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.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - Story Trailer
Bigben Interactive, the video game publisher and distributor, and the studio Frogwares have released a new video inviting you to discover a bit more of the main intrigue in Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter. Already available for pre-order, the game is set for release June 10th, 2016, on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC.
In this new video the famous detective's daily life is quickly shaken by events: wracked by doubt over her past, Sherlock’s young daughter seems to be growing more and more distant, while apparently unrelated investigations come one after the other. A vast plot would seem to be taking shape… Can one suspect not hide another, after all?
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is a unique adventure game that blends exploration, investigation and action for a breath-taking and fantastic playing experience. You play as the master detective himself, plunged against his will into a fantastic adventure brimming with intense action sequences for an interactive experience that is more immersive than ever. Roam the streets of Victorian London in search of clues and suspects, and untangle the threads of multiple intrigues until you reach the incredible final revelation.
Rating: M Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent The tone for Deadpool is set within its very opening moments.
There's no denying the Merc with a Mouth's marketing has been off the chain with self-referential frenzy feeding the fanboys' every desire and the promise from Ryan Reynolds that they would stick to the R-rated character like glue.
And in many ways, this origins tale told in a slightly different manner is really Reynolds' showcase - it starts with all guns blazing and with bullet-time action slowed to a halt while looping back and forth between timelines and stories.
Mixing vulgarity with great aplomb and some meta-laugh out loud moments, Reynolds' wise-cracking Wade Wilson is truly the antithesis of po-faced superhero films. Breaking the 4th Wall regularly (although voiceover tends to achieve that effect as well) as the origins of how the former Special Forces mercenary fell in love, got terminal cancer and was part of an experiment gone wrong are unspooled on the big screen, it's clear nothing is off-limits in this scabrous assault on Marvel, the X-Men and even the Taken franchise.
It's blessed with some clever touches; credits that mock the tropes of the genres with titles telling people it includes a British villain, God's perfect creation, mocks the director calling them an overpaid tool and even throws in a Green Lantern trading card as Angel of the Morning plays gleefully on the soundtrack.
It's a film that's clearly in love with itself (as much as the red-clad anti-hero loves himself) and there's no doubt that for large swathes of the movie, it's great fun and perfectly entertaining - if ultimately shallow - fare led mainly by a lead who's prepared to give his all for Deadpool.
But what's not as clear as Reynolds' continual cinematic gusto are the antagonists facing off against him and the overall story. (Even though the narrative is interspersed by zipping through timelines and is there primarily to serve as an intro to the character and service his ego).
Both Ed Skrein and Gina Carano (as Ajax and Angel Dust respectively) are nothing short of charisma-free zones, aimed at sucking only the air from the proceedings as they play out.
Sure, this is an origin story and is entirely Deadpool's from the beginning, but the anti-hero needs to have a credible threat, and quite frankly, this is disturbingly lacking from the film and sets a worrying precedent for any future flicks featuring the world of the wise-quipping Merc with a Mouth.
In this plethora of superhero films, there's no doubting Deadpool is a welcome breeze of foul-smelling, puerile, cinematic air and granted, comic book heroes will never look the same again thanks to the inventive touches, meta-moments and way some tropes have been smashed through. However, if you're expecting Deadpool to cast the net wider and break out of the fanboy audience and redefine the superhero genre, it may unfortunately struggle to do so.
It's perversely faithful to its perverse source material and there's no disputing the core audience has been well-served by the film, but some may struggle to see why this Merc with a Mouth has nothing more than a cult following.
Rating: M Released by Roadshow Home Ent Director Lenny Abrahamson and author Emma Donoghue's Room explores how life and overt circumstance makes captives of us all in this breath-taking and emotionally wrenching adaptation of her Man Booker Prize winning tome.
Trapped in the titular room, Jacob Temblay's Jack is on the cusp of turning five and opening up his perception of life to something more than the drab reality of the walls that entrench the pair because Ma (Brie Larson, so radiant and stoic in Short Term 12) decides to reveal the truth of room. Daily routines remind of tales of Josef Fritzl and of doco The Wolfpack (in fact, it can be no coincidence Jack's tresses are as long as those NYC brethren kept within) but for Brie Larson's Joy enough is enough and after seven long years, it is time to escape. But, with closely framed shots and POV shots of Jack (no doubt to keep the book's young protagonist's central viewpoint), this is no score-blasting, heart-pumping rush for freedom, this cinematic tale is a sickening edge of your seat set-up with taut directing guaranteed to leave you with a knot in your stomach as it plays out.
However, much more than that, Room is actually a story of the lengths a mother will go to for her daughter and what love will do to make the world a better place. Which is perhaps just as well, given how harrowing the film's subject matter is and how easy it would be to dive down that rabbit hole and never surface. There's an implied dark side of Ma's captivity and it's briefly touched on, but lurks repugnantly in the background with Ma's scenes with her father (William H Macy, who appears all too briefly and who adds a lot via a subtly heart-breaking turn). And while the occasional over-use of Jack's voiceover teeters dangerously close to grating (and channels Karel Fialka's Hey Matthew's youngster), it is down to both Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay that Lenny Abrahamson's Room soars from beyond its four-walled compounds and constraints.
It helps the director is able to choreograph the room in different ways that give you a different take on the space each time and the camera's masterfully employed at all times conveying both the claustrophobia and the hope that Ma's swathed Jack in. It speaks to the strength of the adaptation that the film is one of two halves and while the first half is more powerful, the second lacks none of the resonance it needs. But Room is nothing without both Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Channeling both a vulnerability and a strength, Larson is intoxicating from beginning to end as this initially harrowing chamber piece expands its scope beyond its walls. Spinning around her is Tremblay's Jack and it's no wonder that accolades are piling up with this child, as he manages to carry the film and instill the audiences with a sense of hope that's needed to get through the wrench of the darkness.
There's no denying that Room is heart-stopping cinema - it's edge of your seat drama, both heart in mouth sickening and an emotional gut punch. But thanks to its actors, it's more than a drama that demands a lot of its audience; it provides a cinematic ride that's as richly rewarding as it is emotionally exhausting.
The companion series to The Walking Dead is a curious beast.
It suffers from the fact that everyone knows what is coming. given the main show, and yet somehow, it never quite captures the thrust and thrill of what drives the idea.
Set before the global pandemic that released the undead, it centres on Cliff Curtis's Travis, a teacher who finds himself and his family in the midst of a strange day as the virus begins.
Essentially moody and atmospheric but also a little slow at times, the series never quite reaches the potential of the Walking Dead in terms of character and those in the firing line aren't exactly characters you're fully cheering for.
That said, Fear The Walking Dead uses its panic premise well and executes the build up subtly.
The second season is supposed to be longer than these six episodes and it's to be hoped the show builds on its ideas rather than spending time in a military zone that stalls proceedings.
The show needs to develop its characters a little more to give it the edge and it's hoped that if it builds on this, season two could be a real killer.
Starting today, we are excited to deliver on something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time – bring Mods to a console audience. With the latest title update for Fallout 4, Xbox One gamers are now able to browse Mods on Bethesda.net and, more importantly, can directly download and play Mods within the game’s main menu.
Playing Fallout 4 on PlayStation 4? Your wait is almost over, too. We anticipate Mods arriving on the PS4 next month.
For news and updates on Fallout 4 Mods, keep your eyes on Bethesda.net, our community forums, and on the @bethesdastudios and @fallout Twitter accounts.
Mods and the players who create them have always been an important part of our games, going all the way back to Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls Construction Set. We believe that our games become something much more special, when we put the power of creation in your hands. New quests, environments, characters, dialogue, outfits, weapons and more – with Mods, the possibilities of what you can do are endless. You are creating new experiences that enhance and take our games into amazing and surprising new directions.
For Fallout 4, our goal was to make Mods easier and more accessible than ever before – for both the creators and the players. By building an all-new system with Bethesda.net we’ve made a huge leap forward in achieving that.
You can now browse and search for the latest and greatest Mods, choose your favorites, post feedback, and install them – all within the game. Simply select Mods from the main menu, and start browsing. You can also browse through mods online on Bethesda.net.
If you want to try making Mods (and we think everybody should), the Creation Kit – the same tool that we used to create Fallout 4 – is a free download via the Bethesda.net launcher. You can check out the Creation Kit Wiki, our online documentation and help file, for more details and tips on how to make them.
We plan to update and evolve Mods and the Creation Kit based on your experiences so be sure to leave feedback in our forums.
For console players, Mods will be coming to Xbox One in May and PlayStation 4 in June. We have a lot to do yet, but we hope it changes console gaming the way it has changed PC.
Finally, we’d like to thank all the Modders who volunteered to beta test the Creation Kit and Mods during our closed beta. Your feedback has been invaluable and we couldn’t have done it without you. For them and for all our players, we can’t wait to see what you create.
Ubisoft® Celebrates 30 Years of Creating Games at E3 2016
Ubisoft has revealed its plans for E3 2016, where its creative teams will proudly present highly anticipated titles such as Watch Dogs 2, For Honor™ and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands. They’ll also detail new content coming for live games and – as usual – unveil some surprises.
The week will kick off with Ubisoft’s E3 2016 Conference, taking place on Monday, June 13 starting at 1 p.m. PDT and preceded by a 30-minute pre-show. E3 attendees can experience Ubisoft games at its booth (booth #1023, South Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center) from June 14 – 16. More than 1,700 fans also have the opportunity to play Ubisoft games and meet the development teams at the fourth-annual Ubisoft Lounge.
“E3 is always a very special moment when everyone in the entertainment business does their best to amaze and engage gamers. For Ubisoft’s teams, it’s a period of pride and of anxious anticipation because they are finally showing off the games they’ve poured so much passion into, and receiving feedback from players and peers. Our industry has evolved so much in the past 30 years, but what hasn’t changed is my love and respect for the limitless passion and talent of developers and players alike,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO, Ubisoft. “The video game industry continues to enjoy strong momentum, with powerful new platforms that enable more creativity, expression and imagination. More than ever, video games are showing how they will shape the future of entertainment. I can’t wait to be at E3 and see what the future has in store.”
Ubisoft E3 2016 Conference
Actress and comedian Aisha Tyler hosts her fifth Ubisoft E3 Conference, which will include all new trailers and gameplay demos for upcoming Ubisoft games. The conference will be broadcast live and on demand on Ubisoft.com, Ubisoft’s YouTube channel as well as on its Twitch channel.
Ubisoft Booth -- #1023, South Hall, LACC
E3 attendees can visit the Ubisoft booth to further explore the lineup, which includes:
For Honor™: Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, For Honor drops gamers into the chaos of a raging battlefield during an ongoing war between three Great Factions: the bold Knights, the brutal Vikings and the enigmatic Samurai. For every battle, players can choose which warrior they want to embody amongst the unique Heroes from this pantheon, using their distinct skills and weapons to fight for land, people and honor, decimating all soldiers, archers and opposing Heroes who stand in their way.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands: Set a few years from now, Ghost Recon Wildlands lets players lead a team of Ghosts, a four-player U.S. Elite Special Operations unit, on a covert mission to eliminate the Santa Blanca drug cartel, an underworld power and growing global threat within Ubisoft’s imagining of an incredibly beautiful, yet dangerous Bolivia.
South Park™ The Fractured But Whole™: Delve into the crime-ridden underbelly of South Park as the newest member of Coon & Friends. As the New Kid, players must harness their super powers to fight crime and become part of the most beloved superhero franchise of all time.
Eagle Flight™: Developed exclusively for virtual reality, players will soar over the skies of Paris as an eagle and experience the freedom of flight. Players take on enemies in fast-paced multiplayer battles for up to 3v3 or level-up flying skills in single player to navigate their eagle gracefully through the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Special guests will be in attendance and a jam-packed program of performances is scheduled throughout the week.
