Inside Llewyn Davis: Blu Ray Review

Inside Llewyn Davis: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

The Coen Brothers return to the movies with a ramshackle week in the life of a young folk singer and a reminder that life's journey doesn't always take the straightest path toward destiny.

A bearded, sad-eyed Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis, a singer who's trying to make it in the Greenwich Village scene of 1961 but failing to break through and falling deeper into self-doubt as he shambles from one uncertain night to the next.

Complicating his life are an unexpected pregnancy with Carey Mulligan's Jean (one of the places where Davis crashes), the lack of definitive work, a manager who appears to never pass any money on and a cruel winter. Even with a guitar slung on his back, Llewyn is facing his darkest days yet as he sets out to audition for a music mogul in Chicago, with nothing but misfits, biting cold, crippling hunger, and a ginger cat for company...

Inside Llewyn Davis is a film that soars on many levels - from the understated yet totally relatable Oscar Isaac as Davis, who nails every desperate scene with a quiet frustration as the thwarted artist, to the ragtag group of misfits who drift in and out of his life, the Coens have brought together a cyclical film that encapsulates the life of the artist as they move from uncertainty to tantalising hope.

But the Coens haven't lost any of their playfulness by doing this (even if they've dialled it back) - a recurring motif of a ginger cat who likes to travel (and whose name reveal at the end of the movie is a delicious treat), a cameo from John Goodman as a jazz singer who steals the scene he's in as a brute of an over-confident man who's the antithesis to Isaac's quietly frustrated Davis to Justin Timberlake's jumper-wearing oblivious to everything around him folk singer, there's something to love in almost every scene.

And that's without mentioning the rich, soulful soundtrack that is a perfect representation of the times - even down to the final appearance of a certain singer who kicked off the folk scene at that time. The songs range from the heartbreakingly frank (Oh Hang Me) to the verging-on-popsong-parody (Please Mr Kennedy) and are the perfect side dish, peppered as they are throughout. Drab colours and a washed out look to the film add to the vibe of the 60s Greenwich scene.

Inside Llewyn Davis feels exactly how it is to be a struggling artist, every scene reeks of quiet desperation and utter despondency as Davis goes from one uncertain moment to the next. When his eventual dark moment of the soul arrives, Isaac completely and heartbreakingly sells it with his sad tired eyes - fulfilling the melancholy almost maudlin vibe of what's already transpired as the soul crushing lows come to fruition. Particularly devastating is the scene where Davis pours his heart out with the guitar to a producer who simply dismisses him with the words "I don't see any money in it".

The sombre tone of this ramshackle road movie of the soul is beautifully played, though Davis is nothing more than a melancholic loner on this journey; his interactions with the likes of Jane and Timberlake's Jim merely emphasising that he doesn't fit in with them, an artist doomed to go his own lonely way - even the ginger cat leaves him as soon as the chance arises. If there are loose ends strewn here and there, it's symptomatic of how Davis comes and goes in people's lives more than poor writing or plotting.

Inside Llewyn Davis leaves you uncertain as to whether Davis is the real talent, destined to make it when the scene eventually breaks through or if he'll crack under the growing pressure of reality; it's a perfect portrait of someone suffering for their art - but the Coen brothers have ensured this journey is as far away from suffering as is remotely possible. It's a gorgeous film, a true testament to their skills as story-tellers and also their actors.

You can't afford not to see this quiet little masterpiece.

Rating:

Lemmings Touch: PS Vita Review

Lemmings Touch: PS Vita Review

Platform: PS Vita
Released by Sony Computer Entertainment

Ah, Lemmngs.

Years have passed since the frustration of dealing with those pesky critters, trying to get them to their destination and being thwarted by some minor oversight.

Perhaps, it was inevitable they'd make a next gen version and to be honest, the PS Vita makes perfect sense as a platform for it. Developer d3t have brought this platformer bang upto date and moved it onto the mobile platform, making it all the better for it.

The formula's not been messed with either - it's still the same old Lemmings game; you have to guide them through a series of puzzles and use climbing, building, floating, digging and blocking to reach your destination - or face self-detonation if things don't go to plan. Updated visuals and a wheel to select your hapless little Lemmings skill factor mean the game is as simple as it needs to be - and as a result, is as addictive as it could be.

Around 100 levels need conquering and using the VITA's touch screen, it's upto you to save the day as you guide them to safety (or not). With an option to speed up the action, you don't have to spend forever waiting for the time to tick down to finish a level, but rather a high speed wipe a la editing helps you to your goal. Moving the wheel around is easy thanks to the touch screen capabilities, as is moving some of the objects in the level the Lemmings have to complete. Trampolines, bricks - all of these can be swished away with the flick of a finger - and all of which are needed to complete the level in requisite time.

One major change is the introduction of the red haired Lemmings, a kind of anti social critters that needs to be dispatched and can in no way be allowed to make it to the end goal. So, it's sanctioned Lemming killing which proves to be a bit of fun.

There's also the option to customise your critters, thanks to rewards at the end of each level, but to be frank, the thrill of Lemmings Touch is the basics. It doesn't steer away from what made the game great and this updated version has found the perfect home on the VITA. Frustratingly addictive, totally playable and portable, Lemmings Touch is a great next gen addition, steeped in nostalgia.

Rating:

Hohokum details revealed

Hohokum details revealed

Hohokum's release date has been revealed, along with a developer behind the scenes video.

The game's due to hit PS3, PS4 and PS VITA in August this year. The developers have psted a blog which is here for you to read

Hey folks!  We’re back with another behind-the-scenes look at Hohokum and to share that Hohokum will be available on August 13, 2014. This one is focused on the roots of the game’s design.  A question we've been asked a lot is 'how did you come up with this game?' The answer isn't straightforward, but hopefully this video will help to illustrate something of the process, as well as revealing some of our inspirations and design goals.

Dick and I started designing Hohokum back in 2008 and since that time it has gone through a lot of changes. For the first few years it was a side-project – something we worked on between other things, or when inspiration struck. We didn't have a clear mechanic 'hook' when starting out - more an overall sense of wanting to make a game that was relaxing and evoked a particular sense of free-form play, and over time this approach allowed the game we have today to emerge organically. I'm not sure we could have done it any other way.

Much of what the game is today stems from the epiphany of how much fun it was to fly around as the player’s character (the Long Mover). From there ideas came from various places: Dick's artwork, toys that I programmed, and even real world places provided inspiration for things in Hohokum.

It’s been a long journey and loads of fun! Now we’re excited to finalize the game and send it out into the world for all of you to play.

If you’re attending E3, stop by and check out the game which will be on display in the PlayStation Booth on PS4 and PS3. We’re showing the new Jungle Plateau area, along with a number of smaller spaces included in the game. Hope to see you there!

We’ll be back soon with more updates. In the meantime, be sure to check out our website: http://www.hohokum.com

Hohokum will be available on PS4, PS3, and PS Vita as a digital download through the PlayStation Store on August 13, 2014.

The Wolf Of Wall Street: Blu Ray Review

The Wolf Of Wall Street: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R18
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

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.

Extras: Round table, featurettes

Rating:

What We Do In The Shadows: Movie Review

What We Do In The Shadows: Movie Review

Cast: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford, Rhys Darby, Jackie Van Beek
Directors: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Releases June 19

There's a lot at stake for this vampire mockumentary movie set in Wellington, following Taika Waititi's success with Boy.

Boy director Taika Waititi directs and acts alongside Flight Of The Conchords star and co-director Jemaine Clement in this piece that's been put together by the duo and breathes some life into the undead who have traditionally been a little staid and stuffy in recent cinematic outings.

It follows the exploits of three vampire flatmates Viago (Waititi), Deacon (Brugh) and Vladislav (Clement) who are trying to do all they can to get by in modern day New Zealand. From paying the rent to sticking to the house work roster, the trio's got an uneasy alliance with the petty squabbles of flatmates coming to the fore.

But when a newcomer Nick (a deadpan dry Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) comes into their lives and is turned into a vampire, everything within the dynamic changes as the group gears up for the annual Masquerade Ball that's the pinnacle of their society as well as trying to maintain their level of secrecy within the Lower Hutt area.

What We Do In The Shadows (funded as it is by the New Zealand Documentary Board in one of the earliest laugh out loud moments) is packed full of smart, sly gags.

From visual gags to outright slapstick, this played-not-for-laughs piece is  more or less a riotous gem from beginning to end, slyly mocking the conventions of the vampire world but also showing a deft understanding of what makes the genre so appealing.

There's a devilishly delicious playful tone running throughout - but one which is underpinned by a level of sadness that adds a welcome level of melancholia to some of the proceedings. Viago's tormented by the fact his one true love grew old without him, Deacon's rattled by the newcomer Nick into the house gang, feeling his position as the cool dude is under threat and underneath all the depraved behaviour, Vladislav is threatened by his nemesis, The Beast.

While the spoof hits a little bit of a lull around two thirds mark (but manages to shake that off in the final home strait), it's the gags which keep providing some smart laughs as well as the laconic leads' turns.

Waititi anchors the start of the film, but then wisely positions Viago more in the background as this series of some interviews with some vampires begins to bear some of its teeth. Brugh takes on more of the centre stage as his cocky young vampire feels threatened by Gonzalez-Macuer's Nick - the scenes where they try to one up each other work very well, and channel eternal rivalries which persist between flatmates and acquaintances. Equally, Clement shows his usual comic mettle with Vladislav and throws some pathos into the relationship with the Beast

There's an underplayed quirkiness to the film which benefits from a subtlety that beats through its veins. Viago prefers to lay newspaper and towels down before draining his victims; a quick sight gag involves the vampires drawing each other to demonstrate what they look like before hitting the streets of Wellington, one vampire says he'll stay in to do his bidding before a quick cutaway to hisbeing on TradeMe - all of these quality gags come thick and fast and point to the horror comedy genre being given a shot of Kiwi blood in the arm.

It's fangs to Taika and Jemaine that What We Do In The Shadows hits so many of the marks they're aspiring to; for a subject that's been around for centuries, it's certainly been given a fresh once over in one of the smartest Kiwi comedies to hit our cinemas. It's a vampire movie that doesn't sparkle - or suck.

Quite simply, What We Do In The Shadows has an undead beating fun heart that's hard to deny - it's a fresh and hilariously smart take on the mockumentary that rewards as much in laughs as it does in intelligent film-making.

Rating:

Andrew Adamson Selects New Zealand’s Best

Six Short films have been selected by Kiwi director Andrew Adamson as New Zealand's Best for the New Zealand International Film Festival.

The films will compete for four cash prizes, with winners to be announced at the closing night event of the Auckland leg of NZIFF. The six finalists are Cold Snap(dir: Leo Woodhead), Eleven (dir: Abigail Greenwood), Over the Moon (dir: James Cunningham), Ross & Beth (dir: Hamish Bennett), School Night (dirs: Leon Wadham and Eli Kent) and U.F.O. (dir: Gregory King).

The New Zealand’s Best programme will screen as part of our 2014 line-up and audiences will be encouraged to vote for their favourite short. The 2014 Audience Award winner in Auckland and Wellington will take away 25% of the box office from the Festival screenings in the four main centres.

In addition, a jury will select the winner for each of three awards – The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize (cash prize of $5,000 for the best New Zealand Short Film); The Friends of the Civic Short Film Award for distinctive creative achievement (cash prize of $3,000). A special jury of cinematographers will select the winner of the inaugural Allen Guilford Cinematography Award from the New Zealand Cinematographers Society (NZCS) which includes a cash prize of $2,000.

Guest selector and international filmmaker Andrew Adamson selected the six finalists from a shortlist of 12. Festival programmers Bill Gosden and Michael McDonnell viewed 115 entries to prepare the shortlist for this year’s competition.

Andrew Adamson was impressed with the standard of shorts entered this year, describing some of the finalists as “well structured, beautifully shot”, “witty and imaginative”, “poignant and well put together”. His comment for each entry is noted below.

Eleven

New Zealand 2013
Director: Abigail Greenwood
A beautifully painful story of peer pressure and betrayal. Well shot and well acted by the young cast, it’s a very moving story that takes one back to the difficult years of childhood.

Cold Snap

New Zealand 2013
Director: Leo Woodhead
A well structured, beautifully shot narrative... It leaves the audience contemplating life, death and pain – and how confusing such things can be for a child dealing with death every day.

Over The Moon

New Zealand 2013
Director: James Cunningham
A witty and imaginative take on the ‘battle of the sexes’. Cunningham has made great use of technology and whimsical production design to create a fun but pointed commentary on one of the many testosterone heavy occupations.

Ross & Beth

World Premiere
New Zealand 2014
Director: Hamish Bennett
A well crafted character study of ageing rural New Zealand. Lovely subtle performances paint a sweet, sad and gentle story rooted in relatable characters.

School Night

World Premiere
New Zealand 2014
Directors: Leon Wadham, Eli Kent
Hayley Sproull’s performance is perfectly subtle as a sympathetically insecure young woman caught between youth and premature aging. A very complete and satisfying narrative that is rare in the short film format.

U.F.O.

World Premiere
New Zealand 2014
Director: Gregory King
A unique take on a child escaping his surroundings. Good use of makeup and effects sets you up for a turn from the surreal to the tragically real. In the bleak New Zealand tradition the film is affecting and stays with you.

NZIFF will begin in Auckland (17 July – 3 August), open in Wellington one week later (25 July – 10 August), then Christchurch and Nelson (6 – 24 August) and Dunedin (31 July – 17 August) before continuing to travel around New Zealand screening in Timaru, Gore, Hawke’s Bay, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Masterton, and New Plymouth.

The Festival has already announced 12 films including Pulp: A Film about Life and Death and Supermarkets, 20,000 Days on Earth, Jimi: All Is By My Side, Frank, The Congress, Consuming Spirits, Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, Patema Inverted, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (3D),  Why Don’t You Play In Hell? and the Live Cinema Event in Auckland, Prix de beauté, for the 2014 programme.


Festival programmes will be available online and around town from June 24 in Auckland, and June 27 in Wellington. For Festival updates visit www.nziff.co.nz <http://www.nziff.co.nz>  and register to receive e-newsletters.

Fantail: Movie Review

Fantail: Movie Review

Cast: Sophie Henderson, Jarod Rawiri, Stephen Lovatt, Jahalis Ngamotu
Director: Curtis Vowell

Finally getting a wider release after closing the New Zealand International Film Festival last year, the low budget Fantail seems destined for success.

It's the story of Tania (Henderson who wrote the film), a Pakeha girl who believes she's a Maori (right down to her pronunciation of words). Working the night shift at a local petrol station, she's saving money to take her and her brother Piwakawaka (Ngamotu) on holiday.

But when Pi starts working in the Bay of Plenty, his life begins to spiral - and Tania keeps on working trying to save the money to get them out of there.

Fantail is a self-assured movie that's as much about self-identity as it is character; Henderson's at once brought to life the vulnerable yet assured Tania, who does what's necessary to get through the night. From the continual dares thrown at her regional boss Dean (Rawiri, who's in for comic relief) to the kindly nurturing relationship with her boss Rog (the ever affable Lovatt), it's a snapshot of a South Auckland that's universally relatable.

Confines on budget and location don't mean cutbacks on the script and characters though - adapted from Henderson's stage play, this piece is rich in nuance and steeped in moments. While the ending is a little out of leftfield and seems to have been plucked out of nowhere, leading to a somewhat bizarre resolution, this piece of identity and questioning of belonging in the world speaks volumes amid its low budget definition.

Henderson is a presence to be reckoned with; while Ngamotu shows some acting chops for one so young. Rawiri brings the necessary levity to the piece which could have been a depressing outing, but which soars beyond its ambitions.

Rating: