Death Wish: Film Review

Death Wish: Film Review

Cast: Bruce Willis, Elisabeth Shue, Dean Norris,Vincent D'Onofrio, Camilla Morrone
Director: Eli Roth

It's hard to imagine a worse time to release a film about a guy righting wrongs with the power of a gun.

Certainly in the US, where thanks to the Parklands School shooting, the issue of gun control and the debate around it has never been stronger or more pertinent.

But horror wunderkind Eli Roth has taken on the mantle of the remake of the Charles Bronson 1974 vigilante revenge flick.

Willis stars as ER doctor Paul Kersey, who lives in a Chicago beset by gun crime (we know this because Roth hammers home the message repeatedly using cuts of DJs and talkback to emphasise the horror of gun chaos run amok).

On his birthday eve, he's called to work, and forced to leave his vivacious wife (Shue, whose brief time on screen lights up the grubby sheen) and soon-to-depart-for-college daughter (Morrone) behind.

Things take a turn for the worse when criminals break in, leaving both victims of gunshots - and they're transported to the local ER.....

As the police investigate the crime, and murder, Kersey finds he has no choice but to take justice into his own hands.

Eli Roth's Death Wish is a tame, somnambulant take on the revenge thriller.

Its main problem is that it's generic, watered down and blessed with a lead who barely offers a level of emotion that engages throughout. Even though it wants to clear be a pro-NRA film that promotes the message of one man making a difference with his gun.

It also doesn't help that it squanders any chance of moral discussion, preferring briefly to flirt with the morality of whether it's wrong or right (largely through the aforementioned DJs and a line that asks whether it's good a white man is on the streets shooting black people).

Preferring to tick the boxes of a training montage, some shots of laughable violence and extreme blood splatters from close up, this 2018 version of Death Wish, from writer Joe Carnahan, appears to squander the grubbiness of the 80s revenge flicks that continued to offer vicarious thrills thanks to varying levels of violence.

While Death Wish can be commended for not putting its hoodie clad Grim Reaper into a series of shoot-outs that glamourises gun crime, its desire to avoid any of the intellectual moments that could have made it more contemporary is a major disappointment.

And with the house break-in sequences have some of the elements of horror with their long drawn out sequences, dark lighting and angling, there's little else to recommend the remake of Death Wish.

Police action and inaction is laughable, and while Norris' biggest sense of debate comes over a low fat diet rather than conflict over when his suspicions fall into place. The lack of moral turpitude in the film stands out like a sore thumb, especially in times of Trumpian inaction, enraging gun debate and woefully inadequate policy.

The biggest disappointment is Willis - there's only one scene toward the end which shows him remotely engaging with the material, rather than sleep-walking throughout. It's a shocking reminder of what's missing during the rest of the film - a hero whose conflict is articulated by himself rather than others around him.

Ultimately, the non-exploitation 2018 version of Death Wish is a muddled, mistaken, and misshapen attempt at a remake - lacking any contemporary feel and any directorial flair, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

But for all the wrong reasons.

Win a Shadow of the Colossus prize pack

Win a Shadow of the Colossus prize pack

To celebrate the release of Shadow of the Colossus, only on PlayStation you can win a prize pack, thanks to PlayStation NZ!

Rebuilt from the ground up by Bluepoint Games and JAPAN Studio, SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS on PlayStation 4 system introduces the awe of its unforgettable world and towering creatures to a new generation of gamers, while allowing long time fans to revisit the beloved masterpiece with unparalleled visual fidelity and improved performance.

Shadow of The Colossus is out now on PlayStation 4!

To win a copy, 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 COLOSSUS!
Competition closes MARCH 16TH

Tulip Fever: DVD Review

Tulip Fever: DVD Review

Forever destined to be known as the film disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein left on the shelf for 3 years and also the first film to be released by the Weinstein Company post Weinstein's spectacular fall from grace, Tulip Fever is something of a tonal mess.

Future Tomb Raider star Alicia Vikander stars as Sofia in this period piece set in 17th century Amsterdam as the tulip market grows feverishly. Similar to the stock market, there's a great trade to be had in bulbs and speculation, and Sofia finds herself in the middle of it when she escapes the convent she's in by agreeing to be married off to Waltz's merchant.

With pressure to conceive, Sofia is found wanting and Waltz's Cornelis decides to commission a painting of the two of them from upcoming artist Jaan (DeHaan). But an illicit affair grows between the pair, culminating in tragedy for everyone in the house - including Grainger's maid and confidante and her lover (O'Connell).

It's hard to know exactly what Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) wanted to do exactly with Tom Stoppard's mashed together screenplay.

From period drama, romance, farce and finally on to inevitable tragedy, the film flip-flops so badly and bounces between different genres that you get cinematic whiplash watching on.

It's not like any of the cast (with the exception sadly of DeHaan and Delevingne who prove to be the weakest links here) give it anything but their best and throw themselves into it with gusto. But a lack of coherence and cohesion proves to make this narrative bulb wilt and wither as its inevitable formulaic tropes are systematically ticked off.

Inevitably what emerges from Tulip Fever is a Carry On style drama film that even Shakespeare would have dismissed as too light for his attention.

And despite Vikander's continuing allure and dramatic chops for every role she takes, the film's fatal flaw causes the whole house of cards to come crashing down around everyone's ears.

A Fantastic Woman: Film Review

A Fantastic Woman: Film Review

Cast: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes
Director: Sebastian Lelio

A Fantastic Woman would be better titled A Woman Scorned.

A searing and compassionate take on identity, prejudice and struggle, this Chilean film and its Oscar-nominated lead Daniela Vega is an intriguing and enraging take on a life and a society unable to accept what is in front of it.

Vega plays Marina, the transgender lover of older Orlando. On her birthday, after a night of passion and romance together, Marina's world is changed when Orlando awakes feeling unwell. Despite taking him to the hospital, Orlando dies, and Marina flees the scene, stricken with grief.

However, she's picked up by the police and investigations begin into how Orlando died and what part she played in it....

Suspicions swirl in A Fantastic Woman, but there's no doubt that Vega makes Marina a character to root for as she suffers gradual degradation of her identity, denigration of her place in life in general and in Orlando's family and uncertainty in her own future.

What is clear is what director Sebastian Lelio wants to do.

Determined to start a conversation over treatment of others, societal prejudices and grief, Lelio fashions a film that avoids hysterics and centres us purely in Marina's life and her actions.

The reactions of others to Marina's plight are the most telling; signs that intolerance is depressingly never far away bubble under the film and as the injustices begin to weigh up against Marina, there's no denying that even the most stoic of hearts will fail to be unmoved by what's going on, as you desperately will others to feel some compassion.

And yet, with a deeply empathetic lead and a dextrous director, A Fantastic Woman becomes a timeless film that proffers a study of grief, and of societal rage. Cleverly underplayed, and beautifully and seamlessly transposed to the screen, the transphobia is writ large and yet never brutally hammered home.

There's dignity in Daniela Vega's compassionate turn as Marina - from vehemently correcting a family member who keeps calling her Marisa to a determination to get a dog back, through to scenes where Marina's haunted by the spirit of Orlando to a quiet final send-off, A Fantastic Woman packs power into its taut run time and wisely resists the urge to preach.

Because of these factors alone, A Fantastic Woman more than lives up to its title.

XBox One S Sea Of Thieves bundle unveiled

XBox One S Sea Of Thieves bundle unveiled

Last month, gamers worldwide got to experience fantastical pirate adventures firsthand, as Rare welcomed the community into the Sea of Thieves Closed Beta. As we approach the global launch of one of the most anticipated Xbox One exclusives for 2018, we’re thrilled to announce the Xbox One S Sea of Thieves Bundle, offering prospective pirates the best value in games and entertainment alongside Rare’s highly anticipated shared-world adventure. Games play best on Xbox One, making it the perfect place to jump into Rare’s unique multiplayer adventure.

The Xbox One S Sea of Thieves Bundle will be available starting March 20, 2018 for $299.99 USD at a Microsoft Store near you and online, as well as participating retailers worldwide and is available now for pre-order. The bundle includes:

• An Xbox One S with a 1TB hard drive, Xbox Wireless Controller, a built-in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, support for 4K video streaming, High Dynamic Range and premium audio with Dolby Atmos. With over 1,300 great games including over 200 console exclusives – from the biggest blockbusters and most popular franchises to 400 titles across three generations of Xbox classics – there’s never been a better time to game on Xbox One.
• A full-game download of Sea of Thieves, allowing you to dive into the game’s shared-world on release day exclusively on Xbox One. Form a crew and take to the open ocean on voyages to discover buried treasure, solve puzzling riddles, secure precious cargo and combat a wide array of challenges. In a world where every sail signals a ship crewed by real players with unique goals and motivations, you never know what lies over the horizon.
• A 1-month Xbox Live Gold subscription, so you can experience the thrill of the high seas with the greatest community of gamers on Xbox Live, the fastest, most reliable gaming network.
• A 1-month Xbox Game Pass trial so you can discover over 100 Xbox One games with unlimited across three generations of consoles. Xbox Game Pass members will also receive access to new games from Microsoft Studios like State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 on the same date as their global launch.

Looking for additional pirate plunder? The Xbox Wireless Controller – Sea of Thieves Limited Edition will let you fight, sail and loot in style. Available now for $74.99 USD, the controller features a deep purple translucent design, adorned with laser etched barnacles, one treasured golden trigger and haunted by a mysterious glow-in-the-dark skull. The controller comes with the exclusive Ferryman Clothing Set for your Sea of Thieves character, a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial and a 14-day Xbox Game Pass trial at no additional cost. In addition the Seagate Special Edition Sea of Thieves 2TB Game Drive for Xbox will boost your console’s storage capacity, while the Controller Gear Limited Edition Sea of Thieves Xbox Pro Charging Stand and Controller Gear Limited Edition Sea of Thieves Xbox One Controller Stand V2.0 will help display your treasure in style. These accessories are available for pre-order now for $89.99, $49.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Already have an Xbox One? Jump into the immersive multiplayer world of “Sea of Thieves” on March 20 with Xbox Game Pass for $9.99 a month, or preorder for $59.99.  With Xbox Game Pass, you can enjoy unlimited access to over one hundred great Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, including fan-favorites like Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War 4, and Bioshock. Starting with Sea of Thieves, all future Microsoft Studios games will launch day and date on Xbox Game Pass, providing an additional option to set sail on day one.

Read more at https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/02/27/xbox-one-s-seaofthieves-bundle/#2TYDvTmWfLZYeaiq.99

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: Film Review

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: Film Review

Cast: Jamie Bell, Annette Bening, Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave
Director: Paul McGuigan

Lauded for Annette Bening's performance as the fading Hollywood star Gloria Grahame, the play-like Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool benefits more from a career-best performance by Billy Elliott's Jamie Bell as her former lover Peter Turner.

Adapted from Turner's memoir about the relationship, the film follows Turner's reflections on their relationship as he looks after her in her dying days.

When Grahame collapses backstage at a performance of The Glass Menagerie, Turner is called - and despite his initial reticence, he brings Grahame back to his Liverpool home - wonderfully populated by Julie Walter's spot-on mother.

As the end grows nearer for Grahame, Turner is conflicted by the bittersweet recollections - and the audience is regaled with them, taken to dizzying highs before the ebb of the crushing lows swallows all.

Opening with old style film credits, as the celluloid ripples through shutters, the film's very much got the feel of a two-hander play and shifts between scenes are beautifully handled as they blend into each other.

It's a biopic at heart, and while there is an argument to be made that little happens and the characters are kept at their most basic, there's also enough to be said about the arc that Bening imbues Grahame with in her twilight years and the range of emotions that Bell conveys as Turner.

As the film shifts into conventional weepie territory at the end, the tour de forces are slightly dulled by the narrative necessities and conflicts that play out.

But what transpires prior to this, is bested by a quiet intensity of Bell's portrayal as his part in a doomed relationship. It's a turn that gives Bell one of his chances to provide an extremely strong turn - and he doesn't remotely disappoint.

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool is never better than when it follows the giddy highs of their relationship, from the backstage betrayals to the jealousies of Hollywood's scene - there's more than enough here to give you a feeling of the time (particularly thanks to the use of actual Grahame footage).

There are whipsmart tart moments in the dialogue which greatly help the melancholy feel of the film and give Bening's 50s screen siren a hint of sadness.

But in the final stretch, the film forsakes actions in favour of words, leading to the feeling of exposition in among the love story that drags the fresher approach of an older relationship down a notch.

Ultimately, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool is powered by Bell's performance; it may be his co-star's twilight luvvie turn which is getting the adulation, but Bell's commitment and depth to the role guarantees the film its emotional core throughout.

Jigsaw: DVD Review

Jigsaw: DVD Review

Seven years after the last outing for the slightly insane and warped logic of John Kramer, the Saw series returns with an attempt to dust off the legacy and restart the whole thing as we get asked to play a game again.

This time around, and once again treading familiar ground, Daybreakers and Predestination directors The Spierig Brothers bring their take to the grubby grimy series.

A group of apparently unconnected people, five in number, wake up inside a barn, with Ned Kelly-esque buckets on their head and chained to a wall. As the chains fire up, they're headed towards buzzsaws whirring violently away. Suddenly, the voice of John Kramer offers them a chance to redeem themselves....

Elsewhere with the discovery of the bodies, a group of detectives begin a quest to try and save them before it's too late.

With its truth will set you free ethos and its emphasis a little more on redemption, Jigsaw goes back to the series' roots in some ways, as the twisted games play out.

It's good to see that rather than simply concentrating on the torture porn, Jigsaw presents a course of logic that at least makes some sense to the reason why Jigsaw came to be - rather than simply imperil people for no real reason.

The problem is that due to lack of any reason to care about the five placed in danger and a distinct lack of tension makes Jigsaw difficult to invest in; the traps this time feel rote and lack a degree of deviousness that previous installments had going for them.

A lot of time is spent in a medical lab as well, giving this a feel of CSI: Saw rather than anything else. And despite a twist at the end (unsurprisingly), Jigsaw feels slightly redundant if it's trying to reboot the franchise and kick it all off again.

Ultimately, like most Jigsaws over time, this one is missing a few pieces, meaning that the final product feels unfinished and only hints at what could have been.