Life, Animated: DVD Review

Life, Animated: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Ent

If Disney Pixar's latest Finding Dory is a parable about living with disability, Life, Animated is a tale of how Disney helped one family and their son rise above their debilitating problem.

Director Roger Ross Williams has already snagged a Sundance directing prize for the doco about Owen Suskind and it's not hard to see why.

Meshing animation, Disney favourites and fly-on-the-wall aesthetics, it's the tale of 23 year old Owen Suskind who at 3 years old stopping talking and being able to form sentences, muttering only gibberish to his family and leaving them in heartbreak.

Diagnosed with regressive autism, Owen's parents Ron and Cornelia despaired as they lived in a world which didn't have the insights we do today and struggled to find a way to connect back to the son who early footage shows was just a normal kid.

But Owen's way back to the world and his parents' way to meet him was through a chance discovery of what Disney's animated films had given him... and it's here that a Life, Animated review veers too closely into spoilers to deprive you of some of the uplifting moments and lows that ensue.

What Ross Williams has done has helped shed light on a moving story of both those living with autism and those around them - but without sugar coating any of it. Based on father Ron's book, we see the pain of the parents (the line where his father decries the fact that his son simply disappeared is heartbreaking of itself), the anguish of the brother who will have to assume the mantle of protector and we witness the joie de vivre of Owen as he negotiates his life and touches of TV series The Undateables.

Meshing family footage and candid honesty as well as some beautiful animation from Mathieu Betard and Olivier Lescot, Life Animated is nothing short of heartwarming but never manipulative.

Providing a glimpse into the world of autism from Owen the subject itself, this is a coming of age story that revels for the most part in restraint. There can be no denial the final scenes leave you empowered (as a moment from the Lion King rams home the point), but it's the wonder of Owen and the simplicity of Ross Williams' construction of the piece that make you marvel.

If Ron Suskind's book Life Animated is the number 1 special needs biography, it's fair to say that this feel-good piece will bring the subject to a wider audience and will succeed in sending crowds off into the cold nights with a warm undeniable glow. 

The Lego Batman Movie: Film Review

The LEGO Batman Movie: Film Review

Vocal cast: Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson
Director: Chris McKay

Quite literally a Block-buster, the computer generated actioner The Lego Batman Movie is perhaps the antithesis to what you'd expect from DC's brooding Dark Knight, so masterfully re-envisaged for the Christopher Nolan series.

And yet, the family-size fun of the film simultaneously encompasses and actively embraces everything that makes Batman tick (his neuroses and soaring loneliness) and throws it through a LEGO prism, giving it an occasionally meta-sheen and splashing it all with a degree of contagious lunacy.

Given a cameo in the Lego Movie, where everything was indeed awesome, Will Arnett's gravelly take on Bats was a great tonic to the film and it's obvious to see why he's been brought back for a full-length adventure.

Riffing on the Adam West era of Bat-movies and cocking a snook at the overly clogged 1997 Joel Schumacher Batman film that threw all the villains together in a fight against the Caped Crusader, The Lego Batman Movie feels almost Pixels-ish in its narrative.

When all of Batman's greatest villains team up to take him down and take over Gotham City, Batman finds he's got more than he expected on his plate. The situation's further compounded when he discovers he's accidentally adopted an orphan in the form of Dick Grayson (Arrested Development and Scott Pilgrim's Michael Cera) who's trying to become his sidekick.

The joy of the Lego Batman Movie is in the insanity of its execution and the depth that lies beneath its surface.

From the opening credits where Batman's voiceover actively mocks the logos (intoning that "DC is the House That Batman Built") right through to the mayhem which transpires on screen, the film's MO seems squarely to be in the fun stakes. And while it teeters dangerously close to feeling overlong in the final strait, the glee and relish that Arnett brings to the role helps compensate for the film's feeling of overload.

The tone is squarely pitched at amusing the kids, ticking geek boxes and still managing to stay staunchly reverent to the Bat-history. (Affectionate nods to Adam West's time and the silliness of the KAPOW era of the 60s just being one such part of what transpires, and further proof that to mock the present, you have to embrace all aspects of the past).

But as with the Lego Movie, scratch beneath the shine of the bricks and you'll find there's a lot going on under the surface.

Arnett's arrogant Batman is so narcissistic, so selfish and so prone to delusion that even his butler Alfred's taken to reading a book about setting "limits for your out of control child", just one of many nods to problem parenting that pepper the film. There's another thread about Batman's complete ignorance to his loner perception from others; it's a film that widely acknowledges the real-life implications of the loner life style that Bruce Wayne's endured for years and the effect it'll have inexorably had on his psyche, something which the live action films have always flirted with.

Equally, Galifianakis' Joker is more damaged than ever, simply because of a throwaway line from Batman that he's not the Bat's greatest nemesis, and that he's "currently fighting other people". As Batman's pushed to embrace the truth of his fears of being part of a family, the Joker's equally pushed to embrace the yin and yang of their relationship.

These are oddly compelling and deeply interesting messages to be found in among the frenetic and constant humour of a children's movie, but it's not to say that those minds behind the film aren't afraid to pack a powerhouse of gags and vocal talents to the film.

From Jemaine Clement voicing Sauron to roundly mocking Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire's declaration to Dorothy via a great throwaway nod to The Twilight Zone episode where William Shatner's troubled by gremlins on his plane, it's clear there's plenty that's gone into both the writing and execution of The Lego Batman Movie.

Pop culture references crackle, but never at the expense of the pace of the film and the plot itself; it's a heady mix that entertains as well as pierces the myth of Batman and the evident contradictions and absurdities of having a Caped Crusader protecting the city.

Perhaps it helps that McKay's had a hand in the satire and stupidity of Robot Chicken, but along with that, the confidence those behind The Lego Movie had is clearly an influence on this film.

While this Bat-outing could stand to lose a little of the narrative fat, those seeking a bit of fun and a little mocking of the occasional pomposity of the DC and Marvel Comics Universe will revel in its trappings, and delight in its occasionally scurrilous and frivolous take on the Batman mythos.

LEGO Worlds: PS4 Review

LEGO Worlds: PS4 Review

Released by TT Games
Platform: PS4

Brick by brick, day by day.

Everything was indeed awesome in the LEGO Movie, and there's potential for awesomeness in this latest game to hit the console world.

Based on the premise that anyone can be a Master Builder, LEGO Worlds throws you onto a world with the chance to go crazy-ish and do what you want to do.

Relatively similar to Minecraft in the build anything stakes (to a degree), there's plenty to explore and catalogue in the game. As you start to look around and begin your quests around the worlds (gradual little games open up other parts of the game), things start to open up.
However, it's more akin to having a limited LEGO toy set at home, and not all the pieces.

With a concept that sees you destroying and collecting studs, unlocking creatures and vehicles and gradually building the world around, there's enough to do, but it's not quite as refined as previous LEGO games have been - it's more an experience than anything.

It's nice the different areas are themed, and give you reasons to play and explore,but the camera sometimes thwarts your enjoyment of what's around, as it juggles between you seeing what you need to and what it wants to. It's glitchy at times, and equally as frustrating.

You also have to get gold bricks to get rewards too - and ultimately, the game unlocks the more you do and aim for perfection

To be fair though, it's more obvious that LEGO Worlds is aimed at the younger end of the spectrum, and there's no denying they'll get the fun out of the game and its mechanics of running about, creating and smashing - and that's probably enough for the LEGO Fanatic in the family.

But it's also a game that can be played in groups, in ways that Disney Infinity strived for, which is commendable.

All in all, LEGO Worlds isn't a bad title. It's certainly playably disposable enough - much like the normal LEGO.

Nier Automata: PS4 Review

Nier Automata: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Square Enix

Finally, after a blistering 30 minute demo, the full release of Nier Automata is upon us.

And it's quite something.

Part of the Nier series, but yet also standalone, this latest is quite the epic, and in many ways, slightly undefinable.

Loosely, the game's set in the distant future…

Invaders from another world attack without warning, unleashing a new type of threat: weapons known as “machine lifeforms.” In the face of this insurmountable threat, mankind is driven from Earth and takes refuge on the Moon.

The Council of Humanity organizes a resistance of android soldiers in an effort to take back their planet. To break the deadlock, the Resistance deploys a new unit of android infantry: YoRHa .
In the forsaken wasteland below, the war between the machines and the androids rages on.

A war that is soon to unveil the long-forgotten truth of this world...

Playing as an automaton 2B in the demo is a thrill, and as you initially fight your way through an industrial complex, taking on hordes of robots left behind in a war that have been powered up, the game finds new ways to engage you in the button-mashing process.

However, after the end of the prologue (which doubled as the quite shocking demo earlier this year), the game becomes something else - a sort of philosophical post button-smasher that carves its way into your soul.

Open world gaming is the key here and while you go through areas that wouldn't be out of place in The Last Of Us, battling robots and watching the story progress, it's quite the story. Consciousness, emotion, humanity et al all figure into the game as you go through various side missions as 2B.

With an android sidekick and a robot shooter on your shoulder (more or less), you can take on the bad guys in whatever manner you want. Your Pod takes chips and can be developed into a fighting machine or you can play an equal part - it's a real boon to those games which simply have AI hang back and never get their virtual mitts dirty.

It's the way the game changes what it is while you're playing it that makes it such a pleasant and surprising game. From the actual visuals changing from 3D to 2D to Manga-style cut scenes and to actual sequences changing tact, there's a lot going on here - if you're willing to be patient.

After the initial factory take-down, the game slows a little and the pace needs to be adhered to as it becomes a quest-style shooter and one that ponders a bit of existentialism as well. Chaining combos comes at the same time as the duo ask whether there is more to life than they thought (for goodness sake, the lead is 2B!!). But there's plenty to shoot to as well here, with 2B able to instruct 9S on how to play the combat of each level.
The bond the duo have is great to behold and gains a resonance after the ending - and to say more, is to spoil.

All in all, Nier Automata is more a game of fluidity and combat, as well as rich exploration. It's a great journey to take and one that's definitely worth diving into.

Win a double pass to see Get Out

Win a double pass to see Get Out

In Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation.

Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods). 

At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.

Equal parts gripping thriller and provocative commentary, Get Out is written and directed by Peele (Key and Peele) and produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, as well as Sean McKittrick (Donnie Darko), Edward H. Hamm Jr.  and Peele.  The film also stars Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men series), Stephen Root (No Country for Old Men), Milton “Lil Rel” Howery (The Carmichael Show), Betty Gabriel (The Purge: Election Year), Marcus Henderson (Pete’s Dragon) and Lakeith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton).  

Get Out hits cinemas May 4th!

To win GET OUT double pass, all you have to do is enter simply email your details to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email GET OUT!!

Good luck!

Win a double pass to see The Fate of The Furious

Win a double pass to see The Fate of The Furious

On the heels of 2015’s Fast & Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: Fast & Furious 8. 

Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life.  But when a mysterious woman (Oscar^® winner Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.   

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.

For Fast & Furious 8, Vin Diesel is joined by a returning all-star cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell.  In addition to Theron, the series welcomes newcomers Scott Eastwood and Oscar^® winner Helen Mirren.  The film is directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) and produced by returning producers Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell and Diesel.

The Fate of The Furious hits cinemas April 12th - so rev it up! 

To win a double pass to The Fate Of The Furious, all you have to do is enter simply email your details and the word REVVVVVVVVVV to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email REVVVVVVVV!

Good luck!
Competition closes April 12th

Win a copy of MLB 17 The Show on PS4

Win a copy of MLB 17 The Show on PS4

STEP UP TO THE SHOW

The bases are loaded, the batters are hungry and the home run songs ready to play. It’s time for the new baseball season on PS4™.

To celebrate the release of the brand new 2017 version of the game, you've got the chance to hit a home run and win the game!

All you have to do is tell me how many innings there are normally in a game of baseball!

To win MLB 17 The Show, all you have to do is enter simply email your details and answer to the question to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email HOME RUN!!

Good luck!