Novastream Issue 16

NOVASTREAM LOOKS AT THE BEST FILMS FROM MIFF + RED CARPET ACCESS TO THE STARS!

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Isabelle Aswad on the Tom Cruise side project

kicking goals in 2017.

I don’t think Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) ever thought finding a way to stash all his bags of money would ever be a problem, but such is life when Pablo Escobar is paying your wages.

Set in the 70s and 80s, American Made sees Tom Cruise reunite with Director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Bourne Identity) playing a TWA pilot recruited by CIA agent Schaffer (Domhall Gleeson) to capture reconnaissance images of South American insurgents after he is discovered to be smuggling Cuban contraband. Seal’s jovial antics throughout his ‘missions’ capture the attention of the Medellin Cartel, led

by Pablo Escobar and his henchmen, who provide Seal with his next business venture.

It is at this point, that Seal’s CV reads: TWA pilot, CIA operative, and Escobar’s personal US delivery man – simultaneously.

This is Tom Cruise like we have never seen him. Turning his back on the highly calculating, seemingly invincible action figure role we’ve seen him play time and again, to the not so put together, happy go lucky TWA pilot is incredibly satisfying. And even though as an audience member you still know it’s Tom Cruise, you almost forget that he is equally as convincing at playing Ethan Hunt.

We first meet Seal in the middle of the night in the cockpit of an airbus. He looks to his co-pilot who’s asleep. Seal flicks off the autopilot and takes hold of the controls, where he proceeds to dip and turn the plane in quick and jagged movements. Cut to, a cabin-full of passengers waking up panicked and a co-pilot snapping into a dazed action. Seal speaks into his headset reassuringly, “nothing to worry about, just a little turbulence.”

Cruise gives Seal a devilishly cheeky charisma that lets him get away with almost anything. An attitude that repels authority and chagrins all manner of law enforcement.

He lacks all remorse for his actions and even though participating in high-level criminal activity he is the ultimate anti-hero. Regardless of what is happening on screen, the audience wants Seal to come out on top. And he does. Much to our delight.

Not only is this story full of high stakes and quite serious business transactions. It is unbelievably funny. His payments from the cartel become one of the running gags throughout the entire film, where after he delivers each shipment, is presented with a duffel bag/suitcase full of money. What ensues is an entire film broken up by Seals attempt to store them. Several bags end up stuffed in the chimney, some are decanted into his wife’s (Sarah Wright Olsen) shoeboxes, and some, he buries in the backyard, only to find that where he’s just dug a whole, a bag is already buried there.

Seal is opportunistic, and when opportunity presents itself to him, he never turns it down. Especially when it means he can turn his back on the mundanity of life and pretend he is as cool as he thinks he is. There is no point throughout the entire film where it seems like he doubts himself. And it is this charming cavaliered resilience that makes him so appealing. But I have a feeling this is all Tom Cruise’s doing.

This story is one that needs to be seen to be believed. It is truly fantastic. Tom Cruise is brilliant, and to be honest, I can’t think of anyone else who would have been able to do a better job.

The cartel label Seal as the “gringo that delivers” and throughout this film, Tom Cruise undeniably does so, in spades.

Isabelle Aswad looks at the slick new action franchise starring Hollywood’s leading femme fetalle Charlize Theron, fresh from Mad Max: Fury Road & Fate of the Furious.

On a diet of cigarettes washed down by Stoli on the rocks we meet Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), an MI6 agent sent into Berlin to recover a list stolen by the KGB during the final days of the Cold War. And wherever Lorraine goes, bad guys, and hardhitting epic action blowouts follow.

Under a coloured camera lens that stains the sterile bathroom blue, she emerges from an ice bath naked and veined; her right eye socket is black, her lips are split and swollen.

We watch her inspect her injuries, every inch of her face, still perfect despite the trauma, and tape her ruined knuckles. The outfit she dons is every bit as fierce and fabulous as one would expect from a spy in the 80s and with her heels clopping the pavement she enters a secure facility to begin her mission debrief with an MI6 superior (Toby Jones) and a representative of the CIA (John Goodman).

Dispatched to West Berlin, she allies herself with Berlin bureau chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to help recover the list, and protect an East German defector (Eddie Marsan) who has the list memorized, from the KGB. John Wick co-director David Leitch brings high intensity, hyper-stylized action sequences that are visually rambunctious and entertaining as hell. The bad guys hit hard and it seems that the Atomic Blonde hits even harder; leaving all who cross her path dead or wishing they were. As an actress Theron attacks each sequence with a level of lethal efficiency and determination that makes her stunt work just as impressive and believable as the professionals. The way she acts the punches she throws and receives is utterly beguiling and the audience grimaces with each blow. Theron performs with a poised regality that audiences have become accustomed to with her role as the Queen

in The Huntsman series, and her lithe limbs ensure every move is both delicate and deadly in equal measure.

Based on Antony Johnston’s graphic novel The Coldest City, the film is visually stunning.

Cinematographer Jonathan Sela casts Berlin’s underbelly in a neon-blue haze that contrasts spectacularly to Theron’s crisp presentation.

The accompanying soundtrack provides the only real era identifier, but with hits from George Michael, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, it adds a truly satisfying nostalgia.

Despite Theron’s spectacular performance, her character lacks an emotional connection to her mission, and we are given next to no background information about who she is, and what her relationship is to the task she is set. Early in the film we see a photo of Theron’s character with the agent who is killed in the first scene, but this glimpse is not mentioned or referred to again and the audience is left to wonder. It is at these times the storyline appears weak and undeveloped. Even though the film is clearly set in Berlin, the narrative arc is lacking in its sense of place, to the point where the story itself could be set anywhere and at any time and still make perfect sense.

However, the entertainment value of this film lies in its ridiculous action sequences that are so well crafted the audience is left dodging the blows as they come, and crying out when mundane objects act as impromptu weapons (it seems car keys and portable cooktops become deadly in Theron’s hands).

One thing is for sure, Charlize Theron has cemented herself as an action star, and no doubt we will be seeing so much more. She’s tough, graceful and sexy as hell. To see this Atomic Blonde in action is undeniably a sight to behold.

Words by Buddy Watson Taylor Sheridan is the mastermind writer behind Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario” (2015) and David Mackenzie’s “Hell or High Water” (2016), in which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Although no continuity, “Wind River” acts as the final chapter in Sheridan’s neo-western frontier trilogy, once again romanticising his passion for western tropes and the gun slinging violence of that era. Western feel aside, Texas-born Sheridan’s previous scripts were topical that provoked thought, discussion and insight into various issues. Wind River is no different. “Sicario” tackled the US war on Mexican drug cartels, trafficking and ambiguity of law enforcement methods and jurisdiction, whilst “Hell or High Water” highlighted the economic plight of West Texas, the US housing crisis and predatory practices of financial institutions. Wind River focuses on American social issues such as the marginalisation of Native Americans, impoverishment, substance abuse and cultural ignorance.

This crime thriller mystery opens with a barefoot teenage girl sprinting desperately across a moon soaked snow covered open plain, until she collapses with exhaustion, ultimately crawling to her death. The next day she is discovered by Cory Lambert, a Wyoming

tracker played by Jeremy Renner, who immediately recognises her as a friend of his teenage daughter.

With the death of the Native American girl occurring on the Wind River Native American Reservation, tribal police become involved, headed by its straight faced chief played by Graham Greene. The death also captures the attention of the FBI and they send their “closest” agent from Las Vegas to help investigate.

Elizabeth Olsen joins Renner, her Avengers co-star, playing inexperienced FBI agent Jane Banner. Her girl like demeanor, lack of preparation for the harsh climate and cultural ignorance all brilliantly add to her fish out of water character and the reservations isolation from the outside world. Her character traits remind me of Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs.

Banner and Lambert combine to try and solve the mysterious circumstances of Natalie’s death with Lambert motivated by a past family tragedy. The relationship between Banner and Lambert is handled impressively as they both leverage each other’s skill set to move forward with the investigation. Despite her inexperience, Banner is still presented as a strong, equipped female lead, much like Sheridan wrote for Emily Blunt’s character in Sicario. Sheridan also

Although she was flawless and matched Renner in performance and presence, Elizabeth Olsen’s character had very little back story or motivation other than being an FBI agent stationed in Las Vegas.

Sheridan’s character driven scripts usually leave no stone un-turned and whilst it didn’t deter from the movie, it may have been a missed opportunity to strengthen FBI agent Banner’s impact. The only other minor gripe is an important character building scene that takes place indoors seemed to feature the slightly shaky camera work that the movie had adopted from its action or storm entrenched scenes. The film also ended with some powerful scenes but some text This is easily one of Jeremy Renner’s best performances. overlay at the end could have been implemented as It was a refreshing change that steered away from dialogue or before the opening scene like utilised in the emotionless brooding failure of Aaron Cross or Sicario. light-hearted comic relief of a charter from the MCU. Lambert has personal demons that motivate him to The symbolism portrayed in the opening scene with help assist the investigation and although stoic for Jeremy Renner acting as protector by sniping off a most parts, he has moments that scratch the surface pack of wolves preying on a pack of weak defenceless of the heartbreak bubbling underneath. Renner’s best goats sets the tone for the films narrative. Survival scenes come with Natalie’s grieving father Martin, and protection from predators. Sheridan’s directorial played by the fantastic Gil Birmingham, also from debut and third original screenplay Wind River is Hell or High Water, who acts as a link for the socio- equal parts impressive and hauntingly dark. Suffering economic problems faced on the reservation. The from comic book hero fatigue? With some surprising cinematography captures the landscape perfectly, cameos, an amazing cast and a character driven script, with some great high shots that emphasize the harsh Wind River is a must for fans of original screenplays environment during snow storms and picturesque and contemporary crime thrillers with a western mountains during the day. edge. All eyes on Taylor Sheridan’s next project. avoids the temptation of making the two love interests, which would have been clichéd and made zero sense in the context of the story and each characters arc, instead establishing more of a mutual respect mentor relationship. Story wise, the rest of the film plays out as your typical police investigation slow burn until a violently intense climax lifted straight from the page of a Tarantino movie. It’s a climax that pays off, especially with an important scene that swerves the story from its seemingly conventional delivery that caught me off guard and was quite impressive and cleverly implemented.

Catch Buddy’s podcast ‘Review Culture’ on Novastream now!

Every now and then someone writes a story about love. A beautiful tale of how two people meet, the ups and downs and then the big dramatic thing that either sets them apart or pulls them together. After you see the story you think to yourself: surly this can’t be real, this couldn’t possibly happen to someone. The Big Sick is one of those wonderful stories about two people meeting and falling in love. The best thing is, it’s all true. It’s the love story of writers Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani who is also the lead actor.

holding Kumail back is his family, in particular his mother who is trying very hard to marry him off in a traditional Pakistani arranged marriage.

Kumail and Emily break up and stop talking to each other until Emily’s friend calls to say she is in hospital.

Very quickly Emily’s illness worsens and Kumail is forced to approve her going into a self-induced coma.

That’s when he meets Emily’s Parents and they build a lasting and loving friendship. Emily illness is cured, but things are different and she’s not interested in having This is a film about a Comedian Kumail Nanjiani (yes a relationship anymore. So Kumail and his comedic he plays himself) working the scene but not really group of misfits head to New York to try their luck heading anywhere. During one of his stand up gigs a in a new city. In the new city Kumail is performing young girl in the audience, Emily, heckles him. After his stand up show a young girl in the audience, Emily, the show Kumail finds Emily at the bar and manages to once again heckles him. get her to go home with him. This is where the magic happens. The two comically and very cutely make Headlining the show is Comedian and Actor Kumail rules and go through all the highs and lows of dating Nanjiani who you will most recognise from Silicon and building a lasting relationship. You absolutely Valley. He has also popped up in the X-Files, Porlandia fall in love with the both of them. But the one thing and a whole bunch of cameos here and there. For the

Jay Cook on the latest from Judd Apatow’s ragtag gang.

most part Nanjiani absolutely nails the comedic, dry, awkward humour that he has come to be known for. The Big Sick gives Nanjiani the chance to showcase his range as an actor and then some.

There were scenes Nanjiani had to navigate that were far from comedic. In particular when his family disowned him. Despite not being able to cry as the scene might have normally called for, he gave such a powerful delivery it was rather moving.

But for the most part, he just made you laugh and smile.

Heckling Nanjiani is Emily played by Zoe Kazan.

You’ll know Kazan from What If along side Daniel Radcliffe, My Blind Brother and TV series The Walker. Not the biggest name in the industry, but no doubt on her way. Kazan is the cute girl next door. She plays the confident funny girl everyone likes, but really she just wants to love and be loved in return. But she’s too much of an independent woman to show those kinds of emotions. And

while her character is based on Nanjiani’s real life wife and the co-writer of The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon, their chemistry on screen is amazing, completely and utterly believable and so unbelievably adorable.

Overall The Big Sick is cute, you’ll laugh then you’ll smile for ages until you realised you’ve been smiling for ages and should probably stop. The story takes you on a roller coaster, as any good romantic comedy should. The soundtrack is tailored to the characters and the roller coaster as well. It almost has the same personality as the characters. What you have in the end is a love story, a real love story that despite all the bumps and protests along the way, they came out on top. It’s one of those great stories where they build up the characters and the relationship they have to the point where it’s almost heart breaking when they go through their own heartbreak. It’s one of those little films that are larger than life and a story well worth sharing.

The made-for-US turning $$ in Oz. Words by Isabelle Aswad Is there anything more fabulous than a woman who is unapologetically herself? Yes, there is…four fabulous women.

And there is nothing and no one that fits this description quite like the Flossy Posse.

What can I say about this film, that the stellar line-up of ladies at the center of this wild ride don’t say for themselves. We have Ryan (Regina Hall) a self-help author and Oprah wannabe, Sasha (Queen Latifah) a celebrity gossip blogger, Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) a divorced but devoted mother of two, and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) who rounds out the group as the no filter, no inhibitions, no self-control, supplier of sass.

After forging their inseparable posse status in college, their busy lives pull them away from each other to the point where, when we meet them, they haven’t seen each other in five years. So, when Ryan is invited to be the keynote speaker at the New Orleans Essence festival to promote her new book You Can Have It All, she invites her besties to share in a five-star all-expenses paid weekend to relax and rekindle their fractured friendship.

And what a weekend it turns out to be. After arriving in New Orleans, the first jolt in their weekend joyride rears its ugly head. One of Sasha’s paparazzi contacts reveals Ryan’s perfect NFL superstar husband (Mike Colter) is having an affair. Immediately the Flossy Posse step into defend and protect mode, and Dina, upon seeing Ryan’s husband in their hotel bar launches a hate-fueled attack complete with smashed wine-bottle weapon. This raucous behavior sees them swiftly removed from the hotel premises eliminating the five-star luxury element of their weekend away. Cut to a dingy motel frequented by three-dollar hookers and crazy naked old men, to a room where the women conclude that several chalk outlines have been sketched in the carpet.

Despite this minor setback the Flossy Posse commit to having the best weekend that they can, and boy do they ever. From absinthe-induced hallucinations, dance battles and an explicit demonstration in ‘grapefruiting’ at the breakfast table, this movie pulls out all the stops. And it’s the absurd and unexpected behavior that provides the most outrageous laugh-out-loud moments.

Director Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man films) brings us an ensemble that seem genuinely concerned with the well-being of each other in a way that is uniquely charming and heartwarming, in a way that other films with a similar premise fail to do (sorry Rough Night).

These four leading ladies share a fantastic chemistry that appears effortless and true to real life friendships.

They are brutally honest with each other, and utterly accepting of who they have become as women.

In amongst this empowering black woman power, and stellar cameo appearances, is Kate Walsh playing Ryan’s personal assistant. In an ironic twist, it is Walsh playing the stereotype. She is cast as the token white girl, who in an attempt to be cool with her black ‘peeps’ regurgitates hood slang. It’s ridiculous, and completely hysterical.

If anything, the takeaway from this film is the importance of strong women in your life, who will pick you up when you’re down, or sit with you in the muck. But, if all else fails and you find yourself suspended above a busy street, drunk and pissing your pants, and your besties can’t stop you, at least you’ll know they’ll piss too.

VIDEO REVIEW

The fourth chapter of the Conjuring series hits theatres.

Words by Jay Cook.

Back in 2014 the scary film, The Conjuring, introduced Annabelle as the possessed doll that tortured Judy, the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren. A year later Annabelle is starring in her own film, which you’d be excused if you didn’t know it was made. Skip forwards another couple of years and voila you have Annabelle Creation, the movie that explains where it all started for the possessed doll.

family to torture. Not the most exciting story line, which would have been fine had it been executed with a little more “ooo” and “aaahhh”.

What does give this movie some encouragement is the young girl, Janice, played by Talitha Bateman (The 5th Wave), who is possessed by Annabelle’s demon. Bateman manages to be one of the only actresses of the orphan children that can deliver her lines and not sound like she is reading from a While The Conjuring franchise has been particularly script. Her performance is not only believable but strong and not to mention scary so far, Annabelle frighteningly so. As she goes from troubled young Creation is the film that brings it all crashing down. lady to possessed doll loving demon, she is almost This film had such great potential as it already has worthy of your nightmares. a strong story line based on real events. It started to use some fancy camera work only to fizzle out as Taking on the challenge of another Annabelle the movie went on. But most of all, it wasn’t scary. It film that wasn’t really needed is Director David was far from scary so much so the audience laughed S. Sandberg. Now Sandberg has had a bunch of at what should have been moments of “ooo” and scary films under his belt already, in particular “aaahhh”.

Lights Out. This was not only frightening but also completely messed up and worthy of watching. But Annabelle Creation is about a group of orphans he seems to have missed exactly what needed to be that go to live with a couple who lost their child done to make this film worthy of anyone’s time. and wanted to have some happiness in their lives again. In a small country town and far from any Overall this film has been overhyped but in reality neighbours or the township lies a large house big under delivers. If you find yourself stuck for enough to home the group of girls and the Nun choice between watching Annabelle Creation or accompanying them. But there’s one room that’s something else, take the something else. The scenes off limits, that is until Janice finds herself in there. in the film that would normally have you on the As you could imagine, behind a locked door sits edge of your chair, have you laid back looking at Annabelle in all her frightening glory. your phone for something to do. The moment they reveal Annabelle, even though we already know What is learnt from this film is Annabelle started as who she is, is so bad you’ll laugh. And there was a the young daughter of Doll Maker Samuel Mullens lot of laughing in the audience rather than people and his wife Esther. Annabelle died when a car hit gasping or jumping. her on way home from church. During the parents grief they let the demon use the doll as a way to The Nun from The Conjuring 2 does make an communicate with Annabelle. And then things got appearance as she prepares for her full movie out of controL. to be released next year as part of the franchise.

Hopefully the franchise can redeem back what There are some deaths and some prayers but nothing was once worthy of the big screen, yet now is more has much effect on Annabelle. She eventually takes interesting to watch the making of the film than the over one of the orphans and moves to the next film itself.

Words by Jay Cook

This is what you would expect Avatar to look like if Luc Besson directed it. A visionary when it comes to spectacular on screen masterpieces like The Fifth Element back in 1997. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a wonderful adventure through space in a future where only your wildest dreams are actually real.

Based on the comic book series Valerian and Laureline the two set on an adventure through space from planet to planet in search for a little creature called a Mül Converter that will hopefully help stop Alpha, the City of a Thousand Plants, from imploding.

Or so it seems. As the two get further into their mission they find the story they’ve been told isn’t quite as it seems. But being the good agents that they are, they uncover the truth and help right what was once wrong.

find these two star crossed lovers at the centre of the screen with all this built up tension but no back-story.

No back-story to who they are and why they are the way they are. And it’s this that brings the story down.

It isn’t just the leads, a great deal of the characters are one dimensional and flat. The ones that stand out are the aliens that collect the pearls from the ocean. This colony of aliens seems to be the only ones that have a strong back ground and story to tell. And despite Actors using just their voice for these aliens, there is more emotion and expression than some of the acting from the rest of the cast.

While the story is simple and very similar to stories that have been told before in agent style dramas, there cold have been so much more to give the story substance and depth. It’s the one thing that doesn’t quite work for the film, which you would think is a huge mistake being that the story is the movie. In this case the story is just a fun way of showing the visual spectacular that is Valerian.

Leading the pack is Dane Dehaan (Amazing Spiderman 2, Chronicle, Life) as Major Valerian who is a cocky but honest and dedicated Major. Dehaan is a wonderful actor with a pretty good range but he seems to have a bit of fun with this character. What is unbelievable is how he can take on four robots while a group of 12 or so armed soldiers can’t. What is further unbelievable this time regarding his acting skill is his love for his co-star Cara Delevigne.

The opening scene starts off with David Bowie’s Space Oddity as you glide through space until we meet a plant full of albino-lizard, human formed aliens living in what can only be described as paradise. Not a cloud in the sky, beautiful beaches but what is truly remarkable about this scene is how clear and believable it is. The CGI used in Valerian is so good you will forget that you’re actually looking at aliens.

But it’s not just the intro that sucks you in, the remainder of the film has such close attention to details that every scene is vibrant and clear with so much to look at and explore. Something this spectacular can only come from Luc Besson and his amazing adventurous mind.

The same goes for Delevigne, despite her best ability she can not portray a love for her co-star either. Delevigne plays Sargent Laureline Valerians counterpart and love interest. Delevigne has a unique cheeky charm about her character very similar to how she appears in real life. But it is as if the two actors have never experienced love which in turn hurt the believability between the two.

Also gracing the screen is none-other than Rihanna who plays Bubbles the shape shifting Glapmapod.

While her time on screen is small she makes a huge impression and you kind of wish she’d hang around Luc Besson has worked as a Director and Writer for for a bit longer along side Valerian. more movies than you probably know. The biggest and most recognisable is The Fifth Element back Overall this film is well worth seeing, and if you in 1997, which has the same look as Valerian. And can manage to see it on a big screen in all it’s visual to celebrate the 20 years a handful of local cinemas splendour, do it. What you will find is the story are putting on special screenings. He played a part meanders around and trails off which says the film in writing the Transporter series as well as Taken. was about half an hour too long. But during those While his Directing hasn’t produced a great deal of scenes where you are starting to think about how blockbusters, the ones he has directed have been just much is left of the film, you can escape in the beautiful as spectacular with the like of Lucy starring Scarlett visual experience this film gives you. Every scene is Johansson. full of so many things to look at and watch that you forget sometimes there’s some action or important Besson missed the mark with his special touch in information going on in the middle of the screen. It’s Valerian not only in the basic story line, but also in one of Besson’s true visual masterpieces and there’s the development of the characters which is surprising a whole world out there for more of Valerian and as a great deal of his films are character driven. We Laureline.

Words by Brittany Howarth I am a huge fan of DC Animated films. They are a brilliant balance of comic book mythology and mature stories that all fans can enjoy. However, the most recent release from Warner Brothers greatly falls short of its animated history.

The complete disaster of this story comes to a point with the climax. After dropping Swamp Thing’s name all throughout the film and teasing this incredibly powerful hero’s origin, the creature simply emerges from a swamp with a speech about conversing with the Green. Without any defining action, without getting Batman and Harley Quinn is an animated film that physically involved, the guy then just returns into the tries to carry across Batman: The Animated Series’ art swamp. style with the help of Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester, the 90s Batman and Robin voice actors. The story This was a massive, grand entrance and, because forces Batman to work with Harley in the hopes to nothing came of it, probably the biggest waste of stop Poison Ivy and Floronic Man’s evil plan to turn animation in this film. humanity into flora.

The only interesting aspect of this film was the The unfortunate decision of the visuals falls short due relationship between Harley and Ivy but it wasn’t to its obvious digital influence. The noir art of Batman: investigated enough. The comics have revealed that The Animated Series created a sense of maturity the pair are more than friends, and considering this that elevated its story and characters out of the was entertainment for an older audience, I thought colour-popping entertainment that had come before. they would have been brave enough to incorporate it However, Batman and Harley Quinn has lost the into the story. Unfortunately, the audience is left to see maturity that came with this art style and replaced it Harley remove her cap and makeup on the battlefield with themes that coincided with Scooby-Doo: Mystery in order to cry Ivy into being a good guy.

Incorporated. Themes that should be left for children’s animated entertainment, and work with children’s Which infuriates me, more so because I know Harley entertainment, have been placed alongside blood, is silly but she is also really intelligent. All throughout drugs, and an insinuated sex between Nightwing and the film, characters just tear into her ‘stupidity’, and Harley. yet she’s a doctor. She has a PhD in psychology and even corrects Batman on his terminology regarding The Nightwing and Harley romance is just one of psychopaths. the story’s problems. Not only is ARGUS portrayed as horribly incompetent, but Harley, Batman, and But if everyone says she’s unintelligent and defines her Nightwing all find themselves in a rundown bar for as Joker’s sometimes-girlfriend I must be wrong. My nothing more than a song. Literally. Harley is coerced bad. into singing for the bar to get information from a green afro disco dude, while a Granted, there was one moment that really made me henchman in a tiger print laugh and it was when Ivy and Harley were sparring. tee buys Batman a glass of The pair really worked well together, and I couldn’t help milk. but give the film at least one star for the two ridiculous boob punches and perfect reactions.

Considering the 60’s Batman ‘BAMFs’ and ‘OOFS’ that And that’s it. One star out of five. This film’s animation followed, it should have been was diminished with the digital influence, the story orange juice that Batman was like a fish flopping on a pier, and the only good drank. thing that could have come from it resulted in tears.

Tears mostly from DC fans.

The Netflix corner of the Marvel empire orchestrates its first crossover.

It goes quite well.

Three out of four ain’t bad.

Community’s Alison Brie makes a daring career choice

Words by Jake Luland

Words by Mark Halyday

The Avengers was a landmark moment in filmmaking.

The more time that passes the more evidence stacks up to support that statement. DC, Harry Potter, Fox’s X-Men & Fantastic Four, Universal’s Dark Universe and even the Fast and the Furious franchise are all trying to create a cinematic universe with a fraction of the multibillion dollar Marvel machine’s success. Netflix sought out a different route – a smarter way – by picking good Marvel heroes that were never destined for the big screen and giving them a spotlight.

quick to praise Kevin Fiege (and rightly so) but Loeb is behind not only The Defenders and The Punisher, but also Agents of SHIELD’s successful Inhuman, Ghost Rider and LMD plotlines.

A warning to the viewers though: if you want to everyone united by the first episode’s close you will be disappointed. The first episode is our heroes existing in isolation, at first glance skippable, but it serves as a bridge from the solo series into the crossover. It’s also the most time to see supporting characters Karen Page, The inevitable crossover extraordinaire The Defenders Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Trish Walker and Claire unites disparate heroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Temple.

Cage and Iron Fist after a series (or more) of their own adventures. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a sequel to Even after that the unification is very gradual. It’s still the place we left all our heroes and references are of novel to see Daredevil counsel Jessica Jones or for the course aplenty – subtle nods like Kilgrave and Mariah, Iron Fist to throwdown with Luke Cage, both physically more pronounced inclusions such as Stick and Madam and verbally. The polar opposites of the latter pair could Gao. Worse case scenario a viewer might close The not be more pronounced in these series and there is a Defenders in favour of a series earlier in the timeline, long way to go before a teamup similar to the comics is which is still a win for Netflix and will eventually lead ever on the cards. them back here anyway.

The third episode truly feels like The Defenders series The Defenders is objectively very good. It’s a carefully- the viewers imagined, and the fourth episode leans plotted long-form story that will cap off this chapter of into the idea fully. There is a real feeling of resistance the Netflix universe fittingly. by the characters to join the Iron Fist’s fight, but their own personal adventures are leading them to this The villainous Hand organisation is pulled from the moment. Luke Cage is pivotal to bringing both Jessica sophomore season of Daredevil and the debut season and Daredevil into the fold – “I’m willing to play along of Iron Fist, and The Defenders does an excellent job of with this mystical stuff if it means answers”. explaining their mixed motivations in one conversation over some dim sims than Iron Fist ever could. Five ‘fingers’ have been acting independently in servitude of Sigourney Weaver’s leader Alexandra but now that all changes.

As a quick side note, this is the easiest money Sigourney Weaver has ever made. She is regal and menacing, and she adds considerable star power to the promotions, but she hasn’t needed to dig deep for some Oscar-worthy acting. Perhaps later in the series.

Daredevil’s lover Elektra is also there, which is about all that can be said. She’s spoken less than a dozen words and acted mindlessly for the Hand. It’s a shame to mute the charisma of Elodie Yung but it won’t be forever and the dedication to the comics plot ‘Black Sky’ is admirable.

In fact the deep consideration for every individual series and the motivations of every character – not just the main four – speak to a higher level of understanding from Marvel Television chief Jeph Loeb. Everyone is

It might go without saying, but Mike Colter’s performance is sublime. He remains incredible and is a hero in the purest form of the word. A decade from now it would be incredible to incorporate him into The Avengers. Charlie Cox is a more restrained Daredevil that the sulky, ultraviolent star of his solo series and it is such an improvement. It was a real concern that the hero with the highest episode count would overpower the series but Loeb’s steady hand offers a more balanced effort than any crossover event yet.

This of course means equal screen time for Finn Jones’ Iron Fist. His solo outing was widely panned somewhat unfairly, but here the redeeming qualities are stripped away to showcase a very whiny and unlikable protagonist. He is the most focussed of the group in his mission, but he’s also the most childish and silly.

Every time he says the Hand murdered his parents it’s laughably narrow-minded and naive, and that’s without even drawing on the Lego Batman parallels. It’s unlikely it’s part of a master plan, but at this stage the only way to save the character is to have him go through a Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice puberty in where a colossal event (death, or something equally epic) allows for a rebirth (either literally or figuratively) to allow the character to embody their actual identity.

It’s not Finn Jones’ fault, and it’s not Henry Cavill’s either.

And The Defenders is very good despite Iron Fist. It’s actually a testament to how cringey the character is that he is not elevated by his brilliant companions.

And the most brilliant of them all is Jessica Jones. Her solo series was a runaway success and she is the best thing about The Defenders. Krysten Ritter is perfect casting and her delivery is fantastic. Her odd couple act with Daredevil is charming and her sweet familiarity with Luke Cage shows a rare vulnerability. Jessica Jones holds the whole show together.

The direction is beautiful. The scripting is so true to the characters. The stage is set and now the epic show we were promised actually begins.

The Defenders is a large success, but it never soars to the innovation or daring that Jessica Jones or Luke Cage’s solo series did. There are too many moving parts to tell a story so profound. The simplicity of the story saved it from being a convoluted mess. It’s brave to play the long game and this time it worked while so many other shared universes grapple to survive.

Marvel triumphs once again, surprising nobody. A barely-lingual tree sells more merchandise than the Joker. The famed studio makes it look easy when it certainly is not. When will they miss? Looking at you, ABC’s Inhumans.

Isabelle Aswad breaks down everything you need to know about the most anticipated season of the biggest television show in the world.

1: Dragonstone

3: The Queen’s Justice

At the Twins, Walder Frey has summoned his kin toasting their victory over the Starks. When they begin choking and dying Walder Frey removes his face to reveal Arya Stark. “The North remembers,” she says.

Bran reaches the Wall.

In Winterfell, Jon Snow presents his anti-White Walker strategy concluding that weapons of Dragonglass are their only hope, but they need men (and women) to wield them. Jon also commands that the Wildlings, led by Tormund, man and defend every castle along the Wall.

We meet Cersei in King’s Landing with Jaime, awaiting the arrival of Euron Greyjoy. Cersei denies his proposal, and Euron promises to win her over with a gift, and “two good hands.”

In the Citadel, Samwell Tarly learns a mine of Dragonglass is hidden beneath Dragonstone and sends word to Jon. Later, a greyscaled hand grabs for him, and the owner asks if Daenerys has arrived in Westeros.

Regal music announces her arrival as she sails towards Dragonstone, three dragons flying above her armada.

Daenerys enters the war room and asks.

“Shall we begin?”

The episode begins with Jon Snow’s arrival at Dragonstone, and his meeting with Daenerys Targaryen. As they enter the throne room, Missandei introduces the Queen by her many titles to which Ser Davos responds, “this is Jon Snow.”

Euron returns to King’s Landing trailing Yara behind him, and presents his gift, Ellaria Sand and her last daughter Tyene to Cersei.

Cersei passes her sentence, poisoning Tyene the same way Ellaria poisoned Myrcella. Ellaria’s punishment is to watch her daughter die, and decompose as well.

Back on Dragonstone, with the realisation she has lost her allies, Dany agrees to niceties with the Northerners, and it is at this point Jon requests to mine Dragonglass.

As Lady of Winterfell Sansa ensures her people are fed, clothed and armed for the coming war when Bran arrives.

Ser Jorah is given a clean bill of health and allowed to leave.

Grey Worm leads the Unsullied to victory against Casterly Rock, while his fleet is burned by Greyjoy ships. While the Lannister army is ransacking Highgarden to repay the Crown’s debt to the Iron Bank, Jamie confronts Ollena who, after downing a cup of poisoned wine, confesses to Joffrey’s murder.

2: Stormborn Daenerys is discussing war strategy with her advisors, and threatens Varys should he break rank.

As the night becomes dark and terrifying, Melisandre arrives, revealing that Daenerys and the King in the North are both play a role in the Lord of Light’s prophecy. Daenerys invites Jon Snow to Dragonstone.

In King’s Landing, Qyburn shows Cersei his secret weapon for the dragons.

Dany convenes a war council with her allies, Yara and Theon Greyjoy, Ellaria Sand, and Olenna Tyrell. The Highgarden matriarch counsels Dany to “be a dragon.”

After learning Jorah’s identity, Samwell tries to cure him.

Arya runs into Hot Pie who informs her that the Bolton’s have been overthrown, and the Starks hold Winterfell. She sets her sights for home.

Jon receives Sam’s information and leaves with Ser Davos to Dragonstone to recover Dragonglass and gain Daenerys as an ally. He entrusts the North to Sansa.

The Greyjoys are transporting Ellaria Sand to Dorne, when their fleet is attacked by Euron. Two of Ellaria’s daughters are slain, and Euron takes Yara prisoner.

Without attempting to save her, Theon jumps overboard.

4: The Spoils of War The Lannister army are heading back to King’s Landing.

Arya finally reaches Winterfell and meets Sansa in the crypts. They share a touching moment, before Sansa reunites Arya and Bran.

On Dragonstone, Jon reveals a cave of Dragonglass to Daenerys pleading that their only chance is to work together.

In Winterfell, Arya shows what a badass she really is by sparring with Brienne of Tarth. And Theon returns to Dragonstone where he is confronted by Jon Snow.

While on the road, Jaime and Bronn hear the hoard approaching. Frantically they prepare for battle, but the Lannister army is no match for Dothraki screamers.

Then they hear a dragon roar, and overhead Daenerys comes riding Drogon. A simple “dracarys” destroys everything and everyone.

Bronn unveils Qyburn’s secret weapon, a massive dragon-killing crossbow, and hits his target. With Drogon injured and on land, Jaime sees an opportunity to strike, but before he’s roasted alive, Bronn saves him.

5: Eastwatch

Jon is taken to their ship, and his frozen clothes are cracked off him, while Dany watches on. She vows to help defeat the Night King, and Jon bends the knee to The Dothraki have brought the remains of the his Queen.

Lannister army before Daenerys. All bend the knee Beyond the Wall the army of the dead are hauling except Randyll and Dickon Tarly. The punishment for something out of the lake. The Night King walks over their insubordination is burning alive: “dracarys.” to the dragon and touches him. The eyes open, blue.

Jaime returns home, traumatized. Cersei doesn’t care.

Jaime then reveals Olenna’s crime.

Ser Jorah arrives at Dragonstone.

Under the impression that Cersei will not yield unless they prove to her the army of the dead is real. Ser Davos smuggles Tyrion into King’s Landing to arrange it. Jorah volunteers to help Jon retrieve a specimen.

The Unsullied army are stationed outside King’s In Winterfell Arya confronts Sansa about her attitude Landing. From the battlements Jaime and Bronn towards Jon and comes to the realization that Sansa watch as the Dothraki arrive, still screaming, with wants to be Lady of Winterfell permanently.

Dany’s team of advisors.

Tyrion arrives in King’s Landing and meets with Jaime Today, all the leaders of Westeros will meet in the to negotiate terms of aforementioned army-of-the- Dragon Pit. Daenerys arrives on dragon-back. Jon dead-specimen truce, while Ser Davos goes off into addresses the army of the dead, and the Hound Fleabottom. He returns with Gendry. unleashes their specimen. Everyone, including Cersei Jaime ventures to tell the Queen about Tyrion, but she is terrified. already knows. And surprise, Cersei is pregnant.

Cersei agrees to the truce so long as Jon remains in Before leaving Oldtown with Sam, Gilly finds out that the North. He pledges his loyalty to Daenerys again.

Prince Rhaegar’s marriage to Elia Martell was annulled Cersei leaves. And they’re back to square one. To before remarrying someone else in secret. amend the situation Tyrion goes off to speak with the Jon arrives at Eastwatch, and with his magnificent Queen, who returns to the Dragon Pit agreeing to the Seven: Jorah, Gendry, Tormund, Beric Dondarrion, truce until the army of the dead are defeated.

Thoros of Myr, and the Hound, they venture beyond Back at Winterfell, Sansa learns Jon has bent the knee the Wall. and Littlefinger fuels her paranoia, by teaching her a new game. After some time, Sansa requests that her sister is brought to the great hall.

“You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason. How do you answer these charges…Lord The sixth episode begins with Tormund providing Baelish?” Littlefinger looks confused, and Sansa lists Gendry with some helpful advice about not freezing. his treachery, thanks him for his lessons and gives Arya Arya and Sansa’s relationship has reached boiling the nod to cut his throat. point. Tormund confesses to the Hound his affections In King’s Landing Jaimie begins planning their for Brienne, and learns a new word. movements north. Cersei calls him the stupid Eventually the men capture a white walker, but attract Lannister and scolds him for thinking their pledge to a whole army of them in the process. Gendry runs help was true. They argue, she almost kills him and he back to Eastwatch. All that separates the men from the walks away. For good. dead is a frozen cracked lake. Overnight, Thoros dies. Sam arrives at Winterfell and meets with Bran. Together Receiving Gendry’s raven Dany sets off with her they reveal Jon’s real parents are Rhaegar Targaryen dragons to save them. and Lyanna Stark. Jon has never been a bastard, his The army of the dead soon realise the lake has frozen name is Aegon Targaryen and he is the rightful heir to over and a battle between seven living and 100 000 the Iron Throne. dead ensues.

In Eastwatch, the army of the dead have arrived. The Dany rides overhead with all three dragons who set Night King’s new toy sets ice/fire to the Wall and it fire to everything. The Night King javelins an ice spear comes tumbling down. The dead march into Westeros. through the sky hitting one of the dragons, who crashes dead into the ice. Jon screams for the others to leave On that gloriously stressful note, our watch (and wait on Drogon. He falls into the ice fighting, Uncle Benjen for Season 8) begins. saves him and sends him back to Eastwach.

7: The Dragon and the Wolf

6: Beyond The Wall

Words by Mark Halyday

Death Note is the 2017 American redo of the 2006 Japanese flick, which itself is an adaptation of the beloved manga masterpiece of the same name. There’s a fervent fandom around the story that were apprehensive to see the locale translated to Seattle, but as an audience member not overtly familiar with the source material, no harm, no foul.

There’s a collection of excellent elements the Netflix original feature swipes simply by adapting this piece of work. The story is tight and detailed, filled with layered and complex characters that are still easy to follow and without convoluted intentions.

There’s development for every member of the main cast, twists and turns, red herrings for the sake of good storytelling rather than to cheat the audience – all the symptoms of a beautifully written plot that is all too rare on the cinema screen.

Pulling from manga also provides breathtaking storyboards. Still unfamiliar with the source material, it’s clear that some frames were too beautiful to be dreamed up by this film. The cinematography – especially the overt black and white palette, plus the occasional smash to kaleidoscopic levels of colour – entertains the eye the entire duration of the film. I never reached for my phone or any other distraction because not only was the plot excellent, the presentation of it was consistently gripping.

A quick shoutout to the editing too – a rapid, unforgiving, necessary succession of cuts and jumps to only present crucial information. One scene featured the first instance of Light being tailed by the police, and Light realising for the first time he was being tailed. It lasted no longer than fifteen seconds.

That is of course the catch – through announcement, development and post-production there’s been a gaze upon the project. Warner Bros skirted the idea after a long engagement, possibly sheepish of the backlash that comes with ruining a modern classic.

Fear not, Death Note did not.

A fair amount of praise should be given to the impeccably cast collection of actors. Nat Wolff (Paper Towns, Fault in Our Stars) tackles the most difficult role of his career with a careful hand and reaps maximum results. It was a big gamble to cast him after the middling results of Paper Towns. His lover is Margaret Qualley (The Nice Guys, HBO’s The Leftovers) and she feeds off Wolff ’s performance, often auxiliary but landing her few moments in the spotlight with focus.

Strong supporting players include video game voice actor Paul Nakauchi and Willem Dafoe’s motion capture work as Ryuk. Shea Whingam is a tortured dad-cop, pulling a mean average of his previous roles on Broadwalk Empire, Fargo, Justified and True Detective.

The undisputed MVP of Death Note is undoubtedly Lakeith Stanfield. The rising star is notching win after win – Selma, Straight Outta Compton, Dope, Snowden, Atlanta, Get Out – and this is another. L occupies a rare space on the line from hero to villain – he’s upholding the law, he’s in pursuit of justice, he’s dogged and determined and tortured and right – but the narrative never leans his way. It’s a wonderfully meaty role to dive into and it shows on screen Stanfield relished the opportunity. This guy is going places.

The film does a good job of playing on audience expectations – their idea of a hero, an anti-hero, of justice, and how they would imagine this ending satisfactorily. It’s too good to spoil, but ultimately it’s perfect.

Death Note is hypeworthy. It’s the best thing this There’s also some key imagery that sticks out. Ryuk hiatus season. What more praise could be said? is a Shinigami – a death god – with fantastical It’s one of the best things coming out of 2017. An spikes and a malevolent smile that is deliberately epic plot adapted to an endlessly visually appealing illustrated to be ‘otherwordly’. The journey from direction, filled with brilliant characters and stage to screen can often crush specific ideas like curated performances. Watch it, then link your this, but here, Death Note shines. friends.

Words by Mark Halyday

The casting is so on point. Fred Savage is the underrated MVP and given the most plot to chew on. The breakdown of his relationship is so well executed. It’s telegraphed without overpowering any of the bigger plot points and then it drops so unexpectedly. Kudos for that. Nat Faxon and Jae Suh Park round out the six, adding crucial levity to Because you either get it or you don’t. The type of some pretty serious subjects. characters and relationships on the show are not commonplace archetypes. They’re not even the Because Friends from College takes the affair very dour HBO type. It’s a really grimy, struggling kind seriously from all angles, but it never becomes of people that find themselves in these situations morose. Netflix shows have leaned into the darker by way of lots of little steps. It’s very genuine and aspects of life and sometimes produced shows that are outright depressing (Orange is the New Black certainly informed from real experiences.

Season 5, in contrast to the beautiful Orange is the A married couple – Key and Cobie Smulders, who New Black Season 4). returns from the blockbusters for the first time since How I Met Your Mother concluded – return to The trauma of IVF is shown in great detail. The New York City and fill in the missing pieces of their emotional and the physical toll of trying and then six person friend group. The third point of their the soul-destroying realisation that the couple is not love triangle is Annie Parisse (Person of Interest, pregnant are never undercut with jokes. However it The Following, Vinyl). Key and Parisse have been doesn’t leave the audience sick to the stomach. It sleeping together for over twenty years, and his leaves them with a complicated emotion, but not return to town complicates the affair significantly. necessarily a bad one.

Friends from College is the new Netflix comedy from the Keegan-Michael Key half of Key and Peele. Reception has been mixed, promotion has been quiet, and the series hasn’t made as much of a splash as one might expect from the above average cast.

Guest spots from Kate McKinnon and Seth Rogen are scenery-chewing laugh-fests. More from both please.

Ike Barinholtz recurs as Smulder’s asshole boss. Why do people keep hiring him? Sorry, Ike.

fuel in the tank. Take time, regroup, plan carefully and proceed. Maintain the quality benchmark that Friends with College has established.

Maybe it’s that it captures a very specific kind of nostalgia that I have for my friends from high school.

And maybe the writing is excellent and the cast deliver it with feeling. There’s a twinkle in the eye of every actor on screen. They want this to work and I want this to work for them.

There’s a lot of great things to find in Friends with College, but here’s the absolute best: there are only eight episodes. The final credits ran rather than skipping after ten seconds and I found myself quietly pleased. How they left the characters was perfect. The build up to that moment was so well constructed. Where it takes us into a second season is intriguing.

Netflix has been copping criticism for greenlighting more and more magnum opuses in the vein of Master of If the season ran for another five episodes it would None, but I think Friends from College deserves a spot have discounted that moment. Five episodes is more on its network and a touch more advertising. This is the than half of another season. Right now there’s no more start of something that could be quite special.

Words by Mark Halyday

Ex–Triple J brekkie presenter drops the first original series for an Aussie streaming service and it drops the ball. There’s enough psuedo-autobiographies doing the circuit at the moment. There’s enough shows telling the story of millenial hopelessness he is experiencing. And there’s enough of the ‘realness’ to skip this serving.

Maybe it’s a case of the straw that broke the camel’s back. It feels a bit Master of None in some parts, a deep and specific dive into one narrative that has become rarer in the world of ensemble shows. But it just feels a bit gross.

The amount of time the show takes to get there is too long, too morbid to be a good time. It’s dour. It’s only six episodes. There are some shows that string these plots over episodes in the double digits and remain entertaining.

How? Wit, for one. The show thinks bleek observations on life is shorthand for intelligence. It misses the mark.

Entertaining three dimensional side characters, for another. His best friend, his ex and his co-presenter are the only characters not drawn up to directly service the plot. The most interesting of these is the cheerful coworker (who certainly needs a raise for dealing with This is in spite of the fact it’s very easy to wax poetic AJ’s shit) and of course he is the one we see the least of. about Australian television and especially, Aussie comedy. Novastream goes out of its way to champion The friend wallows in her disgusting druggie habits local content we love - Rostered On, Utopia, worse than any of the shows whose whole premise Rosehaven, Glitch. It actually hurts to write a negative is morally bankrupt characters. Where Skins or review for a property that had so much potential.

Shameless wins over The Other Guy is the fact the characters do anything at all - there is momentum, The Other Guy leaves a sour taste in the audience’s there are complications not entirely frivolous that mouth. The tone is very cynical and whingey, the result in genuine catharsis. It’s called plot and story complications are first-world and contrived, and structure - and outside of AJ’s weepy monologue the characters are altogether unlikable. The second there’s not much of either. episode’s close features the lead character AJ’s chagrin after his dancing is mocked by a troupe of disabled The final character is the ex, who is either the villian dancers, students of the class AJ tactlessly gatecrashed. or the voice of reason depending on which way the Why did he insert himself into this situation? A wind in blowing. Good luck guessing how AJ feels half-hearted attempt to woo the instructor, despite about her at any moment. previously accidentally smashing her head into the bed during sex, and apologising by asking her if she To wrap it up, The Other Guy is a failed experiment didn’t mind standing there while he jerked off. that shouldn’t be given any more episodes. Everyone involved, especially Matt Okine, is better than this What the actual fuck? Main characters need flaws, and shouldn’t get bogged down in trying to save this sure. Adult content is fine. But the show would ask the sinking ship. The issues run too deep to save. audience to embrace this guy, to sympathise with his misguided plight to wank over a bleeding girl’s head? It’s not worth signing up for a Stan subscription on the promise of this original content. It’s not worth clicking The show needs him to be in this rut. The story on even if you have a Stan account. It gave me no joy progression from A to B is from somebody not okay to write this review, just like it gave me no joy to watch with their relationship ending to somebody who is. this show. Time to open iView and cleanse my eyes.

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LOVE IS LOVE READ ALL ABOUT IT CLICK HERE

Words by Alaisdair Leith

Naughty Dog completely changed the game when they made the first Uncharted game, inviting us into a new kind of cinematic gaming experience. With each game released the graphics and depth of the games have grown and while other adventure titles have come and gone, none have ever really been able to match the Uncharted series. This DLC addition titled The Lost Legacy is no exception, it delivers a high quality story with heart-stopping action sequences, detailed graphics and engaging side characters that have been thrust into the limelight delivering one of the best games of 2017.

cracking swinging move carries over for the last one as well and is a great method to get across gaps, although I did find at certain points during the game Nadine would get in the way and stop in her tracks and leave me behind to take gun fire. It is not a huge criticism of the game, but it was enough to irritate me a few times (its really the only criticism of the game I could find).

Since The Last Of Us, Naught Dog have been creating “Giraffe moments” If you have played this game you will know what I’m referring to, Uncharted 4 had one and this one does as well. When it hits you will know what I am talking about and the game stops in its tracks to take a breath while delivering a genuinely Set as a side story for Uncharted 4, the story pairs beautiful moment. It is beautifully detailed and Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, the most unlikely delivers a moment of true beauty that games struggle duo set out to track down the Tusk of Ganesh in the to deliver.

Western Ghats of India. Also on the search for the artifact is warlord Asav, a dangerous and intimidating Before you ask no, there is no cameo from Nathan villain worthy of going up against these two. They Drake (which wouldn’t make sense anyway) but there travel between the lush jungles of India and the war are a few Easter Eggs and surprises that will delight fans torn cityscape showcasing two very contrasting of the series. I was ready to leave the series behind after environments. Each scene is immensely detailed and Uncharted 4, but The Lost Legacy has reintroduced is reminiscent of Uncharted 4 in scale. me to some new characters and reignited my love for this franchise.

The two lead characters bounce off each other effortlessly and you would be remiss if you thought It is because of this that I couldn’t find any fault with they had been frenemies for years in a David Caspe this game, it was a truly Naughty Dog experience sitcom series. It helps them feel like actual people and and I hope that we get to see Naughty Dog return to their evolving friendship full of self aware comments the franchise with a new adventure with Chloe and and commentary on the events of the games and the Nadine at the lead. environment is worth the price of admission alone.

The game’s travel system utilises the Jeep from Uncharted : The Lost Legacy is a love letter to the Uncharted 4 and looks just as incredible and easy to Uncharted series, it allows the developer to flex their control. I spent so much of my time sliding through muscles and show that they are still at the top of their muddy puddles and driving through waterfalls and league. By taking characters we sort of know from the effects on the car and the commentary from the the other games and fleshing them out in their own girls were worth it. In addition to this the gameplay is adventure that have ensured that if they ever want to combined with shootouts, puzzles that are a lot more come back to the franchise, this is the perfect way to difficult that the previous titles and offer no hints or do it. A great story, beautiful graphics and a great score help as you struggle through. and soundtrack The Lost Legacy is a strong contender for the best game of 2017.

Run time for this adventure is 6-8 hours depending on how intent you are on collecting every one of Uncharted The Lost Legacy is available exclusively on those treasures (Buddy I’m looking at you!) The whip the PS4 now.

Not a cashgrab. Actually a great game.

Words by Alaisdair Leith

Mario + Rabbids was the controversial announcement that had Nintendo fans confused and gamers mostly enraged as to what looked like a sad cash grab for the beautiful new Nintendo Switch console. This was only fueled further at E3 2017 when the game’s creator Davide Soliani cried as the game was presented by Shigeru Miyamoto (there are several hilarious memes showcasing this ) If you would have told me that Mario + Rabbids would become one of my favourite games of 2017 I would have laughed at you, slapped you and charged you $5 (in that exact order!) Instead we have been delivered a solid Switch title that is full of hardcore strategy, humour and beautifully detailed cartoon graphics that make this a stand out Switch title that I will no doubt be playing over and over (well at least until Mario Odyssey comes out)

Given a game of this magnitude I was surprised at just how difficult it was and Ubisoft have done an amazing job of making this an addictive and rewarding experience. If you have ever played XCOM you will feel right at home here, but for me a newbie to this kind of genre I found it an interesting style of gameplay that brought out the game rage in me while also providing a rewarding experience when I did stick at it and not switch it an easier mode (which gives you 50% more health) it was a rewarding experience that now wants me to try and dabble into games like XCOM and other games like it.

The game spreads over 9 chapters with 3-4 battles in each chapter. However you are required to have Mario and at least one Rabbid character in each battle. You can also upgrade weapons, skills and abilities in the The game starts out with the SupaMerge, an skill tree. Throughout the journey you earn coins augmented reality headset that yanks the Rabbids which you can use to purchase new weapons as well as from RabbidLand (?) and pulls them into the collecting power orbs which let you buy new abilities Mushroom Kingdom. The merge rips apart the world and upgrade existing ones for your characters. This and merges some of the Rabbids into Rabbid Luigi level of complexity in a seemingly kiddy game ensures and the hilarious Rabbid Peach, while seperating the that this game stands out from the rest.

Mario characters from each other. Along with it it brings some Rabbid enemies into the Kingdom and A game of this caliber also has a lot of characters and the team of unlikely heroes must strategise the best their quirky abilities and traits are engaging. One of my way to push them back and defeat them while also favourites Rabbid Peach who takes a selfie everytime shooting them with guns. Admittedly at first this was she performs a move as well as readjusting her wig a surprise, Mario does not use a gun, and once I got never gets old (regardless of what anyone else says!) past my really large issue with this I settled into the while Rabbid Yoshi has the most adorable dinosaur game and enjoyed it for what it was. outfit and attitude to match. As someone who never got into the whole Rabbids thing I found myself oddly As you travel through the worlds named after a entertained by them a few hours into this game. I’m traditional Mario game 1-1, 1-2 etc you are also not sure if it’s because they blend with Mario so well or guided by an artificial intelligent bot named Beep-O. possibly they have been toned down for this game but The bot also uses the SupaMerge to help your team I loved every minute of it and can’t wait to dive into travel throughout each land which is themed to fire, another round. ice, forest world the usual line up. That being said the level and quality of the backgrounds and characters is Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle is the surprise beautiful and shines on both the Switch’s tablet screen game of 2017 that I am delighted to give a full 5 and when docked to a TV. The biggest surprise of stars to based purely on its story, inventive gameplay this game is the level of difficulty. There is no hand mechanics, gorgeous graphics and boldness to take a holding, no “super easy story mode” that you can risk and do something different and daring. The game switch (ha!) into and is forgiving. The game requires is just as fun on the go or docked to a TV and I am a lot of concentration, strategic planning and a fair looking forward to many more rounds of this game amount of luck to pull of the right moves to advance to come. to the next area.

The best original game from the last gen of Nintendos gets a shiny sequel.

Words by Alaisdair Leith The Wii U delivered undoubtedly some of the best first party games on recent consoles, yet the console itself was largely panned by critics and gamer’s worldwide. One of the biggest hits was new Nintendo franchise Splatoon, a wacky MMO shooter involving squids, children and massive puddles of coloured ink. It was an incredibly addictive game and a huge hit for the Japanese gaming giant. With the recent high sales and praise of the Nintendo Switch, the company have now released a follow up simply titled Splatoon 2 (or in our office Spla2oon) exclusively on the Switch. The sequel features a better story mode, new online features and new and different ways to splat your opponents.

surprise surprise so does the great Zapfish. Players get recruited as part of Agent 4 of the Squidling Splatoon to save Callie and retrieve the Zapfish (yet again!) at the Octo Canyon. The story mode this time around feels like a lot more love and attention has been given in comparison to the rushed first game. If you are not interested in playing online, just getting this game for the story mode is worth it.

When you first start the game, you are given a fairly in-depth tutorial so newcomers can get used to the controls, similarly I would recommend playing Story Mode as a great way to learn the controls and the best way to take down your opponents. Getting to know which weapon suits which character as well as Playing in story mode, the games picks up a few recharging your ink, the coverage of the splatter and months after the first one. With The Great Zapfish (the getting your speed up will ultimately benefit players source of the Inkling’s power) being restored, things when they reach online mode. This may look like a are going relatively well until Callie goes missing and game for kids but it is far from it.

Playing Splatoon 2 online arranges players in teams of four with the goal of covering as much ground as possible in your chosen team’s coloured ink. Speed and ink-recharge are the skills you will need to be successful at these skills and working the controls to win an online battle (particularly against seasoned players!) The mix up of the colours in each round help not getting your teams colours mixed up and you also have the option to turn off motion controls in the settings menu (something I highly recommend!)

and age, having your phone next to you and constantly checking it is just part of our life now so it makes sense to put it on an app on a device we are checking anyway right? (that’s just my two cents!)

Splatoon 2 delivers a highly addictive and satisfying sequel for the Nintendo Switch system. Featuring intuitive controls, a more thought out story mode and a bunch of Splatoon themed accessories including controllers, amiibos and joy-cons, Splatoon 2 has taken the Switch by storm and after spending an If you want to use chat and social features there is a embarrassingly large amount of hours playing online companion app for Smartphones, and while some have and with friends, this is another gem in the Switch’s complained it is clunky and slow, I found no issues and crown as one of the most social and entertaining enjoyed having it there next to me, and really when console’s that Nintendo have ever produced. you think about it, when you play games in this day

The Miis are back!

Words by Alaisdair Leith After proving successful in the hilariously addictive Tomadachi Life, they finally get their own fully fledged adult adventure game. Now I know what you are thinking, Why are Nintendo trying to make the Mii’s happen? Well guess what, they already have for many years now and they are here with a RPG adventure game that sounds tedious but is actually complex and interesting game for both adults and children alike.

Booting up my new blue 2DS XL this was one of the first games I played on this console. The Dark Lord has stolen the faces of all the Mii’s in Miitopia except for a select few and it is your job to travel throughout the land with your band of Mii tag alongs (mine were Iron Man, Donkey Kong and Bayonetta) you can make your own or use QR codes to use other people’s and find some great ones online. All of the Mii’s have different abilities like healer and fighter and do partake in solo and group attacks to take down enemies in your way and unlocking facial features to restore the stolen faces across the kingdom.

Switch offer much higher resolution and advanced graphics capability, this is still a worthwhile experience and not to mention a great new title for quite an old system. The Mii’s do interact with each other and as you assign them to rooms at every Inn, they form and develop relationships and as you mix this up you can add some hilarious drama and soap opera moments of jealousy and love lost.

The game is however a little linear when it comes to exploration, there is a set path that you really can’t deviate from too much. At certain points you have a choice of left or right but once you go either way you still end up having to backtrack and do the other path anyway so it really feels quite pointless at times. That being said there is a lot of Miitopia to explore and while I was expecting maybe 4-5 hours of fun, it extended out to about 12 hours so far and I have seen all there is to see.

Most games like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Mario have replay ability, however this one doesn’t really. I have no real desire to jump back in and play it again, that being said it was a great It sounds like a pretty simple premise but with first run through and definitely worth the low character features to upgrade, food to give strength price of these games. (which is distributed scarcely) it can be a bit of a challenge to get everything on track and there is a In true Nintendo style the music and sound effects option for children (and impatient adults) called and production quality are top notch and help Auto-Fight where the Mii’s will automatically this title shine. It is a pity that the game play gets fight and get past the enemy in front of you which a little repetitive the further into the game you does seem like an easy way out (and it is!) The get, it is still however a charming and worthwhile other option is actually quite challenging to set experience on the 3DS/2DS console. If you are each Mii a certain role and help each other to looking for a casual title to get you through until fight the often increasingly difficult enemies that the next big game on the Switch then Miitopia will make this game a rewarding one. definitely fill that void. Miitopia is a beautiful and charming game with repetitive gameplay that will There is a ton of colour and variance in this suit both adults and children to get a decent few game and is quite a beautiful experience on the hours out of. It may not be a classic but it is a great handheld console. While newer consoles like the addition to the Nintendo original game library.