Win a double pass to see ROBIN HOOD

Win a double pass to see ROBIN HOOD

To celebrate the release of the new movie, ROBIN HOOD, in cinemas November 22nd you can win a double pass!

About ROBIN HOOD

A war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling action-adventure packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight choreography, and a timeless romance.

Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx and Ben Mendelsohn, ROBIN HOOD flies into cinemas November 22nd!

To win all you have to do is email your details and the word ROBIN HOOD to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Competition closes November 26th

Widows: Film Review

Widows: Film Review

Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, Cynthia Erivo
Director: Steve McQueen

Ripped from a Lynda LaPlante UK TV series from the mid-80s, the contemporary US update of Widows is startling in its recreation of the power of money, the corruption of wealth, and the power of women to rise above what's been dealt to them.

A searing Viola Davis plays Veronica, the wife of known career criminal Harry Rawlins (Neeson, mixing tenderness and harshness in flashbacks) who finds herself widowed after a heist goes wrong.

Visited by the local crime boss and informed that Harry had stolen $2 million from him, Veronica's given a month to return the cash - or pay the consequences.

So, in order to escape the hand she's been unwillingly and unwittingly dealt, Veronica goes to the also-widowed women of Harry's associates Linda and Alice (Rodriguez and Debicki respectively) to enlist them into the job.

Widows is the antithesis to Ocean's 8 - and so much the better for it, trading darkness and depth for Oceans' sleight of hand and smoke-and-mirrors routine.

Director Steve McQueen, who brought such pain and pathos to the likes of Hunger and 12 Years A Slave, gives himself more of a contemporary pat setting with Chicago's seedy underbelly, politicking and dirty money and deceit forming the backbone of a sickeningly compelling movie.

It begins with a heist gone wrong, before weaving complex threads of destroyed relationships, power, and of desperate lives trying to reset and survive.

Set against the politicking of Colin Farrell's incumbent alderman wanting to stay in power, along with the exposure of all that entails, and how deep the corruption goes, Widows could collapse under the weight of its darker themes.

But along with McQueen's flashy director touches, and anchored by a gripping central turn from Davis, the pieces of this at-times slow-moving chess board trundle inexorably and inevitably to their tragic ends.

Yet, it's also empowering (and a breakthrough role) for Debicki's Alice, a beaten wife whose life has seen her repeatedly slapped around by different generations; and for Davis, whose commanding presence on screen brings nuance and uncertainty to the woman who was happy to enjoy the benefits of her husband's ill-gotten gains but negotiates murky waters when it comes to availing herself of any guilt.

It helps that McQueen's underpinned his film (from Gone Girl's Gillian Flynn's script) with none of the usual tropes of a heist and grounded it in a humanity that gives it an emotional core to cling to - certainly, in its actual heist sequence, it's nothing short of electrifying, urgent and riveting, a set piece par excellence that's swift, brutal and suspenseful.

Essentially Davis and Debicki's time to shine, Widows is a powerfully pared back film and engrossing drama that hides layers behind its themes of societal corruption, political heft, and anger at a system.

It's being touted for awards, and quite frankly, much like some of the power of Denzel Washington's Fences, Widows is a film that you can't fire enough superlatives at.

Hitman 2: PS4 Review

Hitman 2: PS4 Review

Developed by IO Interactive
Platform: PS4

Agent 47 is back.

And this time, he's out to kill.

Much like last time, and the time before that. Well, maybe not like last time.

The previous game carved up 47's shenanigans into episodes, giving you time to feel the thrill of the planning and the execution of the kill as well - plus the wait between missions made you realise how well planned all of it was.

This latest, in truth, feels a little episodic, given you can choose where you carry on after the first mission. It's strange to report that as the whole game's been released at once.

Loosely, the game follows on from the last, with Agent 47 hunting out the Shadow Client and his shadowy group, setting him on a collision course with his past.

Beginning on the sandy shores of Hawke's Bay, the globe trotting carries on again, with 47's missions taking him to the shores of Mumbai, Colombia and other parts of Europe.
Hitman 2 works in some ways, and fails in others.

But largely, it's as fun as you want to make it. Again, it's not a game for patience and if you've got no desire to work out plans, set traps and reap the rewards, it's probably best you head off somewhere else. However, watching targets scatter, moving closer to your execution of them can provide a vicarious thrill.

The New Zealand opener in Hawke's Bay is piecemeal; its location could be anywhere, but it's a nice moody opener to set the conspiracy tone going, and the beach front locale means you really do have to plan stuff out to escape. But again, going full tilt can mean the level can be cleared with a minimum of fuss.

That's the thing with Hitman 2; it's as complicated as you want to make it.

Smart people will spend time planning, and others (like me) will just go in, all guns blazing, and missing out on the nods to the Agent 47 series and the score that comes from executing something smart and clever.

Graphically, the game's fine. Its locations are what sets it apart, with lots of detail going into the scene-setting; and a little less in terms of the facial distinctions. And in some ways, the gameplay feels scattered; particularly some of the static nature of the sequences does make it feel like there could be more to do.

In terms of the final product, Hitman 2 does exactly what it says on the tin; there are multiplayer propositions too, and the return of the elusive targets to take in. But in terms of standing out from the crowd in a very busy season, Hitman 2 takes its shot, but doesn't quite hit a bullseye for anyone other than the fans of Agent 47's ongoing story.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: DVD Review

Ant-Man and The Wasp: DVD Review

That Ant-Man and The Wasp manages to be a self-contained caper, much like the first outing three years ago, is both a credit and an albatross to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It's understandable that following the "heavier" material tackled in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel would want to put something out which was a little more knockabout and which only very loosely fed in to the ongoing threads.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Film Review

However, the danger is that Ant-Man (and, by extension, The Wasp) is becoming the outlier of the franchise, a film series where the stakes never quite feel high enough, and the levity is almost derailing.

As a self-contained piece, the return of Paul Rudd's comedic chops as Scott Lang is semi-welcome, but there's a feeling early on the film is trying a little too hard to flex said muscles.

In the latest, Lang is still under house arrest following his escapades in Civil War - and consequently, Hank Pym (Douglas, in a beefed up supporting role) and his daughter Hope (Lilly, easily this film's MVP) are on the run from the authorities.

But when Lang experiences visions of the Quantum Realm and somehow connects with Pym's long-lost wife Janet (Pfeiffer, in an ethereal role), the two's worlds collide once again. With Hope desperate to see her mother, and Pym keen to reunite with his wife, they team up to try and break on through to the other side.

However, their plans are thrown into jeopardy when a new threat (with echoes of the Winter Soldier) emerges...

It's interesting that Ant-Man and The Wasp demotes its titular hero to almost a supporting role in his own film, with Rudd definitively sidelined by Lilly's new heroine taking the lead.

And it's a most welcome touch in this cautionary tale of the Father / Daughter relationships, that even ties in with elements of the "Freak of the Week" early vibe of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lilly leads most of the action scenes with such undeniable chutzpah that not even the overuse of deliberate pop-culture references to the 90s can derail. (Ant-Man and The Wasp perversely holds off from mentioning any time line to avoid the Infinity War question throughout).

It's a move Marvel have been too slow making, and Lilly seizes every opportunity to shine, imbuing her Hope with the fragility that's needed and the inspirational leading heroine that's been sorely lacking in the MCU for way too long.

Equally, the film's commitment to beefing up Douglas' role and giving Pym stakes is welcome, even if it comes at the cost of Rudd's own involvement in proceedings. IT's rare for older actors to be given such beefy roles, and Douglas (and to a lesser extent, Pfeiffer) grab them with gusto.

If Ant-Man and The Wasp is guilty of anything, it's that its central self-contained plot is entangled in sci-fi bunkum (one character even remarks that they're just throwing Quantum in front of everything) and feels slighter than anything proffered up before.

Sure, Ant-Man and The Wasp is solid enough, popcorn fare, gleefully executed by all and with crisp action sequences, but its charm only goes skin deep to feeling you're invested in the stakes. (And, whisper it, parts of it feel like a repetition of the origin story of the first in terms of antagonists, some action sequences.) It's slight, knockabout cinema, that shrinks its hero to a supporting role, but does wonders for female representation in a franchise that's been woefully short of taking the lead.

Marvel need to handle Scott Lang carefully in future, because otherwise, they risk turning Ant-Man into the minute character of its namesake - and that genuinely would be a crying shame. 

Pick Of the Litter: Film Review

Pick Of the Litter: Film Review

So, here it is - this year's Kedi.

Whereas the tale of Turkish kitties was a story of animals, their surroundings and the people that adopt them, Pick Of the Litter is an unashamed piece of furry kryptonite, determined to deliver some close ups of adorable puppies.

Choosing to follow five Labrador puppies as they undergo training for guide dogs for the blind in the USA is not the most taxing of intentions.

However, Dana Nachman and Don Hardy's documentary is unashamed in its desires and is oblivious to the notion of going deeper in this once-over-lightly piece that just about entertains for its 80 minute run time.

Primrose, Poppet, Phil, Potomac and Patriot are all born within the walls of a Guide Dogs building in California and all have the potential to change future owners lives. But not if they fail basic training and their puppy raisers don't meet the mark.

With a couple of the pups passed around different trainers, the interesting parts of the film and the dilemmas which reside within are largely ignored in a brisk and brutally cute piece that's aiming for Hallmark thrills rather than in-depth investigations.

Perhaps the more interesting and knottier elements of the film are dropped in amid the cutesier touches as the dogs are "career changed" (lingo for being moved out of the programme) and disappear from our immediate view.

Questions over the ethics of in-house breeding, what kind of a life that must be, the cost of doing it, both financially and emotionally for the organisation and more specifically the trainers are vaulted over at such speed that it's dizzying.

It's a shame as there are hints of some darkness here that are genuinely worth exploring, and which linger rather than being dug into. Some trainers have the dogs taken from them with a disconnect between the administration and the owners unable to be reconciled; issues over whether there are problems with expectations are hinted at - there's a lot more meat to be explored here, but doesn't get done so.

It's not to say that Pick Of The Litter isn't engaging - certainly, if you're an animal lover, you'll adore it, and you'll end up invested in which of the five pups - if any, given the high rate of failure - make it to the end of the training.

And there's certainly no denying the power of the simplicity of seeing the joy on new owners' faces and prospective lives being changed just by having a dog get through this.

But Pick Of The Litter is very much a once-over-lightly kind of pleasantly presented doco, that lacks deep insight but gives cutesy cuddles - not a bad thing for the winter months, but certainly there's a nagging feeling that a stronger documentary definitely lies within, waiting to be coaxed to the surface. 

Tetris Effect: PS4 Review

Tetris Effect: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4/ PSVR

The return of Tetris in Tetris: Effect feels like a loving tribute to the game which sucked so many of our lives over three decades ago.

It's essentially Tetris, without the annoying soundtrack of the past, and feels very much like a recognition of the simplicity of the first original game.

But in many ways, this is a Tetris that's bathed in an Ibiza Chill-out album, set to a pulsing strand of imagery, and then locked into a floatation tank with you via the route of Sound Shapes gameplay which incorporated music and rhythm.

Pulling in some of the vibe of Pac-Man Championship Arcade and Pac-Man 256 in terms of look, the game's built on clearing lines of the classic drop-a-block gameplay, before allowing you to move onto the next level.

Set over a cosmos of worlds, each level sees you graded for your efforts.

But each level is also blessed with a whole series of moving effects around the central game too which sits in the middle of your screen. It's a more engaging effect in the VR environment, but doesn't lose any of the benefit when it's on a normal screen. In truth, as the relaxed soundtrack plays out, the images are absorbing, reflecting the nature of what you're doing.

Some levels see horses move quicker the faster you drop the blocks; others see birds flying, dolphins jumping out of waters, and worshippers getting more and more frenzied the quicker you clear. Very occasionally, it's distracting, and paying not enough attention to the actual Tetriminos could cost; but when the windmills turn as you rotate blocks or blobs pulse with each line, it's beautiful to behold.

It's a sensory onslaught in many ways - albeit a welcome one as the swirling patterns, growing creatures form around the sides of the game, pulsing, whirling and living breathing digital dots which grow as the levels go on, and as your gameplay improves.

It's never a sensory overload - and Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi's made sure the game appears to embrace the past as well as the future, with its focus on the simple gameplay and fiendish ease of the original. It's sucked more of my life again, and I wouldn't change a thing.

New touches include a series of random levels where various effects strike your chance of clearing, and an inclusion of something called The Zone, which effectively stops the clock, giving you a chance to score points and clear lines in a limited time. This is triggered by the more chains of cleared levels you get and it's a canny way to clear the building blocks to help when the clock restarts.

Online levels, classic levels, the chance to play random parts again - there's much replay in this, and there's also much that will give itself joyously to disposable pleasures.

All in all, Tetris Effect is a trippy update of the past, a clever nod to the future, and a game that never loses sight of what made the original Tetris such a fiendish knotty game to put down.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Film Review

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Film Review

Directors: The Coen Brothers
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Tom Waits, James Franco, Bill Heck, Tyne Daly

Boasting an all-star cast, and an ensemble to impress, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs takes on the wild west in an anthology from the Coen Brothers.

Comprising six stories, of varying quality in truth, the Coens' take on the Wild West is one that plays to the violence of the times, while also offering a wide scope of stories.

The end result is somewhat of a mixed bag, with some hitting the mark, and others misfiring. And given each short's differing time duration, when it misfires, it can feel longer than it should.

Successful outings include Blake Nelson's singing cowboy Buster Scruggs who is as deadly as the notes which come flying from his mouth and also a prospecting tale with Tom Waits, panning for gold on a lonely quest for riches.

Less successful are Liam Neeson's vaudeville tale of a showman exploiting a quadriplegic raconteur and a meditative piece on Stagecoach that ends proceedings, but manages to feel like the whole thing's not quite wrapped up.

If the shorts are of differing quality throughout, the production values of this multi-faceted take on the wild west are not.

Linked by a book flipping pages between stories, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs embraces its old time roots with veritable gusto.

Looking stunning throughout, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs feels authentic to the time, without ever playing up the edges of the genre; and once again, the Coen Brothers' eye for brutality in all its forms, and human tragedy, as well as black humour are all present.

Much like panning for gold, there will be some nuggets, and some almost nuggets - the anthology nature of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs makes for an intriguing companion on the road to original movies, even if it's not quite as settled a tone throughout as you'd hope for.