NOW CLOSED – While the original bad boys are getting on in years, one refuses to admit it and the other has embraced it.

Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back together for one last ride and are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.

Thanks to our mates at Sony Home Entertainment STG has THREE Bad Boys for Life Bluray’s to giveaway.

To Enter our Bad Boys for Life competition you will need to answer this question correctly:

What year did the original Bad Boys film release?

A: 1998

B: 2005

C: 1995

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

(You might find the answer in our Bad Boys for Life film review)

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a Bluray for the film Bad Boys for Life. Bad Boys for Life has a R13 Age rating. Competition ends on the 4th of June 2020.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Enter to Be in to Win Bad Boys for Life on Bluray! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Bad Boys for Life… and life is certainly catching up with both Miami detective Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith).

It’s been decades since we last visited the two crime busting unconventional tactic fueled lawmen and as predicted age is catching up with them… well for Marcus anyway.

Recently becoming a grandfather Marcus begins thinking of retirement. Mike on the other hand is still living his life large and fast, refusing to admit that he too is getting on in years.

When Mike is targeted from an old crime boss and her son and shot, almost fatally, the duo team up again for one last hurrah to put the past behind them and bring baddies to their interpretation of justice. This time teamed up with a tactical tech crew.

I admit I did not have very high expectations coming in to the premier of Bad Boys for Life. While the first film was legendary, traditionally sequels never hold up the same cinema gold.

While the premise and most comedic elements weren’t surprising the way the film is played out and some very intense action scenes were a pleasing surprise.

I recommend seeing the first Bad Boys (1995) before jumping in to this one to fully understand the relationship between Marcus and Mike, as Bad Boys for Life does reference a lot of the past, including a hidden past about Mike.

Lost loves, old loves, unfinished business and an unbreakable friendship amidst life and death situations, Bad Boys for Life is a hilarious to serious journey through to the conclusion of two Bad Boy detectives… or it is the start of another chapter…?

The post Bad Boys for Life (Sony Pictures – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Awarding-winning director Ang Lee uses the latest in filming making technology to pit a 50-something Will Smith against, well, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, in Gemini Man.

I’m a huge fan of 3D movies. I have even resorted to importing the last few Marvel movies that have not had a local 3D Blu-ray release. Done properly, 3D adds so much to a movie. Unfortunately, most 3D movies are converted in post-production rather than being shot natively in 3D. Many 3D movies also suffer from cross-talk as a result of the polarisation use to generate the effect.

Gemini Man uses “3D+ HFR”. That’s your usual Real 3D-style polarised 3D, but running at 120fps. In theory, the result is a very crisp, real-looking picture with no 3D cross-talk. The reality, at least at the press screening in the Vmax auditorium of Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney, was somewhat different.

A couple of technical issues with the projection were puzzling. The aspect ratio was closer to 4:3 than 1.85:1, I wonder if I was watching an IMAX movie in a regular theater. The other bloody annoying thing was that the audio was out of sync. An absolute disgrace, to be honest.

The story has a washed-up government assassin, Will Smith (old), questioning his life choices. When he takes out an innocent man, due to his handler, tampering with his file, a US government official decides to get Will Smith’s character eliminated in order to cover it up. The handler is played by the very British Ralph Brown (using a very dodgy US accent), best known as Danny the Dealer in Withnail for us oldies and some pilot in one of the Star Wars prequels for the younger peeps.

Mary Elizabeth Winsted plays an appallingly rubbish spook posted to keep an eye on old Will Smith, by working in a booth on a dock where he goes fishing from. Luckily, whilst her undercover skills are lacking, as with all modern leading ladies, she kicks ass. Between Winstead and Smith, they take out all of the hit squad and use a motorboat to escape.

Cue a massive aerial long shot of the boat skipping across the ocean that, running at 102fps, looks like one of the promo videos that Harvey Norman use to sell TVs. Thankfully, old Will Smith’s buddy (we can tell this as they have the same tattoo on their wrists), Benedict Wong, is on hand with a seaplane to whisk them away.

With the stakes now suitably high, Brit actor and the movie’s bad guy, Clive Owen (doing his best American accent) sends 23-year-old Will Smith 2.0 (aka Fresh Prince) out to take down old Will Smith.

What follows is a tour-de-force of clichés and over-the-top film-making by a lot of people that really should know better.

Ang Lee isn’t scared to throw in a few cheap gimmicky moments that exploit / abuse the film’s 3D effects. That sort of thing is fine in a kid’s movie or a Harold and Kumar flick, but not is a movie that trying so hard to promote the “next big thing” in cinema technology.

There’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of effort has gone into the technical wizardry required to create a photo-real 23-year-old Will Smith in a 3D movie running at 120fps. Weta Digital have truly outdone themselves, but the actual movie, helmed by the incredibly over-rated Ang Lee, is, well…shit.

The dialogue splutters from the actor’s mouths in such an embarrassing fashion I’m surprised they could keep straight faces. It’s a massive waste of talent. The likes of Benedict Wong, Clive Owen, Ralph Brown, Mary Elizabeth Winsted and even The Fresh Prince can all put on a good show. But, what do you expect from a movie that’s been in development hell for over two decades and passed on by everyone from Harrison Ford to Mel Gibson?

The plot is so on the nose it felt like getting punched in the face. When I’m in Hungary, of course I know how to find someone in a library to do DNA testing. “It’ll take two days”, the bookish girl tells our heroine. She hands over extra wad of cash, she replies, “I need it in two days”, or something like that. Chances are, though, that my paraphrased dialogue is a bit less clumsy.

If I was watching the movie in normal 2D, apart from the unsubtle 3D-gimmick shots, this would be watchable, half-decent Netflix Original-style fayre the kind of half-baked Scifi I grew up on. Despite the plot’s HUGE leaps, the story moves at a good pace.

Ignoring the technical issues at my screening, the movie serves as a good, if unsubtly shot showcase for the sort of film-making wizardry we can look forward to. I left wishing that Ang Lee subscribed less to his own hype, and wondering what John Woo could have done with the movie, instead.

Gemini Man is better that it deserves to be, considering the plot and dialogue, but worse than it ought to be considering the talent behind it.

The post Gemini Man (Paramount Pictures) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Animated to live action.

I admit I had my concerns about the re-making Disney’s 1992 Aladdin from the animated classic that it is with the legendary comedic genius; Robin Williams, to a live-action film with Will Smith as the Genie.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, which was a different genre for the otherwise raw and gritty film maker, Disney’s Aladdin 2019 reboot is the story we all know and love – but retold in an epic musical film that really works.

The story of Aladdin (Mena Massoud), the street rat, thief and his pet monkey Abu is intricately redone, staying true to Disney’s original. An unlikely hero, an under-dog who falls for the Princess, Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), tries to be someone he isn’t and gets himself in a whole world of trouble.

Will Smith had big Genie shoes to fill taking the wise-cracking blue giant, but he did it, and did it well.

A lot of the original script is still there – those that have seen the animated film will instantly pick up on many of the Genie’s one-liners. The songs that made the animated classic so memorable are also still there – with a couple of bonus ensemble numbers added in.

I wondered how Ritchie would play out the ‘Prince Ali’ scene – as I remember in the original film it was an epic parade of animals, dancers, acrobats and more – a focal point of the animated movie – so translating this to live action, I figured would have to be as equally breath-taking. It sure is.

Another scene that made both the animated and this reboot even more magical was ‘A Whole New World’. Beautifully recreated.

Full of colour, astounding wardrobes and on-location scenes, if Aladdin was ever to be re-made, Guy Ritchie was the right guy for the job. He even managed to add some of his own signature in to scenes with sped up, quick and snappy takes.

The only issue, and this is the only one, was the casting of Jafar. While (Marwan Kenzari) played the apart exceedingly well, he did not appear to be the right live action fit for how we all remember Jafar having looked and his dark and twisted character.

And for those that are observant enough you’ll pick up a brief animated throwback to the 1992 film.

For those that have their skepticism (like I did), I recommend seeing this live action remake. See it more than once.

Loved it.

The post Aladdin (Disney – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Leveraging the power of music to guide viewers through a unique perspective on planet Earth, National Georgraphic has partnered with multi platinum, Grammy Award-winning artist, DJ, composer and producer Zedd and Universal Music Group & Brands to create an original composition for National Geographic’s upcoming series ONE STRANGE ROCK. 

The new 10-part series is hosted by Will Smith and produced by acclaimed filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Jane Root

The partnership, conceptualized and managed by Universal Music Group & Brands, also sees Nashville-based Evolve Studio handle production of the films featuring Zedd’s creative journey and performance.

ONE STRANGE ROCK is a visual journey that alternates from the microscopic to the cosmic and reveals our planet through an alien lens by integrating Aronofsky’s distinctive style with Root’s iconic storytelling. The series explores some of the questions many of us take for granted: Why is Earth the only planet (that we know of) to support life? How fragile are the perfectly tuned systems that sustain this living planet? What are the greatest threats to the environment and human existence on Earth? Are we alone, and where did we come from? Is there really no place like home?

Zedd

Mirroring how ONE STRANGE ROCK unravels the story of our planet, we follow Zedd through an intimate lens over the course of his creative journey as he develops an original composition driven by the series’ different themes. National Geographic will release a series of four Zedd films, an interview and a behind-the-scenes look at Zedd’s recording process — culminating in a unique performance of the final track.

The first film will allow everyone to hear for the first time the original piece Zedd has composed based on ONE STRANGE ROCK. The track is cut to incredible footage from the show. 

The second film captures Zedd’s absorbing conversation with astronaut Leland Melvin as he learns about space and ONE STRANGE ROCK, fueling his creative inspiration. Melvin is the only person drafted to play for the NFL who has flown to space. Having blasted off twice, he has logged more than 565 hours off Earth. Zedd also speaks with series composer Daniel Pemberton to better understand how he scored the series and use those insights for the composition. From there, Zedd composes a one-of-a-kind track that touches on the emotions evoked from the captivating imagery showcased in ONE STRANGE ROCK and explains how this drove him to experiment with sound.

Will Smith

The third film will show Zedd in his natural environment, the recording studio, where he composes and develops the track in real time. He shares his creative process and techniques, adding instrumentation and creating loops, giving the composition a melodic character.

The final film goes from the studio to the stage with a unique performance video that tells the story of ONE STRANGE ROCK by using cutting-edge technology to show the transformation and unexplainable wonder of our world.

Follow Zedd’s Vevo Account to see the full piece when it is released on April 6, 2018.

“I’ve always been a fan of Darren Aronofsky, and am really excited to partner with National Geographic to create an original composition for the series,” said Zedd. “I’ve immersed myself in the visual spectrum and am inspired to take on a different approach by experimenting with natural sounds and exploring grand themes that are representative of the world around us.”

Multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning artist, DJ and producer Zedd made his debut with Clarity after signing with Interscope in 2012 and has been breaking down barriers surrounding music genres ever since. His current hit single, “The Middle”,  with Maren Morris and Grey is No. 2 on Top 40 Radio in the U.S. and No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track is currently Top 10 in Australia. 

“The Middle” follows his 2017 hit singles “Get Low” with Liam Payne and “Stay” with Alessia Cara. In 2015, Zedd released “True Colors,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

Throughout his career, Zedd has worked with a diverse range of artists to create hits, including Hayley Williams on platinum hit “Stay the Night,” which racked up more than 400 million streams, and Selena Gomez on platinum track “I Want You to Know,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance / Electronic Songs chart.

The post NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS w. GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

When a successful and enriched life suddenly falls in to tragedy, despair and depression, every person reacts a different way, in their own way.

Howard Inlet (Will Smith) is on top. He is co-owner of a successful New York Advertising Agency. Passionate about his craft, about his life, and then tragedy strikes his small family.

Dealing with grief, he retreats inwards. He stops caring about anything including himself and while his friends and his business suffers, Howard is oblivious to it all as he sinks even deeper in to depression.

His business partner Whit Yardsham (Edward Norton) becomes not only concerned about his friend but also the Agency that they both built together, which is falling in to disrepute without Howard functioning.

So Whit hires a Private Investigator to see what Howard’s routines are and along with two other senior Agency staff; Simon Scott (Michael Peña) and Claire Wilson (Kate Winslet) he hires three Theater actors to play the parts of Death (Helen Mirren), Love (Keira Knightley) and Time (Jacob Latimore). The three things that Howard always lived by and believed in before the tragedy.

It’s discovered that Howard was writing letters of contempt to Love, Death and Time and mailing them. As Howard goes about his usual routine of sitting alone in a Dog Park and cycling around New York’s central city he is approached by the three actors one at a time, at differing times, as they seek to ‘snap’ him out of his tragic trance like state. It is their job to make Howard believe that only he can see these three ‘Entities’.

Whit, Simon and Claire’s ultimate motive is to make Howard believe that he is going crazy, so that he will sell his share in the Agency.

As the film progresses through it’s deep and emotional narrative you learn of Whit’s own personal demons aswell as Simon and Claire’s.

Collateral Beauty is a film that everyone will take something from. How those close to you can become like a stranger, how to deal with grief, loss and the mechanisms to come back from it.

It’s the acting that makes this film so immersive. Will Smith, Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren give outstanding performances as you are drawn in to their character’s lives.

The film will spark your emotions and have you shed a tear or two while making you realise that whatever you have going on in your life, there are others out there that either have similar or worse issues to deal with and come to terms with.

Collateral Beauty is about how everything is connected and with this film, you cannot help but also feel the connection. An absolute must watch.

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