Entertainment Stop!

J. Edgar

With Leonardo Di Caprio in the lead and Clint Eastwood behind the camera hopes were high for this new biopic on the life of J Edgar Hoover but ultimately this ponderous production fails to excite.

Following Hoover from his time in charge of the FBI between the years of 1935 until his death in 1972, Di Caprio does a good job of portraying the complex and troubled character.

Although ably assisted by a cast that includes Judi Dench, Kea Thompson, Naomi Watts and Armie Hammer, the onscreen drama fails to ignite and a lot seems sanitized and dare I say it boring excursion.

There are some interesting moments but because the film prefers to focus on questions around Hoover’s sexuality rather than the effect he had on America, overall this has to be seen as a missed opportunity by all involved.

J. Edgar is available now on Blu Ray, DVD and download.

Amy MacDonald – Life In A Beautiful Light

After the disappointment of her second album, I held out a lot of hope that Amy MacDonald’s latest release would see her return to the kind of music that made her debut so well received.

Regrettably, Life In A Beautiful Light does not do either her or her fans justice and after several listens, I am struck by the huge change of direction the 24 year old has decided to take.

Gone are the clever lyrics that often told a story and instead we are served up a diet of clichés and tired songs that may recount Amy’s experiences of late but do not do so with any verve or craftsmanship.

Musically too she seems to have lost her way and there is little of the soul in her sound to make you believe she has her heart in what she is doing.

Whilst it might keep her die-hard fans happy, she won’t win over any new fans and with the market for female singer/songwriters so strong at the moment, one can only hope she rediscovers her form or she risks sinking off the radar completely.

Life In A Beautiful Light is available now on CD and download.

Resistance: Burning Skies

The Sony Vita has suffered a dip in quality releases of late so Sony have brought one of their most successful PS3 franchises to the handheld console in an effort to address the issue.

Resistance: Burning Skies was created from the ground up exclusively for the Vita and takes advantage of both the dual analog sticks, as well as the touch screen functionality the system employs.

You play the part of new character, Tom Riley, a firefighter from New Jersey who is reluctantly thrown into the heart of the Chimeran invasion of the East Coast in 1951.

What made the original Resistance trilogy so engaging was it wide range of weapons and upgrades. Whilst Burning Skies seeks to employ this same process, it doesn’t come close to matching the experience on PS3.

Because the game design is inherently linear it detracts from the experience and although there is an online option, the multiplayer mode is functional rather than inspired.

Resistance: Burning Skies is not a bad game, but having been promoted as the premiere FPS on the Vita, it should have delivered so much more. For the time being there isn’t much else to compete with it but a lack of competition doesn’t necessarily mean it should make it on your shopping list.

Try before you buy.

Resistance: Burning Skies is available to buy and download now.

UEFA Euro 2012 (DLC)

In the past, when major tournaments have come along, EA Sports used the opportunity to release an update to their popular, annual FIFA release and badge it under whichever tournament happened to be playing.

But the advent of ever-popular DLC has led to a departure from the past format and for the first time, EA Sports have released a download for the existing FIFA 12 title with UEFA Euro 2012.

Giving you the chance to play as your favourite European team, taking them through the qualification process and all the way to the final, this is a welcome release and something that ties up nicely with the tournament unfolding in Poland and Ukraine.

Whilst much of the FIFA 12 engine remains the same, the gameplay has been tweaked more than enhanced and the experience is a different one to the original title, not always in a good way.

The lack of a multiplayer offline tournament mode is disappointing and the fact that so many official licences are missing from teams also suggests this was a hurried release.

Still, for fans looking for a new challenge there is enough here to warrant a look – but only just.

UEFA Euro 2012 is available to download now for PS3 and Xbox.

George R Vaughan

Thanks to EA Sports, Women Talking are pleased to be able to offer 6 download codes - 3 for each console - of the new UEFA Euro 2012 DLC for FIFA 12 on Xbox and PS3.

To win all you need to do is answer the following question:

Who are the reigning European Champions?

Send your answer to competitions@womentalking.co.uk ensuring you put the words EURO 2012 in the subject header and also include your unique Women Talking username with the submission.

Please note this competition has now closed.

Please note, a copy of FIFA 12 (not included) is required to play this DLC and should be purchased separately. 
This prize is non-transerable and entry is open to Women Talking subscribers only. Any submission without a valid username will not be accepted.

Posted Sun, 06/10/2012 - 14:56 by George Vaughan