Keeping Up With the Joneses: Film Review

Keeping Up With the Joneses: Film Review

Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot
Director: Greg Mottola

Channeling suburban paranoia and envy to a tee, Keeping Up With The Joneses pushes for broad comedy and somehow manages to come up short.

A thinned down Galifianakis and Fisher are the Gaffneys, a suburban couple whose life has hit a rut. Packing their two kids off to camp for the summer, the pair realise their lives are empty; Jeff has his HR job at a defence company where everyone rides roughshod over him as he's the only one with internet access, and Karen is a frustrated stay at home mum whose summer job is sizing up urinals for their bathroom makeover.

When new neighbours move in in the form of Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot's superglamourous couple The Joneses, she channels her Rear Window tendencies into trying to find fault, believing that under this perfect veneer, Tim and Natalie are hiding something.

It's not long before this paranoia comes to fruition , but Jeff refuses to listen believing he's finally found a friend who wants to share the thrill of going indoor skydiving. However, it soon becomes clear that the Joneses are not what they seem and the Gaffneys are caught up in the whirlwind of international espionage...

Keeping Up With the Joneses purports to riff on the fear that the grass is always greener and the new neighbours lead more exciting lives than you do. And to a degree, the justified paranoia works well for the start of Mottola's film, but it soon becomes clear this is all there is going for it.

Weakly written material soon gives way to chase sequences and a large helping of slapstick as well as shots of Gal Gadot flaunting her perfect physique in lingerie, while delivering wooden dialogue. While the way the suburban awkwardness subsides into genuine suspicions is as broad as it comes, it soon becomes obvious that the comedy chops of Hamm and Galifianakis are being wasted in this under-written flaccid romp that lacks any brains.

As Galifianakis ramps up his panic-based schtick, and Hamm plays up the fact his spy is unhappy with his lot, Fisher goes overboard with her brand of paranoid hysteria writ large. It's a mess that isn't strong enough for farce and is too weak to endure its 100 minutes running time. While the elements of spy comedy are rightly channeled by a soundtrack that feels big band and brassy enough to get the vibe right, little else lands.

You may feel a desire to go Keeping up with the Joneses, but the simple truth is, it's really not worth the effort.

World Champion Race Car Driver Lewis Hamilton Joins the Cast of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

World Champion Race Car Driver Lewis Hamilton Joins the Cast of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

WORLD CHAMPION RACE CAR DRIVER LEWIS HAMILTON JOINS THE CAST OF CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE

Three Time World Champion race car driver Lewis Hamilton joins the ranks of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare with a cameo appearance in Activision’s upcoming release this spring. Reigning World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, plays the role of an engineer aboard the Retribution, one of the United Nations Space Alliance’s (UNSA) last remaining warships, following a devastating attack on their fleet in the game’s opening moments.

“I’ve been a Call of Duty fan for long time, so it’s an absolute honour to be part of this game and the franchise” said Lewis Hamilton. “The experience of being put into the game – from the facial scanning process to working with the team on the performance capture stage and just being able to meet the developers at the studio to get a glimpse at all the hard work that goes into the game – this has been an incredible experience.”

“Everyone at Infinity Ward was excited to work with Lewis since we’re all huge fans of his,” said Infinity Ward Narrative Director Taylor Kurosaki. “He came to Call of Duty with the same approach he takes to the racetrack, determined to nail his performance – which he absolutely did!”

About Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Award-winning studio Infinity Ward breaks new ground in storytelling, by exploring the weight of leadership and the responsibilities that come with it in an emotional, character-driven narrative. Players are thrust into wartime leadership as Captain Reyes, a Tier 1 Special Operations soldier, who takes the helm of the Retribution, one of Earth's last remaining warships. In a time of unthinkable hardships, Reyes must lead the remnants of coalition forces against a relentless enemy in a war that stretches to new terrains across the vast expanse of our solar system beyond Earth.

Infinite Warfare introduces new weaponry, new player abilities and stunning new settings to the Call of Duty franchise. In addition to a riveting single player campaign, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will also deliver a robust multiplayer mode, and a unique cooperative zombies experience.

For the latest intel, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty or follow @CallofDuty and @InfinityWard on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is scheduled for release November 4^th on PlayStation® 4 system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC, rated R16 Violence.

Loading Human: chapter 1 VR out now

Loading Human: chapter 1 VR out now

THE FUTURE IS NOW - LOADING HUMAN: CHAPTER 1 AVAILABLE TODAY ON PLAYSTATION®VR

Developed Specifically for Virtual Reality,

the Episodic SciFi Adventure from Maximum Games Launches

October 20, 2016 – Sydney, AU – Video game publisher Maximum Games, in partnership with developers Untold Games, today announced the release of their brand new virtual reality futuristic adventure game, Loading Human: Chapter 1. Loading Human: Chapter 1 is available now to purchase on PS VR via the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. 

“The emergence of virtual reality has opened new pathways to immerse gamers like never before, and Loading Human: Chapter 1 was developed from the ground up to fully capitalise on this exciting new medium,” said Christina Seelye, CEO of Maximum Games. “Offering full integration with existing VR systems, and as a launch title for PlayStation®VR, Loading Human offers compelling content and cutting edge technology to give gamers the best VR experience possible.” 

Completely optimised for the next wave of virtual reality, Loading Human: Chapter 1 takes full advantage of VR hardware and motion controllers to create gripping gameplay complete with genuine, emotional interactions. Players will see the world through the eyes of a young astronaut, Prometheus, as he searches for a cure to save his ailing father. His father is regarded as the most important man in history, an esteemed scientist who has discovered the existence of the Quintessence, a powerful source of energy that will help reverse the ageing process. Adding to the tension of the storyline, Prometheus’ love interest, Alice, has her own ideas of how the mission should unfold.

Loading Human: Chapter 1 is an episodic VR adventure game that blends a deep story, interactivity and physical gameplay within a compelling sci-fi universe set in the 22nd century. The story-driven narrative takes a brand new approach to gaming as players will have to form bonds with intriguing characters, explore a lush virtual world and solve their way through puzzles utilising unique VR controls and movements.

First look trailer - Guardians of the Galaxy 2

First look trailer - Guardians of the Galaxy 2

The first look trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has dropped this morning - and a look at the brand new Guardians of the Galaxy 2 poster!

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2: PS4 Review

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2: PS4 Review

Developer: Bandai Namco
Platform: PS4

Mixing chaos with pac-dots, speed with bright neon visuals, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is a nostalgic blast of arcade entertainment that's speedy at times, and needs to occasionally slow down.

Essentially, the main basic game is still the best and it's hard to improve on simplistic perfection; which is perhaps why Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 fires everything it has at the screen. And from time to time, that makes it less than ideal to play, but bizarrely, equally enticing.

Using consumable jump dots, ghost trains that can be added to by passing by dormant ghosts, and tumbling from one maze to the next, the game's anarchic touches are simultaneously enthralling and conversely want to make you scream at it to simply slow down.

Speeding through the mazes and scoffing Pac-Dots fills your counter and once it's full, you are offered fruit which when consumed, send you into the next maze. With a clock ticking down and speed rising, precision becomes more of an issue and a frustration as you hurtle into ghosts unexpectedly and unwantingly. The game allows you three bumps into a ghost before said ghost gets angry and comes for you.

Each level is graded and you progress through them by levels of score; it's a necessary touch to do so and the game's desire to see you progress is welcome. But Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 can feel like overload at times - it needs to slow down to improve the flow through of the game and that may be its flaw.

It's certainly not a fatal flaw as the game's simply fun at times; but with a little more breathing in between, it could have been much more.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Film Review

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Film Review

Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Robert Knepper
Director: Edward Zwick

Once again dialling down his mega-watt smile to get into the clothes of the cinematic equivalent of The Littlest Hobo, Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher. 

(Much to the annoyance of many who still believe he has neither the height nor the gravitas to fill the boots of their beloved Lee Child hero).

This time around, in the adaptation of the eighteenth book in the Reacher series from way back in 2003, Reacher's plunged deep into a major conspiracy when he tries to help out Army major Susan Turner (Avengers star Cobie Smulders) in charge of Reacher's old investigative unit.

Accused of treason, Turner's in the firing line and Reacher, out of a sense of duty and obligation from when the Major helped him with cases as he drifted from one to the next, busts her out of jail. But the pair soon find themselves on the run with the need to clear both their names.

However, Reacher's not only on the run from shadowy forces, but also having to face up to the fact he could be a father with news a former squeeze's filed a paternity claim with the army....

Rote, formulaic and flat, despite some occasional tautness of execution, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is as predictable a chase conspiracy movie as ever you'd expect.

A sinewy Cruise may do the action thing reasonably well, but Jack Reacher: Never Go Back never really starts firing at all as its pulpy and dull perfunctory execution plays out. It's part in fact due to its source material and the lumpen and leaden necessary exposition that needs to be dumped to keep things moving along; but with much of the main plot feeling relatively underdeveloped, it feels more like padding as we race from one action sequence to the next.

Saddling Reacher with a conundrum of is it or is it not his kid while Cruise flexes his jawbones and grits his teeth in a demonstration of his intensity doesn't cut it either.

Cobie Smulders doesn't fare well either - going from hard ass action gal to cuckold within the space of moments as the potential love interest is teased out into this nuclear family. It's intensely irritating as the surrogate dad and ultimate bonding storyline plays out - with the kid looking like a young Anna Paquin more and more as the film goes on. And it's barely worth mentioning that there's a distinct lack of chemistry between Smulders and Cruise when it really needs to count.

Missing this time around is a Werner Herzog style baddie to inject some oomph into proceedings - and while Prison Break's Robert Knepper once again rolls out his southern drawl with a side of menace, he's hardly in the film and barely registers - this Reacher is not about the conspiracy and is more about the idea of a drifter being saddled with a family (complete with gloopily sentimental ending) and flounders as a result.

This is a story where convenient things happen because the narrative conveniently demands them and demands nothing from its audience to join the dots.

Ultimately, utterly disposable and instantly forgettable, this formulaic blockbuster lacks the killer thrills and the smarter plot to propel it along with the energy it needs; in fact, Never Go Back proves to be a prophetic title for this Reacher outing.

Take to the skies with Eagle Flight

Take to the skies with Eagle Flight

TAKE TO THE SKIES WITH EAGLE FLIGHT™ - THE FIRST VIRTUAL REALITY GAME FROM UBISOFT^®

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – October 19, 2016 –Ubisoft has announced that its first Virtual Reality game, Eagle Flight, is now available on Oculus Rift and will be available on PlayStation^®VR on November 8 and HTC Vive on December 20.

Developed by FunHouse, a division of Ubisoft Montreal, Eagle Flight is set 50 years after humans have disappeared from Earth, where wildlife and nature have taken over Paris. The game lets players explore one of the most visited cities from a new point of view, as a bird of prey. As an eagle, players glide past historic landmarks and weave through narrow streets and secret passages. In single-player mode, players refine their flying skills, learning new tricks by competing in challenges and in multiplayer face-off in a heart-pounding capture-the-prey dogfights for up to three vs three players.

To view the launch trailer click the image below

Eagle Flight, developed specifically for VR, focuses strongly on accessibility and comfort. The game features a VR control technology breakthrough that provides players with natural and precise movement controls. With this breakthrough players can comfortably hone theirflying skills in order to achieve remarkable aerial manoeuvres, and experience the true sensation of flight.

“At Ubisoft we care deeply about innovation and new technology, so we’re excited to release Eagle Flight, our first Virtual Reality game,” said Patrick Plourde, VP of FunHouse. “Eagle Flight is a fantastic game for newcomers to VR and experienced players alike. The game is very intuitive, so novice players can simply boot up the game and fly at their own pace with ease. For more seasoned players looking for a more intense experience, they can jump into the single player challenges or into a multiplayer match where they will have to expertly navigate the streets, skies and underground of Paris as they try to capture the prey and defeat their opponents.”

Eagle Flight marks the first virtual reality game launch for Ubisoft, who are also working on Werewolves Within™, Star Trek^TM: Bridge Crew and a VR partnership with the film company, SpectreVision.

For more information about Eagle Flight, please visit eagleflightgame.com.