Still Life: Film Review

Still Life: Film Review

Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt
Director: Uberto Pasolini


The wonderful Eddie Marsan stars in this beautifully poignant drama.

Marsan is John May, a quietly unassuming man who's spent his 22 years at the South London council trying to help those who've died alone. His job is finding next of kin and trying to get them to funerals that he's organised. But in many cases, there is nobody - so John is the one who stands there alone, writing eulogies and farewelling those who have moved on.

But, despite the thoroughness and the attention to detail with which he runs his world, the council decides his job is no longer necessary and makes him redundant. He's given three days to close his last case - and prepare for the inevitable...

Still Life is an utterly wonderfully English film that reeks of sentiment and heart. thanks to the carefully measured and precise performance delivered by Marsan. Each case is meticulously investigated and every lead pursued with the forensic precision of a criminal investigator. With his gentle touch, nuanced performance and ensuring every single moment counts, Marsan is a tragic joy to watch in this. Every sequence with him aches with pathos and heart - and it's all down to the work done by Eddie Marsan.

While the investigation of the last case perhaps inevitably heads toward a saccharine conclusion, it still doesn't lose any of its power and certainly the last act had me wiping away a tear as the speeches, reflections and observations on life continue to hit him time and time again. It's also the eye for the details as well which hit perfectly - from a flat of the deceased that's got drying laundry hanging from everywhere to a head impression in a pillow which will no longer be used, every last moment is perfectly positioned and executed.

"You're a rare thing, Mr May" is one of the lines uttered in this piece, and it could be said of Eddie Marsan, who delivers an unassuming tour de force in this. 

Recommended as a reminder why life counts and why the small man is an ambition to aim for. 

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Chappie: Film Review

Chappie: Film Review

Cast: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Watkin Tudor Jones, Yolandi Visser, Jose Pablo Contillo
Director: Neill Blomkamp

Director Neill Blomkamp keeps the South African flag flying with another flick that's a curious hybrid of sci-fi, violence and comedy set in and around the ghettos and slums of Johannesburg.

(Chappie's the extended version of Blomkamp's own 80 second short film from 2003, which you can view below)



In Chappie, it's the not too distant future and Jo'burg police are losing the fight against crime. Thankfully, an armed force of robots (designed by Dev Patel's local tech boffin Deon) is helping bring down the scourge from the streets.

But Deon's simultaneously working on an Artifical Intelligence programme to help evolve the cyber cops to the next level. When one of the robots is slated for decommissioning and against the word of CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver, who barely features) Deon takes the robot for his own scientific plans.

However, when Deon's kidnapped by a group of thugs (South African rappers Die Antwoord Ninja and Yolandi), the AI's injected into the robot who becomes a mild and meek child-like creation called Chappie - and the lynchpin in a battle between good and evil / nature and nurture begins.

Chappie is not the film perhaps you'd been expecting from the visionary director of Elysium and District 9 Neill Blomkamp.

Which is, in this case, a good thing.

Mixing in his trademark documentary opening style, with some incredible mo-cap work from Sharlto Copley and the CGI wizards at WETA, the robot (as in Johnny Five's Short Circuit) is the centre of the emotional core of a film that juggles some all out guns-blazing Robocop style violence, Terminator musical stylings and some utterly loopy logic that forgoes any kind of sense in favour of a lunatic riff on Transcendence (ironic for a film that's about a robot and AI).

It's Copley's film by half with his overly eager, child-like and catchphrase quotable droid ("Chappie wants his book") providing the laughs -and heart - in what could only be described as a cartoon-like riff on parenting and growing up in the visually appealing ghettos of South Africa.

Inevitably, the tropes of the genre are all infused into this occasionally day-glo pulpy styled film - will the robot follow the creator's ethos or those who raise him just being one of the sci-fi cliches that's rolled out in a fairly simplistic story, that defies logic and belief as the end rolls around. (Complete with character choices and actions which seem out of place from all that's gone on)

Hugh Jackman growls and scowls as the khaki-shorted, mulleted frustrated and sidelined former soldier who advocates more for a shoot them all philosophy from his droids but does little else, Dev Patel brings a degree of warmth as the Frankenstein creator who wants to teach Chappie to paint and read rather than become a gun-toting, chain-wearing, mother-funking gangsta and Sigourney Weaver barely warms the screen as the number-crunching bottom line espousing CEO.

It's perhaps the rappers who offer the weakest one-note performance with Ninja's self-named gangster appearing to think he's in Grand Theft Auto the cinema version and who borders on R-rated parody as he shoots everything around him. Yolandi gives it a little more heart as the mother but ultimately ends up a little too bland to stand out despite the day-glo clothes and coloured weapons they all tout.

In among the action sequences, Blomkamp's eye for detail and co-ordinated chaos comes to the fore again; but it's just a shame that Chappie's intelligent ideas are thrown out of the window in favour of typical action blockbuster fare - the philosophies of nature/nurture are ditched to make way for an R rated fish out of water comedy that humanises the robot and demonises a large percentage of the human population.

Granted, Chappie is, to be fair, a little scrappy.

However, it's also a truly disposable piece of bubblegum blockbuster whose simplistic story, occasional robotic cuteness and execution subverts some of the sci-fi norm and audience expectations, but which wears its disarming heart and humour on its robotic arm.

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GTA Online Heists Now Available

GTA Online Heists Now Available

Heists, a brand new 4-player cooperative gameplay experience for Grand Theft Auto Online, giving players the chance to team up and pull off a string of intense, multi-part heists, raids and robberies across Los Santos and Blaine County, is now available for free inside Grand Theft Auto Online.

Plan, Prepare, Execute – Online Heists span numerous missions featuring new gameplay, vehicles, weapons, and scenarios to test a team’s full set of skills: from computer hacking to stealth infiltration, precision driving to aerial dogfighting, sniping, skydiving and much more.

4-Player Teams, 4 Ways to Play – Choose your roles and strategize to complete each stage of a Heist, with tight communication and coordination the key to success. Some missions will require the team to work as a single unit, while others will break the team into separate roles to complete key objectives. Replay each Heist to experience a different perspective on the action, and complete Elite Challenges for extra cash.

Additional New Adversary Modes – Brings new kinds of competition to GTA Online while new Daily Objectives and other Freemode activities bring chaos to the streets of Los Santos and Blaine County.

Assemble Your Team – Create a Crew or join existing Crews at the Rockstar Games Social Club to earn additional RP rewards as you play.

Play Now – Heists are now available for free inside Grand Theft Auto Online for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One (PC players will also get Heists as part of their GTA Online experience when GTAV launches for PC on April 14th). To get it, just start up GTAV from your online-connected console and follow the update prompts on screen. For a complete list of all of today's updates, check out the official notes at the Rockstar Support site.

A Little Chaos: Film Review

A Little Chaos: Film Review

Cast: Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Matthias Schoenaerts, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Steven Waddington
Director: Alan Rickman

It's off to the palace of Versailles for this the second directorial outing for Alan Rickman.

It's Paris, 1687 and Winslet plays Sabine de Barra, a landscape gardener who's on the look out for her next commission. So, with the weight of expectation not in her favour, she attends an interview for a commission to build in the palace of Versailles and in an ironic twist for the time, manages to convince the man in charge Andre Le Notre (Rust and Bone star Schoenaerts) that she's the right man for the job.

But her appointment causes all manner of problems; from the work force who won't take her seriously to the back and forth between her and Le Notre, as well as wrestling with her demons, it looks as if De Barra is on a hiding to nothing.

Winslet is the rock and foundations of the somewhat disjointed A Little Chaos.

Her underplaying of De Barra stands in stark contrast to Rickman's relatively frenzied zig-zagging direction. The film's constantly being derailed in terms of its flow by the stop-start stutterings of the story and De Barra's flashbacks (pointlessly inserted in from time to time in way that over-eggs rather than nourishing the whole piece).

There's a plodding pace to the film too, which Rickman fails to fully grasp and exert some kind of control of; moments of nuance from Winslet are counter-balanced with moments of a relatively emotionless Le Notre and end up cancelling each other out. (In another world, the Le Notre role of brooding would have been played by Viggo Mortensen).

There are some moments of humanity and heart where a levity of touch proves a welcome tonic to proceedings - nowhere more so than when Rickman's King Louis is incognito in a garden and De Barra mistakes him for a seller rather than royalty. It's this single scene that breathes some life, passion and emotion into the proceedings and sees this drama bloom and blossom. Equally, a veritable cameo from Stanley Tucci as the King's brother in law only serves to highlight what exactly the film is missing in one single scene.

One major problem is the romance between the two leads which suddenly feels abruptly shoe-horned in and doesn't inject any of the gravity or passion that's clearly hinted at throughout, leading to a conclusion and romance that feels forced and unnatural.

All in all, A Little Chaos could have benefited from a little more order; Rickman has moments that work well but they're suffused with too much that doesn't quite work as well as it should. A touch more pruning at the script stages could have meant this flower would have smelt a little better and blossomed for a little longer.

Rating:

ScreamRide: XBox One Review

ScreamRide: XBox One Review

Developed by Frontier Developments
Platform: XBox One

Build it up, then tear it down.

It's an ethos which works incredibly well with ScreamRide, the roller-coaster simulator which is there to push the limits of both the characters on screen and also those behind the controller.

Essentially, set in a future world where humans have become disenchanted with the virtual thrills on offer (perhaps a warning from the future here?), the pressure is on to entertain. Step forward, Screamworks, a group determined to push the limits and thrill like never before.

Which is where you step in.

Over three different modes (Screamrider, Demolition and Engineer) and six different locations, you can harness the power of the pulse-pounding adrenaline - and send humans hurtling towards fun times.

Screamrider mode sees you flinging a quartet around in a rollercoaster, pushing the boundaries and buttons by going as fast as you can - and even flinging the machine off the rails to pursue your level target which secures progression to the next round. Hugging corners, pushing the speed limits and timing everything out to perfection, precision is the key.

Demolition is perhaps the more fun one though - as it's simply a case of hurtling humans in a testpod into buildings, through hoops and into explosives to wreak all manner of chaos. This level is all about precision, a bit of maths and a lot of timing as releasing the pod can have different effects - especially if it's done at the wrong time.

Engineering is all about building your own coaster and trying to defy gravity and humanity. It's easy to use and it's fun to see your creations in full flow. Though it's not much varied than the sandbox mode which sees you creating your own worlds as well.

Graphically, it's nothing sensational, which is perhaps a surprise for the XBoxOne format - there's no real sheen or shine on it all and when buildings collapse, it all looks somewhat blocky and retro. It's a surprise that the cameras don't do more in these moments to take in the scenery as it crumbles and you're allowed only a touch of rotation as you whirl around.

The thing with ScreamRide is that it's easily accessible and playable no matter how much time you're willing to invest into it. If you fancy a few rides around a track, then it's all good - and if you fancy flinging people into buildings, then it's all good too. It's from the makers of Zoo Tycoon and Rollercoaster Tycoon but there's less emphasis on curating the place, merely simply getting on with it all and avoiding the daily nitty gritty.

Easy to control and simple, ScreamRide is a fun disposable title - whether it's got longevity depends entirely on your tolerance for a quick game, a game that provokes stupidity rather than depth and while that may seem like a minor insult to those involved, it's actually a compliment - it's equal parts destruction as well as construction. Granted, the UGC will appeal to many and you can imagine elements of Minecraft coming into play as the creations get more grandiose.

Screamride is a blast - it could have done with a touch more polish for its platform but it's definitely worth taking a ride on.

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Final Fantasy Heavensward date revealed

Final Fantasy Heavensward date revealed

This past weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East, Square Enix Ltd., announced that FINAL FANTASY® XIV: HEAVENSWARD™, the highly-anticipated first expansion for the popular MMORPG, will be released on 23^rd June 2015 across Australia & New Zealand.

The development of a Mac OS version of the game was also announced; the Mac OS version of  FINAL FANTASY XIV will be available through the Square Enix Online Store and will also be released on June 23^rd.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD will feature a new story that drops adventurers into the heart of the Dragonsong War, the bloody, thousand-year conflict between the knights of Ishgard and the dragons of Dravania. Adventurers can also look forward to an increased level cap from 50 to 60 on all disciplines, a new playable race, new dungeons and raids, new primal battles, and the introduction of flying mounts that allow players to take to the skies on flying black chocobos®, single-rider airships, dragons and more!

Recently surpassing 4 million adventurers worldwide, FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn is available now on the PlayStation®3 system, PlayStation®4 system and Windows PC. A free 30-day trial is included for new accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at $19.95.

The Order 1886: PS4 Review

The Order 1886: PS4 Review

Studio: Ready At Dawn
Platform: PS4 Exclusive

Ready At Dawn's first original IP for the PlayStation shows a lot of impressive features.

It's a big step up from Daxter and the God Of War series on the PSP and it really does represent something a little bit different for the console in many ways.

And then unfortunately, in some other ways, it feels simply like some of that promise has been squandered in favour of technical adeptness and luscious graphics.

The third person shooter centres on an alternative world where steampunk is more of a reality than people in Oamaru would believe (the NZ steampunk capital of the world).

It's London in erm, 1886, and you control Sir Galahad, one of an order of knights who maintain the status quo within the world.

READ AN INTERVIEW WITH GARETT FOSTER OF READY AT DAWN STUDIOS

But as you join the game, things are at a crossroads with humans in conflict with half-breeds and rebels disrupting matters. As Galahad investigates further though, it appears not everything is as black and white as it first appears...

Let's get this out of the way first of all, The Order 1886 is in some ways a game changer for the PS4.

Beautiful graphics, wondrous cut scenes and some truly stunning visual moments light up the screen. In fact the highest definition TV you can find to play this on is clearly going to give you the best experience of The Order 1886. And the key word there is experience.

Ready at Dawn has made no secret of the fact they wished to make The Order 1886 a singularly immersive experience when they visited New Zealand on a press tour. And I don't have a problem with that - I really don't. Especially when such eye-popping  visuals as the streets of London spring to life with grime, fog and grit as the Zeppelins pass by in the air. Efforts have been made to ensure the veracity of the time and the feel are all excellently executed.

Though it has to be said, it comes at some of the expense of the overall gameplay.

Roaming through the Victorian streets as you have to becomes a crimped experience, as interaction with others is extremely limited. While the attention to detail is superb (you get to pick up pictures, examine them, flip them over) this is only in place when it needs to be. Walking up to people on the street will garner no response from them - it's something akin to being part of a live waxworks museum where the statues stop working the moment you head over to them. And it's a shame as early on in the game, there's plenty of need to walk from section to section.

Mixed in with various Quick Time Events in cut scenes, you will gradually get a feeling of creeping frustration building up and threatening to bubble over at times. Though that's tempered with the fact the game looks so gorgeous and the scenes transition seamlessly from one moment to the next that you really need to be on your toes for the moment you need to spring into action.

In terms of the game itself, it's a basic third person shooter in a lot of places, with some fairly repetitive dialogue coming out in combat (I lost count of the number of times Galahad shouted out loud that he needed to reload) and some fairly impressive weaponry making up for something that we've seen before.

It's also incredibly short for running time given its cost. Which sounds like a quality over quantity kind of complaint but given that it's a fairly pricey exclusive, there will be some who are put off by this. Though there will also be some who will feel that the look of the game is also a big bonus. By comparison, it feels a little like Beyond Two Souls in that it offers much visually, but less by way of interaction.

Overall, The Order 1886 is a game that here's for a good-looking time, not a long time.

I'd be happy to dive back into the world of Galahad and his knights, but I'd hope Ready At Dawn maybe do a little more next time around to open up the world and give us the freedom to play rather than just experience it all.

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