The game looks pretty sweet too, hopefully, we’ll be reviewing that when it releases in New Zealand but for now, the trailer will just have to do.

Enjoy!

The teaser trailers and TV spots look great so far, and I’m digging the idea of James Kirk as an actual ‘person’ rather than this overblown ‘persona’ we’re used to seeing from previous Star Trek movies. It’s going to be cool to see what makes the characters tick on the big screen - I am not a seriously huge Trekkie fan but I’m pretty sure references to the past lives of the Enterprise crew are non-existent. This makes it virgin territory for the storyline and characters and also puts the squeeze on the serious trekkies out there. Will they be scathing in their reviews of the new Star Trek movie or will they praise the new developments and plot?

I’m looking forward to it either way and here’s the lastest trailer also. Thanks to Think Hero for providing yet another awesome video clip (YouTube be damned!)

This DVD was supplied by Madman Entertainment New Zealand for review

George A. Romero. Zombies. Two things that go together much like Batman and Robin, Mork and Mindy, Scully and Mulder. George A. Romero is back with Diary of the Dead and it’s as gory and bloody as any of Mr. Romero’s works to date.

Although Mr. Romero moves away from the traditional a little bit with Diary of the Dead and creates a world that is seen in documentary style through the lives of film students creating a horror movie, it’s still one very good way to get up close and personal with the undead. And what better way to do it than through the eyes of the zombie master.

The storyline is well written although some of the acting is a little lacklustre. In some scenes (particularly at the university and the hospital), the fear factor seemed almost non-existent. Diary of the Dead was missing the intensity and edge-of-your-seat ‘thrills’ that are usually found in abundance in Mr. Romero’s flicks. This can be significantly attributed to some of the cast members lacking the skill to portray people who are truly afraid. You can’t have a believable zombie movie if the people don’t really seem scared.

As a zombie movie, Diary of the Dead goes one step beyond the norm which is refreshing. It’s always nice to see a director changing the mold and trying new things. As a zombie fan, I recommend this to other zombie fans but if you’re truly looking for scary - you should probably check out Friday the 13th 2009 instead.

Buy this DVD

Flower is one of those games that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated, explanations or videos will only give you half the idea and won�??t really do the game justice. For that reason I�??m going to keep this review fairly brief, going so far as to start off by saying that you should probably bypass the review itself and go and download flower right now. Why? Because it is better experienced than explained, and well worth the $15.50 to download from PSN.

If however you�??re still unconvinced and would like a little more information, please keep reading�?�

Flower in its purist form is a blending of game and art, normally this can have negative connotations but in the case of Flower it works very well. The premise is somewhat abstract, from what I understand the game is played out through dreams, the dreams of flowers stuck in an urban apartment. Initially these potted flowers are wilted and weak, gaining strength from the way their dreams are played out. Recovering slightly or flourishing openly, depending on how many flowers are opened during each stage.

There are no written rules and the instructions are minimal, typically what you need to do is demonstrated via visual cues. As you start each stage you�??ll control the wind and a single petal, you fly through environments using the sixaxis motion sensitive controls, your only other requirement being to push a button (any button on the controller) for speed when you wish to go faster. You�??ll progress through each landscape opening up flowers by moving through them, each time you do this another petal will attach itself to the wind you control. The effects of the flowers vary, some will open up new pathways, others deactivate obstacles, collecting enough of others giving you a new bonus to collect.

The environments themselves are varied and stunning, the individual blades of grass giving way to the wind are beautifully done. The game is rendered natively at 1080p (1920×1080) and looks truly fantastic on a good screen. The music is also note worthy as well, while sometimes repetitive it lulls you into the serenity of the visuals somewhat symbiotically and compliments everything well.

While flower has definite game mechanics it is more than that, it also has pretty visuals but that�??s not really it either�?� at the risk of sounding cliché, Flower is something of an experience that really needs to be played to be fully understood.

A must have addition to anyone�??s games collection, while replay value is questionable I�??d still have to rate it as one of my favourite PSN games so far. A truly unique title.

Jumping into a new campaign I was instantly chucked into the thick of it, no gentle lead in, no getting acquainted with my surroundings or any kind of in depth briefing… just full throttle visual carnage and some guys yelling at me as we were about to crash land. Not that I was really listening however, to be honest I was too busy looking at the multitude of visual effects happening on screen at the time. After that it all became a bit of a blur, shooting things, things shooting at me, sprinting like a mad man dodging bullets as something exploded beside me and so on.

On my first play through I never really felt grounded until just right before the demo ended, partly due to controller familiarity (or lack of) and also being a little overwhelmed due to sensory overload. But liking what I’d played I jumped straight back in with a new game, this time taking a little longer to admire the work Guerrilla Games had crafted so well.

Killzone 2 did indeed look truly stunning, while more then capable on most fronts I found its two strongest areas to be lighting and use of depth of field. The way lights interact and bounce off surfaces and the many differing depths focus is displayed; while hard to describe, is beautiful to watch. Even just reloading your weapon is an experience in itself due to this. Shader and texture work has also been done well, although some environment textures while at least on par with other console games are graphically the demos weakest point.

Enemy AI was convincingly reactive to you and your actions, but thankfully not focused solely on you like in Resistance 2. The AI appears to work well as a squad, spreading out and finding cover, some seemingly trying to keep you or your team mates pinned while others attempt to flank your position. The demo encounters each start off as a scripted event, but none plays out the same way due to the AI adapting well to the situation as it’s played. Team mate AI played fine from what I could tell, it didn�??t really get in my way and seemed to handle itself without being an annoyance.

Overall I was very impressed with the demo, the cover system brings in a refreshing style of play for an old FPS fan. I even grew fond of the controversial control system after familiarising myself with it on the default scheme, the weighted feel added extra depth to an already immersive game. While the Killzone 2 demo doesn�??t really change the rules of what an FPS is, it does take winning formulas from the genre and raises the bar, breaking quite a few quality conventions on the way.

Expect a full review of the Singleplayer Campaign and Multiplayer after the games releases on the 26^th of this month.

The story follows Carrie Stetko, a U.S. Marshal working at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, and her investigation of a murder that takes place there. The story moves through many Antarctic stations, as Stetko chases down suspects and finds more murders. Early in the story, Steko is attacked by the killer and left for dead in a storm. She saves herself but loses two fingers due to severe cold-related injuries.

The first glimpses of the movie trailer were shown at the recent Comic Con. Don’t bother looking up any video clips on YouTube - they’re all fakes - we’ve checked.

Kate Beckinsale stars as Carrie Stetko (was this the movie she decided to do instead of returning for the final movie in the Underworld trilogy?) and initial images of the movie look great.

Maybe we’ll pick up the graphic novel - or better yet, perhaps we’ll get a review copy from somewhere

Turns out that some people take Jane Austen and zombies very seriously and according to slash film, Hollywood studios are now in some sort of cut-throat bidding war for the rights to make the movie!

It’s WTF Wednesday again, isn’t it?

So here’s the first of the independent movie alerts for 2009 by Six Shooter Films, the same distributor that released the phenomenal Let the Right One In.

Also take note of the background music used in the trailer - it’s by a relatively unknown French electronica/rock group called ‘Seppuku Paradigm’ who do the soundtrack music for Eden Log (and the music for Far Cry 2 as well!). Awesome name, awesome music, they remind me alot of Sonic Mayhem. And if anyone can track down the name of the song used in the trailer, I’d be very grateful. So far, I’ve been unsuccessful and the song rocks.

Buy this DVD

The following reviews may contain spoilers - read at your own risk!

Mama Mia!

Distributor: Universal Pictures Released: 2008 Genre: Romance/Musical Credits: Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, Pierce Brosnan as Sam, Skellan Skarsgard as Bill, Colin Firth as Harry, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Being a fan of Abba’s music, I thought Mama Mia would be a fun movie to watch. I missed it at the theatre and finally got around to seeing it recently on DVD as part of my marathon ‘15 movies we didn’t see’ challenge. So far, so good - Mama Mia! was exactly what I was expecting. Fun and hip.

Although I am not a huge fan of romantic comedies, I felt I should put that bias aside for Mama Mia and just focus on the music as the highlight. Boy was I taken aback! After listening to Meryl Streep bellow out some of those tougher Abba hits, I was thoroughly impressed by her singing - that woman can croon!

As for the rest of the movie, the beauty of the Greek Islands looked fantastic on screen but the overly cheesy romantic side of the script had me gagging a bit. Normally, without the great music, I truly would have left this movie in the ‘watch when there’s nothing else’ pile. As it turns out, it wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I should’ve watched it last year, though. I am sure eventually, Abba would have forgiven me.

Verdict: 3/5 stars

Son of Rambow

Distributor: Hammer and Tongs Released: 2008 Genre: Drama/Comedy/Family Credits: Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot, Will Poulter as Lee Carter  Director: Garth Jennings Writer: Garth Jennings

There’s only one word to describe Son of Rambow - and that’s fantastic! It’s good because the Brits seem to be exceptionally skilled at the relationship stuff in movies. In my opinion the British seem to have a very refined way of portraying characters on screen that you can easily relate to.

Which brings me to the cast of Son of Rambow. Again, I couldn’t fault it. I admit that I didn’t want to see this movie because I thought it would be a silly little comedy. I was very wrong about that. Son of Rambow oozes with talent. Both of the young actors, Bill Milner and Will Poulter look set to have great acting careers ahead of them if Son of Rambow is any indication. Will Poulter shines, portraying the type of character you just can’t help but feel sorry for, even when he’s at his worst. The bond of friendship that grows between the two lead characters is endearing.

The home movie-making scenes were some of the most enjoyable, adding just the right amount of comedic seasoning to the otherwise dramatic and engaging plot. The story was touching, the characters were appealing and believable and the acting is top-notch.

Definitely thankful I decided to do this because Son of Rambow should have been on my ‘Movies I’ve Seen in 2008′ list.

Verdict: 5/5 stars

Frost/Nixon

Distributor: Imagine Entertainment Released: 2008 Genre: Biography/Drama/History Credits: Michael Sheen as David Frost, Frank Langella as Richard Nixon Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan, Sam Rockwell as James Reston Jr, Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick Director: Ron Howard Screenplay: Peter Morgan

When it comes to politics, I am as green as they get. Politics has never been an area I have been interested and therefore, movies that contain content about politics or politicians tends to get the ‘off the radar’ treatment from me. Unfortunately, that’s probably not a good thing when movies as entertaining and as educational as this one fall into that category.

I can instantly tell when I think a movie is good because I will then become motivated to know more about it - the facts, the people, the places. Thanks to the historical nature of Frost/Nixon, there’s a whole library full of information on the famous interviews by David Frost. Capturing the mood, the atmosphere, the raw emotion on screen must have been a challenge for director Ron Howard but one that he seemingly tackled with ease and finesse.

Before watching Frost/Nixon, I didn’t even know about the Frost/Nixon interviews and I had no idea what the Watergate scandal was. It’s an embarrassing situation, I know - but thanks to the wonder of movies, I am now a little more knowledgeable on a topic I used to abhorre.

Michael Sheen is fast becoming one of my favourite actors (and thankfully, he will be returning for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans too!) and is brilliant as Frost. Frank Langella is also fantastic in his role as Nixon. His voice really did sound exactly like the infamous President.

Frost/Nixon becomes another movie that should have been on my ‘to see’ list of 2008. Out of three movies, it’s the second movie I am glad I forced myself to watch as a result of my PCR challenge.

Verdict: 5/5 stars

Next we review Hunger and I cross off another movie from the ‘15 movies we didn’t see’ list.

What really ticks me off about this is that people are stupid enough to use spectator mode when utilising hacks!!! Seriously - what amateurs…

So I guess the question is will id do something about the hackers and the cheats? Why would anyone want to have clean ‘cheat-free’ fun when there is a legion of little twats out there ruining it for everyone?

Honestly, if you don’t have the skill to play a game and you need to rely on CHEATS to do the job - just GTFO. The truly skilled gamers online don’t want nor need your kind ruining their fun.

Rant over. So how do they implement PunkBuster for web browsers… hrm?