The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies: Blu Ray Review

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video / Roadshow Home Ent

And so the unexpected journey comes to a much expected end.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies feels like the most workman-like of the franchise though, with it having to resolve a myriad of plot-threads, tie the film to the Lord of the Rings and also end it on a high.

Opening with Smaug's desolation of Laketown and then seeing him off in relatively quick time thanks to Bard the Bowman's shenanigans, Jackson seems keen to give the film a roaring blast of action before it kicks into a web of plotting, politicking and planning ahead of a major fight at the end.

With Smaug dispatched and several of the main characters of Laketown crushed asunder, the focus shifts onto Thorin (Richard Armitage) and his succumbing to "dragon sickness" and the corruption within the gold as he essentially initiates a stand-off by threatening to go back on his word as the forces amass around the King under the mountain in his stronghold.
But as Gandalf soon realises, Thorin's insane gambit is threatening to destroy all of the unity between elves, humans and dwarves; and that could prove detrimental as the Orc forces amass...

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is considerably lighter on plot than the previous outings, with all roads essentially leading to a mammoth confrontation toward the end that recalls Jackson's prior Rings outings in terms of action, spectacle and relative excitement (even though placing Legolas occasionally in peril is dramatically pointless given how he figures in the LOTR trilogy).

There are character moments within, though, noticeably fewer than what's gone before and with some of the residents of Laketown (including the Master's squire who appears to have wandered in from a pantomime rather than channeling more of the weasel) throwing in some relatively ropey acting / dialogue, some of these flaws unfortunately stand out a little more than in prior outings.

Conflicts between  Orlando Bloom's Legolas and an icy Lee Pace's Thranduil, the resolution of the love triangle between Evangeline Lilly's Tauriel, Legolas and Being Human Aidan Turner's Kili, and Thorin's face-off with just about everyone who comes near him as well as the orc Azog are all thrown into the mix and vehemently stirred asunder before boiling over.

Freeman's Bilbo appears less on the screen this time - likewise the majority of the dwarves - but he once again shows why he's the perfect actor for the Hobbit. A simple look, twitch of his face can tell more than a thousand words and is used to maximum effect throughout. Equally, it's Armitage who steps up to the plate this time with the dragon sickness malignancy adding a much needed dimension and giving him the dramatic weight that's needed as we head to the end sprint.

Newcomer Billy Connolly makes an impression as the Glasgow kiss-touting cousin Dain of Thorin and proves to be the perfect tonic to lots of portentous talk and foreboding; Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, and Ian Holm all appear, giving the movie the chance it needs to lead into the Lord of The Rings series and imbuing it all with an continuity that's needed for its conclusion.

The inventive action sequences as Jackson's camera sweeps across giant plains do much to impress and showcase the technical prowess of all involved, providing a scope that's befitting of the scale of what's occurring and Jackson's not lost his eye for spectacle with Legolas's escape from a falling bridge showing there's visual creativity still left to be had in the series as he moves the figures around like a war master toying with a giant open-world set of goodies and baddies.

In among the bluster of the blockbuster trappings and once the dust has settled on the incredible action sequences, the overall feeling is that The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies thrills and frustrates in equal measures.

Tauriel's sidelined as the love interest in this, which is a frustration given how much she stood out as a point of difference during The Desolation of Smaug; Bard the Bowman simply disappears from proceedings once his usefulness is dramatically spent and the majority of the Company of Dwarves (with the exception of Ken Stott's Balin and Richard Armitage's Thorin) is simply set-dressing, lacking the emotional edge that was so evident in the last film as it built to its crescendo. This time around, it lacks the cohesion needed to push the series into air-punching rousing territory as it ends.

Spectacular it may be, and an achievement from Sir Peter Jackson and his team it undoubtedly is, but The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies brings the series to an end in a relatively uneven fashion. As a standalone film, it just misses the mark due to some dramatic constraints, but as part of a series, it proves a fitting send-off to Middle Earth.

Rating:

It Follows: Film Review

It Follows: Film Review

Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi
Director: David Robert Mitchell

A terrifically old school suspenseful horror from the director of The Myth of the American Sleepover, you wonder how the likes of It Follows has not been done before.

Following a young bunch once again, director David Robert Mitchell is the story of Maika Monroe's Jay, who sleeps with her new boyfriend Hugh.

Only to be then chloroformed when there should be cuddling afterwards.

When she awakens, she's told by Hugh that an unseen something will now start following her and she has to avoid it - but that the only way to permanently get out of this pursuit is to sleep with someone else and pass the curse on.

But if the person who's been affected with the curse is killed, the creature stalks its original victim.

With a premise like that, you'd expect a somewhat trashy movie as the teens sleep their way around, promising plenty of loose sex and even looser morals.

But what actually transpires is a terrifically well-delivered, technically taut horror that makes great fist of an ominous soundtrack, perfect locations and slow seeping shots to create an atmosphere of utter dread within. At least one reveal of the thing following Jay is utterly terrifying and creatively executed, thanks to a combination of perfect timing, soundtrack and plausibility as well as tapping into one of those most horrific fears with you since the dawn of time.

The cast's fairly impressive too - once you get your head around the fact that in many ways, this is an old school horror where potential victims don't exactly make the wisest decisions. But that's not to dismiss it as retro or tacky in any way shape or form.

The relationship between Jay and her sister, as well as her first boyfriend Paul (who's happy to help relieve her of the curse) is excellently handled and the growing sense of dread is brilliantly executed throughout. Once the paranoia sets in the psychological effects are easy to understand, eminently watchable and smartly dished out. Even Jay's initial reticence to pass it on (one character remarks it should be easy for her as she's a girl) gives way to a sickening sense of inevitability for her own sanity.

Monroe is the right mix of naive and love-struck at the start, but once the horror starts to set in, her gradual descent into full-on terror and near breakdown is a compelling, if horrifying one.

Sure, you could argue this is a large metaphor for STDs and teen sex, but it's more than that. Mitchell's executed a classic horror that incorporates the terror of a faceless stalker. Wisely choosing to ignore the need for explanation for what exactly is going on, how it all began (perhaps fertile ground for another movie) and concentrating simply on delivering dread and terror, It Follows' MO is atmosphere and successful jump frights, deftly transcribed to the screen that channel a primal simple fear - something's coming for you and you can't escape it...

It Follows more than delivers on those - and don't be surprised if after seeing this, you walk home checking over your shoulder a couple of times.... 

Rating:

Fast And Furious 7: Film Review

Fast And Furious 7: Film Review

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson
Director: James Wan

Fast and Furious 7 sets out its stall in its very first scene with Jason Statham posturing menacingly while promising revenge for his brother and then having the camera pull back as he walks back through scenes of devastation in a hospital, guards beaten and strewn around like rag dolls before getting in his car and speeding off.

Yep, the Fast and Furious franchise is back once again - and with the death of Paul Walker hanging over this latest, there's potentially a lot more riding on it with an emotional pay-off guaranteed.

In terms of plot, it goes like this - Deckard Shaw (Statham) hunts down Dom Toretto (Diesel) and his family over the injuries given to his brother in the previous film. And that is it.

All the elements are in place. You want girls writhing around in not very much while the camera leers up their backside? Check. You want dialogue that's written by cavemen? Check. You want self referential OTT moments that are for the fans? Check. You want Dwayne Johnson delivering Schwarzenegger style one-liners while tearing a cast from his apparently broken arm while in hospital? Well, check and check.

And yet, Furious 7 considerably ups the hysterical ante in its overly long and dangerously close to bloated run- time thanks to some incredible eye popping stunts and set pieces, deftly and tautly delivered by director James Wan.

Wan knows how to control the action, mixing in comedy, almost balletic like fight scenes and ballsy pedal to the metal chase sequences that drip with as much bravura as they do ludicrousness. Cars fall from planes and segue into a thrilling mountain-top sequence that's action packed and leaves you breathless; a relatively pointless jaunt to Abu Dhabi to steal a MacGuffin from inside a car ends up in skytop leap of such insanity that's it's repeated twice in as many minutes and a final downtown LA set piece sees more destruction wreaked in a city than recent superhero outings - and borrows a Die Hard moment for kicks.

Which is an apt comparison because Toretto and his team of extended family have become almost superhero-like in their escapades. There's barely a scratch on any of them as they roll with the punches, endure the beatdowns of the almost Terminator-like Shaw (Statham in a po-faced but effective turn) and wreak utter mayhem in the overblown male posturing that follows with regularity.

Sure, you could bemoan the dialogue (most of which is chewed by the Rock and Djimon Hounsou's cartoon terrorist), complain about the fact the reconnecting romance between Toretto and Rodriguez's Lettie slows things down and roll your eyes that the weak paper thin plot is absurd (the group has to track down a hacker who has a device that hacks into every electronic device to help them locate Shaw), but judged on its merits and genre, Fast 7 is a total, glorious success delivering blockbuster moments that are as adrenalin-filled and crowd-pleasing as they are jaw-dropping. Taken on its own terms, this cartoon cars caper is a blast, an extreme bromance that revels in its own rules.

But, at the end of the day, Fast and Furious 7 will be about the poignant send-off for Paul Walker. 

It was a tough line for the cast and crew to draw in the sand for his Brian character and it's likely that when the swan song comes for him, if you're invested in the franchise, it'll be the moment that sees you reaching for the tissues. 

During the film, it's inevitable you find yourself wondering if each sequence that places Brian in jeopardy will be his ultimate departure. But when the time comes, there's a heart-warming, heavily meta-soliloquy from Diesel's character at the end that probably speaks for the entire cast and crew of the production, as well as the millions of fans with the words "It's never goodbye" having a resonance that will give this flick its emotional core. (Interestingly, NZ's WETA had a hand in the digital trickery needed to keep the character in the film).

Ultimately, it's hard to be cynical when faced with the spectacle that is Fast and Furious 7 - it's cartoonish, over-the-top machismo (with females getting nary a look-in) and defies belief - but it's a thrilling, visual, visceral blockbuster that delivers everything its fans want, and will once again confound box office expectations and non-believers that this franchise continues to roll on.

Rating:

Documentary Edge Festival line up unveiled

Documentary Edge Festival line up unveiled

A stellar line-up of 43 features and 14 shorts from home and across the globe have been announced  at the programme launch of the 10^th Documentary Edge Festival, coming to Auckland’s Q Theatre and Wellington’s Roxy Cinema this May and June. For the full line-up, visit the Festival website: http://documentaryedge.org.nz
Fraud or Genuis? Banned from screening in the USA, The Forecaster examines Martin Armstrong, a financial mastermind who used the number pi in the nineties to predict economic turning points with astounding precision. He was named Economist of the Decade by Equity Magazine. After refusing to hand over his secret model to the FBI, he was incarcerated for seven years for contempt of court, without a trial. Now free from prison, he reveals the prediction of the century – for October 2015!

Following its International Premiere at Toronto’s Hot Docs in April, Frame by Frame will be winging it to local screens. After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country abandoned – reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves. "Frame by Frame is a work of profound immediacy, in sync with the photographers’ commitment and hope." – The Hollywood Reporter

Heaven Adores You is an intimate, meditative inquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith (1969 – 2003). By threading Smith’s music through the dense yet often isolating landscapes of the three major cities he lived in – Portland, New York, Los Angeles –Heaven Adores You presents a visual journey and explores the impact his prolific songwriting continues to have on fans, friends and fellow musicians.

Award-winning Director Erik Greenberg Anjou’s Deli Man is the story of the American deli – and the story of Jewish immigrants: their migration, upward mobility and western assimilation. A mouth-watering salute to 160 years of gastronomic bliss. We are pleased to announce that Greenberg Anjou will attend.

Anger consumes a dozen combat vets long after their return from the front. The warriors in Laurent Bécue-Renard’s award-winning Of Men and War have returned to the USA, but their minds are stuck out on the battlefield.  At a first-of-its-kind PTSD therapy centre, the film's protagonists resolve to end the ongoing destruction, as they attempt to make peace with themselves, their past and their families. Their therapist is a Vietnam vet himself, helping the young men forge meaning from their trauma.

Joining Erik Greenberg Anjou (Deli Man) in New Zealand are the Directors of Opening and Closing Night films, Sweet Micky for President and (T)ERROR. There will be more fantastic international and local talent taking part in the Festival – watch this space!

20^th May – 1^st June – Documentary Edge Festival: Auckland – Q Theatre, Auckland CBD
3^rd – 14^th June – Documentary Edge Festival: Wellington – The Roxy Cinema, Miramar
29^th May – Screen Edge Forum – AUT, Auckland
4^th June – Screen Edge Forum – Park Road Post, Wellington

For more information and to keep up to speed with the latest news regarding the 2015 season, visit
www.documentaryedge.org.nz

Woman in Gold: Film Review

Woman in Gold: Film Review

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Helen Mirren, Daniel Bruhl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana Maslany
Director: Simon Curtis

There's a lot of over-egging and manipulation in Simon Curtis' latest Woman In Gold, an account of a real life underdog story and an art-restitution landmark case.

Helen Mirren, complete with occasional German accent, stars as Maria Altmann, a Jewish refugee living in America after being forced to flee there when the Nazi cloud descended.

When Altmann's sister dies, she discovers documents pertaining to Gustav Klimt's Woman in Gold painting, which was of her aunt Adele, and believes she has a claim to it along with other works stolen by the Nazis.

So, teaming up with Ryan Reynolds' nebbish lawyer Randol Schonberg, she reluctantly heads to Austria to take on the government to reclaim Austria's Mona Lisa for her family.

But, as ever, the odds are stacked against the duo as they face the might of the Austrian government and with time not on Altmann's side, she may not find the peace she desires.

The Woman In Gold painting may be adorned in the precious metal but the movie certainly doesn't glitter, thanks to a heavy-handed approach and an over-reliance on flashbacks, manipulating your every emotion and with a score that tells you what to feel at every step.

While there's some praise for Helen Mirren's dignified turn as Maria, who's imbued with a sense of indignation and righteousness, Ryan Reynolds' bumbling lawyer and a lack of any decently written supporting characters outside of the duo take some of the sheen away from this crowd-pleasing fare.

There's a distinct Philomena-esque vibe to this duo's road trip and buddy dynamic, but the screenwriters have spent all their time developing those two, that anyone outside of the main circle is little more than a dastardly caricature.

The past recreations work well in terms of look, thanks to a faded palette bringing the encroaching Nazi threat vividly to life and an impressively restrained and understated turn from Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany as the young Maria. Maria's escape from the Nazis is tensely handled and adds some colour to the backstory that's desperately needed as the movie begins to sag in its own syrupy schmaltziness.

But having present day Maria simply gaze off into the distance and drift into too many flashbacks hampers the narrative and irritates (none more so than an awful coda that sees her relive her family by entering her own recollections) and proves Curtis' determination to over-egg the pudding for maximum sugary effect.

Mirren brings some class to Altmann, but Reynolds feels a little miscast as the underdog lawyer fighting the system and his sudden U- turn to take up the case is misjudged thanks to a bout of over-acting after attending a Holocaust monument. Holmes barely gets a look in and Bruhl provides some solid, if unspectacular, support as an Austrian journalist crusading to right the wrongs of the past. Equally, anyone opposed to Altmann and Schonberg's crusade is presented as a one-dimensional baddie, simply wallowing in bureaucracy and lacking a moustache to evilly twirl.

Woman in Gold could have done with a touch more subtlety to have really worked and hit the emotional beats this social justice story needed to without feeling so heavy-handed; instead this Woman in Gold is covered in a corny, sickly after-coat that prevents the glow from having the sheen and polish it really needed.

Rating:


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The Book of Life: Film Review

The Book of Life: Film Review

Vocal Cast: Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Kate del Castillo, Ice Cube, Christina Applegate
Director: Jorge R Gutierrez

Imagine an animation where Tim Burton's Gothic sensibilities met with portions of computer Grim Fandango's aesthetics and the whole thing was meshed together with an infusion of Mexican culture and heritage as well as filtered through Guillermo Del Toro's eyes...

That in a nutshell is The Book of Life.

A story within a story, The Book of Life is the story of childhood pals Manolo (Luna) and Joaquin (Tatum) whose lives are intertwined by their love for Maria (Saldana). Their push and pull relationship catches the eye of two gods, La Muerte (Del Castillo) and Xibalba (Perlman) and forms the basis of a wager; if Maria chooses Manolo, La Muerte wins and if Joaquin wins her heart, Xibalba is triumphant....

The Book of Life is an unusual animation.

Its fiesta of Mexican culture, colours and vistas is a real blast to the eyes, and a sign that something different has been transposed to the screen as this Day of The Dead story is exposed to perhaps more culturally ignorant viewers.

Throw in some mariachi music themes of current stylings (such as Radiohead's Creep and Mumford and Sons I Will Wait) and you've got somewhat of a pinata of cinema that bursts vibrantly as it's cracked open on the big screen.

Utilising ancient Mexican mythology and fusing it with old Greek stories such as the Ancient Gods' squabbles and an Orpheus-like Quest are just the icing on this cake - which is perhaps just as well as the story isn't quite as strong as it could be, feeling in parts like it's been stretched somewhat thin.

The animation is sumptuous; a veritable pot pourri of wooden puppet CGI creatures mixes with the aforementioned Grim Fandango aesthetics when the movie heads to the Land of The Remembered to brilliant visual effect; purples, greens and other hues burst from the screen to make the resulting film feel like something we've never seen before.

Tatum adds another string to his acting bow as the animated blowhard Joaquin; Saldana brings wide-eyed sultry to Maria and Luna leads an everyday appeal as the sensitive bullfighter who can't kill but can deliver a killer tune. Perlman, del Castillo shine as Xibalba and La Muerte and Applegate blends it all together as the narrator / story hook.

The only bum note is adding in Ice Cube - his involvement seems to pander to the kids purely as his duffle-headed comments and goofball sensibilities sing out from the screen. It's a rare moment that misfires but sours part of this spicy mix.

All in all, The Book of Life is a vibrant chapter of different animation; its story may not be the strongest, but its visuals sing loudly from the screen and proffer something entirely - and welcomely - different.

Rating:

Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae Preview

Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae Preview

Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PS4

I'll admit it - I've never been a player of the Final Fantasy series.

So it's perhaps fair to say that this makes me the target demo for Final Fantasy XV in some weird way because its legion of fans will already buy the game, but its success will lie in a wider audience embracing it.

With the game being in development since 2006, it's fair to say there's nearly a decade's worth of expectation hanging on this title and plenty of speculation over what may be ahead. As ever, with a demo (which is essentially what Episode Duscae is) it's hard to gauge where exactly this comes in the story point and at what stage of the game your character is.

It's possibly fair to surmise that it's early on, given how much combat training you're exposed to in the early stages of the demo before you head off to explore the open-world around you.

You control Noctis along with his friends Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus - and as the game begins, you're waking up having been in need of getting your car serviced (for reasons unknown). But this work doesn't come for free and you need to find a fairly high amount of cash to ensure the work's done. So the group decides to hunt a bounty on a Behemoth to get rich quick.

Essentially, Episode Duscae feels like an open world ready to explore with these boyband look-alikes.

A lot of the demo is spent with Noctis fighting against Gladiolus, getting trained ostensibly for what lies ahead. It's all about reacting and working to the fight as well, harnessing the right moment to attack or to hang back and defend. Warping to points and warping to attack enemies gives you the boost of XP but saps your MP, and too much fighting leaves Noctis struggling for breath, wandering woozily around and prone to attacks without any ability to get back in the game.

Unlike previous Final Fantasies which have been turn-based, this combat is continual, with pressing down the square button, using a combination of L1 to defend being the best way to take on those opposed to you.

Once the basics of combat are unleashed and your training's complete, it's out into the real world (well, sort of) in Duscae's open world terrain, which is exceptional in many ways.

Graphically, thanks to the creatures littered around, it feels like you're taking a walk through Jurassic Park in the foliage, flanked by relatively harmless animals. But walk too close to them, and a red bar starts to stretch across your screen indicating combat is imminent. Fighting the creatures is relatively easy (simply hold square down to achieve continual kills) but a horde of too many can be difficult to match. My first encounter was with Sabretusks who were relatively tame and offered little resistance; the same cannot be said for robotic knights of the Imperial order who appeared from a drop ship to make my life somewhat chaotic thanks to their inability to die easily.

Setting up camp to rest after the melee of completed combat brought a relative respite to it all and a chance to see a series of side quests being offered for amusement within the open world. I'm hoping for a little more on the characterisation as the early interaction of the group feels a little forced and false with some terribly cliched and average dialogue peppering it all.

Final Fantasy XV offers some hope of something a little different; early word is that FF purists may have a few issues with what's ahead but it could also be a sign of something different for the franchise - either way we'll know when it releases very soon.