Geek of Oz

This is the first in a series of reviews that cover the new, episodic Hitman  game across most of 2016. Each episode will be reviewed and scored as it is released. Check out Part 2, which covers Episodes 2 and 3, here . --- THE SHORT VERSION Agent 47 is back. If, like me, you thought the linear  Hitman: Absolution  was a bit of a letdown - especially following the organic sandbox assassinationpalooza that was Hitman: Blood Money  - then fear not! 2016's new Hitman  is a bold, if slightly anaemic, return to the franchise's halcyon days. If, unlike me, you've never played a Hitman  game, then fear not! 2016's new Hitman  is a fun, if slightly repetitive, venture into the under-utilised stealth game genre, that will have you garrotting and silenced-shooting for hours. If, also unlike me, you've never played any kind of game before...well, sorry, can't help you there. Enjoy this cupcake, instead. STORY What makes Hitman 2016  di...

Providing you with the same amount of adrenaline as jumping out of a plane and the same sweat as a gym session, suspenseful films will get your heart-racing in the best way possible. They have the same concepts as horror but without the gore or nightmares which can save you the title of wimp when it comes to movie night! With 10 Cloverfield Lane breaking into cinemas on March 10 , we have curated some of the top suspense films of all time. Cloverfield Among one of the most successful found-footage thriller/sci-fi’s of all time, Cloverfield was an instant cult suspense classic. Like most of J.J. Abram’s films, Cloverfield plays on the mystery of the unseen threat... where the less you see, the better and more terrifying. It was insanely successful in the box office, breaking records for making over $40 mill in a January release, and sparked its highly anticipated "blood relative" 10 Cloverfield Lane , soon to be in cinemas across Australia on March 10. R...

I take this episode to interview acclaimed Australian fantasy author Lian Hearn, who celebrates the launch of her new Tales of the Otori prequel book, Emperor of the Eight Islands !  During our chat, Lian discusses what prompted the creation of Emperor , her writing motivation, her love of Japanese culture and her ideal character tea date. It was truly a lot of fun chatting to Lian, and I once again thank her for taking the time to sit down with me. Thanks are also again in order for the good folks at Hachette Australia for setting this all up. Enjoy! -Chris    Get it from Podomatic here                                             Get it from iTunes here Check out Chris' review of Emperor of the Eight Islands here

There is a fine line between objective and subjective criticism. Some reviewers can tell you the difficulty in maintaining professional distance when critically analysing something, especially if that something provokes the kind of absolute joy or abject loathing that keeps someone like me motivated to write. It's a difficulty I run into when reviewing Emperor of the Eight Islands , Lian Hearn's first book in the prequel to her acclaimed Tales of the Otori series. As a novel, there are a few points where Hearn falls short. As a story, I was completely in love with it, meaning those shortcomings weren't as noticeable. Set 300 years before Across the Nightingale Floor , two rival clans are battling for control of the Lotus Throne. A young man, nearly killed by his lord uncle, is revived as a new man named Shikanoko by a mystical sage. An ancient and mysterious woman gives birth to five supernatural children from five different fathers. After a devastating earthquake and...

Beneath Zootopia’s furry facade, lurks some compelling social commentary. Sure it’s a kids film about an adorable bunny cop solving a missing persons case; but for adults, the filmmakers have laced this story with the perils of stereotyping and the manipulation of citizens via fear. A lot to squeeze into a animated feature, but the Mouse House just keeps delivering the goods film after film. After a run in with the local bully, Judy Hopps vows to defy the odds and become Zootopia’s first bunny police officer. Moving from her parents’ carrot farm to the big smoke is an eye-opening experience, as Judy learns life isn't quite what she thought. When she's given her first real case, Judy is forced to team up with some unlikely partners to get to the bottom of it. There's enough mystery to keep adults engaged without it going too far over the heads of younger viewers. I hate saying this, cause I feel like I'm repeating it with every new film, but this is some t...

. Given that 2016 marks 75 years since Captain America made his first appearance, by punching Mr. Adolf Hitler square in the jaw no less, I thought I would take a couple of minutes to look back on a few of my favourite Cap stories from the comic book page and the silver screen. But before I do I thought I would quickly address the elephant in the room ... What does a character so strongly linked to the USA have to offer a dork from Australia? Many people, including myself many years ago, write off Captain America. For the uninitiated he seems like a propaganda-driven caricature, a two dimensional personification of the United States' interests and a constant reminder of America’s bombastic ego. After all, the colours and heraldry of the US flag are emblazoned across his uniform and the name ‘Captian America’ isn’t exactly subtle. Of course, anyone who has actually read a Cap comic knows this interpretation couldn’t be further from the truth. For starters he w...

Whose side are you on? Damn this is looking like tonnes of fun. Unlike the dire mess of trailer which is Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice , Civil War is in keeping with the Cinematic Universe that Marvel has crafted since Tony Stark first announced "I am Iron Man". Captain America: Civil War hits cinemas 28th of April, 2016 - Stu

Check out the international trailer for Paul Feig's Ghostbusters . A lot of hoopla has been made over this film and we've only seen approximately 2 minutes. All I know is it stars four hilarious comedians and is directed by a guy who has made some funny films. It's that complicated. I'm optimistic for what they've got install. - Stu Cast: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth Director: Paul Feig

Margot Robbie and Tina Fey as they give us a glimpse of their characters who are reporting from the front line in WHISKEY TANGO FOXTRO T When reporter Kim Barker’s (Tina Fey) life needs something more, she decides to 'shake it all up’ by taking an assignment in a war zone. There, in the midst of chaos, she finds the strength she never knew she had. Sometimes it takes saying ‘WTF’ to find the life you were always destined to have. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ( Crazy, Stupid, Love ) screenplay by Robert Carlock ( Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock ) WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT will hit Australian cinemas 12 May 2016 - Stu

Part of the problem I've always had with Star Wars: Episode I  is its inability to live up to its potential. It'd be easy to love or hate a film that's entirely awesome or terrible, but dealing with one which lies somewhere in the middle is a little tougher. The trailers and marketing made it seem like a spellbinding sojourn into the prehistory of popular culture's most beloved space opera franchise, showing a vibrant world before Darth Vader's Empire. Then the final film came out, and all those gorgeous visuals and intriguing characters were wasted, not given the space they needed to develop into something iconic or matching the potential implied by the trailers. Whatever else you could call it, Episode I  was, in every sense of the word, a letdown. I could say the same of Down Station , a quasi-modern-day fantasy with a premise that's almost entirely squandered on lacking characters and a wafer-thin plot. It's a shame, because the book's premise and ...

I watch hundreds of hours of cinema each year in order to find films like Son of Saul . Simply put, it’s remarkable; maybe even the best film I’ll see all year. It’s an unrelenting look at the holocaust from a its most disturbing perspective: exposing us to the inner machinations of a Nazi death camp. Truly disturbing and fascinating (in its depiction of human capacity for brutality) in equal measure. I’m still processing the effect this film has had on me. The film follows Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig), who is a Sonderkommando - an Hungarian Jew forced to work within the gas chambers at a death camp. His duties entail herding unsuspecting victims into processing rooms, where they strip naked on the promise of hot food and a ‘shower’. From there they are led to the gas chambers and Saul is forced to witness the fate of the victims time and time again as they are massacred with ruthless efficiency. All this changes when Saul identifies a body of an individual with whom he had a ...

Christof and I took the reins for this week's episode as we attended GX Australia over the weekend! GX Australia is Australia's first queer gaming convention and was a weekend-long celebration of everything gaming an geek related. The event had over 50 exhibitors ranging from the local Australian indie video game scene, international companies, local artists, talented creatives and much more. Christof and myself interviewed quite a few game developers as well trying as many of the games on offer! We also discussed the Midnighter comic and how it links to LGBTIQ culture as a cape style comic at a large publisher. You will also notice the podcast is going through a different format this week. We've decided to try some new things out and see how it works. We want the podcast to run smoother and be more of a conversation with you our audience. As always it would make our day if you could take a couple of minutes to rate and reviews us on iTunes or drop us some fe...