Ingrid Goes West: DVD Review

Ingrid Goes West: DVD Review

A satire on the social media loving generation and a dark drama as well, Ingrid Goes West is the cautionary yet all too familiar tale of Ingrid (Parks and Rec star Aubrey Plaza).

Obsessed with a woman she's never met other than through Instagram, Ingrid's institutionalised after pepper spraying the woman at her wedding because she never received an invite. Upon release and with the spectre of her mother's death licking away at her background, Ingrid forms a new obsession with Elizabeth Olsen's Taylor, an Insta-celebrity whose life appears perfect.

Ingratiating her way in, Ingrid becomes firm friends with Taylor after moving out west to be near her....

In many ways, Ingrid Goes West is a Single White Female for the Insta-generational millennial on the go.

For those opposed to social media, it's a satire on the reality behind the filters, and while it loses its bite later on (bar its last scene), the film's desire to showcase the vacuousness of Taylor's life with Ingrid's borderline depression is a strong step for the Hollywood game to take (particularly in this ongoing war of Influencers and strategies).

As the soulless and lost Ingrid, Plaza is perfect, both encapsulating he dizzying highs of the social recognition and the gnawing desperation of the ignorance; she pulls off this indie with veritable aplomb and makes Ingrid both a nuanced, empathetic and yet obscene human being as well.

A breezy Olsen makes Taylor both empty enough and appealing, and while Russell gets some good lines as her beleaguered husband, who wants the earlier version of his wife back before she was an internet celeb, Straight Outta Compton star O'Shea Jackson Jr brings subtle life to the neighbour who's got an attraction to Ingrid.

While Spicer makes the film quite dark at times, this BFF dramedy has some serious bite and commentary to the social media generation and the divides within. A warning perhaps to the vacuous generation and the phone-obsessed millennials, it may fall short in its final 20 minutes, but all in all, Ingrid Goes West deserves to get more than just a social media thumbs up. 

Daddy's Home 2: DVD Review

Daddy's Home 2: DVD Review

There's a moment in the ill-conceived and pathetically executed sequel to Daddy's Home where Linda Cardellini's character says she'll "leave you two morons" to it.

That's a general feeling as the lack of laughter malaise falls over you like soft snow in the weak sequel to the already pushing it first film from a couple of years back.

In this latest, it's coming up to Christmas time (much like Bad Moms Christmas) and Ferrell's baby Brad and his co-father Dusty (Wahlberg, initially sneery but eventually lost) decide the kids are suffering being buffered between parents.

So in the spirit of the holiday season, they decide to hold a together Christmas - which is then scuppered by the arrival of Dusty's absentee macho father Kurt, who's apparently a NASA shuttle pilot. When Kurt mocks Dusty for his softer approach to parenting and scoffs at Brad's wimpier father (John Lithgow), the rivalries between the pair are stirred up again.

Daddy's Home Two is a weak, unfunny film that provides zero laughs unless you're completely off your face on seasonal cheer. It's a family feud that lacks passion.

It has a truly bizarre finale, which tries to celebrate the joy of going to the movies and has everyone singing Band Aid's ode to famine, Do They Know It's Christmas, in a foyer.

In between that, there are barely any laughs to fill even the worst Christmas crackers on sale.

Standard, formulaic and in parts a retread of the first, the film's got nothing of a heart and very little in terms of memorable. Firing slapstick at Ferrell seems to be lazy this time around, and the moments that are supposed to see you spluttering merely see you end up yawning.

Gibson adds a bit of energy to this, but even his presence can't add much to Wahlberg and Ferrell's apparent coasting through the script.

There's a bizarre pro-NRA gun moment in the film too which seems desperately at odds given America's record with shootings this year and feels ill-conceived and executed.

All in all, Daddy's Home Two is a series of episodic psychological battles which give you little and feel like they've been contrived by committee rather than anything else.

It's a very average, very middle-of-the-road fare, that depressingly may amuse some.
But in many ways, Daddy's Home Two is one hell of a turkey that sticks in your throat like other leftovers at this time of the year. 

Geostorm: DVD Review

Geostorm: DVD Review

It's not that you expect much from a film like Geostorm.

A film with definitive B-movie ambitions, born of the chaos and cash cow created by the likes of Sharknado, Geostorm has potential for CGI silliness with a modicum of emotional stakes - if done correctly.

And yet, it's so determined to squander that for something average that would barely get top billing on a very bad day on TV.

Loosely, the plot goes a little something like this - in 2019, against a backdrop of undeniable climate change, the world's united to build a series of space satellites called Dutch Boy to control the weather. But when a series of errors causes concern and threatens the world, the original creator Jake Lawson (Butler, all smirk and side-talking) is sent to the stars to sort it out. 

However, a conspiracy that threatens the globe is gradually being unveiled.

Geostorm blew most of its cinematic wad in its trailers, where it revealed most of the admittedly poor CGI and showcased some of the dull edges of the dialogue.

But this wannabe Armageddon rip-off and family squabble / rift healer piece fails to fully entertain or embrace any of its inherent silliness to great effect.

Sure, Harris and Garcia play it with earnestness and sincerity, but Butler's C-movie aspirations do little to help as Devlin moves the pieces around the board in a typically formulaic and unoriginal manner.

A massive conspiracy that seems made over-complicated to carry off scuppers any logic and soon the holes in the plot are as big as the holes in the sky as the clouds form.

With weather FX that look like they're left over from Into The Storm and a cast of people who espouse wooden dialogue and barely emote, Geostorm's hampered by even a basic failure to carry out its ambitions.

When the end comes, it's a relief because this cinematic Geostorm's done little but blow a lot of hot air, and delivered nothing more than an inane fizzer that not even your hardied storm chaser would bother getting out of bed for. 

PENNY-PUNCHING PRINCESS ARRIVING ON APRIL 13 FOR NINTENDO SWITCH

PENNY-PUNCHING PRINCESS ARRIVING ON APRIL 13 FOR NINTENDO SWITCH

PENNY-PUNCHING PRINCESS ARRIVING ON APRIL 13 FOR NINTENDO SWITCH

NIS America is happy to announce that Penny-Punching Princess will arrive for the Nintendo Switch™ and PlayStation®Vita (digitally only) in on April 13 for Australia and New Zealand.

Click here to watch the new ‘Character’ YouTube Trailer:  https://youtu.be/LN86xPn20DU

About the story:

In a world ruled by capitalism, cash is king!

Use the money you gather to bribe enemies to fight for you, activate deadly traps with your dough, and when all else fails, smash all that stand against you with your fists! Fight your way from nothing and amass treasures to take on the mighty Dragoloan family and reclaim your kingdom!

Key features:

Cash Rules Everything Around Me –Fight smarter, not harder! Bribe your enemies to fight for you, or activate deadly traps to turn the tide of battle in this fast-paced brawler.

Who Says You Can’t Buy Popularity –Recruit/Buy flunkies to your cause to unlock stronger equipment and master over 70 special moves based on weapons you craft!

A Madcap Romp of Dollars & Dragons –Embark on a wildly funny adventure as Princess, a girl robbed of her royal heritage in a world obsessed with money.

The Witch and the The Hundred Knight 2 release date is...

The Witch and the The Hundred Knight 2 release date is...

NIS America is very happy to announce that The Witch and the Hundred Knight™ 2 will be arriving in Australia and New Zealand on April 13; exclusively for the PlayStation®4!

About the Game:

Follow Hundred Knight in its journey through a witch-ravaged world. Young girls are contracting a strange illness and awakening as witches, causing mayhem across the region of Kevala. Along Hundred Knight's side are two sisters: Amalie, an agent of an organization who opposes witches; and Chelka, the witch who awakened in Amalie's younger sister, Milm. Uncover the mysteries of Kevala as you protect them both from harm.

Delve through dungeons and landscapes teeming with fiends and monsters, looking for equipment of legendary power. Grow stronger with help from Tochkas and Facets that will give an advantage in combat. Chain attacks together with the unique weapon system that welcomes weapon change mid-combat. The fate of Kevala is in your hands, brave knight.

Key Features:

Adapt to Your Surroundings - Switch between the Hundred Knight's six Facets to turn the tide in battle! Gather Tochkas, the indispensable minions, to aid you in your exploration.

Pint-Sized Powerhouse - Execute Depletura to finish off enemies and replenish your GigaCalories! Trigger your Third Eye and unleash the full power of Hundred Knight for a brief time. Leave enemies to tremble before your boosted speed, power, and skills!

Temper Your Strength - Forge new weapons with items from the field at your base. Pass Witch Petitions; granting you access to new Tochkas and other benefits!

Loving Vincent: Film Review

Loving Vincent: Film Review

Vocal Cast: Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn, Chris O'Dowd, Saorise Ronan, Helen McCrory, John Sessions
Directors: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman

Unfairly robbed of the 2018 Academy Award for the best animated picture, Loving Vincent deserves credit for blazing a trail and being innovative - even if its story holds it back.

Told through rotoscoping (as used in the likes of A Scanner Darkly), it's the story of a Postman's son who comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.

While Van Gogh is believed to have committed suicide, Armond begins to believe that Vincent was murdered rather than what was the conventional wisdom.

Using swirling imagery and in the style of Van Gogh's works proves to be a masterstroke for Loving Vincent, and the work done by the hundred-plus animators on the film literally drips from the screen.

Images dance from the screen, enlivened by the flicker of the projection - and while occasionally it feels a little like some of the big names stand out more, looking like animated entrants into Van Gogh's paintings themselves, the film's visual are awe-inducing, and the best way to celebrate Van Gogh's work.

It very much feels like the paintings have been brought to life in front of you.

But unfortunately, some of the leaps of the story-telling and the narrative don't allow the film to provide the depth it's aiming for unfortunately.

Weaving in people doesn't harm, but the story barely progresses beyond its shocking idea that the death was misunderstood - and occasionally some of the scenes feel a little like they've been shot in front of a screen, and edited into the paintings style to continue the effect.

Ultimately, the emotional depth (or lack thereof) of Loving Vincent is what lets it down - its visuals are astounding and the oil painting aesthetic has truly raised the bar for what animation could do.

It's just a shame that the narrative couldn't keep up.

Win a copy of Borg vs McEnroe

Win a copy of Borg vs McEnroe

Borg vs McEnroe

Following the recent New Zealand theatrical release and based on the true story of the legendary Björn Borg and John McEnroe rivalry starring Sverrir Gudnason (Blowfly Park) and Shia LaBeouf (Transformers series) with a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s the summer of 1980 and Björn Borg is the top tennis player in the world, dominating the sport both on and off the court. 

A powerful and rigorously disciplined player, there is only one obstacle in his pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Wimbledon championship: the highly talented but ferociously abrasive John McEnroe.

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

Please label your entry BORG

Competition closes April 24th