Wanted: More Nudity And… Maybe A Plot?
July 14, 2008 (No Responses)
WANTED finally hit the screens here a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to post a quick review, but I got distracted by a minor disaster for a while. Actually, distracted is a good way of summarising my thoughts on this movie because the combination of bending bullets, slow motion fights, sexy assassins and hard rock music is actually good, so good that it distracts you from the complete lack of any credible plot. Read more
Getting My Mesocorticolimbic Buzz On…
May 30, 2008 (2 Responses)
I LOVE GAMES. There I said it. I’ve loved gaming (the computer kind) since I was capable of understanding what the concept was. I started with a BBC Acorn, progressed to a ZX Spectrum and eventually after years of loading tapes, writing pointless programs that printed out ‘Hello’ a few times I managed to purchase myself my very first PC, then the endless opportunity for faster, slicker and better upgrades arrived and took hold and then of course the Internet arrived and, well… I’ve never looked back since.
I’ve never really questioned why I love games so much, however I’ve always wondered why none of my female friends ever got into the act. I know there are female gamers and clans out there, but they are far outnumbered by the males and always have been. We just seem to get more out of games, but until now I never knew why.
It’s all about territory apparently, and the impact gaining territory within a game has on a males brain; specifically the mesocorticolimbic centre. This is the part of the brain linked to reward and addiction and it goes bananas in males when we achieve objectives, gain territory or otherwise make important stuff happen within a game context according to a recent study conducted at Stanford university. Read more
Iron Man (Film Review)
May 4, 2008 (5 Responses)
I HAD HEARD some pretty great things about this movie before going to see it, and as superhero movies go it had a lot to live up to, but the good news is that Iron Man more than delivers and, with one exception, managed to hit all the right buttons as an origins story and the birth of a new Marvel franchise on screen.
For anyone who doesn’t know this already, Iron Man is the Marvel comic book hero invented back in 1963 who usually featured as a member of the Avengers superhero team and is one of the small number of superheros (like Batman for example) who rely on technology for their powers rather than any mutation orientated origin.
SusiQ even accompanied me to the cimena to see this one in action, a rare event in itself especially for any action orientated films, and she was bowled over by the film too… except for that one thing they just didn’t get right, but let’s talk about the good stuff first. Read more
April 4th: A Big Day For Sci-Fi Fans…
March 22, 2008 (3 Responses)
IT’S BEEN A LONG WAIT, but season 4 of that absolutely incredible sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica is nearly upon us again. April 4th is the launch date in the US for the last season of this epic space opera, so set your recorders on stun and get ready to enter into the biggest season yet. It’s generally well known at this point that the fleet will eventually find Earth during this season, but no one is letting the full plot out of the bag just yet.
The real question is ‘when’ apparently.
As in, when do they do finally find Earth, what year will it be? The past or the future? Maybe the middle ages or sometime in the not to distant 22nd century. It’s all up for grabs and that’s just one single plot point. There are may more to be resolved; the final / fifth Cylon has yet to be revealed, the real story behind Starbuck is still a mystery, the fate of Six and Baltar and so much more. I’m not going to be able to wait until this show makes it across the big pond here, probably to be screened by Sky One, so I guess I’ll be depending on my American cousins *cough* to tape it for me!
And, as if that wasn’t enough to look forward to, another favourite (and seminal) sci-fi show of mine is returning for it’s own fourth season on the same day over here in Europe. Doctor Who returns at 7pm on BBC that night to kick off another great season of thrills and spills, and this time includes cameos from all previous ‘companions’ from the first three seasons.
There is a strong rumour flying around that this will be the last season for the current ‘Doctor’, so I guess we are in for some regeneration at the end of this one… although I haven’t heard anything about a replacement as yet.
Judging from the teasers and pre-release info I’ve seen so far it looks like being a hell of season. I love the way this show mixes humour and pathos with the most outrageous villans and situations. It’s a glorious mix between outright camp and good solid science fact which hits the mark on almost every episode.
If you haven’t already done so check out Doctor Who website for more info.
Welsh Jedis On The Moon & Israeli Laser Defence Class Action…
March 15, 2008 (5 Responses)
THESE WELSH JEDI lot are a forward looking bunch; I’ll give them that at least. Whether you think they’re whackjobs or take them seriously the UK Church of Jedi actually exists, presumably as a subset of the Jedi Church itself, and most recently they have made the headlines because they selected a rather interesting place to build their latest church, not to mention forming a new Galactic nation state. I refer of course to the story that some Welsh Jedis decided to create a space colony on the moon.
Yep. You read that right, on the moon!
Of course the first step in such an enterprise is to purchase some real estate, which they have in fact managed to do. Actually, they’re not just interested in buying the land (a one acre site apparently), they are also in the process of setting up a new Jedi nation up there as well. You see the moon is classed as being in ‘international waters’ (although I challange anyone to find water up there!) so legally speaking there is nothing to stop them forming their own galactic state up there.
The two brothers at the head of the UK Jedi Church organisation have gone ahead and set up a government, constitution and royal family of the sovereign state as well. The nation is called The Galactic States of Jediism and they have also nominated their own capital city on the moon called Testa City.
What beats me is how they can fit all this into one little acre of real estate… still it could set an interesting precedent if we ever manage to, you know, actually colonise the moon… although why anyone would want to at this point is a bit of a mystery to me.
Still, it’s not as weird as the next item, because quasi-religious sci-fi enthusiasts doing their thing on the moon is at least ‘out there’ somewhere, a possibility that might be a problem in the future sometime if we ever go back to the moon, where as this next item is closer to home but just as weird. Read more
In Bruges, Or Father Ted By Any Other Name…
March 10, 2008 (7 Responses)
THERE ARE MANY words and expressions I could use to describe this film; darkly funny, twisted, unsettling, poignant in parts obvious in others, outrageous, anti-American, politically incorrect, mad… but I have to admit having seen it yesterday and had time to reflect upon it overnight I think the one overwhelming thing that strikes me is the amazing resemblence that “In Bruges” has to “Father Ted” and the lads from Craggy Island.
Before I get into that I suppose I’d better do the usual summary for anyone out there (living under a rock) who doesn’t know about this film yet. The basic plot revolves around a couple of Irish hit men who have to cool their jets “In Bruges” and wait for further instructions after a hit goes terribly wrong. That’s not exactly everything that’s going on in the film, but it’s close. The plot is quite simple and the pretext is obvious, hell the ending is even obvious, but the fun is how we get there via the two central characters/hitmen in Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson). It’s easy to assume the lads were just told to turn up, drink beer and shoot from the hip with this movie because the performances are so effortless, Irish to the core and great fun (especially the seemingly endless politically incorrect situations and conversations) and inevitably (it is irish after all) the film is a darkly comedic tale of retribution and redemption.
It’s the characters of Ken and Ray that make this film worth every cent/penny/dollar. The interaction between the younger, slightly simple but enthusuastic Ray and the older, wiser and worldly Ken are just a joy to behold. Let’s face it, any film with manky hookers, coke, midgets, irish lads on the lash, political incorrectness, gun play and blood is a winning combination!
But the one thing that sticks with me after the film is how close the relationship between Ken and Ray is to the - now legendary - relationship between Father Ted and Father Dougal on Craggy Island. If you don’t know what “Father Ted” is then you really have been living under a huge rock - it’s one of the most original, irreverent and funniest comedies to have come out of Ireland in the 1990s about the trials and tribulations of two catholic priests on a remote island off the cost of Ireland. It was hugely contentious because it was taking the piss out of the clergy, but it’s success rested on the performances of two central characters - Father Ted and Father Dougal - and you should go buy whatever DVDs or download whatever episodes you can because this is legendary comedy at it’s best.
So how the hell did I make the leap from “In Bruges” to “Father Ted”?… Read more
CloverShite!
February 3, 2008 (2 Responses)
I WAS WARNED before going to see this movie, but I still went anyway. It’s in my nature to make up my own mind about these things, and so off I trotted to the cinema to see the latest moster flick from producer J.J. Abrahms, simply called “Cloverfield”… and what a pile of shite it was.
The concept itself is not too shabby - it’s your basic monster attacking New York (why is it always New York?) as told by a group of average joes and janes who are just trying to survive. The kick is that it’s all done using a shaky-cam scenario (in other words, shot like a documentary… on the run… constantly fucking with your vision as a result), as seen by one of the central characters through a hand held camcorder.
The implementation of the movie isn’t that bad I suppose. CGI effects were OK, NYC getting it’s arse kicked by a large reptillian thingy was pretty cool - although it’s all been done before. The use of non-famous actors helped the audience to invest in the characters rather than having the distraction of a Tom Cruise-a-like approach but overall I have to say the movie was, well, shite.
Such an amount of hype surrounds this movie that I suppose it was always going to be an uphill battle to live up to it, however what really pisses me off about the film is that when I got to the end of it (and it’s a very short film folks) I was left feeling a combination of disappointed and unfilfilled.
The disappointment stems from the fact that nothing is explained in the movie. The origins of the monster, the reason for it’s attack, the response of the military… hell even the outcome is not explained. The whole thing just happens and then stops, and everyone in the cinema kind of shrugged for a bit, mumbled about it being a bit pointless and then left in an orderly fashion.
The unfulfilled feeling is one of expectation, or rather the letdown of not meeting an expectation. Yes the marketing may be very viral and very clever. And yes, if you’re sad enough to sit through the 12 minutes of credits at the end you might hear the ‘help us’ plea in an audio track. And sure, the whole false-starts and misdirection tactic on the internet leading to all the hype must have been a hell of an effort on the part of the filmmakers… but ultimately what was the fucking point? The film doesn’t deliver. At all. It just follows a few partygoers as they get picked off one by one trying to escape NYC and then ends. Period. Don’t waste your time or money on this one folks.
As I said… CloverShite! 
