Motorstorm Apocalypse: Game Review
Motorstorm Apocalypse
Released
by Sony
Platform: PS3
Back to the heady world of racing we go - this time though, with a mix of
motion comics and street racing.
But essentially this is street racing with an ever changing environment
requiring you to adapt and lose the race.
Set against the backdrop of Apocalypse's MotorStorm Festival, you race as one
of three participants, labelled Mash "The Rookie", Tyler "The Pro", and Big Dog
"The Veteran"; across a series of terrains and a growing number of bikes, cars,
trucks et al.
But as the races progress, the difficulty level increases; and the cityscapes
you race around change as they begin to crumble and fall apart in keeping with
the apocalyptic tone of the game.
Motorstorm Apocalypse is an all right sort of racing game; graphically, it's
an odd mix using motion comics to tell the story is akin to watching an anime
cross with a Gorillaz video; but when it comes to the gameplay, there's little
radical on show. Sure you get to boost around the track but have to soon realize
that could lead to over heating and explosions; so that means any acceleration
has to be done in small bursts to ensure you make it to the end of the track in
a qualifying position.
Sadly there's no in game map making it difficult to gauge where your
competitors are - which makes it somewhat tricky to plan manoeuvres or any kind
of race track strategy.
Disposable fun Motorstorm Apocalypse it may be - and an addition of
multiplayer adds to an element of fun and competition- but once you complete the
tracks, there's little incentive or reward to go back and finish first and claim
anything - other than bragging rights.
Rating: 7/10
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Lovely, Still: Movie Review
Lovely, Still: Movie Review
Lovely, Still
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott
Director: Nicholas Fackler
Set against a backdrop of Christmas, this is the story of Martin Landau's Robert, an elderly gent who's working in a supermarket and who lives alone.
One day, he meets Mary (Burstyn) and spurred on by the potential for romance, the pair begin to date.
And that's really all I can say about the plot of this film - as you really don't want to know too much more about it to be honest.
Fackler's created a wondrous piece which will leave some on the verge of tears and may even melt the most cynical of hearts as this romantic tale plays out - but it's in the casting where he's really triumphed; both leads have wonderfully expressive faces, etched with the lines of life, hopes, regret and possibility. Theirs is a courtship of confusion, simplicity and above all heart.
Landau is an absolute stand-out as Robert; scenes of him asking his shop manager for help about going on a date, coupled with close up shots of his daily routine in front of the mirror are quirky, different and engaging from the get go. Coupled with Burstyn, there's a warmth and ease to both their performances which will have you thinking about grandparents, parents and lost loved ones as the story plays out. Throw in some solid support from Banks and particularly Scott, and this story is a compelling watch from beginning to end (even if you are a little cynical, it's hard not to be won over).
Suffice to say there is a twist in this tale of old love and it's one which really whips the carpet out from under your viewing eyes and demands you watch again to pick up the intricacies of the plot - but in this day and age of instant gratification and visual satisfaction, it's commendable to see story comes first.
Tugging at the heartstrings and leaving you with a warm glow, Lovely, Still is a perfect two hander, beautifully played and engaging; it's also one which will command you curl up with your loved one afterwards.
Lovely, Still
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott
Director: Nicholas Fackler
Set against a backdrop of Christmas, this is the story of Martin Landau's Robert, an elderly gent who's working in a supermarket and who lives alone.
One day, he meets Mary (Burstyn) and spurred on by the potential for romance, the pair begin to date.
And that's really all I can say about the plot of this film - as you really don't want to know too much more about it to be honest.
Fackler's created a wondrous piece which will leave some on the verge of tears and may even melt the most cynical of hearts as this romantic tale plays out - but it's in the casting where he's really triumphed; both leads have wonderfully expressive faces, etched with the lines of life, hopes, regret and possibility. Theirs is a courtship of confusion, simplicity and above all heart.
Landau is an absolute stand-out as Robert; scenes of him asking his shop manager for help about going on a date, coupled with close up shots of his daily routine in front of the mirror are quirky, different and engaging from the get go. Coupled with Burstyn, there's a warmth and ease to both their performances which will have you thinking about grandparents, parents and lost loved ones as the story plays out. Throw in some solid support from Banks and particularly Scott, and this story is a compelling watch from beginning to end (even if you are a little cynical, it's hard not to be won over).
Suffice to say there is a twist in this tale of old love and it's one which really whips the carpet out from under your viewing eyes and demands you watch again to pick up the intricacies of the plot - but in this day and age of instant gratification and visual satisfaction, it's commendable to see story comes first.
Tugging at the heartstrings and leaving you with a warm glow, Lovely, Still is a perfect two hander, beautifully played and engaging; it's also one which will command you curl up with your loved one afterwards.
The Fighter: Blu Ray review
The Fighter: Blu Ray review
The Fighter
Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Based on a true story, Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a boxer who's living in the shadow of his older brother Dicky Eklund (a wonderfully wiry and sparky, Golden Globe and Oscar award winning Christian Bale.) Eklund is the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts; a boxer who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, he's the celeb of the working class town.
However, Eklund is racked with addiction to crack cocaine and is dragging the family down - as well as his brother's hopes of staging some kind of fighting revival. Plus along with the fearsome matriarch of the nine strong family, Alice (a ferocious Golden Globe and Oscar award winning Melissa Leo) in charge of their careers, Micky is going nowhere fast.
So when Micky meets Amy Adams' Charlene, a local bartender college drop out, a tender romance develops and Micky begins to start to believe in himself and his ability again.
This is a knock out of a film which pulls no punches.
But it's the ensemble cast which gives this true story a human feel and raise it well above the mire of a clichéd boxing film.
Christian Bale is astoundingly good as Eklund, a sinewy frame supporting a "can't take your eyes off him" performance. There's energy and world class acting on show here as the small town hero who was on the cusp of having it all but blows it for the cycle of addiction.
Yet, while Bale's great, thanks to the sensible and restrained direction of David O Russell, it doesn't detract from the rest of the cast - specifically Mark Wahlberg, whose subtly underplayed performance is the perfect antithesis to Bale's sparky energy. He's an assured presence here and conveys the torment of realizing the family's holding him back and the pain of having to try and make that clean break.
Extras: Director, Filming the Fighter and deleted scenes
Rating: 9/10
The Fighter
Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Based on a true story, Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a boxer who's living in the shadow of his older brother Dicky Eklund (a wonderfully wiry and sparky, Golden Globe and Oscar award winning Christian Bale.) Eklund is the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts; a boxer who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, he's the celeb of the working class town.
However, Eklund is racked with addiction to crack cocaine and is dragging the family down - as well as his brother's hopes of staging some kind of fighting revival. Plus along with the fearsome matriarch of the nine strong family, Alice (a ferocious Golden Globe and Oscar award winning Melissa Leo) in charge of their careers, Micky is going nowhere fast.
So when Micky meets Amy Adams' Charlene, a local bartender college drop out, a tender romance develops and Micky begins to start to believe in himself and his ability again.
This is a knock out of a film which pulls no punches.
But it's the ensemble cast which gives this true story a human feel and raise it well above the mire of a clichéd boxing film.
Christian Bale is astoundingly good as Eklund, a sinewy frame supporting a "can't take your eyes off him" performance. There's energy and world class acting on show here as the small town hero who was on the cusp of having it all but blows it for the cycle of addiction.
Yet, while Bale's great, thanks to the sensible and restrained direction of David O Russell, it doesn't detract from the rest of the cast - specifically Mark Wahlberg, whose subtly underplayed performance is the perfect antithesis to Bale's sparky energy. He's an assured presence here and conveys the torment of realizing the family's holding him back and the pain of having to try and make that clean break.
Extras: Director, Filming the Fighter and deleted scenes
Rating: 9/10
The King's Speech: Blu ray review
The King's Speech: Blu ray review
The King's Speech
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Pictures
Colin Firth stars as Prince Albert aka the soon to be King George VI and Bertie, who's crippled by a stammer. With the health of his father failing and the second World War looming, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) decides Bertie needs help.
So, after doctors fail him and other therapists come up short, she finds a potential salvation in the shape of Aussie Lionel Logue (a brilliant Geoffrey Rush), an alternative and maverick therapist.
But with the death of his father, the forced abdication of Edward and the looming Second World War, Bertie soon finds it'll be his words which will inspire the Commonwealth.
The King's Speech is, quite simply, marvellous.
A brilliant crowd pleaser, with a script liberally peppered with dry wit and humour, along with some stunning turns from Firth and Rush, it's a riveting watch from beginning to end.
Colin Firth swept to glory with this performance but his role as the monarch to be is mesmerizingly good. The frustration Albert clearly feels in his inability to speak is etched perfectly on his face - and not once do you feel Firth is over egging the role. In fact, it's his restrained turn that may have you doubled with nerves as you will him to speak every single word when he's struggling.
Simply the unmissable crowd pleasing film of 2011, which will leave you lost for words.
Extras: A wealth of extras which are welcomed; commentaries, interview with Lionel Logue's grandson and a Q&A with the stars are just some of the best
Rating: 9/10
The King's Speech
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Pictures
Colin Firth stars as Prince Albert aka the soon to be King George VI and Bertie, who's crippled by a stammer. With the health of his father failing and the second World War looming, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) decides Bertie needs help.
So, after doctors fail him and other therapists come up short, she finds a potential salvation in the shape of Aussie Lionel Logue (a brilliant Geoffrey Rush), an alternative and maverick therapist.
But with the death of his father, the forced abdication of Edward and the looming Second World War, Bertie soon finds it'll be his words which will inspire the Commonwealth.
The King's Speech is, quite simply, marvellous.
A brilliant crowd pleaser, with a script liberally peppered with dry wit and humour, along with some stunning turns from Firth and Rush, it's a riveting watch from beginning to end.
Colin Firth swept to glory with this performance but his role as the monarch to be is mesmerizingly good. The frustration Albert clearly feels in his inability to speak is etched perfectly on his face - and not once do you feel Firth is over egging the role. In fact, it's his restrained turn that may have you doubled with nerves as you will him to speak every single word when he's struggling.
Simply the unmissable crowd pleasing film of 2011, which will leave you lost for words.
Extras: A wealth of extras which are welcomed; commentaries, interview with Lionel Logue's grandson and a Q&A with the stars are just some of the best
Rating: 9/10
Monday, 13 June 2011
The Green Hornet: Blu ray review
The Green Hornet: Blu ray review
The Green Hornet
Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Pictures
Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the playboy wastrel - his father (Tom Wilkinson) runs a newspaper empire and has never really had much time for his son; he even goes so far as to dispense such bon mots as "Trying doesn't matter if you always fail."
So it's no wonder that Britt isn't exactly the life leader his dad expects.
One day after a party, Britt comes home to find his father dead and suddenly, he has the empire to run. With a resentful attitude, Britt sets about doing what little he can to keep the workload to a minimum.
However, one night, teaming up with dad's former associate Kato (Jay Chou), the pair inadvertently find themselves fighting muggers and kicking some ass.
At the same time, a local crimelord Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) is keeping the city in his vicelike grip and that spurs Britt into taking on the crims at their own game.
Thus The Green Hornet is born...
The Green Hornet has its tongue firmly in its cheek.
It's also brash, loud, over bearing, funny, entertaining and messy in equal measures.
There's humour in the fight scenes between Kato and Hornet with one long sequence resembling something from the Three Stooges. And there's even echoes of Benny Hill in one early scene.
If anything, Green Hornet is about the banter between Rogen and Chou as their jealous, bitchy bromance partnership grows. Because certainly the likes of the characters played by Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz are pretty much wasted and do little but serve to move the narrative along.
Which is a shame.
Overall, The Green Hornet is a bit of checking your brain at the door kind of fun.
Extras: Gag Reel, Commentary, making the film and a couple of exclusives for the Blu Ray release
Rating: 6/10
The Green Hornet
Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Pictures
Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the playboy wastrel - his father (Tom Wilkinson) runs a newspaper empire and has never really had much time for his son; he even goes so far as to dispense such bon mots as "Trying doesn't matter if you always fail."
So it's no wonder that Britt isn't exactly the life leader his dad expects.
One day after a party, Britt comes home to find his father dead and suddenly, he has the empire to run. With a resentful attitude, Britt sets about doing what little he can to keep the workload to a minimum.
However, one night, teaming up with dad's former associate Kato (Jay Chou), the pair inadvertently find themselves fighting muggers and kicking some ass.
At the same time, a local crimelord Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) is keeping the city in his vicelike grip and that spurs Britt into taking on the crims at their own game.
Thus The Green Hornet is born...
The Green Hornet has its tongue firmly in its cheek.
It's also brash, loud, over bearing, funny, entertaining and messy in equal measures.
There's humour in the fight scenes between Kato and Hornet with one long sequence resembling something from the Three Stooges. And there's even echoes of Benny Hill in one early scene.
If anything, Green Hornet is about the banter between Rogen and Chou as their jealous, bitchy bromance partnership grows. Because certainly the likes of the characters played by Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz are pretty much wasted and do little but serve to move the narrative along.
Which is a shame.
Overall, The Green Hornet is a bit of checking your brain at the door kind of fun.
Extras: Gag Reel, Commentary, making the film and a couple of exclusives for the Blu Ray release
Rating: 6/10
Unstoppable: Blu Ray review
Unstoppable: Blu Ray review
Unstoppable
Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox and Roadshow
A hero with a buzz cut, a runaway vehicle and the potential for disaster.
Haven't we heard that somewhere before? Well, that and Denzel Washington in another Tony Scott train film too&.
In this latest from Tony Scott, Chris Pine stars as Will Colson, a newbie in the rail industry - and one who, according to older work colleagues has gained his position as a conductor on the rails in rural Pennsylvania because of nepotism.
Denzel is Frank Barnes, a long time employee of the rail roads who's seen it all before and is now just doing his job and training Colson.
However, their spiky training run is broken by the news another train's broken loose and thundering on the tracks, complete with a chemical payload and no driver because of an accidental mess up from a fellow employee Dewey (Ethan Suplee).
As the owner of the railway tries to work out how best to avert the disaster of a train ploughing into civilization, Barnes and Colson work with yardmaster Connie (ever dependable Rosario Dawson) to try and save the day.
Apparently inspired by true events, Unstoppable is actually better than the premise makes it sound - and thanks to some restrained directing from Tony Scott, it's actually more watchable than you'd believe.
Sure, there's plenty of swooping, circling aerial camera shots and continuous angled camera moments as the train continues on its path of destruction; but Unstoppable also throws in some decent characters and some commentary about old timers being forced out of jobs for young upstarts who know nothing of the industry
Thanks to Scott's assured leadership, this train stays firmly on the tracks - and destined for entertainment.
Rating: 7/10
Unstoppable
Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox and Roadshow
A hero with a buzz cut, a runaway vehicle and the potential for disaster.
Haven't we heard that somewhere before? Well, that and Denzel Washington in another Tony Scott train film too&.
In this latest from Tony Scott, Chris Pine stars as Will Colson, a newbie in the rail industry - and one who, according to older work colleagues has gained his position as a conductor on the rails in rural Pennsylvania because of nepotism.
Denzel is Frank Barnes, a long time employee of the rail roads who's seen it all before and is now just doing his job and training Colson.
However, their spiky training run is broken by the news another train's broken loose and thundering on the tracks, complete with a chemical payload and no driver because of an accidental mess up from a fellow employee Dewey (Ethan Suplee).
As the owner of the railway tries to work out how best to avert the disaster of a train ploughing into civilization, Barnes and Colson work with yardmaster Connie (ever dependable Rosario Dawson) to try and save the day.
Apparently inspired by true events, Unstoppable is actually better than the premise makes it sound - and thanks to some restrained directing from Tony Scott, it's actually more watchable than you'd believe.
Sure, there's plenty of swooping, circling aerial camera shots and continuous angled camera moments as the train continues on its path of destruction; but Unstoppable also throws in some decent characters and some commentary about old timers being forced out of jobs for young upstarts who know nothing of the industry
Thanks to Scott's assured leadership, this train stays firmly on the tracks - and destined for entertainment.
Rating: 7/10
Sunday, 12 June 2011
True Blood Series 3: Blu ray review
True Blood Series 3: Blu ray review
True Blood Series 3
Rating: R18
Released by Warner Home Video
The phenomenally popular True Blood continues to wow the audiences and critics with its Southern American blend of sex, supernatural and soap.
Picking up directly after the end of Season two which saw Stephen Moyer's vampire Bill disappear after proposing to Anna Paquin's Sookie, the action never really lets up.
Most of the season is consumed with Sookie's search for her kidnapped love and takes in werewolves into the mix as well as expanding the roles of the Vampire Queen and giving a more urgent feel to the vampire/ human conflict.
But the central mystery of the season is essentially concerning Sookie's real nature&
True Blood is a classy mix of the sleazy and the supernatural; with an ensemble cast who get everything right, this at times extremely soapy series hits it out of the park on every level thanks to tight writing, good episode cliffhangers, and smart acting.
Sure, it may not appeal to all thanks to its occasional gore and violence but for an extremely guilty pleasure, you can't go far wrong.
Extras: Commentaries, minisodes and cast and crew look at the werewolves; but the highlight is Snoop Dogg's OH Sookie video
Rating: 8/10
True Blood Series 3
Rating: R18
Released by Warner Home Video
The phenomenally popular True Blood continues to wow the audiences and critics with its Southern American blend of sex, supernatural and soap.
Picking up directly after the end of Season two which saw Stephen Moyer's vampire Bill disappear after proposing to Anna Paquin's Sookie, the action never really lets up.
Most of the season is consumed with Sookie's search for her kidnapped love and takes in werewolves into the mix as well as expanding the roles of the Vampire Queen and giving a more urgent feel to the vampire/ human conflict.
But the central mystery of the season is essentially concerning Sookie's real nature&
True Blood is a classy mix of the sleazy and the supernatural; with an ensemble cast who get everything right, this at times extremely soapy series hits it out of the park on every level thanks to tight writing, good episode cliffhangers, and smart acting.
Sure, it may not appeal to all thanks to its occasional gore and violence but for an extremely guilty pleasure, you can't go far wrong.
Extras: Commentaries, minisodes and cast and crew look at the werewolves; but the highlight is Snoop Dogg's OH Sookie video
Rating: 8/10
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