The Inbetweeners S2: DVD Review
The Inbetweeners Season 2
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow and Hopscotch
Back for another year and with a successful film in tow, the four awkward
school lads return for more antics of the excruciating kind.
Over the course of six episodes, Will, Jay, Simon and Neil continue to mine
as much excruciating discomfort as they can muster - peppered with foul
language, puerile humour and occasional outrage. Throw in birthdays for Will,
exams and clubbing and to be honest, you've covered much of the horror of the
teenage years.
The thing is though with The Inbetweeners, it's so well written, acted and
put together, that you can't help but feel for these four loveable losers as
they negotiate their way through the teen years, the misery of high school and
the drudgery of a lack of acceptance. Every episode has a laugh out loud moment
- and it's usually at their expense.
At the end of the day, you can't help but love this series - because through
all four of the central characters and all six of the episodes, I bet some of
you will recall some of your own horrific school day moments.
Rating: 7/10
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Game Review: Ratchet and Clank - All 4 One
Game Review: Ratchet and Clank - All 4 One
Ratchet and Clank - All 4 One
Platform: PS3
Rating: 7/10
The Lombax and his metal buddy return in this latest outing for the phenomenally popular duo.
Ratchet and Clank have had some brilliant outings on the PlayStation and fought some pretty impressive nemesis, but this newest adventure for the duo sees them forced out of retirement - along with President Qwark - to apparently collect the Intergalactic Tool of Justice Award.
However, when the trio arrive on Luminopolis, it's clear it's a trap laid by nemesis Dr Nefarious who's after revenge.
But things go awry, the gang's captured and Nefarious is forced to team up with the three people he's just tried to destroy to ensure they can all escape...
Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is clearly aimed at the co-operative contingent - and it's a nice touch to be able to take control of each of these key characters and their strengths, stupidities and weapons.
In a one player person campaign, the computer takes control of the second player (necessary to complete certain areas of the game) and it's great to report that for once, when the machine's running your helper, the helper actually works really well. There've been other games where a second player is run by the PS3 and they don't end up killing the baddies or doing what they need to and it adds to a real sense of frustration. Thankfully that's not the case here and that automatic co-operation gives you the chance to play the game solo if you're a Norman no-mates and don't fancy going online to get a group together.
That said, the co-operative side of this game can be fun with a group - but it's also got to be said, it gives it some of its drawbacks.
When running around with 4 other players, occasionally the screen can't cope with all the action and suddenly the freedom you had to traverse is cut a little short by the constraints of the environment around. It means some of the time, you can't explore as much as you want and really, you do need to take some control of what the other players are doing.
There's a degree of simplicity to the game as well - some of the puzzles seem aimed more at the younger end of the gaming spectrum and it may be the more hardened gamers will feel a little patronised in places as everything can be solved easily thanks to graphics on screen revealing what buttons need to be pressed and in which order. Whilst it makes the game easier to traverse, it does also mean there's no real challenges to gameplay which is a shame.
Also frustrating is the saving element of the game. Unless you time it right, occasionally you find yourself having to repeat large sections of the game to catch up on where you left off.
These niggles aside, All 4 One is a solid and playable outing for Ratchet and Clank and will give a lot of fun to the family gaming side. It's certainly likely to keep you entertained with hours of solid gameplay and lots of the trademark Ratchet and Clank humour - as well as some beautifully designed environments and cut scenes.
But you can't help feeling that for the next outing, the designers will have to pull something very special out of the bag to ensure the franchise feels fresh.
Ratchet and Clank - All 4 One
Platform: PS3
Rating: 7/10
The Lombax and his metal buddy return in this latest outing for the phenomenally popular duo.
Ratchet and Clank have had some brilliant outings on the PlayStation and fought some pretty impressive nemesis, but this newest adventure for the duo sees them forced out of retirement - along with President Qwark - to apparently collect the Intergalactic Tool of Justice Award.
However, when the trio arrive on Luminopolis, it's clear it's a trap laid by nemesis Dr Nefarious who's after revenge.
But things go awry, the gang's captured and Nefarious is forced to team up with the three people he's just tried to destroy to ensure they can all escape...
Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is clearly aimed at the co-operative contingent - and it's a nice touch to be able to take control of each of these key characters and their strengths, stupidities and weapons.
In a one player person campaign, the computer takes control of the second player (necessary to complete certain areas of the game) and it's great to report that for once, when the machine's running your helper, the helper actually works really well. There've been other games where a second player is run by the PS3 and they don't end up killing the baddies or doing what they need to and it adds to a real sense of frustration. Thankfully that's not the case here and that automatic co-operation gives you the chance to play the game solo if you're a Norman no-mates and don't fancy going online to get a group together.
That said, the co-operative side of this game can be fun with a group - but it's also got to be said, it gives it some of its drawbacks.
When running around with 4 other players, occasionally the screen can't cope with all the action and suddenly the freedom you had to traverse is cut a little short by the constraints of the environment around. It means some of the time, you can't explore as much as you want and really, you do need to take some control of what the other players are doing.
There's a degree of simplicity to the game as well - some of the puzzles seem aimed more at the younger end of the gaming spectrum and it may be the more hardened gamers will feel a little patronised in places as everything can be solved easily thanks to graphics on screen revealing what buttons need to be pressed and in which order. Whilst it makes the game easier to traverse, it does also mean there's no real challenges to gameplay which is a shame.
Also frustrating is the saving element of the game. Unless you time it right, occasionally you find yourself having to repeat large sections of the game to catch up on where you left off.
These niggles aside, All 4 One is a solid and playable outing for Ratchet and Clank and will give a lot of fun to the family gaming side. It's certainly likely to keep you entertained with hours of solid gameplay and lots of the trademark Ratchet and Clank humour - as well as some beautifully designed environments and cut scenes.
But you can't help feeling that for the next outing, the designers will have to pull something very special out of the bag to ensure the franchise feels fresh.
Water For Elephants: Blu Ray review
Water For Elephants: Blu Ray review
Water for Elephants
Released by 20th Century Fox
Rating: M
RPatz tries to put the vampire sparkle behind him in this adaptation of the Sara Gruen historical novel.
Set in Depression times in America, Pattinson plays Jacob (yes, we're aware of the irony too) a vet student who's about to sit his final exams at Cornell University
However, when his parents are killed in a car accident just moments into his exam, his life changes as he loses everything - not just his family, but his home
So, running away he jumps on a train which turns out to belong to the Benzini Brothers circus troupe.
Convincing the owner August (a mightily impressive Christoph Waltz) that he can contribute and showing his vet knowledge, Jacob is soon welcomed into the upper echelons of the carny society.
However - that also includes an attraction to August's wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) which proves dangerous as August is a brooding man, prone to explosive outbursts and abusing the animals....
Water For Elephants starts off well - the Depression era is brilliantly captured and recreated and the tone is perfectly set for a nice historical love story.
But that's where the problems begin with Water For Elephants.
For a story like this to work, you need to have sizzling chemistry between two leads - and to be frank, Pattinson and Witherspoon have as much chemistry as a wet weekend. And that really lets the tale down and brings the whole thing crashing into an average reality.
While RPatz and Witherspoon fail to bring any real spark, there is some consolation in Waltz. He is fantastic; bringing the horrendous menace and explosiveness needed to an evil man but also showing hints of a man conflicted by his behaviour. Water For Elephants is massively disappointing after such a good set up.
Rating: 4/10
Water for Elephants
Released by 20th Century Fox
Rating: M
RPatz tries to put the vampire sparkle behind him in this adaptation of the Sara Gruen historical novel.
Set in Depression times in America, Pattinson plays Jacob (yes, we're aware of the irony too) a vet student who's about to sit his final exams at Cornell University
However, when his parents are killed in a car accident just moments into his exam, his life changes as he loses everything - not just his family, but his home
So, running away he jumps on a train which turns out to belong to the Benzini Brothers circus troupe.
Convincing the owner August (a mightily impressive Christoph Waltz) that he can contribute and showing his vet knowledge, Jacob is soon welcomed into the upper echelons of the carny society.
However - that also includes an attraction to August's wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) which proves dangerous as August is a brooding man, prone to explosive outbursts and abusing the animals....
Water For Elephants starts off well - the Depression era is brilliantly captured and recreated and the tone is perfectly set for a nice historical love story.
But that's where the problems begin with Water For Elephants.
For a story like this to work, you need to have sizzling chemistry between two leads - and to be frank, Pattinson and Witherspoon have as much chemistry as a wet weekend. And that really lets the tale down and brings the whole thing crashing into an average reality.
While RPatz and Witherspoon fail to bring any real spark, there is some consolation in Waltz. He is fantastic; bringing the horrendous menace and explosiveness needed to an evil man but also showing hints of a man conflicted by his behaviour. Water For Elephants is massively disappointing after such a good set up.
Rating: 4/10
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
The Thick of It S3: DVD Review
The Thick of It S3: DVD Review
The Thick Of It Season 3
Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow
The ferociously satiric comedy The Thick Of It returns with a slight retooling for its third year's outing.
The jerky camera work's still there and the humour is as dry as ever before but the dynamic's shifted with more of an emphasis on Peter Capaldi's brilliant spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. Once again though, the target is still the ineptitude of politicians, focus groups and petty office squabbles as the election's taken in and backstabbing aplenty reigns.
All in all, this series continues to impress - from Peter Capaldi's great performance of bile and bluster as the spin doctor, there's little to match him on the comedy front. With smart writing from some of the UK's best comedy brains, this really is superlatively intelligent and ferociously funny stuff.
A fourth series is planned for 2012 but for now, there are three series of pure brilliance to fall back into and wallow in the best creative and savage comedy to have come out of the UK in a very long time.
Rating: 7/10
The Thick Of It Season 3
Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow
The ferociously satiric comedy The Thick Of It returns with a slight retooling for its third year's outing.
The jerky camera work's still there and the humour is as dry as ever before but the dynamic's shifted with more of an emphasis on Peter Capaldi's brilliant spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. Once again though, the target is still the ineptitude of politicians, focus groups and petty office squabbles as the election's taken in and backstabbing aplenty reigns.
All in all, this series continues to impress - from Peter Capaldi's great performance of bile and bluster as the spin doctor, there's little to match him on the comedy front. With smart writing from some of the UK's best comedy brains, this really is superlatively intelligent and ferociously funny stuff.
A fourth series is planned for 2012 but for now, there are three series of pure brilliance to fall back into and wallow in the best creative and savage comedy to have come out of the UK in a very long time.
Rating: 7/10
Monday, 31 October 2011
Scream 4 Blu Ray Review
Scream 4 Blu Ray Review
Scream 4
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow
"What's your favourite scary movie?"
15 years ago, one horror film reinvented the slasher genre and made it fresh, smart and frightening. Now, the franchise is back - with a new film expected to be the start of a fresh franchise of fear and slaughter.
On the anniversary of the first killings in Woodsboro, Sidney Prescott (the ever luminous Neve Campbell) heads back into town to promote her self help book. But her arrival heralds a new round of mayhem perpetrated by Ghostface - and soon, her friends, family and everyone in Woodsboro is a new target.
It starts with a phone ringing - and a very smart analysis of opening scenes from the Scream films (it's difficult to talk too much without giving spoilers so forgive vagueries) and the initial fake outs throw you off guard before the real action begins to take place. It's this self awareness which pervades the film - and makes it more entertaining than the two sequels which preceded it.
That said, the latest entrant seems a little muted compared to what we've become used to.
David Arquette is mightily impressive as doofus Dewey the sheriff; Courtney Cox is bitter and angry as Gail, the would be writer who's now trapped in small town Woodsboro; and Campbell really brings the psychological plight of a victim/ survivor to the fore. Throw in a new group (a next generation if you will) of teens (Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts as Sid's cousin, two new film geeks) and there's a veritable pot pourri of characters on show.
There's a lack of suspense at times to be frank - and if you're after a blood spattered night out, this isn't the film for you.
Granted the scenes of teens/ adults being stabbed are actually quite horrifying, but they're muted in comparison to the over the top death scenes of the previous two films - and that's what impresses.
The final sequences are overlong and drawn out - and the revelations of ultimately who's behind it make reasonable sense (partly because they spend an inordinate amount of time explaining why they're doing it.)
Sure, there's plenty of running up stairs when going out the front door may have been best; there's dark and deserted parking lots, shadows of things moving by windows, but all in all this Screemake (or Screequel as the characters call them) isn't a bad entrant into the franchise. As one line says :"You do a remake to outdo the original"; certainly Scre4m (to give it its marketing title) brings some new aspects to the genre, but the over peppering of the script with commentary on the films and horror franchises may lead some to feel this latest is a little flat and lacking in requisite suspense in places.
Rating: 5/10
Scream 4
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow
"What's your favourite scary movie?"
15 years ago, one horror film reinvented the slasher genre and made it fresh, smart and frightening. Now, the franchise is back - with a new film expected to be the start of a fresh franchise of fear and slaughter.
On the anniversary of the first killings in Woodsboro, Sidney Prescott (the ever luminous Neve Campbell) heads back into town to promote her self help book. But her arrival heralds a new round of mayhem perpetrated by Ghostface - and soon, her friends, family and everyone in Woodsboro is a new target.
It starts with a phone ringing - and a very smart analysis of opening scenes from the Scream films (it's difficult to talk too much without giving spoilers so forgive vagueries) and the initial fake outs throw you off guard before the real action begins to take place. It's this self awareness which pervades the film - and makes it more entertaining than the two sequels which preceded it.
That said, the latest entrant seems a little muted compared to what we've become used to.
David Arquette is mightily impressive as doofus Dewey the sheriff; Courtney Cox is bitter and angry as Gail, the would be writer who's now trapped in small town Woodsboro; and Campbell really brings the psychological plight of a victim/ survivor to the fore. Throw in a new group (a next generation if you will) of teens (Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts as Sid's cousin, two new film geeks) and there's a veritable pot pourri of characters on show.
There's a lack of suspense at times to be frank - and if you're after a blood spattered night out, this isn't the film for you.
Granted the scenes of teens/ adults being stabbed are actually quite horrifying, but they're muted in comparison to the over the top death scenes of the previous two films - and that's what impresses.
The final sequences are overlong and drawn out - and the revelations of ultimately who's behind it make reasonable sense (partly because they spend an inordinate amount of time explaining why they're doing it.)
Sure, there's plenty of running up stairs when going out the front door may have been best; there's dark and deserted parking lots, shadows of things moving by windows, but all in all this Screemake (or Screequel as the characters call them) isn't a bad entrant into the franchise. As one line says :"You do a remake to outdo the original"; certainly Scre4m (to give it its marketing title) brings some new aspects to the genre, but the over peppering of the script with commentary on the films and horror franchises may lead some to feel this latest is a little flat and lacking in requisite suspense in places.
Rating: 5/10
Friday, 28 October 2011
Game Review: Dead Rising 2 - Off the Record
Game Review: Dead Rising 2 - Off the Record
Dead Rising 2 - Off The Record
Released by THQ/ Capcom
Platform: PS3
Zombies are everywhere at the moment - with the success of the Walking Dead TV series, it's almost as if the undead have been given another shot at life.
The latest Dead Rising sees you taking control of Frank West, a once TV star whose star is most definitely in the descent and who finds himself in Fortune City, armed with only a camera and whatever he can get his hands on to take on the hordes of the undead. With the clock ticking down to a kind of apocalypse to cleanse the dead and the chance of Frank becoming zombified himself if he doesn't get the wonder drug Zombrex, it's clearly a race against time and a quest to survive.
I've not played any of the Dead Rising series before but this latest is a reinterpretation of the last one with a different main character; that's a clever move but some may feel there's little new to see this time around.
However, it's relatively good fun if you like just pointlessly killing things using an array of weapons; from freezing them with fire extinguishers and then bashing them to using microphone stands to spear them, there's a certain amount of joy to be had just slaughtering.
It does get a little frustrating when the game loads up every few minutes but I guess given the multitudes of undead and options on the screen for weapons, as well as stores to explore, something's gotta give. A neat touch is giving Frank a camera and using that to take pics around Fortune City to gather points; plus giving the game a sandbox option where the time threat is stripped away, is also a chance to invest a little deeper into the game.
Overall, Dead Rising 2 - Off The Record will come down to whether you like to just put your brain in neutral and engage the game - and while that's not a bad thing, it certainly means this latest is playable enough and disposable fun.
Rating: 7/10
Dead Rising 2 - Off The Record
Released by THQ/ Capcom
Platform: PS3
Zombies are everywhere at the moment - with the success of the Walking Dead TV series, it's almost as if the undead have been given another shot at life.
The latest Dead Rising sees you taking control of Frank West, a once TV star whose star is most definitely in the descent and who finds himself in Fortune City, armed with only a camera and whatever he can get his hands on to take on the hordes of the undead. With the clock ticking down to a kind of apocalypse to cleanse the dead and the chance of Frank becoming zombified himself if he doesn't get the wonder drug Zombrex, it's clearly a race against time and a quest to survive.
I've not played any of the Dead Rising series before but this latest is a reinterpretation of the last one with a different main character; that's a clever move but some may feel there's little new to see this time around.
However, it's relatively good fun if you like just pointlessly killing things using an array of weapons; from freezing them with fire extinguishers and then bashing them to using microphone stands to spear them, there's a certain amount of joy to be had just slaughtering.
It does get a little frustrating when the game loads up every few minutes but I guess given the multitudes of undead and options on the screen for weapons, as well as stores to explore, something's gotta give. A neat touch is giving Frank a camera and using that to take pics around Fortune City to gather points; plus giving the game a sandbox option where the time threat is stripped away, is also a chance to invest a little deeper into the game.
Overall, Dead Rising 2 - Off The Record will come down to whether you like to just put your brain in neutral and engage the game - and while that's not a bad thing, it certainly means this latest is playable enough and disposable fun.
Rating: 7/10
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Beautiful Lies: Movie Review
Beautiful Lies: Movie Review
Beautiful Lies
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Nathalie Baye, Sami Bouajila
Director: Pierre Salvadon
Amelie's Tautou stars as Emilie in this French romantic comedy about little white lies.
Emilie is a partner in a hairdressing business - one day she receives an anonymous love letter from Jean (Bouajila) who works with her. But she dismisses it and carries on with her life.
However, realizing her mother Maddy's yet to recover from her father walking out on them four years ago, she decides to take that letter and retype it, changing the intended addressee and sending it to her depressed mom.
But, that rejuvenates Maddy and sets in motion a chain of events which spirals out into farcical consequences.
Tautou is perfectly fine in the role; one minute all wide eyed and the next haughty and cross; while she has a bit of spark about her, it's only really at the start of this film that you're carried along with the premise. About a third of the way in, it becomes a little too farcical for you to care as the misunderstandings escalate and a somewhat strange situation/ triangle develops between Jean, Maddy and Emilie.
Beautiful Lies is a piece of French fluff; beautifully shot in a bright French town - it has all the breeziness within but is insubstantial and instantly forgettable.
Beautiful Lies
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Nathalie Baye, Sami Bouajila
Director: Pierre Salvadon
Amelie's Tautou stars as Emilie in this French romantic comedy about little white lies.
Emilie is a partner in a hairdressing business - one day she receives an anonymous love letter from Jean (Bouajila) who works with her. But she dismisses it and carries on with her life.
However, realizing her mother Maddy's yet to recover from her father walking out on them four years ago, she decides to take that letter and retype it, changing the intended addressee and sending it to her depressed mom.
But, that rejuvenates Maddy and sets in motion a chain of events which spirals out into farcical consequences.
Tautou is perfectly fine in the role; one minute all wide eyed and the next haughty and cross; while she has a bit of spark about her, it's only really at the start of this film that you're carried along with the premise. About a third of the way in, it becomes a little too farcical for you to care as the misunderstandings escalate and a somewhat strange situation/ triangle develops between Jean, Maddy and Emilie.
Beautiful Lies is a piece of French fluff; beautifully shot in a bright French town - it has all the breeziness within but is insubstantial and instantly forgettable.
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