REVIEW: Father of Flies (2022) - Starring Nicholas Tucci

Father of Flies is a psychological horror from director Ben Charles Edwards.

We are introduced to a family in America, the father of the family Richard, played by the late Nicholas Tucci, has broken up with his wife Linda (Sandra Andreis), who is having a hard time with mental illness. He invites his pregnant girlfriend Coral (Camilla Rutherford) to move in with him, and his children in his house in the mountains. Coral is pregnant and soon to be Michael (Keaton Tetlow) and Donna's (Page Ruth) stepmother.

For some reason Coral likes to wear a super creepy face mask, that makes her look more like Michael Myers than anything, but this is what women go through as part of their beauty regime, or so I am told.

The children are unhappy, Michael has hearing issues and is terrified of monsters under the bed, Donna is a rebellious teen going out with her boyfriend, and doing the usual teen things, and they both hate the new set up with Coral, and as she moves in, that is when things go from bad to worse, as a supernatural entity seems to come with her.

Read Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/04/review-father-of-flies-2022-starring.html

REVIEW: Death on the Nile (2022) - Starring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot

The Renowned detective Hercule Poirot is back, in what is the 3rd version of the Death on the Nile story by Agatha Christie. Kenneth Branagh once again takes on the role of the man who no one can quite pronounce his name.

The start of the film sees a young Poirot in World War 1 helping his unit attack the enemy, but a trip wire ends up being activated and a fellow solider gets blown up, and Poirot finds himself with a mutilated face. While being treated by his fiancé, Nurse Katherine (Susannah Fielding), she tells him that he can grow a moustache to hide his scar. Sadly, she dies in WW1, and we quickly jump to 1937.

Poirot finds himself watching a blues singer, Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo), he sees Jacqueline "Jackie" de Bellefort (Emma Mackey) dancing with Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer).  Jackies childhood friend Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle Gal Gadot) enters the scene and is introduced to Simon, and now we have pretty much been introduced to the main cast.

Quick look at the official synopsis:

"Renowned detective Hercule Poirot is off on a relaxing retreat to Egypt, where he meets his friend Monsieur Bouc. He offers Poirot to join him and his mother at his friend's post-wedding celebration. Poirot arrives at the hotel and recognizes the newly married hosts: Linnet Ridgeway and Simon Doyle. Six weeks ago, he had seen Simon Doyle with his fiancé Jacqueline at a nightclub. Jacqueline had introduced her fiancé to her best friend: Linnet. Poirot scoffs at how love took its turn in a short period. Bouc introduces Poirot to all the passengers on the cruise:"

Read Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/04/review-death-on-nile-2022-starring.html

REVIEW: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Playstation 5

Lego are back with yet another Star Wars game, but this one is a bit special, as it covers all of the main films in one epic game. This is the first time such a venture has been undertaken in the Lego Star Wars universe.

You can play each episode of the franchise, although at the start of the game only Episode's 1, 4 and 7 are unlocked. So, the first film of each trilogy is playable from the start.

Once you choose an episode, you get the usual "A long time ago in a galaxy far away", the music hits, you get the iconic story scrolling on the screen, and after a cinematic, which is really cool, you finally get into the game proper. I started with Episode 1, and the first game control you get is of a small space craft, dock with a battleship, and away we go. You control your character in a fully 3D, open world type environment. Everything looks incredible, perhaps the best-looking Star Wars Lego game ever!

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/04/review-lego-star-wars-skywalker-saga.html

REVIEW: Panama (2022) - Starring Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson

Panama is directed by Mark Neveldine and stars Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson, and is your latest action thriller to enjoy.

Cole Hauser leads as James Becker, a depressed ex-Marine, he suffers with survivors' guilt after the death of his wife.  Every day he gets drunk and visits the grave of his dead wife.

One day Becker is approached by Stark a defence contractor played by Mel Gibsob, he thinks it is time for Becker to get back on the proverbial horse, and hires him to travel to Panama to complete an arms deal, and connect with Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.

Becker eventually finds himself in a casino, in a hotel room with a sexy woman, mixing with drug cartel folk, and eventually leading into countless shootouts and a big climatic ending.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/04/review-panama-2022-starring-cole-hauser.html

REVIEW: The Ascent - (PS4)

Are you a fan of isometric cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video games? If you answered yes, then you might be interested in taking a look at The Ascent, which has just been released on PS4/PS5. Originally released on Xbox and PC in the middle of last year, PlayStation owners have had to wait to get their hands on the game.

From Swedish indie game studio Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital developed using Unreal Engine 4, The Ascent is a twin stick shooter, and although the viewpoint is advertised as Isometric, it does change in some areas of the game, there is also the ability to shoot high and low, which is great when an enemy is on a higher level than you, or further away. Now you may wonder why they would develop a mechanic like this at all, well it is important as it gives you a new dimension of play, whereby you can take cover and then shoot at enemies over obstacles.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/04/review-ascent-ps4.html

REVIEW: Moonfall (2022) - Starring Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson & John Bradley

Seems like forever since I have seen a decent end of the world type film, so I have been looking forward to Moonfall from the moment it was announced.

Co-written, directed, and produced by the King of the disaster movies Roland Emmerich, just having his name attached to this film you know it will be good, but having his name attached to so much of the film, then it needs to be really good.

The film starts in 2011, Astronauts Brian Harper played by the always excellent Patrick Wilson and Jocinda Fowler played by the ageless Halle Berry, (How is she 55?) are on a mission to repair a satellite, Astronauts Harper and Marcus are on a spacewalk when suddenly a strange black swarm attacks their craft, Harper manages to get back into the craft, but Marcus is killed by the swarm. Harper takes control of the craft and gets him and Fowler back to Earth safely.

After an investigation, NASA dismiss Harper's description of what happened, and human error is blamed for the disaster. Harper finds himself out of a job when Fowler fails to back him up in the investigation.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-moonfall-2022-starring-halle.html

REVIEW: Stoker Hills (2022) - Starring David Gridley, Vince Hill-Bedford and Steffani Brass

From director Benjamin Louis come Stoker Hills, a horror film about three college students, Ryan (David Gridley), Jake (Vince Hill-Bedford) and Erica (Steffani Brass) who as part of their college degree decide to make a horror movie set in their small town of Stoker Hills. But before they even get going, Erica is thrown in a car and kidnapped, Ryan and Jake chase after them, but they escape.

While exploring a forest nearby, they find an old seemingly abandoned building, inside they come across mutilated bodies and medical equipment.

We see much of this action through the "found film" they were using at the time. But this isn't all Blair Witch self-filmed horror, we cross to the detectives who are examining the film, we switch between the detectives investing and the tapes themselves as the film progresses. Will the detectives find the kids in time? Who is the kidnapper? Watch the film and find out.

Strong performances from David Gridley, Vince Hill-Bedford and Steffani Brass who carry the film, which is clearly on the lower budget side of Hollywood. And although the film is pretty standard fair, there is a nice twist at the end, which you would expect from any half decent horror.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-stoker-hills-2022-starring-david.html

REVIEW: The Bezonians (2022) - Starring Andreas Karras, Savvas D. Michael and Vinnie Jones

A film about Greek Cypriots in London? Why yes, I would be happy to review! Since I am Greek Cypriot and I grew up in London, I consider myself something of an expert on the genre.

The Bezonians is the name of a social club of sorts in London, run by a character called Plato (played by Andreas Karras), where various generations of Cypriot immigrants come to socialise and gamble away their hard-earned wages, as well as drink and party deep into the night.

We meet a mixture of characters, the super cool Achilles (Savvas D. Michael), the tough guy Costas (Peter Polycarpou), Mavro Mike (Chris Tummings) and Anthony (Jamie Crew), most days it is just about a bit of weed dealing, partying with girls, and gambling, but one night Plato gets goaded into a game of poker with Lola (Lois Brabin-Platt), but she is a hawk, and wins big, and if Plato doesn't pay up the £50,000 he loses, then her boyfriend Willard Greb (Vinnie Jones) will come to collect.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-bezonians-2022-starring-andreas.html

Interview with S. L. Yarbrough Writer of Horror, Fantasy, and Narrative non-fiction.

S. L. Yarbrough's earliest story was written in kindergarten. A ghost story. Her affinity for writing scary stories came from her weekly trips to the drive-in with her parents. Fantasy was also a passion, garnered from watching The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Lord of The Rings animated films, The Dark Crystal, and many others.

She loved to read and would read anything she could find.

Those passions expanded over the years. She has written articles for Vocal and Brain and Life magazine. A short story for the anthology "The Many Lives of Bindi"and now the first book in the extensive Psychology of...series.

S. L. Yarbrough has a Masters degree in Applied Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Psychology and Criminal Justice.

Full Interview at

http://www.mastersofhorror.co.uk/2022/03/interview-with-s-l-yarbrough-by-david.html

REVIEW: Bush Hockey League (Nintendo Switch)

Bush Hockey League is an ice hockey game set in the 1970s, Bush Hockey League is the name of the fictional league you will play.

There are two modes of play, an Exhibition Mode, which is your classic, jump into the action type game. And the Story Mode.

You can choose to play with Retro Controls or Advanced controls. The lack of any kind of instant tutorial mode, will really leave you trying to figure out the controls yourself, which is so frustrating, as when you first play, you will have no idea what button does what and end up losing your first game by a huge margin. Way to go developers, make a game that instantly puts off the player! Not like you didn't have 5 years to figure out the basics for porting this game to Switch.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-bush-hockey-league-nintendo.html

REVIEW: Paradise Killer (PS5)

Paradise Killer is an open world adventure game made by British studio Kaizen Game Works.

Your job is to investigate a murder and explore Paradise Island, (wasn't Paradise Island the name of the Island in the classic racing game Burnout Paradise?) Paradise Island is a pocket universe created by aliens canned The Syndicate, they want to create the perfect society, as that will awaken their ancient Gods. The Island is an experiment but unfortunately as with all utopias, things fail fast, the Syndicate kidnap humans from earth and let them live on Paradise Island, but as things fall apart, the humans are all killed, and their souls harvested to rebuild the Island. This game exists on the 24th rebuild of the Island.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-paradise-killer-ps5.html

REVIEW: Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5)

The largest city in Japan, Tokyo finds itself overrun with deadly supernatural creatures, the entire population of Tokyo have vanished.

Your job is to find the source and rid the city of these creatures and the evil cult that created them.

Your character Akito managed to survive this "snap" of sorts, due to a friendly spirit (KK) who gave him extra life source and elemental powers.

Akito and KK are basically the same in the game, they talk to each other which gets annoying quick. So do what I did and put the Japanese language on, just seemed better when I couldn't understand them.

As you travel around the map you will "cleanse" Torii gates, that will unlock more of the map and allow you to progress further. Don't do this and dense fog blocks your path. You will face countless waves of enemies that you have to beat, as well as have to look for certain items.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-ghostwire-tokyo-ps5.html

REVIEW: Jackass Forever (2022) - Starring Johnny Knoxville

The opening scene of this film is possibly the most insane thing you have ever seen. When I say they have a REAL Godzilla sized penis destroying a city, I am being completely serious!

Now unless you have been living under a rock for the past 22 years, Jackass is simply described as adult, slapstick, comedy sketches.

Jackass Forever is the 4th film in the franchise, and sees all your favourite Jackass stars return with the exception of Ryan Dunn who sadly died in a car accident in 2011.

Johnny Knoxville is the captain and his crew include Danger Ehren, Steve-O, Dave England, Chris Pontius, Wee Man and Preston Lacy, and joining them are a number of new crew mates and a few celebrities too.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-jackass-forever-2022-starring.html

REVIEW: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) Stars Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher and Mark Burnham as Leatherface

I am a big fan of your classic slasher films from the 80s, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a bit before my time, and I never really got into the franchise, I was more of a Friday the 13th fan. Well, we have a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this one is a direct sequel to the original 1974 film, and the 9th film in the franchise. I thought I would check out this new version to see what all the fuss is about.

50 years have passed since the original mass murders of the mid 1970s, Melody (played by Sarah Yarkin) her sister Lila (Played by Elsie Fisher), Dante (Played by Jacob Latimore) and his girlfriend Ruth (Played by Nell Hudson) have travelled to Harlow, a town in Texas, they plan to auction off old properties, so that the area can be modernised with new businesses, and turn what is a somewhat abandoned town, into a new trendy place to live.

One of the first places they go to look at is an old orphanage, the orphanage is supposed to be empty, but they find out that an old woman called Ginny (Alice Krige) is living there, they point out to her that the house has been sold and she shouldn't be there, but Ginny claims to have proof she is still the owner, a towering figure appears in silhouette at the top of the stairs, while an argument breaks out between Ginny and our protagonists. Ginny collapses with a heart attack, the police arrive, and say they will take her to hospital, the man comes downstairs to help, the police say that he is "her boy" as he picks her up and puts her in the ambulance (Police wagon).

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-texas-chainsaw-massacre-2022.html

REVIEW: Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 5 (PS5)

The latest Supercross game is here, and this one has a ridiculously long name, just like previous games. Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 5 will from this point on be known as Supercross.

For those who don't know, Supercross is a fancy name for Dirt Bikes, in other words, powerful motorbikes that race on dirt. This game takes the official 2021 championship, and allows you to play in it. All the official tracks, bikes and stars are here. It is about as complete as you can get.

The control system might seem a bit strange to new players to the franchise, it offers a twin stick experience, which although tough to get used to at first, quickly becomes second nature. You need to use both analog sticks to precisely control the rider, this is most important when it comes to the smaller jumps, but also while sailing through the air on a big jump, trying to get that extra bit of flight.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-monster-energy-supercross.html

REVIEW: The Desperate Hour (2022) - Starring Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts stars as Amy in what is nearly a one-woman film. Directed by Phillip Noyce, The Desperate Hour tells the story of Amy, a mother mourning the death of her Husband. She lives with her kids, a daughter and teenage son Noah, played by Colton Gobbo. Her son is depressed, for obvious reasons, and the film starts off with her trying to get him out of bed to go to school.

Amy goes on her morning jog, as she is jogging, she is also answering calls, replying to texts, and so on. As she is jogging, a number of police cars pass her on the road, she thinks nothing of it until she gets an emergency alert on her phone.

There is an emergency at the school, someone has a gun and is holding people hostage. Amy is in the middle of the woods, and desperate to know if her kids are ok, her daughter is in elementary school and is ok, but she does not know if her son got to school, after some detective work, she finds out that his truck is there, so he is at the high school, where the situation is unfolding. Is he alive? Is he involved? What is going on?

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-desperate-hour-2022-starring.html

REVIEW: Hellbender (2022) Starring Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, Lulu Adams & John Adams

In recent years Shudder has really stepped out of the shadows releasing one great horror film after another. Hellbender is the latest addition to the ever-growing catalog.

Zelda Adams plays 16-year-old Izzy, a young woman who lives a quiet existence on a mountain with her super protective mother (Toby Poser). She knows nothing outside of what her mother has taught her and is home schooled due to an auto-immune disease which leaves her open to infection.

Throw in the fact that Izzy and her mother are supernatural witches called Hellbenders, who live off of moss and seed cones, and reproduce asexually, and you have an interesting dynamic.

Izzy and her mom pass the time with their little private metal band, Izzy on Drums and her mom on Bass. They sing your typical metal songs about the end of the world, and killing people.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-hellbender-2022-starring-zelda.html

REVIEW: Supercool (2022) Stars Jake Short, Miles J. Harvey and Damon Wayans Jr.

Been a while since I have seen a Teen based comedy. I remember the classics like Porky's or American Pie which still stir the memories today, Supercool at its base is a film about a virgin wanting to get laid, but unfortunately in the modern era you just can't make comedies like that anymore, so from the start Supercool is limited in where it can go. Saying that however it does have its moments.

The film stars Jake Short and Miles J Harvey as Neil and Gilbert, they have just started their senior year of high school, so I think that would be 17 or 18? Both Neil and Gilbert have high hopes and aspirations.

The film starts with school kids on the school bus, suddenly a masked man with a gun gets on the bus and kidnaps Neil's crush Summer (Madison Davenport) and throws her in a van. What follows is a pretty awesome scene, with Neil and Gilbert taking control of the school bus, chasing after the kidnapper, and rescuing Summer, but it is all just in the imagination of Neil, who drew the scene in his notebook.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-supercool-2022-stars-jake-short.html

'The Birth of Daniel F Harris' - First look image

"Danny grew up in a house in the middle of nowhere and was told that the world outside was full of monsters waiting to snatch him away. The Birth of Daniel F Harris explores what happens when he finally leaves the house and is introduced to our world for the first time. It's a chance to re-evaluate everything we think is normal through the eyes of someone for whom it's all completely new." Pete Jackson, Writer, The Birth of Daniel F Harris

The Birth of Daniel F Harris, produced by Clerkenwell Films, will star Lewis Gribben, Samuel Bottomley, Lisa McGrillis and Rory Keenan. It will launch on Channel 4 later this year.

REVIEW: Blacklight (2022) Starring Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith and Aidan Quinn

The film starts with a political activist called Sofia Flores, (Played by Melanie Jarnson), she is talking to a group of people about women's quality, racism etc. Your typical liberal activist. Later in the day she is killed in a hit and run, near to her home.

That is the juice for this story. In comes Travis Block, (played by Liam Neeson), Travis is a Vietnam War veteran who works for the Director of the FBI Gabriel Robinson, (Played by Aidan Quinn). Block is something of a "fixer" for the FBI Director, his job is to rescue or recover undercover agents who have either been made, or find themselves in a difficult to escape position.

Blocks latest job is to bring in Dusty Crane, (played by Taylor John Smith). Block would rather retire and spend more time with his family, but the FBI director needs him.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-blacklight-2022-starring-liam.html

REVIEW: Pretty Girls Four Kings Solitaire on PC (Steam)

I never thought I would be reviewing a Solitaire game, but here we are.

I recently reviewed another "Pretty Girls" release called Speed, I gave that game a strong 9/10. Well, the good people at Zoo Corporation have asked me to take a look at their newest "Pretty Girls" release, this time it is Solitaire. Yes Solitaire, that game everyone gets free with their PC running Windows. So, what is different about this game that sets it apart from the Windows version?

Well, it is the "Pretty Girls" of course. But that aside the gameplay still needs to work for the game to be good.

There are a few different versions of Solitaire going around, slightly different rules. Since this game is from Japan, the rules are a little different to what I was familiar with, but in many ways, this is a superior version.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-pretty-girls-four-kings.html

REVIEW: The Requin (2022) Starring Alicia Silverstone and James Tupper

The Requin stars Alicia Silverstone as Jaelyn and James Tupper as Kyle, a married couple on a luxury holiday in Vietnam, they rent a cabin that floats on the water, we soon find out that Jaelyn recently lost a child in childbirth after she has a flashback upon seeing blood from Kyle's leg when he cuts it swimming.

Before you know it a Monsoon has hit the area, the fancy cabin breaks from the ropes holding it, and they start floating out to see, despite having a chance to climb on a rock relatively near to shore, they decide it is too dangerous with the waves, and stay on the cabin, which is now basically a raft. Day turns to Night turns to Day to Night, and they are stuck in the middle of the sea. Kyle has a broken leg, and blood has attracted sharks. And that is the basic premise of this thriller/horror film.

Alicia Silverstone is very screamy in this film, and James Tupper is the husband who can't do anything right.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-requin-2022-starring-alicia.html

REVIEW: Never Alone: Arctic Collection - Nintendo Switch

Never Alone is a platform/puzzle game, developed in full collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people. 40 members of the Iñupiat contributed to the game. And includes the Foxtales DLC that was originally released on PC.

You play as Nuna and a friendly Fox, you are in search of the source of the blizzard that threatens the very survival of everything they know. Set in the Arctic, the world around you is very harsh, and it will take smarts to survive and progress.

Switch between controlling Nuna or the Fox, to help you navigate through the landscape, solve puzzles, and evade various creatures. The further your make your way across the frozen landscapes, and underground passages, the more you will find out. At its base the game is a platforming game, but you will find yourself running from Polar Bears, swimming under ice cold water in underground caves, climbing, jumping and running. You can play with a friend controlling one character and you the other, but in single player mode, you can simply switch between Nuna or the Fox, depending on the challenge ahead. The fox for example can crawl through small gaps, run faster and jump higher. You might need the Fox to reach an area and then let down a rope for Nuna to use to climb up.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/review-never-alone-arctic-collection.html

REVIEW: The Adam Project (2022) Starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner

One of the more popular actors of modern times, Ryan Reynolds is back in his latest Netflix film.

 

Directed by Shawn Levy, The Adam Project stars Ryan Reynolds as Adam Reed a fighter pilot in 2050, the film starts with him in his jet being chased in the upper atmosphere of Earth, before you know it, he has opened a wormhole and travelled back in time to 2022, and crash lands. He goes to the only place he knows will exist in 2022, that being his family house. He is injured and needs medical help.

With all the usual Time Travel clichés thrown out of the window, big Adam soon meets little Adam, (Played by Walker Scobell), and reveals who he is. And before you know it, they have teamed up on a mission to save Laura Reed (Adams future wife, played by Zoe Saldaña).

Confused yet? Well big Adam jumped to the wrong time, he meant to go to 2018, which means more time travel, and then meeting up with Adam's father who died in 2021, who just so happened to have invented time travel.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-adam-project-2022-starring-ryan.html

REVIEW: Demetrios The Big Cynical Adventure REPLASTERED for PS5

​Demetrios is a quirky adventure game packed with tons of humour!

Bjorn Thonen, a slob of an antique dealer living in Paris, is robbed one night after coming home drunk. Forced to conduct his own investigation with the help of his neighbour Sandra, he ends up involved in a murky, mysterious affair. Will these unlikely heroes be able to rise up and discover ancient secrets?

Originally released on Steam, PS Vita, Xbox One, now the game gets a "REPLASTERED" 4K release on PS5.

 

Demetrios is a self proclaimed "Quirky" adventure game created by Fabrice Breton, and one look at the credits and you realise that Fabrice pretty much made the entire game himself, which is really impressive in this day and age. Well now the game is back once again on PS5 in stunning 4K, and I got my hands on it a week before release, because, you know, I am special. As a man in my early 40s, this is the kind of point and click adventure game I grew up on, back in the days of the Atari ST and Amiga. Where as kids of this generation will always prefer the instant gratification of blowing someones head off, I much prefer a little bit of work in a game before I get such gratification, well that or making my character put his fingers in an electrical outlet.

​Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2017/08/review-demetrios-big-cynical-adventure.html

PREVIEW: Batora: Lost Haven on PC (Steam)

I was asked to take a look at Batora: Lost Haven on PC (Steam), although not officially released, the version I played is something of a prologue, or demo.

"In Batora: Lost Haven, players will take on the role of Avril – an unlikely young hero and the last hope of a dying Earth, as she travels between planets, meets an eclectic cast of characters, and explores a range of colourful and diverse sci-fi fantasy environments. Along the way, players will be faced with an array of important decisions, the consequences of which can be far-reaching and shape Avril's personality for the rest of the game. For Avril to survive, players will have to fight, think on their feet, and master the 'Nature Switch' ability to balance their mental and physical fortitude while solving unique environmental puzzles."

Batora is an isometric type view, sci fi adventure game. Twin stick shooter meets hack and slash type gameplay.

The main gimmick of the game seems to be the ability to switch from physical (Sun powered) to mental (Moon powered) characteristics which in turn affects the way you play, from which enemies you can attack, to how you attack them. Physical (glows orange, power of the Sun) has you slashing at enemies with a weapon, and mental (glows purple, power of the Moon) as shooting from further away.

More at 

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/03/preview-batora-lost-haven-on-pc-steam.html

The Change, a brand new six-part comedy-drama series created by Bridget Christie.

The Change, a brand new six-part comedy-drama series produced, written, and starring multi-award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Bridget Christie, has been commissioned by Channel 4. Expectation is in charge of the show's production.

Linda - played by Christie (Edinburgh Comedy Award, Rose D'Or and South Bank Sky Arts Award winner) - a 50-year-old working class married mother of two, is having an existential crisis. Who is she? What is she? Is this it? Convinced she's got early onset dementia after forgetting what a shoe is called, Linda's GP informs her it is, in fact, the menopause. Feeling invigorated and empowered by this information, Linda decides to claw back some of the time she's spent doing 'invisible work' over the years (not all 3.5 million minutes, just 131,500 of them) to do something for herself… for a change.  

Dusting off her old Triumph motorbike that she hasn't ridden in 30 years, Linda sets off alone to the spectacular wilderness of The Forest of Dean - in search of an identity, a purpose, and tree she climbed as a child. Along the way she meets an array of eccentric locals, including the infamous Eel Sisters, an angry local radio presenter and a mysterious man who lives in the woods with the wild boar. What could possibly go wrong?

REVIEW: Project Gemini (2022) From director Serik Beyseu and Starring Egor Koreshkov, Dmitriy Frid and Martinez Lisa

It is that time of the week whereby I review the latest low budget film, now you know I love my low budget films, so I was looking forward to Project Gemini, if only for that awesome poster! Props to the design team for that.

Project Gemini is a sci-fi survival thriller; a deadly virus has destroyed life on Earth, well at least it is not World War 3! I imagine we will get a lot of films with that storyline in the coming months. Anyway, a deadly virus has infected all the plants on earth, and animals eat plants, and humans eat animals, so you can see the problem. Scientists have decided that the best hope for the human race is to find a new planet to live on.

We have a crew, Steve (Egor Koreshkov), David (Dmitriy Frid) and Leona (Martinez Lisa), we have a rocket ship. Oh, and luckily, we also have a 4-billion-year-old piece of alien technology that we found, have managed to replicate and that will help us terraform a planet that is just 300 lightyears from Earth. For some reason the planet is called Tess, and to get there our crew needs to head through a wormhole of sorts. Of course, with this being a sci fi survival thriller, there is always more going on.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/review-project-gemini-2022-from.html

INTERVIEW: Howard Ford - Director of The Ledge

Ahead of FrightFest's UK premiere of THE LEDGE at the Glasgow Film Festival, director Howard Ford talks about how he nearly lost his life to a mountain fall, reviving THE DEAD and playing 'Russian Roulette'.

Your latest film, THE LEDGE, is receiving its UK premiere at FrightFest Glasgow 2022. Excited, nervous?

Well it's always an exciting time with FrightFest and I do love the big screen with a crowd as that's why I got into making films in the first place. With 'The Ledge' I have tried to frame it to work well as cinema in its traditional manner as I wanted the shots and mountain scenery to breathe. So it'll be exciting to share that immersive experience.

THE LEDGE has been described as a "suspense-filled, deadly cat and mouse game thriller set on a mountain". Happy with that?

I'm more than happy with the description. It beats the usual 'female cliff-hanger'. The funny thing is about films is that no matter what you try to do or how much effort you make to get it on screen, there is always a bunch of folks who jump online and can't wait to tell you it's the worst film ever made! Some people get it, some never will…

Read Full Interview at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/interview-howard-ford-director-of-ledge.html

TRAILER: The Darker The Lake - Starring Veronica Ferres, Gina Stiebitz, Elyse Levesque and Vladimir Burlakov

Starring Veronica Ferres (Dreamland, Salt and Fire), Gina Stiebitz  (Dark, Unexpected), Elyse Levesque (SGU Stargate Universe, Ready or Not ), Vladimir Burlakov (Iron Sky: The Coming Race, Deutschland 83)

The Darker the Lake, a brand-new supernatural thriller with a Nordic noir edge from director Lok Kwan Woo (White Terror, Angels Never Cry), is set to thrill and chill audiences, with its UK premiere in March 2022, courtesy of (Yet) Another Distribution Company and 101 Films.

1987, St. Michael, a group of high school friends discover an ancient board game and start to play. They become consumed by their addictive new pastime. But things turn deadly…  the players start to meet a disturbing demise and the survivors vow never to speak of the game again.

Fast forward to 2021 and a spate of strange deaths – in the very same small town – have shaken locals to their core… bearing striking similarities to the events of more than 30 years ago, could the devastating events be linked?

Two detectives – with their own personal links to the area –  are brought together to work on the case. When they track down those involved in the original mystery, all those years ago, things start to get complicated... With seemingly mystical forces at play, they are pulled into the dangerous and perplexing world of the game and as the stakes are raised, the danger gets perilously close to home.

With a roll of the dice will the detectives win, or will they pay the ultimate price in The Darker The Lake?

Watch Trailer at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/03/trailer-darker-lake-starring-veronica.html