Monthly Archives: March 2010

Mar 29 2010

The TV show from another place

Look what came into my possession today…

Arguably the most iconic TV series of all time, loved by many, loathed by many… but for me it was typical genius by director David Lynch, who in my opinion is a true original in the business.  As a fan of his movies, especially Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway and Blue Velvet, re-visiting this classic show has been a long time coming … and I’m very much looking forward to it.

I also plan to pick up the movie spin-off ‘Fire, Walk With Me’ at a later stage, which I think compliments the series well, and is surpringly even more bonkers.

Mar 28 2010

Bioshock 2 – impressions

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I was bound to get this eventually.  I loved Bioshock #1 for its unique atmosphere, glorious graphics (using Unreal Engine 3 in a way Gears Of War 1 & 2 could only dream of), and it’s imagination.  This follow-up, despite not being from series creator Ken Levine this time around, has you not in the shoes of an ordinary joe who becomes a super powered being due to injecting plasmids, but instead a prototype Big Daddy, brought back to life ten years after events in BS#1.  Andrew Ryan is dead, and now you are being taunted by Sophia Lamb, an equally crazed menace who controls the new and deadly Big Sisters, adult Little Sisters now turned into more agile versions of Big Daddy’s.  Your job this time around is to find the remaining Little Sisters and protect them, whilst helping them gather Adam to boost your plasmid abilities.

If you haven’t played Bioshock, then much of what I have said will sound rather impenetrable, but trust me it’s actually really easy to understand and throughout the game there are recordings of Rapture inhabitants who basically fill out the back story for you as you play.  The joy in this game is the exploration of a stunningly realised underwater world, scavenging lockers, crates and corpses for items, and upgrading your weapons and powers as you progress.  This time around Bioshock 2 suffers from some low-resolution textures compared to the first game, evidence of production being a little rushed, but otherwise this is equally as polished and well designed as the original – which is quite an achievement.

Mar 28 2010

Adventureland

Viewed – 27 March 2010  Blu-ray

With the advent of the Twilight saga, Kristen Stewart has quickly become a household name and one of the more interesting rising stars.  This amiable teen comedy-drama follows a college graduate (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to take a dead-end job at a local amusement park to pay for his University scholarship, and there he meets a bunch of likable co-workers who learn him the true meaning of life … mostly by falling for a girl, and learning some hard lessons along the way.

This charming movie is held together by some quality acting, especially from Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart as the troubled girl whose life is more complicated that Eisenberg first realises.  Ryan Reynolds is on hand as a cool maintenance engineer come rock musician who gets all the ladies attentions, and along with some comic turns from various other characters – this is very entertaining.  I had trouble deciding whether this was trying to be a full on comedy or a meaningful drama, and the movie as a whole sat uneasily between the two, and how things unfold isn’t particularly fresh or original, but the performances alone keep this from turning predictable.  It dabbles in some mature themes as far as sex & relationships go, and it’s put together very realistically, capped off with an excellent 80′s soundtrack. 

A worthy evenings viewing by anyones standards.

Verdict:  4 /5

Mar 26 2010

Zombieland

Viewed – 25 March 2010  Blu-ray

I like zombie movies.  This long running genre of horror never seems to lose its appeal for some reason, and every few years or so goes through a reinvention, be it another George A Romero comeback or an inventive Brit comedy like Shaun Of The Dead … something about these marauding flesh eaters seems infinitely watchable.  So here we have another entry in the cannon, this time with more of a comedy flavour as a group of miss matched characters are flung together in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, and at first they seem more interested in getting on each others nerves than worrying about their own survival, and it’s this banter and squabbling that brings the movie to life.

The cast although small are brilliantly picked, with current nerdy actor for higher Jesse Eisenberg (step aside Michael Cera) narrating proceedings effectively, quickly teaming up with gung-ho Texan tough guy Woody Harrelson (who admittedly gets all the best lines, but hey, it’s Woody – and he’s naturally brilliant) – and then we have the two female siblings; the gorgeously foxy Emma Stone (basically living Lindsey Lohan’s career for her) and plucky 12 year old Abigail Breslin.  Together they make for a very watchable and above all else likable bunch of anti-heroes, who take on the zombie horde with hilarious results.  With a razor-sharp script with some very quotable dialogue (see if you can guess all the movie references), a memorable cameo from Bill Murray as himself, and some quality zombie slaying action, this is every bit the Saturday night pop corn crowd pleaser it was designed to be, and ok it’s a touch low-budget, which restricts the zombie kills really delivering … but none of that matters when the movie is so much fun!

Verdict:  4 /5

Mar 21 2010

A Serious Man

Viewed – 21 March 2010  Blu-ray

The redux review

Larry Gopnik is a Jewish professor of physics whose life seems to be gradually falling apart at the seams.  His wife is having an affair that she is so blaze about that she and her lover convince Larry to move out of the house.  He is also being blackmailed by a student who didn’t agree with a grade he was given, and in the middle of all this he is trying to figure out how to put his life back on track by visiting various Rabbis.

Coming from film making siblings Joel & Ethan Coen, I jumped onto this as soon as it was released, and was expecting another masterpiece to rival the likes of O Brother Where Art Thou? and The Big LeBowski.  Now I might add I have watched this twice, and on first impressions, it wasn’t something I liked at all.  Even now I’m not sure if it’s something I’d hurry to recommend, but I can also see what the Coen’s were going for – a tale of one man’s ordinary life where bad things happen and he looks for an answer to it all, be it either consulting with friends or Rabbis.  Yet ultimately it’s about how one deals with such events and whether you let it ruin you, or you rise above it.   Michael Stuhlbarg is a revelation as the awkward, spineless Larry who allows people to talk to him like a five-year old, his wife and her lover belittle him, and all the time he tries to remain nice.  It’s funny, in an awkward, uncomfortable way, and with a wealth of oddball characters that scream ‘Coen’ this is very much the siblings doing what they do best – but ultimately, it’s also a movie that for some, may be an acquired taste.

Verdict: 3 /5