Queenstown to become Greenstown for XBox Series S and X on Monday night 

To celebrate the launch of the new XBox Series S and XBox Series X on Tuesday November 10, Queenstown has become the centre of attention.

As part of a marketing push, a live showcase event called Greenstown will take place tonight for XBox ANZ, as we'll be the first in the world to get the new console.

It all kicks off at 11pm.

Fans can tune into the very special ‘Greenstown’ livestream on November 9 at 11:00pm NZDT across Xbox ANZ’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch.

Featuring a first look at all new gameplay, the livestream will be a celebration of the Australian and New Zealand gaming community. 

Powered by the Xbox Series X, fans can tune in to see Eivor, a fierce Viking warrior, explore the dynamic and beautiful open world against the brutal backdrop of England’s dark ages in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla. 

Those who tune in will also see the icy frontier of Europa from Destiny 2: Beyond Light, which holds many lost secrets from the past, including the dark power of Stasis. Guardians will be able to embrace the darkness from November 11.

 

The hour-long live show will include guest appearances from Xbox Executives and some of Australia and New Zealand’s most recognisable content creators, and so much more.

This Town: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Entertainment

The most frustrating thing about David White's dramedy about a killer who's trying to find love in a rural town is that it never quite leans into what exactly it wants to be.

Blending goofy romance a la Eagle vs Shark while ignoring the fact it's heavily based on the David Bain story (a family's found shot dead, one sole survivor and a lot of questions dogging them through the years), This Town had some real potential to launch New Zealand cinema after the onset of Coronavirus crippled the cinematic world.

But This Town doesn't own enough of its ingredients to get it out of the country of quirky characters mire it sets itself into.

It's the tale of Sean (White, a fairly solid and deadpan when needed lead), a suspected murderer who wants to simply find the one. Signing up to a dating app on the advice of mates, Sean meets Alice May Connolly's Casey, one of the few girls who's unaware of Sean's past...

However, in smalltown New Zealand, the past is always around the corner...

Initially, This Town proffers some solid laughs, thanks to the deadpan delivery of lines and actions of a man who's clearly socially at odds with what's expected of him - and some inspired sight gags.

Yet once Robyn Malcolm's determined-to-get-her-man former police officer Pam comes in, the film loses a bit of focus and goes slightly off the rails as the weaker material starts to flail in the wind. It's not to pour scorn on Malcolm's performance, as she shows some strong comedy chops when required - her pairing with Rima Te Wiata as a local crime writer is inspired, but there's not enough of it in the film.

Hints of the comedy potential arrive towards the end with some clearly improvised dialogue pointing frustratingly to what could have been. 

This Town never quite knows what it wants to be, and none more so than when the truth comes out, and the dramatic reveal is played too quickly to have the heft it needed. 

Despite some wonderfully realised bucolic shots, and some adroit capturing of the small-town vibe, some of the issue with This Town lies with the character who should be the lead in it is frequently sidelined, gradually robbing them of the screen time that's needed and emotional arc that's necessary.

Working better for character moments, rather than a cohesive whole, This Town feels more suited to a finely honed web series, rather than a full-length film. It's certainly not a Town you want to reside in long-term.

Monos: DVD Review

Released by Madman Home Entertainment

With a visually arresting start and an intriguing opening, Columbian film Monos is an intensely taut drama that is as compelling as it is an examination of the feral spirit that lies within us all.

It's the story of a group of teenage troops, who inhabit a mountain top and who are training. Given a cow and a hostage to look after, the octet descend into a chaotic state when things go awry.

In the scheme of life, what happens is minor, but the ripples are wide-ranging and powerful.

Landes' film holds back many details of the wider world, preferring instead to place the viewer in a world of intensity and a powderkeg waiting to ignite. All that's proffered is about The Organisation and even that's scraps at best.

They could be training as child soldiers, and it could be a parable about loss of innocence in Columbia, but robbed of the wider perspective in parts, Monos makes a struggle of that side of its drama.

However, as an examination of a teenage mini society, Monos is life through a prism, a swirling cauldron of efficiency and terrifying consequence.

Thrillingly shot and nervously scored, Monos gets by largely on its visuals and its inherent sense of unease - there's something compelling afoot in these mountains, and thanks to Landes' power opening, Monos is a sickeningly unsettling drama.

Rams: Film Review

Cast: Sam Neill, Michael Caton, Miranda Richardson

Director: Jeremy Sims

A re-imagining of Grimur Hákonarson's Cannes Award-winning Icelandic movie, Australian director Jeremy Sims' latest offers more of a lighter tale than the bleak original.

Neill and Caton are Colin and Les, two estranged brothers who are at war with each other, and whose quarrels have divided the community. When Colin suspects Les' award-winning ram of having a rare disease, he has no choice but to tell the authorities, setting in motion a purge of the region's sheep and devastating livelihoods potentially for a generation....

The Australian version of Rams is less interested in providing the kind of bleakness that was so redolent of the Icelandic original. 

From broader strokes to an almost comedic performance from an OTT official, the film isn't wanting to wallow in the darkness of the first, that came with both an oppressive Icelandic setting and a grim outlook. But given its desire to reach a wider audience, this is perhaps understandable.

Instead, by setting the film in the Aussie outback with its pristine paddocks and rolling hills, Sims' take on Rams is less nuanced, but nonetheless effective, thanks largely to a stellar performance by Neill as Colin. (Although the ending leaves a lot to be desired.)

Neill delivers a weathered and wearied performance that taps into the farming mindset of less said, more demonstrated - from occasional looks to the heart-rending viscerally numbing moments after he has to slaughter his sheep, Neill delivers a masterclass in understated and builds a character that's both loveable and questionable in some of his antics.

Caton has less to work with but manages to turn in a brother whose anger and resentment has gone beyond my brother's keeper ethos and is tinging on self-destruction. But when needed, he provides a more than adequate foil to interactions with Neill's Colin.

Ultimately, despite the bucolic background, there's still the elegaic feel of the original to Rams, and a slower pace gets to the heart of both the characters and the community affected by the outbreak of disease and the devastation of loss. It may have softer edges than the original, but it has an eye for the subtleties of farm life and those who dwell within it.

There's a rhythm adjustment needed for Rams, but work with it, and it offers a strongly rewarding experience that offers insight into how men behave later in life, and how rural life shapes a certain perspective and outlook.

It may be occasionally stymied by some of its broader comedy strokes, and its desire to err from the darkness blackish comedy within, but given its central performance from Neill, it's eminently watchable.

New Zealand's Queenstown to become 'Greenstown' as Xbox ANZ celebrates global launch of Xbox Series X | S

NEW ZEALAND’S QUEENSTOWN TO BECOME ‘GREENSTOWN’ AS XBOX ANZ CELEBRATES GLOBAL LAUNCH OF XBOX SERIES X|S

Midnight countdown livestream will usher in the next generation of gaming with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10

 

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Friday, 6 November 2020: Today Xbox ANZ has announced a livestream countdown for its fans on both sides of the Tasman, and across the world, taking place on November 9 at 11:00pm NZDT to officially usher in the next generation of gaming. Set in glorious Queenstown, minutes before the clock strikes midnight, the livestream will culminate in an official Xbox takeover where Queenstown will be transformed into ‘Greenstown’.

 

Due to international time zones, New Zealand will be the first country in the world to see the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Queenstown, one of the only places in the world that matches the visual fidelity of the next generation of Xbox consoles, will host a dream-like ‘Greenstown’ reveal that will begin from dusk, all framed by The Remarkables mountain range.

 

Fans can tune into the very special ‘Greenstown’ livestream on November 9 at 11:00pm NZDT across Xbox ANZ’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch.

 

Featuring a first look at all new gameplay, the livestream will be a celebration of the Australian and New Zealand gaming community. Powered by the Xbox Series X, fans can tune in to see Eivor, a fierce Viking warrior, explore the dynamic and beautiful open world against the brutal backdrop of England’s dark ages in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla. Those who tune in will also see the icy frontier of Europa from Destiny 2: Beyond Light, which holds many lost secrets from the past, including the dark power of Stasis. Guardians will be able to embrace the darkness from November 11.

 

The hour-long live show will include guest appearances from Xbox Executives and some of Australia and New Zealand’s most recognisable content creators, and so much more.

 

Dan Johnson, Xbox Lead for ANZ said: “We’re excited to be celebrating the launch of both the Xbox Series X and S. New Zealand and Australia will be the first in the world to bring our next-generation consoles to our fans. So, we want to celebrate this momentous event in style. I’d like to invite our Aussie and Kiwi fans to join us on an engaging livestream as we transform the adventure capital of the world into ‘Greenstown’ and broadcast it right into the comfort of their homes.”

 

With Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, they will provide unparalleled performance, speed and compatibility for the next generation of consoles and innovative new features that enable gamers to jump into more expansive, lifelike worlds even faster.

 

Xbox Series X ($799 NZD RRP) and Xbox Series S ($549 NZD RRP) both launch in Australia and New Zealand on November 10. Please check in with your local retailers directly for more details on availability in your area. 

 

New Zealand fans can also purchase a next-gen console via Xbox All Access through Xbox’s partnerships with Spark, offering monthly payment packages starting at $39/month over 24 months, interest free*.

 

Win a copy of Hard Kill on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Hard Kill on DVD and Blu Ray, thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, you can win a copy.

About Hard Kill

The work of billionaire tech CEO Donovan Chalmers (Bruce Willis) is so valuable that he hires mercenaries to protect it, and a terrorist group kidnaps his daughter just to get it.

Hard Kill is out now on DVD and Blu Ray. 

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

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

Win Follow Me on Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Follow Me, thanks to Sony Home Entertainment, you can win a copy.

About Follow Me

A social media personality travels with his friends to Moscow to capture new content for his successful VLOG. Always pushing the limits and catering to a growing audience, they enter a cold world of mystery, excess, and danger. When the lines between real life and social media are blurred, the group must fight to escape, and survive.

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

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