Paterson: Film Review

Paterson: Film Review

Cast: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani
Director: Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch's reflective and languid approach suits Adam Driver's rhythms in Paterson, a thematic companion piece to Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake in its salutations of the common man.

Driver is Paterson, a routine bus driver in the burb of Paterson, who has a daily routine. His watch wakes him around 610am daily, he eats the same breakfast, heads to work at the bus depot and finds time to write poetry before his shift and during. Heading home every day at 6, he corrects a leaning post-box that moves daily, has dinner, walks his shared bulldog Marvin and goes to the local watering hole.

So far, so familiar as Jarmusch's patented loops play out over an 8 day period. But as the days progress, small variations crop up towards the end of the week in Paterson's life - from a girlfriend whose borderline OCD and creative obsession with black and white mean each return home is random to a cataclysmic moment involving his bus.

These are the beats of Paterson, where the ordinary is celebrated and the pace is languid to prosaic. As this ode to the mundane progresses, there are visual tics and tricks that Jarmusch throws into the mix to almost test as if you are paying attention to what's transpiring as the story's more lyrical edges wax and wane with time progressing.

Throwing in a cute scene stealing dog also helps proceedings (when the deliberate pace slows a little too much) as well with Marvin the bulldog (sadly RIP now) proving to be the juxtaposition to Paterson's life in a small way to many, but devastating to the celebration of the mundane. Driver's a relatively blank canvas throughout, with his small intrusions into life being catalogued more by the outre behaviour of others - from the bus depot boss whose life is full of dramas to the dreams of his cup-cake empire dreaming partner, his calmness gives the yin to everyone's extraordinary yang.

Blessed with dry humour and quiet reflections on life, Paterson's simplicity and gorgeousness is in its execution. Its rhythms and wry humour may not be for everyone, but for those who fall for the loops of life and the idiosyncracies within, this slow celebration of the mundanities of it all works wonders. 

War Dogs: DVD Review

War Dogs: DVD Review

Imagine if the director of The Hangover decided to do a Wolf of Wall Street via way of Goodfellas- but with a couple of gun runners instead of white collar workers..

That, in a nutshell, is War Dogs, the based-on-a-true story tale of Miles Teller's David Packouz and Jonah Hill's Efraim Diveroli. 

Reunited at a funeral in Miami Beach in 2005, the old friends strike up where they left off with David decrying his desire to leave his personal masseuse job. But he discovers that Efraim's running guns during the Iraq War and exploiting loopholes within US military contracts to his advantage.

Seeing his way out, David tells his fiancee Is (Knock Knock star Ana de Armas) that he's selling sheets to the military - and thus begins his descent into working with the devil all around the world... 

War Dogs tries to do the anti-hero thing once again, this time hoping for the blue eyes of Miles Teller as Packouz to be our conduit in in this Wolf of War Street tale.

And despite the initial energy and semi comedic vibe, the film's wheels fall off as it tries to inject some drama into proceedings, with not enough consideration or fleshing out of the characters to give it the sense of jeopardy it needs.

Throwing in a few domestic scenes with Is and David rowing seems to feel enough for Phillips to believe we're invested in David's morally ambiguous ways and his avarice, but the honest truth is it simply doesn't work well enough. And while Teller and Hill work well together, the inevitable downfall and personal split feels lacking in anything emotive.

It doesn't help that Phillips has ripped off Goodfellas' voiceover / freeze frame tricks to help sell the necessary exposition or that the movie's clearly been configured around a soundtrack to fit its vibe; there's nothing fresh as War Dogs limps on. It begins to sag viciously towards the final third and even dangerously skirts the line of bland when suspense should have you on the edge of your seats as the denouement dangles more dangerously than Damocles' sword.

Fortunately, Hill injects some life into proceedings as the Scarface / Godfather loving Efraim and is a stand-out here. He's a heavy set huckster shyster with a high-pitched giggle whose morals have clearly been snorted in a whirlwind of coke and indifference. Teller's solid too, and while Phillips decides not to justify or moralise their actions too far (save for David's desire to stop being a masseuse), it's not enough to save War Dogs from indifference. A little subtlety and more lightness of directorial touch would have helped immensely, but these seem a little beyond Phillips' grasp unfortunately and elude him throughout.

Morally bankrupt can be fertile dramatic territory as every gangster pic and TV show will tell you - but in aiming for lighter fare and ramming home the message to the audience, War Dogs becomes an exercise in endurance as the slump sets in. 

By failing to embrace either the amorality of what's going on or play the comedy darker and with a defter touch, War Dogs may have been held on its leash a little too far and for a story about gunrunners, while it starts strong, it proceeds to stumble on its all guns blazing promise, and once too often, shoots itself in the foot. 


30th Nov

Sausage Party: Blu Ray Review

Sausage Party: Blu Ray Review

Possibly one of the most messed up adult animations of its generation, Sausage Party is a Seth Rogen idea 10 years in the making.

Mixing Pixar and Disney through the potty-mouthed prism of South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut, it's the at times anarchic story of sausage Frank (Rogen) and bun Brenda (Wiig) who live in a supermarket and who long to be selected by shoppers and taken to the nirvana of the Great Beyond (aka outside the store).

But when Frank and Brenda are separated from their bagged colleagues trying to save a suicidal mustard jar who says the Great Beyond is a lie, they have to get back to their shelves in time to be sold for July 4th celebrations....

Puns, profanity, philosophy and puerility collide in this animated flick which thanks to one scene towards the end gives new meanings to the phrases food porn and root vegetables.

And yet in among the clearly deranged lust for frat boy crudity and puns, there's also a story of religious tolerance, beliefs and commentary on the Israel / Palestine situation thanks to a squabbling friendship between a lavash and a bagel. It's a paradigm of Sausage Party that it covers such higher topics while pursuing such baser ideals and potty-mouthed leanings.

At its heart, it's a simple take on the Toy Story style get home adventure of the first film as Frank and Brenda muddle their way through the shopping aisles being chased by a bad guy, while one fellow sausage negotiates the horrors of reality of being cooked out in the real world.

But it's certainly plenty of food for thought during this culturally diverse and occasionally subversive piece that embraces all and points out the absurdity of conflicts and differences with the use of puns and a polemic pushing of the envelope. From God hates Figs to Exterminating Juice, there's plenty to keep you guffawing here as the inevitable lulls start to hit the scatological highs. An all-out orgy scene goes as far as it can and a clever use of Meatloaf helps the film to hit parodies of films like Terminator 2 and slasher films.

All in all the Adult Swim-like Sausage Party is perhaps not quite as clever as it aims to be in parts, but with Rogen adding an animated sausage to his pot-headed frat boy filmography, there are signs that he's doing what he does best and to great comic effect with this CGI outing.

Funny, riotous, ribald and a bit deeper than you'd expect despite its filthy sheen, Sausage Party sizzles more than you'd expect it to do so. 

Jason Bourne: Blu Ray Review

Jason Bourne: Blu Ray  Review

Solid, yet formulaic and workman like, the latest Bourne is anything but spectacular.

In the latest non-essential part of the series, which unpicks all the neatly tied up threads of the series, Damon is a dogged Bourne, a machine-like automaton of assassination that's lacking any kind of real dialogue whatsoever.

When former comrade Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) finds Bourne and tells him there's more to his past than he actually realises, Jason Bourne is forced on to a quest to make those pay for the truth...

Nearly 10 years have passed since the The Bourne Ultimatum, and in a world where Wikileaks, Edward Snowden and security have become major issues, it feels like Jason Bourne does a token amount to address such things this time around.

Even with the apparently personal level of this mission this time around, Bourne himself may pull no punches (as a Greece-Albanian fight club sequence demonstrates) but the script is lacking in any kind of real elements of either mystery or urgency.

Throwing in Riz Ahmed as the head of a Facebook style company for little reason other than to facilitate the finale is a missed opportunity; it's a disposable plot thread which dangles undernourished on the narrative vine. 

And unfortunately, despite the re-teaming of Greengrass and Damon to the series, there's much of Jason Bourne which feels similarly wanting and in parts, and sees the film fall into an entirely predictable rut of action and flashbacks.

Despite getting things underway with a simmering riot bubbling out of hand and a hunt for Bourne in Greece at the start, the story loses its impetus soon after as Matt Damon's scarred Jason Bourne walks from place to place, avoiding the bad guys. It's repetitive and hardly builds tension at all as Vincent Cassel's Asset tries to hunt him down at the behest of Tommy Lee Jones' hang-faced CIA director.

The action sequences are assured and measured, but never fully thrilling (with the exception of the aforementioned Greece sequence). Greengrass is more than competent in their execution, with his shaky cam and quick cuts pervading proceedings, but never threatening to derail them. It's a shame that the Vegas finale feels like a rote chase, with car-nage aplenty and muted thrills, rather than edge of your seat stuff.

Fortunately, the addition of Alicia Vikander as Heather Lee, an analyst whose motives are questionable gives the film a bit of spark and stoicism that it needs (as well as a puncture through the old boys club mentality that pervades Bourne). And Damon himself, looking aged and still capable of taking the physical workload, does great things, giving his character a wearied edge of someone lost in the world and trying to find his place within it.

But that's the thing with Jason Bourne; in among the talk of assets, chases, betrayals, fake outs and action, nothing ever feels fresh or enticing in the self imposed sense of seriousness and the idea of solely providing a blast of Bourne nostalgia. 

Fans of the series may get a kick out of the franchise's return, but that's possibly about it. (Also, the fact these former CIA assets don't quite know how to disguise themselves in crowds simply beggars belief...)

Ironically, for a film about an amnesiac assassin, the whole thing about Jason Bourne is that it's instantly forgettable the minutes the lights go up - it's formulaic where it should be fresh, and in parts, flat where it should burst with energy. 

7th Dec

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Film Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Film Review

Cast: Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
Director: Gareth Edwards

It was always going to be a hard ask.

Tell a self-contained story where everyone knows the conclusion and where it leads.

For the uninitiated, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is essentially Star Wars 3.5, offering an entry point into A New Hope and leading into the Rebels getting their hands on the plans to destroy the Death Star.

So, in many ways, the conclusion is assured - the journey there perhaps a little less so.

Brit Jones stars as Jyn Erso, whose Oppenheimer father Galen (Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen) works for the Empire and who's been helping to build a planet killer (aka Death star). However, Galen has put in place a weak point to ensure the Empire's evil plans don't come to fruition.

Angry and disillusioned from seeing her mother murdered in front of her, Jyn is determined to get the plans - and with the Rebel Alliance growing weaker as the might of the Empire rises, it's a race against time...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is as dark an entry into the Star Wars universe as Empire Strikes Back, even though it lacks the rich emotion of that film.

The rag tag band of fighters come together with a level of grit, betrayal and mistrust and there are scrappier elements in place as they do so. A fiery and determined, though unshowy, Jones leads the pack fairly well, but is occasionally constrained and saddled with some Rebellion based bon mots to trot out ("Rebellions are based on hope!" being just one) and as a result, the rest of the cohorts fade really in comparison.

It's a shame, because characters have traditionally been what defined the Star Wars universe - from the swagger of Han Solo to the garrulous charm of Lando Calrissian, the more rogueish elements have always fired on a greater scale.

Ahmed threatens to make a presence early on, but is wasted in the wash; a blind Bulletproof Force Monk (played by Donnie Yen) becomes the mystical waffler who gets to kick ass by using the Force (and appears to be part of a gay inter-racial relationship with Wen Jiang's Baze Malbus in a bit of a welcome Star Wars first); Mikkelsen's usual terrific presence is consigned to scrappier moments; Whitaker is a version of Blue Velvet's Frank Booth with gas mask and Luna is slightly bent out of shape as the rebel tasked with doing the unthinkable.

Yet in amongst it all, Mendelsohn shines as a Nazi-esque Empire commander whose ambitions are being thwarted and who exudes menace.

But Edwards' Star Wars is a grittier film - this is a flick where terrorism is de rigeur, where market places are scenes of discord, car bombs and street fights. Planet-hopping, politics and a rebellion worn down are all dangled teasingly in front of fans and sit alongside a sarcastically dry droid (played by Alan Tudyk) and a CGI character (reminiscent of PlayStation cut scenes) that may polarise as many as Jar Jar Binks did but for different (and spoilery) reasons.

Fan service inevitably comes into play. Whether it's the slight tweaks to the classic John Williams' score or the cameos as well as the line call-backs, the pay-off proves to be too disappointingly juicy to resist once again, and shows the film-makers are mainly those who need to be reined in. And humour becomes an increasing crutch as the back half of the film plays out.

All that said, there's a grubbiness to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Hope is crumbling and it infects large frames of the film. And while you can't deny the power of the characters' ultimate fates is weakened by a lack of time with them and overall chemistry and flatter roundings of them all, this was perhaps one hurdle the film-makers (and consequent reshoots) were never going to be able to overcome in this pre-ordained film that had to tread a certain path.

Ultimately though, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story brings the fans what they want - a controlled final battle sequence that swaps chaos for calmness of execution on the beaches and is reminiscent of Churchill's assertion that they will fight them on the beaches. It is perhaps testament to Edwards' strength in previous entrants (the soldiers falling from the sky in Godzilla, the appearance of the Monsters in Monsters) as the battle reaches fever pitch that these sequences don't feel cluttered or overdone.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a Star Wars film aimed at the adult fans who grew up with the first saga and were so let down by the prequels. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and with a first portion that muddles a little and meanders, it lacks the immediate grabbing of the throat that those originals had.

But as an entrant into the Star Wars universe and as a film that refuses to follow the over-indulgent fan service and pathetic nostalgia that The Force Awakens was so bathed in, it revels in its darkness and occasionally borders on stuttering uncertainty.

Definitely lacking a little bit of character of its own and wallowing in its own exposition that stifles some of the potential, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is undoubtedly a solid Star Wars experience and a sign that given a bit more freedom to go their own way and maybe take some chances - go rogue even - this galaxy far, far away still could have a lot of excitement to offer.

Nerve: DVD Review

Nerve: DVD Review

If anything, directors Ariel Schuman and Henry Joost have already plied us with the perils of the internet with the 2010 film Catfish, so it's perhaps no surprise they jump back into the online world with Nerve, based on the novel by Jeanne Ryan.

Emma Roberts is Vee, a shy wallflower of a girl who doesn't want to go to college and who harbours a crush on the high school football jock, who's never noticed her. Living in the shadow of both her boisterous BFF Sydney (Meade) and in the death of her brother, she decides after rejection to join a secretive online game of dare called Nerve.

Controlled by watchers who set dares for money, Vee is sucked into the game, initially propelled by the adrenaline of rebellion and also because of her hunky co-gamer Ian (Dave Franco). But as the games escalate and become more life threatening (shifting from kissing a random stranger to driving blindfolded on a bike in NYC streets), she finds the thrill a little too much - but she's too far in to be able to pull out...

With its neon soaked aesthetics and hyper-kinetic pace, Nerve is another cautionary tale of the internet; a kind of truth or dare game spliced through the prism of Unfriended and The Purge, with elements of Rome's gladiatorial hubris and Battle Royale thrown in for good measure.

Roberts sells the shift from wild recklessness to genuine fear as the stalker level of this warped Pokemon Go style game escalates. Her innocence gels with Franco's solid but one note performance and the pair fast become the heroes of the piece, but side characters ultimately become predictable genre tropes and wither under manufactured circumstances.

From Meade's insecure BFF, Lewis' mum who appears in 2016 to have no idea what the internet is or how banking works to the best friend crush via some of the worst iteration of internet hackers since Hackers (the collective group cries include "Let's take this game down!" and "I spend lots of time on the dark web"), the film's weaker elements come to the fore as the film amps up its adrenaline filled stunts and action sequences as it edges towards its more OTT elements.

Despite a progressively sillier escalation and an ending that relies on Roberts' crowd exhorting plea for the watchers to abandon their anonymous voyeurism and predictably preaching about the perils of the internet, Nerve is an energetic film with a fair degree of verve. Its kinetic pace will appeal to the screen obsessed youth and still manages to fire barbs at those youngsters who possess a mob mentality online.

There's perhaps an irony that its younger target audience who find themselves caught up in crazes like Pokemon Go and the narcissism of online will probably stream this film rather than head to the cinema, but in a world of screenagers, Nerve's cautionary edges and likeable leads, fuelled with its hedonistic pleasures, make it a surprise cinematic outing that's worth logging on for.

Assassins' Creed: The Ezio Collection: PS4 Review

Assassins' Creed: The Ezio Collection: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by UBISOFT

Assassin's Creed is so hot right now.

What with the upcoming New Year's Day release for the Assassin's Creed movie starring Michael Fassbender, and the fact the main series is taking a year off, it's down to nostalgia to stoke those fires.

And it does so with the release of Ezio Auditore's adventures in the Assassin's Creed - Ezio Collection, collecting together Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and pulling in the Templars' fight.

If you're not versed with these games already, they remain some of the franchise's best, pitting action, suspense and downright treachery together in one great concoction that proves engaging and entertaining at the time.

It's a nice move to collect this trio of games together, as they form one large narrative thread that loops through and gives a sense of completion to the story. But at times, it appears the game's very much lost some of its edge by vaulting onto the next generation machines. Especially when it comes to graphics and load times.

Occasionally, there's an interminable wait as the game boots up and it proves a little frustrating. Combat's quite archaic too, as you have to continue to strike while people continue to attack - it's a throwback in many ways, but given these games are port-overs, it'd be hard to expect anything radically being done in the back-end.

If anything, the three games for the price of one makes this collection a definite own - and while graphically the game's slightly aged and lost some of its shine, the core gameplay and story-telling continue to shine through.

Here's to next year's Assassin's Creed - and seeing what's next for the saga.

Steep: PS4 Review

Steep: PS4 Review

Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS4

There's something cool, clear and crisp about life in the mountains.

And it's something that Steep, the first major winter game simulator of the next generation consoles manages to get right.

Ubisoft's game may be all about the mountain and may have some graphical glitches and flaws, but the experience of hurtling through the white stuff is as smooth as anything.

Setting you mountainside and with a board and wing suit, Steep's MO is about soaring to the bottom and unlocking different areas and challenges as the game progresses.

Tricks, twists and turns all combine to gift you points as the gameplay evolves. Scouting through binoculars opens up new challenges as sites become available when sighted and experience unlocks races and further options as the game goes on.

A 3D map helps you negotiate the mountain and various base camps as the game progresses and other racers appear eager to take you on and garner something from hanging onto the coat tails of your reputation.

But there's nothing more primal in Steep than the basic gear being correctly used to hurtle through the powder.

From skis to snowboard, wingsuits to paragliding, the journey through the white stuff is easily done and plays out smoothly. A few of the glitches encountered happened after races as my player found himself ensconced in the ski ranks or wedged into a tree, necessitating a restart. But these are minor niggles and proved a distraction rather than a constant irritation.

There's more than enough to do to keep yourself entertained with Steep and there are definitely thrills to be had during the gameplay as this open world sim expands its boundaries.

Steep's strength lies in its simplicity of execution rather than in its longevity of play. 

This is a game that offers up simple adrenaline fuelled pleasures rather than sinking hundreds of hours into life on the slopes.

And that's no bad thing at all for this beautifully executed game that stands out from a recent glut of shooters as we head to the end of 2016.

Moana: Film Review

Moana: Film Review

Cast: Auli'i Cravalho, Rachel House, Dwayne Johnson, Jemaine Clement, Temuera Morrison
Director: Ron Clements, Don Hall

There's something definitively empowering about Disney's latest, Moana.

Not only does its trip into Polynesian culture and beliefs navigate sensitively through potentially choppy waters, but it's head strong independent heroine is likely to appeal to many.

It's highly likely that Disney's found a new entrant into its pantheon of endless classics, with this tale of Moana, a princess whose heart belongs to the sea but whose father wants to keep her on shore.

With songs from Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show-stopping tunes are in full effect early on as the paean to the Polynesian traveller plays out.

When Moana's desire to take to the seas to save her land from being overtaken by an ecological disaster sees her ignore her father's bidding, she sets off an adventure that any young girl will be excited to see play out - and any audience seeking a feel-good family film will utterly adore.

When she learns that the demi-god Maui (played with warmth, laddishness and goofiness by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) stole the Heart of Te Fiti, she pledges to recruit him and restore the heart to its rightful owner.

But Maui's got other more selfish ideas - he wants simply to be reunited with his fish hook and wants nothing to do with Moana's quest...

There's an Odd Couple bickering vibe that is at the heart of Moana and Maui's relationship and despite its banter, there's nothing but good nature from start to finish with this. Negotiating the mysticism of the Polynesian ancestors with ease and relative sensitivity, the spiritual edges of Moana are largely confined to the sidelines as the slap-about storyline progresses.

From a Mad Max-esque attack by some coconut pirates to the Jiminy Cricket / Greek vase painting vibes of Maui's talking tattoos and conscience via the Abyss-like tendrils of the sea that guide Moana, there's a lot of cinematic history swathed in the proceedings.

By the time Maui appears in the story, some 35 minutes in, a new Disney heroine has already been entrenched in the narrative and thanks to a combination of Miranda's show tunes and the depth of character and animation displayed, Moana is clearly a timeless character, destined for the hearts and minds of young girls, so often deprived of a heroine to admire in Hollywood.

But here's the crux with Moana - not once is her ethnicity or her spirit defined by a male or by others' judgement. She stands alone, a virtue of pluck and heart from beginning to end - there's a distinctly female feel to the story from the start with Rachel House's grandmother leading Moana's voyage of self-discovery.

That's not to say the usual Disney trappings aren't present either.

From a clucking chicken side-kick stowaway on Moana's boat to Jemaine Clement's show-stopping turn as Tamatoa, a crustacean delivering an ode to shiny things (very reminiscent of a jazzed up version of Flight of The Conchords' Bowie's in Space) via some truly photo-realistic animation, this is a Disney film that hits on all cylinders and gets the little details right.

As we celebrate the summer months and family time, Moana's box office is guaranteed, largely due to wider themes about self-belief and the ever-important self-discovery.

Granted, these are not new themes in the animation world and while there has already been some criticisms levelled at Johnson's demi-god's portrayal as slightly buffonish, Moana's joie de vivre comes bursting from the screen in a mix of colourful animation, show-stopping tunes and a heroine to embrace.

In many ways, Moana feels like a progressive step into the future - its central heroine is diverse, has no need of male intervention or behest and isn't defined by a patriarchy or a male side-kick.
And as we head into 2017, that's something to shout about and hope it's the start of a new trend.

Ludicrously feel-good, with some belting toe-tapping musical numbers, this is one sea to surrender yourself to - Moana's enthusiasm is infectious, and it's pointless to resist.

The Last Guardian: PS4 Review

The Last Guardian: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4

It's the holy grail of console gaming, and after some 10 years in development, it's finally here.

Begun in 2007 and with a development time that's been littered with expectation, Ico and the Shadow of the Colossus' developer Fumito Ueda's latest can only be described as an experience, albeit a flawed one.

Told in flashback and with voiceover, it's the story of a kidnapped boy who was taken under mysterious circumstances and left inside a castle, with his body tattooed with strange markings.
Next to him and chained for no reason lies a feathery furry beast, known as Trico. With spears in its side and shoulders, this wounded creature lies sullen and muted.

And this is where the Last Guardian begins as you decide what to do next.

There's little about The Last Guardian that won't be familiar to anyone who's ever owned a pet.

From removing the spears in the wounded beast in a show of humanity to tossing barrels for Trico to chew upon, this is about bonding with the creature from the get-go. The first moves force you into interactions with Trico, and he responds in kind, be it in anger or interest as you show your love toward an injured animal.

But as the game deepens, the bond grows as well. After the boy discovers a magical shield and projects it on to the wall, Trico's tail explodes with electricity shooting forth. There's an uncertain and unpredictable feel to the beast, and it makes the game feel magical as the two of you set out to escape from the confines of within.

However, while the bond between the pair is brilliantly realised, the gameplay is occasionally slighty frustrating.

There's no escaping the fact this game at time feels like a last gen console outing, in terms of how it looks, plays and with unstable frame-rates. And don't even get me started on the camera, which obscures some of the action, removes some of the marvel and generally frustrates more than it even remotely should.
There are moments when this game feels like a lazy port over and where it feels like the developers forgot they were even looking at a next gen console. The camera issue as mentioned is one of the buggiest ever encountered and it really does remove some of the feel of the game.

And then there are moments, when The Last Guardian makes you forget its flaws and hits you in wonderment.

There are cutaways that are impressive, suggesting scale and size that make the experience magical. There is a soundtrack that soars quietly and majestically in the background, binding the elements together in a cohesive tie that hits you more than you realise.

There are sequences when you simply find yourself looking at Trico, marvelling as the wind blows through the feathers of this dog / eagle / cat hybrid. There are moments when Trico behaves like your beloved pet, tentatively entering a space for the first time, with one paw first; and others where it goes bounding in full of infectious energy. This is where the power of The Last Guardian lies - its sparse storytelling gives way to an experience that's less about puzzle solving and more about the journey itself.

Much like Journey, Fumito Ueda's The Last Guardian is about feeling something.

And while it's nowhere near perfect, and its flaws almost threaten to topple it from its height, there's no denying that The Last Guardian is something sensationally special and magical.

Hitman: The Complete Season 1: PS 4 Review

Hitman: The Complete Season 1: PS 4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Square Enix and developed by IO

Hitman's decision to go episodic initially divided fans, as they felt it would rob the game of suspense and craft.

But what's actually transpired over 6 episodes is just how much the Hitman franchise has benefited from a breather within each release.

With the globe-trotting Agent 47 back on course for murderously controlled mayhem, the game's moving around from Paris to Hokkaido has really tested your understanding of how to execute 47's missions.

Stealth is always the key, though occasionally rushing in ramshackle has benefited; but the game's mechanics are suited extremely to patience and stealth. Paris may have started the game off with the feeling that there was a large space to explore, but it soon transpired this was one of the smallest levels, with hundreds of larger propositions revealing themselves as the game went on.

Graphically, Sapienza was the stand out of the series, an Italian coastal town that really stood out and looked incredible, as well as made the best of its open spaces and environment.

From the wide open world, it moved to the hustle and bustle of Morocco; this is very much a series that didn't want to feel repetitive and that wanted each episode to have its own feel, as well as ensuring there was time to breathe in between each level. If all of this variety were to have been contained in one game, detractors would have slammed its insistence to continually change things up, whereas the release format followed by IO really helped the series to a successful relaunch.

Along with an ongoing thread involving Agent 47 himself, the relaunch of Hitman and IO's development plan meant this was a series that really did reach its potential.

From the NPCs that felt like they had a life rather than just being presented for window-dressing to the tricky assassination games, Hitman: The Complete First Season 1 is really an incredible restart to the series - here's hoping IO builds on these incredibly successful foundations for season 2.

Fast 8 - First trailer drops

Fast 8 - First trailer drops

It's here - your first look at Fast 8!

The brand new trailer featuring Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto and Dwayne Johnson has dropped.

Don't wait now - take the first look at The Fate of the Furious.

La La Land: Film Review

La La Land: Film Review

Cast: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling
Director: Damien Chazelle

The director of Whiplash delivers an homage to love and musicals that's all rush and very little drag, while reuniting stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling for the third time (after Crazy Stupid Love and Gangster Squad).

Stone is Mia, an aspiring actress stuck in the role of a barista on the WB lot and frustrated in auditions; Gosling is Seb, a jazz enthusiast and purist piano player who dreams of setting up a club in the crummy dive which threw him out, but whose ambition is thwarted by bosses who want him to play the set list and nothing more.

The pair meet by chance a couple of times in the kind of coincidence that some would garner as fate and over the period of a year, told via Chazelle's four-seasons-in-one-film on screen titles, begin a gentle romance that's threatened by ambitions, reality and life itself.

La La Land is a bright, breezy, colourful homage to musicals of the past and a Hollywood of yesteryear.

It sets its store out in its very first opening moments, where a crowded LA freeway is turned into a free-wheeling fully choreographed dance number where car residents frolick on bonnets, in the road and on rooves with such abandon that it's impossible not to be carried along with the Another Day of Sun song.

Bathed in retro primary colours and nods to the Hollywood of the past (Mia's apartment has an Ingrid Bergman mural and The Black Cat poster), Chazelle's attempted to recapture the joie de vivre of the great musicals and the spectacles that were once so common place, but are now sneered at. Even throwing in some meta lines about whether people will love it or not, to which one character retorts "F*** them", La La Land is a throw everything at it piece, where a great amount brilliantly sticks.

This is cinema to swoon at, cinema to fall in love to and a film where the leads have the chemistry that's needed to pull through some of the slightly dodgier singing numbers they're gifted. They don't make movies like this anymore, and it's good they don't - because when one like this comes along, it knocks your cinematic socks off.

But while La La Land is a film of dreamers, it's also bathed in a sad melancholy that ebbs and flows with the tide of life as the year of their romance plays out and reality comes heartbreakingly knocking.

Stone and Gosling make the perfect pair, even if the second half of the film grounds their romance in tensions and drama as the rows grow between following your heart and your dream and dealing with the harsh realities of life. They are the dreamers many of us wish to be, and their ease of chemistry and tonic of romance feels beautiful to behold.

Consequently, it's the nostalgic escapism of Broadway swathed in the visual opulence of the past - but more crucially, La La Land is the tonic to the festive season - a timeless romance, swept up in the romance of dreaming, and all wrapped in a bright colour palette and with such heart, that it's impossible not to fall in love with La La Land - and fall hard.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier' Epic Two-Episode Premiere Dec 20th - official trailer

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier' Epic Two-Episode Premiere Dec 20th - official trailer

Full Trailer for 'The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier'  Epic Two-Episode Premiere Debuts December 20th with 'Ties That Bind' Part I & Part II

Fellow Survivors, Today we can share the full launch trailer for The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier, the all-new season in the critically-acclaimed series. The season debuts on December 20th taking form of a special two-part premiere with two episodes debuting on the same day: Episode One: 'Ties That Bind' Part I & Episode Two: 'Ties That Bind' Part II. In the full launch trailer for the two-part premiere, we further explore the dire situation that brings newcomer Javier and his family together with the young survivor Clementine. We also catch a glimpse of familiar faces from The Walking Dead universe such as Jesus, while also getting some clues on exactly what this 'New Frontier' represents... The first TWO of five episodes in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier will premiere digitally worldwide starting Tuesday December 20th on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One®, and on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4. 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. Release dates for additional platforms will be announced in the near future.  Beginning in February, the series will also be available for purchase on a special 'Season Pass Disc' for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, which will include the premiere episodes for the third season, as well as access to all subsequent episodes in the five episode season for download as they become available.  Users can pre-order the season for their favorite platform now by visiting https://telltale.com/series/the-walking-dead-a-new-frontier/#buy. As a special bonus, PlayStation 4 digital preorders also receive a complimentary copy of The Walking Dead: Season Two and The Walking Dead: Michonne; while Steam users receive a discount of 10% for preordering.   When family is all you have left... how far will you go to protect it? Years after society was ripped apart by undead hands, pockets of civilization emerge from the chaos. But at what cost? Can the living be trusted on this new frontier? As Javier, a young man determined to protect his family, you meet a young girl who has experienced her own unimaginable loss. Her name is Clementine, and your fates are bound together in a story where every choice you make could be your last. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will act as both a new beginning for players fresh to the series and unfamiliar with Clementine, as well as a continuation for players who have experienced Seasons One and Two. Players new to the series will be able to start a story that is tailored to this new beginning. Players continuing onward from prior seasons will have multiple options for quickly configuring their tailored backstory, or importing past save files from various platforms. Additional information on this feature will be detailed in the coming week.

Cartoon Network Battle Crashers: PS4 Review

Cartoon Network Battle Crashers: PS4 Review

Cartoon Network Battle Crashers is definitely one for the fans.

Essentially a side-scrolling beat-em-up, the game's not really for those who can't get engrossed with repetition. Taking in characters from Adventure Time, Clarence and Regular Show, you have to traverse differing landscapes and simply beat down anything that shows up.

While collecting jewels and traversing three levels within six worlds.

Cartoon Network Battle Crashers very much feels like an arcade game exposed largely on a console as characters can be swapped in and out, and bring different propositions to the table, be it environmental saviours or pure powers of defeating waves of marauding baddies.

Switching characters mid-game is fluid and a clever touch to that side of things, but it does little to switch up the excitement of the game, which fails to fully utilise the colour and excitement of its characters, preferring instead to suck all the personality out of them in favour of nothing more than button mashing.

Ultimately, Cartoon Network Battle Crashers is a relative crushing bore that fails to garner any real excitement or much reason to continue playing level after level.

Love & Friendship: DVD Review

Love & Friendship: DVD Review

There can be no denying that Whit Stilman's Love and Friendship is a dizzying take on the meshing of an Austen novella, first published back in 1871.

Occasionally aloof and wrapped up in its own whimsical way with prose and the machinations of Beckinsale's Lady Susan, this piece is a pacy comedy mocking manners and cocking a snook at stuffy period pieces of the time, while still enjoying the trappings of such tropes of the genre.

For the period comedy, it’s off to the 1790s and to the world of “most accomplished flirt” and recently widowed Lady Susan Vernon (a good Beckinsale, revelling in the wicked ways of the word and general dispatches of disdain) whose desires to find a husband for herself and her daughter consume her daily interactions.

And that’s really rather it for the plot of Love and Friendship, a film that’s more concerned with a once over-lightly approach to many of its characters – and an approach which bizarrely suits Stillman’s execution rather masterfully. 

Employing the actors to stand directly facing the camera while posing and posting sarcastic text on the screen is one of the more bravura touches of the piece, simultaneously acknowledging the source material and also negating the need for expositionary introductions that would waste time in an already slim and taut running time.

Beckinsale excels in the role and demonstrates a lighter touch which has hitherto been unexplored and could see her destined for awards season if some are to be believed. While her Lady Susan moves from one portion of the chess board of life to another, it’s clear she has her intentions in focus, even if sometimes, the script demands more from the audience. This is not a film which stops to let you catch up or stoops to pander to the common denominator. And it’s also not a film that has a traditional Austen heroine, with Beckinsale’s Lady Susan having more in common with Clueless than other period fare.

If Beckinsale impresses, it’s clearly Tom Bennett as the blithering fool Sir James Martin who steals the comic limelight. His rambling and delight at the simplest of things suggests a naïvete that borders on idiot and is reminiscent of Hugh Laurie’s bumbling in Blackadder. However, his introduction comes at a great point for the film which begins to feel lost to anyone thanks to lighter characters and brief dalliances with them. And certainly his belief that there are 12 commandments is a delight to watch as he struggles with the idea that it could be anything different.

Perhaps though the lack of stronger male characters gives this piece a feminist watch that’s har  d  to escape and yet also delightful to revel in. This is a world where the women conduct the affairs and twirl around society with the men struggling to keep up – on this front, Stillman’s embracing cameras and sweeping dialogue shots do much to keep the viewer engaged.

Ultimately, Love and Friendship is a film of froth; a light adaptation that is a dizzying but slightly sophisticated affair, a film that revels in language and character and one that's grounded by a performance from Kate Beckinsale that will have you thinking twice about what she's done before.

16th Nov

The Clan: DVD Review

The Clan: DVD Review

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

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

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

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

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

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