Marvel's Avengers | Out Now Across Australia & New Zealand

MARVEL’S AVENGERS LAUNCHES TODAY REASSEMBLING AUSTRALIA’S GOLD MEDAL WINNING MEN’S FREESTYLE RELAY TEAM FOR THE 20^TH ANNIVERSARY

More Than Six Million Players Spent Over 28 Million Hours Playing as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes During August Beta – It’s Time to Assemble!

 

SYDNEY, 4^th September 2020 - Today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that Marvel’s Avengers is now available across Australia & New Zealand for the PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC, and they have recruited Olympic Champion’s Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus to celebrate the launch.

These four Aussie legends were part of one of the greatest team efforts in Australian sporting history, smashing their US rivals ‘like guitars’ to claim Gold in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle relay 20 years ago. The team is reassembling to mark the milestone and this time they are swapping swimsuits for gaming consoles and taking on a new mission – defending Earth in the new Marvel’s Avengers game

Our mightiest heroes aren’t letting COVID-19 travel restrictions prevent them from getting together, reuniting online in the game through its four-player co-op function to commemorate the anniversary. 

Olympian Ian Thorpe says having the opportunity to celebrate the anniversary through the game is serendipitous, “Going into that race, we knew it was going to take superhuman strength from all of us to win Gold. Now, 20 years later, having the opportunity to actually play a superhero in Marvel’s Avengers alongside the team, it’s a nice tribute to that moment and a chance for us to relive some memories.

Unfortunately, due to the current travel restrictions Ashley can’t join us but being able to play Marvel’s Avengers and compete in a different way through the game is special way for us to honour the win,” added Thorpe.

Marvel’s Avengers offers players a truly rich experience and combines the single player focused Reassemble story campaign with the ongoing Avengers Initiative’s War Zone missions, which take the Avengers around the world and beyond. Each mission in the Reassemble campaign is designed to showcase one or more hero’s unique abilities, while the Avengers Initiative missions can be played solo with your own custom AI team or with a group of up to four players* as any Hero in the player’s roster.

 

“At its heart, Marvel’s Avengers is a game about hope in a modern Super Hero setting,” said Shaun Escayg, creative director for Marvel’s Avengers at developer Crystal Dynamics. “Our original story campaign features Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, as the point-of-view focus who is unflappably optimistic, and she uses her passion, natural curiosity, gifted intellect, and emerging powers to expose a conspiracy, leading her on an adventure to re-assemble and re-build the Avengers to their former glory.”

 

To ensure a continuing heroic experience for all players, the narrative of Marvel’s Avengers will expand over time, with the addition of new stories featuring new heroes, villains, mission types, regions, items, and more delivered to players at no additional cost once they own the core game. These stories move the entire Marvel’s Avengers narrative world forward on a multi-year arc, and all new missions are accessible to the entire roster of playable heroes.

 

Fans won’t have to wait long for this new content, either. The game’s first post-launch content season, focused on the recently announced Kate Bishop and her iconic mentor Hawkeye, Clint Barton, begins just weeks after launch with mysterious new Tachyon missions. Kate’s Operation, “Taking AIM,” kicks off in late October featuring a new villain and new mystery. Kate, an Olympic-calibre gymnast and master archer, comes with her own distinct set of Skills, Gear, and moves to unlock and master just like the core launch Heroes.

 

“Taking AIM” begins shortly after the conclusion of the game’s Reassemble campaign and is just the first half of the two Hawkeyes’ Story Arc. Clint Barton’s Hawkeye takes the stage in November to complete the double-feature arc and set the stage for what’s next. All of these new missions are playable with the entire roster of heroes, and all of this content, including heroes, villains, game modes, missions, gear, and more will be made available at no cost to all owners of the Marvel’s Avengers core game.

 

Players in Marvel’s Avengers are also able to customise Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a number of ways. While each Super Hero plays true to their unique power sets, each has the flexibility to play differently based on the gear players equip and the skills they enable, so no two player’s heroes play in exactly the same way. Each hero has dynamic combo systems, heroic moves,  intrinsic abilities, and signature move sets to unlock and customise – many inspired by classic moves from over 80 years of Marvel history across all media, while others are crafted as originals just for the game.
 
Players can also dress the iconic Super Heroes with classic, fan-favourite, and all-new original outfits, including Iron Man’s suit from the 2014 Original Sin storyline, or Thor’s Donald Blake identity, which is a nod to an alias of Thor’s who first appeared in 1962’s Journey into Mystery issue #83.

Marvel’s Avengers will be available on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X when the consoles launch in 2020. Players who own the current-gen version of the game will be able to upgrade to the next-gen version at no additional cost, regardless if players are moving from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 or Xbox One to Xbox Series X. Those moving their saves to next-gen will transfer their player profiles and progression so they can pick up right where they left off. In addition, cross-gen play will be supported so PS5™ players will be able to play with their friends on PS4™ and Xbox Series X players can connect with their friends on Xbox One.

 *Internet connection required. Your platform’s online multiplayer requirements will apply.

James Bond: No Time to Die new trailer

A brand new trailer for 007's final Daniel Craig outing has been released.

About No Time To Die

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica.  

His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. 

The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation)

Returning Cast: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright

Debuting Cast Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Ana de Armas (Bladerunner 2049, Knives Out), David Dencik (Chernobyl), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), Billy Magnussen (Aladdin)

No Time To Die releases in cinemas November 12

The Boys: Season 2 review

Released by Amazon Prime Video

New episodes released weekly from September 4, with three episodes arriving on Friday September 4

The Boys' first season was a kick in the balls of superhero worship movies and TV shows.

Opening with Erin Moriarty's superhero newcomer Starlight and her induction into the famed world of The Seven, a group of superheroes adored by the public, the show kicked off the idea that you should never meet your heroes.

Especially after one of them tries to molest you within moments of meeting. 

Coinciding with Starlight's journey was that of Jack Quaid's Hughie, whose world was destroyed when speedy superhero A-Train ploughed literally through his fiancee as they held hands - and then ran off with nary an apology.

The first season did a great job of tearing down expectations of superheroes, delivering them as flawed and dangerous narcissistic individuals, whose power delivered them delusions of grandeur, complete with the backing of a multi-conglomerate named Vought that abused them for their own economic ends.

Central to proceedings is Antony Starr's Homelander, a deluded and dangerous version of Superman who's adored by the public, but feared within the Seven due to his unpredictability, toxic masculinity and frail ego. Butting heads with Homelander and heading up a ragtag group determined to take the Seven down was Karl Urban's Billy Butcher, whose hatred of the so-called Supes was his sole driving force.

It was a potent and refreshing mix that Eric Kripke (Supernatural) had created - and its anti-hero worship was a welcome antidote to the cutesy superhero world fuelled by the likes of Marvel and its Avengers' franchise.

But where the first season fell down was in its portrayal of women. Thankfully, the first three episodes alone of season 2 do much to counter that and reverse the trend.

In the second, the answers to the first season's cliffhanger where Butcher was reunited with his long-believed dead wife and apparent son are not immediately forthcoming.

In fact, first up the second season of The Boys is a slower, less flashy opening than the first - almost a stiflingly glacial pace in its opening moments as the themes for the upcoming year are set out.

Yet, they begin to manifest in ways that are both dramatically and narratively thrilling, offering a mix of drama and machiavellian plots that are too compelling to miss. However, while there are moments of gore, The Boys S2 is a bit more of a psychological thriller, delivering up slices and ruminations on the fragility of family and the individual.

Jack Quaid's Hughie is suffering from a loss of his place in the world; elsewhere Homelander feels usurped by the new arrival to the Seven of Aya Cash's social-media loving and manipulating Storm Front.

It all culminates in a shocking denouement in episode 3, the last 10 minutes of which show various hands being finally played out, and which set ups the season's bigger picture nicely.

The creative team have wisely retooled a few of the characters behind the scenes this year - and early on, it appears to be paying off.

Worried that Karen Fukuhara's Kimiko was being sidelined as an Asian stereotype of a quiet woman, The Boys' team have taken great steps to ensure she's got more to do and say - and even Maeve of The Seven has more of an arc.

And add in Aya Cash's blistering turn as Storm Front, the cat among the pigeons that Antony Starr's Homelander needs to feel threatened. Starr reacts strongly to the challenge, and delivers some of his finest work in the opening episodes - as does Quaid as Hughie, as he teeters on a precipice.

The Boys works best when it plays with morality and imperils the characters with decisions that they really have no control over - certainly the first three episodes show the cost of victory and how easy it is to go sideways quickly in this universe.

In a world where superheroes never usually die and where everyone usually survives, the frisson of danger that's lurking at the start of Season 2 seems to hint in a cataclysm of catastrophe for everyone as episodes go on.

That makes it both a delight and a rate thing these days - it works better because of its unpredictability and a less showy feel than season 1 gives this sophomore outing a greater urgency and an essential sense of unease.

The Boys Season 2 launches on Amazon Prime Video on September 4. Episodes 1-3 were reviewed as part of this preview, and were offered up for review by Amazon Prime Video.

Win a copy of Flash Gordon Classics Remastered on Blu Ray 

To celebrate the release of the classic Flash Gordon on Blu Ray, thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, you can win a copy.

About Flash Gordon: Classics Remastered

Get ready to kick some Flash

A football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.

Flash Gordon: Classics Remastered is in shops now.

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

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

Win The Boys S1 on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of The Boys Season 1 on DVD and Blu Ray now, and ahead of the launch of season 2 on Friday September 4 on Amazon Prime Video, you can win a copy.

Thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, you can nab yourself a copy of The Boys Season 1 starring Antony Starr and Karl Urban.

About The Boys

The Boys, is an irreverent take on what happens when superheroes--as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians and as revered as gods--abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. 

It is the powerless against the super-powerful as The Boys embark on a heroic quest to exposed the truth about "The Seven" and their formidable Vought backing.

The Boys is out now on DVD and Blu Ray

All you have to do is email your details and the word BOYS! Competition ends September 15th.

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

Tenet is in Auckland's IMAX cinema now

It's been a long wait for new movies since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Some have been postponed from the schedules and moved to next year, or released straight to streaming sites, so 2020 has been a difficult year for movie-lovers.

However, one of the biggest films of the year has released in New Zealand, ahead of the rest of the world.

Earlier this year, there was speculation director Christopher Nolan's Tenet would lead the most unusual blockbuster season yet.

But when the US decided to postpone their release of the film, it was questionable New Zealand would get to see it.

A decision to screen Tenet first overseas meant New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to view the new movie from Christopher Nolan.

And now Auckland has dropped down its Covid-19 Alert Level, there's a chance to see the film in its best possible presentation - the IMAX Theatre at Event Cinemas in Auckland's CBD.

 

Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan's latest has an all star cast including John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Michael Caine.

About Tenet

Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

With special footage shot for IMAX cinemas, Tenet cries out to be seen on Auckland's biggest screen - the IMAX theatre.

Those running the IMAX and Event Cinemas around the country have ensured cinemas are adhering to Government guidelines concerning the Covid-19 pandemic.

"To maintain a high standard of cleanliness across our locations, all cinemas are regularly cleaned and maintained during operating hours, with professional cleaning teams conducting detailed cleans every single night, in every single Cinema.

"Cleaning and sanitising processes have also been increased as well as a higher frequency of surface cleaning and sterilisation in public areas.

"Seating maps have been reconfigured to ensure adequate distance between guests in every session. Our cinemas now have a capacity limit of 100 guests. We encourage you to use your own device to book digital tickets and choose your own seats via the EVENT Cinemas App or on the EVENT Cinemas website.

Book now to see Tenet in IMAX at Event Cinemas - click here to find out more.

The above article is part of a collaboration with Darren's World of Entertainment and Event Cinemas.

 Neon Movie Review - Jojo Rabbit

Marketed as an anti-hate satire, and facing unprecedented levels of hype out of wins at the Toronto International Film Festival and talk of Oscar buzz, director Taika Waititi's latest, Jojo Rabbit, is more a damp quietly burning squib than sensational fizzer.

Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit

It's the story of Jojo "Rabbit" Betzler (a superb turn from Roman Griffin Davis, who exudes confidence in every scene), a wannabe Hitler Youth whose days are haunted by imaginary best friend, a dimwitted Hitler (Waititi) and whose world is turned upside down when he finds his single mum Rosie (Johansson, soft and nurturing) is harbouring a Jew Elsa (a quiet McKenzie, aching with loss, fear, uncertainty and touches of bitterness) in the attic.

Confused and conflicted over what to do thanks to his core inner beliefs, Jojo finds his inner turmoil tough to deal with in the final days of the Third Reich.

While Jojo Rabbit opens with Waititi's trademark fantasy edges and comic touches, the film soon settles into something that resembles a form of disappointment as the satire fails to hit anything resembling scathing.

Perhaps more a soothing bittersweet love story, Waititi's Jojo Rabbit fails to touch on anything that verges on satire's sharpness, making the Nazis buffoons, or buffoons with heart, in something that seems to resemble great British sitcom 'Allo 'Allo (certainly in the case of Stephen Merchant's appallingly Bristolian Gestapo officer).

It's a film that revels in the quirks to start off with, before settling for this more cutesy and softer approach rather than revealing the horror of what transpired.

Whether it's enough to do this because it's through the eyes of a child is debatable, but it's perhaps somewhat morally reprehensible to try and pierce current climates and leanings with its weaker message, as perhaps those involved with the film want to do.

At its heart, Jojo Rabbit lacks the courage of some of its convictions, favouring whimsy over showing Jojo struggling more with his core Nazi beliefs, and making his inevitable epiphany feel unearned.

That's not to say it's without some successes though.

Davis is an incredible lead, a wide-eyed innocent who's able to carry the lighter comedic edges with ease, and who has the requisite softness for the more dramatic interactions with an equally strong McKenzie. Their relationship is obviously key to the film, and the love message that Waititi clearly wants to convey. Equally scenes with McKenzie and Johansson conversing, reflecting and hoping, are quietly enticing.

Rockwell's laissez-faire Nazi, complete with regret over an injury, is endearing, a resentment bubbling under for reasons that are again too spoilery to discuss; and McKenzie's quiet sadness as Elsa is genuinely heartbreaking, a fragility laid bare by an actress unafraid to let the silence speak for her.

There's one moment in the film that's truly devastatingly breathtaking - to say more is to ruin Waititi's directorial flair for the dramatic, but it is easily one of 2019's best on screen sequences.

Elements of Moone Boy and Moonrise Kingdom permeate Jojo Rabbit, but its reluctance to tackle fanaticism, and dogma with anything more than surface level whimsy is disappointing. Conversely, the film truly misses Waititi when he's not on screen, a sign perhaps of the confusion the tones mix.(His final appearances go someway to espousing some of the bilious hate of Hitler, and are terrifying to watch).

Make no mistake, there is a darker version of this film to be made, a film that fulfills more of the promise of Johansson's lamentations that she has lost her son to blind fanaticism as she opines at one point; a film that tackles the horror of the Nazis and overcomes it with the heart of a child and their burgeoning take on reality.

Jojo Rabbit is not it though - while Waititi may have been played into a corner with the best way to develop this passion project, there's much that leaves Jojo Rabbit wanting, a film that promises so much, and buckles, sadly, under the weight of expectation and ultimate execution.

PGA Tour 2K21: PS4 Review

Developed by HB Studios

Published by 2K Games

Platform: PS4

Stepping up to the hole to get a desperately needed par on a hole that should have easily been a birdie, it only needs a gentle tap to push the ball into its natural home.

A simple task, granted, and one that shouldn't elude the most basic of players.

But an over-egging of the PlayStation 4's right joystick and the ball sails past the hole, a par is missed and there's a nagging feeling there should be the option to see a player swear and toss his club way into the air.

Spurned on by commentary wondering how this happened, and with Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore's breakdown in the background, PGA Tour 2K21 has a way of really getting under your skin.

It's probably due in large part to the fact this polished game is one of the most accessible golfing simulators there is out there. A lushly produced, slick-looking game that keeps the controls basic and gives you as much control of what you do with the golf club as being out on a course yourself.

It's what one should expect - given HB Games developed The Golf Club series and put the playing back at the front and centre of the experience. Whereas the more cartoony, but infinitely playable Everybody's Golf, made the silly sensible, PGA Tour 2K21 opens up the game to everyone and benefits greatly from doing so.

Granted, the more proficient players and the seasoned pros may be at a loss why some of the bigger names and some of the more well-known courses aren't part of this release, but to the everyman player, PGA Tour 2K21 represents a real chance to immerse yourself in the golfing experience.

From customising clothes (earned through tournaments and XP finishes) to progression, via way of some easy to follow tutorials, PGA Tour 2K21's strength lies in the solid nature of its gameplay.

In all honesty, graphically, the gameplay is nothing new. But it's golf - the sport itself has never been revolutionary; it's not about cheerleaders, exploding fireworks in the crowd or whooping crowds. This is a demure game, a game of skill and patience and PGA Tour 2K21 reflects that.

Complete with course designers and an option to retool your player, the customisable elements of PGA Tour 2K21 prove to be worthy. The further you progress, the more sponsors will become interested in you and the fairway does become your oyster.

Yet at the end of the day, it's about whether the swing makes you sing.

And PGA Tour 2K21 delivers on this with relative ease. While commentary occasionally may suffer from repetition and annoyance, the gameplay itself is totally relaxing, weirdly compelling and downright addictive.

All in all, PGA Tour 2K21 is as close to a hole-in-one as you can get. It rewards patience, it uplifts skill and it proves that virtual golf is still as much fun as the real thing.

PGA Tour 2K21 was reviewed on PlayStation 4 and a code was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart debuts PlayStation 5 footage and will be a launch title

One of the PlayStation's most iconic duos is back.

Ratchet & Clank will be a launch title for the PlayStation 5 in a few months' time.

Gamescom has debuted 7 minutes of gameplay from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

Ratchet and Clank find themselves at odds with their archnemesis, Dr. Nefarious. 

Only this time, he’s equipped with the dangerous Dimensionator, a device with the power to travel to other dimensions. 

The duo fights their way through an army of hired Goons in Megalopolis until something happens and they are ripped apart. 

Where are they now? 

From acclaimed studio Insomniac Games, enjoy a visually dazzling, interdimensional adventure, complete with familiar faces and some new allies and enemies in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – exclusively on the PlayStation®5 console.

Win a double pass to see BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC

To celebrate the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music in cinemas from September 3, thanks to Madman NZ, you can win one of three double passes!

About Bill & Ted Face The Music

Once told they'd save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.

Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter

BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC is in cinemas September 3

Thanks to Madman NZ, you can win 1 of 3 double passes!

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

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

Competition closes September 3.

Mortal Shell: PS4 Review

Developed by Cold Symmetry

Released by PlayStack

Platform: PS4

There's no denying many are saying Mortal Shell has the hallmarks of a From Software release.

From the punishing brutality to the gore on display, the game certainly comes swinging from the get go.

And while it requires patience for its combat, it also needs time for its story to unfold.

When the game begins, you're essentially a wraith-like skeleton with skin on, a wafting soul with no real clue where you are, what you must do. But you're thrust straight into a series of combat pieces, aimed at getting you au fait with the basics. 

And to be fair, the basics are simple enough - the usual thrust and parry. It's familiar stuff to those who've been through a Bloodborne, a Dark Souls or, to be frank, any kind of combat game.

But Mortal Shell has one difference in combat - the chance to harden your wraith form to shield from a series of attacks. Pressing the L2 button sees you solidify, a chance to break your enemy's combat and gain an advantage.

Another difference is the title allows you to possess dead bodies - the Mortal Shells of the title. Possessing those will allow you to be involved in combat and to get a second chance. If you're killed in the shell, you're kicked out and can repossess but you have to be quick. The developers have tinkered with expectations for the game and delivered something a bit different and with an edge to what's gone before.

The atmosphere and gothic edges work very well, and complete with a minimal soundscape, which works best through headphones and alone in the dark, the game hits some visual and sonic heights.

However, negotiating your way around is a bit less enlightening, and with small fonts, long loading screens, a confused feeling map and many landscapes feeling very similar, Mortal Shell loses some of the initial advantage it has.

Mortal Shell may feel like a homage to what's been done before in this arena, but Cold Symmetry does revel in the fact it does it so well. 

Maybe it's a case of wraith-and-see (sorry) as to what they will do next , but for now Mortal Shell, with its short run time and familiar feel, is a solid and entertaining enough outing from a new talent emerging on the scene - and a sign that even if it is a shell of another style of game, it's still a top-notch one.

Ford vs Ferrari: Neon Movie Review

Logan director James Mangold's biographical picture Ford v Ferrari draws deep from the well of great racing sequences, but fares less well off the track.

In fact, were it not for Bale's somewhat quirky character efforts, a lot of Ford v Ferrari would feel like a token underdog sports pic that doesn't quite hit some of the early promise.

For those uninitiated with the times, Ford v Ferrari is the story of US visionary designer Carroll Shelby (Damon, in broad US accent and all American apple pie approach) and his quest to get the flailing Ford motor company to be part of the legendary Le Mans race in the mid 1960s.

Fuelled by constant mockery from Enzo Ferrari, Shelby enlists unconventional UK racing car driver Ken Miles (Bale, possessing a Northern English accent and some "hey-up" mannerisms with ease) to design a new vehicle. However, Miles is not the kind of driver the Ford higher ups want - but he is the one they need to secure victory.

Ford v Ferrari is a technically adept film, but an emotionally rote and hollow one.

Its last hour is where the film excels, shifting into high gear and engaging the ethos of sticking it to Le Mans pushing you right to the edge of your seat. Mangold makes the racing come alive, delivers moments that genuinely thrill and still push you out of your comfort zone even if you know the result, thanks to pacing, humour and Bale.

But the journey to the final strait is a long one, laced with unevenness as the script veers all over the place.

The film initially begins with Jon Bernthal's marketing executive Lee Iacocca, before he disappears into the rear view mirror and becomes nothing more than a speechless supporting player.

The film's subterfuge of politics and marketing shenanigans are front and centre early on, before once again trailing off.

Equally, Outlander's Caitriona Balfe's Mollie Miles, Miles' wife, circles proceedings before settling for a more thankless supporting wife position, way back on the grid.

The film's never more content than when it's dealing with its two leading men, and in fairness, it's never more than dazzling when it's centred on Bale's Miles and his elements of unpredictability.

Hurtling around tracks, mocking the man and proving once again that those on the ground know better than those in the boardroom, Miles is an electrifying character that's brought vividly to life by Bale. Without him, parts of this 150 minute film would flounder in their wake.

Ultimately, Ford v Ferrari is a solid examination of two men's motoring obsession.

It may fail the women of the period massively, but it does present a film of faith, an examination of passion and a penchant for horse power when it needs to. Its ending should be commended (though it may be vilified on NZ soil for some reasons involving McLaren)for its downbeat nature, but its underdog tale gives it a solid placing on the track, but not quite in the pole position it should be. 

Loading Docs: Table for One

Table for One 

Against all odds, an ageing table tennis icon sacrifices it all for one last shot at Olympic greatness.

In her final bid for gold, New Zealand’s Chunli Li, faces the lonely road of isolation and self-funding in sport, unveiling the reality of her tireless commitment to win. 

Joining her after-hours reveals an intimate glimpse into the true sacrifice of a sporting legend whose hopes of achieving her lifelong goal begin to fade.

Director: Jenny Gao | Producer: Mia Maramara

Loading Docs: Going Home

Going Home 

To celebrate the adventurous life of her late Uncle Clive, she takes a leap of faith and learns to fly.

A decade after his death, Ashley takes off on an emotional journey of reconnection. Following in her Uncle’s larger-than-life footsteps, she wants to do one of the things he loved most, fly like a bird. Can his memory instill Ashley with the courage she needs to reignite her zest for life, and understand his?

Director: Ashley Williams | Producer: Ruth Korver

New trailer for Wonder Woman 84 arrives

As part of the DC FanDome, a brand new look at the Gal Gadot starring Wonder Woman 84 has dropped.

Watch the new trailer for Wonder Woman 84 below.

The new era of Wonder Woman begins here. #WW84 only in theaters. pic.twitter.com/RhTcHSGDti

— Wonder Woman 1984 (@WonderWomanFilm) August 22, 2020

First trailer for the Snyder Cut of the Justice League

The first trailer for Zack Snyder's cut of the Justice League has arrived.

As part of the DC Fan Dome, the trailer was unveiled.

Take a look below

Justice League will be released on HBO Max in 2021.

He’s never fought us. Not us united. #TheSnyderCut. Coming 2021. Only on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/gkFu5d4T4H

— The Director's Cut of Justice League (@snydercut) August 22, 2020

Loading Docs: One Year On

One Year On 

A year after the Christchurch Mosque terror attack, a voice for the Muslim & refugee community asks himself what more he can do.

Approaching the memorial of the 51 victims, Guled Mire prepares to step back into the spotlight. 

When the one year anniversary is overshadowed by a national health crisis, frustration starts to grow at the lack of change. 

Struggling to get his perspective heard and at a personal crossroads, Guled worries that the opportunity to confront racism and islamophobia has passed. Can he stand up once more to make a difference?

Director: Francesca Mackenzie

Producers: Nicola Bailey & Adorate Mizero

The Current War: DVD Review

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Tom Holland, Katherine Waterston
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Languishing in release hell post the collapse of The Weinstein Company, The Current War's sat around since being finished in 2017. Now with a director's cut rearing its head, the "Inspired by True Events" film is the tale of Thomas Edison (Cumberbatch) and his passive aggressive war with
Michael Shannon's Westinghouse as the pair try to use current to light up America's towns.

With Edison pushing for the DC approach and Westinghouse tackling the more productive AC approach, the stakes are raised as Matthew MacFadyen's banker JP Morgan looks at who's best to bankroll - and who eventually will win the day.

The Current War occasionally proffers an argument for a better way to tell a stuffy historical period piece and a fairly traditional story.

But along with choppy editing, swirling cameras and a frenetic jumping narrative, the film is less interested in developing the depth that would be more necessary to engage an audience.

Throwing in three alternating storylines, the flow feels fractious at best, and pacy at worst. Visually the film offers new touches for traditional fare, signalling the change of the era and its usual style of biographical filmmaking. Throw in a non-traditional score that mixes electric and strings, and The Current War has a kind of visual electricity that's sorely needed throughout.

Essentially charting the fall of Thomas Edison, Cumberbatch is rarely challenged and goes from contempt to crook with ease; Hoult barely registers any wattage as Tesla, the script denying him much of a presence. Shannon hardly fares better, a shame given his more human Westinghouse offers a man trying to do the right thing but thwarted at every level. It's a dialled down performance from Shannon, but one that rises in the final mix.

The Current War may offer some visual shocks in its tale of electricity, but given the overall feel of the film, it teeters close to boredom as it charts a period covering 15 years. It's a shame given the conflict is one worthy of exploration - it's just obvious that this doesn't shine as brightly as it could, and settles more for flawed and interesting rather than compelling.

Loading Docs: Siouxsie & the Virus

A science superhero with pink hair wages war on COVID-19 to convince an entire nation to lockdown.

With time running out to fight the oncoming pandemic, an unconventional expert delivers vital information to a panicked public. 

Go behind-the-scenes as Dr Siouxsie Wiles faces a growing media storm from the confines of her family home. 

Siouxsie & the Virus is a unique insight into one woman’s countdown to a defining moment in New Zealand history.

Director: Gwen Isaac | Producer: Phillida Perry

 

Chloe Swarbrick documentary launched in Loading Docs

OK CHLÖE was released online today, a film chartering millennial politician Chlöe Swarbrick as she challenges the establishment during the most important year of her political career.
 
Making international headlines in 2019 for her “OK Boomer” response to another politician’s heckle in parliament, Swarbrick in 2017 became the youngest politician to enter New Zealand parliament since 1975. Part of a global movement of younger generations challenging the status quo and seeking to hold those in power to account, Chlöe is uniquely navigating the system from within.

 
The under nine minute documentary is directed by Charlotte Evans and produced by Letisha Tate-Dunning, made with support from multi award-winning short documentary initiative Loading Docs.
 
“Chlöe is a once in a generation individual, fiercely passionate about what she believes and advocates for” said Evans. “To have the opportunity to not only spend time with Chlöe as she navigates her role as politician, but also be granted access to her life behind the scenes, I hope is an insightful watch for any person interested in the people shaping our world today.” 

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Member of Parliament is currently running a high profile campaign in the lead up to the October 17 election, where Swarbrick will contest the highly competitive Auckland Central seat.