At Darren's World of Entertainment

Saturday, 7 October 2017

Berlin Syndrome: DVD Review

The holiday romance turns very sour in Berlin Syndrome, the first NZIFF title to feel like a commercial release.

In the adaptation of Melanie Joosten's 2011 novel, Brisbane back-packer Clare (Teresa Palmer, I Am Number Four) is on her own in Germany when a chance meeting at a traffic lights with English teacher Andi (Max Riemelt, Sense 8) takes place.

Attracted to each other, the pair edge their way to a highly charged encounter. The following morning, when Andi goes to work, Clare finds herself locked in the isolated apartment. Assuming it's an error, she dismisses it, but when the key she's given the next morning doesn't work and she discovers her phone's SIM card is gone, terror starts to creep in....

Berlin Syndrome had the potential to be a cliché (and sadly heads that way a little at the end), but instead offers a thriller that's more unsettling and psychologically creepy as it unspools.

It helps that Palmer has the right mix of vulnerable and lost in the early stages as she mixes the scared and excited of a tourist in a new city when she exits the Berlin underground. Not your typical backpacker and not saddled with a 'I'm running away /finding myself' back-story, Clare's actions seem plausible as the story plays out.

Director Cate Shortland (Somersault, Lore) takes time to build an atmosphere that's filled with inherent dread as the captivity begins and as Andi becomes cold, distant and definitely creepy. Shortland front-loads the bases from the get go, giving Berlin Syndrome a sense of something sinister lurking; whether it's shots of the ancient architecture of Berlin or the foreshadowing in art book.

It helps that Max Riemelt plays Andi without the usual tropes of a maniac and seems all the more unhinged because of his own charm and detached affability. In scenes with his father and with hints of the Berlin Wall past trauma, there's lots left unsaid that help to build an atmosphere but which may frustrate those looking for a simple reason why he is what he is. (Though, arguably, he's responsible for some truly laugh out loud lines as he carries on like an apparently normal couple - pesto will never look the same again.)

But subtle is what Berlin Syndrome does best in its terrific opening half, as we follow Clare, discovering the clues as she does and leading to those heart-in-mouth moments. Palmer does much to imbue her character with a retreat-in-your-shell mentality to help with survival.

Ultimately, and sadly, Berlin Syndrome may lose some impact because of its resolution, but what plays out prior to that is quite gripping and filled with suspense.

Thanks to Shortland's eye for the smaller moments and Palmer's carefully selective and introverted turn, Berlin Syndrome ends up being more captivating and psychologically disturbing than you'd expect.

Friday, 6 October 2017

Transformers: The Last Knight: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel
Director: Michael Bay

Transformers: The Last Knight is relentless.

But in a way that makes your eyes bleed at its bloated spectre as it hovers over you in the cinema and sits on you like a succubus, sucking the very life from you until you yield.

Transformers: The Last Knight: Film Review

Granted, it's a Transformers film and Bay's not exactly set the bar high before, but in this latest, which starts off in medieval times before heading to modern times where Mark Wahlberg's Cade Yaeger is the world's only hope, sense is not really present.

Loosely, the Decepticons are searching for Merlin's staff which was gifted to the wizard by a Transformer way back when. Believing that staff could help Cybertron regenerate, the race is on. But Transformers have been outlawed on Earth and are being hunted in some form of Skynet style crackdown.

However, Yaeger and his merry bunch of rescued robots (who all live in a scrap yard, called Auto - subtlety ahoy) set out to save the day. But when it appears Optimus Prime has turned against them, it looks like it may all be over...

To be fair to Michael Bay, Transformers: The Last Knight delivers its sense of scale with utter gusto as it tries to power through the endless bloat that is its 150 minute run time.

Opening with a medieval fight that is both Battle of the Bastards and King Arthur all rolled into a degree of epic flair, slow mo and with added Stanley Tucci as the wizard, Transformers: The Last Knight sets out its stall well initially, before caving to the usual problems that blight a Michael Bay action film.

Shifting to present day times where Wahlberg's inventor is pulled into a conspiracy involving Laura Haddock's polo-playing Oxford professor, who may be descended from a magical line of Witwickys, and Anthony Hopkins' bat-shit Basil exposition Sir Edmund Burton (who has a robot butler voiced by Downton Abbey's C3PO type butler Jim Carter).

It's here that sense really does check out of Transformers: The Last Knight and what transpires is akin to car porn, mixed with explosions, slow mo and a feeling that limitless audition tapes for army recruitment are being shot. Bay has an eye for wanton destruction and for maximising the carnage on the screen.

But what he still doesn't have is an eye for character, with once again women being nothing more than objectified (though it's nowhere near as bad as it's been in previous films) or for dialogue being delivered with anything other than shouting and bellicose intonations. Hopkins however, deserves special mention for a combination of both rambling his lines together with such gusto and scene-chewing that his live-wire insanity becomes contagious and gives the film the edge that's needed throughout.

The main problem with the formulaic Transformers: The Last Knight (complete with Optimus AWOL for most of the film) is that it also lacks the fun as endless scenes of action simply segue into another - and with the robots doing their usual one-liners this time, the film feels like it's lacking the fun and going through the motions as it splices Top Gear with robots, Terminator with Robocop, and Skynet with Stand By Me early on.

Granted, it's apparently Bay's last outing in the series, and there's a sense that he's gone all out with with the spectacle and sacrificed it for all else.

As Mark Wahlberg's Cade brilliantly announces early on "I don't do this for the money, I do it for the higher cause"; a mantra that perhaps Bay himself possibly believes as well as he allows the daftness to unfold without any hint of earlier deftness bleeding through.

But respectfully, given the low bar this latest has set in terms of story-telling, one would respectfully ask that it's perhaps time to rest the robots, and to reboot the franchise with more of an eye on character and narrative, rather than simply the spectacle of what children would come up with when faced with both a sugar-fuelled imagination and a line of Hasbro toys at home.

Thursday, 5 October 2017

Blade Runner 2049: Film Review

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Sylvia Hoeks
Director: Denis Villeneuve

"Drunk on the memory of perfection."

A line uttered late in the piece of Arrival and Incendies director Denis Villeneuve's 35 years-in-the-making Blade Runner sequel seems to typify everything the follow up to the Ridley Scott helmed sequel has to live up to.

It's an almost insurmountable task that Blade Runner 2049 has ahead of it, given the lasting legacy Scott's first film laid down in cinema lore.

But Canadian director Denis Villeneuve pretty much nails it here, imbuing his film with both the DNA traces of the first and degrees of its own identity. (Ironic for a film about replicants and arguments over who was the original and who was not, some may say.)

The story (such as it is) follows Ryan Gosling's cop K, a Blade Runner who is pulled into a conspiracy which could threaten the relationship between synths and humans after a discovery that his boss (an icy Robin Wright) orders him to shutdown.

It's hard to divulge much more of the plot due to Villeneuve's on screen plea before the film to withhold spoilers to preserve the experience for those coming into it.

And given how much of a career he's made of the journey and of enigmas (see Arrival, Enemy as prime examples) it's perhaps best to respect that.

Needless to say whereas the first Blade Runner centred on a quest for identity and a nagging discussion of self and self-awareness as it was pulled from Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the latest can't quite live up to the mysteries that preceded it.

But it comes damn near close, thanks to a self-referential riff on the first, the latest a story of sacrifice and of memory, and a film of tone and visuals up there with the best of the Villeneuve and Roger Deakins partnership.

Visually, the grime of the city sings out in terms of scope - and it's a darker, grittier cityscape than one last glimpsed in Weta's work on Ghost In The Shell, a dystopian depressingly tech-scattered world filled with sexualised holograms and copious Sony product placement. But its aesthetics are perfectly in keeping with the film's desire to be oh-so-pretty and depressing simultaneously.

As the puzzles within twist and reconfigure, the languid pace of the script by Logan's Michael Green and returning writer Hampton Fancher gives the film the enigmatic sheen it so desires to bathe in as it heads inexorably towards its destination. Themes of sacrifice, memory, creation and once again, identity reconvene into a relatively rich noir-esque story.

Gosling is more than a match for Ford's original is-he-or-isn't-he Deckard; relatively emotionless but showing cracks here and there, Gosling's K is a protagonist worthy of the successor. And Ford's grizzled Deckard gives the actor a welcome depth not glimpsed for years.
Cuban actress and Knock, Knock star Ana de Armas as Joi, the AI which lives with K, has a tenderness that's simultaneously endearing and yet saddening; and Sylvia Hoeks' Famke Janssen-esque Luv is a strong villainess that's as robotic as she is callous.

It's not all perfect though.

Hans Zimmer's overly bombastic score lacks the subtlety of Vangelis' earlier score and has a tendency to shake the seats rather than emotionally rattle the core.
And Jared Leto's character, Niander Wallace, is frustrating in his arc and resolution thereof. There are some logical niggles that pepper the film as well, which are too spoilery to discuss.
It's almost as if outside of the core mystery that's being set up and the K and Deckard interaction, a little less thought has gone into the motives and actions at the expense of the world building.

There are inevitably nods to the first film - another version of the infamous origami unicorn exists and at least one shot of Gosling in the rain toward the end seems determined to re-frame the infamous Rutger Hauer rain-soaked shot - but it's fair to say that Villeneuve's managed to go his own way with Blade Runner 2049, which in itself is no mean feat.

Ultimately and against the odds, Blade Runner 2049 is less repli-can't, more repli-can.
Its reverence to its source material and the enduring legacy is both its strength and its occasional undoing. But it's once again a sign that perhaps director Denis Villenueve is a master of mystery, who takes the slightest story and, in this case, turns it into an artform of suspense and enigma that's as compelling and fascinating as it is emotionally distant.

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Mountain: Film Review

Director: Jennifer Peedom

A sense of the political pervades Mountain, director Jennifer Peedom's love letter to the peaks that shape so many lives

A swipe against deforestation to feed our need for exhilaration, a rallying cry for the Sherpa placed under pressure, a comment against Everest's queuing congestion that goes against the spirit of exploration and the narcissism of the thrill seekers on the mountains, half in love with themselves and half in love with oblivion.

However, it's the very slightest of touches in this film which feels more at home on a Nat Geo outing despite its truly beautiful cinematography, culled from some 2,000 hours of footage.

Peedom demonstrated her chops with the wondrous Sherpa a few festivals back, giving time to the plight of the Sherpa who put their lives at risk for little reward from the thrill seekers determined to conquer Everest no matter what.

And while this collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra deserves to be seen on the big screen, it's very close to Nature Porn set to a classical music background. Faceless peaks and nameless mountains populate the screen as narrator Willem Dafoe intones what it is that draws people to the mountains, and the challenges they present in a life where we've become closeted from nature.

In the same way that Toa Fraser's The Free Man attempted to dive deeper into the psychology of the mountains at this year's festival, Mountain is similarly at pains to paint a vista of placeless peaks that draw us in, with their allure. Using words from Robert MacFarlane to help create the picture, Peedom's film really does lack a narrative edge to make it an essential experience.

That said, if the thread is underdeveloped throughout, aside from the aforementioned swipes, the cinematography is astounding, and the sense of the spectacular is palpable.

Whether it's a series of slow mo shots of skiers cascading though ice like swarming ants on the way to their nest or stunning day/ night dissolves, the big screen simply laps up the very best of Mountain's visuals, with its vertiginous shots creating a sense of scale and of terrifying emotions to those not seeking the thrill. Equally, the ACO's work is perhaps the great companion to this piece and deserves to be appreciated as loudly as possible as it juxtaposes itself nicely to some of the images on screen.

Ultimately, Mountain is a nice visual essay, but despite the snow-capped vistas and stunning peaks, as well as some archive footage, it's deeply disposable fare - it's the visual equivalent at times of elevator music. Pretty to look at, but easily forgotten.

School holiday movies are here!

Rain, winds and the ever present cry of "What are we going to do?" are likely to permeate the air of the coming school holidays.

Thankfully, as ever, the movie have the answer with a clutch of new films out to try and grab your kids' attention while you may be head to elsewhere in the mall to get some relief...

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Bit of a stand-out winner of the animated fare, this one.
Based on Dav Pilkey's series of books, the Dreamworks animation follows the squishier edges pioneered by the Peanuts Movie and gives the film a generally appealing-to-the-eyes feel.
Starring a non-screeching Kevin Hart and Silicon Valley's bumbling Thomas Middleditch as George and Harold, it's the story of how two BFFs manage to turn their grumpy principal (a buoyant Ed Helms) into superhero Captain Underpants.
Posited on the idea that all superheroes wear their underoos on the outside, it's a fast paced mix of fun and frenetic as the duo try to work out how to convert their teacher back and save the day from a Professor determined to rid the world of laughter.
With a crowd-pleasing mix of fart gags and a non-bum-troubling run time of 85 minutes, this is easily a winner.

The Emoji Movie

Roundly bashed as one of the worst films of the year according to the cinema rating Rotten Tomatoes, the truth about The Emoji Movie is far more insidious - namely, that it's just incredibly average animated fare.
Following an Emoji Meh named Gene (Silicon Valley's TJ Miller - we're spotting an animated trend here) who causes chaos when he panics on day one on the job.
You see Gene is an emoji inside a kid's phone - and his blunder means the phone's owner is now planning to delete them permanently.
Inevitably, Gene heads off on a race against time to save the day - along with Anna Faris' hacker and James Corden's redundant Hi-5 emoji.
Lacking the punch and meta edges, but feeling like a push to sell apps, The Emoji Movie is a solid enough piece of animated fare, but it just lacks any edge to stand out in the market-place.
Ironically, your reaction - and your kids - when you come out is going to be a resounding "Meh."

The LEGO Ninjago Movie

The weakest of the recent blocky outings, the Lego Ninjago Movie may have Jackie Chan as the Ninja master, but its tale of a son trying to reconnect with his dad, who just happens to be the bad guy, feels a little average at best.
As the two try to reconnect, they begin a quest that feels all too familiar.
Whereas the prior Lego movies have offered strong stories with doses of zaniness, it has to be said The LEGO Ninjago Movie doesn't differ too much from the formula, treads a lot of familiar ground and consequently does offer up a film of diminishing returns in terms of story ideas, but not pace.
Sure, the frantic pace and slightly insaner edges you'd expect during these outings is present, but given it's hung round more of a weaker frame, it feels like a struggle at times.
That's not to say its target youngster audience won't enjoy the story and the animation, but the attempts to shoehorn in the message veer dangerously close to brow-beating and crowbarring it in as the film heads towards its conclusion.
Although it has Silicon Valley's Kumail Nanjiani and Gabe Woods in as well - surely there's a conspiracy here?

Kedi
The furry favourite from the film festival that centres on the feline population of Turkey may seem like an odd choice to release in the school hols, but given this limited release doco is catnip to anyone but Gareth Morgan, it's fair to say the families of animal lovers will be flocking to it.
Maybe just ensure the route home after the film doesn't take in any pet stores, or you may be feeling you need to give the purr-fect gift to the kids to keep them quiet.

Flatliners
A remake of the 1990s horror movie about medical geniuses sending themselves to the brink of death to feel things, but who start to suffer spooky visions after flirting with the grim reaper.
The original starred Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Roberts at the height of their Brat Pack days - the 2017 remake "for the (slightly more adult) kidz" stars Ellen Page and Grantchester and Happy Valley's James Norton in those roles.
Just because it's not been previewed to media before release doesn't mean this one's dead on arrival - does it?

New Paddington 2 trailer and cast reveal

Hitting cinemas December 21st the bear is back in a brand new adventure!

Featuring an all-star returning cast of Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin with Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington and Imelda Staunton as Aunt Lucy and joined by new cast members Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson.

Win a double pass to attend Auckland's Armageddon Expo!

To celebrate the upcoming Armageddon Expo, you can win a double pass to the event thanks to our friends at the festival!

Pop culture merchandise, a star-studded guest lineup and the latest in gaming, cosplay comics and animation and film are proving to be a recipe for success for this year’s Auckland Armageddon Expo ticket sales.

Anticipation for the largest event in the history of the expo is building ahead of the Labour Day weekend event.

Returning to Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds this October the 2017 event features the biggest line-up of celebrity guests the expo has ever hosted including stars from HARRY POTTER, CASTLE, DOCTOR WHO, ARROW, TEEN WOLF, THE 100, SUPERNATURAL, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and more, as well as a myriad of other activities including; Drive-In Movie Screenings, the Brother Cosplay Contest, Zombie Alley, E-Sports competitions and wrestling among other things. The show will continue to host a massive range of exhibitors from home crafted artist alley stalls, collectibles, anime merchandise to a number of MASSIVE Gaming and entertainment areas with Disney/Marvel, PlayStation, Nintendo, MightyApe Hewlett Packard, Samsung and more!

Event organizer, William Geradts says of the anticipation, “The public response to our announcements so far have been insane, amazing but insane. I’m confident we are on track for the biggest event we have ever had bar none and to see it coming all together after 22 years of building this event from the ground up is immensely satisfying”.

Get ready to meet your favorite stars and experience the incredible that is #AUCKGEDDON 2017!

Auckland Armageddon, October 20^th-23^rd, ASB Showgrounds #AUCKGEDDON

To win a copy thanks to the Armageddon expo team, all you have to do is email your details to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Include your name and address and title your email ARMAGEDDON!
Competition closes Oct 15th

Good luck!

Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite: PS4 Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS4

The beat-em-up franchise shows no sign of abating with this mash-em-up of the Marvel series and the Capcom world.

Set in Asgard when the Convergence happens, the game sees you taking on waves of Ultron's baddies who've been thrown together with Mega Man's nemesis Sigma in an ongoing fight to the death.

The plus side of this smash em up mash up is the fact that a lot of the heroes and characters you'd want to play are available for use in the game and can see you creating team ups you've always dreamed of in a game - outside of using toys to craft a fighting game when you're a kid.

The downside is that the story is purely there to service a series of dream team tag teams, rather than to create something coherent to guide you through the framework of what lies beyond.

Graphically, the game's pretty solid, and the cartoony look and feel really does make you think that you're watching a crossover Saturday morning cartoon.

Vocally, the sound's not bad either - something always to bear in mind with a game like this is the impersonators make you feel like you're in the world. And certainly, the Iron Man is pretty spot on.

But it's the characers which are available that will ensure that fans of the game will want to play through. From Captain Marvel to newcomers like Rocket Raccoon, the personality's been packed on well within and it does mean that you can pretty much pair up your dream team combos to your heart's content.

Fighting's easy too - repeated use of a combination punch will unleash a series of auto hits and ensure that your character's wielding a furious and mighty beat down on your opponent.

Marvel's troublesome Infinity Stones play a part in the game as well, and the reliance on these to wield power against the baddies is also a little difficult to master.

All in all, Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite has hits and misses; the long loading screen times between short bouts seems utterly ludicrous, and while graphically, the game's high quality, the lag between fights as the cutscenes load up is troublesome.

And the fights are way too brief as well - and while they play fluidly and is easy to pick up, this feels like the very definition of a comic book game - quite dispposable and pleasant enough to play, but hardcore fighter game fans may feel sold a little short with this solid but slightly hollow outing.

Monday, 2 October 2017

Yakuza Kiwami: PS4 Review

Released by SEGA
Platform: PS4

The Yakuza game series may seem intimidating to those unaccustomed to the intricacies of the culture within.

But essentially, this riff on the Grand Theft Auto world cum JPRG brawler is a fairly simple sum of its parts.

You get to run around the streets of Kamurocho as Kazuma Kiryu, who's determined to find out what has happened to childhood chum Yumi and why the clan is on the warpath over missing money.
Throw in a mysterious young girl who everyone wants to get hold of, and there's plenty to do in this revamp of the original Yakuza game.

After Yakuza O, the bar was set pretty highly for the revamps of this series and the push to get more people into the franchise makes this one the most accessible of all.

With the PS4 grunt behind the game, the graphics are pretty good and the world of Kamurocho feels like it's a liveable breathing metropolis that seethes with underbellies and all forms of life.
Side quests and distractions are peppered through the game, as is a nemesis from the past who cleverly crops up along the way feeding into a long term storyline seeded elsewhere.

It's these touches which make SEGA's Yakuza go-around worth your time.

Occasionally, the desire for push button cut scenes can become a little tiresome and to start off with, they certainly punctuate a little too much of what's going on, preventing any kind of real flow from continuing.
But pacing through this helps to build some kind of atmosphere aimed at deepening the world.

And while the open world sometimes feels a little guided, the depth of detail into the seemingly steamy side of life manages to pull you back in.

Ultimately, Kazuma Kiryu proves to be a good person to spend some time with and even if the game's reliance on being a little guided seems a bit too much, the game's eventual pull and hidden depth prove to be fertile enough reward.

Sunday, 1 October 2017

Battle of the Sexes: Film Review

Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Shue, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine and the writer of The Full Monty, Battle of the Sexes is the story behind the 1973 tennis match between tennis aces Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

It's hard to imagine the Battle of the Sexes having a more pertinent release time than right now, with the war for equality raging stronger than ever, the message of acceptance and coming out, and with the war against sexist buffoons taking on those in power. In truth, that's possibly the best thing Battle of the Sexes has going for it, because, in truth, it's predominantly the kind of film you've seen before - well presented and acted, but slightly lacking a little depth of character.

Stone is Billie Jean, whose anger at the lack of pay equity when offered a part in a tournament that pays an eighth of what the men receive sees her launch a women's league of her own. Alienated from the boys' club and determined to build credibility for the women's lib front and the the sport, the apparently happily married Billie Jean is also struggling with an attraction to a chance meeting with Marilyn, a hairdresser played with subtlety and warmth by Andrea Riseborough.

At the same time, former Wimbledon ace and compulsive gambler and hustler Bobby Riggs (a wonderfully spot-on likeness from Steve Carell) is looking for his next challenge. Chasing a bet, and with his family life in ruins because of it, the self-styled male chauvinist pig challenges Billie Jean to a game to demonstrate once and for all that men are better than women.

With two storylines that flow and ebb before colliding, Battle of the Sexes manages to mix the hazy 70s cinematography and some firecracker performances from the likes of Silverman as King's agent into a crowd-pleasing affair that lobs and serves as well as those on the field.

But in truth, Carell's Riggs never feels like his sexist bluster is anything other than a push for PR on the pitch, and despite a good solid turn that mixes both comedy and warmth, consequently feels like he's the Austin Powers of the tennis world. (Though it is good to see him reunite with his Crazy, Stupid, Love counterpart again.)

While Stone's King is a bit more of a rounded character, with Stone personifying the internal struggle with non-showy chutzpah, Battle of the Sexes' strength and weakness lies in the fact that it chooses not to vilify any side of the debate. Both portrayals are flattering, neither are damning and the overall result is one of a fairly generic movie whose parts occasionally help it excel and achieve a timely poignancy in the global scale of events.

Decidedly light and breezy, yet never too lightweight not to resonate, Battle of the Sexes is a game of a film that serves, lobs, ducks and weaves like a true sportsperson. It's here to entertain and keep you focussed on the action (such as it is) and it does so with aplomb, thanks to its trio of leads.

Saturday, 30 September 2017

IVALICE COMES TO FINAL FANTASY XIV: STORMBLOOD OCTOBER 10

IVALICE COMES TO
FINAL FANTASY XIV: STORMBLOOD OCTOBER 10

Patch 4.1 Trailer Provides Action-Packed Preview of Dungeons, Raids, and More

Sydney, Australia - 30^th September, 2017 – Sweeping views of Rabanastre and powerful new foes await adventurers in the latest update for FINAL FANTASY® XIV: Stormblood™. Patch 4.1, entitled “The Legend Returns,” is the first major update toStormblood™ and continues the exhilarating main scenario questline following the liberation of Ala Mhigo.

Adventurers will also be able to challenge a fearsome new Shinryu trial—The Minstrel's Ballad: Shinryu's Domain—and tackle the even more demanding “Ultimate” battle series with the debut of The Unending Coil of Bahamut (Ultimate).

The Minstrel’s Ballad: Shinryu’s Domain

The Legend Returns will also mark the beginning of the highly anticipated “Return to Ivalice” alliance raid series, which will take players to the ruins of the city of Rabanastre. During the recent Letter from the Producer LIVE broadcast, Yoshida revealed the artwork and in-game model of the “Return to Ivalice” monster designed by special guest creator Keita Amemiya - the creator of the Garo television and film series, from which the Patch 3.5 PvP gear, weapons, and mount designs originated.

Return to Ivalice Monster - Designed by Keita Amemiya

The live stream also featured a first look at new in-game areas and additional details on content to be included in the first major update since the launch of Stormblood, the title’s second expansion.

Adventurer Squadrons – Players can explore a number of dungeons with a party of three squadron members, issuing commands to their companions to help lead them to victory.
New Housing Area “Shirogane” – Whether players are looking to purchase their first estate, or they are a current estate owner planning to utilize the new relocation feature, adventurers are eagerly looking forward to moving into this new Far Eastern themed housing area.
New PvP Mode – Rival Wings – Two teams of 24 players will go head to head in this new PvP mode, in which they will attempt to assault and destroy the opposing team’s tower. Players will also be able to pilot goblin creations such as Oppressor and Cruise Chaser to engage the opposing team in fierce combat.
Battle Adjustments – Yoshida touched on a sampling of changes and adjustments to job actions and spells.
System Enhancements – Introduction of a cross-world Friends list and /tell communication, updates to HUD customization, job gauge displays, cross-world alliances and custom PvP matches, and Party Finder adjustments provide players with an even more personalized gameplay experience.
“Perform” – Bards can now create their own songs through new hotbar actions that play musical notes.

For additional details on the content discussed during the latest stream, visit http://sqex.to/FFXIV_PLL39.

The official trailer for Patch 4.1, The Legend Returns, is available here: https://youtu.be/x8dmQB2uMR4

Additionally, the return of the exciting collaboration between FINAL FANTASY XIV and Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch™ is underway. Through November 1, players will once again be able to collect Yo-kai themed weapons, minions, and mounts. Visit the Yo-kai watch event page on the Lodestone for more information: http://sqex.to/FFXIV_Yokai

All editions of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, including the FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood expansion, may be purchased through the Square Enix Online Store here: http://sqex.to/FFXIVStore

The Evil Within 2 | New Trailer Released – The Wrathful, “Righteous” Priest

Shrouded in mystery, Father Theodore has remained an enigma…until now. Along with Stefano, Theodore is one of the human “monsters” who have made their way into the new STEM world in The Evil Within 2, and he’s finally ready to reveal his message to the masses – a message that promises a “righteous” fury and immolation to those who oppose him. Sebastian will need to survive the wrath of this master manipulator if he’s going to have any hope of finding Lily and escaping the nightmare of STEM.

Theodore has his own reasons for being in STEM that are separate from Mobius’ goals, which he sees as misguided. Though what he’s actually after only becomes apparent as Sebastian becomes more entangled in his world.

Like Stefano, Theodore isn’t alone in STEM, although unlike Stefano – who commands the gruesome and terrifying Guardian and Obscura – Theodore’s main helpers aren’t creatures he created. Referred to as Harbingers, they are normal people whose minds Theodore has bent to his will. These Harbingers wield flamethrowers and seem to exist solely to carry out Theodore’s fiery will, burning any who would stand in the way of his pursuits.

Any detail about his past pushes into HUGE SPOILER territory. In other words, you’ll have to play the game in order to unlock the secrets he hides. Check out Bethesda.net for even more details and insights from the team at Tango Gameworks.

As Sebastian Castellanos, you’ll have to dive into hell once more in the sequel to the hit 2014 survival horror game from the mind of Shinji Mikami. Take on twisted creatures in horrifying domains and face off against your own worst nightmares as you race to save your daughter. The Evil Within 2 will launch worldwide Friday the 13th, October 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. For more information about the game, visit www.TheEvilWithin.com.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer is here

Here it is the latest trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2!

Watch the all-new trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they rob, fight and steal their way across the vast and rugged heart of America in order to survive. Coming Spring 2018 to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands - PvP Mode 'Ghost War' Launches Oct 10

ASSEMBLE YOUR SQUAD AS TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON^®WILDLANDS GHOST WAR PVP MODE LAUNCHES OCTOBER 10

The Tactical 4v4 Mode Will Be A Free Update for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Owners

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — September 29, 2017 — Ubisoft^® has announced that Ghost War, the new PvP mode update for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon^® Wildlands, will be available on October 10. Ghost War will be free for all players who own the base game and will receive regular content updates after launch.

In Ghost War, two groups of players will take part in a 4v4 team deathmatch experience that builds on the tactical squad play from the main game, where strategy is equally as important as skill. Teams will choose from a roster of varied classes across three categories including Assault, Marksman and Support, fulfilling specific roles on the battlefield as they navigate large-scale open maps and take down their enemies. Using one of the twelve distinct classes, each with their own varied characteristics, weapons, perks and customization options, players will engage with enemies across eight unique maps. Ghost War will also integrate new PvP mechanics, including suppressing fire and sound markers, to create a strategic and intense team-based multiplayer mode. For all the detailed information on Ghost War, please visit:www.ghostrecon.com/pvp.

To view the trailer click the image below

The development team plans to bring regular post-launch updates to Ghost War in order to enrich the overall PvP experience. “We are excited to continue refining and expanding Ghost War after its launch” said Lucian Istrate, lead game designer on Ghost War at Ubisoft Bucharest. “Expect more classes, more maps, and even new modes to be added in the future!”

Developed by Ubisoft Paris,* Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is a military shooter entirely playable in up to four-player co-op or single-player from beginning to end. Players have total freedom to accomplish their missions how they want and watch as the world reacts to their actions. Players can choose to move quietly in the night, go in hot at dawn or work together to execute a sync shot that takes out enemies in one fell swoop. Each choice has a consequence, and players must improvise or adapt their plans to ensure the completion and success of each mission.

For the latest about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and all Ubisoft games, please visitubiblog.com.

Ubisoft Announces Dan Romer As Composer For Far Cry® 5

UBISOFT^® ANNOUNCES DAN ROMER AS COMPOSER FOR FAR CRY^® 5

Sent on behalf of James Mahon

To download all assets please visit the press extranet: ubisoft-press.com

Sydney, AUSTRALIA — September 29, 2017 — Ubisoft^® has announced that Dan Romer, the award-winning film composer, songwriter and music producer, is composing the score for Far Cry^® 5 in addition to writing songs for the game. The Far Cry 5 soundtrack will be available closer to the game’s launch on February 27, 2018.

Known for his film score work on Beasts of the Southern Wild and Beasts of No Nation, and for producing the Grammy-winning single, “Say Something,” and worldwide hit, “Treat You Better,” Romer sought to create a soundtrack that transports players into fictional Hope County, Montana, where fanatical doomsday cult Project at Eden’s Gate has taken over. Utilizing many Americana instruments, including banjos, fiddles, dobros and more, Romer’s score will fluctuate as players explore the dynamic world and come head-to-head with cultists. Each of the regions will have specific character-centric music that ties into the motives of the Father and the Heralds.

Along with the musical composition, the Far Cry 5 score will also include original hymns written by Romer, produced by Bobby Chin and performed by the Bobby Chin Nashville Choir. The lyrics of these reflect the inspirations of the leadership and members of the cult while also hiding more sinister messages toward the Resistance. Each of these hymns will mix into the existing music that players experience as they explore the world or engage in combat.

Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 offers players total freedom to navigate a serene-looking yet deeply twisted world as the new junior deputy of fictional Hope County, Montana. Players will find that their arrival accelerates a years-long silent coup by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Project at Eden's Gate, igniting a violent takeover of the county. Under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, players will join forces with residents of Hope County and form the Resistance.

For more information about Far Cry 5, please visit farcry.com.

For the latest on Far Cry 5 and other Ubisoft games, please visit ubiblog.com.

Friday, 29 September 2017

Whitney Can I Be Me: DVD Review

There can be no denial of the power of Whitney Houston's voice.

While Broomfield's documentary opens with the 911 call made on that fateful night in February 2012 in Los Angeles, it soon kicks back 13 years to backstage Frankfurt and allows Houston's gospel-tinged vocals to soar as she belts out "I will Always Love You".
The sheer silky ferocity of Houston's vocals are perhaps the major boon of this relatively straight, by-the-numbers documentary that follows pieces of Houston's meteoric rise and shocking fall.

Broomfield's less interested in providing a doco that's full of salacious chat or indeed any major revelations, preferring to take the route of simply telling the story of Houston, her journey from Newark, the role of her family and how it all fell apart for her.
It's in the unfurling of some unseen footage that Broomfield's piece is more of interest to fans of Houston and scenes shot backstage of Houston talking to others or leaving the stage in tears that the doco gains its edge.

Focussing on talking to family members, using archival interview footage and moments, Broomfield's piece captures some of the control of the singer's ascent, and maybe chronicles some moments that people will not fully be aware of.

But whereas the likes of Amy had more of an emotional edge due to the unfettered and meticulously assembled footage, Whitney: Can I Be Me? occasionally teeters close to hagiography because of the lack of depth. It's a very competently put together documentary, that hits a lull midway and feels like a telling of the story, rather than anything else.

That's no mean feat though - and moments such as when Houston was booed at the Soul Train awards because of her cross-racial appeal demonstrate how badly she was hurt by the business, proffering insight into how her soul was splintered gradually by a series of knocks.

The second half of the doco is perhaps the more interesting as an infinitely more sallow and drained Houston starts to manifest; the results are shocking and go some way to fulfilling some of the edges of this rise and fall doco.

If you're a Whitney Houston fan, this doco is a compelling must. But for those of us raised on docos like Asif Kapadia's Senna and Amy which manage to take subjects and make fans of non-supporters, Whitney: Can I Be Me? feels like it falters a little. It does what it can with the material that it has present, but it simply doesn't provide the emotional heft that it should.

It's a perfectly competent rise-and-fall piece, but its arguments that family and the times were responsible for what transpired aren't really backed by anything to make them simply claims.

There's no disputing the tragedy of Houston's death, and while it's best to concentrate on the legacy of the songs and celebrate the voice, Broomfield's documentary hits some of the high notes, but, by missing the more personal touches, also somehow manages to put a few beats wrong.

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Despicable Me 3: Blu Ray Review

Third time's less of the charm for Illumination's animated antics in this latest outing for Gru and the gang.

In Despicable Me 3 (stylised as Despicable M3), Gru and Lucy (Carell and Wiig respectively) are kicked out of the anti-villains league when they fail to stop 80s obsessed former child star and wannabe crimelord Balthazar Bratt (South Park's Trey Parker) from stealing one of the world's largest diamonds.

Suffering from a crisis of faith, Gru discovers he has a twin brother, Dru (also played by Carell), who's the opposite to Gru's villain.

When the pair finally meet, Gru's jealous of Dru's seemingly successful lifestyle. But he's shocked to find out that Dru just wants to be a villain as that's all their father ever wanted for his son...

Will Gru re-embrace his dark side?

Feeling distinctly flat and disappointingly disparate, Despicable M3 lacks the zaniess and the bite of prior outings.

While the 80s nostalgia vibe may help the older end of the audience feel a little jaded and satiated at the thought of a fourth film with the Minions.

Wiig feels particularly underused as the surrogate mother and the separate threads involving dispirited minions, the kids, Gru / Dru's antics don't quite seem to gel as well as they should.

It helps little that the animation which had such zing before looks great but delivers little in terms of memorable moments; it's slickly produced but its sweetly sentimental edges don't really bring the feels that it should this time around.

Granted, the children in the audience may well enjoy the brief interludes (though the shoe-horning in of Sing, another Illumination property is almost as bad as any product placement from Michael Bay's outings), but there aren't enough of them to keep everyone entertained.

There are flashes of visual brilliance though, such as when Gru and Dru raid the villain's lair (there's plenty of fun to be had in being bad) - and the 80s obsessed Bratt is a non-stop laugh-fest of nostalgia and desperation all wrapped up in one go, but these are fleeting moments few and sadly far in between, making you desperately miss the kinetic silliness that's been on show before.

All in all, Despicable M3 is pretty much a formulaic piece of CGI animation for the school hols - there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but the fact it betrays the very best of what the Despicable Me series could offer and distills it down into a series of mere moments is nothing short of a crying shame.