It seems like TV shows based on video games have turned a corner with titles like “The Last of Us” and “Fallout,” after years of all adaptations in the direction of film or television being generally disastrous. You know a path that still struggles? Film to video game. For years, it was little more than … Read more
The revelation that purple-suited witch Agatha Harkness was the secret antagonist of “WandaVision” was a pleasantly surprising twist for the flawed yet entertaining Disney+ miniseries. Her long-awaited spin-off series, “Agatha All Along,” is a testament to Kathryn Hahn’s skills. Still, ultimately, it’s another Marvel TV show that fails to cast a bewitching spell, let alone … Read more
“Hellblade 2” begins with Senua on a boat. Having made her peace at the end of the first “Hellblade” game, she decided to strike at the leader of the Norse slavers who once ransacked Orkney. She gets herself captured on purpose and travels bound and weaponless in a boat with other slaves who she, somehow, … Read more
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of Hindi cinema’s best directors. His name is synonymous with sumptuous costumes, opulent production design, vivid female lead characters, expertly directed songs that function like short films, and soaring music. Actresses over the years have spoken with great admiration for the director’s stewardship over their most nuanced and multidimensional … Read more
From the team who made the excellent “Nioh” over at Team Ninja, “Rise of the Ronin” opens with immense promise. You start as a pair of “Blade Twins,” samurais of the Veiled Edge who are off on an assassination mission that, of course, serves as a tutorial on the gameplay, which allows for dual melee … Read more
Mandy Patinkin does his best Hercule Poirot as Rufus Cotesworth, once deemed the greatest detective in the world. That’s what a young Imogene Scott (Sophia Reid-Gantzert) hoped he was when he was brought in to solve the murder of her mother, recently killed by a car bomb. When Cotesworth ended that case with only a … Read more
And it’s not just the repetition. The graphics often feel clunky, particularly when it comes to trying to shoot something at a distance. In general, the gameplay mechanics are frustrating. I have yet to really figure out how to slide between weapons, ingest food for healing, or perform other basic duties in the heat of … Read more