Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Special Ops!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Special Ops!

Within Modern Warfare’s Special Ops are multiple dynamic experiences that take place on a wide variety of maps. The largest and most involved multi-stage experiences unfold across a sprawling urban environment around the city of Verdansk. These 4 player matchmade activities are known as Operations.

Most of the Killstreaks you know from Multiplayer Mode, such as airstrikes and UAVs, will be accessible in Special Ops. In addition, a number of vehicles, including tanks, helicopters, and ATVs, give your squad the opportunity to tackle any Operation at hand in a variety of ways.

Want to go in quietly, or guns blazing? Whatever you may choose, the situation is always fluid, as enemy forces will react to your choices in an attempt to foil your plans. They may deploy more soldiers via helicopters or even bring in a Juggernaut or two to wipe out your Armistice fireteam.

Work together with your team, be prepared to revive squadmates if necessary, and execute the task at hand as best as you can.

Locate your intel, neutralize your targets, and acquire ongoing rewards that come with accomplishing Operations and Missions.

Operations: As you infil into one of the many war-torn zones within Special Ops, you and your team have full latitude on how to accomplish your Operations. This Special Ops game mode is a 4 player matchmade activity centered around interconnected experiences that take the form of objectives, each culminating in the removal or destruction of a key logistical aspect of the Al-Qatala army.

Employ different strategies. Go in quietly or tackle the insurrection head-on. The enemy reacts to your team’s decisions, meaning the outcome of any battle can change.

At launch, you will embark on four multi-stage Operations with more scheduled to come throughout the post launch seasons. All post launch Operations will be coming to all platforms simultaneously.

Missions: Complementing the multi-stage Operations, and also available across all platforms, are additional Missions, which can be played solo or with up to four players. Whereas Operations give you the widest breadth of strategic and tactical choice, Missions are a more curated experience where your proficiency with specific weapons, killstreaks, and other tools will be tested. These Missions are extremely replayable, and you’re able to achieve a 1, 2, or 3-star ranking based on your performance. Naturally, there will be an “Infinity Ward time” that you can attempt to beat!

All Operations and Missions content in Special Ops will be available across all platforms at launch and through the post launch Seasons.

Mode Cross-Progression Rewards: As you complete any of the Special Ops content, expect to receive impressive rewards for your combat expertise. Examples include additional unlockable items and equipment that can be utilized in both Multiplayer and Special Ops Modes. 

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Episode 2 Out October 15

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Episode 2 Out October 15

Tom Clancy’s The Division^® 2: “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle”

will release on October 15
Biggest title update to date includes new main missions, latest specialization,

major fixes and improvements, new PvP Mode and more.
To download all assets please visit the press extranet: ubisoft-press.com

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — October 10, 2019 — Ubisoft has announced October 15 as the release date for its latest content update for the live open world game Tom Clancy’s The Division^® 2. Players who did not have a chance to play will also have the opportunity to try the game for free.*

Title Update 6 highlights The Division 2’s biggest title update to date for players, featuring “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle,” a variety of game improvements and a new Conflict PvP mode. Episode 2 is available for Year 1 pass holders and UPLAY+** subscribers on October 15 (October 22 for all players). All changes and improvements, as well as the new mode, are available for all players on October 15.

The latest episode in The Division 2’s Year 1 free content plan features escalation in Washington D.C. for Division Agents, as Black Tusk forces continue to wreak havoc around the city. In Episode 2, players must fight to solve the ongoing outbreak crisis. It will be up to Agents to uncover the secrets inside the Pentagon before it falls into the hands of The Black Tusk.

Click image below to view trailer.

Content featured in “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” includes:

Two New Main Missions

At the beginning of Episode 2, players will investigate a transmission from a fellow Agent scouting the Pentagon for the perfusion bioreactor. Securing the bioreactor would allow Agents to replicate the antiviral samples recovered at Tidal Basin. Agents must navigate flood damage and Black Tusk forces to take back The Last Castle. After securing their safe house, players will be able to access the two replayable main missions of Episode 2

• First Main Mission - Pentagon: Agents will discover the location of the perfusion bioreactor inside the Pentagon’s underground research facility. The Black Tusk have already infiltrated the lab and are attempting to extract the reactor.
• Second Main Mission - DARPA Research Labs: Players must make their way through the Pentagon and into the DARPA Labs, as the Black Tusk are in the process of transporting the perfusion bioreactor through an abandoned Cold War tunnel network.

New “Technician” Specialization: Effective October 15, Year 1 pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers will instantly unlock the Technician Specialization. Players who do not own the Year 1 pass can unlock the specialization by completing a series of objectives. Additional rewards, including a signature weapon skin, are also available once the specialization is unlocked. The latest specialization includes:

• Signature Weapon: P-017 Launcher – a multi-missile launcher. Agents can lock-on and hit up to six enemies (depending on available ammo). With a simple push of a button, six missiles are unleashed to seek out their targets.
• Sidearm: Maxim 9
• Skill Variant: Artificer Hive
• Grenade Mod: EMP Grenade

Classified Assignments (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers): Agents can take on two new Classified Assignments at a Boathouse and Embassy.

• Marina: Outcasts have been moving weapons and supplies into a boathouse on the Potomac River, which was used as a transport depot during the outbreak to move assets to the Potomac Center and Roosevelt Island. Agents must investigate and seize all the weapons they can find.
• Embassy: A Joint Task Force helicopter filled with supplies was shot down by the Outcasts and crashed through the roof of the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. Agents will be tasked to locate the helicopter rescue the pilot and secure the supplies before the Outcasts get there.

The latest title update also brings an unprecedented number of fixes and improvements, as well as a brand new PvP mode. 

Major Fixes and Improvements

Players will see significant game improvements in The Division 2 effective October 15. These improvements were developed thanks to community feedback on game forums and following last month’s Elite Task Force workshop, during which community members visited Ubisoft Massive studio in Malmö, Sweden to share thoughts and ideas about the game. Fixes and improvements include:

• Targeted Loot
• Named Items overhauled
• Crafting Changes
• Recalibration Changes
• Filled Brands
• Inventory Management 2.0
• Increased stash space
• Rebalance of talents and weapons
• Dark Zone Server Transfers
• Updated Thieves’ Den Vendor
• Dark Zone Supply Drops Changes
• Occupied Dark Zone Ambushes
• Normalization in Dark Zone changes
• Conflict: Loadout Selection during map voting
• Bonus armor visualization increased
• Conflict: End of Match Rewards changes
• Stored tutorials

As part of Ubisoft’s commitment to the overall fixes and improvements to the game, The Division 2’s second raid will be delayed. The additional time allows the development team to focus on the overall quality of The Division 2, while developing a raid that will better meet the standards of its players. For more information read today’s letter to players from The Division 2 Development Team on news.ubisoft.com

New Conflict PvP Mode

The new Team Elimination PvP mode pits two teams of four into a best-of-seven round battle in D.C. Rounds will end once an entire team has been eliminated or time has expired. Team Elimination provides a teamwork focused tactical experience for players. Team Elimination takes effect on October 15.

New map: The “Wharf”

The new map ‘Wharf’ is on par with previous PvP maps in terms of size and takes players to an abandoned fishing harbor. It offers tactical gameplay opportunities, through flanking routes and raised positions. 

Free Weekend

Players who did not have a chance to play The Division 2 yet will have the opportunity to try the game for free between October 17-20. In addition Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be on sale later this month, allowing players to continue the adventure at a discounted price. Those who purchase the game after the Free Weekend will keep their progression. For more information, please visit: https://tomclancy-thedivision.ubisoft.com/game/en-AU/free-weekend.

The Year 1 Pass gives players even more content to The Division 2, including early access to Episode 2 content. For full details on what’s included with the Year 1 Pass, please visit https://support.ubi.com/en-AU/faqs/38853/Contents-of-the-The-Division-2-Year-1-Pass-TCTD2/.

Led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with seven other studios around the world***, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the next evolution in the open-world online shooter RPG genre that the first game helped establish. Set seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York City, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 brings players into a fractured and collapsing Washington D.C. The world is on the brink, its people living through the biggest crisis ever faced in human history. As veteran Division agents, players are the last hope against the complete fall of society as enemy factions vie for control of the city. If Washington D.C. is lost, the entire nation falls. Building upon more than two years of listening to and learnings from The Division community, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will offer a substantial campaign that organically flows into a robust endgame, to create a cohesive and meaningful experience for all types of players, helping players emphasize their freedom to make strategic choices and hone their own approach.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Windows PC, UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will also launch on the new generation gaming platform, Stadia.

Annabelle Comes Home: DVD Review

Annabelle Comes Home: DVD Review

The Conjuring Universe continues to proffer more cinematic goods, as the appetite for horror shows no sign of lapsing.

The latest sees the Warrens transporting Annabelle home and confining the malevolent mannequin in their artifacts room, blessing the casing and putting up lots of Keep Out signs to stop people trespassing.

But when Ed and Lorraine head away from the weekend, leaving ten-year-old daughter Judy (a quietly nuanced McKenna Grace) in the hands of her babysitter, Annabelle gets out, awakening all kinds of chaos in the demonic room.

There's no denying that Annabelle Comes Home is effective at stretching out its conveyor belt of scares, and orchestrating the kind of spooky atmospherics the series has become known for.

There are some nice moments as the curse of Lorraine's visions appear to have been passed on to the daughter, and there's a familiar theme of being ostracised for their beliefs after their experiences, but Annabelle Comes Home is less interested in nuances, more in pulling back the curtain and giving you a jump scare a couple of moments after you've expected it.

Dauberman shoots it all well, there's the requisite number of spooky scenes and sequences, and there are plenty of close ups of the glass-eyed doll as you expect it to jump at you.

But in truth, after a while you feel like the contents of the demonic room are being rolled out as potential spin-offs. There's the Hellhound case from the past, the haunted Shinobi, the wedding dress that melds with its wearer, the haunted boardgame - they all feel like they're jostling to see which could work for future audiences and extend the universes further after this seventh entrant.

Haunted house cliches collide with a degree of claustrophobia, and an element of a small cast gives Annabelle Comes Home the tautness it requires.

However, this really is the cinematic equivalent of the ghost ride rolling into town every year as part of the carnival.

Deep down, you know what to expect, you enjoy the ride for its nostalgia or for the attempted tweaks the organisers have put in to keep it fresh - but buried underneath its smoke and mirrors tricks, this franchise needs to stop heading down the generic route, get back to genuine deep scares and psychological scars or it'll deserve to be confined to its grave.

Ugly Dolls: Film Review

Ugly Dolls: Film Review

Vocal cast: Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas
Director: Kelly Asbury

Determined to push its message more than commit to a decent story and narrative, musical UglyDolls' tale is fairly thin on the ground, but entertaining enough for the kids.

Committed more to colourful than coherence, UglyDolls is the story of Kelly Clarkson's Moxie, a misshapen plush toy who's part of Uglyville, a collection of rejected toys that don't meet the perfection mark.

Dreaming that every day will be the day that she's selected to become a kid's toy, along with a ragtag bunch of fellow Uglies, Moxie finds a way through into the Institute of Perfection, run by Nick Jonas' Lou.

A clash brews between the two as Lou plots to rid the world of Uglyville...

Ugly Dolls exists solely to sell plushies and soundtracks.

That's certainly the feeling in the opening moments of the piece as the first of copious songs is belted out by Clarkson's Moxie, and it rarely lets up as it pushes its anti-quest for perfection tale.

Granted, the message of loving your imperfections and embracing them is a truly valid and important one at an early age, but UglyDolls fails to do much else.

Gags are relatively flat, and while the younger end of the audience may well be bewitched by the colourful characters and ultimately be more receptive to the message, the older end may well feel the 90 minute run time is still a struggle.

UglyDolls may be fluffy on the outside, but dig deeper and this plush tale of animation lacks much else - except a desire to merchandise imperfections.

Animals: Film Review

Animals: Film Review

52 Tuesdays director Sophia Hyde heads to Dublin for this tale of female friendship in among the arty sector.

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat are best mates, Laura and Tyler. Laura's been trying to write a book for nigh on 10 years now and has as many pages as she's spent years doing it. Tyler, a barista, spends her days waiting for the nights, disappearing into a haze of booze and friendly banter, as well as flirtatious talk at parties.

But when Laura meets Fra Fee's Jim, a talented pianist, she falls for his talent and his charms, throwing a spanner in the works of the hedonistic partnership.

Hyde's Animals has a vibrant energy to start off with, but it soon falls away, leaving Grainger to take the lead where really it should be Shawkat's character who comes into the spotlight.

There's an empowerment in place here, but in all honesty, the familiarity of the story arc prevents the film from truly transcending.

What is obvious though is the impressive performances of both Grainger and Shawkat who remain eminently watchable throughout, even if the film feels like its petering out before it's even begun.

The bottom line with Animals is that it's perfectly pleasant, but ultimately ends up being somewhat forgettable, dampening down its opening fire with fare that feels too familiar and underused to linger a long time in the after memory.

Mosley: Film Review

Mosley: Film Review 

Vocal cast: Kirby Atkins, Rhys Darby, Lucy Lawless, Temuera Morrison, John Rhys-Davies
Director: Kirby Atkins

Two decades in the making, and with a more intriguing approach to animated fare, Kirby Atkins' Chinese / New Zealand co-pro is certainly the kind of film that deserves praise rather than scorn - even if the tone is a bit all over the place.

Atkins voices Mosley, a Thoriphant (a sort of cross between dinosaur elephant and plasticine) creature that's known only life under the yolk, working on a farm. Mosley's heard of the Uprights, a race of early Thoriphants that walked upright and had hands, and never knew life under the oppression of man.

One day, forced to the edge, and with his family under threat of separation, Mosley finds himself spurred into action and on a quest to discover his race's past and their future...

Mosley has an intriguing story, a mix of mystical and mythical, that borrows from the likes of Kubo and The Two Strings, and which shows ambition in telling a different story than you normally get in animation these days.

Initially, the film's computer animation doesn't stand out because of the muted palette, and a fractured tone that jumps about, but look past these initial faults, and stick with the film because the elements click together and begin to soar.

While some of the younger end of the audience may fidget a little, and while some of the emotional edges seem a little muted like the colours, Mosley offers a tantalisingly different story that rewards as time goes on.

Coupled with a soaring orchestral score, Mosley's animation and mythology gel together nicely in the final furlong to provide something that offers a resonance that's missing early on.

That doesn't mean it's all perfect sailing to get there, but Mosley's pleasures outweigh its occasional pain point to offer a slice of New Zealand family fare that shows promise in difference and a future in the New Zealand animation industry.

Gemini Man: Film Review

Gemini Man: Film Review

Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Will Smith Jr, Benedict Wong
Director: Ang Lee

Gemini Man feels like a film that could have come from the 90s.

And in fairness, it should, quite frankly, have stayed there.

A muted Smith plays Henry Brogan a hitman with 72 kills under his belt and an inability to look himself in the mirror. Deciding to retire, Brogan finds himself hunted and on the run by his former employers - and someone who could be as deadly as he is...a younger version of himself.

Gemini Man tries to tick the action boxes and while some of  and while some of the action thrills (specifically the first chase between the two) a lot of the film falls into the uncanny valley and digital incoherence.

Smith’s younger version flips and parkours like it’s the 90s, bordering between laughable and laudable effects work from WETA digital.

Looking like a cross between Fresh Prince and Smith as Ali, there’s a visual reality that feels like a cross between ground breaking and PlayStation cut scene. Technologically it may be a marvel, but saddled with a dull script and a level of conspiracy incoherence that feels like it’s from the X Files, Gemini Man thuds to the ground with a real crash.

Muting Smith's charisma may help some of the drama, but given how flat the script is, it’s a fatal flaw.

Owen is saddled with little except grim faced exposition, Winstead fares little better with a role that requires nothing - only Benedict Wong emerges with some comedic touches that lightly improve proceedings

In many ways, Gemini Man feels like Enemy of the State and an attempted meditation on an identity crisis, but with a clone edge. 

It’s just a shame that this Gemini Man is less interested in making you see more double, and leaves you more likely to see red.

Toy Story 4: DVD Review

Toy Story 4: DVD Review

It's hard to know where to start with Toy Story 4.

The third film wrapped things up so well, that anyone moving forward with the series was always going to face a monumental challenge of epic proportions.

But while the fourth Toy Story doesn't hit the peaks of the first film, it does prove a solid, if uncertain entrant into the series. There's some good within though, but admittedly, there's also a feeling that this was a series that didn't need a revisit.

Deja vu haunts much of the storyline this time around, with Sheriff Woody (the ever reliable Hanks) now struggling to find a place in the world after his kid Andy has moved on. Sure, he's been handed down to Andy's sister Bonnie, but Bonnie's more interested in Jessie, leaving Woody in the cupboard and not picked for playtime.

Determined, Woody climbs into Bonnie's backpack to accompany her for her first day at kindergarten (much of Toy Story 4 concerns itself with moving on, next stages of life) and to ensure she has a friend. But Woody's goodwill inadvertently leads to the creation of Forky, a toy thrown together by the loner Bonnie out of a white plastic fork, some googly eyes and pipe cleaner.

Bonnie adores it - but things go awry when Forky goes missing during a family trip, prompting Woody to launch a rescue mission.

Toy Story 4 is clothed in familiarity.

It opens with a rescue as Woody's Leave No Toy mentality comes to the fore again, and concludes with another rescue attempt as Woody and a small group of toys try to pull off a daring heist.

In between all that, there's a smattering of the usual Pixar sentiment and silliness as well as superlative CGI as it plays out.

Yet, Toy Story 4 doesn't deliver the highs you'd want, and while the endings function both as standalone for this adventure, and a capper for those wallowing in the nostalgia, the film's raison d'etre isn't quite as clear cut as you'd want.

Sure, there's a living in a world without kids message and a take on how parenting leaves parents bereft when the kids move on, all delivered in the usual solid Pixar way. But while the heart of Toy Story beats on, the existential crisis that lies within (What are toys' purpose, what is Woody's purpose, what can stop Forky being obsessed with trash) is a little too reminiscent of what's transpired before.

That's not to Toy Story 4's detriment, and there are many joys to be had - chiefly in the form of Bo Peep's Lara Croft-esque demeanour, and Reeves' Duke Caboom. It's just a shame that it's come at the expense of Buzz Lightyear being sidelined, and other faves fading out of the limelight.

But if you're after the solid emotional payoff previous entrants in the series have offered, you may - bar one ending - be left wanting. Feeling more like a spin-off franchise entrant than a consolidated animated push for eternity, Toy Story 4 may pitch for a heartfelt message, but the emotional coherence that rendered the rest of the series so essential is sadly lacking, rendering this more an epilogue than anything else.

That said, Pixar still delivers something superlative, even if it does feel like a bolt on.

Hustlers: Film Review

Hustlers: Film Review

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer
Director: Lorene Scafaria

Based on a New York magazine article, Hustlers' tale of empowerment of ladies and taking back what's theirs should in theory, be a home run.

Set against a backdrop of a group of strippers headed up by matriarch Ramona (JLo, in no nonsense taking mood) Constance Wu stars as Destiny, a new-to-town stripper, who's taken under Ramona's wing.

When the financial crisis of 2008 hits the strip clubs and stops the ladies from earning the coin as the businessmen stay away, Ramona and Destiny hit upon a new scam to make money when times get tough....

Hustlers is a fine film in parts (specifically its aesthetics), but one that fails to fully seize on what makes a story like this soar.

While it could be seen as a female POV counterpoint piece to Martin Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street, Hustlers' prime failure is in fully setting up the friendships and family elements early on which would inform the emotional bond you feel to the characters when times get tough.

It's a relatively fatal flaw, in among the incessant gyrations and tasteful nudity that never once falls into male gaze territory (thankfully).

The shallow skin-deep approach informs much of the aesthetics of the club, as well as the approach to the characters - motivations are about as fleshed-out as the fully-covered ladies and Scafaria's failure to demonise anyone makes for an intriguing lack of moral compass as the movie plays out.

It's particularly noticeable and pertinent in the final third of the film, which meanders and drifts into duller territory as the narrative framing devices push the story into a she said, she said approach necessary for the magazine interview format to play out.

Wu is fairly solid in this, but talk of Lopez for Oscar glory for her role as Ramona is misplaced at best - her Ramona is a variation of any strong women role she's had before, but unfortunately, there's not enough dramatic meat in the Hustlers' bones to really justify it.

When the end comes, you may be surprised how hollow it feels and how emotionally lacking it is - if anything, this is the ultimate scam perpetrated by Hustlers, a film so wrapped up in all its own take on capitalism and family that it falls apart under any kind of prolonged scrutiny.

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Blu Ray Review

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Blu Ray Review

More a film about fallout and fallen heroes, as well as father figures, Spider-Man: Far From Home thwips and zips around Europe as it unleashes the concluding picture in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Peter Parker (Holland, lithe and offering depth in whatever's commanded of him) is grieving the loss of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame and fielding calls to become the next Iron Man.

With the world reeling from the replacement of everyone who disappeared from Thanos' snap, and the social problems it poses, Parker just wants to concentrate on being a teen, go on holiday and tell MJ (Zendaya, nicely awkward and giving some resonance to their relationship) how he feels.

But when a new threat emerges, Nick Fury (a petulant and off-key Jackson) is determined to get Spider-Man to man up - however, even with the arrival of Jake Gyllenhaal's fatherly Quentin Blake (aka Mysterio), Parker has to deal once again with the fact that with great power, comes great responsibility.

While Spider-Man: Far From Home will proffer little surprises to those well-versed with their Spider-lore, what Watts and the team does is provide a wrap up capper that leans on the humour, builds on the heart and goes heavy on the action when it's needed.

The tone feels right for Spider-Man, and while the relationship between Peter and Jacob Batalon's Ned is sidelined when it sparkled in Homecoming, Far From Home is more interested in giving Parker surrogate father figure options to replace Stark's cold hard mentoring.

From Favreau's Happy via Jackson's sharp Fury to Gyllenhaal's soft and open-to-listening Blake, and taking in Parker's interactions with MJ as he struggles to say what matters, the human touches are welcome ones, as the film zips around its European settings before ending with an action-packed London finale that shows the CGI off to its highest capabilities. It's these moments which help Spider-Man: Far From Home soar to the heights it's trying to achieve.

Deftly being thrown around the screen, and leaping where necessary and pratfalling when required, Tom Holland's take on Parker now feels essential, both in the context of Spider-Man and in returning him to more high school related woes as he juggles his conscience and his desire to be normal.

The CGI shows no signs of creaking as the screen occasionally overfills with the action - something the biggest screen is required for. Some nightmarish scenes offer the kind of head trips last experienced by Doctor Strange, but never lose their intimate scope and subject in the mix as the film deftly dances around people's beliefs.

In many ways, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fairly disposable, but supremely enjoyable piece of superhero fare.

It proffers an alternative to the heavy-laced edges of Avengers: Endgame and the doom-laden films it's led up to, but never loses sight of its place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It may conclude in the usual fashion with the expected CGI carnage, but thanks to the work done by Holland, it feels like it's light and lithe on its feet, a web-slinger that embraces its canon and identity but isn't afraid to play fast and loose with expectations.

(Oh, and it scores extra points for embracing one of the best parts of last year's Spider-Man PS4 game.)

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir: DVD Review

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir: DVD 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.

NBA 2K20 PS4 Review

NBA 2K20 PS4 Review

Released by 2K Games
Platform: PS4

The annual iteration of the basketball sim is here.

And once again 2K Games proves that it largely knows what it's doing with these sims and gives the audience what it wants.

As well as providing teams from the WNBA that have not been part of the series prior to this release, NBA 2K20 builds on its foundations as a sim that's for all-comers. Though, as ever, anyone with a previous knowledge and skillset will find much to get ahead with straight away.

With MyCareer story mode, and voice work from Idris Elba, 2K have, as they say, got game. But there is an element of microtransactions which make matters a little blurry and muddies some of the water done by the franchise.

Yet, on the positive side, the game looks incredible, the players are wonderfully and stylistically rendered to ensure if you're a fan, you can get the best out of what's on offer.

A buggy AI occasionally keeps the game on its toes, but confounds the player, and while there's much to keep the hardcore fan of the NBA happy, the casual player may prefer to sink time into the three-pointers and odd games rather than pile in hours-upon-hours of playing.

There may be an argument to say these games potentially need a year off and a reason to continually exist, but it can be said that for its foibles, and its use of microtransactions, NBA 2K20 does enough to justify its place off the starting bench.

Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock

Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock

Take a look at the all new short film, Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock.

Men in Black: International: DVD Review

Men in Black: International: DVD Review

It's easy to forget the Men In Black series was a franchise of goofy aliens versus straight laced G-men, dour faced, suited and booted.

Yet the original film with Will Smith fast talking his way into stone-faced Tommy Lee Jones' world was a blast of family entertainment, propped up with a peppy rap song that lived on for years.

The latest, Men in Black International, is the final nail in the franchise coffin, a film that should neuralise its entire audience after its car-sponsored credits have ended. It would be the only decent thing to do.

Hemsworth and Neeson are the original Men in Black, H and T, who back in 2016, saved the world by ridding it of the threat of the Hive atop the Eiffel Tower. Two decades earlier Tessa Thompson's science-smart and ferociously intelligent Molly had a run-in with the MIBs and has been determined to join their ranks, but has been rebuffed repeatedly.

When Molly and H cross paths, they're put on a mission to investigate whether MIB's been infiltrated, and once again, save the world.

The depressing thing about Men in Black International is that the potential's so inherently there.

Both Thompson and Hemsworth have a good rapport, as Thor and Valkyrie can attest. Yet, a weak script, with twists that can be seen coming from literally the opening minutes do nothing to exploit their chemistry, and in fact, choke it in a cloud of lame weak gags that fall flat.

Once again, the script lazily points to Hemsworth's necessity to derobe, and while an Avengers-inspired gag is amusing, its weak execution sees it fall flat. Hemsworth's done comedy well, as Ghostbusters can prove, but essentially, it's a boorish himbo in parts that outstays its welcome long before 15 minutes is up.

Tessa Thompson is more successful, giving her Agent M a more rounded feel, even if she spends most of the film seeking validation from a male. (Seriously, this film with its female needing approval and two middle Eastern villains feels like a queasy throwback at times.) And Emma Thompson's snarky boss is wasted in a book-ending turn that feels like it could have had the spark and spunk the script so desperately needed.

While Men in Black International is a family film, its commitment to the kids comes in the form of Kumail Nanjiani's Pawny, a CGI character that irritates initially, but is soon saddled with the lion's share of the and best lines. To be honest though, he's no Frank, and pales weakly in comparison.

Ultimately, at a sagging two hours, the film doesn't proffer nearly enough - it may be positioned as a comedy action movie, but it offers up little enough of either, and is a depressing end to the franchise that began with such bluster 22 years ago.

When it goes goofy (as it does towards the end) and cuts loose with its script, Men in Black International offers up a good reason to exist. Sadly, it's too late in the piece, and as the depressing Lexus car product placement shots pile up, the feeling is one of utter despair, and wasted opportunity.

Joker: Film Review

Joker: Film Review

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix. Robert de Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron, Frances Conroy
Director: Todd Phillips

Intense, haunting, disturbing, unsettling, uncomfortable, uncompromising, deeply indebted to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and King of Comedy, Hangover director Todd Phillips' take on Joker is nothing without Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck.

An alienated clown who's trying to get by in a struggling Gotham that's grappling with a descent into garbage strikes and class divides, Fleck is hanging on by the skin of his teeth, scrabbling from day-to-day with a world he's growing ever-more distant from and from humanity on every level.

Fleck's grip on reality is further tested by his relationship with his ailing mother (Conroy) - though there's some light in the form of a neighbour (Deadpool's Beetz) and in local talkshow host Murray Franklin (De Niro riffing on his own Murray Pupkin), both offering Fleck a connection to life and a future.

But as the class war and societal concerns strike, Fleck finds himself at a personal profound crossroads...

Joker is less a comic book film, more an intensely choreographed dance into madness and destruction, that forces you into sympathies for the devil.

Central to the maelstrom is an emaciated Phoenix, his whole frame racked by the condition that forces him to laugh when it's less than ideal, and whose laughs teeter dangerously close to sobs of desperation. Lithe, lissom and genuinely haunting, the incendiary Phoenix owns the screen from the moment the film starts to the time it ends.

While there are nods to the wider universe, Joker is less about the clown prince, more a damning indictment of a man falling apart with parallels to the politically uncertain times we currently live in.

It's here that Phillips and Phoenix team up to make something that's an unravelling in our narcissistic times, a dangerous mirror to edges of our society that may galvanise some more than it should or ought to. There are plenty of scenes of Phoenix's Fleck struggling - be it up endless flights of stairs, or sitting in empty rooms, Phillips doesn't scrimp on the visual imagery.

It's not all perfect - some of the supporting characters feel underused in the extreme slow burn of Phoenix's spotlight; much of the feel of the film is ripped from Scorsese's grimy playbook and there are questions over the mental health portrayal within.

But Joker is visceral and uncomfortable in the way cinema can get under your skin; this character study is one of the year's compelling best, a sickening portrait that's unsettling and unnerving.