Newstalk ZB Review - Sing, Finding Dory and Kubo and the Two Strings

Newstalk ZB Review - Sing, Finding Dory and Kubo and the Two Strings

This week it was an animation special with reviews of Sing at the cinema and at home, Finding Dory and Kubo And the Two Strings.

Take a listen below.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-sing-finding-dory-and-kubo-and-the-two-strings/

Bad Moms: DVD Review

Bad Moms: DVD Review

There's no denying that Moms have it tough.

Or so the new comedy from the writers of The Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore would have you believe.

Mining the girls behaving badly oeuvre that Bridesmaids championed and the competitive streak that soared in Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's Sisters, Bad Moms is the tale of suburban mom Amy (a relatable Kunis).

In her eyes, she struggles with being a mom of two, holding down a job and dealing with a self centred husband. But when she has the mother of all days, she decides enough is enough and cuts loose in anger at the PTA, headed up by Christina Applegate's harpy in high heels, Gwendolyn.

Bad Moms is essentially about rebelling against expectations.


With the triumvirate of Kunis' everyday over-worked mom, Kristen Bell's put-upon mother of four Kiki and Kathryn Hahn's sex-crazed, foul-mouthed Carla, it's clear the girls behaving badly motif covers all the spectrum of the mothers out there, wanting to cut loose and throw off the shackles of societal expectations.

Mining the observational side of the put-upon parents delivers some solid if unspectacular laughs in this chaotic comedy, but there's no denying that the female elements of the audience will get more out of this than the males. Though, with the casting of a younger demographic as leads, it's clear the males who are dragged along won't mind.

While Kunis has warmth, it's frustrating to note that her empowerment crumbles when she falls into a romantic sub-plot with a hunky widower and she simply becomes a doe-eyed love interest rather than a kicking-loose lady.

Hahn delivers the wide berth of belly laughs as the crazed Carla (in particular, a great supermarket sequence)- and coupled with the film's insistence on using slow mo and freeze frames to showcase the bad behaviour, she has the requisite comedic chops to carry it off. She gels well with Bell's Kiki, whose under-the-thumb meek turn inevitably goes where you'd expect it.

At its heart, Bad Moms will generate a great deal of empathy with its predictable core message of it's okay to not be a great mom and have bad days, but we just keep going, though it could be loosely condemned for not doing anything more subversive in its expectedly weak empowerment message.

It garners great cinematic truck when the ladies go brazen and it's hard to imagine there won't be a few hollers among the women in the audience during certain points.

If you're willing to overlook the inevitable sappiness (which is largely staved off until the end) and underwritten males in this piece, Bad Moms will offer a potty mouthed comedy alternative for a slight night out with comedy of recognition - but perhaps the most genuine part of the film comes with the credits, where the stars and their real-life mothers impart some pearls of wisdom from their years of growing up.

It's here the earnestness, authenticity and humour winningly combine to make you wish this were a longer side-piece to accompany Bad Moms - as it lingers longer in the memory than the film itself after the lights go up. 

Office Christmas Party: Film Review

Office Christmas Party: Film Review

Cast: TJ Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, Courtenay B Vance, Kate McKinnon
Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck

It's the time of the year.

It's the season for excessive partying and generally letting everything fly.

So it's no surprise that Office Christmas Party looks to fill the seasonal blow-out with a comedy aimed at the fun-loving audiences seeking an R rated raunch fest.

Essentially, with a threadbare plot, it's the story of Silicon Valley star TJ Miller's Clay, who's the local branch manager of a computer company handed down to him by his father. But the company's facing tough times and when Clay's sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston in boss bitch mode, already pioneered in elements of Horrible Bosses) shows up with the threat of closing down their branch, Clay's determined to land a big client and save the day.

His plan - to woo Courtenay B Vance's Walter Davis with the biggest office bash they've ever seen - and despite Carol's refusal to let them party with redundancy around the corner...

Office Christmas Party sets its stall out early on.

It's actually quite tame in comparison to prior R Rated fare like The Hangover that wore its crudity and boorishness on its sleeve. There's a real feeling of family in the film, from the family of workers to the bickering family dynamic between Carol and Clay, and it softens proceedings from what you may be expecting.

Miller does a version of his Pied Piper CEO character Erlich Bachman, and at times, feels constrained by the script and story. (Miller's always at his best in a loose approach or improvising, and it distinctly feels like he's been reined in).

Bateman and Munn have a tentative romance brewing and dynamic that's sweet but never cloying, though equally it never feels riveting and lively, with the softness more at the fore. Bateman plays his usual laconic everyman, Munn plays a computer genius who's human, Aniston plays icy cold to perfection, and Miller gets goofball manchild down pat.

But there's little zing where there could be more - and even when the party kicks in, the chance to ramp up the raunch is squandered. It should have been more Crass-mas than anything else.

It ends up once again being a film that's stolen by Ghostbusters star Kate McKinnon's performance. This time, she's an uptight oddball HR rep who's determined to squash the fun, while secretly harbouring a desire to be involved.

In among the awkward moments and the obligatory pushing the attempts to make this Project X in an Office block, Office Christmas Party never quite fully hits the vibe it should. Sidelined by the sweetness and stunted by the lack of some strong frat elements and not enough laugh out loud gags, this is, unfortunately, one Office Christmas Party that delivers a hangover and needed many more of the boozy highs.

Kubo and The Two Strings: Blu Ray Review

Kubo and The Two Strings: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Travis Knight

The library of Laika's contribution to the animated cinematic world is scattered with greatness.

From the button eyes of Coraline through to the madcap world of The Boxtrolls, via ParaNorman, each of the studio's stop motion films have stood out visually from the CGI generated fare from the likes of Pixar and other contenders.

But Kubo and The Two Strings may be their greatest success yet, a story that is visually dazzling.

Game of Thrones star Art Parkinson lends his vocal talents to Kubo, a one-eyed young boy who tends to his ailing mother by night, and visits the local town's market by day to earn money by telling stories. Wowing the crowds with his tales of a samurai (brought to life by the magic of paper and music), and keeping a wooden monkey protective charm close at his mother's urging, Kubo is not allowed to stay out at night.

Because Kubo's family is steeped in tragedy, with his mother having fled to escape her vengeful sisters... however, Kubo inadvertently disobeys his mother and sets in motion a chain of events that manifests itself in a quest against evil involving a monkey (voiced by Theron), a beetle (McConaughey) and Kubo....

Suffusing the familial with the fantastical and blending in a great deal of emotion, Kubo and The Two Strings is a great success, even if its desire to explain and expound its themes ties it up a little in its own intricate web toward the end.

Wrapping the mystical trappings of Japanese culture, this samurai quest tale is both a celebration of the art of story-telling, rendered popular by oral histories from the likes of Homer, and a complete story of its own, with Kurosawa elements fused inexorably into its DNA. While parts of the narrative take a nightmarish turn, there are questions as to whether this fable is more aimed to adults rather than children - and its desire to remind us about relatives gone and ancestors past is a noble and worthy cause that leads to a emotionally powerful conclusion.

And yet, despite its perfection in stop-motion execution, there are moments within Kubo and The Two Strings which feel flawed narratively. A confused outpouring of the story initially fuses the film with muddled moments and leave the epic quest slightly floundering as you try to work out some of the darker story elements and familial conflict. And the arrival of Matthew McConaughey's Beetle sees the film flounder into more comedy than perhaps is welcome given the darker tones of what has progressed (Though perhaps that's cos it's aiming toward the kiddies).

Despite that, Laika's eye for stop-motion and the seamless crafting of the Eastern elements more than make up for any short-comings that are present in this wondrous tale. (And don't even stop to consider that once again Laika has an obsession with eyes in this latest).

The originality of the mix of the Japanese fables and mythology, along with an Asian influenced OST,  are what carries this film and the visual execution of these elements see Laika soar - and despite the feeling that honing some of the narrative elements for more clarity, Kubo and The Two Strings is easily a contender for one of the films of the year.

It's a sure sign this studio Laika is achieving greatness and is only about to unleash more on the world - and that is no bad thing whatsoever. The film starts by uttering the words "If you must blink, do it now". You'd be wise to heed that warning, because once it begins, you won't be able to tear your eyes away from a second of it. 

The Shallows: Blu Ray Review

The Shallows: Blu Ray Review

Ever since Jaws terrified the world, there's always been an inherent and undeniable phobia of open water and sharks.

And cinema's been trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle effect again - in some forms of success, with the likes of the darkness of Open Water to the ongoing schlockiness of the Sharknado series.

So the latest contender is a trim 85 minute thriller starring former Gossip Girl star Blake Lively as Nancy, a former med student who's dealing with the death of her mother and dropping out of college by way of coping. Heading to a hidden beach in Mexico that her mother surfed at the day she found out she was pregnant, Nancy's determined to catch some waves and reconnect spiritually to her.

But when a shark attacks, her journey soon shifts away from the spiritual to a desperate fight to ensure she survives the night stranded on a reef, and can work out what to do when high tide comes in....

The Shallows largely dramatically paints itself into a corner.

However, for the most part of the film, Collet-Serra (known for Liam Neeson thrillers Unknownand Non-Stop) and Lively manage to convince of the isolation and creeping fear.

It helps that Collet-Serra's cinematographer, Flavio Labiano has done an excellent job, with some truly stunningly lit underwater sequences (a jellyfish minefield stands out) and sweeping shots of the beauty of the beach around Nancy. In parts, The Shallows feels like a surfer's piece of wave porn then mixed with the National Geographic shark porn elements as the CGI beast circles around. With others caught in the shark's sights, the blues and azures turn into a blood-soaked red water that fill the screen; an early shadowy shot of the shark in a wave tube that's being surfed - visually, it's hard to fault the work this film does.

Some directorial flourishes mark out the film's B-movie pretensions and there are one too many shots of Lively's svelte figure slipping into a wet suit or through the waves to hang 10, but in its early stages, The Shallows largely achieves what it's aspiring to do.

It helps that Lively's subtle facials and the short running time sell the basic concept of survival, even if the narrative conveniences threaten to put all out to sea (a med student who's seriously injured just being one of the more obvious and helpful when she's chomped on and needs to use her own jewellery as a sewing kit). Her bonding with an injured seagull on the coral is as much akin to Wilson in Castaway as you're likely to get and could be someone else if you're looking deep into this, but not once when in the water, does Lively lose sight of what makes Nancy human and fallible in this battle against nature.

An over-reliance on clunky exposition at the start, via a clever use of smartphones on screen or Nancy's American tourist babbling to her definitely-not-interested guide seem to be trying to inject some character that's not really there, weird time jumps and a terribly pointless saccharine coda are just a couple of the problems of The Shallows.

Ultimately though, the film lapses into silliness and growing ludicrous touches which is what a schlockbuster audience want but which betrays what the film has spent a lot of time aspiring to, with its more spiritual edges and its fight for resilience and survival giving some of the suspense early on.

Losing sight of the fact that shark films work best when they're hardly seen, Collet-Serra's conclusion to the film is dangerously silly and works against it.

In the final wash, The Shallows has parts that betray its own title, but an insistence on going for the hoorah shark porn moments on the screen sink the film back into more than adequate B-movie territory and ultimately leave you feeling you've been treading cinematic water. 

Horror Comes Home in 3 New Gameplay Videos for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Horror Comes Home in 3 New Gameplay Videos for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Three new videos have been released today for Resident Evil 7 biohazard. Download and watch the videos below for a detailed look at the terrifying Baker family home: where its twisted residents stalk the player through a maze of corridors, traps and inventive puzzles.

About Resident Evil 7 biohazard

Players experience the terror directly from the first person perspective for the first time in the Resident Evil series. Embodying the iconic gameplay elements of exploration and tense atmosphere that first coined “survival horror” some twenty years ago, Resident Evil 7 biohazard delivers a disturbingly realistic experience that will define the next era in horror entertainment. Returning to the series roots, signature gameplay features including exploration, puzzles and a realistic tense atmosphere awaits players. The classic inventory system returns but with limited space meaning players must choose what they carry with them carefully, making sure they remember to pack their green herbs!

Play the 5 New Rockstar Verified Selections from the #STUNTS Creator Contest

Play the 5 New Rockstar Verified Selections from the #STUNTS Creator Contest

After playing through each and every hi-octane submission, we are pleased to announce the winners of our Rockstar Verified Creator Stunt Races Contest – congrats to Slimjim171, eclaide38, neogry, Serg3n and shawface. Along with the bragging rights that come with being officially Rockstar Verified, these Creators will each be receiving a cool GTA$8,000,000. Be sure to check out these latest additions to the Rockstar Verified list and, for easy access, jump directly into our Rockstar Verified Playlist starting today and running through December 12th.

Rocket Kars by Slimjim171
Fight for first place and gasps of air in this cloud-top celebration of Stunt Races - stick to the track and don't look down!

Straw-Dogzz Crew Commissioner Slimjim171 has built this Race high above Mount Chiliad, giving much needed space for the epic jumps, straight runs and tight bends that dominate this soaring course. Be sure to keep an eye out for those sharp turns and big leaps - without the comfort of a Barrier along the winding roads you may end up taking a tumble down the side of the mountain.

Black and Yellow by eclaide38
Careful not to get stung on this thrilling dash above Paleto Cove - a distinctively coloured Stunt Race full of tight turns and narrow dashes.

Set around North Chumash, this appropriately titled black and yellow Stunt Race course by French creator eclaide38 is meticulously designed for adrenaline junkies. Locked to the Super class, manoeuvre through twists, turns, tunnels, loops and crossovers as you careen your way to victory.

Gordo by neogry
Hit all the sights of North Eastern San Andreas in this luscious tour of Mount Gordo, rapidly descending from raised chicanes down to scenic sea level straights.

Taking its moniker from the Job's locale, Creator and NEO-Army Leader neogry creates a scenic but death-defying Race around Mount Gordo. This challenging course is chock-full of ways to trip up even the most seasoned of racers.

Love Canyon by Serg3n
Rocket down Raton Canyon and enjoy the views from the climb up Mount Josiah before an unforgettable final stretch.

Starting off down Cassidy Creek, Jokers Elite Clowns Crew Leader Serg3n makes great use of both Stunt Props and the natural terrain of Raton Canyon. This eclectic course takes you down rivers, through forest fires and then switches the playing field to Prop-heavy technical jumps and turns with a little something for every type of racer.

Meuy's Grand Line by shawface
Race over the Alamo Sea from McKenzie Field to Sandy Shores and back. Stunt jumps, long straights, track and street.

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Finale Arrives December 13th

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Finale Arrives December 13th

'BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Season Finale Out December 13th; Episode 1 Now Free on Steam     New Steam Patch Updates Series to Support  Broader Range of PCs

Today we can announce the release date for BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 5: 'City of Light'.   The final of five episodes in the season, Episode 5: 'City of Light' will be available digitally worldwide starting Tuesday December 13th 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 the finale: Players will begin this episode in very different places depending on where they chose to go in the third act of Episode 4. Additionally, Episode 1: 'Realm of Shadows' is now FREE to download for PC via Steam. Telltale has also released a performance patch for BATMAN - The Telltale Series on Steam, updating the game to support a wider range of PC configurations and address some of the concerns we heard when the game launched earlier this year. This patch contains significant performance improvements as well as adding numerous performance settings to allow users to customize the game for their systems.  In Episode 5, the leader of the Children of Arkham prepares to execute the final act of a plan to destroy the Wayne family name, and the people closest to you are in their path of vengeance. Can Batman's ultimate secret be kept - his very identity - when it is causing chaos and death in Gotham? The fate of the Wayne family and of the city itself rests on your choices. What will you do? How far will you go? Which mask will you wear? 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, and Laura Bailey as Selina Kyle. BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 5: City of Light is rated M (Mature) for Violence, Blood and Gore, and Language by the ESRB. The series is published by Telltale Games in partnership with Warner Bros.

Sing: Film Review

Sing: Film Review

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, John C Reilly
Director: Garth Jennings

With a note saying Sing contains 85 songs during its 110 minute duration, you could be forgiven for feigning apathy after doing the maths of how often they'd appear.

(Maths purists - it's about 1 every 1 minute or so)

But Illumination's latest animated foray manages to pack in some zaniness around the music and the relatively 2 dimensional characters in this thinly veiled tribute to vaudeville and music audition shows.

Matthew McConaughey plays Buster Moon, a koala theatre impresario whose love of the boards has seen him put on several less than successful shows. With the bank about to foreclose on his theatre and with ideas running out, Moon decides to put on a singing audition competition to attract some interest. But things go further than planned when his lizard secretary accidentally puts onto the fliers that there's a $100K at stake...

It's easy to see why Sing's crammed its run time with classic songs - it's simply because there's nothing more than a terribly basic plot to flesh proceedings out. But that's not to take away from the fun moments that permeate the screen - from auditions with endlessly familiar pop songs blasting out to wacky sight gags, there's enough to keep the younger end happy and enough to ensure the adults recognise the music.

However, it's not quite enough.

Given Zootopia made real its anthropomorphic world with depth and insight, this tale feels lacking in anything other than a simple bubblegum formulaic animation that ticks the boxes and does little else as it zips between what feels like episodic moments stuck loosely together.

It's a shame as the vocal talent is more than sensational - McConaughey's laid back drawl makes Moon an affable and perky presence, MacFarlane's parlance is perfectly suited to a jazz playing mouse, whose rat-pack pretensions and sass are on display from the beginning and John C Reilly's perfectly cast as the slacker mate of Moon.

But it all feels so by the numbers, a medley of melodies being its only real saving grace. And to be frank, the idea of putting one last show on with a menagerie of oddballs has repeatedly been done to death by The Muppet Show.

There are no messages here other than a little self-belief and a hastily bolting on bonding between a father and son gorilla - but Sing is perfectly happy to carry on regardless.

Where it wins is once again indulging the wackiness of the Illumination brand, pioneered by Despicable Me and expanded by Minions. Simple wacky moments add a levity to the film but also serve to highlight the weaknesses in the overall story and lack of real personality.

When Moon announces his intention to put on a singing audition, there's a meta moment where one character intones "Who wants to see another one of those?"

It's a prescient moment, and if the world-weary and slightly cynical among us nod our heads in agreement, there's an almost tacit acknowledgement that younger audiences will lap up the unabashed feel-good simplicity of it all and its formulaic edges, because it all comes wrapped in a perfectly dayglo blast of music and well-visualised fluffy characters.

Sing may aspire to hit the high notes, but in truth, it actually manages to solidly hit a mid-range, never quite veering into essential territory but never quite making itself feel unwanted.


Sing previews from the 9-11th of December, before opening on general release on Boxing Day.

Fifty Shades Darker - New Trailer drops

Fifty Shades Darker - New Trailer drops

Fifty Shades Darker releases on February 9^th 2017.

When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance.  

As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together.

Dead Rising 4: XBox One Review

Dead Rising 4: XBox One Review

Platform: XBox One
Released by Capcom

Guess who's back, back again?

Frank West is back - tell a friend.

This time, in the fourth outing for the franchise, he's putting the Slay into Sleigh Bells as Dead Rising 4 has a Christmas tinge all the way throughout.

(And a light jazzy series of interludes when you place it on pause... just in case you're anti the festive season).

The cocky, blase photographer from the first game is finally back where he belongs in this zombie fuelled blast of festive silliness that's as gory as it is goofy.

Once again, it's back to Willamette, Colorado the place of the undead (all touches of subtlety and mocking of small town life are once again to the fore) and the scene of Frank's previous encounters.

This time, he's tricked into heading back to the mall after one of his proteges alerts him to a conspiracy at the heart of Willamette - and it's once again back into the Mall for another bloody rampage.

With a mysterious outbreak fuelling the fire this time around, there's a little feeling of deja vu, but thankfully the developers have realised that Frank's fractious and frivolously unPC take on things is the way to breathe some life into the undead.

A lot of the game just feels fun - it's not an in-depth precis and expose or satire of small town life - and while there's a bit more to the just zombie outbreak story line, the bare bones of this hack and slash beat-em-up is in the way it embraces its gory MO and runs with it.

Smacking down a stack of zombies builds up a bloody combo for Frank to unleash on his prey - usually in the form of a gory cut-scene that's as tongue in cheek in its splattery execution as it is bloody. But there's also variety here - whichever weapon you choose to rack the combo up will ultimately dish out the death. Early on, Frank can be transformed into a whirling dervish of an executioner when the tank's full - so there's plenty of variety on show here.

Night vision and spectrum analyser vision have turned Frank's camera into more than just a machine of snapping shots - this pap's got powers now in a weird way that help dig deeper into the mystery of Willamette and give you a new way to play the game.

It's worth taking a hat off to Capcom and acknowledging they've found a way to keep this latest fresh, while simultaneously engaging with what made it so popular in the first place. Along with an EXO suit to power up Frank, Fresh zombies (newly reanimated undead who race at you and rip you apart) and Evo zombies (cunning killers), there's plenty to keep it weird.

The Xbox also coped with an extraordinary amount of the undead on screen for Frank to unleash his combo weapons on - one section alone saw around 200 plus of them hacked and smashed by Frank's blood lust - it's almost as if Sam Raimi's gone beserk in the gaming world and we're all benefiting from the final result.

(FYI Multiplayer will be more solidly tested once the game's been launched worldwide, to see how the servers cope.)

At the end of the day, Dead Rising 4 deserves major kudos for its execution, for giving us Frank back after the disappearance in the 2 previous games and for really throwing some life back into the undead apocalypse.

Finding Dory: Blu Ray Review

Finding Dory: Blu Ray Review

That Finding Dory doesn’t quite repeat the magic of Finding Nemo will really not be a surprise to many.

This parable about living with disability and those around the person with the disability trying to cope and fearing for their future is obvious from the start.

Flashing back to when Ellen DeGeneres’ little blue fish Dory was more or less just a set of big eyes, the story concerns itself this time with her quest to find her parents – when she remembers she has them.

With shards of memory dropping giving her an idea of where they now reside, Dory sets out on a desperate quest to rejoin her brood. Dragging along Nemo and Marlin (Rolence and Brooks respectively) for the ride / swim, Dory finds herself in another world of adventure when she lands up at a marine life institute.

Separated from Nemo and Marlin, Dory befriends Hank an octopus (played by Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill) who’s desperate to stay in the centre, rather than being returned to the sea, as per the marine world’s MO.

There’s no disputing the colour on show on Pixar’s latest is evocative and reminiscent of the greatness that was life under the sea in Nemo. And there’s no disputing the fact that this time around, the critters at the Marine Life Institute are a marvel to behold; once again, the animation is top notch.

But there’s a slight nagging feeling that this sequel doesn’t quite embrace enough of the darkness that is inherent in the story to ensure the heart strings are duly tugged. Perhaps it’s evident of the fact we have a lead character who always forgets, except when she doesn’t, and that the story’s stop-start potential ending feels too rushed and keen to ensure a crowd-pleasing finale and a rote chase sequence.

DeGeneres is a delight though as Dory; her infectious goofiness keeps proceedings brisk and pacy. Equally her interaction with the increasingly grumpy Hank is fun as well – in fact, a lot of the laughs of the film come from Hank’s racing around the institute and blending into the surroundings.

Finding Dory follows a lot of the similar trajectory of Finding Nemo in terms of peril for our protagonists and there’s certainly enough to keep the youngsters amused (though the last 20 minutes saw the little one I was with losing some focus and shifting around in his seat as the darker edges came to the fore).

Pixar’s proven with the likes of Inside / Out and Toy Story 3 that it can do darkness well, so it’s a shame that Finding Dory’s story strays away from where its inherent strengths could have lain. It’s still a good solid family film that entertains as much as it can – and its pre-short film Piper about a seabird finding his sea legs and filling his belly is photo-realism with a side of adorable thrown in as well.

16th Nov

Suburra: DVD Review

Suburra: DVD Review

One of the year's most blistering and searing films has arrived in the form of a dramatic look at corruption in Italy that's soaked in style and oozes character.

Based on the novel by Carlo Bonini and Giancarlo De Cataldo of the same name, it's an intricately lurid crime story that seizes you by the throat midway through and never lets go.

A politician, prostitutes, drugs, land grabs, power-plays, bribery, blackmail, turf wars, a government in crisis and the priesthood.

These are all familiar tenets of the Italian drama world and the fact Suburra embraces them to create an initially disparate web of threads shouldn't be the reason to dismiss it outright. As the story plays out against a backdrop of 7 days before the "apocalypse" arrives, the film's intricacies are brought together by a commanding cinematographer and a sense of sickening dread.

From the politician whose Icarus like hubris demands punishment to the son saddled with his father's uncontrollable debts, every frame reeks with someone fighting against the tide and the fact they could lose their soul at any moment.

There are real consequences for all in this film, and while the women ultimately feel like objects more than people, the film's all the better for embracing the tropes under the helmship of Gomorrah TV series director Stefano Sollima.

While the spiritual crisis alluded to is a thread that falls flat despite its portentous introduction and book-ending scene, what plays out in between with the Mafia and the interlaced narrative is nothing short of stunning.

Sprawling corruption, bathed in a synthesiser OST and filmed against an unending backdrop of rain are a potent concoction that deliver on flair after initially looking like it'd flounder under its own self-imposed epic feeling.

Ultimately though, the compelling Suburra grips intensely and delivers cinema that shows everyone involved fighting for their very existence, both literally and morally.

The Sopranos it ain't, and in 2 and a quarter hours it delivers bravura cinema that is as tense and exciting as it is delivered with flair. It's a desperate scrabble for all, whether they're jostling to get to the table and be an equal player or plotting their next step up the ladder.

Suburra is relentless in its execution, and as the web pulls tighter and the story becomes more taut it's difficult not to get sucked into this world that never once loses focus on the singular players, their motivations and the increasingly sickening feeling that misdeeds will deliver disastrous consequences on them but results that prove emotionally rewarding for the audience. 

First look - Transformers The Last Knight Trailer

First look - Transformers The Last Knight Trailer

Two species at war - one flesh, one metal. 

Watch the first trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight now!

 Transformers: The Last Knight  releases 22^nd of June 2017.

 

Take home The Last Guardian Prize Pack

Take home The Last Guardian Prize Pack

To celebrate the highly anticipated release of The Last Guardian, which gamers have been waiting for for years, PlayStation NZ is hooking you up with the chance to win a The Last Guardian prize pack!

You can win a copy of the game, a beanie, pin and T Shirt and a copy of the game to celebrate The Last Guardian's entry into the world!

About The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian is the latest work of the game designer, Fumito Ueda, who has created the beloved and award-winning titles ICO and Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 2 system.　

It is an action-adventure game where the player will take on the role of a young boy who goes on a journey along with a mysterious and gigantic creature, Trico, feared as a man-eating beast. 

The two will adventure through treacherous ancient ruins and gradually deepen the bond between each other, facing many difficulties on the way.

Features:

• In a strange and mystical land, a young boy discovers a mysterious creature with which he forms a deep, unbreakable bond. The unlikely pair must rely on each other to journey through towering, treacherous ruins filled with unknown dangers. Experience the journey of a lifetime in this touching, emotional story of friendship and trust.
• An Unlikely Companion: Discover a fantastical beast named Trico who will act as companion and protector, forging a bond that drives an emotional and harrowing journey.
• Truly Unique Gameplay: Take control of an ordinary young boy who must communicate with his gigantic companion in order to overcome obstacles and survive mysterious dangers.
• A Beautiful Fantasy World: Through advanced lighting and particle effects, detailed environments, and lifelike character animation, The Last Guardian transports players to a breathtaking world filled with crumbling ruins and mysterious secrets to discover.

To stand a chance of winning this incredible prize pack as this momentous title gets released, all you have to do is drop me a line and tell me the name of the beast in THE LAST GUARDIAN!

To enter simply email your answer to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Please ensure you include your name and address - competition closes December 18th 

Super Stardust Ultra: PS VR Review

Super Stardust Ultra: PS VR Review

Developer: Housemarque
Platform: PS VR

Super Stardust Ultra was already a fun title to play.

A combination of blasting asteroids, collecting weaponry and points, all on a rotating world, the game had a lot of arcade sensibility going for it and made it definitely worthwhile.

The PS VR version of it strives for greater things, but doesn't fully achieve it.

While the core gameplay remains in tact and the idea of blasting around the screen close up and having a few things flying towards your face is a bit of a novelty at first, the core game soon becomes slightly redundant and unnecessary (even though scanning round sees you in the stars of the universe). It's still eminently playable though and is enjoyable enough (much as it is with normal screens).

Its Invasion VR mode is where the VR's been developed for the title and it's whether you feel like this is an extension of Battle Zone's tanks with Super Stardust Ultra's waves of critters to shoot. There are EMPs to help you gain some space, but the whole thing seems a little off and ever so slightly dull (not to mention prone to motion sickness).

Ultimately, Super Stardust Ultra on PS VR isn't a necessity. Sure, its core game is still worth throwing time into, but otherwise, there's little to warrant this other than the consideration of it as a lazy port to a new platform.

Jim: the James Foley Story: DVD Review

Jim: the James Foley Story: DVD Review

Most people know the name James Foley.

And that's largely due to the way he was taken from this world; beheaded, in an orange jump suit by a masked captor in 2014.

But director Brian Oakes' documentary about the titular field correspondent aims to flesh out more of the man whose life will be unknown to many. However, this is a doco of two halves; the first concentrates on giving us the back-story of a brother who caused concern to many with his life choices and exacerbated fears when he was captured in Libya.

The second half becomes a piece about being a hostage, by using those who were with James when he was taken in Syria by IS to share their story and recollections of the man.

And to be frank, while parts of Oakes' doco run the serious risk of deifying Foley thanks to his damned good decency, there's no denying the ultimate resolution of the piece which uses some of the most intimate of moments ever committed to film will undoubtedly leave you emotionally wrecked.

That's due in large parts to Oakes' creation of a film that takes its time to paint a portrait of a man whose sole MO was nothing but the greater good. Be it in his desire to help document a hospital's attempts to save children being shelled by their own government forces or by putting other captors first when in the direst of situations, it's clear that Foley was a good man, whose selflessness was didn't go unnoticed by others.

Using archive footage, interviews with the Foley family, access to emails sent by hostage negotiators and in the latter parts reconstructions, Oakes' desire is clearly to provide a legacy for his friend. Which is in itself no mean feat - and understandable given a) that the brutality of the man's death was the reason he achieved global notoriety and b) that in the face of such tragedy, some kind of good has to emerge.

In fact, one colleague, talking of Foley's selflessness, decries the fact his death gave him a face on the stage and he'd likely be horrified that it were not those of the innocent civilians caught up in the conflicts in Syria and Libya being discussed.

But what emerges is the collective guilt of the family (natural perhaps) over the wait to get any information and Oakes takes a swing at the US Government for not doing more at a brisker pace, given the others in Foley's captivity are freed. Yet, it's a weak shot that has no repercussions and even a cursory glance over Wikipedia shows Oakes leaves out the information over a botched rescue attempt as if to further fuel the fire and hint at a simmering sore that lies exposed.

While it's clear that Jim: The James Foley Story wants to leave a picture of a man who made a difference, its moving testament is not in the construction of the film, or the casual way interviewees address their director (leading to questions of whether professional distance has been maintained) but purely in the demonstration of what Foley was and what a difference he made to those around him.

In the wake of the tragedy and horrific end that befell him, Oakes' sole desire is to have friends and family attest to his virtues, and one assumes this emotional outtake is what Oakes wants us to take away from the film - a sense that while men can do horrific evil still in this world, there is still an overbearing good that cannot be snuffed out.