The Creeping Garden

The Creeping Garden is certainly an apt title for a documentary with an ethereal atmosphere that somehow permeates the majority of the film. The Creeping Garden is about slime. More specifically, plasmodial slime mould, that is neither a fungus nor an animal (an important distinction).

The first half of the documentary is focused on the slime itself; how it was discovered, what it is, how it functions, and so on. Between the interviews and information there is a wonderful pairing between audio and visual. Constant time-lapse close-ups of the slime are overlaid with a strange, pulsing soundtrack that makes The Creeping Garden feel like a science-fiction catastrophe waiting to happen. Several times my mind drifted to thoughts of films such as The Blob and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to a degree where I was almost expecting the documentary to subvert my expectations and turn into a creepy piece of fiction.

It didn't, of course, though this isn't a criticism. Rather, it speaks volumes on how effective the audio and visuals in The Creeping Garden truly are. I'd argue that a more appropriate comparison would be the episode 'The Deep' from The Blue Planet; the educational aspect is almost secondary to what your eyes and ears receive. Even if the subject matter does nothing for you, the strange atmosphere certainly will.

Sadly, the second half doesn't maintain this level of engagement. The focus shifts from what the slime is to the relationship that various individuals share with it, whether they be scientists, artists, or engineers. The strange atmosphere fades away, which results in an interest in the slime itself to be something of a necessity. I am fully aware that this is more of a  preference rather than objective criticism, so I can't fault The Creeping Garden for this. That being said, as the first half portrays the slime as such an abstract, almost conscious thing with striking visuals and sound, the second portion feels like something of a deflation. On the other hand, I did have to question whether the initial set-up would have sustained a full-length documentary.

Overall though, The Creeping Garden is worth seeking out; the visuals and sound are so arresting in their own right. It loses momentum, certainly, but that can't completely take away from what a strangely hypnotic experience The Creeping Garden really is. It is unlike any documentary I've seen before, and one that will confuse yet tantalise.

★★★☆☆

Lewis Hill

The Creeping Garden at CeX

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CeX is coming to K-Con in Kerry!

You heard right - We are bringing our awesomeness to Kerry Comic Con this weekend!

Along with all the usual, awesome geek-hype K-Con has to offer - we will be holding our Comic Con Photo competition where you have a chance to win up to €250 CeX vouchers!

Just get your photo snapped by one of our team with the CeX Recycler or our Green Eyed Fuzzball. Pics will be uploaded to our Facebook page, photos with the highest likes wins!

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A Street Cat Named Bob

Movies based on books are often hit or miss, and British films sometimes fail to be more than the sum of their parts, no matter the cast, crew or script. A Street Cat Named Bob isn’t the biggest film to hit the cinemas in recent months, nor was it given much attention aside from the odd advert I spied while watching The Chase on a lazy weekend.

I remember talking about the book when my fiancee and I saw the ad, and she was enough of a fan to tell me the story, and that it was based on real events. “Yeah, like Schindler’s List?” I replied, thinking I was clever and funny. (I was neither). But it turns out there is an element of truth to the tale in a Street Cat Named Bob. Luke Treadaway stars as James Bowen, starting out as an unsuccessful busker on the streets of London. As a recovering heroin addict, he's at a low point in life, and meets a feline friend that helps him to sort himself out by learning to care for others.

You don’t have to be an animal lover to understand how important animals can be for therapy, while it shines a light on the difficulties that come with addiction, as well as the struggles in terms of the recovery process while homeless.

Many books have had their original meaning torn away in a bid to make the story more transferrable on the silver screen, but Bob is reasonably true to the source material. (According to my partner at least.) They went for an actor that vaguely looks like Bowen, while the cat plays himself. Bob’s not a bad actor, putting a few of us meatbags to shame with a performance that does well in terms of showing what life was like for his owner. 

As one of the many inhabitants of London, it’s clear that homelessness and drug abuse are reasonably rife, and it’s unlikely that everyone will be lucky enough to have a stray cat walk into their life. As a celebration of the story it’s a great film, showing the animal the attention it deserves after indirectly saving his human. If it wasn't based on reality, there'd still be a decent message to draw out, but as it is, it’s one that should leave most with a warm feeling by the time the credits start rolling. If parts are slightly embellished, there’s no shame considering the overarching message is a positive one.

Most super fans of the book will probably have seen the film already, and to be honest you probably won’t miss much if you decide to skip it considering the lack of any major deviations in terms of plot. It’s filmed well enough, and it’s not like the story is hard to follow. Still, for newcomers like me, it was a welcome addition to the list of watchable British films - with the added bonus of no Danny Dyer. If you’re tired of period nonsense and London gangster films, (you shlag) you can’t go wrong with a bit of Bob.

★★★★☆

James Milin-Ashmore

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Burn, Burn, Burn

‘Burn, Burn, Burn’ is one of many brilliant indie films that I’ve had the pleasure of watching this year. Directed by Chanya Button it stars both Chloe Pirrie and Laura Carmichael – I’m seeing these two a lot these days in various different film and TV appearances, and as always the acting is fantastic.

Ally (Pirrie) and Seph (Carmichael) have recently endured the death of their 29 year old best friend Dan (Jack Farthing). He hadn’t told them that he was dying of cancer and so his death came as a surprise. Just before they leave his funeral his step-dad shows them a video that Dan made for the girls before he died, asking them to scatter his ashes (secured in a Tupperware box) at four different locations for reasons unbeknown to them. After a series of unfortunate events that evening and the next day the two decide to go ahead with the plan, and set off on a road trip that becomes less about Dan and more about their own lives as they find themselves facing a whole set of painful issues against their will.

As mentioned already the acting by both Pirrie and Carmichael is great, but Farthing is also brilliant as Dan, who features rather a lot for a newly-dead person. The whole story is very character-driven, and there are some great minor characters to keep it from becoming too repetitive, such as Ingrid (Sally Phillips), Seph’s overly-spiritual boss for her nanny job, and the mystical character Adam (Julian Rhind-Tutt) whose long ramblings seem inspiring until you’ve sobered up a bit.

Something that really struck me about ‘Burn, Burn, Burn’ was just how well the emotional side of it came across – you’re expecting perhaps a slight welling of the eyes from the general idea of two people coming to terms with their friend’s death while scattering his ashes, but there’s so much more packed into it that by the end it’s become a full-blown sobfest (I’ll admit I didn’t just sob at this one – I bawled). Some of the scenes, particularly during the second half, are difficult to watch as we see Dan deteriorate and the two girls make future-changing decisions, yet despite the tear-jerker that it is the comedy is still spot-on at all points. It’s a nice balance really, and it stops it from being overly depressing.

The film had to be a bit depressing though to get such a poignant message across so well - instead of complaining about our lives and letting it get on top of us, we should just go ahead and live it. We can all relate to making this mistake more than we intend to (maybe some of us haven’t realised yet that we’re doing it) and so maybe that’s why the emotion portrayed is just so affecting. It’s also down to the wonderful acting and composition of the story, of course, yet this message stayed with me long after the film had finished and really got me thinking about certain aspects of my life.

Don’t let the potential for a life-changing epiphany put you off though – although it’s a bit heavy at points it’s got a captivating story and a bunch of characters that you just can’t help but feel for. A rollercoaster of a ride, but one that everyone should make time for.

★★★★★

Hannah Read

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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

There is no denying that Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a large game, and no-one could be caught saying that they blitzed through the entire campaign in a matter of hours - but sometimes less is more, and Ubisoft definitely would have benefited from employing a little more restraint in building their representation of Bolivia.

Getting things off on the wrong foot immediately, the plot is nothing to write home about, being a typical tale where American agency refuses to help under-privileged country fight against a regime of drug production, until one of their own is killed. After that, things devolve into one long quest for revenge -killing the head of the Santa Blanca Cartel, El Sueno.

Interestingly enough, you don't just work your way through a linear list of missions, instead you have free reign to explore the titular Wildlands, whereby you discover scraps on Intel scattered around the map, which lead you to different Cartel targets. Each target is a thread of the Cartel spiders-web, and you have to work your way through each sub-boss, getting closer and closer to the head honcho.

This is an interesting way to structure the gameplay, and certainly affords players an amount of freedom and choice of how they approach the game. The sad thing is that each area of the map, and each group of sub-bosses plays out in exactly the same way. The unique Intel-gathering quickly becomes repetitive and it becomes a chore to grind through each underling one by one before you can reach the bosses. Not only that, but in order to level up, you must gather resources - which entails repeatedly playing a group of side quests, over and over.

Having a gigantic map to explore, with impressive environmental aesthetics, can only carry the title so far. Gunplay isn't particularly satisfying, and despite constantly being able to discover new weapons and modify them with parts, once you get a decent sniper rifle, there is no need to ever use another weapon in-game. Add to the mix a non-sticky cover system that never seems to work when you want it to, and there are a lot of drawbacks to Wildlands.

The whole experience is saved somewhat by the fun to drive, arcade-like vehicle mechanics, and the persistent co-operative multiplayer that allows you and up to three friends to easily drop in and out of each others games. Whether you choose for a quick bit of stealth action, or to all pile into a tank and cause some destruction is up to you, but almost all the fun to be had in the game is that which you and your friends can drag out of it.

If the game mechanics were placed in a shorter and more focused overall experience, Wildlands would be infinitely stronger. Any fun you do derive from the title is soon eroded by repetition however, as interesting gameplay ideas alone can't save this mission.

★★★☆☆

Robin Parker

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The Incident

‘The Incident’, the first feature-length film to be directed by Jane Linfoot, looks at how a series of small mistakes can lead to one bad situation. Successful and affluent couple Annabel (Ruta Gedmintas) and Joe (Tom Hughes) have finally managed to get some time away from their jobs to spend instead with each other in their idyllic home in the rural outskirts. Whilst waiting for a takeaway pizza Joe is forced into conversation with Lily (Tasha Connor), a young local prostitute, who eventually convinces him to partake in her services, so to speak. Afterwards he drives home with his cold pizza, but can’t get what he’s done out of his mind.

Blissfully unaware of what’s happened or who Lily is, Annabel then sees her whilst she’s waiting at the train station, and she can see that something is up with her. She has the opportunity to help but chooses not to, instead focusing on getting home so she can take a pregnancy test whilst Joe is back at work. Little do the couple know but both of their actions are going to lead to something much worse, and the cracks in their own relationship will only get bigger.

Sounds like a good premise, right? That’s what I thought too when I read the synopsis on the back of the ol’ DVD case. This is the problem with the film – it’s a great idea, but when it’s put into practice it just didn’t work the way I envisage it was planned. The main issue is that the story starts of great but quickly descends into a dead-end plot – all of the suspense was in the first half leading up to the big event, and then after that it just sort of petered out. Unfortunately it just feels drab, and is so slow-moving at points that it feels like it’s never going to resolve.

The other issue was that I completely struggled to relate to any of the characters aside from Lily at certain points. The two main characters are hardly the type of people you’re drawn into immediately – one is a lifeless man who is easily led by a vulnerable young prostitute, and the other is a self-centred bitch with no intention of helping others and clearly no consideration for anyone but herself (judging by the frequent wine and cigarettes following the news from the pregnancy test). They both irritated me to no end and I couldn’t feel any sort of compassion towards any of them, instead wishing that they’d both just split up and move apart so the whole drama would cease to exist.

Despite all of this, some parts of the film were fantastic – Linfoot’s ability to direct so much suspense into a film is captivating, and she coupled this with a soundtrack so unsettling that I felt really on edge for most of the film. It was also thoughtfully shot, but again this all happened much more in the first half where the majority of the story happened.

I’d hoped for more from ‘The Incident’, but sadly it wasn’t to be. It really was a promising idea from a director with collection of shorts bearing similar, ‘need-to-be-talked-about’ themes under her belt – it just didn’t deliver.

★★☆☆☆

Hannah Read

The Incident at CeX

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The Accountant

Like Keanu Reeves, Ben Affleck has recently become a meme for his sadness. While promoting the critically-panned Batman Vs. Superman, Affleck became ‘Sadfleck’ during an interview and, since then, has been something of a laughing stock – not helped by how busy 2016 was for him. Alongside the hated Batman was an appearance in the equally loathed Suicide Squad, his directorial disaster Live By Night and, the subject of this review, Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant. Described by some as “John Wick meets Good Will Hunting”, let’s take a closer look and find out if this one fits in with the rest of Affleck’s 2016 shite.

Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a small-town public accountant with high-functioning autism who, unbeknownst to the world, makes his living uncooking the books of dangerous criminal organizations around the world. Known as ‘The Accountant’ by the law, he is being hunted by Raymond King (JK Simmons) and shit goes down. Yes, guns are fired, don’t worry…It’s a fairly engrossing little thriller plotline – there are twists and turns a-plenty, and a rock solid cast to boot. Expect to see John Lithgow, Jon Bernthal, Anna Kendrick and Jeffrey Tambor do their thing before the credits roll. But despite this, The Accountant doesn’t really do anything interesting.

Firstly, the surprise. Ben Affleck puts in a fine performance and carries the film well. Ben Affleck is trying, ladies and gentlemen. And he succeeds. As the autistic savant at the centre of the story, Affleck puts in a nuanced performance that could earn him bottom-end awards. Nowhere near Oscar quality, sure, but a pat on the back at least. Described by some as a superhero movie for arguably putting an autistic hero in an action film, The Accountant could be the basis of inspiration for those battling the affliction. And inspiring those who struggle can never be a bad thing.

But outside of the autism theme, there’s not a lot here to set The Accountant apart from dozens of other modern thrillers. It has elements of Jason Bourne, John Wick, James Bond; all the titular thriller heroes you can think of. The lack of a strong sense of originality is the film’s downfall. Tonally, the film is a little too inconsistent – to go from understated study of autism to explosive gunfights may be a little too heavy-handed here, creating a somewhat confused feel to the film’s genre. What are we watching? A drama? A thriller? An action? These three genres can go hand-in-hand if handled well – here, they’re playing three-way tug of war and nobody wins.

Maybe I expect too much from these films – for me to say things like “it won’t stay with you after the credits roll” or “it does nothing original” is not necessarily a criticism. Popcorn-munchin’ blockbusters aren’t looking for longevity. They’re looking to entertain for a couple of hours and take their audience on a ride. The Accountant does that. It won’t go down in cinema history, sure. But if every single film did, we wouldn’t have the classics.

The Accountant isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s not even cleaning it, or putting a new hubcap on. It’s just throwing the same wheel at the audience. Hey, if it ain’t broke - don’t fix it. Audiences lap this shit up and always will. There is more to like here than your straight-to-DVD Steven Seagal action but, really, this one doesn’t do anything whatsoever to stand out. Still, if you’ve got two hours to kill and no desire to watch something you’ll take with you through life – The Accountant should give you a decent return. But on the whole, The Accountant doesn’t quite add up.

★★★☆☆

Sam Love

The Accountant at CeX

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Pet

Dominic Monaghan is one of those actors who seemingly never really took off. After his career had a massive launch with big parts in The Lord of The Rings and TV’s Lost, you would expect him to be huge by now. That’s the sort of start any actor would want. But as an avid nature lover, he’s focused most of his time on the environment – even fronting his own documentary series, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, for the past 5 years. 2016 brought the return of Merry Brandybuck to our screens in the form of Seth, an intensely perverted psychopath who kidnaps a waitress he is obsessed with. This is Pet.

Unfortunately, like most pets, Pet shits all over the floor. In an attempt to take the form of a Hitchcockian psychological thriller, Pet pelts you with twists like snowballs until you can’t take anymore. The overly convoluted plot becomes laughably implausible with each revelation and the film becomes a joke. It’s not thrilling or scary, it’s just tedious and boring. What the hell went wrong?

Jeremy Slater, one of the three writers behind 2015’s Fantastic Four disaster, single-handedly wrote this preposterous drivel. That’s all I really need to say. Anyone who has seen Fantastic Four knows that the first sentence of this paragraph is enough to explain why the film is shit. It is Jeremy we can blame for the silly dialogue and over-the-top narrative twists. Spanish director Carles Torrens - who seemingly brings us his English-language debut with Pet - doesn’t go any way to save the film. Not his fault, really. There’s not much he can do with Slater’s shitty script. The only (almost) saving graces are Dominic Monaghan and Ksenia Solo - who plays the waitress with whom Seth is infatuated. Outside of these two, it’s a load of bland old shite.

Monaghan is creepily good as the obsessed stalker, despite not being given a great deal to do with the role. Clearly, the only direction he was given is “be creepy”. Ksenia Solo’s Holly is a more interesting character – without giving too much away, the general premise of the story is that she is the titular Pet, kept in a cage by Seth. But from behind her bars she begins to play mind-games on the mentally weak villain and it becomes something of a battle of wits – like a violent and disturbed Holmes & Moriarty, or Clarice and Hannibal. This is where elements of originality try to break through, but unfortunately, they’re not strong enough to punch through the shield of mediocrity that surrounds Pet’s narrative like a border wall.

Ultimately, Pet is dull. The twists lose their power due to the sheer frequency, the violence isn’t visceral, the acting isn’t as good as it could be…hell, there isn’t one area in which this film excels. There’s plenty of room for improvement across the board. Shame really, as the premise was interesting…ish. Ksenia Solo and Dominic Monaghan can have a star each, I’m feeling generous.

This is a Pet you don’t want in your home.

★★☆☆☆

Sam Love

Pet at CeX

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Sell Your Stuff, Get Cash - Gaming

Money. You need it and you don’t have enough of it.

But hey, we’re all in the same boat! Whether you’re trying to buy the Nintendo Switch with a shiny new copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, looking to pick up that retro console you never had as a kid or snap up a few PS4 games that are selling cheap or simply just make rent, it’s always great to have a little extra cash laying around, right?

Old Junk Is EVERYWHERE

If you’re a gamer, chances are you’ve been upgrading your console every 5-7 years or so, possibly more regularly than that in terms of handhelds. With all of those old consoles and games up in your attic, did you ever consider how much money you’re sitting on? Why chuck them in the bin only for them to turn up on some landfill? That makes no sense for the environment and it makes no sense for your wallet. Trust me, you’re sitting on a potential goldmine of gaming wonders. ALL of this can make you cold hard cash NOW!

The Wrong Way

Whether it’s websites like Ebay or Craigslist or even at car-boot sale or flea market, there is always some place to get rid of your unwanted consoles and game. However, what you need to watch out for is the fact that most- if not all of these places- will end up offering you some pretty rubbish cash. After all, between paying for postage on an item or someone trying to stiff you for a quick bit of cash, these places usually end up being a waste of time and effort. That said, there is somewhere that’s worth checking out...

The Right Way

Sick of selling your old consoles and games and receiving little or no cash? Why not swing by your local CeX store. At CeX we offer fantastic and competitive prices for any items we buy, and what’s more, we’ll offer you store credit or cold hard cash for your stuff- it’s up to YOU. From there you can walk out our door with your easy earnings or check out our in-store items, all of which have a 24 month warranty.

Check out your local CeX store HERE, and start turning your old consoles and games into quick cash NOW.

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Sell Your Stuff, Get Cash - Phones

 

Money. You need it and you don’t have enough of it.

But hey, we’re all in the same boat! Whether you’re finally going to take the plunge with the Google Pixel or pick up an extra pair of iPhone Earpods, it’s always great to have a little extra cash laying around, right?

Old Junk Is EVERYWHERE

Most of us have an idea of what old junk we could sell, but here is a fact that might shock you. Did you know that every single year 15 million Britons purchase a new phone. That means that millions upon millions of old phones are either ending up in a landfill or simply getting lost under the cushions of couches across Britain. Most of us either chuck these things in the trash or shove them in the back of a closet. ALL of this can make you cold hard cash NOW!

The Wrong Way

Whether it’s websites like Ebay or Craigslist or even at car-boot sale or flea market, there is always some place to get rid of your unwanted phones. However, what you need to watch out for is the fact that most- if not all of these places- will end up offering you some pretty rubbish cash. After all, between paying for postage on an item or someone trying to stiff you for a quick bit of cash, these places usually end up being a waste of time and effort. That said, there is somewhere that’s worth checking out...

The Right Way

Sick of selling your old phones and accessories and receiving little or no cash? Why not swing by your local CeX store. At CeX we offer fantastic and competitive prices for any items we buy, and what’s more, we’ll offer you store credit or cold hard cash for your stuff- it’s up to YOU. From there you can walk out our door with your easy earnings or check out our in-store items, all of which have a 24 month warranty.

Check out your local CeX store HERE, and start turning your old stuff into quick cash NOW.

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Sell Your Stuff, Get Cash - Electronics

Money. You need it and you don’t have enough of it.

But hey, we’re all in the same boat! Whether you’re trying to buy a new Apple iPad, that Oculus Rift you’ve been dying to get your hands on or the GTX 1080 that will help run VR games better, it’s always great to have a little extra cash laying around, right?

Old Junk Is EVERYWHERE

Most of us have an idea of what old junk we could sell, but here is a fact that might shock you. Did you know that every single year 15 million Britons purchase a new phone. That means that millions upon millions of old phones are either ending up in a landfill or simply getting lost under the cushions of couches across Britain. This extends to the likes of tablets, PCs, laptops and pretty much every kind of electronics. Most of us either chuck these things in the trash or shove them in the back of a closet. ALL of this can make you cold hard cash NOW!

The Wrong Way

Whether it’s websites like Ebay or Craigslist or even at car-boot sale or flea market, there is always some place to get rid of your unwanted stuff. However, what you need to watch out for is the fact that most- if not all of these places- will end up offering you some pretty rubbish cash. After all, between paying for postage (especially when it comes to posting a laptop!) on an item or someone trying to stiff you for a quick bit of cash, these places usually end up being a waste of time and effort. That said, there is somewhere that’s worth checking out...

The Right Way

Sick of selling your old electronics and receiving little or no cash? Why not swing by your local CeX store. At CeX we offer fantastic and competitive prices for any items we buy, and what’s more, we’ll offer you store credit or cold hard cash for your stuff- it’s up to YOU. From there you can walk out our door with your easy earnings or check out our in-store items, all of which have a 24 month warranty.

Check out your local CeX store HERE, and start turning your old stuff into quick cash NOW.

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Sell Your Stuff, Get Cash

Money. You need it and you don’t have enough of it.

But hey, we’re all in the same boat! Whether you’re trying to buy a Netflix subscription before the next series of Stranger Things begins, looking to purchase a Google Home that will most likely go full Terminator in a few years, snap up a few PS4 games that are selling cheap or simply just make rent, it’s always great to have a little extra cash laying around, right?

Old Junk Is EVERYWHERE

Most of us have an idea of what old junk we could sell, but here is a fact that might shock you. Did you know that every single year 15 million Britons purchase a new phone. That means that millions upon millions of old phones are either ending up in a landfill or simply getting lost under the cushions of couches across Britain. This extends to the likes of old DVD, games, consoles and laptops. Most of us either chuck these things in the trash or shove them in the back of a closet. ALL of this can make you cold hard cash NOW!

The Wrong Way

Whether it’s websites like Ebay or Craigslist or even at car-boot sale or flea market, there is always some place to get rid of your unwanted stuff. However, what you need to watch out for is the fact that most- if not all of these places- will end up offering you some pretty rubbish cash. After all, between paying for postage on an item or someone trying to stiff you for a quick bit of cash, these places usually end up being a waste of time and effort. That said, there is somewhere that’s worth checking out...

The Right Way

Sick of selling your old phones, DVDs, games, laptops and consoles and receiving little or no cash? Why not swing by your local CeX store. At CeX we offer fantastic and competitive prices for any items we buy, and what’s more, we’ll offer you store credit or cold hard cash for your stuff- it’s up to YOU. From there you can walk out our door with your easy earnings or check out our in-store items, all of which have a 24 month warranty.

Check out your local CeX store HERE, and start turning your old stuff into quick cash NOW.

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In A Valley Of Violence

In the 1950s and 60s, the Western was the king of cinema. Actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood ruled the roost as audiences lapped up stories of cowboys, Indians and the magnificent ugliness of the old west. Nowadays, Westerns are few and far between. It’s sadly a rather dead art and it takes something truly special to inject life into this old genre. Some succeed admirably – The Hateful Eight and Bone Tomahawk, for example – and others fade into obscurity within days of their release. This one falls somewhere in between.

In A Valley Of Violence, written and directed by Ti West, is a very traditional Western in terms of story. To quote IMDb’s short and sweet plot description; “a mysterious stranger and a random act of violence drag a town of misfits and nitwits into the bloody crosshairs of revenge”. Mysterious stranger? Check. Violence? Check. Town of misfits? Check. Revenge? Check. It’s hardly bursting with narrative originality. But outside of its Western feel, there are other clear influences here - It feels like John Wick and Rambo had a baby, raised by Hugh Glass from The Revenant. But here’s a film that isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. No, In A Valley Of Violence embraces its traditional genre conventions and crafts itself as an affectionate love letter to the genre…but not much else.

That’s not to say there is absolutely no style or substance to back the narrative up. There’s a lot to like. The visuals are pretty wonderful and Jeff Grace’s score is a beaut. Ti West’s screenplay is decent enough albeit wholly predictable, and the direction is competent enough. But nothing hits as hard as it could.

Ethan Hawke, who also appeared in 2016’s The Magnificent Seven, is a strong fit for the cowboy role. He’s an actor I’ve always liked and he’s bloody good here as the film’s protagonist, a drifter by the name of Paul. Yes, Paul. But unfortunately, the film does suffer from a rather glaring example of miscasting - John Travolta as Marshal Clyde Martin. Travolta’s a great actor and I respect him, hell, I’m one of the very few people who thought he was incredible in The People vs. OJ Simpson. But there’s something about him here that doesn’t work. It’s not for a lack of trying, but I didn’t buy his performance. Sorry Big T, but every time I saw you on screen I thought “haha, look at John Travolta”. Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan is the only other performer here of note, and she doesn’t do anything particularly remarkable.

“Doesn’t do anything particularly remarkable” is a good summation of the film as a whole. It doesn’t do anything wrong as such and it’d be hard to argue that it is bad, but nothing about it aims to lodge itself in the viewer’s memory. While I’m still thinking about how good modern westerns like 2011’s True Grit were, I can’t imagine I’ll even remember this one a week from now. But at the end of the day, its aim is to entertain and it does succeed. It just doesn’t entertain as much as it had the potential to, and will soon be lost in the bargain bins of charity shops. Still, it is a loving homage to the old days if nothing else.

In A Valley Of Violence is just a big bowl of okay. No more, no less.

★★★☆☆

Sam Love

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Check In to Win returns this Easter at CeX!

Win a 65" 4K TV, Surface Pro 4, Nintendo Switch, iPhone 7 or a Google Pixel, or a pile of a retro consoles this Easter!

Someone will win one of our amazing prizes each day just by checking in to one of our CeX stores:

Nintendo Switch Bundle - Friday 14th

Google Pixel or iPhone 7 - Saturday 15th

Retro Gaming Haul including NES, SNES, N64, Mega Drive, Dreamcast & Games - Sunday 16th

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 - Monday 17th

All entries will also be entered into our draw to win a massive 65” 4K Samsung TV!

To win, grab your phone or mobile device and visit webuy.com/checkin to find your nearest CeXspot, head on down to find your lucky egg. Don’t forget to share with your friends!

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Christine

‘Christine’, directed by Antonio Campos (‘Afterschool’ and ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’) is a film where we know the ending from the very beginning as it’s based on a true story, yet this doesn’t take away from the story at all. If anything, it makes it all the more poignant.

Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall) is a reporter for Channel 40 who is quickly approaching her 30th birthday. It doesn’t take long to realise that she’s depressed – she’s frustrated with how her job is going, her love life isn’t going anywhere, she still lives with her mother, and she’s been suffering from a mysterious stomach ache that just won’t back down. She won’t talk about it though and instead lets it all build up inside her, getting more and more overwhelming.

It’s a beautiful look at depression – so often films that revolve around mental health focus on the wrong things, or the parts they think the viewers want to see. Sometimes it’s all about the turn-around, and we miss crucial elements of when things are still not looking up. Thankfully though, ‘Christine’ manages to avoid this mistake, yet the result of that is of course that you’re in for a bit of an emotional ride.

Rebecca Hall is absolutely fantastic as Christine – I hadn’t actually seen anything with her in before, but she’s known for her parts in ‘Starter for Ten’ and ‘The Prestige’. In ‘Christine’ every slight action or expression she makes counts. Her acting is completely thought out, and it's mesmerising to watch. The anger that she gets across is unmistakable, yet it still seems subtle. When Christine is suffering we know about it, and we can’t help but feel completely in tune with it. Her performance is likely to be easy to relate to by a lot of people, whether they’ve experienced depression or not. 

It’s not just Hall though – the whole cast bring something to the film, and perfectly complement her acting. The cinematography is powerful and sublime, focusing in on all the right parts. Some shots are as simple as a drawn-out take of Jean (Maria Dizzia), Christine’s colleague, putting away her groceries and taking some ice cream out of the freezer, yet they resonate with the viewer. And then, of course, the blunter scenes also have this effect, leaving you unable to take your eyes away from the screen.

I certainly found ‘Christine’ a hard watch, given the amount of emotion and distress that is exhibited, yet there were some beautiful moments of humour hidden amongst the pain that kept it from being too down on itself. Small moments between characters that added another dimension, and showed the positives that were around Christine during such a difficult time. It was still hard to all take in as of course it all happened, and the gravity of what actually happened is quite hard to envisage. I imagine that producing such a film was painful for both (director) and all of the actors involved, yet the end result was worth it. A distressing watch, but also a moving insight into the troubled world of a woman who really was the Sylvia Plath of the reporting world. 5/5

★★★★☆

Hannah Read

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Vice Principals- Season 1

On the 17th of November back in 2013, television said goodbye to one of its greatest heroes. The inspiring tale of Kenny Powers, Eastbound & Down, came to a fitting climax - and the world wept as we said farewell to the man who could throw a baseball “faster than f*ck”. Well, ladies and gentlemen, 2016 brought us the return of co-creators Danny McBride and Jody Hill and their new creation. Moving away from the world of sports and into the world of education, this is Vice Principals.

Shot as an 18-episode story and split into two halves, these first 9 episodes of the Vice Principals story are absolutely superb television. When the beloved principal of North Jackson High School retires (a cameo Bill Murray), he reveals that he trusts neither the cocksure Neil Gamby (Danny McBride) nor his scheming and seemingly sociopathic co-vice principal Lee Russell (Walton Goggins) for the job, and so instead outsources the job to college professor Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Herbert Gregory). The show chronicles Neil and Lee as they conspire to bring down Dr. Brown, but only gradually self-destruct as their own biases and unlikable personalities increasingly alienate the rest of their co-workers.

First of all, if you enjoyed Eastbound & Down then you will absolutely love this. Maintaining the same inappropriate and foul-mouthed humour that is a staple of Danny McBride’s work, it’s a perfect companion piece to the former show. The dark style is similar and, like Eastbound, there is a surprising amount of heart in here. But for anybody who isn’t familiar with the style and has a more fragile sensibility, I’d be wary before jumping into this. It is often offensively inappropriate.

Danny McBride and the always brilliant Walton Goggins are absolutely perfect here, with Goggins stealing the show. Known primarily for his darker roles – he’ll always be Boyd Crowder – he plays completely against type here as the arse-kissing and flamboyant Lee, complete with blonde-tipped hair. McBride is effectively playing himself but when has anybody ever had a problem with that? The man pisses excellence. But special mention should certainly go to Kimberly Hebert Gregory, who turns our hero’s nemesis into a sympathetic character and arguably has us siding with her.

Vice Principals has come under some criticism with accusations of being too offensive, but anybody familiar with McBride’s usual sort of work won’t be surprised by the content here. There are moments that do push boundaries and the premise itself – two white men aggressively fighting a black woman for her job – isn’t exactly politically correct. But there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before, and certainly nothing that pushes boundaries to foreign waters. It’s no more offensive than your average episode of Family Guy, South Park or Rick & Morty. It’s dark and twisted in its humour, but then again, all the best things are…

Vice Principals is a hell of a lot of fun. The story is engrossing and always interesting, the characters are all great, and the jokes land. And, as I mentioned before, there is heart here. McBride’s character’s fight for the love and respect of his daughter is surprisingly moving, while the hardships of our hero’s nemesis Dr. Brown are often touching too. This is a confidently made show that ticks all the boxes that modern comedy should.

If you enjoyed Eastbound & Down or you like your comedy dark and twisted, you’re in for a treat. If your idea of comedy is Friends or The Big Bang Theory, then you should probably stick to those. This could be a little too inappropriate for you. Vice Principals begins with a bang during its first 9 episodes, and I for one cannot wait to see how it wraps up this year.

★★★★☆

Sam Love

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Samsung Galaxy A5 & A7 (2017)

After the success of the Galaxy A5 & A7 last year, Samsung has come out with the 2017 edition for both these models. Both the devices have a metal frame & 3D glass panel which make it look similar to the flagship S7 device and are available in Black Sky & Gold Sand color variants. While the A5 boasts of a 5.2” screen and weighs in at 159 gms with a 3000 mAh battery, the A7 has a 5.7” screen, and device weighing in at 186 grams with a 3600 mAh battery.

Samsung has given Full HD Super Amoled panels on both the displays and both are powered by the Exynos 7870 SoC and 3GB RAM with 32GB storage (expandable upto 256 GB via Micro SD slot). Both phones also support Samsung Pay (storing your card details for one tap payment at POS terminals) thanks to NFC & MST compatibility.

No more protruding cameras on the models this year thankfully, also a huge improvement with the new 16MP f/1.9 cameras both front and back! Interestingly both devices are IP68 certified which make them water and dust resistant. 

The Fingerprint scanner is on the Home button, volume keys on the left, power button on the right along with the speaker grill few inches below (that’s a first for any phone!), SIM slot on the top and finally  fast charging and USB Type C port at the bottom. The phone does support Dual SIM 4G as well.  

In terms of performance, the UI is less bloated and snappy in comparison to last year, running on Android 6.0 (disappointing really, but Samsung is notorious for late updates on all new devices, promises of Nougat update have been made!) under the Touch Wiz UI. Some features from the S7 like the Always on Display make their way to the A5 & A7.

The camera has quite a few filters and effects that can also be downloaded from the Galaxy store. The interface is smooth and clutter free. Multitasking and Gaming are handled without any lags when tested with Asphalt 8, FIFA 16, YouTube and around 7-8 more apps all at the same time. Thanks to fast charging, the A5 goes from 0 to 100 percent in just under an hour and the battery lasts well over 24 hours when indoors and on auto brightness.

The major issue here would be the price range on both devices bordering pretty close to the One Plus 3T and iPhone 6 which are far superior devices. I am giving these two phones a lower rating mainly due to the disappointingly high price but good overall specs. 

★★★☆☆

Pritesh Khilnani

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The Purge: Election Year

The biggest problem with The Purge: Election Year is that its very existence is problematic. I will never proclaim to be a fan of the first film, but I appreciated its concept if nothing else; twelve hours during which all crime is legal. Logistically it doesn’t make much sense, but conceptually it’s an interesting way to explore the enforcements of laws, of right and wrong, and the circumstances therein.
This is why I’m, if anything, somewhat forgiving of some of the flaws with The Purge, because that very concept is so attractive. I deem that it was a smart move to set the first film during the very first Purge Night, because the very concept is absurd, so why not almost celebrate that absurdity by exploring it for the first time?

Nevertheless, we know how this story goes: film tries new concept, becomes an unexpected success (The Purge having grossed nearly $90m from a $3m budget), sequels are green-lit to maintain annual profit. This is where Election Year begins to break down, because, as previously stated, the core concept is completely absurd. Therefore, basing subsequent films on the logistics of an event such as Purge Night highlights flaws in the concept that are inescapable. 
You could argue that Election Year is supposed to be satirical and I imagine that, on some level, that was the intention. The problem is that the film is so idealistic with its right and wrongs that it becomes a joke unto itself. The purge could not work. Election Year attempts to rationalise the how’s and why's such an event could be continued (and I do respect the attempt), but the very idea is too ludicrous to be believed, even within the universe of the film.

Election Year is based around an upcoming presidential election, and both candidates, as well as their voters, are concerned with only one thing: the purge. I feel that the only way in which to really push this conception is to create outright exaggerated caricatures of these candidates, where both go to complete extremes in order to win. And I could almost believe that this is what Election Year was intending, were it not for the straight-faced “saintliness” Senator Roan is portrayed with.
As far as I can tell, Election Year is intended to be taken at face value, and this only works to its detriment. It diminishes what was initially an interesting concept by trying to rationalise it all within the rules and ways of the real world.

But let’s say I’m completely wrong, that I’ve entirely missed the point. Even then, The Purge: Election Year is no better off. It’s contrived and poorly directed at best, and purges its very concept at worst.

★☆☆☆☆

Lewis Hill

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Nocturnal Animals

Amy Adams, described by some as “the new Leonardo DiCaprio” for her immense body of incredible work and lack of Oscars, starred in not one but two stunning films in 2016. She was at the front and centre of Denis Villeneuve’s cerebral sci-fi Arrival, yes, but she also appeared in an even more twisted and thought-provoking piece of work by fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford. Let’s take a closer look at Nocturnal Animals.

Despite having a title that led many patrons at my local arts centre to believe this was a documentary about owls, Nocturnal Animals is in fact a very dark and harrowing thriller. Amy Adams plays wealthy art gallery owner Susan Morrow, a lady in a bleak colourless life who slowly becomes consumed by the novel Nocturnal Animals, penned by her estranged ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). As the sun-drenched novel plays out onscreen (with Gyllenhaal also playing the lead character of his work), the dark story becomes increasingly violent and Susan begins to interpret it as a threat – especially after she ruined Edward’s life many years ago.

Nocturnal Animals is a film of two halves – the real world and the fiction world. As the film goes on, these two halves become more and more intertwined with scenes jumping back and forth between them to connote how absorbed by this dark work Susan has become. But as the story-within-the-story Nocturnal Animals becomes more and more intense and exciting, the jumps back to Susan’s bleak life are jarring and, if anything, irritating. The novel at the heart of this film could’ve easily made an entire film itself, as the tale of violent revenge and obsession is stunning and engrossing. But the film suffers – albeit only slightly – when we’re thrust back into the rather uneventful and inconsequential Susan plot.

This film is at its best when it is deep into the dark fiction world. The film’s Oscar nomination came for Michael Shannon’s Detective Andes who exists purely in Sheffield’s novel and Aaron Taylor-Johnson walked away with a Golden Globe for his terrifying performance as Ray Marcus within Nocturnal Animals’ story. Jake Gyllenhaal is incredible here too, as the tortured and obsessed Tony Hastings who suffers through something no husband/father should have to. But the film’s criticism is shared with the source novel upon which it is based – titled Tony & Susan – in that it gets the viewer/reader deep into the story-within-the-story and yanks them out frequently for some Susan development. I’ve got to stress, the Susan bits aren’t bad – not by a long shot – they pale in comparison to the mesmerising fiction world plotline.

Nocturnal Animals is a film of immense style and backs it up with immense substance. Fashion designer Tom Ford’s direction gives the film a hauntingly beautiful artistic flair – the sort of flair that only someone out of the arts world could pull off – and Abel Korzeniowski’s score is one of 2016’s finest. Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography turns every shot into a work of art and Joan Sobel’s editing keeps us on our toes as we bound between the dual storylines. Nocturnal Animals is an expertly made piece of work with absolutely everything working perfectly. It’s like a finely tuned machine…

Nocturnal Animals is a modern masterpiece. Will it go on to be a cult classic? Time will tell, but there is a very strong possibility. 

★★★★★

Sam Love

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