Winchester: Film Review

Winchester: Film Review

Cast: Jason Clark, Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook
Director: The Spierig Brothers

Anchored in a potentially intriguing concept, The Spierig Brother's haunted house spooker Winchester is an exercise in genre ticking and trope crossing off.

Clark plays Dr Eric Price, a psychologist mired in guilt after the death of his wife, and fired up to the eyeballs in laudanum to try and cope with the day to day.

When he's called on to provide an assessment of Helen Mirren's Sarah Winchester, the proprietor of the Winchester Repeating Arms company, he's lured in by the promise of clearing all his debt for an easy job.

But Winchester's elusive, claiming a curse is hitting the house she's constantly having renovated - and as Price's time in the mansion continues, he begins to suspect she's right and that he's been chosen to be brought in...

Winchester has a kernel of an idea which could have hit the spot.

A gun company's owner plagued with guilt over the deaths of those at the hands of the weaponry she peddles and makes her fortune upon.

It's a great psychological idea, one which was ripe for a "What's real, what's not" approach.

Unfortunately, The Spierig Brothers, who delivered brilliantly with Predestination, seem more determined to fill the house with cliches and jump scares, that are rote, predictable and offer nothing new.

While they make reasonable fist of some of the atmospherics and some of the location, they wrap the whole thing up in a non-scary sheen that the only frightful thing going on is the level to which Helen Mirren and Jason Clark have sunk taking part in this clunker of a wannabe haunted house flick.
Mirren plays Winchester like a medium, swathed in black mourning gear, and with frightful pauses where there need not be. She lends Winchester the requisite dignity, but the script does her no favours.

Equally, Clark does what he can with a script that requires him to react. The direction even squanders the chance to offer some doubt over what he sees once he's taken his drugs, preferring to coat the whole thing in a blaring OST that signposts every single one of the beats of what lies ahead.

Ultimately, Winchester is far from scary - and the whole thing leaves you feeling the directors have wasted their considerable talents on a story that should have dabbled in ambiguity and doubt, but instead opted for generic and rote horror cliches.

The Square: Film Review

The Square: Film Review

Provocative, confronting, and yet also unexpectedly amusing, this was the NZIFF's opening night film and the 2017 Palme D'Or winner The Square, from Force Majeure director Ruben Ostlund, is something else.

A satire on social reactions set within an art museum, it follows the museum's director Christian (Claes Bang) as a series of events are set in motion after the theft of his mobile phone. With a new exhibit set to launch, Christian should have his eyes and attention on what's ahead, but is dangerously distracted by the inane.

As events spiral, Ostlund's film teeters dangerously once again on a precipice between commentary on others and our social interactions - and as a result, it offers up some truly astounding moments of awkwardness and the surreal.

There's no denial that the loosest of threads pulls the rest of the film together, and there are moments that make The Square feel like a confrontational series of sketches that very occasionally feel disparate and in danger of breaking off like an iceberg from the main narrative.

It helps little that the film's punishing 140 minute run time becomes a slog in the final hurdle and certainly even though The Square's lost 20 minutes in an edit, a few more cuts could have helped the searing truly soar high above the cinematic stratosphere.

And yet, when Ostlund turns his precise eye to social commentary, there's nothing more piercing.

With Sweden's streets littered with beggars and with cries of Help Me resounding in many of these scenes, there's a humility and an horrific mirror cast upon society and their trivial concerns. The public and the private are meshed and simultaneously ripped apart under his precise directorship.

If Force Majeure's focus was solely on the family and the dynamic post the event, The Square's broader and wider ambitions occasionally threaten to stop it from achieving glory as it loses its edge towards the end.

But on the way in this high wire act, one scene stands alone - a sequence in a high society dinner event for the museum that's terrorised by a performance artist behaving like a gorilla. Simultaneously amusing and utterly terrifying, this moment of Ostlund's film is electrifying. It's here that the societal commentary comes into play and that Ostlund makes you shift uneasily in your seat.

And it's for moments like this, as well as surrealist broad comedy that The Square commands to be seen - it's confrontational, outrageous and it's out of nowhere attitude at times mean it's as unpredictable as it comes. However, in the wash, it may see you asking some serious questions about how we are wanting and examining its commentary on what society reacts to and ignores - it's here The Square's power is compellin

Win a copy of THOR RAGNAROK

Win a copy of THOR RAGNAROK

You can win a copy of THOR RAGNAROK!

Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger.

Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.

Directed by none other than New Zealander Of The Year 2017 Taika Waititi.

To win a copy, all you have to do is email  your details to this  address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!
THORRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Competition closes April 4th

All new Attack on Titan 2 trailers drop

All new Attack on Titan 2 trailers drop

KOEI TECMO SHOWS OFF THRILLING ACTION GAMEPLAY THROUGH ALL-NEW TRAILERS FOR A.O.T. 2

Make Your Mark As You Experience the Attack On Titan Universe With Your Own Custom Scout

Sydney, Australia - 5^th March 2018 – KOEI TECMO released a collection of new trailers for upcoming colossal action game A.O.T. 2, based on the worldwide anime phenomenon, ‘Attack on Titan’. Slated for release on the 20^th March 2018 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo Switch™, and digitally on Windows PC via Steam®, players will experience the dense battle action the series is renowned for through the eyes of their own Custom Scout; offering a fresh perspective on the series’ iconic events.

Players will don the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear as they fly into battle against devastating titanic foes, and mastering this equipment is key to ensuring victory and survival. A new b-roll showcases this incredible gear as a Custom Scout, Eren, and Mikasa fight swarms of Titans and rescue their squad mates from peril. An exciting look at Titan transformation is also teased as Eren turns in his powerful Titan form to defeat any enemies that cross his path. Finally, Online Features were detailed for the first time in a Multiplayer Highlight Trailer. In this video players will be able to take a first-look at the Annihilation Mode, a gripping 4v4 mode where Scouts have to compete for the highest score through defeating Titans and capturing bases. In Story Co-op players can call upon their friends to aid them as they complete the main storyline’s gripping narrative. This is just the beginning as a captivating new online mode featuring playable Titans will be made available after launch; more information on this new mode will be made available in the coming weeks.

KOEI TECMO also released a fresh selection of in-game screens, focussing on Battle Action and Town Life gameplay, and three videos; a Character Playthrough B-Roll, Multiplayer Highlight Trailer, and an Action Trailer.

Stunt Race Week in GTA Online

Stunt Race Week in GTA Online

Catch big air and even bigger payouts this week in GTA Online as all Rockstar Created and Verified Stunt Races are offering Double GTA$ & RP through March 12th. Race through the RON Alternates Wind Farm and risk sudden decapitation in "Turbine" or drift up into the heavens in "Maze Bank Ascent" - all in the pursuit of high-flying thrills and cold hard cash. With dozens of death-defying Races to choose from, there are plenty of options to satiate your lust for adrenaline.

These high-end vehicles will help you get from the back of the pack to the top of the podium, while discounted performance upgrades can also breathe new life into your current collection.

Swing by your local Sub Urban this week to take advantage of 25% off all Cunning Stunts Clothing, before heading over the road to Ammu-Nation for a 25% discount on all Ammo (excluding Mk II ammo). And if you're pressed for time, don't forget you can also purchase Ammo via your Interaction Menu in Freemode.

If rocketing across the sky on a motorcycle with wings wasn't enough to make you stand out, this livery is sure to do the trick. From now until March 12th players who log in to GTA Online will receive a gratis Tartan livery for their Pegassi Oppressor. 

Tom Clancy’s RAINBOW SIX® SIEGE Year 3 First Content Update Launches Today

Tom Clancy’s RAINBOW SIX® SIEGE Year 3 First Content Update Launches Today

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX^® SIEGE YEAR 3 FIRST CONTENT UPDATE LAUNCHES TODAY

Outbreak’s four week co-op event, Operation Chimera’s two new operators, and updated game editions are now available

SYDNEY, Australia — March 7^th 2018 – Ubisoft has announced that the limited-time co-op event “Outbreak” and Operation Chimera’s two new operators, the first major content for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 3, are now available for consoles and PC. This new content is also accompanied by select modifications to the game’s various editions, first announced at the Six Invitational.

Click the image below to watch the Chimera trailer

Year 3 First Content:

This season’s two new operators are specialists in biohazard situations and, on top of being playable in adversarial multiplayer in Operation Chimera, they will have to face a major threat in the game’s first co-op event: Outbreak.

From France and Russia respectively, Lion and Finka, are veterans of numerous conflicts involving bio-chemical threats and Rainbow team’s best chance to help contain the mysterious parasite infection that hit Truth and Consequences, a small town in New Mexico…

A limited time three player co-op mode, Outbreak will force players to revisit their strategies and to rely on their teammates like never before, bringing the tension of close quarters combat to another level.

Click the image below to watch the Outbreak gameplay trailer

Additional Year 3 Updates:

Among the Year 3 changes announced at the Six Invitational, the development team revealed new adjustments for select Year 3 Game Editions, providing more accessibility and better progression for Siege newcomers.

From today, the Renown cost of the original 20 Operators and all attachments will be removed for all players who own the Standard Edition or the Advanced, Gold, and Complete editions.

In addition, players who purchase the Starter Edition after today will receive a total of six random Operators, up from 2 Operators in the previous version. Once activated, players will receive three random Attackers and three random Defenders from a selection of 10 operators.

“These changes are part of the dev team’s ongoing commitment to enrich Siege players’ experience. We want to make sure each season offers new gameplay mechanics. It’s a new layer I want to develop for the game” explains Xavier Marquis, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Creative Director.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, please visit rainbow6.com  

VIDEO: FAR CRY 5 - POST LAUNCH CONTENT & FAR CRY ARCADE MODE

VIDEO: FAR CRY 5 - POST LAUNCH CONTENT & FAR CRY ARCADE MODE

FAR CRY^® 5’s POST LAUNCH CONTENT AND FAR CRY ARCADE MODE

The Far Cry®5 experience will be expanded with all new, explosive other-worldly adventures and free post-launch content.

Players can also jump into Far Cry Arcade to play and enjoy infinite Far Cry experiences built by a robust community of creators, free for all players! Play solo, co-op, or up to 6v6 PvP in this fun, fast-paced game mode where the possibilities are limitless!

To watch trailer click the image below	To watch trailer click the image below