At Darren's World of Entertainment - a movie, DVD and game review blog.
The latest movie and DVD reviews - plus game reviews as well. And cool stuff thrown in when I see it.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Launch Trailer – Why We Run
Times are about to change in the city of Glass. Barely out of juvenile detention, skilled Runner Faith Connors stirs things up with the city's Conglomerate and the evil Gabriel Kruger. Faith is forced to start running for something far more important than herself.
Experience the origin story of Faith and master her momentum to traverse the city and fight back against the oppressive powers. Exploring the pristine city districts you'll discover new friends, exciting missions, and hidden secrets. With Social Play you can challenge your friends by creating time trials among the rooftops.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will be available on June 9thin Australia and New Zealand for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and on Origin for PC.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Kim Basinger
Director: Shane Black
A veritable shaggy dog crime story, The Nice Guys sees Iron Man 3 director Shane Black given carte blanche to run riot on a canvas that's decked out in 70s life writ large on the big screen.
Gosling and Crowe star as down on his luck PI Holland March and literal heavy weight street enforcer Jackson Healy respectively, whose paths cross when Healy warns March off a case he's investigating.
But forced to team up by a twist of fate, the duo end up looking into the death of a porn star in 70s Los Angeles and finding their initial line of enquiry leads them deep into the heart of a conspiracy.
There's a goofiness and a Shane Black meta approach that nearly overwhelms The Nice Guys, covering its smarts and dumbness in equal knowing nods and winks that at times, detracts from what's going on on the big screen.
Swathed in gorgeous period detail (from the 70s fashion to billboards for Jaws 2 and Airport 77), this is a film that gets great parts of its execution spot on, even if the central story is as thin and its ultimate reveal as obvious as you'd suspect.
Fortunately though, the chemistry between the mismatched duo is impeccable.
Gosling demonstrates a gift for goofier physical comedy and pratfalls that's well utilised - but Black's smart enough to have ensured that the sensitive yet easily scared March is no dumb klutz caught in the middle of it all (even if the power of coincidence propels large swathes of the actual plot along for great stretches of it for no real reason other than to ensure the narrative continues). Equally, March's interactions with his slightly smarter than him daughter (played with a great amount of heart by Rice) are charming and round off March's character nicely.
But if Gosling's jokier edges are as successful, it's due in large part to Crowe's heavier set straight guy.
As Healy, with a substantial bulk around the stomach, Crowe's weariness and hinted-at-back story is used lightly and consequently more effectively, as he moves into the family unit of March and his daughter.
It gives him greater dramatic weight, but also feels perfect for an enforcer lost in a city that's on the edge of change. (And the allegory of being stuck in a smog ridden LA is not lost on the guy, who's clearly choking for resonance in a changing world and who opines poignantly at one point that "just for a moment, I felt useful").
However, The Nice Guys is a film that's never below peppering its dialogue with laugh-out-loud zingers, physical comedy and typical Black dialogue and banter between the leads to power proceedings.
(Even if Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Black's treatment of the women in this time period is slightly off-putting and panders to lazy sleazy stereotypes, his encapsulation of the era is spot on and perhaps in channeling that vibe, and under today's watchful eyes, potentially is why its anti-PCness stands out a little more).
Ultimately, The Nice Guys is an impressively retro throwback to the buddy-cop movies of yesteryear and is buoyed by some meta touches and some sizzling comic chemistry. It's just a shame that the film noir central story is merely the garnish on the side of this dish, rather than the dramatic meat to nourish what is a good time at the cinema.
A brand new version of the highly acclaimed PAC-MAN game has been announced in conjunction with PAC-MAN’s annual birthday!
Sydney, Australia – May 24rd, 2016 – The yellow 80’s icon with a voracious appetite celebrates his 36th anniversary with the announcement of the highly acclaimed PAC-MAN 256 mobile game now coming to home console & PC systems. Developed by Hipster Whale and 3 Sprockets, PAC-MAN 256 will be digitally available on June 21st on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC through Steam.
PAC-MAN 256 allows fans to play the award winning mobile game on console with new features exclusive to the console versions. In addition to the social sharing option and 10 themes unlocked, they will be able to play with up to 4 friends via the local co-op multiplayer mode. Players will have to work together to eat all Pac-Dots & Power Pellets, and overcome the notorious ghost ensemble: Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. And of course the infamous “256 Glitch” from the mobile version is back alongside the crazy power-ups!
“We have really enjoyed working with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment and Hipster Whale on PAC-MAN 256 for mobile, and having the opportunity to ship it on the latest generation of consoles and PC is the icing on the cake for us! We can’t wait to see how much fun players have with it” says Seon Rozenblum, Director at 3 Sprockets.
Benjamin Prénom, Project Owner at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S declares “We wanted everyone to enjoy PAC-MAN 256, so it was a logical decision to make it available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The brand new local multiplayer mode, exclusive to the console and pc version, makes it even more accessible: get ready for maximum fun playing up to 4 players at the same time!”
With the anniversary of gaming’s first international superstar comes an amazing discount on the PAC-MAN 256 mobile game. “Coin Doubler” will be available for €2.99 instead of €4.99 from May 19th to May 27th. Other festive activities are also organized on the PAC-MAN community page on https://www.facebook.com/pacman/
Fans will not have to wait long as PAC-MAN 256 will be available on June 21st on PlayStation®4 via the PlayStation®Network, Xbox One via the Xbox Games Store and PC through Steam and for a suggested one time price of €4,99*
I was not aware of the original Shadow of the Beast, a Commodore Amiga smash hit that hit way back in 1989.
So consequently, that the hack and side-scrolling slash game that's been remastered for the next gen console feels in turns like a nostalgia throw back and a next gen remaster simultaneously is perhaps no mean feat.
For the uninitiated, the game centres around Aarbron, a servant corrupted by magic and turned into a beast with an unsatiated bloodlust. The 2D platformer sees you taking the helms of the initially chained Aarbron who's out to get revenge when he realises what he's done...
Heavy Spectrum has clearly remained faithful to the original and has fashioned something that looks like Street Fighter met Abe's Odyssee and turned the whole thing into a bloody hack and slash spectacle.
The 2D platformer side-scroller ethos works well for the game, that sees you chaining together combos and essentially beating down hordes of bad guys heading your way. When faced with a fight, you have no choice but to go into combat as portals spring up either side, preventing your escape.
And as you fight, you collect blood from your enemies in a bar (as well as blood-splatters on your screen, this is not a game that shies away from the gore) but you can also unleash rage chains with the use of L1 and R1 when the blood bar is full. Doing so boosts your fight combo and ultimately the points you're given.
Stunning, throwing enemies and blocking attacks, as well as jumping on them to perform a QTE to literally claw back health make up a majority of the game and while it's wonderfully rendered and executed, it does get a tad repetitive. But it's chaining combos and gaining points which help you upgrade, so there's a necessity to all of it and a reason behind the never-ending desire to kill.
As you traipse through landscapes, which are all beautiful to behold and could be easily overlooked, the game becomes something more of a quest rather than just a fight - it's just a shame that you can't duck into the backgrounds themselves simultaneously (as witnessed in Abe's Oddysee, the perspective works very well) to add a little more depth to the events.
If the game relies a little too heavily on combat, its not wanting to deviate from the original seems commendable (and the developers have even thrown in a playable version of the 1983 hit). With no rhyme or reason though, due to overwhelming numbers of foes and a limited space to fight within, occasionally, you can get caught out and injured without warning. It's frustrating given combos are necessary and disrupting them sets you back.
Secrets litter the game in the form of orbs and these add background and context to the story, so unless these are located, some of the subtleties are lost of the narrative, which is a shame.
Ultimately, Shadow of the Beast does what it says on the tin.
The depth is there, if you seek it out, but it leads to the feeling that this really is a game that will depend on your style of playing.
Nicely respectful, and rendered perfectly, this HD brawler feels like it could have reached a little higher and maybe been something which stood out a little more. It's a callback to older times, but thanks to a fresh coat of paint, it just manages to stake its place in the next gen world.
Cast: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Noel
Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Brian Tee, Stephen "Sheamus"
Farrelly, Gary Anthony Williams
Synopsis:
Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael return to theaters this summer
to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O'Neil (Megan Fox), Vern
Fenwick (Will Arnett), and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones
(Stephen Amell).
After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad
scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop (Gary
Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE Superstar Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly), to
unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world.
As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find
themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious
Krang.
Release date June 2nd 2016 Rated PG
And to complement the 3 double in season passes, I've also gotsome delicious Kinder Surprise Eggs featuring Ninja Turtles Toys
To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com and in the subject line put TURTLES. Please include your name and address and good luck! NB Competition closes 2nd June - editor's decision final!
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension: DVD Review
Released by Universal Home Ent
It began back in 2007 and after global box office domination, spawned another four films of varying degrees of success.
Now, the final film is here in the Paranormal Activity franchise and promising answers after a series of haunted house / demonic child-bothering set up some tantalising ideas.
This time around, it's all set around a family, The Fleeges, dad Ryan(Murray) and mum Emily (Shaw) who just before Christmas, has recently moved to a new home, along with their moppet kid Leila (George). When Ryan's brother Mike comes to visit, he discovers a box of video tapes and a camera discarded in a corner...
Not long after this discovery and discovering that the camera can somehow see otherworldly things, strange hauntings and noises start to plague them all as a demonic creature makes its presence felt (under the Christmas tree).
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension does little to fully wrap up the franchise, even though it offers some answers as to why the Midwives coven's been floating around for these past stories - but fails to fully wrap up Katie's story (a potentially loose end for when financial panic hits).
The film's MO is much the same as the others with bumps, jump scares and jolts stirring the pot up. But with the addition of the 3D, the film has chosen to employ some occasionally effective, but at the same time some unoriginal things-flying-at-the-screen scares. For the most part thisNightmare before Christmas doesn't need the 3D and it's mostly turned off until the night time, when the ghostly goings on begin but when wearing the dark glasses makes the viewing experience even more murky. There are a few effective jump scares as the family begins being menaced by what effectively is the Venom goo from Spider-man 3 but they are mainly of the flying at the camera variety. And it taps into a basic primal fear that suburbia relishes - parents who can't fully protect their children from evil, a deeply rich vein that will unsettle all.
And it's a shame certainly in chief for its final sequence that strays into such OTT territory that the film's reasonably effective work at building atmosphere and sustaining the creeps but not deviating from the formula (which is not necessarily a good thing, given how much of a rehash it all is). However, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is a frustrating experience because of the protagonists' behaviour and the editing of the film. Not once do the characters check the footage they've taken through the night, they know their daughter is being haunted but persist in letting her sleep alone and they make stupid decisions, even though little happens around the house.
Why they don't let others use the camera to show the activity to them is beyond understanding.
The frat boy hijinks of the start when Mike shows fizzle out giving the film an uneven tone and an entirely predictable riff on the Exorcism and Poltergeist takes place. Equally, when moments happen in the film, they cut off halfway through, leaving a feeling of a conclusion of events sorely wanting.
The biggest disappointment of Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension though is how it wraps things up. There are no spoilers here, but given the Coven's ultimate plan is revealed, quite why it needed 5 other films to tease it is beyond belief and the fact that Katie Featherston's Katie is not in it when she proved so incremental at the beginning and was a loose end is nigh on irritating.
Ultimately, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is an entirely weak ending to the series, a creatively bereft film that scorns those who've been along for the ride from the start.
Despite a few creative moments here and there that transcend the plot's ideas, it's narratively empty, a film that rehashes both the best and worst of what's gone before and offers no new ground and relies on 3D to give it a USP that's not compelling or exciting. It's clear more is coming (so many loose ends) but really, this found footage franchise needs to be lost and buried for good now.
