Shots from E3 2016

Shots from E3 2016 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that the annual E3 gaming Expo is underway.

Thanks to Gavin of Pursuit PR and the XBox team who are there, here are some shots from the floor at E3 of the people, the games and the experience!

Some of the highlights include Halo Wars 2 and Forza Horizon 3!

To watch the XBox E3 showcase, click here

To watch trailers from the XBox E3 unveils, click here!

And to catch all the action, head to Twitch for XBox live streaming

Me Before You: Film Review

Me Before You: Film Review

Cast: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Charles Dance, Janet McTeer, Stephen Peacocke, Matthew Lewis, Jenna Coleman
Director: Thea Sharrock

The Fault in Our Stars, If I Stay, Last Cab to Darwin; there have been a growing number of cinematic entrants to the pantheon of doomed love and illness literature in the past few years.

The latest contender, Me Before You, taken from Jo Jo Moyes' book and adapted by the author, is the most current addition to the cinematic experience that is kryptonite to many - the weepie.

Buoyed by likeable (and bankable) stars Emilia Clarke (she of dragons and Thrones fame) and Sam Claflin (he of Hunger Games fame), large swathes of this story are forgiven their cliches because of the chemistry between this duo.

Claflin plays Will Traynor, an aristocratic castle-dwelling guy who lives life to the full, has it all and in a sequence before the credits, has it all taken away and is paralysed from the neck down when hit by a motorbike. Trapped in a chair in a small town, his life as a quadriplegic his future. 

Enter Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke as the eccentric small town girl Lou Clark, a perpetually perky, expressively eye-browed, quirkily dressed potential carer, whose life is a struggle to help her family and make ends meet. Initially reticent and hostile to Lou, Will finds her perkiness wears him down - and the two begin to form a friendship.

However, in the background, a dark secret is waiting.

Meshing the Intouchables with an English sensibility and a different performance from Clarke, this fairy tale story of the guy in the castle in the village is exactly what you'd expect from the genre.

Wrapped in portions of humour - some appropriate, some not - and blessed with two chalk and cheese leads that you actually manage to care about even though it's a story you've seen a million times before, Me Before You is a twee journey that dawdles a little on its way to its eventual destination.

The problem is that the struggle for Will never feels real and a story decision over assisted suicide feels narratively necessary for the film and book's USP rather than the cinematic catharsis. It's no discredit to Claflin at all, whose subtle performance is perfectly in keeping with the genre and shows his bitterness at times, but merely the writing which lets him down.

He's not alone though, as the film is packed full of underwritten and underused supporting characters that hardly feature except when it suits proceedings. (Step forward, Matthew Lewis aka Neville Longbottom and Lou's boyfriend) 

Inevitably the Hollywood trappings and tropes of the genre forbid the darkness from seeping into this rom-com-sick-lit piece, and it's a shame that the final portion of the film actually lacks some of the emotional heft it could have achieved. (Though there were some women at the screening with wet eyes). 

Still in a film where one of the leads has never seen a subtitled film or where another is constantly apparently in pain but never glimpsed, it's to be expected of Me Before You. 

Shoe-horning in melodrama at the end and washing everything over with a twee brush and a MOR soundtrack is to be expected, and ultimately, Me Before You works within the confines of its genre, 

However, it means this mix of wannabe optimism, bizarre take on the reality of being disabled and predictable formulaic fare is what you'd expect - but given its euthanasia edges and the debate of a right to die storyline, those involved fudge the most interesting kernel of the piece in favour of a quirky and mawkish rom-com.

Marguerite: Film Review

Marguerite: Film Review

Cast: Catherine Frot, Andre Macon, Sylvain Dieuaide, Christa Theret
Director: Xavier Giannoli

Hollywood's already brought us this tale and in a relatively short space of time in the form of Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep, but this French version of the same story is an eminently classier version.

This time it's 1920s Paris and it's the story of Marguerite Dumont, a wealthy woman who's a patron of the arts and opera. Imbued with the delusion that she's a good singer, her tone is less than aurally pleasant.

However, when a journalist Lucien Beaumont writes a review of her performance, Dumont misinterprets the barbs within and furthers her delusion of singing to the masses. So, deciding to organise a concert for others to enjoy, Dumont's dysfunctional belief deepens...

Marguerite is a different beast to the all together fluffier Florence Foster Jenkins.

Dividing the story up in to five chapters and setting the whole thing in some sumptuous period details is mightily beneficial.

Unlike the delayed gratification of its Hollywood counterpart, Marguerite wastes no time in showing off Dumont's dismal drone which helps make the film a different beast. Admittedly, there is still no fuller explanation as to why Dumont was encouraged to sing and why no-one took the time to be honest with her, but there are subtleties in this version that hint at the adage of never being cruel to someone face to face.

Interestingly, the film digs deeper into the after effects of Dumont's delusion, with a hospitalisation chapter hinting at a breakdown that doctors are trying to treat. There's a sympathetic touch deployed by Giannoli that's involving, and a tone that's set which is more endearing than a straight out laugh fest.

Unfortunately, if Frot delivers a stronger performance and a more heartbreaking approach in a slightly over-long film, some of the other side plots don't fare as well.

Theret is impressive as the singer brought in early on and a side-plot involving her career and potential relationship with Dieuaide's Beamount is torn asunder from the narrative with a few lines thrown in that make no sense and lead to too much for the audience to draw on.

Macon as the husband and Denis Mpunga as Mandelbos the house servant present nuanced turns as carers for Dumont; the former realising too late the damage his indulgence and laissez-faire attitude have wreaked. Elsewhere Mandelbos is clearly devoted to Dumont and it becomes his way into the film for the rest of us.

Ultimately, Marguerite's folie a deux attitude is more successful than Frears' broader take on the subject. Thankfully, a restrained performance from Frot, covered in earnestness and heart make her Dumont a character not a caricature (an important difference that Frears overlooked) and consequently makes Marguerite a film that gives more of a psychological take on an enigmatic subject.

Though admittedly, if I never hear a mangled version of The Queen of the Night aria again in my lifetime, it'll be too soon.

E3 2016 - Sony Press conference

E3 2016 - Sony Press conference

It's here - the E3 2016 Sony Press Conference kicks off from 1pm today.

Make sure you're tuned in!

XBox E3 trailers 2016

XBox E3 trailers 2016

UBISOFT E3 live press conference

UBISOFT E3 live press conference

Watch live video from Ubisoft on www.twitch.tv

Filmed in Supermarionation: Blu Ray Review

Filmed in Supermarionation: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Madman Home Ent

An exhaustive (and occasionally exhausting) look at the work of Gerry Anderson and his team, Filmed in Supermarionation is a doco that will appeal to any child of the 60s or lover of Thunderbirds.

But if you're an outsider to these phenomena (not sure how that is even possible) it may leave you a little cold.

Using the hook of an interview between Parker and Lady Penelope, the doco takes some of the puppeteers and interview with Gerry Anderson to tell you how it all came to be. Blending footage, with behind the scenes shots proves to be quite the tonic for fans and it's a surprise how far back the company goes - from a Western to roots as film-makers, no stone is left unturned here.

And that's potentially one of the problems of the two hour piece.

It's a little too in-depth and feels occasionally like a bit of a drag. Some expeditious editing could have been employed to ensure the doco didn't hit some lows, even if they are inevitable. There's no doubting the blast of nostalgia and the welcome exposure to those behind the scenes leaves a lot to salivate over, but Filmed in Supermarionation's run time is more of an insidious villain than anything Captain Scarlet ever faced.

All in all, there's no denying Filmed in Supermarionation represents an important look at the TV history that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their team created - it's just a shame that in some ways, this doco is more for lovers of the genre rather than casting a wider net to appeal to many more.