Mega Man 11: PS4 Review

Mega Man 11: PS4 Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS4

The little blue battler boy is back in Mega-Man 11, which began all the way back in 1987.
Bringing back both voice acting and a graphic style from the past, it's up to you as Mega-Man to stop Dr Wily from taking you down.

Through a series of eight stages, the Mega Man faces off against Dr Wily's newest Robot Masters - from the likes of Block Man, Blast Man to Acid Man, after they've been captured and corrupted by the Doc.

Using a double gears system which takes in the chance to slow things down as well as fire a massive shot at a cost of some serious energy. And you'll need these skills, because to be frank, Mega Man 11 is pretty tough platforming, no matter what setting you put it on.

And that's frustrating in many ways, as the various checkpoints scattered around aren't exactly the best either. The 2.5D graphics pop off the screen, and while the cut scenes become somewhat irritating, it's nothing to the frustration you'll feel trying to complete levels. Timing problems, miscalculating a jump, failing to duck when you should dive - they're all here for Mega Man to fail spectacularly.

But if you're after a kind of old school platforming challenge like the first Crash Bandicoot gave you, then to be honest, Mega Man 11 will scratch your itch. And bring you out in a nervous rash.

Hard and not quite rewarding enough for the completion, Mega Man's retro looks betray a tortuous gameplay that's almost sadistic in its execution. Long levels make death a real chore, and while games shouldn't pander, Mega Man 11's commitment to driving you crazy is both commendable and frustrating in equal measure.

FIFA 19: PS4 Review

FIFA 19: PS4 Review

Released by EA
Platform: PS4

The beautiful game's back.

And to be honest, the annual iteration of FIFA has become something of a tried and tested formula that does little to break the cycle of the endless Pro Evolution Soccer / FIFA, which is better debate.

But FIFA's last few iterations became a little more compelling with the introduction of their story-led element The Journey, which followed new player Alex Hunter.

This latest release caps off the Alex Hunter trilogy (Fifa 18 was missed by this reviewer) and moves it into the realm of the Champions league in all its glory. Neatly the third part sees a crafty recap to what went ahead and gets you upto speed like some kind of Hollywood film experience, complete with the twists and turns.

But it's smarter moves like taking you to a game from the past where The Journey: Champions starts to grow; and weaving between three narratives also gives it a kind of GTA V flipping that works as well as you go the usual routes of the game.

Career mode, choosing Champions League teams, and just playing games - it's all what FIFA does, and to be honest, it feels like little aside from some tinkering has changed throughout the game.

Not that what FIFA does isn't good enough, and the big change this time is the timed kicking which gives you two bites of the cherry to fire at the goal. It's a good touch that takes some time to get used to, and which can change the game as well.

Early on, the player arrow on the field took a little getting used to, leading to my feeling that I had the ball when I didn't - a minor quibble again, but one which initially detracts.

But the flow of the game and the ease of it is also worth mentioning and indulging; this is a FIFA that knows what it wants to do on the pitch and keeps on kicking when it should.

It's a comfortable victory for FIFA 19, and the Journey is as strong as it's been - but there's a nagging deja vu feeling that fluid gameplay aside can't shift; it may be the most minor of tweaks that FIFA's rolled out, but the game's still as playable as it always was - and while diehards may see little reason to reinvest, the casual player is better catered for than ever before.

As I say, a comfortable victory, but not a romping win.

The Party: DVD Review

The Party: DVD Review

Continuing the British desire to only unburden repressed feelings in social gatherings, Sally Potter's The Party builds a fragile house of cards at a soirée, only to consequently scatter the deck without any food being served.

Opening with a 'how did they get here?' moment, the black and white melodrama plays out with some acidic aplomb by the troupe of players.

All gathered to celebrate Kristin Scott Thomas' Janet's ascension to ministry and politics, a group of fractured and apparently fragile friends begin to unravel in only the delicious way the Brits know how.

As the group comes together, Timothy Spall's Bill sits solo in the front room, hunched and haunted on a chair, with a wine glass in one hand, and with a near catatonic look on his face. But as the night goes on, everyone comes under scrutiny in some form or other.

Like a scab being ripped off or an itch incessantly being scratched, The Party's thrills come from the unexpected turn of events and the inevitably entangled revelations.

Perhaps it teeters perilously towards the end with disbelief, but Potter's black and white film crackles with dry acidity and typical scorn throughout, all topped off with a deliciously dark dry tragedy languishing within. It's fraught with spoilers to unveil what transpires within, but needless to say the troupe of players from Spall's distanced Bill, Thomas' haughty and yet easy to humble Janet, Patricia Clarkson's acidic April to Cillian Murphy's on edge Tom, all delivering in spades.

It helps the script is laced with one-liners and withering moments, as the sourness of the situation becomes more evident. In many ways, the film feels like a play with its whirling deliciousness on words and desire to ratchet up the moments to near contrived, but in Potter's hand, the curt run time feels just about right; any more would over-egg this pudding and any further reveals would push this dangerously close to cliche.

The Party's power lies in the picking over of the relationships and the unbinding of those ties; it's thanks to all involved that the polish and sheen comes tumbling from the screen; in black and white and close up, every detail is nuanced; from Spall's heavily white flecked beard to Murphy's drug-induced sweats, Potter's camera captures every subtlety.

This is most definitely one party to RSVP to 

She Shears: Film Review

She Shears: Film Review

Director Jack Nicol's She Shears has ambitions.

But it seems primarily these ambitions are confined to presenting a story rather than digging a little deeper.

Entrenched in bucolic touches, She Shears takes a look at the sport of sheep shearing, an industry dominated by men back in the 80s and now seeing an increase in the number of women taking part.

In the 80s, it was 1 woman in 5000, now it's 1 in 40, so there's clearly been a sea change in righting the gender imbalance.

Following five shearers, two of whom are established names - Emily Welch, and Jills Angus Burney - 
She Shears is a pleasant doco that is graced by some stunning cinematography and slow mo shots of the work being done.

It takes a look at this quintet as they look to either enter the world of competitive sheep shearing (Hazel, Pagan and Catherine being the youngest and newest) and their drive and reasons to do so. It goes some way to give us their backstories on the Road To The Golden Shears competition held in Masterton with Pagan's history being the most intriguing thanks to the traditional sports underdog /hit by injury story.

However, it's potentially fair to say that perhaps She Shears should have narrowed its focus a little more on maybe three of these competitors as some have longer in the spotlight than others, and certainly, given the way the competition pans out, not everyone gets to where they want.

It's a frustration to be borne with She Shears - and certainly, the focus feels a little more like it could have done better to spotlight the problems of getting women into this industry.

All five talk of various levels of discrimination in among the support as well - and it's at this stage, the most intriguing and strongest element of the doco emerges that could have provided a sharp sting in a post MeToo world.

Certainly there's great disparity on display when the commentators of the Golden Shears markedly and pointedly refer to the male and female competitors in different terms. "Two little girls there" is the worst offender and points to some signs the entrenched sexism exists within - certainly, there's no diminutives levelled at the male competitors. It's a shame this narrative isn't expanded out, and Nicol's spotlight wasn't shined more at this, because it provides a stronger proposition to the film as it goes on. (And is mentioned by all five in their careers and how people view it).

That said, Nicol gives his doco a wondrously filmic approach in its shots of competition, with wool being flung in slow motion, shears guided around hindquarters and sweat dripping from competitors all looking glorious in slow mo and on the big screen. Nothing's been held back in ensuring the look of this generally pleasant piece is anything but top notch.

Ultimately, She Shears feels like a doco that slightly tracked down the wrong way for its focus. Granted, it gives the women competitors their time in the spotlight, and while narrowing that focus may have paid dividends, it does show that when it comes to showcasing and capturing the countryside, its animals and its people, Nicol has a sharp eye for what looks sensational on screen. 

Sicario: Day Of The Soldado: DVD Review

Sicario: Day Of The Soldado: DVD Review

The start of Sicario: Rise of the Soldado plays out like some kind of fever dream for current events, discussions and a wet dream for US President Donald Trump.

Under the watchful night eye of a US squad, a group of hopeful migrants race toward the US border - but their fleeing freedom is stopped by soldiers. However, surrounded, one of them reveals they're wearing a suicide vest, before detonating it. Moments later, a group of nondescript men walk into a supermarket, and blow themselves up.

Visually, it's shocking and terrifyingly present as well as prescient.
Yet, unlike the opening of the original 2015 Sicario where bodies in walls were discovered, it lacks the subtlety of horror and sets the stage for what loosely could be defined as a Call Of Duty: Cartels version of the movie.

Returning once again are Josh Brolin's gruff Matt Graver who teams up with Benicio Del Toro's Alejandro as events begin to unfold. With the US Government deciding to sanction an illegal kidnapping operation to spiral a war between the cartels, the duo are thrust into the middle of proceedings as leader and recruit respectively.

However, as the operation goes on, the duo find their allegiances and their quests tested.

There's no denying the tension of the grim and gritty Sicario: Rise of the Soldado. Scenes unfold with sickening dread and as the knotty politics play out, there's a feeling that what's happening is not going to end well.

Wiry and spry, Del Toro is excellent, as is Brolin, whose actions convey more than his words could. In fact, both these two do more with less throughout as the spiralling threads of the web unravels - minimalism may be the soldier's way but these two make it watchable and compelling throughout.

And while the film's executed well, it feels less fresh and enticing as 2015's Sicario did. It lacks the addition of an innocent face in proceedings (as provided by Blunt's agent in the first flick) and consequently becomes a grim exploration of politics, rather than the human touch brought by the first.

There are elements of that humanity within Moner's performance, as she goes from hard-bitten scrapper-in-the-school-yard to victim of her father's connections, but it's nowhere near as strong as the previous narrative.

Sollima (TV's Gomorra) strings together a series of overhead shots, convoy tensions and scenes of conflict with certain directorial flair (even if the menacing OST drowns things out at times) and despite some grim humour, the film grips but never fully suffocates as the first did.

There are a collision of seemingly disparate but ultimately interconnected threads, but disappointingly, a last act moment loses power by the lack of courage of conviction of the writers. 

This is a world that shocks, and to lessen the shocks of one such consequence is a disappointment and is one that shows the film to lack the cojones and volatility it needs.

Make no mistake though, Sicario: Rise of the Soldado is no less a compelling watch because of it, but the strength and power of the first Sicario still outshines what feels like a story that wants to shock and outrage but lacks the finesse to fully do so on a narrative front.

TWO BRAND NEW CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 4 TRAILERS DROP AHEAD OF TOMORROW'S LAUNCH

TWO BRAND NEW CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 4 TRAILERS DROP AHEAD OF TOMORROW'S LAUNCH

Only one more day until the world goes black for the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4!

Today, Activision has launched not one, but two new trailers to get you hyped to jump in!

The first gives you a taste of what’s to come with Treyarch’s famous zombies - this is 'Blood of the Dead' in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, a reimagined return of a fan-favourite, complete with surprises hidden within the iconic penitentiary.

The second is Blackout 101 - battle on land, air, and sea to be the last one standing. Drop into Call of Duty’s biggest map ever in an all-new Battle Royale mode.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches worldwide on October 12 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more information and the latest intel, fans can check out the Call of Duty website, YouTube and follow @CallofDuty_ANZand @Treyarch on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Destiny 2: Forsaken: PS4 Review

Destiny 2: Forsaken: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Activision

Destiny 2's latest expansion is all about making sure people stick around.

The growing multiplayer world means there is less and less chance of people sticking around and being loyal to the worlds Bungie created. It's not their fault in fairness; it's a case of there being too many options to be a part of - Star Wars: Battlefront suffered from empty matchmaking, and long waits to join game.

But Bungie's been determined to retool the franchise, and by signalling the end of Cayde-6 was a more mission statement than anything.

Centred around a hunt for the killing of Cayde-6, and adding in new missions, extra gear and loot, a mission statement that signalled the Year 2 of the franchise and an intent to stick around for the long haul.

It's a simple story of revenge, and one which builds on character to make sure that the wonder of the game is restored, and the reason to come back, take part in the festivals and stories is there. With a world that's now addicted to Fortnite, Destiny needed to do something radical and while it could be argued that they didn't quite do that, the fact they've listened to the community marks out why Bungie's serious about Destiny.

It's the personal touch that gives Destiny 2: Forsaken the edge it needs; the chance for you to negotiate your missions to avenge Cayde-6 gives you more of a reason to engage with them once again.

A great use of spaces and locations helps Destiny 2 Forsaken expansion build a sense of purpose and draw a line in the sand for what the franchise will want to be. There is a bit of a grind once again to build your Guardian up but it has to be said, with a story this engaging, it's all worth it.

Bad Times at the El Royale: Film Review

Bad Times at the El Royale: Film Review

Cast: Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Lewis Pullman, Cailee Spaeny, Cynthia Erivo
Director: Drew Goddard

Mashing noir, mystery, Hitchcock and horror, meta-horror The Cabin In The Woods director Drew Goddard's Bad Times at The El Royale's mix proves to be an intriguing cocktail that tastes initially sweet, but slightly sours towards the end.

Set in 1969 and in a hotel that straddles two state lines (Nevada and Califronia "warmth and sunshine to the west, hope and opportunity to the east"), a series of strangers, each with a secret, check in to the El Royale.

Among their number is Jeff Bridges' priest, Cynthia Ervio's soul singer, Jon Hamm's salesman, and Dakota Johnson's mysterious edgy woman. As the night progresses, the reality of what's going on gradually reveals itself, leading to an unexpected showdown.

It's difficult to write too much about the occasionally slow Bad Times at The El Royale without giving too much away.

The sense of mystery is predicated by a "chapters" feel to proceedings which sets up the goings on, before delivering a punchy ending and leaving you wanting an immediate resolution to each vignette.

And in some ways, that's also part of the problem of Bad Times at The El Royale - a deliberately delayed gratification which gradually dulls the shocks as they come. Certainly the first comes absolutely out of nowhere and is breath-taking; but after that, you start to feel dulled to it and expect that each ending will have them.

All roads lead to the arrival of Chris Hemsworth's Charles Manson type character, complete with acolytes in the third act of the film. But unfortunately, Hemsworth doesn't quite pull off the menace required, landing more on slightly campy sinister Jim Morrison than actually full on frightening; certainly, the charisma of the leader isn't quite there, even if you're repeatedly distracted by the shirtless sculpting going on.

That said, there are some moments that Bad Times at The El Royale pulls off with veritable aplomb.

The sense of unfolding mystery and off-kilter edges are nice touches throughout, with unease and a sideswipe at authority of the time propelling what's unfolding; more is implied than explicitly said at times, and it works well - even if at 140 minutes, the film starts to flag under its own weight. It ends in a fiery spectacle, befitting of the Hell implications of the Royale, and also showing how characters have to walk the line between right and wrong.

In love with its own soundtrack (even down to Erivo's continually impressive, but sometimes irritating, Motown singing), Bad Times at The El Royale's queasy mix of time hops, false starts and occasional propensity to shock makes it a carny ride of dramatic proportions, as everyone looks for some kind of redemption.

But the MVP of proceedings is easily Lewis Pullman's concierge Miles. Without revealing too much, Pullman imbues Miles with an edgy demeanour of a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time - and it's quite unnerving and electrifying.

Not quite the chamber piece you'd be expecting, Bad Times at The El Royale benefits from Goddard's now trademark subversion of the genres involved. It's a notch above pulpy at times, but its ultimate switch at the end isn't quite as strong as the build up would have you hoping for.

It is one hotel to check into though, but you'll be glad it's for one night only.

First Man: Film Review

First Man: Film Review

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Ciaran Hinds, Kyle Chandler
Director: Damien Chazelle

The story of the first Man on the Moon is not one that needs to be told.

Everyone knows how it happened and that it happened (unless you subscribe to the conspiracy theories), so Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle didn't really have his work cut out convincing us of what happened.

However, once again, as he explores the nature of obsession (as with previous films), Chazelle's occasionally slow but neverless than thrilling First Man is the Neil Armstrong film you didn't know you needed.

Gosling's almost automaton-like turn as the pilot turned astronaut anchors the film - though in truth, the connection with family is actually at the core of this space flick. Taking in the years 1961 to 1969 and threading in the death of Armstrong's daughter, First Man looks at the human cost of the space race, the desperation of defeat from the Soviets in parts and those left behind.

It's an interesting concoction, a mix that's slow to brew at times, and that never jettisons pace for necessity of narrative.

But in its space capsule sequences, and its adaption of practical FX (where possible - you'll be hard pressed to find any line), Chazelle, along with sound effects editor Phil Barrie, creates something utterly nerve-shredding.

Clever use of silence (aside from the actual launch for the Moon mission, the one aural misstep where a bombastic OST ruins the atmosphere) and a concentration on the rivets and creaks of the rocket's capsule make the pilot sequences both claustrophobic and thrilling.

Everything rattles - including your teeth - giving you a psychological insight into what the pilots must have felt inside, not knowing what's coming or if this is the end. It's further exacerbated in one sequence where a thump and puff of smoke viewed from outside is utterly devastating.

Simply put, if the use of sound in First Man doesn't secure some kind of award, the system is broken.

Elsewhere, Gosling's touches give Armstong an aloof icy detachedness - you're never quite 100% sure you get to his core, and there are questions about one final sequence on the moon. However, small subtle moments add to the unfolding tension. And Foy's support swerves unnervingly from solid to faltering under the pressure; again, both Foy and Gosling make the best of their slightly under-served arcs. It's not 100% convincing that you leave First Man knowing massively more about the man himself, though it's not entirely clear whether that's the film's MO - and certainly, those who knew Armstrong say they never really knew him.

Equally the politics of space-race are sidelined in favour of the simplicity of the drama; this is not a film where great speeches are dispatched extolling the virtues of why it's important, how small man is etc.

But it's in the thrill and terror of this technically adept biopic that proves to be enthralling; you can understand the joy of what NASA achieved and how they felt, even if the script fails to fully place it into words for you.

And that's perhaps Chazelle's greatest achievement here - a clinical commitment to the nuts and bolts (literally) of NASA and the rush to space that proves First Man is gripping from beginning to rather abrupt end.

First Man is one giant leap for space cinema in many ways.

Ladies In Black: Film Review

Ladies In Black: Film Review

Cast: Angourie Rice, Julia Ormond, Rachael Taylor, Noni Hazlehurst
Director: Bruce Beresford

Pleasingly gentle and relentlessly pleasant, Bruce Beresford's period drama Ladies In Black is one of those cautionary films that feels contemporary with its message that refugees add much to the country mix.

Set in 1950s Sydney in a downtown department store, Goodes, it's the tale of Lesley (Rice, in bookish form, who takes up a summer job with the ladies working there.

On the cusp of moving away from being a child and into womanhood, Rice's Lesley yearns to be at university and a poet or actress, but her desire to embrace a new life is met with indifference from most of her uncultured co-workers and indignation from her father who's not sure he wants his daughter at uni.

But taken under the wing of Julia Ormond's refugee haute couture dresser Magda, Lesley begins to flourish...

Ladies In Black doesn't do conflict.

There are elements of it hinted within the kind of fluffiness that an older generation will enjoy, but its messages of female empowerment and of refugees adding much to the cultural mix come in easy to swallow doses, with nary a hint of major drama anywhere.

A side-plot involving one of the shop staff losing her husband is bizarre at best; but there are some nice touches throughout the frothiness that hint at more below. Shots of various members of staff at Christmas add a soupcon of something undisturbed and unexpanded, because Ladies In Black isn't interested in spinning anything other than a slightly rose-coloured tinted look at life in 50s Sydney.

It's not exactly a shame, and it's clear Beresford and his capable direction is not looking to rock the apple cart, but when a film is best described as gentle and pleasant, you can tell there is more that could have been done.

Ormond, Rice and Taylor give creditable performances, and the rest of the ensemble works well, but ultimately Ladies In Black isn't interested in doing much more than delivering a film that keeps an older generation amused.

The storylines don't challenge, the threats don't mount up and the denouements can be predicted a mile off - but in terms of today's cinematic offerings, its desire to play safe and unswerving from predictable is possibly to be commended - as this is easily a film you can take your mum and your nan too, and not worry about a thing.

Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell To Earth: TV Review

Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell To Earth: TV Review

In the old days, post-regeneration episodes of Doctor Who were about introducing the new Doctor over a few episodes, throwing in a cursory threat and establishing a template for what was to come, before letting the new Doctor triumph and show the audience it was still the same fella it always was.

Post 2005 Who regeneration episodes were all about hinting at arcs, or knockabout fare that saw the Doctor emerge triumphantly and defiantly onto the screen, burning away the predecessor with a generous slice of one-upmanship.

The debut of 2018's newest Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, is more than that this time around - it's a mission statement from the moment it begins.

For a world that's been split by the fact the Doctor is now a woman for the first time in 55 years, and to a show which was, in truth, losing its way a little.

In The Woman Who Fell To Earth, Jodie Whittaker emerges triumphantly and commandingly as the Doctor - there's no doubting this mix of hyper-kinetic energy with elements of Tom Baker's tooth and curls and David Tennant's bounding enthusiasm fused tightly together into one blonde bundle.

And yet, both new showrunner Chris Chibnall and Whittaker do something more with new Doctor Who - they make it inclusive.

It's a full 10 minutes or so before the new Doctor comes onto the screen via the roof of a train.

Before then, Chibnall's brought us an England we all know - a melting pot mix of race and culture, complete with a central hero who's identifiable - Tosin Cole's dyspraxic Ryan. It looks like nothing
Who's ever done before and has diversity all over it the moment it starts - from the locations to the people, this is a Doctor Who retcon for all.

And while there are elements of Matt Smith's opener The Eleventh Hour, and elements of one other sci-fi series that had a reboot just recently at the movies, The Woman Who Fell to Earth is as much Jodie Whittaker's hour, as it is her friends around here.

"Echoes of who I was and calls forward to who I am" is one line uttered by the Doctor, and could in truth be a MO for the show. Sure, it's the series we all knew and loved, but it's changed a bit - and with a multi-generational, ethnically mixed cast, this is a Doctor Who for the now.

Pre-publicity shouted about how it's about time, and the declaration of intent is there from the moment the slickly produced show fires up.

It looks nothing like Who has done before, and that's great; it's a fresh cinematic coat of paint on a series that needed it. But for every moment of freshness, there's a nod to the past.

Atmospherics that drip with tension, suspense that's terrifying to a family audience, and humour from our hero to puncture it (that and a love of a fried egg sandwich, a salty nod to the heart of Sheffield where the show now resides).

From the moment she falls in from the train, Jodie Whittaker's in charge, and that's a good thing. It's like she's never not been there, and it's a performance that zings as much as it should, as you watch her grow into the role before your eyes, becoming the Doctor while simultaneously acknowledging what's passed. The second episode should give us more insight into this Doctor and character though.

Crafty little echoes of Logopolis, signs of the occasional early ruthlessness of Peter Capaldi's Doctor, but grounded in a humanity, Whittaker delivers all of it and more.

But in truth, her co-players in the ensemble deliver as well - from Bradley Walsh's former bus driver Graham, to Cole's Ryan via Mandip Gill's Yasmin, the team gels instantly, even if occasionally the script's simplicity and sensibilities fail it. (And one glaring plot hole from before goes unanswered.)

All in all, The Woman Who Fell To Earth is a pacy rallying cry for Doctor Who.

It's both steeped in the past, and looking defiantly and definitively into the future - one speech (that's almost fourth wall breaking) talks of how we can evolve while staying true to who we are, honour who we've been and who we want to be next.

It's stirring stuff, and yes, it's truly about time.

Beast: Film Review

Beast: Film Review

Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Geraldine James
Director: Michael Pearce

"If you keep carrying that around, you don't get to stand up straight."

A line spoken midway in the searing and sensational psychological thriller Beast sums up most of what transpires here.

Anchored by a stunning lead from Buckley, it's the story of Moll, a 27-year-old who lives at her Jersey home under the monstrously cruel eye of her mother (Geraldine James, in a beyond icy and non-maternal role) due to something in her past.

On her birthday, she's upstaged by the announcement of the imminent arrival of twins, and heading out for the night she encounters "bit of rough" Pascal (Flynn, an almost Tom Felton-esque physique). Initially disinterested, Moll forms a connection to Pascal, despite the warnings from her family and others about the apparent bad boy.

As she begins to rebel, the backdrop of a series of brutal murders on girls comes crisply into focus...

Beast is a terrific film that revels in its atmosphere of unease.

Pulling in very familiar elements and the oppressive nature of small town mentalities, it could so easily have crumbled under the weight of its-been-there-seen-it-repeatedly-before story.

However, anchored by a truly gripping performance from Buckley as Moll, the film finds a way to transcend its cliche, and become some kind of spiritual partner to The Falling, Picnic at Hanging Rock and any other film that clues in alienation / rebellion.

Buckley's ability to deliver a natural performance, complete with a feeling of depth from an unknown past makes Moll as much a dangerous character as the perceptions swirling around Pascal. Wrestling both a desire to rebel, a want to escape the controlling grip of her mother, and an inherent internal conflict, Buckley turns in a nuanced and subtle performance which feels rounded and sickeningly engaging.

As the twisted touches play out, Beast's ability to grip right until the very end gels well with its sense of unease. Sour and suspenseful, director and writer Michael Pearce makes Beast soar; but it's his leading actress that makes this mix of dread and desire rise effortlessly into the stratosphere.

Stray: Film Review

Stray: Film Review

Mixing in elements of Starred Up, the landscapes of New Zealand and edges of last year's great festival hit God's Own Country, Dustin Feneley's strikingly sparse Stray is a ferocious debut.

Focussing in on Kieran Charnock's Jack who finds himself on parole for GBH, it's the story of one man's attempted escape from the confines of his own tortured demons and prison. Trapped in central Otago and taunted by something within, Jack's routine is one of isolation above all else.

But that changes when he returns home one night to find Grace (Arta Dobroshi) in the woods - in one of the film's rare scenes of action. She's seeking refuge and Jack reluctantly agrees to provide shelter...

Stray is a feature in no hurry to get where it's going and it's all the better for it.

It takes at least half of the film before the protagonists meet, and there are very few words spoken, though Charnock offers up some extreme subtleties in how he changes his interactions when there's someone else, someone unknown in his orbit.

But it's in his interactions with others that the true pain starts to emerge, and Charnock channels the unease well. Equally Dobroshi, with her unfamiliarity and unease gives Grace an edge that makes their connection understandable and natural.

Feneley's made the film a lighting dream; from the clear crisp shots of the outside mountains to moments of intimacy within the cabin, the screen is rarely looked more enticing. The South Island's rarely looked better either, a combination of both desolation, isolation, beauty and despondency all wrapped up into one big screen parcel.

Its ending may seem abrupt and potentially up for debate, but Stray's connection and capability for exploring the human connection makes this debut a tenacious one and marks Feneley out as a Kiwi talent to watch.

Forza Horizon 4: XBox One Review

Forza Horizon 4: XBox One Review

Developed by Playground Games
Platform: XBox One

To be frank, the Forza series is one of the jewels of Microsoft's crown.

Its Motorsport and Horizon series have all been excellent in their various iterations - and it's no lie to say the latest version maintains the tradition of great racing and some truly gorgeous graphics which set it apart from other racers.

So it's no surprise that the latest doesn't fully mess with the formula - despite setting the action in Britain. Yep, Britain the home of winding roads, unending weather misery and potholes.

Except to say the Forza Horizon 4 version of Britain is very much like an Instagram version of the country - winding roads, stone walls, and rolling fields. But also in there, is a Britain that offers four seasons' worth of weather - and it's so wondrously executed that it seamlessly becomes part of the experience, like weather has in previous expansions of the Forza series.

Interestingly as well, this iteration sees the festival run by women and you can drive as a woman too - though once again, the near mute rendering of the lead is perhaps the series most head-scratching decision; the lack of reality of the lead makes them feel like a cypher more than anything.

But Playground Games have stuck to what they have always done well - the driving.

Sure, the progression element is the usual way of the game - win races, win influence, progress through the ranks. It's a "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine in many ways, but given the game's endless playability and ease of driving ability, this is a series that knows what its fans want and more than delivers.

Story missions see you work as a stunt driver, and others see building influence - all of which given the game's beauty and simplicity of execution are nothing short of a joy.

Seasonal weather adds much - from the way the game handles to the atmospherics of what transpires on screen, Forza Horizon 4 does a lot to embrace you and make you appreciate the series.

It's too early in the game's cycle to talk about its online functionality (untested at this time), but the main thrust of Forza Horizon 4 is still purely about entertainment. And on that driving front, it simply fires on all cylinders.

Solo: A Star Wars Story: Blu Ray Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story: Blu Ray Review

Enigma, mystery, the eternal riddle of how an iconic character came to be.

These are the things of which nightmares are made for writers tasked with origin stories.

Whether it's an infamous line, or an oblique cool-sounding reference tossed into a script as a throwaway line, it's a conundrum.

Han Solo.

The name is evocative - he's the guy who shot first, the guy who made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs, the guy who was cool and detached in those original films back in the 1970s.

But scratch beneath the surface and peer into the veneer to explore his origins and that's where the mystery starts to fade.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Lucasfilm set the directors of The LEGO Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to work. And then they were removed due to "creative differences" - causing the sound of a million geeks to cry out in existential terror at what lay ahead for their beloved smuggler.

In came Ron Howard to try and rescue what was there from the clutches of the Empire's vaults.

So, what we're left with with Solo: A Star Wars Story is an origin tale no one really wanted (because Han's backstory is best left to tantalising lines and imaginations), questions answered no one really asked and a story in the Star Wars universe that suggests the Empire isn't involved in everything.

Displaying some, but nowhere near enough, of the charisma that Harrison Ford delivered in the series, Hail Caesar!'s Alden Ehrenreich is Han, a scumrat who's trying to break away from his home planet of Corellia with his girlf Qi'ra (Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke) thanks to a theft of the film's MacGuffin, Hyperfuel.

Separated when their heist goes wrong, Han signs up with the baddies to become a pilot, and ends up in the trenches (the closest Star Wars has ever got to showing the gritty World War I edges of warfare) before falling in with Woody Harrelson's Beckett and his band of merry mercenaries.

Teaming up to pull a job on a flying train (one of the film's stand-out action sequences, that packs Western vibes into a snowy landscape and never loses the thread in among the pace), Han does all he can to get back to Qi'Ra and the life he used to know.

It's fair to say that Solo: A Star Wars Story doesn't really feel like a Star Wars film.

In fact, for the most part of it, the sparkle you'd feel and giddy high you'd encounter for being part of this world feels absent, with those in charge hoping the thrills would come from the fact a line was referenced, or you see how Chewbacca and Han actually met - it's a perfunctory take on the legend, and one can't help but feel shortchanged in some of the execution.

It's to be commended for trying to widen the universe without always having to tie back into it (something the countless novels and stories have always done) and the how-he-became-a-smuggler isn't quite told in the way you'd expect.

Glover manages a perfect Billy Dee Williams impression, but his Lando isn't quite the high-stakes scoundrel we'd expect, and most of the performance feels bathed in the "cool" that's currently surrounding Glover, rather than anything else.

Equally, it has to be said, that while Ehrenreich comes occasionally close to matching some of what Ford did as Solo thanks to hints of where his future lies, the cocky edges aren't on show, and even hints of them are missing. He feels like he's come from a Western, and is trying to impress as Solo, but the script doesn't quite serve him as well.

In fairness, Han and Chewie's relationship - along with Phoebe Waller-Bridge's L3-37 robot and Lando - are where the film really does hit its straps. Playful, earnest and with heart, these fire unexpectedly off the screen from the moment they're seen - and really make parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story stand out. It's a shame there's not more of this, as when they come, they're joyous.

Unfortunately, Clarke and Ehrenreich have little chemistry, and what little they can muster pales into insignificance with the ease of what Carrie Fisher and Ford achieved. For an emotional centre, it's sorely miscast and deeply uninvolving.

Ultimately, Solo: A Star Wars Story feels muted, and struggles with some lulls; it doesn't help that most of the mystery of Solo is unravelled in other's hands, leaving you the feeling none of his hinted-at reputation was earned, merely given, which is a crucial difference in such a character, whose reputation is key. 

What emerges from the spinoff space saga is a feeling that it feels like a project that floundered to find an edge, a piece of fan service that tries too hard to hit its core audience in the intergalactic feels (You want a Cantina style scene? Sure, we'll give you that) and which which tries to subvert expectations, but never quite gets there.

Solo: A Star Wars Story may never reach the pantheon of the greatest Star Wars films, and its perfunctory execution and lurching-from-one-sequence-to-the-next don't do it any favours. 

In this galaxy far, far away, the stars don't appear to shine as brightly.

It may have been doomed from the start, thanks to the weight of what happened in 1977, but it certainly shows that not everything in this endless galaxy needs to be explained, and that sometimes, a hint of mystery should be - and indeed is - more than enough to sustain a legend for cinematic eternity. 

Watch The Walking Dead Season 9 official opening credits

Watch The Walking Dead Season 9 official opening credits

The Walking Dead Season 9 is just around the corner.

Ahead of the release of the show, and Andrew Lincoln's Rick leaving The Walking Dead, we've got our first look at the first new show titles in 8 years.

Watch The Walking Dead Season 9 below!

Venom: Film Review

Venom: Film Review

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate
Director: Reuben Fleischer

As tonally schizophrenic as its star talking to its symbiote, Sony’s attempt to bring anti-hero Venom into the 21st century stumbles into cliched exposition land but never fully finds its feet.

Hardy is Eddie Brock, a crusading internet reporter whose show The Eddie Brock Report champions the wronged

But when Brock loses his job and his fiancée (Williams, in a phone-it-in turn) because of his refusal to be a patsy in his interview with Riz Ahmed’s tech giant Carlton Drake, he spirals down.

Offered a chance months later to find out what Drake has been up to at the LIFE institute, Brock’s life is changed when he’s infected with a parasitic alien creature aka Venom.

With the LIFE institute after him to retrieve their “property”, the Brock/ Venom hybrid goes on the run as they try to stop the conspiracy.

Venom feels like a curious hybrid itself - and much like the symbiote struggles with its prospective host, director Fleischer struggles to deliver something that feels nothing more than a garbled, rushed mess.

A hastily assembled opening 20 minutes barely gives any characters chance to breathe and dispenses swathes of emotionally necessary narrative for the hell of it, leaving you gasping to care for what unfolds.

Meshing body horror with a bizarre buddy comedy, Hardy gurns and mumbles his way through the film, giving Brock scant moments of humanity here and there. Plenty of the film sees him pacing and talking to himself before the CGI elements kick into play. It's a shame as Hardy's more than committed to the role, whatever it demands.

The comedic elements are fine and hint at what could have been had the PG bloodless approach been jettisoned for something darker and more twisted. If anything at times, Venom shows a troubled production and hints at a fear of going further than it could.

Some decent FX aside (the twisting rotating creatures are well done, as are scenes of the symbiotes being rejected) much of the action passes by in a blur;, and in parts looks like children flinging and flailing around wet coloured spaghetti; certainly a creature feature finale looks messy and garbled, with neither element standing out, nor the singular triumphant moment emerging at the end.


Ultimately, and sadly, this Venom lacks bite - it's not as bad as you're expecting, but it's not as good either - ironically, this venom is not the cure to the cinematic poison of anti-superhero films.

Win a double pass to see BEAST

Win a double pass to see BEAST

To celebrate the release of BEAST in cinemas on October 4th, thanks to Icon Films, you can win a double pass.

About BEAST

A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.

BEAST is in cinemas now!


This competition has now closed.

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: Film Review

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: Film Review

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonah Hill, Jack Black
Director: Gus Van Sant

A heady mix of life-affirming biography, swirled in with a truly chameleonic performance from Joaquin Phoenix as Oregon slacker John Callahan, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot shouldn't really work.

After all, it's the usual trappings of a illness TV movie of the week - guy wrecks his life, guy tries to put his life back together. But what it is about Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot that works is simply, Phoenix.

Callahan was paralysed after a car accident at the age of 21, in which the driver, a fellow alcholic played with anarchic glee by Jack Black, walked away scot free. Callahan was not so lucky, choosing to go down the path of self-destruction before ultimate redemption, and discovering a penchant for black-humoured cartoons.

A patchwork portmanteau start sees Van Sant messing with timelines, a twitchy holding-you-at-arms-length approach which takes some getting used to. But as the story treads its familiar route, it's peppered with such warmth and disarming moments of humour and reality that its sentiment wins you over (even if it dangerously veers close to overdose at times, and showcases some of the lesser written characters, such as Mara's carer / girlfriend).

Thankfully, Phoenix delivers another stunning performance.

Whether it's Callahan going hell for leather in his wheelchair through the streets, or making his own denials about what his mother did to him, Phoenix takes every moment and makes it his own, overcoming the script's occasional weaknesses and the somewhat sanitised view of life in a wheelchair.

It's impossible not to feel something for Callahan in this, and Phoenix is the main reason why, along with the anarchic tones and touches deployed throughout. Solid support comes from an early unrecognisable Jonah Hill, whose Jesus Christ-like hippy sponsor becomes central to peripherary proceedings.

Never stronger than when it uses some deftly off-kilter touches to develop the film from above its overtly familiar roots, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot trades a careful line between inspiring and irritating.

In the end though, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot works, and hits a level of affecting which is as surprising as it is moving.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Official Gameplay Video Part 2

Red Dead Redemption 2: Official Gameplay Video Part 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of outlaw life that seamlessly blends story with action, and exploration with choice - all under the constant threat of danger.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Coming October 26, 2018 to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems.