Live By Night: DVD Review

Live By Night: DVD Review

For Ben Affleck's latest directorial outing after Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo, he heads to Boston and gangster land for an adaptation of a 2012 Dennis Lehane novel.

Affleck is small time two-bit robber Joe Coughlin, who finds himself in the middle of a mob war between the Irish and the Italians after the end of World War I. Having survived the Somme, Coughlin's got no desire to become another soldier in another fight, but finds himself slap bang in the middle of a war when he attracts the wrong sort of attention of Irish mob boss Albert White (Glenister, in an almost unrecognisable role.)

Escaping barely with his life, Coughlin relocates to Florida and allies himself with the Italian mob with the aim of getting back at White. Sent to the hotter climes and to run the rum business as well as advance the Italian mob's desires, Coughlin finds himself in the middle of another fight when the KKK comes calling and Prohibition continues to bite.
Despite all the elements being in place for a reasonably strong crime caper, Affleck's Live By Night fails to find any hint of life or energy to keep you engaged.
It's a problem from the muted start; and despite the attention to the period detail and some truly effective crime scenes, Affleck fails to hit any of the emotional highs that are necessary.

With a strong cast (Messina particularly impresses as Coughlin's Florida right hand man and Cooper's stoic work as the conflicted yet practical Sheriff) and the hint of a good story, nothing quite gels as it should. It's a shame as the premise is there - when was the last time you saw a gangster film in the Florida coast? But Affleck's character lacks any of the bite of a gangster or a man out for revenge - most of the film his expressionless and emotionless face merely spouts words and phrases; there's no heart and no fire in a moment of it, and the malaise is contagious.

It doesn't really help that Coughlin's so inherently a good guy (as witnessed by his continual wearing of white suits) when a bad guy's touch would have added more to the film.

Under-sketched characters don't add much either- Saldana's presented as a matriarch of the Rum industry in Florida and fades when her presence comes into Coughlin's shadow; and Miller's one-note turn at the start gives little edge either.

To be fair, it can't all be laid at Affleck's door; his eye brings a sutiably taut (if murky) final shoot-out and there are some truly wonderful vistas caught on camera.

But without the fire in the cinematic and narrative belly, Live By Night is left to flounder and wither on the vine. And that's a rum deal for all of us. 

Win a DISNEY'S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES prize pack

To celebrate the return of Captain Jack Sparrow in DISNEY'S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, I've teamed up with Walt Disney NZ to bring some truly awesome Pirates swag!

You can win one of five prize packs me hearties, in which are included the following treasures:

5 x adult t shirts

5 x bandanas

5 x skull glasses

5 x badges

5 x double in-season passes

About DISNEY'S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” a rip-roaring adventure that finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack.

DISNEY’S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN : DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

Starring Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush

In Cinemas May 25

Cert : TBC

To win a one of these packs 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 YARRRRRRR!
Competition closes May 25th

Good luck!

Le Roi et L'Oiseau : NZIFF Autumn Events Review

Le Roi et L'Oiseau : NZIFF Autumn Events Review

The King and the Mockingbird

With its sweeping angular vistas and its geometric city scapes as well as its story of a king from a picture chasing a chimney sweep and his lover, The King and the Mockingbird is wrapped in surreal edges.

Based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and finished some 30 years after it was started, this fable comes in high regard.
Cited by Miyakai and Takahata as influences, the English version has been absent for years and is now playing at the Autumn Events.

The story centres on a king who becomes obsessed with a shepherdess in a picture. He rules his kingdom of Takicardia with a veneer of cruelty and a heart of stone. From his pursed ruby red lips to his dismissive tone, this king is surrounded by toadying helpers who feed his delusion through fear.
It's probably not helped by the fact the king has a trap door down which he dispatches those who annoy him. But the king falls for a painting of a shepherdess, and when a portrait of his is commissioned, the king springs to life from within and begins a pursuit of the shepherdess and her lover.

Guided by a mockingbird the duo try to escape the king's clutches as they race through Takicardia.

The King and The Mockingbird is a gorgeous curiosity.

Elements of early Disney characterisations pepper the animation; from an adorably eyed puppy to pot-bellied policemen, this all ages animation is a surreal treat that feels like it embraces all walks of animation.
The king struts at times like a peacock among the absurdist trappings; and the shepherdess' purity and clarity of execution make her feel like something from a Disney princess early on.

However, it's the bits around the edges of Le Roi et L'Oiseau that allow it to stand out and mark it as something spectacularly different.

A trip to the world under Takicardia via way of musicians feels like a Beatles-acid trip soaked influence; the Metropolis style leanings of the buildings, the Iron Giant-style robot that attacks; there are many wide and varied elements all thrown at the wall of this animation from France, and they're truly bizarre to behold.

But it's the creativity which shines in Le Roi et L'Oiseau and the ambition that helps its vault higher than expected. Not everything in it is as successful as you'd hope, but large swathes of the film are a testament to creative vision.

Blending chase aesthetics with a simple love story within prove to be fertile ground for this - and the big screen journey is well worth taking.

Viceroy's House: Film Review

Viceroy's House: Film Review

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Om Puri, Huma Qureshi, Manish Dayal
Director: Gurinder Chadha

Meshing Indian Summers with Upstairs Downstairs and lathering the whole thing up in a soapy vibe, Bend It Like Beckham's Gurinder Chadha chooses to recount the tale of India's partition with which she shares a very personal connection.

Set in 1947, and with British colonial rule in India coming to an end, Lord Mountbatten (the ever genial Hugh Bonneville) moves into the Viceroy's House in Delhi. With the responsibility of being both the last Viceroy and ensuring a successful transition, Mountbatten's got more than a little on his plate to deal with - and that doesn't even factor in the resentment harboured within India over what Britain did for years.

Added into this already politically potent mix is the inter-religious burgeoning relationship between new Hindu servant Jeet (Dayal) and Muslim Aalia (Qureshi). Threatened by arranged marriage and religious ideological clashes, the pair have to negotiate the traditions of the past and the uncertainty of the future.

Viceroy's House is a curious beast, and with its romance, a not entirely successfully executed one.

By casting the dramatic net far and wide to incorporate the political turmoil, Chadha loses sight of the romance elements that would have played more potently to audiences. And ironically, the more powerful political story is intriguing, but feels sidelined by an overlay of themes.

Long scenes of discussions about India's future certainly do a lot to set the scene and impart the reality of the fractious nature of negotiations, but add little to the film other than a sense of historical importance and really fail to add the spice you'd expect.

Equally and disappointingly unsuccessful is the romance which seems to suffer from a choppy editing technique that forces the pair together and apart quicker than gives you chance to root for them. It's a mistake to have an unfocussed approach to all the elements of the story, particularly as the tensions escalate and the audience is asked to have an emotional stake to what plays out.

Far more successful is Chadha's setting of the social scene and the aftermath of the Partition, and it's perhaps here that the film would have carried more heft and drama in the unfolding climate of chaos and recrimination, as the downstairs dissent grows. Complete with some excellent recreations of pomp and ceremony of the time and hints of Lady Mountbatten's desire (a wonderfully clipped and precise turn from an on-form Anderson) to overturn some of what Britain did wrong, there are elements within that could have helped Viceroy's House soar as a scathing condemnation of events and an incisive slice of political history.

Instead what Viceroy's House offers is a tonal mish-mash of shoehorned culture clash, doomed romance, redemption and a predictable turn of events that falls flat and frustratingly fails to ignite any real passions within.

Win a copy of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Win a copy of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

It's your chance to win the final chapter of Resident Evil's latest iteration!

Evil comes home…

The final instalment in the franchise based on Capcom's massive video game series.

Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead.

Now, she must return to where the nightmare began – The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is out now on DVD and Blu Ray



To win a copy of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter 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 ALICE,WHAT'S THE MATTER?
Competition closes May 25th

Good luck!

First NZIFF 2017 film announcements

First NZIFF 2017 film announcements

Hot on the heels of the announcement of the full Sydney Film Festival program yesterday, New Zealand's not going to be outdone by the Aussies.

The first round of 8 early announcements for this year's New Zealand International Film festival have dropped.

Four documentaries are announced today, three from established New Zealand filmmakers: Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web from director Annie Goldson, Spookers by Florian Habicht, and My Year with Helen from director Gaylene Preston. The fourth title is a documentary about musician Bill Frisell, soon to perform at the Wellington Jazz Festival.

“It’s proving to be a great year for New Zealand documentaries and we’re very happy to lead off our announcements with three of the best. All three of these films will have made their international debuts before we have the pleasure of welcoming them home,” says NZIFF director Bill Gosden.
Four international features are also announced today: A Ghost Story starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, UK period drama Lady Macbeth, The Lost City of Z starring Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson, and Mexican bio-sci-fi horror The Untamed.

“We’re excited by the feature filmscape for this year’s programme. These four early confirmations provide a glimpse of the variety, grandeur and rich beauty of filmmaking we will be presenting. Casey Affleck’s star power is covered with a simple white sheet with cut out eyeholes yet his ghost manages to become a mesmerising character through time in David Lowery’s A Ghost Story. Inspiration from a Russian novella, rather than the Shakespearian femme fatale, smoulders in Lady Macbeth. The allure of the Amazonian jungle and the conflicting pressures on the British adventurer are beautifully captured in The Lost City of Z. And a love triangle takes a weird twist in Mexican mash-up The Untamed.” says Gosden.

A Ghost Story
A simple story told with the simplest means, A Ghost Story tracks the progress of a ghost who can’t let go of the woman he loved and the house they shared, evoking a profoundly moving sense of existential disquiet.

Bill Frisell: A Portrait
The perfect balance of talking heads and sustained performance, Emma Franz’s documentary delivers an entrancing two hours in the company of jazz guitarist Bill Frisell.

Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web
As Annie Goldson’s impressively detailed documentary clearly sets out the battle between Dotcom and the US Government and entertainment industry, it goes to the heart of ownership, privacy and piracy in the digital age.

Lady Macbeth
Florence Pugh is mesmerising as she transmutes from nervous bride to femme fatale in this bracing British period drama based on a 19th-century Russian classic.

The Lost City of Z
Charlie Hunnam makes a commanding flawed hero as British Amazon explorer Percy Fawcett in a sweeping giant screen epic, filmed with rare intelligence by writer/director James Gray. With Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson.

My Year with Helen
With unique access to high-ranking candidate Helen Clark, award-winning filmmaker Gaylene Preston casts a wry eye on proceedings as the United Nations chooses a new Secretary General

Spookers
In this funny and improbably charming documentary Florian Habicht looks behind the curtain to show us the real lives of the frighteners at the infamous and hugely popular horror theme park at the old Kingseat Hospital

The Untamed 

Love triangle drama and erotic bio-sci-fi thrills meet in a truly bizarre exploration of oppressive machismo and liberating sexual abandon from Mexican director Amat Escalante.

NZIFF’s Autumn Events series is currently underway in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 27 June for Auckland, and Friday 30 June for Wellington. NZIFF starts in Auckland on 20 July and in Wellington from 28 July in 2016.

John Wick: Chapter 2: Film Review

John Wick: Chapter 2: Film Review

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Chad Stahelski

"Can a man like you ever know peace?"

It's a question posed to Keanu Reeves' titular hero midway through the latest adrenaline-fuelled sequel to the 2014 hit which saw wannabe retired assassin John Wick go on the rampage following the killing of his dog and stealing of his car.

In this second, which ramps up the action sequences by way of very little plot, Wick's looking forward to a quiet life after tying up all the loose ends and offering peace to former nemeses. But when Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio looks to call in a favour that helped Wick out of the fighting game and Wick refuses, all hell's set loose.

With D'Antonio wanting his sister dispatched and having destroyed Wick's chance of peace, John Wick has no choice but to be pulled back in one last time...

John Wick: Chapter 2 carries quite a strong line of honour and rules in among the world of assassins.

It's a good strong levelling thread that runs throughout that builds to a level of tragedy for Reeves' eponymous hero; there's a tantalising sense of sadness in Reeves' relatively mute turn, as he struggles to leave the world behind he lived in. One scene even literally sees him burying the past before he's thrown back in by others.

If the film's 2 hour run time occasionally feels a little over-paced, it's at the expense of a rather minimalist plot of revenge and betrayal. Though, in many ways, that's exactly what many an action thriller has been fuelled on before.

Once again, the balletic dance of destruction and extremely choreographed fight sequences is well constructed. Unlike other action films of its ilk, this one is content to let long scenes of hand-to-hand combat play out, rather than relying on ADHD, frenetic, choppy editing to flesh it out.

The result is visually thrilling and what you'd expect from a film of this particular genre.

Setting action sequences in white museums or corridors that are splattered with blood sprays are viscerally thrilling this time around. And the final hall of mirrors set showdown crackles with neon and doubt as the action kicks in. But there are other scenes (a casual walkway being the best) which bring an inventiveness to the tired beat-em-up genre.

Equally, director Stahelski's used the visuals of the globe-trotting to expertly set the scenes and build the mythos of Wick and his world.

From smart montages of Wick heading to Italy to get suited up for combat in more ways than one, the script peppers large portions of what transpires with dry humour to make up for a lack of anything more narratively substantial.

As for Reeves, there's a weariness this time around that's relatively infectious and in keeping with Wick's desire to retire. That doesn't mean Reeves is tired in the action sequences, rather that his lack of dialogue gives way to more work behind the eyes to convey mood and state of mind. It's certainly a vicarious thrill to see him share scenes with Laurence Fishburne after so long since they were parted in The Matrix.

The rest of the cast are a strong, if occasionally mixed, bag.

Rose is simply there to kick ass and pout as D' Antonio's mute bodyguard, but she comes across as bland. Common makes a strong case as a foe for Wick early on, but D'Antonio is a hollow baddie used to set wheels in motion than really give a personal sense of Wick's quest for retribution (In fairness, it's the more personal edges that are sorely missed this time around, with betrayal not quite feeling as strong a motive to set the ball in motion). And McShane brings a certain charisma as the hotel head caught up once again in Wick's world.

Ultimately, John Wick: Chapter 2 sets out to kick ass and build on the lore of the assassin known as the Boogeyman - and does so with veritable ease.

It certainly provides the thrills and the action in among the tragedy, but the lack of a personal thrust this time around means at times, the whole thing, while excellently executed, feels a little stiff and starched as it kicks and punches its way through an occasionally over-long 2 hour run time.