REVIEW: Bandit (2022) - Starring Josh Duhamel, Mel Gibson and Elisha Cuthbert

Bandit is based on the true-life story of Gilbert Galvan Jr (aka The Flying Bandit). Gilbert Galvan Jr escaped from a prison in Michigan in 1984, he then crossed the border into Canada and went on to rob 59 banks and jewellery stores while being chased by a police task force. He still holds a record for the most consecutive robberies in Canadian history.

The film starts off with Gilbert Galvan Jr (Josh Duhamel) robbing a bank, we get a quick look at his methods and before you know it, we get "Four Years Earlier" flash up on the screen and Gilbert Galvan Jr explaining to the camera what he did. Although we get a bit of 4th wall breaking at the start of the film, this doesn't continue throughout, although the film is narrated by the Gilbert Galvan Jr character.

We find Galvan being sent to prison, and then 6 months later he escapes by literally jumping the fence in the minimum-security prison he had been sentenced to. He manages to get to Canada, where he realises quickly he needs to start a whole new life for himself.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-bandit-2022-starring-josh.html

REVIEW: Robbing Mussolini (2022) A.K.A. Rapiniamo il Duce - Starring Pietro Castellitto and Matilda De Angelis

Robbing Mussolini is a historical heist comedy-drama film directed by Renato De Maria, and starring Pietro Castellitto, Matilda De Angelis, Tommaso Ragno, Isabella Ferrari and Filippo Timi.

The year is 1945, World War Two is coming to an end, and Il Duce (The Leader in Italian, referring to Benito Mussolini) is seeing the end coming, and not in a good way for him.

Pietro Lamberti (played by Pietro Castellitto) is an arms smuggler; he steals weapons and sells them to the resistance. During one such exchange he utters the words "I'm a thief, not a spy," when challenged by one of the members of the resistance, followed by "Spies don't make enough money.", this should give you a good idea of his character. The resistance tries a double cross, but Pietro is ready, before you know it the Fascists turn up, and all hell breaks loose. Everyone makes a run for it, but just as Pietro tries to recover his bag of cash, it gets hit by a bullet and the money gets destroyed. Luckily, he manages to escape, on the side of a motorbike with sidecar.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-robbing-mussolini-2022-aka.html

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REVIEW: One True Hero on Nintendo Switch

One True Hero is a quirky 3D platforming adventure featuring a young hero who can barely save himself!

An Epic Adventure

​An evil tyrant... A magic sword... A young farmer turned Hero...

It's a tale we've heard thousands of times before, and in the kingdom of Genericia things like that happen every other week!

This makes it hard for our Hero to be taken seriously when he tries to save a town that's mysteriously sinking into the ground, even if he is the only one capable of saving it!

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-one-true-hero-on-nintendo-switch.html

REVIEW: NEO: The World Ends with You on PC Steam

"It was just another seemingly ordinary day in Shibuya, but not for Rindo. He could tell something about the city felt different.

When a psychic battle breaks out on the Scramble Crossing, Rindo thought he'd managed to escape it. Until a girl calling herself a Reaper shows up in front of him. "Welcome to the Reapers' Game, kid."

Surely nothing too terrible could happen in a game...

With this thought in mind, Rindo casually joins the game with his friend, Fret. But as they start playing the game, the two start to feel like something isn't quite

right. There's something off about this "Shibuya" they're in!

As the pair grapple with their doubts, they're suddenly confronted with the rule of the Game: win, or be erased.

In this second Shibuya called Shibuya's Undergound (or "UG") they must compete with the other Players to take the top spot and survive.

Will Rindo and Fret be able to return to the original Shibuya...?"

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-neo-world-ends-with-you-on-pc.html

REVIEW: The Pinball Wizard on Nintendo Switch

What do you get if you cross an old-fashioned dungeon crawler, with a pinball game? You get The Pinball Wizard on Nintendo Switch.

You will use your character like a ball on a pinball table, each level acts like its own little table, and you will "dash, hurl, and flip your way to the top of the tower castle."

Along the way you can level up your characters skills, loot treasure and fight monsters, but all within the kind of confines of pinball mechanics. For example, you will use the paddles to hit your character, direct him to collect things, to hit enemies, and eventually once you find the key, hit him towards the door which takes you to the next level.

Once you reach the top of the tower, you will restore the power of The Eye and "bring peace to the lands".

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-pinball-wizard-on-nintendo-switch.html

REVIEW: Where's Rose (2022) - Starring Ty Simpkins and Skyler Elyse Philpot

A 78-minute horror thriller! This is right up my street. I have had Where's Rose queued up to watch for a while, and kept putting it back, I wish I hadn't waited so long, as this is a smart little film.

Eric Daniels (played by Ty Simpkins) is about to leave for college, but just before he is about to go, his younger sister Rose Daniels (played by the very talented Skyler Elyse Philpot) goes missing. The only clue you have at first is when she talks of an imaginary friend to her mother.

Before you know it, Rose is found, and everything seems ok, but of course this is a horror film, so there has to be more to it. Eric watches his sister and is quickly convinced that something is wrong, and that something has changed about her. We then get the obligatory black eyes scene from Rose as she looks at her brother who is snooping on her through a gap in the door. He freaks out, but will anyone believe him?

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-wheres-rose-2022-starring-ty.html

REVIEW: Black Adam (2022) - Starring Dwayne Johnson and Sarah Shahi

DC are back with a new Superhero film! And apparently the start of a new "Phase" of films, whatever, I don't really care about all that, I am only interested in this film.

WARNING: There are spoilers in this review, so stop reading now if that is a problem, spoilers are limited, but still I thought I should warn you since this is a new film.

Let's start off with the name of the film, Black Adam, ok the "Black" has nothing to do with being Black, and is purely to do with the colour of his suit. It is also strange that Dwayne Johnson was cast as the lead character that is supposed to be some ancient middle eastern guy, especially as The Rock is half Samoan and half black Canadian. But I guess he looks the part so that's ok.

The film starts in 2600BC, in the ancient town of Kahndaq, basically like somewhere in Iraq. A tyrannical King creates the Crown of Sabbac out of some kind of blue mineral that has special powers. Whoever wears the crown is granted great powers.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-black-adam-2022-starring-dwayne.html

REVIEW: Serious Fun Football (Early Access) on PC (Steam)

Although this game looks pretty polished, it is still in early access, and it has a long way to go before it is anywhere near ready for full release.

There aren't many indie football games that have done well, in fact I can't think of a single one off the top of my head. That doesn't mean it is impossible, it just means that in a world that is dominated by the FIFA franchise, and with PES a distance second, to even stand a chance you game has to be very good.

Serious Fun Football tries an interesting approach, games are played in a 3 vs 3 environment. With fences surrounding the pitch, there are no corners, throw ins or even penalties. The game is purely about passing and scoring.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-serious-fun-football-early.html

REVIEW: A Winding Path on Nintendo Switch

A Winding Path is a hand-drawn 2D platform game of sorts. With a totally unique monochrome look, you play as a character exploring a world, the rain has stopped, crops are dying, rivers are drying up. Your job is to explore and complete small tasks in the hope of uncovering the mystery, and restoring balance to the world.

You will explore ancient ruins, forests and settlements, you will speak to various people, and help them solve their troubles.

Although the graphics look super simple, you literally control a stick man, everything is actually really cleverly done. You could argue that it is actually harder to animate in this way, using hand drawn sketches etc, than it is to animate in a more classical way.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-winding-path-on-nintendo-switch.html

REVIEW: Hellraiser (2022) - Starring Odessa A'zion and Goran Višnjić

Hulu are back with another reboot of a classic horror film. This time Hellraiser gets the Hulu treatment.

Directed by David Bruckner this is the second adaption of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. Of course, the first adaption being the 1987 film Hellraiser. Now whatever you think of the original film, I know some love it and think it is the greatest horror film ever made, others not so much, it is fair to say that one character really stands out, and in quite a terrifying way. Yes Pinhead. Played by Doug Bradley, it was a truly scary character. The way he spoke, moved, the eyes, everything. He was a horror icon! But of course, this is 2022, so everything has to be woke, but we will get onto that later.

We start off with a woman buying a case from a man on the street, she is buying it on behalf of Roland Voight, we quickly then move to a party hosted by said hedonistic millionaire Roland Voight (played by the always interesting Goran Višnjić), in his mansion. A male prostitute, Joey (Kit Clarke) approaches the same woman as earlier, Joey wants to meet Voight, she tells him to go to a place in the mansion. He obliges. He soon finds a mechanical looking puzzle box. As he does Voight comes in, and insists Joey solve the puzzle box. As he does, the box stabs him. Voight then traps Joey in the room. A door then opens, and chains fly out and rip Joey apart. Voight looks to the sky and demands an audience with Leviathan.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-hellraiser-2022-starring-odessa.html

REVIEW: The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM

When George Floyd died there was a media outcry, which resulted in the famous BLM riots across America, over a billion dollars worth of damage. People murdered, and society changed forever.

Candace Owens has made an incredibly detailed, and well sourced documentary looking at the death of Floyd, and specifically the rise of the BLM movement.

Candace looks at how the media controlled the entire narrative of what happened with Floyd, which in turn deeply affected the trial of the cop accused of killing him, as well as how the media reported on BLM.

We also see how after she first spoke out, Dave Chappelle attacked Candace in one of his shows with a sexually charged, brutal misogynistic take down, something that I as the viewer had no idea he had done, mainly as no one reported on it. Is the reason that it was not reported on because Candace is a black, female conservative?

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-greatest-lie-ever-sold-george.html

REVIEW: Pnevmo-Capsula on Nintendo Switch

Pnevmo-Capsula finally gets its console release on the 19th of October, after being out on Steam for a year or so.

Set in an alternate utopian atompunk world in what looks like anywhere between the 1930s to the 1960s, you control a small trolley that delivers mail, your job is to traverse a series of rails, tracks and pipes, and ultimately deliver the mail.

Of course, things are not as simple as they might seem, in your way are obstacles to get past, barriers to overcome, dead ends, and maze like structures to find your way through.

The various levels are laid out across interesting backdrops, "caretaker's booth" on a power pole, made of sleepers; "Air platform" with houses at a height; "The artist's hut", fixed directly on the power line, and so on.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-pnevmo-capsula-on-nintendo-switch.html

REVIEW: Amberial Dreams on PC (steam)

If there is one thing I like, it is 2D physics-based precision platformer, and what do we have here? Yes, it is a 2D physics-based precision platformer.

You control a ball or as the game calls it a sphere, and you have to get from point A in a level to Point B, in as fast a time as possible. You can only move the ball left or right, so have to make use of the environment to cleverly move you around the level. For example, hit a ramp at speed, or move onto a bouncing platform, move through an antigravity area and so on. Apparently, this is the 5th game in the series, but as far as I know this is the first time, I have played any of them.

With 50 levels to beat, with varying difficulty, the game presents quite the challenge. Each level offers 3 achievable points. First to pass the level, second to pass the level in under a certain time, and thirdly to do that while also collecting a moon icon, that is usually positioned in a difficult to reach place. Do all three, and you have fully passed the level.

There is a story too,

"Follow the story of Amber as she wakes up from her long slumber, alone, to find her former idyllic world transformed to the core. Incarnate her avatar and explore 4 different biomes, each with their own gameplay twists and narrative. Change the world as you progress and uncover hidden secrets. Where are your missing sisters and why did everything change so drastically?"

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-amberial-dreams-on-pc-steam.html

Halloween Ends (2022) - Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Rohan Campbell, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney

I was never a big fan of the original Halloween films, I was more of a Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street fan, but I did watch and enjoy the original films, and even some of the sequels, reboots and reimagining's. So here we are again, with yet another Halloween film, the 13th in the franchise, and I think the 4th in this timeline?

The film starts off in 2019, and it is Halloween night, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is babysitting Jeremy, a young annoying boy who is suffering with behavioural issues. The boy pulls a prank on Corey, and locks him in the attack, the boy is taunting Corey, and brings up Michael Myers, Corey hears a bang so picks up a knife, Corey then starts to kick the door, and eventually he breaks through, but in doing so the door hits Jeremy sending him flying over the banister and hitting the floor, instantly killing him, and just as this happens, his parents return home. As the parents walk in, they look up to see Corey upstairs looking down, holding the knife.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/halloween-ends-2022-starring-jamie-lee.html

Halloween Ends (2022) - Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Rohan Campbell, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney

The Handmaid’s Tale returns to Channel 4

The Handmaid's Tale, which is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic novel of the same name, tells the tale of life in the totalitarian dystopia of Gilead, which is located in what was formerly the United States. As a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his bitter wife, Offred (played by Elizabeth Moss), one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the authoritarian Republic of Gilead, fights to survive.

The latest series will see June (Moss) face the consequences of killing Commander Waterford (played byJoseph Fiennes) while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead's influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) works with Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Nick (Max Minghella) as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. June, Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley) fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah. Other cast returning to the series are, Madeline Brewer as Janine, Amanda Brugel as Rita and Sam Jaeger as Mark.

Channel 4 is officially set to return with the fifth series of The Handmaid's Tale airing later this month.

REVIEW: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn - Starring Imran Adams and Sydney Craven

One of the biggest problems in rebooting/re-imagining/rebirthing a classic horror film, is that you lose the initial surprise build-up of the main character, and even if you never saw the original 3 films, if you come to this film completely fresh, you are more than likely going to search on google for Jeepers Creepers, and in doing so, you pretty much learn everything about the main character in a few seconds looking at a few posters or screenshots. So out of the window goes the old reveal and element of surprise, which you only ever truly get to do once.

Perhaps realising this Jeepers Creepers: Reborn takes a slightly different approach, and instead of making this a sequel, or even pretending that the original films never happened, Reborn takes the unusual step of referencing the original films.... as films. Yes, the original Jeepers Creepers trilogy exists in the Reborn universe as 3 films.

The film starts with a short re-enactment of the original film, 23 years ago an older couple are driving down a road when a big red truck speeds up behind them, it eventually passes them, but later in the drive they see the driver of that truck dumping something down a large pipe that goes underground, by an old house. Suddenly the truck appears behind them again, they manage to escape, but return to the house to see for themselves what was being dumped. They look down the pipe, scream, and we quickly fast forward to the present.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-jeepers-creepers-reborn-starring.html

REVIEW: XEL - Nintendo Switch

XEL is a top-down 3D action-adventure game, set in a futuristic world, where you play as Reid, you find yourself shipwrecked on XEL, a very strange world. Of course, it goes without saying that you have no memory of your previous life, because why would you? Your job in this game is to explore the world, find out about your past, why you are here and what your connection to XEL is.

"Ready your sword and shield as you explore the overworld of XEL and dive into imposing Zelda-like dungeons full of unforeseen threats and challenging puzzles. Throughout your journey you will make new friends and foes, learn new moves, find new gadgets as well as being able to jump through time and space. As Reid delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding XEL, she discovers an endless cycle of peril. Will she be able to break free from it and what will it take?"

As you play you will soon find a sword and a shield, which will be your main weapons for attack, as you explore you can find large pillars that allow you to save your progress, as well as treasure chests, all handily marked on the map. As you explore the area and try to progress to the next, you will of course be met by creatures/robot minions that want to kill you, battles are straight forward hack and slash affairs, some enemies can fire projectiles which is where your shield comes into good use. Boss fights are as expected, learn the attack pattern, avoid the attacks, and attack back when you can.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-xel-nintendo-switch.html

Review: Vesper (2022) (a.k.a. Vesper Chronicles) Starring Raffiella Chapman

Sadly, this film has nothing to do with the Italian brand of motorised scooter, instead the film opens up with an eco message.

"The New Dark Ages, Humanity tried to prevent the impending ecological crisis by investing massively in genetic technology. It failed. Engineered viruses and organisms escaped into the world. They wiped out edible plants, animals and large populations of humans. An oligarchy now thrives in enclosed cities called "Citadels" while everyone else struggles to survive. For food, people rely on seeds traded by the Citadels. However, these are coded to produce only one harvest."

Well, that's a nice cheery message to start off with. I would argue that they never failed, but instead it was all by design, but then I am a conspiracy theorist.

Our lead character is Vesper, (Raffiella Chapman) a 13-year-old girl who lives in a house with her paralyzed father Darius (Richard Brake). She spends her days scavenging for seeds so she can grow her own food and she looks for any kind of power sources, which she can use to help keep her father alive.

Full Review at

http://www.beentothemovies.com/2022/10/review-vesper-2022-aka-vesper.html

REVIEW: Pretty Girls Tile Match on PC (Steam)

Zoo Corporation have just released the 18th "Pretty Girls" game in the series and they have sent me a key to check out the game.

I have reviewed a lot of the Pretty Girls titles now, and all of these games have one main thing in common, "Pretty Girls" (KAWAII -  the culture of cuteness in Japan) wrapped around either a classic game or a reimagining of a classic game, well Pretty Girls Tile Match is no different.

A simple concept is used here, you play with mah-jong tiles that are spread out randomly on the table, your job is to match 3 of them, when you do that they disappear from the playing area, once you have cleared the board, you have completed that level.

Each level you complete gets you points, and you can then use those points to unlock costumes and backgrounds for the "Pretty Girls", which you can then position on a diorama, when positioned how you like, you can then save that image, to use however you like, most likely use is for Wallpaper for your computer.

In total there are 120 levels to complete, 20 levels per characters, with 3 different difficulty settings.

Full Review at

http://www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk/2022/10/review-pretty-girls-tile-match-on-pc.html