A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood: DVD Review

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood: DVD Review

The latest from the director of the much underrated Can You Ever Forgive Me....is less about the US icon Mr Rogers and more about the surrogate father relationship that springs up between Hanks' seems-too-good-to-be-true TV icon and a jaded reporter Lloyd Vogel, played by The Americans' Matthew Rhys.

When Vogel is tasked with a 400-word profile piece on Rogers for a heroes issue of a magazine, he feels it goes against every fibre of his cynical being to deliver a puff piece. However, when he meets Rogers, he finds the reality of the man somewhat different to his expectations and begins to reflect on his own fractured relationship with his own father (Cooper, outstanding in a predictable role.)

It's easy to be dismissive of A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood's intentions. 

Its desire to showcase a nice guy (played by Hanks in a quietly disarming role that at times veers dangerously close to feeling like a serial killer) and make you realise that good can always win out is almost cloying in its grab for sentimentality.

It helps little that at its core, this film is once again about the relationship between a father and a son - and that it does little differently with the narrative flow of what transpires, pushing Vogel more into the mentor counselling a disturbed and emotionally destroyed male.

Where it does present a point of difference is in its disarming framing of the film.

From having Rogers narrate an episode of his alarmingly honest US show and centring in on Vogel, the film wrongfoots you from the get go, drowning everything in a meta-sheen that's more creepy than charming.

Matters get more surreal on the visual presentation later on, but director Heller uses this, along with model shots of Rogers' toy village as cutaways, to disorienting affect throughout.

Ultimately, it's Rhys who deserves the most praise here, as Hanks' Rogers is more a sidelined character than the centre of a full biopic - little is unveiled of Rogers' life outside of the show other than some tossed-off tidbits that hint that his seemingly-perfect veneer is not all you'd expect.

If you're looking for an in-depth take on the man, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is not the film for that as it's more concerned with other dynamics than deeper analysis.

Midway: DVD Review

Midway: DVD Review

One-note, thin characters and some dialogue that's purely about gung-ho jingoism rather than deep insight, B-movie Midway is exactly the kind of film you'd expect from disaster movie director Roland Emmerich.

Based on a true story and a sequel of sorts to Pearl Harbour, Midway is the story of what happened next as the Americans scrambled to prevent another attack from the Japanese after December 7, 1941.

In the wake of the attack, a group of fly-boys, led by Ed Skrein's Dick Best scramble to take to the skies, while Patrick Wilson's intelligence team tries to work out where the next attack could come from.

Midway has potential - Emmerich certainly knows how to effectively present disaster on screen, with his Pearl Harbour attack channeling some of his Independence Day roots with ease.

But the script sends the Japanese to one-note villains, dressed in black and huddling to contemplate their next move (it's alarming the Chinese have backed this film so heavily) and it elevates the Americans to do gooders with whiter-than-white intentions. It could be hagiography, if it were deeper and more insightful in its character realisation.

However, as it stands, what Midway becomes after an interesting opening, is simply a series of attack scenes, which jump around the different viewpoints from within the American world. Much like levels of a video game, Midway doesn't have time to go deeper than the surface to get to its action.

CGI and jeopardy mix hand in hand, and granted Midway never aspires to be more than a computer-generated spectacle. Yet, with Wilson's stoic work, a practically wasted Eckhart, and Harrelson in a wig, the film wastes its best assets on the exploits of the gum-chewing, chiselled jaw jutting, rule-floutin' Dick Best, who's embodied by Ed Skrein with all the delicacy of a paper cut out; there's no nuance in this real life flyboy, merely a hollow shell filled with the script cliches, and brimming with nothing else.

All in all, while Midway delivers on its spectacle early on, it soon becomes clear that the bombast and bombing raids are all it has - narratives are dropped and ignored, only to be resolved right at the end, robbing the film of an emotional edge, and a human element to cheer for in one of America's darkest days. 

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls: DVD Review

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Entertainment

Jim Carrey's Ace Ventura returns in a sequel which is a do-over for Carrey, and a bit of a dud for the audiences.

This time around, Ventura's called in to rescue a bat from Africa. The downside - he's not a fan of the bats at all.

With Simon Callow and Ian McNeice, the film tries for a bit more acting class, but this time around mines more of the crass than is necessary.

A little bit of the diminishing returns rather than the comedy of the first, the novelty of Ace Ventura does wear a little thin, but the film once again benefits from Carrey's total commitment to the role.

Again, like the first film, check your brain at the door - and then laugh without feeling guilty.

First look - XBox Series X Games

First look - XBox Series X Games

Here is your first look at rhe XBox Series X Games

First look XBox Series X Gameplay

First look XBox Series X Gameplay

Here's your first look at the XBox Series X Gameplay.

Spark teams up with Microsoft to bring Xbox All Access to New Zealand

Spark teams up with Microsoft to bring Xbox All Access to New Zealand

Spark announced today it is the exclusive partner for Microsoft’s Xbox All Access program in New Zealand, offering a simple and affordable new way to get the best in gaming with Xbox.

Beginning today, both new and existing Spark customers can join the Xbox All Access program as part of eligible Pay Monthly mobile or broadband plans. With Xbox All Access, customers can choose from Xbox One S or Xbox One X bundles and get 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for only $32 or $39 per month over a 24-month period.

With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, customers get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, including online multiplayer, plus access to more than 100 high-quality games on console and PC. 

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate even includes Xbox Game Studios titles the same day as their global release, so members can immediately jump into the latest from franchises like Halo, Gears of War and Minecraft, including the highly anticipated upcoming Minecraft Dungeons, available for members on May 26.

Joining the line-up of entertainment options Spark customers can already add to their plans, Xbox All Access provides everything you need to start gaming right out of the box and is an affordable way to join the Xbox family and community of gamers around the world.

Matt Bain, Spark’s Marketing Director says Spark is excited to join forces with Xbox to bring Xbox All Access to customers in New Zealand.

“I believe gaming has huge potential as a digital subscription service - we’ve already seen this transformation with movies and music. We’re excited to bring Microsoft’s industry-leading Xbox Game Pass membership to more gamers in New Zealand with Xbox All Access,” Bain said.

“One of the exciting things about this digital evolution is that it enables greater access and choice for households and that’s definitely true for Xbox All Access. It’s ideal for players who want flexibility in their purchasing options, offering great value and an awesome gaming experience with Spark.”

Jeremy Hinton from Microsoft says the company is thrilled to be working with Spark to bring Xbox All Access to New Zealanders, following success in Australia, US and the UK.  

“With Xbox All Access we are bringing more choice than ever before to New Zealand. Our partnership with Spark will offer an affordable and convenient way for new and existing Xbox fans to jump into gaming.”

For more details on the Xbox All Access program, please visit www.spark.co.nz/getmore/xbox

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective: DVD Review

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Ent
Rating: PG

Jim Carrey's break out performance is still as amusing as it was back on its original release in 1994.

Carrey plays the titular pet detective who's brought in to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot - and chaos ensues.

With an early film performance from Friends' star Courtney Cox, the film greatly benefits from a zany Carrey literally pulling as many faces as he can. and throwing everything at the role.

Sure, the film's plot is flimsy as and the level of humour is puerile, but there's something enduring about Carrey's earliest role - go in with expectations low, and have them delivered on.

There's no other way to view Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - put the brain out of the box, and on the floor.

The only real question is why DVD, and not Blu Ray.