DISNEY GALLERY: THE MANDALORIAN

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: DISNEY+

Disney+’s The Mandalorian has been gamechanger for the Star Wars franchise. It has shown that the high-budget and special effects-heavy appeal of the movies is finally possible on a TV budget. Of course, with such a ground-breaking show, fans want to know how it’s all been done. The Disney Gallery series happily obliges, taking the viewer behind the scenes in order to show off some of the show’s incredible achievements.

While The Mandolorian is an incredibly complicated show technically, at its heart it’s a simple spaghetti western/samurai story. The core of this behind the scenes show are the directors, actors, and producers simply talking about their work. This is fascinating in and of itself, the team behind the series are all highly accomplished people. We also get cutaways and voiceovers explaining various elements of production, but the audience is never talked down to. This is not a cheesy, back-slapping DVD extra. It’s a polished documentary designed to appeal to mature minds.

Various elements get their own episode. For example, a whole show is dedicated to exploring the special sets used for the show. We learn how modern video game engines have been used to create realistic CG environments rather than blue screen. Watching the show’s creators discuss the implications of the technology is fascinating, made all the more interesting by George Lucas’s own input. Practical effect fans are also well treated – there’s an entire section on make-up and puppets. Anyone who’s fascinated with the art of making movies, or just really into Star Wars, will love this series.

STAR WARS: JEDI TEMPLE CHALLENGE

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REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (EPISODES 1 – 4) | WHERE TO WATCH: YOUTUBE

It would be lazy and misleading for us to describe the new online Star Wars show Jedi Temple Challenge as basically Fun House with Jedi, but it’s a good place to start. The show takes three pairs of pre-teen kids and put them through their paces in order to win the honour of being named a Jedi Knight. (They also get robes and a lightsaber, so you know it’s authentic).

 

There’s a fine tradition of gameshow aimed at children having a strong genre theme, and Jedi Temple Challenge is up there with series such as Raven and Knightmare in terms of immersive charm. The reason for this is the incredibly charismatic Ahmed Best as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. Best has always been superb at delighting and inspiring young minds and casting him as this show’s gamemaster is a stroke of genius. He’s assisted by Veep actress Mary Holland as the droid AD-3, who provides just the right amount of side-eye.

 

The kids have to go through three challenges themed around strength, knowledge, and bravery, which are also the core principles of the Jedi.  Strength is a fun assault course where they have to grab meiloorun fruit via trampolines, knock floating balls around, and so on. Knowledge involves being told a story and then having to answer questions about it. This is also another excuse for Lucasfilm to squeeze in fun nods to the greater Star Wars lore, even if it’s blink and you’ll miss it stuff. Finally, bravery involves some co-operative puzzles and the temptations of the dark side. The players are earnest and heartfelt, and the whole thing will delight kids and make their Star Wars-loving parents grin wide.

BEEF HOUSE

beef house

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: ALL 4

Over the seventy-year history of network television, a number of staples have emerged which could be considered media in their own right. The soap opera, the documentary, the crime procedural… all these have been explored and parodied, played straight, and presented in a post-modern way. But none of these is as beloved, or as ripe for exploration as the sitcom, and the men behind Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! may have brought us a meta classic.

Beef House is the story of Eric, an unemployed man who lives with his wife and his best friend Tim. Oh, and three old men they call the Beef Boys. This unusual situation is not always the root of the comedy; rather Beef House uses sitcom staples like the sexy neighbour, the return of an old flame, the addition of a child to the cast, and projects them through the kaleidoscopic lens of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s ridiculous, extreme, surreal world view.

The result is a delirious set of ten-minute classics, at once familiar and alien, the tropes of the sitcom all recognisable but in ways they’ve rarely been presented. If Beef House has a close cousin, it’s the Reeves and Mortimer show House of Fools, but there’s something unique about Tim and Eric that long-time fans of their antics will attest to, and that makes Beef House a rare treasure.

This isn’t a show for everyone – there’s a lot of toilet humour and stabbing – but everyone should give Beef House a shot. Heidecker and Wareheim may just have found the right outlet for their surreal, repulsive humour – let’s hope Adult Swim lets them explore it.

STAR WARS EPISODE 1: RACER

PLATFORM: SWITCH | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

A long time ago, in an era far far away, the best thing to come out of The Phantom Menace (other than Darth Maul) came to the N64 in the form of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. It also got superior ports to the Dreamcast and PC back in the day, and now finally gets potentially the most superior port of all to the Nintendo Switch. But is this port a New Hope? Or it just Attack of the Clones?

The game plays similar to something like Wipeout or Fast Racing RMX – it’s a high-speed futuristic racer in which you take control of either Anakin or one of the supporting racers from the film and compete at blistering pace. The game modes consist of a tournament mode in which you win money and can upgrade your pod, a freeplay mode, and multiplayer.

The main issue with this game is the lack of challenge it offers. Other than right at the start of each race, the majority of the time you won’t even see another racer because you’ll be so far ahead. Multiplayer is where the real fun is at; however, like it was back then, it’s sadly limited to two players. It also offers no online support, not even LAN support with other Switch users in your household.

This is not a remaster, but a port of the original. In terms of visuals, there’s no denying the game looks better and runs smoother than it ever has before. None of the textures have been improved and still have that awful late-90s look about them, but everything looks crisper and after a while you’ll stop noticing what the environments look like. Outside of the races themselves, like the previous Star Wars games to come to Switch, the low-resolution menus look very blurry in docked mode. Cutscenes look particularly ropey, but again, just the same as they always did.

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer on Switch is the most the definitive version of the game, but it’s sadly let down by its lack of multiplayer options. Still, the force is strong with this one.

APARTMENT 1BR

1br

CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: DAVID MARMOR / STARRING: NICOLE BRYDON BLOOM, GILES MATTHEY, TAYLOR NICHOLS, NAOMI GROSSMAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom) is adamant to make the move to Los Angeles and pursue a career as a fashion designer following her mother’s death. Her relationship with her father is strained due to his admission of having an affair while Mum was on her deathbed. She signs up for an apartment in an exclusive gated community, and while the residents appear a little strange, they are friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately, she’s had to sneak her cat in against the tenancy rules and she’s disturbed at night by some horrendous noises. Her idyllic abode soon becomes much more sinister and nightmarish than she could possibly imagine.

Writer/director David Marmor’s debut feature is an engaging, uneasy reminder that cults are not exclusive to Bible-thumping ‘ministers’. Marmor confidently helms the picture, which draws the viewer in with the pleasant surroundings before delivering some impressive shocks. There’s an air of Rosemary’s Baby, but don’t let this fool you, this film has its own surprises in store. Wrong-footing the audience into thinking something supernatural might be going on, it instead takes us on a journey into the twisted world of the residents of the complex, warning us of conformity living for the sake of the ‘community’. Bloom is fantastic as the young and enthusiastic designer forced to make do with an office job while she finds her feet in LA. She also shows great range while being conditioned her to her surroundings (which includes an intense, wince-inducing moment!) and during the frantic final act. While the twists might be signposted throughout, it’s a surprisingly taut horror thriller in which the monsters are otherwise regular folk.

DISINTEGRATION

PLATFORM: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

150 years from now, many humans have been integrated with robots, their brains transplanted into mechanical bodies to boost their chances of survival in an endless battle against war, disease and mortality in general. Celebrity Gravcycle pilot (yes, that’s a thing) Romer Shoal has just escaped from captivity in the hands of Black Shuck, the leader of the Rayonne, a heartless bunch of fiends who want to eliminate all non-integrated humans from the face of the earth. But Romer has a band of buddies who are more than willing to fight for humanity’s existence…

Disintegration attempts to merge a first person shooter mechanics with real-time strategy elements by casting players as Romer, who hovers around the battlefield on his Gravcycle (which is exactly what it sounds like – a flying motorbike) while commanding his allies on the ground. It might sound like it could get a bit complicated, but in practise it’s all very straightforward – perhaps even a bit too straightforward.

Romer’s command over his crew is limited to a couple of functions – ordering all companions to attack a single target at once, and directing each person’s single special ability. This means that crew members are effectively just extensions of your own abilities – you’ll be doing most of the shooting from above, occasionally remembering to use your allies to set up health-boosting medical posts or throw a few grenades towards enemies on the ground. Your crew grows throughout the game and can be upgraded between missions, but you’re never given the chance to customise your loadouts so you’re usually stuck with a few abilities that never get used because they don’t fit your playstyle.

Outside of the 10-15 hour campaign, there are three multiplayer modes which will be familiar to players of most modern online shooters. These can be a lot of chaotic fun (as you’d expect from a development team who were previously involved in the Halo franchise), but finding a game is a bit unpredictable – even now, a week or so after release, it can take so long to find a game that you just give up waiting.

The story mode is undeniably fun in short bursts, but might not be engaging enough to remain satisfying for the entire journey. When multiplayer works, it works tremendously well, although the current battle to get into a game is less than desirable. If it can build up a player base then we might be looking at something special, but right now it’s a difficult one to fully recommend.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: BATTLE FOR BIKINI BOTTOM – REHYDRATED

PLATFORM: PC, PS4, SWITCH, XBOX ONE | RELEASE DATE: 23RD JUNE

Originally released in 2003, Battle for Bikini Bottom was never really known for being one of the classics but it’s gained some notoriety in recent years thanks to its slightly baffling involvement in the speedrunning community. The subsequent re-appraisal of the game itself has resulted in it being deemed a “cult classic” by many, which possibly explains how, in 2020, we find ourselves playing a 17-year-old SpongeBob Squarepants game that most people had forgotten even existed.

When Plankton decides to take over Bikini Bottom with help from an army of robots, it’s down to SpongeBob and his friends to save the day. Playing as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy, your job is to explore several areas of the underwater city and collect tons of “shiny objects,” golden spatulas and… Patrick’s socks, while simultaneously laying the smack down on tons of mechanical menaces. Each character has a couple of unique abilities which give access to areas that others can’t reach, but the main differences between them pretty much come down to how far/high the characters can jump, and which voice you’re going to hear repeating the same handful of soundbites…

Rehydrated polishes things up nicely in the visual department, adds a few bits of content that had been cut from the original release, and includes an all-new horde mode where two players take on waves of enemies. The gameplay hasn’t been altered in any noticeable way, remaining the same as it was back in 2003, which could either be a blessing or a curse depending on your affinity with the original game.

There are some genuinely excellent moments tucked away here and there, but the simplistic nature of BfBB doesn’t translate too well to the modern day (although, in its defence, not too many games from the early 2000s have stood the test of time). Throw in the relentless quips, silly voices, seriously repetitive music and high level of general wackiness, and it seems that playing Battle for Bikini Bottom should probably be reserved for those with fond memories of the original or younger players who are already on board with the source material.

THE GREAT

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: STARZPLAY

Let’s be honest, period drama isn’t really about historical accuracy; it’s more about exactly how much juicy and eye-catching stuff a writer can wring out of history. The Great describes itself as “an occasionally true story,” which is just an amusing way of saying “alternate history.” Or, in other words, fiction. It’s also one of the bleakest comedy dramas we’ve seen in 2020, which is high praise indeed.

The Great is an amusing take on the story of legendary Empress of Russia, Catherine The Great (Elle “Neon Demon” Fanning). The ten-part series opens with our hero on a swing, casually announcing that she’s about marry ‎Peter III of Russia (Tolkien‘s Nicholas Hoult). We get a quirky beat and then the gags continue; Catherine is breathlessly naïve, charming and, at the beginning of the series, the target of all the humour. Eventually though, she becomes something much more interesting and the humour twists and turns into something in equal parts laugh out loud and tragic.

Fanning is mesmerising in this role. The gentle and intellectual Catherine must navigate the brutal and shocking Russian monarchy, stumbling at first but then with razor sharp wit. Hoult is brilliant as the oblivious and cruel Emperor, a man so taken with his own un-earned privilege that he considers himself to be near god-like, balancing hedonism with brutality throughout. The supporting cast are equally fantastic; Sacha Dhawan (Doctor Who) makes the role of the cowardly yet manic Orlov his own and Phoebe Fox delivers some of the best lines as Catherine’s servant, Marial.

The court itself is a debauched display of casual sex, thoughtless violence and quickfire dialogue. Much of the humour comes from the absurdity of the situation and although we have the trappings of history, what we really have here is a satirical drama that hunts down other period dramas and beats them up. Jokes about oral sex and bestiality rub shoulders with scenes of war, plague and murder to create something darkly funny and unforgettable

Starburst readers will be relieved to learn that this is neither Wolf Hall nor The Tudors. Instead, it’s Black Adder meets Avenue 5 with more nudity and a massive costume budget. The pacing is, predictably, a little off . Some scenes are more cruel than funny and sometimes the need to shock the audience over takes the humour. This is a show that you will want to binge, but we firmly recommend that you don’t; it’s strong stuff in places and we advise that you take your time and enjoy it.

POKEMON SWORD & SHIELD: ISLE OF ARMOR

PLATFORM: SWITCH | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Nintendo started to experiment with expansions on the Wii U, but now it seems every game is getting one. For the first time in history, the Pokémon series has joined the trend, bringing its “Isle of Armor” DLC to the Galar region. Is it any good though, or is that… farfetch’d? If you enjoyed that pun, then you’ll be happy to find out that this DLC is full of them.

The Isle of Armor can be visited any time after you enter the first wild area in Pokémon Sword / Shield. You can start a new game and be there in about an hour, you can do it mid-game, or even tackle it once you have finished the main game. The new island scales to whatever level you’re at, although granted it’s a lot easier if you’ve got a bunch of different Pokémon types than if you’re just starting out. When you’re ready, just hop on a train and you’ll be taken to a new area full of previously unseen environments such as beaches, sand dunes and bogs.

In keeping with the rest of the game, the island is stunning – standing on the beach listening to the waves and looking out across the ocean as the shadows of clouds pass over you is nothing if not tranquil. In terms of story content, there’s not a great deal. The new side-story can be beaten in a couple of hours, however what is there is enjoyable and feels a bit less like the same old Pokémon story formula.

Outside of that, the expansion brings with a Diglett side quest in which 150 of them are hidden throughout the island for you to find, encouraging exploration and rewarding you with new versions of old Pokémon. There’s also the “new” feature of being able to have a Pokémon follow you around, like in the Let’s Go games. Additionally, there are a bunch of new cosmetic customisation options.

Isle of Armor isn’t groundbreaking but, like most expansions, it’s perfect for hardcore fans who want more of the same.

LOCKDOWN KINGS

LOCKDOWN KINGS

DIRECTORS: BILL THOMAS, CHRISTOPHER PUTTOCK / SCREENPLAY: BILL THOMAS, HUW SAMUEL / STARRING: DAZ BLACK, HUW SAMUEL, SOPHIE-LOUISE CRAIG, HARVEY QUINN / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 20TH

The movie industry has adjusted to the global pandemic in many different ways, from changes in distribution model to changes in the very way films are put together. This necessary shift in focus has led to many indie filmmakers embracing the challenge of making a feature during lockdown. One such example is Lockdown Kings, a dystopian near-future comedy set in an England that has been in quarantine for many years.

Our main characters are Mitch (YouTuber Daz Black) and Bash (Huw Samuel), two ageing slackers who have been doing everything they can to stop themselves from going mad with boredom. Society has been restructured by the Emergency Council and everyone now lives in lockdown. Emergency Council monitoring controls the locks on their doors and even the windows are electrified; they really mean it when they say stay at home. Rather than doing anything resembling work or exercise, our heroes mostly play video games.

Of course, given that they live in a world where everything is closely monitored, their grifting will only get them so far. As the realities of a plague-infested world begin to catch up with them, the two friends find themselves way out of their depth, discovering secrets that could change everything. And, of course, all of this happens when they are sitting in their front rooms in front of a computer.

One of the remarkable things about this movie is how much an action-style thriller relies on good dialogue. Mitch and Bash have an easy going friendship and the banter between the two really makes this movie stand out. Though Lockdown Kings sometimes feels like a mix of comedy shorts, improvised chats, and the odd sci-fi cliché, the blend of these things makes it something more than that. The acting is appropriately over the top, the comedy is spot-on, and special effects are efficient and cleverly done.

Director Bill Thomas is perhaps best known to STARBURST readers for his micro-budget flintlock fantasy zombie flick Fallen Soldiers. That movie did an awful lot with very little, and Lockdown Kings pulls off the same sort of trick, focusing heavily on dialogue rather than action. The premise of this film was never going to win points for originality; moviemakers have been remixing The Machine Stops for decades now, but Lockdown Kings makes a plague-fuelled dystopian near-future something we can laugh at, and that’s an incredible feat in this day and age.

The full movie will be released onto the Daz Games YouTube channel from June 20th.