Much like Karlie Kloss at the 2019 MET gala, M3GAN 2.0 is looking camp right in the eye.

As I stared at the massive poster bearing an image of M3GAN with the tagline ‘This Bitch Is Back’ I knew that this would be interesting to say the least.

Directed by fellow Kiwi Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after the events of the first movie. You know, the one where M3GAN goes on a wee murderous rampage after hacking her own software and gaining a little too much sentience. It’s all in the name of protecting her primary user Cady (Violet McGraw) but alas she ends up decommissioned… almost.

History seems to be repeating itself when a new android, with an equally cool acronym for a name, appears to have gone rogue. AMELIA, the Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android (Ivanna Sakhno) is newer, faster, stronger and smarter than anything ever seen before and she seems unstoppable. That is until Gemma (Allison Williams) reluctantly resurrects M3GAN in an attempt to fight fire with fire.

And guess what? The girls are indeed fighting! With a great blend of martial arts and robotic ruthlessness this was an action packed movie that had a little bit of everything including some truly iconic haircuts.

There is a definite tone shift from the first movie and I can see where audiences could come away feeling a little disappointed. I would not call this a horror at all. I reckon the trailers that played before the movie started scared me more. With next to no scares and one F-bomb I could really feel the PG-13 rating this time around compared to the first movie, probably due to the lack of any real suspense, bar one or two scenes.

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this bonkers thing for what it was; a delightfully campy action spy sci-fi. It’s got some slick fight sequences, a killer montage and a lot of laughs (the kind that are actually vocalised and not just a nasal exhale.) It also hasn’t completely forgotten its roots with numerous callbacks to the first movie including another iconic dance and sing song moment.

If you enjoyed M3GAN’s sardonic humour and deadpan delivery in the first movie then you will absolutely love her in this one. Voiced by Jenna Davis (with the physical performance done by Amie Donald), M3GAN really drives home the fact that this is her world and we’re just living in it. The back and forth, scrappy banter between her and literally anyone else in the movie is exquisite and there are actually some genuine heartfelt moments thrown in the mix too.

The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and once you realise that you’re not watching a bleak indie horror you can enjoy it so much more. So I say give in to it! Forget about Marvel, this is my MCU. M3GAN 2.0 you will always be famous to me.

The post M3GAN 2.0 (Universal Pictures) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

‘Rich-people-suck’ cinema returns with A24’s Death of a Unicorn.

Since it’s premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, this absurdist horror/comedy has received mixed reviews.

But I had an absolute blast with this creature feature.

Death of a Unicorn features Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as exactly who you expect them to be – the hard-working father and Gen-Z daughter duo. From the start, we see there’s a distance between them, due largely to the death of Ridley’s (Ortega) mother. But Elliot (Rudd) is on the cusp of signing a deal with his millionaire boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). To seal the deal, Elliot and Ridley must present a united front on a weekend retreat at his boss’s estate.

All preparation is thrown out the window, when on their way they hit a baby unicorn.

In the essence of time, Elliot bludgeons the foal and stuffs it in the boot. However, it’s not that simple to keep a magical creature – and it’s powers – hidden. Upon uncovering the unicorn’s healing properties, the Leopold’s realise they can exploit this to their advantage. And when the foal’s parents come to rescue their baby, Eliott, Ridley and the Leopold’s find themselves in a battle for survival.

The film’s typecasting works in its favour. Instead of spending time introducing the Leopold’s, we know exactly who they are at a glance. From trophy-wife Belinda (Téa Leoni) to son Shephard (Will Poulter) – who fits the overly spoilt, finance bro persona.

And this works as a great juxtaposition to the liberal art student with a moral compass that is Ridley. While Jenna Ortega does fall into her usual cool girl role, she truly does deliver every time. There are some fleeting moments of genuine emotional depth, and she nails each one.

The comedy in this movie was spot-on for me, but I can see how it could fall flat for others. Ridley’s sneaky vaping, Shephard’s ever-changing hobbies and other titbits made each character more enjoyable. But my absolute favourite person in the film was Griff the butler (Anthony Carrigan). He truly understood the phrase ‘there are no small parts,’ creating a whole character from one liners and facial expressions.

To be completely honest, I had no clue this was a horror going in. So I was completely gobsmacked to see a unicorn pulling someone’s entrails from their body. The unicorns weren’t the most terrifying of creatures – the CGI and design were a bit funky – but it added to the absurd vibes of the film. Plus, there were some great Jurassic-Park-eque scenes to really get the blood pumping.

Sometimes you really need to just turn your brain off while watching a movie, and this film was great for that. It doesn’t try to be subtle or smart – it’s pure dumb fun. So if you want to see rich people getting absolutely clobbered by unicorns, this is your film.

The post Death of a Unicorn (A24 – 2025) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Have you ever wanted to see two nepo babies brawl to the death?

Well, now’s your chance. After a string of horrors, filmmaking duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen take on an action comedy with Novocaine. And they still bring the gore.

Novocaine follows Nathan Caine, banker by day, loner gamer by night. But he has a secret. Nathan has a genetic abnormality that prevents him from feeling pain. When his co-worker – and crush – is kidnapped during a bank robbery, he decides to be a hero and embarks on an insane rescue mission.

The first act plays out like a rom-com, with a Chappel Roan needle-drop and all. A coffee spill accident in the staff room leads to lunch, which then leads to a proper date. And while there was solid chemistry, their interactions made me visibly cringe.

You see, the love interest, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), is a cool, edgy girl with a troubled past. A Gen Z Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Despite some slight character development, and the film explicitly saying she isn’t a damsel in distress, that’s still what she boils down to. A piece of the plot simply there to push Nathan to shed his shy guy skin and become the hero.

So with his new-found confidence, Nathan charges head-first into chaos when she gets taken by bank robbers. He must tackle a series of misfortunes, and the increasing-in-level bad guys that come his way, and get back his girl.

Take away the genetic condition and Nathan is a character we have seen many times before. The awkward loner turns wannabe hero is something that Jack Quaid is already familiar with thanks to his role in The Boys. He brings a loveable charm to Nathan and his screen presence holds this film together.

But where this movie gets my high praise is the fight scenes. Berk and Olsen go completely over the top, creating some spectacularly hilarious and gory moments. If you’re squeamish, this really isn’t the movie for you. Trust me, you’ll never want to look at a deep fryer ever again. But it’s these scenes that make the movie so much fun. With video-game-esque henchmen, a Home Alone style booby-trapped house and an epic final boss battle.

The final boss is played by none other than Ray Nicholson – following in his father’s footsteps with a psychotic smile. Our two nepo babies deliver a bloody performance, with some extreme graphic abuse that has you covering your eyes.

Novocaine is straight up silly. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, you decide. I like that it didn’t take itself seriously, but one can only suspend their disbelief so far. Overall, it’s a comically gory joyride running on the fumes of an incredibly thin plot.

The post Novocaine (Paramount Pictures – 2025) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Witches have been a popular topic for film audiences since the medium began.

From Swedish film Häxan in 1922 through to recent films like The Love Witch (not to mention witches on the small screen a la American Horror Story: Coven, Charmed and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), the practice of magic has captivated audiences time and again.

This year, Victor Fink and Joshua Land’s Bad Witch delves into an area that is not often explored:  the male witch.

Don’t be fooled by what you learned at Hogwarts: the masculine version of a witch is still called a witch (just ask your Pagan and Wiccan friends), and the titular bad witch of the film is Xander Perkins (Chris Kozlowski), a self-centred manchild whose use of black magic gets him into serious trouble when he curses the wrong person.

Xander’s target and his friends enact revenge, leading Xander to retreat to the home of his high school friend Henry (James Hennigan) vowing to never use black magic again. The problem with magic, however, is that it’s addictive and hard to give up.

After getting a job at a diner, Xander encounters fellow co-worker Roland (Jackson Trent), the local high school nerd who is the regular target of vain, chauvinistic Conrad (Jonathan Helwig) and pines for popular girl Veronica (Clare Lefebure).

Aiming to help Roland empower himself, Xander befriends him and begins to teach him magic. Roland’s life is opened up by the possibilities of being able to get revenge, get the girl and also get into a good college thanks to the magic he’s learning from Xander. But magic always has its price and some pretty dire consequences…

Bad Witch provides the viewer with a narrative that shows that magic is not just the domain of women.

It also examines masculine relationships: the father and son relationship (Roland and his father), friendships (Xander and Henry, Conrad and Hans), and mentorships (Xander and Roland). In particular, the relationship between Xander and Roland is particularly endearing, and that’s partly down to the delightful chemistry between Kozlowski and Trent.

Interestingly, there is one male relationship that is not explored in great detail (apart from in the very beginning of the film): Xander’s relationship with his father who was also a witch.

This would have been an interesting thread to pull on, but we don’t know much about Xander’s father other than he too practised black magic. Was their magic inherited through the male line? How did his Dad get into it? Was his Dad okay with him also getting into black magic, or was he against it?

Perhaps it’s a narrative that ended up on the cutting room floor, but the film runs lean duration-wise and I would have liked to have seen more about Xander and his Dad.

Chris Kozlowski is fun to watch as Xander. There’s an endearing nature to the character. His ignorance to the worries of other people (for instance, Henry being threatened with eviction) doesn’t seem to seep into his consciousness because he’s been able to get by through using magic.

Having to live in the ‘real world’ sees Xander looking  awkward and helpless… until he finds Roland to become his new ‘project’. His transition into mundane life is a little like watching a baby giraffe taking its first steps: it’s awkward but you hope he’ll get there.

Xander practices what’s termed ‘black magic’, but it is black magic lite.

In fact, in some cases it would be considered grey magic: definitely not white, but certainly not so black that there are ghastly sacrifices or demon conjuring. In a way, his grey magic mirrors his mentorship of Roland: the big brother figure that teaches Roland magic while also teaching him how to roll the best joint.

His companionship is healthy for Roland, but smoking weed, teaching him questionable spells and doing shots with him is definitely not.

Any story about witches and witchcraft can prove to be a filmmaking headache, especially for indie filmmakers. CGI can eat up a film budget, and then there’s the risk that the effects will look unconvincing.

Thankfully, directors Fink and Land have made the magic convincing by not using CGI.

Instead, they have opted for practical effects and even a little sleight of hand. Makeup effects see Conrad turning from too-cool-for-school to a pimple popper’s wet dream. A rival’s teeth fall out, which proves that simple curses are sometimes the most effective (and the same goes for practical effects).

There’s even some vomit that I’m pretty convinced was minestrone soup, and I’m not even mad about that. Don’t get me started on the pumpkin – that’s going to not only mess with your mind but gross you out (it’s pretty brilliant).

So, weighing things up: is Bad Witch a good film?

It’s definitely ambitious, but there are elements that may have added just a little bit extra to the film, like the aforementioned relationship between Xander and his Dad.

That being said, it is a decent watch. It doesn’t get itself bogged down by the burden of CGI which means that the narrative isn’t overpowered by flashy special effects.

Most importantly, however, is the honesty and organic nature of the filmmaking. It has heart, and you can feel that in every thread of the film.

The post Bad Witch (Gravitas Ventures – 2021) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

You may have seen the trailer for Fatman a few months ago, which may have also piqued your interest in the film.

It’s an excellent trailer which presents a pretty gritty take on the Santa Claus legend.

But the trailer is just the icing on the Christmas cake. Oh yes.

Written and directed by Eshom and Ian Nelms, Fatman is not just an edgy Christmas tale…it also has a massive amount of warmth that you wouldn’t have guessed just by watching the trailer.

Santa, known as Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson) isn’t faring so well.

He’s facing a world where kids are increasingly less compelled to behave, meaning that fewer toys are being produced in his Alaska-based workshop. In our modern world this has a knock-on effect for him: he receives a government subsidy, but this subsidy is contingent on the amount of toys being made. In desperation, he agrees to outsource his workers (and yes, they are elves in case you were wondering) to the U.S. military for two months in order to produce control panels for their F92 fighter jets. Who knew that the military industrial complex had a place in a Christmas story?

Standing lovingly by his side is his wife Ruth (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who is a calming influence on the curmudgeonly Chris. She’s a supportive port in the storm but also won’t put up with any nonsense from Chris either.

While Chris frets over financial woes, spoiled brat Billy Wenan (a mature performance from Chance Hurstfield) is making other people’s lives a misery.

The entitled 12-year-old has a bedroom which looks more like a middle-aged man’s study and lives with his ailing grandmother while his father is absent (Billy guesses his father is in the Bahamas with his girlfriend during Christmas). Everything has to be just-so in Billy’s life, or all hell breaks loose.

After being a 4 year champion at the school science fair, he is relegated to runner-up. Enter hit man and fixer Skinny Man (Walton Goggins), who on Billy’s request kidnaps the science fair champion, Christine (Ellison Butler) to threaten her. Nice kid. Billy’s not finished with Skinny Man yet, however. After Billy understandably receives coal from Santa, it’s the final straw.

Billy commissions a hit on Santa.

This is a hit that Skinny Man is going to relish completely.

From the moment we’re introduced to Skinny Man we get the sense that he’s got some personal axe to grind with the jolly fat man. In fact, he uses money from his hits to purchase toys from other people that were made in Santa’s workshop (the toys have a brass plaque which displays their origin) and stores them in a storeroom in his rather sparsely decorated home.

The one toy that isn’t in the workshop is a toy police car which has its own display case. The really interesting thing about Skinny Man is that he’s not your average sociopathic hit man. Throughout the film you’ll get small glimpses into his psyche which run counter to his activities as a cold-blooded killer. For instance, on his road trip to complete the hit, he has taken his pet hamster on the road with him and buys the hamster a small wheel for the dashboard of the car.

For me, Fatman packed an emotional punch I wasn’t expecting. It was also less misanthropic than I thought it would be.

The Nelms brothers have created a film which is fantastical but rooted in reality. The more fantastical elements (Santa’s elves, Santa being either immortal or at least ageing slower than humans) are explained in a way that makes sense. It feels natural, like all of these things are a given. In the hands of other writer/filmmakers this might not have been the case.

It could have felt clunky and disjointed but the film is none of these things. Even when there is a noticeable tonal shift in the last 30 minutes it’s not jarring and amidst the most action-packed scenes of the entire film there’s an emotional gut-punch you’re not expecting.

One of the standout elements in the film is the relationship between Chris and Ruth. There is a really beautiful chemistry between Gibson and Jean-Baptiste.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s Ruth is such a balm, anchoring Chris in his toughest times. It’s the kind of love you see in long-term relationships that have lasted the test of time.

There’s the theme of childhood ramifications that runs throughout Fatman in an interesting way: Skinny Man obviously didn’t receive what he wanted from Santa as a child, and he’s ended up as a hit man.

Chris is sent photos from children who received toys from him and who they became, including a little girl who received a fire truck and ended up working in the fire service, and a boy who received a chef’s station and became a chef. Then there’s Billy, who is on the precipice of continuing to be a horrible person as he grows up (Skinny Man has Billy’s number stored on his phone under ‘Little Shit’, which sums Billy up perfectly).

Is he going to continue to be a cheque-forging, bullying jerk that takes out hits on people and laces his grandma’s milk with Fentanyl?

If you look at the Nelms brothers’ IMDb bios it describes them growing up in “central California waging two hundred man G.I. Joe wars and dreaming in John Ford Landscapes.” You definitely feel the influence of two kids who waged those sorts of wars in childhood (and also makes me wonder whether they had the much-coveted G.I. Joe aircraft carrier we all wanted in the 80s).

Fatman is such an unexpected surprise.

It’s entertaining, it’s a clever premise and it doesn’t go over the top with action either. Watch it now and then consider making it part of a Christmas viewing alongside Die Hard.

You won’t regret it.

The post FATMAN (SABAN FILMS – 2020) REVIEW appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

From the city to the middle of nowhere.

Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood) is summoned by his father who he has not seen since he was five years old.

Having lived with his mother in a privileged upbringing the now young man and ‘music producer’ answers his father’s letter by leaving the city and heading to Lake Oregon.

Arriving at his fathers wide spanning rough and ready looking beach front property Norval hopes to reconnect with his long estranged father and of course find out why after all of these years he had written to him.

Connect he does – but not on a level you will be expecting. Upon meeting his father, a character as equally intense as he is drunk and not only is he not what he seems to be he becomes abusive to Norval and very quickly the awkward reunion escalates…

Come to Daddy is a dark comedy fused with high tension filled moments and a twist that you wont see coming.

Elijah Wood owns the role of an insecure, almost socially void Norval and throughout the film you’ll be both cringing and laughing (probably at the same time).

The best film I’ve seen for 2020 so far, you really must see this one.

The post Come to Daddy (Saban Films – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The trailer for Guns Akimbo has dropped today, starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Samara Weaving (Ready or Not).

The action-comedy feature film, written and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm) received its world premiere at Toronto Film Festival and will be released nationwide on March 5th, 2020.

Largely filmed in Auckland, New Zealand, Guns Akimbo’s international cast also includes Kiwi actor and comedian Rhys Darby (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Irish actor Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders) and Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny).

The hilariously dark and viciously violent film follows Miles Harris (Daniel Radcliffe), a nerdy video game developer whose world is turned upside-down when he’s enrolled in a dark social media movement that forces strangers to fight in a citywide game of death.

Daniel Radcliffe said he was drawn to the film’s exciting and fun script, particularly the bizarre concept of having guns for hands: “It’s not just a device for crazy fight scenes… It’s also a device for a lot of physical comedy that I really enjoyed. ‘How do you dress yourself, how do you pick up your phone, how do you go through life.’”

Guns Akimbo is produced by New Zealander Tom Hern (The Dark Horse), Joe Neurauter (The Hallow) and Felipe Marino (The Wackness). The film is distributed in New Zealand by Madman and was made with investment from The New Zealand Film Commission.

The post TRAILER DROP FOR ACTION-COMEDY GUNS AKIMBO appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

What does one do when they find out they’re going to die within a year or so? Cause as much chaos as possible, and not care one bit.

Richard Says Goodbye explores the end life of Richard (Johnny Depp) and what he decides to do with the rest of it after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

The film’s attempt at humorous, witty dialogue from the get-go is ever present to ease the tension of the heavy topic, but ultimately falls flat. I found myself wondering how complicated it would be to approach such themes and writing the script. Do you go towards the dramatic side, emotional or humourous? It also depends on the viewers own opinion on the topic that results in how they respond to the film. Personally, I didn’t feel any sort of emotional connection with the film at all.

Unfortunately, the indie drama of Richard Says Goodbye started to melt into Hollywood drama as they felt the need to add in cliché narrative elements e.g. wife is also having an affair with husbands co-worker, daughter also happens to reveal she’s a lesbian, moody college kids, snotty rich adults etc. Such topics deserve to be handled with grace and when they’re used simply for dramatic effect, I wonder why writers feel like viewers aren’t ready for the raw realities of life and how they could be portrayed in film.

Main and supporting characters didn’t resonate with me at all despite there being a lot of time and potential to form emotional connections with its audience. It’s hard to guess whether Richard was written with the intention of being a likable character or an unlikable one.

The speech scene Richard gives to his students was my favourite scene of the film though and no one can deny how powerful and touching meaningful words shared with others can be. Here’s one to boost your day: “Embrace responsibilities and run with it”.

Unfortunately Richard Says Goodbye just doesn’t hit the right note and missed a great opportunity to explore hard hitting topics.

The post Richard Says Goodbye (Saban Films – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Adventure Pictures in association with Greenstone TV has announced to us here at StG that the release of New Zealand’s newest Dark-Comedy Webseries, The Video Store, will be available on New Zealand’s TVNZ on Demand from Monday, 3rd April, 2017 from 12pm NZST. The entire series will also be a released as a box-set.

The online series features an eclectic cast of New Zealand creatives, and star-studded cameos including Keisha Castle-Hughes, David Farrier, Fleur Saville, Daniel Rutledge, Yvette Parsons, Natalie Medlock, Nic Sampson, Chris Parker and many more.

New Zealand’s newest dark comedy web series is up for five nominations at this year’s LA Webfest; one of the most prestigious web festivals in the world. Nominations include Outstanding Cinematography (Nick Burridge, Jonathan Guest, Department of Post), Outstanding Director (Thomas Sainsbury), Outstanding Sound Design (Native Audio, Kermath, Thomas Asche) Outstanding Leading Actress (Yvette Parsons) and Outstanding Support Actress (Imogen Peek-Swaney).

“This series was made in memory of Video Ezy Ponsonby, Auckland, which closed in 2014.  That place was Mecca for any film nerd,” says creator, Kermath.

“We wanted to celebrate video stores before they are gone forever”, adds writer/director Thomas Sainsbury (‘Pork Pie’). “But it is also a location ripe for office politics, small business satire and slacker comedy.”

The Video Store is a 7-part Dark Comedy Webseries, following the inner workings of suburban video store, MEGAFLICKS. The internet has taken over and people just aren’t hiring DVD’s any more. Despite this, Manager Stacey (Yvette Parsons ‘What We Do in the Shadows’) isn’t going down without a fight. She’s going to get her ragtag team of employees pumped and charged, she’s going to crunch some numbers, she is going to upsell twinkies, all in the name of keeping her outdated business afloat.

“We’re really excited to get the series out on such a supportive digital platform for locally made content, and even more thrilled that we were nominated for so many awards on an international scale. I’m also very thankful for the time and effort that was gifted to this project by both cast and crew, combined with the generous support from our friends at Greenstone TV who involved us with Department of Post and Native Audio. Without them, this webseries could never have been made as we had no external funding”, adds Kermath.

Shot by Halcyon Digital on the same Red Dragon camera system used to film the aerial shots of ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, The Video Store is also New Zealand’s first 4K webseries that will later be available on YouTube and Vimeo.

The post Award Nominated Local Webseries Goes Live TODAY appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Adventure Pictures in association with Greenstone TV are proud to announce the release of New Zealand’s first 4K-resolution Dark-Comedy Webseries, ‘The Video Store’ which is releasing shortly.

The online series features an eclectic cast of New Zealand creatives, and star-studded cameos including Keisha Castle-Hughes, David Farrier, Fleur Saville, Daniel Rutledge, Yvette Parsons, Natalie Medlock, Nic Sampson, Chris Parker and many more.

“This series was made in memory of Video Ezy Ponsonby, Auckland (New Zealand), which closed in 2014.  That place was Mecca for any film nerd,” says creator, Kermath.

“We wanted to celebrate video stores before they are gone forever,’ adds writer/director Thomas Sainsbury. “But it is also a location ripe for office politics, small business satire and slacker comedy.”

The Video Store is a 7-part Dark Comedy Webseries, following the inner workings of suburban video store, MEGAFLICKS. The internet has taken over and people just aren’t hiring DVDs any more. Despite this, Manager Stacey (Yvette Parsons ‘What We Do in the Shadows’) isn’t going down without a fight. She is going to get her ragtag team of employees pumped and charged, she’s going to crunch some numbers, she is going to upsell twinkies, all in the name of keeping her outdated business afloat.

“None of the cast involved were paid for their appearances, and although the project has been completely funded internally, Greenstone TV and Department of Post, both high-end production houses, have generously supported us through the post-production process,” adds Kermath

Shot by Halcyon Digital on the same Red Dragon camera system used to film the aerial shots of ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’.

We have the trailer to the web series above, have a watch and let us at StG know what you think!

The post STAR STUDDED LINE-UP FOR NEW New Zealand WEB SERIES appeared first on Shane the Gamer.