Game On
Film Review Hits and misses on the silver screen around town
Gaming news with Adam Guetti
JAN
New Releases
As we welcome in January 2016, we arrive at the time where the wait for your most anticipated titles is at its most painful. But don’t despair, for there are still a few great games you can invest in. You’re probably going to have to bide your time until Wednesday January 20 though, because that’s the day you’ll be able to get your hands on the Ghostbusters level pack for Lego Dimensions (PS4, XBO, Wii U, PS3, 360). With it comes Lego figures of Peter Venkman, the Ecto-1 and a ghost trap, as well as the Spook Central Adventure level.
2016
If you’re after something a little more adult, Thursday January 21 introduces the physical copy of Zombi to both Xbox One and PS4. The game was formerly a Wii U exclusive (known as ZombiU), before eventually being digitally ported to new-gen systems. It’s followed a day later on Friday January 22 by Resident Evil Origins Collection (PS4, XBO, PC). This zombie value meal deal combines a HD remaster of Resident Evil Zero (an old Nintendo GameCube exclusive) as well as the previously released Resident Evil Remaster. For those of you sick of the undead shufflers, however, why not check out Life Is Strange – an episodic tale with a time-travel twist. All five episodes have been collated into the Life Is Strange Limited Edition (PS4, XBO, PC), which also hits shelves on Friday January 22.
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel in Youth ■ Film
YOUTH In cinemas Saturday December 26 On the odd occasion, you come across a film that seems like it may, in fact, be genuinely masterful, but there’s a nagging sense that maybe, just maybe, the film doesn’t floor you because it wasn’t made for you. That’s the lingering sense that Youth leaves, a film in which the craft is undeniable but the focal points for the story limit the target market.
to the future, so close you could touch it, while the old look to the past, so very far away. The sense of a wasted past, the focus on men and male relationships and the overwhelming wealth of everyone involved make the film seem very specifically built for peers of Caine and Keitel. There’s considerable irony in the sense that a film meant to make you focus on the time you have left, and how you spend it, should have you repeatedly glancing at your watch. The twohour runtime feels as speedy as the motorised wheelchairs that crawl around the hotel.
Retired composer Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and active filmmaker Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) make an annual habit of attending a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps to while away their remaining years. When Fred is asked to conduct his own composition for the Queen, it sparks a shift in his lonely existence that is mirrored in both Mick and the diverse array of guests to the hotel.
But buried within that stretch are moments of utter beauty – Caine’s conducting of the wilderness; the discovery of his motivations for refusing to perform; surprising reveals from both Dano’s struggling actor and Madalina Diana Ghenea’s Miss Universe; and a number of hallucinatory dreams that offer a glimpse of Sorrentino’s considerable imagination.
Italian maestro Paolo Sorrentino has accessed the finest actors of a generation for this exploration of memory, achievement and reflection. Alongside the deeply melancholic Caine and gently witty Keitel are brilliant performances from Paul Dano, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda, as well as Alex MacQueen reprising his hilarious, wince-inducing character from the BBC’s The Thick Of It.
Cameos from the soundtrack’s contributors delight; Mark Kozelek (AKA Sun Kil Moon) makes a number of appearances, an artist whose pensive gloominess best reflects the lasting impression of the film.
It’s an odd film from a creative who is only 45. In an exquisite moment, Keitel uses a telescope to explain to a young actress that the young look
Youth is a love song to the hallowed past, and as Nick Cave once said, no good love song is without melancholy. Imperfect, but rewarding for those with the patience.
David Molloy
five minutes WITH
ANDREW KOTATKO, DIRECTOR OF WHOEVER WAS USING THIS BED
W
hat’s the premise behind Whoever Was Using This Bed, your new short fi lm? The fi lm is based on a short story by Raymond Carver, whose writing served as a foundation for the fi lm Birdman. The premise of Whoever Was Using This Bed is a confronting life-and-death question that is ignited in the minds of an insomniac married couple. The couple are played by two superb performers: the French/ American actor Jean-Marc Barr from The Big Blue and Australian actress Radha Mitchell, whose work I loved in Woody Allen’s Melinda And Melinda.
Finally, wrapping up the first month of the year is the latest franchise to get Lego-fied: Lego Marvel’s Avengers (PS4, XBO, Wii U, PC, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita). The wait for Infi nity Wars Part I is going to be a long one, so this heroic adventure makes use of the plot from both the original film and Age Of Ultron. You can pick it up for yourself from Wednesday January 27 – no assembly required.
Review: Rainbow Six Siege (PS4, XBO, PC)
Y
ou hear something from around the corner. You’re not entirely sure what it is, but it’s a tight match, so you decide it wise to err on the side of caution and check things out. Before you know it, bullets start flying from the walls and the ceiling above you explodes into a destructive mosaic of tiny pieces. In the blink of an eye you’ve been defeated, and your team quickly follows suit. It’s a tale perfect for the campfire, but one that isn’t actually all that uncommon for Rainbow Six Siege, a game that tries to operate outside of the standard flavour
RTX Australia
of the month – and mostly succeeds. This is not a game about gargantuan mechanical robots, unbelievable perks or having a jetpack attached to your back. Instead, Siege is all about finding the right tactics and strategy as your team of five goes head-to-head with another team of five over a variety of admittedly similar game modes, such as locating and saving a hostage. Gadgets will help you gain a better understanding of your surroundings and enemies, while keeping in constant communication with your squad is crucial. Unless you have a reliable group of friends, however, finding a group of gamers all utilising microphones can be a difficult process, and one that can actually diminish the overall experience of the final product. So too a lack of substantially different game modes can make Rainbow Six Siege feel a touch repetitive, but they’re minor blemishes in an otherwise polished multiplayer experience.
Youth Holiday Event:
RTX is a pretty big deal in America – a Pixel Art yearly event deep in the heart of Texas, run Looking for some kid-friendly activities by internet royalty Rooster Teeth. Now the to participate in during the school group is making its first official spin-off holiday break? Then why not head in Sydney. Running from Saturday on down to Randwick City Library what's January 23 – Sunday January 24 at on Thursday January 7 where Australian Technology Park, RTX children enrolled in school years Australia will contain an assortment 7 to 12 can help create game- and of panels, games, parties, live streams superhero-inspired pixel art with and demonstrations for you to dig in the power of Post-it notes. It’s clean, to. Plus, this is your best opportunity to simple, pure family fun, and the best part meet your favourite personalities from Rooster is that it’s totally free for the little ones. Teeth, Funhaus and Achievement Hunter. To find out more about the event, just visit Tickets can be bought from rtxau.com. randwick.nsw.gov.au.
on
Review: Just Cause 3 (PS4, XBO, PC)
How much does it draw from the text on which it’s based, and where does it differ? Every fi lm adaptation is a reimagining of the text on which it’s based. The original story is in essence a darkly funny and very touching dialogue between a married couple. The fi lm expands upon that and incorporates another element, a mysterious phone caller voiced by the wonderful Jane Birkin, who develops a strange connection with JeanMarc’s character. Is it a straight-up drama, or is there more to the fi lm than that? People who’ve seen the fi lm have told me that it plays like an intimate American drama from the ’70s, but there’s defi nitely a visual quality to the fi lm that evokes classic fi lm noir. I think it also has an emotionally unnerving and suspenseful quality to it. It feels a bit like a thriller. When it came to creating the mystery and unsettling atmosphere, were there many fi lmmakers’ tricks you relied on or avoided? I just tried to be honest in my creative choices. So I guess honesty was probably my only fi lmmakers’ trick! This project had a long development – almost seven years – and we were very lucky to work with Altaire Productions, who backed us all the way. Time gives you the opportunity to really think about every decision you’re making, from writing, to casting, to key creatives. Then you need to just let it all happen on the set. Good fi lmmaking is good collaboration, and I love working with open-hearted and talented people. What: Whoever Was Using This Bed as part of Flickerfest will mark the fi lm’s Australian premiere, but Flickerfest 2016 where else has it or will it show overseas? Where: Bondi Pavilion It’s shortlisted for a couple of great international fi lm When: Friday January 8 – festivals, so fi ngers crossed! And I’m really looking forward Sunday January 17 to sharing the fi lm at Flickerfest, which is a fantastic festival with such a diverse selection of fi lms from all over More: flickerfest.com.au the world.
thebrag.com
W
hile open-world classics like Grand Theft Auto try to take themselves relatively seriously outside of their potential carnage and ridiculous ensemble cast, the Just Cause franchise has always been the polar opposite to it all. You want to blow up all of the things? Go right ahead. Need a grapple hook that completely defies gravity? Consider it done. It’s an attitude that has helped popularise the franchise to great heights, and Just Cause 3 certainly doesn’t rock the boat, choosing to amplify the destruction even more. Take the tweaked grappling hook as a prime example. Now, protagonist Rico Rodriguez can control the tension of the hook, meaning that if you want to, you’re free to attach a tank to a flying helicopter… then tighten the rope to smash them against one another. The console version does experience some performance issues, but hopefully they’re ironed out quickly, because despite a mindless narrative, Just Cause 3 contains some of the most unabashed video game joy you’ll get all year.
BRAG :: 644 :: 23:12:15 :: 23