Dawn of the Planet of The Apes trailer is here

Dawn of the Planet of The Apes trailer is here

The first trailer for Dawn of the Planet of The Apes is here.

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. 

They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits next year.




Check out the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes posters

Extended The Time of The Doctor trailer

Extended The Time of The Doctor trailer

Just released is a new longer trailer for Matt Smith's final outing in Doctor Who. 

The BBC America trailer offers a few more hints of what lies ahead...


The Time of The Doctor's due to play in the UK on Christmas Day. And in New Zealand, Prime TV's revealed it will air The Time Of The Doctor on Boxing Day at 8.30pm.

On Christmas Day and Boxing Day the channel will also air all the episodes from Matt Smith's last season as the Doctor. They start from 945am on Christmas Day

Here's the trailer for The Time of The Doctor:

Following on from the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, the first details have been revealed of Matt Smith's final outing as the Doctor, coming this Christmas.

The BBC's revealed the adventure will be called:  The Time of The Doctor.

An official synopsis has been given as well:

"Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather,drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars. And amongst them – the Doctor.  

"Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe."

The Wolf of Wall Street: Movie Review

The Wolf of Wall Street: Movie Review

Cast: Leonardo di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin
Director: Martin Scorsese

Here comes yet another portrayal of the pursuit of the American dream - and a ferocious piece of film-making from esteemed director Martin Scorsese, based on the memoir of the same name from Jordan Belfort.

Leonardo Di Caprio is Jordan Belfort, a wannabe stockbroker, who realises his dream and makes his way to Wall Street. But, his first day as a qualified stockbroker, turned out to be October 19, 1987 - aka Black Monday.

However, Belfort doesn't give up and starts his second life in a boiler room brokerage, offering penny stocks to the masses and delivering massive mark-ups to those selling. Soon, he's living an obscene lifestyle thanks to his Stratton Oakmont company - but attracts the attention of the FBI (in the shape of Kyle Chandler's Patrick Denham) who is determined to bring him down...

The Wolf of Wall Street is a hedonistic rise and fall picture that sears its way onto your eyeballs and into your cinematic consciousness. It's the tale of an anti-hero (one of Scorsese's familiar characters) who pushes his limits as far as he can and manages to inveigle his way under our skin and garner our support.

It helps that di Caprio is on fire here, delivering a bravura performance that's all bluster and bravado - one which commands your attention from the start to the very end as you hope the anti-hero gets his comeuppance. Like Belfort, we're seduced by the lavish excesses on the screen, sucked into his world and living the Wall Street Gordon Gekko mantra that "Greed is Good." Delivering drug-addled speeches directly to the camera and yet offering self-effacing moments when necessary (his first dalliance with Naomi lasts only 11 seconds), di Caprio's Belfort is at once an indictment and celebration of the American Dream and those of us who revel in it. He's as much addicted to the pills, the booze, the sex, the drugs and the lifestyle as we, as the audience, are addicted to his portrayal of it, sucked in from the moment the hookers and the scenes of dwarf tossing erupt from the offices of Stratton Oakmont as they wallow in their bacchanal style debauchery.

Morals go out of the window in Scorsese's piece, as the three hour story begins to unfold. The early moral compass of Belfort's first wife is jettisoned and we hardly glimpse any effect on those whom Belfort and his troupe of sharp-suited commandos defrauded; thankfully, Naomi, Jordan's trophy wife (promisingly played by former Neighbours' star Margot Robbie) becomes the voice of reason later on in the pic as she realises her mistake and rails against the debauchery of the world around her before it's too late.

Scorsese's littered The Wolf of Wall Street movie with as much humour as there are drugs around, giving it an extremely cartoonish feel. One sequence where Belfort tries to drive home to get his partner off the home phone which is bugged by the feds, is rife with physical buffoonery and laughs before twisting into something horrific and life-threatening. Moments like this are peppered throughout Scorsese's bankers-living-as-gangsters pic and show a spritely directorial fire. In fact, while the film begins to sag a little in its 3 hour run time, Scorsese shows no sign of loosing the reins or the plot, delivering moment upon moment of pure adrenalin thrill as this shallow and stylish paean to excess flows.

It helps that he has a great ensemble cast - from the brief but trailblazing turn from Matthew McConaughey as an impresario who inspires Belfort to the goofy white toothed co-founder Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), through to the powderkeg of Belfort's father (Rob Reiner) and The Artist's Jean duJardin as a Swiss banker, everyone delivers a searing turn that borders on parody at times but is wisely pulled back in by the director.

The Wolf of Wall Street is undoubtedly a visceral film of excess - from the larger than life performances of all involved - bar the quieter turns of Kyle Chandler's fed and Robbie's wife - to the debauchery, it's a brassy, bold piece of cartoonish film (complete with more crimes against the New Zealand accent) that is infectious in its shallow hedonism and utterly undeniable as a movie experience.

With no condemnation of Belfort's lifestyle, his choices and his crimes, the picture closes with a chilling snapshot of how the rich continue to ride roughshod over the system. But while the audience may be left a little appalled, there can be no doubt that this is Martin Scorsese having fun, cutting loose and more than delivering the goods - a film which rages and seethes as much as it is soaked in dark humour; one that dazzles as it deals out another indictment of the excesses of our times.

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Frozen: Movie Review

Frozen: Movie Review

Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Alan Tudyk
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen, Frozen's the latest animated film to be fired out of the Disney cannon for the Christmas market.

Idina Menzel and Veronica Mars' star Kristen Bell are sisters Elsa and Anna (respectively) who live in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa's distanced herself from Anna over the years after discovering she has the power to create ice and snow; and fearing she'll hurt those she loves the most, she reckons ice-olation (sorry) is best.

However, Anna's more of an outgoing type; desperate to love, be among people and be loved. When trade negotiations begin with the neighbouring town of Wesselton, an accident means Elsa sends the whole kingdom deep into winter. Believing her to be a witch and enchanted, the inhabitants drive her out - but it's upto Anna to try and save the day, restore summer and ensure the future of Arendelle...

Frozen is a Disney film from the creators of Tangled; so, like Tangled, it follows a simple formula, which proved to be effective before - a strong female lead, animals that are anthropomorphic, and big showtunes which can be belted out from a stage. Throw into that mix, this time around, a comedy snowman called Olaf (admirably voiced by Josh Gad, who will definitely appeal to the youngsters within) and you've got a winning mix, which will delight the crowd and will do the job it's supposed to do.

And yet, there are moments in Frozen where it doesn't quite feel like there's enough to propel it through. A perversion of the usual denouement of these films is distinctly welcomed as it's love but not in the traditional Disney way which saves the day, but the rest of it feels like it's ripped from a book of formula, mixed up and spat out onto the big screen.

It's admirable to see that the sisters are so central to the story - particularly Bell's headstrong and independent Anna, and the men who swirl around their orbit aren't as well realised, there for comic effect and little else. Even Sven, the reindeer is sidelined as Olaf's dumb good nature is mined for the comedy.

The tunes within are powerful enough fodder and have you tapping your toes throughout; though they are instantly forgettable the moment you walk out of the cinema.

This time around, it felt personally that the darkness of the 3D glasses dampened some of the crisp experience one would expect from a world of ice; granted, the animation is stunning (Elsa's ice castle is wonderfully realised) but the muddiness from the RealD 3D meant the colours were lost a little in translation and the effect minimised, which is a real shame.

Overall though, Frozen sparkles in places and has a charm which is undeniable.

Personally, I'm frosty to its appeal - it does exactly what I'd expect, and does it admirably. It just has to be said though - it didn't thaw this critic's heart and leave me melting as I would have liked it to.

(But make sure you get there early, to enjoy a new Mickey Mouse cartoon that confidently blows the cobwebs out of 3D and is as inventive as it is charming)

Rating:

Shopping: DVD Review

Shopping: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

From the writers of the award nominated The Six Dollar Fifty Man comes the first foray into feature film making.

It's New Zealand 1981 - a time of racial tensions between the Samoans and New Zealanders. Brothers Willie and Solomon are caught up in the middle of this in their own ways. Solomon, the youngest of the two, is lost in a world of his own and knows only the guiding light of his older brother, Willie. But Willie's on the verge of making his way into the real world, starting with driving lessons from his father Terry. However, when Terry lets Willie down over the lessons, Willie's relationship with his father is strained. Tempted into a world of theft after a chance encounter with charismatic thief and immigrant Bennie (Koman), Willie discovers a family bond, lacking in his own life.

With the possibility of this surrogate father taking him in, Willie's keen to do anything to impress - but his immersion into Bennie's world sets him on a collision course with disaster.

Shopping is an at times, bleak and darkly put together film festival-like tale.

Beautifully shot (on the Kapiti coast) and wonderfully evocative of the era (the attention to period detail is stunning), it's a tale which takes a little while to unfold but when it finally does so, does very well.It helps that the two young leads are gifted natural actors; Paulo, a first time actor, imbues Willie with a nuanced performance that's subtle and restrained. He manages to convey the inner turmoil and the mix of confusion and anger well without any real over-acting. Likewise, the young Dennison helps build a realistic bond with his brother which feels natural and warm.

Inevitably, the film follows the NZ norm and uncovers some nasty home truths of beatings and so on, but rather than over-indulge in that side of it, the story wisely veers away from indulging in the domestic issues (which aren't quite as strong as the other story threads) and concentrates on Willie's inauguration into the thieves' world. Though, it has ventured to the Sundance Festival this year and played there, which is extremely commendable.

A mix of meandering narrative in the early stages and tension set the scene well and when the final explosion comes as Willie's two worlds meet, you are gripped by what unfolds as the misery comes home to roost with a real blow to the senses.

Thankfully, the film wisely ends on the relationship between the two brothers - and it's a good choice to help cinemagoers leave with some form of optimism. Because the main heart of the film is this bond and it's in those moments that it brings something unique and magical to the screen.

Extras: Director interviews, cast members and behind the scenes as well as trailer

Rating:

Ryse: Son OF Rome: XBox One Review

Ryse: Son OF Rome: XBox One Review

Released by Crytek
Platform: XBox One

Forget Sparta, Rome is where the action is.

Ryse: Son Of Rome is the first title on the XBox One that actually looks cinematic - it's epic and has a feel of an old school movie, and the violence, ironically, given my opening statement, of Spartacus, the 2013 version.

You control Roman general Marius Titus, plunged into a battle as barbarians attack and tasked with the job of saving Nero from the marauding forces. Blocking, dodging and attacking, there's plenty of blood and gore on offer as you slash and hack your way through - but you'll need to be a bit smart as you fight your way, because once you're surrounded with barbarians, it takes a fair bit of skill to escape and you can't just simply slash till you're safe.

At its heart, though Ryse Son of Rome is about revenge - Marius is out to avenge murders in his past and that's what gives this game its drive and thrust. Sure, there's a degree of repetition as you bash and kill your way through the bad guys, but the story telling helps propel it along and it's the different way that you can execute your enemies which proves to add a degree of variety.

The executions come after you've bashed a foe around enough for a skull to appear above their head and you get to sap some of their energy to replenish yourself. Using the old quick time events that were so prevalent in God Of War, pressing the right buttons delivers a bloody result. Elsewhere there are multiplayer options which help to extend the game's life, though these are largely confined to the gladiatorial elements which are better to play with friends.

Ryse: Son Of Rome looks incredible though - minor gameplay niggles aside, the game is an awesome visual feast which really showcases the best of the next generation consoles. It's essentially like watching a dramatic recreation of Rome and its battles, with some backstory thrown in. There's a real miniseries look and feel to Ryse: Son of Rome and it's hard to ignore.

All in all, Ryse: Son Of Rome is a great game to get into - it's ferocious and vicious and definitely shows that XBox One has really done a lot to up the visuals of the gaming world. Based on this historical interpretation and game, the future is exceptionally bright.

Rating:
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Tearaway: PS Vita Review

Tearaway: PS Vita Review

Platform: PS Vita
Released by Media Molecule

There's no denying that LittleBigPlanet is one of my all time favourite games series. I've played and replayed them, wallowing in their cuteness and playability.

So, a new game from those developers, Media Molecule is something to be excited by - and my goodness, is Tearaway an absolute charming blast which has fully embraced the VITA's tech.

But I'm getting ahead of myself a little here - so let's back the reviewing truck up.

In Tearaway, you play either a female or male messenger, made from paper, tasked with getting to the sun to deliver a message. Sort of...You see, the kicker with this one is that the sun is actually you captured via the VITA's camera capabilities - you're like the Teletubbies sun only more realistic. But the You of the game is actually an integral part to what exactly is going on, working in tandem with the messenger, you can use the interactive elements of the game to help throughout.

Tapping the rear touchpad means your fingers come blasting into the messengers' world and can be used to move things around to help your little pal get to where they need to. Or they can be used to help take out the Scraps (little baddies) which infest the game. It's a natural part of the game and never once feels shoehorned in or thrown in just for the sake of it. This organic feel does much to capitalise on the VITA's prowess and does a lot to ensure that you're invested all the way.

But it's not just fingers that do the talking, as it were. Throughout the game, there are characters who need things - be it a squirrel who needs a crown or a plant that's drained of its colour. And this is where the crafting side of Tearaway comes into focus. Using pencil, paper and scissors in the crafting area, you get to create parts of the world and sidebits which are used throughout - deftly done and crisply executed they are little bonuses, littering the game and which have a use later on.

The great thing about Tearaway is just how simple it actually is to play and how engrossingly fun it is to be involved in. Customising your character is done through stickers (does that sound familiar?) and the tech of the VITA has been used so effortlessly throughout, you wonder why it's never been done before. Graphically, the world owes much to a child's papercraft set and is reminiscent of a kindergarten arts and crafts day - but that's where a lot of its charm comes from. Never overtly cute, the game is suffused with more enjoyment than you'd believe possible and offers such feel good fuzzies that it's hard to ignore and fight them.

The best thing about Tearaway is that once again, Media Molecule's shown itself to be a game leader and a game changer. While in theory, the gameplay of Tearaway doesn't exactly rip up and reinvent the template, what it's done for the VITA is to finally bring out a game that fully explores and exploits all of its potential.

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