Novastream September 2018

#Representationmatters is more than a hastag, but is the movie any good? Words by Alaisdair Leith.

It was with a lot of hesitation that I saw this movie. The flood of positive

Newcomer Golding delivers a passable performance and won me over the more times he ripped his shirt open or had a long shower. There is no denying reviews and hype surrounding it felt cataclysmic, also Golding is a great leading man, albeit overly fantasied factoring in that I have never watched a movie with a in this movie. full Asian cast before ever in my life. So I had no idea what to expect, this film delivers a tired and cliche Story wise as previously mentioned it is all the tropey story and brightens it up with gorgeous locations, stuff you know is going to be thrown at you. Girl meets mouth watering food, side splitting comedy and guy in New York, travels to meet his family, finds finally elevating the brilliant Constance Wu to movie out he is crazy rich and must win the approval of his goddess status (seriously if you don’t watch Fresh Off family or risk alienating him from them. This story really does throw everything at you, the difference The Boat, you need to!) here however is that it is done with such energy and The story follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) who passion, you cannot help but forgive it. is an economics professor at NYU meeting her long boyfriends Nick Young (Henry Golding) family in The music is perfect with Mandarin versions of their hometown of Singapore. All the expectations Coldplay’s Yellow and Material Girl by Madonna just and complications have been explored in many to name a few. The score is also fantastic and matches other films before it and there is nothing different the tone of the film. here. There is an epic food market montage when the couple first arrive in Singapore that will have Director Jon M Chu is new to romantic comedy with you googling the closest authentic asian restaurant. previous films like GI Joe : The Rise Of Cobra and A quick history lesson of how this island came to Now You See Me 2. These movies all have intense be home to the crazy rich is laid out by Peik Lin scenes and this film continues that tradition. The (Awkwafina) one of the most hilarious and endearing opulence of the wedding to the chaos of the food characters in the movie. To this effect Lin’s family markets to shopping for million dollar earrings. who consist of her father Wyne (Ken Jeong) and The cinematography is so spectacular, it is worth the mother Neenah (Chieng Mun Koh) also bring solid price of admission alone. laughs and reprise when the movie starts taking itself a little too seriously. In addition to this Oliver T’sen A lot needs to be said for the humour in this movie, (Nico Santos) as the rainbow sheep of the family and the rapid jokes that provide genuine laugh out loud Astrid (Gemma Chan) also stand out as scene stealers moments mask the insecurities of the characters, and allows the film to reveal more of their human side in their own right. and justify why they are there. It is something that a Through all of these talented cast Nick’s mother lot of movies in this genre get wrong over and over Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) is the standout here, her and it is a delight to see Chu use this to his advantage. presence is terrifying whenever she sets her sights on Wu, and can easily switch to maternal when it comes Overall Crazy Rich Asians surprised me, it moved me, to Nick. It’s a fearless performance that keeps you it entertained me and made me forget how shitty the glued to the very end. Yeoh has captivated me before world is for two hours. I was swept up in the romance with performances in Memoirs Of A Geisha and the of it all and was delighted to be whisked away to a Kung Fu Panda series, but this is the standout of her part of the world I had never explored before. The rich and vibrant world helped it feel real while still career. being relatable. Wu and Yeoh are the standouts of the film giving career defining performances, while the supporting cast also earn their stripes in what could have easily been a paint by numbers film. The good news is that a sequel has already been greenlit and is also based on the novel of the same name. Crazy Rich Asians is the My Big Fat Greek Wedding of 2018, hopefully though without the disappointing TV show and too little too late sequel. You can catch the film in cinemas now.

Words by Alaisdair Leith

Christopher Robin is the latest Disney property to be re-ignited in the current golden age of Disney

films. Instead of being an updated all out action franchise, the film sticks true to its roots delivering a charming tale of growing up and rediscovering what is important in life. The film is woven by director Marc Forster (Quantum Of Solace, Monster’s Ball) who takes an old school style of film making bringing the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood into the 21st century with style and respect.

Outstanding performances by Ewan McGregor (Christopher Robin) and Hayley Atwell (Evelyn Robin) with gorgeous CGI teddy style graphics for the animals (well some of them?) all combine to deliver one of the most memorable and beautiful films that has graced the screens this year. At the end of a very long blockbuster action film period, this complete change of pace is a welcome one that will stand the test of time.

The film begins at the end of The House On Pooh Corner with a farewell party for Robin as he is sent off to “boring school” All the gang is here Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo and what follows is a montage of Robin’s life as he leaves his friends and childhood behind. The film flashes forward to adult life when Robin is married to Evelyn and living in London with a daughter Madeline (what’s a Madeline?) Robin is working for a luggage company in the efficiency department and all traces of the wayward child have completely disappeared. His wife and daughter are planning a

The CGI on the animals is nothing short of spectacular. Seeing how their fur changes over the coarse of the money is spectacular to watch. I found myself mesmerized by just how much detail was given to each and every character. The only complaints were Rabbit and Owl who instead of being cuddly teddy bear types were designed like actual animals which wasn’t really The opening scenes in particular, for anyone explained or explored which is still left my like myself who grew up with Winnie The Pooh, head scratching. are heartbreaking. The farewell party, the scenes of Robin in WWII while it cuts back to Pooh The score of this film is equally as waiting at the door Christopher Robin appears entertaining as the visuals, the sweeping through are completely soul shattering. I did score brings back a lot of old memories with shed a tear of two (possibly three) during these the Winnie The Pooh theme song to Tigger’s moments, it is done with such love and care, it Bouncing song bringing back all those is hard not to get emotional about it. Similarly nostalgic feels. This is also complimented the scenes in which Robin and the Hundred by the jaw dropping cinematography that Acre Wood gang are reunited are extremely reeks of old school film making. It was a touching, particularly after seeing the hardened mixture of Harry Potter and Mary Poppins era films with big open countrysides mixed man the world has made of Robin. with the chaotic London and the Hundred A great gauge of how a movie is going down Acre Wood itself is a sheer symbol of beauty. with kids is easy to pick up, both times I saw this movie the children were completely entranced Christopher Robin is the surprise hit of by the entire experience. They were laughing, this year, the ability to tell a beautiful story some were being comforted by their parents while mixing in nostalgia, gorgeous visuals during the darker scenes that the film presents and something for every age, Disney have and the biggest compliment was the cheering successfully figure out how to bring their old and clapping at the end. Having seen other school style of film-making back for a brand kids movies in the last few weeks (Teen Titans new generation. The film hits cinemas this GO! etc) where none of this happened I was Thursday and is definitely worth checking concerned that the darker tone and very adult out. All credit to Marc Forster for creating themes wouldn’t go over too well, but it did. this incredible world and for Twitter for It doesn’t treat kids like idiots with devolved claiming the new Poohniverse of films that will undoubtedly follow. humour. family weekend away to the country when his boss Winslow tells him he needs to work all weekend due to company downsizing. The news doesn’t go down too well with his family and a dropped jar of honey mysteriously awakens Winnie The Pooh bringing him to London to help Christopher Robin re-discover his childhood and re-connect him with his family.

f o s e c a F y

n a M e h T

Ryland

Words by Brittany Howarth

Georgina Ryland is an awardwinning makeup artist from Brisbane

and, in anticipation for her appearance at Brisbane Oz Comic Con, she joined me for a short interview about her art, the convention, and a little bit about Captain America.

Just as we began to chat, Georgina revealed that she was working on her next video which will be of the Disney Castle. It will be her third attempt at the iconic castle, and with her attention to detail proven in her speed painting videos like Finding Dory and Stranger Things, it shows she aims for perfection. She went on to speak about the moments in her videos where she paints over and reworks some of her art.

“Generally, it means that I am not happy with a particular element and usually I feel that it’s impacting the rest of the look. It’s not too, I suppose, destructive, it’s just trying to benefit the overall final piece.”

But, even with Disney being the subject of many of her videos, it’s not the franchise that she would currently call herself a big fan of. With her being a judge at the Brisbane Oz Comic Con cosplay competition on the Sunday, all of you cosplayers should take note!

“I am, a bit, on a Marvel kick at the moment. I’m also really partial to anything like Stranger Things.”

Her love of Stranger Things certainly shows in her time-lapse video of the series’ four main characters and its signature red sky. But, contrary to what I thought was a strange thing to paint with, the toothbrush she used for the grass in that video is a common tool for a makeup artist’s arsenal.

“In the makeup world, a toothbrush actually isn’t too weird, funnily enough… I did go to a makeup school to learn special effects, so that’s where I got my toothbrush from. I have a couple of weird silicon tools which I occasionally use. And I really like nail art tools.”

Beyond toothbrushes and nail art tools, Georgina uses makeup brushes and brushes from stores like Riot where she hunts down the ones with small brush heads for the fine details.

Regarding paint, she uses skin safe and water base paints. Her favourite brand is Mehron Makeup, and more specifically the Paradise range where she has a drawer full of colours.

She also uses a variety of everyday makeup like lipstick, eyeshadow, and eyeliner over the top.

“I think the most difficult part of painting is painting my right shoulder because I’m right handed. It gets a bit messy.”

To get her art started, Georgina uses references images sometimes from online and sometimes from photos of her roommate to get poses.

“Oh, god, why’d you ask me that?! You’re so rude. I feel…”

“I did a piece recently (where) the concept was completely my own which was enchanted mushrooms. It had little fairies, and mushroom houses. I took photos of my roommate posing as the reference picture, and then I would look at pictures of mushrooms and what not. So, for comics or pop culture related pieces I would look specifically for an image because you want to get that likeness.”

But before I could let Georgine go to paint her next project, I was eager to ask her one last question regarding her recent delve into Marvel.

She paused, considering my question. We may have shared a laugh, but this was the main question. The big event. Surely, the answer would split her followers!

“I feel like I’m team Cap cause he’s just so beautiful!”

The decision was made, and it was one I whole heartedly agreed with.

You can catch award winning Georgina Ryland at Brisbane Oz Comic-Con next month.

But it isn’t the image itself that she finds the She will be with the Australian Academy of most difficult. Nor is it the sketching or the Cinemagraphic Makeup on the Saturday and lining. It’s having to paint her right arm with her will be a judge for the cosplay competition on the right hand.

Sunday.

American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga joins Warner Bros’ horror moneymaking machine: The Conjuring Universe.

Words by Jason Cook.

It’s not always easy in a film series to maintain hype, let

alone actually release a film worthy of its hype. But the Conjuring Universe seems to be able to churn out some relatively good viewing especially with the latest instalment, The Nun. Steering away from the usual jump scares, The Nun is both frightening albeit unlike the previous films with a little bit of humour seeping through.

Set in the early 1950s a Priest, Father Burke, is sent by the Vatican to investigate a suicide at a Romanian convent. To assist in his investigations, he is accompanied by Sister Irene, a Nun yet to take her vows.

Helped by local farmer and delivery boy Frenchie who found the dead nun, the three soon realise they are dealing with something far more sinister than a Nun’s suicide. Staying the night at the convent they struggle to know what is real and what is not as they battle one of the strongest demons, Valak.

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren tell of this story some time later and how they have crossed paths with this demon before.

The Nun shies away from the jump scares that has come to be expected from the Conjuring Universe. Rather it plays on the “what’s that around the corner” fright that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Playing into the religious side of the storyline adds a somewhat realistic basis to this demon.

The storyline doesn’t add much depth other than what you see is what you get. While there has been a build up over a number of films first featuring in The Conjuring 2 and again in Annabelle: Creation, The Nun is a standalone story that quickly jumps in and doesn’t seem to delve into anything too complex or in depth. It’s simply a demon in the form of a Nun who happens to possess and wreak havoc.

That isn’t to say the simplicity of the storyline is lacking, far from. It is the simplicity of the film that makes it even more enjoyable to watch.

You aren’t trying to figure anything out or stay focused in case you miss something.

Corin Hardy takes on this film as Director though the Conjuring Director James Wan who kick started the Universe stays on as Producer. Hardy isn’t new to the horror genre having directed The Hallow in 2015. The thing with Hardy’s direction is that it doesn’t take on anything too challenging. There’s nothing special about the script, there are no amazing special effects and he’s not pushed the Actors to give outstanding performances. Rather than play on these extra motives, Hardy relies on the simple storyline that has come to be known for the spin off movies of the Conjuring Universe.

Overall there is nothing that will compared to the original Conjuring films. However, this is a far more enjoyable and frightening option than Annabel. There are some funny one liners and even though there are some jump scares, for the most part the scariest is the audio rumbling your cinema chair and not knowing what is around the corner. It’s good to see a universe that isn’t super heroes and it can only get better as the series grows and gets deeper and deeper into the supernatural world.

Jason Statham, Ruby Rose and Li Bingbing are sharkbait.

Words by Isabelle Aswad

A movie like The Meg

should be every bit as bloody and terrifying as it’s cult classic monster movie predecessors (Jaws, Sharknado, Piranha) but it isn’t.

Don’t get me wrong, this film has a blockbuster budget, a veteran action star in Jason Statham and all the ingredients to be a brilliant summer (winter for us southern folk) hit and it’s almost there.

The film kicks off with Jonas Taylor (Statham) leading an underwater deep-sea rescue mission that goes horribly wrong when they are attacked by an unknown creature that forces Jonas to leave behind two of his crew members to save everyone else.

The ordeal leaves Jonas a washed-up drunk in a rundown bar in Thailand, labelled crazy, and a coward.

But when a submersible from the Mana One science base lies sunken at the bottom of an unknown abyss, Jonas is recruited to lead the rescue mission. The plot thickens however as we learn that the captain of the sub is Jonas’ ex-wife Lori.

Forced to face his fear of failing, and the monster he knows is lurking beneath, Jonas is thrust back into jaws of the Meg.

And what follows is the stuff of nightmares as a two millionyear-old prehistoric extinct killer shark is unleashed into human infested waters.

The remainder of the film progresses as we all know it will, as the team of Mana One, led by the Jonas attempt to kill the Meg and save the world.

Where the film falls short is in its inability to sustain the tension and the stakes. The script is lacking in so many ways to the point where people in the cinema were laughing in hysterics at some of the unrealistic cliché lines. In a film like this, clichés are to be expected, but they were overdone and retracted from the authenticity of the story.

The other failure was the over populated and underutilised cast. Cliff Curtis was barely able to flex is acting chops and Ruby Rose and Rain Wilson’s characters were underdeveloped and fell more into stereotypical techie/ billionaire pigeonholes.

I do have to say that the action sequences were highimpact and high-speed and were perfectly executed by Statham. And the precocious Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai) the daughter of Jonas’ love interest (Bingbing Li) spits out a supreme number of savage one-liners that are endearing and fist-pumpingly awesome all at the same time.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub (Cool Runnings, National Treasure) and loosely based on Steve Alten’s Meg series, this Jaws wannabe is definitely worth a watch. At the very least, it’s one of the best worst movies you’ll ever see. The Meg opens wide today!

The Spy Who Dumped Me

feels like it pinned you down and tickled you making you giggle like a little school girl. And don’t dare try stop, because Kate McKinnon will get you back on the giggle train until the final moments.

Audrey (Mila Kunis) is celebrating her birthday with best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon), but isn’t quite feeling it after her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) dumped her via text. To cheer her up Morgan decides it would be a good idea to burn all the things Drew left at Audrey’s house. Giving him warning Drew calls to tell her not to burn anything.

In a crazy twist of fate, Drew turns out to be a spy and left something highly valuable in Audrey’s possession. In returning to collect this prised item Drew ends up being located and shot dead by an assassin. But that’s not before he entrusts Audrey with an item that sends her to Europe.

While trying to follow Drew’s instruction Audrey and Moran find themselves in a shoot-out whist continuously being hunted and not knowing who they can trust. Eventually they discover the person they thought they couldn’t trust had their back the whole time.

Directed and written by Susanna Fogel known mostly for her TV work in the USA. With the likes of Play by Play a coming of age series about a ESPN sports reporter, Fogel has a knack for capturing a certain sense of humour on screen. Think Parks and Rec crossed with Dumb and Dumber. It’s that classic fart joke held with a straight face. But in between the humour Fogel manages to tie in some relatively good story lines for a comedy and ultimately a whole lot of girl power.

Kunis and McKinnon m in this action comedy. W

make a hilarious pair Words by Jason Cook.

The one thing that stands out in this film is the fact that it’s a strong female led comedy. Sure, it’s not the first time women have lead a comedy, but unlike some before it The Spy Who Dumped Me isn’t trying to make you laugh. It’s not forcing its feminine power upon you and it’s certainly not trying to be better than a male led comedy. It’s it a stand alone funny film with two great actresses. And while this fact probably doesn’t need to be mentioned, with an industry trying hard for equality, Fogel and the team have absolutely nailed it.

The face of the team may very well be Mila Kunis but it’s Kate McKinnon (Rough Night, Office Christmas Party, Ghostbusters: Answer the call) who steals the show. Mind you it is her classic nasal over the top delivery we’ve come to know her for. But in this case those qualities work perfectly for her character Morgan. You can tell McKinnon just had an absolute blast with her role.

Mila Kunis the dumpee floats nicely around her character and a perfect companion to McKinnon.

Their chemistry on screen works a treat, to the point where you think they may actually be besties off the screen as well. It’s Kunis that brings a sense of class and range to the film. While The Spy Who Dumped Me is a comedy, Kunis manages to navigate her way around delivering the humour but also to make her character believable.

The Spy Who Dumped Me is a classic comedy. It’s got everything from a fart joke to classic one liners.

There’s no doubt McKinnon is comedic genius, even if she is the same person in almost everything she does. But together with Mila Kunis they will have you laughing out loud and not even caring how loud you are.

It’s most definitely a chic flick there’s no debating that. But to give the guys something to do while they sit next to you, there’s some car chases and some explosions, a few shots and fired and a bit of blood.

Overall, The Spy Who Dumped Me is funny. It will have you giggling all the way through. Chic flick comedy is what it aims to be and it’s exactly what it is. It’s got a story line though you could almost predict exactly what happens. But that doesn’t matter because it’s a whole lot of fun.

5 WORST

Article by Jay Cook

ON SET INJURIES

The latest instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise dominated at the box office because of all its action and stunts. But with great stunts come great injuries. From cut hands, broken bones and being knocked out cold. This Top 5 edition we look at all the greatest injuries that have happened on film sets.

TOM CRUISE

#1 #2 JACKIE CHAN

Tom Cruise takes out number one spot for Mission: Impossible - Fallout.

In filming one of the “easy” scenes Cruise jumps from one building to the next hitting the side and pulling himself over. Only in one take he manages to put a little too much pressure on his ankle as he hits the wall and it broke. For those of you interested there is video of the actual moment it happened.

What makes it worse, Cruise tackles death defying stunts throughout the film with no injury. Dangling from a helicopter, numerous chases in cars, boats and on foot. But it’s paid off in the end with a stunning film.

The master of doing his own stunts Jackie Chan has a list of injuries almost as long as the number of bones in the body. Chan is well known for not only offering some memorable performances, he insists on doing his own stunts in every film he’s been in. That has meant he has broken his eyebrow bone, nose, fingers, breast bone and ankle just to name a few. He’s also fractured his skull, dislocated his pelvis and damaged his spine a number of times in falls. I think it’s fair to say he is a super human recovering from all that and more.

The worst part is everyone has moved on believing Chuck Noland died when the plane went down.

Having to rebuild his life from scratch again Noland finds himself in a crossroad but he delivered the one package he managed to save from the crash as in turn it saved his life.

With so many actors so focused on their character they sometimes go too far and injure themselves and others while filming. And a lot of the time, that footage is used. But in this case Robert Downey Jr wasn’t aware of his own strength and broke Halle Berry’s arm in Gothika. In trying to restrain Berry’s arm Downey Jr twisted it too far with too much force and he broke it. That’s not her only injury, over time Berry has been knocked out and broken her foot.

#3 HALLE BERRY

#4

isla fisher

Australia’s own Isla Fisher has a near miss which could have resulted in her death. In filming Now You See Me, Fisher is chained and locked in a tank of water. The idea is that she unchains herself and rises to safety.

But in this case Fisher’s chain got stuck and took three minutes while she tried to break free. Everyone on set assumed she was acting, and what great acting that would have been to see. A stunt man eventually stepped in and helped her to safety.

#5

cary elwes

Easily one of the great classics and one I watched many a time growing up, The Princess Bride starring Cary Elwes.

Count Tyrone Rugen, the sixfingered man was to knock Elwes out with the butt of a sword. But when there were no plastic swords on set they used a real sword in its place.

With the force of being hit with a real sword too much for anyone, Elwes was knocked unconscious.

Thankfully no permanent damage was caused.

What kind of film can get away with mocking Disney, Marvel, and its very own franchise? Well, one that is just as ridiculous as its title, that’s what.

Teen Titans GO! To The Movies follows the iconic team of DC youngsters as they reach for fame and glory in Hollywood.

But with the Justice League members and the infamous Slade standing in their way, the journey to stardom will need a lot more than goofy humour and fart jokes. It will need, you guessed it, friendship.

As corny as this sounds, it’s simplicity aids in forming a piece of entertainment that could captivate children and adult DC fans alike. Unfortunately, the very niche humour that makes it a giggle fest for DC die-hard fans will also distance the film from the general public’s enjoyment.

The Cartoon Network show gets a movie independant of BvS + Wonder Woman. Words by Brittany Howarth

But, humour aside, the strong cast of voices The villain was easy to predict, as was their plot, but, with that started with Teen Titans delivers a the DC Universe streaming service being released shortly, whacky performance while also welcoming the villain’s evil plan certainly makes one think twice before purchasing a subscription. voices and Beyond the film itself, there was a sneak peek as to what Beyond these big names, there was also fans of DC Super Hero Girls can expect from the Cartoon Network update. The redesigned art of the internet sensation was vastly different from the smooth style that and even fans have come to love. And, after the fan outrage over the redesign, I was starting to feel DC might have made The film is full of meta jokes, just like Stan Lee’s another media blunder. cameo. But if you’re watching it in the theatre, you’ve got to be quick to catch all the references But, with a story and art similar to Super Best Friends along the way. You’ll see mentions of Young Forever, this sneak peek was a quick and fun way to warm Justice, Harry Potter, Deadpool, and, of course, the audience up for the Titans’ crazy adventures. It also all the DC films. doesn’t hurt that the story starred Batgirl.

Nicolas Cage Kristen Bell.

Jimmy Kimmel, Will Arnett Stan-freaking-Lee!

This is where the movie really shines. The Teen Titans GO! franchise is not afraid to accept that it’s the least mature piece of content that DC has created and the film steamrolls into proving that very point. The team are goofballs, immature, and actually pretty good at making a head banging jam. This, ladies and gentlemen, coming from a critique that couldn’t watch one single episode two days earlier.

The film definitely starts with an epic kick, but one that doesn’t follow through to the second half. So much was crammed into the movie’s first half that, by the time the Titans actually get themselves a movie deal, it looks as if the writers had run out of jokes.

For fans of the original Teen Titans animated series, I cannot recommend this film enough. Understandably, you might be hesitant to watch the whole film for the secret credit scene, but it will certainly give you hope.

Let’s just say it looks like WB are holding true to Tara Strong’s Twitter promise.

Teen Titans GO! To The Movies was a joyous, nonsensical adventure into the whacky minds of people unafraid to mock any and all franchises. The humour went beyond everyday, B-grade fart jokes and even made a very inspiring soundtrack. It’s multitude of DC references will both work in its favour and against it depending on each audience’s knowledge of the franchise. Its biggest downfall will be its length and the lack of momentum in the film’s second half.

The creators certainly went nuts in the first half, but the story has to come into play. It’s It definitely won’t be a film for all, falling at 3 stars out of 5 just unfortunate that the story smothered the for general audience goers. But, the fun of spotting all the rolling punches of humour from the first half. franchise references can take this film up to a 3.5 for fans.

Futurama was the future.

The Simpsons is now.

So when creator Matt Groening looked for a premise for his new Netflix show, naturally he completed the trio with ‘the past’. Words by Brittany Treadwell

Matt Groening and Netflix

coming together to create a show. Styled like Groening’s past shows (Simpsons, Futurama) “Disenchantment” is the product of this amazing combination.

The story follows Princess Bean (Voiced by Abbi Jacobson who you should know from Broad City), a medieval princess who we meet right on the eve of her wedding, as we usually meet princesses. Unlike most princesses though, Bean is white-girl wasted and cleaning up at poker. If you hadn’t figured it out, Princess Bean is kick-ass and her end goal is not end up married off like your typical princess. It’s at this point in her life that she is cursed with a personal demon endearingly named “Lucy” (Eric Andre) and the naïve and unimaginatively named “Elfo” the Elf (Nat Faxon) who has escaped his seemingly perfect elf-world to live in the real world. The trio embark on various adventures, usually to the detriment of Bean’s relationship with her royal family and her liver.

It took me a while to realise what the difference between Groening’s past works and Disenchantment was and when it hit me, I couldn’t un-see it. Whilst Groening’s main characters always tend to be flawed, especially in their tendencies towards alcohol, Bean is the first main character that is presented to the same flaws. That was kind of surprising to me yet, makes absolute sense again when you consider the fact that Abbi Jacobson’s fame stems from similar antics on Broad City. Presenting a woman not only as a main character but also as the type of alcoholic we’ve come to know in Homer and Fry definitely enhanced my opinion of this show.

Without spoiling anything, Disenchantment should be on everyone’s “to watch list”. It has the same viewing feel as Groening’s previous works, so if you are a big fan of the Simpsons or I am actually struggling to come up with any Futurama then Disenchantment is pretty much possible negatives for this show which is highly unusual for me. If I had to label one, it would an extension from these. only be that there is significantly less episodes The biggest difference I found was that the for Disenchantment’s first season than either Futurama or The Simpson’s. Maybe this is a main character was, wait for it… trap of comparing a show to it’s long running predecessors or maybe it’s something to do with Disenchantment’s introduction being on Netflix but either way Disenchantment’s short season is a bit of surprise that definitely leaves you wanting to watch more.

Female.

I think overall, Disenchantment is a comfortable viewing experience. You’re not going to see anything you haven’t seen from Matt Groening or Netflix before but it is the same sort of humour that made audiences fall in love with Groening’s previous shows. I would liken it to other Netflix animated endeavours like Bojack Horseman or Big Mouth but again on a tamer level. I am definitely keeping my eyes peeled for further episodes and further hints for a season 2.

The epic Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Veronica Mars) teams with a different comedy legend, Kelsey Grammar (Frasier) for a quality streaming flick. Words by Jason Cook.

There is beauty in a father daughter relationship. And it says a

lot for a film that’s able to capture that beauty but not push it to levels of Hollywood. Like Father is As Rachael’s father Harry Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, funny, it’s smart and it’s completely covered in that Sideshow Bob: The Simpsons, The Last Tycoon) swoons in with his deep brooding voice. Grammer stringy cheese everyone loves. managed show a softer side to his otherwise Rachael (Kristen Bell) works too much and when eccentric and selfish characters he’s known for. He she is still working before she literally walks down navigates through a rather jam-packed backstory of the aisle, she gets left at the altar. But to add salt to love and loss all the while trying to be happy, build the wound her father, Harry (Kelsey Grammer) of a relationship and find himself again. whom she hasn’t seen in 25 years rocks up. Harry convinces Rachael to go with him for a few drinks As a father he captures that nurturing and caring to commiserate. A few drinks ends up in the element. As the father of Bell, it’s not quite two regrettably going on her honeymoon cruise. believable. Their chemistry on screen as father and Pushed to her limits Rachel struggles to put her daughter just seems to miss the mark. They both give great performances and it’s easy to see that phone down or let her father close. these two may possibly pass as father and daughter, Forced to endure the company of Harry let alone but when it comes to the crunch of any dramatic the others sitting at her dinner table Rachael scenes, it just doesn’t resonate. manages to let people close to her again and Popping up as a love interest for Rachael is none eventually put her phone down. other than funny man Seth Rogan no doubt because Like Father does something a little bit different his wife Lauren Rogan wrote the film. But this is a and a little bit special. It captures that special very different role for Rogan as he is playing the relationship between a father and his daughter. heart broken nerdy companion. He’s not going for That beautiful bond that even through heartbreak outrageous laughs or scene stealing performances. and broken trust manages to surge through. But He actually nails it as a nerdy, shy and confused where Like Father is clever is in the fact it doesn’t kind of guy who gets a bit lost in a one-night stand. become an arty indie film trying to slot into a Arthouse cult of the ages. It’s simple, it’s almost Like Father is set for the most part on a cruise real and it has a strong comedic undertone carried ship which doesn’t give a lot of space for some amazing cinematography. But what this film aims

by Kristen Bell. to do is actually spend more time getting to know Leading the pack as Rachael is Kristen Bell (Bad the characters. You’ll find yourself being that little Moms, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Veronica more invested in the dynamics of this mismatched Mars). Bell has proven herself again and again as father and daughter duo and what will come of this a comedic powerhouse and manages to carry the one night stand. And then for anyone who hasn’t films comedic undertow. But while it’s not her been on a cruise, it’s a massive advertisement to get most outstanding performance to date, there are you amped up and book a cruise. a couple of moments where she manages to pull you in and mesmerise. Bell has a unique ability Overall Like Father is a unique story about a father to capture a whole lot of emotion in one look that and his daughter where that special bond doesn’t break even after 25 years of not talking. It’s different stops you for a moment lost in her gaze. and it’s beautiful to watch these characters grow and struggle through with their lives helped by some wonderful friends. It will have you laughing and it will most certainly make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Ambition.

Jay Leno once said “ambition beats genius 99% of the time”.

City of the Shroud is an ambitious combo-based tactical action RPG inspired

by Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics and a giant step for developer and publisher Abyssal Arts which, while far from perfect, succeeds in bringing a lot of original ideas to the fantasy genre they aspired to create an homage to.

City of the Shroud promised two key differences from other tactical RPGs as part of their Kickstarter pitch, one being an ‘explosive, combo-based battle system’, and the other being a story ‘where your choices, and the choices of every other player, determine how it all plays out

Words by Alaisdair Leith

The latter is something that I’ve never experienced before outright in a game, and is symbolised by the fact that only Chapter 1 will be available to play at launch.

Later chapters in the story will not even be written until the developers receive information from players choices early on. This is a compelling method with interesting possibilities and limitations, and I’m very intrigued to see how exactly this will play out. We’ve seen games in the past change stories in response to consumer feedback, (here’s to you Mass Effect 3) but I struggle to think of examples in recent history where a reliance has been the aim from the outset.

City of the Shroud tells its story like a visual novel, with scrolling text and beautifully detailed yet unchanging character images. This was ordinarily not an issue, although it would have been nice if the characters had different appearances every now and then. Having one character brag about wearing a new hat without actually wearing one, for example, is offputting, and the fact that the same assets were used for many characters over and over again definitely took away from the effect of the narrative. The budgetary restraints that affect these scenes are a shame, as the story itself is very detailed, and indeed the majority of the game is spent clicking through and reading text.

The story itself deals with issues surrounding refugees, poverty, corruption and social classes all around the context of a mysterious magical monster invasion through portals, not unlike Dragon Age: Inquisition.

For all the effort and many characters though, the plot can become a bit overburdensome in requiring the player to take in continuously large amounts of text to keep up with the story, especially as there were only around 4 opportunities to make meaningful choices within the entire 6-8 hours it takes to play through Chapter 1, and it takes a very long time to get to the first choice. There is also a notable lack of flow with the quests that are given, often with them just appearing without flow at the demand of a new shining button, which can name the game seem like there aren’t really any choices to be made as was promised, just prompts to follow. There is clearly talent in the writing, and some of it is playful, funny and genuinely engaging, but there was more than one occasion when I found myself skimming over and quickly skipping through large pieces of dialogue due to boredom and information overload. The music that plays in cut scenes and during battles is different enough to serve its purpose, though I played without it during later playthroughs and didn’t feel like I was missing out on much.

Ultimately, there is a lot of potential in City of the Shroud to become a very successful strategy RPG and online competitive network. We’ll have to wait and see for what However, a few improvements could the future holds in terms of multiplayer and be made to the battles themselves. The promised mod-support, but with a rumoured developers decided to add a “Wait Mode” price set to be around $20 USD on Steam late on in production that meant that the upon release, City of the Shroud should be space bar could be used to pause the game worth a look when the first chapter releases for players that wanted to create complicated on August 10, with plans currently in place combinations. Without using this, the battles to port the game to consoles in 2019. I give it felt tedious and erratic, but while using it I a 3.5 out of 5.

Pros: Ambitious story project. Satisfying gameplay. Creative new take on strategy combat. Cons: Missing standard strategy features. Occasionally buggy. Clearly made on a budget. A lot of story information overload.

felt like I was almost cheesing the game, and that it lost its appeal of being live-action into almost turn-based strategy. I also started having some latency and frame rate issues when battles started involving multiple enemies, and had to turn down the graphical settings to get through these. Meanwhile, the inability to zoom out or change the view during battles is a glaring omission in strategy games, and I often had issues with large portions of the radial menu being outside of the screen when I wanted to use them.

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The real delight and potential in City of the Shroud is away from the story entirely and in the gameplay. Here, it’s all about the wheel. This is what separates City of the Shroud from every other tactical RPG I’ve played, and getting to mould my characters to learn combinations, and then using those combinations on the battlefield, is genuinely satisfying and fun to learn. Basically, your characters build actions points in real time or can collect AP through power-up squares on the board, which you can spend on movements or combo-attacks using the radial menu. There appears to be a high threshold for tactical play for those who are willing to learn the game, and the highest level battles provide a compelling challenge.

It’s like Smash Bros without the Smash Bros.

Call it Slam Bros. Words by Trysten Bass.

In December, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

will finally come to the Nintendo Switch. And it will be the best couchmultiplayer fighting party game the Switch is likely to see. Until then though, the market is briefly open for Smash-clones to gain some traction and take advantage of all the Nintendo gamers who just haven’t been able to get their Smash-fix on the company’s newest console.

And so in comes Slam Land. At the inoffensive price of $8, Slam Land is the cheapest Smash-clone for the Switch, with the closest neighbour, Brawlout, still retailing for around $12. Billed as a “4-player couch fighting/party game” by Bread Machine Games, Slam Land sets out to offer “Super Smash Bros chaos

with a fun new twist”. With low price comes low expectation, and it’s fair to say that Slam Land doesn’t promise anything it doesn’t live up to, but I don’t think I’ll be returning to this one when my friends come over for gaming times.

Starting with the big positive: Slam Land looks awesome. Each of the landscapes, characters and even the items all have eye-catching qualities, and the way that the stadium lights up every time a point is scored is positively merry. While there were occasional issues in gameplay with some of the characters becoming hard to identify while playing due to blending into the background, and the lack of any P1 or P2 marker to show where the players were, the playful art style is the most enjoyable part of the experience.

However, the gameplay itself is where Slam Land justifies its cheap price. The first thing to note is the overall lack of any diversity or single player experience. When the first Super Smash Bros. was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, it featured 9 very different levels and 12 very different playable characters, as well as a single player tournament experience. Almost 20 years later, this remains the minimum expectation for any game trying to bring 4-player couch co-op as its driving factor. Slam Land offers 10 stages (that clearly come from 3 different ideas), 5 identicallyfunctioning playable characters, and no single player mode. The sole focus on couch multiplayer is clear as all single player gameplay comes from setting up a match as you would with friends, except just by playing with the AI. Meanwhile, the lack of any diversity in the gameplay of the characters or levels themselves would be forgiven if they were gratifying to control and play in, like in Nidhogg.

Unfortunately this is not the case.

The controls are simple in Slam Land and offer very little in the way of meaningful combinations.

Players are given buttons to grab, upwards strike, jump, shield/ dodge away from other grab or strike attempts, and move with the D-pad or left joystick. Controlling the characters in Slam Land never felt comfortable despite many long and persistent attempts to get along better with the game. The hit boxes and movement never felt consistent, and it would likely take days of practice to be able to become skilled enough to compete against the top AI of the game; which, while certainly a big positive regarding the ability of the AI to serve up a compelling challenge, did strain me into contemplating the purpose

of becoming good enough to do so. In a game that’s billed as a party game that only features 5 modes, 5 characters, 10 maps and no online play or leaderboards, it’s hard to see a reason to train at this game for any purpose other than makeshift competition between friends.

Looking at the game modes themselves, it’s clear what Slam Land means when they mention the “fun new twist”. An obvious difference is that there is no health bar or system in Slam Land, with points accrued based around DOUNKing (dunking) an item or your opponent into various scoring zones – basketball style. You either win

by DOUNKing the most points in Time-based play, or by having the most points before all lives are used up in Stock. While the Time mode worked without a hitch, I found the changes made to the Stock gameplay unnecessary, in that you win by scoring the most points, as opposed to being the last player alive. This is very different to traditional Stock gameplay, and not in a good way, as it led to many games me and my friends becoming a matter of

math, where whenever one player would score enough points to likely win the game, they would intentionally start getting rid of their lives to ensure that other players couldn’t reach their score.

The other game modes in Slam Land are all variations of the same idea in Trash, Peanut and Horse, in that they all involved collecting an amount of items and DOUNKing them without being stopped. The highlight here was definitely HORSE, where you only won the game if you dunked each letter once, as it brought a subtle level of tactics into a pretty simple game.

Slam Land provides a competent Smash-clone that, while beautiful and innovative, failed to provide any compelling gameplay value for extended periods of time.

Arriving on August 7 at the low price of $8, it may be worth the money and could be a good time for a short period, considering that if 4 people play it only once it’s only $2 each, but that’s really the biggest advantage. If Slam Land really succeeds at anything, it’s as an advertising tool for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which will be released later this year.