Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Film Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Film Review

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot, Diane Lane, Holly Hunter
Director: Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder is not the kind of director who is going to deliver subtly.

And given that, the revelation that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an exercise in wilfull bombast turned up to 11, will come as no surprise to anyone.

In this iconic showdown, served up with hints of foreshadowing and set up, Snyder has served up a film that's indifferent to the cries that haunted Man Of Steel and carried on the idea of spectacle over story, of destruction triumphing once again over coherency.

And yet, as the film begins, delivering, once again, a re-view of how the Bat came to be, the indifference is tempered by the 9/11 allegories, contemporary bombings and allusions that span off from the massive fight with General Zod at the end of Man Of Steel. The ground level view of the fracas is impressive and sets out the film's stall and MO with ease -it is a film of consequence as it starts both Batman and Superman on a collision course with each other.

But this is also a story of guilt, of seething indignation and of cunning, all lassoed together with an all too brief appearance from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, all lithe kicks and guitar licks when she finally shows.

Affleck surprises as Bruce Wayne, a greyed, chiseled and buffed up Bats, who's wearied by the continuing injustice around him and whose bubbling anger is borne of a desire to protect. Equally, Cavill conveys the gravitas needed as the bell tolls for him in light of his previous actions and the raging public suspicion and debate that this Messiah may just be a naughty boy whose intentions are less than good.

Snyder makes an excellent fist of setting up these character conflicts and uses a nervy wiry Jesse Eisenberg as the puppet master / Joker-esque Lex Luthor to tug at the strings for his own nefarious means. (Even if Eisenberg's twitchy Zuckerberg-lite character is polarising, switching between manic and overly chatty bordering on the intellectual camp of a 60s Bat-villain a la Riddler).

But despite these, Snyder then manages to throw away some of the good intentions by delivering a third act that is just wall to wall OTT extremely loud action sequences that continue to hurtle your way with little coherence, some questionable Uruk Hai CGI and some rote formulaic destruction all thrown in for good measure. Equally, most of the pieces of the film don't fully hang together for non-comic book lovers; sequences that hint at other future events will be lost on those who don't know their comic book lore or casual viewers here for the eye-bruising and unrelentingspectacle.

The film can't also escape some of the weaker trappings of its writing too - conflicts are set up and resolved in the most emotionally unsatisfying of manners (the enmity between Batman and Superman being a major casualty of this) as the wider confines of the DC Universe converge on the bigger screen. The set up is well done and the hints of a greater foundation for the film are laid earlier on but the build up to the main event does well to paper over the disappointment of the ultimate showdown.

All of that taken into consideration, in among all the posturing and the incessant gloom of Metropolis and Gotham, some light emerges.

Jeremy Irons' sardonic Alfred is a highlight - a dismissive and wry sarcasm drips from his every delivery. Laurence Fishburne's Daily Planet editor Perry is a delight, delivering humour where necessary and gravitas when needed - and Amy Adams' Lois Lane is ballsy for the most part, even if she teeters dangerously into damsel-in-distress toward the end. The human elements work well and simply stand to point out the absurdity of the gods-among-us storylines and behaviours.

While there's no doubting that Snyder delivers on spectacle (and certainly with some specially shot IMAX pieces effectively utilising all of the screen) and on bombast (a great soundtrack is blasted into overdrive), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice simply becomes another one of those dour superhero films that relies on a formulaic end to service all but its fans. And it's a crippling shame there's no more of Diana Price - her appearance both in and out of costume gives the film a sparkle it needs to take it away from the pomposity it borders on.

It's a sprawling story that somehow manages to feel both over-stuffed and under-explored, and a film which has great ambitions but ends up feeling too long and with sections that struggle with incoherence to the casual viewer. There's no doubting fans will enjoy the spectacle and there are plenty of moments if you're a comic book fan, but all in all, while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is perfectly serviceable, it probably will stand better on re-appraisal after the other films in the imminent franchise have launched.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Interviews

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Interviews

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall got to meet the cast of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Take a look at all of his interviews below:

And read the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice review here.

Ben Affleck
  
 Henry Cavill
 
 Director Zack Snyder
 Gal Gadot -
 

 Jesse Eisenberg

 Amy Adams
 
 Holly Hunter -
  Diane Lane

 

 Laurence Fishburne

Nights of Azure Q and A

Nights of Azure Q and A

Producer Kikuchi and Director Nakai

Tell us more about Nights of Azure
As with all aspects of Gust games, such as fantasy and beautiful women are included. ‘Night of Azure’ is an action role-playing game where the main character collects, brings up and fights with team members called Servans. A story between two beautiful women unfolds as Arnice, the main character who has a mission to protect Lilysse to save the world, while Lilysse is the Saint who is destined to sacrifice her life to seal the Night Lord.

This has been released before – what changes have you made for the PS4 release?
‘Night of Azure’ was released on the same day in Japan PS4, PS3 and PS Vita. As for PS4 we put major emphasis on the graphics so that players would enjoy it more compared to other consoles.

Tell us a little about the art direction of this title with all the blues and hues, it looks gorgeous.
Due to the setting of the game always being ‘night’, we have only limited colours that we could incorporate into the palette. With all the blues and hues, we have designed the backdrop colour so that the main character Arnice always looks beautiful moving in red.

What’s the one thing you wanted to do for this next gen release and how have you managed it?
This title is the first PS4 title developed by Gust. The graphics of all Gust titles have been created by toon-shading. Instead of increasing polygon on this title, we made the effort to adjust various other effects and textures to create a more animated style of graphic.

What would you want people to get from Nights of Azure?
We encourage players to enjoy the various styles of battle by making their favourite collaboration and formation of monsters, called Servans. These are collected and brought up by the players themselves.

What’s next for you as developers?
We would like to continue to develop a continuing series with more advanced Servans, a main feature of this title.

First trailer for TICKLED

First trailer for TICKLED

Kiwi audiences will get their first look at the hotly anticipated documentary Tickled with the release of the films official trailer. 

Probing into the bizarre world of Competitive Endurance Tickling, Tickled follows journalist David Farrier as he tries to understand this strange and secretive world. Facing fierce resistance on his quest for answers, David and co-director Dylan Reeve take their questions to the USA in attempt to get to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

The film premiered to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with The Hollywood Reporter calling it ‘A fascinating, stranger than fiction exposé’ while Variety described it as a 'An alarming cautionary tale'.

Director David Farrier can’t believe how far the Tickled project has come.

“The story of Tickled is a story that seems to keep on giving,” says Farrier. “Since screening at Sundance all sorts of strange things have happened including police removing two people from a screening in Missouri because they were apparently private detectives trying to record the film. It’s strange to think that all this stemmed from a simple request for an interview about a strange sport called Competitive Endurance Tickling.”

Reeve is excited to be able to finally show a taste of this project to the world.

“When we decided this story was worthy of a documentary we had no idea it would end up like this. Releasing the trailer today makes it all seem real - we can now give people a taste of what this movie is.”

Also announced today is news that Vendetta Films will release Tickled in NZ Cinemas from May 26th. A gala premiere as part of the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events Series will be held on April 13th at Auckland’s Civic Theatre followed by a second screening at Wellington’s Embassy Theatre on April 22nd. Tickets for the Auckland premiere event is on sale now with the Embassy screening on sale from April 2nd.  A US release date has also been set for June 24th.

Tickled was financed by the New Zealand Film Commission and MPI Media Group. The film is repped by Magnolia Pictures, also distributing in North America. The Magnolia deal and US HBO license were negotiated by Submarine at the Sundance Film Festival. The New Zealand and Australian distributor is Vendetta Films. 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Film Review

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Film Review

Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine
Director: Kirk Jones

It's not easy being Greek, as a paraphrased amphibian might once have intoned.

And it's certainly not easy following up a sleeper hit from nearly a decade and a half ago (just ask Zoolander 2 about that same problem).

This time around, Nia Vardalos' Toula is suffering from feeling like she is in a rut, is smothering her own daughter Paris and is struggling with a lack of spark within her marriage to John Corbett's Ian as she tries to juggle the incessant chirping entourage of her family.

But, she barely has time to herself, when it is revealed her parents Gus and Maria weren't actually married properly a half century ago.

So, when Maria decides to enjoy some freedom and Gus decides to pursue the route to arrogance, it is up to Toula to work on the old adage of family and that "just when she thought she was out, they pulled her back in again".

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a Greek tragedy by all accounts, a retro movie that is of its time and that fails in its quest to achieve its former glories.

Sure, the old messages and time honoured tropes of finding time for yourselves later in life, of letting your siblings free to live their own lives and of loving family for all their foibles are all there on show. There are even lines like "We Greeks see no difference between hugging and strangulation" to give insights into the over-bearing nature of family and Toula's in particular.

But they are whipped together and put through the tiresome microscope of attempts to reflect Greek cultures that feels particularly strained and weak this time around. The biggest problem is a script that appears over-stuffed yet bizarrely enough, under developed. Also it's the weak humour that relies on punch line of extended family appearing to embarrass and it soon becomes increasingly tiresome. It really is a case of "Abandon all Opa ye who enter".

If anything, even Vardalos looks tired and weary in parts of the film that increasingly relies on the older end of the family to drive any semblance of a paper-thin plot and they flounder, delivering growing elements of an entirely weak and utterly predictable sentimental plot that fails to hit any of the right notes. The world has moved on and in many ways, this film feels like it's been left behind.

I'm willing to concede that perhaps an older audience looking to be mildly engaged by the likes of this retro film will find something in it to enjoy.

But the escalating squabbling and over-bearing nature of the whole family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 helps it shake off the earnestness and charm of the first film, and leaves you with a feeling that this is one Greek feast you don't want to repeat on you.

Sleeping With Other People: Blu Ray Review

Sleeping With Other People: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Ent

Billed as a rom-com for the Tindr generation, Sleeping with Other People is actually a sweet-natured film with a bit of filth and funny thrown in for good measure.

It centres on Lainey (Community star Alison Brie) and Jake (Horrible Bosses' Jason Sudeikis), who lost their virginity to each other in college. Years later, the pair bump into each other at a sex addicts' meeting; Lainey's continual cheating with her college sweetheart Matthew Sobvechik (Parks and Rec star Adam Scott) has sabotaged her latest relationship; and Jake's sleeping with his current girlfriend's sister has done the same.

Pledging to become platonic friends, the pair re-connect and find other romantic entanglements - but is their decision a la When Harry Met Sally likely to be their undoing?

Sleeping With Other People has moments of fresh-faced comedy, mixed in with the usual base kind of humour you'd expect from Sudeikis' typical schtick. And yet, thanks to Sudeikis' being dialled back and underplaying of it all, both he and Brie make an eminently watchable couple - even if it's clear from about a third of the way through where this is going.

Brie's Lainey is particularly interesting as Brie subtly plays her as someone continually on the edge of a breakdown because of her addiction to her ex; clearly, that relationship is not good for her, but there will be many for whom the reality hits quite close to the mark, particularly in a world where connection is becoming increasingly distant and more socially led. (Plus when she teaches 7 year olds to dance while on ecstasy, she gives good shock tactics)

Sudeikis is really a toned-down shade of everything we've seen before of him; his instructional on how to masturbate to Lainey is an example though of how the crassness of the film is swathed in a sweetness that's more likely to resonate than alienate.

Ultimately, the drive to bring them together is obvious from the beginning and so much so that Headland fails to really utilise the other relationships to create any kind of friction or inherent tension. Both Lainey and Jake end up seeing perfectly decent people (Lainey's love interest is good dad Marc Blucas and Jake actively pursues boss with kid played by Amanda Peet) but those characters dwindle away in the face of the fact this duo should be together. It's a mistake from Headland and certainly a waste of those talents - even if you argue that nice people are collateral, they still need a dramatic oomph to repay the investment.

However, while Sleeping With Other People's leads are perfectly fine, the film belongs to Jake's friend and married couple, played by Andrea Savage and Jason Mantzoukas. Their bickering and admiration for each other sees them worthy of more screen time (something the post film credits wisely uses) as they capture the essence of longevity in a relationship and the pros and cons of being with one person.

The gentle Sleeping With Other People has highs and lows, but the peaks outweigh the troughs easily - thanks to some reasonable chemistry, a script that zings and a cliche that's pleasantly played out, it hits where it should and will resonate with its target audience.

Rating:

Luther Season 4: DVD Review

Luther Season 4: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Ent

This fourth season of Luther feels more like a book-end than a full literary feast.

At just 2 hour long eps, the mini series feels truncated and scrambled, rather than stunning and immersive.

In the latest ep, John Luther (a weary Idris Elba) has left the force and is retired. But when his nemesis appears to have been killed, he is pulled back into the criminal world. And things are further complicated when a killer appears proving difficult to the force and harder to trace.

Luther's first ep is a great set up- it's a nicely constructed, tautly complex piece of criminal and psychological fare, that potentially will alienate those who don't know the series' backstory.

Unfortunately the second ep is a jumbled concoction of too much going on, a convenient wrap up and a denouement that's hardly deeply engaging. It doesn't help that a new case is brought into the ep midway and wrapped up; it's awkward at best and confusing at worst.

Despite the addition of Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie to the proceedings, the series works best when it's Luther alone, engaging in a game of wits and a sense that he's succumbing to the darkness. It's here Elba employs his perfect touch, but the rest of the serial doesn't quite hit the heights, thanks to its wrapping up of ep 2.

Beautifully shot and with pristine cinematography, Luther Season 4 looks great, so it's just a shame the packaging doesn't quite hold the thrill of the outer coverings.