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Showing posts from 2016
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Blair Witch: Film Review

Blair Witch: Film Review Cast: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry Director: Adam Wingard 17 years ago, a little film called The Blair Witch Project redefined the found footage horror genre and set the world alight in 1999. A sequel, Book of Shadows did little to build on what the film offered in the first place (except to expand out some ideals of the first) - and now 20 years after the first film's found footage was shot, a bait and switch threequel from directing wunderkind Adam Wingard ( You're Next, The Guest ) was unveiled at San Diego Comic Con. Previously masquerading under the title The Woods, Blair Witch once again heads back into the woods of Burkittsville and into the world of urban legend. This time, it's due to James (Allen McCune) whose sister Heather Donahue went missing first time around. When footage purportedly of Heather shows up on YouTube, James contacts the poster and asks to meet. This leads to 4 friends

Win Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Win Hunt For The Wilderpeople To celebrate the release of Hunt For The Wilderpeople on DVD and Blu Ray, I'm giving you the chance to win! Ricky (Julian Dennison) is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his grumpy foster uncle (Sam Neill) in the wild New Zealand bush.  A national manhunt ensues and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive in this hilarious and heart-felt adventure. You can win a copy of the year's biggest New Zealand film that's simply a phenomenon. Directed by Taika Waititi, Hunt For The Wilderpeople is out now on DVD and Blu Ray To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com -  simply  CLICK HERE   darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com   and in the subject line put WILDERPEOPLE 

Win Narcos Season 1

Win Narcos Season 1 Narcos Based on the incredible true story of Pablo Escobar, Narcos is an inside look at the men who would stop at nothing to take down the notorious cocaine trafficker. This ground-breaking series takes an unfiltered look into the war that would change the drug trade forever. They were violent, crazy and filthy rich guys used to getting what they want… one way or another. To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com -  simply  CLICK HERE   darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com   and in the subject line put NARCOS 

As It Is In Heaven 2: Film Review

As It Is In Heaven 2: Film Review Cast: Frida Hallgren Director: Kay Pollak 10 years ago, a Swedish film found itself in the unique position of resonating with audiences. In New Zealand alone, the film spent 52 weeks in the box office charts thanks to both its feelgood factor and its word of mouth as the story of a conductor after both a second chance at life and love scored critical acclaim. A decade on and a sequel to As It Is In Heaven has shown and with it, a collective feeling of what next for the story which felt resolved and unworthy of further exploration. In that time, a lot has changed and quite possibly, some of the assumed character familiarity has faded. Needless to say Michael Nyqvist's conductor Daniel Dareus is no longer with us, having given up the ghost after his path to redemption was completed in the first film. But the wild child student Lena from his choir who he slept with is about to give birth as the action picks up nine months later. Ostracised by some for

The Killing Joke: DVD Review

The Killing Joke: DVD Review Rating: M Released by Roadshow Home Ent "First off all, before the horror began, there was a time when capes and fighting crimes was really exciting." So begins the 26th  animated DC Universe film , an adaptation of one of the most praised iconic storylines in the series - the origins of the Joker, from a  1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. However,  Batman: The Killing Joke  is predominantly the story of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl (narrated brilliantly by Tara Strong) and her relationship with Batman. The film starts out with more of a background to Batgirl, her abusive relationship with the Bat (he's emotionally cold and distant from her) and her quest to take down a criminal from the Mob who's obsessed with her. But then,  Batman: The Killing Joke  segues into the original graphic novel and what you'd expect from the film - lifting panels from the page and transposing the iconic imagery created by  2000AD supremo

New Fifty Shades Darker trailer arrives

New Fifty Shades Darker trailer arrives The brand new trailer for Fifty Shades Darker , starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson has just dropped. It comes after the new New Fifty Shades Darker poster released.

The Magnificent Seven: Film Review

The Magnificent Seven: Film Review Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Byung-hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard Director: Antoine Fuqua Rote and without a hint of much of his own style, The Magnificent Seven somehow manages to feel like a weaker carbon copy than a redo of the 1960s classic. This time around, Denzel Washington leads the pack as Sam Chisholm, a newly sworn warrant officer. Riding into town with nary a comment but with every head turning as a black man heads down their street, Chisholm is asked by widowed Emma Cullen (a largely underused but pleasingly effective Haley Bennett) to avenge her husband's death and free their mining town from the tyrannical grip of Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard). Gathering up a motley crew of multi-racial misfits (one of the more revisionist edges that Fuqua gifts the reboot), Chisholm and his man saddle up for a fight. The Magnificent Seven is nothing in comparison to the

The Nice Guys: DVD Review

The Nice Guys: DVD Review Rating: M Released by Roadshow Home Ent A veritable shaggy dog crime story,  The Nice Guys  sees  Iron Man 3 director Shane Black given carte blanche to run riot on a canvas that's decked out in 70s life writ large on the big screen. Gosling and Crowe star as down on his luck PI Holland March and literal heavy weight street enforcer Jackson Healy respectively, whose paths cross when Healy warns March off a case he's investigating. But forced to team up by a twist of fate, the duo end up looking into the death of a porn star in 70s Los Angeles and finding their initial line of enquiry leads them deep into the heart of a conspiracy. There's a goofiness and a Shane Black meta approach that nearly overwhelms  The Nice Guys , covering its smarts and dumbness in equal knowing nods and winks that at times, detracts from what's going on on the big screen. Swathed in gorgeous period detail (from the 70s fashion to billboards for Jaws 2  and  Airport 77

New Fifty Shades Darker poster drops

New Fifty Shades Darker poster drops The brand new poster for Fifty Shades Darker , starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson has just dropped. It comes ahead of the new New Fifty Shades Darker trailer release tomorrow.

Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom: PS4 Review

Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom: PS4 Review Platform: PS4 Developer: Koei Tecmo Manga series Attack on Titan is phenomenally popular. Based on the story of a group of fighters taking on monsters who invade their land (a sort of giants vs humans tale), Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom is a re-telling of the first season of the anime which has been made into 2 live action films. Following the pace and action of the series, Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom : follows fan favourites Eren, Mikasa as they try to defend their town from the rampaging giants who are determined to break down the walls and bite their heads off. Coming in 3 different sizes and with a couple of different classes, the Titans are a heady and overwhelming bunch to take down initially. Firing Spider-man style metal wires catapults you through the air toward  your prey at speed and then once your focus is on certain areas, a perfectly timed pressing of one button will subjugate them and see you scoring points. It

The Secret Life Of Pets: Film Review

The Secret Life Of Pets: Film Review Vocal cast: Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper Director: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud It's the eternal question of every pet owner - what do your animals do during the day while you're out? While the reality is potentially a tad dull (clever money is on sleeping and eating), animation house Illumination's The Secret Life Of Pets posits the theory that they have great adventures. Set in New York, it's the story of terrier Max (Louis CK), who believes he's the luckiest dog in the city, thanks to the bond he shares with his owner Katie. But when Katie brings home a new dog in the form of Duke ( Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet ), Max finds his world upended. Determined to be top dog, Max tries to lose Duke on the streets; however, it goes wrong when the duo lose their collars and end up in the grips of animal control... Essentially as light and fluffy as the animals within,  The Secret Life Of Pets

Ride Along 2: DVD Review

Ride Along 2: DVD Review Released by Universal Home Ent Following the massive success of  2014's Ride Along , it was inevitable the sequel would show. In the latest to toy with the mismatched buddy cop dynamic, Hart's Ben Barber remains a cop on probation, despite his dream to make detective. When Ice Cube's James is asked by his sister, Ben's fiancee, to take him to Miami ahead of his wedding on a lead in a drug-ring case, James begrudgingly accepts. Following leads in the party town brings the less-than-dynamic-duo to computer hacker AJ ( Community and The Hangover star Ken Jeong ) who reveals that a local businessman is behind the ring and corruption is rife. Tagging along with Olivia Munn's no time-wasting homicide cop Maya, Ben and James soon find themselves knee deep in trouble... Flat and lifeless (with a bizarrely suspense and action-free pre-credits sequence), Ride Along 2's script is muted; an almost bizarre juxtaposition to the flashy, trashy exterior

A Bigger Splash: DVD Review

A Bigger Splash: DVD Review There's nothing worse than a gatecrasher. And in  I Am Love director Luca Guadagnino 's latest, a remake of the French 1969 thriller La Piscine, even though the gate-crasher is a tremendous Ralph Fiennes, the after effects of this arrival fail to really lift the so-called sexual thriller. Swinton is Marianne Lane, a Bowie-esque rock singer, who's recuperating from throat surgery that's rendered her all but mute. While she's factored in some serious R&R with her current beau, Paul (a wearied and disconnected Schoenaerts), the peace is rudely shattered by the arrival of Lane's former manager and one time lover Harry (Fiennes), who shows with his newly-discovered daughter Penny ( 50 Shades of Grey's Dakota Johnson ) in tow. And it's not just the fragile peace that's ripped asunder with this visit, as old feelings between Lane and Harry simmer away; coupled with the Lolita-esque trappings of Penny as she eyes up Paul, noth

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: PS4 Review

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: PS4 Review Developer: Eidos Montreal Platform: PS4 Mixing Metal Gear Solid with cybernetics seems a good and heady combination for Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Tapping into a healthy mistrust of the machines and their augmented place in society, the follow up to Deus Ex Human Revolution is a thrilling trip into the day after tomorrow world ethos with Adam Jensen. Set in the year 2029, Jensen's part of an anti-terrorist group deployed to deal with a clutch of augmented terrorists threatening the fragile peace. But Jensen also has a side mission to crack the conspiracy rippling through the augmented world and the shadowy cabal controlling things. With a series of others to negotiate a way through and no-one seeming exactly who they are, the world set up is a perfect one. And it's well complemented by the levels of enhancement that Jensen goes through and the weaponry he can use to help instigate a stealthy takedown here and there. From augmented vision to

Sherpa: DVD Review

Sherpa: DVD Review Rating: M Released by Transmission Home Ent Jennifer Peedom's documentary on the Sherpas and Nepal is inevitably infused with a bittersweet touch, and is a scathing look at the unfolding industrial dispute on Everest. Armed with a camera crew and with the intention of giving the Sherpas the moment to shine she felt they had been missing all these years, she couldn't have foreseen the tragic events that would brutally interrupt the 2014 climbing season - and after completing editing, the earthquake that struck almost exactly one year on. However, before the tragedy comes the majesty of the mountain, thanks to opening shots that are pristine and clear and which cauterize the eyes with white. As the wind blows against the Everest that we are so accustomed to, which reaches out into the heavens, it soon becomes clear that the serenity is only in the sky. In 2013 the discord on the ground threatened to boil over with a fight brewing between the Sherpas and those c

Win a double pass to see DON'T BREATHE

Win a double pass to see DON'T BREATHE To celebrate the release of the US Number 1 Box Office smash, Don't Breathe, I've got double passes to see the film! About Don't Breathe A group of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they'll get away with the perfect heist. They're wrong. Directed by:  Fede Alvarez Written by:  Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues Produced by:  Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Fede Alvarez Executive Producers:  Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Erin Westerman, J.R. Young, Mathew Hart Cast:  Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang Don't Breathe hits cinemas September 22nd To enter simply email to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com -  simply  CLICK HERE   darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com   and in the subject line put BREATHE  Please include your name and address and good luck!  NB Competition closes 22 September- editor's decision final!

Win a Bridget Jones's Baby prize pack

Win a Bridget Jones's Baby prize pack To celebrate the release of Bridget Jones's Baby in cinemas September 22nd, I'm giving you the chance to win big with double passes to see the comedy and a Bridget Jones's Baby bag! Oscar ® winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world’s favorite singleton in Bridget Jones’s Baby .  Directed by Sharon Maguire ( Bridget Jones’s Diary ), the new film in the beloved comedy series based on creator Helen Fielding’s heroine finds Bridget unexpectedly expecting.  After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones’s (Zellweger) “happily ever after” hasn’t quite gone according to plan.  Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new.  For once, Bridget has everything completely under control.  What could possibly go wrong? Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American nam