Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: DVD Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: DVD Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However, there is a nagging feeling that some of the humanity is a little lost in this first film and parts of the plot are muddled, which is a marvel of imagination and acute period detail, with elements of Men In Black thrown in.By far the most charming elements come from the slapstick and heart of loveable schlub Fogler, as he negotiates the wizarding world and finds himself under the spell of showgirl Queenie (Sudol), in an endearing romance that it's hard to not lose your heart to.

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

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

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

The Edge of Seventeen: DVD Review

The Edge of Seventeen: DVD Review

The pantheon of teen coming of age films is not one that is lacking in entrants.

From Clueless to Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, it's not like the chance to shake up the genre appears that often.

So it is with The Edge of Seventeen, a distinctly tween-ish drama that's not exactly new, nor one that proves to be a game-changer. It is however, competently trotted through the tropes, thanks largely to the story and engaging performances.

True Grit's break-out star Hailee Steinfeld is Nadine, a kid who's perpetually lived life on the outside of the school groups and permanently in the shadow of her good-looking brother Darien (Everybody Wants Some!!'s Blake Jenner).

Life's rough for Nadine, with her father dying unexpectedly and her butting of horns with her mother (Kyra Sedgwick) - it's the usual teen traumas all mixed up in the self involved drama that so consumes many a youth.

But in among the debris and detritus of high-school life, Nadine's world was changed when she met her pal Krista (Haley Lu Richardson).
BFFs forever, true blue buddies who bond over their outsider status, the duo becomes inseparable until one day, Krista ends up hooking up with Darien and Nadine's selfish world is shattered....

The Edge of Seventeen brings another precocious teen to the screen, and with it a feeling that kids these days don't actually speak like that in real life or realise that what's going on is part of the growing pains process.

Kelly Fremon Craig's flick sets out its store initially by having Nadine striding with purpose before staunchly informing her put upon teacher and surrogate father figure (a nicely sarcastic and laconic Woody Harrelson, echoing Jon Bernthal's role in Me and Earl and The Dying Girl) that she intends to kill herself. complete with self-absorbed voiceover and slightly off-kilter edges, the story back spools to present how we got to this point.

Thankfully, while Nadine verges on grating due to her incessant over-use of exaggeration, language and self-involved nature, Steinfeld makes a good fist of Nadine's petulance and lets the humanity and empathy come through in this fairly rote coming-of-age thriller. It'll speak volumes to its target market teen audience, but it lacks the levity of a Cher in Clueless approach and manufactures melodrama when simple drama will suffice.

There are moments that older age wisdom permeate, thanks largely to Sedgwick's beaten-around-the-track widow, and there are certainly more optimistic touches in a burgeoning relationship between Steinfeld's Nadine and the film's break-out star Szeto as nerdy awkward type Erwin (whom many may identify with).

Theirs is a romance that revels in its awkwardness and delights in its differences, and as a result, thanks largely to Szeto's on-the-nose performance, is one that feels the most real of the entire film.
Other relationships in the film (aside from the BFFs) feel greatly exaggerated for effect and push only to permeate the view that self-involvement is the only common thing we all share as teenagers.

The Edge of Seventeen may fail to offer up any trite or new insights into teen life, preferring more to stick to the tried and tested formula and oft invoked lessons, but thanks largely to its performers (and Szeto in particular) and occasionally off-kilter moments, it just about succeeds despite bordering nigh on irritating at times.

Trolls: Blu Ray Review

Trolls: Blu Ray Review

Finally, a film that will make you re-consider your opinion of Trolls.

Rather than the pain in the ass online lurkers, these Trolls are the Dreamworks film version of the Thomas Dam toys and quite frankly, this is going to be one of the summer family films.

The preternatural preppy Kendrick is Princess Poppy, the upbeat pink haired Troll whose life is all perpetual happiness. 20 years ago, she and her fellow Troll-kind escaped the clutches of the monsters of the Bergen town for good.

Believing the only way to happiness is to consume a Troll, the villagers of Bergen are furious but one day, their chef (Christine Baranski) stumbles across the Trolls' hideaway and snatches a couple of them. Setting out on a rescue mission due to their "No troll left behind" ethos, Poppy and pals - along with the grey stained and anti-Trolls happiness Branch (Timberlake) - try to save the day...

Make no mistake, the brightly coloured, utterly fluffy and energetic blast that is Trolls is a family film that will delight the youngsters and will keep the parents amused enough to paper over the fact there are shallow characters on screen and scant little story.

The film keeps on the right side of darkness (BFG style snatching, eating Trolls for happiness - it's all got a Grimm fairy tale element bubbling under) but even the three-year-old I was with was entranced from the get-go declaring that the Scary Lady (Baranski's marauding chef) was the best part of the film.

Mixing up CGI and some stop motion, Dreamworks' visual inventiveness for this one, keeps on the right side of upbeat as it trots out one retro tune after another. It's a visual candy coloured assault on the senses and while initially there may be elements of you sympathising with Doomsday Prepper Branch, the fun and frivolous nature of it all ultimately wears you down and wins you over.

While there's no real sense of an original film being rolled out here, and elements of The Odd Couple, Cinderella and Grimm Fairy Tales are all dusted into one overtly saccharine flick, the young kids will enjoy it and its message of happiness coming from within rather than being consumed.

Sometimes, subtlety is over-rated and Trolls is distinct proof of that - it's here for nothing other than a good time and running through its 90 minutes with exuberant energy and at a fair pace, it achieves that with ease. 

Win a copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

Win a copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

​“The best Star Wars yet” – Pete Hammond, Deadline

THE MISSION COMES HOME

GET “ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY” ON BLU-RAY & DVD APRIL 5TH

Fans go behind the scenes with filmmakers and cast for a revealing look

at the stories behind the first Star Wars standalone film

BURBANK, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2017) — Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” the first of the Star Wars standalone films, has established its place within the Star Wars universe and the hearts of moviegoers, becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. Fans can own the epic action-adventure thriller -- nominated for two Academy Awards® -- on Blu-ray™ & DVD on April 5.

Never-before-seen “Rogue One” bonus material will take fans behind the scenes with the movie’s diverse, dynamic cast and inspired team of filmmakers. An intimate collection of stories reveals how the film came to life, as well as hidden Easter Eggs and film facts that audiences may have missed in the theater.

Bonus features include*:

• A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
• Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen. 
• Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.
• K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
• Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
• Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
• The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
• Visions of Hope: The Look of “Rogue One” – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
• The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of “Star Wars: A New Hope” – as well as one of her most memorable foes­ – back to the screen.
• Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
• Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connect “Rogue One” to the Star Wars universe.

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is directed by Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla,” “Monsters”) and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, p.g.a., Allison Shearmur, p.g.a. (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Cinderella”) and Simon Emanuel, p.g.a. (“The Dark Knight Rises”). Veteran ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll, (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) whom shares a long history with the Star Wars films, is executive producer alongside Jason McGatlin (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “War of the Worlds”). The story is by John Knoll and Gary Whitta (“The Book of Eli,” “After Earth”), and the screenplay was written by Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass,” “About a Boy”) and Tony Gilroy (“The Bourne Legacy,” “Michael Clayton”).    

To celebrate the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, you can win a copy on DVD!

To win  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 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 ROGUE ONE!!

Good luck!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Blu Ray Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Blu Ray Review

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. 

NZIFF Autumn Events full programme is here

NZIFF Autumn Events full programme is here

Autumn Arrives at the Mighty Civic Our Autumn Events programme concentrates on films that truly fill the giant screen. And we can now reveal that four more films will screen on the grandest screens in the country as part of Autumn Events 2017. The full schedule is now live, and tickets will go on sale from 9 am tomorrow. The latest four films to be announced are the 1954 landmark musical A Star is Born with Judy Garland and James Mason; Greta Garbo’s exquisite Camille; the English-voiced version of 1980 French animation The King and the Mockingbird, recommended for ages 5+; and Les Blank and Maureen Gosling’s Burden of Dreams which immortalises Werner Herzog’s making of Fitzcarraldo (earlier announced to also screen in the programme). Screenings of Camille and Burden of Dreams at the Academy Cinema have extended the dates of the Autumn Events programme in Auckland: 10 to 21 May. Tickets are on sale from 9 am tomorrow from Ticketmaster. The Five-Trip Pass ($75) is the best deal if you're purchasing multiple tickets. The pass can be used for individuals or shared with friends.

A Star is Born  Judy Garland (as a singer on the rise) and James Mason (as a fading matinée idol) personify Hollywood’s archetypal view of showbiz coupledom in this landmark musical drama from 1954. (Hello, La La Land.) “Fresh, exciting, touching and alive… by far the best of all the films about life behind the cameras, the lights, the wind-machines, and the cocktail bars of Hollywood.” — Dilys Powell A Star is Born screens on Friday 12 May at 1.00 pm and Saturday 13 May at 3.15 pm at The Civic

The King and the Mockingbird Based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, this classic of hand-drawn animation follows a chimney sweep and shepherdess on the run from a tyrannical king. Recommended for ages 5+. "It's beautiful, it's twisted, it's funny... It is the perfect film for children, and a challenging one for adults." — Charles Mudede, The Stranger The King and the Mockingbird screens on Sunday 14 May at 11.00 am at The Civic

Autumn Events at the Academy Our programme expands to the Academy Cinema to accommodate two classics that we just couldn't live without. We've extended the dates to fit them in too.

Camille There’s rarely been a more sumptuous production than this 1936 MGM classic, and there’s never been a more exquisitely heart-breaking Camille than Greta Garbo. “Through the perfect artistry of Garbo’s portrayal, a hackneyed theme is made new again, poignantly sad, hauntingly lovely.” — Frank Nugent, NY Times Camille screens on Friday 19, Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May 2.00 pm at the Academy

Burden of Dreams The classic ‘making of’ documentary, Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams continues to enthral audiences who may never have seen Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo itself. Burden of Dreams screens on Wednesday 10 May and Friday 19 May at 6.30 pm at the Academy

Previously announced Autumn Events titles

Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music “Describing Woodstock as a concert movie is a little like calling Notre Dame a house of worship.” — Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly Woodstock screens Sunday 14 May at 1.15 pm at The Civic

Fitzcarraldo “Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo is one of the great visions of the cinema, and one of the great follies.” — Roger Ebert Fitzcarraldo screens on Saturday 13 May at 7.15 pm at The Civic

Manhattan “Manhattan is a great film about love in and love for New York.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian Manhattan screens on Friday 12 May at 4.45 pm and Sunday 14 May at 6.15 pm at The Civic

Voyage of Time: Life's Journey “It’s an experience that I haven’t been able to shake, like a waking dream.” — Richard Brody, New Yorker Voyage of Time: Life's Journey screens on Friday 12 May at 7.15 pm and Saturday 13 May at 1.00 pm at The Civic

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.