Inferno: Film Review

Inferno: Film Review

Cast: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Omar Sy, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Irrfan Khan
Director: Ron Howard

The fourth Robert Langdon book heads to the screen courtesy of Dan Brown's paranoia and Ron Howard's direction.

With Hanks once again reprising his role for a third time as Professor Langdon, it's a tale of amnesia, over-population concerns and a good old fashioned chase movie.

As the film starts, Langdon wakes in a hospital bed where a doctor Sienna (Felicity Jones) tells him he's been shot and has a head wound caused by a bullet grazing him.

Unable to work out what's going on, Langdon, along with Sienna (who turns out to be a fan of his) is on the run amid concerns a global virus is about to be unleashed thanks to a genius called Zobrist (Ben Foster).

With time against them, and a series of chasers closing in, can Langdon solve the puzzle and save the day?

If ever a film was so jammed with conspiratorial edges and paranoia, as well as po-faced portentous dialogue such as "Humanity is inhuman" and "The sixth extinction will be our own", Inferno is that film.

With allusions to Dante's Divine Comedy and inferno, black death imagery, hellish sights given life on the streets via Langdon's visions, flashes of kidnapping, the film's so chock full of stuff happening that it merely disguises the fact there's little going on beneath the surface.

It starts at breakneck speed under Howard's guidance and doesn't really let up or give you the chance to breathe and allow for the contrivances to be accepted as it hurtles through Europe and Italian streets and landmarks.

Hanks is solid as Langdon and Jones is intelligent as his acolyte aide (it's like Doctor Who given a new assistant each time these films come out as Langdon receives a new pretty exposition partner), but there's never really much of a vibe between the pair of them to propel the film through.

Far more successful is Hanks' pairing with Westworld's Babse Knudsen towards the end of the film. As the film slows and the pace drops, the scenes between the two of them develop a lilting humanity and bittersweet edge, lifting proceedings from what is a fairly ludicrous chase movie throughout. Equally welcome, though narratively brief is Khan's shadowy leader, who adds humour to the proceedings that grow increasingly dour and border on the stiffly dull.

With its schlocky edges and predictable twists and turns, it feels like it's a few years too late on the scene and while the book diverges from its own ending to something more sanitary and audience pleasing, it feels like it has no courage of its convictions.

Inferno is the cinematic equivalent of a pulpy paranoiac, writ large; an airport thriller riddled with holes and pretensions, perfect for a journey but forgotten the moment of touchdown.

In many ways, thanks to its dullness, it's the cinematic equivalent of Purgatory.

Marguerite: DVD Review

Marguerite: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Hollywood's already brought us this tale and in a relatively short space of time in the form ofFlorence 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. 

Newstalk ZB Review - The Girl On the Train, Deepwater Horizon and Money Monster

Newstalk ZB Review - The Girl On the Train, Deepwater Horizon and Money Monster

This week on Jack Tame, I took a look at the new thriller The Girl On The Train starring Emily Blunt and Deepwater Horizon with Mark Wahlberg.

And there's a quick look at the George Clooney real time thriller, Money Monster.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-the-girl-on-the-train-deepwater-horizon/

Florence Foster Jenkins: DVD Review

Florence Foster Jenkins: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Ent


There is a comic nugget between Morecambe and Wise and composer Andre Previn where Eric Morecambe astounds Previn by playing a piano concerto at odds with what is expected.

Asked by Previn what he's doing, Morecambe, with Ernie Wise stood proudly over his charge, tells him that he's "playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order". 

The delusion that both Morecambe and Wise have in this very famous sketch extends to Stephen Frears' film of the deluded wannabe soprano singer Florence Foster Jenkins, as a collective mania sets in over her talent (or lack thereof).

Set in New York in 1944, with the depression of World War II hanging over them, Streep is the aforementioned singer, who entertains friends 25 years after founding The Verdi Club. At her side is the renowned (but awful) monologuist and husband St Clair Bayfield (Grant, who is arguably the real star of this piece).

Deciding that she needs a pianist, Jenkins and St Clair end up hiring Cosme McMoon (The Big Bang Theory's Wolowitz aka Simon Helberg) who is aghast to see Jenkins cannot sing and those around her continue to nurture her delusions with sycophancy and lavish her with praise.

But as Florence Foster Jenkins' star continues to rise, she sets her sights on playing Carnegie Hall - to the dismay of McMoon and the panic of St Clair.

To say that Florence Foster Jenkins is a crowd-pleaser is an understatement.

(It's also the second such film about Jenkins since French film Marguerite last year channelled similar vibes).

Much of the first third of the film is set in delicious anticipation of Streep's delivery of Jenkins' mangling of music - and Helberg's nuanced facial reactions as she first warbles (sounding like a chicken gargling and also being strangled) are priceless, pitching the film in its glory.

However, Frears' film comes to rely on Streep's musical interludes once too often as the rest of the biopic plays out - and while Streep imbues her eccentric socialite with degrees of sadness and tragedy, as well as pathos and delusion, there are only elements of why she is like she is laid out, meaning she ends the film more of a delicious enigma than a fully rounded character. 

Granted, there's a perverse pleasure in watching Streep warble out of tone with such conviction, but the film relies on this too much as a crutch to carry it through.

Helberg's subtle performance delivers much to the proceedings but his underdeveloped edges don't help further this into much of a character piece for McMoon, a man whose inner conflict of playing the ultimate venue versus his own integrity could have proved such fertile ground.

Thankfully, in among Frears' excellently realised period details, Grant emerges in one of the best performances of his life. His St Clair is an actor who's come to the realisation that he's good, but never destined to be great - and his revealing this gives the film an underlying tone of melancholy that's greatly welcomed. 

It is Grant's film through and through and he throws all his mannerisms into a turn that's swathed in sadness, love and is ultimately strangely rousing as he throws all his support behind someone who is clearly destined to fail - it is love incarnate and is inspiring to see as he tries to buy off reviewers, sets up invite only concerts and bury the evidence out of nothing more than devotion.

Where Frears' film falls down though is its refusal to hit some of the harder edges it needs - it shies away from exploring Jenkins' delusion, only hinting at the tragedies that have shaped her present (and never once explaining why nobody has told her she could never sing). 

While it could be explained away with the same schadenfreude that sees people embracing clearly bad acts on current day talent shows, the inference that America was in need of a laugh during the end of World War II and needed healing is left sorely under-mined.

Ultimately, Florence Foster Jenkins is a light frothy film that could have been a little more with some tweaks here and there. It tantalisingly offers a glimpse at the why, but gets distracted by its own desire to grandstand Streep into performing badly. It's not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a feeling this charmer could have hit more of the right dramatic notes if it had wanted to by embracing some more of the sadness inherently within.

Rating:

PlayStation VR - hands on

PlayStation VR - hands on

In case you've been living under rock, it can't have escaped your attention that PlayStation VR launches next week.

The headset is set to revolutionise your way of gaming and immerse you into worlds that used to be so flat and one-dimensional.

Getting some time with the VR headset and demos of a few of the titles available at launch was a great boon and allayed some fears that VR may have held within the market-place.

First off, the comfort of the headset is obvious.

Like any glasses user, there's a bit of misting up, but it's momentary and soon passes.

Pads on the front and adjustability of the headset means that the whole thing sits comfortably on your head and doesn't give you the outward feeling of an old school Japanese robot. It feels like it's been designed for comfort, though the idea of anyone sitting there wearing it for some 5 hours in a row seems a little alien right now (never before have the warning messages over taking breaks during gaming been so important, one suspects)

Let's get one thing out of the way first up though - and that's Driveclub VR, which I have to confess, gave me motion sickness and meant I couldn't complete the racing. One suspects that's not going to be an uncommon feeling amongst other gamers for this title, but others I played gave me no sense of wanting to show everyone my lunch. It's possibly due to how realistic the game feels - it is utterly incredible and reminds me of the racers you used to get in arcades, where you'd step into a chair and then be enveloped by the game. Thus it is with DriveClub, one of the most beautiful titles on the PS4.

We already know how visually impressive this title is, and it shows in the execution. Just glimpsing to the passenger seat as the game began, there was so much detail around. And because of that I missed my start and fell to the back of the pack.

As the race progresses, the bumps and the knocks mean everything jiggles and the shock absorbers don't quite fulfill their promise; but as you watch it speed in front of you, the pull of the game is tangible. While my experience was less than perfect with DriveClub, one suspects it's more a personal issue rather than a developer problem - but it does make me wonder if any other games will proffer the same issues.

Batman: Arkham VR

Batman Arkham VR is seriously impressive in terms of scope.

There's no denying that the WB titles of Arkham have made the world feel so expansive and the thrill of being the Bat comes to the fore in this demo.

Whereas the Telltale Games series has started to carve a niche out with being Bruce Wayne, the thrust of Arkham VR is to put you into the Bat-suit, travel in the Bat-cave and put those investigating skills to test on the streets of Gotham. And to say it's thrilling, is a major understatement; this is the environment that brings the world of the Batman to life. From gearing up to testing the Batarangs and equipment available, the scope is epic.

Anyone not turning around and taking in the level of detail of the Bat-cave as the platform ascends and descends is truly missing the point of the VR world. This is as 360 degree immersive as it gets and as incredible as your eyes can cope. The cave literally feels like it goes on for miles into the distance as it expands before you. I can't wait for more in the Gotham world and I'm hooked from the second it started.

Taking on your old carny thrill-ride in Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a simply effective MO.
Like those old games where you shoot as stuff comes towards you, jumping from left to right as the threats head your way or as you try to score points, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood's demo level is literally a blast. Effective jump scares and a terrifying thrill rollercoaster ride all combine to make a level that feels like it wouldn't be out of place at the fair. There's so much detail within that I even forgot to look at my cart as it hurtled around the tracks. Like a rollercoaster, there's some definitive feeling of motion in this - but it's simply an experience and a blast.

Ocean Descent

The most interesting part of the VR demo experience personally is Ocean Descent which is part of VR Worlds.

It's a simple concept- you're in a dive cage lowered under the sea and get to marvel at the watery world around you. Sort of like a Finding Nemo experience. And yes, there's a shark in there too.

What truly genuinely excites me about the VR Worlds is the possibilities of opening up worlds to those who are never going to experience it or be able to. Immersive, expansive and wrap-around, this under the sea experience has a breathlessness that's rife with possibility.

Granted, PlayStation is about the gamers, but imagine giving a child who's disabled or never going to go under water, or many of us who will never go into space, or on an African safari - the potential for VR Worlds is enormous and without limit.

From tours of museums on the other side of the globes, to a virtual tour of the Space Station, the potential here is nothing short of limitless. I know VR is about the gaming as well, but it's great to think that possibly the educational value of the VR headset can inspire a generation.

Ocean Descent

I was relatively cynical about the enveloping of our worlds in a headset and the fact we'll all look relatively anti-social in these headsets (albeit very comfortable) but this VR Worlds development is one of the most exciting parts of the VR experience for me. Masses of next generations could be inspired and literally worlds could be opened up to those who would never seen otherwise. If that's not enough to make you reconsider what VR could do altruistically, I don't know what will work.

Ultimately, the VR revolution is coming - it's about experience as well as immersion and with some exciting demos on the horizon, it's clear that come October 13th, the virtual revolution is going to make a difference in many lives - and could be doing so much more than perhaps you'd necessarily have expected.

Thanks to PlayStation NZ for the hands on time with the demos and the tech.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of The Shadows: DVD Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of The Shadows: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

If the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was more of a surprise than expected, then the second, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows is perhaps a depressing sign that this series has already lost its way.

This time around, as Leo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelango live underground unable to take the credit for their takedown of arch enemy Shredder last time, sinister plans are underway to break Shredder out.

However, things get more complicated for the quartet when it turns out top scientist Baxter Stockman (Perry) is behind the break and a scientific purple goo that activates primordial DNA within humans. So with Manhattan facing a greater danger than ever before, the team is on the case - but with fractures growing between the four, is the danger more threatening to their own future than just the city?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows is a film that skews incredibly young and that stays true to its comic book roots / kids TV cartoon.

The problem is that the resultant on-screen hotpotch feels like a film that shows its 2 hour run time.

While the Michael Bay produced first film was a definite popcorn brain at the door type flick, this latest is more of an action film that simply shifts from one set piece to the next, with brain whirring going through the motions to stop you thinking too deeply about anything going on.

Whether it's sidelining the bad guy Shredder (already an empty cypher) or turning too goons into CGI warthog and rhinoceros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of the Shadows lacks a coherence of execution that's galling to sit through.

Action sequences are shown from multiple takes, with explosions given precedence for the multi camera approach as if to dull your brain into submission. Equally, the turtles free-wheeling through the Manhattan skies at the start seems to exist solely to ensure that you can see what the CGI does, rather than emphasise their growing unhappiness at being confined to the shadows.

This is a film that sacrifices the main characters and moments for spectacle - and the great majority of those sequences are jettisoned to show off the Orc-like Rocksteady and Bebop's CGI creations. It's a shame as the turtles' existential dilemma is quite a meaty one, with them finding themselves torn between a life in the shadows as unknown heroes or stepping out into a world of judgement.

But this thread is squandered in favour of more dunder-headed CGI antics of a pair of farting animals. It's understandable that the makers have gone younger for this film, but they still stop short of going the whole hog and embracing the younger market it's clearly aimed at. It's a tonal mish-mash that feels like it's struggling for an identity and a relevance in today's market-place where action blockbusters offer more smarts than simply eye-candy.

With mentions of other franchises with Raph intoning "What would Vin Diesel do?" and Michaelangelo coming across a Bumblebee Transformer in a Hallowe'en parade, this film isn't interested in feathering anything other than its own nest and universes, and consequently feels like it's yet another franchise that's lacking in soul.

Fox and Arnett are forgettable and without any kind of spark at best, Arrow star Stephen Amell is simply boisterously shouty as Casey Jones and Laura Linney looks detached at best as a police chief. Equally, Perry comes dangerously close to mugging as a Nutty Professor type boffin. These are humans who are second fiddle to the turtle teenagers, and it shows throughout.

While fans of the TV series and comics may be happier with this Turtle outing as well as younger members of the audience, but quite frankly, the turtles have come out of the sewers and so has the overall soulless execution and story of this film.

Money Monster: Blu Ray Review

Money Monster: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Ent

Proving to be an at times populist retort to the high brained chicanery of The Big Short, Money Monster is an eminently watchable, yet entirely ludicrous real-time thriller that centres around George Clooney's gauche TV financial pundit, Lee Gates.

Dumbing down the financials and offering stock tips to the masses from inside his bubble and TV studio, Gates' world, so studiously run by the voice in his ear Patty (Julia Roberts), comes crashing down when a disgruntled punter Kyle (71's Jack O'Connell) shows on set with a gun.

Taking Masters hostage and captivating both those in the studio and those watching, O'Connell's Noo York inhabitant and everyday schmoe wants answers of the big financial company who lost them millions.

With the clock ticking, it's up to the back room team (who wryly and sadly note early on that they don't do journalism) to track down some answers and keep the SWAT teams at bay...

Rattling along a pace it's clear that director Jodie Foster's cleverly positioned all the pieces together to paper over some of the more obvious cracks of the story. Mixing elements of satire and the apathetic reality of the masses (which is woefully underutilised except for one final scene) in with a thriller and moments of comedy are a potent mix for this clock-ticking flick.

There's no denying though that the provocative elements that may have been more on the nose are overwhelmed by the desire to create a relatively formulaic popcorn flick (and not that there's anything wrong with that). 

Both Clooney and the nervy O'Connell keep the audience fairly invested in the drama when it flies back from comic interludes into the hostage situation. That said, there's a lack of suspense here and there that proves to be part of the film's undoing as it plays out and as the slightly sillier threads are pulled together, it lacks the tension to fully invest in - even if it does throw some unexpected twists and left turns into the mix, choosing not to go down the familiar tried and tested route.

Roberts is completely in control as Patty, both behind the scenes and on the screen. There's an inner strength that radiates from her performance and makes her more plausible as it plays out; Outlander star Catriona Balfe as a PR head of a finance company is solid as well, making the best of her arc that as it unravels proves hard to actually suspend disbelief.

While the divide between the working man and the rich fatcats would have proven fertile dramatic territory, it's clear a combination of the workmanlike execution of Foster's direction and a script that fails to fully damn the Wall Street mob proves to be the tonal undoing of Money Monster.

Ultimately, the preposterousness of Money Monster becomes its overriding characteristic, and while it's not fully fatal, its superficial take on the whole thing renders it more of a serviceably watchable and disposable piece rather than a scathing indictment of an ongoing problem.