Geek of Oz

As this review is a First Impressions of a game that is still in development, there will be no */10 Geeks score at the end. Any aspects of the game discussed here are subject to change in the final version. --- When I recently interviewed Katsuhiro Harada*, executive producer and franchise custodian of the Tekken series and co-director of Tekken 7 , I asked him what he thought about the impact Tekken 's legacy has had, and will continue to have, on the fighting game genre. Both he and his interpreter, game designer Michael Murray, were a bit thrown; apparently, nobody had ever asked them such a thoughtful question. If no-one was asking that then, they'd have to be asking it now. With the impending release of Tekken 7 and the end of a saga that has spanned more than two decades of gaming history, "legacy" is the word of the day. The plot, which is surprisingly accessible for those who may not have gone through the previous games, concerns consternation ...

Episode 44! Stu and Billy are back this week with a double feature discussing both Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 and Free Fire ! Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of the ragtag space faring heroes as they try to unravel the mystery surrounding Peter Quill's true parentage in the outer reaches of the galaxy. James Gunn ( Guardians of The Galaxy, Super, Slither ) returns, as does Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, and Karen Gillan. New to the series are Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Sylvester Stallone as Starhawk, and Kurt Russell as Ego. Free Fire is an action-comedy film directed by Ben Wheatley, set around a Gun Deal gone wrong in an abandoned warehouse. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Armi Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Noah Taylor, Patrick Bergin, Rom Davis, and Mark Monero. As well as the films, Stu and I dis...

"But it was so artistically done." Thrawn  starts with a rewrite of Mist Encounter , the short story Timothy Zahn wrote in the 90s. The original story served as the chronological introduction of the titular Grand Admiral that he first wrote about in Heir to the Empire , a few years prior. After being exiled from the Chiss Ascendancy and ending up on a backwater jungle world, Thrawn stows away on an Imperial ship after the crew investigate the planet. Impressed by Thrawn's survival skills and silver tongue - the latter feat made more impressive by his inability to fluently speak their language - the Imperials bring him to the Emperor, who immediately sets both him and another nascent Imperial officer, Eli Vanto, on the path to military success. Unwillingly saddled with Thrawn as his translator, Vanto supports the blue-skinned, red-eyed tactical genius as he swiftly climbs the ladder of the Empire's military. At the same time, on the planet Lothal, a young woman nam...

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Rian Johnson The Man with the Iron Heart/HHhH - Cedric Jimenez The Little Hours (NSFW) - dir Jeff Baena The Beguiled - dir Sofia Coppola American Assassin - dir Michael Cuesta Drone - dir Jason Bourque Kingsman: The Golden Circle - dir Matthew Vaughn

Episode 43! Stu and Billy are back this week to discuss RAW ! RAW  is a French-Belgian horror film written and directed by Julia Ducournau, and stars Garance Marillier in the leading role as Justine.  The film centers on Justine, a stringent vegetarian, and her first week at veterinary school. Desperate to fit in she strays from her principles and eats raw meat for the first time. Soon an unbidden taste for meat grows within her as she experiences terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge. As well as the film, Stu and I discuss what else we've been watching this week, and look over the latest in movie news. 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 feedback below! Really keen to have your input in the show. Enjoy!                                     ...

Attention Aussie film fans! To celebrate the release of Pork Pie we're giving away 5 double passes. To find out how to win, just head over to our Facebook page  and find the  PORK PIE post. It's seriously that simple! Jon (Dean O’Gorman, THE HOBBIT Trilogy, TRUMBO ), a charming but out-of-luck novelist, musters the bravery needed to try and win back the love of his life by surprising her at a friend’s wedding. One problem: he's in Auckland and the wedding is in Wellington. After a failed attempt to make the journey south in his bomby Holden, Jon hitches a ride with Luke (James Rolleston, BOY, THE DARK HORSE ), a sparky young dude driving a fancy new (and, unbeknownst to Jon, stolen) orange MINI Cooper. Soon after, undercover vegan-activist Keira (Ashleigh Cummings, HOUNDS OF LOVE , ‘ Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ’) climbs through the fast food drive-through window into the MINI bound for Wellington and the Blondini gang of three are formed. As they journey sou...

Episode 41! Stu and Billy are back this week to discuss The Fate of The Furious ! The Fate of The Furious   is the 8th film in the  The Fast and The Furious franchise  and is directed by Felix Gary Gray (Friday, The Negotiator, The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton) . The latest instalment sees Dom (Vin Diesel) seemingly betray his team and work with a mysterious woman named Cipher (Charlize Theron). Now his team must unite to stop them before Cipher unleashes Global Terror. The film sees the return of Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham . As well as the film, Stu and I discuss what else we've been watching this week, and look over the latest in movie news. 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 feedback below! Really keen to have your input in the show. Enjoy!   ...

With the supremely awesome trailer for Thor: Ragnarok landing, f air to say this week goes to the God of Thunder! Atomic Blonde, Detroit and Chuck are all looking pretty damn fun too.  - Stu  Thor: Ragnarok - dir - T aika Waititi Chuck - dir - Philippe Falardeau Fullmetal Alchemist - dir - Fumihiko Sori Atomic Blonde (NSFW)  - dir - David Leitch Risk - dir - Laura Poitras 6 Days - dir - Toa Fraser Detroit - dir - Kathryn Bigelow Transformers: The Last Knight - dir - Michael Bay The Hitman's Bodyguard - dir - Patrick Hughes

THE SHORT VERSION Nostalgia-driven cuteness, but lacking some mechanical polish and meaty challenge. Yooka-Laylee is a decent throwback to one of the 90s' best gaming genres, despite its lack of acknowledgement for where that genre has since ventured. THE SLIGHTLY LONGER VERSION For those of you who didn't spend your childhood with Crash Bandicoot or Banjo-Kazooie on your television, Yooka-Laylee may come across as a bit of an oddball. Its simplistic style and accessible control scheme seems better suited to a younger crowd, but that same crowd already have the likes of Hearthstone , any number of recent Mario games and (for those subject to lax parenting) the Grand Theft Auto series. To bring them a game like Yooka-Laylee , genetically engineered to be a throwback to the cutesy, bright-palette platform games of yesteryear, seems like somebody has spent twenty years bringing a meatlovers pizza to somebody who's gone vegetarian since they ordered. As for ...

Episode 41! Stu and Billy are back this week to discuss Lego Batman ! Lego Batman   is a spin-off from The Lego Movie with its story focusing on Batman as he attempts to overcome his greatest fear, and stop the Joker's latest plot. Will Arnett (Arrested Development, The Lego Movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) reprises his role as the voice of the Dark Knight, and Chris McKay ( The Lego Movie, Robot Chicken ) returns to direct the spin-off. Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes  also star as the voices of The Joker, Dick Grayson/Robin, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and Alfred Pennyworth respectively. As well as the film, Stu and I discuss what else we've been watching this week, and look over the latest in movie news. 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 feedback below! Really keen to have your input in the show. Enjoy!       ...

Here are some of the bigger trailers which dropped this week. Take a peek, we don't mind... - Stu Annabelle Creation - dir - David F. Sandberg K ing Arthur: Legend of the Sword - dir - Guy Ritchie The Mummy - dir - Alex Kurtzman Ingrid Goes West (NSFW) - dir - Matt Spicer Rodney King - dir - Spike Lee All Eyez on Me - dir - Benny Boom I am Heath Ledger - dir - Adrian Buitenhuis & Derik Murray

Thanks to the awesome folks at Transmission films; we're giving away 5 in-season double passes to see Nacho Vigalondo's  Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. For your chance to win you simply hit this link right HERE and find the Colossal post on our Facebook page to play along. So easy! Make sure you check out the trailer below, this film looks amazing. Colossal opens in cinemas nationally from April 13. - Stu 

Here are some of the biggest trailers from this week. What are you most excited to see? - Stu IT - dir Andres Muschietti War for the Planet of the Apes - dir Matt Reeves War Machine - dir David Michod Spiderman: Homecoming - dir Jon Watts Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - dir Martin McDonagh Justice League - dir Zac Snyder Baby Driver - dir Edgar Wright

Okay, this is starting to get painful. March has been an exceptional month for cinema with Get Out ,    The Salesman (Academy Award winning), Land of Mine, A Man Called Ove and Loving  hitting theatres. Get Out has wrestled top spot away from Moonlight for now. The Lego Batman Movie has snuck into the race, mostly because it's the best Batman film since The Dark Knight . I’d love it if you played along as the year goes on and of course if you've see any of these films and agree or disagree with their ranking please feel free to yell at me in the comments below. Check out my January and February lists too. I dare you. - Stu Top 10 for March: 1. Get Out 2. Moonlight 3. Land of Mine 4. Loving  5. The Salesman  6. Jackie 7. A Man Called Ove 8. Colossal  9. Edge of Seventeen  10. The Lego Batman Movie  Films watched: Logan Kong: Skull Island Beauty and the Beast Get Out The Salesman A Cure For Wellness Mo...