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.
Newstalk ZB Review - Tickled, The Nice Guys and Alice Through The Looking Glass
This morning on Newstalk ZB, I took a look at Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe's buddy comedy The Nice Guys, as well as David Farrier and Dylan Reeve's doco Tickled. And Johnny Depp in Alice Through The Looking Glass.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands E3 material revealed
UBISOFT® HEADING TO E3 2016
WITH A BRAND NEW TRAILER
FOR TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON® WILDLANDS
Collector’s Editions Available for Pre-Order
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– May 26, 2016 – Ubisoft has kicked off its E3 festivities with a brand new trailer for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands, the latest in the best-selling Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise, and unveiled pre order details on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.
To view the trailer click the image below
Developed by Ubisoft Paris, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is the first military shooter set in a massive and responsive open world, entirely playable in single-player or up to four-player co-op. Players will discover Bolivia a few years from now, a country turned by the vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel into a narco-state.
Sent behind enemy lines, Ghosts will have to cripple the Santa Blanca cartel’s operation, breaking alliances between the drug lords and the corrupt government, and saving the Bolivian population from the cruelty of El Sueño, Santa Blanca’s ruthless leader. To do so, players will have a total freedom of choice to accomplish their missions how they want and watch as the world reacts to their actions.
“As a part of the Tom Clancy franchise, authenticity is one of our pillars. Our goal has been to build the Ghosts as credible Spec Ops that can face the roughness of the Bolivian multifaceted landscape,” said Eric Couzian, Creative Director on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. “Ghosts are survivors and hunters, they can blend in all sorts of environments, leaving no trace except in the heads of their terrified enemies. We want players to feel this power.”
Furthermore, Ubisoft has also announced that the following premium editions are available for pre-order now, in addition to the standard game:
·The Deluxe Edition available for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands in retail and digital stores contains the Standard Edition and the digital Deluxe Pack which includes: the Huntsman rifle and motorbike, 3 emblems, 3 weapon camos, 3 character customization items and an XP booster. The physical version of this edition will also include 2 extra physical items: an in-game map of Bolivia and the original soundtrack of the game.
·The Gold Edition available in retail and digital stores which includes the Season Pass, giving players access to two major expansions as well as exclusive digital content featuring equipment packs, an exclusive vehicle and epic weapons, and the digital Deluxe Pack.
·The Calavera Collector’s Case, exclusive to Uplay Shop,comes with all the equipment to operate as a Ghost plunged deep dive into Bolivia to take down the vicious Santa Blanca cartel. This includes the Gold Edition alongside the Ghost’s Audio Headset replica, a fully functional headset for PlayStation 4, Xbox One* and PC. Last but not least, this Collector’s Case also contains a Santa Blanca Cartel Skull, an in-game map of Bolivia, the original soundtrack of the game, a Bolivian carrying pouch and 3 postcards of Bolivia.
·The Fallen Angel Edition, includes the game, Fallen Angel figurine, the official soundtrack, game map of Bolivia and Season Pass giving you access to two major expansions as well as all the deluxe pack in game content.
·The Limited Edition, includes the game, an exclusive steelbook and The Peruvian Connection mission set.
Additionally, fans who pre-order the game will also receive a bonus mission, “The Peruvian Connection”, in which they will embark on a perilous mission among the high mountains of Bolivia to break the alliance between the Santa Blanca and Peruvian Cartels.
Rating: M Released by Universal Home Ent It seems like the housing crisis and crash is Hollywood's topic du jour.
With the searing 99 Homes not far behind in the cinematic window, the director of Anchorman brings us the true story of what happened when four outsiders predicted the housing bubble bursting in the mid-2000s and used it to their advantage and to expose the banks' stupidity.
The first to see the flaw is Dr Michael Burry (Christian Bale), a Mastodon loving, bare-footed analyst who works for Scion Capital; but his plan to bet against the banks provides a few ripples thanks to a wrong number call to Steve Carell's Mark Baum. His group begin to make some enquiries and start to see Burry's idea has some legs and decide to buy in as well.
Based on The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis, Adam McKay's film isn't afraid to engross you in the technical babble and the small print of the credit default swaps that precipitated the downfall.
It's also not afraid to realise that it's quite a dry and serious subject and so has its director use various conventions to shatter through the tedium. Chief among these is Ryan Gosling's character Jared Vennett whose breaking of the fourth wall invites an audience in and plays to the film's cocking a snook MO at the stuffiness of its material. Equally, when the story's about to get to some crucially excruciating techno-babble, McKay isn't afraid to cut away to the likes of Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie in a bubble-bath to provide the necessary explanations. It's a clever narrative touch that veers on being a little too smart early on and borders on treating its subject with irreverence, but McKay is fully aware that these moves ensure an audience pays attention to an ongoing issue that's still a problem.
Of the main cast, it's really only Carell as Mark Baum (who's based on Steve Eisman) who feels like they have an emotional connection for you to latch on to. Troubled by the suicide of his brother, and wrapped tighter than a coil in his anger and arrogance, Baum is the only one who feels like a real character and the only one to express an unease at the implications of their benefiting from the banks.
It's a fascinating edge that could have done with a little more exploration, given that the others are essentially anti-heroes who are truly more one dimensional cut-outs populating the picture.
There's an irony in the ever-so-slightly-overlong The Big Short over the way these guys rorted the system that was up for exposure and there are lessons to be learned, but perhaps the biggest message from this almost flashy stylish docu-drama is how much Adam McKay's underplayed his directorial hand. His execution of this film and its ensemble cast will ensure the message of concern over the banks and the housing bubble will get through to the masses - even if it occasionally teeters into didactic but well-needed territory.
SYDNEY, 27TH May 2016 - The third Sarajevo Six target will be available with HITMAN Episode 3: Marrakesh.
Your target is Walter Menard, a veteran of the paramilitary SIGMA UNIT active during the Yugoslav War of the 90s. Your target has currently been tasked with handling the evacuation of rogue banker Claus Strandberg in Marrakesh.
PS4 players get exclusive access to The Sarajevo Six. These are six bonus contracts that tell a self-contained side-story revolving around former members of a paramilitary unit called CICADA. Agent 47 will travel the world in pursuit of his targets, with one bonus contract available in each location from the game.
The launch date for HITMAN Episode 3: Marrakesh will be on May 31, 2016. Visit hitman.com for more information.
PROJECT CARS - 'Inspired to Drive, The Nicholas Hamilton Story'
DISCOVER “INSPIRED TO DRIVE – THE NICOLAS HAMILTON STORY”
IN A NEW PROJECT CARS SHORT FILM
SYDNEY, 27TH May 2016 - Nicolas Hamilton – consultant at Slightly Mad Studios – today tells his story in a short film called “Inspired to Drive – The Nicolas Hamilton Story”. With his ability to mix sim game and real life experiences, Nicolas Hamilton worked on PROJECT CARS to help define the cars' handling and physics. Training for years on a simulator, he allowed nothing to stand in the way of achieving his dream. His remarkable success is why Nicolas Hamilton is driven to inspire us all.
NEW TRAILERS FOR STAR OCEAN: INTEGRITY AND FAITHLESSNESS
INTRODUCE NEW CHARACTERS AND SHOWCASE GAME SYSTEM
SYDNEY 26TH May 2016 – Square Enix Ltd., today revealed a selection a trailers to further introduce fans to the universe of STAR OCEAN®: Integrity and Faithlessness™. The new character spotlight videos feature all-new footage introducing the characters Anne and Emmerson, a pair of travellers who join Fidel on his quest to protect Relia, and the Kingdom of Trei’kur, a desolate wasteland country currently at war with Fidel’s home country of Resulia.
This week we are
delighted to reveal five music-themed films as part of our 2016 NZIFF
sneaks. The line-up celebrates the best in the world of music from an
R&B Queen, to the 60s’ most avant-garde rocker, to a soundstage in
Buenos Aires, travelling the world with Yo-Yo Ma, and on to an audition for
an outback choir.
If you're looking for something a little darker, our Incredibly Strange
sneaks are sure to pique your interest...
We’ll continue to bring you further sneaks in the coming weeks. The full
programme will be revealed at 7pm on Monday 20 June with tickets on sale
from Friday 24 June.
Miss Sharon Jones!
Academy
Award-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple delivers definitive proof,
from show-stopping testimony in a small South Carolina church to
Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, that nobody raises the roof like Sharon Jones.
“The narrative arc of the film is the diminutive (‘four foot 11 and a
quarter’) singer’s more than year-long battle with cancer – and her return
to performing. But by lavishing huge helpings of Jones’ music and explosive
performances on what is a very intimate portrait, the two-time
Oscar-winning [Barbara] Kopple keeps the doco from ever becoming maudlin,
or predictable, or from even slowing down.” — John Anderson, Indiewire
Eat That Question:
Frank Zappa in his Own Words
Director
Thorsten Schütte’s doco splices together performance and interview footage
of the ever-articulate rock star (and talk-show guest) Frank Zappa to recount the story of his
defiantly non-conformist musical journey.
“A compelling gateway documentary that should absorb both fans and novices
alike.” — Leslie Felperin, Hollywood
Reporter
Argentina
Carlos
Saura, the Spanish director of such classics as Flamenco, Tango and Blood Wedding, mounts a dazzling showcase
for the leading contemporary performers of traditional Argentinian music
and dance.
“Lyrical and moving, Argentina is
also a glorious reminder that every film should be a passion project.” —
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Music of
Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
On
a quest to uncover Leonard Bernstein’s ‘universal language of music’,
renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma travels the old ‘Silk Road’ with virtuoso
musicians from diverse instrumental traditions to collaborate on rousing new musical explorations.
“The intersection of cultures is where new things emerge.” — Yo-Yo Ma
Wide Open Sky
In
this charming documentary from Lisa Nicol,
gifted teacher and musician Michelle Leonard travels to under-resourced
outback NSW, auditioning children then schooling the chosen 130 to perform
in the annual Moorambilla Voices choir.
“This down-to-earth crowd pleaser is a terrific antidote to the
razzle-dazzle hype of TV talent shows.” — Richard Kuipers, Variety
Incredibly Strange
NZIFF Sneaks
From
the sleazily decadent clubs of 1980's Warsaw to the back room of a
backwoods bar in Orgeon, our Incredibly Strange sneaks are just a taste of
what's ahead in Ant Timpson's programme.
The Lure
(Córki dancingu)
Directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska
This bizarre, sublimely surreal Polish vampire-mermaid musical about two
sibling sirens who lure their prey from the stage of a trashy nightclub is
a one of a kind cult movie.
Green Room
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Punk rockers and skinheads clash in this intense, darkly humorous game of
cat-and-mouse, from the director of bracing indie thriller Blue Ruin.
