Newstalk ZB Review - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Star Trek: Beyond

Newstalk ZB Review - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Star Trek: Beyond

This week, it was time to check out the very latest from JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and also take a look at Star Trek Beyond.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-fantastic-beasts-and-critic-proof-franchises/

Central Intelligence: DVD Review

Central Intelligence: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Ent

Mixing Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion with a spy caper sounds like a recipe for relative success, but Central Intelligence lacks the relative finesse to pull it all off.

That’s despite great chemistry between the two leads, Dwayne The Rock Johnson and everybody’s favourite screeching screen star Kevin Hart.

Johnson plays Bob Stone, who was in an obese high school student humiliated some 20 years ago. Hart is Calvin Joyner, a jock and high school popular guy (known as The Golden Jet) who helped Stone on his lowest day. But voted most likely to succeed, Joyner’s now hit middle age and works as an accountant. 

On the eve of their high school reunion, Joyner’s contacted out of the blue by Stone, who’s now a fanny pack, unicorn T-shirt wearing beefcake. Intrigued Joyner goes along to meet him and finds himself thrust into a twisting cul-de-sac of espionage and potential lies.

There may be intelligence in the title, but there’s little intelligence on display throughout this broad buddy comedy.

Granted, the chemistry between the duo propels a lot of the nonsense of Central Intelligence along (before it simply lapses into guns being shot off and traditional action film fare). 

Dwayne Johnson has a blast playing goofy and a bit dorky as the muscle-head and clearly relishes the chance to be a bit broader than his usual action meat and potatoes action hero stance. Playing up the physicality and yet still professing mad love for Sixteen Candles works well for the slightly doofus approach that's taken. And Hart starts off well, winding down the usual squawking he's familiar for - but ultimately, falls back on this schtick of shrill screeching and flapping around.

Ultimately, Central Intelligence will rise and fall on how much you like these two because the plot itself is fairly non-existent and surplus to requirements.

It may sound disingenuous to dismiss Central Intelligence for its intentions, but there aren't enough laughs or more of a hook than the comedian being the straight guy and the action hero being the kook to carry it all the way through.

Fairly generic and formulaic in anything other than the leading duo's chemistry, Central Intelligence is nothing short of slightly punishingly predictable - with neither enough laughs nor enough flair to leave you feeling you've seen something special.

He Said, She Said Episode 1 - Reviewing Doctor Strange

He Said, She Said Episode 1 - Doctor Strange

Welcome to a brand new bite size movie review show, He Said She Said!

They say opinions are like assholes - everyone has one and when it comes to movies, nothing's truer!


Starring yours truly and a cohort of mine, Maha Albadrawi, the quick film show will be taking a regular look at the latest movies for you to decide whether they're worth it.

Watch the premiere episode of He Said, She Said below and then let us know which of us was correct!

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' Trailer

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' Trailer

'BATMAN - The Telltale Series'  Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham Arrives November 22nd     Thrilling and Divergent Penultimate Episode Introduces a Grinning Future Adversary

Today we can unveil an all-new launch trailer and the release date for BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham'.   The fourth of five episodes in the season, Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' will be available digitally worldwide starting Tuesday November 22nd on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360®, and on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The episode will be available the same day for compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and for compatible Android-based devices via Google Play.  Special note for Episode 4: Players will leave this episode in very different places depending on where they choose to go in the third act, and this will greatly affect their story rolling into the season finale as well. In Episode 4, Penguin has taken control of Wayne Enterprises, and the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane has a new guest - you - Bruce Wayne. With the Batman removed from the streets of Gotham City, Harvey Dent's forces and the Children of Arkham are at war, with innocent citizens caught in the crossfire. To escape the 'comforts' of your padded cell, you must choose allies to aid in your escape, even if they aren't the sort to put a smile on your face. How far are you willing to go for justice? For vengeance? What now, Dark Knight?  The series is also available to purchase at retailers in North America and Europe as a special Season Pass Disc, which includes the first of five episodes in the season, and grants access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates.  Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale's vision of Batman features an award-winning cast of talent, including Troy Baker in the role of Bruce Wayne,Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, Jason Spisak as Oswald Cobblepot, Dave Fennoy as Lucius Fox, Anthony Ingruber as John Doe, andLaura Bailey as Selina Kyle.  BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham is rated M (Mature) for Violence, Blood and Gore, Language, and Use of Drugs by the ESRB. Future content in the season is yet to be rated by the ESRB. The series is published by Telltale Games in partnership with Warner Bros.

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: Film Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: Film Review

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Samantha Morton, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller
Director: David Yates

There's certainly an appetite for more from author JK Rowling's Wizardly world.

The universe has been left bereft of a family friendly fantasy franchise since Voldemort bit the dust - as is evidenced by the stage appearance of the Cursed Child.

So it's perhaps inevitable that there's a degree of cynicism at the thought of 5 new films from a similar world of wizards, magic and commentary given how the Harry Potter series felt a little dragged out as it stumbled toward its denouement. (Can anyone say cash cow?)

But with a director of four of the Harry Potter films at the helm, it has to be said that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them largely gets off to a reasonably magical start.

Set in 1926 New York, it's the story of nerdy, unsure and sheepish Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, channeling shades of Matt Smith's 11th Doctor Who in parts) whose life has been spent collecting creatures, and storing them in a cavernous suitcase (a sort of leather bound portal into a Narnia / TARDIS style zoo of gigantic proportions).

But when Scamander accidentally loses one of the creatures, his hunt brings him into contact with genial wannabe baker and no-Maj / Muggle Jacob (played with doughy amiability by Fogler). Complicating matters further Scamander inadvertently swaps his suitcase with Jacob's, and plenty of the creatures get out - so begins Scamander's gotta-catch-em-all Ghostbusters style quest before tensions between humans and wizards boil over...

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them works fine as a first film, even if there is a feeling that the main cast don't quite have the chemistry and back-story of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione.

Comparisons are perhaps unfortunately inevitable to Rowling's prior franchise and while they serve to show the characters and their supporting ilk aren't as well-rounded out as they could be, there's plenty to marvel at visually on screen as the various critters and creatures come to life. To its credit, it doesn't spend a great amount of time setting up a world we already know that exists and simply gets on with proceedings.

In the first sequence where Jacob is summoned into Scamander's suitcase, it's clear the MO is to show off an array of cutesy creatures that will elicit shrieks of awe and wonder from the audience - and there are times when it appears that the film teeters dangerously into only having this in its magic box to show off (and leaving some doubts about how a further four films could be filled out).

Rowling's obviously aiming to talk more to the audience that's grown up with her books and who are of the age to understand bigotry, intolerance and a degree of bleakness.

In Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, there is a puritanical woman determined to drive out witches and who wouldn't be out of place in Salem (played by Morton, who's given little time and little more to do other than glower), a clutch of adopted children who are clearly traumatised by events and there's a hint of an ongoing conspiracy, complete with albino cameo, to keep the adult side a little more engaged.

However, there is a nagging feeling that some of the humanity is a little lost in this first film and parts of the plot are muddled, which is a marvel of imagination and acute period detail, with elements of Men In Black thrown in.

By far the most charming elements come from the slapstick and heart of loveable schlub Fogler, as he negotiates the wizarding world and finds himself under the spell of showgirl Queenie (Sudol), in an endearing romance that it's hard to not lose your heart to.

Redmayne's fine as the cowed and shy Scamander whose awkwardness is half parts endearing and half parts frustrating, and Waterston makes a strong start only to be subdued in the slightly laggy final third of the film which relies on the usual CGI -trashing-of-a-city trope.

Ultimately though, niggles aside, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is at times a magical experience that swathes some of the fluffier more slapstick fun elements in a welcome darkness that's redolent of real-life and the usual Rowling plot machinations.

While it may use the CGI concoctions to disguise some of the less robust characters, it's likely to be enough fun to obfuscate audiences and separate them from their money, and with some more adult themes and some dark current allegories in play, it's clear this solid wizardly movie will magic up all the family box office money regardless of what any critics say as the new franchise begins.

Rating:

Titanfall 2: PS4 Review

Titanfall 2: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by EA Games and Respawn Entertainment


The first Titanfall was a multi-player blast.

The first person shooter with robots where you got to smash and bash a la Pacific Rim against others was a great experience, but it was severely lacking a campaign element to ensure a degree of longevity.

Respawn Entertainment's second outing and improved game adds in that, as well as continuing the multiplayer elements which proved to be so popular the first time around.

In this latest, in the campaign element, you play Jack Cooper, sent to an alien planet and attacked when least expected. Jack desires to become a pilot and pilot a Titan. And when his mentor, Captain Lastimosa is wounded and dies, Jack gets his chance, as he's paired up with a Titan unit BT 7274.

The duo team up to take on the corrupt elements of the IMC and begin to penetrate a conspiracy...

Adding in elements of parkour and shooting prove to be a good concoction for Titanfall 2 and for its story overall.

Sure, there are moments that feel like meshes of both Knight Rider and Short Circuit as BT and Jack banter, but the engagement within gets over some of the fact that portions of the missions are repetitive.

That said, there's plenty of fun to be had in the running, shooting and exploring. The worlds initiated feel organic, full of life and with elements of danger all over the place. Wildlife when it attacks feels dangerous and while there are a range of weapons around to attack, reloading proves to be particularly slow and occasionally fatal.

But there's very much the dynamic of 1 guy and his mech buddy running through the campaign and it's very welcome.

As for the multiplayer, there were some concerns after the BETA, given how hard it was to kill others, and thereby depriving yourself of getting a Titan. Thankfully, that's been rectified and a Titan-meter means you can summon chaos from the sky and unleash carnage when everything comes to fruition.

All in all, Titanfall 2 is a fun title; a smash and bash style robots outing that more than serves its purpose. Thanks to tweaks in the gameplay and the addition of a campaign, this second time round is a lot stronger than the first and consequently deserves a longer shelf life.

Operation Avalanche: Film Review

Operation Avalanche: Film Review

A found footage film that proves the Moon Landing was fake may sound like a joke too far, but director / star Matt Johnson’s relentlessly inventive piece is nothing but a pure blast of cinephile love and an ode to the American space race.

In 1967, it’s the height of the Cold War, and there are concerns Russia’s going to beat America into space. At NASA, there’s an even deeper fear – that a mole has infiltrated their ranks and is stealing secrets.

Enter four undercover CIA agents (helmed by Matt Johnson’s goofball) who convince NASA to let them in under the pretense of filming a documentary about NASA – and who end up pitching the idea of a spoof Moon Landing film to ensure American interests win the day. To their surprise, the CIA says yes….

Endlessly clever and draped in 70s aesthetics with Super 8 footage and an infectious joie de vivre, Operation Avalanche is a film within a film conspiracy and it damn well knows it. But the meta doesn’t become so smart that it’s alienating – in fact, it’s anything but.

By taking the time to build character early on and set you a little off expectations by dishing out off-kilter moments and genuine laugh out loud moments at the geeky group as well as the premise that the CIA would allow a crew to blunder around filming, Operation Avalanche works incredibly well.

Unless you’re a diehard conspiracy theorist, you will love the flourishes in this gonzo film, and to be honest, nobody’s trying to convince you this found film footage is real but that’s not really the point of Operation Avalanche.

Effectively mining the special FX with ease and without obvious joins, there are authentic feeling moments which provoke marvel on a technical level – via Shepperton Studios and Stanley Kubrick. However, it’s not just these moments which stand out in Operation Avalanche.

Johnson’s created a group of likeable guys, spearheaded by his own giddy boy’s own chutzpah and it’s infectious. So much so that the final act of the film becomes a tensely filled nail biter of a finale creating as real a sense of terror as any decently done spinetingler of found footage horror can muster.

By never losing sight of the humanity in this space race shaggy dog story, Operation Avalanche is terribly evocative and effective. Clever and intelligently plotted within its layers within layers, it may be the smartest mass appeal found footage the audience will see.

Unless it proves to be true.