St Vincent: Blu Ray Review

St Vincent: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Bill Murray proves to be the big draw card in St Vincent, a story that's been done time and again.

A grouchy and grumpy Murray is Vincent, a hard-drinking, gambling, crank-pot of a man whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of new neighbours in the form of Melissa McCarthy's single mom Maggie and her son Oliver (Lieberher). When Oliver's bullied at school and has his stuff stolen, he ends up having to stay with Vincent while his mom finishes her shift - unamused but seeing there's a chance to make some cash from his neighbour, Vincent takes the kid under his wing - but under his own terms....

Soon, Oliver's learning street smarts and friendship from Vincent while visiting bars and the dog track. However, it's not long before reality comes crashing in.

St Vincent won't win any awards for its screenplay, given that it's not the most original of stories or character arcs. But it's a turn from Murray, who's clearly relishing playing it fast and loose as a cantankerous grouch that makes St Vincent rise above its clearly sentimental gloopy centre.

Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Naomi Watts have all minor roles orbiting Murray's Vietnam vet gone bad, but all turn in solid performances to round out the cast and give the piece some quiet heart and soul.

Equally, newcomer Lieberher holds his own against Murray and proves to be the spot-on foil he needs to offset some of the crankiness on display. But, director Melfi's wise enough not to overplay the sentiment of the part from his child actor when things head into truly predictable territory.

That's the thing with St Vincent - it's an entirely obvious movie (and slightly implausible ending) that proves to be a crowd-pleasing treat thanks in large part to Murray's performance. By charting a course from unlikeable to softening his edges, Murray will help blow out any of the funk you may feel - as well as distract you from any of the predictability you see on the screen.

Rating:

Newstalk ZB review - Pitch Perfect 2, The Ground We Won

Newstalk ZB review - Pitch Perfect 2, The Ground We Won

Reviewing the new Pitch Perfect and rugby based doco The Ground We Won with Jack Tame on NewsTalk ZB.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-pitch-perfect-2-the-ground-we-won/

Mr Turner: DVD Review

Mr Turner: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Transmission Films

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.

Rating:

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin: PS4 Review

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin: PS4 Review

Released by From Software
Platform: PS4

Dark Souls II was a tough game, there's no two ways about it.

When it came to PS3 last year, I rued the fact it took time to get to where it needed to and required a lot of the player, which in retrospect was no bad thing at all.

Playing a cursed undead soul, you have to make your way around different worlds, unlocking memories and surviving some pretty nasty challenges to your after-life body while you stumble around Drangelic.

This remaster from the original game collects together the DLC packages with the main game and bundles it all up for many hours of entertainment, wrapping the whole thing in a gorgeous HD remaster that graphically soars above what you may have been expecting, thanks to the grunt of the PS4 system.

But if you're expecting to be fore-armed with knowledge from the previous incarnation of the game, you're likely to be a little surprised; From Software has expected you'd be expecting that so they've switched things up by adding in more creatures, making the game deadlier than it was and giving that sense of reward more of a feeling afterwards.

With new areas, new surprises and a renewed sense of purpose towards completion, this is a remaster that's not just a simple port, but one which makes a valid case for another life outside and another purchase from an already hardened player. It's a smoother looking game, a game that makes the most of the shading and subtleties of the current gen engines, which is great given how much of Drangelic is bathed in cold hard darkness.

By throwing in the 3 DLC, sprucing things up and giving it a once over, this Dark Souls is really a compelling reason for remasters; for Souls fans you can't be without this and if you're enjoying the current Bloodborne from the same studio, you really should think about owning this title too.

Rating:

The Birdman is back

TONY HAWK’S^® PRO SKATER^™ 5 COMING TO CONSOLES

Activision Publishing, Inc.’s Pro Skater™ Series Returns After 13 Years with Mix of Classic Action, Brand-New Levels and Exciting Online Play

Auckland, New Zealand – May 8, 2015 – The Birdman is back with Tony Hawk’s^® Pro Skater^™ 5, coming to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and expected to release later this year. The game retains the timeless, combo-driven energy and tightly designed levels of the Pro Skater games while expanding the experience with online play.

“Skateboarding has always been about the freedom of ripping with your friends, and creating a game that captures that feeling has been a vision of mine since the Pro Skaterseries began over 15 years ago,” said Tony Hawk. “I’m beyond excited to see that dream finally come true with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, which takes the old-school attitude of the original games online in a big way.”

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 rekindles the signature style of classic Pro Skater games in a brand-new set of levels with the same infamous focus on daring objectives, fine-tuned controls and high-score tricks – including manuals and reverts – for endless shredding. New items like power-ups and projectiles change up the core skating experience in a variety of fresh and entertaining ways. Tear up the pavement as one of today’s top pros, including Tony Hawk, Nyjah Huston, Riley Hawk, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Ishod Wair, Leticia Bufoni, Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Andrew Reynolds, and Lizzie Armanto – or customise your own character.

Online multiplayer is where Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 truly takes off, letting players drop in and out of online skate sessions with friends and challengers from around the world for the first time. Complete missions, unlock new content and level up online or offline, or go head-to-head on the fly against all takers in competitive matches. Players can also build their own imaginative skateparks to share with the community.

Robomodo and Disruptive Games are developing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 for PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The release dates for the various versions will be shared in the upcoming weeks. For more information, please visitwww.tonyhawkgames.com, and join the community on Facebook at facebook.com/TonyHawkGames and on Twitter and Instagram at @tonyhawkgames.

The Witcher Wild Hunt Rage and Steel and Wild Hunt Video Monsters

The Witcher Wild Hunt Rage and Steel and Wild Hunt Video Monsters

Garnering over 200 prestigious awards before launch, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is CD PROJEKT RED’s most ambitious endeavour up to date. 

Set within a truly open world, the game puts you in the role of a wandering bounty hunter and monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia. 

In The Witcher, you take on the greatest contract of your life -- tracking down the Child of Prophecy, a living weapon that can alter the shape of the world.

Releases May 19th.

Batman: Arkham Knight vocal cast unveiled

Batman: Arkham Knight vocal cast unveiled

An incredible new video's showcased the amazing voice talent coming to Batman Arkham Knight.

Voice Cast for Batman™: Arkham Knight Revealed

Jonathan Banks, Ashley Greene, John Noble and Scott Porter

Join the Cast of the Much-Anticipated Game

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment confirmed the voice talent behind some of the most notable characters in Batman™: Arkham Knight, the epic finale to the award winning Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios.  Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) joins the cast as James Gordon, Ashley Greene (The Twilight Saga) as Barbara Gordon, John Noble (Sleepy Hollow, Fringe) as Scarecrow and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights, Hart of Dixie) as Nightwing.

Banks, Greene, Noble and Porter join an ensemble cast that includes fan-favorites Kevin Conroy, who returns as Batman; Tara Strong as Harley Quinn; Troy Baker as Two-Face and Nolan North as Penguin.

Batman: Arkham Knight is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license and will be available on June 24, 2015 exclusively for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. 

Batman: Arkham Knight brings the award-winning Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios to its epic conclusion. Developed exclusively for the new generation of consoles and PCs,Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady's uniquely designed version of the Batmobile. The highly anticipated addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the Batman: Arkham series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City. In this explosive finale, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city that he is sworn to protect, as Scarecrow returns to unite the super criminals of Gotham City and destroy the Batman forever.