No Man's Sky - The Lore

No Man's Sky - The Lore

There can be no doubt that No Man's Sky is one of the most anticipated titles of the year on PS4.

This video takes a look at the story makers of No Man's Sky including Dave Gibbons of Watchmen, 2000AD and Doctor Who Weekly.

The Angry Birds Movie: Film Review

The Angry Birds Movie: Film Review

Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Sean Penn, Danny McBride, Bill Hader
Director: Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly

So, who remembers Angry Birds?

That game we were all so addicted to way back when and then it suddenly died a death overtaken by consoles, Candy Crush and other such time-sucks.

Well, the film version of Angry Birds doesn't care that you've abandoned it, nor does it care that it's essentially got the feel of a one-shot and gone animation, aimed squarely at throwing all its eggs in giving you a cinematic take on the game's simple MO - destroy the towers.

Long story short, Jason Sudeikis is Red, the original Angry bird, who's ostracised cos of his grumpy ways (even though he's lonely from having been bullied in his younger years). Sentenced to Anger Management by a judge after erupting during a hatchday party, he meets Josh Gad's hyper-active Chuck, McBride's explosive Bomb and Sean Penn's non-verbal Terrence.

But his world - and along with all those other flightless ones on his homeland of Bird Island -  is further threatened when a ship of Pigs turn up on their shores, headed by Bill Hader's Leonard. Everyone welcomes the Pigs except Red, who discovers a sinister plot by the porcine expedition....

The Angry Birds Movie is a hyper-kinetic, colourful mix of cartoonish one-shot sight gags that almost threatens to fall apart due to the lack of anything more than a thin or coherent thread running through.

The whole thing's essentially structured to lead to a cinematic version of a game as the residents of Bird Island take on the Pigs by hurling themselves through the air and assaulting the towers within.

It's a shame that the first half of the film is little more than a few strong gags threaded through with the thinnest story that those older members watching almost threaten to disengage.

Youngsters will adore the bright coloured animation and the vivid colours (and fans of the animated genre will appreciate the depth and detail that's gone into the creation of the critters, from feathers bristling to a furriness that's adorably executed), even if they never stop to question why these critters can't fly.

At times, during the Pig invasion, the whole thing seems to hint at an allegory for refugees, tolerance, child kidnapping and xenophobia - it never digs any deeper into this darkness, preferring to leave the allusions there for anyone who wants to draw on them.

Sudeikis is affable as Red, and much of the younger end of the audience will be drawn to the hyperactive looney tunes nature of Chuck, but simply The Angry Birds Movie's MO is to be nothing more than to shoe-horn in the game and its mechanics into the narrative.

It just about succeeds with a wilful stubbornness as it slingshots birds across the screen and shoe horns in the game mechanics - but even thanks to some truly impressive animation, it's just a little above a fleeting distraction at the movies.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising: Film Review

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising: Film Review

Cast: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Chloe Grace-Moretz
Director: Nicholas Stoller

A comedy of diminishing returns, Bad Neighbours 2 simply doesn't have enough steam or gags to sustain it second time around.

When Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's Mac and Kelly sell their house, they find they have a 30 day stand down period where the buyers could pull out. Things aren't much better for Zac Efron's Teddy Sanders - his best bud in college Pete (Dave Franco) is about to be engaged to his boyfriend and so wants Teddy out of the house they share.

And for Chloe Grace Moretz's freshman Shelby, college life is sucking with the fraternities ruling the roost and sororities hit by sexist double standards. So, finding the house empty next door to Mac and Kelly, Shelby and some chums decide to set up a party house - much to the horror of those about to sell.

Finding a purpose with the sisters as a mentor, Teddy clashes again with his old neighbours, but when he's double-crossed, it's all on as the older generation take on the younger generation.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising is a tamer, less funny retread of the first film.

Whereas Bad Neighbours had the wherewithal to play on the older generation vs the youngsters and lash it in edges of Rogen's once-party guy trying to recapture some of his youth, the push this time that Teddy is trying to stay relevant when everyone else has moved on is not really strong enough.

And unfortunately for Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising, it appears most of the gags have moved on as well.

While there's a commentary bubbling under the non- Spring-Breakers style house over sexist double standards within America's campuses, Moretz's Shelby is never anything more than a sweet-natured rebel; there's no bite in this revolution and no real flow in the turf war that grows. Things escalate simply because the movie demands they do, not because the narrative decrees it.

It leads to Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising feeling piecemeal and patchy at best.

There's no denying that when things get a little looser on the script front that it elicits laughs - and Efron is playing dangerously close to sending up his own goofy image of pecs and dumbness in this latest (to say he's game is more than fair). Rose Byrne proves to be the film's comedy weapon, delivering such unexpected lines that shame of the flatter set-pieces and retreads that live within.

Ultimately, recycling proves to be Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising's weakest plot; a scattershot flat plot, built on ludicrous foundations and a few amusing moments does not a great comedy film make.

And while Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising has the good grace to be only 90 minutes long, its refusal to build on any of its generational and millennial themes or social gender and campus commentary for maximum comic effect leave that 90 minutes feeling tame and drawn out.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising is a film without a real punchline, a sequel that does nothing to build on the original and one which feels surplus to requirements.

Rating:

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailers and screens arrive

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailers and screens arrive

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Reveals New Adventures!

In honour of Star Wars Day yesterday, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the latest LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens trailer revealing exclusive new levels exploring adventures set in the time leading up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

The LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens New Adventures Trailer delves into untold tales within the Star Wars galaxy all with a LEGO twist, including Han and Chewie’s voyage to capture the ravenous Rathtars, how the mysterious Crimson Corsair foiled the plans of the First Order, secrets behind Lor San Tekka’s journey to the Jakku Village, Poe Dameron’s daring rescue of Admiral Ackbar and more!

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens will also feature original voice work from key members of the theatrical cast: Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and other top stars from the film.

The six (6) New Adventures featured in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens:

·        Rathtar Hunting – Follows Han Solo and Chewbacca’s voyage to capture the ravenous Rathtars.

·        Lor San Tekka’s Return – Uncovers secrets behind Lor San Tekka’s journey to the Jakku Village.

·        Poe to the Rescue – Details Poe Dameron’s daring rescue mission to save Admiral Ackbar.

·        Crimson Corsair– Explores how the notorious Outer Rim pirate, the Crimson Corsair, foiled the plans of the First Order.

·        Trouble Over Taul– Follows the events leading up C-3PO’s acquisition of his new red arm.

·        Ottegan Assault– Reveals a puzzle piece to how the Resistance and the First Order find Lor San Tekka on Jakku.

Featuring original dialogue from key members of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens theatrical cast, including:

·        Adam Driver (Kylo Ren)

·        Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)

·        Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa)

·        Daisy Ridley (Rey)

·        Domhall Gleeson (General Hux)

·        Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma)

·        Harrison Ford (Han Solo)

·        John Boyega (Finn)

·        Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata)

·        Max von Sydow (Lor San Tekka)

·        Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron)

As part of the Star Wars Day festivities, we are giving away exclusive May the 4th inspired artwork to fans starting today! To download this free desktop image, visit: flickr.com/wbgames.

New assets can also be found on the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, as well as the WBIE Press Site. To access, please visit the following link and click the “Register Now” button: http://www.wbie-press.com/. If you have any trouble accessing, don’t hesitate to let us know.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens marks the triumphant return of the No. 1 LEGO videogame franchise and immerses fans in the new Star Wars adventure like never before. Players can relive the epic action from the blockbuster film in a way that only LEGO can offer, featuring all of the storylines from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, retold through the clever and witty LEGO lens. The game will also feature exclusive playable content exploring untold adventures set in the time leading up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, providing further insight about the new movie and its characters.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on the 29^th of June, 2016 on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U™, Nintendo 3DS™ and Steam (PC).

Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse: DVD Review

Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

The fact there are four writers on this film and it's still not on par should tell you all you need to know about Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse, an occasionally gore-filled comedy that's more miss than hit.

Aimed purely at teenage boys who are on the cusp of obsessing about breasts, its three protagonists are members of a scout troop, headed up by Anchorman star David Koechner's Dolly Parton obsessed leader Scout Leader Rodgers.

This trio consists of level-headed Ben (Mud star Tye Sheridan), the crass sex-obsessed and party wannabe Carter (Miller) and chubby lisper and long term scout Augie (Morgan). Heading out on their final camping trip together, they find a zombie apocalypse on their doorstep. Their only initial guide to surviving the hordes of the undead and the bitey brigade is cocktail waitress Denise (Dumont, who's bedecked in a tank top and cut off jeans throughout) but soon, the trio has to rely on their scouting skills to try and save the day.

To say that Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse aims for low-hanging fruit is an obvious understatement.

It's not setting out to change the world, merely to try and offer some laughs, but to be frank, it fails to deliver a lot of that for the majority of the time. It's only in the last 20 minutes that the film finally embraces the silliness of its premise and gorges on the energy it's been so lacking in throughout.

There's a vein of obvious raunchiness throughout that Landon has tried to throw in with the bro-bonding and friends dynamic - and that element will certainly appeal to the tittering teens whose comic bones will be amused by (to give an example, the strip club in town is called Lawrence of Alabia). But there's far too little of anything in Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse to give it a real edge or stand out above fare of a similar nature. And it's no Shaun of The Dead either, lacking any level of sophistication - despite how much Sheridan delivers on a cliched character trope.

The film has some reasonably amusing moments - the promise of zombie cats delivers, another of the undead wears a YOLO shirt, a half smashed glass driven into a head delivers a pouring spout of blood and an escape sequence involving a trampoline finds the lowest common denominator - but Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse is an entirely forgettable film the moment it's over.

Solid camaraderie and a Three Amigos bond give Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse the heart the undead are missing, but frankly, due to missing laughs and an uncertainty to dive in and be as stupid as it clearly wants to be,this adolescent fantasy piece that objectifies women throughout never really comes to life until the end - and it's too late by then.

Lord Baden Powell would turn in his grave.

Rating:

Bastille Day: Film Review

Bastille Day: Film Review

Cast: Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Charlotte Le Bon, Kelly Reilly
Director: James Watkins

Luther star Idris Elba continues his push to be the next action hero with this race against the clock cum mismatched buddy thriller about a terrorist plot in Paris.

When Charlotte Le Bon's Zoe decides at the last minute to pull out of a bombing she's been talked into, Richard Madden's pick-pocket Michael Mason lifts her bag, unknowingly making off with the bomb within.

Dumping the bag on a corner of a street in Paris, as he's walking away the bomb explodes, killing four people and setting in motion a chain of events that see him accidentally caught up in the ensuing manhunt.

Enter former CIA agent Sean Briar (Elba), a grizzled no BS kind of guy, a loose cannon of an ex-agent, who works beyond the law and bends it to his circumstance when it suits. Believing Madden's silky-haired Mason to be the chief suspect, he begins a desperate race to stop a terrorist network from unleashing more misery on Paris.

To say Bastille Day is a hoary old cliched film is to really undersell it. (And to say it felt uncomfortable viewing at times after the Paris bombings last year is a queasy understatement).

There's little on show here that's original or that builds on the clever premise and set-up that feels fresh.

While some of the action sequences are quite tautly put together and presented without frills (a roof-top chase is simply executed and an enclosed van smackdown being two of the highlights), the rest of the film feels awfully cliched and at times painful.

From risible dialogue to the fact that Elba's character sustains nary a cut despite taking several blows to the face, Bastille Day cuts a ludicrous cloth that it never fully embraces to achieve any kind of USP. From Elba barking lines like "You're a wanted terrorist, you killed 4 people. Put your seatbelt on" before a car chase, to a hashtag deus ex machina that's laughable rather than laudable, it never quite achieves greatness.

With underdeveloped and stereo-typed bad guys, a script that squanders the initially clever twist, and a weak performance from Madden trying to give his risible pick-pocket an edge that's not there, Bastille Day may be about bombs, but its unoriginal execution and hoary old tropes mark it out potentially as a bomb of the box office variety.

Newstalk ZB Review - Captain America: Civil War, Florence Foster Jenkins and Brooklyn

Newstalk ZB Review - Captain America: Civil War, Florence Foster Jenkins and Brooklyn

This week with Jack Tame on ZB, it was another Marvel movie - the 13th in fact from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And something more demure with Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins as well as Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn.

Take a listen to review of Captain America: Civil War, Florence Foster Jenkins and Brooklyn below.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-captain-america-civil-war-florence-foster-jenkins-brooklyn/