Love and Mercy: Blu Ray Review

Love and Mercy: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

"What if I lose it and never get it back?"

The latest musician to get the big screen treatment is Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, but Bill Pohlad's film is anything but conventional for the most part as it juggles two timelines in Wilson's life.

Starting with the whirlwind ascent of the Beach Boys in the 1960s as they surfed the wave of critical success and popular acclaim, Little Miss Sunshine star Paul Dano is Wilson. As the film begins, Wilson suffers from a panic attack on a plane and convinces the rest of the band he's better suited to staying in the studio concocting their next album to fend off the Beatles' challenge.

Flash forward to the 1980s, and Wilson's in a car dealership where he meets Melinda Ledbetter, a saleswoman who has no idea who he is but is intrigued by his presence, his distance and his passion. The two strike up a friendship, but that bond is threatened by Dr Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti complete with wig) who appears to have the best of intentions for Brian, but whose unconventional methods seem dangerous to Ledbetter.

Juxtaposing two timelines at two ends of Wilson's life is Pohlad's masterstroke in this flick that at times threatens to feel like a normal biopic as we witness his control under Landy and one woman's quest to free him from this abusive tyranny.

Banks is nothing short of incredible as Ledbetter, a soothing and tender presence that radiates warmth as she tries to negotiate the perils of the controlling Landy, even if there are moments when all she does is look aghast at what's going on. Her scenes with the older Wilson (portrayed by a distant and fearful John Cusack) have a compassionate heart that anchors the film and the pair work well together.

But it's Dano's sections as the younger and more experimental producer Wilson which impress as his troubled genius comes to the fore and the likes of Pet Sounds, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows come to life.

Scenes of working in the studio with the Wrecking Crew musicians are electric, evocative, and give an insight into the confusion he begins to feel as voices eat away at him, as well as recollections of his lack of self-worth due to his father's abuse. It's the sound which plays the greatest part here as Pohlad loops dissonant voices, music building to a crescendo and white noise to give us an insight into Wilson's state of mind and also the creative process. Studio sequences pursuing the perfect note to the horror of fellow Beach Boys take a poignancy as Wilson tries to give some form to the swirling sounds in his head.

Sensitive Dano brings a frailty to Wilson that gives you a feeling that he's likely to crumble at any moment, especially in scenes where he tries desperately to impress his bullying father with just a piano and God Only Knows. It's here that Dano conveys a level of pain and anguish that's heartbreaking and stands in stark contrast to Cusack's older portrayal of a man fearful of his guardian and broken after years of torment.

It's in these parts that the movie is the most successful as there are a few sections where it feels like more could have been made of it.

While the timelines intersect well, there's no introduction of how Landy came into contact with Wilson other than allusions to the Beach Boy's apparent 3 years in bed and treatment; equally, the rest of the Beach Boys are relatively blank canvasses (meaning the conflict with Wilson in the studio feels forced) as is Wilson's first wife, Marilyn. But these are minor niggles in a movie that really does its subject justice and re-states the case for the Beach Boys' musical legacy.

Love & Mercy is a surprising film, and believe it or not, thanks to Dano and Banks, it'll give you good vibrations.


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Rise Of The Tomb Raider: XBox One Review

Rise Of The Tomb Raider: XBox One Review

Platform: XBox One
Developed by Crystal Dynamics

The re-invention of Lara Croft on the PlayStation was one of the big thrills of 2013.

Matured and stripped of the sexualisation which had blighted her and given the voice of Camilla Luddington, the origin story was thrilling and rounded.

So it is fair to say that given an XBoxOne exclusive and a degree of hype, there is a lot riding on Rise Of The Tomb Raider.

And frankly it doesn't disappoint.

With added tombs and challenges, this latest is simply one of the best of the year - and with its hidden treasures, it continues to grow the next gen legacy in more ways than one.

This time, it's about Lara trying to survive the machinations of a secretive group known as Trinity as their quest intersects in Lara's past with her father and the present with her rise to Tomb Raider.

Globe-trotting adventure is of course a given but with inter-woven narratives and time jumps, this portrait of Croft is more rounded and more of an insight into her life then and now.

Luddington's voice work and mo cap deserves some praise for that handling a script which crackles and making it something plausible, as well as emotionally deep.

From the opening sequences atop mountains which could put Everest to shame, there is much graphically to admire in Croft. Snow glistens and ice seems contoured but the world never fully grasps the ascent to superb levels at times; though that said there are some moments which took my breath away. For an XBoxOne exclusive, it does occasionally feel like the frame rate isn't quite the highest - but it has to be said, the game's playability makes these very minor quibbles fall into relative insignificance.

It's the rollicking adventure which propels Lara and the player along, as they tandem the story and scale the action heights. Weapons are once again of the bow, with Lara's trusty hunting skills once again coming to the fore over simply shooting stuff. As with the reboot, it's about crafting better fire power and utilising what's around. Crafting can be done on the quick and healing can be done mid-fight (if you have resources) giving the game a more fluid feel. Scraps here and there can be salvaged to help and using wood from trees, feathers from nests show the foraging benefits.

As the story progresses the tombs return (if anything this game is all about fathers and tombs) but there's more skill required this time and more rewards as a result. Efforts have been made to give these a depth and a reason to go off the beaten track, but they are more worthy of your investment this time.

Rise Of The Tomb Raider builds on Lara's legacy and while it's (a very close) second to the reboot, it still succeeds in creating an utterly memorable experience. It may be a busy time for games, but it'd be a crime to overlook this game - simply put, it's the best of many genres and it deserves to eat into your summer hours.

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Star Wars: Battlefront Live Action Trailer

Star Wars: Battlefront Live Action Trailer

Star Wars^TM Battlefront^TM. will release on November 19, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and on Origin for PC.

Players who pre-order Star Wars^TM Battlefront^TMcan fight the battle one week early on December 1, 2015. All other players will get access to this free content on December 8th, 2015.

Humans: Season 1: Blu Ray Review

Humans: Season 1: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Playing on our basic suburban paranoias that there is always someone more beautiful and more capable of replacing you in your life, TV series Humans appears on the scene.

The 8 part serial, based on the Swedish scifi drama,  concentrates on a parallel present where Synths (a highly developed robotic servant) are prevalent, handling all our mundane jobs. One of those families is a family of two kids and a mum and dad whose relationship is fractured; and that split's made all the worse by the introduction of a young beautiful synth played by Gemma Chan. When that synth and others start behaving differently, everything starts to change.

Pristine, polished, slick and a little bit sci-fi, Humans is a great drama that spins out the mystery while never fully losing the audience in frustration. With cast members like William Hurt and Katherine Parkinson, the calibre is high; all of those involved impress and the best way to enjoy Humans is spoiler-free.

The mystery rewards if you're willing to stick with it, and with a second season on the way, this is a series worth diving into now.

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Hot Pursuit: DVD Review

Hot Pursuit: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

It's girl power all the way in this formulaic, by the numbers, road comedy that falls on the usual tropes to get it through.

Reese Witherspoon goes back to her broad comedy roots to play an uptight by-the-book cop, Officer Cooper, who finds herself given the task of escorting Modern Family star Sofia Vergara's Danielle Riva to testify in a case against a drug lord and his cartels.

But when the bad guys come shooting and Coop's not sure who she can trust, the pair go on the lam with only each other to rely on.

Hot Pursuit is a very old school film in many ways.It's slapstick farce which is light on comedy but high on squawking fromSofia Vergara, who essentially plays another version of her Modern Family character.  There are a couple of running gags which mock Witherspoon's character's height and Vergara's character's age but all in all, it's a little patchy at best.

Witherspoon riffs well on the Texan style she's used to playing and does the broad comedy well, but it feels like the writing just isn't strong enough to propel the film through, despite it only being 87 minutes long. As the comic Thelma and Louise rolls on in their bonding, Hot Pursuit rolls out the predictable gags, faux lesbian moments and an increasing silliness to push it over the finish line.

The worst offender on the humour front comes when Coop and Riva fool their captors and escape by explaining that one of them is having their period. It's at this point that you start to wonder how certain parts of the movie made it from the page in the first place.

Ultimately, Hot Pursuit's odd couple chemistry delivers exactly what you'd expect, nothing more, nothing less - it's just a shame that it feels like it's squandered its promise somewhat, and failed to deliver a female led comedy film that Hollywood's been lacking for a while.

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The Peanuts Movie: Film Review

The Peanuts Movie: Film Review

Cast: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller
Director: Steve Martino

There's an old school nostalgia that swathes the heart-warming Peanuts Movie like a cozy blanket.

And while the cynical, brought up on a diet of post-modern ironic CGI animated fare that clocks a wink at its audience, may scoff at its endearing cuteness, the effect of seeing Charles M Schulz's characters writ large and with due reverence on the big screen is nothing short of a nostalgic treat to start the new year off.

It's a simple story - Charlie Brown finds his life upended when the little red-haired girl from the cartoons moves over the road from him; determined to make her acquaintance, Charlie sets out on a life-changing journey. Meanwhile, Snoopy's engaged in yet another fight with the Red Baron....

At its most basic level, The Peanuts Movie is a melange of episodic moments stitched together with the flimsiest of threads, but the messages within are honest and earnest. Charlie Brown remains the blockhead he has always been, but his loveable loser schtick will strike a chord with many youngsters who see elements of themselves within.

Sure the message to be true to thine self and to act with integrity is nothing original, but the lack of preachiness goes a long way to making this spoonful of sugar easily slip down.

Mentions of The Great Pumpkin, the kite-eating tree, that mound where so many humiliations have occurred are lashed together in a web that sees Snoopy taking on the Red Baron once again and Charlie Brown trying to get a win in life.

Flights of fancy come quick and fast in this flick that revels in its old school charm and yesteryear elements. 


There's nothing wrong with the family values it espouses and the animation certainly holds true to the Charlie Brown we've seen on TV - even if this Charlie Brown is likely to resonate more with those who've grown up with the TV specials and the strips. In many ways, this Peanuts Movie is not what you'd expect from films these days - there's no smart nods to the audience, no clever meta-plot and no push for the origin of Charlie and Snoopy's friendship. It's good, old-fashioned Peanuts that works as a shapeless narrative and crucially, feels like a series of episodic panels and sketches thrown together in a 90 minute meshed film.

There's a nice parallel between Snoopy and his endless Red Baron adventures trying to save Fifi, his imaginary love and Charlie Brown's pursuit of the little red-headed girl. While the Snoopy sections may drag on a little, the Charlie Brown quests for recognition and over-coming his own awkwardness to speak to her have volumes of charm and sweet innocence that a younger audience will latch onto.

The 3D works nicely and is more about presenting rounder characters (though ironically, a lot of Charlie Brown's chums are sidelined with little on screen interaction) rather than a bells and whistles showiness. The film-makers are wise to Brown's continual string of losses, a running gag of the panels and a truism of his life, but are smart enough to also realise that he needs a minor win for audiences to follow on the journey with him.

But it's the moments of the past that stand out - when Brown daydreams he does so with black and white panels that Charles M Schulz so lovingly crafted. It's a beautiful touch, an innocent moment which legions of his fans will sigh a relief at rather than let out an exasperated "Good Grief".


As a trip down memory lane and with Schulz's good intentions, this family film may provoke a few moments of apathy for the older members of the audience and perhaps a younger end brought up on savvier fare, but its faithful nostalgia and simpler yet reverent greatest hits story-telling is a welcome breath of fresh cinematic air. 

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The Peanuts Movie hits NZ cinemas on January 1st 2016.

Inside / Out: Blu Ray Review

Inside / Out: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by Disney DVD

For a film that’s squarely pitched at the kids, there’s something definitively adult about Pixar’s latest animation, a piece that puts them back on top of the game, but may see some younger elements scratching their own heads simply because life has not fully dealt to them yet.

A kind of Herman’s Head for the 21^st century, Inside Out focusses on 11 year old Riley, a young girl whose safe and happy life is upended when her parents force them to relocate to San Francisco from their beloved Minnesota.

But the turmoil in her life is all controlled by her emotions within her head – team leader and upbeat Joy (Poehler), the purple and overly cautious Fear (Hader), the permanently blue Sadness (Smith), the fiery hothead Anger (Black) and Disgust (Kaling). When Joy and Sadness end up displaced within Riley’s mind, it causes chaos for the 11 year old – and the two lost emotions race to get back to their proper place before it’s too late.

Juggling predominantly adult themes while never once alienating the kids,Inside Out ends up being one of the richest emotional – and occasionally abstract - experiences Pixar’s created.

As Riley deals with impending adolescence and the natural and sadly inevitable need to put aside childish things, the anthropomorphic emotions come to the fore and with them, a growing realisation that the joy which leads the formative years needs to be mixed with other emotions, chiefly sadness as part of the growing up cycle.

In parts, Inside Out is likely to hit several emotional targets higher with its older audience, because of the transition of life, the journey of growing up and the reality of benefiting from experience. Darker moments, like the toys facing their demise in Toy Story 3, pepper parts of the film, dulling perky Amy Poehler’s exuberantly peppy Joy and increasing Phyllis Smith’s character Sadness, an emotion in the ascendant so pertinent to mastering life.

One sequence involving a childhood imaginary friend reeks of such universality and recognition that you’ll be hard pressed to find an adult swiping away a tear in the dark. Equally, a series of abstract jokes manage a cross-generational appeal thanks to Pixar aiming for the fun in among the emotion.

But it’s to Inside Out’s credit that the powers that be never lose sight of the age range of their audience, ensuring that the three remaining emotions in charge of Riley’s head give the film its more manic edge (specifically Lewis Black’s Anger and Bill Hader’s Fear) to appeal to the kiddies as the tone darkens.  Smartly balancing inside Riley’s head with the outside world doesn’t mean the world class animation becomes too introspective, and Pixar’s used its palette with bright colours of the emotions mixing with the washed out world that Riley lives in to maximum effect.

Inside Out manages a brilliant balancing act between celebrating the best of childhood, growing up and what hand life deals you while never forgetting the humour and heart. It's Pixar's most rounded and most grounded film - and it's an instantly inventive classic from them you can't afford to miss.

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