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X-Men: Days Of Future Past Movie Review

May 27th, 2014

X-Men: Days Of Future Past in now the 7th X-Men movie to come out since the year 2000 and is directed by Bryan Singer, who also directed the 1st 2 films . I mentioned in a tweet that I might have a different perspective on this film. So what is it? Up until this 1, I hadn’t seen an X-Men film since 2006. I saw the original trilogy, the last 1 being X-Men: The Last Stand, which I saw in cinema. Despite that, I remember none of the stories. My knowledge of the characters was kept fresh through other media, including the rediscovery the ’90s cartoon on lovefilm, and a little Facebook RPG game known as Marvel Avengers Alliance.

I was hesitant about seeing this film at first, fearing that I would be bombarded with a lot of information that required First Class, the Wolverine movies and even a revisit to the original series for me to understand. But then it occurred to me; this is Marvel! Marvel is fun, whether you know the whole story or not. I saw Despicable Me 2 before its prequel, and it didn’t stop me from enjoying it or becoming a fan afterwards. So, I took a dive into the unknown…and you know what? It paid off!

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is effectively Marvel’s version of Back To The Future, and it brings the 2 sets of films together, meaning I was at least half way there for simply seeing the 1st 3 at some point. It starts off in the year 2023, where I assume X-Men: The Last Stand left off, in a world that has become a much different and darker place. The sentinels (mutant-killing robots) have effectively become the master race, being impossible to kill with mutant powers and unstoppable for humans, who are now effectively their prisoners. Through the mutant Kitty Pryde (played by Ellen Page), who has helped the surviving mutants evade the Sentinels by sending their consciousness back in time to warn them, an idea is pitched that has the potential of changing everything. Wolverine (reprised by the only man who can play the character perfectly, Hugh Jackman) volunteers as Marty McFly to go back to the year 1973, where his consciousness enters the body of his younger self. His goal is to then, somehow, prevent Mystique (aka the naked blue lady with red hair played by Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Bolivar Trask (played by Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage), whose death would have created sympathy, and in his memory, his sentinels project would have received a go-ahead from the American Treasurers who now see Mutants as an enemy to humanity.

I dare not spoil it, but only to set it up. Without a doubt, this film was great fun. An awesome experience, even if I only saw it in 2-D (as someone who wears glasses almost full time, 3-D is just alright, possibly a bit overrated. IMAX however…we should have invested much more in that!). The story on the surface looks like Inception, but it’s actually simple. It makes sense, it’s tight, it presents us with memorable scenes (particularly anything involving Quicksilver and Wolverine) and it has a lot of great humour in it, lightening the tone for the PG-13/12A rating.

They also maintained the rating by using some very clever lighting and editing techniques, particularly in scenes involving Mystique for obvious reasons. The cinematography itself was excellent, and once again I’ll mention Quicksilver. Some excellent presentation of the character’s powers. Some very good CGI as well. Also a great use of colour filters, going from the dark and drained future to the much warmer looking 1973.

The music is done by John Ottman, who also did the score for X2 (X-Men 2). He maintained several of his memorable scores, including the main theme, and he did a great job. Among the soundtrack also includes Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce…which is played during “that Quicksilver scene”. As well as Roberta Flack’s “The First Time I Saw Your Face”, which plays when Wolverine enters a world now long gone.

Acting-wise, I thought everybody was great, and character-wise, while there isn’t much development in the mutants that appear in the future (including Halle Berry reprising her role as Storm), we’re certainly well catered for when it comes to younger-selfs and mutants from the past. Wolverine once again plays the tough but also funny lead in both worlds. James McAvoy is brilliant as young Charles Xavier, the professor, who in his unhappiness now dabbles in drugs to make him seem more normal and held together. And it’s possible that Evan Peters as Quicksilver may have stolen the show. Which for me, now, leads to a new question: How will Aaron Taylor-Johnson be able to top this? Then again, look at who’s writing the screenplay and being the director?

One thing X-Men: Days Of Future Past has done, is put me in the mood to watch the rest of the movies, which is now something I plan to do, and maybe get some more comics (Astonishing X-Men Volume 1 by Joss Whedon already on the way from Amazon). Is it as good as The Dark Knight or The Avengers? I’m not sure if it is, but when I go through the other films in the series, I wouldn’t be surprised if I find that this is the best X-Men movie.

Rating: ****3/4 (out of 5)
Bonnie And Clyde (1967)

May 25th, 2014

Yesterday (May 23th) marked the 80th Anniversary in which the ending of this film took place, which feels rather surreal now. There is the slight possibility that if this film was never made, the names Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow would have remained within the history books, and only be known by teachers and students of the Great Depression Era of the United States. But because of this film (and that other 1 with no Clyde but had Bonnie Parker look like the leader of a gang in 1958), their infamy to the public and pop culture was revived, and today they’re 2 of the most recognisable outlaws of the 1930s along with John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd.

Since this film is very much a Hollywood production, liberties were taken in the telling of the story. It depended on the perspective that they were looking for; for the government and lawmen, these were cold-blooded thieves, murderers and kidnappers who escaped justice in the same fashion as John Dillinger – by travelling to other states in a time before the C.I.A. was formed to patrol the whole country. To the public, who were feeling the loss and pain of the time (as seen in the film as well), these were Robin Hood figures fighting “the man”, the man not being the police, but rather the banks who took their homes. We can glamourise certain periods and places in time, but life in America then wouldn’t have pleased anybody…unless they lived as fast as this.

Right, onto the movie: Bonnie and Clyde are played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Bonnie is the small-town girl from Texas, she works as a waitress, lives with her Mum, and has a safe, quiet life…that she is incredibly bored of. Clyde on the other hand, is a cocky, but also rather awkward young man, who looks at Bonnie’s Mother’s car to see if he wanted to keep it for himself. After Bonnie catches him snooping around the car, they decide to go out for lunch, where Clyde tells her straight out exactly what he is. A robber who has done time behind bars. Bonnie is skeptical of his story, until he pulls out a gun. He then walks into a small store, and comes out with a fistful of dollars. They quickly get into Bonnie’s car again, and drive off. Beginning a spree of robberies, murders, kidnappings and many free, new cars that would last 2-3 years. Along the way, they form a gang, which included Clyde’s brother Buck (played by a 37 year old Gene Hackman), Buck’s wife Blanche (played by Estelle Parsons), who was portrayed as a dim-witted, easily frightened preacher’s daughter who screamed manically, a lot. And lastly C.W. Moss (played by Michael J. Pollard) who is a combination of several sidekicks rolled into 1, a bit like how several prostitutes in Game Of Thrones were rolled together to create Ros, a character specifically made for the TV show.

Much like most plays and morality tales, the ending is already known, especially if you were already aware of the news stories of the time. The film was made 33 years after the events took place, and it would have still been fresh in people’s minds. The story itself is well made, allowing us to see different layers and perspectives of our characters. Much like a family, the Barrow Gang didn’t always see eye-to-eye. At times it’s evident that unless they were robbing banks and getting into trouble, life was normal, or in their case, life in-between jobs was really boring. Jokes were retold, silence at times was deafening, board games would amuse 80% of the party, and within that boredom was the stress of the police finding them.

Much like production, acting also evolves, and the acting of this film was really excellent. After seeing her in several other films, I feel like I’m becoming familiar with Faye Dunaway’s style. It could even be argued that she was ahead of her time, playing the roles of women who were moody and difficult, rather than weak and delicate in their character flaws. Warren Beatty was great as Clyde, and had that boyish charm, even at 30, to pull off the character well. The music was minimal, but also dynamic when it appeared (classic bango chase music), and the cinematography had some really memorable moments, while also playing it rather safe in its presentation. The ending is also 1 of the most dynamic, even today. Is it well worth a look? Oh yes. A fascinating film that also has some amusing moments in it, and as her 3rd film, it was the 1 that made Faye Dunaway a star.

Overall: **** stars (out of 5)
Child Of Light Game Review

May 18th, 2014

There is a question that gets asked a lot when we think of video games; “Are they art?” or “Can they be art?” In the end, it depends on what you look for; What is a movie? A movie is a range of creative outlets, brought together to provide an audio visual story that lasts for a certain length of time, depending if you’re watching the 1 second film or The Longest Most Meaningless Movie In The World (Yes, they both exist under those names)). In turn, video games are no different. Is there a story? If it is written, then it is art. What about music? If it is written, played and therefore created, then it is art.

Artistic games have existed for years. Some are because of their high quality story. Others because of their up-to-date visuals. But then there are others who choose stylisation over the most realistic graphics of the time. Such an approach has been seen in game series like The Legend Of Zelda (comparing Wind Waker to Twilight Princess, or even Skyward Sword to Twilight Princess), others would include cartoony games such as Beyond Good and Evil and the Sly Cooper series. While others will in fact utilise a real art style, such as the use of Sum-e in the legendary and timeless game, Okami. But onto the answer to another question; Is Child Of Light an artistic game containing beauty, elegance, love, and passion? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

When I saw the trailer to Child Of Light for the 1st time, I wanted it. It was like walking into a shop and finding something that really catches your eye. Something that made you say “I’m not leaving until I have bought this. I don’t know the details, and I haven’t heard reviews, but this appeals to me”, or in this case, secured a pre-order, in order to receive the item as soon as it was released.

Child Of Light is a Coming-Of-Age Story about a young girl in 1895 Austria named Aurora. She falls into a deep sleep and wakes up in Lemuria, a land that has had the sun, the moon, and the stars stolen from it by the Dark Queen, Umbra. In order to get home and be reunited with her Father, she must recover them with the help of her companion Igniculus the Firefly (who looks like a glowing Raindrop, but is in fact a small blue ball of fire) and a group of other characters she meets along the way, including a jester, a large, love-stuck mouse, a cowardly gnome with magic powers and a masked tribal beast. Anybody who knows movies like Labyrinth, The Wizard Of Oz and their RPG games will be familiar with the varied and unlikely line-up with different strengths, weaknesses and goals. They’re all pretty well developed by the time you get to the end of the game, which I consider a real plus. Also nearly all of the dialogue is in rhyme. At times it seems forced, but it’s also playful, poetic, and in its own right, an art.

Developed using the UbiArt Framework engine (the same 1 used to revive Ubisoft mascot Rayman with the acclaimed Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends), this game is a living, breathing collection of watercolour paintings, created by hand, scanned in, and set in place. I was even more excited when I found out about where they were getting their influences: Studio Ghibli? Final Fantasy Concept Character Designer Yoshitaka Amano (Who also designed the poster that comes with the deluxe edition of the game)? Vagrant Story? Limbo? Final Fantasy VIII? I don’t know about you, but this made me a happy bunny! And they all show themselves somehow. It is a visually beautiful, breath-taking game, and I loved everything that appeared on the screen before me.

The music is created by French-Canadian Singer-Songwriter Coeur de pirate, whose own indie pop songs sound very different to what appears in the game. Presumably as a way to show off her range. Much of it is piano, strings and wood instrumentals, and it sounds absolutely magical! Beautiful, whimsical, light-hearted, and yet you can still sense the danger, wonder, adventure and exploration that the game provides. It fits the game’s tone perfectly.

The controls and gameplay are that of a role-playing game. You control 2 characters at a time, and you can switch them with other party members when it’s your turn. Igniculus can also play a vital role, and provide the player with an advantage. He can not only heal you with his glowing power, but he can slow down an enemies turn with the same control when he hovers over them. Strategy is key to this. Some enemies can only be finished quickly by certain party members, while other members will have aiding powers more-so than attacks. Your characters will also level up, providing you with skill points to build their strength and make them better in battle. The harder your enemies are, the more points you’ll receive when levelling up. It’s standard in RPGs, but this is nice and simple, and a pleasure to pick up.

Like other games using the UbiArt Framework engine, the level design is that of a 2-D side scroller. Because Aurora has wings, and there’s the fast-travel ability on the world map, you can basically go anywhere that has been unlocked and discovered with ease, even up to the sky or the deepest depths, where there are lots of hidden treasures, quests, and even characters (Yes, like Final Fantasy 7, some of your party members are optional. They need to be found in order to have them).

The game’s creators intended on creating the sort of game that could be passed onto children, and you know what, they did an awesome job. They have officially pulled a Dr Seuss or a Winnie The Pooh. They created a timeless game that can be universally experienced. One I hope to keep playing again for years to come, even when I’ve collected all of the trophies. It’s a game that put me in a good mood, and it’s up there with Brothers, Persona 4, Batman Arkham City, and The Last Of Us in terms of brilliance.

10/10 for the Art Style: 10/10 for the Music: 10/10 for the Graphics: 10/10 for the Gameplay: 10/10 for the Level Design: 10/10 for the Characters: 10/10 for the Story. Overall: 100/100
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D TV Show Review

May 14th, 2014

There are 4 types of people who watch (and sometimes don’t watch) Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD: Comic Book fans, Joss Whedon fans, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Every marvel film non-spiderman and non-X-Men related since 2008), and fans of all of the above. Since Joss Whedon wrote and directed The Avengers (a.k.a the best superhero film not called The Dark Knight), it seemed interesting, exciting… and odd, to know that he wanted to create a show that focused on the organisation who brought a bunch of superheroes together to fight aliens. But the oddest thing wasn’t the fact that it was SHIELD. It was odd because of who the main character is. The legend himself, Agent Phil Coulson.

Upon learning of Phil Coulson’s involvement in the series, a lot of people assumed it was a prequel to The Avengers. Why? Well, spoiler alert, Coulson was killed in The Avengers. It was a moment that gave the heroes something more to fight for, and it was sad because the character was incredibly likeable and funny.

From the pilot episode you’ll notice that they have potentially pulled a Bobby Ewing from Dallas. Coulson emerges from a dark corner in a cool fashion, and then comments on how he always wanted to do that. Only instead of saying that The Avengers was all a dream and therefore he never died in the first place, here he is. Alive. Somehow. And we don’t know why. At least for a while. The first episode was great fun, but they’re right in saying that it was all rather light-hearted and not much going on in terms of a threat. Afterwards came about 8-9 episodes that were stand-alone stories. They were designed to show us how SHIELD operated and the types of missions and assignments they got caught up in. But most importantly, they provided development for all of the main characters, including the ones that seemed a little 1-dimensional at the beginning.

Around the time they were broadcasting episodes 2 to 9, I could understand why some people were put off by the show. For 1 thing, yes superheroes and villains do appear. But many of them are not as well known, unless you read the comics (Which will then lead some viewers to go and find out who these characters are). You’ll hear them mention all of the Heroes from The Avengers by their real names, but they don’t appear in the show itself. Also, by episode 9, why Coulson is alive remains unexplained.

But by episode 10, everything changes. All of a sudden the last 9 episodes begin to come together. They exist for a reason. Everything becomes bigger, more menacing and for a TV Show, pretty darn epic! The Show also coincides with Marvel films released around the same time. Thor: The Dark World occurred just before Episode 8, and part of the episode includes them cleaning up Thor’s mess. But then…for those who have seen it. It coincides with Captain America: The Winter Soldier…anybody who has seen the movie knows what that means. It becomes amazing! Well and truly amazing! By saying this, I’m not spoiling anything. I’m just saying it’s worth seeing.

The show’s finale is well worth it! Whedon not only provides a satisfying conclusion to the show, but we have been given so much more to look forward to in Season 2. Not every question has been answered, and not every back story has been fully explored. Truly like Marvel’s post-credit endings, we’ll be seeing more, and I’m looking forward to it.

THOUGHTS ON MAIN CHARACTERS (Spoiler-Free):

PHIL COULSON: Coulson is very much a true professional. He’s there for a reason; because he’s really good at his job and possesses a lot of skills. But at the same time, his personality is very much more human compared to his line of work. He’s more like a Dad with a great relationship with his kids or an incredibly well-liked teacher. The type of person who can bring a range of personalities together as a team and make it work. At the same time, he struggles with his identity. Since he was resurrected, the question of how and why he came back is something that plagues him.

MELINDA MAY: May is the team pilot, but also the best fighter other than Ward. At first she seems like the stereotypical emotionless human weapon, but in time it becomes clear that this is somebody who has seen a lot of pain and darkness along her journey. She’s also practical and resourceful. Capable of taking her emotions and using them constructively.

GRANT WARD: The team’s Muscle and a black-ops specialist, Ward shows more emotion than May, but he has fewer social skills. His choice of words don’t always make him friends, but at least he tries.

LEO FITZ: Fitz is the team’s weapons developer and engineer. He possesses a dry, sarcastic sense of humour, and hates stepping out of his comfort zone more than the rest of them.

JEMMA SIMMONS: The team’s life sciences specialist and easily among the more cheerful characters. She is rarely seen without Fitz, and acts like an older sister to him. She’s also capable of great risk and sacrifice.

SKYE: At first, Skye is the character the audience potentially relates to the most. Since she is the newest addition to Coulson’s team and is fascinated by super heroes, she is “Miss Exposition”, the character who is told the back story. Even within Shield, she is among the most street-wise, and possesses a rebellious streak to her. A world-class computer hacker and an excellent actress who thrives outside the system, this quickly makes her a very valuable player in the game. She also has an interesting backstory that you’ll have to watch the show to find out about.

In Conclusion: Without knowing how good the show was going to get, the first 9 episodes would have received an 8/10 from me. But due to how good the show got, and how the 2nd half put those 9 episodes into context, it bulked up the score. Everything about this show is well presented, exciting, interesting and enjoyable. It possesses both Marvel humour and Whedon humour (for those Brown Coats and Buffy fans out there). And it has become as important as the movies in telling the story about Stan Lee’s world of Superheroes. ‘Easily 1 of the best shows on TV over the last 2 years. 10/10.
The Man With The Iron Fists Movie Review

May 14th, 2014

It’s not very often somebody could possibly out-Tarantino Quentin Tarantino. But then again, when Quentin Tarantino is involved somehow by…’presenting’ the film, his influence is evident. The Man With The Iron Fists was directed by Wu-Tang Clan de-facto leader RZA. Its story was written by RZA. The screenplay was written by RZA and Eli Roth. RZA is 1 of the stars in the movie…and lastly, RZA created most of the film’s soundtrack (along with Howard Drossin, who did some themes for Sonic and Knuckles on the SEGA Mega Drive). Sounds like Tommy Wiseau, doesn’t it?

Right, this film is…stupid. Stupid beyond belief. But somehow…someway…I enjoyed it. I left my brain in the kitchen while I sat there and watched this. It more or less experiences the same curse that 2011’s The Three Musketeers had. It is evident that the film plays on a gangsta rapper stereotype. What is the stereotype? That black guys like kung fu movies. And for once, we’re seeing a film where such a fan got to make his own version of something he loves.

Was this film made out of love? Yes, it’s clear to me that RZA loved making this film, and in terms of the crew, he had some excellent people working for him. The set design is awesome, as are the costumes. It was actually shot in Shanghai and other parts of China, giving it a certain authenticity. The cinematography worked well, and the CGI had some great moments, even if the fake blood would probably have been done better with more practical effects.

Now, lets talk about the film itself. Between the writing, the acting and the characters, the characters are the best part. Some very interesting ones, such as Jack Knife, the British Soldier who liked Opium and had an absolutely amazing knife! It was like a weaponised vintage can opener! Very impressive, but unfortunately the character had to be played by Russell Crowe, who clearly isn’t english enough. If they gave this to Brian Blessed, he would be the greatest movie character ever.

There were loads of other interesting characters. Such as “Brass Body”, who was played by then-retired WWE wrestler Dave Bautista (Who will be playing Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy). He more or less played himself as a heel. Then you had animal-based clans, such as the Hyena Clan, Wolf Clan and the Lion Clan (who are the main focus). Silver Lion is the primarily villain (played by Bryon Mann, who was Ryu in Street Fighter The Movie), he has an amazing ’80s J-Rock hairstyle, and he killed the previous leader Golden Lion to become the new one (Something very ’80s about their clan as well). Then you have Zen-Yi or “The X-Blade” (played by Rick Yune), his weapon is his Road Warriors style upper body armour that shoots darts, has hidden knives and has spikes that spring out when laid upon. He is the other main protagonist, other than Jack Knife and RZA’s character the Blacksmith (Get it? Because he makes weapons), who happens to be known as the title character later on. Then you have other stars such as Lucy Liu as Madam Blossom, the brothel owner and unofficial Queen of the Village, and Jamie Chung as lady Silk, Blacksmith’s girlfriend…or lets say the girl he likes to visit at the brothel the most.

Now onto the story. I mention The Three Musketeers here, well this suffers a similar fate. It has everything necessary to be a likeable film…except for a decent story and foundation. There’s no real focus. No moral. Not much in terms of themes, character growth, change, mountains, quests, journeys or comedy. When RZA described all of the characters behind the scenes, they sound interesting. But there aren’t even indications to any of these character traits in the film! It is brainless fun, but without a structure that works. I read somewhere that RZA intended on making 2 films from this, after he created 4 hours worth of footage. But Eli Roth suggested simply having a 90 minute film. In my opinion, that was a bad choice. Because I thought the characters needed more development, and I’m sure there was a better story structure that could have come out of those 4 hours. On the other hand, it’s possible that even with 4 hours of footage, there’s still only 90 minutes of even remotely usable scenes that could develop our characters into a small crop for the audience.

The action scenes were thankfully part of what made this film fun. They were impactful, but also silly. They’re full of gimmicks, in weaponry (literally some of the best weapons I’ve ever seen in cinema) and in fighting stances (such as that of the Gemini killers. Their double team work was pretty awesome, and their joint stance is…unique), it also amused me when you see the Lion Clan literally using claws as weapons. The Martial Arts aspect contained a lot of twists, they look flashy, but provide no real meaning. Watch the fights in this film, and then watch the fights in Donnie Yen’s Ip Man movies – very different quality standards.

If you’re interested in seeing a successful blending of old eastern culture and western Hip-Hop, it was already done perfectly in Japanese anime. Samurai Champloo (by the creators of Cowboy Bebop), and Afro Samurai (title character voiced in english by Samuel L Jackson) are well worth a look. If you like really over the top, almost comical violence, stick to Tarantino’s movies, Robert Rodriguez movies, or anything by Stephen Chow.

In conclusion: Great cinematography (8/10), excellent location choices (10/10), excellent set design (10/10) fun and quality costume and weapon design (9/10). Some unique and interesting Characters that could have been worked on (7/10). The acting was fine, particularly from the Asian and Asian American actors, but not from Crowe or RZA. (7/10). The action scenes were very flashy and with a lot of tornado jumps and gorey violence. It was fun, but not on the same level of quality as Donnie Yen movies, or even Rikki-Oh. (7/10) The CGI was good (6/10). The music was the main characteristic in the western fusion, outside of everyone speaking english and an African American lead, and it was certainly an interesting choice, and made the film a different experience (7/10). The story needed a lot of work. Despite having interesting characters, there needed to be so much more than what appeared in the final product for me to really want more. It also needed a real build up, and a good mountain to climb. (1/10). It was juvenile compared to most Hong Kong Action movies and even Tarantino movies. But is it worth a look? Sure, though don’t take it seriously, you’ll just get really mad if you did. Overall: 72/100 (roughly **1/4 stars out of 5)
Hotline Miami (2012)

May 12th, 2014

Lets put this into context. Imagine if you took the video game Grand Theft Auto Vice City (set 3 years before the events in Hotline Miami, which is set in Spring/Summer of 1989), and stripped it down to about 15-20 missions. Then you add a surreal story to it, about a man wearing jeans, a varsity jacket and 1 of many animal halloween masks collected throughout the game. He receives answering machine messages that all sound innocent enough. But then your character goes to these addresses in his Delorean, arrives to find them filled with white-suited Russians…and then your goal becomes simple – You kill everybody in the level.

I mentioned Grand Theft Auto Vice City, I’ll mention something else. About 90% of the graphics in this game are presented in the 8-bit style (like computer and video games in the ’70s and ’80s), while the rest of it is like a flowing, colourful, psychedelic picture that Windows Music Player was known for. If you’re used to post-PS2 graphics, this 2012 addition will come as a shock. The blocky visuals are very “old school”, the colour palette is heavily saturated, and in general, it is all really ugly to look at. But it could be argued as a stroke of genius. It makes the game visually memorable, it’s not just “dated graphics”, but a visual style based on the times, and will stand out when you look through gameplay images. It could therefore be a challenge; Are the graphics dated? Or are they simply a style that suits the game?

On top of this, due to the content, it’s basically a video game that would have been labelled a “Video Nasty” in the UK back in the 1980s. So I could imagine if this game existed, it would possibly be infamous for its violence and have many copies buried at a landfill in the desert.

So despite being newer and having really awful graphics compared to Vice City…does it play better than the legendary PS2 game? Possibly not, if more means better. What Hotline Miami actually offers is a more realistic experience of being 1 man against many. While the Grand Theft Auto games feature a main character who could be shot numerous times, tens in fact, and still complete the mission and walk the street afterwards with no medical bills to pay – in Hotline Miami, your character dies after 1 hit, whether he is shot, hit with a blunt or sharp instrument or attacked by a guard dog. In the process, you could die hundreds, maybe even a thousand times in 1 playthrough (Thankfully you don’t get Metal Gear Solid’s Game Over screen after each and every time you die). But in doing so, it actually provides a challenge. It ups the blood pressure, sharpens the mind and puts the nerves on edge. When you complete a mission, you can feel a great sense of satisfaction…until you receive your grade, telling you that you were either too repetitive or not reckless enough or fast enough; D minus! And trust me when I say, it does bring you down, knowing that you didn’t earn a new mask with a different power-up, or a new weapon that appears in levels afterwards. Or maybe it doesn’t matter, you’re just glad that you can now move onto the next level, because that last level nearly cost you your controller or TV. The controls work very well, require mastering in the later levels, and oddly enough the game rewards you if you’re both skilled and reckless at the same time

The music in this game is 1 of my favourite aspects. Much of it sounds like it would be done in the 8-bit style, and yet it’s done mostly with musical instruments and synthesisers, giving it that ’80s pop and dance sound, other times it sounds psychedelic and drug infused. I’ll name some bands and songs so you can youtube them:

Sun Araw: Easily the most psychedelic band on the soundtrack, possibly providing music that represent the sanity of our main character. Including “Horses Steppin”, which is that weird song in the main menu, and “Deep Cover”, which is played at our main character’s apartment.

M.O.O.N: They provide the fastest sounding tracks in some levels. Very action-based and sound very 8-bit in nature. But it’s debatable whether you would want to listen to them outside of the game itself.

Jasper Byrne: Byrne provided the song “Miami”, which plays when your results are given and during the shortcut on the PS3. It is the 1 theme on this list that (for me) brings both Miami and the 1980s together in terms of its simple but powerful sound. Perfect for a sun-set drive. His other song, “Hotline”, is played in a level, and while it sounds great within its intended context, I don’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as Miami.

Scattle: Scattle provide music that’s perfect for an ’80s action movie, and at times reminds me a little bit of the soundtrack to the movie Fight Club (like “It’s Safe Now”). They evoke a lot of emotion, whether in adrenaline (like “Knock Knock” and “Inner Animal”) and or the low points in the game (like “Flatline”). “To The Top” didn’t do much for me.

Elliot Berlin: This guys 1 song “Musikk per automatikk” it very like an 8-bit video game, and sounds good but not a favourite.

Perturbator: “Electric Dreams” reminds me of Mr Mister a little bit, while “Miami Disco” is straight 80s Pop. Easily the the most pop of the bunch.

Eirik Suhrke: His song “A New Morning” sounds like something you would hear at the end of an 80s movie where the battle is won or the guy gets the girl. 1 of the happier sounding tunes on this list.

Coconuts: Other than Sun Araw, this is the most psychedelic group here. using heavy bass and screeching guitars, it sounds like a bad trip going wrong. Not the nicest sounding tune on the list, but it makes its point. It is also the tune that plays when your main character enters a dirty room full of men wearing animal masks. Which reminds me of the Graveyard that Yuri goes to in order to meet the 4 masks that talk to him in Shadow Hearts.

El Huervo: Very ’80s in “Turf”, but also very laid-back and cool in “Daisuke”. Daisuke is played in between missions when our main characters meets the same guy working in different places, such as a convenient store or night club or Video Rental Store. A great little tune.

If you’re looking for a meaningful story and well-developed characters, buy Persona 4 or The Last Of Us, because you won’t find them here. ‘Understand that the game’s major emphasis is on the gameplay and the look. Yes, there is a story, and a complicated 1 at that, which has lots of show but don’t tell in it. Your main character has a lot going on in his head, but even at the end of it, I feel like I don’t know anything about him. He’s just a man taking orders with no redeeming qualities, other than suggest that he really is suppose to be me, and therefore I have done these horrible things throughout the game. The story does have a bigger picture, which is explained in its 2nd ending. But the game can be left alone after the 1st ending, if you’re satisfied with completing the game rather than being really good at it. Something you would carry out if you really enjoyed the experience and wanted to do it again and again.

The level design is very good, and thankfully you’re given a checkpoint when you clear a floor and then either take the lift go use the stairs. It allows longer levels to be manageable. The game also provides you with everything you need to complete it, so if you can’t finish it, that means you’re either not very good or you’re unlucky, because the game will occasionally change on you, even if you’ve figured out a strategy that you’re happy with, and hope that the definition of insanity doesn’t eventually lay eggs in your brain.

8/10 for the well-made but intentionally dated Graphics, 10/10 for the Music, 10/10 for the Gameplay, 9/10 for the Level Design, 9/10 for the Art Style, 7/10 for the Story, 6/10 for the Characters, 10/10 for the Controls. Overall: 86.25/100 ( between ***1/2 and ***3/4 out of *****)
The Fly (1958)

May 11th, 2014

Does anybody remember when Sci-Fi movies were less about trigger-happy meatheads in combat gear running in and destroying anything that was “knowledge” “exploration” and “Science”, and more about the consequences of playing God and corrupting nature? Well, The Fly falls into the later category. It is a Sci-Fi film with elements of horror and a first act that was more like a murder mystery. A man is found dead in Montreal. His head and much of his upper body is completely crushed by a hydraulic press. The victim’s wife openly admits to murdering him, and even seems relieved rather than saddened. So much so, that she appears cold, psychopathic or just mentally ill.

It is a difficult situation for her, as it appears that her story is too strange, too surreal, too…unbelievable, to make even a rubbish alibi. It would be better if she was declared insane than be hanged. Especially if she has a little boy, who was willing to accept that she’s “very sick”. The murder victim’s brother, Francois (played by Vincent Price) wants to know the story, and even lies about how he caught this “white headed fly” that Helene (played by Patricia Owens), the victim’s wife and his sister-in-law became obsessed about, and goes nuts when she hears buzzing in the room.

As it turns out, the victim was a scientist named Andre Delambre (played by David Henison). And the second act focuses on him creating a device that would provide instant transportation. After successfully transporting inanimate objects and experiencing trial and error with transporting animals; he eventually uses himself as a test subject, to see if he can put airports, trains and buses out of commission. By the third act, it is evident; the result didn’t go as planned, when a fly decided to welcome itself into the device along with Andre. Leading to a series of unfortunate events for the Delambre family.

I shall not spoil it, and no I haven’t seen the 1986 version. How good is it? No doubt, it’s very good but it’s not fantastic. Outside of Vincent Price, David Hedison and Patricia Owens, who did excellent work, I didn’t think too much about the acting by the other cast members…then again it was a B-movie. The story itself is very good, and kept very simple. Nearly everything states the obvious somehow, and doesn’t have too many surprises. The characters aren’t really developed that much, they progress the story and the message rather than develop individually as people. The situation is bigger than they are. The music is fine, it suits the time and the scenes well, and the cinematography isn’t exactly Citizen Kane, but it had some creative and effective moments.

9/10 for the Story, 8/10 for the Acting, 7/10 for the Characters, 8/10 for the Music, 8.5 for the Cinematography, overall: 81/100
Magnolia (1999)

May 8th, 2014

Magnolia, to me, could be best described as a film about love mixed with a movie about chance. I say that because it presents a variety of incidents involving chance. But for all of our main characters, love is what made them who they are. It is a film that truly is a character piece, and everyone of them has a problem that involves love. You have characters who are looking for it, characters who have been betrayed and heart-broken by it, and characters who are trying to kiss and make-up after destroying what they once had with others. But at the same time, they are all connected on a more interactive level.

All of the main characters are spider-webbed from two old men: One is Earl Partridge (played by the late, great Jason Robards in his final film before his death in 2000) and the other is Jimmy Gator (Played by Phillip Baker Hall). Their connection is a Game Show called “What Do Kids Know?”, where Partridge was the show’s producer before he developed cancer, and Jimmy was the show’s host, even after finding out that he too had cancer.

From these two men, are their families, the contestants on their show, and the outsiders who meet either them or their family members:

LINDA: Earl’s trophy wife, who is a gold digger (played by Julianne Moore)

FRANK MACKEY: Earl’s arrogant self-help guru son, who teaches men how to become a pick-up artist. He hates his father for leaving him when he was 14. (played by Tom Cruise in 1 of his best roles)

ROSE: Jimmy Gator’s wife, who is loyal to him but doesn’t know all of the facts.

CLAUDIA WILSON: Gator’s daughter, a cocaine addict who hates her father so much she throws him out even after he tells her he’s dying. She is also looking for love.

Every other main character is somehow connected to these two families:

PHIL PARMA: Earl Partridge’s male nurse, who helps Earl track down Frank. He looks for love, or at least tries. (Played by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman)

JIM KURRING: A Police Officer and practicing Christian who is looking for love and falls for Claudia Wilson after he comes to her apartment over a call about her music being too loud. (played by Wreck-It Ralph himself, John O’Reilly)

STANLEY SPECTOR: A new child prodigy who appears on “What Do Kids Know?” He is hounded by his father to win the prize money, and doesn’t feel loved or appreciated by anyone.

“QUIZ KID” DONNIE SMITH: Who could potentially be known as “Future Stanley Spector”. Smith was the “What Do Kids Know?” champion in 1968. His parents spent all of his money, and he seeks to have a homosexual relationship with a muscular bartender who has braces. Wanting to be accepted by this man, he tries to get braces himself in order to connect somehow. Even though his teeth don’t need them and his job situation is in shambles. (played by William H Macy in a fantastic performance).

Magnolia can be quite a difficult film to watch. The acting is extraordinarily good, to the point of near legendary proportions. So good in fact, that the scenes of great anger, shouting and distress would be enough to make you stop watching, because of how unwelcome and oppressive it is (in fact, it is said a number of people walked out when this film was in cinema). The music is beautiful, with most of the songs being done by Aimee Mann and works well with the movie. The cinematography maintains an artistic presence while also being by-the-book, and works very well. The characters are very good, showing a great range in many of them (such as Claudia being both a shouting, raving drug addict and a shy, insecure woman who doesn’t want to be hurt again), as well as complimentary roles to balance them (such as Phil Parma’s tenderness or Jim Kurring’s compassion and concern). Although despite this, I don’t know these characters like I would have known them in a TV show or comic book, or even a lot of other movies. I also don’t find a lot of them particularly likeable. Most of them might make terrible friends. But I guess that’s the challenge of creating and liking human characters. The challenge being the acceptance of their dislikable qualities (not just cute little character flaws, but their genuine dark side). Or maybe it was because of the times; in the late ’90s, people were becoming more interested in fleshed-out protagonists who acted more like villains, such as Tony Soprano. The story doesn’t really follow a pattern, other than that of a TV show like Game Of Thrones or The Sopranos (only it’s 3 hours long). It tells many stories going on at once, presents some connections and then something happens that they can all relate to by chance.

9.25 for the Story, 10 for the Acting, 8.5 for the Characters, 9 for the Music, 9.5 for Cinematography. Overall: 92.5/100 (4 and 1/4 stars out of 5, if zero was minus 5 stars)
If… (1968)

May 3rd, 2014

If… (known as “Crusaders” in the early stages) is not a movie that everybody will have heard of, or even enjoy. Filmed and set in 1968 England at an all-boys boarding school, it is 2 sides supposedly battling a “monster”. It is between Freedom and Conformity (Each calling the other the monster), and a metaphorical challenge of Old Britain vs New Britain, or rich vs poor, which ever way you might interpret it yourself. It stars a 24 year old Malcolm MacDowell as 16/17 year old Mick Travis in his film debut, 3 years before the world knew him as 17 year old Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange (Also a testament of how too much drink and taking drugs can accelerate your age appearance). To say the least, he and his friends Wallace and Johnny are lower 6th form boys (11th grade in America) and the primary rebels of the school. They keep their hair scruffy, their vodka hidden, their records foreign, and their walls plastered with images of Women, War and African Wildlife.

On the surface, such a description could apply to another film that came out 10 years later, called Animal House. Which was about a war between a house of party animals and a house of pretentious kids who had higher-ups as family. While that was a timeless american comedy, If… is definitely a social commentary and drama with much of the humour hidden within sarcasm, friendly insults and moments of surrealism.

The School has 2 different worlds going on, depending on the characters’ point of view. There is the all-boys school that is advertised at the beginning of the year (Where the 1 rule is to separate work from play), and then there’s the all-boys school run by the upper 6th boys (12th grade in America), known as the Whips. They treat the school like a prison, where the younger students are prisoners and they are the prison guards, beating and punishing anybody who steps out of line, and making servants out of the much younger students (Known in this film as “Scum”).

What I like most about this movie is that fact that it chose to lay every perspective on the table. It didn’t just say “Freedom Good, Conformity Bad”, because the reality is there are good and bad aspects to both, depending on what is planned or believed by the individual. Whoever enforces 1 ideology or the other plays a key role in its authenticity and its destain. For instance, the conformists would be the headmaster, the housemaster (Played by Arthur Lowe, who was Captain George in Dad’s Army), the Chaplain, the teachers, and the Whips. The Headmaster, the housemaster, and some teachers try to exercise it properly, to the point that yes there is order, but there is also a freedom of enjoyment within the tidy appearance. However, the Chaplain (who is also a teacher) and the Whips are definitely corrupt. Whether it involves the school’s church preaching judgement and the keeping of the law in Deuteronomy (An impossible task for anybody to maintain perfectly, let alone boys going through puberty) followed by the Chaplain putting his hand under boys’ coats during class time. Or the Whips, who enforce strict rules, hard punishment, make younger students work as servants and occasionally indulging in homoerotic suggestions (keep in mind, it’s 1968, consider context). They claim a self-righteousness in their conformity…and that’s what Mick hates most about them. The hypocrisy of it all. It could also be said that this film is a challenge towards religion. Perhaps it reflects Gandhi’s quote “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are nothing like your Christ” Where the good conformists I mentioned could be a metaphor for God or an earthly king or good leader, while the Chaplain and Whips could be a metaphor for selfish Religious Leaders or servants of the king who paint something meant for good into something detestable based on their own actions and agendas. In the process, a good king could get the blame from the people for the works of the scumbags that lie or manipulate him in their reports. The Argument against the Chaplain and Whips could also be based on their self-righteousness. Acting as evil servants and then pretending that they’re good people in front of their superiors.

Mick’s plan for freedom (If there is 1) is rather questionable as well. Possibly closer to the verge of chaos rather than freedom. A breakdown of an old order and towards something that might be great on paper but impossible to execute in the long term without hurting more people to maintain it. A major problem is the fact that he seems to place every conformist into the 1 category, even the 1s that aren’t bad people. This is unfortunately a mentality that exists in real life. Assumptions will always be made and the lack of knowledge of a neighbour is dangerous for everyone. I’ve mentioned school shootings here before, and they came to mind whenever I saw this.

How good is If…? It’s a great film! A bit odd in some of their choices, such as how they switch back and forth between colour and black and white. The reason they did this was time and budget. It was cheaper and quicker to light a room for black and white photography, as well as develop black and white film. While films like Natural Born Killers did that to look edgy, artistic and hip, If… did it for “we need to finish this film” reasons. The cinematography in general is really good as well. Some great long shots and excellent enough visual story-telling that would make a brilliant translation into a comic book format. The music is very minimal, but when you do hear it, it’s memorable. Such as the use of a Congolese version of a Sanctus song in Mick’s room (as well as his “fun day out”), or the hymn sung in the opening credits. The acting is great, even from the child actors. The characters are pretty well developed for the amount of time they appear on screen. And the story is very well written, covering a lot of themes, not only about conformity, exploration, freedom, youth and change, but also about balance, lust, abuse, wisdom, righteousness, and how a few bad apples could ruin the barrel for everybody. The film also contains a fair bit of oppression, violence and some wedding presents. It was also X-Rated when it came out and might lead to some unpleasant flashbacks if your high school experience wasn’t like teen movies. What I’m saying is it’s not for kids.

10/10 for cinematography, 8/10 for music (minimal, but nicely chosen), 9.25/10 for acting, 8.75/10 for characters, 10/10 for story. Overall: 92/100
A Tribute To Sergio Leone

April 30th, 2014

25 years ago today, cinema lost 1 of its all-time greatest movie directors. An unassuming little man from Rome, Italy, who in a period of 5 years, completely transcended the quality of a whole movie genre. His movies weren’t many, but brilliant they were. I’m talking of course about Sergio Leone.

My earliest memory of a Leone film, was when I was a small child, walking into the dark living room that was lit by the TV. My parents were watching a film that featured a tall man with a cowboy hat, pancho, cigar and a face that evidently had seen better days. Almost instantly I was told to leave. Possibly to go back to bed, I don’t remember. But the next day I came across the VHS box. Some movie called “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”. Years later, I find out my parents liked some real quality films.

In my opinion, and without a shadow of a doubt – as good as the Western was in America, it was made better by an Italian (I now feel like I’m being watched by the John Wayne Fan Club). The Spaghetti Western wasn’t anything new when Leone came onto the scene with his 2nd movie, A Fistful Of Dollars (A western remake of an amazing Akira Kurosawa film called Yojimbo). The cast was made up of actors from all over Europe and starred an American, who previously played Rowdy Yates in a hit America TV Show called Rawhide. That American was Clint Eastwood, starring in his first lead role at the age of 34.

Was ‘A Fistful Of Dollars’ any good? Absolutely! It was at least on par with Yojimbo in quality, and at the time, Leone had officially created the best Spaghetti Western. I say ‘at the time’, because it only got better afterwards. Leone then decided to do more movies with Eastwood’s “Man With No Name” character, including ‘A Few Dollars More’ in 1965. The film paired Eastwood up with another American, Lee Van Cleef, an excellent dutch-american actor who was partly chosen for his face. Leone thought he loosely resembled the painter Vincent Van Gogh. In fact, most actors that Leone selected were because of their faces. He chose interesting looking people, and it provided a great deal of character to his films that probably wouldn’t have been seen in most American Westerns. With few words, their faces said many, and painted the setting better than simply telling us.

After ‘A Fistful Of Dollars’ and the even better ‘A Few Dollars More’, Leone created The Good, The Bad, The Ugly in 1966, 1 of the best movies of all time, let alone the best Spaghetti Western. For this 1, Leone had 3 Americans in lead roles. I keep mentioning they’re Americans, because they were the only 1s who spoke english and didn’t understand all of the other languages on the set. Leone was not known for being fluent in English. But he had a unique way of directing those he didn’t understand completely. Leone knew what he wanted, but in order to get it, he had to “show, not tell”. So in 3 words, he got what he was looking for from each actor. He would have said “Clint, watch me!” “Lee, watch me!” “Eli, Watch me!” and he would act out the role for the actor before filming. To say the least, his technique worked. The 3rd leading role went to Eli Wallach, a 50 year old polish Jew from New York, who played the fast-talking and comical Mexican bandit Tuco (The Ugly). As good as Eastwood and Van Cleef were in their return for the 3rd and final movie, Wallach stole the show.

Afterwards, Leone directed 4 more spaghetti westerns, 2 of them all my himself, and 2 while collaborating with another director. I never saw 1971’s ‘A Fistful Of Dynamite’, but I did see the 1 before it. A film that was on par with the Dollars Trilogy, and starred 2 actors that Leone originally tried to get for Dollars’, but couldn’t (no pun intended). After the success of Dollars’, Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda were finally convinced into having lead roles in Leone’s new movie at the time, Once Upon A Time In The West. A movie that became notorious, because Fonda, who spent his whole career playing the hero, was all of a sudden a cold-blooded killer named Frank, and for the first time, the bad guy. It was also the first and only Leone film to have a female lead, Claudio Cardinale.

Leone’s last film was Once Upon A Time In America, and it was the only movie he completely directed that wasn’t a Spaghetti Western (before that he co-directed a few sword-and-sandal movies in Italy). It starred Robert De Niro in 1 of his finest roles and at its most complete was about 4 and a half hours long. The film unfortunately was a flop in cinema. But at the same time understandable because it was perfect for VHS/DVD (the ability to pause and have a break).

Sergio died of a heart attack at the age of 60, 2 days before he signed the dotted line for a new movie he was preparing, called Leningrad: The 900 Days.

Nearly everything Leone did was not only of quality, but of trademark. He was a star in his own right, but his direction and his ability to bring everything together created stars out of his own crew as well as the actors; including music composer Ennio Morricone, and cinematographers Massimo Dallamano and Tonino Delli Colli. There will never be another Sergio Leone. But I would like to believe that he is an inspiration, along with the usual suspects within his crew. He became a standard bearer, along with Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Walt Disney, and more recently Christopher Nolan.

In conclusion, he was 1 of the best, and he continues to be missed.