Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC is born

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC is born

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AND SONY NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF  SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC New Company joins the forces of PlayStation® Business Units to Deliver Unprecedented Experiences to Users Worldwide; Effective Friday, April 1, 2016

Tokyo, Japan, and San Mateo, Calif., January 26, 2016 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (SNEI) announced the formation of Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE), a new company that joins the forces of all business units belonging to SCE and SNEI, including hardware, software, content and network services operations.  SIE will be headquartered in San Mateo, California, the United States, while also establishing key global business operations in Tokyo and London, beginning Friday, April 1, 2016.          “By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation® business,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Group Executive in charge of Network Entertainment of Sony Corporation. “Along with our business partners, SIE will develop pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire consumers’ imaginations and lead the market. We will work hard to maximize corporate value by coordinating global business operations across San Mateo, Tokyo, and London by leveraging local expertise.” Background and Purpose behind Establishment of SIE LLC             SCE, established in November 1993, first launched the original PlayStation® system in Japan in December 1994, bringing a completely new market of entertainment through gaming.  Since then, SCE has continued to innovate and introduce unprecedented features with every generation, including the current PlayStation®4 system, and has revolutionized the world of computer entertainment.  Furthermore, SCE has delivered compelling gaming experiences to users worldwide on each PlayStation platform through features that are available on the high-performance hardware developed by the company, and brought to life by the wide variety of highly acclaimed software titles from SCE Worldwide Studios and third party developers and publishers.        SNEI, established in April 2010, has been providing a robust portfolio of unparalleled network services through the premium entertainment service brand, PlayStation™Network (PSNSM).  SNEI’s offerings include game-related services, such as PlayStation®Store, a premier destination for users to purchase digital games and other gaming content; PlayStation®Plus, a membership service that provides a wide array of exclusive gaming features and content; and PlayStation™Now, a streaming game service that allows users to enjoy a wide range of PlayStation®3 games on various network-enabled devices.  Other innovative network services available on PSN include PlayStation™Vue, a pioneering cloud-based TV service that reinvents the television experience; PlayStation™Video, a video-on-demand and transactional service that enables users to enjoy an in-depth catalog of movies and TV shows; and PlayStation™Music, a music listening destination that offers Spotify’s best-in-class music experience.           Since its launch in November 2013, PlayStation 4 continues to demonstrate record-breaking global expansion and growth, while PSN, which began full scale operation in November 2006, continues to expand with new offerings reaching millions of users every day.  At the same time, the market environments of hardware, software, content and network services are ever evolving, and it has become important for both SCE and SNEI to unify their business strengths under one entity with a single focus, ensuring PlayStation continues to offer ground-breaking entertainment experiences to consumers around the world.            Through the formation of SIE, the companies combine resources across their hardware, software, content and fast-growing network businesses, positioning the company for enhanced competitiveness, continued expansion and market leadership in all areas. SIE will better respond to the needs of consumers and the evolving digital market to deliver unparalleled interactive entertainment experiences under the PlayStation brand. Corporate Strategy and Financial Target       Key corporate strategies of SIE are: retain and expand PlayStation user engagement, increase Average Revenue Per Paying Users (ARPPU) and drive ancillary revenue.  SIE will vigorously expand the PlayStation business by delivering an integrated experience built around best-in-class games and network services to consumers worldwide.           Furthermore, as the Game and Network Service segment within Sony Group, SIE will work on expanding sales and operating income, and continue to target 1,400 to 1,600 billion yen for sales, and 5 percent to 6 percent operating income margin for the Fiscal Year ending March 2018. Outline of SIE LLC

Girlhood: DVD Review

Girlhood: DVD Review

Rating:M
Released by Madman Home Ent

Bande de Filles has a star-in-ascendance in its lead actress the young Karidja Toure.

She plays troubled teen Marieme, who's facing an uncertain future thanks to suffering grades, a bullying brother and no chance to break out from looking after her younger sister and brother. Wrapped up on the outskirts of Paris in a council area, things are looking extremely dead-end - until she falls in with a trio of other girls around her age, headed up by the sassy and determined Lady.

However, one incident later and Lady's star is in the descent, thanks to the savage nature of the streets. This gives Marieme the chance she potentially needs to make something of her life.

This coming of age flick is utterly mesmerising, as mentioned, thanks to the lead Toure, who at once is fragile then turns ferocious at the drop of a hat. Yet, she never once loses her vulnerability as she broaches the opportunities womanhood is bringing her and that life is throwing her way.

But that's half the power of this subtly underplayed piece; it's a lament to the loss of youth, a paean to the negotiations we all make with ourselves as we try to forge our own identity and take our own steps to the next stage of life.

Deeply textured, extremely subtle and entirely captivating, Girlhood aka Bande De Filles is definitely worth your own time. It's not a showy film by any stretch of the imagination but the subtle changes in  Marieme's character from clothing to the way she holds herself represents all that is right with this film - it does the small things brilliantly and by the end you're entirely captivated by an extremely natural Toure and her fragile big brown eyes, and rooting for her to make something out of the drab world she's come from.

Bonds of friendship ebb and grow stronger within Girlhood - one moment sees the friends tell Marieme that she's screwing up, but give her the power to be able to make that mistake and come back to them - it's a powerful message that speaks with universality. The celebration of these bonds and these friends form the central basis of the burgeoning of age and Marieme's being "strong and alone" as one character remarks only serves to reinforce that notion.

Moving, powerful, strong and bravura, Girlhood is utterly unmissable 

The Walk: Blu Ray Review

The Walk: Blu Ray Review

Released by Sony Home Ent

Essentially a paean to the Twin Towers, Robert Zemeckis' The Walk rarely builds on the story of Philippe Petit so tightly unwound in thrilling doco Man On Wire.

For those uninitiated in Petit's story, the Frenchman made world headlines when back on August 7, 1974, he walked between the newly constructed North and South towers of the World Trade Centre. Without any kind of safety net or without any other reason other than the ones cited by those who are asked why they climb mountains.

But given that the planned high-wire act was illegal, Petit (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) had to plan his coup - and recruit accomplices to the escapade.

So, all the elements are in place for a high stakes heist and a thrilling film.

However, what Zemeckis delivers is more of a zany caper film that revels in the showmanship of its subject and plays a smoke and mirrors game with its protagonist. Distracting us with unoriginal 3D at the start as various juggling batons and balls are thrown through the screen and employing a narrative device where Petit narrates his own story from atop the Statue of Liberty, The Walk is more concerned with making a big top sideshow of the whole affair rather than letting the action and the story speak for itself.

And it's horrendously distracting to be continually taken out of the moment as this balancing act progresses and the reliance on this narrative tic grows.

Swathed in his black outfits, Gordon-Levitt's Petit borders on irritating as he prances around, an arrogant protagonist determined to get his way and achieve his dream whatever the cost. Softening his arrogance a touch is Annie, played with a degree of charm by Charlotte Le Bon, but even she can't cut through the hyperbole and the dramatic verbal flourishes the script has bestowed on Petit.

Complete with swing music and big beat sounds, The Walk has caper coursing through its very veins - and the stakes are reminiscent of an Ocean's 11 with key moments precipitating the drama and throwing obstacles in the way - an accomplice who's scared of heights, a nail on a construction site, they're all on hand to punctuate the drama and provide the suspense. But they sit ill at ease with the comedic tone that's gone prior.

And yet, the quieter moments when Zemeckis eases off the silliness actually soar.

The recreation of Petit's first steps out on to the wire and we see everything melt away around him so that all there is is the wire and the clouds speaks volumes to his reasoning for doing what he does. Finally, Zemeckis gets that a picture paints a thousand words and it's here the film captures the essence of Petit's derring-do and the core of his character, with some jaw-dropping moments that will cause issues to those of a vertiginous nature.

It's a high-wire balancing act, sometimes, this version of The Walk.

At times, it seems interested in following Petit's folly - but throughout, the film, from its very beginning shot on the Statue of liberty with the Twin Towers in the background to the golden fade out shot of those two monuments, it actually ends up being more of a love letter to the towers and everything else - including Petit's high-wire show - is purely and sadly incidental.

Rating:

Dirty Grandpa: Film Review

Dirty Grandpa: Film Review

Cast: Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Julianne Hough, Jason Mantzoukas
Director: Dan Mazer

Have you ever wanted to see Academy Award winner and much revered actor Robert De Niro declare with deep gusto that he "just wants to f**k until my d**k falls off"?

Because if so, viagra comedy Dirty Grandpa will fulfill your dreams.

Ali G and Borat director Dan Mazer brings an energy and an eye for vulgarity to the fore in this raunchy Spring Break comedy starring Zac Efron as Jason, an uptight lawyer who's about to be married to his shrill fiancee, Meredith (Julianne Hough). But when Jason's grandma dies, he decides to try and reconnect with his estranged grandpa Dick (Robert De Niro) and the duo end up on a road trip in an attempt to recapture the bond they used to share.

However, Dick is after finding his second wind in life, claiming his former wife urged him to go live while on her death - bed and Jason is tricked into heading into Florida's Spring Break.

For all of its shortcomings and the feeling of repetition toward the end, coupled with a few saggy sentimental moments which really slow things down, there's something amusing about this energetic and at times, capable comedy that aims low, hits every target and then heads to pick even more low-hanging fruit.

Though that comes with the proviso that you must be into puerile material and of a disposition that finds copious swearing, genitals and prolonged jokes around sex and getting laid amusing.

Efron proves game and is interested in humiliating himself where necessary, (including showing off his physique once again) and De Niro goes for the shock factor by debasing his acting legacy as much as he can. Parks and Rec star Aubrey Plaza and Sleeping With Other People's Jason Mantzoukas are the real stars though, intially putting their trademark patter into full effect before starting to grate; Plaza's horny girl wanting to sleep with an old man gathers some laughs to start with and then starts to feel a little creepy.

Mistaken paedophilia, gay stereotyping, crude and crass all form parts of Dirty Grandpa, and while there's no denying there are moments which are laugh out loud funny, most of this film starts to grate and become repetitive very quickly.

Granted, it's the perfect antidote to the Oscar films which are out there now, but it's no long term comedy solution and while it will find its audience, the laughs aren't quite enough to see it push the envelope.

First look: Hunt for the Wilderpeople from Taika Waititi

First look: Hunt for the Wilderpeople from Taika Waititi

New Zealand audiences get their first look at Taika Waititi’s new feature film Hunt for the Wilderpeople today with the release of the films first teaser video.
 
This teaser introduces audiences to ‘real bad egg’ foster kid Ricky Baker played byJulian Dennison and his cantankerous Uncle Hec played by acting icon Sam Neill.  Local acting heavyweights Rhys Darby, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House andOscar Kightley star alongside Dennison and Neill in this loveable adventure comedy due for cinema release across New Zealand on March 31st 2016.

Based on the best selling book ‘Wild Pork and Watercress’ by kiwi literary legendBarry Crump, Hunt for the Wilderpeople tells the story of Ricky (Dennison), a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his foster uncle (Neill) in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive in this hilarious and heartfelt adventure.
 
The release of the teaser video is fresh off the back of a sell-out international premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival which has received rave reviews from industry bibles Screen Daily, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. 
 
Director Taika Waititi was thrilled by the reaction to the films premiere.
 
"We knew we had something special with Sam and Julian and were happy the audience felt the same way."
 
Producer Carthew Neal adds.
 
"The audience were in the palm of Taika, Sam, Julian and the rest of the cast’s hands. Laughing riotously and probably the odd tear too."

 

Spotlight: Film Review

Spotlight: Film Review

Cast: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci
Director: Tom McCarthy

Already showered in award nominations and wins, Tom McCarthy's powerhouse Spotlight is both an ode to the journalism of the past and a commentary on the present.

Against a backdrop of change, when a new editor Marty Baron (a relatively muted but engaging Liev Schreiber) enters the world of the Boston Globe newspaper, a small journalistic unit called the Spotlight team is given the job of investigating allegations of abuse from Catholic priests. But the further the team looks, the bigger the problem appears to be...

Meshing both procedural and montages of journalists at work, Spotlight is not a new story in many ways and both its subject material and execution are nothing new either - but it's gripping and masterfully acted by all involved, proving once and for all that a combination of perfectly paced story-telling and a gentle crafting of story are the keys to build any foundation on.

It's hard to single out any member of the ensemble for praise in this because they all deliver in many different textured ways; from Schreiber's quietly driven editor brought in to bring change and whose impetus propels the Spotlight team along to Tucci's nigh on impressive lawyer, this is a cast that are on the top of their game.

It helps largely that McCarthy's working off such a strong script, one that never stoops to preach its sins of the fathers storyline but one which also never sermonizes and talks down to its audience as well. It's a good solid film of good solid performances where less is more and where montages take the strain of a lot of the transitions.

Dashed through with moments of wry humour, the film does little to build its reporters and their backgrounds, but proffers tantalising hints of their lives outside the investigation. For some, that may be a mis-step but this film is more about the investigation and the politics thereof than the histrionics of personal lives and melodrama.

Spotlight works as it keeps a singular focus on story and narrative; it never deviates from that and becomes a film that quietly and mightily impresses from beginning to end.

Rating:

True Detective Season 2: Blu Ray Review

True Detective Season 2: Blu Ray Review

Rating:M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

If True Detective series one was anything, it was a trail blazer that reignited the McConnaissance and Woody Harrelson with sharp writing, dense plotting and philosophical themes in the marshlands.

True Detective season 2 is the antithesis; a dumbed down, straight and simple season which, in effect, betrays everything the first did.

Centring on a interweaving cop investigation into the death of a sleazy city manager, it may have attracted the likes of Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and the prospect of Vince Vaughn in a straight role, but it does little to build on the proposition and promise of the first anthology series.

While it is a solid police procedural, the elegiac prose which elevated season one is elusive this time around. It's inevitable comparisons will follow, but the fact True Detective season 2 pales when held up to the first really serves to its detriment.

With a predictable plot and an element of drudgery, True Detective season 2 stands on its own two feet; and while a solid affair, it is unspectacular.