Quantum Break - XBox One event with Shawn Ashmore

Quantum Break - XBox One event with Shawn Ashmore

Quantum Break's launched on the XBox One and to celebrate, the awesome team at Microsoft threw an event to celebrate.

And even better, they hosted the star of the game Shawn Ashmore, aka Jack Joyce who got up close and personal with fans.

Here are some shots from the event

Listen to an interview with Shawn Ashmore here

The Divergent Series: Allegiant: Film Review

The Divergent Series: Allegiant: Film Review

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort
Director: Robert Schwentke

The latest young adult cum dystopian cum split finale in two a la Hunger Games / Harry Potter film has nary a hiss nor a roar as it beats onward to the end.

In Allegiant, Shailene Woodley's rather bland Tris Pryor sleepwalks her way through the story as she and pouty love interest Four (the always pursed lipped Theo James) make a break for freedom.

At the end of the lacklustre Insurgent, the gang found out that everything they had been told was a lie and there was life outside the ruins of Chicago. 

Setting out to scale the wall and break free into the beyond, Tris and her troupe encounter a group of geneticists and a shadowy cabal who reveal she is the key to the future... and that only Tris can save the world from factions and the fractures within. Can they be trusted?

Allegiant feels like a reboot of the series and once again packs some pretty impressive space age visuals and some great visualisations of a world just beyond our own. (A building that houses the geneticists is a DNA helix)  But this futuristic sheen comes at a price - and that cost is the caring about any of the characters or giving them enough to do.

While the action is ramped up in parts with Schwentke giving life to clear-cut sequences, the continual muddling and muddying of obtuse concepts like The Damaged, The Pure, The Fringe and eugenics themselves in po-faced dialogue spouted by the cast does little to breathe life into proceedings.

In fact, it does the opposite.

The dramatic cypher Tris seems devoid of any punch this time around, and Woodley works with what she has on offer, but it's scant pickings. She's not well served by symbolism either with her purity seeing her clothed in white while everyone else has varying degrees of washed out pastels.  While James gets to run around a little and bust out some gung-ho action sequences, these choreographed pieces are more a momentary indulgence, rather than a full narrative necessity.

Unfortunately, opening up the world has ironically robbed The Divergent Series of any real life - the conflicts between Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts' warring factions is touched on only too briefly and any tension there feels manufactured and under-explored.

Daniels makes a reasonable fist of ambiguity with the presence of a benevolent leader, but there's little for him to really do as the film heads to a much underwhelming ending. Perhaps the desire to split the film has robbed it of any kind of urgency from the book and undercut the drama that was due to unfurl. 

When compared to the work done by The Hunger Games franchise, Woodley's Tris is a heroine that's found wanting and whose very definition is weaker. Considering both series explore similar themes, they couldn't really be much farther apart with their executions and central characters.

Ultimately, The Divergent Series will end with Ascendant - but whether it will garner a place in the pantheon of YA films is very much up for debate.

Rating:

Eye In the Sky: Film Review

Eye In the Sky: Film Review

Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Iain Glen
Director: Gavin Hood

When a film about the politics of drone warfare chooses to open with a sequence with a young girl frolicking within a military compound, you can guarantee manipulation is on the cards.

So it is with Ender's Game director Gavin Hood's latest, a movie that manages to use the hot button topic of a drone strike and spin into something compelling, with a sickening predictability that manifests itself in its final act and in its manipulative coda.

With a British-led drone strike to capture a suspected terrorist in Nairobi underway, led by Colonel Powell (Mirren in a no nonsense role), events quickly change when intelligence from the location reveals a suspected suicide bomb attack is being planned.

As the debate rolls back and forth between multi-national locations, the situation becomes increasingly more tense and equally farcical as no-one wants to be seen to condone the operation becoming a strike.

And matters are further exacerbated when a small girl selling bread in front of the location for the strike could become a piece of collateral damage that would have major international implications.

Conflict, debate over law and borderline moments that feel like they're just awaiting a visit from The Thick of It spin doctor Malcolm Tucker somehow combine to make Eye in The Sky a frustratingly tense experience.

Granted, there's a degree of insouciance as the house of cards is continually stacked and over-dramatically placed as no-one in any war room wants to take the ultimate decision and shoulder any of the responsibility. As the exasperation tangentially mounts, every one of the ensemble cast scattered through the world makes a case of their place on screen.

From Mirren's determined Colonel, who's devoted years to ending this cell to Paul's drone pilot who's placed in an unthinkable situation; from Abdi's on-the-ground operative to Rickman's hamstrung by the rules of engagement Lieutenant General, the whole situation shifts tangentially with some gallows humour and a lot of debate.

Wisely, Hood's chosen to keep too many morals out of the piece as he weaves a narrative which will probably see you projecting your own ideals onto it as the red tape of bureaucracy winds ever tighter to a taut conclusion that's as thrilling as it is predictable.

Unwisely, though, a coda to the proceedings is a major mis-step and brings too much sentiment to the morality tale, over-egging the pudding with a sickliness that's directly opposed to all that's gone before.

Ultimately, though, Eye in the Sky is a slick drama that puts an overtly human face on the ongoing thorny issue of the apparently anonymous face of drone warfare.

Rating:

Hitman : Episode 1: PS4 Review

Hitman : Episode 1: PS4 Review

Released by IO and Square Enix
Platform: PS4

It doesn't pay to be impatient in Hitman.

That's the big takeaway from the episodic first chunk of the game that's been unleashed.

Once again, it's back to the world of Agent 47 and his bald-headed ways of assassination in a game that appears to go right back to the start of the franchise. In the sixth iteration of the series, and in the first episode, it's about getting back to the basics and unleashing your powers of killing, while gaining skills and rewards for your efforts.

Set before Hitman: Absolution, the game sees you assigned to a handler and assessed for duty before being unleashed on a main mission. Starting off with “The Prologue”, and 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.

The second sees you unleashing all kinds of chaos with an ejector seat and a target and is much fun but requires a lot more thought and opens up the world to opportunities revealing, where eavesdropping gives you a better idea of how to execute the specific targets, rather than slithering in with stealthy intent.

Once these training missions are accomplished, it's on to the main event - the assassination of two key characters in secret organisation IAGO - and at a Fashion show, no less. And it's Paris that really impresses with the open world ethos truly coming to life in a way you'd not expect. The scope is incredible and occasionally, 47 would find himself lost in the bowels of the giant house as he looked around. Graphically, the game's passable - it's not exactly top notch, but the quality of the NPCs and the world around 47 no doubt means that the grunt of the PS4 is suffering a little.

Occasionally, load times are a bit on the long side, which is a pain when you have to reload sections and relaunch games, but it does give you time to rethink some strategy, which is really a big part of this episodic series.

Online connectivity has been non-existent due to server issues in the times I've tried to play this, which is a shame, as that's where some of the extra content lies, in that you're given extra ways to complete the missions and rewards for certain measures. Square Enix has sent out a statement saying that IO is working on this, and it's to be hoped that for episode 2 the game's back on track.

All in all, the cool and composed nature of Hitman makes the episodic nature a necessity; there's too much scope to do it all properly in one hit alone. It may lead to some criticism of feeling unfinished, but given this is the start of the book, let's just wait and see where the following chapters take it.

Newstalk ZB Review - The Huntsman - Winter's War, Zootopia and Secret in their Eyes

Newstalk ZB Review - The Huntsman - Winter's War, Zootopia and Secret in their Eyes

This week with Jack, I dropped into the studio to discuss the release of The Huntsman - Winter's War, Zootopia and Secret in their Eyes

Take a listen below:

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-this-week-at-the-movies/

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.