God's Own Country: DVD Review

God's Own Country: DVD Review

Director Francis Lee's intimate and engrossing God's Own Country may have moments of Brokeback Mountain to draw comparison to, but it's actually a great deal more emotional than that.

Set on a remote farm in the Yorkshire Dales, it's the tale of John (Josh O'Connor), a man who's angry at his lot in life, angry at his father (played with wonderful subtlety by a low key Ian Hart), angry at being stuck in a small village and angry that he can't be who he wants.

Out drunk every night, yet still having to come back to his chores on the farm, the self-destructive John is further enraged at the arrival of a farm-hand Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu), whose arrival is necessitated by the failing health of his father.

Forced onto the mountain to cope with lambing season, the antagonism grows until it boils over into something burgeoning...

Unlike the aforementioned Ang Lee film, God's Own Country is a sensitively-portrayed reward in patience, delivering a film that's rich in resonance and is a masterclass in subtlety.

From the stunning misty vistas to the genuinely oppressive feel of the farm and the veritable cold nipping at your bones from off the screen, Lee's languid camera and pacing brings to bear a story that's intensely moving and ultimately uplifting.

But that's not say the road to pastoral burgeoning romance is paved with gold.

And it's equally not to say that Lee takes an easy route to tell the tale, but he wisely chooses to avoid tension and cliche for drama's sake and . Using a precision of shots, and perhaps a sparsity of language, as well as not resorting to dramatic tropes greatly lifts God's Own Country into a film which aches as it unspools.

Both O'Connor and Secareanu bring great depth to the relationships, their own pasts and make the whole thing feel real. Equally, John's parents, played wonderfully by Hart and Gemma Jones shine with the less-is-more approach. Jones in particular has a wonderful moment involving tears and ironing that says more than any dialogue could; and for such a combatant relationship, Hart imbues the father with both a sense of family and responsibility that makes it hard to vilify any of his behaviour.

Bathed in bucolic frustrations, as well as acknowledgement of the hardship of farming and its mental toll, God's Own Country's tenderness and honesty is evident throughout.

From Lee's shots of the land and the verite of the harshness of rearing life in the country, to the dialogue that says so much with so little, this is a film of such innate emotional fragility and beauty that it will leave you aching and also alive from beginning to end. 

The Trip to Spain: Complete Series 3: DVD Review

The Trip to Spain: Complete Series 3: DVD Review

Returning for a third helping that's more Quixote than quixotic, The Trip To Spain just about manages to stay on the right side of not being irritating.

The Trip to Spain: Film Review  

Once again the six part TV UK series, which aired on satellite rather than free-to-air broadcasting, and spun off from the first Trip which aired in 2010,  follows an exaggerated version of Steve and Rob as they travel around Spain, taking in restaurants and trying to one-up each other along the way.

This time with Coogan hitting 50 and Brydon struggling with two young kids, there's very much a feeling of desperation in the air as the duo head round the sumptuously shot Spanish countryside. With Winterbottom's sweeping scenic vistas providing the eye-watering backdrop, it's down to the relationship between the two to provide the meat in this meal - and they certainly don't disappoint.

There's a definite feeling of ennui between the pair given their collective point in their lives.

Coogan is teetering on irrelevance in many ways, looking to still capitalise on the Oscar success of Philomena by injecting it into every conversation much to Brydon's annoyance; and Brydon's continual pushing of his impressions as every point borders on irritating in the extreme, a reminder that not all travelling partners are welcome.

With Don Quixote and Sancho Panza figuring into proceedings, there's a feeling that you're never quite sure why these two are friends anymore, and both play their roles well, with Coogan's irritability and frustrations being perhaps the saddest of the two. Struggling with past feelings, current career worries and future loneliness, Coogan's exasperation is palpable, and while there are moments that you feel he's being unnecessarily dismissive to Brydon, there's the fact this examination of a close friendship cuts to the quick where it needs to.

Granted, there's the obligatory Michael Caine moments, but it's the scenes where the duo are trying to out-impersonate Mick Jagger and the competitiveness between them over Roger Moore when they're joined by two women for a meal that speak the loudest to what Winterbottom's showcasing here. It may be a Tourettes of impressions at times but what it demonstrates is that niggling pushing and pulling between friends as well as showcasing of insecurities that come later in life to some. Less men behaving badly, more men behaving sadly, the midlife existential crisis has never been so scathing and fascinating to view.

Samsara: XBox One Review

Samsara: XBox One Review

Developer: Marker Limited
Platform: XBox One

The puzzler is perhaps the most addictive game around.

When made simple enough, it's frustrating, enjoyable and likely to while away your hours, eat into your mind and suck up all your energy.

Puzzlers on consoles tend to have a similar effect, and Auckland-based developer Marker Limited's foray into the world of the puzzle game is quite effective at doing what it needs to.

With a simple story of a boy named Zee, who finds himself trapped in a world he has to escape, Samsara has the elements for the players to engage.

It's a physics-based game, one which sees you dropping blocks into place to help Zee move from portal to portal and progressing through levels. The catch is the game screen is split into two levels, one a Stranger Things inspired Upside Down which requires a bit of thought over how to place the blocks and move Zee on.

The crux of Samsara is that its simplicity hides its devilish soul in plain sight.

There initially appears to be nothing simpler than moving and twisting blocks into place to help Zee move on, but the reality of it is that it can be incredibly frustrating if you can't seem to see past the mechanics and work them to your advantage.

Days were lost puzzling over one of the earlier levels, where blocks apparently didn't go together - but this is where Samsara excels. It grants you the Eureka moment you need to allow you to get through its some 77 levels across 6 worlds.

It looks gorgeous with the simple colours of blues, reds, purples all mixing together to produce a wonderfully clear and crisp engagement. The upside down world also is nicely echoed with a faded look that suits the aesthetics well.

Ultimately while Samsara's gameplay is perhaps more suited to a handheld device or a portable phone, its console rendition allows gamers to try and think laterally in bitesize pieces. IT's a welcome distraction that engages the grey matter rather than indulging it in splatter, though it has to be said its repetitive nature can grind you down a little.

All in all, Samsara is an indie that shows the sector is in rude health - it doesn't pander to the masses, but does show that small can be clever and indicates that Marker Limited could be destined for big things.

The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1: DVD Review

The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Never has a series ignited such a cultural touch paper in the way that The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1 did.

Taken from the Margaret Attwood book and set in a dystopian future where breeding is nigh on impossible and only a select few can manage it (The Handmaids of the title), Elisabeth Moss' rightly award winning story packs a punch that will resonate deeply with many and which will hit those who don't fully appreciate it where they should.

Forced into sexual servitude, and stripped of her original name, Moss' fertile Offred tries to escape what's thrust upon her, when women's rights are removed.

The struggle is real in The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1, and it's nonetheless compelling for it.

But it's also handled with extreme care, with there being a great deal of empathy and sympathy put upon the wife of the Commander (Joseph Fiennes), played by Yvonne Strahovski. The careful execution of many points of view and spiralling dread make it almost sickening to watch, even if parts of the narrative run out of steam toward the end.

Central to it all, is Moss' Offred, a downtrodden but never beaten heroine for our times (which is ironic, given how old Attwood's clearly prescient writing was) - she remains the beacon of light that shines the darker it gets.

Credit must also go to the horrific extremes inflicted on Alexis Bledel's character also.

The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1 is a rare TV vintage, that puts everyone through the necessary gamut of emotions.

A Quiet Place: Film Review

A Quiet Place: Film Review

Cast: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cade Woodward
Director: John Krasinski

Channeling elements of It Comes At Night, Signs, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Last Of Us and elements of Invaders From Mars to name but a few others, A Quiet Place's sensibilities lie within their intimacies.

Real life husband and wife Krasinski and Blunt play a married couple, living in a world blighted by an invasion, the details of which are scattered briefly like narrative breadcrumbs here and there.

Joining the film at Day 89 of this invasion, we're thrust into their world - a father and mother trying to protect their children from creatures which pick off their victims when they make sound.

Starting off in a deserted supermarket, with visual elements of The Last Of Us on display, this is a deserted world, one where insularity helps ensure safety.

However, after a shocking incident, the family finds it has to pull together in the wake of devastation and a seeming never end to what has been unleashed.

It's unfair to review A Quiet Place by spoiling it for others, depriving of the shocks and spills so rarely experienced at the movies these days.

Loosely speaking, the film works best in its own bubble of innocence; it's a story about family, about the sacrifices and lengths family have to go to protect each other. In a wider, broader sense, some could see it as an allegory into the world today, and politics in general.

But what's orchestrated by Krasinski throughout is, largely, terrifically taut, true to the genre and yet willing to shape it as its own.

A few quibbles of logic hit parts of the set pieces, yet above all, A Quiet Place manages to grip and terrify in the right measure.

It helps that a good starting portion of the film is silent, leading to sign language and subtitles becoming common place - something which Edgar Wright's Baby Driver managed to mainstream to great narrative effect.

However, what the subtitles do here convey an atmosphere of rebellion, of frustration and of familial love - in among the terror that any second something could strike.

Wisely, Krasinski and his writers decide early on to reveal the creatures terrorising the world, rather than play coy, abuse lighting and employ cheap cutaways to lessen the peril.

The result is that it's actually engaging and in parts unsettling.
More compellingly, it feels fresh throughout - even though some of the logical leaps and lapses stand out a little more because of this.

Certainly, a sequence involving a bathtub, Blunt, a creature and an impending baby leads to some real edge of the seat stuff that is amongst some of the best orchestrated of the year so far.

Long sweeping shots within frames, an at-times heart-thumping soundtrack and a desire to keep things on a smaller more personal scale make A Quiet Place such a rollercoaster ride of thrills.

Terrifically entertaining, suspenseful, and above all fresh, A Quiet Place rallies a cry for intimate originality in film which has long been muted by bloated blockbusters and tiresome, unfulfilling sequels.

Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life: PS4 Review

Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life: PS4 Review

Released by SEGA

Platform: PS4

What is it about the Yakuza games which make them so appealing?

Is it the fact they've transcended their apparent early Grand Theft Auto origins to become something of their own cultural touchstone?

Or is the fact that the world that developers Sega has created is one that makes time more than worth staying in?

Certainly, the latest - and final iteration of the franchise - does much to ensure that the player's desire to be part of Kazuma Kiryu's world and quests are more than worth every minute you're there.

But yet, there's also something else - particularly with The Song Of Life.

It's the personalisation of the story which makes it worth dwelling in.

This time around, Kazuma Kiryu has to track down whoever is responsible for a terrible crime and who has left him literally holding the baby. It's here the mechanics of the game don't change again, with Kazuma violently going about dealing with extracting confessions and beating evidence out of suspects while dealing to those who generally accost him.

Combat is simple and as fluid as ever, with items around to be grabbed upon, used and smashed as often as heads are together. It's nothing radical from the past, and there's the usual confusion over grabbing and punching with the controls from time to time.

Much effort's been thrown into the cinematics of Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life as well, with long substantial cut scenes scything through the action. But for a finale, one can suppose that's excusable, even if occasionally it feels like an irritation, no matter how beautifully they are executed.

Thankfully, a swathe of mini-games make the Yakuza way of life tolerable - from dealing with the baby to karaoke, there's much here to be admired and to help you escape from the darker edges.

Ultimately, Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life is a good conclusion to the franchise; epic in many ways, but smart enough to make sure that the intimate is never forgotten, Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life is a fittingly engaging end to a franchise.

Bad Moms 2: DVD Review

Bad Moms 2: DVD Review

A year ago, Bad Moms came hurtling out of the traps, to offer a female alternative to the male-led comedy domain.

A success, thanks to its foul-mouthed edges and relatable leads, it was inevitable a sequel would show up to build on the box office plaudits of the first.

This time around though, while the formula still offers some laughs, it feels like the subject doesn't feel as fresh - despite the attempts of all involved to try and keep it bubbling over.

Building on the pressures of conforming to societal norms expressed in the first, the latest is, as the title suggests, set at Christmas and sees Mila Kunis' Amy, Kristen Bell's Kiki and Kathryn Hahn's Carla determined to reclaim back the festive season when their mothers come to town.

But as the pressure to make everything perfect unfolds, the pot begins to boil over....

Once again, setting the film against a backdrop of relatability helps Bad Moms 2 achieve a degree of familiarity once again. However, while there are a few laughs throughout (potentially more if you're a group out on a night out or imbued with alcohol), there's not quite enough as the Hangover style opening of a trashed house (complete with camel walking into shot) would suggest.

It feels a little less fresh this time, and some may even say rushed in parts as the script shows cracks; most of the film feels like mini-episodes sewn together with such a laissez-faire attitude that it makes it hard to fully engage with what's going on.

And the trio of mothers who end up visiting their broods are so ghastly, not once do you ever feel anything but from the oppressed younger mums' point of view. Sure, it ends up in the usual gloop of sentimentality that tars all festive films - but there are a few raucous laughs to be had, mainly from Hahn's foul-mouthed member of the group.

Kunis and Bell are fine, but don't have nearly as much to work with this time around - and whilst it's good the male element are sidelined this time around (aside from one skin-crawlingly unamusing fat-shaming Santa sequence), there's little that feels as enticing this time around.

Baranski is the best of the bunch, even though Sarandon's rocker hits fast and loose to start off with. It's Baranski as Amy's mum who delivers some of the best deadpan sneering moments and manages to get the rankling sideswipes that family members dish out so well downpat.

Best viewed with a non-critical head and with a group of friends, it does feel like A Bad Moms Christmas is the contractually obliged sequel in a series that's already worryingly out of ideas. Inevitably perhaps the next one will be Bad Moms Summer Holiday, but unless there's a stronger script and more to go on than the recognition of universal truths faced by mums and their mothers, the Bad Moms franchise could undo all the good will its strong leads have already garnered.