Puppeteer: PS3 Review

Puppeteer: PS3 Review

Platform; PS3
Released by Sony Computer Entertainment

Side-scrolling platforms with relatively cute characters are always likely to get my attention.

I'm a huge fan of the Sackboy series, and while Puppeteer has elements of that which look the same, it certainly deserves to be viewed on its own merits.

In this latest, you play a boy called Kutaro, who's been turned into a puppet after the Moonbear King has smashed the moon stone and scattered throughout the kingdom ( I know, bear with me). But along with a kind of cat that dangles from a web like a spider called Ying Yang, and a pair of magical scissors, Kutaro can negotiate his way through the worlds and perils that face him.

But, when Kutaro finds extra heads around the world (as he's had his original head torn off when he became a puppet), he unlocks different kinds of abilities. Coupled with the ability to fly in the skies thanks to the snipping magical scissors, it's suddenly not as difficult as it seems.

Side scrolling through a theatrical set up, Puppeteer is a dark, macabre yet somehow family friendly title which is going to appeal to all. Scenes change back and forth in this dark castle world in the kind of way you'd expect to see in a pantomime. The scissors serve to help solve puzzles in one game and then must be used against cloth baddies in the next; it's a brilliant touch which is cartoonish yet deeply troubling in other moments.

The whole thing manages to work as it seems to be set inside a puppet theatre (like you'd get with the old style Romeo and Juliet boothes) complete with audience "oohs" and "aahs" throughout, meaning that the whole game has a lighter touch than some of its darker material may hint at (ripped off heads, cutting out baddies etc etc).

There's a creative uniqueness to Puppeteer, which won't take you very long to adapt to or to play, but it can be picked up with ease and settled into without any difficulty at all. Wonderful visuals and a deftness of touch give it a playable and easily addictive edge.

Imagination is the only limit on games these days on the PlayStation and it appears that Puppeteer has it in spades - and it doesn't disappoint at all.

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Lee Daniels' The Butler: Movie Review

Lee Daniels' The Butler: Movie Review

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr, Lenny Kravitz
Director: Lee Daniels

And so an Oscar contender is revealed.

In The Butler, Forest Whitaker plays Cecil Gaines, an African-American butler in the White House. Gaines served 34 years in the employ of various presidents. It begins with Gaines reflecting back on his life as he waits to meet Barack Obama.

Taking in his father's death at a cotton plantation and then being taught the ways of servitude before ending up in Washington after being hand picked by a White House head-hunter. Gaines finds his place in the serving world and forms a relationship with fellow butlers (played by Cuba Gooding Jr and Lenny Kravitz).

Against this backdrop of serving eight Presidents from 1957 to the 1980s, The Butler also focuses on the tempestuous Civil Rights movement and race relations as Gaines negotiates his own family woes - from a growing alcoholic wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) to a politically active son Louis (a tremendous performance by former Spooks star David Oyelowo), who can't stay away from the fight for the African-American quest for independence.

Lee Daniels' The Butler is of the ilk of The Help; it showcases an ugly chapter in America's history and attempts to use Hollywood to bring to life certain moments which have been swept under the carpet. Based on the life of Eugene Allen, it's nothing short of unsubtle in places to be honest; once again, the message is repeatedly sledge-hammered home when a simple more understated approach would have worked wonders.

Whitaker is venerable as Gaines, and Winfrey is stoic as his wife; but Lee Daniels' The Butler belongs more to Oyelowo who captures the antagonism of the father/ son / Civil Rights conflict perfectly and subtly with a performance that's captivating in among the sentimental, plodding mush of the predictable story.

It's weird as well as thanks to the various castings of the different presidents (Robin Williams as Eisenhower, John Cusack as Nixon, James Marsden as JFK, Alan Rickman as Reagan), you start to become distracted by who will be next in the presidential parade.

Overall, Lee Daniels' The Butler is one of those kind of cloying, race relations, Oscar-baiting films which is servicably made, but lacks the tenacity to bring the subtlety at strong moments, resulting in the direction feeling more heavy handed than anything. It's a shame because after a while, the plodding nature of parts of the film begin to grate and irritate, rather than inspire and appal as it should do.

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The Turning: Movie Review

The Turning: Movie Review

Cast: Rose Byrne, Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxborough, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Dan Wyllie
Directors: 17 of them - including Mia Wasikowska

Based on Australian writer Tim Winton's best-selling short story collection of the same name, The Turning is a collection of 17 shorts, each made by 17 different film-makers.

Pulling together a wealth of acting talent, and a three hour running time, the shorts are chapters from the book and cover a myriad of different stories. With each lasting roughly 10 minutes or so, the push through is quite an impressive one.

Like any collection of shorts, there are ones which stand out and ones which don't quite hit the mark. Even the ones which aren't quite as emotionally resounding are still visually impressive and beautifully shot. Inevitably the segments with the bigger names stand out - Rose Byrne's practically unrecognisable as a trailer park dweller who's a domestic violence survivor and who is verging on being born again; and Cate Blanchett's turn as a woman whose Christmas plans are initially scuppered by the appearance of her mother-in-law.

Ambition shines through in The Turning; certainly there's an epic feel and emotional subtlety which is resonant throughout the three hour event. Normal screenings provide a break, and I have to confess around the two hour mark, there was a need for some down time to process what's been seen and what could be ahead.

A lack of familiarity with Winton's tome proved fatal to me and I missed the subtle variations on the same character played at different stages and in different incarnations - it's best to be aware of these links (similar names, some recurring motifs) before you go in - and you'll certainly be richly rewarded. Innocence, love, jealousy, resentment, anger and regret - all are explored, revealed and laid raw.

All in all, The Turning is something epic in scope, each inter-connected story beautiful in execution and rich in emotion; while it presents a unique view of Australia and contemporary themes, there's a universality and a desperation which resonates within the soul. It's a bravura film and one which elevates the work of short film makers to the fore - and certainly issues a rallying cry for any short-film makers to really up their game.

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Doctor Who hits 50 years - and NZ celebrates its biggest Who haul

Doctor Who hits 50 years - and NZ celebrates its biggest Who haul

It's coming soon - and it's almost time to celebrate the Day of The Doctor.

BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who hits its 50th anniversary this very month on November 23rd and there are global celebrations planned.

But it's also a massive month - one of the biggest ever - for Doctor Who releases on the small screen.

BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment have got a huge slate of Doctor Who releases planned for the celebrations - and it's great to see the show is being taken seriously over here.

First up though, there are three volumes of Doctor Who: Revisited out on November 6th:

A special 50th anniversary DVD series
The first volume in this restrospective series showcases Doctor Who's first four doctors - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, spanning from 1963-1981.

The Doctors Revisited includes a half hour profile and a classic story for each Doctor introduced by Steven Moffat (the current Lead Writer & Executive Producer). Each classic story is available to view as a widescreen, feature-length version or in its episodic, original format.

Featuring The Aztecs (William Hartnell), The Tomb of the Cybermen (Patrick Troughton) Spearhead from
Space (Jon Pertwee) and Pyramid of Mars Tom Baker.
RELEASED: 6 NOVEMBER * RRP: $39.99 * DISCS: 4 *

DOCTOR WHO REVISITED VOLUME 2
The years 1981-1996 saw four new actors portray the Doctor, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester
McCoy and Paul McGann, the focus of the second volume in The Doctors Revisited. Featuring 30 minute
restrospectives per Doctor, a Steven Moffat introduction.. Each classic story is available to view as a
widescreen, feature-length version or in its episodic, original format.

Featuring the stories: Earthshock (Peter Davison), Vengeance on Varos (Colin Baker), Remembrance of the Daleks (Sylvester McCoy), and Doctor Who: The Movie (Paul McGann).

Then 2 weeks later, in the year that Doctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary, the very first regeneration story gets a release too - The Tenth Planet.

DOCTOR WHO: THE TENTH PLANET
• Contains a newly animated fourth episode (the original is currently missing from the BBC Archives)
• The very first regeneration story

The TARDIS lands at the South Pole in 1986. The arrival coincides with the appearance of Earth’s forgotten twin planet Mondas along with visitors from that world – the emotionless Cybermen. It’s up
to the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his friends to stop the creatures before they convert Earth’s population into similar cyber creations – but the encounter will have a devastating effect on the Doctor...

Special Features: • Commentary • Frozen Out Making Of • Episode 4 Reconstruction • William Hartnell
Interview • Doctor Who Stories – Anneke Wills • The Golden Age • Boys! Boys! Boys! Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson reminisce about their time as companions • Companion Piece • Blue Peter Tenth anniversary retrospective on Doctor Who’s history • Radio Times Listings • English Subtitles • Photo
Gallery • Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Quality •

Perhaps the biggest release this month though, comes from the recent haul of 11 recovered previously missing episodes - and is a global day and date release - The Enemy of The World.

The Enemy of the World, is the fourth six-part tale of the original fifth series which first broadcast in the
UK December 1967. Alongside Patrick Troughton, who plays both the Time Lord, and his antagonist
(Ramon Salamander) are his companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria). Episodes 1,  2, 4, 5 and 6 had been missing from the BBC archives, until now. All episodes have been re-mastered.

27 Doctor Who stories still remain missing or have incomplete episodes, after a number were lost as a
result of BBC Archive space-saving measures.

RELEASED: 27 NOVEMBER * RRP: $TBA * DISCS: TBA

Don't forget also, you can see the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of The Doctor in cinemas on November the 24th - check your local cinemas for details.

Thor: The Dark World: Movie Review

Thor: The Dark World: Movie Review

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings
Director: Alan Taylor

So, the Marvel juggernaut keeps on going.

With Captain America - The Winter Soldier due next year and another Avengers film, The Age of Ultron, on the way, it seems like the universe is somewhat overflowing with these flicks.

But it's pleasing to report that the shadow and after effects of The Avengers are still hanging over this, giving the feel that there's some kind of ongoing plan for the franchise. Whereas New York's mopping up after the antics of the Chitauri, Loki's behaviour's caused ructions in the nine realms and in Asgard, with Chris Hemsworth's Thor thrown into the mix to try and re-unite the warring factions at his father Odin's behest.

However, the mallet man's heart isn't fully in it, with thoughts turning to Natalie Portman's Jane Foster who's back on Earth and struggling with the same affliction.

But when Jane accidentally finds herself infected with a mysterious substance known as the Aether, she inadvertently awakens a long-buried threat, believed vanquished from within Asgard itself - the Dark Elves, headed up by the revenge-seeking Malekith (Christopher Eccleston)..... is it time for Asgard to fall?

Thor: The Dark World is a darker, grittier film than the first, but it becomes a little weighed down by some of its own intentions and a myriad of ideas.

There's such a mix of themes and motifs here that the whole thing feels tonally choppy in places as it shifts from one to the next, juggling way too many narrative balls in the air, and trying desperately to drop none of them.

It starts with a grand almost Game of Thrones / Lord of the Rings-esque prologue that details the ancient war between the Dark Elves (with their impassive white mask faces) and the Gods before shifting focus onto Tom Hiddleston's reptilian Loki, then onto Thor's attempts to quell the Nine Realms' discord before settling into some comedy scientist hijinks, led by Kat Dennings' Darcy, whose role is severely comically expanded this time around. Add into that mix, some gut-wrenchingly emotional moments in the second act of the film which are almost derailed by the sudden tonal shift,  a sub-plot hinting at romantic tensions between Thor, Jaimie Alexander's Sif and Jane Foster which is dropped mid-way through, a 9/11 style attack on Asgard, some sci-fi MacGuffins as well as a rather neatly and abrupt conclusion and the piece, while blockbuster in every sense of the word, feels a little like a mixed narrative journey. (Albeit, an enjoyable one if you're prepared to overlook all of these things.) For example - A great sequence involving a truly moving Viking burial barely has time to settle before Taylor's back to the comedy elements - it may work for the end of a comic book and the start of a next chapter, but on screen, it jars.

In terms of character, Hemsworth's adopted the rather stilted and stuffy tone for Thor, playing his fish out of water ways for laughs (a great scene sees him hanging up Mjolnir at a house the same way one does a coat); but his interaction / love interest with Portman's Jane is a little lacking this time around, with their onscreen time cut dramatically and their relationship suffering because of it. Equally, Eccleston's Malekith suffers in the shadow of the snakelike Loki, brilliantly portrayed by Hiddleston once again. While Eccleston brings the grim determination and vengeful might, there's little dimension or depth to his baddie, with the final showdown lacking the weight you'd expect. Meanwhile, Hiddleston provides much more nuance and layers to Loki this time around, turning a villain of the piece into something more Machiavellian than you'd have expected as the brotherly bonds of love and grief are played out.

That said, the epic feel and sense and scale of Thor 2: The Dark World, coupled with some measured and impressive action sequences and some top notch FX work, make it a film for the masses and a flick which ensures Marvel's still on the top of its genre game.

Ultimately though, if the Thor franchise wants to grow and continue, maybe some of the myriad of elements need to be taken out of the mix to help the story and characters breathe - before they risk becoming too one note and tired.

(Oh, and make sure you stick around for the credits - there are two post credit scenes in Thor: The Dark World....)

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Brand new Wolf of Wall Street trailer is here

Brand new Wolf of Wall Street trailer is here

Hot off the presses, here is the brand new Wolf of Wall Street trailer for you to enjoy!


Official movie trailer #2 in HD 1080p - directed by Martin Scorsese - starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler - based on Jordan Belfort's best-selling memoir "The Wolf of Wall Street," which chronicles his rise and fall on Wall Street, along with his hard-partying lifestyle and tumultuous personal life.  

A true-life drama, which teams DiCaprio with director Martin Scorsese for a fifth time, dives into the sex, drugs, yachts and 1990s excess of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who penned the best-selling memoir The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio stars as Belfort, a hard-living sort who makes mad money on Wall Street ($49 million in 1996 alone) and enjoys the booze and babes that come with it. 

The good times last for only so long, though, because the FBI shows up wanting Belfort to help in their case involving securities fraud and corruption. 

X Men: Days of Future Past trailer is here

X Men: Days of Future Past trailer is here

Mutants of the world unite, the X Men: Days of Future Past trailer is here!

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. 

The beloved characters from the original "X-Men" film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from "X-Men: First Class," in an epic battle that must change the past -- to save our future.