First look - The Mummy Trailer

First look - The Mummy Trailer 

It's here - your first look at Tom Cruise in The Mummy!

Check out the FIRST trailer for the Reboot of The Mummy franchise starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella and Russell Crowe!

Tom Cruise headlines a spectacular, all-new cinematic version of the legend that has fascinated cultures all over the world since the dawn of civilization: The Mummy.  

Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.  

From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters. 

Cruise is joined by a cast including Annabelle Wallis (upcoming King Arthur, television’s Peaky Blinders), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World), Courtney B. Vance (TV’s American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson) and Oscar® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator).

The Beatles: The Touring Years: DVD Review

The Beatles: The Touring Years: DVD Review

Beatlemania lives on some 50 years after the Fab Four hung up their touring boots with the one week only release of this documentary from former Happy Days actor Ron Howard.

Covering the period between 1963 and 1966, Howard's affectionate documentary about the life on the road may not prove much of a surprise to those who already know their Beatles lore, but he gets great cinematic truck out of displaying the lads' Liverpudlian cheeky charm to full comic effect as well as concert footage and screaming masses to relive the Beatlemania and its resultant euphoria.

With the ethos that they embodied the idea of how it would be to hang out with your mates, The Beatles' rise to fame is fairly reasonably charted with commentary from the boys themselves, as well as a few choice people from their inner circle - though tales of life on the road from those who accompanied them are limited only to journalist Larry Kane who offers a peek at life in the inner sanctum.

The thing is the documentary itself doesn't really provide any new ground and some of its choices of talking heads are perhaps bizarre and tenuous at best.

While Sigourney Weaver's attendance at the Beatles' Hollywood Bowl and companion footage give her credence, and Whooopi Goldberg's love for the mop-tops and attendance of their Shea Stadium show how inter-racial their appeal was, Eddie Izzard and Red Dwarf composer Howard Goodall are included for scant reason.

Using archival interviews for Harrison and Lennon are inevitable, but even interviews with McCartney and Starr add little to proceedings to be honest, given there's already so much out there about the group. It's all here again though - the screaming kids, the Bigger than Jesus controversy; almost as if another rote greatest hits package has been rolled out for a newer generation.

However, where Howard's more successful in breaking out of the workmanlike trappings of the genre is in the subtler touches. Whether it's painting a racial and more global picture of life when the Beatles hit America to demonstrate why their fame was so surprising abroad to animating cigarette smoke on stills, there are moments that impress greatly, even if the racial edges slow the verve of the film considerably down.

But there's no denying the blistering joy of some of their songs - it's hard to defy tapping along to the likes of I Saw Her Standing There and Help!as the live footage kicks in. With a fully restored 4K version of their Shea Stadium concert being presented after the film as a companion piece, there's no question that the Beatles phenomenon continues to live on in great style - and the film ends on an artistic high with some glimpses into the making of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Ultimately, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years is a greatest hits of the band and a compilation of their finest moments. It may not speak more to fans who are already immersed in their world and is as such a fanboy piece rather than a probing documentary.- it's more a brief Hello, Goodbye rather than an in depth Day in the Life Of

Crash Bandicoot: N'Sane Trilogy - First look

Crash Bandicoot: N'Sane Trilogy - First look

Words can't begin to describe how exciting the return of Crash Bandicoot is to the PS4.

After that cheeky little appearance in Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog's now given us a full length trailer for the return of Crash Bandicoot, coming in 2017.

New Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer is here

New Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer is here

They're back - a brand new trailer for  Guardians of the Galaxy 2  is here

Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie: DVD Review

Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie: DVD Review

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. 
10th Nov

A Perfect Day: DVD Review

A Perfect Day: DVD Review

Staying in a world that's been hit by problems, A Perfect Day's aiming for black humour in the Bosnian conflict.

A Perfect Day

The Spanish film features Benicio del Toro and Tim Robbins as part of a group of aid workers trying to move a corpse from a well in a conflict zone. It's an easy task in theory - take out the thing that's corrupting the surrounding well-being of the people (an allegory not lost on the viewers) but the amount of red-tape and problems it poses for del Toro's Mambru and Robbins' B would be funny if they weren't so ludicrous.

Fortunately, director Fernando Leon de Aranoa mines the gallows humour to reasonably exasperating effect throughout; and while the idea that Olga Kurylenko's top ranking aid official would head out among them stretches credibility somewhat, the flashes of the horrors of war that are interspersed throughout ground the film in a horrific reality that never quite goes away.

The one day to go storyline for del Toro's Mambru may have been done before with the likes of M*A*S*H but not once does A Perfect Day's sedentary pace through conflict lose any of its resonance as it seeks not to lecture but to present a sobering reality that aid workers have to face.

Oasis: Supersonic: DVD Review

Oasis: Supersonic: DVD Review

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. 

NewsTalk ZB Review - Trolls and Tickled

NewsTalk ZB Review - Trolls and Tickled

This week on Newstalk ZB it was time to talk Trolls, both the toys and the internet kind.

Listen to the review of Trolls from Dreamworks and Tickled below.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-trolls-review/

Weiner: DVD Review

Weiner: DVD Review

Equally enticing and with a title that both simultaneously describes your perception of its subject and names him, Weiner is perhaps one of the stand out docos of the year.

Weiner

A fascinating look at New York mayoral hopeful and Democratic congressman who torpedoed his own chances by tweeting some less than helpful pictures, Weiner manages fly on the wall mixed with schadenfreude and hubris with equal aplomb. 

While the director never really gets to ask the central question of why Weiner did such a thing, the fact the cameras continue to roll both demonstrate director Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s raison d’etre. 

Much like the fascination of a burning fire, this threatens to explode everywhere and presents more questions than answers, but it’s a documentary that demands to be seen.

Tickled: Blu Ray Review

Tickled: Blu Ray Review

The hook of Tickled is that it sets out to discover more about the slightly weird subject of fetish sport Competitive Tickling.

The fact that it becomes something else and moves into darker territory is a testament to directors Dylan Reeve and David Farrier, who find themselves caught up in something infinitely more sinister than they could ever have imagined.

And the peril of a review of Tickled is that to reveal much of the plot and intricate details of within is to rob it of the singular experience which it provides and spoil the twists and turns which inhabit the journey on to its ultimate destination.

Suffice to say this - NZ journalist David Farrier, who, archive footage initially shows, has carved himself a career out of the weirder and more colourful characters and subject matter within our worlds, finds himself intrigued when stumbling across a story about people being tickled on camera.

With his curiosity piqued, David dropped the organisation behind the bizarre tickling videos a message - only to have personal abuse and hostility thrown his way. Whereas most people would have run a mile at this point, Farrier, along with his self-appointed "geeky friend" Dylan Reeve started to look more into the world.

But as they dug deeper, legal threats began to head their way....

The almost conspiracy-like doco Tickled is a masterful piece of work, and one that rises above its initially intriguing material to become something totally unexpected that sheds uncomfortable light on the human condition and avoids exploiting its subjects for easy wins and lazy grins.

With some dazzling B-roll and cutaway shots (DP Dom Fryer is really the unsung hero of this piece), Tickled looks a million dollars as it pursues its David (Farrier) vs Goliath story.

With a wry sense of humour, a mix of easy and uneasy laughs, and some taut journalism, as well as a deft employment of the number 8 wire, Farrier and Reeve's respectful tone and refusal to over-sensationalise their subject matter make the journey more than worthwhile. (And also leave you with an overall feeling of unease when it's over - it would be easy to villainise the people involved, but by employing a lighter touch, the long-tail feeling is more difficult to shake).

In pursuit of their story, both are courteous in their treatment of their interviewees and appear never anything less than sane in the face of a spiralling tale that becomes a cautionary piece for our digitally obsessed age. It helps that the core subject and people they speak to all have the quirks necessary to bring it all to light.

But as the hornet's nest is prodded, the resultant provocation and overt threats bring a menace to proceedings from the shadows that is palpable (and which suggests the doco's conclusion is by no means the end of the story). Equally, the audience's belief of what the film offers changes in a subtle and clever manner as the pieces of the puzzle come together. (Perhaps the closest cinematic touch point in a round-about way is a doco from Bart Layton that stunned audiences in 2012).

There's a real sense of suspense to Tickled, (which came to fruition via Kickstarter) and if the reveals are suspected a little early on, the resultant ripples and extent of their revelations from within the rabbit hole are deftly handled as the reality of the situation and the implications of the cyber-bullying become apparent. In many ways, this is a cautionary tale of power, a warning over the wiles of the internet and the machinations of the electronic age.

The power of Tickled the movie lies in the genial and gentle nature of those instigating the doco - and its strengths are built upon by an ease of execution which makes things all the more tense. The saying that truth may be stranger than fiction is employed here, but the reality of what the duo uncover is nothing short of disturbing and horrifying.

Surprising in many ways, Farrier and Reeve have concocted an experience that subverts expectations and yet ticks and exceeds every box of the genre, by engaging you in the subject matter, hooking you in and then leaving you on the edge of your seat, with your jaw firmly around your feet.

Tickled may have you laughing at times during proceedings, but in its resolution, the underlying cautionary feeling of discomfort (and perhaps surprisingly, sadness) is one that is exceedingly hard to shake.

Batman: Telltale Games: Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham: PS4 Review

Batman: Telltale Games: Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham: PS4 Review

The fourth installment of Telltale Games' Batman comes racing out of the block, firing on all cylinders after its previous shocking denouement.

With Bruce Wayne confined to Arkham Asylum after beating Cobblepot in public and at Harvey Dent's behest, things are looking bad for Gotham with the Children of Arkham's chaos finally materialising on the streets.

From paranoia to military guards in a police state, this latest episode is two parts tease, one part resolution in many ways.
The large tease comes from the introduction of a certain grinning "John Doe" who resides at Arkham and continues Telltale Games' trend of slightly subverting the expected character arcs of some of the more infamous members of the Gotham world.

But thanks to the story level depth and the way the narrative plays out, the dealing with the devil is actually cleverly integrated into the game. As Doe becomes Wayne's guide inside and offers help at a cost (of course), the game deliciously teases what will become one of the comic world's greatest symbitoic relationships and yet simultaneously plays on your expectations for it.

Elsewhere, the story gathers apace as the finale looms - and the one stand out sequence inside the game, sees you scouring a crime scene as Batman complete with one young victim of an horrific crime scene. It's these interactions which will define how you play and which have really become key to Telltale Games' MO for the series; this is a game that delights in the little moments and finds the humanity among the cruelty and horrific by-products of the evil men do.

The game's main choice seems to hinge on a be both places at once style choice, meaning a replay to take the alternative route is on the cards - and for once, there feels like there's a real scope for either decision to have you hanging on a knife's edge as it plays out (though personally, the real Two Face has yet to manifest in any of the choices made).

If there's to be a criticism of Batman: Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham, it's perhaps that the flow between chapters of the story doesn't quite gel as much as in prior outings; each ending jars rather than pulls you into the next portion of the story, and technical issues meant the game completely froze in the final showdown, necessitating an entire system reboot which was a surprise.

Telltale Games to tackle Guardians of The Galaxy

Telltale Games to tackle Guardians of The Galaxy

Telltale Games and Marvel Entertainment Announce Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series for 2017 Five-Episode Game Series Based on Marvel's Iconic Characters  to Premiere Next Year

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Dec. 1, 2016 - Award-winning developer and publisher of digital entertainment, Telltale Games, along with Marvel Entertainment, today announced an interactive episodic game series based on Marvel's iconic sci-fi franchise Guardians of the Galaxy. The first of five episodes in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series will premiere digitally in 2017 on consoles, PC, and mobile devices.  "The energizing blend of humor, emotion, teamwork, and full-on sci-fi action-adventure of the Guardians provides an enormously satisfying space to explore through Telltale's unique style of interactive storytelling," said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. "In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, players will take on multiple roles within the ragtag band of heroes, and take the pilot's seat in directing their escapades around the universe. We are always honored to be working with the best creative partners and storytellers in entertainment, and working with Marvel on this series leaves us excited to share what we've been developing when it premieres in 2017."  "With story at the core of everything that Marvel creates, who better to team with than master storytellers Telltale Games," said Jay Ong, Senior Vice President, Games & Innovation, Marvel Entertainment. "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series fully showcases Marvel and Telltale's rich legacy of storytelling, and fans will find themselves immersed in an original, character-driven narrative. As part of our strategy to establish a new standard for Marvel games, this is certainly among the great titles to come." The series will also be coming to retail as a special season pass disc, which will include the first episode in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates. Specific platform details are yet to be announced. For more information on Telltale Games, visit the official website, Facebook, and follow Telltale Games on Twitter @TelltaleGames.

     

The Alliance Française French Film Festival announces 2017 Festival dates, and reveals four titles from the 2017 line-up

The Alliance Française French Film Festival announces 2017 Festival dates, and reveals four titles from the 2017 line-up

The Alliance Française French Film Festival will return to New Zealand screens from 1 March- 12 April, 2017, inviting audiences to experience one language, and a world of emotions.

Following the success of the 2016 Festival, which marked 10 years of celebrating the best of French cinema, the 2017 Festival will feature over 30 of the finest films from France and French-speaking regions. As New Zealand’s premier event celebrating French culture, the 2017 Alliance Française French Film Festival will continue to bring scintillating French cinema to an audience spanning 12 cities around the country.

From more intimate films to big entertainment, the 2017 Festival will offer a wide range of genres and themes, showcasing many talents.

Ahead of the full programme launch in February, the Alliance Française French Film Festival is delighted to reveal four titles from the upcoming 2017 line-up.

Baden BadenFrance/Belgium 2016Director: Rachel Lang
Starring: Salomé Richard, Claude Gensac, Zabour Breitman, Swann Arlaud

26-year-old Ana (Salomé Richard), leaves a job she detests, and upon returning to her hometown of Strasbourg, engages herself in a DIY reconstruction of the bathroom of her indisposed Grandmother. From this simple concept, director Rachel Lang’s sparklingly humorous debut explores complex ideas of love lost, and the pursuit of personal transformation.

Monsieur ChocolatFrance 2015
Director: Roschdy Zem
Starring: Omar Sy, James Thiérrée, Noémie Lvovsky, Clothilde Hesme

Based on a true story, Omar Sy excels as Chocolat the clown, the first black performer in French circus. Joined by James Thiérrée (grandson of Charlie Chaplin) as the white clown George Footit, the two form an unforgettable performance partnership, and journey through the challenges of gaining success in the 1890s. The film deftly mixes incredible feats and uplifting moments with thought provoking themes of racism and the corrupting power of fame. 

It's Only the End of the World (Juste la Fin du Monde)France/Canada 2015
Director: Xavier Dolan
Starring: Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, Léa Seydoux, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard

Derived from the play Juste la fin du monde, by Jean-Luc Lagarce, It’s Only the End of the World introduces Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), a writer suffering from a fatal illness, who returns to his family to inform them of his inevitable demise. Familial divisions, personal conflict, and past grievances are capably treated by director Xavier Dolan, as we follow Louis’s poignant story.

Dark Diamond (Diamant Noir)France/Belgium 2015
Director: Arthur Harari
Starring: Niels Schneider, August Diehl, Hans Peter Cloos, Abdel-Hafed Benotman

Arthur Harari’s film opens with the death of Pier Ulmann’s father; poverty stricken and ousted by his family after a fatal accident. Pier’s (Niels Schneider) desire to avenge his father leads him to infiltrate the ranks of his affluent diamond-dealing extended family. Considering the family culpable for his father’s loss, Pier plans a heist under the guise of carrying out construction work on the diamond firm. This polished film noir challenges the distinction between right and wrong, and is a master class in the effective building of tension. 

The full AF FFF 2017 programme will be available online and in print from Thursday 2 February 2017.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival will run from 1 March - 12 April 2017 in 12 cities across New Zealand. For dates and venues information, visit www.frenchfilmfestival.co.nz

Dr Who Christmas Special, The Return of Dr Mysterio gets Boxing Day Release

Dr Who Christmas Special, The Return of Dr Mysterio gets Boxing Day Release

A special Boxing Day cinema event in New Zealand

BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) and Rialto Cinemas today announced a Boxing Day screening of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, The Return of Doctor Mysterio, which sees the Doctor teaming up with a comic-book superhero in New York.

 The cinema event will include the full 60-minute special plus two bonus features, A New Kind of Superhero, giving a special inside look at Doctor Who’s concept of a modern superhero, and a special Christmas Doctor Who Extra, showing the making of this year’s special, with appearances by stars Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas, and showrunner and executive producer Steven Moffat.

Fans throughout New Zealand will be able to enjoy the event in New Zealand cinemas nationwide. Information on participating cinemas and purchasing tickets for Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio can be found at: www.nz.rialtodistribution.com

Written by Steven Moffat, this family favourite will see the Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, join up with an investigative journalist, played by Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall, The Player) and a superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat. Grant, the superhero in human guise, is played by Justin Chatwin (Orphan Black, War of the Worlds).

Matt Lucas (Nardole) will also be joining the cast of the special with Adetomiwa Edun (Lucifer, Bates Motel), Aleksandar Jovanovic and Logan Huffman.

“Superheroes are a cinema staple so we’re doubly delighted to give Doctor Who fans the opportunity to see this spectacular adventure on the big screen,” said Louise Hill, Live Entertainment Executive for BBC Worldwide ANZ.

It is written by Steven Moffat, Executive Produced by Brian Minchin, Produced by Peter Bennett and Directed by Ed Bazalgette (Poldark). Doctor Who is made by BBC Studios Wales and shot in Cardiff at BBC Wales Roath Lock Studios.

The 60 minute Doctor Who Christmas Special will also air on Prime TV on Boxing Day.

 Tickets for the theatrical release of Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio are  on sale nationally now at: www.nz.rialtodistribution.com

Our Kind Of Traitor: Blu Ray Review

Our Kind Of Traitor: Blu Ray Review

The ordinary guys finding themselves seduced by wealth and lifestyle before being placed in an extraordinary situation is nothing new to the thriller genre.

And in the hands of director Susanna White (a predominantly TV series based director), this adaptation of a John Le Carre novel is fairly workmanlike, and unfortunately lacking in many thrills.

Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris star as Perry and Gail, who are holidaying in Marrakech and clearly trying to reconnect. When Gail's pulled away on a work call at dinner, Perry finds himself ensconced in a circle of Russians, headed up by Stellan Skarsgard's oligarch and money launderer Dima.

Attracted to the wealthier side of life, and seizing the opportunity it brings, Perry's soon asked by Dima to take a memory stick of information to the British authorities (here headed up by Homeland star Damian Lewis's stiff and starched Hector). Dima wants to defect and bring down the corrupt vein that's coursing through London.... but Perry and Gail find themselves thrust into the middle of a web of mistrust.

There's nothing inherently wrong with Our Kind of Traitor.

In many ways, White's execution of the Le Carre novel of the same name is a solid piece that lacks thrills to power it along, and feels curiously devoid of suspense throughout.

Of the cast, McGregor's fine as Perry, the man who's done wrong by Gail, but wants to do the right thing by others, and Harris is a muted presence as Gail. Fatally, the pair lack chemistry at times, though that could in part be due to the strained relationship they're supposed to portray as details of their chasm are drip-fed out. And any danger they may face is muted by this portrayal of the relationship.

But it's Skarsgard who has the bigger presence as the larger than life Dima.

His rounded character demonstrates what's missing in this thriller - characters that you really root for and engage with. While his portrayal borders on the over-the-top at times, it is a welcome source of wry humour and a distraction from the character elements that are unfortunately missing elsewhere.
Sequences of suspense that would have been page-turners in the original best selling novel are performed with such perfunctory flair that the film lacks a compelling sparkle with which to settle on and contains little sign of ever fully gripping you in its web of mistrust and intrigue.

In many ways, Our Kind of Traitor feels like a film out of time; perhaps fans of Le Carre's original novel will get some kind of buzz from its execution, but everyone else may feel this thriller is a little too vanilla and lacking in flair. 

Underworld: Blood Wars: Film Review

Underworld: Blood Wars: Film Review

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance
Director: Anna Foerster

The fifth Underworld film appears on the cinematic horizon four years after Underworld: Awakening rebooted a portion of the franchise.

This time around, Kate Beckinsale returns as Vamp death dealer Selene, all clad in black leather and ready to kick some ass as the ongoing war between the vampires and the lycans continues.

Having lost all trace of her daughter at the end of Awakening, Selene finds herself hunted by the terrifying new leader of the Lycans, Marius (Tobias Menzies) who wants her daughter's blood, believing it will give the lupine clan the ultimate power to end once and for all the conflict.
Forced to turn to the coven who betrayed her, Selene is once again slap bang in the middle of attacks from all side, political intrigue and betrayal as the fight for eternal life goes on.

War is hell.

And eternal war must therefore, by extension, be eternal hell.

But that would be preferable to the latest Underworld film, an action thriller that barely musters enough action or thrills under its fetish garb to keep you entertained during its 90 minute run time.

The latest film lacks bite and feels anaemic in comparison to other entrants into the franchise, and despite once again rebooting the film (along with a brisk pre-credits introduction which gets everyone up to speed), the fire in its cinematic belly is waning this time.

It's largely due to a lack of clarity, an extremely basic script and vision that's wanting.

Foerster, who's helmed episodes of Outlander and who is the first female director to take on the series, manages to deliver the sparse action with a degree of simplicity of style, but there's not enough action sequences to flesh out the relatively thin bones unfortunately. It largely doesn't help that the supporting characters are relatively non-existent and it's left to James and his ample shirtless six-pack and pouting, as well as Beckinsale's frosty Selene to carry things along, leaving the investment into proceedings severely wanting.

True Blood and Sherlock's Lara Pulver vamps it up in a treacherous duplicitous role, but the wooden dialogue and occasionally ropey C Grade CGI morphing does more to cripple proceedings than you'd expect. In prior films, that's been masked by the action sequences, and their plethora, but Underworld : Blood Wars has scant numbers of them throughout its short run time.

To be fair, there are some nice sequences where the vamps are dispatched by UV bullets, rendering their bodies asunder into ashes, but there's not enough visual flair on show.

Ultimately, Underworld Blood Wars may satiate the lust of the fanbase, but there's a nagging feeling that Beckinsale is cruising through this latest installment and its ham-fisted political shenanigans, thanks to a lacklustre script and threadbare action

Your Name: Film Review

Your Name: Film Review

Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi
Director: Makoto Shinkai

Mixing J-Pop, time travel,body swapping and Japan's pre-occupation with natural disasters, Your Name is quite the genre bending anime.

Already raising more at the Japanese box office than Princess Mononoke, the film's continued success atop the charts (taking around 98 million US) is leading many to claim Shinkai is the natural successor to the potentially retired Miyazaki.

It's the story of two high school kids, Taki and Mitsuha, (Kamiki and Kamishiraishi) who live in very different parts of the world. Mitsuha lives in a small village where there are no facilities (but bizarrely two pubs) and who dreams that she would like to wake up one day in Tokyo as a boy. Taki is a boy in Tokyo, whose high school life is as normal, and who dreams that he becomes a girl in a small village...

Connecting these two's lives is a comet strafing through the skyline, whose appearance only once every 122 years seems to signify something unusual...

Your Name's lushly created visuals and comic light touch make its 2 hour run time worth it.

Shinkai's world is based in the now, rather than Miyazaki's which has always lingered in the past, a touch which makes the Tokyo skyline stand out while Mitsuha's small village feels bucolic and contemporary too.

While the music interludes that hit in parts feel like a bizarre music video - they personally grated and jarred the experience, there's a degree of the body swap story landing as well as it should and feeling relatively fresh despite a tired old trope. With no real rhyme or reason given early on for the swaps, the Freaky Friday elements work well - and while there's comedy of Taki living in a girl's body (and obsessing over the parts any teen world), there's also a poignancy of Mitsuha living a life in another world.

As the two lives tangle closer together, Shinkai brings a reflective nature to the story-telling, abandoning the frivolity and levity for something all the more philosophical and elegant. While there's definitely an argument that the film could drop some of its run time, the beauty of the anime and the contrast between Tokyo and the mountain village are gorgeous to revel in.

Your Name ends up being more thoughtful than its body swap premise promises - and ultimately, it's a sign that anime continues to surprise and thrill.

Kitchen: PS VR Review

Kitchen: PS VR Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS VR

If Resident Evil: Biohazard has any plans to scare us stupid in January, then Kitchen's VR Demo (available free on the PS Store now) is an indication we'll all need to be wearing nappies come release date.

Utilising the idea of the SAW movies, Kitchen drops you, cable-tied and sitting in a kitchen setting where it's evident the cleaner's not been for months. Grubby, grimy and looking like hell, you've got a recording camera shoved in your face, as you raise the motion controller to see your hands are tied.

As you thrust the camera away, what looks to be a body to your left comes to life - and that's where the nightmares start; not because it's a zombie but because it's a desperate scrabble to get away from something else lurking in the room.

What Kitchen gets right in its very brief execution (the thing lasts all of about 5 minutes) is the sense of depth and immersiveness. The sole location, with its dirty decor, is terrifying and claustrophobic, and while some of the play-out of the piece is frankly obvious to anyone aware of the horror genre, the clever stretching out of the tension adds much.

With Biohazard likely to be a PS VR Exclusive for a while, the bar's been set reasonably high. And with sound and atmospherics playing a large part here, here's hoping the wait will be worth it.

Dishonored 2: PS4 Review

Dishonored 2: PS4 Review

Developed by Bethesda and Arkane Studios
Platform: PS4

The first Dishonored was a great game.

Mixing treachery with the supernatural, revenge with stealth proved to be a major boon for the first outing and a return to Dunwall was inevitable after it snagged some 100 Game of the Year awards.

This latest sees you returning on the 15th anniversary of the death of Jessamine Kaldwin and the arrival of a coup, spearheaded by an unknown existence and threat which has lain dormant for years. With Emily and her protector Corvo Attano thrust from power, you're on the run - and you get to choose which person to play as.

Heading to Karnaca, the coastal city, secrets begin to come to light as you take on the forces that have seized power and claw your way back up to reclaiming your rite - and the throne of Dunwall.

Playing as Emily is a choice many will choose in this stealth sim, that's as much of a thrill as the first game was back in 2012. Arkane Studios has really built on the promise of the first game in this revenge driven thriller that hits all of the stealth bases.

But you actually have to play the game - even on the easiest setting. There's no way to simply blunder into proceedings and to hope to survive. You need to be stealthy, creeping around and eliminating those in your way before they become too alert to your presence and take you out.

And that's sometimes easier than it sounds; even on the game's easy setting, guards go from zero to alert in seconds, meaning you have to be onto it. From teleport powers to specific powers tailored for whichever character you choose to be, Dishonored's two-for-one deal means that really, many will find time to want to play this through again as the other once completion is hit. It's a canny move from Arkane, but rather than reeking of cash-in, it's a perfect way to play.

The game itself looks good, but at times, some of the mouths and eyes look hollow, with patches of white appearing unannounced and reminding you you're playing a game - it's a shame as visually, the Victorianesque streets of Dunwall and the brighter worlds of Karnaca look incredible, a testament to what the PS4 can achieve.

Ultimately, Dishonored 2's attention to detail, its revenge plot and its simplicity of play mean it's a title well worth picking up - even in the busiest part of the tail end of the year, it's a game that shines out and that deserves to be applauded.

Ah, Arkane, you've done it again.

Carnival Games VR: PS VR Review

Carnival Games VR: PS VR Review

Released by 2K Games
Platform: PS VR

All the fun of the fair comes to your front room with 2K Games' first VR outing.

Essentially a game that's all about racking up points, getting tickets and using said tickets to buy toys and collectables like a normal fair, Carnival Games is very much as you'd expect from the VR Experience.

As a pair of floating hands, it's up to you to control things and take control of the games.

Whether it's a case of hurtling balls at a mountain of bottles for points, or rolling them for a high score in Alley Ball, this is family friendly fare that hits the spot and is fun if you get a heap of mates around and start a series of mini game challenges.

The tracking is smooth, and while the floating hands is severely weird and looks rather unusual the game mechanics work pretty simply and relatively well. It's also immersive in its own cartoony way as you have to spin all the way around to ensure you get all the delights of the fair ground (though that's trickier if you're trying to utilise the Move controllers in a seated environment, and can lead to the bashing repeatedly of the walls).

There are 12 games to play and while the tickets gained give you the chance to purchase prizes, the idea of playing with them in the Playroom to unlock achievements seems more than a trifle odd (and to be frank, a little banal). Tickets are needed to unlock further alleyways and more games, so it's a sense of grind there in many ways.

Nicely colourful and very playable in a few family sessions, Carnival Games VR may be as heady a thrill as the fair is, but the novelty wears off quickly. More a distraction than a long time gaming prospect, Carnival Games (much like SingStar) benefits best from a family session or a gathering of mates - which is no bad thing for a headset that essentially turns the social into the anti-social.