Dad's Army: Film Review

Dad's Army: Film Review

Cast: Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Daniel Mays
Director: Oliver Parker

Broadcast between 1968 and 1977 on the BBC, David Croft and Jimmy Perry's sitcom staple Dad's Army was a much loved series about the Home Guard that captured the zeitgeist and pomposity of authority at a local level.

The 2016 film version of Dad's Army is a curious beast, coming 45 years after its last cinematic outing and unlikely to garner a new fan base and likely to appeal only to an older generation, already versed in the ways of Mainwaring, Pike and the catchphrases.

With World War II drawing to a conclusion and with the Allies poised to make one final push, the small seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea becomes a hotbed of activity for the Home Guard. With a female journalist (a wannabe vixenish Catherine Zeta Jones) visiting and winning over the troops led by Captain Mainwaring (Toby Jones), there are fears there's a spy operating in the area.

Mainwaring and his woefully inept men are tasked with tracking down the spy... is this a job Dad's Army can get right?

There's something willfully old fashioned and extremely reverent about the Dad's Army movie.

From its "You have been watching" end credits nod to the TV shows of the 70s and 80s to Toby Jones' nigh-on perfect encapsulation of Arthur Lowe's pompous and self-officious Captain Mainwaring, there are plenty of moments for old fans to revel in. (Including a cameo from one of the few surviving members of the show).

But the problems extend beyond the faithful line that's adhered to throughout.

Simply put, it may coast by on affection, but there's barely enough plot to fill a 30 minute episode of the series let alone pad out a 100 minute feature film, despite everyone's best intentions.

Dad's Army feels terribly old school, a throwback to Ealing comedies with the screwball elements of the show toned down for a wider audience. But in doing so, the film fails to either capitalise on anything more than nostalgia. In fact, it feels very much like a plot from the TV series writ large but inessentially brought to the big screen.

Thankfully, the casting of the film is spot on.

Toby Jones is excellent as the pompous buffoon Mainwaring, getting the inflections of his voice down pat and bumping up some of the slapstick as well as delivering a comedic turn that benefits brilliantly from timing and plays to his strengths. He manages to turn something in that is as reverential as it is stand-alone and delights by giving the film its lead that it needs. Others, such as Courtenay, hit the beats of their characters from the past with ease; Gambon's dodderiness as Godfrey is amusing as much as it is grating. 

Sadly, the script is not up to par and creaks in places as much as some of these old timers' joints potentially do too. With the smarter women played as nothing more than hen-peckers and the men as fools, it feels like a pantomime from the 1970s, a Carry On film without the grace of the innuendo to propel it through, and an excuse to shoe horn in some of the show's catchphrases with no more grace than a wink and a nod to the older end of the audience.

It's hard to see exactly who Dad's Army will appeal to. 

A younger generation will avoid it, scoffing at its corniness and its yesteryear sensibilities; and the older generation, brought up so relentlessly on the continual servings of the 9 series, will feel it lacks something concrete and is nowhere near as good as it could be, given the immense talent of the ensemble involved.

It's entirely pragmatic to believe this nostalgia tinged wannabe broad appeal flick has nothing short of good intentions but its gentle and under-padded comedy unfortunately doesn't quite cut it in a savvier cinematic world and with audiences now used to subtler comedic fare.

Rating:

A Walk in The Woods: DVD Review

A Walk in The Woods: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Ent


As the saying goes, it's not the destination, but the journey you are on.

In this latest flick from renowned comedy director Ken Kwapis, Robert Redford plays celebrated travel writer Bill Bryson, who's back in America and struggling to decide what to do next in his career.

So, challenging himself, he decides to walk the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail which winds its way through America's wilderness, giving an unforgiving challenge to those who try it but soaring rewards to those who complete it. Under direction from his wife (Emma Thompson) to not walk the route alone, he tries to find a companion from his contact file, but all turn him down. On the eve of heading off, a blast from the past, Stephen Katz (played by an extremely grizzly Nick Nolte) calls and offers to be his companion.

Reluctantly, the two team up and head out on their adventure...

Extremely broad right from the start, and inexorably episodic, the adaptation of Bryson's memoir,A Walk In the Woods is a hybrid of The Odd Couple and Laurel and Hardy slapstick.

Heading for gently easy and predictable laughs, it's cleared skewed for an older generation, willing to forgive every contrivance possible as the film heads for its obvious destinations. No doubt the more astute will find themselves distracted at how clearly out of shape Katz is for the journey and how unprepared the duo are for the trek, but if you're willing to forego these fairly big shortcomings, you may find yourself lapsing into a blanket of feel-good buddy road trip movie fuzz rather than an incisive examination of what motivates us later in life.

It doesn't help that the route is littered with oddballs and quirky characters at every turn, though points have to be given to Flight of the Conchords star Kristen Schaal as an irritatingly "shoulda done this" hiker whom the pair try to lose.

While Redford and Nolte have a reasonable chemistry, they are somewhat stuck in a rut of Redford's Bryson being irritated by Katz' presence - it's likely to strike a chord with an older audience, looking to bask in the lighter tones of the film, rather than those seeking a harder watch. It lacks the resonance that Redford portrayed in All Is Lost, forsaking that for a more comic edge.

Entirely predictable and bordering on irritating in its final stretch as the pair's escalating screwball farce heads into slightly more reflective territory, how you feel about A Walk In The Woods may well depend on how you deal with its succession of bumbling and another fine mess you've got me in ethos. There's no denying its geniality, but you may find this is one hike you'd rather sit out.

Rating:

Hitman Go: Definitive Edition on PS4

Hitman Go: Definitive Edition on PS4

Hitman GO: Definitive Edition for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®Vita and Steam

Coming February 24

Square Enix Montreal’s Award-Winning Puzzle Strategy Game Will Advance to

Sony Platforms and PC with Adapted Features

SYDNEY, 16^th February 2016 - Square Enix Montréal today announced that Hitman GO: Definitive Edition will be releasing for Steam, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Vita system on Feb. 24 across Australia & New Zealand. The revisited and adapted version of the studio’s critically acclaimed turn-based puzzle strategy game will be available as a cross-buy digital download from the PlayStation Store and the Steam store.

The definitive edition has been updated with improved graphics, new control schemes optimized for consoles and PC, integrated achievements including a platinum trophy, and cross-save functionality allowing users to seamlessly transfer save files between PlayStation systems to take Hitman GO: Definitive Edition on the go. The game includes all of its original content as well as all subsequent content updates (Opera, Airport and St. Petersburg boxes), and all in-app purchases have been removed.

“We are very excited to be bringing Hitman GO to even more players with this revisited edition. We hope the challenging turn-based gameplay will please even the most dedicated Hitman fans.” said Patrick Naud, Head of Studio for Square Enix Montreal. “Hitman GO is an innovative iteration of the successful stealth franchise and should see continued success with this release on consoles and PC.”

Hitman GO has been honored for Best Game Design and Best iOS Game in the 2014 Canadian Videogame Awards and was a nominee in two categories at the BAFTAs. The game was chosen as an Essential app for iOS devices by Apple and featured as one of the best Apps of 2014.

Dying Light: The Following: PS4 Review

Dying Light: The Following: PS4 Review

Released by Techland
Platform: PS4

It's expansion time for the Dying Light series with a pack that's similar to the first game, but ramps up other parts.

It's the open world which sets the expansion apart and the fact that driving forms a part of it too.

Loosely put, The Following throws you back into the infected world of the Zombies as you take on the role of Kyle Crane. Discovering that a cultist group has survived and managed to control the virus, Crane takes off into the wilds to investigate...

Once again parkour, climbing and jumping off things helps you zip about and helps you counter the tedium of the outside world. Equally a driveable dune buggy helps you through the acres of farmland that adorn your world, a far cry from the crumbling vistas of the main game.

The map's twice as large as the original Dying Light map and will see you having plenty of fun hurtling around trying to work out what's what and where to go next. Side quests are the main thrust of the game as you try to work out what's going on and how and who to trust; fetching things, running errands, Kyle's got his work cut out - and consequently when the hordes attack, so do you.

Thankfully, extra weapons such as crossbows and revolvers help to mow down the undead, as does your drivable car, which can be powered up and turned into quite the Mad Max mobile. Customisation is also thrown in and gives you the chance to immerse yourself in this world. Though the fact the car can break down won't exactly help matters either. Especially when it is dark.

The expansion itself is relatively fun and builds on the world created in Dying Light. Techland's commitment to it is commendable and while the game suffers a little from a weaker main story narrative, its dedication to its open world mean it's worth your time and your effort.

MacBeth: DVD Review

MacBeth: DVD Review

The infamous Scottish play gets a bloody 2015 revamp at the hands of Snowtown's director, Justin Kurzel, with Michael Fassbender taking the lead and Marion Cottilard as his bride.

Setting the play and its prosaic text to the battlefields of Scotland, where mist readily rolls in and envelops all in its path, Kurzel's drenched this adaptation in doom and gloom. The film begins with an extension of a line uttered within the movie that's been expanded out (perhaps which will annoy purists) depicting both MacBeths laying a child to rest. It's a brave move to add to the text, but one which grounds the film's protagonists in a degree of motivation as this tale of ambition and its consequences plays out.

From its slow-mo battlefield scenes to its final orange-hued showdown between Sean Harris' wounded MacDuff and Fassbender's on the edge MacBeth, this version of the film tends to favour style and grit over everything else. And for the large part, its grit and doom-laden moodiness is incredibly evocative in terms of scene-setting. But Shakespeare's play has always been about the central protagonists and their ascent to the heights of ambition and the descent of their insanity.

And perhaps in some of the key moments, it doesn't quite nail the beats of the play (though one could argue that an understanding of the text from the study I had to do as a child may mean I have a deeper insight into its execution). Particularly Fassbender who unfortunately doesn't hit the requisite beats of the Bard's verse in the well known parts. While his dagger before me speech is nicely executed with a ghostly apparition, his king's transformation and descent into insanity as he spies the barely recognisable ghost of the slaughtered Banquo (Considine in a blink and miss it performance) doesn't ring true. And while Fassbender's softer delivery of these speeches is spiked with a series of exclamations, it feels like an odd mix, mainly due in parts to Kurzel's handheld camera style and shakiness.

Thankfully, Cotillard's tortured siloloquy as she wrestles with that damned spot is more intimate and devastating, her ghostly white visage draped in the dawning horror of what she and her husband have executed. If anything, Lady MacBeth appears more as a well-rounded character than the text, a less black and white nag who picks at her husband to vault her dizzying ambitions of power.

But while there are psychological moments that don't quite hit the required heights, there are stylish touches that demonstrate Kurzel is willing to update the text into something that can chime with youth studying it and with those whose thirst for blood is today satiated with George R R Martin's prose and its subsequent televisual execution. (Right down to a stake-burning that seems all so familiar)

Nowhere is this more evident in his thrilling reinvention of how the Birnam woods make their way to Dunsinane as part of the prophecy, a final battle that has equal moments of desperation and despair and a clever execution of hordes warning Macbeth to beware MacDuff.

It's for these moments and Cotillard's performance that Macbeth almost succeeds in vaulting its own lofty ambitions - but it doesn't quite reach the peaks of its own desire, falling at the last summit.

Rating:

Hitman BETA: PS4 Review

Hitman BETA: PS4 Review

Released by Square Enix
Developed by Io Interactions

Over the weekend, Square Enix took us back into the world of Agent 47.

Following the quite frankly stylish but utterly atrocious Hitman: Agent 47 movie, there was some debate as to whether a return to this world would be a welcome one. And that was further compounded by the fact the game is going to be episodic.

However, after the launch of the BETA and some time with the almost robotic Hitman, it's fair to confess that this looks like a return to form for the series and offers up a chance to maybe take the game further into other previously unexplored areas.

Labelled “The Prologue”, the Beta takes place twenty years before the Paris Showstopper mission. Set in a secret ICA training facility, the Prologue features a pivotal moment in Agent 47’s life - his introduction to the ICA and very first meeting with his future handler Diana Burnwood. The Prologue features two free-form training hits, which will introduce players to the features and mechanics of the upcoming HITMAN game.

Starting off on a boat in Aussie, the first job is to eliminate Kalvin Ritter - but first you have to infiltrate that boat, in the least possible suspicious manner. Which means taking a disguise off a mechanic, heading into the bowels of the boat and ensuring that you can track Ritter down. Tracking of the target is easy enough (simply press R1 to bring out the baddie in a red hue) but whereas walking around before was easier due to NPCs not paying any attention, this time things have taken a turn for the more realistic.

Hang around the guests on the boat - either as a mechanic or as a member of the yacht crew - and they start to get suspicious,a white bar in the style of Far Cry growing with their mistrust. Stick around too long, and they alert the authorities, something you really don't want. 

Stealth is as always the key to the game. For fun, trying to execute people in broad daylight - be it your target or the police guards around - does little to help you achieve your aim and much to end your game in a hail of bullets. 

On the very first mission, there are frustrations - a lack of consistency on when you can vault means if you commit a sneaky execution and want to get to the car on the docks, you can't simply jump off the boat which seems ludicrous when you realise you can vault over crates. Equally, there's no way to run at the start either - meaning if you've done your hit and want to clear the area, you are confined to slow canter, hoping you are not discovered. This is only in the first challenge but it's a bit of an odd concept.

It would be great to have some kind of health bar too; when being fired upon, I had no way of knowing whether it was possible to survive a bit longer or this was it. Granted, these attitudes are against the ethos of Hitman, but a level of reality may have been a smart move. Equally replay points are somewhat haphazardly dotted around, meaning they only crop up at certain points of the mission - simply put, there had to be a lot of replaying the early parts which was frustrating in the extreme.

Mission Opportunities are a good touch though. Once the Ritter hit had gone down, I was given other chances to redo it in different ways; it's a smart way to encourage the replay factor, but it'll be interesting to see if doing so rewards you or is only for the extreme completist who would rather use rat poison to kill off a target than your infamous garotting techniques. A second hit involving a chess master, a jet plane and a trickier set up makes the game more interesting and strategy more essential, so it's good to see there's a mix of ideas in place. With opportunities revealing when other characters talk, there's definitely more of a proposition of an in-depth game in place.

I applaud the MO for doing things differently and achieving the same end. It's going to help those frustrated by the episodic release, but it's going to make Agent 47's return worthwhile. 

The sandbox capabilities of this BETA show there's real potential for deviation and deviant behaviour. Graphically, the game looks polished but it's still too early to tell what more can come of it. The NPCs' unreliability adds a lot to the Hitman world and gives it a sheen of realism.

All in all, it looks like Hitman is on target - let's see where Agent 47's journey goes.

Hitman delivers its payload in March

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries - Extended Preview

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries - Extended Preview

Fellow Survivors,

Today we can share an extended preview of the first six minutes of The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries.

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries stars the iconic, blade-wielding character from Robert Kirkman's best-selling comic books, portrayed in-game by award-winning actress Samira Wiley (Orange is the New Black).  

Haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret, the story explores Michonne across a three episode miniseries event. Players will dive into the mind of Michonne to discover what took her away from Rick, Carl, and the rest of her trusted group... and what brought her back.

In this premiere episode, 'In Too Deep,' Michonne joins Pete and his crew on the sailing ship The Companion as they cruise the coast for survivors and supplies. When a desperate signal for help draws them to a scene of horrific massacre, Michonne and the crew are lead further to the floating survivors' colony of Monroe, which may just be harboring the person responsible for the carnage. 

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries will premiere its first of three episodes, 'In Too Deep,' this February 23rd on PC/Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, followed by a release on compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and Android-based devices via Google Play and the Amazon App Store starting February 25th. The second episode in the miniseries, 'Give No Shelter,' will follow in the month of March, and conclude with the third episode, 'What We Deserve,' in April. All three episodes in the miniseries will be available for purchase at the cost of $14.99 USD or equivalent when the first episode debuts, including access to the second and third episodes as they become available.

To date, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series has sold more than 50 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid andGamesRadar, and was also the recipient of two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story and Best Mobile Game.

 

The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player's actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series.

 

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries Episode 1 - 'In Too Deep'is rated 'M' (Mature) for Intense Violence, Blood & Gore, Sexual Themes, and Strong Language by the ESRB.