Merry Christmas to all

Merry Christmas to all

It is of course, Christmas Day today - and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas is of course, an obligation.

However, whether you're with family, without family, working or away from those you love or have had a difficult year, this shot of Baymax and Hiro from Big Hero 6 will give you the festive impetus you need to get through the day.

A very Merry Christmas to all of the readers of Darren's World of Entertainment - I really appreciate the support and wish you all the best festive tidings of the year.

Stand by for 2015 - it's going to be massive for films and games!

Mr Turner: Movie Review

Mr Turner: Movie Review

Cast: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson
Director: Mike Leigh

Renowned directorial miserabilist Mike Leigh teams up once again with actor Timothy Spall to bring to life the final 25 years of the canvas of Brit painter JMW Turner.

In this biopic, we witness the life of Turner as he rambles from one moment to the next in this relatively plotless film that makes more of its garish characters than anything else.

As we join Turner in a truly gorgeous opening shot with windmills in the background, Leigh pans to reveal the silhouette of the relatively rotund artist delighting in his daubings. It's a moody yet whistfully evocative shot that sets the tone for the piece as it shows how far Turner will go for his art, how dismissive of his apparent family he was - other than his beloved father, his interactions with other artists at the Royal Academy of Arts and his trips away to another wife and another life.

Throughout all the swirling of life's great canvas and negotiating through this 150 minute journey is Leigh regular and Brit stalwart Spall. He's already collected accolades for this portrayal of the relatively unlikeable man, who grunts his way through interactions like some kind of superior pig, revelling in acrylic muck. But throughout the bottom-gruelling biopic, Spall is the guiding light within as Leigh's direction and script do little to pander to the cultural ignoramuses who may attend this.

Some of Spall's best scenes come when he lets Turner's guard down; a fumbling desperate sexual encounter with his housekeeper, a breakdown after his father's death while attempting to draw a prostitute and an interest in the invention of the camera towards the end of his life show a man creatively trapped and lacking the respect and the public admiration from his time. Spall does little to hide his Turner from the vile, and uses it to his advantage bringing the man vividly to life.

While Leigh's eye for the visual is never anything less than stunning, with seaside vistas and shots of Turner tied to a ship's mast to help his recreation for his art being just two of the moments which stand out.

But all in all, Mr Turner is a film about more than broad brush strokes; it's just a film that left me relatively cold in terms of emotion; granted, Spall's character work as the pot-bellied Turner is nothing short of awards-worthy - particularly in the sequence where his father dies., but the emotional pull is distinctly lacking and the relative repugnance of the man does more to drive you away than pull you in.

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Begin Again: Blu Ray Review

Begin Again: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

How do you follow a massive hit like Once?

As any musician will tell you, the second album syndrome is a difficult one to break through - and in the case of Once director John Carney, it's a case of maybe repeating yourself but on a bigger canvas with a wider appeal.

This time, it's the story of two disparate broken souls in New York; first, Ruffalo is Dan, a music producer who's not had a hit for years and who's just parted ways with the record company he founded with pal Saul (Mos Def); secondly, there's Greta (Knightley) , a UK singer / songwriter who's just split with her boyfriend, rocker Dave Kohl and is contemplating heading back to England.

Their paths cross at an open mic night, where Dan sees the potential in Greta and who is determined to get her signed up. With the power of no record label behind him, Dan pitches the idea that Greta will record an alfresco album with New York being the canvas for her to musically paint on, an idea that appeals to her opposition to overly produced music.
But along the way, both find themselves facing upto some home truths and looking to repair some broken bridges - from an ex wife and disenfranchised daughter (Dan) to dealing with an ex (Greta).

Begin Again is about as mainstream a feel-good romantic drama as you can get - a recognition from Carney that he can't repeat Once without swamping his next attempt in something so incredibly middle of the road that it becomes bland and mass marketable.

It's not without its occasional charm though; a brilliant visual flourish early on sees Dan focusing on the arrangement around Greta's open mic turn as she sings on. Instruments spring to life around her, as if operated by ghosts and it's a daring insight into how the creative mind works. Sadly, it's the one and only original touch in the piece that's just about as soulless and bland as the music that inhabits within.

Ruffalo has a rugged edge to Dan, a man who's teetering on the broken and looking for a way back up; a man whose fast-talking has worked for him before but who's now faltering in a world that no longer apparently needs him. And Knightley does as well as she can with a one-note character, who's initially strong but who falters into mediocrity once the on street recording of music starts and she inevitably begins to be a part of Dan's life and his domestic issues.
Ruffalo feels the most fleshed out of the characters with scenes of his relationship with his ex (Keener) giving the feeling of a past; contrast that with parts of Greta's story as she deals with the fall out from her ex (played by Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine), which feels cliched and stereotyped.

The saccharine levels of this rise pretty quickly as the sounds of the streets of New York form part of the album and the film - even if it's the tourist / picture postcard spots which form the majority of the locations. Throw in a cameo with a rapping Cee-Lo Green, it's all so sanitised and bland that Begin Again starts to feel like the complete antithesis to Once, a middle of the road creation that covers all the bases without any hint or frisson of excitement. (It's even got James Corden as a loveable busker....)

As a breezy piece of romantic drama, Begin Again will be to many people's cup of tea, but with a predictable story and pleasant acting, there's so much sugary inanity on show that it left me seeking a dentist after it had ended.

Rating:

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris: PS4 Review

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by: Square Enix

The Tomb Raider reboot last year was one of the best games to hit the PlayStation.

Gritty, and with a depth of character for an action heroine, it was an engrossing piece that swept you up in the world and gave you something to enjoy.

Equally enjoyable but for different more disposable reasons is Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, an isometric gamer that works better if you play with a group of people rather than solo.

Once again, you get to take hold of Lara in a new adventure that's fairly light in content but simple in execution. Picking up where 2010's Guardian of Light left off, this arcade style game (that's reminiscent of Gauntlet and Dead Nation) is a fairly stylistically simple piece that's not really about graphics, other than in its glorious cut scenes.

Lara's on a journey to the Egyptian pyramids when she inadvertently stirs Set, an Egyptian god of destruction and sets in motion a chain of events that could signal the end of the world. Along with fellow explorer and rival Carter Bell and a couple of gods, Horus and Isis, the group tries to revive Osiris to save the day.

Occasionally a top down view can make judging surroundings hard and climbing things difficult, but for the most part it fuels down some gaming which feels very much of an arcade game at its best. Collecting gems a la God Of War from urns and shooting hordes of enemies with your duel guns (as used by your right stick) the game's mechanics are breezy and easy to accommodate.

Artifacts, relics and weapons can all be collected and equipped; a staff can be used in something like Raiders of the Lost Ark style burning of other creatures and problems, but once in a while you'll have to employ the grey matter to help you as well as the fellow team-mates. While Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris plays fine as solo, it's really more suited to a co-op experience although that can lead to some screen frustrations if characters lag behind or you're desperate to push on.

Perfectly disposable, utterly fun, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is a game suited to the ADD Generation; if you want to invest hours within it, you'll be rewarded. But equally, if you just want to blitz through a few levels to kill some time, you'll also find your lack of patience deeply satiated.

Rating:

Skylanders: Trap Team: PS4 Review

Skylanders: Trap Team: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Activision

Toys, there's just something endlessly enduring about the collectible nature, the little plastic figurines and the Pokemon-got-to-get-them-all mentality.

Skylanders was one of the original starters from the franchise and was ahead of the game before Disney Infinity swept in and stole some of their gaming thunder. So, a fourth iteration of the series has some way to go to try and ensure the series doesn't fall prey to heated up competition.

For those who've never played Skylanders before, this is a good place to jump in with a starter pack coming with a base and the ability to reuse old toys again. In among the gaming, the idea is that you can trap other characters within the game by defeating them and using the trap panel on the base to your advantage. But you need to have the right element to capture these characters too, with the developers ensuring that you have to stump up more cash to get them on your side.

Bright colours, simple mechanics and a desire to ensure you've completed all of the areas means that this is addictive and financially draining to any completist out there. But with the fact that the villain's capture throes fade from the TV into the Trap box is a cool little touch which makes it feel like it's not just a simple cash in on any front.

The game manages to bring some life to the toys but doesn't quite leave you feeling that you are being a little short-changed in that you can't access other games and content without opening up your wallet.

The Skylanders set is clearly aimed at the kids and it'll work in much the same way that Disney Infinity has - it captures their imagination, leaves them dazzled with bright colours and ideas and has them clamouring for you to get them more sets.

As summer's here, and the push for family entertainment is getting harder to fulfill, it's clear Skylanders Trap Team will work for those rainy days. The need for further content will be clearly obvious to older game players, though I suspect the youngsters of the families won't care about that and will simply spend hours on this action-platformer game that's definitely going to trap them.

Rating:

The Crew: PS4 Review

The Crew: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Ubisoft

With the relatively mixed release of Driveclub ringing collectively in gamers' ears, it's fair to say there's a small hint of wariness around the latest online racer, The Crew.

Ubisoft's got a way to go with convincing fans of the arcade racing game that this is the title to invest in - over the rival XBox One's brilliant Forza Horizon 2.

But it doesn't quite get there to be honest.

Mixing a plot that feels derivative of Fast and Furious (a bloke Alex, played by Troy Baker, infiltrates a racing gang), The Crew's open world nature and mash up of Need For Speed feels like it's not really trying for originality at all.

So, it's best to flip the story into reverse and ignore that side of things and concentrate on the driving, thanks to a completely massive open-road world and a map that allows you to go anywhere. Detailed and sophisticated with zooming in and out revealing growing levels of detail, the map's the best part of the game and the depth of the developers' efforts is clear to see. Timings and mission info are all there for you to factor in and a drive is not always a simple 10 minute burn through the country, which really helps you engross in the game (a trait lacking thanks to the story)

The game however, needs a constant internet connection to play, giving you the chance to be part of the bigger world if you want. Though I had the growing feeling there was no need all the time for such constant connectivity - sure, you can form Crews and team up with mates, but if you want to be solo, there's really no need to take the game to the WWW.

Transactions and level ups are all fine as they work on the usual XP; and there's plenty to work on around the game as well - but it's the story which unfortunately puts you off a deep dive into The Crew.

It's playable enough, but it's not quite the driver we were looking for at the end of the year. While it's to be praised for its real driving times and beautiful scenery, the cars very rarely stand out and the story really does drag it down.

Rating:

Big Hero 6: Film Review

Big Hero 6: Film Review

Voice cast: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell
Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams

Stand by for a new animated character to find its way into your hearts.

Following the success of Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, Disney ventures into the animated world of Marvel with Big Hero 6, a story about a boy and his robot.

Prodigy and robot wizz Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) is spending his young life in a Robot Wars style arena, clearly talented but wasted. His older brother Tadashi, though, pushes him into using those talents to work in the robotics world like he does.

But one small tragedy later and Hiro has lost all interest.

Until he discovers the robot that his brother built, Baymax - a big hulking white stay puft of a creature that's sole purpose is to cure Hiro. However, Hiro, along with Tadashi's co-workers, adapt Baymax to help track down the evil that's haunting San Fransokyo.

Big Hero 6 is perfect family animated fare for the Christmas holidays.

With gorgeous backgrounds (San Fransokyo mixes San Fran and Tokyo as you'd expect from the name to breathtakingly beautiful effect) and some truly joyous animation, the film is nothing short of fun, hilarity and heart.

For at least the first hour anyway.

Those initial 60 minutes or so concentrate of the mechanics of the burgeoning relationship between Hiro and Baymax and imbue the screen with a gooey warmth and humour that's infectious and reminds you why animation and visual gags can work best when stripped back to their basics. Their bond is beautiful and will touch your heart thanks to a simplicity of emotive moments and strong writing; Hiro with his big Japanese anime style eyes and Baymax with his simple two eyes joined by a line give everything you need to know with a minimum of exposition and with humour that's spot on.

So, it's a shame that the movie becomes a bland middle of the road superhero origin piece as Hiro puts together a team to track down the bad guy who's running amok in San Fransokyo wearing a Japanese kabuki mask with one of Hiro's inventions.

While this section of the movie is perfectly fine and is gorgeously animated, it lacks the emotional feast that's been served up prior to the standard visuals and plot machinations. As it veers away from the fun and unique, Big Hero 6 becomes formulaic (even derivative of the Avengers and its conclusion) and forgettable.  Further examination provides discrepancies in the plot and the villain's raison d'etre and reveal is muddily handled, with a final showdown feeling like something we've seen a million times before in the genre.

At its heart, Big Hero 6 is a movie about loss, dealing with it and moving on - and it's here that it truly triumphs (even with some Stan Lee visual gags). While the formulaic nature of its denouement and origins story may rankle, the first adaptation of this Marvel comic still impresses even if it doesn't feel as fresh as it should.

(Make sure you get there early too to catch the beautiful short Feast, about a dog whose relationship with food is charted through the relationship of his owner and his love life. Inventive and adorable, it's the perfect computer generated fare).

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