The Chaperone: Neon Film Review

With touches of a script from Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes and adapted from a book by Laura Moriarty, The Chaperone is a classy affair.

Set in 1922, when the teenaged Louise Brooks (Richardson, in another impressive performance) was given the chance to go to dance school in New York, The Chaperone's more the story of McGovern's Norma.

Norma is a Wichita native, who yearns to spread her wings. So when she sees the opportunity to accompany Brooks to the big apple, she seizes on the chance. Along the way, there is rediscovery and also challenges for both.

The Chaperone may tread a familiar path in terms of coming-of-age films and social mores, but what it offers up is a chance to revel in the brevity of Richardson's precocious turn as the sparkling Brooks and stay for the more nuanced subtle journey of McGovern's Norma.

The trouble is the film's more obsessed with Norma's story, than Brooks herself.

It's not that McGovern doesn't deliver in a somewhat starched story, but more that it feels like something aimed at the older crowd, rather than a younger generation steeped in the Downton world.

The period detail is wonderfully evocative, and there's much to admire in the visualisation of the Jazz age, but there's a dialled down feel to The Chaperone which suggests a more buttoned up affair than is narratively worth investing in.

Ultimately, The Chaperone walks you through a period of history and a story, rather than letting you experience it. It's not a fatal flaw, granted, but it is one which stops the familiar tropes from soaring and hitting an emotional level you'd want to be more fully engaged.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Neon Movie Review

Keanu's back picking up his besuited assassin John Wick just moments after the end of John Wick 2, where he was declared excommunicado and a multi-million dollar bounty placed on his head.

With everyone apparently after him, Wick has to try and clear his name, and set the record straight as he deals with the consequences to his actions...

For the first half of the film, John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum is a taut, inventive brawler that finds new ways to breathe life into the genre.

Its commitment to bone-crunching beat downs delivered with tightly choreographed almost balletic fights are visually and kinetically thrilling.

But when the film tries to incorporate a mystical and mysterious edge, striving to flesh out the nefarious High Table organisation, it wallows in its pomposity, much to the detriment of why Wick worked before - a man on the run, or a man desperate to get out. It meanders when it should be sleek, and goes for lazy gunplay in one elongated section, when stripped back offers more pleasure.

In fact the fleshing out of the universe is almost criminal, a wider context not needed within the framework of why these films work.

Add to that a need to throw in some comedy with potential assassins turning out to be fans of Wick and the film testers dangerously into unwarranted self-knowing, winking territory .

It’s fatal to the vibe that’s gone previously and does little to stop the script dipping into campy one liners and dialogue delivery.

Reeves however excels, his Wick looking beaten, fragile and trapped when needed- but reeves digs deep to allow Wick the physical and emotional heft to fight back.

John Wick: Chaper 3 - Parabellum isn’t a full disaster. It’s a film of two halves and those involved in future elements would be wise to step back, regroup and reassess why the series was working and to build on those foundations, and stick to the basics, rather than trying to flesh it all out.

 The Kitchen: Neon NZ Movie Review

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, Domnhall Gleeson, Bill Camp
Director: Andrea Berloff

Melissa McCarthy digs deep once again from the well of seriousness which served her so well and nabbed her an Academy Award nomination.

McCarthy stars as Kathy, the wife of an Irish mobster in Hells Kitchen in New York in the 70s. When Kathy's husband, along with his two co-conspirators, are jailed, Kathy, along with her friends Ruby and Claire (Haddish and Handmaid's Tale's Moss respectively) decide enough's enough and look to take over business.

But their desire to do the right thing and also make some money on the side puts them in the eyeline of the police and the Mafia.

The Kitchen's approach to drama is piecemeal at best.

Whereas Widows had dramatic heft, emotional bite and weight, The Kitchen flounders in comparison.

Sadly, by dipping in and dipping out of the characters, and even with a restrained McCarthy trying to build on Can You Ever Forgive Me, The Kitchen doesn't hit any of the straps it wants to.

Opening with James Brown's It's A Man's World over shots of NYC, as well as mobsters, it's clear that this is a male perspective and those in charge are determined to smash it. But underwriting, as well as scenes that fly by quicker than they should, those involved really don't know how to construct a drama that has tension and suspense.

Shouting stereotypes and with dialogue that's ham-fisted as the characters' so-called intentions, this attempt at gender-flipping falls massively short.

Humorous moments that are supposed to be dark and gallows are delivered with such heavy-handedness they fall flatter than they should or deserve to. There's a lack of nerve, and even moments of violence, brief as they are in their brutality, fail to deliver the punch they could have.

IT's almost as if The Kitchen were too afraid to go as dark as it could, to deeply enrich its characters and to blur the moral lines that the best gangster films do - because of that, it ends up feeling inconsequential, a waste of the talents within and a flight of empowerment that's grounded before it even begins.

Fight For Love All Over Again In SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD®: THE GAME – COMPLETE EDITION, Available Holiday 2020

FIGHT FOR LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN IN SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD®: THE GAME – COMPLETE EDITION, AVAILABLE HOLIDAY 2020

 

Team up with Friends Using Online Co-op to Defeat Ramona Flowers’ Seven Evil Exes

Today, at Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft announced the rerelease of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. The Complete Edition, which includes Knives Chau and Wallace Wells downloadable content, will be available Holiday 2020 on PlayStation^®4, the Xbox One family of devices, Nintendo Switch™ system, Stadia, Windows PC and UPLAY+, the Ubisoft subscription service.*

 

To watch the trailer click the image below

 

With the return of Scott Pilgrim, players will rediscover the beloved 2D arcade-style beat 'em up game inspired by the iconic comic book series and movie. They will have the  chance to fall in love all over again with the fantastic chiptune soundtrack of Anamanaguchi, 8-bit animation by Paul Robertson, and retro cut-scenes by Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World comic series.

 

In this unique blend of style, humor and classic gameplay, players will help Scott Pilgrim take on enemies, including the League of Seven Evil Exes to fight for love. To do so, players can embody Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Stephen Stills and more unforgettable characters, each featuring their own unique signature moves and attacks. By earning experience points, characters can level up and learn numerous deadly skills.

 

Additionally, players will have the opportunity to team up with up to three friends locally or online to defeat foes, share health and coins, and revive each other. Friends can also compete in subspace mini-games, frantic dodgeball, or challenge each other to epic last-one-standing battles.

 

For the latest news on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: news.ubisoft.com

The Latest in GTA Online: Double Rewards in all Business Battles, Land Grab and Gunrunning Sell Missions, Plus a Free Tracksuit and More

Boosted Profits in All Business Battles This Week
Plus Rumored Cache of Diamonds in the Casino Vault, Clothing Unlocks and More

The revamped Business Battles featured as part of the Los Santos Summer Special are even more lucrative this week. Stage a cooperative assault on an idling aircraft carrier and fight your way through one of several factories to earn hefty pay-days. If your Warehouse is so empty you can hear your own breath echoing in the halls, it might be time to restock the shelves. Keep an eye out for various forms of vulnerable cargo around Los Santos and be sure to complete a Business Battle anytime over the next seven days to receive double rewards.

There’s chatter (and grainy security camera footage floating around the dark web) suggesting that The Diamond’s vault may have received a shipment of gems this week. Once you’ve finished setting up the Casino Heist, make your way into the belly of the beast for an opportunity to walk away with a windfall of pressurized carbon.

Play any game of Land Grab and receive 2X GTA$ & RP, all week long. In this brutal cyber-space, every minute counts: occupy as many zones as you can before the clock runs down. Armed opposition will resist, though - so keep your wits about you and your finger on the trigger.

All GTA Online players who play this week will receive the dashing Lemon Sports Tracksuit – both Pants and Top – for free.

On the Podium This Week: The Invetero Coquette D10
Once you’re done stashing your take from the vault, return to The Diamond and give the Lucky Wheel a spin. This week’s top prize is the Coquette D10, an American sports car whose accomplishments are all accompanied by various disclaimers, asterisks, and explanatory footnotes. Don’t mind the fine print though, just listen to that engine hum.

DISCOUNTS

Expand your subterranean holdings with discounts on Bunkers and Bunker Modifications, plus earn Double Rewards on Gunrunning Sell Missions this week for some quick ROI. There are also deals on a selection of luxurious vehicles to escape from the prying eyes of the authorities.

 

40% Off Bunkers

Paleto Forest Bunker, Raton Canyon Bunker, Lago Zancudo Bunker, Chumash Bunker, Grapeseed Bunker, Route 68 Bunker, Grand Senora Desert Bunker, Smoke Tree Road Bunker, Thomson Scrapyard Bunker, Farmhouse Bunker
 

30% Off Bunker Modifications

Bunker Style, Personal Quarters, Shooting Range, Gun Locker, Transportation, MOC Weaponized Vehicle Workshop
 

Vehicles:

 

25% Off Dundreary Landstalker XL

30% Off Pegassi Zentorno

25% Off Youga Classic 4x4

 

Plus take 40% off the Ocelot Ardent and Declasse Weaponized Tampa through September 16^th.

PRIME GAMING

GTA Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account with Prime Gaming will receive:

• GTA$200K for playing any time this week
• The FREE Vespucci Canals Nightclub Property
• 80% off the Progen T20
• 80% off the Överflöd Tyrant

 

To ensure access to future benefits, make sure to visit Prime Gaming and sign up.

Head over to the Social Club Events page for a full rundown of all current special events, bonuses and discounts.

Check Rockstar Support for details and limitations.

Dune: First look trailer arrives

Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve directs Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Dune,” the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller of the same name.   A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people.  As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
DUNE stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling with Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.
DUNE releases in Australia and New Zealand in cinemas on December 26, 2020.

The Prince of Persia is back in the Sands of Time remake

Rediscover the Prince’s Journey with the Classic Tale that Redefined Action-Adventure Gaming

 

 

Sydney, Australia — September 11, 2020 — Today at Ubisoft’s digital press conference, Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft announced the return of the Prince in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, the company’s first full-scale remake. Originally released in 2003, Prince of Persia^®: The Sands of Time redefined action-adventure gaming with its innovative gameplay, compelling story and lovable characters. Rewinding time once again, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake has been developed from the ground up with the Anvil game engine.

 

Starting January 21, 2021, the game will be available for $69.95 AUD on PlayStation^®4, Xbox One, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Store on Windows PC and UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service*.

 

To watch the trailer click the image below

 

Developed by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is Ubisoft’s first ever full-scale remake, with a fresh approach to combat, puzzle solving and rewinding time. The new design, made with updated technology for today’s gaming systems, include new camera angles and fully remade sequences. Additionally, players will get to see a beautiful and fully reimagined 9^th century Persia through the eyes of the developers in Pune and Mumbai.

 

Relive the Prince’s journey for redemption after unwittingly releasing the Sands of Time on the Sultan’s Kingdom. As with the original, players will embody the heroic Prince alongside the daughter of the Maharaja, Princess Farah as they navigate the palace, battle sword-wielding enemies, maneuver trap-filled rooms and ultimately confront the evil Vizier, who controls the Sands of Time. Players continue to progress as they combat enemies and master the art of parkour. Yuri Lowenthal returns, reprising his role as the Prince’s original voice and motion capture actor and players will be introduced to actress Supinder Wraich, who now plays the role of Farah.

 

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake includes the original Prince of Persia^® game originally released in 1989, which can be unlocked during the Prince’s journey.

 

Players who pre-order the game will have access to the Back To The Origins set which includes:

• The Original Prince outfit from the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• The Prince’s Original Weapons set
• A Classic Filter that changes the look & feel of the game on the screen, just like if players were playing the game back in time

 

For the latest news on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake and all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: https://news.ubisoft.com/