My Spy: DVD Review

My Spy: DVD Review

My Spy knows what it wants to do and it has no pretense otherwise.

Bautista is JJ, a former Special Forces op who now works in the CIA - but whose hopeless ineptitude blows their biggest operation which centres around a potential nuclear threat.

Assigned to watch a family believed to be connected to the terrorists, JJ, along with new tech support buddy Bobbi (Conchords' star Schaal, who gets some of the best oneliners and moments) believes he's been benched.

But when the 9 year old girl Sophie (Coleman, amiable without ever being too precocious)twigs they're operatives, she deploys blackmail to help her settle into her new school and life...

Sure, there's a story we've all seen here before - the mismatched adult out of their emotional depth, and the kid who's looking for a surrogate dad. But My Spy doesn't pretend to radically change the formula, only play up to it, and occasionally, openly mocking it.

Bautista uses some of the same skills as Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy and Stuber to reasonable comedic effect, but in among the pratfalls, and silliness of the wafer-thin story lies a fairly solid piece of family fare that offers a few unexpected laughs, a subtle Indiana Jones gag and a faltering slide into inevitable sentiment (but never mush).

Bautista and Schaal have elements of the Melissa McCarthy comedy flick Spy, but it's Coleman and Bautista's charming double act that may catch you off guard, even if none of it feels utterly original.

It may dip a little unevenly and lean a little heavily into its terrorism plot to power things forward, but charm gets My Spy a long way, and it never outstays its welcome.

Red Dead Online: Four New Showdown Maps, Plus Double XP in all Showdown Series

Red Dead Online: Four New Showdown Maps, Plus Double XP in all Showdown Series

Go Toe to Toe in New Showdown Maps
Double Rewards on All Showdowns Plus Daily Challenge Streak Rewards and More

Keep your wits and your blades sharp this week - Red Dead Online is introducing four new maps to the Showdown Series, each of which sees you armed with just a fistful of Throwing Knives at the round's outset. Keep an eye out for the Shotguns littering the map for a deadly edge in combat. Take part in this week's Featured series - or any Showdown Series - to earn Double XP through April 13th.

Overrun - Pike's Basin

A good, old-fashioned turf war in the arid climes of Pike's Basin. The rules are simple: Capture and retain the most territories to win. It's surviving and holding on that are the hard part

Spoils of War - Roanoke Valley

Just to the north of the Annesburg Mines, the great state of New Hanover plays host to a deadly game of capture. Defend your stockpile from enemies while stealing from them at the same time. Whichever team steals the most wins. Other players no longer appear blipped on the mini-map in this new Showdown map.

Plunder - Stillwater Creek

Take control of unclaimed loot in the long grass and murky waters of Stillwater Creek, returning it to your team's home base to outscore your rivals. Other players no longer appear blipped on the mini-map in this new Showdown map.

Up in Smoke - Kamassa River

The calm waters of the meandering Kamassa River are the backdrop for this frenetic and explosive mode. All players start out carrying a package -- the goal is to deliver said package to your enemy's camp without getting killed. Whichever team delivers the most or all of their packages by the end of the game will destroy the enemy base for good. Other players no longer appear blipped on the mini-map in this new Showdown map.

Look out for fresh maps hitting two more Showdown Modes in the next couple of weeks.

Check Rockstar Support for details and limitations.

A portion of all proceed from Red Dead Online and GTA Online over April and May 2020 will go toward relief for those affected by COVID-19 – see here for details.

NBA 2K20 - New Exclusive Nike shoes for NBA 2K Gamers

NBA 2K20 - New Exclusive Nike shoes for NBA 2K Gamers

MyPLAYER Nation Playoffs Bring New Exclusive Nike Shoes for NBA 2K Gamers

New NBA 2K x Nike’s Gamer Exclusive limited-edition shoes are coming in time for the MyPLAYER Nation Playoffs.

While the official NBA playoff schedule is on hold, NBA 2K20 players will get a chance to compete in the MyPLAYER Nation Playoffs to earn limited-edition digital shoes for their online avatar*. You can read more about the partnership here.

The MyPLAYER Nation Playoffs will feature the top 16 teams on the NBA 2K20 leaderboards, with four exclusive colorways to collect and compete for. The first Gamer Exclusive shoe will be revealed later today, April 9, with challenges beginning on April 11 and in-game playoffs starting on April 18. The rest of the shoes will be revealed throughout the playoff season. Be sure to stay tuned to Twitter.com/NBA2K to see how to earn the shoes. 

For more information on NBA 2K20, please visit NBA.2K.com. 

After Life - Season 2 Trailer and key art debut

After Life - Season 2 Trailer and key art debut

AFTER LIFE SEASON 2

Created by and starring Ricky Gervais

AFTER LIFE returns to Netflix on 24^th April 2020 with 6 brand new episodes

Quote from Ricky Gervais:

"I was blown away by the reaction to season one. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it! It’s been truly heart-warming to see how the show has resonated with so many viewers on an emotional level. I can’t wait for everyone to see season 2 where hope is everything”

 About After Life S2:

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the comedy-drama series follows Tony (Ricky Gervais), a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.

In series 2, whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.

Will the town’s local Am-Dram show lift everyone’s spirits?

AFTER LIFE is a Netflix original series from Derek Productions. The six-part series is created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais. Charlie Hanson is producer and Ricky Gervais and Duncan Hayes are executive producers.

Alongside Ricky Gervais, returning cast includes: Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, Doctor Who), David Bradley (The Harry Potter series, Game of Thrones),  Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden (Plebs, David Brent: Life On The Road), Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl (Cemetery Junction, Derek), Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Mandeep Dhillon, Jo Hartley, Roisin Conaty and Diane Morgan (David Brent: Life On The Road), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Eastenders). Also joined by: Peter Egan (Downton Abbey), Ethan Lawrence (Bad Education) and Bill Ward (Coronation Street, Emmerdale).

Playing With Fire: DVD Review

Playing With Fire: DVD Review

It's not just that Playing With Fire is bad, it's also that it's so excruciatingly bad that it extinguishes your will to get through its 95 minute run time.

From Nickleodeon, you'd expect this tale of a group of smoke jumpers, headed up by straight-laced Cena's Jake Carson, to be broad family fare. However, as this mix of Kindergarten Cop and unfunny flat oneliners proves, not everything Cena touches turns to comedy gold.

When Carson and his team rescue a group of three kids, headed up by Deadpool's Brianna Hildebrand, from a fire, they're forced to give them shelter in the firehouse for the weekend.

But the chaos of the kids in the big house causes untold issues for the uptight, emotionally stunted Carson and his compatriots. And it's further compounded when Carson finds his chance for promotion dangling in the balance.

Playing With Fire is a mix of sentimental with the silly, but unfortunately, none of it really gels together.

Slow mo shots of the firefighters early on give way to corny gags and a plot that's threadbare at best, non-existent at worst.

Sure there's the old trope of the emotionally stunted men getting in touch with their feelings, but none of it's presented well enough to be engaging.

From Keegan-Michael Key's over-emphatic No2 to Leguizamo's misquoting and My Little Pony watching firehouse chef, the film's desire to play silly and broad doesn't work, because the gags aren't amusing enough to anyone over the age of 5.

A lack of writing can't be substituted for what's needed within the film, and while Cena et al prove they don't care enough to debase themselves with what the script dictates, Playing With Fire is more an exercise in patience and tedium.

The problem is that the rewards for doing so just aren't nearly enough.

Jumanji: The Next Level: DVD Review

Jumanji: The Next Level: DVD Review

Jumanji: The Next Level is like any video game sequel.

It retains the core elements of what made the original popular, but tries to add in new elements to continue the franchise. In the second sequel to hit the Jumanji franchise, the gang returns to the game to rescue Spencer (Alex Wolff) who's been drifting and feeling lost since the first game concluded.

But this time around, Jumanji faces a new threat in the form of Rory McCann's warlord Jurgen the brutal - and it's up to Dr Bravestone and the group to save the day.

Essentially redoing the first film in many ways (even overtly in the movie's final third), Jumanji: The Next Level takes what works the first time around and retools it (only slightly though) for the sequel. Yet at times, the film feels like it's coasting by and repeating itself, only really allowing The Rock and Kevin Hart the chance to switch it up a little.

In fairness, the relationship between the two of them and the bickering banter works well as they put Danny Glover and Danny DeVito's warring oldies into the game, and giving Karen Gillan the chance to take the lead.

A couple of set-pieces impress with ostriches and mandrills, but in truth, the second is a repeat of the first, no matter how well Kasdan orchestrates them. The game may dwell on its body swap mentality, but the film this time around mixes up the avatars and brings in Glover, DeVito and Awkwafina's characters to relative comic aplomb.

However, the film's disjointed game level style plot tries awkwardly to inject a need for Hart and Johnson's characters to bicker and then try and make up, as the surprise of how and why the avatars work is out of the bag.

Ultimately, Jumanji: The Next Level is fun enough family fare, it offers enough reason to exist for the broad market it's trying to hit - it may not level up enough and will need to shake things up for the teased sequel. 

Sony unveils first look at DualSense controller

Sony unveils first look at DualSense controller

Sony has unveiled its first look at the PlayStation 5's controller.

The Dualsense aims to get more gamers physically feeling things as they use the DualSense, which Sony says will greatly heighten the sense of immersion, along with the console's audio innovations.

"We had a great opportunity with PS5 to innovate by offering game creators the ability to explore how they can heighten that feeling of immersion through our new controller," says PlayStation's Hideaki Nishino.

"This is why we adopted haptic feedback, which adds a variety of powerful sensations you'll feel when you play, such as the slow grittiness of driving a car through mud.

"We also incorporated adaptive triggers into the L2 and R2 buttons of DualSense so you can truly feel the tension of your actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow."

The DualSense has the following features -

Adaptive triggers on L2, R2 buttons
Haptic feedback
Share button is now a Create button
Built-in microphone
The touchpad has a new light bar
Rechargeable battery

“DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5. The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games” - Sony CEO Jim Ryan

“To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5’s launch in Holiday 2020. We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.” - Sony CEO Jim Ryan

There's no date yet for the launch of the PlayStation 5, though there is now speculation the console will be two-tone with the white and grey perhaps meshing the original PlayStation 1's colour scheme and giving it a white finish.

The console's expected to launch by Christmas 2020.