The Walking Dead: Michonne: Episode 2 - Give No Shelter: PS4 Review

The Walking Dead: Michonne: Episode 2 - Give No Shelter: PS4 Review

Released by Telltale Games
Platform: PS4

The second episode of this three part miniseries definitely sees the action being ramped up.

And the choices to make need to made breakneck speed in this latest outing - otherwise Michonne's more of a goner than you would expect.

In the second ep, picking up from the cliffhanger where Michonne is facing down the wrong end of the barrel of a gun, a quick choice makes the game fire into overdrive. Episode 1 was very much about the set-up aboard the boats in the bayou, whereas the latest one sees you doing all you can to get Sam and Pete off the water and into the (relative) safety of the nearby woods.

Though admittedly, this course of action isn't the smartest one to take and a lot of the plot is still driven by Michonne's guilt over her daughters. In fact, it's still Michonne's story first and foremost, with plenty of the decisions being around her and to a lesser degree the survivors around her. That's great to get into the mindset of this fan favourite but does little to help you engage in either Pete or Sam.

Admittedly, the twist involving kids and a safe haven seem obvious in retrospect and no doubt the conclusion will explore her potential empathy for the children within, but Episode 2 - Give No Shelter is a nice melange of fearful set-ups and tautly executed action sequences. There's tension aplenty in this latest with a short cut providing initial groans given how obviously dangerous it is for the trio, but yet also providing a lot of inherent danger for the playout of the sequence. It's a grand offering and the action within the woods is very much this episode's raison d'etre.

The story is still very much Walking Dead 101 and there's a real feeling the antagonist of the piece, Randall, is as stereotyped as they come - but towards the end of the episode, the cracks he exposes in Michonne's already fragile and damaged psyche raise the bar for the consequences - and the final ep hints at nothing but bad times ahead for the group.

But this time around, choices feel harder - interactions feel more resonant and meaningful and while it's not as simple as black and white, the moral edges around the bigger questions go to the heart of what the Walking Dead is about - the slow unrelenting loss of humanity. (It also helps that this ep has a few great Michonne Walker kills too).

While Michonne's daughters are yet to feel like anything more than a story device, it's hoped that the final ep gives some resonance to their resurrection in her mind. Certainly the final moments and a haunting sequence where Michonne's exploring the inner recesses of her mind give more insight into the character and why she's so damaged and so haunted.

Perhaps, the greatest victory of The Walking Dead: Michonne: Episode 2 - Give No Shelter is that it proves a great middle section to a story; there's nary a lull in sight and there's every feeling that consequence will have some very real ramifications in the denouement.

The Boss: Film Review

The Boss: Film Review

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson
Director: Ben Falcone

Re-teaming with her director husband and Tammy cohort, and reviving a character from 15 years ago in comedy troupe The Groundlings, Melissa McCarthy stars as the brash businesswoman Michelle Darnell.

Abandoned repeatedly when she was but a nipper, and thrown into various foster carers before being rejected time and time again, Darnell's grown up to be America's 47th Wealthiest woman but isn't much loved by her staff, chiefly Kristen Bell's long suffering single mom and assistant Claire.

When Darnell's incarcerated for insider trading, she emerges from prison determined to get back to the top - and finding only Claire's begrudgingly willing to let her stay, she insinuates her way into her life.

The Boss ain't exactly top dog.

Granted, if you've seen Melissa McCarthy's previous fare (and specifically Tammy) you will know what to expect - a pinch of raunchy (aka foul language) mixed in with some sweet saccharine fare to help you invest in the character's arc.

Clad in high neck turtleneck jumpers and clearly a spoof of Martha Stewart via Donald Trump, McCarthy invests fully into this character and it feels like a second skin to her without a shadow of a doubt as she inhabits the monstrous caricature.

With her push to create a brownie empire via Girl Guides named the Darnell Darlings (vaguely resembling a female troop of Black Power candidates, clothed in red berets), there are certainly moments when McCarthy sells what she's offering with ease and gusto.

But that mix of potty-mouth below par script and physical comedy soon provides a meal of diminishing returns.

There's only so often the apparently improvised and under-written script can fall back on a lazy dick joke to hit the highs it's aiming for. Granted, it ain't anything other than low-hanging fruit, but it soon becomes tiresome. And when the humour runs out, a third act over-dollop of sentiment as saccharine and as sickly as the brownies Darnell's Darlings are selling really thrusts things over the edge.

Bell proves fair game and gives a great straight performance as the frustrated mother of a kid and a monster (Darnell) but her sweet-natured turn goes to prove the diamond to Darnell's rough. That said, it's clear McCarthy has lived the character of the self-made millionaire before and there are moments when the monstrous and unexpected gives way to some funny laughs.

Dinklage is one-note Blue Steel and wasted, but then no-one in The Boss acquits themselves well and the whole thing suffers when compared to more amusing fare like Spy.

Fudging the final act and abandoning the crass proves very much to be The Boss' tonal Achilles heel, as it feels like extended sketches have been padded with very little idea of what to do and where to go.

Melissa McCarthy may get some modest returns for The Boss, as she clearly strikes a chord with the audience at times, but the film's insistence on following an oddly uneven journey and a woefully weak script does nothing to get this boss out of the cinematic boardroom and back to the floor.

In fact, quite simply, this Boss deserves to be fired.

Win a double pass to see Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Win a double pass to see Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina Christopher Abbott, Nicholas Braun, Stephen Peacocke, Sheila Vand, Evan Jonigkeit and Billy Bob Thornton

When reporter Kim Barker’s (Tina Fey) life needs something more, she decides to 'shake it all up’ by taking an assignment in a war zone.

There, in the midst of chaos, she finds the strength she never knew she had.

Sometimes it takes saying ‘WTF’ to find the life you were always destined to have.

Also starring Margo Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton, the film is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) from a screenplay by Robert Carlock  (“Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock”).



Based on the book The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com and in the subject line put WTF. 

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Win a double pass to see The Boss

Win a double pass to see The Boss

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, and Kathy Bates



Academy Award®-nominated star Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy) headlines The Boss as a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading.

When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.

McCarthy is joined in The Boss by an all-star cast led by Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage and Kathy Bates.

Directed by Ben Falcone (Tammy), the comedy is based on an original character created by McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Falcone alongside their Groundlings collaborator, Steve Mallory.

The film is produced by McCarthy and Falcone through their On the Day productions and Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy through their Gary Sanchez Productions.

The Boss hits cinemas April 14th

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com and in the subject line put THE BOSS. 

Please include your name and address and good luck!

 

Win House of Cards Season 3

Win House of Cards Season 3

It's never been screened in New Zealand on TV before and now thanks to our friends at Sony Home Ent, I'm giving you the chance to win season 3 of House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey!

House of Cards: Season 3 – April 6, Rating M (DVD & Blu-Ray)

The highly acclaimed multi-awards winning series returns for Season Three, where we continue as ruthless Congressman Frank Underwood returns as the President of the United States, ready to expose enemies and keep his reputation and Claire’s in tact, at all costs. 

As President Underwood (Kevin Spacey) struggles with the fallout from his ruthless rise to power, the First Lady (Robin Wright) lays plans for her own political future. 

Only, once at the top, there is only one way to fall.

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com  and in the subject line put HOUSE OF CARDS. 

Please include your name and address and good luck!

David Brent: Life On The Road trailer

David Brent: Life On The Road trailer 

Ricky Gervais returns to his iconic role as David Brent.

Here's your first look at the David Brent: Life On The Road trailer

Star Wars: Rogue One Trailer unleashed

Star Wars: Rogue One Trailer unleashed

Here's your first look at the Star Wars: Rogue One Trailer

Due for release in December!