Bad Boys For Life: Film Review

Bad Boys For Life: Film Review

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano,
Director: Bilall Fallah, Adil El Arbi

17 years after Bad Boys 2 exploded onto screens, the apparently final outing for Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's buddy cops series has arrived.

In all honesty, it may have been better to be shelved than to try to relive and recapture some of the former glories of the franchise.

In this latest, Mike Lowery (Smith, still looking flash as the Miami cop) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence, appearing in some scenes like he's struggling) are forced to reassess their lives when the past comes calling - and brings with it the Grim Reaper.

With one apparently last score to settle, the duo's forced back into a world not all of them want to be in...

Bad Boys For Life's elongated script drawing out moments doesn't help matters here.

It's rarely better than when both Smith and Lawrence are allowed to get back to their bickering best, but even that feels a little muted in parts, when really it should have soared higher because of the obvious chemistry between them.

Sure, there's a tale here of personal demons coming back to haunt and of looking to family and friends as being more important than your legacy, but Bad Boys For Life doesn't really build on that promise, preferring to go with racial stereotypes for the villain that's as outdated as ever in the current climates (but which some Trump supporters will adore, and those still smarting from Rambo's outing last year will groan at) and action that's solid but never spectacular.

As mentioned, Lawrence looks in parts like he's struggling to deliver a flat script, and where there should be comedy, there are, aside from one genuine laugh-out-loud moment from within a plane, warning signs of tumbleweeds lumbering into view.

Had 20 minutes of the Gemini Man style script been excised and the pace tightened along with some of it being beefed up, Bad Boys for Life would have been passable action movie fare.

As it is, it's less than memorable thanks to feeling stale and forced, and in parts more risible than it should be - instead of sending these bad boys off into the sunset, Bad Boys For Life has seen them hobble into retirement like some lame mules desperately in need of being put into pasture.

Win a double pass to see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Win a double pass to see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

To celebrate the release of the Oscar-nominated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, thanks to Sony Pictures NZ, you can win a double pass.

About A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.

After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is in cinemas January 23.
 
All you have to do is email your details and the word BEAUTIFUL!

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

Win a double pass to see The Grudge

Win a double pass to see The Grudge

To celebrate the release of The Grudge in cinemas, thanks to Sony Pictures New Zealand, you can win a double pass

About The Grudge

Directed by Nicolas Pesce, THE GRUDGE stars Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin with Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver.

With a screenplay by Nicolas Pesce and a story by Nicolas Pesce and Jeff Buhler, THE GRUDGE is based on the film “Ju-On: The Grudge” written and directed by Takashi Shimizu.

THE GRUDGE is produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise and is executive produced by Nathan Kahane, Erin Westerman, Brady Fujikawa, Andrew Pfeffer, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, John Powers Middleton and Schuyler Weiss.

The Grudge is in cinemas January 30



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

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

Win a Bad Boys For Life prize pack

Win a Bad Boys For Life prize pack

To celebrate the release of Bad Boys For Life in cinemas January 16, you can win an amazing prize pack from Sony Pictures New Zealand.

Inside the pack is

• a T shirt
• a hoodie
• a cap

About Bad Boys For Life

The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life.

Bad Boys for Life is in cinemas January 16

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

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

Marvel's Avengers, Final Fantasy VII remake delayed

Marvel's Avengers, Final Fantasy VII remake delayed

Marvel's Avengers and the much anticipated Final Fantasy VII remake are being delayed.

The news came from Square Enix overnight.

A message from the #FinalFantasy VII Remake development team. #FF7R pic.twitter.com/NFYIQmytSa

— FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE (@finalfantasyvii) January 14, 2020

"We are making this tough decision in order to give ourselves a few extra weeks to apply final polish to the game and to deliver you with the best possible experience," wrote Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase in a statement. "I, on behalf of the whole team, want to apologize to everyone, as I know this means waiting for the game just a little bit longer."

It was due out in March, but will now release on April 10.

Marvel's Avengers is being pushed back until September.

"At Crystal Dynamics our ambition has always been to deliver the ultimate Avengers gaming experience. In order to achieve that goal, we have made the difficult decision to move the release date of Marvel’s Avengers to September 4, 2020.

As fans ourselves, it’s an honor and a privilege to work with these legendary characters and we know what these Super Heroes mean to us and True Believers around the world. When we set out to bring you our vision for Marvel’s Avengers, we committed to delivering an original story-driven campaign, engaging co-op, and compelling content for years to come. To that end, we will spend this additional development time focusing on fine tuning and polishing the game to the high standards our fans expect and deserve."

Marvel's Avengers's developer Crystal Dynamics  studio co-heads Scot Amos and Ron Rosenberg cited "fine tuning and polishing" as the reason for the delay. "We will spend this additional development time focusing on fine tuning and polishing the game to the high standards our fans expect and deserve."

The 2020 Oscar nominations are

The 2020 Oscar nominations are

BEST PICTURE
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood"
"Marriage Story"
"Parasite"

"1917"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kathy Bates, "Richard Jewell"
Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Scarlett Johansson, "Jojo Rabbit"
Florence Pugh, "Little Women"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
Anthony Hopkins, "The Two Popes"
Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
South Korea, "Parasite"
Spain, "Pain and Glory"
France, "Les Misérables"
North Macedonia, "Honeyland"
Poland, "Corpus Christi"

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
"In the Absence"
"Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)"
"Life Overtakes Me"
"St. Louis Superman"
"Walk Run Cha-Cha"

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"American Factory"
"The Edge of Democracy"
"Honeyland"
"For Sama"
"The Cave"

ORIGINAL SONG
"I'm Standing With You," "Breakthrough"
"Into the Unknown," "Frozen II"
"Stand Up," "Harriet"
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again," "Rocketman"
"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away," "Toy Story 4"

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"I Lost My Body"
"Klaus"
"Missing Link"
"Toy Story 4"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Little Women"
"The Two Popes"
"Joker"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
"Parasite"
"Knives Out"
"1917"

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Antonio Banderas, "Pain and Glory"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood"
Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"
Jonathan Pryce, "The Two Popes"

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"
Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"
Saoirse Ronan, "Little Women"
Renée Zellweger, "Judy"
Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"

DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, "The Irishman"
Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Bong Joon-ho, "Parasite"
Sam Mendes, "1917"
Todd Phillips, "Joker"

PRODUCTION DESIGN
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
"The Irishman"
"1917"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Parasite"

CINEMATOGRAPHY
"1917"
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
"The Irishman"
"Joker"
"The Lighthouse"

COSTUME DESIGN
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Little Women"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"

SOUND EDITING
"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Joker"

SOUND MIXING
"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Ad Astra"
"Joker"

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Dcera (Daughter)"
"Hair Love"
"Kitbull"
"Memorable"
"Sister"

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Brotherhood"
"Nefta Football Club"
"The Neighbors' Window"
"Saria"
"A Sister"

ORIGINAL SCORE
"1917," Thomas Newman
"Joker," Hildur Guðnadóttir
"Little Women," Alexandre Desplat
"Marriage Story," Randy Newman
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," John Williams

VISUAL EFFECTS
"Avengers: Endgame"
"The Lion King"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"
"The Irishman"
"1917"

FILM EDITING
"The Irishman"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Parasite"
"Joker"
"Jojo Rabbit"

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
"Bombshell"
"Joker"
"Judy"
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil"
"1917"

Netflix trailer debut: Locke & Key

Netflix trailer debut: Locke & Key

 

Locke & Key premieres February 7, 2020 globally on Netflix.

After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father's death. 

As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them. From Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

Locke & Key on Netflix is the long awaited television adaptation of the best-selling comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez for IDW comics.

Locke & Key stars  Darby Stanchfield (Scandal) as Nina Locke,  Jackson Robert Scott (IT and IT 2) as Bode Locke,  Connor Jessup (American Crime) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (Horrible Histories) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Sherri Saum as Ellie Whedon, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, Griffin Gluck (American Vandal) as Gabe, Coby Bird as Rufus Whedon.