Force Majeure: DVD Review

Force Majeure: DVD Review

Cast: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Vincent Wettergren, Clara Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius
Director: Ruben Ostlund

What would you do?

In the latest film from the Nordic provinces, it's the big question that faces the head of a family after an incident at a ski resort during a week's vacation.

It's all going well for the family on her holiday; mum and dad, two kids, the perfect piste and pristine snow and weather. But on day two, at lunch, when a controlled avalanche heads towards the family, Tomas (Kuhnke) panics, and runs leaving the family to fend for themselves, much to the horror of his wife and screaming two children.

When the snow powder clears, it becomes obvious that all is not well with the family and Tomas begins to feel the consequence of his actions.

Force Majeure is brilliantly filmed, with the extreme whites of the snow and the mountains framing the piercing problems ahead.

Kuhnke gives a performance that's as head-scratching as it is thought provoking - it's unlikely anyone watching this wouldn't throw a few thoughts over what they may do and how instinctive the survival gene actually is.

As the film slowly plays out, the creeping tension is almost unbearable and ironically, very little actually happens on screen, but Ostlund makes great fist of the locations (hotel corridors, the mountains, the close up shots) to convey a sense of dread not felt in a snow-set hotel since The Shining.

It's a film of psychological terror, yet it remains distinctly recognisable and humanly possible thanks to some humour at some oddly placed moments. Touches like these elevate Force Majeure into the realms of something truly different as the serenely and quietly terrifying tale progresses.

The only thing letting it down is the ending which seems at odds with what's gone before - a glimpse into the abyss has been offered and it's almost as if those in charge were too scared to stare too deeply within for fear of what it may say about us.

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Newstalk ZB review - Terminator, Ted 2 and Jupiter Ascending

Newstalk ZB review - Terminator, Ted 2 and Jupiter Ascending

This week, I was talking the return of Arnie, the return of Ted and the ascending of Jupiter.

Take a listen below:

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/movies/darren-bevan-terminator-ted-2/

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/movies/darren-bevan-terminator-ted-2/

Batman Arkham Knight: PS4 Review

Batman Arkham Knight: PS4 Review

Studio: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros Games
Platform: PS4

It's no lie to say that the Batman series has been excellent on the console.

A heady mix of sleuthing, combat, great voice work and attention to story and DLC has meant that anticipation for the conclusion of the series has easily reached fever pitch. Leaving aside the fact there are issues affecting the PC Version of Arkham Knight, it's worth making sure that you go to whatever lengths are necessary to get this.

The story takes up after the end of Arkham Origins and starts on a particularly bleak and dark note as you get to incinerate / cremate one of Bat's nemeses. It's the visual equivalent of a punch to the gut and really does give you the feeling that this latest take on Gotham is the end of the road.

And after that start, Batman's finding the city of Gotham has settled into an uneasy peace, with a vacuum filling the quiet streets. However, that's all trumped, when the Scarecrow shows up on the scene, threatening the city with a fear gas attack that prompts a mass evacuation and kicks Batman into action. Throw in an unknown villain, the Arkham Knight, who's determined to kill Batman...

There's no denying that Batman: Arkham Knight has scope.

Gotham is huge and flying through the air with the Batman, wind flapping through his cape, it's exhilarating stuff. Gliding through the skylines you can use all of the prior Batman gadgets and weapons as well as beatdowns, which have already been prevalent in the previous outings.

Combat is still as fluid as it was; this time though, a few new moves have been added in including Fear attacks where you target victims as you're beating down the first. There's a definite fluidity to the game and it's a touch which really does make you feel like you're the Batman, meting out justice.

The story is epic, and once again, it's up to you to switch between detective mode, tracking down clues - though the focus this time isn't as strong on that front, which is probably a good thing lest the studios get accused of repeating themselves.

Side missions litter the game - with over 200 from the Riddler alone guaranteeing that the side-lines could give the completist gamer a real headache as they try strive to make the grade and the inevitable trophies on offer.

Once again, the main star of the Batman Arkham games is the story and voice-work. Kevin Conroy's Batman's never sounded better but I think the real hero of the piece is ironically John Noble. The Fringe star's turn as The Scarecrow exudes inherent menace all wrapped up in the silky tones of the Aussie actor. As his voice booms around in parts of the game, there's certainly the dread feeling the game needs.

And it's a good thing, because the main addition to the proceedings is somewhat of a disappointment - the Batmobile. While it looks incredible in slow-mo cut scenes as it rushes to meet its master (oh yeah, you can remote control) and can work to help fire you into the sky, there's too much of a reliance of the car in the main game, certainly the earlier parts. Using the grappling hook and guns to take out drones and tanks, there's no other option but to utilise the Batmobile. Equally, some of the Riddler missions require the vehicle. Rocksteady, we get it, it's cool, but it's not really why I love the immersiveness of the Arkham games, and certainly it slows the pace as you realise once again you have no choice but to clamber in and fire up the jets.

Upgrades, combos and weapons, as well as suits can all be bought in-game and all work well, but there's nothing to really beat soaring through the air, listening to conversations of the criminal element inhabiting Gotham.

If this is really the end of the road for the Arkham games (aside from the amounts of DLC on the way), it's a great finish for the series and a great entrance into the next gen world.

Fantastic rendering on the PS4's grunt gives it a graphical edge that really breathes seedy life into Gotham - but the thrill of Arkham Knight is seeing Rocksteady's vision, verve and years of association with Batman play out.

It's a game that if you've invested the time in the others, you can't afford to be without and Batman Arkham Knight is a masterclass on how to do a genre game the justice it deserves.

Rating:

Mortdecai: Blu Ray Review

Mortdecai: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Already rated as one of the worst films of 2015 and a low note on Johnny Depp's CV, Mortdecai arrives with hardly much expectation hanging on its shoulders.

Depp is Charlie Mortdecai, a moustachioed eccentric, art dealer and rogueish cad who, along with his manservant Jock (played with bit-of-rough charm by Paul Bettany) is forced to investigate the theft of a painting by the police. With no choice but to investigate thanks to an 8 million pound debt to Queen and country, Mortdecai is sent on a global chase to find the painting before time runs out and it falls into the wrong hands.

Mixing heist caper, Terry Thomas style speech and Rowley Birkin QC gibberish, Depp's OTT performance stands at odds with everyone else around him as he preens and pirhouettes his way through the story which has elements of Gambit within. The problem is while his manchild antics are the central turn with stupidity being more his MO, everyone else around him is taking it terribly seriously with their best plummy British accents on show for all to see.

Bettany fares well as a put upon man servant in the vein of Kato amidst Mortdecai's bumbling and to be frank, the whole affair zips along with a pace that belies its weak script and hammy lead performance.

Depp's character spends a lot of the film asking if it "will be all right in the end"; and you can't help but wonder if that's a meta touch and comment on his own career which seems to be spindling and circling the plug hole after a row of bombs belying some of the great work he did early on. You can see why he was attracted to the bounder role; a chance to riff on the English aristocracy and the art world, but the end result is such a mess that the ongoing joke about a gag reflex every time his wife kisses him soon becomes an involuntary audience reaction to large parts of what transpires on screen.

Rating:

Jupiter Ascending: Blu Ray Review

Jupiter Ascending: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Space opera, stunning visual effects and a big messy plot all collide with limited effect in the Wachowski’s latest outing.

A doe-eyed Mila Kunis  stars as Jupiter, a cleaner who dreams of another life and who finds her dream is more of a reality than she realises when she becomes the victim of a space war.

It turns out Jupiter is actually a princess and an heir to the ownership of the Earth, a fact imparted to her when she’s saved by half-wolf/ half-human Caine (a pointy-eared Tatum). With killers dispatched by Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne, prone to whispering and then shouting for no obvious reason) the tyrant heir of a family, Caine and Jupiter soon find themselves on the run and trying to restore Jupiter’s rightful position in the cosmos.

It’s clear where the money’s gone on the Wachowskis' latest.

Sumptuous space visuals, an array of creatures and alien races all appear to have gobbled up the cash that could have been spent on the story.

Saddled with some laugh-out-loud dialogue (one brutally forced in moment of contrived romance sees Jupiter telling Caine that she loves dogs – another reveals that bees can recognise royalty as they swirl around Kunis), thrown in overt references to the likes of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, some incredibly lazy and missing character development, Jupiter Ascending becomes an incomprehensible visual mess, lacking in coherence and offering nothing more than an assault on the eyeballs.

Kunis manages as best she can in her role, but suffers through some of the indignities of the script and the pacy directing; Tatum is near mute (and pointlessly shirtless) as his bland character grunts his way through continually skating through the skies (no, seriously) to save Jupiter; and Redmayne’s Ming-the-merciless wannabe villain is so underdeveloped that his greatest threat appears to be utilising his over-bite to chew through the scenery as he becomes a last-act villain plot device.

It’s a shame that the Wachowskis who brought us such visual feasts as The Matrix trilogy, Cloud Atlas, Speed Racer are reduced to this near incoherent hot mess. If the story stopped occasionally to breathe once in a while and take in the scenery, it would have been a slightly less flawed execution. Instead by racing breakneck speed between action sequences, having Caine continually save the day, throwing in a leftfield romance simply because, and providing a lack of consequence, this wannabe Star Wars clone has less bite than Tatum’s dog-eared lycan.

Though commendation must be given to one light sequence where Jupiter has to have her ID and regency validated; the Wachowskis’ satirical touch and take on bureaucracy is hilariously on the money and reminiscent of Brazil (replete with Terry Gilliam cameo).

Plundering from the giant treasure trove of sci-fi may have proven a fruitful ground for The Wachowskis in terms of stunning aesthetics and truly out of this world visuals mixed with extravagant costuming and an overly bombastic and overloaded OST.

But by failing to observe some the fact that character is what helps these stand up over the years after the FX have proven outdated, the cinematic folly that is Jupiter Ascending is more facing a descent into cinematic obscurity.
Rating:

The Falling: Film Review

The Falling: Film Review 

Cast: Maisie Williams, Maxine Peake, Florence Pugh, Greta Scacchi, Monica Dolan
Director: Carol Morley

Ethereal, bizarre, ambiguous, filled with subtext, trees and to be endlessly debated in film school.

All of these can be levelled against the dreamlike film The Falling, from the director of the truly sad documentary Dreams of A Life.

It's 1969 Britain at an all girls school and Abbie (Pugh) and Lydia (Williams) are intense BFFs at a time when sexuality and an awareness of the world around them are blossoming. However, when a tragedy occurs involving Abbie, Lydia's life is turned upside down by mysterious rhapsodic fainting fits.  Things get worse when other members of the school are similarly affected by the fits and soon there's an epidemic....

Hazy echoes of Sofia Coppolla's The Virgin Suicides riddle parts of The Falling, garnering it with a touch of the mysterious and occasionally, the aloof. Themes of alienation and awakening are peppered through Morley's, at times slow, piece. It even borders on the fine line between enigmatic and deliberately opaque as it plays out. At one point, one character even intones "It's not simple, it's all about perception", a knowingly self-aware line that appears to tip its hat to the hauntingly oblique story within.

Game of Thrones' Arya Stark is self-assured throughout, imbuing her Lydia with a preternatural presence that's unsettling, leading you to question what's true and what's not. Equally, Pugh engenders her Abi with enough charisma to make you understand Lydia's loss. Peake makes a good fist out of the agoraphobic mum, Scacchi plays against type as a teacher and Dolan is suitably prissy as the school head.

But the real star of The Falling is the tone; granted there will be frustrations for some over lack of answers, but thanks to it being evocatively and disturbingly moody throughout with directorial use of subliminal flashes spliced in head-scratching moments, there's enough to ride you through the lulls and into the idea that a collective mania / strong bond could cause such ripples.

The one moment that feels out of place is the culmination of an incest story thread that worked better as a troubling portent rather than an outright exploration.

Ultimately arty, occasionally oblique and destined for debate, The Falling shows Brit cinema is in rude health and talents are rising to the top, even if the answers are short on coming.

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Terminator:Genisys: Film Review

Terminator:Genisys: Film Review

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith
Director: Alan Taylor

"Old, but not obsolete" is a line thrown out by Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 (and meta-nod)  in the latest soulless blockbuster from the Terminator franchise.

Yet in many ways, it's also symbolic of the film itself, but sadly not quite as obsolete as perhaps it should be.

This time around, at a pivotal point in the war against the machines, Skynet and pretty much any of the logical senses, Jai Courtney's Kyle Reese is sent back in time to 1984 by John Connor (Jason Clarke) to protect his mother Sarah Connor (Game of Thrones' Khaleesi Emilia Clarke). But the rub this time around is that Connor's not quite the innocent Reese is expecting and the timeline as he's remembered it has altered. (Let's not bother addressing the logic of time-travel in sci-fi, because as one character shouts at one point - "Time travel makes my head hurt")

Soon, Connor, Reese and The Guardian (Schwarzenegger) are back on the run, facing off against the might of a Terminator sent back to take them out and fighting for their survival as well as the world's.

A relentless juggernaut of unoriginal action sequences follow in Terminator Genisys, each attempting to dull your senses and defy any kind of logic or any of the laws of physics; it's all connected together with a plot that becomes more and more muddled as each moment transpires. It's not that these action moments are thrown in, more that Thor: The Dark World's director Alan Taylor has produced nothing that's memorable in their execution.

A clutch of running gags about Arnie's age, his attempts to blend in by awkwardly smiling give the Austrian Oak a chance to flex those comic muscles, reminding us that the action hero of yore has been replaced with an almost cuddly caricature (he's even called Pops throughout the film by his Connor charge).  Nods to the original iconic moments from the first two Terminators including a younger digitised Arnie Terminator only serve to remind you of how good the earlier installments of this series actually were. Equally, a liquid T-1000 reminds you of Robert Patrick from T2 and again proves that this film has simply taken the best bits of the prior flicks and bundled them in with an absence of new ideas or a new direction to take the series.

It's a problem of balance in this film - there are unnecessary comic moments that take you out of the film. One such problematic scene is a mugshots inspired riff on the COPS reality series that tips way too much of a wink to the audience to make you feel you're watching a film anymore, merely a parody of what once was.

Thankfully, JK Simmons' turn as a cop caught in years of conspiracy, veers on the right side of the humour, while espousing such lines as "Goddamned time travelling robots - always covering their tracks" and injecting them with a self-deprecation that's welcome. (Less welcome is the gratuitous product placement of a certain brand of footwear)

Emilia Clarke acquits herself reasonably, even if she has none of the internal turmoil of Connor downpat, Courtney serves only to be a vessel for the endless garbled exposition and imbues his Reese with a workmanlike sheen - thankfully, Jason Clarke makes a memorable job of a scarred John Connor, even if his best moments have been ruined with the trailers for the film.

Arnie may be back in Terminator Genisys, but ultimately the machines of Hollywood have won this battle - what's transpired on screen is a muddled, messy flick that lurches through the rhythms of action, exposition ad nauseum before leaving you with a feeling that this series needs to be Terminated.

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