip into the skin of the iconic Captain Kirk?

PINE: I have to thank JJ Abrams for being the commander in chief. He is all about the interaction of the characters, and on set you focus on that and not so much on the pressure that might be brought upon from the outside. So, no I didn’t feel that pressure while filming.

Q: What is it about Star Trek that fascinates you the most?

PINE: Oh, man, there is so much. But I like the utopian vision of different people working together for a common goal of what we can achieve, of what we can be as human beings. It deals with the struggles of being human, but it’s not nihilistic. It’s bright, it’s shiny, like the deck of the Enterprise. It’s forward looking.

Q: Is it true that JJ Abrams improvises on the set a lot?

PINE: Yes, it is. I remember one day we were about to shoot this huge action sequence. And JJ was walking around the set looking at everything. Then he asked for a 15 minute break and put together a shotlist right there on the spot. I had never seen anything like it. He’s just that amazing.

Q: How does it make you feel as an actor to be working with a director who seems to be changing things on the fly?

PINE: You need to have a lot of trust in your director. But with a guy like JJ who has such an incredible track record, it was easy. He feels comfortable changing things in the moment. It’s frightening for an actor if you want control.

Q: Are you intrigued by space travel?

PINE: I am interested in it. I have always been fascinated by it. We will see how technology evolves. Maybe we will all do a press junket up in space one day. That would be pretty radical.

Q: How daunting is it for you to be coming back to this franchise?

PINE: The good news is there were four years in between this one and the first one we made. There is a lot of comfort in that the character is bigger than you. And you still have a life outside of this franchise.

Q: Is it true that you think that you are more dashing than William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk?

PINE: Those are your words; I wouldn’t dare say that (Laughter).

Q: Do you have any influence on the look of your character?

PINE: No, not really. Everybody wears very tight clothes. And we had to get in shape to fit into the costumes.

Q: Have you met the original Kirk?

PINE: Yes, I met Shatner. He is a very nice man. He did a documentary of all the captains of Star Trek. I found that he’s really, really funny. He’s got great comedic timing. And most people mistake his humor for shtick. And it’s not. We did the documentary, he came in, and he had five napkins in his hand. He had scribbled notes on each one about what he wanted to do. For his age he’s still got so much passion.

Q: How would you describe Kirk’s relationship with Spock in this film?

PINE: They have overcome their obstacles. There is a true friendship here. And it’s quite amazing to watch.

Q: How physical was this movie for you?

PINE: I am always in pretty good shape. I gained a lot of weight for this. I think it was about 20 pounds of fat. In the first one Kirk was confident and I wanted to give the sense that he was enjoying himself a little too much, and it showed in his physical appearance. Very early on in the film he gets beaten to the ground, and it shows fairly quickly that he is not on top of his game early on.

Q: What surprised you the most?

PINE: A scene that takes two pages to read can take two weeks to shoot. I always forget how long it can take to shoot a scene. There were a lot of good action scenes in this film. And they just take so much longer to shoot.

White House Down: Movie Review

White House Down: Movie Review

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkin
Director: Roland Emmerich

He's back in the White House...

Roland Emmerich returns to the destruction of the White House in this second of two films this year, which showcase terrorists taking out the presidential seat (the first being Gerard Butler in Olympus Has Fallen).

Channing Tatum stars as John Cale, a police officer assigned to looking after the speaker of the house (Richard Jenkin). He's a good guy, hoping for a break into the secret service and hoping to impress his estranged daughter in the process too.

But when the president James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) announces a Middle East peace plan which could see them leaving the area, it sets in motion a terrorist attack on the White House. Soon, Cale and his daughter are the only ones who can save the day as they find themselves in with the President when the attack happens...

Will John Cale be able to beat the bad guys with hardly any weapons and stop the President from being killed, as well as discover who's behind the attack - and re-connect with his daughter?

White House Down is actually a hell of a lot better than you'd be expecting for a film like this.

With a pinch of self-awareness (a tour guide mentions early on that one building is the one destroyed in Independence Day) and a few of the old action movie cliches, it's exactly what you'd expect from the film.

But it somehow manages to work with its self referential humour, silly moments and great chemistry between Tatum and Foxx. When the president tells a terrorist to "Get your hands off my Air Jordans" you know the script's not even taking itself seriously. Equally Tatum, complete with white tank top and glib comments (John McClane anyone?), is on solidly supportive form as the affable guy just trying to catch a break. James Woods gets the role of his life too, as the man whose son was killed in combat and whose life has been destroyed by it.

And yet, with some solid action pieces, replete with OTT explosions and gun fire, Emmerich manages to pull something entertaining together if you're prepared to leave your brain at the door.

White House Down is an entertaining diversion - nothing more, nothing less. And yes, once again, Emmerich manages the total destruction of the White House. Seriously, has he not satiated his vendetta yet?

Rating:

First Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit trailer drops

First Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit trailer drops

Following on from the death of Tom Clancy this week, it's a chance to see the latest vision of Jack Ryan, this time played by Chris Pine

Jack Ryan, a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.  

Kenneth Branagh directs, with Chris Pine (Star Trek), Kevin Costner and Keira Knightly starring in the film.  The film is based on characters by Tom Clancy who sadly passed away recently. Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures said this of his passing:  

"Tom Clancy was one of the great storytellers of our time and his passing has been deeply felt by all of us at Paramount. We are forever indebted to Tom for making this studio his home, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, and his many fans, at this great loss."

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit  releases on 1^st January 2014 in NZ cinemas