Win Banksy Does New York

Win Banksy Does New York

Thanks to Madman Home Entertainment, I'm giving you the chance to win BANKSY DOES NEW YORK.

Banksy is revered and reviled, considered both a vandal and a genius. Completely anonymous, he is nevertheless without question one of the world’s best known living artists.

Over the course of a month-long residency in New York in October 2013, Banksy and his team took to the streets – secretly creating a variety of public work ranging from elaborate conceptual stunts to traditional graffiti art. Constantly evading a citywide search by the NYPD, Banksy’s work created a public response that was an equal mix of reverence and derision. From a Central Park stand where priceless originals were anonymously sold for $60, to a junkyard in Queens; New York City served as the canvas for this street art vigilante.

BANKSY DOES NEW YORK is an exhilarating survey of Banksy’s city-wide exhibit and at the same time a vibrant portrait of the city itself.

TO WIN, simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 

Put your address in the email and make the subject line : BANKSY!
   

Win A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night!

Win A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night!

Thanks to Madman Home Entertainment, I've got copies of the coolest film at this year's New Zealand International Film Festival to giveaway.

Yep, you can own the effortlessly cool A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT.

Sexy. Beautiful. Deadly.

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT is set in the fictitious locale of Bad City, a stunningly crafted black-and-white world riddled with random events and flawed people that takes its visual cues from SIN CITY (2005) and the early films of Jim Jarmusch. 

Sheila Vand stars as The Girl, a sassy loner who roams the streets on a skateboard she stole from a kid. The unsuspecting object of her affections is Arash, a handsome James Dean-type who is dealing with his own family issues. In the off-kilter world they inhabit, a touching and unconventional relationship develops

To win simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 

Put your address in the email and make the subject line : SKATEBOARDING CAT!

Good luck!

The Gunman: Blu Ray Review

The Gunman: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

The geri-action franchise gets a new entrant in the form of Sean Penn who's teamed up with the director of Taken. Well, with the news that Liam Neeson's stepping down from the action game, a new contender had to emerge.

Penn stars as Jim Terrier, an international operative working undercover in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006, whose assassination mission sees him forced to leave the country, his friend Felix (Bardem) and lover Annie (Trinca).

Resurfacing 8 years later, Terrier's back in the DRC now with for a humanitarian organisation but finds himself in the gun when an attack where he's working takes place. Suddenly finding he's part of a conspiracy that relates back to his actions in 2006, Terrier begins to revisit his old life to find out exactly what's going on.

In its initial scenes, The Gunmanappears to be an intelligent piece about potential sins of the past coming back to haunt before betraying its set up and settling for a generic geriatric action thriller that has some impressive stunt work and set ups but ultimately blunts your senses.

Penn's wiry and intent outlook gets you through the exposition heavy sequences to start off before the bullets start to fly, the explosions begin to shake the screen and the globe-hopping kicks in to dizzy you out of any intelligent thought you had about the issues being explored.  If anything Penn makes a good case for his entrant into the pantheon of oldie action heroes, looking better than most, puzzled when the conspiracy kicks in and suffers through the many indignities of the script with utter commitment.

And it is the script that causes issues - a life threatening illness for our hero only kicks in when the circumstances necessitate (and therefore irritates), a bull fight is leaned upon too heavily as an allegory for the final showdown and Trinca's character serves only to become the damsel in distress after a strong start.

Coupled with a near unwatchable Bardem and a bloated Winstone wearing a bizarre wig, The Gunman betrays any pretence towards grandeur and settles for a cliched unoriginal action thriller and pulpy trashy conspiracy novel.

Quite simply, this Gunman is shooting blanks.

Rating:

Guitar Hero Live is coming to Apple TV this Spring

Guitar Hero Live is coming to Apple TV this Spring

 

As you may have seen earlier today, Apple announced on stage at the Apple special event that Guitar Hero Live is coming to Apple TV this Spring. In addition to Guitar Hero Live, Skylanders SuperChargers and Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved are also coming to Apple TV and other Apple devices.

We received some questions about the news, so we wanted to share some more information with you.

Activision can confirm that Guitar Hero Live is coming to the newly announced Apple TV, as well as iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this spring. People will be able to play in their living room with Apple TV and take their game on the go with iPhone or iPad, as the Bluetooth Guitar controller works across Apple devices.

Guitar Hero Live was built from the ground up to bring the rock star fantasy to life in a way that was never possible before, with live action film, real crowds that react to how you play and the world’s first playable music video network. Guitar Hero is and has always been a global phenomenon, so the game was designed to reflect the way people consume entertainment today.

Jamie Jackson, co-studio head and creative director at FreeStyleGames, is pretty stoked:

“We jumped at the opportunity to bring back Guitar Hero in a cool new way with Guitar Hero Live and have been energised by the response from fans who have had a chance to play it so far. We can’t wait for the game to launch next month and think people are going to get a kick out of living their rock star fantasy on consoles, mobile devices and Apple TV this spring. It’s going to be rad!”

It’s time for a host of new playable tracks from Guitar Hero Live. Activision and FreeStyleGames today announced the next batch of songs playable in Guitar Hero Live. Australian performer, Orianthi, joins previously announced The Vines, Wolf Mother and Angus & Julia Stone, as some of the hundreds of tracks that will be playable at launch on October 23, 2015.

• Pearl Jam - Sirens
• Surfer Blood – Demon Dance
• Gerard Way – No Shows
• Orianthi – According to You
• Haim – The Wire
• Tonight Alive – The Ocean
• Lamb of God – Ghost Walking
• 36 Crazyfists – Also Am I
• Wavves – Demon to Lean On
• Passenger – Let Her Go

Guitar Hero Live will be available October 23, 2015, on the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U

Activision can also confirm that two other Activision games – Skylanders SuperChargers and Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved are coming to Apple TV and other Apple devices this fall.  

Halo 5: Guardians Coming to New Zealand

Halo 5: Guardians Coming to New Zealand

The countdown to the midnight launch of Halo 5: Guardians will begin at 8pm on Labour Day, Monday 26 October, at the Logan Campbell Centre, ASB Showgrounds with an exclusive event in conjunction with EB Games and hosted by The Rock FM’s Mike Garvey. New Zealanders will be first in the world to get their hands on Halo 5: Guardians, ushering in the next generation of Halo.

The hours leading up to the biggest game launch of the year will be packed with giveaways, movies, replica Halo weapons, armour and vehicles, as well as hands-on sessions with Halo 5: Guardians and prizes for the best Halo cosplayers.

“We are going to be teasing people with Halo 5: Guardians previews all throughout Armageddon that weekend, but dedicated fans who come to the celebration on Monday night will be the first in world to get the full game,” says Steven Blackburn Xbox New Zealand Lead.

“It’s going to be a long Labour Weekend waiting for Halo 5: Guardians to drop. We expect many fans will extend their long weekends to be first in the world to find out what happens in the next chapter of the Halo saga.”

Here’s how to secure your place:

·       Pre-order Halo 5: Guardians from EB Games in the Auckland region and collect your game at midnight on 27 October

·       Listen to The Rock between 12 – 23 October for your chance to win tickets

·       Or check out the Xbox stand at Armageddon Expo Auckland during Labour Weekend

Halo 5: Guardians is available on 27 October. Pre-order and additional information is available at www.xbox.com/halo.

Event Details

·       Halo 5: Guardians midnight launch

·       Logan Campbell Centre at ASB Showgrounds, Auckland

·       Doors Open 8pm Monday 26 October

·       Event finishes at 12.30am.

Xbox Announces Forza Motorsport 6 ‘Drive to Win’

Xbox Announces Forza Motorsport 6 ‘Drive to Win’

Xbox Announces Forza Motorsport 6 ‘Drive to Win’ - Ten fans from around the world will join Xbox Racing for Australia's "Great Race"

 Xbox has today announced a unique contest for racing fans around the world that will see ten gamers score a trip to one of the most challenging and iconic races in the world, the V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000 in NSW Australia. Forza Motorsport fans will compete for a money-can’t-buy experience the chance to participate in a live, in-game time trial to be crowned the champion of the Mount Panorama circuit. 

 To celebrate the launch of the highly-anticipated Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One, players will be invited to take part in an in-game challenge for the chance to win this once in a lifetime opportunity. Winners will travel to Australia to experience one of the biggest days in the international touring car calendar as racing legend Marcos Ambrose and Xbox Racing Team lead driver Scott Pye challenge the V8 Supercar field in the Xbox Racing #17 Ford Falcon FG X.

To earn a chance to win, players must complete the ‘Forza Drive to Win/Xbox One Bathurst Challenge’ rivals event in-game, racing the 2015 Xbox Racing #17 Ford Falcon FG X around Mount Panorama by 11.59pm on September 29, 2015, AEST (1.59am on September 30, 2015 NZ). Those lucky few will then go on to compete live at the Bathurst 1000 for the fastest lap of the track on Forza Motorsport 6, the most realistic racing experience available. This challenging street circuit is considered to be one of the world's most challenging courses for its combination of narrow sections, steep grades and high speeds, all of which have been laser-scanned and built from the ground-up for Xbox One.

Ten fans from around the world that complete the in-game rivals event will be drawn at random to attend the Bathurst 1000, October 11-15, 2015, including two from the United States, two from the United Kingdom, one from New Zealand, and five from Australia. Winners will receive a trip for themselves and a friend to the Bathurst 1000, and the chance to score USD$5,000 in prize money, as well as have their Gamertag emblazoned on the official Xbox race car and the track itself.

Winners will also get the chance to meet Ambrose and Pye and challenge their Bathurst 1000 qualifying times on Forza Motorsport 6. 

Forza Motorsport 6 is available worldwide today for owners of the digital ‘Ultimate Edition’; September 15^th in the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand; and September 18^th in Europe, exclusively for Xbox One. 

With new features including night driving and wet weather racing, V8 Supercars fans can also get behind the wheel of ten cars from the 2015 season, including cars from all five constructors, whilst listening to in-game commentary from Australian racing legend, Mark Skaife.

The 2015 #17 Xbox Racing Ford Falcon FG X, backed by the experience of DJR Team Penske, will compete in the V8 Supercar enduro series, including the Bathurst 1000.

Mad Max: Blu Ray Review

Mad Max: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

"All this for a family squabble"

It's a phrase tossed off the lips of one lunatic in Mad Max which says so much about George Miller's return 30 years later to the post-apocalyptic world he made so iconic with Mel Gibson around 36 years ago.

Mad Max Fury Road is nothing short of a visually nihilistic spectacle; it's a world where hope as a commodity is as rare as oil and the rain in the blisteringly violent deserts that blow all around.

Tom Hardy stars as Max Rockatansky, a man haunted by the fact he couldn't save his wife and daughter and by visions of his child (a nod back to the originals). As the film starts, Max is captured by the heavily radiated white-skinned War Boys and hooked up to the sick as a human blood bag (this film is about as pro-blood transfusions as any health commercial could be).

But Max finds himself front and centre of an epic chase when Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron, the buzz-cutted, bionic armed heart and soul of the movie) deviates from a supply run and trade deal, angering the bloated leader of the post-apocalyptic cult of deviants, Immortan Joe (played by Toecutter from the first film, Hugh Keays-Byrne).

So Joe and his gang of misfits set out on a major chase and to unleash Carmageddon on the unbelievers as well as to try and reclaim Furiosa's secret cargo.

Mad Max Fury Road is light on plot, but high on visual insanity.

In fact, it's the lack of plot and near lack of dialogue at the start that convinces you this extreme road movie and video-game style plotting will challenge some who are not on board with the cine-visual meltdown mania of a barking mad director cum visionary Miller.

And for key character (Nicholas Hoult's religious zealot Nux who's desperate for entry to Valhalla in among the vehicular madness) the absence of development means one plot point jars quite badly midway through the piece, a mis-step from Miller who clearly had his eye on the action, rather than those swirling around the unfolding visual carnage.

It is the unrelenting destruction that stands out first and foremost in Mad Max Fury Road - the blistering soundtrack leaves your ears bleeding after the initial first 40 minutes of adrenaline-fuelled highly visceral and carefully orchestrated chaos is unleashed.

Thankfully, the movie slows giving you a chance to adjust and your ears a chance to recover, but it's a brief respite before the action ramps up once again. In those brief moments, Hardy's near-mute Max remains the calm in the storm, handing the emotion and heart to Theron to handle, which she does with a great degree of aplomb.

Looking like Slipknot meshed with Priscilla Queen of the Desert and crossed with Duran Duran's Wild Boys video, the visuals of Mad Max Fury Road are everything and stand tribute to Miller's clear and dedicated vision. Cars with spikes that look like motorised porcupines, bikers with inhabitants that look like they've cosplayed bedouins and Tusken raiders, a truck stacked with amps and a deranged guitarist all create the aesthetics of a world gone mad where chaos rules supreme.

The stunt work and brutal fights raise the bar for blockbuster expectations as this extended car chase plays out, and it's great to see a New Zealand stunt team had a hand in ensuring the vision comes to life. It certainly benefits from being stripped of CGI with live-action favoured in a way that would shame the Fast and The Furious series.

A madcap cinematic orgy of balls-out action, Mad Max: Fury Road stands alone as something visually incredible and completely epic; while the story and characters for the most part, don't hold up to repeated scrutiny, you can't help but salute Miller for what he's achieved.

With furious sound and visual bluster, Mad Max Fury Road is an atmospheric road well worth travelling - even though there are a few bumps along the way.

Rating: