The Last Witch Hunter: DVD Review

The Last Witch Hunter: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Mixing up a bit of Harry Potter, some of Men In Black co-existence and Vin Diesel's trademark gruffness, The Last Witch Hunter is a CGI genre fest that could have set up an interesting universe.

Diesel is Kaulder, who managed to slay an all-powerful Queen Witch back in the Dark Ages and staved off the unleashing of the Black Death. But in doing so, the Witch cursed him to be immortal, preventing him from joining his slaughtered family.

Now in the present day, an uneasy truce exists between witches and Kaulder, the Last (and only) Witch Hunter. However, when Kaulder's long time friend and watcher Dolan the 36th (played as the sole exposition deliverer by Michael Caine) is mysteriously offed, Kaulder uncovers a conspiracy to resurrect the Witch and her plans for world destruction.

With the usual Diesel acting flair, The Last Witch Hunter remains a film that could have been so much more, and one which proffers so much potential for a wider universe and tapestry.

Steeped in a mythology that has a depth but little breadth thanks to endless exposition, and touches of Supernatural the TV series, Eisner's managed to pull together a film that's not quite sure what it wants to be. Channeling a mismatched buddy cop vibe when Diesel's Kaulder teams up first with a new Dolan (Elijah Wood), who's clearly out of his depth when it comes to tackling matters and then a mortal enemy of a witch (played by Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie, who brings some light and spunkiness to the proceedings), the film struggles to balance its seriousness with its attempts to throw in some truly laughable dialogue and one-liners.

Shrouded in darkness, the action sequences never really deliver any real punch as this sub-parBuffy The Vampire Slayer rip-off continues - and not one set piece stands out. Although he struggles with the more emotive parts of the film, Diesel's watchable enough (and even the makers of the film are smart / silly enough to give him a fast car to prowl around in as a nod to his famed character) but wandering around like Blade and dipping into his own memories, complete with boggly eyes doesn't really further the plot at all.While the CGI is clearly where the money has been spent on this B-movie and the evocation of the witch's world is a relatively intriguing one that could have done with some more depth to flesh it out. Our very own Rena Owen makes a strong lead as the head of the Witch's council but has little to do except deflect Misfitsand This Is England star Joseph Gilgun's barb that they look like "a horrible band from the 80s". It's this kind of under-writing that plagues the film that aims for low-hanging fruit and succeeds; supporting characters are barely sketched so that when the emotional moments come, they fail to land properly.

All in all, The Last Witch Hunter is not campy enough to be a classic and not strong enough to resonate. It ends with the promise of more films to come, but one hopes that the only prophetic part of the title of The Last Witch Hunter proves to be the word "last".

Rating:

Concussion: Blu Ray Review

Concussion: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent


Based on the book Game Brain and a "True story", Concussion is a worthy but slightly overblown drama about the after effects of American football.

In Pittsburgh (all drab greys and dour palettes) Smith plays Nigerian pathologist Bennet Omalu who's on duty when Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mike Webster (a bloated David Morse) is brought in after apparently committing suicide.

But as the home-town hero is dissected, Omalu falls foul of the fact he's an outsider and that he doesn't watch or understand football. And when further NFL players end up in the mortuary, Omalu begins to feel he should speak for the dead with his proof that repeated collisions lead to life-altering brain injuries - despite the fact no one wants to listen.

Concussion is more a fumble than a touchdown to be frank.

Smith and fellow performer and love interest Mbatha-Raw are usually stars with immense charisma on screen and whose star-wattage usually brings an energetic level to the screen. Wisely dialled down, Smith is more of a dim bulb burning brightly in a film that's earnest but never quite manages to vault its ambitions of celebrating the American dream and overcoming the odds.

Despite a brilliant turn by Albert Brooks as Dr Cyril Wecht, Omalu's mentor who injects some life and some dry wit into the proceedings, this above the line TV movie never manages to fully get off the sideline. Baldwin also manages to give some life to an-off-the-page whistleblower but never soars.

A domestic storyline for Omalu in the form of his love feels shoe-horned in and is turned to when the drama demands a break rather than out of narrative necessity; equally brief glimpses of the players do little to build character before they end up on the slab where Omalu talks gently to them, leading the audience to feel nothing for their demise.

The true horror of the film is the fact these collisions continue to take place and that the NFL is apparently aware of them but refuse to warn players. It's here the dramatic meat of the story lies and the shock factor should have hit home, despite Concussion being over-stuffed with plot. Had it been streamlined and some of the drama benched, it could have been so much more.

But despite everything Smith does in a just above average performance, Concussion's desire to overly ram home the point with an overt over-use of head-crunching footy footage does nothing to further the cause and may have you leaving the cinema scratching your head before forgetting all that's passed.

Rating:

Tale of Tales: Blu Ray Review

Tale of Tales: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R13
Released by Madman Home Ent

The director of Gomorrah and Reality, Matteo Garrone, constructs a Brothers Grimm style triptych with Tale of Tales, taken from a clutch of Neopolitan fairy tales written by Italian poet Giambattista Basile.

In a kingdom (possibly not too far from the visual neighbourhood of Westeros) where monsters, hags, ogres, kings and princesses live, we settle on the stories of a childless queen (Salma Hayek) who turns to magic to achieve her dream, a king (the wonderfully expressive Toby Jones) whose daughter wishes to be married and a randy king (Vincent Cassel) whose libido knows no boundaries.

Garishly gothic and slavishly baroque, Tale of Tales is not going to be everyone's taste.

As we plough through the portmanteau, there are perhaps hints that the stories don't intersect perhaps as well as Garrone would like (a thought borne out by the final shot) even if they do inhabit the same universe. And there are certainly threads that, even when pulled together in the final stages, snap and dangle unconvincingly rather than neatly tie together.

However, it's the visuals and the performances that keep Tale of Tales on a course of cinematic voyeurism.

Certainly the practical creature effects assign the film a credence that would make Guillermo del Toro happy and the locations are truly something to behold- and the human elements are equally as pleasing.

An obsequious Cassel brings thrust to the bacchanal leanings of his king, Hayek has a tragic touch that the barrenness of motherhood can only bring to life, and Toby Jones steals the piece with his superbly expressive king who is more concerned with the love of a tick than the happiness of his daughter (Jones alone deserves praise for the physical comedy he conveys with just a few cursive expressions).

But beneath the veneer of these fairy tales, the miasma of sadness and the thematic bond is a relatively strong one, a reminder that these stories have their heart in bloody tragedy; however, it's a touch that Garrone perhaps fudges in the ultimate execution. The majority of the stories hardly have a satisfying ending and the conclusion of the film feels arbitrary rather than resolute.

Perhaps one to savour for the darker delicious edges rather than the narrative execution, Tale of Tales proves to be a visual feast - albeit a hollow one. 

Newstalk ZB Review: Me Before You, Warcraft, Deadpool and NZIFF 2016

Newstalk ZB Review: Me Before You, Warcraft, Deadpool and NZIFF 2016

Busy slot this week.

As well as talking Tickled and Wilderpeople's US releases with Jack Tame, there's a look at ME BEFORE YOU, WARCRAFT at the cinemas, Deadpool at home, and the news out of the NZIFF 2016 which launches Monday!

Take a listen below

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-me-before-you-warcraft/

New Zealand Film Festival 2016 Trailer special

New Zealand Film Festival 2016 Trailer special

100 pages of Film Festival goodness is unveiled on Monday night, with the annual New Zealand International Film Festival unveiling its 2016 line up.

But there are already details of some films out there - so here's a collection of trailers for what lies ahead!


Poi E Story of our song

 Captain Fantastic

 The Greasy Strangler

 The Lure clip
 

 Everybody Wants Some
 Green Room
 
 Lo and Behold: Reveries of the connected World
 Paterson clip
 
 Swiss Army Man Elle
 I Daniel Blake
 Le Ride
 
 Life Animated
 
 Zero Days
 

Finding Dory: Film Review

Finding Dory: Film Review

Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane

That Finding Dory doesn’t quite repeat the magic of Finding Nemo will really not be a surprise to many.

This parable about living with disability and those around the person with the disability trying to cope and fearing for their future is obvious from the start.

Flashing back to when Ellen DeGeneres’ little blue fish Dory was more or less just a set of big eyes, the story concerns itself this time with her quest to find her parents – when she remembers she has them.

With shards of memory dropping giving her an idea of where they now reside, Dory sets out on a desperate quest to rejoin her brood. Dragging along Nemo and Marlin (Rolence and Brooks respectively) for the ride / swim, Dory finds herself in another world of adventure when she lands up at a marine life institute.

Separated from Nemo and Marlin, Dory befriends Hank an octopus (played by Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill) who’s desperate to stay in the centre, rather than being returned to the sea, as per the marine world’s MO.

There’s no disputing the colour on show on Pixar’s latest is evocative and reminiscent of the greatness that was life under the sea in Nemo. And there’s no disputing the fact that this time around, the critters at the Marine Life Institute are a marvel to behold; once again, the animation is top notch.

But there’s a slight nagging feeling that this sequel doesn’t quite embrace enough of the darkness that is inherent in the story to ensure the heart strings are duly tugged. Perhaps it’s evident of the fact we have a lead character who always forgets, except when she doesn’t, and that the story’s stop-start potential ending feels too rushed and keen to ensure a crowd-pleasing finale and a rote chase sequence.

DeGeneres is a delight though as Dory; her infectious goofiness keeps proceedings brisk and pacy. Equally her interaction with the increasingly grumpy Hank is fun as well – in fact, a lot of the laughs of the film come from Hank’s racing around the institute and blending into the surroundings.

Finding Dory follows a lot of the similar trajectory of Finding Nemo in terms of peril for our protagonists and there’s certainly enough to keep the youngsters amused (though the last 20 minutes saw the little one I was with losing some focus and shifting around in his seat as the darker edges came to the fore).

Pixar’s proven with the likes of Inside / Out and Toy Story 3 that it can do darkness well, so it’s a shame that Finding Dory’s story strays away from where its inherent strengths could have lain. It’s still a good solid family film that entertains as much as it can – and its pre-short film Piper about a seabird finding his sea legs and filling his belly is photo-realism with a side of adorable thrown in as well.

NZIFF 2016 Opening Night Film is....

NZIFF 2016 Opening Night Film is....

WORLD PREMIERE OF POI E ANNOUNCED AS NZIFF OPENING NIGHT

NZIFF today announced the World Premiere screening of Poi E: The Story of Our Song at the Civic Theatre in Auckland on 14 July.

The film has also been confirmed for NZIFF Opening Night in Wellington on Friday 22 July, Christchurch on Thursday 28 July and Dunedin on Thursday 4 August.

Written and directed by Tearepa Kahi (Mt Zion), Poi E takes the audience on a laugh-and-cry emotional journey as it lays out the hard-scrabble context from which the song was born and the relationships which shaped the song and propelled it forward.

“As irresistible as the song it celebrates, Kahi’s documentary explores the many tributaries that flowed into the mashup of pop music, traditional waiata and bop that first took New Zealand by storm in 1984. The film, told largely in Dalvanius’ own words, is brimful of music and frank and funny testimony from numerous participants in the song’s richly peopled history. Taking a lesson from the man himself, Kahi draws the next generation into the story, ably assisted by Taika Waititi, who provides Stan Walker, aged 25, with essential information about what life was like beforePoi E,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

Tearepa Kahi’s career includes the 2013 NZ box office success Mt. Zion starring Stan Walker. He is also a current member of the NZ Film Festival Trust board.

“After viewing this wonderfully entertaining film for the first time it was incredibly hard to continue through the correct channels and not phone Tearepa directly to tell him how impressed I was. No one who sees this film is going to believe any strings were pulled to give it pride of place on our 2016 programme. The staff and trustees of NZIFF congratulate fellow trustee Tearepa Kahi on his awesome film.” says Gosden.

Read more about Poi E at:

http://www.nziff.co.nz/2016/film/poi-e/