A Kid Like Jake: DVD Review

A Kid Like Jake: DVD Review

Wisely steering clear of the hysterics that could come from a drama of trying to place a child in a school that's best for them, director Silas Howard's film version of Daniel Pearle's play is a piece that keeps itself grounded throughout.

Claire Danes and Jim Parsons play parents Alex and Greg, who seem diametrically opposed to their parenting approach - she's uptight, and almost neurotic in his eyes and he's indifferent and calm, to the point of comatose in hers.

Issues are further complicated by their son Jake whose desires extend to cross-dressing, a Disney princess obsession and long tresses as well as dresses which is causing problems when trying to pigeon hole him for future schools.

Inevitably, conflict arises as the parents find the pull of the familial sending them to places they'd not expected to go.

Imbued with a degree of WASP-ish indifference, it's hard to care really about the problems these guys face, something which would usually prove fatal to a drama. But by keeping everything grounded, Howard's manipulation of his actors and their commitment to the cause offers up more than just an insight into parenting choice, but also the deepest of human foibles and trivialities.

As Danes ratchets up the control-freakery, Parsons' laid-back approach threatens to derail everything - this at-times kitchen sink drama does inevitably boil over in one mightily familiar scene to many (parents or otherwise) but rarely, unfortunately, transcends its play-like setting.

However, it scores highly for its common touch, its exploration of doubt and its desire to avoid throwing the kid Jake into the middle; smartly, this works when it should and only occasionally teeters.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum: Film Review

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum: Film Review

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Asia Kate Dillon, Anjelica Huston
Director: Chad Stahelski

Keanu's back picking up his besuited assassin John Wick just moments after the end of John Wick 2, where he was declared excommunicado and a multi-million dollar bounty placed on his head.

With everyone apparently after him, Wick has to try and clear his name, and set the record straight as he deals with the consequences to his actions...

For the first half of the film, John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum is a taut, inventive brawler that finds new ways to breathe life into the genre.

Its commitment to bone-crunching beat downs delivered with tightly choreographed almost balletic fights are visually and kinetically thrilling.

But when the film tries to incorporate a mystical and mysterious edge, striving to flesh out the nefarious High Table organisation, it wallows in its pomposity, much to the detriment of why Wick worked before - a man on the run, or a man desperate to get out. It meanders when it should be sleek, and goes for lazy gunplay in one elongated section, when stripped back offers more pleasure.

In fact the fleshing out of the universe is almost criminal, a wider context not needed within the framework of why these films work.

Add to that a need to throw in some comedy with potential assassins turning out to be fans of Wick and the film testers dangerously into unwarranted self-knowing, winking territory .

It’s fatal to the vibe that’s gone previously and does little to stop the script dipping into campy one liners and dialogue delivery.

Reeves however excels, his Wick looking beaten, fragile and trapped when needed- but reeves digs deep to allow Wick the physical and emotional heft to fight back.

John Wick: Chaper 3 - Parabellum isn’t a full disaster. It’s a film of two halves and those involved in future elements would be wise to step back, regroup and reassess why the series was working and to build on those foundations, and stick to the basics, rather than trying to flesh it all out.

Free Solo: DVD Review

Free Solo: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Ent

There's an inordinate amount of set-up in Free Solo, the documentary that centres around what many would perceive as madness.

It's the story of Alex Hannold, the climber who's gained fame for going up tall mountains, without support or ropes. This follows him as he prepares for the ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite in 2017.

The first part of the doco is the usual stock standard character stuff - peppered by some more intriguing and interesting moments. Hannold undergoes an MRI to see if he's wired differently, reveals how much time he spends living in a van - it all goes to provide a portrait of someone who's definitely different to many others.

But the built up is like an extremely long tease as everyone is really just waiting for the climb itself.

Which it has to be said, delivers.

Shot from the bottom up to give the sense of scale for El Capitan and Hannold's actual feat, it's a vertiginous pay-off for what's gone ahead, a true salute to man's achievement.

It's worth it, also for the growing sense of guilt and unease on the ground - both from Alex's girlfriend but also the camera crew who wonder how complicit they would be should anything happen.

Ultimately, Free Solo delivers in its last 20 minutes - but like the mountain size itself, it's a big climb to get there.

Holmes & Watson: Blu Ray Review

Holmes & Watson: Blu Ray Review

Released by Sony Home Ent

The reteaming of the StepBrothers stars Will Ferrell and John C Reilly should in theory be a success.

However, what Holmes & Watson achieves is nothing short of an utter mess.

The supersleuths are called in when Moriarty apparently threatens the life of Queen Victoria. Claiming she will die within 4 days, the game's afoot for the duo.

Mixing slapstick and the usual Ferrell over-acting, Holmes & Watson is a struggle from beginning to end. Positing Holmes as a kind of idiot is an obvious choice, given the detective is barely ever wrong.  But making him a real dolt gives the film a hard watch from beginning to end.

While Reilly and Ferrell trade on their usual bromance, the film's stultefyingly stupid script  fails to land anything other than the truly corny and wildly unoriginal. It doesn't help that Rebecca Hall is utterly wasted as a love interest for Reilly's Watson.  An odd parody of Ghost in an autopsy room is just the tip of the iceberg of where the film goes - every lazy target is hit and every gag falls flat.

Holmes & Watson isn't perhaps the worst film ever made; though, to be frank, it's up there.

Watch the God Of War documentary, Raising Kratos

Watch the God Of War documentary, Raising Kratos

Glass: DVD Review

Glass: DVD Review

There's a lot of pseudo-waffle in Glass; there's a lot of pontificating about what superheroes are, if they exist etc and there's a lot of labouring the points as this unexpected trilogy delivers its capper.

Set merely a few weeks after Split ended, Bruce Willis' David Dunn, complete with trenchcoat, is on the heels of the Horde and their monstrous member the Beast (another ferocious turn by McAvoy), following a series of abductions.

But when both the Beast and Dunn are captured and imprisoned in a sanitarium run by Dr Ellie Staple (Paulson, in expositionary mode), they find themselves questioning if they are superheroes or freaks of a medical nature.

Things are further complicated when it's revealed that also staying at the hospital under duress is Samuel L Jackson's Elijah Price aka Mr Glass....

Glass does not deliver what you'd expect, or perhaps what you'd hope for.

In some ways, that's a great thing, but it's also a stumbling block as the film lurches tonally between drama and psychobabble.

Once again McAvoy is resplendent in the role, bringing the physicality and ferocity of Split back to life as he pivots between characters with ease, imbuing the Horde with the subtleties of difference and the scale of screen grandeur that's needed.

Willis is muted, and almost sidelined in the film, adding a requisite level of tragedy to the tortured hero. And Jackson is, to be frank, solid but borderline annoying as he espouses meta-dialogue gifted him by Shyamalan, who's keen to labour each comic book point and make sure you don't miss a single one. Subtlety is not on show here, with exposition heavy scenes dulling the impact of what's gone prior.

Shymalan goes the circuitous route in Glass, fiddling with expectations and wrongfooting you at every turn. He delivers comic book action in a different way, with fights happening from other perspectives rather than the smash and crash you're used to - it's not exactly bravura stuff, but it is notable that someone's trying something different with the genre in a saturated smash-em-up market.

There's creepiness aplenty, and while you may not be emotionally invested in the Glass-half-full-glass-half-empty characters on show, Glass delivers something akin to a muted crescendo of a trilogy ender.

It stymies itself in the asylum sequences and shuts down the excitement of the earlier scenes and also films (Unbreakable and Split) - but it does deliver something which proffers an occasionally more cerebral take on a genre that's now de rigeur.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu: Film Review

Pokémon Detective Pikachu: Film Review 

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Kathryn Newton, Justice Smith, Bill Nighy
Director: Rob Letterman

How you feel about the family friendly Pokémon Detective Pikachu will depend largely on how you feel about the crazed cult of Pokémon.

The uninitiated may struggle with the film, which is set in a world where both Pokémon and humans co-exist, thanks to the benevolent Howard Clifford (Nighy) who believes co-existence and betterment is possible.

One who doesn't agree is 21-year-old Tim (an awkward Justice Smith) who resents the Pokémon and refuses to be paired up with them like others. When he discovers his dad is missing after a car accident, Tim goes to Ryme City, the hub of the human Pokémon harmony, and ends up working with Ryan Reynolds' Pikachu to try and solve the case.

If you're a Pokémon fan, you will adore this film, packed as it is with creatures from the cards and the TV series, and no doubt riddled with Easter eggs.

But, to be honest, for all others, it's kind of middling, narratively flat fare that's more about its nostalgia than a degree of coherence, and its plot is saddled with exposition for character development and sees a lurching plot stop and start while someone drops reams of necessary explanation.

There are elements of everything that's gone before here, with a Zootopia mesh, some Roger Rabbit hating of the opposites, X-Men, a film of fathers and sons and other all-too familiar sci-fi DNA tropes that can be seen a mile off. It unfortunately cripples part of the movie, as you can see what's coming before it hits, lacking weight and heft when it should.

In fairness, Ryme City is wonderfully realised, a kind of cartoony Blade Runner cityscape that shows the co-existence with ease. And Reynolds' trademark motormouth may be dialled down this time, but it still gives the over-caffeinated Pikachu some much needed laughs here and there. The buddy cop relationship between Pikachu and Tim makes for amiable fare as well.

But Pokémon Detective Pikachu lacks the noir edges it's clearly aspiring to, saddling everything with heavy flashbacks early on to paint the portraits and relying on audience love and nostalgia to forego the repetitive simplicities of the plot. And that could be fatal, seeing as newer audiences are what will continue this series.

In truth, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is less gumshoe, more candy coloured gum stuck to your cinematic shoe. The series' refrain may be that you "gotta catch them all", but if you're not in the in-crowd, you should be happy to let this one go free.

Win a double pass to see BRIGHTBURN

Win a double pass to see BRIGHTBURN

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Directed by

David Yarovesky

Written by

Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn

Produced by

James Gunn, Kenneth Huang

Executive Producers

Brian Gunn, Mark Gunn, Simon Hatt, Dan Clifton, Nic Crawley, Kent Huang

Cast

Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, and Meredith Hagner

Brightburn is in cinemas May 23

All you have to do is email your details and the word BRIGHTBURN!

Email now to  darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 
Or CLICK HERE NOW  

Competition closes 23rd May.

Pick Of The Litter: DVD Review

Pick Of The Litter: DVD 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.  

First look: IT Chapter Two

First look: IT Chapter Two

IT CHAPTER TWO:

Evil resurfaces in Derry as director Andy Muschietti reunites the Losers Club—young and adult—in a return to where it all began with “IT CHAPTER TWO.” 

Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, “IT CHAPTER TWO” brings the characters—who’ve long since gone their separate ways—back together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film.

IT CHAPTER TWO is directed by Andy Muschietti and stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Bill Skarsgård, Andy Bean, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs and Jack Dylan Grazer.

IT CHAPTER TWO releases in New Zealand cinemas on September 5, 2019.

All Is True: Film Review

All Is True: Film Review

Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Alex Macqueen, Ian McKellen
Director: Kenneth Branagh

Offering up a different look at the Bard, former comedian, now turned writer Ben Elton offers up a poignant take on what next for William Shakespeare.

The later-in-life biopic takes Branagh's Shakespeare in 1613, who's forced to retire after fire destroys his Globe Theatre. Returning to Stratford-upon-Avon and his family, including wife Anne Hathaway (Dench), Shakespeare decides to build a garden to lost son Hamnet.

But Shakespeare's return isn't as welcome as he'd have expected, as former resentments resurface in the form of his unmarried daughter, and his wife who's unhappy he was never there when Hamnet died.

All Is True is a contemplative piece that ties together the strands of what next in more ways than one.

Imbued with a mournful tone, Branagh's film is shot in seclusion, in close ups and for the large part under candlelight. It gives the film an oppressive touch, which does much to display the mental state of all involved, and certainly proffers up much to consider.

Essentially the story of a long-conquering hero returning home to find his place usurped by the past and inadequecies of the present, All Is True greatly benefits from the dialled down edges of Branagh, as well as his supporting players.

Levity comes in the form of McKellen's muse and admirable Wriothesley, who breathes life into a brief cameo, but who delivers much in the way of insight into Shakespeare's state of mind.

There's plenty of elegaic touches on display throughout, and while the inevitable reveal of several well-timed truthbombs towards the end weights the denouement with exposition and robs the film of its meditative touches, there's still much to admire here.

All Is True may not be a powerhouse gut-punch of an emotional movie, but it certainly is a film that gives a different take on Shakespeare and offers insight into what many suffer for for their art.

The Hustle: Film Review

The Hustle: Film Review

Cast: Rebel Wilson, Anne Hathaway, Alex Sharp
Director: Chris Addison

Remaking Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with female leads isn't a bad idea, it's just that The Hustle doesn't really do much with its central conceit.

Meshing both the original through a prism of The Taming of The Shrew with This Means War mentalities and throwing in Rebel Wilson's freewheeling ways and Anne Hathaway's uptight English accent doesn't quite deliver the requisite goods, even if it does proffer a few belly laughs.

With their odd couple vibe (Wilson plays a low rent hustler, Hathaway a more society-obsessed scammer), the duo forge a bet against each other after Hathaway's Josephine's offended by the arrival of Wilson's Penny in her patch. Landing on a scam that's a winner takes all, the battle lines are drawn...

To be fair, the banter between Josephine and Penny makes part of the film worthwhile. From decrying Hathaway's Josephine to a "librarian's corpse, but less lively" to referring to Wilson as a "big titted Russell Crowe", there are some moments that really land in this continually flat and formulaic mess.

But they're outweighed by Wilson once again debasing herself in weight gags and the fact nobody can love her (relatively fresh in Pitch Perfect, but starting to depressingly stink in 2019) and a script that's nonsensical and keen to drop storylines for the hell of it, despite giving them weighting early on.

Hathaway's game for comedy proves fruitful once again, with a deft light touch benefiting proceedings.

While The Hustle doesn't outstay its welcome at a relatively tight 90 minutes, it can be summed up in one interaction between Wilson's Penny, who's pretending to be blind, and Sharp's benevolent tech guy who befriends her, unaware he's her mark.

"You've got hysterical blindness," he says; to which she remarks quickly "It's not that funny to me."

So say we all, Rebel Wilson, so say we all.

Win a double pass to see John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

Win a double pass to see John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

To celebrate the release of John Wick 3, in cinemas May 16, you can win a double pass, thanks to StudioCanal NZ.

About John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail.

After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is in cinemas May 16, Rating TBC

All you have to do is email your details and the word JOHN WICK 3!

Email now to  darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 
Or CLICK HERE NOW  

Competition closes 23rd May.

New Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer

New Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer

It’s time to step up.

Watch the new #SpiderManFarFromHome trailer, in cinemas July 3 and get your tickets today from participating cinemas.

Peter Parker returns in Spider-Man™: Far From Home, the next chapter of the Spider-Man™: Homecoming series! Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter’s plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent!

Starring Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr with Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal

Directed by Jon Watts

Mary Queen of Scots: DVD Review

Mary Queen of Scots: DVD Review

Aiming for more than just a period piece, but barely elevating above its ambitions, Mary Queen of Scots takes in the conflict between Elizabeth and Mary in 1569.

North of the border, Mary (Ronan) arrives to a frosty reception as the Queen of the Scots. With a preacher shouting from the hilltops that she is the devil incarnate, Mary tries to negotiate the perils of Scotland rule, and the ambitions of those in her court who would depose her.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she's trying to keep Elizabeth (Robbie) in check as her court whispers that Mary will overthrow her.

There is a lot of politicking within Mary Queen of Scots, and an unbridled amount of talking as well, which holds the film back from fully gripping in the way it should.

It's an interesting take on the power of men in ancient times, and for feminist edges; and certainly, it's beset with tragedy as well as the various power plays take their forms.

But the film rarely grips as it should, teetering dangerously close to being a touch on the stultefyingly dull spectrum as it plods through its two hour run time.

Robbie is excellent - and there's inherent poignancy in the the tragedy of her time on the throne.

Riddled with jealousy at her "sister" Mary's success (good looks, blessed with a child), Robbie reaches deep within to channel some of the inherent fears of a barren woman, struggling to maintain her place as those around the throne plot and deliberate.

Restrained and remarkable, it's Robbie's turn which stands out in Mary Queen of Scots, and the screen's rarely better than when she's on it. Certainly, the fabricated meeting of the two in the final ten minutes of the film is utterly electrifying, and yet only goes to highlight what was missing beforehand.

Ronan deserves plaudits too, but her route and arc is a more traditional one, as she deals with double-crossings, plottings and betrayal. There are definitely signs of Ronan lending life to the character journey, and there's sadness in its ultimate destination which Ronan channels exquisitely and subtly.

There's a feeling that Mary Queen of Scots feels like an episode of Game of Thrones but through the prism of the Lifetime channel, and while there are some shocks, they lack the requisite strength needed to fully land.

Ultimately, Mary Queen of Scots' over-writing does it damage, failing to land a sharpness that's required. It's more than worth though for the final 10 minutes, which stand out as some of the best cinema of the year. 

Marjorie Prime: DVD Review

Marjorie Prime: DVD Review

Initially reminiscent of a premise from Black Mirror, Experimenter director Michael Almereyda's Marjorie Prime is more a story of the cadences of reflections and memories than a sci-fi warning as its premise may suggest.

Holographic companions inhabit homes keeping people and memories alive for those left behind.
One of those is Marjorie (veteran actress Lois Smith) whose companion Walter is a younger version of her husband and whose interactions help with the demons of dementia.

Fussing around is her daughter (Geena Davis) who's wary of the tech and her husband (Tim Robbins) who believes the tech has a purpose.

What initially promises to be a spiky clash of beliefs melts into a reflective discourse on memories, their continuation and their place in the face of ageing and ultimately, death. Almereyda's desire to stack the deck with a mournful tone and a shifting of timelines brings varying effects to the film and will largely be as resonant as the mood you're in.

Dialogue heavy and with philosophical ruminations, Marjorie Prime is slow cinema. With Micah Levi's string heavy score piercing through the tone and building it further, the edges come a little more to the fore.

"The more we talk, the more real it will be," is a line spoken by one human to a prime hologram and there's certainly a feeling that the discussion and nature of memory is what propels this through.


But what also grounds it are the concerns we all share and the fears we all face as time goes on.


While the vignettes and interactions are the main driver of this, an excellently underplayed cast help bring large swathes of it to life, even when the pace slows to a near crawl.  Surrendering to the melancholic and maudlin rhythms and applying your own beliefs will mean you get the most from Marjorie Prime -it'll certainly help spark a discussion and a re-examining of one's self afterwards. 

Win Glass on Blu Ray

Win Glass on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Glass, you can win a copy thanks to Sony Home Entertainment.

About Glass

Writer-Director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) completes a mind-bending trilogy created nearly twenty years ago with GLASS, a comic book thriller available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD May 1, 2019.

GLASS is a grounded-in-reality, comic-book thriller where the heroes and villains are people first. The thrilling culmination to the trilogy that started with Unbreakable and Split, stars James McAvoy (Split, Atonement), Samuel L. Jackson (Hitman’s Bodyguard, Avengers Franchise), Bruce Willis (Unbreakable, Die Hard), Sarah Paulson (Ocean’s Eight, “American Horror Story”) and Anya-Taylor Joy (Split, The Witch).

Go inside the mind of master of suspense M. Night Shyamalan to uncover the connections and references that bring the three films together in one universe. Experience more than sixty minutes of never-before-seen features elaborating on his process and artistic vision including an in-depth look at the making of the film, deep insights on the characters, a never-before-seen alternate opening, and deleted scenes.

GLASS features “Shyamalan’s eccentric, intimately scaled superhero universe” (Manohla Dargis, The New York Times), while offering a closer look at the world of the Elijah Price, also known as Mr. Glass (Jackson), David Dunn (Willis), and Kevin Wendell Crumb (McAvoy) as they experience a series of escalating encounters as they escape from an asylum and embark on a thrilling battle of good versus evil. Producers M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum (Get Out, Halloween), Marc Bienstock (Before I Fall), Ashwin Rajan (Devil, The Visit) and executive producer Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity series) reunite with GLASS for “one of the most original comic book movies in recent years” (Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment).

All you have to do is email your details and the word GLASS!

Email now to  darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com 
Or CLICK HERE NOW  

Competition closes 15th May.

Instant Family: Blu Ray Review

Instant Family: Blu Ray Review

It's easy to be cynical in the face of Instant Family, a Hollywood movie about fostering that ends up in a gloop of manufactured sentiment and predictability that underscores its premise.

And yet, much like The Big Sick drew deep from the well of personal experience for Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, Instant Family's vein of veracity comes from director Sean Anders' autobiographical input into the script.

Byrne and Wahlberg and Ellie and Pete, a couple who decide fostering is the way to go to help them out of the rut of their lives. Believing their house flipping mentality will help with parenting (fix them up, move them on), the couple find themselves drawn to teen Lizzie (Dora The Explorer's Moner).

However, social workers warn them that Lizzie comes with two younger siblings and a mother who's a drug addict, and in and out of their lives.

But, Ellie and Pete are determined to press on with the adoption - no matter what it may bring.

Instant Family deserves kudos for putting a face on adoption, so rarely seen in movies of this type, where the kids are usually portrayed as kooky and the system is a breeze.

In the first third of the film, Instant Family's commitment to a heart-breaking truth is to be duly applauded, with much of the movie doing a lot to break stereotypes and introduce some kind of complexities to what actually transpires. Its honesty will resonate with those caught within, and will open eyes for others unaware of how the reality of the system can be.

It's largely due to the reality of what Anders went through, but by keeping the core cast of characters real and grounded, Instant Family may open a lot of doors to the idea of fostering, and provide some harsh truths that are often glossed over. It's rare to see such honesty in a broad studio product, and while Instant Family strays away from too much didacticism, its commitment to honesty, punctuated with humour, is extremely commendable.

It helps that Byrne - and believe it or not, Wahlberg - are genuinely likeable, with their neuroses and foibles feeling greatly relatable, and helping the audience through some of the more sentimental edges that creep in as the inevitabilities of going through the Hollywood machine mount up.

Broad as it needs to be (and not always to its credit, thanks to populating some of the outer characters as kooks), Instant Family's pleasantries make it a dramedy that's worth enduring, even if the ending can be seen a mile off.

It may be a touch manipulative, and be mocked for being so by those unaware of the complexities of being a part of the system, but Instant Family more than delivers on its promise to sell a message.

That's no bad thing, but given the film has laughs when it needs to and has a receptive audience onside because of it, this is actually a family worth hanging out with

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir: Film Review

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir: Film Review

Cast: Dhanush, Berenice Bejo, Erin Moriarty, Barkhad Abdi
Director: Ken Scott

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a light and fluffy film which looks to the refugee crisis for inspiration, but strays from anything too serious.

Bollywood star Dhanush is Aja, a street performer and criminal in and around India, who dreams of escaping Mumbai and ends up in Paris. Meeting Moriarty's Marie in an IKEA store, there's an obvious connection between the pair.

But love is not to blossom properly under the Eiffel Tower after Aja ends up whisked away by accident, trapped in a refugee situation and then thrown into a bizarre orbit around Bejo's Nelly Marnay.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is as slight and flouncy as they come.

It's clear its aims are about ensuring that Dhanush gets his time to shine in this European flight-of-fancy and he seizes on it with relish at every opportunity, exuding energy and generally mining each situation for as much infectious glee as he can muster.

So, it's no surprise that the rest of the film kind of feels inconsequential, and other characters feel underwritten, as the tropes of the various genres are hit, the romcom elements roasted and the bizarre comedy moments thrust into the world unexpectedly.

The end result is that The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is as forgettable as it is fanciful fun. Its quirks just about stay on the right side of non-grating, but it's a slight victory that the cynical will dismiss and those after crowd-pleasing will lap up.

Borderlands 3 - Gameplay Reveal

Borderlands 3 - Gameplay Reveal

SEE THE FULL BORDERLANDS 3 GAMEPLAY REVEAL PRESENTATION AND CATCH THE NEW “GAMEPLAY REVEAL EVENT TRAILER” NOW

Earlier today, Gearbox Software and 2K livestreamed the first ever look at Borderlands 3 in action, with an extended presentation featuring live gameplay and new details about the game’s worlds, weapons, mechanics, and more.

To view the gameplay click the image below

Members of the Gearbox development team demoed two of the game’s four new Vault Hunters: Zane, the seasoned covert assassin who wields a variety of high-tech gadgets, and Amara, the melee-focused Siren who can summon ethereal fists to pummel her foes. Together they tackled new sections of classic Borderlands planet Pandora before moving on to an entirely new planet: the futuristic, neon-soaked cityscapes of Promethea.

The presentation was capped by a brand new trailer showing off the epic scope of Borderlands 3—the biggest, most content-rich Borderlands game to date. Catch glimpses of new enemies, locales, and weaponry, with plenty more still come in the months leading up to the game’s September 13 launch.

To view the trailer click the image below

For more information about the innovative Borderlands 3Twitch Extension—which allows viewers to interact with their favourite streamers and even score loot that carries over into their own games—please click here: https://borderlands.com/en-US/news/2019-04-29-score-loot-with-twitch-during-gameplay-reveal/

Be sure to check borderlands.com for more information and newsroom.2k.com/games for additional assets. See you at E3!