At Darren's World of Entertainment

Thursday, 13 October 2016

Win Short Poppies on DVD

Real life journalist David Farrier (Tickled) is on a quest to find the everyday New Zealander, the stalwart of our community, in this mockumentary series.

He meets seven of these so called “Short Poppies”, a diverse group of unique individuals all played by comedy tour de force, Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Yes Man).

Meet part time leg model and lifeguard Terry Pole, park ranger Bill Napier, senior citizen Mary Ledbetter as she wrestles with town issues and criticisms, artist and beauty Louise Cooper, UFOlogist Steve Whittle, and local lawyer Rhod Gainer.

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or click here and in the subject line put SHORT POPPIES.

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Competition ends October 27th.

Win Weiner on DVD

To celebrate the release of Weiner on DVD, I've teamed up with Madman Home Entertainment to give you a chance to score a copy!

About Weiner

Anthony Weiner was a young congressman on the cusp of higher office when a sexting scandal forced a humiliating resignation. Just two years later, he ran for mayor of New York City, betting that his ideas would trump his indiscretions.

He was wrong.

With unprecedented access to Weiner, his family, and his campaign team, WEINER is a thrilling look inside a political comeback-turned-meltdown. What begins as an unexpected surge to the top of the polls takes a sharp turn once Weiner is forced to admit to new sexting allegations. As the media descends and dissects his every move, Weiner desperately tries to forge ahead, but the increasing pressure and crippling 24-hour news coverage halt his political aspirations. WEINER walks the line between political farce and personal tragedy.

With the city of New York as a loud and bustling backdrop, this documentary charges through an increasingly baffling political campaign with unflinching clarity, humor, and pathos.

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or click here and in the subject line put WEINER.

Please include your name and address and good luck!
Competition closes October 27th.

Dead Rising Trilogy: PS4 Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS4

The dead will rise again with this next gen port of the infamous Dead Rising series.

The survival horror series first dropped in August 2006 and centres around freelance photographer Frank West who's dropped into a Colorado mall amid a zombie meltdown. From there, it's survival time for Frank, as well as a time to pull together anyone who's still alive and make it out over a 72 hour period.

The second Dead Rising 2 and Off The Record (all neatly packaged together) are much the same ethos with you being supplanted into the role of Chuck Greene a motorcross rider who's got to face the same undead problems as Frank did - as well as ensuring his daughter gets a constant supply of Zombrex to stop her tipping over to the baddies side. Off the Record puts Frank into the same story and lets you play as the original.

As a trilogy of releases and a port over to the next gen consoles, the Dead Rising Trilogy looks pretty much as it did for the last gen release. Even if the HD elements of the next gen machines mean the games look a lot jerkier than they should do, these are still crispy executed do-overs. But it still looks ever so slightly terrible in its shinier new home and it's good in many ways to see that Capcom's embraced the rougher edges of the series.

Off The Record gains a sandbox mode with challenges but for the large part this is the game you played 10 years ago - zombies stutter and shamble towards death and there's a lot of button mashing to escape their clutches.

All in all, the Dead Rising trilogy feels like a nostalgic curtain raiser to the arrival of Dead Rising 4 in December - it's a welcome blast from the past, but it perhaps feels a little old hat in this current day and age. Here's hoping the fourth outing has a little more of an edge when it shows up.

HITMAN - Season Finale Episode 6 Announced

The Season Finale – October 31

HITMAN™ - Episode 6: Hokkaido

SYDNEY, 13^TH October 2016 – Io-Interactive is excited to announce the destination and release date for the Season Finale of HITMAN, which will take place in Hokkaido, Japan on October 31.

The Season Finale for HITMAN Season One features a mission called “Situs Inversus” and is the culmination of everything players will have learnt in terms of both gameplay and story.

The Hokkaido location is set within the grounds of the hyper-exclusive GAMA private hospital and resort. This secluded facility is a fusion of Japanese beauty and cutting-edge technology, featuring its own Zen gardens, organic sushi restaurant and traditional Japanese hot spring. Agent 47 must locate two targets in this climactic Season Finale.

“It was a brave decision to go fully digital episodic with Hitman, fundamentally changing how we make the game, and for us it has been a major success,” said Hannes Seifert, Studio Head, Io-Interactive. “I want to say a big thank you to all the players for making this possible! Together we’ve built and run the biggest and most replayable locations of any Hitman game and added new live content every single week since launch. And although we’re now completing season one, this is only the beginning for our ever expanding World of Assassination.”

HITMAN began with a Prologue and Paris location in March, continued with Episode 2: Sapienza in April, Episode 3: Marrakesh in May, the Summer Bonus Episode in July, Episode 4: Bangkok in August, Episode 5: Colorado in September and the season finale, Episode 6: Hokkaido on October 31.

Show Me Shorts Film festival 2016 review

The Show Me Shorts Film Festival is now on and with it, a sign once again that short film-making is in very rude health.

The team's spent six months sifting through 1500 entries from 60 countries, an increase of 50%, and now with a clutch of world premieres, the festival's been spewed out into the public domain to be gorged upon (the reason for that choice of wording will become clearer...)

And with the opening in Auckland gifting out the winners with accolades, there's no sign that this festival is going to slow any time soon, which is great.

As Flicks points out the big winner on the night was an animated 5 minute short, called Spring Jam.
This is a joyous and comic ode to a stag in mating season finding his feet and his amorous edge in the annual rutting competition that is mating season.

SpringJam

With ACME levels and Looney Tunes edges of lunacy, as well as packed full of vibrant inventiveness in its very short run time, this riff on the senses is fun, frivolous and utterly charming, guaranteeing you to be grinning from beginning to end.
It's a rightful winner of the top award, and a sign that NZ animation doesn't just have to be of a fantastical nature. Based on this Ned Wenlock's got a great future ahead, and with the validation of the top award, it's a sign that animation here is once again world-class.

Going about as far as you can from the happy bright spring rituals, Schmeat's darker almost Grimm Fairy Tale edges are as much a dichotomy of Burton-eseque edges as you'd expect.

Opening on a skull with some kind of huhu grub crawling out, this animated vision of a dystopian NZ where meat is scarce has a nutty scientist and a poem as its guide.
There are horror overtones present in this and they're welcome, but the fact it's animated means it never goes over the edge, and if anything Matasila Freshwater's ideas are more worthy of a Horrible History than an outright scare. It's reminiscent of Frankenweenie crossed with a deliciously dark tone, and it's a welcome watch.
More Gru from Despicable Me than outright gruesome, the scientist's adorable edges are offset only by spiky teeth - and the story's got a spike to it as well which is welcome.

Home

One of the spikier and more timely stories in the programme is Home, one of the NZ premieres.
Written by BAFTA winning director Daniel Mulloy, this sly subversion of the refugee crisis is as prescient as it is frightening.

Jack O'Connell and Holliday Grainger bundle up their two kids and look to be heading on a family holiday but there are shocks ahead as this uncertainty of hope plays out.
As frailties of trust play out and the purpose of the story becomes clearer, it's obvious why Home is such a hot potato of a film - and with the subtlest of movements on Jack O'Connell's face protraying and betraying so much, the power of Home hits you long after it's ended. And as you dwell on it, it may make you nauseous.

Certainly guaranteed to make you nauseous is the puke-fest that is Shout At the Ground.
If ever a short film packed as much puking in as one scene did in Stand By Me, it's yet to cross my eyes.
A band reflect on a weekend that saw them robbed of their takings - and as the winding road to resolution plays out both literally and figuratively, there's plenty of blowing chunks.

Comedic and ribbed with escalating chaos, this comedy in a Kombi may test your own resolve and stomach lining, but Joe Leonie certainly has fired something different together. Subtlety is not its forte, but some nice reflective character moments and a pacy twist pack a punch give it an edge to stand out in the festival.

Leading proceedings in Shout At The Ground and Break In The Weather is actress Aidee Walker, who appears to be one of the 2016 MVPs.

Break In The Weather

A complete story of regret, coping and caring, Break In The Weather sees an estranged daughter Jamie forced back to care for her father (Peter Elliott) after a stroke.

Forced together, reflections on the past and also present conditions add much emotional weight to proceedings and give Break In The Weather a mournful power that's hard to deny.
Tensions and reflections are subtly underplayed, and Walker who wrote and directed this piece displays a great eye for not only embracing the full current context of a short but also manages to pack in plenty of backstory to give the feud and rift some real emotional heft, depth and context.

All in all, The Show Me Shorts festival is clearly on the up, and given numbers of submissions have vastly increased, it shows no sign of dying.

With international talent emerging at all quarters, and Kiwi film-makers holding their own and even beating them at their own game, there's no better time to embrace the festival and dive in - because based on this smattering from the smorgasbord from the short form cinema, there's more than enough to satiate any appetite.

Get the Show Me Shorts programme and festival info here.

The Clan: Film Review

Cast: Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani, Steffania Koessel
Director: Pablo Trapero

Fresh from wowing the crowds at the New Zealand International Film Festival, Argentina's darkly polished crime drama The Clan finds its place into NZ Cinemas.

With its true crime edges and sheen, the slick - and sick - tale of the Puccio Clan case that rocked the country back in 1985 is worthy of entry into the pantheon of crim-flicks.

For those uninitiated with the work done by the Puccio and their notoriety, they were famed for kidnapping, holding hostages in their basement, waiting for ransoms to be paid and then executing their victims regardless. Our guide into this glossy story, complete with soundtrack gems from the likes of the Kinks is floppy haired son Alejandro (Lanzani), a rugby player, son and bait for the lures of many.

It's the usual kind of story of its ilk and Trapero doesn't shatter the boundaries with the delivery - a naive innocent gradually becomes aware of what is happening and the extent of it all. But in a slight twist, Alejandro is conflicted by his involvement and the growing insidious nature of what is happening.

If Trapero delivers something which is stylish and slickly executed, it's in his Secret In Their Eyes leading man Francella that the film soars. His calm exterior and delicious delivery of deviousness sets the tone for what's in - there's not been a family head this loveable since Tony Soprano graced our screens. Mixing domestic issues while screams erupt from scenes in the basement provide a bleakly black background to proceedings and give The Clan an edge that's hard to shake.

It may be provocative in parts with the extent of what's going on gradually revealed, and it's as stylishly executed as any Netflix true crime offering, but The Clan manages to continue to shock even up to its very final sequence and scenes, as the credits roll.

Wednesday, 12 October 2016

The Walking Dead: Season 6: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

The sixth season of The Walking Dead is about one thing - Negan.

The arrival of the biggest threat Rick and his gang of survivors has ever faced hangs heavily over most of the episodes of this season and bizarrely also represents some of the most negativity the show's faced.

But let's back up first; season 6 sees Rick and the group trying to divert a mass horde of Walkers away from Alexandria. However, this plan all goes to hell when a group of others attack (known as the Wolves, with W carved in their heads and teased repeatedly in season 5). As the group tries to protect Alexandria and its inhabitants, distant threats edge ever closer.

Season 6 is a great season for action sequences, but a frustrating one for treatment of some of its characters.

An apparent death of Glenn at the hands of Walkers is perhaps the biggest surprise, but becomes the show's biggest albatross as his fate isn't revealed. A second further non death later in the season for Glenn doesn't help - and ultimately, the writers came under fire for messing with a fan favourite who has a set path in the comics to follow.

But while there are moments that irritate in Season 6 of The Walking Dead, the exploration of some themes such as the nature of consequence and whether Rick's right to do what he does makes for fascinating viewing. With the return of Lennie James' peace-loving Morgan, the juxtaposition of contradictory viewpoints makes for compelling banter between Rick and Morgan, as well as the show's ethos of what it would be like to survive in this world and how far you'd go

However, the real thrill comes in the final episode with the arrival of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. Simply put, Morgan owns the screen from the second he's on, and it's no wonder the writers refused to show who dies at Lucille's hands - any death would have taken from Negan's arrival and would detract from the sterling work done by all the cast at the end of the run.

Season 7 of The Walking Dead starts soon, and while there are a few mis-fires in season 6, the game's changed - and it's with feverish anticipation that we see what's next.

Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie: Film Review

Cast: Louis Theroux, Marty Rathbun, The Church of Scientology
Director: John Dower

It's easy to see why Louis Theroux was pulled into the world of Scientology.

His career's been built on the quirky, with the MO of giving those enough rope with which to hang themselves. Theroux's entire back catalogue of interviews show him as non-confrontational, naive to the point of annoying and simply content to let the subjects do the talking with the occasional prodding.

His technique belies his intelligence, but often demonstrates his adroitness at shedding more light on things than a traditional interview would do.

But in the case of Scientology (a cult so marvellously indicted by Alex Gibney's wonderful Going Clear doco), Theroux finds himself thwarted from the start and given no access to anyone within the church, leading him to the quandary of how you build a doco with no subject matter?

Despite throwing a genuine request online to see if any Scientologists would get in touch, Theroux is told to prepare for the loonies and to batten down the hatches. His goal is altruistic - to see the Church in a more positive light as opposed to the increasing lunatic fringe front that's portrayed in general media.

Recruiting former Scientologist Marty Rathbun to the cause, Theroux decides the way to illustrate the Church's edges is to get actors to play the roles of Tom Cruise and church leader David Miscavige and sets about auditioning them. It's a clever touch rather than simply relying on archive footage, and when it appears one of the actors must be in league with the church, Theroux begins to feel the tendrils of the Church tracking him (equally, with a humorous visit from actress Paz De La Huerta, whom Theroux labels a "honey trap").

It's in these moments that Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie starts to come to life; with a defter lighter touch to proceedings and the trademark Theroux wit adding a great deal. Because at the end of the day, Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie is a very unfulfilling piece, due simply to the fact he has no real access to those in the upper echelons of the Church - and the film very much suffers because of a lack of them.

More interesting though is the relationship that Theroux and Rathbun cultivate; it's one of unease and in this way, Theroux has gained his greatest insight into the church's machinations and workings.

But there's never a real sense of a killer blow against the Church or its methodology.

This is a doco that feels like it wants to poke and provoke the fires of outrage and runs away when anything greater than a spark grows. It's a frivolous frippery of a film that wants to rattle the Church's leader but ends up feeling more like a Miscavage of Justice rather than a damnation of what goes on behind the walls.

Supersonic: Film Review

Directed by Mat Whitecross

For some, the Oasis boys were the be all and end all of 90s music culture.

The boorish Gallagher brothers, along with their bandmates, defined a lot of the 90s music scene and set the style for their raucous behaviour and top tunes.

But it was always Liam and Noel whose attitudes set the scene, and their clashes caused plenty of tabloid headlines and were the stuff of copy-writers' dreams. They were the yin and yang to each other, or as Noel puts it in the doco, he's a cat, Liam's a dog and never the twain shall meet. In fact, one early piece of footage talks of them as Cain and Abel, a comparison that speaks to their arrogance and belief in more ways than one.

So, this doco with its rather succinct use of voiceovers looks to explore the mythos and the inevitable car crash that Oasis were after they burned so bright and ultimately, imploded under the weight of their own legends.

Assembling pictures, footage and soundbites (that tend to favour Noel Gallagher, perhaps one of the perks of being an executive producer), Whitecross does a perfectly good job of capturing their rise from the council estates of Manchester to the echelons of performing at Knebworth. Injecting the whole proceedings with the lads' laconic humour proves to be a big boon here and gives the piece a pace that's matched only by the band's blistering performances which are scattered throughout.

From unsigned act to where they jumped on with Creation Records and their charts takeover, the doco's strengths lie in the music that's so iconic of the time and so evocative of the Manchester scene that will be so familiar to so many.

Following family spats is par for the course with the Gallaghers, though outside of the Liam / Noel fracas, there's little here that Oasis afficionados won't already know - there's no Amy style smoking gun. Though, perhaps interestingly, the revelations that Noel refused to let the Gallaghers' abusive father define either their music or their perception speaks volumes to where their swagger came from and why their defiant attitude was so successful.

As Liam so succinctly puts it at one point, Oasis were "Like a Ferrari, great to look at, great to drive and would spin outta fucking control", and this doco captures some of the anarchy of the group and the resultant ripples their music caused.

At its heart, Supersonic is about nostalgia for the band - any true fan will already know most of their history - and Whitecross and team assemble the pieces in a perfectly perfunctory and viewable manner. With the music speaking volumes and the doco making you feel like one of the lads as the hedonism and heated rows hit, it's a doco that speaks more to fans as well as anyone with a passing ear for their tunes.

Win a double pass to see Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

To celebrate the release of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, there's double passes to win!

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) returns with his particular brand of justice in the highly anticipated sequel JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK.

Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is the Army Major who heads Reacher’s old investigative unit.

She is arrested for Treason and knowing that she is innocent, Reacher must break her out of prison and uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear their names and save their lives.

On the run as fugitives from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever. Based upon JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, author Lee Child’s 18th novel in the best-selling Jack Reacher series, that has seen 100 million books sold worldwide.

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or click here and in the subject line put REACHER. Please include your name and address and good luck!

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back releases October 20, 2016

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Rated M: Violence

Win a double pass to see Ouija: Origin Of Evil

To celebrate the release of Ouija: Origin Of Evil on October 20th , we've got double passes to giveaway.

It was never just a game.

Inviting audiences again into the lore of the spirit board, Ouija: Origin of Evil tells a terrifying new tale as the follow-up to 2014’s sleeper hit that opened at number one.

In 1965 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their séance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home.

When the youngest daughter is overtaken by the merciless spirit, this small family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

Ouija: Origin of Evil is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Purge series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles),
Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (The Purge and Insidious series), alongside Hasbro’s Brian Goldner (Transformers and G.I. Joe series) and Stephen Davis (Ouija). Mike Flanagan directs from a screenplay he wrote with his Oculus and Before I Wake collaborator, Jeff Howard, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Rated M: Violence and horror scenes. Content may disturb

To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or click here and in the subject line put OUIJA. Please include your name and address and good luck!

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

The Daughter: Film Review

Cast: Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv, Paul Schneider, Odessa Young
Director: Simon Stone

It’s appropriate the opening and one of the closing shots of The Daughter is that of the mist hanging around mountains, mingling among the tops of the peaks and sinking in low to the ground.

It’s hard not to dismiss the imagery as being some kind of augur of what lies ahead for this tangled family drama about small towns, secrets and family.

In fact, as Sam Neill’s rugged and ruffled character intones, “It’s not a new story”.

And to be honest, he’s not far off the mark.

But what marks out Simon Stone’s Aussie dramaThe Daughter is the journey, because the destination’s visible to anyone who has a smattering of ability to pick up the signs foreshadowed early on.

Loosely based on Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, it’s the story of Paul Schneider’s Christian (an irony of name given his less than charitable behaviour) who heads home to the wedding of his father (a sturdily dependable and haunted Geoffrey Rush) and his housekeeper Anna (Fringe’s Anna Torv).

Reconnecting with an old friend Oliver, Christian’s tendency toward self-destruction and desire for redemption is threatened by a secret from the past.

In the meantime, the community where Rush’s Henry has closed the sawmill is reeling, and hurting with an uncertain future ahead, leading to volatile times and fractures that may never heal…

With a great ensemble cast, including our very own Sam Neill, The Daughter is a lyrical drama that treads familiar paths but does so with tremendous ease and vision.

Visually, The Daughter’s strength lies in its imagery, which is haunting with long lingering shots building the atmosphere and heightening the sense of mood and evocation (all thanks to the photography of Andrew Commis).

Initially, the film’s more about what’s hinted at and what’s unsaid, but the audience doesn’t have long to wait to pull the pieces together, which is perhaps one of the film’s failings, albeit acknowledged within by Neill’s meta-line. Though admittedly in the final third, the emotional pull is never quite as strong as it could be, perhaps given the predictability of the story.

Thankfully though, it’s in the performances.

Notably that of Odessa Young’s vulnerable teen Hedvig.

Without going into spoilers, Young’s need to channel some of the deeper emotions needed is evident and easily met (even if the story opts for convenient narrative contrivances in its final act).

All in all, The Daughter may put the familial into familiar, but it’s a relatively classily executed affair that benefits slightly more from its visuals than the emotional edges the story purports to aim for.

The Bioshock Collection: PS4 Review

Released by 2K Games
Platform: PS4

There's just something about the Bioshock series.

Being a newcomer to the gaming franchise, it was a PS Plus release of Bioshock Infinite back on the PS3 that really piqued my interest. With its heady mix of steampunk ethos and ominous overtones, there was just something about the series.

Swathed in mysterious touches, this return to the Rapture and Columbia is a great reason to own the set and play such an influential set of titles. In fact, given the level of story-telling the game feels like a next generation release in many ways for a re-release.

While the 1080 adds a crispness to the oppressive nature of all of the games, it's raison d'etre as a remaster is whether it's still playable - and all three of these titles stand their ground exceptionally well after being released nearly a decade ago. Details in the architecture feel crisp and look stunning - and even though this is not a sandbox game and areas are clearly marked for exploration and no going outside the lines, it still manages to be worth ploughing plenty of time into.

The first Bioshock title as the oldest is the one with the most poured into it, with graphic upgrades and a swish PS4 based coat of paint. And even Infinite's recent release doesn't tarnish the look and feel of the game on the next gen console; with stereo surround sound too, this clutch of titles borders on the quite terrifying as people come hurtling toward you from the dark. The suspense and spookier elements as you take on the despotic leaders is palpable and 2K Games have done more than enough to justify this as a release.

Ultimately for a remaster and a re-release, while this doesn't exactly shake up the gameplay techniques or reinvent the wheel, what it does do is show a vital collection needs a place in the next generation shelf.

The Bioshock Collection is living proof of that - for those yet to invest in the worlds, it's a great reason to have the series and for those wanting to relive the best moments of an undoubtedly influential series, this is an absolute must have.

Win a double pass to see Marvel's Doctor Strange

To celebrate the release of Marvel's Doctor Strange, in cinemas October 27th, we've got 2 double passes to win to see the film!

About Marvel's Doctor Strange

From Marvel comes “Doctor Strange,” the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place—a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj.

He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange—armed with newly acquired magical powers—is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

“Doctor Strange” stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Scott Adkins, Benjamin Bratt with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton. Scott Derrickson is directing with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. Jon Spaihts and Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill wrote the screenplay

Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying, and totally mind-bending journey when Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” opens in NZ theaters on October 27th.

To be in to win, simply answer the two Marvel trivia questions below and simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com and in the subject line put STRANGE.

Please include your name and address and good luck!

Marvel trivia questions -

Which actor plays Doctor Strange in Marvel’s Doctor Strange?
a. Tilda Swinton b. Mads Mikkelsen c. Benedict Cumberbatch d. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Which actor plays the fanatical Kaecilius?
a. Tilda Swinton b. Mads Mikkelsen c. Benedict Cumberbatch d. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Monday, 10 October 2016

Now You See Me 2: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

It’s all about sleight of hand in the sequel to 2013’s NowYou See Me.

And much like the central illusionists themselves, behind the smoke and mirrors, there’s not as much going on as perhaps you may imagine in this slickly distracting film.

In Now You See Me 2, the band of magicians, the Four Horsemen have been forced undercover after their last heist. With Isla Fisher’s Henley taking flight from them, the trio of Daniel Atlas, the presumed dead Jack Wilder and Merrit McKinney (Eisenberg, Franco and Harrelson respectively) find their group hit up by Lizzie Caplan’s Lula, who’s desperate to join their number.

With their ringleader, the FBI mole Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), they plan to spring back to the public attention by exposing a tech boss who’s about to launch a new product and who’s been misusing private details.

But the tables are turned on the gang, when someone reveals them at the launch, forcing Dylan on the run and sending the remaining Horsemen to Macau and into the domain of Daniel Radcliffe’s Walter. Under pressure to steal a chip that can access any computer in the world (bonjour, MacGuffin), the group’s got to overcome their own fractures to save themselves and the day…

As ever, it's about the misdirection in this slickly executed caper once again, but equally, character takes second fiddle to the set pieces. Once-over-lightly characters again thrive throughout; Eisenberg's Atlas is given an ounce of jealousy, Harrelson's McKinney is saddled with a bouffanted, tanned and toothy twin; and Ruffalo's Rhodes is landed with an emotional arc where he seeks vengeance for his father's death all those years ago.

While Radcliffe really makes little difference to the film as a rather wet behind the ears villain, it's a refreshing Kaplan whose place in the sequel gives it the life and energy that's sorely needed throughout. Perky and enthusiastic, she gives the film the zing that a sequel deserves, where the plot sags and appears tired.

Admittedly, as with the first, much of the film is about the set pieces and Chu delivers a central sequence involving a card and a chip inside a secure institute that whirls past the eyes. Flashy and slick, it's certainly a sign that the prestidigitation of illusionists can keep you entertained; but as ever, it comes down to editing and choreography (it's no surprise David Copperfield is involved behind the scenes).

Slickly entertaining, and more a sequel that doesn't really need to exist, there's no denying thatNow You See Me 2 will amuse those looking for popcorn entertainment and who enjoyed the first. Whether the trick is on the audience though is another matter - much like the first, once the razzle dazzle of the illusion is stared at for too long, this watchable heist caper that's essentially a retread of the first and which turns some of those conclusions on their head, begins to crumble in the light of day.

Sunday, 9 October 2016

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

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.

Saturday, 8 October 2016

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

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: