Eddie the Eagle: DVD Review

Eddie the Eagle: DVD Review

There's no disputing that Michael Edwards aka Eddie The Eagle was a defining character at the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics.

With his Coca Cola bottle bottom strength glasses and unswerving determination as well as his antics on the piste, he was a crowd favourite - and it's easy to see why Sunshine on Leith director Dexter Fletcher was drawn to the story. (Even if they have taken plenty of liberties with the telling of the underdog story).

Kingsman star Taron Egerton takes on the role of the bespectacled wannabe Olympian whose plucky belief dates back to the 70s when he's strapped into a caliper and told repeatedly by his father that he'll never amount to anything on the sporting front. Despite all the odds being stacked against him, and despite his ineptitude threatening to cripple him before he's even started, Edwards resolves to take himself off to the Winter Olympics as the first ever British ski jumper. But with no backing from the British Olympics Association, who view him as a joke, and a distinct lack of support from his dad who's determined Eddie will be a plasterer, the stage is set for struggle and a degree of triumph.

Eddie The Eagle is supposed to be the embodiment of a feel-good film and the personification of the old adage that God loves a trier. Having lived through his "victories", there was something admirable, something innately British and genial about Edwards' unblinking determination to achieve his goal and his continual onslaught against the odds.

Egerton is the epitome of Edwards from his facial tics to his continual pushing up of his glasses, there's just something spot on with his portrayal - even if some will feel he veers close to gurning throughout, Egerton's study of what made Edwards who he was is close to perfection. That said, it doesn't fully help you to engage with his character and he rarely transcends into the loveable loser territory which is needed for an underdog film.

And Jackman's fictional coach who helps Edwards to soar the heights while conquering his own demons makes a good foil too- both leads are likeable if difficult to fully engage with.

Fletcher makes good fist of the material as well, using the obligatory training montage and setting it to Hall and Oates. He also makes the ski jumping seem as daunting as it probably is, by showing the scope of the jumps with some ground level camera shots to set the scene. These are perhaps the major crowning achievement of the film.

Yet, Eddie the Eagle doesn't hit the highs that it aspires too - sure, it's crowd-pleasing in parts but feels restrained in others, and as a result, it never soars as you'd expect it to.

Keanu: DVD Review

Keanu: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Propagated from an extended sketch by the feel of it, comedians Key and Peele try and fail miserably with this film that aims to send up gangs and sees one of the duo doing a Dwayne Johnson OTT impression.

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele star as Clarence and Rell, two cousins who are nowhere near as street smart as they think they are. (One listens repeatedly to George Michael's Faith and Father Figure). When Rell's kitten Keanu is kidnapped, the duo infiltrate a street gang to get it back. And "hilarity" ensues.

Painful in many ways, Keanu's humour is scatter-shot at best (and perhaps better suited to anyone who's been drinking a lot) with many moments falling flat as the film drags on. Despite a cameo from an actress, the film's lacking in originality and while the kitten may be cute, the continued over-acting on Key's part as Clarence is grating.

One to be avoided at all costs, Keanu is nowhere near what it could have been.

Dishonored 2 | Pre-order to Play a Day Early | New Gameplay Video – High Chaos in the Clockwork Mansion

Dishonored 2 | Pre-order to Play a Day Early | New Gameplay Video – High Chaos in the Clockwork Mansion

We’re pleased to announce that anyone who pre-orders Dishonored 2 will be able to play the game a day early before the official worldwide release.

In addition, we’ve just released a new gameplay video entitled ’Kill the Grand Inventor’.

 Watch as Emily Kaldwin navigates the grand inventor’s treacherous and intricate Clockwork Mansion using her supernatural abilities, weapons and gadgets – eliminating anyone who gets in her way.

 Reprise your role as a supernatural assassin in Dishonored 2, the next chapter in the award-winning Dishonored saga by Arkane Studios, set to launch worldwide on November 11, 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Delilah, a mad witch with black magic powers, has seized the throne from Empress Emily Kaldwin, leaving the fate of the Isles hanging in the balance.

As either Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano, travel beyond the legendary streets of Dunwall to Karnaca – a once-dazzling coastal city that holds the key to restoring Emily to power. Armed with the mark of the Outsider and powerful new supernatural abilities, hunt down your enemies and forever alter the fate of the Empire. Stay tuned tomorrow for ‘Save Anton Sokolov’ – a low chaos stealth and non-lethal playthrough of the Clockwork Mansion. For more information about the game please visit dishonored.bethesda.net.

New Trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

New Trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

Today, Activision releases a brand new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. We are sending you the trailer now as a standalone video that you can post on your sites.

Additionally, anyone who pre-purchases or who has pre-purchased a Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy or Digital Deluxe Edition on PS4 will be able to play the Modern Warfare Remastered campaign 30 days early, beginning October 5.

For more information on how to get the campaign early access, fans can visit: https://support.activision.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-Remastered-Campaign-Early-Access.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered combine in one package which launches worldwide November 4^th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. 

Me Before You: DVD Review

Me Before You: DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

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 akaNeville 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. 

Titanfall 2 - Single player Cinematic

Titanfall 2 - Single player Cinematic

Good morning Pilots,

A new Cinematic Single Player Trailer for Titanfall 2 has dropped this morning.

Pilots are the dominant force on the Frontier, combined with a Titan their powers become unmatched in battle no matter the odds.

What truly separates a Pilot from a grunt is the Bond between Pilot and Titan, experience it in Titanfall 2's brand new Single Player campaign dropping on October 28th.

Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham PS4 Review

Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham PS4 Review

Developed by Telltale Games
Platform: PS4

The latest chapter of Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham digs deeper into the corruption of the Wayne family and with Bruce dealing with their legacy.

While the first was a little slow burn, this one carries that trend a little as it heads towards showdowns and a particularly gruesome final sequence that happens in a live TV debate which would make Hillary and Trump shudder.

There's not heaps of action in this one, but the storyline's deepened by the mystery of what actually is happening as it looks like a puppetmaster is emerging from the shadows and no-one is who they claim to be. Though admittedly a lot of the set up makes this feel a bit like the TV Series of Gotham where the villains aren't there yet - and perhaps some of the suggested jeopardy may make it feel like Telltale is a little constrained from either bringing in shock moves or breaking from mythology (time will tell on that front).

But this episode concentrates more on the relationships (as well as a very Nightwing-esque bar fight) - and sees Bruce given the choice of how to handle his burgeoning cat pal, Selina Kyle as well as Harvey Dent. It's here the meat and bones of the episode's drama rise and fall and in many ways, the meat and bones of Telltale Games' delve into the Bat-world. It's great to play Bruce so much more rather than simply diving into the tech and mask of the Batman (even though this episode's major choice is about whether to visit a corrupt city official as Bruce or Batman).

While the story's an involving element, parts of the gameplay of episode 2 felt a little disjointed.

Trophies for completion of episodes were popping up halfway through a couple of the latter part's sequences rather than waiting till it had finished; there seems to be a lot more loading times in episode 2 as well. And a couple of times, the game's QTE fight sequences still took place without me choosing an option - it's an intriguing development from Telltale - I've yet to be either killed or maimed in this game or have to start again.

All in all, Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2: Children of Arkham is actually an episodic level that feels like the investigations and the mystery add more to the story than any arcane action sequences; here's hoping there are real consequences ahead for the decisions made in episode 2 or it'll feel like Telltale Games is toying with us and running coy from the moral weight that Batman should actually hold.