Rams: Film Review

Rams: Film Review

Cast: Sigurour Sigurjonsson, Theodo Juliusson, Charlotte Boving
Director: Grimur Hakonarson

Bucolic and fraternal, Scandi-drama Rams is a look at the devastation a blight can cause both in a relationship and also in a farming community.

Brothers Kiddi and Gummi (bearded grizzled types Sigurjonsson and Juliusson) live side by side and have done for years. But they don't talk, victims of a fall-out never explored but oft mentioned. Tensions are further exacerbated when Kiddi's rams beat Gummi's in a competition, sealing the deal and the drift between the pair.

However, when Gummi finds signs of fatal degenerative disease scrapie in Kiddi's flock, things boil over as the flocks in the valley have to be slaughtered to protect the spread. But Kiddi believes it's Gummi's jealousy that has hit the limit over their flock's lineage, even though vets back Gummi up.

So, with the valley's livelihood and the community ripped asunder by the cull, the battle lines are drawn.

Quietly unassuming and sensibly executed, Rams' power lies in the ramifications of actions, as well as the exploration of the bleakly wry humour of two scrapping for generations. Hakonarson uses the landscapes and bleak conditions to maximum effect - soon after the cull, winter arrives, a literal freezing of relationships between the brothers extrapolated on a larger canvas.

Where it's perhaps less successful is in the wider community. The consequences of a disease like scrapie (much like its UK equivalent BSE or Foot and Mouth disease) are that people buckle under the pressure and bow to darker moments, but Hakonarson is not interested in anyone outside of the central duo, whom he focusses on yet never fully explores their reasons for the rift. It's a frustration among the sedentary pace, and while it's understandable that there's no place for plot-convenient exposition, it's a factor that proves you to feel emotionally aloof and ultimately irritated by the conclusion, the emotional weight of which is somewhat lost.

There is a mournful sadness in Rams that could be mistaken by some for darker comedy, but it's the isolation within that proves to be Rams' strength and the ambiguity of other parts of it that proves to be its weakness.

Suicide Squad: Film Review

Suicide Squad: Film Review

Cast: Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Ben Affleck, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman
Director: David Ayer

Bad guys have all the fun, right?

Well, for at least the first third of Suicide Squad, the DC's anti-heroes Dirty Dozen-esque smackdown based on the 1959 comics series, that's probably true.

The opening of this teaming up of the bad guys after they're enlisted by a government agency to take down a baddie who's terrorising the world (in usual portal opening fashion downtown in some New York style place) is a blast. With its pop art aesthetics and its (over-use) of big music hits all over the place, it's a real attempt at a thumbing of the nose at those who say DC can't match Marvel for cinematic chutzpah as it trots out a montage of tranced up fever dream proportions. (Though Guardians of the Galaxy has no need to worry).

But, then the creative wheels dramatically fall off as it hurtles into rote formulaic shooter CGI destruction comic book territory with nary enough character to propel it through or a villain that's more super-sized than this clutch of imprisoned bad guys.

And on top of that, logic and character fall right through the floor as the film fails to follow any of its own rules.

Don't even let's get started on either the Joker's extended cameo and the way the camera fetishizes and leers over Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. (That Quinn thing may be in keeping with the comic books, but it just feels creepy as it transpires on screen).

To be fair though, what Suicide Squad gets right, it gets completely right.

The twisted abusive relationship love story between Robbie's Harley and Leto's deliciously deranged Joker is reverent to a tee from the source material, even if a few too many flashbacks hit the pace of that portion.

Overt problematic leering sexism from the camera aside, Robbie absolutely owns the part of a manic Harley Quinn, and nails the nuttiness of the coquettish doctor who suffered from Stockholm Syndrome to a tee; hers is one of the few on screen who get the characteristics right on and gets enough from the script to breathe life into the film.

And Will Smith's on target as the sharpshooter Deadshot, with a combination of dialled down quips and seriousness, which, to be honest, Ayer's film would have been better following. Hints of a love triangle with Quinn flounder however, and could have been an intriguing development.

However, it's the way Suicide Squad squanders its promise and becomes a formulaic exposition heavy CGI blockbuster that's the biggest disappointment - and a lack of characterisation doesn't help matters too.

When it comes to the rest of the squad, they barely figure in the character stakes; a jumbled muddled mess of a supporting troupe that get nary a moment to shine through or time to shine. From Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's underused Killer Croc to Karen Fukuhara's Katana who's simply there to pose post Samurai sword slice, the squad's sidelined or disposable. Even Leto's psychotic take on Joker is reduced to a mere extended cameo.

It means the stakes are less than high at all as this mash up of The Raid and any of the Avengers films plays out, with the Squad taking on CGI rejects from The Mummy films in a disappointingly familiar conclusion.

The supernatural Enchantress aka Cara Delevingne doesn't hold enough threat to give the film the edge it needs or the emotional investment it's crying out for - and certainly her reasons for doing what she's doing are unnecessarily muddied and a bit average beyond belief.

Overblown, overwrought and overwhelmed by such a formulaic path after such an electric start, Suicide Squad is a muddle of a film - if they'd simply put more effort into the Squad or trimmed down parts of it to nail a tighter focus, this Suicide Squad could have soared.

Instead, this mess flounders, begging you to put it out of its misery in an audience assisted suicide.

Win a double pass to see THE SHALLOWS

Win a double pass to see THE SHALLOWS

In the taut thriller The Shallows, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark.

Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills

It will require all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.

The Shallows hits cinemas August 18th

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and starring Blake Lively




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

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Competition closes August 18th and is exclusive to New Zealand only!  

THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK trailer

THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK trailer

THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK, a film with an unprecedented insight into the touring years of the world’s biggest band, will be screening in cinemas across New Zealand from September 16, 2016.

Xbox One S launches in NZ

Xbox One S launches in NZ

The new slimline XBox One S has hit stores around the country.

Key features include:

Slimmer and sleeker. With a fresh new design built from the ground up and “robot white” color, the Xbox One S is 40 percent smaller than the original Xbox One, creating the most compact Xbox yet. It also includes a built-in power supply and, in response to fan requests worldwide, can be placed horizontally or vertically with an optional stand. With fans at the core of what we do, Xbox One S offers exceptional games and entertainment value.

4K Ultra HD media. With Xbox One S, you will be able to watch Blu-ray movies and stream video in stunning 4K Ultra HD.

 4K content from Netflix is available starting 7/29 with the Xbox Update and content from partners like Amazon Video will be available shortly after launch.

To review the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray experience, please download the Ultra HD Blu-ray Player app from the Store. 

High Dynamic Range (HDR) support for video and gaming. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, HDR brings out the true visual depth of your games and media so you can experience richer, more luminous colors as you play your favorite games like Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Scalebound. Xbox One S supports HDR10 standards.

Increased accessibility. We shifted one of the three USB ports and the pairing button to the front of the Xbox One S alongside the newly added IR blaster, allowing for better accessibility.

New Xbox Wireless Controller. Every Xbox One S comes with a newly designed Xbox Wireless Controller featuring a sleek, streamlined design in white, textured grip for enhanced comfort and an updated thumbstick design that significantly reduces wear. An added Bluetooth radio gives you easy wireless connection to your Windows 10 PCs and tablets. The new controller features our most reliable wireless signal ever, with up to two times the wireless range compared to previous controllers when used with Xbox One S. You can also purchase as a standalone product for $99.95 NZD.

Various hard drive options to fit your needs. With Xbox One S, you can choose the hard drive that’s right for you, with 500GB and 1TB consoles as well as the special launch edition of Xbox One S that lets you store more games with a 2TB hard drive.

Xbox Summer Update. Starting July 30, Xbox One and the Xbox app will receive the first of two updates this year that will help you stay connected with friends on Xbox Live and enjoy even more games across your favorite devices. Cortana comes to Xbox One, as your digital gaming assistant, use Cortana to help you complete tasks while staying focused in the game; we’re updating the Game Collection interface to make it faster and easier to find and launch the games you’re looking for; Facebook Friend Finder is expanding from the Xbox app to Xbox One and is a great way to find and add your Facebook friends on Xbox; the Xbox and Windows Stores will start to become unified; in addition, the top PC games on Windows now show up in Xbox Live, complete with Game Hubs; and more.

Xbox One S will also be available soon with 1TB and 500GB hard drives.

• 500GB Console bundles – RRP $499 launches August 23rd
• 1TB Console bundles – RRP $599 launches August 23rd

Newstalk ZB Review - Jason Bourne, Under The Shadow and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Newstalk ZB Review - Jason Bourne, Under The Shadow and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

This week on the Newstalk ZB Review with Jack Tame, I take a look at Jason Bourne, Under The Shadow and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Take a listen below :

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-jason-bourne-under-the-shadow/

Elle: NZIFF Review

Elle: NZIFF Review

Like some kind of balancing act between bleak darkness and dark humour, Paul Verhoeven’s ELLE walks a singular tightrope through the audience, caring not for the view below as it drops its extraordinary bombs.

A simply stellar Isabelle Huppert stars as Michele the head of a video game company whose life is targeted when she’s viciously sexually assaulted in her home. (A fact that Verhoeven doesn’t shy away from as he instigates the film by unleashing it right at the very beginning.)

But rather than head to the police to report the rape, Michele shockingly shuns the legal avenue (for reasons that become clearer as the film unfurls, just one of Verhoeven's strength as he concocts the cinematic web) for a bath and to simply get on with life. Verhoeven’s use of blood in bubble bath before it’s casually swept to one side by Michele is one of the film’s over-riding stark and shocking images.

With a cold laissez faire approach, Michele casually announces over dinner with some friends that she’s been assaulted; the response from one friend is to ask the waiter to hold the champagne being opened – yep, it’s Verhoeven through and through using the pristine veneer of the French language and attitude to prod and provoke his audience from the get go.

As the story progresses in Elle, you’re better off not knowing what’s due to happen, as part of the devilish delight in the film comes from the gradual teasing of details in this psychological thriller that picks at you like a cinematic scab, daring you to pull it off and delighting in the equal waves of pleasure and pain as you do so.

In this adaptation of Philippe Djian’s 2012 novel “Oh…”,  78 year old provocateur  Paul Verhoeven certainly knows how to press the buttons of those watching, and how to give the whole thing a kind of amoral sheen that’s steeped in both complexity and a twisted veneer.

Huppert helps in large parts too, making Michele a character which it’s hard to get a grip on.

On the one hand, her ordeal implies elicit sympathy for her plight, but on the other, her immediate behaviour post-event sees you unsure of where your allegiances and sympathies should lie. It helps that she’s incredibly commanding from go to woah as this disturbed journey plays out. One character tells her, “You never give anything truly of yourself” and perhaps this is the best summation of the character, thanks to a subtly nuanced turn from Huppert as the shocks and the twisted, yet empowering, scenario plays out.

Ultimately, Elle is one hell of a firecracker of a film - a cinematic amoral powderkeg that's due to explode under the weight of such provocation but whose explosion ends up in the safe hands of Paul Verhoeven. There'll be debate aplenty about what you've seen on the screen, but there'll be no debate about the performance of Isabelle Huppert and the bravura of Verhoeven.