Novastream Magazine Issue#3

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Dope

Mark Halyday checks out the little gem struggling in limited release

Before we begin to talk about Dope, let’s acknowledge how hard it is to actually find a cinema playing Dope. In the Brisbane/Gold Coast/Ipswich area there is one cinema playing the film three times a day on opening week. Due to zero competition the box office is more ludicrous than usual, the parking is atrocious, the venue held only fifty people and was near sold out on a Monday night.

This is opposed to over four hundred cinemas nationwide each playing the Vacation reboot fourteen times in one day.

So why trek to see Dope? The spirit of adventure, for one, and to witness a bloody brilliant movie for another. Sitting here now, the best movie of 2015.

Malcolm hangs out with his two best friends Jib and Diggy, wants to go to Harvard and maybe get laid – but make no mistake, this isn’t some John Green adaptation. It’s an often graphic look at a rough part of Los Angeles filled with crime of all sorts, especially drugs and violence. Malcom and co do their best to keep their head down until one day Dom – in a fine supporting role from real-life Grammy nominated rapper A$AP Rocky – forcibly recruits them to ask a girl on a date for him.

The girl, Nakia, is the diamond amongst the rough and has similar dreams of a world outside of the hood. To complete his conscription and step outside of his comfort zone Malcom agrees to meet her at Dom’s birthday party, only to end up with someone else’s drugs in his backpack.

And that’s about all of the plot you’ll get from this review. It’s too good to spoil. It’s a film that uses its volatile environment to keep the audience guessing. In the Bottoms anybody could die at any moment, even good kids like our trio of protagonists. The film never lingers too much on this – as Malcom succinctly states, “it’s a cliché”, it’s reality – but it continues to place them in situations that remind you that this not a nice town and that their reality is warped.

All of this sounds pretty serious. It’s up to a slick comedic script to make it an enjoyable hundred and three minutes at the tiny cinema.

Dope is hilarious. It’s goofy and abstract and has a Ferris Bueller charm to a lot of its lighter moments that keep it from dragging.

The trio’s fish-out-of-water awkwardness is so consistent that its absence in one crucial scene demonstrates how absolutely vital it is to the film and the characters that inhabit it.

On top of it all is a truly killer soundtrack curated by another Grammy winner, Pharrell Williams. His juggernaut Happy was the highest grossing single in Australia in 2014 and spent over half a year inside the Top 40. He has produced the signature songs for the biggest acts in the world including Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Daft Punk. For Dope he

mixed new material by in-movie band Awreeoh with the biggest hits from hip-hop. It’s certainly worth a listen.

Studios love a story, particularly when marketing smaller films like Dope. The narrative spins that “before the actors were cast, before there was a script, when there was just the beginning of imagining Dope, there was Pharrell”. His influence can be seen throughout but this quote sounds more marketing than anything else.

Interestingly, Forest Witaker is credited as producer but not pushed at all in the marketing. He also narrates sparsely throughout the film, helping to get the audience up to speed with the intricacies of life in the Bottoms. Sean Combs, the artist formerly known as P. Diddy, co-executive produces.

The up-and-coming actors recruited for the film are dynamite.

It makes sense to seek out unknowns rather than Hollywood players like Michael B Jordan or Alfred Enoch – both for the size of the production and the intimacy of the script. Even with all the excellent pieces in place a rubbish cast would sink the smart writing in a heartbeat.

Shamiek Moore makes his feature film debut in the lead role and crushes it. Tony Revolori, of the standout The Grand Budapest Hotel, plays sidekick to Moore. He’s timid, he’s wild, he’s adventurous, he’s reluctant, he’s anxious, he’s loyal – this supporting player is more three dimensional than most of the lead characters of the last blockbuster season. Kiersey Clemons, of a dozen one-off television guest spots, completes the trio with a brash attitude and a can-do spirit.

Accidentally coerced into attending drug dealer’s birthday? No worries.

Stuck with someone else’s drugs? We can handle it.

Getting jumped for your bike? Challenged accepted.

There’s a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo from Tyga and two standout scenes with Victoria’s Secret model Chanel Iman that take the graphic nature of Dope and flip it on its head. In a film filled with above-average performances Iman and Moore take the cake.

Dope is such a deceptively powerful film. It starts as a casual look at life in the hood and the impact an environment has on three teens trying to do their best. Before it can get too weighty it changes up to a side-splitting coming of age comedy that becomes entangled in a heist-action piece that escalates to an allout crime story before tying it all back together as an all-genre, all-awesome movie.

And then it circles back to its original idea, extremely suddenly.

And it says some truths. And it incites some powerful emotions, as a good film should do.

And so the hundred and three minutes is a great time. It is comedy and action and love and all the stuff that makes an excellent film. And it makes a potent and extraordinarily valid statement without preaching.

Dope is awesome. And worth the shitty parking.z 5

Review

3.4/5 Liam Kinkead rocks out with Meryl’s new flick Watching Ricki and the Flash is a lot like listening to a high school rock band’s cover tape; it wants to be different, it wants to make its own mark on the established sensibilities of the art upon which it is based, it wants to be Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, but it inevitably ends up sounding a bit too much like a motion picture soundtrack, full of random tracks from the most unlikely and eclectic sources, covers which add nothing to the tracks upon which they are based.

Indeed, if Ricki and the Flash were a motion picture soundtrack, one could neatly summarise it by the track listing you’d find on the back of its diamond case; there are the hit songs from the established veterans, Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline being the headline acts, your usual mix of sugary pop-songs written with lyrics fervently adherent to the feel-good comedy creed, followed by some indie hits from relatively unknown artists sprinkled in for filler, and a few truly poignant tracks to make Ricki and the Flash a mix tape to leave you wondering exactly what you just watched, and how all of the characters managed to end up so seemingly happy by the time the credits roll and the final chord is struck.

The narrative of Ricki and the Flash centres on Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep), a woman who left her young family to follow her dream of becoming a rockstar. Years later an older Ricki finds herself in L.A. working in a supermarket and playing gigs at a local bar to make ends meet. The family Ricki left behind is thriving in Indianapolis, financially if not mentally–many members of the family still hold a grudging resentment against Ricki for the life choices she made as a young woman; namely abandoning her kids in pursuit of her – some would say failed – dream. When Ricki’s daughter’s marriage collapses through infidelity Ricki is given a chance to mend bridges with her estranged children.

Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jonathan Demme, Ricki and the Flash sounds like a hit on paper; Cody is known for her fantastic characterisations – especially of women – and Demme is a reliable filmmaker who gave us – among other great films – The Silence of the Lambs. But instead of a film full of great characterisation and a clear narrative, Cody and Demme deliver a film confused as to what it is trying to say. The result is a film which feels lesser than the sum of its parts.

The film begins by going through the feel-good comedy motions we have come to expect as

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an audience, the plot bounces from scene to scene, filled with the usual gags, stressing the juxtaposition of Ricki and her ex-husband Pete’s (the grossly wasted Kevin Kline) completely different ways of life. This opening third of the film revolves around Ricki reconnecting with her daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer), smoking weed with her ex-husband, and being shamefully rude to Pete’s new wife Maureen (Audra MacDonald); it is the weakest of the film’s acts, the filmmakers seemingly intent on squeezing in as many comedy clichés as they can to bring levity to the film at the cost of clarity and purpose.

The second act is better. Propped up by some inspired dialogue on the difference between mothers and fathers in the eyes of society, the double standard applied to women condemned to being ‘bad mothers’, the second act differentiates itself from the herd. The speech takes place between Ricki and her new beau, aging rocker Greg (Rick Springfield), on a stage in a smoky bar in front of a captive audience and leads into the obligatory showcase of Meryl Streep as rockstar – what most people probably paid the ticket price to see – and she does a great job of pulling off the role of an ageing rock ‘n’ rolla. Is there anything she can’t do?

The third act, while little better than the first, at least gives us more rock ‘n’ roll goodness, and a room full of the most inspired casting for ‘snooty white people at a wedding’ in the history of cinema.

Ricki and the Flash’s biggest strength is also its greatest weakness; ambiguity is the stuff of life and where the film shines is its portrayal of Ricki as a mother and as a woman. The film reminds us there are very few real villains in the world, only shades of failure and unrealistic expectations.

Ambiguity as a theme is the film’s strongest suit; the flip-side of this ambiguity is the film’s wavering direction and narrative purpose, and its magnetic pull toward bathos. Ricki and the Flash had all the potential to be another fine Diablo Cody film in the vein of Juno, instead it becomes a film without the signature moves Cody is known for, opting instead for something altogether more anodyne.

Ultimately Ricki and the Flash is a fun film for those expecting the usual feel-good comedy formula; but for anyone expecting something deeper and more profound, you will catch glimpses of depth within this film, glimpses all too quickly left behind for the shallows of the relentless Hollywood-happy-ending we have all come to expect, if not want.

Review

Alaisdair Dewar

n takes a vacatio

4.2/5 It has been 32 years since Chevy Chase took his family the Griswold’s on a road trip to Walley World with a beautiful and hilarious script by the great John Hughes, and after several sequels and a spinoff TV show, it is time for the classic reboot to usher in a new generation to National Lampoon’s style comedy.

Vacation delivers a fresh new cast, enlisting some of comedy’s biggest names to make one of the funniest films of 2015.

The premise is simple enough: Rusty (Ed Helms) is a pilot for Econo-Air – a budget airline – who is sick of having his family complain about their annual holiday to their cabin in the woods.

Rusty decides to take his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate) and sons James (Styler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins) on a cross country road trip to Walley World, to relive his childhood memories (yes Rusty is meant to be the grown up version of the boy in the original Vacation movie!) and bring his family closer together.

Along the way they run into car trouble, truck drivers chasing and trying to run them off the road, a beer-jug-chugging sorority, and an anything and everything go wrong plot device that keeps you guessing as to what misfortune will befall the family next as the movie travels along. Helping the family out along the way is Rusty’s sister Audrey (Leslie Mann) & her husband Stone (Chris Hemsworth) who have a hilarious extended cameo, while Regina Hall and Key Peele play the part of the perfect and hilarious couple.

I will acknowledge that critics have savaged this movie, as they have seemed want to do a lot this year, but I found this to be gross-out comedy at its best. Applegate shines as the bored housewife, itching for a bit of adventure, Stebbins and Gisondo play well off the role-reversal and Helms is a stand-out lead as the bumbling and loving father who just wants his family to be close.

It was this point that really stood out for me; through all the poop and puke jokes, the endearing message of a father giving up career advancement to be close to his family was touching, it was beautiful, it was simple and it was the point that reconnected this couple (and a Yankee candle!) that balanced the crazy road trip antics.

Chevy Chase and Beverley D’Angelo do guest star as Rusty’s parents but they aren’t given any material to do anything much with, it simply feels like a ‘we had to do it so we did’ thing, and thankfully it is short and sweet.

Overall this film is hard to compare to the original, they are both living in two different time periods, this one definitely has the We’re The Millers vibe to it and this helps usher in a new generation of Griswold family fans that will hopefully see the franchise continue. Fans of the original may grumble at the changes, and to them I say this is merely an adaption rather than a remake, it is hard to completely remake a classic film, this serves as a reinvention for today’s audience and it serves it well.

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R.E.V.I.E.W

M.A.R.K. H.A.L.Y.D.A.Y. takes a look at the reboot of the 60s television show, now starring Superman

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The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a slick period-spy-thriller from the tremendously talented Guy Ritchie, best known for directing the big screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. It’s a reboot of the sixties series of the same name that aired over a hundred episodes and starred Robert Vaughn (The Magnificent Seven) and David McCallum (NCIS) before an abrupt midseason cancellation in 1968. Forty-seven years later the big screen adaptation follows the formation of a tense alliance between the United States and Russia during the Cold War to prevent a faction of Nazis from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The United States agent is Napoleon Solo, a fast-talking criminal coerced into the CIA to avoid a prison sentence for his earlier crimes. He’s played by Henry Cavill – a phenomenally divisive figure as Superman in Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – and there was some worry as to whether he could differentiate himself enough to pass as an U.N.C.L.E. agent.

Cavill succeeds by channelling a different icon: James Bond.

necessarily a bad thing. The Man from U.N.C.L.E purposefully reminds the audience that one nuclear weapon in the wrong hands is disastrous. In the end it’s an old fashioned fist fight in the rain and intelligence gathering that lead to the enemy’s downfall – not superpowers or aliens or hackers or some other convoluted villian.

There is only one question left: who was the title character?

Without too many spoilers, U.N.C.L.E. is the name of the organisation that arranged the alliance. So whom, then, is the “Man”. Was it the American? The Russian? The German? Hugh Grant? None seem appropriate, truthfully, though it’s a tiny niggle on a rather good film.

See you for the sequel.

Cavill does a fine job – powerful, charming, funny – and at times it feels as though he could be 007 himself. This is down to a lot of things – Cavill auditioned for Bond in 2005 for Casino Royale, Bond creator Ian Fleming consulted on the sixties series – once called Cavill’s character “Bond for television” – and Skyfall is the 12th highest grossing movie of all time, so it’s a proven moneymaking formula.

The other side of the coin is Russian agent Illya Kuryakin, a cold but brilliant brute that fights back bursts of rage during his operation. He’s played to a tee by Armie Hammer – the title character from the less than fantastic Disney film The Lone Ranger and as both the begrudged Winklevoss twins in the compelling Oscar bait The Social Network. In The Man From U.N.C.L.E he’s a chameleon that blends into the story and setting seamlessly to give a truthful performance to a challenging character. American actors with Russian accents have a bad habit of being accidentally hilarious, but Hammer – pardon the pun – nailed it.

Enter the third lead character – German mechanic Gaby Teller, daughter of a reformed Nazi scientist. Teller has a few secrets of her own that keep the film on point at the few times it starts to drag it’s feet. Teller is played by Alicia Vikander, an up and coming actor who has starred in a few average films which received wide releases, most notably Ex Machina, though The Man From U.N.C.L.E should be her breakout role. Vikander has already been announced as part of the next Bourne film – the Matt Damon one, not the Jeremy Renner one.

Together the three deliver a killer script with an ending which leaves the film ripe for a sequel. My prediction is that it will perform well enough to warrant a sequel – especially with Hugh Grant ducking in to anchor two crucial scenes in the style of Bosley from Charlie’s Angels. Here’s hoping it comes out an alternate year to the next Kingsman and Bond installments – there’s currently a lot of British spies at the box office.

Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E does offer a point of difference though. It’s a period piece with a strange and interesting direction style including split-screens, subtitles in strange places and an odd soundtrack that sometimes samples classic hits from the Cold War and other times gives off weird sound effects.

It’s a weighty 116 minutes beside Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’s comparatively breezy 134 minutes but that’s not

4.7/5 9

Review

STRAIGHT

OUTTA

ALAISDAIR DEWAR

a side that believes in the band and their message, and another dirtbag, stereo typical band manager side that wants money, fame and power. Seeing this dynamic play out in screen is fascinating and gives the film some of its highest points. Particularly when Heller uses his “white privilege” to get the boys out of some trouble with the police and the struggle between police and black men really blurs the lines between the 80’s and scenes from the news in recent times. Being a white, private school educated Australian, I feel inept to comment on anything further in relation to race in this movie, apart from saying that this opened my eyes to the extent and long history that this behaviour has had (while introducing me to some great music as well!)

Straight Outta Compton continues Universal’s box office thrashing this year, bringing the studio another gigantic hit with the musical biopic based around rap group NWA. The film revolves around rappers Eazy E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jnr), Dr Dre (Corey Hawkins) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jnr) and their formation of the NWA and their dreams to get out of their violent and drug laced home town of Compton.

The film is a biopic and has some of the most confronting and disturbing scenes I have seen in a film this year.

Acting wise I could not fault anyone in this, the leads all bring their A game here, and as the film shifts from teenager to adulthood, the actors step up their game again which works wonders for this film. While the film does have an intriguing introduction, there is a whole bunch of litigation scenes in the middle that unfortunately drag on without being too interesting, the film dose start to sag and could probably have shaved off half an hour to keep it at a faster pace, but this is really the only nag I could find about this film.

The film opens in the late 1980’s with Eazy-E selling drugs to get by, a police battering tank rips through his dealers house, while Eazy takes to the rooftops to escape, sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the film. Ice Cube and Dr Dre are similarly filmed in scenes where they are literally walking out of their front door to go to school where Police are waiting to pat them down and hassle them for no apparent reason other than their appearance.

It is brutal, confronting and incredibly awkward to watch.

Overall Straight Outta Compton delivers a solid musical biopic, retelling the story of the NWA and the struggles these inspiring artists went through to get to where they are today, is inspiring to see play out on screen. Fans of their music will relish in the re-telling, and audiences new to them will relish in the journey these young men, who were brave enough to stand up and be honest went through. With a musical accompaniment that will sell millions, Straight Outta Compton is the fourth film I have given 5 stars to this year. Make sure you see this in cinemas!

When the three decide to pool their talents together with Eazy E putting in the initial money to fund their first record, Ice Cube writes the lyrics and Dr Dre producing, it is a magic mix that ensures a hit single and things blow up from there. Their controversial playlist including songs like “Fuck The Police” cause a swarm of controversy from both law enforcement and the general public. The band’s white manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) is one of the film’s more intriguing characters, he has 10

Review

Last Cab to Darwin Alberto Sanchez checks out the latest Aussie film

5/5 A lot of Australian cinema focuses on ‘Suburbia’ and the existential crises faced therein to the point where the formula has lost much of its impact; these are supposedly “important” films about life and society that never stop reminding the viewer of their importance. Fortunately there’s been a move away from this in recent times with genre movies such as Tomorrow When the War Began, Not Suitable for Children, These Final Hours and Predestination to name just a few. Although not always ‘critically acclaimed’, these movies show versatility and, more importantly; they’re entertaining, they can comment on important issues without being bleak and calling it realism. Joining this growing list is Last Cab to Darwin.

Directed by Jeremy Sims and based on the 2003 stage play written

by Reg Cribb, Last Cab is about an old taxi driver named Rex (Michael Caton) who has been diagnosed with stomach cancer and given three months to live. Set in 1995 when the Northern Territory controversially passed the voluntary euthanasia law, Rex decides to take advantage of this opportunity and drive from his hometown of Broken Hill to Darwin in a final attempt to show control over his fate.

Being such a small town, Rex is known to the residents of Broken Hill and regularly shares a drink with his mates at the pub. He’s even in a quasi-relationship with his Aboriginal neighbour Polly (Ningali Lawford-Wolf), which he keeps secret because of the racist undertones of the town. All of this should make it harder for him to leave and yet he’s steadfast. With a quick goodbye he sets off, though it’s clear how hard the decision is for him. On his way to Darwin, he meets an Aboriginal man named Tilly (Mark Coles Smith) who fixes Rex’s windshield in exchange for a ride to his home in Oodnadatta.

Much of the film’s strength lies with the characters. Often whenever we see Aboriginal actors in Australian films their role focuses on their disadvantages and societal issues they face.

Last Cab does not ignore these very important issues, but rather

than sacrificing the characters to make a political statement, it gives them depth and drive so that they become real and not a placeholder or signpost. Ningali Lawford-Wolf is great as Polly.

She’s loud and confrontational but more than anything she’s a loving woman. Mark Coles Smith also does a fantastic job as Tilly; he’s witty and upbeat but captures the moments of vulnerability and pain perfectly.

At the centre of it all is Michael Caton. Last Cab has to be his best dramatic role to date and arguably one of his best performances ever. The character of Rex is restrained but full of emotion. No matter how much he wants to be seen as strong and determined, there’s always that hint of fear and doubt underneath. It is the small moments that he experiences with the other characters that make this such a great film to watch.

Other notable performances come from Emma Hamilton as Julie, a backpacker/nurse who helps Rex on his journey to Darwin, and Jacki Weaver as Dr Farmer, who’s leading the fight to make euthanasia become understood and accepted (legally and socially). Although they were excellent in their respective roles, it really does come down to Caton, Lawford-Wolf and Smith. As an ensemble, they play off each other very well and none of their talents are wasted.

It wouldn’t be an Australian film without some beautiful cinematography capturing the vast outback. The iconic red dirt of the Northern Territory is particularly amazing. In reality, a trip from Broken Hill to Darwin would be immensely boring yet movie magic makes the landscape appear far more interesting and forgiving.

Last Cab to Darwin is actually based on a true story, though the real taxi driver’s name is Max Bell. And though the script does take some liberties, it is ultimately a well-crafted and life affirming film that is very Australian without the need to present itself as “important”. It’s Australian cinema as it should be.

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Review Alaisdair Dewar with the latest superhero scoop

Since its announcement, Fantastic Four has been doomed (ha!) casting Michael B Jordan as Human Torch, taking a dark and serious approach to a fun family film and then came the reshoots and behind the scenes drama. The publicity surrounding this film was anything but positive and cast a sour note about the film itself. Fortunately after seeing the film, and remaining optimistic, I can report confidently that this film delivers. It is at its heart an indie film with all the glitz and polish of a Marvel superhero film, yet more DC in tone (I will get to that later!)

The film revolves around Reed Richards (Miles Teller) who we follow from the age of 7, as a gifted scientist who forges a friendship with classmate Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) and invent a machine that teleports matter. When showing off the machine hilariously at a school science fair, Baxter Institute scientist Dr Franklin Storm (Reg E.Cathy) and his daughter Sue (Kate Mara) recruit Richards to help them complete their machine and transport life to another dimension in a bid to save Earth.

They are joined by Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) and joining the mission are Sue’s brother Johnny (Michael B Jordan) and when everything goes wrong, Victor is stranded on Planet Zero and the Four return with abilities that the military try to use as weapons, while building a larger machine that will allow military personnel to obtain these powers for themselves. Richards and co. must work together in an attempt to reverse the effect of the Planet Zero or embrace them as part of who they are.

When I first heard about this movie and the rights expiring at Fox, I thought this would be a cheap cash grab to retain the rights, but I am pleasantly surprised. At its heart this is an indie dramaedy that reeks of Josh Trank, combining Marvel superheroes with a DC comics like dark tone and real world feeling that suited these characters and stopped them from feeling ridiculous. Reed aka Mr Fantastic stretching abilities are shot beautifully and are only used in combat and when necessary so it never feels like it is being overused or gimmicky. The Thing looks incredible in CGI 12

format and Bell’s grunts and dialogue is solemn and effective.

The special effects have been panned by other critics, but I found them to be appropriate for the tone of this film. They were never overblown or overused which was a surprise and hopefully this movie makes a mint so they can get a bigger budget for the sequel (currently set for 2017!) One of my favourite shots was Sue Storm transporting the four from Earth to Planet Zero through the wormhole. It was beautiful detailed and had the Age Of Ultron scale of destruction and urgency.

All the actors bring their A game here, Teller is the perfect lead and epitome of everything geeky that was needed for this character, Bell plays the bumbling best friend and then rock mutant perfectly, with a macabre take on The Thing. Jordan, in comparison to the Chris Evans version of Human Torch is more believable. Jordan plays the arrogant yet less of a douche-hat version of Johnny Storm. This translates perfectly and Jordan is the perfect fit for this character, and pulls off the CGI flame sequences as well. This is my first encounter with Kate Mara, who reminds me of a less annoying version of Anna Kendrick, she is quiet and reserved at first and then as her powers evolve her personality and confidence does, which was a nice contrast to the rest of the characters. Special mention goes out to Reg E.Cathy for playing the Nick Fury-ish role and that voice! Wow! Overall I could write a lot more about why you should see this movie, it is in great contrast to the other Marvel superhero films and is a refreshing take on the Fantastic Four. The strong indie roots are evident and helps set the tone as grounded and real world. The actors all bring their A game here and contribute to make this more of a character driven story then effects, that being said the special effects are beautiful and work with the plot to support it rather than overbear it. Fantastic Four is the perfect reboot for these characters and this franchise and despite what all the “paid critics” say, this is definitely worth your cinema dollars.

Review

Josh Jennings looks at DC’s latest animated release

Justice League: Gods & Monsters is an animated DC else-worlds instalment designed and directed by Bruce Timm, the art style reminiscent of the old DCAU but the story otherwise bearing no resemblance to the DC universe we are all largely familiar with. In this canon, the Justice League consists of only the three core members, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, except with twists on the backstories of all three. Kal-El is now Kal-Zod (though still the son of Lara Van-El) thanks to the interference of the infamous general in Clark’s ship mounted gestation matrix, Bats is Kirk Langstrom instead of Bruce Wayne and is a literal vampire, and Wonder Woman is now Bekka of the New Genesis gods instead of Diana Prince of Themiscyra. The tone is considerably darker and edgier than other adaptions, with none of the heroes hesitant about lethal force, something that puts them frequently at odds with not only the US government but others as well, as they globally exercise their jurisdiction with unbound impunity.

Three short-episode prequels titled as Chronicles were released on YouTube prior to release as well, showcasing the considerably more violent and outright bloody aspects the movie was going to employ with each one focused on one of the three Leaguers. In a way, the movie is an extension of those, with roughly half the film being made up of flashbacks for each of the three main cast.

While this does serve to flesh out the narrative quite considerably, it also breaks the pace and flow of the story and thus causing it to drag somewhat. Luckily the flashbacks themselves are interesting and add character depth as a counterpoint. Only one actually serves the plot though, that of Kirk Langstrom’s, providing the backstory as to how and why he became a vampire and setting up the ultimate premise of the movie’s climax. Arguably making the story more about Kirk than any of the others, whose backstories never come into play any further than the emotional relevance they each have to Superman and Wonder Woman.

The plot itself kicks off with the murders of several prominent scientists quickly recognisable to DC fans, though none of them

bear much resemblance to their mainstream counterparts beyond the superficial. Furthermore, the murders are carried out in such a way as to implicate each of our three (anti) heroes, though the audience sees that the real culprits are monstrous androids that have been designed to replicate the League’s various abilities, bearing a passing shout-out to AMAZO perhaps. Despite Kirk quickly drawing the dots that it’s a frame up, things soon come to a head with the death of all the remaining other scientists, who all turn out to be part of a recent government program called Project Fair Play. The androids brutally slaughter them all and then disappear by boom tube, leaving the Justice League alone with a pile of dead bodies all tellingly killed by abilities belonging to the three of them.

Needless to say, the US government, much less the public, is not amused and a showdown at the Tower of Justice commences, Steve Trevor leading the charge with weapons born out of the Project.

Weapons that include rifles that discharge concentrated bursts of red sun energy and can inhibit Bekka’s New Gods technology.

The situation is eventually resolved, but at a costly price that sees significant changes to the League as a result, both structurally and methodologically. The story is solid, if weighed down by exposition and slow to get off the ground, and the characters diverse and fully three-dimensional. The different take on the Justice League and indeed many other characters is refreshing and Bruce Timm’s art style and direction are a welcome return.

That being said, because of this whole new approach to the DCU and the retooling of all its aspects, it will arguably work better as a series simply because there’s so much world (re-) building that really needs twenty or so individual episodes to flesh out and give better focus where it is needed.

However, all in all, I enjoyed Gods and Monsters and am fully onboard for the darker and heavier tonal shift that they are evidently going for in this latest else-worlds creation.

4.3/5

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Liam Kinkead looks at Ian McKellen’s Sherlock Holmes. Does it hold a torch to Cumberbatch or Downey Jr? Sherlock Holmes is undoubtedly one of western fiction’s most recognisable protagonists; known for his adherence to logic, his abductive reasoning, and his pipe and deerstalker hat; Holmes is also a character who has seen a flurry of reinventions in recent years as different creators try to put a new spin on an old character. And so it is into a world where Robert Downey Jr. is perhaps the most recognisable of contemporary Holmeses that a film about the final days of the curmudgeonly detective is released; it is a time of the great detective’s life seldom glimpsed, and a fascinating character piece for one of this generations greatest acting talents.

Director Bill Condon’s Mr Holmes – an adaptation of Mitch Cullin’s novel A Slight Trick of the Mind – is about as far from Guy Ritchie’s titular slow-mo action fest as one can get; and it is all the better for it. If you walk into the cinema expecting septuagenarian Sir Ian McKellen – who plays the elderly Holmes – to be stripped to the waist brawling with thugs on the Victorian streets of London or engaged in over-the-top bullet-time gun battles across speeding trains then prepare to be sadly disappointed; Mr Holmes is set at a time when Holmes is unable to remember the name of his housekeeper’s young son Roger, unable to stand without the aid of his cane, and unable to recall the details of his final case–the case which forced him into a self-imposed exile effectively ending his sleuthing career.

McKellen’s Holmes is a study in the movements, mannerisms and temperament of an old man – one who prides himself on his logic and intelligence – losing the very faculties which define him. Mr Holmes is a film of restraint where more recent examples of the detective’s exploits have been exercises in excess and McKellen’s performance is as good as one would expect from a man of his talent and experience.

If there is something which seems lacking about Mr Holmes it is its utter dearth of excitement. Where the film is compelling in its examination of character and its stucco-like exploration of fiction, it is sadly quite dull and plodding throughout much of its runtime. The main mystery is straightforward enough for even the most amateur of sleuths to figure out and many may mistake the twist for a simple case of incredulously poor filmmaking – rest assured, the filmmakers are on top of their game – and it is this lack of complexity which ultimately lets the film down.

Its not enough to make Mr Holmes unenjoyable, far from it, it simply makes what could have been a truly special film simply good.

4.1/5

Thematically Mr Holmes is a film about memory and the crippling effect its loss can have on even the brightest of minds.

McKellen plays the eponymous role of the ninety-three-yearold who finds himself unable to finish the story of his last case which involved a young woman named Ann. The audience is left in the dark throughout the majority of the film as to the fate of Ann and exactly what the circumstances of her case were as the film flips through time like the pages of a penny dreadful.

The temporal device is a clever one, allowing the audience to see Holmes at the height of his fame and power, and also at his lowest ebb. In the end though, the case is the dullest of the plots multiple threads, acting most effectively as a catalyst for the far more interesting parts of the film’s narrative; the nature of fiction and the mercurial realities of dementia, and some truly touching emotional beats along the way.

In a clever piece of intertextuality, it is revealed the reason behind Holmes’ desire to finish his story stems from the fictitious reputation and affectations his long-time confidante Dr John Watson presented to the world in the very books which made him famous; it is a beautiful layering device as the fictitious character of Holmes seeks to present a more believable and truthful account of his life than the Holmes found within the fiction. Holmes himself lampoons his own character with the line: “Fiction is worthless”.

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Review

Dylan Boaden reporting for duty in the latest installment of the spy action series Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to think of a time when you said to yourself; “I really hope they make another Mission Impossible movie”. Be honest now. They seem to be the sequels no one asked for, and yet consistently come out of nowhere every five years or so to deliver quality action and suspense every time. Well, most times.

This fifth instalment sees the return of Ethan Hunt and the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) as they face a secret Syndicate composed of ex-government agents marked as missing or confirmed dead who have formed an elaborate terrorist network in order to stage global terror attacks for financial gain. Just as this is going down the CIA have deemed the methods of the IMF questionable at best and the U.S. senate officially declares the branch to be shut down and immediately disbanded.

Hunt is left with no choice but to go rogue in order to take down this mysterious terrorist sect all on his own. In between there’s a double cross from newcomer Ilsa Faust; an undercover British intelligence officer with skills to match Hunts own, a lot of infighting with stuffy CIA Director Alan Hunley played by Alec Baldwin, and the recovery of some vital top secret encrypted information that traces all the way up to the highest officials of the British government including the Prime Minister himself.

But really that’s all trivial; because as we all know the villains plan is only a McGuffin used to string together a series of loosely connected set pieces and this is where the movie delivers.

Opening with the much advertised plane stunt that Cruise performed himself, Ethan attempts to stop a plane containing bioweapons from taking off. But when overriding the plane isn’t as easy as it seems he’s left hanging on as it takes off, ascending into the sky with Cruise hanging on the outside by his fingertips.

No matter what anyone says of Cruise in his private life, on 16

screen he is and always has been a movie star. He has a screen presence like no other and time and time again he shows just how committed he is to giving audiences spectacle. But it’s not only that scene that delivers thrills; there’s high speed car chases, motorcycle chases (one leading directly into the other no less) and a tense intricately woven suspense sequence at an opera that plays out in a long ever-evolving game of cat and mouse.

The play on the Mission Impossible movie trope of Cruise dangling from a height is taken to new depths (pun intended) when he must dive into a water-pressurised server room an hold his breath for three minutes. Again his commitment to performing his own stunt sells a scene so intense that it will have you holding your breath for as long as Cruise does on screen. The tone maintained by director Chistopher McQuarrie is for the most part serious but there’s enough humour to keep things light overall. Though even with all that to enjoy; the movie still feels overwritten and incredibly long with huge gaps between laughs and thrills filled with exposition, villainous monologues and inter-office politics.

When the plot kicks in the momentum hits the brakes hard and at a running time that feels so much longer than two hours and eleven minutes, that’s a lot of braking.

I commend the movie for committing to practical stunts over CGI and the score or lack thereof in some scenes is really effective. A big part of the series is the classic theme and it’s utilised perfectly in key moments. The hand-to-hand combat on display is frenetic but there seems to be a trend of cranking the shutter speed of the camera to make movements seem faster; instead it can make it hard to see what’s going on, which is a shame because at age 52 Cruise still has moves.

Actress Rebecca Ferguson is brought in to add some sex appeal and although she pulls of the dresses she has a plain look to her that just makes her kinda bland. Especially when the filmmakers are clearly building her up to be this really sexy bad-ass;

lingering on her arse for just a little too long while she walks up stairs or giving her an obligatory underwear and shirt-off scene. While these all seem unnecessary in this day and age there are many times when it seems more like her character’s movie than Cruise’s. At times it’s almost a star vehicle for Ferguson and she definitely has some kick-butt moments; but not one female cast member has ever returned for a sequel so it’s odd that they would be building her up so much in this when she’s likely never to return. Simon Pegg once again brings comic relief, whether it’s being out of his depth in the field or his genuine care and unwavering dedication to his friend Ethan, he really feels like the third lead in this one. Poor Jeremy Renner, he manages to land roles in these huge blockbusters but is then relegated to standing around in the background. Here he at least gets a few fun back and forth scenes with Alec Baldwin who, like Jon Voight, Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Fishburne before him, is really only there to add gravitas and credibility to the franchise.

While everyone is present, they don’t have much to do and it feels like their just collecting a pay-check for turning up. This is especially apparent with Ving Rhames, whose role slowly diminished down to a series of cameos in the franchise as the movies went on. Here he acts like he just happened to be on set that day, they ask if he wanted to join the scene and it turned into a steady gig. Are people forgetting that he used to be the computer hacker of the team and now with Pegg around to fill that role why is he here exactly? And you’d think with an entire Syndicate of enemies the odds would be against our four heroes yet you only ever really see Sean Harris as the suitably creepy and soft spoken psychopath Solomon Lane and a handful of his henchman used for cannon fodder when gun fights break out which is confusing and really decreases the stakes.

tell me they couldn’t apply to this movie or any of its sequels: – American IMF agent Ethan Hunt, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organisation. (Plot Synopsis for Mission: Impossible 1996).

– Ethan Hunt leads his IMF team on a mission to capture a deadly virus before it is released by terrorists. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists headed by a former agent turned bad who has already managed to steal the cure. (Plot Synopsis for Mission: Impossible II 2000).

– The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a bombing, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name. (Plot Synopsis for Mission: ImpossibleGhost Protocol 2011).

At the end of the day, you’ll enjoy the set pieces and some fun banter between old friends while watching them; but by tomorrow it will be quickly forgotten. It’s all been done before and better elsewhere. I regret to say Rogue Nation is more Mission Forgettable than Mission Impossible.

Plus it kinda seems pointless to disband the team since the only members in the whole IMF join up again to do the job they would normally if they were still together anyway. In fact, for once I wish they’d just have a mission that didn’t involve double crossing, the team breaking up and having to go rogue while running from their own government only to save the day and make up again. Or at least have the decency to alternate the same story with a fresh one in between.

Can someone please explain what is with the trend of sequels using the same plot again and again and just assuming the audiences have forgotten this has all been done before. Jurassic World did it, Terminator Genisys tried something very similar and now Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation pulls off the impossible again. To trick the audience into paying to see the same plot again with a few things just switched around. It really seems to be a study on how to get five different directors to tell the same story in their own unique way. Just read these plot outlines and

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Warning: this article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and Iron Man. A month has passed since Ant-Man was released and with current box-office takings of over $320 million USD and an average score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s fair to say Marvel can chalk this up as another win. This success is a testament to the brand that Marvel has built up over the past few years when you consider how ridiculous this character sounds on paper to comic BOOK laymen(or lay-women, ladies can be dumb too). A superhero, that is exactly the opposite of that term and relies on his ultimate power of shrinkage. I can actually remembering loling when I heard the idea back in 2005 and if we’ve learnt anything from that terrible Daredevil movie it’s this; if Ant-Man had been made back then loling would have been the right response.

Before I continue, I must stress that I thoroughly enjoyed Ant-Man and despite its infamous production troubles, Marvel managed to put together a pretty great movie.

Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lily pulled off larger-than-life performances and Abby Ryder Fortson who plays Cassie Lang has got to be one of the cutest little kids in film history. All in all, it did what every good Marvel movie has done, which was to find the perfect balance between drama and fun but with the added hint of a fading Edgar Wrighty goodness. Above all, Ant-Man really showed its size by acknowledging the ever present Marvel question; “Why don’t we just get the Avengers?”. A question by which you can live your life.

Ok, now that the praise is out of the way, let’s look into the real issue, Ant-Man is the same movie as Iron Man. On the surface, it may not seem like that’s the case but when you watch the facts stack up, it can really become an interesting argument. So firstly, let’s look at the synopsis; A man with a troubled past must face up to his mistakes and decide whether he can change his ways to become a hero. Now that could either be a description of Ant-Man, Iron Man or just the past ten years of Robert Downey Jr.’s life. Of COURSE, the hero wins in the end and the world has claimed itself another superhero.

BALD! If that’s not enough, they both want the suit’s technology to sell to a terrorist organisation and steal it from the ORIGINALcreator. I suppose not surprisingly they are also semi-good guys to begin with, I mean it wasn’t a huge twist but they tried.

There’s no way anyone is ever going to believe Corey Stoll was a good guy anyway, he already looks like a villain.

There are also a few smaller parallels, like the blatant use of product placement, which is forgivable given how hilariously they were handled in both films.

Colour schemes stand out, though that could be a Both Scott and Tony escape prison with the help concerted decision, there is a lot of red in the Marvel from an older mentor and then go on to fight a CEO Cinematic Universe. One other thing that has really of the very company where their suit was originally been bugging me is that there is this weird old man designed. that seems to get a part in all the movies. Obviously that was a joke, so no need for any angry nerd rants If that’s not enough evidence, there are still the here. How about as a form of apology I will let you characters to scrutinize. Scott and Tony are very similar know this interesting fact; despite him only ever characters, while Scott can’t exactly be considered having cameos, Stan Lee is now the third highest a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, you grossing box-office actor of all time. could say he’s a genius, unemployed, struggling, vigilante father. Alright, so only one word stayed the Ant-man is a difficult case to judge when it comes to same there but they are both smart, loveable, quick these things because you can never really know who witted, physically fit – even though that doesn’t help to point the finger at. Did Edgar Wright and Josh their powers – white men. Just a quick side note, Cornish forget they’d seen Iron Man and think all how annoyed would Paul Rudd have been to have the ideas were their own? Was the entire film Peyton WORKED out so hard to get those abs for them to Reed’s homage to his favourite of the series of films? only appear in the film for about ten seconds? Is it Or did they run out of time with all the troubles they also another coincidence that the two fall in love with had been having and Kevin Feige just said, “Screw it, company women?

Iron Man WORKED, let’s just do that again”? It’s a mystery for the ages.

Then we come to the villain, who not only is a CEO of the suit’s company as I said but THEY ARE BOTH Daniel Priman gives us a lot to think about...

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Review

Fear the Walking Dead Liam Kinkead weighs in on the zombie prequel

Let’s get this out of the way early; the pilot episode of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead is an exercise in horror and suspenseful television-making which should not be missed by anyone who enjoys great character development, moody suspense or edgeof-your-seat tension, and proves essential viewing for fans of The Walking Dead.

Fear the Walking Dead opens with a scene dripping in suspense, throwing the viewer right in the bloody deep end. The episode opens on an obscure and ambiguous setting that will have even the most stalwart of horror fans’ blood pumping by the end of the opening cinematic.

Fear the Walking Dead follows the Clark family as they manoeuvre through the pitfalls of modern life; primarily those of step-family dynamics and the politics they engender, and the complications of a drug-addicted family member. The family member in question is Nick (Frank Dillane) and it is Nick who has an early encounter with a flesh-eating former girlfriend that kicks off the series. Nick manages to escape in a drug-addled haze before being hit by a car and hospitalised. Nick wakes in the hospital, unable to determine whether what he saw was real or imagined. His fractured psyche compels him to find out whether the butchery was real or just a nasty side-effect of the drugs and leads to some great character moments and a stellar performance from the little-known Dillane. The cast is filled out by the remaining members of Nick’s Family; mother Madison, sister Alecia and Madison’s lover Travis.

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Special mention must be made of the sets the characters traverse in the pilot episode as they are some of the most imaginative the series has yet seen. The junkie church upon which Fear the Walking Dead opens is as sinister and scary a location as any of the Walking Dead’s more memorable sites – the tunnels of the prison compound in season three are particularly of note –the church’s blood-soaked floorboards and piles of broken religious iconography give the scenes therein an extra level of menace.

The L.A. river is given new malice as the setting for the episode’s denouement where skeleton graffitied walls add a nice touch to another great locale.

One of many touches Fear the Walking Dead uses to elevate itself from the zombie inspired rabble is its reference to cultural forebears to the carnage that is about to be unleashed. In his English class Travis teaches his students about the importance of survival skills through an analysis of Jack London’s Call of the Wild, and yet another homage comes in the form of footage shot above an L.A. freeway which is eerily reminiscent of the reels of Rodney king being brutally beaten by police; only this time the victim continues to advance on the law enforcers even after they unload their clips into his staggering body.

What Fear the Walking Dead’s pilot manages to nail so astutely is the problems of the modern family before the dead start eating the living. Flu-shots, family politics, drug addictions, good grades for college, run-ins with the law; everything pales in comparison with the very tangible zombie apocalypse about to take place on the streets of L.A. and the audience’s foreknowledge of what is waiting on the other side of a long night for these characters is a big part of what makes it such compelling viewing. The pilot episode is the epitome of the ‘slow-burn’ and people looking for buckets of gore shouldn’t feel cheated by the lack of brains, but optimistic; Fear the Walking Dead seems to be in the safe hands of some consummate storytellers, let’s hope they further deliver on the promise of the pilot episode with more great character moments and white-knuckle suspense in future instalments.

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Bojack Horseman is the most important show you’ll watch this year and here’s why...

It may sound like just another animated comedy – a Family Guy, an Archer, or a South Park – but Bojack Horseman is so much more than just entertaining (and it has that in droves)– it’s meaningful. Bojack Horseman somehow manages to be more honest and real in short episodes with artful animations than some series ever muster. For a show about an animated horse this is a huge undertaking.

The universe Bojack Horseman occupies – aside from being filled with humanoid animals – is very much like our own. Bojack Horseman starred in a TV sitcom in the 90’s called “Horsin’ Around” and hasn’t really done anything with his life since. He has wealth, a quick wit and a host of girls willing to sleep with him, but his life lacks purpose and direction. Cue Diane, a ghost writer hired by his agent Princess Caroline (a purple cat if you’re wondering) and Bojack is forced to face some of his demons.

There’s also Diane’s boyfriend and similarly 90’s star, Mister Peanut Butter, an overly enthusiastic golden retriever and infinite drain on Bojack’s patience, as well as party guest who never left, Todd. Diane’s book is brutally honest about Bojack’s failings and mistakes, but by the end of the first season it propels Bojack back into the public eye and gives him a chance to redeem himself and become what he wants to be.

The first season of Bojack Horseman is great, it’s funny and a bit dark, there’s a love triangle, alcoholism and unlikely scenarios, but it’s season two when it really comes into its own. Bojack for all his horse-ness, is a lot like Donald Draper of Mad Men; he seems to have every success, but he’s not happy. Bojack drinks, makes bad decisions and drifts through life feeling at once inadequate and entitled. The sense of crippling hopelessness and inability to overcome his personal issues despite outward success is the same for both Don and Bojack. Wherever he goes he makes the wrong decisions, Bojack means well, but whenever he gets it together it inevitably begins to fall apart again. He scores the movie role of his dreams but it’s not what he envisaged and ultimately doesn’t make him happy either. Meanwhile, Diane and Mister Peanut Butter have their own issues, both with each other and themselves. Diane is smart, funny and overachieving but can’t seem to be the person she thinks she could. It culminates in crippling depression, Diane and Bojack descend together and it’s so real. If you’ve ever felt paralysed and trapped in this horrible illness you will see it in all its honest and painful glory in Bojack Horseman.

We’ve come a long way if we can honestly portray depression in all its ugly reality and still have a laugh about it. Maybe the fact that Bojack Horseman is an animated show gives it the ability to tackle difficult topics, alcoholism, depression and the realities of 20

relationships in a way that we can both appreciate and see the humour in those same situations. A great example is Diane and Mister Peanut Butter, their ups and downs, ambitions and dreams are very human, but seamlessly intwined is the fact that Mister Peanut Butter is a dog. He collects tennis balls, is overjoyed to see his favourite people and when he’s not with Diane finds himself sitting at home just waiting for her to come back. Their issues are real, portrayed intelligently and with a bit of humour and wit.

They could have just made episode after episode with story lines where nothing changes and everything is happy and light (just like the sitcom that made Bojack famous), but they didn’t, they took the hard route and made something gritty and dark and utterly wonderful.

The gorgeous animation in Bojack Horseman is backed up by brilliant voice work by stars like Alison Brie and Aaron Paul as Diane and Todd and of course, Will Arnett as Bojack. Notable in the second season is Lisa Kudrow as Wanda the Owl, a television executive who was in a coma through the entirety of the 90’s.

Plot lines are always amusing and they make the most of the fact that loads of their characters are animals. Like Princess Caroline is a bit catty, because she’s a cat, and frankly I love that Bojack Horseman goes for those jokes, because they’re funny and they’re there. If you’re going to have a world inhabited by human-esque animals, why wouldn’t you make those jokes?

For all I’ve said about its dark and real themes and it’s honesty in the telling, Bojack Horseman is an absolute joy to watch. It’s witty, it’s smart and you cannot stop watching once you’ve started. Give us horses, cats, owls and geckos and you can show us humanity in all its truth, hangovers, failures and mishaps. Bojack Horseman isn’t just a great show, it’s an important one and if you’re not watching then now is the time you tune in.

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COMPLETE SERIES REVIEW DANIEL PRIMAN Tonight marks the third week of ABC2’s airing of the latest in the robotic drama sub-genre: Humans. Humans is the result of a trans-Atlantic production involving the UK’s Channel 4 and American cable channel AMC who have joined forces with production company Kudos to produce a show which revolves around futuristic robots and their human counterparts. There are eight episodes in the series and if you are anything like me you don’t want to invest so much of your time into a show only to find out that the aliens’ weakness is water or whatever happened at the end of Lost. That’s why I plan on giving a spoiler free review of the whole series to hopefully persuade or dissuade your decision to continue on with Humans.

From the beginning, Humans poses a lot of questions.

Questions like; “Is the singularity inevitable?”; “Do robots with consciousness deserve the same rights as humans?” and; “How the hell does a ginger couple have three kids and not one of them has ginger hair themselves?” One of the show’s strengths is that

it manages to raise these issues without providing a clear answer or agenda. If you are looking for an answer you can choose to decide for yourself or to look to your favourite character and share in their views.

There are quite a few characters, but there aren’t too many that you lose track of the story and by episode two it’s quite easy to remember who is who and what they are doing. The main family is headed up by Laura (Katherine Parkinson) and Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill), a likeable enough bunch that as with every family have their fair share of problems. Their three children, Mattie (Lucy Carless), Toby (Theo Stevenson) and Sophie (Pixie Davies) are fairly run-of-mill as well, except for the fact that Mattie is a computer genius, one of the few skills in this android run world that has not been rendered useless.

When the Hawkins buy the robot or “synth” Anita (Gemma Chan), they grab the attention of Merlin and crew. Merlin or young Benedict Cumberbatch or Leo (Colin Morgan) as he is known in this show (you choose) has a group of synth friends who are on the lookout for Anita. Eventually their two worlds collide and hilarity/intensifying drama ensues (there’s not much hilarity, it just sounds better than drama ensues). Meanwhile, villain Professor Edwin Hobb (Danny Webb) is on the lookout for Leo’s gang of synths. On the other side of town, former AI researcher, George Millican (William Hunt) is sad that his synth, Odi (William Tudor) is on his/its (this show makes you think about which pronouns are the right ones to use) way out. Finally, in a world with synths you need a new branch of policing and two human detectives trained in the world of synths; D.S. Pete Drummond (Neil Maskell) and D.I Karen Voss (Ruth Bradley) are on a case.

As far as characters go, Humans provides us with a likeable assembly with believable motifs, except for maybe Professor Edwin Hobb. The stand-out character has got to be Niska (Emily Berrington), who is one of Leo’s friends. She is what I imagine a T-800 would be one day if it woke up and said; “What are these strange feelings… I’m feeling?”. Niska, doesn’t spend much time feeling sorry for herself or waiting on any favours. What

is especially interesting is that she is only three years old, yet she has all the knowledge of a robot, couple this with her traumatised life and she is forced to grow up very quickly.

The acting is nothing but consistent. Every actor is quite competent yet no one is asked to do enough to show off their acting chops. All the synths must have the same manner about them and there was not a moment in the show where I felt one of the synth actors had let the team down. If I were to pick a favourite, it would be Rebecca Front, who plays George’s newest synth, Vera.

She manages to pull off a performance that could be perceived as either an average synth or a very menacing robot that is constantly scheming against her/its owner.

As for the show’s setting, what is particularly well done is the lack of futuristic items for a show set in the future. It’s never mentioned or alluded to how much further in the future the show is set but unlike most shows set in the future, they don’t go overboard with the amount of amazing technology.

Apart from the robots, the only other changes in society is the detective’s right to openly vape and his rather fun futuristic phrase; “Stick it up ya bollocks!”. Even the battery life in the future isn’t that much better than it is now. The show’s budget has gone a long way to help the show to its feet and you can see that no money has been wasted. AMC’s money has clearly been a great help to Channel 4 and in return, Channel 4 has spent it well.

All in all, the story is pretty good. It’s neither amazingly mind-blowing or ball/boob achingly dull (I don’t discriminate). Human’s ultimate irony is that it can pull of quite emotional stories when some of the characters in these stories are not even capable of feeling emotions. If it’s closure you are looking for, don’t look to Humans, there are still many story threads to be unraveled and the writers have set themselves up for the second series. My final thoughts on Humans are that it’s a solid show, a show that would be a good way to waste a rainy afternoon if you’re finished all your favourite tv shows. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the robotic genre but if robots aren’t your cup of tea then maybe look somewhere else.

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Review

An Open Letter to Foxtel & AME

By Alaisdair Dewar

On Monday Foxtel’s Facebook page went rampant with posts about an advertisement for the Marriage Alliance “Same Sex Marriage: There’s More To It Than You Think” (see ad here) Hundreds of disgruntled customers and annoyed LGBT Australians and supported flooded the page with messages of anger and disgust over the decision to air these ads repeatedly over the weekend. The ad claims that same sex marriage will lead to changes in sex education in schools, effect children and directs viewers to a website to find more information (you really should check it out!)

Like clockworks customers and the LGBT community and its supporters hit the Foxtel Facebook page, flooding it with outrage.

Cancellations and promises of moving to streaming services flowed on their page for days, as well as members of the LGBT community and their supporters tearing down the company for daring to air the ad. I was also one of these people, not a Foxtel subscriber, but a member of the LGBT community and felt outraged that an ad I hadn’t bothered to watch was aired on a service that I did not have.

So after I wrote a scathing message condemning Foxtel for daring to show the ad, I actually watched it and realised that it wasn’t anywhere near as offensive as others had claimed, and that I was more offended that the Marriage Alliance seemed to blame the gay community for sinking the Titanic!

Foxtel were not the only one’s to cop it, the Australian Marriage Equality Twitter page was bombarded with messages of outrage, as they had previously confirmed that Foxtel were a corporate sponsor and support of AME. This response was posted by the AME in conjunction with Foxtel: “Australian Marriage Equality values the support shown by Australia’s business community for marriage equality. Foxtel is among our corporate supporters.

A group opposing marriage equality, known as “the Marriage Alliance”, is currently airing an advertisement through various media outlets including Foxtel. It is their right to express their views.

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The feedback from decision-makers in Canberra is that the “Marriage Alliance” advertisement is actually helping our campaign. The ad offers nothing new and and our research indicates that when opponents of marriage equality express their views in the way they have, support for marriage equality increases.

We urge community members who are angry about the ad to turn their anger into positive action.

If you’re outraged with the Marriage Alliance’s campaign the best way to end it is to help make marriage equality happen and recruit everyone you know to help. There are actions listed on our new website www.wecandothis.org.au

You can leave a message in support of marriage equality on our Equality Calling hotline 1300663679. Your message will go direct to your MP and Senators.”

Similarly Fairfax media have aired the ad on Channel Nine and online on their news website. In response they have said a Fairfax Media spokesman said: “The advertising Fairfax runs is just that, advertising, and not reflective of the company’s position on anything whatsoever.”

It is hard to not get emotional about this issue, Tony Abbott himself confirmed that this is a very personal and emotional subject and it is easy to get upset when the opposite opinion is aired. It is easy to forget that we live in a democratic country that has the openness to show both sides of an argument and it is our job as human beings to respect that there are two sides. We don’t have to agree with it, we don’t have to support it, but we should as human beings and Australian’s at least allow for that other opinion to be heard. Now before you start commenting and biting my head, you should know my stance on the issue.

I am a gay man and I support marriage equality 100%. I am not in a relationship so this is not something that is an immediate option for me, but I do have friends who have been in loving and fruitful relationships for many years, who would love the option to enter into a marriage in the eyes of their country.

The good news moving forward is that the five day span of Marriage Alliance ads are now over, in that time we saw a six hour parliamentary debate happen with the current government to decide what to do moving forward with this issue, yes no decision was made, but what did come out of it was more conversation and more discussion within our community. Media outlets like The Project and MammaMia have posted articles and videos in support of Marriage Equality and condemning the speech from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who

remains stagnant on the issue. American actor and comedian Jack Black even voiced his opposition to Abbott stating “I personally think the guy’s living in the stone ages, though. He’s not seeing the writing on the wall. The movement of the world is heading towards equality for all people, all sexual preferences. Come on, we’re all the same in the end. Who cares what gives you a boner. Really?”

So where to from here? I can confirm that Australian Marriage Equality have their own ad coming and it will run for a lot longer than the five days given to Marriage Alliance, just like you I jumped down Foxtel’s throat without thinking, without investigating further what would happen with Foxtel’s alliance with the AME and how this will change things in the future. If

you look at Marriage Equality in other countries, it has passed when both sides have been given time to air, because in the end love wins. Showing the ad from the Marriage Alliance highlight’s the ignorance and exploitation of children, while AME show’s nothing but pure and beautiful love, love that should be celebrated, love that should be encouraged and love that should be accepted.

I guess this is a really long way of me personally apologising to Foxtel for jumping the gun and posting my ill-informed message on your Facebook wall. At the time I withdrew Novastream affiliation for Foxtel and affiliated streaming service Presto with our upcoming podcast The Streaming Show, we now would like to reinstate our full support and thank Foxtel for supporting the AME and airing pro marriage equality ads on their channels. We look forward to the day that Australia finally achieves marriage equality, until then there will be plenty of debate around the issue and remember, in the end love always wins!

New writer David Chattaway reviews the biggest new release this month

Your girlfriend has been torn through a window of the cabin right in front of your eyes. With no time to waste, you grab hold of a rifle and wearing nothing but your underwear, you burst out into the icy cold woods in desperate pursuit. You must navigate the rough terrain and make quick decisions which have unknown impacts. Will you try to take the shortcut and slide down the embankment? Or find a safer way around? Choosing to slide and save time requires some quick time event button presses … missing a single one could waste precious time. You press circle instead of square and your character slips on a rock and falls into a small stream, wasting precious seconds. You breathe a sigh of relief you weren’t injured. Eventually your pursuit leads you to the entrance of a mineshaft. From above you see the body of your girlfriend falling until it hits the ground next to you. She’s dead and you’re shown a replay of you slipping on the rock. It’s at that moment you realise the tiniest mistake cost your girlfriend her life and one of your eight playable characters is gone.

It’s these incredibly subtle butterfly-effect moments that make Until Dawn a truly original entry in the survival-horror genre.

The game throws hundreds of choices at you throughout its nine-hour playtime and what you choose results in characters surviving the terror or dying.

Have you ever watched a clichéd horror movie before and hated one or more of the characters? This is the same emotion Until Dawn gives during its first half, introducing you to each of the characters one by one. Giving you a base template of personality traits for each, how you choose to play each of their interactions influences these traits and alters their individual destinies. It’s very easy to feel a certain way about each of them right from the get go – every typical horror character is here and accounted for; we have the football jock, the jokester, the dumb blonde and the nerdy guy who lusts after one of the beauties.

The story is broken into ten chapters, each counting down the next hour until dawn. At the beginning of each new chapter you’re given a quick recap cut scene of the decisions made previously.

It’s a clever inclusion, as players can choose to replay specific chapters, making different decisions. Scattered throughout the game are small, missable collectables called ‘totems’, which provide a glimpse of things to come. Whether it is a vision of a character dying, guidance for a future choice, the potential loss of a friend, the threat of future danger or a prophecy of good fortune, these totems are worth searching for -especially if you’re trying to keep everyone alive. In addition to ‘totems’ there are also clues scattered throughout the game. These come in all shapes and sizes and help unravel the mystery of the remote mountain retreat they find themselves trapped in.

For me Until Dawn felt like two very distinct horror games thrown together, the join happening roughly two-thirds in. Not wanting to spoil the story, I will simply say that what starts as a straightforward deadly game of cat and mouse quickly escalates into a more complicated supernatural story.

Supermassive Games has crafted a visually beautiful game, which cleverly uses alternating camera angles; focusing the players view on unseen corners of the room or by making a hallway look as narrow as possible. Some of the creepiest moments in the game are where you ask yourself, “did I just see that?” when a shadow in a corner moves or the silhouette of something passes by the open doorway behind your character’s shoulder. This movie-like camera view adds atmosphere, however it does take a while to get used to. The characters walk very softly and their movements are slow, this coupled with an ever-changing view makes the characters move unnaturally and does detract from the visual benefit of having the camera where it is in each room. Until Dawn showcases motion capture at its finest with its impeccable re-creation of each of the cast members.

At it’s best Until Dawn is a thought provoking, emotional rollercoaster ride of a game, but at it’s worst it is a busy plot, packed into a short runtime. Making some of the behaviours of central characters unrealistic and accelerated to achieve the primary objective of moving the story forward. Giving players the ability to tailor the experience based on their own personal fears is cleverly integrated through interviews with Dr Hill, played perfectly by Peter Stormare, who asks you questions and requests you select what terrifies you the most from a preset selection of options.

I had the pleasure of watching on as a close friend and Twitch streamer took control of eight characters’ destinies. In his hands I watched on while Jess plummeted to her death at the feet of her lover Mike; her lower jaw torn from her face. Josh was attacked while wading through waist-deep water; his head popping like a ripe grape. Mike, Ashley and Emily all met a sudden death in a huge explosion. Our first play-through was focused on keeping everyone alive, and, despite this influencing decisions throughout the game, five of the eight characters still met with the reaper.

Ultimately it’s the characters and the ability to make both critical and subtle decisions which result in them living or dying that make this game something special. Few games can end where the player wants to immediately restart it and play again, Until Dawn does just that by forcing the player to ponder one very important question, “what if I did this instead?”

Big shout out to Chris “Lostsoldier23” for broadcasting the entire play through on his Twitch stream. Be sure to check out a true gaming master in his natural habitat – http://www.twitch.tv/ lostsoldier23/profile

4.5/5

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Review

JOURNEY

Pat ‘Zael’ Braithwaite tests out the PS4 version of this beautiful and moving game

There seldom comes a game which in the span of a few hours can leave you feeling so connected and emotional. That can reach you on a spiritual level and make you appreciate a video game as more than just an interactive tool for satisfaction.

They can also be a living work of art and an enthralling experience that engages your senses and spectrum of emotions like any good painting in an art gallery.

Journey is that kind of game, and I use the term game very loosely. As the third and latest brainchild of ThatGameCompany, it saw an initial release on Playstation 3 back in 2012. As with so many other games of this age it has now been ported to the current generation of consoles for newcomers to fall in love with and oldcomers to fall in love with again. But this isn’t one of the HD remaster super mega ultra edition we see from big AAA titles looking to milk a dying cow. This is just Journey, no more and no less. The original game was just as beautiful as this release given the system it was on. Yes everything on the playstation 4 port is a bit shinier, crisper and more fluid thanks to a larger native resolution and higher

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frame rate capabilities, but at the end of the day this is the same experience and will leave you with the same feeling.

Journey places you in the role of a robed figure. You awaken in the middle of sweeping sand dunes in what appears to be an endless desert, with a foreboding mountain before you. You are given no indication of what to do but your brain feels the compulsion to move forward towards the mountain. And thus…your own journey has begun.

From here you will traverse landscapes that vary from sunbaked sand dunes to dimly lit caves that feel almost like you’re underwater. Leading to what most people discover first: this is a freaking pretty game. I have to give kudos to the designers for making the deserts come to life with light, glistening in a way the makes it seem like each grain of sand has been given the same care as anything large scale in the game. And the sand acts like sand, which as silly as it sounds is amazing to watch

as it ripples naturally as you walk or surf through the sand dunes. Light is also used remarkably well to cast shadows where needed and amplify the already beautiful environments as it makes the sand dunes feel warm and desolate and darkened caves feel cool and sunken.

Journey tells of the rise and fall of a civilisation, through a means that our own history books can relate to; Power.

Though never made abundantly clear, through hieroglyphic-esque cutscenes we are shown the birth of life and power which is channelled through cloth, creating life that is seen throughout your time in journey. You will encounter squid like creatures that swim through the sand and sky like water and jellyfish creatures that hover to create an almost sea like ambience, just to name a few. But as the story progresses, we see that warmachines were built and a civil war broke-out which left the civilisation in the ruins in which we see today.

This is in my opinion one of Journey’s greatest strengths. The above is all what I have interpreted from a game with no

spoken dialogue whatsoever. Its truly amazing how much emotion and story a game can tell purely through the artistry of the game and the music that encompasses it. Whether it’s surfing through ruins at sunset with an excited score and creatures following in tow, to the dank silence as the cold sucks the life of everything that surrounds it: visual and audio cues will envelope your senses and give you an experience that will give you goosebumps.

Gameplay wise it is remarkably simple, being accomplished with just two buttons and your joysticks. You can move, pan the camera, jump and chime. Now as previously state, there is no spoken dialogue, so your chime is almost like an echo you can project. This is your only real means of communicating with the world.

It calls creatures to you, breaths life into your surroundings and is the only way you can talk to strangers in your world.

When I say strangers, I’m referring to the “multiplayer” component of journey. As you wander, players will randomly enter and exit your world, with their choices of input as limited as yours. You don’t even get to see their name while you are on your quest, so that means no voice or text chats in the background. This further adds to the concept that you are on this journey, and it’s personal whether you are alone or together. Sure you can help each other track down collectable storytelling glyphs or glowing symbols to make your scarf and jumping capabilities greater, but at the end of the day this is your journey to make and that’s all that really matters.

In summation, Journey isn’t really a game at all. It made me question life, death and the afterlife as well as the pilgrimage into each destination. It serves as a catalyst of memories of the people we have met and said goodbye to on our own life journeys, and that beginnings may end but endings could be new beginnings.

Finally, alongside literature, films, paintings, sculptures and everything in between; video games truly can be an evocative form of art.

5/5 Reviewed on PS4

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DAVID CHATTAWAY ...

Joshua Thomas gets nostalgic Rare may just be the most fitting name for a gaming company there ever was or will be. The guys and girls at Rare lived up to their name for over a decade producing some iconic, genre defining games that remain a true rarity in terms of quality and originality.

Rare Replay puts a glorious gloss on 30 of these memorable games that dominated childhoods and bombarded the screens of the young and old from the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. Capable of distracting adults and keeping kids thoroughly entertained, Rare’s gaming gems like Banjo-Kazooie and Conkers Bad Fur Day paved the way for a new era of gaming.

But as with most things, has time inevitably rusted these games away to a point where no amount of high definition gloss can cover it up?

Well the answer in short is no, but a pair of nostalgia glasses will help cover up the inevitable and relatively few blemishes of father time.

In terms of graphics, the majority of games available hold up remarkably well with the HD gloss making the aesthetics a lot easier to take in after so many years. Although visually improved, the original artistic feel remains the same across all the included games ensuring no whimsical nostalgia is lost.

Considering the sheer amount of gaming content squeezed into the one collection with 39 full length games, it’s not too surprising that load times are quite long. Some title screens alone can take nearly a minute to load. But if you remember what it was like waiting with impatient anticipation for their original versions to load than these are a non-issue. And as they say, all good things come to those who wait.

And what a selection you have! From Cobra Triangle and Battletoads to Banjo-Kazooie, Blast Corps and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, good luck deciding which game to jump into first. Perhaps it’s the fan-boy in me but I’d suggest Banjo-Kazooie as a perfect starting point, the dynamic duo of bird and bear remains just as endearing all these years later with the game itself remaining one of the best 3D platformers around.

One surprising aspect of the compilation is its stylish presentation.

Instead of just being a bunch of memorable games chucked together, Rare Replay makes use of stellar music and charming transitions to make it a complete nostalgic experience. No short cuts were evidently taken by Rare as they take us on this splendid trip down memory lane.

So regardless of what game you played back in the golden 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, Rare Replay is an experience not to miss out on.

Rare is evidently the gift that just keeps on giving and Rare Reply will show you why the gaming company is so worthy of its name.

4.6/5 Reviewed on Xbox One

Considering some of the games on offer here released over a decade ago, just how playable are the games on Rare Replay you ask? Well although not without there inevitable bugs, glitches and confusing moments, the games on the whole run rather smoothly. If you still have some old school gamer in you, the dated feel of the games shouldn’t bother you too much and in fact come as a welcome challenge in an age of straight forward games renowned for their tendency to hand hold.

That said, you can now save on the go, saving you the pain of those cruelling long treks between checkpoints. But this feature doesn’t detract from the experience, simply giving you more time to enjoy the diverse range of games on offer.

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