Happy Death Day 2U: Blu Ray Review

Happy Death Day 2U: Blu Ray Review

2017's Happy Death Day was a blast; a slasher that combined Groundhog Day with some genuine scares, and a character arc for its more than charismatic lead, you'd almost be surprised it was never done before.

But unlike the first, this latest sidelines the scares for a more loopy sci-fi spin on what's happening to Tree Gelbman (Rothe, easily the star of this show), who once again finds herself caught in a murderous day time and time again.

Happy Death Day 2U deserves some commendation for trying something different, and while the beginning wrong foots you - in a clever manner - Rothe soon commands front and centre of this mesh up of Groundhog Day, Scream, Quantum Leap, The Big Bang Theory, Happy Death Day and bizarrely frat movies where kids take on the dean.

The resultant mix is less a mess, more a showcase of Rothe's range as the silliness gets ramped up, pushing the slasher edges to the back (which is a real shame). Certainly, the last third of the film veers too far into dumb comedy territory as the multiverse mentality comes to the fore, and the Frat 
House shenanigans take precedence.

It's almost too slapstick to hit where it should - but Rothe holds it gamely together with a depth that helps elevate the material and the icky sentimentality. (Though a skydiving scene is brilliant in its execution.)

And yet, despite this, Happy Death Day 2U deserves some kudos for not repeating itself (ironically, given the nature of the first, and the premise of the latest).

It's inevitable there will be a third genre mesh-up (Happy D3ath Day, anyone?) and it's inherent on those behind it to maybe inject some of the scares back in - unless they completely go off book for the genres in the trilogy.

What Men Want: DVD Review

What Men Want: DVD Review

An uneven script, doused in a smattering of MeToo gags and some current pop culture references, does not help Taraji P Henson in the latest take of the Nancy Meyers Mel Gibson  flick, What Women Want.

Henson is Ali, a ball-busting sports agent, who's stuck in a firm that's clearly a boys' club and bouncing from one one night stand to another. Rejected again to take partnership in the firm, Ali finds her world further complicated when at a bridal shower she meets a psychic (an unhinged Erykah Badu) who gives her the ability to read men's minds.

Faced with the possibility of using this to get ahead at work, Ali becomes re-energised and desperate to get a star client before her other compadres.

Clever references to Get Out and crowd-pleasing Black Panther moment aside, What Men Want seems to be lost in its own execution, an uncertain mess of where it wants to go and how it wants to get there.

Henson is uniformly excellent though, giving Ali a ball-busting bluster that's needed early on, and a life that shows that she's as good as the boys in the Boys Club sports agent company to get ahead. But saddled with material that's rote and formulaic does little to help Henson rise out of the mire, no matter how hard she tries - and no matter how hard the script tries to mix Jerry Maguire with Entourage.

It helps little that it aims for every low-hanging fruit it can, barely hitting some of them with the crass bat swinging in every direction.

There are obvious learnings here, and perhaps that's what hinders What Men Want - unless you're a gaggle of women, boozed up and after a girls' night out, the film's less than content to satiate many in the audience. It's shallow as you'd expect, giving the men thoughts about body image, promotion, social climbing and work insecurities, as well as the usual sex issues.

Ultimately, while a love story with Aldis Hodge is reasonably well handled, Tracy Morgan's involvement feels like a muted amount of bluster to be fired in the direction of the audience. Supposed to be a foil for Henson's Ali, Morgan's Joe Dollar feels weak and badly-timed for the necessary gags.

All in all, What Men Want is a weak attempt at a feminist bout of humour. Were it not for Henson's all-in approach, the film would be torture for nearly two hours.

As it stands now, it's still torture, but a little more endurable in parts.

Win a double pass to see MIB: International

Win a double pass to see MIB: International

To celebrate the release of MIB: International, in cinemas June 13, you can win a double pass, thanks to Sony Pictures.

About MIB: International

The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe.  

In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson, MIB: International hits cinemas June 13.

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

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

Competition closes 18th June.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix: Film Review

X-Men: Dark Phoenix: Film Review

Cast: Sophie Turner, James MacAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Tye Sheridan, Jodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain
Director: Simon Kinberg

Not every comic book movie works on the big screen.

Not every X-Men film has been a success, but over the past 20 years, the mutants have been ever present in a series of films that have had a level amount of hits and misses.

In Dark Phoenix, the series comes to an end with a franchise capper that misses all its major moments, and delivers a movie that offers some thrills, but barely enough to sustain it.

During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean Grey (Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner) is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. 

Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet.

In all honesty, elements of Captain Marvel's all powerful deus ex machina and how to suppress it come to the fore again, and while moments early on hint at Charles Xavier's morality falling apart in a MeToo kind of nod, the film's only interested in rushing headlong to its conclusion via way of an admittedly excellent train-set final showdown.

But it's in the emotional beats where X- Men: Dark Phoenix falls apart.

A major death doesn't land like it should, and the elements of conflict feel forced rather than natural. It's the emotional detachment that harms the film the most, and while a majority of it is a film we've seen before, the latest incarnation of Dark Phoenix does little to take wings and soar as it should.

Elements of a MeToo control issue aside ("She's not your little girl anymore," one character intones at one point), the film has little to say except to try and transpose comic book panels to the big screen. By opening it up to a wider world midway through, the film loses any hope of intimacy as it looks to tick some character beats and fan hopes.

Chastain, in her audition for an emotion-free Terminator, is saddled with little as the baddie of the piece, and barely hits any of the necessary strides before the script goes down the gurgler. Turner sells some of the conflict of the anger and resentment bubbling up, but in truth, little is required of her other than to look tortured in her close ups. The tragedy doesn't land as it should, and it's fatal at times. MacAvoy and Fassbender impress as ever, and Hoult manages competently with stronger material.

On the visual side, the FX are superbly executed, with early scenes within space brimming with visual flair and excellence; and in the final showdown on a train (before it descends into the usual rote CGI tedium), the film finds a life that's been lacking beforehand.

Ultimately, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is an asinine blockbuster, one that fails in its MO as a franchise finale, and one that shows there was frustrating potential, if it had dared to do something different. As it stands, it's more an X marks the spot where something could have risen from the ashes of a consistently uneven series.

Never Look Away: Film Review

Never Look Away: Film Review

Cast: Tom Schilling, Paula Beer, Sebastian Koch
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Clocking in at over three hours, von Donnersmarck's epic, yet intimate, and sprawling piece about a young boy growing up in the Nazi period and subsequent life, isn't quite as gripping as you'd hope.

Schilling is Kurt Barnert, who from an impressionable young age is instilled with a love of art, thanks to his aunt Elisabeth. But when she's deemed unstable, she's taken away and wiped out as the Nazi regime begins to rise, and the quest to purify the blood line takes hold. 

Years later, Kurt finds himself lost for a voice as an artist, and meeting up with Ellie Seeband, the two fall in love. But Professor Seeband is unhappy at the tryst and moves to temper their union for reasons too spoilery to mention

Never Look Away is frankly, in parts grim and harrowing.

The early scenes where Elisabeth falls apart, and discovers what the doctors have in mind for her are utterly horrific, steeped in tragedy and the gnawing sickening realisation of what the regime exacted. In many ways, von Donnersmarck doesn't shy away from the ghastly legacy and delivers an appalling piece of film-making early on that's the worst kind of gut punch you could witness. It helps matters greatly that Koch is chilling and cold, a walking nightmare of a man under a pristine suit and perfect hair, who uses his knowledge to pursue his own agenda.

The film's first 90 minutes fly by, but as the second half kicks in and Schilling's Barnert heads to art college, the film begins to sag and bloat a little. The intertwined edges mingle and come to a head in a surprisingly different way to what you may feel you're owed after three hours of sitting and being haunted.

But what Never Look Away (with its clever duality of title in terms of what's happened in Germany's past, and what to do in the face of it) does is present an epic story in a different way. Whether it's a film about art and inspiration, a film about persecution and freedoms of speech or a film about never forgetting isn't fully clear; it embraces and blurs all these ideologies into one.

One thing's for certain though, Never Look Away is a compelling and haunting viewing experience from beginning to end.

Tetris and Darius join an expanded SEGA Mega Drive Mini library

Tetris and Darius join an expanded SEGA Mega Drive Mini library

TETRIS® AND DARIUS JOIN AN EXPANDED SEGA MEGA DRIVE MINI LIBRARY

With 42 Games, Your World Will Never Be The Same

Wait, we originally said 40 games, right? Slight correction – the SEGA Mega Drive Mini will feature 42 games!

That includes one of the most popular arcade games released by SEGA. The iconic Tetris® will be dropping on to the SEGA Mega Drive Mini! Even better, if you plan on attending this year's E3, you'll be among the first in the world to play it. 

The other will be—

WARNING! A huge shoot ‘em up masterpiece Darius is approaching fast. The beloved arcade classic is making its way to a brand-new platform, and you won’t need three monitors to enjoy all its legendary, aquatic-themed glory.

Another title leading the pack is one of the most iconic and intense motorcycle-racing experiences in Road Rash II. Grab your trusty chain or bat and compete in brutal street races alone or with a friend in 2-player split-screen action!

Finally, we have the game that made all your non-Mega Drive owning friends jealous, the one that was a cut above the rest, Strider. Take on mechanical beasts of all shapes and sizes as you flip and climb around futuristic Soviet Russia in a near-perfect arcade port.

But that’s certainly not all! Here are the rest of the amazing titles coming to the SEGA Mega Drive Mini:

The Final 12

1. Tetris®
2. Darius
3. Virtua Fighter 2
4. Alisia Dragoon
5. Monster World IV
6. Kid Chameleon
7. Road Rash II
8. Eternal Champions
9. Columns
10. Dynamite Headdy
11. Strider
12. Light Crusader

SEGA Mega Drive Mini, By the Numbers:

• 42 games, handled by M2, one of the foremost developers in porting and emulation of classic video games.
• The best-of-the-best from SEGA and our partners at Konami, Capcom, EA, Disney, Interplay, and The Tetris Company.
• For the first time on any miniature console, players will be able to enjoy games like Darius, Earthworm Jim, Alisia Dragoon, Monster World IV, Probotector, Castlevania: The New Generation, Mega Man®: The Wily Wars, and many more!
• 55% the size of the original Model 1, accurate replica.

SEGA Mega Drive Mini FAQ:

Q. When does it launch?

A. 19^th September 2019

Q. How many games will be included?

A. 42 games.

Q. Which games will be included?

A. The full list of 42 titles included with the system are:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog
2. Ecco the Dolphin
3. Castlevania: The New Generation
4. Space Harrier 2
5. Shining Force
6. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
7. ToeJam & Earl
8. Comix Zone
9. Altered Beast
10. Gunstar Heroes
11. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
12. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
13. Thunder Force III
14. Super Fantasy Zone
15. Shinobi III
16. Streets of Rage 2
17. Earthworm Jim
18. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
19. Probotector
20. Landstalker
21. Mega Man®: The Wily Wars
22. Street Fighter II’®: Special Champion Edition
23. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts®
24. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
25. The Story of Thor
26. Golden Axe
27. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
28. Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
29. Vectorman
30. Wonder Boy in Monster World
31. Tetris®
32. Darius
33. Road Rash II
34. Strider
35. Virtua Fighter 2
36. Alisia Dragoon
37. Kid Chameleon
38. Monster World IV
39. Eternal Champions
40. Columns
41. Dynamite Headdy
42. Light Crusader

Q. Which version of the Mega Drive is the Mini based on?

A. It's based on the original Model 1 Mega Drive which launched in Oct. 1988 in Japan, Aug. 1989 in North America, and Nov. 1990 everywhere else.

Q. How big is it in comparison to the original console?

A. It's approximately 55% of the original Model 1 size.

Q. What do you get in the box?

A. The Mega Drive Mini comes complete with 42 games, Two replica three-button USB Mega Drive controllers, One USB to Micro-B power cable and One HDMI cable.

Q. Who handled the ports?

A. M2 is handling the porting process. They've previously worked on SEGA AGES and SEGA 3D Classics Collection, with a fantastic reputation based on the quality of their emulation projects and their faithfully recreated ports.

Q. Can I use original Mega Drive controllers with the Mini?

A. No, only the provided USB controllers or the Retro-Bit® SEGA Mega Drive 6-button controller.

  

Q. Where can I find more information?

A. megadrivemini.sega.com

Tolkien: Film Review

Tolkien: Film Review

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Col Meaney, Derek Jacobi
Director: Dome Karukoski

The Tolkien biopic is a quietly muted film about comradeship above all else.

It seems apt, given how Tolkien's most famous books are about fellowship, and Karukoski's at pains to repeatedly emphasise this point throughout.

Starting at a young age in J R R Tolkien's life, Hoult takes the mantle of the ultimately famous writer, whose early life is blighted by degrees of poverty and tragedy in equal measure.

When he gets into King Edwards College in Birmingham, he finds his outsider ways alienating him from others at the school, and thrusts him into fights. But gradually taken in under the wing of three fellow students, Tolkien forms a bond and group with fellow artists.

But their world is torn apart by the arrival of the war to end all wars.

Tolkien is a prestige pic, that's slightly hobbled by pacing and a degree of stiffness throughout.
Hoult isn't quite strong enough as the author, but he does convey an earnest turn, and his romance with Lily Collins' Edith Bratt appears to work better on the page than it does on the screen, imbued as it is with a sense of malaise throughout.

More successful is the fellowship that crops up between the college mates. It's here the pre-war bonds and tragedies emerge and flourish. Certainly when Derek Jacobi's linguistics professor shows up later in the piece, the film bursts vibrantly into life, instilling a degree of passion into proceedings that's been occasionally lacking throughout.

However, there are some truly impressive visual touches in the war sequences.

Clearly inspired by what's seen in the shadows and how the mind works, Karukoski brings menace to flames, giving them faces on the fields of war. Tendrils are added to smoke plumes that plague the trenches, delivering a real feeling of both menace and Tolkien's imagination at work.

It's here the film soars, lifted by by small flourishes aimed at providing plenty of insight into how Tolkien's mind has worked. It's just a shame that this relatively traditional biopic doesn't take more opportunities to soar, and grounds its fantastical author in a kind of stifling approach that's ultimately and sadly disengaging.