John Wick Chapter 2: Blu Ray Review

John Wick Chapter 2: Blu Ray Review

"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. 

Tomorrow: DVD Review

Tomorrow: DVD Review

It's hard to imagine anyone leaving watching of Melanie Laurent's Tomorrow feeling anything other than inspired.

The doco's galvanising cry is to try and save the planet ahead of us all being wiped off the face of it in a forthcoming extinction event. The film-makers would have us believe that potential demise of the human race is a when not an if, and Laurent's wake up call came when Nature magazine published research into this in June 2012.

So, along with a small crew, they go globe-trotting in a style much like Michael Moore recently espoused in Where to Invade Next to see what ideas could be adopted at a local level and within people's communities to ensure that change comes.

Activists with communal gardens, experts with opinions on how to make a difference and an ease of directorial nous make Tomorrow upbeat and will see it succeed locally with audiences already attuned to the realities of wanting to do more.

Armed with ecological activist Cyril Dion, who does most of the on-screen interviewing, there is no denying the directors have the self-awareness and smarts to realise that audiences are already saturated with pieces trying to make a difference.

So by presenting a wealth of information with a clarity of vision vastly helps the genially presented documentary hit its message home.

It could probably stand to lose a little of its baggier run time toward the end and one senses there was an excess of material available, but by dividing the film up into chapters and keeping each section engaging, as well as injecting proceedings with a blast of humour, the inspiring simplicity of it all is quite simply inspiring.

It would be nice to see some talking heads from the governments tackle some of the reasons why things like major community gardens aren't more readily available and why land can't be freed up for others to use, but Tomorrow goes a long way to presenting solutions rather than just showcasing problems.

One senses it's a people powered documentary and loathe to get bogged down in the endless cycle of denial from the major corporations, but with a weight of evidence piling up, it would have been good to have seen the film-makers had tried to reach out for some reasons. Instead, Tomorrow's more interested in helping start some kind of people fuelled revolution.

From intercropping to better recycling, these are all solutions that are proffered and have proven to have worked in other parts of the world.

That alone is Tomorrow's major difference; a compulsive and compelling desire to show that each person can simply make a difference and Laurent and Dion never lose sight of that agenda.

Granted, there's no denying there's an agenda at heart here, and some may decry the liberal leaning intentions, but given there's also no denying the vastness of the problems being faced, perhaps Tomorrow with its non-didactic and digestible approach is a lot smarter than we all believe.

CHIPS: DVD Review

CHIPS: DVD Review

Hoping for a kind of Starsky and Hutch remake level of success, the much-misguided 2017 reboot of beloved kitsch cult 80s TV show CHiPs is perhaps one of the worst films of the year.

Shepard plays Baker a former extreme BMXer whose only skill is on the biking front and whose desperate desire is to win back his estranged wife (Shepard's real life partner and Veronica Mars alum Bell). So by signing up to the Californian Highway Patrol, he hopes that the man in uniform will do the trick.

Baker finds himself partnered up with sex-addicted undercover agent Frank 'Ponch' Poncharello (Pena, who demonstrated great flair for comedy in his recent outing to the Marvel Cinematic Universe), who's sent to look into the possibility of five dirty cops in the California region...

CHIPS is, sadly, utterly irredeemable after about 15 minutes in when one single moment sinks the whole film and any degree of good will you may be willing to offer it.

A sequence where Shepard's character is told 'most of the disabled cadets scored much much higher' and that 'disabled folk are doing a ton these days' is utterly repugnant and gives the film an unnecessary meanness and ugliness that's hard to shake throughout.

The film's deep dive as low as it can go continues with talk of the benefits of anilingus and regular bowel movements in among the bickering banter between Ponch and Baker. And while some of the bromance banter hints at the kind of levity we've seen before in films of mismatched partners since time immemorial, CHIPS has nothing new to offer to the genre, nor is it carried out in a manner which displays any level of maturity and any talent for film-making.

Shepard's MO as writer/ director is simply to fill the bits between rote action sequences with as much flaccid dialogue, homophobia and gay panic as he can muster, and sadly even Pena debases himself by obliging with the script. (Though perhaps, the biggest disappointment is why Erik Estrada felt the need to urinate all over his cult love garnered from the TV Series by agreeing to appear in a cameo.)

Replete with a story that's as thinly stretched as roadkill, CHIPS is a slog of a film that rarely fires like it should or reaches any level of meta-smartness that other films of its ilk aim for.

The opening title board claims: "The California Highway Patrol Does not endorse this film. Not at all."

And quite frankly, neither should you. 

Win a copy of Uncharted The Lost Legacy on PS4

Win a copy of Uncharted The Lost Legacy on PS4

From the critically acclaimed developer behind hits such as The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, comes a thrilling new voyage of high-octane action and pulse-pounding peril.


In order to recover a fabled ancient Indian artefact and keep it out of the hands of a ruthless war profiteer, Chloe Frazer must enlist the aid of renowned mercenary Nadine Ross – last seen in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.


Together, they’ll venture deep into the mountains of India, learn to work together to unearth the mystery of the artefact, fight their way through fierce opposition and prevent the region from falling into chaos…

To win a copy of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy thanks to PlayStation NZ, all you have to do is email the first word spoken in the trailer below and your details to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email LOST LEGACY!
Competition closes Sept 1st

Good luck!

Win a double pass to see Girls Trip

Win a double pass to see Girls Trip

When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.

From the producers of (Ride Along)

Starring Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish

In Cinemas August 31

Rating TBC

To win a double pass to see Girls Trip, all you have to do is email below and your details to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email GIRLS TRIP!
Competition closes Sept 1st

Good luck!

Alone in Berlin: DVD Review

Alone in Berlin: DVD Review

The pen tries to be mightier than the sword in this war film that looks at the quiet more passive side of resistance.

In 1940s Berlin, Gleeson and Thompson are Anna and Otto Quangel, whose German lives are irrevocably changed when they receive word their son has been killed in combat.
The working class family is, obviously, shattered and Otto decides to take action, losing faith in the Fuhrer and the war which has robbed them of so much.

So, picking out postcards and lacing them with anti-propaganda messages, Otto starts leaving them in prominent parts of Berlin, hoping to instil a sense of revolution in the downtrodden working classes.

While he manages to persuade his wife to join the cause, the campaign gets the notice of the German authorities who dispatch an inspector (the ever reliable Daniel Bruhl) to try and quash the seeds of rebellion before they gain any light.

Alone in Berlin is blessed with a pair of quiet and unassuming leads that skirt around the prestige edges of the film.
But it lacks a palpable sense of tension to really ramp things up as former actor Perez guides the film through its workmanlike touches.

There is power in some of the language used within, and there's certainly a degree of thoughtfulness which has gone into the script and its debate and discussion over the wearying costs of war.

And despite the work of Bruhl, the film never really ignites in perhaps the way you'd expect as it moves from one sequence to the next. A forlorn Thompson, a harried looking Gleeson, great shots of period detail which are evocative - the elements are all there, ready for the lighting, but it never quite catches.

Alone in Berlin's sedentary pace is staved off by some of the lush orchestral score which passes through the film and gives it the feeling of something simmering.

It's perhaps more noteable for its philosophical edges - Gleeson asks "What more can a man donate other than his child?" to the war effort, and the pangs of loss are certainly felt.

Alone in Berlin's power lies more in the resistance of words, and the seeds of revolution rather than playing out the direct consequences of those actions. And, as a result, the film feels rather muted in its execution.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – Double the Firepower

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – Double the Firepower

For BJ Blascowicz, taking back the world from the grip of the evil Nazi regime was never going to be easy. But to complicate matters, the bad guys you’ll be taking on in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus have learned a thing or two and are tougher than ever. 

For example, the lumbering SuperSoldat, who debuted in Wolfenstein: The New Order, can now charge toward the player. Then there are powerful new adversaries, like the fast-moving, laser-shooting, wall-clinging UberSoldat cyborgs.

Luckily, there is a new and returning arsenal of weapons to help you fight back. For more details on BJ’s formidable firepower – including his new ability to freely dual-wield his diverse collection of big guns and brutal, new melee weapon – check out our latest video, with exclusive insights straight from the developers

“What we love about Wolfenstein are the heavy weapons and that over-the-top crazy combat,” says Executive Producer Jerk Gustafsson. “We have focused a lot on freedom – on the ability to move around and control yourself in combat. And a part of that is to allow the player to freely dual-wield weapons in any combination as well.”

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus releases on October 27, 2017, on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Winner of more than 100 awards at E3 2017, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus also received four nominations from the official E3 Game Critics Awards (including Best of Show) and won Best Action Game.