Joker: Blu Ray Review

Joker: Blu Ray Review

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.

Ugly Dolls: DVD Review

Ugly Dolls: DVD Review

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.

XBox's most anticipated titles for 2020

XBox's most anticipated titles for 2020

In the first half of the year, we’re looking forward to launching a diverse lineup of titles from Xbox Game Studios and our partners, expanding the Project xCloud preview to new markets and devices, and a growing catalog of titles available with Xbox Game Pass on both console and PC! 

If you’re working on stories outlining next year’s most anticipated offerings in games, below is a quick look at some of the amazing games from Xbox Game Studios and our partners, with titles “Bleeding Edge,” “Minecraft Dungeons,” “Microsoft Flight Simulator,” “Ori and the Will of the Wisps,” “Gears Tactics” and “Tell Me Why” launching with Xbox Game Pass the same date as their global release. 

And arriving in Holiday 2020 alongside “Halo Infinite,” Xbox Series X will be our fastest, most powerful console ever and set a new bar for performance, speed and compatibility, allowing you to bring your gaming career, thousands of games from three generations and more forward with you. With Xbox Series X, we will deliver a level of fidelity and immersion unlike anything that’s been achieved in previous console generations.

• “12 MINUTES” (ANNAPURNA INTERACTIVE)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC

“12 Minutes” is a real-time top-down interactive thriller with an accessible click and drag interface. What should be a romantic evening with your wife turns into a nightmare when a police detective breaks into your home, accuses your wife of murder and beats you to death, only for you to find yourself immediately returned to the exact moment you opened the front door, stuck in a TWELVE-MINUTE time loop, doomed to relive the same terror again and again, unless you can find a way to use the knowledge of what’s coming to change the outcome and break the loop.

• “Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition” (TANTALUS MEDIA, WORLD’S EDGE)

Availability: Windows 10 PC, Steam, Xbox Game Pass

Immerse yourself in the award-winning strategy experience, remastered for 2020 with all new 4K Ultra HD graphics, new sounds and more. Command mighty European powers looking to explore new lands in the New World, or jump eastward to Asia and determine the outcome of its struggles for power.

• “BATTLETOADS” (RARE, DLALA STUDIOS)

Availability: Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass

Rare and DLaLa Studios are bringing the beloved brawler to Xbox with a unique animation style, wild side-scrolling action and team-focused gameplay that's perfect for couch co-op.  

• “BLEEDING EDGE” (NINJA THEORY)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam, Xbox Game Pass

“Bleeding Edge” is a brand-new 4v4 brawler that combines 3rd person action combat with online team multiplayer. “Bleeding Edge” features a diverse roster of fighters with a mix of ranged and melee combat styles as well as moment to moment gameplay that is all about combos, dodging, timing, dexterity and good teamwork to secure the win! “Bleeding Edge” will launch on March 24, 2020 on Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam and with Xbox Game Pass.

• “CROSSFIREX” (SMILEGATE ENTERTAINMENT)

Availability: Xbox One; Xbox Game Pass

Coming first to console on Xbox One in 2020 with unique content for Xbox Game pass members, “CrossfireX” is an all-new, free-to-play instalment of the world’s most-played PC gaming franchise, “Crossfire.” Built from the ground up, “CrossfireX” delivers a wide variety of high-quality FPS experiences, with new multiplayer maps and modes from developer Smilegate Entertainment, and an all-new single-player campaign developed in partnership with Remedy Entertainment.

• “CUPHEAD: THE DELICIOUS LAST COURSE” (STUDIO MDHR)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Nintendo Switch

In Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Cuphead and Mugman are joined by Ms. Chalice for a DLC add-on adventure on a brand-new island! With new weapons, new charms, and Ms. Chalice's brand-new abilities, take on a new cast of multi-faceted, screen-filling bosses to assist Chef Saltbaker in Cuphead's final challenging quest.

• “CYBERPUNK 2077” (CD PROJEKT RED)  

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia, Steam

“Cyberpunk 2077” is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your character’s cyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you. 

• “DOOM ETERNAL” (ID SOFTWARE)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam

As the DOOM Slayer you return to find Earth has suffered a demonic invasion. Discover the Slayer’s origins and his enduring mission to RAZE HELL. Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power as you battle your way across dimensions with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat.

• “DRAKE HOLLOW” (THE MOLASSES FLOOD)

Availability:  Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC

Explore a blighted world with your friends. Gather supplies, battle savage creatures, and build villages to protect the local innocent vegetable folks known as Drakes.

• “GEARS TACTICS” (THE COALITION, SPLASH DAMAGE)

Availability: Windows 10 PC, Steam, Xbox Game Pass

“Gears Tactics” is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game set 12 years before the first “Gears of War.” Cities on the planet Sera are beginning to fall to the monstrous threat rising from underground – the Locust Horde. With the government in disarray, a squad of survivors emerge as humanity's last hope. Play as Gabe Diaz, recruiting, equipping and commanding your squads on a desperate mission to hunt down the relentless and powerful leader of the Locust army: Ukkon, the evil mastermind who makes monsters. Against all odds and fighting for survival, outsmart your enemy in uniquely brutal, turn-based tactical combat. Experience the intensity of one of the most-acclaimed video game sagas in an exciting new way.  

• “GROUNDED” (OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT)

Availability: Xbox Game Preview, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam Early Access

In “Grounded,” players are shrunken to the size of an ant and tasked with surviving in the unique micro-world of a suburban backyard. This harsh and dangerous landscape can be navigated solo or with up to three additional players in co-operative multiplayer, working together to progress through story missions or exploring the intricately detailed game world. Players must gather, craft and build bases with everyday objects found within the yard, searching for life-saving resources, while living alongside peaceful and giant hostile insects, all fighting to survive. Launching in Xbox Game Preview with Xbox Game Pass, Grounded will evolve and change based on community feedback to enhance player experiences.

• “HALO INFINITE” (343 INDUSTRIES)

Availability: Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC

The Master Chief returns in 2020 when Halo Infinite releases globally with Xbox Series X. This next chapter in 343 Industries’ legendary Halo franchise invites players to join the venerable Master Chief on an all-new adventure as he faces new threats and gains new allies on a mysterious Halo ring. Halo Infinite is powered by the studio’s next-generation Slipspace Engine.

• “KINGDOM HEARTS III REMIND” (SQUARE ENIX)

Availability:  Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Determined to rescue Kairi, Sora travels to the Keyblade Graveyard a short time before the final battle was to take place. Lacking a corporeal form, he traces the hearts of the seven guardians of light. Through experiencing their personal battles firsthand, Sora is about to discover truths that he has never imagined.

• “LAST STOP” (VARIABLE STATE)

Availability:  Xbox One

“Last Stop” is a single-player third-person adventure set-in present-day London, where you play as three separate characters whose worlds collide in the midst of a supernatural crisis. Last Stop is an anthology connecting three stories in one, centered on secret lives, the ties that bind, and how magic can be found in the mundane.

• “MARVELS AVENGERS” (SQUARE ENIX)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia

“Marvel’s Avengers” begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

• “MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR” (ASOBO STUDIO)

Availability: Windows 10 PC, Xbox Game Pass for PC

“Microsoft Flight Simulator” is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises and is specifically designed for flight simulation fans through a focus on the authenticity of flying and visually stunning environments. From light planes to wide-body jets, players can create their own flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet in highly detailed aircraft. Players can experience an incredibly realistic world in day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

• “MINECRAFT DUNGEONS” (MOJANG)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

“Minecraft Dungeons” is an all-new action-adventure game set in the Minecraft universe that will be launching in April 2020. Created in the classic dungeon crawler style, “Minecraft Dungeons” takes players on an epic quest full of new characters and environments to discover with single player or in co-op multiplayer for up to four players - including couch co-op. 

• “MINECRAFT EARTH” (MOJANG)

Availability: iOS, Android

Discover a new dimension of Minecraft as you create, explore, and survive in the real world. Join a community of builders and explorers spanning the planet, collect resources for your builds, craft in augmented reality and then place them at life-size. You can even team up with others for adventures! “Minecraft Earth” early access continues into 2020 and looks toward new features and experiences in the spring.

• “ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS” (MOON STUDIOS)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam, Xbox Game Pass

Available March 11, “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” will have you embark on an all-new adventure in a vast, exotic world where you’ll encounter towering enemies and challenging puzzles on your quest to unravel Ori’s destiny.

• “PSYCHONAUTS 2” (DOUBLE FINE PRODUCTIONS)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Xbox Game Pass

Razputin Aquato, trained acrobat and powerful young psychic, has realized his lifelong dream of joining the international psychic espionage organization known as the Psychonauts! But these psychic super spies are in trouble. Their leader hasn't been the same since he was kidnapped, and what's worse, there's a mole hiding in headquarters. Raz must use his powers to stop the mole before they execute their secret plan--to bring the murderous psychic villain, Maligula, back from the dead!

• “RUST” (FACEPUNCH STUDIOS)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Steam

The only aim in Rust is to survive. To do this you will need to overcome struggles such as hunger, thirst and cold. Build a fire. Build a shelter. Kill animals for meat. Protect yourself from other players and kill them for meat. Create alliances with other players and form a town. Do whatever it takes to survive.

• “TELL ME WHY” (DONTNOD ENTERTAINMENT)

Availability: Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam, Xbox Game Pass

“Tell Me Why” is a new Xbox Game Studios exclusive game from DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio who created the beloved and award-winning franchise “Life is Strange.” With a true-to-life story and authentic characters, “Tell Me Why” embodies Xbox’s Gaming for Everyone values to help create an inclusive gaming experience. “Tell Me Why” is a single-player narrative adventure game with a story unfolding across three chapters. 

• “THE ARTFUL ESCAPE” (BEETHOVEN AND DINOSAUR)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Apple Arcade

On the eve of his first performance, Francis Vendetti battles with the legacy of a dead folk legend and the cosmic wanderings of his own imagination. Francis, a teenage guitar prodigy, sets out on a psychedelic, multidimensional journey to inspire his stage persona.

• “VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – BLOODLINES 2” (HARDSUIT LABS)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Steam

Sired in an act of vampire terrorism, your existence ignites the war for Seattle's blood trade. Enter uneasy alliances with the creatures who control the city and uncover the sprawling conspiracy which plunged Seattle into a bloody civil war between powerful vampire factions. You and your unique disciplines are a weapon in our forward-driving, fast-moving, melee-focused combat system. Your power will grow as you advance but remember to uphold the Masquerade and guard your humanity... or face the consequences.

• “WASTELAND 3” (DEEP SILVER)

Availability:  Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Steam

“Wasteland 3” is a post-apocalyptic RPG from inXile entertainment, featuring challenging tactical combat, hours of exploration, and a deep, reactive story full of twists, turns, and brutal ethical decisions. Play in single-player or co-op as you customize your squad with perks and abilities geared to your playstyle and customize your vehicle—the Kodiak—turning it into a hardened war beast. Saving Colorado isn't going to be easy, but Arizona is counting on you, so... don't screw it up.

• “WEST OF DEAD” (RAW FURY)

Availability:  Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam

Purgatory, Wyoming, 1888. A place of gun smoke and darkness, sin and damnation, wendigos and witches. Step into the boots of the dead man William Mason (voiced by Ron Perlman) in this fast-paced twin-stick shooter. Dodge behind cover as you try to outgun your enemies in the unknown procedurally generated hunting grounds. The Wild West has never been this dark.

The Latest in GTA Online: The Rune Zhaba, Triple Rewards in Freemode Events, Bonuses, Discounts, and More

The Latest in GTA Online: The Rune Zhaba, Triple Rewards in Freemode Events, Bonuses, Discounts, and More

THE RUNE ZHABA AMPHIBIOUS ATV OUT NOW

PLUS TRIPLE REWARDS ON FREEMODE EVENTS, DOUBLED PAYOUTS FOR BUSINESS BATTLES AND MORE

RHUNE ZHABA

Big, tough and relentlessly aggressive, the amphibious Rune Zhaba is the jacked-up bullfrog of off-road vehicles. Land, mud, swamp, beach, just launch yourself in and see how far those custom tires take you. Available now from Warstock Cache & Carry.

NEW YEAR BONUSES

Look, we get it: new year, new you and all that. Shake the dust of yesteryear off by jumping into a game of Hunt the Beast, King of the Castle, or Criminal Damage - especially since you can earn Triple Rewards on Freemode Events. If your skillset is more entrepreneurial, you might want to get in on the doubled payouts for Business Battles until January 8.And if all else fails, stay away from the sun: the subterranean carnage of the Bunker Series is paying out double this week, after all.

NEW PODIUM VEHICLE: SEASONAL PFISTER COMET

If your other endeavors at The Diamond Casino & Resort aren't going your way, maybe you'll have better luck swaggering over to the lobby and giving the Lucky Wheel a spin for the chance to win RP, clothing, money and more. This week's top prize is a customized Pfister Comet Safari adorned with the exclusive "It's a Wrap" livery for added Yuletide flair. 

And regardless of how you fare, anyone who plays GTA Online before January 8th will receive the "It's a Wrap" Livery for their Comet Safari to bring in the New Year.

DISCOUNTS

If you're starting the year fresh off a big Heist payday, there are plenty of discounts to take advantage of this week, including a range of discounts on real estate, renovations and select high-end vehicles. Check the full list out below.

Properties & Renovations:

• Penthouses – 35% off
• Penthouse Add-Ons & Renovations - 35% off
• Nightclub – 35% off
• Nightclub Garage – 35% off
• Nightclub Renovations – 35% off

Vehicles:

• Progen Emerus (Super) – 25% off
• Benefactor Krieger (Super) – 25% off
• Pegassi Zorrusso (Super) – 25% off
• Vysser Neo (Super) – 25% off
• Ocelot Locust (Super) – 25% off
• Vapid Peyote Gasser (Sports) – 25% off
• Weeny Issi Sport (Sports) – 40% off
• Weeny Issi Classic (Compact) – 40% off
• Western Rampant Rocket (Cycle) – 25% off
• Übermacht Zion Classic (Sports Classics) – 25% off
• Vapid Caracara 4x4 (Off-Road) – 25% off
• Enus Paragon R (Sports) – 25% off

TWITCH PRIME BENEFITS

If you're a Twitch Prime member who has linked your account with the Rockstar Games Social Club and claimed your benefits, you canscore the Pixel Pete's Arcade property in Paleto Bay for free via rebate within 72 hours of purchase. Linked Twitch Prime members also get an extra bonus 10% off all this week's discounts listed above. To ensure access to future benefits, make sure to visitTwitch Prime and sign up.

Look out for more details on in the coming weeks on future updates to GTA Online, and head over to the Social Club Events page for all the latest special events, bonuses and discounts.

Check Rockstar Support for details and limitations.

1917: Film Review

1917: Film Review

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, Daniel Mays, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott
Director: Sam Mendes

Schofield and Blake, (MacKay and Chapman) two young British soldiers during the First World War, are given a seemingly impossible mission. 

With time against them, they must deliver a message, deep in enemy territory, that will stop their own men, and Blake's own brother, walking straight into a deadly trap.

But with the clock ticking, the duo face deadlier dangers than they could realise as they tread the trenches and the mistrust within the ranks.

In all honesty, director Sam Mendes does nothing new with the bones of the story of 1917.

There have been countless rescue missions/ one last mission war stories told before (Saving Private Ryan being the most famous) and Mendes’ tale of two soldiers tasked with stopping a doomed final push is hardly new - more an intimate tale set against the backdrop of a grander canvas.

And yet, in among some truly naive dialogue and some narrative contrivances that border on unbelievable, 1917 enacts one major coup - namely its one shot ethos, set in real time.

Imagine a more relaxed episode of 24 but with no less of the tension but less of the shouting and the real time(ish) exploits in 1917 start to merit some viewership rather than a familiarity dismissal.

Mendes along with cinematography from Roger Deakins sets the film apart - from an opening shot that takes two soldiers from a glen, weaves them through trenches and ends in a final mirrored shot that echoes the opening.

In between these bookenders, our pair of young heroes go through hellscapes, rendered with panache by the visuals team and undergo much more than any soul should take. But yet, your engagement with their mission feels forced and distant, therefore some elements don't land as perhaps they could - or should.

The emotional level doesn’t quite pull together as it should, with aforementioned contrivances and ropey dialogue jarring occasionally. And some sequences are clearly in existence to add to the necessary joining of the story.

But where 1917 works is in its immersive take on what war means and how it affects people.

It's here that the visual chutzpah comes together, and here that you get sucked into the action, such as it is. Complete with landscapes that are hellish and visually eye-popping, 1917 works better in parts than compared to the sum of said parts.

Ultimately, 1917 may well be a journey, but it's one that while successfully instigated at a technical level, falters at the more human edges that produce the most effective of war stories.

Star Wars range of KeepCups launches in NZ

Star Wars range of KeepCups launches in NZ

A long time ago in a cafe far far away... a simple barista just trying to make her way in the world felt a deep concern for cafe culture’s waste problem. In 2010 she decided to come back from the dark side of single-use cups and join the reusable rebel cause.

Abigail Forsyth founded KeepCup – the original reusable coffee cup that kickstarted the movement to reduce waste, bringing A New Hope to the global move towards a more conscious way of life. 

To celebrate The Rise of Skywalker in cinemas now, KeepCup has a limited edition Star Wars collection that’ll have you feeling like the mysterious baby Yoda every time you drink your morning coffee.


Disclaimer - This blog was sent a cup for consideration of onsite inclusion.  

A Quiet Place Part 2 First trailer

A Quiet Place Part 2 First trailer

The first trailer for the sequel to A Quiet Place is here.

A QUIET PLACE PART II IS IN THEATRES, DOLBY CINEMA AND IMAX ON MARCH 19

Paramount Pictures Presents

In Association with Michael Bay

A Platinum Dunes / Sunday Night Production

A John Krasinski Film

“A Quiet Place Part II”

Executive Producers Allyson Seeger, Joann Perritano, Aaron Janus

Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, John Krasinski

Based on Characters Created by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck

Written and Directed by John Krasinski

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

John Krasinski