Goosebumps: Film Review

Goosebumps: Film Review

Cast: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Amy Ryan, Odeya Rush
Director: Rob Letterman

Given the popularity of the 62 odd children's horror novellas by American writer R L Stine, the film of Goosebumps has a lot of readers to satisfy.

But by cleverly using the scares that make the series so popular and not dumbing them down, the Goosebumps movie is a smart, occasionally nightmarish trip and scary take on the typical story of the new boy moving to a new town and trying to fit in.

That boy is Dylan Minette, whose Zach has moved to the small backwater of Madison where his mum (Amy Ryan) is taking up the deputy principal-ship of the high school. But Zach finds his attention focussed on the girl next door (Odeya Rush) whose father (Jack Black) keeps her home schooled and locked up a night a la Rapunzel.

However, when Zach breaks in to investigate what he believes to be a domestic, he discovers the father is actually the famed horror writer R L Stine. And things get more complicated when Zach inadvertently lets loose a monster from the pages of Stine's books...

Using a mix of CGI, comedy horror and old school scares, Goosebumps works cleverly to keep its audience entertained without ever stooping to the lazy cliches and writing.

While the kids are most likely to be taken in by the suspense and the chase set pieces, adults will find some joys too in this Rear Window / The Blob / Zathura / The Shining / IT pastiche, which revels in meta-commentary about book sales, Stephen King and writing - it even throws in a Gulliver's Travels sight gag too as gnomes tether Black down.

Black channels madcap as Stine, but keeps it on the right side of not going OTT and also does a great job as the menacingly homicidal mannequin, Slappy, the main villain of the piece (and fave of the book series). Minnette continues his road to fame as the likeable Zach (who has a great bond with his mother) and Rush manages the part well, but the pair lack some of the chemistry which feels forced upon them; there's the obligatory comedy sidekick in Ryan Lee's champ to get you through the mix of jump scares and tension.

The FX are reasonable; certainly when the words spring to life off the page and bring the creatures into the world, it's a great effect, though later on there are moments when the film starts to creak. Equally, there's a lot of simply chasing around which does grow a little repetitive towards the end as if the story itself is running ever so slightly out of steam.

But all in all, Goosebumps succeeds in a self-aware wave of nostalgia for the books' source material and a reverence to what makes them so popular - they simply set out to scare their readers and offer entertainment; it's something which the film manages in great spades of both parody and B-movie moments.

As we head to the end of the year and movie fatigue is on the verge of setting in, it may actually give you Goosebumps because of how good it actually is.

Rating:

Better Call Saul: Blu Ray Review

Better Call Saul: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Spun off from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was always going to have a heap of expectation resting on its shoulders.

Starring Bob Odenkirk as James Morgan, the lawyer who defended Bryan Cranston's Walter White, Better Call Saul looks at events six years before the original series happened.

Over 10 eps, the show's quirkiness comes to the fore as several Breaking Bad characters appear from within; and the series sees Saul involved in various cons and crossing various paths.

Nicely written, brilliantly acted by Odenkirk and written by Vince Gilligan, the series rattles along at a reasonable pace; there are moments that recall the original series and the appearance of many Easter Eggs for fans is a clear nod to the Breaking Bad series.

But it emerges as its own beast, demonstrating a darkness and rich story-telling that allows it to stand alone and entice viewers to Walter White's World as well. But it's also the relationship between Saul and his brother Chuck that forms the heart of this show as well as keeping you engaged by its own stories and moments that make you sit up.

Mad Men Season 7 Part 2: Review

Mad Men Season 7 Part 2: Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

So, the end comes for Don Draper and the gang with the release of Season 7 Part 2 of Mad Men.

Those expecting closure for the mystery of Jon Hamm's Don Draper may not get exactly what they want, but the smooth series has never really been full on delivering tons of answers, preferring to let the enigma of the Don talk for itself.

Starting off in the 1970s, the show's final run concerns itself more with Draper's existential crisis and his womanising ways which come full circle in some ways, but in a way that the audience readily identifies with and was on board with since the start of the series.

Adopting the Six Feet Under montage ideology, the series' conclusion is nicely pulled together, but fuels further debate and discussion about how it exactly ended and why it ends the way it does. There's a quiet catharsis for all the characters in some ways and many of the threads end as you'd potentially expect.

But the series' ultimate conclusion belongs to Hamm, a man whose role has become his own and whose ownership of Mad Men is nothing short of iconic. With a closing scene that sparks more questions than it answers, the smooth world of advertising is brought to an end - and another TV show joins the pantheon of greats.

Newstalk ZB Review - The Program, Creed and Amy

Newstalk ZB  Review - The Program, Creed and Amy

This week with Jack Tame, I was chatting the new Lance Armstrong movie, a brand new Rocky film called Creed and on DVD took a look at the Amy Winehouse movie.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-program-creed/

Self/ Less: Blu Ray Review

Self/ Less: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent


From the director of The Cell and Immortals, comes a sci-fi tinged drama that has a great central premise, but some poor execution.

Ben Kingsley is Damien Hale, a dying New York real estate magnate and estranged father to Claire (Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery), who decides death isn't enough for him and that he wants to do more with his life. So thanks to a shadowy company and a Faustian pact involving shedding his previous body, he discovers there's a way to transfer his consciousness into a newer younger body - and unsurprisingly, he takes that opportunity.

But when he wakes up in a new body (in the form of a perma-scowling Ryan Reynolds) he soon discovers the company and the transfer are not all they appear to be, thanks to flashes and a conspiracy unfolding before him.

Over-long, tonally muddled and betraying its a mind is a great thing to waste premise, Self / Lessis just a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to do with itself.

Losing Ben Kingsley after the first 10 minutes is an inevitable narrative necessity, but still doesn't help the film on its way. With his New York accented venal mogul clearly being the best part of it, the film struggles to continue in the wake of his disappearance, setting on a course for mediocrity and predictability rather than exploring the morality of a great premise.

Meshing Flatliners with parts of Quantum Leap may have seemed like a reasonable idea, and to be fair to Singh, the visuals of the locations and the sensory flashbacks soar as ever in one of his films. However, the human element of the drama is undersold by a muted Reynolds who never really seizes on the promise of a second life and it's never fully helped by an apparent complete attitude change from the man who's inhabiting his body.

The problem comes in the script which is predictable as you'd expect and starts to play like a list of things to be ticked off, rather than invested in emotionally as Reynolds' character meets up with his past and former wife and child.

Ultimately, Self / Less becomes a trudge through its Twilight Zone idea rather than an interesting journey - thanks in part to Reynolds and some badly put together scripting, it's a fairly soulless saunter through a great sci-fi premise.

Rating:

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: PS4 Review

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: PS4 Review

Released by Activision
Platform: PS4

The year is 2065 and cybernetics are rife - and with it a new breed of shooter is born.

Hitting the ground running is the name of the game in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, and it embraces the more futuristic elements of Advanced Warfare, allowing the soldiers to fight faster, stronger and smarter.

In terms of story, you play Jacob Hendricks, who for reasons that I won't spoil decides to undergo cybernetic enhancements to ensure he continues in the campaign. And there's a mission to complete too, which takes you to various locations and ensures that you won't be bored.

But it's really the multiplayer elements of the game which will keep you entranced in the latest Call of Duty iteration. Adding in the multiplayer is no new thing but the smoothness of this and the fact specialist skills have been added in makes it a bit of a trickier ask at times. One of the games I played was a capture the area type scenario, where weapons were good, but stealth was better. Simply put, this game took some of the finer points of Advanced Warfare and ramped them up to 11. Speed is definitely an issue with this iteration of COD and I do advice you to adjust to what's ahead before being thrown into the game, as you need time to adjust to skills and weaponry.

It's very fast paced and to be frank, if you're no expert on FPS games, Call of Duty Black Ops III may be a trickier ask for you to dive into. With a wealth of maps and ways to play there's certainly more than enough to keep you engaged.

From solo gameplay to multiplayer, there's also a Zombies game within to play through as well.

And we're not just talking about the main game being reissued in a Nightmares mode where the enemy are replaced by the undead.

Fully formed and its own beast, the Zombies element of the game features yet another storyline and cast that includes the likes of Heather Graham and Jeff Goldblum. It's a great addition to the main game and a chance for that side of the series to stand alone, and it works well keeping you amused and also bemused at the growing amount of content on this set alone.

From thruster jet packs which will save your day to marauding zombies, there's no denying Call of Duty Black Ops III is quite the full package. While some elements of the story may be a bit hokey and there's a bit of a reliance on cut scenes, this latest iteration shows the franchise has no desire to slow down and that by mixing cybernetics with shooters, the series has a dazzling future ahead of it if it continues to display the wealth of content that this release showcases.

Republique heading to next gen

Republique heading to next gen

RÉPUBLIQUE COMING TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND EARLY 2016 ON PS4™

NIS America is extremely excited to announce that the acclaimed episodic stealth-action game, République, will be arriving in Australia and New Zealand in Early 2016 on PlayStation®4 as both a physical and digital release!

GungHo Online Entertainment America is the publisher of the PS4™ game in North America.

About the game:

Now that République is on PS4™, players can finally take full control of Hope, a young woman held captive inside Metamorphosis, a shadowy totalitarian state ruled by the omnipresent Overseer. By hacking into this secret nation's elaborate surveillance network, players and Hope begin a treacherous and thrilling journey to freedom.

Seattle-based Camouflaj developed the game and has received numerous awards including “Excellence in Storytelling” from the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA). With a 87 percent Steam user rating, République’s reviews have been positive.

Although it was previously limited to PC and mobile, now PS4™ players can look forward to experiencing the entire season—including the fifth and final episode—in one complete package.

Key Features:

Hacking Gameplay – Throughout the game, Hope will seek the player’s support to help her escape and protect her in the process by gaining control of any network-enabled devices and overcoming puzzle scenarios along the way. Players can hack into security cameras, power down lights, wiretap calls, summon elevators, and slam doors on Hope’s pursuers.

Engaging Story – République is more than a stealth-action game. By creating a gameplay system that drives the symbiotic relationship between Hope and the player, players become more engaged as Hope’s protector. Aside from the main story, players can help Hope collect banned books, cassette tapes, and other unique items that will further immerse players in this futuristic dystopian world.

Developer Pedigree – République is developed by a team of veterans in the industry who worked behind AAA games such as Metal Gear Solid, Halo, F.E.A.R., and cutting edge videos such as the Skyrim television spot and iconic iPod “silhouette” ads. Players will also be able to eavesdrop on interactive developer commentary while playing the game.