GAMES
FAR CRY 4
The big pre-Christmas releases are upon us, and it's a festival of sequels; Far Cry 4 is the latest. This time around, it leaves the tropical hellholes of previous episodes far behind and deposits you as a lone beleaguered tourist in a fictional nation-state called Kryat in the Himalayas. The story, such as it is, revolves around a psychotic despot, but the "plot" is the least interesting thing about the game; you buy is it for the massive open world you can explore at will, picking up missions (blowing up forts, rescuing hostages and the like) as you come across them – or trying out a wingsuit, riding an elephant, or making a little money by hunting animals for their pelts (and avoiding being eaten by them in the process). It's a stunning landscape, too, particularly as reviewed on PS4, and if you enjoy this kind of slightly chaotic gameplay it offers plenty for your money. Think Grand Theft Auto in the mountains and you're getting close. AH
DVD
A CHILD IS WAITING, MGM (PG)
John Cassavetes was one of the freest of American independent filmmakers, but he did accept a couple of jobs as a director for hire, including this 1963 drama set in an institution for mentally disabled children. The socially-conscious producer Stanley Kramer fired Cassavetes before he could deliver his final cut, a conflict that has an onscreen analogue in the tension between the rational liberalism of the institution director (Burt Lancaster) and the radical empathy offered by a new, inexperienced staff member (Judy Garland). The result is an unresolved but very powerful film that transcends its immediate subject-matter to tackle much larger questions about impulse versus order, with Cassavetes' characteristic searching close-ups suggesting that every genuine encounter between human beings entails some kind of mutual vertigo. JW
PAY TV
FASHION BLOGGERS, THURSDAY, E! ENTERTAINMENT, 8.30PM
As colourful and frenetic as the fashion business itself, this behind-the-catwalk reality series which premiered in October is getting a deserved second run on the E! channel. Five Australian fashion bloggers – Amanda Shadforth, Kate Waterhouse, Margaret Zhang, Sara Donaldson and Zanita Whittington – provide the window into the fickle world of trends that are over before they begin. If you thought models had a tough gig being tizzed and teased for hours on end and then sent tottering down the runway, these women with the power to make or break a fledgling designer with a single post work around the clock to keep their followers abreast of the latest looks, all while looking impeccably up-to-the-minute when it's clearly nigh on impossible to do so. An interesting look at how a global industry can hinge on the insight of a canny young woman with a camera and a WordPress account. BM
BOXSET
THE HONOURABLE WOMAN, ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT (MA15+)
This ambitious, lean-forward drama centres around the attempts of a wealthy British businesswoman, Nessa Stein (Maggie Gyllenhaal), to reconcile Israelis and Palestinians as well as her own family's ominous past. Nessa's father was a Jewish arms dealer who was assassinated by the PLO, but as she sets about awarding a lucrative telecommunications contract in the contested territories, the pasts of herself, her brother Ephra (Andrew Buchan) and various intelligence services are catapulted into a string of heady confrontations. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, it's a thoughtful, if occasionally too-densely plotted thriller that has much to say about partisanship, personal legacies, trust and the self-interest of national spy agencies. Stephen Rae is delightful as a world-weary British spy with a broken heart. PK
FREE-TO-AIR
HEARTLESS, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25, SBS2 9.30PM
This Danish supernatural drama is aimed at a teen audience, but it's as stylish and beautifully lit as any of the adult Scando-noir dramas of recent years. Heartless focuses on twins Sebastian and Sofie, who must "suck" the life out of people in order to sustain their own lives. It's not clear yet if they're actually vampires, succubuses or some other kind of demon – even to the siblings themselves, who were left at an orphanage as babies. In this opener the pair are trying to discover what or who they are, and enrol in a bizarre boarding school where they believe their mother once went, where the mysterious prefects (who look like 30-year-old Danish models) have some sinister rituals and many secrets. This five-parter might be a slicker, darker Twilight-style mini-series but so far it holds great promise. KN
