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Valiant Hearts: The Great War Video Game Review

July 15th, 2014

After playing this game, my opinion on this matter is now officially laminated. Video Games are not only fun, but they can be classy and they can be art. This is one game that truly seals that fate.

Created by UbiArt Framework (who also created Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends and Child Of Light), Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a 2-D side-scrolling puzzle-adventure game that follows the stories (inspired by letters written during this time) of 4 fictional characters, who, 100 years ago this year, would have fought and lived through 1 of the biggest bloodbaths in world history – The 1st World War. We follow Emile, a French grandfather who is drafted to fight in the French Army. Karl, a young German father, and Emille’s son in law, who is forcibly separated from his wife and baby son, sent back to Germany, and made to fight in their Army. Freddie, an African American who joins the French Army after his wife was killed during a German Raid led by the fictional antagonist Baron Von Dorf, who is also Karl’s Superior Officer. And lastly Anna, a Belgian student who is also a battlefield nurse living in Paris, and whose father is kidnapped by Von Dorf in order to create advanced weapons. Along each journey, they are all accompanied at some point by a dog named Walt, who helps greatly in all of the puzzles he appears in.

If you assume that this game will follow the trend of first person shooters like Call Of Duty or Medal Of Honor where 1 side is good and the other is evil, you’re dead wrong. This game has a lot more class than that. It’s made clear that there were good and bad on both sides, and much like films such as Paths Of Glory, the most blood-thirsty men were often the 1s who sent others to their doom while they ate and drank like kings in greater safety. Along the way, you can find collectables littered throughout the levels, with each item providing a descriptive insight about what it was, how it was used, and what role it would have had in the war. Items such as helmets, postcards and letters. All of which really added depth to the horror and the humanity. On top of this, each level has different “Historical Facts”, which includes coloured photographs, describing the scenario of each level you take part in (with each level more or less representing a different side and time of the war, such as the underground wars and the trenches). We also get diary entries from our main characters, describing different points in the story. To see these, you have to pause the game in every level, otherwise you’ll miss it.

Now lets talk about the characteristics in its make up: The game’s visual style and graphics are that of a cartoon, and it looks really well, complimenting the horror with a cute and humorous presentation (much like how Barefoot Gen, a cute-looking manga/anime, told a terrifying and graphic testimony on Hiroshima when the atomic bomb landed). Outside of the narrative between levels, there is no dialogue, just pictures in speech bubbles, which makes the puzzle-solving a little easier and gives a better idea of what you’re looking for in order to move forward.

The music was composed by Peter McConnell, who also did the music for the Monkey Island games, Sly Cooper games, many Star Wars games and Psychonauts. He did a phenomenal job, doing everything either on piano or with an orchestra. Everything he did just fit perfectly. However, his music isn’t the only stand-out. There are also car-chase levels that incorporate classical music into them, and require excellent memory and rhythm. So you’ll be dodging bombs, bullets, fences, other cars and tanks to the likes of Bhram’s Hungarian Dance and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight Of The Bumblebee. This part of the game always made me smile.

Despite its amazing presentation, story, characters and music, I’m sad to say that the game does seem to hold itself back when it comes to the gameplay. The gameplay and level design choices themselves are not a problem, in fact I would say they’re very good, yet simple at the same time. The biggest problem for this game, particularly for long-time gamers, is the difficulty. A majority of the puzzles are quite easy, some too easy, and they don’t become that much more difficult as the game progresses. It doesn’t mean you’ll breeze through it with great ease. In fact, I died in the game a number of times, due mostly to poor timing and trial and error. At times, I will decide to look at a hint for help if I’m completely oblivious on how this can go forward. But if you explore your entire play area, you’ll start to see connections, and then it’s all about doing certain actions in the right order.

Overall: If the puzzles provided a stronger challenge, I would classify this as a perfect game (5 stars), but everything else about it is fantastic. The game was obviously created with a lot of care and consideration, and it is a fantastic tribute to humanity during a time and place that was far from humane. 100 years have now passed since those days began. May they be remembered for another 100 years to come.

Rating: ****3/4 out of 5
The Fly (1986) Movie Review

July 14th, 2014

Before you ask me, no, this is not a remake of the original 1958 movie that I’ve reviewed in the past. Rather it’s a movie that is based loosely on the same source material (the novel about a man mixing with a fly while trying to transport matter) and tells a completely different story with it. Along the way I plan to make comparisons between this and the 1958 film.

Set in modern day (1986), this film chose to focus less on the horrific scenario, and instead incorporate it into a character study. It cuts out the murder-mystery aspect of the original film, as well as cutting down on the supporting actors in order to focus almost entirely on our 2 main characters: Sethaniel “Seth” Brundle, the Scientist who builds the Space Matter Transporter (played by Jeff “Ah, um” Goldblum), Veronica “Ronnie” Quaife, a journalist looking for a story, (played by Geena “My Face Is Awesome” Davis), and main supporting character, Stathis Borans, Ronnie’s Editor and former lover (who lusts after her so much that he’s vocal about his fantasies), played by John Getz.

Our film’s pace is quite fast at the beginning. Basically telling the audience “Screw introductions, build-up and murder mystery, lets see the machine already”. Seth meets Ronnie at a science convention, where he’s more or less approaching her to get laid by saying he has something that would make these other scientists redundant. Coming back to his home, which looks like an abandoned warehouse, but is a live-in laboratory, he tries to woo her with his classical piano playing. Feeling her time is being wasted, he finally shows off the device and how it works, and afterwards she becomes interested. He had no problem putting her stocking into the machine, but like the original film, he has a problem transporting flesh, which led to a scene that, to say the least, was much more disturbing and graphic than the original. After finally getting the flesh transportation just right, and at the same time believing Ronnie was still seeing Stathis, Seth decides, while absolutely plastered, to go ahead with the transportation of the human form…and much like the original film and the book, a fly gets into the machine with him, and this is where everything goes downhill for him.

Unlike the 1958 film where the man and fly are still 2 bodies, but have evidently switched some physical characteristics. Seth has actually absorbed the fly, and its DNA is now part of his. Unaware that the fly entered the pod with him, Seth believes that the machine has taken out his physical flaws and impurities, making him incredibly athletic and strong. At the same time, it is evident that his behaviour is changing, from talking quickly, to eating tons of sugar, to having lightning quick reflexes. But it all goes downhill from there. With the super strength and speed, came the insect-like hairs growing on his back, the flakey, scabby skin on his face, and a personality that was starting to become more arrogant and greedy. Did I mention he eventually starts throwing up over his food before eating it? How about losing teeth and nails? I’m not going to spoil any more.

Right, lets break it down now. How does this version of The Fly compare to the 1958 film? The answer is it’s different, but it’s also better. The original was very good, and it would have been scary for the time. However, ’86 Fly would have had them running out of the theatre, and probably become the Human Centipede 2 and The Exorcist sharing DNA of its day. They wouldn’t have been ready for it. The special effects were done by Chris Walas, who also created the Gremlins and did the face-melting ark of the covenant scene in Indiana Jones: Raiders Of The Lost Ark, so you would know you’re in for something that looks amazing, and scary, even today. Fantastic stuff. Roughly on Rob Bottin’s level. Acting-wise, everybody was great, even Goldblum surprised me. I usually overlook his work, but he did an awesome job playing this insecure scientist who gains his confidence before gradually transforming into a monster, and then looking for a cure, even if it meant being an inhumane ass about it. I also find it unfortunate that Geena Davis didn’t recover after Cutthroat Island. The character development was much better in this than the original as well (considering Vincent Price is in the original, I almost hate saying it). The music is by movie composing legend Howard Shore, and did a great job maintaining a more classic feel. The story was also rather awesome, balancing the romance between Seth and Ronnie, while also showing how Seth’s transformation is greatly affecting their relationship, at first for good, and then for the downward spiral. Leading to fear, some hard choices, and grim sacrifices. It was focused and tight, without very much excess baggage. You might also find that compared to the original, this is a much, much kinkier film. One that plays on the imagination and is even pretty hot without showing anybody’s wedding presents. More Hitchcock, and less Game Of Thrones in approach.

Overall, a really good and well focused horror movie with great special effects, acting, characters and story. However, it’s possible that the beginning was a bit rushed and the end was maybe a bit abrupt (or maybe it was perfectly fine the way it was, like I said, it was kept tight). Did I enjoy this better than the original? Yes. Is it worth seeing? Yes, if you can handle the gore and gross stuff. Is the movie epic?…No, but it’s easily 1 of the best horror movies of the 1980s.

Overall: ****1/4 out of 5
Mr Sloane TV Review

July 7th, 2014

Mr Sloane is a new show that not a lot of people will have heard of, unless they lived in the UK and had the TV Channel Sky Atlantic. But it is one that definitely has something to offer. Set in 1969 Watford (England), it centres around the life of Jeremy Sloane (Played by Nick Frost, the big guy who often appears beside Simon Pegg in films such as Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz). He is separated from his wife, who left home in order to “go find herself”, he used to be an accountant before he was let go, and he often hangs out at the pub with his friends Ross (A chronic gambler and terrible father), Reggie (A terrible womaniser who is marrying his girlfriend of 3 weeks), and Beans (A goody-goody 30-something year old man who lives with his domineering mother). Our story begins after Sloane fails to commit suicide (in a comical fashion), his phone rings, and he politely answers it. After a night at the pub, Sloane returns home and proceeds to eat a whole chocolate cake while drinking many more bottles of beer with a comedy on TV. He then tries to sing the British national anthem in his underpants as the TV goes off the air for the night and he falls back on the couch.

The show acts as a social commentary in its own way. We see a man trying to move on from losing a cosy but boring life he once knew. Along the way we see him trying to find new opportunities, in work and in his love life. He tries out for various jobs that either utilised his skills in maths, his strict and often unpopular approach to grammar and vocabulary, or none of the above. He even starts a relationship with an American girl named Robin (A beautiful and proper San Francisco Hippie), who he helps fix a broken pipe for at her house. As a very conservative englishman, the show demonstrates his borderline experiences between the “proper english way” and the evident swinging ’60s that was happening next door in London. He even experiences the highs of special brownies, which wasn’t something he originally intended.

I noticed something very interesting about this show: The humour actually has a timelessness and a universal humanity to it. Set in the ’60s, it feels like a show that you could watch with your folks and even grandparents, which in today’s society, for some, is a miracle. On top of this, the soundtrack is pretty awesome. Ranging from classical music and Gilbert & Sullivan and their song I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General (Part of Mr Sloane’s personal collection) as well as ’60s pop songs, including Knights In White Satin by The Moody Blues, and the opening theme being A Well Respected Man by The Kinks (a song that still applies today).

Acting-wise, There’s very little bad I can say about it, other than maybe the child actors (particularly the bullies) were perhaps a little 1-dimenional with no redeeming qualities. Then again, everybody gets those perspectives at school. For a show that consisted of 6 30-minute episodes (the 1st episode being about 50 minutes), there was plenty of very good character development, but particularly when it comes to the development of Jeremy Sloane himself. As great as the other characters are, their purpose is clearly to bounce off Jeremy and build him up. The cinematography outside of some of the “Brownie trip” isn’t that artistic, but it’s very well done. Tells a great story visually.

Would I recommend this show? Yes, there is something quite special about it. Funny? Definitely. Tragic? Yes, but in an amusing fashion. Sloane clearly suffers, and gets into situations that he can’t control, which is funny, but we’re also empathetic for him. His series of fortunate and unfortunate events are not too far from what could happen in real life, and in this way, we relate to him. The script is also rather tight, and it has a decent message about a Life that’s out of our hands. I hope Nick Frost can get extra work after doing this show as well.

Overall: **** out of 5
Assassin’s Creed 3 and Liberation Video Game Review

July 1st, 2014

This will be a slightly different game review because I’ll be talking about 2 different versions of the same game, as well as a game that is connected to it. In this case, it will be Assassin’s Creed 3 for the Playstation 3 (and X-Box 360), and both the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita versions of the series spin-off game known as Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation (or Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD on the PS3).

Both games were released on the same day (Liberation HD came out years later). Both involve the Assassin’s Creed series taking place during the childhood of the United States of America, and they focus on 2 different aspects of the country’s history. Much like the entire Assassin’s Creed series, the war between the Assassins and the Templars continues. The Assassins (or at least the ones in the know) try to hide “The Apple” (an artefact that belonged an ancient race) and any other piece of forbidden knowledge, that basically gives man the power of a God, and the ability to rule the world. The Templars are interested in finding the apple and this knowledge, and are looking to take over. This game of Squirrel vs Squirrel is what drives the plots of both stories forward. But for now, we’ll now discuss each game and break down their characteristics.

ASSASSIN’S CREED 3

AC3 focuses on the American Revolution in the North Eastern USA, which allows you to explore New York, Philadelphia and Boston, along with the surrounding forests, and also provides a conclusion to the Desmond Miles story (An ongoing story throughout the series that shows where the Assassins/Templar war is at in today’s society. For those who are wondering, we go back to these time periods looking for information about the apple in the memories of Desmond’s Ancestors. It’s like Inception, if you have ever seen that film). The story focuses on a father, Haytham Kenway, and his son, Ratonhnhaké:ton (also known as Connor), both are Desmond’s ancestors. Kenway is your main character for roughly the first third of the game, and he portrays some similar characteristics that made Ezio the most likeable Assassin in the series. However, while you thought you were playing an Assassin, you realise that you were actually playing a Templar, and Kenway happens to be seen as a primary antagonist for the rest of the game. His son, Connor, like Altair in Assassin’s Creed 1, is of mixed race; half British and half Native American. Making him an outsider and not seen as 1 who is bias…as long as he knows or thinks he knows the truth. His goal is to rescue his mother’s tribe and their land by eliminating the Templar influence on the North Eastern parts of the USA (since they burned down the village) and siding with George Washington in order to fight the english (even though it’s basically english and french fighting english and french, the game points that out), this includes getting answers from his Templar Father, as well as eliminating him and his comrades, including Charles Lee. Much like how eliminating the Templar Influence has become a similar formula as saving the princess (Super Mario) or the world (Legend Of Zelda), Assassin’s Creed 3 provided the series with a unique story that once again places emphasis on the great grey area that the Assassins/Templar war actually has. Some of your targets actually had good intentions, even if others were in fact small-minded or terrible people. Further thickening the series’ world, and making our heroes question their own motives.

The graphics remained at a very high tier, particularly when it came out in 2012 (with Desmond’s story jumping the bandwagon of the 21st December 2012 apocalypse. A nice touch that may have accidentally dated the game). The presentation of Baby America was very nicely done, and I particularly like how it looked in winter. But unfortunately, unlike the Italian Renaissance and even the Middle East during the crusades, American architecture of the day was definitely more about utility rather than beauty (in other words, it’s not eye-candy or awe-inspiring, but people live there and it’s home).

The game’s controls were also a step-up in the series, which now features the ability to captain your own ship on a regular basis, and have tree-climbing/running as an extra means of getting around. While these new controls can be a bit fiddly at the beginning, you do get used to them. Along your journey, you can also help individuals. Some may join your makeshift village, providing you with things to buy, sell and craft other items with. Others may want to join the fight, and become Assassins that either aid you in battle, or go on missions to other parts of America, where they can bring in extra money and items. As good as this system is, I still think AC Brotherhood did it best (and it was the first game to introduce it!)

The gameplay itself, side-missions and so on, provides the gamer with many hours of things to do. But at the same time, it feels like the map is too vast and the amount of things to do can be exhausting, to the point that it feels a bit cluttered and not very useful.

The characters in Assassin’s Creed 3 were pretty good when the game focused on Haytham. I wouldn’t have minded if the game was all about him. But unfortunately it wasn’t. It was already advertised heavily that our main character is Connor, who, for an Assassin, is very focused and single-minded. To say the least, he’s a boring person. Not a hair of humour on this man’s head, unless his goal to save his mother’s people and create an America like the 1 on paper falls under the humour equals humanity label. He’s a good guy, with good intention. But oh my…he needs to learn how to crack a joke. But I guess we need a variety of Assassins like a variety of different people.

The music was great, but not quite as memorable as other instalments.

ASSASSIN’S CREED 3: LIBERATION

Liberation focuses on New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as the Bayou and Mexico near the end of the French & Indian War. Our hero is the first female Assassin in the series, Aveline de Grandpré, a half French and half African woman who is seen as an aristocrat in public, but also disguises herself as a slave (since she takes more after her mother) and is obviously an Assassin. This is the first Assassin’s Creed game I’ve played that doesn’t have Desmond Miles in it. However, there is a ‘bigger picture’ storyline aspect in which it is clear that some scenes have been edited by the Templars, taking out any reference to their involvement in terrible acts. Uncut versions of these scenes can be restored by killing off a NPC within a certain area called Citizen E, who appears 6 times as a bug, sometimes in the story, other times you have to find him after you reach a certain part of the story. Killing every citizen E reveals the true ending of the game.

Compared to Assassin’s Creed 3, Liberation did a much better job in the Story and Character department, and it also had a lighter tone with a more whimsical soundtrack. Aveline has since become 1 of my favourite Assassins in the series, and she’s definitely up there with Ezio. Unlike Connor, Aveline is witty, sarcastic, bright, pretty, and can play a good harpsichord. She cares for the poor and the slaves while also using her social status (aristocrat), and looks (aristocrat and slave) to her advantage through various disguises. As for the side characters? I love Elise and Roussillon, the 2 french smugglers who work in the Bayou. Fantastic chemistry, sarcasm and humour for those 2 characters, and they bounce off Aveline as well. I hope to see more of them somehow.

COMPARING 3 & LIBERATION

AC3 overall has much better and smoother controls, a bigger environment to explore, and better graphics, which come from it being a bigger game. There is also more to do, even if it’s filler.

Liberation has a much better and more interesting main protagonist, more interesting backdrop, more interesting supporting characters, better music and, for me, a better story.

COMPARING VITA LIBERATION and LIBERATION HD

Liberation on the Vita looks fantastic. The gameplay is also fuller in some missions than HD. It also features gameplay elements that fully utilise the Vita’s range. However, the control were you have to shine the back of your Vita with a bright light can be very irritating if you’re playing the game on a cloudy day.

Liberation on the PS3 (HD) looks okay, considering the game is about 2GB in size. It might look better than Assassin’s Creed 1, but maybe not Assassin’s Creed 2 and definitely not Brotherhood. It can also be a bit buggy, more-so than the Vita version. The controls are adjusted to be more familiar for PS3 users, however the Vita mini-games have been taken out. Compared the the Vita version, the game is also a lot easier (with the exception of ‘boss battles’, which are harder). Some missions have been cut down significantly, while others have been lengthened, creating a slightly different gaming experience. Some cut-scenes also use very different cinematography, sometimes looking better, other times worse.

If you don’t have a Playstation Vita or don’t want a Vita, but like the AC Series, then obviously get Liberation HD, even if I don’t think it does the gameplay experience as much justice. If you have both, I would suggest the Vita for the better quality game, but Liberation HD if you just want to stick to more familiar controls or just want the story without the challenge. Either 1 is fine.

OVERALL:

Assassin’s Creed 3: ****1/4 out of 5 (***3/4 for the story, ***1/2 for characters)

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation: ***1/2 out of 5 (****1/2 for the story, ****3/4 for characters)

Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD: ***1/4 out of 5 (Again ****1/2 story, ****3/4 characters)
The Fault In Our Stars (2014)

June 24th, 2014

I went into this film only knowing 3 things: The synopsis, the IMDB rating and the Rotten Tomatoes rating. Little did I realise, the only other men in the theatre were probably dragged there by their girlfriends, and the pre-movie trailers were a romantic comedy, a romantic comedy, and a Dance-Fight movie (those 1s were the “fighting” is replaced with dancing). It was official, I might be watching a teen romantic comedy. Alone. How creepy. I even grew a little nervous. Worried that I was going to be watching something like Twilight, with nobody to laugh and cringe with in the dialogue and acting department. Judging from this perspective, you will probably think I don’t like Rom Coms and Teen movies. The reality is I can. If the film is really good, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. So what can I say about The Fault In Our Stars? Well…

The Fault In Our Stars is a film based on a novel by John Green, and is about 2 teenagers; 17 year old Hazel (played by Shailene Woodley) and 18 year old Augustus (played by Ansel Elgort) who meet and grow to like each other while attending a church support group. Why are they meeting here? Because like everybody else in the group, they both have cancer. Hazel had it originally in her thyroid but metastasised into her lungs, while Augustus had osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) that was on remission, but it cost him 1 of his legs. Before departing from their 1st meeting, the sarcastic Hazel and the Teenage Hans Solo Augustus agree to read each other’s favourite novels. Augustus lends Hazel a book based on a video game with zombies in it. While Hazel lends him An Imperial Affliction by Peter van Houten, a book about a girl with cancer, and whose main character, Hazel heavily identifies with. Annoyed by the book ending in mid-sentence, and finding out that van Houten became a hermit in Amsterdam after the book’s release; Augustus tracks down van Houten’s assistant, who eventually tells him that in order to know what really happened in the book’s ending, he would have to come to Amsterdam and speak to Peter himself. Hazel had already used her wish from the make-a-wish foundation by going to Disney World when she was 13. But Augustus still had his wish, and from here we see a journey that brings them deeper and closer together.

This is 1 of the most beautiful Teen Movies I’ve ever seen, if not the most beautiful. Some might say the movie sugar-coats the reality of their situation. But I think it’s simply to create a lighter tone in order to make it easier to watch and even enjoy (this is a 12-rated film here after all). There is a purity to it, and despite the situation that is on display, our 2 main characters are no different to any other teenager. They’re both well developed and likeable, though if it’s based on a book, I suppose those characteristics are often included. In terms of humour, I didn’t get very much out of this film. There was plenty of it, and it made me smile, but didn’t make me laugh. Maybe I’ve matured and don’t find this that funny, or this is a new humour and only speaks to kids who were born in the late ’90s, or I’ve simply heard it all before. Speaking of humour, there is a scene were they are watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer together, a show that aged well because of how funny it was while still being well written. The greatest strengths of this movie however are in its messages, themes and layers, which are many. We see what Hazel’s parents go through, and come to understand their situation. We see how other characters try to cope with what’s going on, and the different ways in which they approach it. And there’s some very good wisdom in it that may speak to a lot of people regardless of their age and stage. Especially teenagers and anybody who knows someone who has cancer (probably a bit like Juno when it came to teen pregnancy…although I laughed more at Juno).

The music was lovely and set the mood well, incorporating modern songs ranging from British singer songwriters like Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg, Birdy, and Tom Odell, to dublin rock band Kordaline, to American singer-songwriters to electronica and other rock bands from America, France and sweden…and includes Swedish Hip Hop. The cinematography played it rather safe, but told the visual story well. Don’t expect anything Kubrick in nature. The acting was mostly very good, and the characters are well written with the humanity being evident. The story is a bit cliche, and to some, reading the synopsis or seeing the trailer would suggest that we already know what happens at the end (or do we?).

Would I recommend this? Yes, see it at least once because it’s a very good film. Is it tragic? Of course it is! But is it unwatchable because of that acknowledgment? Far from it. Much like life itself, there will be problems, set-backs and tragedy. But there will also be beauty, laughter and joy in the midst of it. It also has a message about “being somebody special”, but I’m not going to spoil that. You’ll have to see it to hear it. Also Willem Dafoe has a small but very important role, making him possibly the most recognisable name in the cast. When with time, consider the possibility of spending it on this film

****1/2 out of 5
Quirke TV Review

June 17th, 2014

When I think of Crime Noir movies, they would usually be set in a big American city or possibly London. But in truth, I never thought I would find something outside of Game Of Thrones that could make Ireland look so unbelievably cool! Literally something that could make me feel patriotic (Yes, I’m from the north, but it still has Ireland in the name).

Quirke is a TV series based on the Quirke mystery novels by Benjamin Black. Created in a similar format to the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Sherlock Holmes, it is effectively more like a movie trilogy, because there are only 3 episodes and they’re each about 90 minutes long…and somehow this is a TV show. Anyway: Quirke is set in Dublin in the late 1950s, and the show centres around Dr Quirke, the chief pathologist of the Dublin city morgue (Played by Gabriel Bryne, who is best known for his roles in Miller’s Crossing, The Usual Suspects, and for playing Satan in the Arnie Schwarzeneggar film End Of Days…good stuff). He is a widower, a terrible alcoholic, chain-smoker, the adopted black-sheep in his family, and a charming man (particularly around women) despite being incredibly cynical and pessimistic. His main role in these stories is for him to play detective, while Inspector Hackett seems to play 2nd fiddle when putting the case together with him.

Lets break down the show’s characteristics before we talk about each episode:

The Cinematography is beautiful. Since the show was shot during an Irish winter, it emphasises the cloudy, dull, gloomy atmosphere by using a cold, drained colour filter in every scenario that doesn’t include well-lit rooms. Although if you’ve lived here for at least a few weeks, you might notice that such a feature can be completely unnecessary. In places that are meant to be dark inside, like the pub, you see enough to know what’s going on, but it remains true to its setting. Much like a lot of TV shows since The Sopranos, Quirke looks and is shot like a movie, and without a doubt, it has worked so incredibly well. Sets an absolutely excellent mood!

Whoever did the main theme of Quirke I say thank you. It’s beautiful! While the rest of the music suits the noir setting perfectly, that main theme seems to add a glimmer of joy and a smile when it appears. Excellent soundtrack, but an even more beautiful main theme.

Since there are only 3 episodes, I’ll review each of them in terms of story, acting and characters, because they did have their hits and misses. There will also be no spoilers.

Episode 1: Christine Falls

Christine Falls begins with Quirke coming down to his workplace to find his adoptive brother Malachy Griffin signing a death certificate with his left hand. The body of a young woman is also present. Thinking little of it, Quirke decides to go home so that he could work on the corpse the following morning. The next day, he notices that the young woman from the night before has been replaced with an older woman. This rises suspicion in Quirke, who now feels that his adoptive brother may been doing some dirty business. This is easily the worst episode of the series, and yet in order to watch the other 2 episodes, this is necessary viewing. It’s important because we need to know who these people are and what happened. But despite this, Christine Falls feels like it starts as a 2nd episode rather than a 1st. The characters are evidently developed, but it feels like they’re too well developed too early. We don’t know who they are exactly, but we’re almost treated like we’ve seen them already and know a story about them before this. It’s like we want to know more, but the basic character foundations seem to be taken lightly. Maybe that’s just me. Another problem with this episode is the predictability of one of the mysteries. Once you meet certain characters and hear the language used, it will feel like it’s evident what is going on right away. Like the character development, the ‘bad guys’ are also too sinister too quickly. It’s not very subtle. The acting from Michael Gambon playing Judge Garret Griffin (Malachy and Quirke’s father) was probably the best. Then there is the sound editing; the actors’ voices aren’t loud enough to be heard properly. This episode almost put me off the rest of the show, as it was humourless. So serious and so dark, with no humour to balance it. But find out what I thought of the rest.

** out of 5

Episode 2: The Silver Swan

Much better! Much, much better. Christine Falls is needed before seeing this, but this episode is far superior in almost every way. Particularly in its mystery. Quirke investigates the death of a young woman who was found in a car, but is unable to tell if it was a murder or a suicide. Meanwhile, his niece Phoebe has moved out of her parent’s house in order to be independent and starts working in a hat shop. Asked to go on an errand by her new boss, she meets Leslie (A man who loosely resembles a young Gary Oldman), from a shop down the road. The sound editing is an improvement from the first episode, as the voices are more audible. The mystery is deep, the scandal is well done, and the relationship chemistry between the characters is much stronger (once again, because we know about Christine Falls). This episode also had more humour in it for a change, making it a fair bit more watchable.

***3/4 out of 5

Episode 3: Elegy Of April

Possibly the best episode, and the one with the greatest mystery. Over 6 months after the events of the Silver Swan, Quirke returns to work after effectively being in rehab to cure his alcoholism. meanwhile, Phoebe’s friend, April, a known party animal and easy woman, has been missing for 2 weeks. Despite everybody telling Phoebe that April will be back later, Phoebe is unsure, and with the help of Quirke she hopes to find out if her friend is missing or something worse. This episode is probably the best in terms of on-screen chemistry, red herrings and multiple possibilities. By now I’ve definitely gotten used to the characters, and have even seen them become more well rounded. Especially Malachy Griffin, who has now softened in personality and actually developed a closer bond with Quirke. The humanity has grown stronger through this episode, the development is much more evident, and it may have made me interested in seeing a 2nd Season.

**** out of 5

Overall, I do think this show is worth watching if you don’t mind witnessing a special effects autopsy and “forbidden love”. In terms of look and sound it definitely got everything right (subtitles might be necessary for that first episode). The characters eventually get much better as it progresses, despite being a little wooden at the beginning. The quality of acting is consistent throughout, and while Quirke isn’t as eccentric or energetic as the likes of Sherlock Holmes or Richard Castle (although I can imagine him having a drink with Lisabeth Salander to see what would happen) he would at least be perfect in Gotham City helping James Gordon (Who else?).

Overall: ***1/4 out of 5
Goodfellas Movie Review

June 14th, 2014

I’ve mentioned before how Goodfellas was a film that changed my life along with a few others in my review of Casino. But I think this might be the third time I have actually seen it since then. Now as an adult, I can review this without my judgement being clouded over by a romanticisation of the mob that somehow inspired an insecure teenager to blend violence against oppressive classmates with the coolness of Vito Corleone when with friends. Good times (Ha!).

Have you ever seen The Sopranos? If so, then you’ll see some familiar (and evidently younger) faces among the cast. The Sopranos can effectively be seen as a loose Goodfellas reunion with new actors and a parallel universe. You’ll see plenty of them, including Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) as Spider The Bartender, Frank Vincent (Phil Leotardo) as Billy Batts, and of course, Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist, Lorraine Bracco (Dr Melfi) as Karen Hill, the wife of our main character Henry.

The movie is based on the life of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), an Irish-Siciliian Mobster who was an associate in the Lucchese Crime Family, and it focuses on his life from the years 1955 to 1980. From when he started small at the age of 12 up until he was 37 when he did what he did. Judging from the film, he had a fun and interesting life…and also a crappy life at the same time. He worked primarily under Paul Cicero (played by Paul Sorvino), a mob capo in the neighbourhood when he was a boy, and his usual partners in crime were Irish-Italian Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (played by Robert De Niro) and full-blooded Italian Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci, in arguably his most famous role outside of Home Alone). Names were obviously changed.

The cinematography was really good, and it’s an approach that Martin Scorcese became known for preferring in some of his later films. It worked incredibly well, but didn’t try to be heavily artistic. Also some great long shots of human travel, such as showing Henry and Karen entering a club through the kitchen.

The Music is awesome. It’s the type of music that should be played more on the radio, but isn’t. Some golden oldies these are, and perfect for nights out. If you’ve seen Casino, you’ll know the type of soundtrack this film will have.

The acting is really excellent, everybody did an great job. Even Michael Imperioli, who had a small but very memorable role. In terms of playing mobsters, this is 1 of Robert De Niro’s stronger performances, if not his best. Ray Liotta did a great job playing the charismatic and proud Henry, who gives the impression, at least for a time, that he has it all together. But it’s also clear that he shows off his human side well. Underneath the interior of a mobster, Henry is fine with beat-downs, but unlike his peers Jimmy and Tommy, Henry isn’t cold enough to handle murder like they do. Joe Pesci is well known for his “Funny How?” scene in this film, but apparently in terms of accuracy, character-wise, Joe Pesci got the real Tommy DeVito about 90% correct according to the real Henry Hill…that says something. Even though the real Tommy was tall and built, while Joe Pesci is only 5’4. That’s impressive. Overall, I’d say Lorraine Bracco was possibly the best one here. She did an excellent job showing off her range, from naive young jewish girl in love with a confident and popular gentile, to paranoid housewife, to toxic twin with Henry. Unlike Sharon Stone’s performance as Ginger, who is more a woman who is hard to get, Bracco plays a much better “girl next door” who ends up getting eaten up and spat out by this life that she got caught up in.

Character-wise, you see plenty of development, particularly from Henry and Karen Hill. The others basically remain themselves in all scenarios. De Niro and Pesci also did a great job playing 2 characters that you honestly wouldn’t want to have as your friends for very long.

The story itself was incredibly good, and I’ll compare it to the other “road to hell” movies that Martin Scorcese made: I enjoyed this a lot more than Casino, and it does have a little bit more humour…very black, morbid humour…but it’s nowhere near as funny as The Wolf Of Wall Street. It is well paced throughout, is constantly changing and developing, and the Macguffins are all of a violent nature. The domestic fighting is not as raw as Casino, but it’s still vivid, without being overly uncomfortable.

Does the film still appeal to me? I still see what made the film so good to begin with. Outside of the 1st 2 Godfather movies, this is possibly the best Mob movie ever made. But in truth, no, this film is not as appealing as it used to be. Once again, fantastic movie…but it’s possible that I’ve moved on. Maybe I was expecting it to be funnier, and now feel disappointed…Yeah, that’s it.

Overall rating: ****1/2 out of 5
A Tribute To Mitsuharu Misawa

June 13th, 2014

5 years ago today, a great shockwave came out of Japan. It wasn’t an earthquake or a typhoon, but rather it was the sound of wrestling fans finding out that at 46 years old, Japanese Wrestling Legend Mitsuharu Misawa had tragically died.

I remember being loosely introduced to Mitsuharu Misawa through early WWE Smackdown games on the PS2. Create-A-Wrestler had these pre-made move-sets, and as it turned out, about half of them were for Japanese wrestlers, and that included Misawa. It wasn’t until 2004, when SKY TV introduced me to The Wrestling Channel, and it was there that I was introduced to Japanese Pro Wrestling…and at first, I hated it…I just didn’t get it. I realised who these guys were, but I wasn’t that impressed at the time. One reason possibly being that these were just regular TV matches, not epic main events, and I wasn’t used to the slower style or the silent Japanese crowds who were actually focusing on the match like a movie and then going ‘OOOOOAAAAHH!’ when something amazing happened. Several years later, The Wrestling Channel was cancelled, and Youtube became the global phenomenon it is okay. I became interested in seeing what “The greatest japanese wrestler of all time, Jumbo Tsuruta” was like, and behold, I found his June 8th 1990 match against a then 27 year old Misawa. The match was insanely good. I loved it. Afterwards I came across Dave Meltzer’s list of 5-star matches. I noticed something interesting about the list; the WWE only had 4 5-star matches at the time (Before CM Punk & John Cena at Money In The Bank 2011 created a 5th)…while All Japan Pro Wrestling had a total of 33! Many of which had the same names; Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue, Toshiaki Kawada, Jun Akiyama, Stan Hansen, Jumbo Tsuruta and others. I looked for every one of these matches, found most of them and became a fan.

A new question then pops up, not only from non-wrestling fans, but fans who only watch WWE as well; who was Misawa? Mitsuharu Misawa was quite possibly the best heavyweight wrestler of his generation, and easily 1 of the top 10 best wrestlers of all time. His match-quality in his prime was so refined and high that he was nicknamed “The Standard-Bearer Of Future Generations”. A number of his singles and tag team matches are legendary. Wrestling moves have been innovated by him and effectively named after him as well, including the Tiger Driver (from his time as Tiger Mask II) and the Emerald Flowsion (because he wore emerald coloured tights). He did the elbow smash so well that it was a potential finisher in his matches. He was the most successful AJPW Triple Crown Champion of all time (holding it 5-times and 1000 days longer than the 2nd longest combined holder). A 3-time Wrestler Of The Year Winner, a 2-time Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Year Winner, the record-holder for most 5-Star Matches given by Dave Meltzer, at 24. And up until his death, he was also a boss. From early 1999 to mid 2000 He took over All Japan Pro Wrestling after previous boss, Shohei “Giant” Baba, died. He kept it floating before business disputes with his late employer’s wife led him to creating Pro Wrestling NOAH (named after the biblical figure), and leading to the largest mass exodus in wrestling history, as 90% of AJPW’s roster left to join NOAH (showing his popularity among peers). For 9 years after that, Pro Wrestling NOAH became the number 2 and even the number 1 professional wrestling company in Japan in terms of in-ring quality. Rookies from AJPW who went to NOAH developed greatly and became big stars. Misawa was not only boss, but remained a reliable main eventer up until 2008, when he decided to wrestle lower on the card and develop younger talent. Stepping down, and letting a new era dawn on the company

Misawa’s approach to selling wrestling moves was among the most dangerous, even for Japan. A style that made fans wonder how he could ever wrestle again after a number of his matches. When a wrestler needed to try a new move to see how safe or dangerous it could be, Misawa was often the go-to guy. He received and sold some of the sickest moves out there, many of which involved dropping him on his head, neck and shoulders. At 6 feet 1 inch and weighing 110kg (242lbs), it was a lot of weight on important parts of the body. The Backdrop Driver that killed him, was a routine move. A freak accident, and nobody’s entire fault. Misawa felt he needed to continue working. Worried about the finances, and whether they were making enough money to stay afloat. It was believed that some of his types of injuries have retired numerous american wrestlers, and he was still working while not letting himself heal. It could be argued that in some way he worked himself to death.

His lack of presence in professional wrestling remains felt. Puroresu (Japanese Pro Wrestling) doesn’t feel the same without him, let alone Pro Wrestling NOAH. His students and peers carry on his legacy, and I still consider him to be the man who helped ruin the WWE for me. Allowing me to realise that popular wrestling with high production budgets isn’t always the best wrestling. Youtube provides us with an excellent privilege that wasn’t available for those who had to trade video tapes to see what was going on around the world. When time is available and you’re a wrestling fan, check out his matches in AJPW during the 1990s. You won’t regret it.
Lawrence Of Arabia Movie Review

June 13th, 2014

I came into watching Lawrence Of Arabia with little to no knowledge of the actual events, and it even covers an area of World War 1 that I’m not as familiar with (The Turkish Revolt). But this didn’t stop me from enjoying this. If anything, it created a certain degree of intrigue, in the same way that 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde revitalised an interest in the couple. It demonstrates the power that movies have, that it would get people interested in doing some research to find out how much is true and how much is poetic license.

Our films starts like Citizen Kane. Not in the sense that T.E.Lawrence (played by Peter O’Toole in his 4th film) is lamenting on his past, saying a random word and then dropping a snow globe artistically. Instead I’m referring to the fact that we witness our main character die within the opening minutes. We then see his funeral, where he receives massive honours, and then the question among the people is asked; who was Lawrence? Afterwards we go back in time, to the first world war, where the young, highly intelligent, but also green, eccentric and misunderstood Lawrence is given an assignment to assess the prospects of Prince Faisai (played by Obi Wan himself, Alex McGuinness), a British ally who is rebelling against the turks. After witnessing the death of his guide at the hands of Sherif Ali (played by Omar Sharif) then disobeying the orders of keeping his mouth shut, Lawrence eventually goes on an adventure that would be almost too unbelievable in real life, and yet there is truth to it among the lies to create a compelling narrative for cinema.

Now lets break it down and talk about individual characteristics that make up the film: The cinematography in this film is absolutely timeless. They not only belong in cinema, they belong in a museum. The sunrises and sunsets in the desert, the composition of the shots, the shot of Sheriff Ali approaching on his Camel, demonstrating the mirage effect that makes thirsty men see illusions, the colours, everything. It may not have been “art-related cinematography”, this was pure, beautiful photography shot for cinema. A beautiful use of a wide angle lens throughout.

The music is also unforgettable. When the strings kick into the main theme, it is basically the epitome of adventure themes. You can put it against anything and it will create butterflies in one’s stomach. Going to Egypt to see the great pyramids? Stick on this theme. Driving through the desert? Stick on this theme. Find yourself stranded in the desert with no concept of direction? Stick on this theme…if you can find the oasis on time.

In an unusual, and perhaps cultural way, while there are women in this film, none of them have any dialogue. The acting is excellent, with Peter O’Toole showing a subtle but evident range of emotions, from naive curiosity to the laughter of madness. Also, Alec McGuinness is in this…are we going to argue about acting quality with him in the picture? The characters were mostly very good, with Lawrence, Prince Faisal, Auda abu Tayi (played by Anthony Quinn) and Sherif Ali proving to be characters of great interest.

The backdrop to the film is among the best I have ever seen. Long before the days of CGI, everything was done either in a studio or on a location. They shot some very key scenes in Morocco and Jordan. But they also shot some of it in California (recreating the desert in Hollywood), England and many parts of Spain…which reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns when I hear that. All excellently chosen.

The story itself is also excellent. But at the same time it is an incredibly long film. In cinema, it was watched in 2 parts, but at home it was whole, which could be as long as 3 hours and 38 minutes depending on the version you have, and at its shortest it’s still over 3 hours long. Despite this, a part of me felt like it dragged a bit. Yes, we are provided with much development and narrative, but I sometimes question how tight the film really was. At times it seems a little all over the place, and in general I thought it went at quite a slow pace, with the exception of the raids. I know it was meant to be loosely autobiographical, but if this film was made 20 years later, it would have been vastly different, and perhaps a little more on the exciting side (think Indiana Jones)…But that’s just me. If the acting wasn’t so theatrically magnificent and the characters (real or Sheriff Ali) weren’t interesting, I would only have liked the cinematography and the music. However, it’s possible that I needed to know more of the history before I could really discuss the story beyond an entertainment level.

Would I recommend Lawrence Of Arabia? Yes, it is a film that needs to be seen at least once, even if it’s for the cinematography, background and music alone. Although, do have food nearby.

Star Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
The Wind Rises Movie Review

June 2nd, 2014

My love affair with Studio Ghibli films began around Christmas 2007, when a friend gave me 2 DVDs. One of them was a Japanese comedy bloodbath known as Versus, the other was Princess Mononoke. After Christmas, HMV was having their January sale. Every Studio Ghibli movie was being sold for £5 that month. So what happened? I was going to classes 5 days a week, and in between some classes I would buy a new Ghibli movie. This kept going on until, at the time, I had them all. (This was while Ponyo was still in production). Today, Ghibli movies are more or less the only films I pre-order when I see them coming to Blu-Ray, and the interest hasn’t died down.

In 2010, I saw Ponyo in my local cinema with english dubbing. It felt like a bucket list accomplishment, seeing a Hayao Miyazaki film in cinema, let alone a Ghibli film. But May 30th this year marked a true bucket list score-off. Seeing what is said to be Miyazaki’s last ever film, in its original Japanese with english subtitles, in the cinema. And even better, I saw it with the same person I watched Ponyo with.

As far as I can tell, The Wind Rises is the film that Hayao Miyazaki had always wanted to make (Since he had already made a manga of it before). It’s his first film to feature real people, and it’s a story about the life and work of Jiro Horikoshi, the Japanese engineer who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter Plane that was eventually used in World War 2. Is everything in this film true? Not at all! Outside of his work in developing planes, little is known about Horikoshi’s personal life. This left Miyazaki with the ability to utilise creative license and produce a structured, exciting story that might otherwise have been boring for the kids in the audience (The film’s PG here in the UK). Miyazaki also borrows some character and plot elements from a novel called “The Wind Has Risen” by Hori Tatsuo (see a connection?). So what you have is a film that combines a vague autobiography with a novel by someone else, and romantically linking them. It is a fascinating demonstration of creative process! Proving that while there is nothing new under the sun (and everything was definitely done by 1969), there is still room and a future for the creative industry that takes old and recent ideas to make new 1s.

The Wind Rises is easily 1 of Miyazaki’s most realistic films. Keeping everything that is surrealism and fantasy-related within the realms of Jiro’s dreams, which feature the Italian engineer Giovanni Caproni, who subconsciously convinces the near-sighted Jiro that building aeroplanes is more exciting than flying them. And hence sets Jiro’s course towards his dream job. But the fact that it’s more realistic doesn’t take away from the excitement. Miyazaki decided to include a beautifully animated and amazing interpretation of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. To be honest with you – this was 1 of the most intimidating and scariest demonstrations of an earthquake in cinema. The choice of sound effects really brought out the sense of it being like a monster. Speaking of sound, this film was brilliant when it came to atmosphere. Does it ever feel like there’s a slight breeze in the cinema when you’re only wearing a short-sleeved shirt? This is 1 of few animated films that made me feel like I was actually there with our characters.

The choice of colours helped as well. The backgrounds are insanely beautiful and detailed. The animation is among the best that Ghibli have ever done, and the character designs are trademark Ghibli – consisting of rather basic shapes and designs, especially in the wardrobe and haircuts, and yet everything is within harmony.

The music is beautiful, featuring Miyazaki’s favourite composer to work with, Joe Hisaishi, who has done more or less every other Miyazaki movie. It also features a song called “Das gibts nur einmal, das kommt nicht wider”, which is played through an open window in Germany, where Jiro and his co-worker Hiro Konjo went on a research trip to study plane designs. I won’t say what happens there, you’ll just have to watch it. Lastly, it features the 1973 song “Hikōki-gumo” by Yumi Matsutoya (Known as Yumi Arai, before she got married in 1976), it’s the song that is played in the movie’s trailer, as well as the end credits. For me, there was something special about choosing it. Because there’s another song by Yumi, called “Message In Rouge”, which was used as the opening theme of another Miyazaki film named “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.

The characters are all great in their different ways. Jiro’s character, like Miyazaki, is a pacifist. He doesn’t make planes for war, he wants to make them for beauty. He also acknowledges the responsibility of this; that while his designs might be used for evil, it doesn’t stop him from wanting to make an excellent aeroplane for the good of the people. He even looks at passenger planes, which at the time were still in the infant stages. Easily 1 of my favourite characters is Kurokawa, 1 of Jiro’s bosses. He’s a very small man, that has to run everywhere while his co-workers all walk with big strides. To go along with this, he has quite an amusing and complicated personality. The movie’s humour is that of a great humanity. It is full of human mistakes, quirks, and things that you would add to a story, simply because you found them amusing in real life. Therefore bringing a whimsical, warm and even timeless feeling to the movie. All based on real, human interactions.

The story at times has an unusual pace, especially when it comes to the relationship between Jiro and Naoko (the girl on the poster). Other than that, it was a well structured story about 1 man’s struggle to make his dreams come true.

How would I rate The Wind Rises compared to other films by Studio Ghibli? I’d say it’s easily in their top tier. Is it better than Ponyo? Yes. Is it better than Castle In The Sky? Yes. Is it better than Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro or Princess Mononoke?…Good question. Overall, the whole experience was fantastic, and it was an excellent send-off for 1 of the greatest movie directors of all time.

Overall: ****3/4 out of 5