An update and stuff

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Craig Micklewright

So what have I been up to lately? Well I managed to complete Assassin’s Creed Unity on the PS4, the first AC game I have ever kept interested in until the end. Why? I think setting was key. Of the previous games in the series I have played, most have been set either in medieval (AC 1 & 2) or around the time of the crusades (AC 3) and well, the pirating of AC4 never appealed so I didn’t play that one. However this one was set in Paris, during the revolution, the time of Napoleon etc. and it was a brilliantly atmospheric setting I personally have plenty of interest in.

Secondly I have been playing Grand Theft Auto V. Now eagle-eyed readers of this blog may recall me posting about it a while back when I got it on the Xbox 360. Well, for one reason or another I didn’t play it all that much of it, and since jumping to the next-generation with the PS4 and Xbox One, I thought it was high time I took a second look following it’s revamped re-release on these consoles. I picked it up on PS4, and must say for what is technically a last-gen title, the detail (with improved textures, lighting, effects as well as an enhanced array of music on the various radio stations) it’s one of the best looking games I have played to date. GTA V is a fantastic game following the exploits of three characters; Michael the former gangster now in witness protection, Franklin the stereotypical gang-banger hoodlum and Trevor the meth-dealing lunatic. The missions are cinematic and the world is alive and complex and massive. There are a ton of things to see and do and it never feels boring. I’m loving it. Check out a few screenshots I took with the PS4 to show off how damn gorgeous this next-gen version looks in the flesh:

On the gaming horizon (next Tuesday to be specific) is The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. A heavily hyped and very well reviewed game that I have pre-ordered for my Xbox One. From everything I have read and seen, it’s sounding like it will be a mammoth RPG adventure to rival the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy, with you as a bad-ass monster hunter known as Garalt, who inhabits a huge world that is one of the biggest apparently ever made and full of detail, missions, characters and true next-gen visuals. I have watched some gameplay and read several reviews, and suffice to say I am VERY excited. Roll on May 19th … I’ll do an early impressions some time in the week.

In other news, I’ve sadly not managed to secure a trip to the cinema to see The Avengers: Age Of Ultron yet and can see it being a Blu-ray review later in the year. The same might go for Mad Max Fury Road, but I’m still optimistic about getting to see that one, so watch this space (and no, going by myself doesn’t appeal all that much). I have a few movies on the agenda however, the names of which I’ll keep to myself for now and let you be surprised when I post the reviews. Yeah, I’m all about the tease.

On the TV watching front I have been pretty addicted to Better Call Saul, that breaking Bad spin-off starring everyone’s favourite crooked attorney Saul Goodman (or Jimmy Magill as he’s currently known). It seems to have all the polish and great writing of Breaking Bad (well, it is by Vince Gilligan after all) and just keeps getting better and better. I’m also watching The Following season 3 (yeah, yeah I know…we’re not getting a season 4…boo hiss) which has again been brilliant this year. Clearly there is no accounting for taste, so another show hits the skids. Talking of TV, I’m also looking forward to season 3 of Orange Is The New Black, a show at first I wasn’t entirely sure was me … the first series was good but a little lightweight, but with an excellent and gripping season 2, I am now officially a fan. Damn Netflix just keeps on giving, doesn’t it? I am also watching Brit drama Luther on it at the moment which stars popular actor Idris Elba as a tough Police detective who specialises in catching serial killers – right up my alley.

So other than the above, and getting over some man-flu and a tickly cough that just won’t quit … it’s been all about work, which is going very well. I am learning some new stuff to do more with secretarial tasks and finding it challenging and educational. Love it when my job gives me those opportunities to learn new skills and I think it helps build a real profile and shape me for the future. I’m also of course still looking forward to finally seeing my favourite band Garbage in November when they appear at Brixton Academy in London. It’s going to be such a once in a life time experience for me, someone who doesn’t really get such opportunities. I have my big brother to thank for making this happen and with my 40th birthday very much right after, November is looking to be a real belter.

Well, enough from me for now. Hope you’re all having fun in whatever you’re all up to and continue to check in on me and this blog regularly for more updates, reviews and gaming impressions.

Craig.

The Gunman

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 26 March 2015 Cinema

Sean Penn isn’t the first person that comes to mind when you’re talking action movies … he’s more your method actor thesp with a few decent performances under his belt. However with not a great deal to choose from at the cinema recently, this movie from the director of Taken (is that a trusted recommendation these days?) made for an intriguing prospect.

Penn plays a special forces operative in the Congo on a top secret mission where he is involved in the assassination of a politician. He subsequently goes into hiding following the hit and has to turn his back on his sultry girlfriend (Jasmine Trinca) and his best bud (Jarvier Bardem). Eight year’s pass and he’s working as an aid worker in a village when a hit squad recognise him and attempt to kill him. Scared and worried who might have been talking, Penn goes about tracking down his former colleagues in search of answers.

Penn is on fine form and handles some slick, violent action with ease – this is certainly a side we don’t normally see from him and like his predecessor Liam Neeson he acquits himself with honours. This surprises and shocks in equal measure with some brutal violence and an intense, nerve-wracking tone. A clever brain-injury plot device aside, It lacks the emotional wallop of Taken and Penn doesn’t quite have Neeson’s charisma, but buffed up and breaking skulls a plenty, he still does a decent job. Supporting cast especially Bardem as the grinning, shifty friend and a weary-looking but enjoyable Ray Winston add flavour and we even get Idris Elba as a shadowy Interpol agent.

It’s not about to spawn a franchise like Taken (thankfully) and probably won’t become a classic due to a sometimes confusing plot, but for fans of gritty, bone-crunching thrillers that don’t let up – this one is worth your time.

Verdict: 4 /5

Thor: The Dark World

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 21 November 2013 Cinema

Big special effects blockbusters are an easy type of movie to like – they have plenty of action, larger than life characters and are usually a great deal of fun. The onslaught of the comic book super hero has quickly become a genre of it’s own with such big hitters as the Iron Man series and Avengers Assemble being personal favourites. Here we have the follow up to the highly entertaining Thor with beefcake Chris Hemsworth (Snow White and the Huntsman) reprising his role as the mighty Norse God, who comes to the aid of earth-bound scientist Natalie Portman when she becomes infected by a deadly virus known as the aether – an ancient weapon created by the Dark Elves centuries ago in an attempt to turn the various realms into permanent darkness.

Of course this rather convoluted and throw-away plot is merely an excuse to watch Thor bash and hammer his foes and see buildings get demolished. I liked how we get a lot more of Asgard this time around, even if Thor’s siblings are mostly forgotten about but for the boo-hiss of Loki, everyone’s favourite grinning villain (or is he?) from the first film and Avengers. Yes he’s getting a bit over-used but Tom Hiddleston does a fine job, paring with Thor so well he pretty much stole the show for me. Add to this a tired looking Anthony Hopkins returning as Odin, Thor’s dad, as well as appearances from Rene Russo (remember her?) and Idris Elba – making this easy to watch and get caught up in.

Less can be said for the mostly clichéd villain (with an unrecognisable Christopher Eccleston as lead baddie Malekith under the sort of makeup these kind of characters ALWAYS have). Yet a large portion of the story being set in London was welcome, and the action and general banter between the characters decent – with some fun jokes and cameos along the way (was that Captain America?). Ultimately though Thor 2 is a rather by-the-numbers sequel and lacks some of the heart of the original, bringing nothing new to what is already becoming very familiar territory. But you’ll still find me in line for Thor 3. Weird huh?

Verdict: 3 /5

Pacific Rim

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 13 July 2013 Cinema

I had been looking forward to this ever since I read director Guillermo Del Toro’s next project wasn’t going to be The Hobbit, but instead a movie about huge mechanized robots vs huge sea creatures. Del Toro can do no wrong in my eyes, and his popular Hellboy movies not to mention Pan’s Labyrinth are proof of his talent and skill. However what to expect from this latest offering, was less easy to anticipate.

Charlie Hunnam (Sons Of Anarchy) plays Raleigh, a soldier who pilots one of these enormous robots alongside his brother to prevent the enormous Kaiju from destroying the world with their warpath of destruction. From the off it seems like an impossible task, the power and sheer size of these creatures meaning the world must surely be doomed? Yet after one confrontation claims the life of Raleigh’s brother the ‘Jaeger project’ is shut down, causing the soldiers to form a resistance in anticipation of another attack. Lead by Idris Elba’s Commander Stacker, its not long before Raleigh is called back to the front line, where he befriends Japanese rookie Mako (Rinko Kikuchi) who is fighting her own demons resulting from the attacks.

pacific-rim03

This is a movie predominantly about big things laying the smack-down against big things, and its a (very) noisy, brash, intense and epic experience. Del Toro paints the landscape with his expected style and exuberance, with fantastically shot encounters (no shaky cam here) and superb creature and robot designs. Clearly one big homage to Japanese mech anime like Mobile Suit Gundam and Patlabor, as well as the many Godzilla movies the country has churned out over the years. Casting is decent with the always effective Elba and a cameo from Ron (Hellboy) Perlman is always welcome. However, leading man Hunnam has always been one of those pretty-boy actors whose overly sincere way of delivering lines comes off as wooden – he does look the part, there are just actors out there with more charisma.

Sadly this all masks what is essentially a very basic premise (something about an underwater rift that is glossed over in the movie’s opening minutes) and well, with sea creatures as the bad guys – we don’t have a villain of any real interest beyond their ability to knock over buildings. Add to this two scientist who come across as particularly irritating (and no, are not funny), and for everything this movie does right (the look, the superb effects, the battles) it always seemed to do something wrong at the same time. Del Toro has still delivered an event picture to really blow the blockbuster season out of the water, and I think at home I might be able to settle into its overwhelming bombast better – but as a cinema outing, I actually found it a bit much.

Verdict: 3 /5

Film: Movie Review: Pacific Rim (avclub.com)
Pacific Rim (2013) (dtmmr.com)
Charlie Hunnam Talks PACIFIC RIM, Seeing the Film for the First Time, Spending 27 Days in the Con Pod Set, SONS OF ANARCHY, and CRIMSON PEAK (collider.com)

Prometheus

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 05 June 2012 Cinema

When news hit that acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) was revisiting the franchise that made his name, Alien, with a movie set before that legendary sci-fi horror – understandably the movie-viewing public sat up and took notice. I had been awaiting it from the early word a year or more back, and with some interesting casting choices, anticipation built gradually, until when finally sitting down to watch it, I had to stop myself from cheering at the screen – especially when the title appeared in full Alien-franchise style, letter by letter. Nice.

Two archeologists discover evidence of a race of beings from another world having made contact with ancient civilizations on earth, and so become involved in an expedition aboard the space ship Prometheus to land on an unexplored planet that may hold the secret to the birth of mankind. Noomi Rapace (The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, Sherlock Holmes 2) heads up a recognisable cast featuring Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba. The first thing I have to say about this, is it took a long time to kick into gear, and the first half of the movie was very talky, cave wondering and to be honest, a little boring … thankfully by the second half the proverbial shit hits the fan and it became more of a thrill ride. Rapace holds her own next to bigger name stars, and proves a leading lady to watch. Theron on the other hand seemed wasted as a stiff collared commanding officer considering her physical beauty (showcased in a gratuitous exercising moment), whilst Fassbender came off perfectly creepy as Android ‘David’.

When the movie focused on Rapace however, it found its voice and any scene with her livened up proceedings no end. If it wasn’t for the trudging first half this would have been better, and the story certainly offers a new perspective on the Alien mythology, even if it left me with more questions than answers. The movie also had a tendency to overlook some glaring scientific implausibilities (scientists landing on a planet without sending probes first? Then taking their helmets off?). So to conclude … an entertaining but flawed return to a franchise that for a long time has struggled to get back on track. Perhaps Ridley left it too late?

Verdict: 3 /5