LATEST ARTICLES

Review – Maestro

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In Maestro, Bradley Cooper endeavours to narrate the life of Leonard Bernstein, an artistic luminary of his generation, conventionally adhering to the well-worn path of a standard biopic with familiar tropes and a linear narrative that has Cooper’s directorial lens that elevates this film, creating something extraordinary and unforgettable in the 2023 cinematic landscape.

While Cooper, directing and starring as Bernstein, delivers a technically dazzling film. The script, co-written with Josh Singer, follows a predictable, episodic structure, chronicling events in a chronological sequence. This allows for the specific moments in Bernstein’s career and life to breathe and resonate before moving onto the next.

Following this sterotypical structure, Maestro merits attention. The film consistently captivates from an aesthetic standpoint, showcasing remarkable cinematography, costumes, and production design that evolved over the 40-plus years of Bernstein’s life. Behind the camera, Cooper skillfully creates a cinematic experience that seamlessly transports audiences through different eras, employing techniques like shooting in high-contrast black and white and Academy ratio. The meet-cute between Bernstein and Felicia feels like a scene straight out of Casablanca.

The attention to detail is evident, with Cooper dedicating six years to perfecting his conducting skills for the climax of the movie —a six-plus minute recreation of Bernstein leading the London Symphony Orchestra. The film’s visual and auditory elements and inspired transitions by editor Michelle Tesoro make it a must-see on the biggest screen possible. The score and audio mixing here are incredible. Provided by the London Symphony Orchestra, the score and performance pieces soar over the visuals, while it is best seen in a cinema, a home theatre and soundbar will be more than up to the task of making these moments extremely impactful.

While Bernstein’s music is an integral part of the narrative, the film falls short in providing a deep understanding of him as both a musician and a man. The performative nature of his existence, influenced by his closeted homosexuality, keeps the audience at a distance. The complex relationship with Felicia, played by Carey Mulligan, is explored on the surface, unfulfilled quality to the characterisation here. That’s not to say it doesn’t work, there is just not enough shown from Felicia’s side of how she dealt with this and what the ramifications of this were (it could easily be another movie!)

Mulligan’s performance is noteworthy, showcasing genuine chemistry with Cooper. Yet, Felicia often finds herself in Bernstein’s shadow, a poignant metaphor depicted visually. As the years progress and Felicia finds herself at odds with this, you can really feel the tension in their relationship, but they still share a deep love for each other. Cooper and Mulligan have crafted one of the most interesting on-screen couples this year, with performances that will be long remembered and potentially career-defining for both actors.

The decision to use elaborate prosthetics on Cooper has been a point of discussion, but the makeup work by Kazu Hiro is convincing, especially in portraying Bernstein’s older age. Cooper fully envelopes the role which is really exentuated with the wild hair and sweating as he gets older and the stress of his work and double life start to take its toll.

Despite its flaws, Maestro deserves recognition for its daring portrayal of Bernstein’s life. The film’s emphasis on queer themes and content, though not fully explored, adds an inspiring dimension to the narrative. While it doesn’t dive too deep into the complexity of this double life, it does offer a glance into By taking risks akin to Bernstein’s own artistic endeavors, Maestro stands ahead of the pack when it comes to biopics which is excelled by Cooper’s work in front of and behind the camera. His dedication to completely enveloping this character while exploring Bernstein’s life and acheivements. With its technical brilliance and captivating visuals, the film earns a commendable five stars.

Maestro is streaming on Netflix from December 20.

Review – Last Night in Soho

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By Nick L’Barrow

I will confess… I wasn’t the biggest fan of Edgar Wright’s 2017 film, Baby Driver. In fact, I walked out of that movie quite disappointed. After the slew of success with the entertainingly brutal and bloody Cornetto Trilogy and the hilarious, video-game-esque Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it felt wrong that Baby Driver was such a misfire in my mind. I just couldn’t understand how a movie by Wright could be so stylistic yet so incredibly average story-wise. However, I wouldn’t let one movie out of Wright’s filmography turn me away from his future work. When I initially heard that his new film, Last Night in Soho, would be more of a horror/thriller, I was certainly intrigued, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of ‘cautious optimism. I stayed away from all trailers and as much marketing material as possible (I would even close my eyes and plug my ears in the cinema when the trailer showed before other movies, looking like an insane person). I even stayed away from the reviews when it premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. And boy, am I glad I did because Last Night in Soho is a strength-to-strength piece of cinema from the British filmmaker that feels like the movie event many cinemagoers have been longing for since the start of the pandemic.

Eloise (or Ellie, as she prefers to be called, played by Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit) has been obsessed with all things pop culture-wise since the 1960s. Movies, music, and fashion are at the forefront of the dream life she wishes to live. Having to move from her small town of Cornwall to London to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, Ellie rents a room from an elderly lady in Soho. Feeling an odd connection with the room she is staying in, during her first night’s sleep, Ellie is mysteriously transported to the 1960s, where she has visions of an upcoming yet troubled singer called Sandy (Anya Taylor Joy, The Queen’s Gambit). As her dreams become more lucid and sinister, Ellie unwillingly begins to merge her two worlds, fantasy, and reality.

It’s almost a standard for movies today, but the less you know about where the story of Last Night in Soho goes, the better your viewing experience will be. This is an engaging and intriguing story that goes in many unexpected directions. Still, the script was co-written by Wright and 1917 screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, which genuinely draws you into the film’s mystery and begs you to let the story unfold in front of you and enjoy your time at the cinema. The script uses visual and thematic horror elements to create an account that serves as a cautionary tale about obsession, with a side of genuinely sinister character motivations that bring a consistent feeling of tension throughout. There will undoubtedly be moments and aspects of the film that won’t work for everyone, especially in the third act. However, within the movie-logic and artistic liberties taken by Wright and Wilson-Cairns, the craziness of the finale is satisfying and enjoyable.

Edgar Wright has created a visually intoxicating film that will captivate your senses. A trance-like element within the cinematography with neon lights and mirrors (reflection being a prominent theme within the story) creates the dream-like feeling of the scenes set in 1960s Soho. Every shot is a magical painting, carefully constructed for its place within the story. The use of mirrors is phenomenal and adds a sophistication to the film, both technically and thematically. There wasn’t a moment during Last Night in Soho that I wasn’t enthralled by what I saw on screen. However, the film highlights a dance sequence that expertly and flawlessly transitions between our two lead characters (Ellie and Sandy) dancing with the same partner. This may well and truly be Wright’s most visually beautiful film to date, and that’s saying something considering his visual filmography leading up to this point in his career. It just must be seen to be believed!

In her first actual leading role, Thomasin McKenzie is outstanding as Ellie. Ellie is reserved and quiet, but she is also filled with a firm tenacity. When it is opened after a few hallucinatory encounters with Sandy, it really allows McKenzie to thrive in this performance. Anya Taylor Joy is stunning as Sandy. Encapsulating the seductiveness that was seemingly required of a singer in the 60s to succeed while also hiding her own ferocious tenacity behind the performer’s mask brought some incredibly thrilling moments during her character’s arc. And finally, Matt Smith (Doctor Who) pulls off the charm-filled manager who offers Sandy the world on a platter but undoubtedly has more sinister intentions, with ease, and allows his acting chops to fly with some genuinely intense moments later in the film.

Last Night in Soho is capped off with an outstanding soundtrack. Never shying away from his love of music and how it’s used in the film, Edgar Wright has orchestrated equal amounts of spine-tingling and upbeat nature with the music used in this movie. Whether it’s eerie musical notes or the song’s lyrics setting up the scene’s tone (and inclusive of a beautiful rendition of Petula Clark’s Downtown performed by Taylor Joy herself), the music is just as much an important character within the movie.

While its ending may divide some audiences, I believe that Wright has created yet another incredible film with Last Night in Soho. This movie diverts from his usual action-packed-comedic outings in turn for a genuinely thrilling, always visually stunning tale that is captivating both technically and thematically. Helmed with outstanding lead performances that will lure you into the trance-like dream of a story and not let you go until the movie is over, Last Night in Soho feels like the movie that we have been waiting to return to cinemas for.

Letter From The Editor – Covid 19 Policy

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As the country opens back up again, our hub in Victoria are still locked down. You will notice that we have been posting reviews of Tenet, The Secret, Unhinged and a couple of movies that are coming out this week.

We are a national website with writers in NSW, QLD and VIC. Our counterparts in these states will be providing these reviews in line with Novastream’s Covid Safe policy which includes only reviewing films where an online screener has been provided by the studio, if required in person we are asking our writers to attend a drive-in theatre as a priority. If these options aren’t available our cinema screenings are restricted to those who are practicing covid safe practices and have a Covid Safe plan in place.

If you are thinking of heading to the movies in the next few months we recommend checking the Corona Virus Government information here https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert before making a solid decision to head into a cinema.

Much like you we can’t wait to get back to the movies and catch up on all the great films we missed during these lockdowns. There are tons of great films coming out on VOD if you don’t feel ready to venture out and we are committed to reviewing these and letting you know the best things to stream.

We hope you are all staying safe during Covid-19.

Fast & Furious: Hobbs And Shaw

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The Fast & Furious franchise knows its market very well: explosions, action, cars and a storyline you don’t need to follow. Hobbs & Shaw is the first in the series of planned spin-offs and to give a little injection before the next Fast & Furious film hits the screens in 2020. While it’s a far cry from its origins, Hobbs & Shaw is the fresh overhaul the franchise needed.

When a highly deadly virus threatens to fall into the hands of Brixton (Idris Elba) a mechanically modified human, it goes into the hands of an MI6 operative Hattie (Vanessa Kirby).

Things turn south when Hattie is framed for taking the virus while Brixton hunts her down. Brought in to help stop the virus from being spread is Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) from Las Angeles and Shaw (Jason Statham) from London.

With a checkered past, Hobbs and Shaw not only fight to save Hattie and get the virus into quarantine, they also fight and bicker between each other.

Taking the fight to Samoa to get the help of Hobbs brother and his unique ability to build and rebuild things, the battle of all battles goes down all the while without any guns.

As to be expected there are some nice cars and some pretty cool vehicles as a whole. And for the most part, they get driven fast. Mind you, there is an obvious lack of the two compared to some of the other Fast & Furious films.

There is some amazing special effects and stunts throughout the film. From a helicopter lifting 4 cars trying to weigh the chopper down. To the automated motorbike that seems to be able to shapeshift depending on the circumstances.

Where this film stands out is in the good old fight scenes. The choreography is rather spectacular and doesn’t feel staged at any point. This is a downfall with most of Johnson’s films where his fight scenes are a little like The Rock fighting in WWE.

Hobbs & Shaw isn’t a film that requires a particular level of acting. However, Johnson and Statham bring just enough for it to be a good performance from them both. The performance that overshadowed the two was from Idris Elba (Thor, Prometheus, Star Trek Beyond) who plays Brixton.

Elba plays a mechanically modified human who happened to need the modifications to survive a shooting from Shaw some years back. Elba plays an angry and calculated character that seems to not only struggle to answer to someone else but also thinks he is above any authority. He has so much going on physically and also mentally that he overshadows the other actors in the same scene.

The other scene-stealer is that of Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible – Fallout, The Crown, Everest) who plays Hattie. She plays down the sexiness yet seems to ooze appeal. Kirby manages to pack in as much emotion to her scenes to bring her character to life without relying too much on humour.

Overall Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw takes a product that has been working for some years and given it a little fresh lick of paint. The great thing is it doesn’t pretend to try anything new or do anything too differently. It’s just a bit of fun with some nice cars and some good action.

Review – Toy Story 4

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The announcement of a fourth Toy Story chapter, felt like an easy cash grab for Disney, after the huge success that was the concluding Toy Story 3. After watching the first trailer and synopsis, I still wasn’t sure if this was gonna work. So being a bit cautious of seeing these beloved characters coming back nine years after we said goodbye to Andy, I can say – no need to be afraid. The toys are dusted off and look better than ever!

The film opens with a flashback to a rainy night where our toys are still happily living with Andy. Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts) are getting ready to rescue RC-racer – a radio-controlled toy car – that’s been stuck in a gutter and is about to be dragged into the sewers, if not saved in time. This is an exciting opening to get you right into the story and remind you of the bond these toys have with each other. “No toy gets left behind“, like Woody says multiple times throughout this franchise. This scene also shows how close Woody and Bo’s relationship just was, which gets torn apart moments later when the lamp that houses her and her sheep is given away.

Almost a decade later, after Andy has passed his beloved toys to young Bonnie, we see her playing with all of them, although Woody gets pushed aside more often as time passes. He gets left in the closet with some of her baby toys. But when Bonnie has to attend her orientation day for kindergarten, Woody sees an opportunity to sneak into her backpack to look after the nervous girl. In class, a selfish kid grabs Bonnie’s art supplies and drops some in a bin, where Woody jumps in to save some of it – along with bits of rubbish – which leads to Bonnie creating Forky (soon discovered to be a toy, voiced by Tony Hale), a spork with popsicle-stick feet, googly eyes and pipe-cleaner arms. The family has a new member.

Bonnie adores Forky, but having an existential crisis, this spork knows it’s trash and feels like his only destination is the trash can, his safe haven. Woody, so longing for a purpose, takes it upon himself to keep rescuing and returning Forky, which will only get harder when Bonnie and her parents embark on a road trip in an RV. A journey on which we will meet carnival toys (Ducky and Bunny – voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele), a Canadian stunt-motocross action figure (Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom – the coolest and most breathtaking toy ever created) and a manipulative vintage doll (Christina Hendricks as Gabby Gabby) who’s stuck living in an antique store, ready to do whatever’s needed to live a blissful life. 

The emotions run high, with stunning animation and imagery all around. New characters that will win over your heart and make you laugh out loud with the funniest one liners. Did I really expect anything less, after three exceptionally strong films in this franchise?! Shame on me.

Toy Story 4 is an adventure full of subtle messages and metaphors, that carries on the legacy of its original trilogy. Disney/Pixar has done it again – a sequel that not only works as an ending, but also as a new beginning. When we get to chapter 5 (because let’s be real, this is gonna kill it at the worldwide box office), these characters will have seen so much more than just the walls of Andy/Bonnie’s room and have experienced what “letting go” really means.

Toy Story 4 is playing in Australian cinemas this Thursday!

Review by Seth Eelen

Review – Xmen Dark Phoenix

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It’s time to say goodbye to our favourite mutants, after 19 years of films the franchise is coming to a close with a re-telling of the Dark Phoenix story. If this sounds familiar it is because they attempted to do this in 2006’s X-men : The Last Stand and while it didn’t go down to well with fans, Fox have given the story line a movie of its own to send the X-men off ready to be rebooted by Disney somewhere in the future. What should have been a fond and memorable farewell turned out to be a forgetful throwaway film with great performances with a mediocre story that suffers from horrible pacing issues that make it feel like 2 or 3 different films smashed into one 100 minute disappointment.

It is set a couple of years after Apocalypse with the X-men in generous public favour with action figures, screaming fans and a hotline phone direct to the President of the United States. When a spaceship launch goes awry the X-Men head into space to assist when Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is exposed to a cosmic power that enhances her mutant powers making her more powerful than anyone else on the planet. When Jean starts acting erratic her X-Men friends Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) Beast (Nicholas Hoult) jump in to try and help her control the power, however things don’t go according to plan and when Jean is confronted by a mysterious alien played by Jessica Chastain who is trying to take over Earth and eradicate humans Jean must decide if she will use her power for good or evil.

Elsewhere Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) is riding high on the fame of their recent relationship with humans. He is shown revelling in the joy of being on talk shows, hosting benefits with wealthy clientele, on the cover of books and action figures. A good portion of the story explores his history with Jean and how he found her after the accident as a child. The first half of the film explores the relationship of and what can happen when trauma is suppressed rather than dealt with. It really explores the idea well and loops in the other characters, particularly Raven and Beast, who are the last of the” First class” still hanging around the X mansion. Showcasing a different side to Xavier was a risky move, I don’t know if this trait is ever explored in the comics, here it does feel a little surprising in keeping with this character. That being said showing a more human side to Charles was interesting to watch.

Perhaps the best part of the film is Lawrence, her performance as Raven is flawless. She is constantly the voice of reason, in particular one fitting line “The women around here are constantly saving everyone else, we should be called the X-Women” which on a side note did get a cheer from the crowd in our session. If this wasn’t enough character drama, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is sought out by Jean after she feels betrayed by Charles. He is running a commune separated from the rest of society. He is joined by hair braid whip man and another mutant who can read and control minds. When they feel the weight of what Jean can do through a helicopter battle, Magneto rejects her as well causing Beast to join his side in an attempt to kill Jean for her recent decisions.

It’s really from here that things go downhill. The film moves at a sluggish pace with sprinklings of action pieces littered through them. If it wasn’t for the solid performances it would be a complete wash. This then changes gear again in the third act with an epic train battle and final showdown that struggles to be as epic as the final scene in the final X-Men movie should be. The train sequence is far too long and while some of the CGI looks incredible, others look like a direct to VHS movie from the 90’s (Storm). Most X-Men films are epic in scale and have weighty action that coincide with the story. Here the story is told with an odd pacing that doesn’t ignite to be either good or bad, it just falls kind of flat. The train wreck scene really feels like it is a different film and with the epic battle being wrapped up pretty quickly, it rarely lingers long enough to leave a memorable impression.

The visuals in this film are great, the Phoenix effects that run through Jean and encompass her are beautiful to watch (and may just remind you of another recent Marvel superhero). The train scene while being shown at night is nothing short of spectacular. The way that Magneto rips the train apart trying to destroy the aliens is a lot of fun to watch and every mutant gets their moment to shine. It is a fast and furious fight scene with great cinematography by Mauro Fiore set against the night country side. In a lot of blockbuster movies night action scenes can be blurry and hard to see, fortunately this film avoids that delivering dazzling action sequences that effortlessly float between inside and out of the train.

While the special effects are spectacular, the script is severely lacking. In fact, I would even go so far as to say if they have spent more time on the this than the special effects it would have been a much better film. The first half of the film has a solid story exploring themes of trauma, abandonment, fame and family. It is balanced quite well for this portion of the film and is actually intriguing to see how it all wraps up. Where it falls is the obvious re shot second half of the movie that kind of throws these out the window for spectacle.

X-men : Dark Phoenix had the potential to be a big farewell to these characters we have loved (and hated) for the last 19 years. Regrettably a good story was compromised for spectacle and the film suffers from poor pacing and a generally flat tone. Fortunately the actors deliver solid performances, in particular Lawrence and Turner steal the show here showcasing the boundaries of family and fame. Fans of the series may be disappointed by the lacklustre finale (particularly if compared to the 90’s TV series plot line of Dark Phoenix)

Review by Alaisdair Leith

Review – Godzilla : King Of The Monsters

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After the lacklustre reviews and reception to the previous film, the spectacle still made enough box office dollars to greenlight a sequel and kickstar a “Monsterverse” with Skull Island and a pre-announcement of Godzilla Vs Kong for 2020. This time around we get a broader cast with Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown coming into the mix. The teasers have promised us a slew of monsters with Mothra, Rogan and the three headed Ghidorah. While this had all the promise of epic action monster filled mayhem, the film instead spends way too much time focusing on the humans and their confusion and trapsing around the globe to different dig sites chasing an eco terrorist. All of this results in the biggest disappointment with a small portion of the film focusing on the monsters and way too much time on the one dimensional human characters with a really weak and stereotypical script.

The film is set in the current day with 5 years since the last installment. The world is rebuilding after Godzilla saved the human race from the titan attack. The agency tasked with tracking down all of the Titan sites Monarch are monitoring and securing the other titans who seem to be thawing out, defrosting and uncovered as the world is searching for Godzilla after he mysteriously disappeared after the events of the first film. Dr Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) are living in a rainforest in China trying to figure out how to communicate with Mothra. When Emma is captured by the eco tertrorist Jonah (Charles Dance) who is trying to release the titans to cleanse the earth of the plague of humanity, it is up to the crew at Monarch and her husband Mark (Kyle Chandler) to free her and stop the titans from being released and destroying the world. Oh and Godzilla is in there somewhere as well right?

My biggest issue with this film is the awful script filled with stereo typical cliched lines, predictable scenarios and one dimensional characters we spend way too much time with. Instead of setting the monsters free and watching them fight, we are subject to an endless slew of human interactions that offer nothing of significance to the story apart from exposition machines. Oh and there are a couple of monster fights that fill out maybe 20 minutes of this 2.5 hour film.

The score is grand and sweeping from Bear McCreary. MCCreary incorporates themes from Akira Ifukube’s previous work in Japanese traditional Godzilla films. While this is definitely the highlight, the unique roar that was given to Godzilla in the first film has all but disappeared in this version. The long roar with the winding wail at the end was such a thrill to hear in the cinema in the previous film and is a definite missing component in this sequel.

The creatures themselves are gorgeous. The attention to detail on Mothra is particularly when she opens her wings is breathtaking. There is a detailed colour and patterns that are completely mesmerising. This is accentuated when she emerges from the waterfall and the combination of light, water and colour transforms the screen. By comparison the three headed dragon Ghidorah looks cheap and awful. There is a particular scene in a football field with Madison that looks horrible now and will definitely not age well. It’s a shame because in far away shots Ghidorah looks amazing, partricularly when lightning is pulsing through it. There is a shot in Mexico that pans out next to a large cross that looks incredibly beautiful. And then there’s Godzilla. the big guy looks pretty much the same as the previous film. The lightning/radiation effect that pulses through his body and tail does look much mroe detailed this time around, and there are a few underwater scenes where he looks odd floating in the water.

There have been films in the past that show too much of the monster and then some that expertly show just enough to have great balance, but also well rounded and interesting human characters. Regrettably this film doesn’t know which one it wants to be and drifts somewhere in the middle, delivering an incredibly underwhelming experience. The end of the film does build the hype for the Kong Vs. Godzilla film due out next year, but after this underwhelming installment it may be back to the drawing board for Godzilla films if they can’t get the balance right.

Godzilla : King Of The Monsters is in cinemas Thursday May 31.

Review by Alaisdair Leith

Review – Missing Link

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Animation juggernauts like Pixar and Dreamworks duke it out for the best CGI animation, hell even Sony and Warner Bros are trying to get a piece of the pie, Laika studios are delivering some incredible stop motion features with previous work including Coraline, Paranorman Kubo And The Two Strings and The Box Trolls. This time around they are embarking on a worldwide adventure with different locations and an all star voice cast with beautiful eye popping animation to deliver a solid film that is arriving at the perfect time for school holidays.

The story revolves around Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) an adventurer in Victorian London who is trying to earn his way into an exclusive mens hunters club headed by Lord Piggott-Duncby (Stephen Fry). When Frost receives a letter advising that the Sasquatch creature has been spotted in Washington, he sets off to finally prove that it exists and earn his way into the club. Upon arriving he meets the sasquatch Link (Zach Galifiankis) who just wants to head to the himalayas to reunite with his Yeti cousins and find his family.

Along the way the are joined by Frost’s acquaintence Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana) who go on a trans atlantic journey through the UK and India to reach the Himalayas and return Link to his family. Sounds easy right? Well to top it off they are also being chased by Stenk (Timothy Olyphant) who wants to claim and kill Link and Sir Lionel Frost.

The story is quite layered and has a lot of moving parts that explores privilege, race, friendship, revenge and family. It sounds like a lot of heavy themes for a kids movie, yet it is told with such heart and having a character who is very wide eyed and innocent like Link helps the heavy parts land softly while still being effective.

Visually the film is flawless. The colour palette used in all the different locations and characters are nothing short of spectacular. The level of detail in a scene in the Indian jungle is jaw dropping. There is also a little behind the scenes of this at the end credits that is definitely worth sticking around to see. The characters themselves are great with Link having so much detail who self-describes his colour as more Autumn than brown. The variety of locations from dark and detailed castles to the icy valleys of the Himalayas, this is definitely Laika’s most ambitious work to date.

The voice talent in this film matches the great detail put into the animation. With Jackman and Galifaikas providing solid lead performances. This is only enhanced with Saldana joins the crew and the trio provide some of the best voice work in an animated film to date. Emma Thompson has a great role as the leader of the Yeti tribe and is allowed to flex some of her comedic muscles. Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry and Timothy Olyphant allow the film to truly be hilarious with their wacky characters.

There is so much to love and adore about this movie and the proven track record of solid films that Laika are producing. This is director’s Chris Butler’s second time directing (after Paranorman) and has truly raised the bar is both visuals and storytelling. This may be the film you haven’t heard of, but it is definitely the film to take the whole family to these holidays.

Missing Link is in cinemas April 8.

Review – Kingdom Hearts 3

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Reviewing a game like Kingdom Hearts 3 is no easy feat. This monolothic game could be tackled from so many angles, as I am not a Kingdom Hearts fanboy, despite playing the previous titles, I thought it was best to tackle this game like I do any other normal game review with a fresh pair of eyes and my skepticism about Disney becoming a dictator in the entertainment industry aside to rejoin Sora and the gang for a sequel that has been 14 years in the making. While it did start off slow (extremely slow!) with three painful intro cinematics, each finishing with the Kingdom Hearts 3 title (just in case you know I fucking forgot what I was playing) it wasn’t until I moved to the third world that the game really kicked into gear and showed why the lengthy wait was worth it. It’s not all good news though, the writing is awful, like god awful, with slow and static awkward pauses in between characters in cinematic scenes and WAY too many of them at that, it was only the unique mix of characters, worlds and theme park rides from varying Disney properties that save this game from being a complete disappointment. Ever wondered what would happen if Uncle Scrooge opened a bistro in Traverse Town with Remy from Ratatouille? No? Me either…While these kind of crazy combos are interesting to watch play out during the game, the worlds are so empty and void of population they feel lifeless. Kingdom Hearts 3 is extremely ambitious but regrettably is a bit of a waster opportunity. 

Players take control of Sora, who again must team up with Donald and Goofy to travel through the universe via a Gummi ship to save the world from the Darkness and Master Xehahort who wants to unlock the one keyblade to rule them all and let the Darkness infest every world. It’s nothing new or revolutionary but this is a game where Disney characters team up with Final Fantasy characters so we can’t exactly expect depth here. Together you travel to different worlds inspired by recent Disney hits like Tangled, Frozen and Toy Story while diving into the Marvel universe with Big Hero 6. Sora and friends do run into a lot of characters from these films, disappointingly the gaps between back and forth dialogue is irritatingly slow and completely detracts from any emotional (and nostalgic) impact it tries to have. This also goes hand in hand with the script for the story, it is extremely painful and nauseating to endure, if the graphics weren’t so good, it would be a complete wash. The person who thought it was a good idea to give extended dialogue to Donald Duck really needs to be fired, the painful process of trying to figure out what he is saying is just irritating. It feels like the studio has forgotten that the majority of people playing this game have grown up with the series and are now adults wanting to propel the series forward, alternatively it will work if the audience who grew up with it now have kids and can share the experience with them. 

As mentioned previously, graphically this game is incredible, particularly as you explore the various Disney properties, in particular Toy Story was a stand out looking identical if not better than the movies do. Each world has been maticulously created and while there are some items and treasures to find, the lack of native population or NPC’s is quite disappointing. This led to the worlds feeling empty and bleak which was strange considering how much effort and love has clearly gone into their creation. The Pirates Of The Caribbean world was surprisingly good, enabling Sora to command a ship and explore. While this is no Black Flag, it does come at a welcome time for some variety in the otherwise monotonous gameplay. There are quite a few iconic Disney scenes played out during the game which tug on the old nostalgic heart beats but don’t offer anything of value to the story. Seeing Elsa build her castle in the Frozen stage to the orchestral version of Let It Go will have your little ones flocking to the screen, but the lack of meaning to the story is a little wasted. Sora is detailed to perfection, as are his keyblades and special moves, it is a pity the same cannot be said about the camera. Often when I was mid-battle and a giant robot pushes me into a corner, the camera refuses to move to allow me to see who is pummeling me from behind. It does happen several times through the game so it did become a regular annoyance. 

The combat system for this game is varied and pulls from many different games in the series that keep the actual gameplay fresh and addictive. You have the opportunity to purchase several different keyblades, each of which have their own unique powers and abilities. You can also equip multiple ones which allow you to quickly change between them in battle to effectively destroy enemies as quick and as painless as possible. There are the usual team up moves that involve active members of your party for effective battle slams and a new mode that brings in a Disney theme park ride. Now this could be a little controversial for Australian’s with the water ride resembling the now defunct one from Dreamworld being a weapon. You can also summon the pirate ship and the tea cups from the Mad Hatter. It seemed like a strange and cash in thing to do, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Each world and character has different team up moves which keeps a great variety during the game. Teaming up with Buzz and Woody to strap onto a rocket and dive into enemies is definitely the stand out. 

The game’s story clocks in at around 40 hours and while this may not be as big as other open world games, the quality of the graphics and combat system are enough to offset the time alloted. This is the kind of game you play through once and probably won’t feel the need to go back to (unless you are a trophy hunter or collectible fiend) While it is definitely only a one time wonder, it is definitely worth the trip. The scope of what is on offer and the ambition of this crazy combination of franchises that if you totally lean into works on a few levels. While this game has had quite a few years to perfect and craft its story, I was disappointed that the story was the weakest part and with SO many cut scenes, it really should have been given more care. 

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a step forward graphically and for its combat system, however the story does set the series back a few pegs. Hopefully Square Enix can spend some more time on the story for the next instalment and hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for the next one. 

Kindgom Hearts 3 is available on PS4 and Xbox One.

Review by Alaisdair “Leithal” Leith

Competition – Cold Pursuit

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Watch the trailer here

Women in Gaming

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There’s a lot of heat around the way women are represented in games as well as our place in the gaming industry. On the whole, people are glad to see a growing number of women playing and making games, but there are still some struggling with acceptance. And while some games do an admirable job of creating strong female characters, a lot of the major titles are still lagging behind. But even disregarding the gender equality issues explored in the media lately, there’s no doubt that women in gaming face certain challenges. As a woman who’s played games her entire life, and is working towards a career in the industry, my life has been shaped by issues of identity within the community.

The biggest issue I’ve faced as a woman who plays games isn’t sexism or abuse – I’ve been harassed by a guy online once and a lot more people came to my defence than screamed at me to add them. The hardest part of being a gamer has been expressing my passion for the medium to some of the most important people in my life. My mum didn’t love that I played so many games as a kid, and I think she was a bit shocked when I told her I was going to be studying them at uni. None of my closest friends are gamers, and for the most part I’ve stopped talking to them about games. Not because it makes me feel excluded but because I know they have no idea what I’m talking about! So for a long time I didn’t have an outlet for discussing video games, and I always desperately wanted one.

The life-long desire to share my love of gaming is a big part of what made me want to become a video games journalist. These days, some of my happiest moments come from the times I send Novastream reviews to my mum. Since I’ve started writing for the site, every article has given me a chance to share a part of myself with all the non-gamers that I love.

Anya is every bit BJ’s equal in Wolfenstein: The New Order
Anya is every bit BJ’s equal in Wolfenstein: The New Order

I’ve also struggled with the sense that I need to justify my interest in gaming, as a career choice but especially a hobby, because I’m a woman. Writing my dissertation on video games gave me a chance to show that all the time and effort I’d put into games was worthwhile. Months of tireless work and a lifetime of investment paid off when I could point to respected academics like Janet Murray, Miguel Sicart, and Tom Bissell and explain how I was expanding on their work. My Honours supervisor is an amazing and inspiring woman, but she had no idea about games or what made them special. When she was interested in my research and acknowledged video games as a powerful narrative form, I remember feeling a huge sense of pride, relief, and success.

But this is still hard for some people to grasp. The other day I was telling a neighbour about this article and she asked why any nice young lady would like video games? The reason is simple: they give me an experience that nothing can match. I love immersing myself in fantasy worlds, and games offer this escape in a way no other medium can. It’s doesn’t matter that I’m a girl – I just love being told stories and getting the privilege to participate in them!

Sadly, the stereotype that games are a man’s medium is still prevalent in our society. Last year I wrote a uni assignment on the rhetoric at work in the Gamergate controversy. When I started research I thought the issue was silly but working towards a real solution, but by the end of the essay I was convinced it had devolved into a screaming match between two sides who wouldn’t take no for an answer, no matter the consequence for the industry. The whole thing seems ridiculous and harmful, and I want nothing more to do with it. That being said, of course I believe that games should work to portray more realistic and positive female characters. And, happily, some games do an outstanding job of this! Anya and Caroline in Wolfenstein: The New Order are just as integral to the resistance as BJ, and Frau Engel is a terrifying villain without compromise; Lara Croft burst back into our lives as an unstoppable whirlwind of ability and strength of will in the rebooted Tomb Raider; a female Commander Shepard in Mass Effect is the saviour of the galaxy and lacks nothing that a male Shepard possesses. In fact, BioWare games in general are brilliant examples of gender equality. Mass Effect 2 shows off Miranda’s sex appeal every chance it gets, but she isn’t defined by it: she’s incredibly smart, a formidable player in galactic intrigue, and a powerful ally for Shepard. Dragon Age: Inquisition features a cast of ambitious and talented women, as Novastream’s own Zahra discussed. Characters like this make me proud to be a girl gamer, because they give me positive female characters to identify with and form connections with.

Miranda
Miranda’s as threatening as she is beautiful

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of problems with the representation of women in games. Women in GTA V are only ever prostitutes and “bitches” put in the game for a male audience’s violent comedic outlet. The Witcher 3 has positive female characters, but the sex cards in the first game are a childishly hyper-sexualised approach to women. Geralt having sex with lots of women makes sense in a narrative context, but there’s no in-game justification for his collection of the middle ages equivalent to naked snapchats. The cards only serve to appeal to players, and young male players at that.

For the first time in the franchise’s AAA release history, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate will feature a playable female character (Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation gave us Aveline as a playable character, but the fact that this instalment was relegated to a PS Vita release should show how little effort Ubisoft put into this attempt at gender equality). However, a report from Kotaku claims that Evie will only be playable for roughly 20% of the game. I understand the marketing logic behind this choice, with the series having a predominately male audience, but with the demographic of the gaming industry constantly shifting to include more and more women, this won’t be a valid excuse for much longer.

I felt pretty gross getting this screenshot but at least I didn’t shoot the dancer once she was done
I felt pretty gross getting this screenshot but at least I didn’t shoot the dancer once she was done

Personally, I don’t often get offended by gender imbalanced in games, but even so, I’d love to see them continue to change. There are more and more women getting involved in all aspects of the industry, and I’m sure they’d agree when I say that I want more realistic women in games, both to represent us and for us to identify with. This isn’t a case of wholesome versus sexy – I love seeing a kick-ass lady flaunting what she’s got – just don’t make a woman’s appearance her defining characteristic.

The gender imbalances in the gaming community had a big influence on the kinds of friends I made when I was younger. In primary school I was very much a tomboy and I had more guy friends than girls, mostly because I recognised boys as my chance to talk about video games. But I realised in my last years of high school that playing games and doing girly things aren’t mutually exclusive. I still don’t have a lot of female friends who game, but all my ladies are amazingly geeky about something. I met Lauren when she saw my Star Wars pencil case one day at school, and she owns what I’m sure is the world’s largest collection of Marvel shirts and lounge pants; Bridgette knows more about Girls than Lena Dunham herself and may even love Han Solo more than I do; I get roughly one snapchat a week from Jess who can’t wait to show off her new art supplies; Mel has the most intense reactions to TV shows and we spent our afternoons after school binging on Veronica Mars and Fringe. I love seeing them geek out about their thing, and even when we’re not talking about video games it satisfies the part of me that wants to express a passion for something.

Lara Croft has no time for looking glamorous when she’s fighting for her life
Lara Croft has no time for looking glamorous when she’s fighting for her life

That being said, games have also been the cornerstone of some of my strongest relationships. One of my best friendships in high school started when I asked a guy to help me build a computer, and we were inseparable for years. I met some of my closest friends at college when they saw the giant KOTOR poster on my wall, and Mass Effect 3 is what led to my boyfriend and I going on our first date (we made a bet that whoever finished the series last would take the other out for coffee. I won, but I think that was his plan all along). So even though a mutual appreciation for games isn’t as important to me as I once thought it was, they’re still an important part of my life.

Games are an amazing medium that welcome anyone with open arms. There’s still work to be done to achieve equality in games, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be positive experiences for women. Being a gamer has given me some amazing experiences in life. I’ve made lots of friends playing games, and I’ve become a part of some very friendly and supportive communities. But no woman – no person – who plays games is defined by that interest. Girl gamers aren’t spectacles, we’re just people who want interactive and immersive experiences. When these experiences get gender representation right, they can lead to some powerful responses. So I’m going to keep striving for equality in games for as long as I’m involved in the industry, and I’m excited to see where we end up in the next few years.

 

Article by Alana Young

Twitter: @alana_groffle

Review – Ant Man

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antman2Marvel continue their reign of the superhero hits with the latest original film Ant Man. The film has been consistently plagued with problems since it began, the great director Edgar Wright departing the film after “creative differences”, Joss Whedon saying Wright’s script was one of the best things he has ever read, new director Peyton Reed (Bring It On and The Break Up), rewrites by Paul Rudd and then finally a confirmed release date. It is an exhaustive list that has had fans (and myself) concerned about the quality of the movie, but rest assured while this isn’t one of Marvel’s best, it does continue with the standard of superhero movies that populate their shared universe.

Original Ant Man Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is feeling his age and when his tech is stolen by Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Pym recruits Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) a thief, to break into Cross’s facility and steal back the suit. Joined by three unfortunately cast racial stereotypes, things don’t go to plan and Lang must don the suit to stop Cross/Yellowjacket. Now I know what you’re thinking a private corporation stealing technology to take over the world..Groundbreaking…and you are right, it definitely is the biggest weakness of the film.

The villain is non threatening, non sensical and ridiculous, the the point where if you took YellowJacket out, this movie would stillantman3 work and probably be a lot more enjoyable (although without the mind blowing action scenes!) There is no exploration of major motivation for YellowJacket and Cross does bring his all to the role, but Jacket comes across as a bit silly and non-threatening.

Rudd is perfect as Lang, one minute you are laughing and the next swept into a massive action sequence with hight stakes and you can feel the tension. This is something that Marvel movies can do really well, and this is probably one of the best examples of it, I put this down to Rudd and his story arc. He has gone to prison, he struggles financially and has a struggling relationship with his daughter, in a self sabotaging cycle, he is easily the most relatable Marvel hero in the universe so far. This is a character that Rudd portrays perfectly and his interaction with Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily) is a mirror of Lang and his daughter and is beautifully developed and has such great detail given. Michael Douglas is perfect as Pym and seems to be continuously winking to the audience through his joyous and easygoing role.

antman4Effects wise this film delivers,the early trailers left a lot to be desired and I was concerned about the final product, however Industrial Light & Magic have again proved how they can make just about anything work and look spectacular. The action sequences in this are mesmerising, and a scene involving a water droplet  and Ant Man is glorious to watch on screen (especially in 3D!)

This movie was a hard one, it has taken 10 years of production to get here, and while it is no Guardians Of The Galaxy or Iron Man 3, it does something that the previous films have struggled to, deliver a relateable character who the audience can identify with and keep everything grounded in a crazy situation. While Peyton Reed is direction, Edgar Wright still has writing credits and fans of his work will spot his influence in the movie. This may not be another billion dollar franchise, but it is solid superhero entertainment and I was surprised at the ride this movie took me on.

Ant Man is in cinemas on Thursday

Review – Jurassic World

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jp1Can you really believe it has been 22 years since the original Jurassic Park film graced our screens? Well apart from making me feel REALLY old, it also made me realise how much I have missed this universe. Adding Chris Pratt and bringing Steven Spielberg back into the mix made me feel like this could be the right mix to bring the franchise back. After months of teasers of teasers, trailers and clips, the movie is FINALLY here and Joss Wheedon’s fears about the movie being 70’s sexist are laid to rest with a truly kick ass feminist hero who saves the day.

Jurassic World is intended as a direct sequel from the first film, thankfully ignoring the first two! Jurassic World is now a fully functional theme park on Isla Nublar, and are gearing up to introduce their first dinosaur hybrid the Indominous Rex. When the dinosaur escapes from its isolated enclosure, the park must be evacuated with the help of park director Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and dino expert Owen (Chris Pratt) while also finding her two nephews Gray and Zach (Ty Sympkins & Nick Robinson), who are trapped inside the park.

It was difficult to assess this movie from an unbiased point of view, I have been a constant lover and ambassador of this jp2franchise from the start and even forgave the horror of Jurassic Park 3, in hopes the franchise would flourish into something new and reminiscent of the first film, and director Colin Trevorrow delivers exactly that in this direct sequel to the first film (his words!)

The real issue is with the large amount of footage that has been shown before the film, they tend to show most of the action parts of the film, giving the impression that this is non stop from the start of the film, so if you are heading into this with that expectation, you may leave disappointed. As in the first film, the film actually holds its main two lead actors through Gray and Zach, and we get to see the park and all its attractions through their eyes. This technique reeks of Spielberg and the score soaring over the top of this over-blown and absolutely gorgeous cinematography is a visual feast that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

jp3Being introduced to the Indominous Rex so early in the movie, I was concerned that we wouldn’t get to see the “good dinosaurs” and how they would operate in a theme park environment. The petting zoo is one of my favourite scenes of this movie and is handled so beautifully both pre and post catastrophe, it is one of the many highlights of the film. Fans of the original film will swoon with the many references, set pieces, objects and verbal nods that are splashed unapologetically throughout Jurassic World. It is given the respect and adoration that it deserves and uses this a piece to fuel the story forward and try and show the past from the present and how much things haven’t really changed.

Secretly I was hoping for a sneaky Sam Neil or Jeff Goldblum surprise cameo, but alas none were found, fortunately the new characters bring a sense of new world to the film and with Zach & Gray standing out as the two male leads, it really is all about Claire and her attempt to control the uncontrollable and the lengths she will go to, to save lives once all hell breaks loose. There is a fantastic scene with Claire running in heels to save the day and kicking girl power butt in a feminine and strong way that is so refreshing from the masculine women heroes that litter blockbusters lately. While Owen, everyone assumes is the hero of the piece, is kind of the back character here, he serves as an information point for the dinos. and basically looks after the kids while Claire kicks ass, the complete opposite of what the trailer would have you believe.

Visually nothing has changed, this film is as stunning and detailed as the first, the environments are lush and inviting jp4and the cinematography makes you feel like you are inside the park experiencing the events. One thing they managed to get right was the balance between humour and absolute terror, I found myself clinging to the bottom of my chair in a few spots and the feeling of suspense and tension that the first film prides itself on is also used effectively here.

Overall Jurassic World is the hyped up monster that it advertises, it uses a fairly typical plot combined with outstanding visuals, spellbinding cinematography and actors who know the genre and bring their A-game to deliver this summer’s hottest blockbuster. Fortunately there is a lot of substance here and if anything can bring the Jurassic franchise back from extinction, this film is the perfect trigger to bring a new generation into the world of dinosaurs.

**If you are planning on taking little children/kids to see this film, I would advise to maybe do a screening first or talk to some other parents who have seen it, the action scenes are quite intense and could be disturbing as there is a lot of graphic blood splatters and the scenes can be quite intense.

What did you think of Jurassic World? Let us know in the user review and comments below

Review : The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Before you read any more of this review, I’d like you to take a moment to appreciate how incredibly strong-willed I am to have stopped playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for long enough to write it. I’m proud of me.

The reason I’m so impressed with myself is because this is my dream game! I’ve been waiting for it since the minute it was announced, and waiting for the announcement for even longer. I followed its development like a hound, and I had ridiculously high expectations.

And it exceeds my expectations!

The Witcher 3 is a tour de force that’s set new standards for the RPG genre. This game gets so many things right: it’s gameplay mechanics are smooth and intuitive (after some tweaking of the default key bindings), its narrative is gripping, its combat is challenging yet rewarding, and it puts you into the role of Geralt, the master witcher, in a way that makes it easy to totally lose yourself in the fantasy. The characters are wonderfully constructed, especially the women, and the relationships that Geralt can form with them are emotionally powerful and moving. I’m definitely in love with Geralt and Yennefer. The music is beautiful and haunting, and communicates the state of the world and its events with ease. All of this works together in The Witcher 3 to welcome you with open arms to become a part of the world.

The Witcher 3 puts you in the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, a professional monster slayer for hire. War has broken out in the Northern Realms, but all Geralt wants to do is find his daughter-figure Ciri. She’s been gone a long time, living in another dimension, but now she’s back, and being chased by the Wild Hunt – a cavalcade of ghostly riders who bring death in their wake. Geralt is also on the trail of his long lost love Yennefer, who’s the closest thing Ciri has to a mother. Together, Geralt and Yennefer travel across the Northern Realms searching for Ciri. It’s a grand adventure across vast continents and against the clock.

witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_34_1920x1080_1433341640As a long-time fan of the franchise looking for one more adventure with her favourite characters, the story is what’s most important to me in Wild Hunt. Finally, here is a game that strikes a perfect balance between story and side-quests. When I spend an entire play session on side quests I never feel like I’m neglecting the story. Part of this is because Geralt isn’t trying to save the world. He’s not the most important or powerful person in the Northern Realms, he’s just a professional trying to save his daughter, and along the way he comes across people who need his help.

The other reason there’s very little disconnect between the two is that side quests are treated with as much respect as the story missions. The cut scenes are as detailed as main story ones, and conversations with lesser NPCs are still as beautifully animated as ones with main characters. Side quests feel important in this game because they’re shown to have a meaningful effect on the world and the narrative. Above all, every side quest contributes to building the game world: your choices, even the ones that seem inconsequential, can have a huge impact on the world, so choose carefully and be prepared for the fallout. Save a man from being killed by drowners and you may come to regret it when you find he used his freedom to slaughter refugees.

In addition to meaningful side quests, Wild Hunt gives witcher contracts a new sense of importance. Instead of sending you to kill ten wolves or collect five vampire fangs, The Witcher 3 pits you against particularly fierce monsters that have a backstory and a reason for existing. You won’t get sent to clear a harpy nest, but you will be asked to save a village from a noonwraith who happens to be the spirit of a girl who was murdered there. Witcher contracts are separate from regular side-quests and require you to conduct an investigation that may include asking witnesses, examining the surrounding areas, and hunting down a beast’s lair. The investigation is just as important as the eventual encounter with the beast, which makes you feel smarter while also driving home how intelligent Geralt is: he knows all there is to know about monsters and how to kill them, and now so do you!

Working through the new and improved witcher contracts also constructs a more complete understanding of the game world. By taking on these jobs you’re shaping the world: the villagers’ survival is implied to hinge on Geralt slaying the monsters, and by removing the threat to their settlement you’re making sure the world carries on.

witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_28_1920x1080_1433341635Most, though not all, of these contracts result in combat. So thankfully the combat in The Witcher 3 is wonderful, having been massively improved since its predecessor. I rolled my way through The Witcher 2 and looked ridiculous (but had fun – “wheee!”), so the new dodge ability is a welcome introduction. And those of you with sign-based builds will adore the alternate form of each of Geralt’s magical abilities. Overall, the combat is challenging and will punish you if you’re impatient, but it’s easy to master and once you do, you can weave your way through fights without getting touched and look magnificent doing so. While you can get away with hacking and slashing your way through this game, it isn’t the most efficient technique, and you won’t have as much fun. The combat demands that you pay attention and learn how to fight properly, but it rewards you with a sense of mastery and power.

The Witcher games are based off a series of novels and short stories, and where the first two games created independent narratives, Wild Hunt brings in iconic characters and plot lines from the books and knits them into the world of the previous games. The Witcher 3 acts as a continuation of the books, but one that benefits from the new narrative and world established in the previous games. CD Projekt Red has done an amazing job adapting characters like Ciri and Yennefer and Dijkstra into the new medium. They all look and sound amazing, and there’s none of the unpleasantness that comes from an unfaithful adaptation. It’s the most loving adaptation I’ve ever seen, and also one of the most intelligent.

But the developers went above and beyond by giving Ciri her own playable sections. Being able to play as Ciri is not only a fun gameplay change, it’s an effective storytelling method. As you progress though the story you’ll meet certain individuals who met with Geralt’s adopted daughter. Instead of simply listening to them tell their story, you take control over the events being retold. Hearing about her journey is one thing, but being in control of it empowers players and expands the world of the game beyond Geralt.

witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_21_1920x1080_1433341630Ciri is faster and weaker than Geralt, and her dodge is replaced by a blink ability. She can’t use signs but she can blink from one enemy to another on the battlefield in a devastatingly beautiful display. Her sections are very linear, and without a skills tree or inventory they’d get boring as a whole game, but used sparingly as they are they’re a wonderful addition to the game.

The Witcher games have always been set in large maps, but with Wild Hunt’s move to an open world came a map approximately 32 times larger than all the locations of the second game combined. With such a massive space to fill, it would have been easy for CD Projekt Red to populate it with bland copy-pasted landmarks and repetitive events. Instead, the world of The Witcher 3 is one of the most vibrant and exciting I’ve ever experienced!

There’s something amazing wherever you look, which is doing terrible things to my sleeping pattern. It’s scarily easy to tell yourself “I’ll just check out that tower over there and then I’ll go to bed,” and suddenly realise it’s somehow 3am.

And there’s so much to explore! Say goodbye to Dragon Age: Inquisition’s mosaic pieces and shard collector quests, to the bottles and planting flags, to the logging stands and quarries. I love Dragon Age: Inquisition and collected most of these, but they always felt separated from the world, as if they’d been dropped onto the map on the last day of development. In Wild Hunt, every landmark is built into the terrain logically, and every point of interest offers some task for you to achieve. Whether it’s clearing a monster nest, exploring a cave, rescuing prisoners from bandits, tracking down a great treasure and slaying its guardian, everything feels significant for the world.

On top of the way it’s constructed, the world is gorgeous! Don’t worry if your PC hardware is beginning to fall behind the times – The Witcher 3 is beautifully optimised and chances are you’ll still be able to make it shine. Part of this is thanks to the fact that the developers are still improving it. So far they’ve released four patches that have given lower-end GPUs a performance boost, fixed bugs, and implemented changes that the community has called for. With a game that offers so much content and boasts so many hours of gameplay, it’s relieving to see the developers dedicated to supporting its longevity.

witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_15_1920x1080_1433341626Certain gameplay changes have also been made to accommodate for the open world. This time around you’ll only need to brew potions once. After that, you’ll have a stockpile in your inventory which can be replenished by meditating for at least an hour with a strong alcohol in your inventory. This means no scrounging around for that one last petal, which was annoying enough in the first two games and would be beyond tedious in Wild Hunt. Potion effects have been reworked too. In The Witcher 2 the Swallow potion gives Geralt a 10 minute vitality regeneration buff, which was long enough to last for the entirety of pretty much any encounter in the game. In The Witcher 3, Swallow only lasts 20 seconds. To balance this out, potions in Wild Hunt aren’t as toxic to Geralt, and he can consume them during combat. Taking potions in preparation for battle worked well in the previous games, when the location of monsters was more structured, but this methodical approach isn’t practical in an open world with beasts hidden behind every corner.

Also facing roster changes is Wild Hunt’s selection of mini-games. Gone is the love-it-or-hate-it dice poker from the previous games. Welcome instead Gwent, a Hearthstone-esque, Magic the Gathering-esque card game that I can sink whole nights into if I’m not careful. Gwent is a 1v1 game that simulates two armies meeting on the battlefield. You can play against almost any merchant and certain main story-characters, and defeating opponents earns you a tidy bag of coins and a card to add to your collection. Building your deck by winning cards gives the mini-game a real sense of progression, and when you’ve progressed far enough you can take part in Gwent tournaments. I hope that one day we get a multiplayer Gwent tournament, because the developers have put so much work into this mini-game that it’s almost like they’ve made two whole games and sneakily bundled them together.

There’s not a lot to fault in The Witcher 3. Most of my issues with it are actually backhanded compliments. The lack of a photo mode is disappointing – because the game is so beautiful that I spend 30% of my time in it taking screenshots and just gazing at it in wonder. An updated inventory with more tabs and filters would be nice – because there’s so much amazing gear to find that it can take a while to sort through. I wish there were markers above the NPCs you’ve already defeated in Gwent – because I’m so addicted to building my deck.

witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_37_1920x1080_1433341642Aside from that, I have no criticisms. This is a game made by people who love what they do and want to give people the best game imaginable. I’m so glad CD Projekt Red took their time and delayed the game. The wait was hard, but it was worth it to be delivered this masterpiece of an RPG that just keeps getting better.

The Witcher 3 is a powerful roleplaying experience that serves up a complex and emotionally persuasive narrative. It treats its characters with respect and its players with even more respect. The world of Wild Hunt is a grim place to live, and your actions can be its salvation or its ruin. It’s impossible to be involved in these kinds of ambiguous and far-reaching decisions and not feel a connection to the world and its characters, and this is where the game shines. Above all, The Witcher 3 makes me believe that I am Geralt, I am a part of these character’s lives, and I am a part of this world.

Review by Alana Young

Twitter: @alana_groffle

What did you think of The Witcher 3? Let us know in the comments below

Watch the first trailer for REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER!

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REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt, to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. On the eve of their battle the warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made.

Watch the first trailer for REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER here:

REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE CARGIVER hits Netflix on April 19. Add it to your Watchlist now: www.netflix.com/RebelMoonPart2

Interview – Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor chat ‘Road House’

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Road House stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon. 

Road House is smashing on to Prime Video on March 21, and leading up to it’s release, Nick L’Barrow had the chance to attend a global press conference featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor as they discussed how this film honours the original, and filming a fight scene in front of crazy UFC fans!

Jake, you’ve been eager to work with Doug Liman for quite a while now! Why was this project the right thing for you guys to come together and collaborate?

Jake Gyllenhaal: I mean, first of all, we have been looking for a long time! I remember being out to dinner with him and talking to him about something else. And then he said, “You know, I’ve been reading this reimagining of Road House.” And I said, “That sounds crazy… let’s do that!”

The whole spirit of it was just, sort of, fun, and joy, and playful throughout the whole thing. Because of that, it was like that every day when we were working. It felt like you were working with your friend and he always wanted to get, like, a part of my personality that he said he hadn’t seen in a film before. I think we pushed each other. It was great!

You mentioned reimagining. The original film was made back in ’89, but you can tell with this film, there’s a lot of love for the original. I imagined personally for you, Jake, having worked with Patrick [Swayze] back on Donnie Darko that there’s a personal connection to this.

Jake Gyllenhaal: I mean, Patrick was the best. The most charismatic—I was a fan of his since I was a kid. I’ve watched Point Break maybe 500 times! My sister first took me to see Dirty Dancing when we were kids.

Then we did Donnie Darko and he was always so good to me, and his wife Lisa too. Just supporting me from the start and throughout the years. So I didn’t feel like a great responsibility because we both also come from theatre where you play parts and many other actors play the same part.

But I did feel I wanted to honour him, and I definitely wanted his energy from the original one, to bring it through, you know? Dalton shares some of the same personality traits that his character did too.

It was very important to all of us to respect the original. Both this and the original are produced by Joel Silver, too!

Conor, you make such an impression with the film! You just look like you’re having so much fun. Is that fair to say?

Conor McGregor: Yeah, it was a hell of a lot of fun! My first time doing it! I had an amazing cast to guide me and direct me, you know. Assist me. And they just told me to turn the crazy down a notch! So that was me turned down.

How much of that was in the script? This force of nature, not just physically, but his personality too?

Jake Gyllenhaal: When Conor said that he would do it, and he signed on, the part started to sort of grow in that way I think he brought a lot to it. He brought so many ideas.

I think what I was amazed by was your [Conor’s] brain was like constantly bringing ideas, lines, trying things.

Conor McGregor: We were given free rein to add… you know, we were allowed to be ourselves and they were very supportive of that. Gareth Warren and Steve Brown, who were the stunt guys who were co-ordinating the fighting scenes, if they laid the foundation and then we’d add a couple of blocks here and there, they would build us up and make us feel incredible.

Then we just grew as a team. We had a great team. Very bless and very happy and very proud that I got to deal with these people here.

Then we have the flashbacks with the UFC fights. You were actually in Vegas jumping in the ring between fights right?

Jake Gyllenhaal: Yeah, were we schedule to shoot at UFC 283. And the night before we went to do it, I got COVID. We were all basically there and then I couldn’t go ahead with it, so we had to cancel and wait two months for [UFC] 285 in Vegas.

What they [the UFC] said to us was depending on the how long the undercards went the distance or not, we’d have anywhere between 45 seconds and seven minutes. So we had to make five different alternate plans as to how much time the UFC would grant us to be in the octagon!

And obviously, for me, I consider this a sacred space, to be able to have people go in there and not be a professional fighter. Be in there, we focused on it like we were going to have all seven minutes. And they just said do the whole piece of the choreographed fight, and I thought, “Oh no. We’re going to do this in front of the whole UFC—all the fans and they’re gonna think this looks fake!

Conor McGregor: You did an amazing job, Jake! I know what you’re up against because UFC fans know when it’s real, and when it’s not true, they will not be behind it. That was kind of my addition, to make sure that it held true. And Jake is a consummate professional. I’m proud to walk alongside him, and he done the UFC proud.

I was in the crowd, and I was the fan! Then when the fans saw me cheering, they cheered and we got a great pop out of it! It was worth its weight in gold!

Thank you to Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor for their time, and to Prime Video and Kit Communications for access to the global press conference. Road House is streaming on Prime Video from March 21, and you can read Nick’s review here!

Review – Road House

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With all the machismo and corniness of the 80s action movies that the Jake Gyllenhaal led iteration of Road House unapologetically displays, it should come as no surprise that the recent uproarious reactions from the world premiere at SXSW almost unanimously praised it for being a wild crowd pleaser best seen with a big audience. And even though this film will only be available for the masses to view on Prime Video, and not in cinemas, there’s nothing stopping you from getting some friends around, getting a couple of beers and pizzas, and recreating the rowdy viewing experience, because Road House is an adrenaline fuelled actioner that deserves such treatment.

Serving as a modern reimagining of the 1989 action flick of the same name (which was headlined by an iconic performance from the late, great Patrick Swayze), Road House follows ex-UFC fighter, Dalton (Gyllenhaal) who is escaping a dark past filled with violence in and out of the octagon. His city-to-city drifting leads him to the Florida Keys, where the owner of a rough-‘em-up roadhouse, Frankie (Jessica Williams) hires Dalton to protect the bar from a violent gang terrorising the patrons and destroying the roadhouse.

But a brutal confrontation with the gang forces the hand of crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen) to enlist the services of ruthless, psychopathic gun-for-hire Knox (Conor McGregor), escalating the bloodshed to a level Dalton and the roadhouse has never seen before.

Director Doug Liman is no stranger to intense hand-to-hand brawls, shootouts, and high-octane action set pieces, with his most notable action-work including The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Edge of Tomorrow. One of the key elements that all of those films have in common is that the action is tense, brutal, and highly entertaining, something that Liman continues with Road House.

Every single punch, kick, head-butt, and even comedic slap (of which the audience is introduced to Dalton’s ass-kicking ability with a fantastic slap-fight) can be felt through the screen. The choreography, along with bone-crunching sound design and wide-lensed camera work capturing all the action in long takes makes for some brutally entertaining set-pieces, the standouts being a chaotic bar fight, and the body-slamming final stand off between Dalton and Knox.

While the action is adrenaline pumping, and due to interesting in camera techniques mixed with special effects to make it look like every punch literally connects, there are a few moments where an over abundance of CGI provides an uncanny valley feeling, split-second distracting the audience from the brawls to wonder why that punch looked a little off. Even when the action escalates to gun-fights, boat chases and explosions galore, the plastic looking flame-balls and blood-squibs do occasionally take away from the intensity.

Not lacking in intensity in anyway, shape, or form, is the physicality that Gyllenhaal and McGregor bring to their respective roles, both having an absolute blast sharing the screen together. Gyllenhaal effortless brings charisma and charm to the timidly exterior nature of Dalton, a nature that is hiding his violent rage that brews beneath the surface, which occasionally, and quite subtly, rears its head throughout first half of the film, before Dalton is fully let loose.

Dalton’s past slowly reveals itself as the story goes on, giving enough context and substance to his character without losing the fun within the drama. Gyllenhaal brings his own style of intensity to both aspects of the performance, reminiscent of the manic-energy shown in Ambulance, and the light-hearted fun of Spider-Man: Far From Home.

However, the true scene stealer of Road House is the unhinged energy of Conor McGregor, who right from his show-stopping (and very cheeky) entrance into the film, never lets the energy drop, bringing a chaotic atmosphere every time he is on screen. It absolutely goes without saying that McGregor holds his own with the fight choreography, using his already established physical confidence from the UFC to be an intimidating force of nature as Knox destructively rips and tears his way through the Florida Keys.

When it comes to acting, it’s better to remember this is McGregor’s first film. There are aspects of his delivery of dialogue that definitely will improve over time, but it is so apparent that he is enjoying chewing up the scenery, and his commitment to making Knox as unhinged as possible is undeniably fun to watch.

Road House could’ve been a 90-minute, all-action, no-fat romp, but there are a few extra side characters and side-plots that tie together the action with some semblance of story and structure. Crooked cops, blossoming romances, Dalton teaching the other bartenders how to defend themselves – all these little things do make up a stronger whole for the film overall, but there are elements of the story that drag out a little too long. It’s hard to come down off the extreme highs of the adrenaline dumps provided by each electric action scene when it’s followed by a slightly elongated dialogue or story scene that isn’t exactly top tier work.

It’s all-action, all-excitement, all-machismo, all-ridiculous, and all-fun. Road House is an energetic, kick-ass, wild ride that is led by the charismatic Jake Gyllenhaal and unhinged Conor McGregor in a throw-back 80s influenced flick that is best enjoyed with beers, pizzas and a couple of your rowdiest friends.

Road House is streaming on Prime Video from March 21. You can also read Nick’s interview with Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor and the cast of Road House here.

Win a double pass to see Wicked Little Letters

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A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark and absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, WICKED LITTLE LETTERS follows two neighbours: deeply conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley).

When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foulmouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women – led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) – begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all.

Thanks to Studio Canal, we have 10 in-season double-passes to giveaway to Novastream readers.

For your chance to WIN AN IN-SEASON DOUBLE PASS to Wicked Little Letters, fill out the form below. For a second entry in the competition, head to the Novastream Instagram page, and look for the Wicked Little Letters competition post for entry details!

Review – You’ll Never Find Me

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A loud thumping breaks through the sound of the relenting thunderstorm that has descended upon gruff loner Patrick’s (Brendan Rock) mobile home. It’s past midnight the night in the back corner of a caravan park and no one should be out in this weather. Reluctantly he opens the door to find a young woman (Jordan Cowan), soaked and in need of shelter from the lashings of the storm. Patrick invites her in, offering her dry clothes and food, but the two begin to suspect the motives of each other, thus beginning a strange and tense game of cat and mouse where the power dynamics continuously change, leaving us questioning who each character is behind their softly spoken words and seemingly innocent actions.

You’ll Never Find Me seems like a simple idea: two characters trapped in a single location. Questions begin to be raised as we get to know these characters through deftly delivered monologues as well as during quiet solo moments all within the confines or this three-room trailer. Conversations between the pair seem to hide their true motives making you constantly ask questions of yourself. It is these moments that subtle inconsistencies arise, minor insinuations turn into flat out deceit slowly building tension until neither can take it anymore.

Writer-Director Indianna Bell and co-director Josiah Allen have in their feature film directorial debut created a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. Bells tightly plotted script may have fallen flat in the hands of someone without intimate knowledge of the characters and scenario. The directors do an amazing job using long lingering shots of otherwise innate moments, punctuating strange comments coupled with practical light and sound effects to create an atmosphere able to keep you constantly guessing till the final moments.

A brilliantly written and directed script is only as good as the actors delivering it. Brenan Rocks portrayal of Patrick is highlighted in his growling delivery of every line. He gives us a broken man that we can feel sorry for with an underlying unease through hard to read facial expressions and an almost unemotional acceptance of this stranger appearing at his door. While across from him Jordan Cowan constantly left me questioning her motives switching from prey to predator seamlessly and back again in such a subtle way, I wasn’t even sure it was happening.

While usually not a fan of Aussie cinema, unpatriotic I know, You’ll Never Find Me hooked me early on with its sound design forcing me to find a way to experience it with my surround sound system cranked. In the background throughout the storm rages outside, never relenting making the trailer groan and creak as though some unseen force is trying to get inside. A radio crackles yet is unintelligible and moments of dialogue are muffled though being spoken through a veil. Couple this with an ominous score the sound design heaps on the tension throughout.

These elements together combine to produce a genuinely uneasy and, at times, uncomfortable viewing experience. If I had one criticism it comes with the third act. While a fitting reveal, given the amount of build up experienced it felt a little rushed for the amount that is pushed into the final moments. This is only a minor gripe and barely worth noting as the movie does exactly what it sets out to do. It keeps us engaged and uneasy and forces us to question where the threat is coming from.

You’ll Never Find Me is coming to selected cinemas from March 16th and is due to stream on Shudder from March 22

Review – Love Lies Bleeding

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Saint Maud is one of the most memorable and terrifying psychological thrillers in recent memory. The religious horror is shocking, violent, disturbing, and responsible for one of the greatest final shots (and jump scares) in a horror film, possibly ever. Filmmaker Rose Glass made an impact in the indie film scene as Saint Maud did the festival circuit, garnering critical acclaim, and eventually being picked up by indie powerhouse distributor A24, who have now brought Glass’ highly anticipated sophomore feature to the screen in Love Lies Bleeding.

Swapping the religious horror foundation for a pulpy, neon-lit, noir aesthetic doesn’t mean Glass has dropped the shocking, violent, and disturbing nature. In fact, Glass has doubled down creating a super bloody and tension filled crime-thriller that follows bodybuilding drifter Jackie (Katy O’Brian), who on her way to a competition in Las Vegas, makes a pit stop in New Mexico where she meets Lou (Kristen Stewart), a gym manager who has familial ties to a dark web of crime, led by her father Lou Sr. (Ed Harris).

As an intense, romantic spark ignites between Jackie and Lou, their love soon travels down a path of bloody violence when their undying loyalty to each other is tested after a shocking act of abuse causes an unprecedented reaction that reveals more about the two lovers to each other than first anticipated.

Set against the backdrop of the 1980s, the neon-lights, mullets, perms, and flamboyant spandex add a sense of dirtiness to the already gritty landscape of New Mexico. Whether it’s grungy gyms or dank dive bars, Rose Glass’ visual tone of the film grabs you immediately with its pulp-noir aesthetic. It’s a perfect matching of aesthetic and tone, captured sharply by Glass’ direction, that purposefully never shies away from the grittiness of the film, in both scenery and violence.

Another immediately engaging aspect of Love Lies Bleeding is its mystery. If Saint Maud is anything to go by regarding how Glass plays out her narratives, haunting images like red-shaded murders and stare-down shots of the off-putting Lou Sr. playing out without explanation are expected and do a brilliant job of constantly reminding the audience that there is an inherent darkness brooding underneath this love story.

Weaving a series of, for the majority, degenerate characters (some of who have the occasional redeeming qualities) in and out of Jackie and Lou’s story richly enhances the world surrounding them, often with disdain of their actions, but also carrying that gross feeling of not being able to look away from what they’re doing, because morbid curiosity keeps brining you back in to find out more about this deep web of criminals.

Ed Harris as Lou Sr. and Dave Franco as JJ are the epitome of this gross feeling that lingers around the film. They are misogynistic, violent, abusive men who have the power at the beginning of this film, and its anger inducing because they are disgusting, despicable degenerates. It’s a testament to both actors, especially to Franco who is playing so heavily against type in this role, for creating such characters who cause such visceral reactions. JJ’s disgusting nature is equally matched by Lou Sr.’s truly intimidating presence.

However, it’s Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart who carry this story on their shoulders, exploding with chemistry and screen presence in career defining roles. Stewart’s commitment to Lou’s spiral throughout the story showcases her ability to combine nuance and electric charged performances, something that makes the character of Lou so interesting to watch go through the brutal ringer of events in this film.

Katy O’Brian is a force, stealing every moment she’s on screen with her physicality and emotionally dialled performance as Jackie. A former bodybuilder herself, O’Brian’s naturally muscular frame not only serves Jackie’s character arc, but also her strong personality and intense desire to be a champion bodybuilder. But it’s the chemistry between O’Brian and Stewart, how their love develops, and how their relationship is affected by the events of the film, that is the most engaging and fantastic aspect of Love Lies Bleeding.

Rose Glass is not afraid to shock audiences, and the violence in this film makes that apparent. But it’s the bold swings Glass takes with certain visuals and unnatural, body horror elements that put her stamp as a filmmaker on Love Lies Bleeding. It gets disturbing, confronting and cringe-inducing. It will also be the most divisive aspect of the film for most audiences. Suspending belief is somewhat of a requirement for the rapidly rising insanity, but it’s worth it for the pay off.

Love Lies Bleeding is a shocking, brutal and brilliant second film from Rose Glass. Glass’ ability to simultaneously disturb the audience, but also make us root for the intense love that develops between the main characters, is a testament to her filmmaking. Anchored by two powerhouse performances from Stewart and O’Brian, and disgustingly good supporting turns from Harris and Franco, make this pulpy, noir thriller one not miss.

Love Lies Bleeding is in Australian cinemas March 14, courtesy of VVS Films.

Interview – ‘The Nut Farm’ director Scott Corfield talks 80s inspirations and working with Arj Barker

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San Francisco based crypto trader Brendan Brandon (Arj Barker) loses everything when his investments collapse but an opportunity presents itself when his missing uncle (Roy Billing) gifts him the family’s macadamia nut farm in the small Australian town of Cobweb. Faced with a unexpected legal caveat and some evil New Zealander gas frackers, Brendan soon realises that a quick sale of the old farm might not be as easy as he’d hoped.

Leading up to The Nut Farm‘s release in theatres on March 14, Nick L’Barrow had the opportunity to chat with the film’s director and co-writer, Scott Corfield, about his 80s comedy inspirations for the film’s tone, working with Arj Barker, and the films tough journey to the big screen!

Nick: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Scott! I watched the film yesterday afternoon, and it truly felt like the perfect Sunday afternoon anecdote coming into a Monday because it’s so fun and light hearted.

Scott Corfield: Weirdly enough, that’s exactly what we [Scott and writer/actor Arj Barker] were talking about when we were planning this film. One of those films that people can watch with a Sunday afternoon sort of vibe, that’s for children too and not too over the top. Just easy watching and a bit of fun really!

Nick: It really felt like that! And I appreciate you taking the time to chat about the film today. I’m curious to find out how you initially became involved with The Nut Farm. As a fan of Arj Barker’s stand up, this definitely fits his comedic sensibilities. But you had done a pretty heavy drama in Don’t Tell before this. So what was that transition like for you in to the world of comedy?

Scott Corfield: Don’t Tell was a really hard film to make, and get funded, and be in that headspace of the lead character, and do the research. I mean, it’s nothing compared to what some who’s gone through that level of abuse is like. But after, you know, doing that film for three or four years, I decided I need to do something a little lighter, and just have a bit of fun.

So, The Nut Farm was just a little film that I was trying to get up and going while I had a whole bunch of other bigger projects in development. And it turned out that it was one of the hardest films ever to get up! It was just insanely difficult, and harder than even Don’t Tell.

Nick: How so?!

Scott Corfield: Surprisingly enough, it was distributors and funding bodies. Although Australian cinema history is peppered with great comedies, which we’re most known for, people were really reluctant to do comedies and back them from a distributor level and a funding level. Everyone seemed to feel that they’re too risky to take on. And so, I had such difficulty trying to get this up.

I think Aussies love their comedies. We have a very unique sense of humour and I think you’ve gotta play to your strengths. Everyone I know and love, love joking around. So, naturally it would seem that a film like this would be perfect for the cinema!

Then we had COVID, and our film ended up falling over, you know, two or three times. So, in the end, I had to cut our budget by probably a third of what I think was probably needed. I had to use every trick in the book that I have learned over years of filmmaking – cheating shots, reducing crews, and all sorts of little things here and there, to get it up and running.

But it’s been a great journey and working with Arj [Barker] has been fantastic. Like you said, he’s a legendary Australian comedian and it was such a joy to work with him. It surely was fun.

Nick: I think another one of the reasons that this film deserves to be seen at a cinema is the 80s/90s adventure film aesthetic you have! From the cinematography, the lighting, and especially the set design of the bunker – it looked like so many of the films I grew up watching. What was the process of bringing that style and aesthetic to the film?

Scott Corfield: Yeah, you’re exactly right! That’s exactly what I was going after. I grew up watching things like The Goonies and E.T. I still remember the cinema seats I was sitting in when I saw those great films. It’s just so burned into my brand.

And I love the comedies from that time. I love Bill Murray comedies, even National Lampoon’s and all sorts of stuff. It just seemed like a time where film was a lot more fun and easy to watch, and a bit, kind of, quirky. A bit of escapism. That’s where that came from.

And, you know, I love big characters. I think they can reveal a fair about us as a culture. When you’re looking at people like Zoron [Jonno Roberts], it’s crazy and over the top. But there’s a whole lot of truth in people like that. I used to have a boss who was every bit as flamboyant and crazy as that, but so wildly dangerous as well!

Nick: That leads into my next question, because through the character of Zoron, the film explores themes like the environment and anti-fracking, but there is also a prevalent theme of community in this story. What do you think makes comedy such a good vessel to explore these sorts of themes?

Scott Corfield: You know, I really care for the environment, and I thought the anti-fracking message in an important one. I don’t think we still do enough to protect the environment, you know? We treat it like a pin cushion as far as the fracking world goes, and I think it’s certainly time we moved on from fossil fuels. And I do get that it’s a complex debate I think that should’ve started a long time ago, not just now.

But, I think a very good way to put that in a film, is to bury it in something that’s watchable. I mean, you’re not preaching, you’re not smacking people over the head with a club. I credit the idea to Michael Moore. I saw an interview with him, and the interviewer said, “You seem to be softening in your old age?” And he said, “No, no. I’m getting more angry. But I realised that to get audiences to listen, I’ve got to sprinkle it with sugar.”

So, we just kept throwing sugar on this thing until we thought it was watchable!

Nick: Speaking of quotes, I wanted to get your take on a something I heard from William H. Macy recently, who was talking about how the actor shouldn’t try to be funny, or make the scene funny. It’s the sincerity and seriousness from the actor in that situation that makes the comedy funny. So, I’m curious to know if that translates into directing? Obviously, The Nut Farm is quite intentionally funny and quirky, but do you approach the material with that same sincerity, or is about always going for the joke and the laugh?

Scott Corfield: Well, I come from a bit of an acting background, and some study in that area. So as a director, I’m all about performance. That’s the thing I love, and I love working with actors.

I think you can’t play a joke to try and make it funny. You have to ground everything in reality. And it has to be truthful to the character. Even if it’s Zoron and his milk obsession. He has to completely commit to the absurdity of the situation, and then the comedy comes out of that.

You can push a little bit to try and get a bit more out of it. But I think if you just try for jokes, they’re not going to come in to land. I think you just have to trust the material and believe and deliver it with sincerity.

Thank you to Scott Corfield for his time, and to Bonsai Films and NixCO PR for organising the interview. The Nut Farm is in cinemas March 14.

Win a double pass to see The Nut Farm!

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San Francisco based crypto trader Brendon Brandon (Arj Barker) loses everything when his investments collapse but an opportunity presents itself when his missing uncle (Roy Billing) gifts him the family’s macadamia nut farm in the small Australian town of Cobweb. Faced with a unexpected legal caveat and some evil New Zealand gas frackers, Brendon soon realises that a quick sale of the old farm might not as be as easy as he’d hoped.

Thanks to Bonsai Films, we have 15 in-season double-passes to giveaway to Novastream readers.

For your chance to WIN AN IN-SEASON DOUBLE PASS to The Nut Farm, fill out the form below. For a second entry in the competition, head to the Novastream Instagram page, and look for the The Nut Farm competition post for entry details!

Win a double pass to see Immaculate!

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Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, a young nun welcomed to a prestigious convent in the idyllic Italian countryside.  But it’s not long before, she realises that the very walls that shelter her also conceal malevolent and unspeakable horrors, threatening her faith and safety in ways she could never have imagined.

Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have 10 in-season double-passes to giveaway to Novastream readers.

For your chance to WIN AN IN-SEASON DOUBLE PASS to Immaculate, fill out the form below. For a second entry in the competition, head to the Novastream Instagram page, and look for the Immaculate competition post for entry details!

Catch Immaculate in cinemas March 21.

Trailer – The First Omen

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A brand new trailer for The First Omen has been released from 20th Century Studios. The film serves as a prequel to the classic horror film franchise.

When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. “The First Omen” stars Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”), Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (“The Northman”), with Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson and based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (“Firestarter”).

The trailer has some incredibly creepy footage that looks like it should offer up some a truly scary experience when the film is released in April 4, 2024.