Grimsby: Blu Ray Review

Grimsby: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent



2012 marked the last time we saw provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen attempting to push the envelope with The Dictator.

So he's back with another character and more of a spy action comedy film than a mockumentary in the style of Borat or Bruno.

This time, Baron Cohen is taking on the North of England but also hinting at a softer more sentimental style with his story of Nobby (Baron Cohen) and Sebastian (Mark Strong, surprisingly game and willing to debase himself), who've been separated for 28 years.

But when Sebastian, who's now working for MI6, finds his cover blown by his England tattoo-sporting football shirt-wearing brother as he tries to foil an assassination, he's forced on the run and to co-opt his brother Nobby into helping stop the murder of WorldCure (played by Penelope Cruz).

If Bruno and Borat had the ability to shock and provoke, Grimsby is a tamer affair, a sort of spy caper that is more obsessed with the puerile and promotes gay panic with wild abandon.

And yet by entrusting the proceedings to Now You Can See director Louis Leterrier, what emerges is a slick, pacy piece that doesn't stay still long enough for you to pick fault with its sub par-Kingsman leanings.

Emerging as a kind of knob and AIDS-obsessed spiritual successor to Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig's Spy, Grimsby is doused with Baron Cohen's DNA and a Viz style anal fixation that's cyclical with the beginning leading you by the hand to its closing crowd capper.

However, despite appearing to be mocking the Northern scum of the hive of council flat dwelling working classes, Grimsby is doused in a blanket of sentiment that's as gooey as Baron Cohen has ever got.

Fear not though, there are the usual scatological minings of proceedings that you would expect and Baron Cohen unwelcomely revives HIV and AIDS jokes with nothing more than a reason to offend. This is not smart satire by any stretch of the imagination and there's a guarantee you won't feel good for for laughing at what transpires.

There's an obvious topical reference or two that pokes fun at the US elections, and one sequenceset in South Africa will see you either on its side or wondering how much lower the bar can go.

Character is lacking; no one emerges as fully rounded and is there simply to debase themselves in one way or another.

Strong deserves some accolade for playing it straight before giving into the lunacy of proceedings and even strengthens the case for an older spy franchise with him as the lead.

And Leterrier deserves some kudos for the initial POV action pieces which echo Hardcore Henry and many FPS video games. His zip and fast pace propels everything along nicely too, though it's fair to admit the 84 mins starts to feel stretched thin as time wears on.

Ultimately, in among the Liam Gallagher mocking swagger and the butthole obsession that tends to low hanging fruit, Grimsby is a puerile film that occasionally produces some unexpected laughs. It's not art, but to be frank, it never professes to be and gleefully and perversely soldiers on its mission to attempt to offend as well as riff on the spy/ mismatched buddy genre that's proven so fruitful in the past. Though admittedly, it's more Bourne Stupid, than Bourne Supremacy.

Rating:

Newstalk ZB Review - Tarzan, Central Intelligence, Sing Street

Newstalk ZB Review - Tarzan, Central Intelligence, Sing Street

This week with Jack Tame, talking a number of new releases: Legend of Tarzan (starring Alexander Skarsgard's abs), Central Intelligence (The Rock with a fanny pack), and Sing Steet (coming of age with Duran Duran). 

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-tarzan-central-intelligence-sing-street/

Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault PS4 Review

Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Square Enix

The second DLC from Just Cause 3 delivers the usual amount of destructive ACME styled mayhem you've come to expect from the series.

In Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault, the heat is back on Rico Rodriguez to help free prisoners taken by new threat The Black Hand on a new island in Medici. Lacrima, with all its woods, trees and smashable bridges is the new home of chaos and destruction as you take on this military group.

And it's a little harder than the previous expansion - thanks to the military being a bit more onto it with Bavarium weapon equipped drones, assaults can see you taken down in moments. Thankfully though, there are some handy mech machines to help you in your quest to destroy.

Liberating provinces is the name of the game again, and freeing prisoners. It all follows a pattern; lead an assault on a compound, free the prisoners, help them hold their ground. But it adds an extra element to the liberation mechanic which drags out more of the gameplay.

Thankfully, the mechs can make the difference. Equipped with some fairly strong armour, some powerful weaponry and a force weapon that picks up items, people and equipment and hurls it into the distance, there's plenty of firepower to wield here, even if your wanted level rises to the highest echelons a lot quicker.

With a push and pull mechanic and heaps of destructive chaos that needs a bit more planning rather than simply running in and blasting, Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault DLC is the usual leave your brain at the door style gaming. But as that's what so loveable about Just Cause 3, that's no bad thing.

The BFG: Film Review

The BFG: Film Review

Cast: Mark Rylance, Jemaine Clement, Ruby Barnhill, Bill Hader, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall
Director: Steven Spielberg

Back in 1982, Roald Dahl changed the landscape of kids' books with the release of The BFG.

Along with Quentin Blake's distinctive drawings, the 208 page book went on to sell 37 million copies and seal itself into the world's collective psyche.

The film version doesn't deviate too far from the original storyline, telling of 10 year old orphan Sophie (newcomer Barnhill) and her chance encounter with the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) after she sees him one night.

Scooping her up and taking her to Giant Country to avoid being revealed, the pair form a friendship - but Sophie's in danger with other Giants of the land sniffing her out and threatening to snuff her out. Because it turns out that a series of abductions in London are all at the hands of the Giants....

The BFG is a refreshingly wondrous and lovely piece of old school film.

Which is both its strength and bizarrely, its weakness.

Spielberg's eye for visuals is indulged in this Harry Potter-esque human beans flick, that keeps the original nonsense Jar Jar Binks style language that so perpetuated the book as it dawdles on its way to its final destination. The sequence where The BFG takes Sophie out to grab dreams is truly magical, and reminiscent of the flying lights in Close Encounters. Spielberg still has an eye for the mysterious, and shrouds part of this sequence in a mist and executes it in shadows, giving it a dream-like quality that's hard to ignore.

Equally, the execution of Rylance as Quentin Blake's BFG is nothing short of eye-popping CGI wizardry, thanks to Joe Letteri and his WETA cohorts.

A mix of Rylance's features and Blake's distinctive strokes gives the character the warmth, sadness and geniality that's so inherent within, and the expressive features and subtle touches from a heartfelt Rylance convey plenty of emotion and give life to a character which has so enraptured so many.

Perhaps a slightly weaker link though is first time actor Ruby Barnhill, who comes off as a mix of both precocious and and ever so slightly irritating. She's a few directions short of pantomime at the best of times but eventually settles down into the role - even if Spielberg's determined in the final stretch to purvey a parody of a monarchy England with pomp and ceremony that was so prevalent in the 1980s. (Though admittedly there are long swathes of just talking and bonding between the BFG and Sophie in Giant Country that the story could be accused of dawdling in its slightly overlong run-time).

It's true to the book (aside from the giant invasion) so is in keeping with Dahl's original take on it all, but in the final third of the film, the intrusions of the real world prove to be more of a distraction than anything.

The evil giants, led by Jemaine Clement's Fleshlumpeater, are a mixed bag.

While the digital execution of Fleshlumpeater looks like a cross between Austin Powers' Fat Bastard and a Warcraft Orc, Clement's Ali G style London intonations give it a comically threatening edge that feel like a gangster's taken on Dungeons and Dragons. The rest of the clan aren't so well fleshed out and ultimately never feel like a threat at all (particularly given that they're deemed to be so dangerous).

There's no real danger in The BFG; it's a genuinely lovely family film that feels very much of yesteryear and its failings as a story are predominantly led by the source material.

There's something nostalgic and familiar about The BFG and something comforting about Spielberg's execution of it - whether it proves to be box office gold though in a changed landscape remains to be seen.

Win a Star Trek - Beyond prize pack

Win a Star Trek - Beyond prize pack

"Star Trek Beyond," the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns.

This time around with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew.

In “Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Starring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Sofia Boutella, Idris Elba

Star Trek Beyond hits cinemas July 20th

To celebrate the release of Star Trek Beyond, I've got double passes and a light up pen to giveaway! 


To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com  and in the subject line put BEYOND. 

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Competition closes July 20th.

Win a double pass to see Disney's THE BFG

Win a double pass to see Disney's THE BFG

To celebrate the release of The BFG in cinemas July 7th, I've got passes to giveaway to the BFG!


About The BFG

The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part.

Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle.

Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions.

The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome.

Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com  and in the subject line put BFG. 

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Competition closes July 7th.

Pac-Man 256: PS4 Review

Pac-Man 256: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Developed by Hipster Whale
Released by Bandai Namco

The gobbling never stops.

First released on iOs and Android in 2015, Hipster Whale's take on an endless Pac-Man was nothing short of a smash. Fiendishly addictive gaming, the game thrived on the infamous 256 glitch which ate up parts of the game.

Incorporating simplicity itself, you take on the usual formula of being Pac-Man and eating the pellets, while negotiating the ghosts and avoiding death. But in this endless maze runner, there are a lot more ghosts, power-ups and an inevitable glitch that destroys the board from the bottom up with unending pathological digital gibberish spreading over in its place (which of course can kill you).

Adding in missions, such as eating a certain number of fruit, of power ups and giving you the chance to collect credits to spend on boosting those power ups, makes Pac-Man 256's simplicity and reasons to play time and time again obvious to see. It's not a difficult game or one that really changes much each time you pick it up, but it is one that remains fun and is addictive each time you end up dead.

Chaining pellet swallowing brings great rewards, and power ups around the board make a difference - from tornados to swelling Pac-Man's size, there's enough to collect here to make it worthwhile. And the multiplayer element makes Pac-Man 256 an interesting game without deviating too far from its core raison d'etre.

Graphically, it looks tight. Meshing the old school aesthetics of the arcade game and bright colours, it's a no brainer on the next-gen console even if the game's engine doesn't exactly test the grunt of the PS4. When Pac-Man's killed, he explodes into a series of blocky pixels across the screen; each minor chunk of his inner core exposed for all to see.

It's easy to see why this handheld game has made the jump to a console - 3 hours on a Friday night was lost to its simplicity of execution and its well achieved gameplay. And for something that builds from a basis of 30 years ago, that's no mean feat. A great blend of classic and new, Pac-Man 256 is a fun addition to the pantheon of pellet-gobbling games and at a low price, well worth your time.