Wellington-shot movie Reunion releases its first trailer

 

Featuring a stellar international and local cast including Julia Ormond and New Zealand’s own Emma Draper, Cohen Holloway and John Bach, the film is an original and exhilarating psychological thriller that challenges the perceptions of objective reality and subjective truth.

 

Emma Draper plays Ellie, who returns to her childhood home, heavily pregnant and reunites with her estranged mother Ivy, played by Julia Ormond. Following years of separation, their initial awkward interactions gradually fall into the familiar dynamics of previous years. But the old house conjures disturbing memories for Ellie who is haunted by her dead sister, Cara. As Ellie grows more erratic and confused, Ivy tries to comfort her and contain her increasingly strange behaviour. When past trauma and the anxiety over her unborn child finally sends Ellie over the edge, she discovers the hidden, horrifying reality of her family that she never expected.

 

Written and directed by SXSW and Venice Orizzonti award-winning filmmaker Jake Mahaffy (Free in Deed, Wellness), Reunion was shot in Wellington.

 

CAST & CREW:

Directed by: Jake Mahaffy

Written by: Jake Mahaffy

Starring: Julia Ormond, Emma Draper, Cohen Holloway, John Bach.

Reunion releases November 5.

The Broken Hearts Gallery: Film Review

Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo and Bernadette Peters.

Director: Natalie Krinsky

There's nothing wrong with a good rom-com.

Although it's very easy to be very cynical about the familiar paths they follow and the story beats they hit.

However, The Broken Hearts Gallery has one secret weapon in its arsenal - its Australian star Geraldine Viswanathan.

Viswanathan is Lucy, a New York City- based relationship hoarder who keeps memorabilia from break ups and exes and who really has a problem moving on. As her friends politely put it early on, she's gone from sentimental to full-mental.

When wannabe gallery owner Lucy's dumped by her partner and sacked from her art job, she hits a funk. 

But having met boutique hotel developer Dacre Montgomery's Nick by mistake and in a moment of genius, Lucy decides on an art gallery that showcases material from exes. That becomes a viral sensation, putting Lucy back on the up...

The Broken Hearts Gallery is a zingy, lively romcom that descends into the expected schmaltz and tropes of the genre in its final 20 minutes.

However, it soars in large parts because of its lead.

Viswanathan's unending energy, quirk and upbeat portrayal of Lucy is a star-in-the-making turn. It's hard to be cynical when confronted by her work in this, which builds greatly on the comedy she brought to Blockers and the drama she had in Bad Education. 

Equally impressive is just how much diversity and empowerment there is in this film.

Sure, you can argue in large parts it fails the Bechedel Test, but quite frankly, who cares? Krinksy's commitment to female friendship, group mentality and mates is utterly winning. That's not to say supporting characters aren't underwritten either - there's a full roster of solid stand-alones who make the film what it is.

Ultimately, The Broken Hearts Gallery is a breezy film that offers much to the rom-com genre without massively subverting it. It will break your heart and leave your sides splitting too - it's a none-too-timely reminder that good comedies are rare beasts - and stars in waiting like  Geraldine Viswanathan are all too rare, and excellent to watch.

Ready or Not: Neon NZ Film Review

Ready Or Not's mix of comedy and horror sometimes treads a fine line between successful and thrilling and sometimes, it meanders too much on the wrong side - but it's never less than compelling thanks to the grit and determination of its lead, Samara Weaving.

Weaving plays Grace, the new bride of Alex, the heir to a gaming family, who've made their money and whose members are worried Grace is nothing more than a gold-digger.

On their wedding night, Grace is told it's a family tradition to play a game - and it's her random choice. She draws a game of Hide and Seek which has, unbeknownst to her, has deadly consequences...

Ready Or Not is a pulpy wannabe horror, occasionally subverting genre thrills and skirting some commentary between the rich and the poor.

Yet, at times, as mentioned, the film's not quite sure which way it wants to go under its Radio Silence directors and script.

Scenes of tension and horror are undercut by over-the-top moments of laughter as well as sentiment, which sometimes feel misplaced in the mix. The tonal jumps mix in with the utterly ludicrous plot, and while the film plays with all of them, skating between genres, its true success comes in its heroine.

Weaving is stoicism personified, a satire on the woman taking on the patriarchy (by wearing Converse under her wedding dress, natch) and dealing with the family from hell. She's never empowered enough to kill, adding a layer of the poor don't sink to the rich's level commentary within. But there's enough of her on show to make for a compelling heroine to root for from the beginning.

In an over-the-top laissez faire finale, Ready Or Not reveals its hand, and gives its cat and mouse game the cult feel it's clearly aiming for. But played more for laughs than outright horror, it sometimes makes it difficult to fully care or engage with anyone but the heroine as she tears into societal norms,

That's no bad thing, and while Ready or Not may offer some vicarious thrills, they're fleeting and the class war premise is left as nothing more than a simple and entertainingly brief rollercoaster thrill ride. 

Mafia Definitive Edition - Launch Trailer 

 

Mafia: Definitive Edition

 

is Available Now

 

 

 

 

Mafia: Definitive Edition is part of the Mafia: Trilogy, which includes:

 

• Mafia: Definitive Edition – The built-from-the-ground-up remake of the beloved classic;
• Mafia II: Definitive Edition – The ultra HD remaster of the fan favourite;
• Mafia III: Definitive Edition – The re-introduction of the award-winning narrative masterpiece.

 

Civilization VI - Byzantium & Gaul Pack Out Now

 

Byzantium & Gaul Pack Available Today

 

 

 

The third DLC pack in the Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass, the Byzantium & Gaul Pack, is now available on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Mac and Linux! Below are the key features:

 

• New Leader: Basil II of Byzantium
• Includes unique Dromon Ship and Tagma units, unique Hippodrome district, Taxis civilization ability and Porphyrogénnētos leader ability
• New Leader: Ambiorix of Gaul
• Includes unique Gaesatae unit, unique Oppidum district, Hallstatt Culture civilization ability and King of the Eburones leader ability
• New Optional Game Mode: Dramatic Ages (requires Rise and Fall or Gathering Storm expansions to play)
• Civilizations always enter Golden or Dark Ages every era that feature more potent bonuses and penalties.
• Instead of Dedications, players will gain access to powerful new Social Policies like Golden Policies and updated Dark Policies that offer more flexibility and power.
• Dark Ages in particular are more dangerous than ever, as players in Dark Ages will have a portion of their empire immediately fall into Free Cities, and Free Cities can exert pressure on other cities.
• New World Wonders: Biosphere, Statue of Zeus
• New Map Script: Highlands

 

 

The Byzantium & Gaul Pack is the third of several bimonthly DLCs coming to Civilization VI as part of the Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass, which brings eight new civilizations, nine new leaders, six new game modes and more to the critically-acclaimed strategy game. The Civilization VI – New Frontier Pass is priced at $59.95; the Byzantium & Gaul is available for individual purchase at $13.45.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utopia: Amazon Prime Video TV Review

Dennis Kelly's Utopia was a bonafide cult classic in the UK.

Launching in 2013, the conspiracy theory drama followed a group of misfits who believed the comic they adored, Utopia, was a document that predicted all manner of diseases and illnesses. Dismissed as conspiracy nuts, the show took a turn when it proved the ragtag bunch right, and that everything they feared was real.

In all honesty, it's hard to match the two season mystery which was both apocalyptic and exceptionally well-crafted.

And for fans of the UK original, the Amazon Prime Video version, which launches today, will feel like a pale comparison to what's transpired before, with some parts feeling weirdly like cosplay do-overs.

Gone Girl's Gillian Flynn has crafted the remake and the producers have craftily thrown on a "Based on" line to ensure there's a bit of distance from the original.

However, the story is still the same, and based on the two episodes previewed for the purposes of this review, some of the story beats and even sequences are exactly the same.

A bunch of young adults are obsessed with underground graphic novel, Dystopia, which appeared to predict several world diseases. When word gets out of a sequel, Utopia, found by accident and auctioned off at a comic con, the group, who's never met before, join forces to buy the book. 

But without any warning, two hitmen arrive on the scene and quietly and meticulously begin trying to find the book, wiping out anyone who's seen it, and searching for the graphic novel's mythical protagonist, Jessica Hyde....

It's fair to say the US remake of Utopia is a polished vehicle, that has some degree of timing - a series about a viral outbreak and a global conspiracy being released in the middle of a pandemic couldn't be more timely if it tried.

However, Gillian Flynn's writing doesn't quite cut as loose from the original as it wants - and certainly some of the characters feel like basic elements have been thrown onto mannequins that lack a degree of charisma. 

It's a tough proposition to match the original, and maybe non-fans of Dennis Kelly's trail-blazer will get a reasonable buzz from this stylish dive down the rabbit hole.

However, the main leads in the series lack the necessary sparkle to kick the series off - two of them appear to be star-crossed lovers who have been ripped from the pages of a young adult novel, and who have little outstanding moments during the first 2 hours of the show.

Thankfully Happy Death Day's Jessica Rothe as Sam, the go-getter of the group, the and Desmin Borges' Wilson Wilson, a Utopia paranoia case make great viewing companions and give the series the relatable edges it needs. 

Unfortunately Christopher Denham's hitman Arby feels like a straight impression of Neil Maskell's monotoned menace - and lacks the horror of the original.

It's emblematic of the minor problem with the US remake of Utopia - the menace simply isn't there.

The original series opened with the hitmen quietly and calmly gassing their targets before killing them - a shocking sequence that set the tone of unease that never let up during the UK's two seasons. Here, the Utopia of America is a little too sanitised by comparison and definitely in the first episode never delivers any of the same chills or sense of anxiety that got viewers sitting bolt upright.

Some of that comes to the fore in the second episode (which has an incredible ending that commands an urgent viewing of the third), but again these are broad brush strokes that are repeated from the original. Introducing more characters and widening the conspiracy edges helps a little, but it feels like the horror and meta edges of a current day situation, pandemics and viral diseases haven't been fully formed or narratively fleshed out.

While the US version of Utopia is a big budget affair, it certainly does offer some thrills. It's just that said thrills pale into comparison with the UK original, and which doesn't feel like it's got the strength of direction to pull into something as compelling and sickening as it could be.

Utopia launches on Amazon Prime Video on Friday September 25. For the purposes of this review, Amazon Prime Video provided screeners.

Four Kids and It: Film Review 

Cast: Michael Caine, Paula Patton, Matthew Goode, Russell Brand, 

Director: Andy DeEmmony

British children's novel Five Children and It may have had its first life in 1902, but Edith Nesbit's book was also given a charming do-over in the form of a kids' TV series which ran in the 90s.

The 2020 film version (not the first of its kind) has its own charms, but they're intermittent at best in this remake that's come from the Jacqueline Wilson book of the same name.

When the Trent family heads to Cornwall, the two kids are devastated to find their newly-divorced dad (Goode, relatively effete in a thankless role) is bringing with him his new American girlfriend (Patton, stereotyped and cast aside) and her two brash unhappy kids in an attempt to achieve domestic bliss.

However, the kids make a discovery down on the beach that changes the holiday for good - a reluctant wish-granting sand fairy creature known as the Psammead who can make it all come to pass for 24 hours only.

But the Trent kids aren't the only ones who find the Psammead enchanting - the nefarious lord of the land (played with chutzpah and plumminess by Russell Brand) is also searching for the creature...

As mentioned, Four Kids and It as intermittent charm, and has some relatively likeable leads in the form of the kids.

The adults are less successful being there solely to irritate the children and feign anger at their squabbling. Not so Russell Brand who breathes a bit of life into the bad guy role he's been handed, giving his Lord Trent the kind of broad brush strokes a villain needs without deigning to steal any of the scenery.

Michael Caine adds a venerable note or two to the Psammead (a sort of cross between ET and a bunny) but is woefully held back from launching a grumpy tirade or two which would have given the film a much-needed edge.

Four Kids and It skews younger, with many under 10s likely to find some laughs and silliness where necessary, but adults may struggle to see what the old school raison d'etre is. 

Nesbit's book may have been a warning about being careful what you wish for (a message that's easily caught by any viewing audience) but Four Kids and It's dogged determination to stick to an old school format and lack of magic may prove a minor turn off for audiences during school holidays who are used to slicker less corny and gentle material.

There's some heart in the kids' performances and Michael Caine more than breathes life into the Psammead, but Four Kids and It needs a bit more sparkle to stay in the memory longer after the cinema's lights have gone up.