While We're Young: Blu Ray Review

While We're Young: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Achieving the broadest of reaches and never losing sight of being entertaining, Noah Baumbach's While We're Young delivers a pitch perfect comedy to alleviate the soul as spring nears closer.

Ben Stiller plays Josh. a documentary maker stuck in his latest project; his wife is Cornelia (Naomi Watts, channeling some warm comedic schtick) a fellow producer. Worries over whether the pair is in a rut are pushed to one side, when Josh meets Adam Driver's Jamie, a 25-year-old version of himself, but more in touch with his hipper side.

Energised by Jamie's interest (along with his wife, played by Amanda Seyfried), Josh sets out to complete his documentary and re-discover his, and his wife's joie de vivre.

While We're Young is wistful, wry, warmly comic fare as it lays down some realities about how we truly are in life and what steps we take when we get older.

Brilliantly juxtaposing the attitudes of Josh and Cornelia ("We have the freedom to do what we want; what we do with it is not important" being one of their earlier bon mots) to their younger counterparts proves to be the film's masterstroke as a light script is breezily delivered by the cast.

But there's a grain of truth that will be entirely resonant with others in this dryly laconic movie; it's a film where the younger embrace vinyl and reading, but the older struggle with digital technology all around them; where retro is cool, but the future is baffling.

And yet, in among the light banter, is a man on the edge of a crisis,a relationship on a brink and a smart savvy take on how priorities and viewpoints change as life goes on. It's humour mixed with life's experiences, good and bad - and Baumbach delivers it in spades.

Granted, there will be some who will find the film's themes trite, but there will be an equal - if not larger - amount who will find it cutting a little close to the bone. If you let it, While We're Young emerges as something touching and sensitive to time's passing - it doesn't harm it in the slightest that it's well-performed, well-written and deeply engaging as it doles out its message about life.

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Mika heads to Street Fighter V

Mika heads to Street Fighter V

R. Mika will make her debut at Pax Prime in USA this weekend, as she will join the roster in a brand new playable demo available at the Capcom booth. The PAX event demo will also include the other previously-announced new and returning challengers, Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, Vega, M. Bison, Birdie, Charlie Nash, and Necalli.

About R. Mika

As an aspiring young wrestler, Mika dreamed of one day becoming a star in the ring, much like her idol Zangief. Training under the strict tutelage of her coach, she traveled the world engaging in random matches with street fighters in order to spread her name and popularity. R. Mika's wrestling prowess will be on full display in Street Fighter V, as she dazzles opponents with a wide variety of high-flying moves. This time around, her wrestling tag-team partner Nadeshiko assists in the fight! By calling Nadeshiko at the right time using R. Mika's V-Trigger ability, players will be able to set up sneaky attacks and punishing command grab mix-ups that are sure to deliver devastating amounts of damage. Players who enjoy putting on a stunning display of fear-inducing close-combat guessing games will find R. Mika a colourful and rewarding way to play.

About Street Fighter V

The legendary fighting franchise returns in Autumn 2016 with Street Fighter V! Stunning visuals depict the next generation of World Warriors in unprecedented detail, while exciting and accessible battle mechanics deliver endless fighting fun that both beginners and veterans can enjoy. Challenge friends online, or compete for fame and glory on the Capcom Pro Tour.

For the first time in Street Fighter history, all post-launch gameplay-related content in Street Fighter V can be earnable via gameplay, free of charge. All balance and system adjustments will also be available for free, so players will always have access to the most current version. Through a strategic partnership between Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Capcom, the next generation Street Fighter experience will offer cross-platform play that will unite PlayStation 4 and PC fans into a centralized player base for the first time ever. The path to greatness begins here: RISE UP!

Project CARS - Old Vs. New Car Pack Out Now

PROJECT CARS LAUNCHES ITS “OLD VS NEW” CAR PACK

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment and Slightly Mad Studios Are Proud to Reveal the Latest Addition to their Celebrated Project CARS!

SYDNEY, 28^TH AUGUST 2015 - Today, Project CARS continues its programme of continual updates and fresh content delivery with the release of the Old Vs New Car Pack featuring three retro machines and their modern-day counterparts. The Old Vs New Car Pack feature three retro machines and their modern-day counterparts from the factories of BMW, Ford, and Ruf.

Introduced in 1964, the Ford Mustang quickly became one of the company's most-recognizable models, single handedly starting the muscle car revolution that shaped the American car market for more than a decade.

After the first one million road cars of the original Mustang had been build, Ford gave its best-seller an extensive upgrade, equipping the car with a more powerful 4.7 liter V8 engine and introducing the now-iconic Fastback body style. Now, in 2015, the Mustang GT is the newest addition to Ford’s iconic range. Powered by a massive 5-litre V8 engine and delivering more than 428hp of power and 528 Nm of torque, buyers can choose between a full manual and automatic six-speed gearbox, the latter coming with genuine shifting paddles – a first in the long history of the Mustang.

Based on the Porsche 911 3.2, the 1987 CTR Yellowbird is one of Ruf’s most iconic models, and one that helped build their reputation for building no-compromise sports cars. The 3.4 liter twin-turbocharged flat six engine provided 469hp from two large turbochargers and intercoolers, and had been equipped with a new Bosch Motronic as well as an ignition setup originally designed for Porsche’s 962 Group C race car. Thanks to extensive weight-saving measures such as usage of fibreglass and aluminium, the CTR weighs just 1150 kilograms, resulting in a very impressive performance

BMW's 2002 Turbo road car made the history books in 1973 by becoming Europe's first-ever mass-produced road car powered by a turbocharged engine. The 2002Turbo's two-litre four cylinder engine provided 170hp of power, a figure that made the 2002 one of the most powerful cars on the road during its time. Unfortunately, the 1974 oil crisis forced an end to the 2002 Turbo's production after just one year as gas prices were soaring across the world. Only 1672 cars were produced during the model's limited production run, making the 2002 Turbo one of BMW's most iconic and most sought-after classics. Built to the Super 2000 touring car regulations, the 320TC is BMW's weapon of choice for competition in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and countless national touring car series around the globe. Weighing 1170 kilograms, the car is powered by a 1.6 litre DI-turbo four-cylinder engine and a full adjustable six-speed sequential gearbox. Driven by veteran touring car aces such as Tom Coronel, Franz Engstler & Stefano D'Aste, the 320TC clinched five world championship wins.

Lara Croft GO is here

LARA CROFT GO GOES LIVE TODAY

ON IOS, ANDROID AND WINDOWS PHONES

Square Enix Montréal’s Next Mobile Game in the GO Series Now Available

SYDNEY, 28^TH August 2015 – Square Enix Montréal today announced that Lara Croft GO™, the follow-up to the hugely successful Hitman GO®, is now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, as well as Android, Windows Phone and Windows Store.

Watch the Lara Croft GO launch trailer below

The turn-based puzzle adventure casts players as the iconic Tomb Raider® as she explores the ancient ruins of a long forgotten civilization. Over the span of five chapters, players must help Lara fight menacing enemies, overcome dangerous obstacles and traps, and ultimately, uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom. Along the way, players can collect ancient relics hidden throughout the game world to earn extra Lara Croft features and costumes for the most nostalgic fans. 

“With Lara Croft GO, we set out to capture the iconic franchise’s sense of exploration and combat in a fun, accessible way, while still challenging players,” said Patrick Naud, Head of Studio at Square Enix Montreal. ”The result is a clever, distinctive gameplay experience that we think will resonate not only with fans of Lara Croft and the GO series, but with most mobile gamers in general.”

Inspired by classic Tomb Raider games, Lara Croft GO features a distinct art design and captivating soundtrack that will spark the player’s inner relic hunter as they tackle over 75 challenging puzzles in Lara’s quest to survive the deadly mysteries that await.   

Just Cause 3 Dev Diary lands

Just Cause 3 Dev Diary lands

The second entry in the JUST CAUSE 3 Dev Diary series takes a close look at the destruction that sits at the heart of the game. In the video, the Avalanche team discuss the dynamic nature of the technology and the unique scenarios that this gives birth to:

“We’ve been focused purely on the new generation of high-end technology from the very beginning of development” said Game Director Roland Lesterlin “this huge amount of extra horsepower allows us to do things that simply weren’t possible until now”.

The Destruction Dev Diary takes a look at these things in action.

Watch the ‘Episode 2 – Destruction’ dev diary below 

Get ready to ‘Set the World on Fire’ on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and high-end Windows PC on December 1^st 2015.

  

Forza Motorsport 6 Demo goes live Sept 1st

Forza Motorsport 6 Demo goes live Sept 1st

Forza Motorsport 6 Has Gone Gold! Demo Arrives Sept. 1

The latest mile marker on the road to Forza Motorsport 6’s launch has arrived: We’ve gone gold! In two weeks, Forza Motorsport 6 will be available to play via early access for owners of the Ultimate Edition.

Five days later, Forza 6 will be unleashed to everyone! Before the full game launches, however, fans will have the chance to experience the thrills of Forza Motorsport 6 in the official free demo for the game, which launches on September 1.

The Forza Motorsport 6 demo will let players experience the most beautiful and comprehensive racing game of this generation, named “Best Racing Game” and “Best Simulation Game” of gamescom 2015. The demo features a selection of the 460 Forzavista cars available in the full version, all with working cockpits and full damage. You’ll experience highlights from the game’s 26 world-famous locales, including wet weather and night racing, all at a stunning 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second.

Everyone who plays the Forza Motorsport 6 demo will automatically get the new Ford GT delivered to their garage in Forza Motorsport 6 for no additional cost. In addition, the demo will include additional features that allow fans to get even deeper into the Forza Motorsport 6 experience. Look for more details on that when the demo launches on September 1!

We’re celebrating all of this Forza news with some new details on the game, including the announcement of a number of previously unannounced cars in Forza Motorsport 6, as well as full details on all the tracks in the game.

See below for more details on the cars released this week, and the full post on ForzaMotorsport.net  for new screenshots and details on the tracks that will include night and wet racing options.

Brand New Cars

Led by the awesome power of the 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S, these ten newly announced cars bring the total car count to Forza Motorsport 6 to 460 cars, the largest number of cars ever seen at the launch of a Forza game!

The rest of the cars we’re revealing today:

·         2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S

·         1979 BMW #6 BMW Motorsport M1 Procar

·         2015 Volvo S60 Polestar

·         2014 Audi #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS ultra

·         2014 BMW #5 Ebay Motors 125i M Sport

·         2014 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R

·         2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT

·         1976 Lotus #5 Team Lotus 77

·         1969 Lola #10 Simoniz Special T163

·         2014 Ferrari California T

Fast 7: Blu Ray Review

Fast 7: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

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 Walkerhanging 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.

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