Super 8 Review

Super 8 is about a group of young kids on summer vacation trying to make a zombie movie. One night during their filming, a train accident occurs and the kids are thrown into a series of increasingly dangerous situations and are placed in the middle of a grand conspiracy involving the Air Force and some “precious cargo” aboard the train the Air Force seems to have misplaced. Promotion for this movie has been vague with as little information being given as possible, and that is a great advantage, not knowing what to expect heightens the sense of fear, wonder and excitement. Needless to say something dangerous escaped from the train and it's running rampant through the small town stealing car engines, sending dogs running and causing a great deal of paranoia for the citizens of this small town and at the center of it all are the young aspiring film makers.

Joe is the titular character who lends his makeup skills to the zombie film, he has also recently lost his mother causing a large rift between him and his father, the towns Deputy. His friends include Charles the self imposed leader of the group and director of the film they are making. Also in the group is Cary the aspiring pyrotechnic with an unwavering love for explosives; he serves as their films zombie as well as special effects maker. The two actors in this little zombie project are Preston and Martin as well as late addition to the cast, Alice. Joe quickly shows interest in Alice and their relationship evolves over the course of the film and their truly believable feelings towards each other lends credence to their actions as things get more and more intense as the creature sends the entire town into a panicked frenzy. These kids are the heart of this movie, no number of explosions and amazing special effects takes away from their strong performances and the sturdy structure they provide to the rest of the outlandish science fiction plot. This is the first movie in what seems like a decade that treats the adolescent characters with respect and shows that kids are competent and can handle any mature situation as well as or better than most adults. It’s rare in a huge summer movie like this to put such a focus on these young kids and their lives but it’s what gives Super 8 life outside of a crazy monster on the loose.

While the special effects are prevalent throughout they are never used as a crutch and are only ever used to service the story. The amazing chaotic action sequences are truly freighting and jaw dropping because we care about the character at the center of it all and want them to make it through this alive. The most memorable effects moment happens early on when a train is derailed and begins causing so much damage and destruction you start to wonder if the movie hasn't already derailed itself, but the immensely likeable kids make you fear for their safety. They continually ground the movie in plausibility whenever things start to get to over the top. At the center of this group of characters is Joe and his relationship with his father. This father son relationship is so painful to watch not because the father is mean or abusive but because these are two people who have lost someone they love and now realize they know nothing about each other and don’t know how to overcome the pain. Watching Joe’s father continually push his son away is heartbreaking and their relationship is a strong and moving part of the story.

Spielberg must be flattered because Super 8 is a strong homage to the great director and all of his most famous and beloved films. Throughout the movie there is a certain tine, moments or specific camera shots that share such a strong similarity to Spielberg’s movies of old that you almost wonder if JJ Abrams didn’t just let him direct. But then the lens flare kicks in, and you quickly remember whose movie this is. JJ Abrams need to seriously cut back on the lens flare, there were scenes where I literally couldn’t see the characters faces because the screen was filled with glare and the scene was supposed to be taking place in the dark. It is distracting and adds nothing to the movie; it made me furious whenever it appeared onscreen CUT IT OUT. But with JJ Abrams obsession with lens flare comes a man who has undoubtedly been inspired by the classic “young kids on an adventure” movies of his youth. Super 8 is as homage to the greats, E.T., The Goonies, Jurassic Park. Once the town falls into chaos and confusion there are also strong similarities to the great paranoia films like Close Encounter and War of the Worlds; both also directed by Spielberg. Unfortunately it is all quite jarring, with so many points of inspiration you can almost pick out when JJ Abrams is displaying his love and though it never reaches a point of unimaginative it is noticeable and takes you out of the otherwise engaging plot. It's great to see a movie recreate the fun and imaginative feeling that the old Spielberg movies always had in droves. Capturing that magic must be tough and though there are hints of a true modern day classic, it doesn't always work.

Super 8 is a movie unlike anything being made these days, it’s a character driven effects powerhouse that shows its young characters as competent and intelligent human beings, so rare for kids in movies these days. And it balances a heartwarming tale of family and friendship with a strong and sometimes frightening monster movie plot. It’s sometimes odd how quickly the film chooses to jump from truly horrifying moments to moment of great laughter but it helps keep the movie fun and fast paced. At times it seems like JJ Abrams is trying too hard to impress his mentor Spielberg, but Super 8 is a fun throwback to the great summer movies of yore, which will please anyone who is tired of Superheroes or crappy comedies.

(4 out of 5)

inFAMOUS 2 Review

As Infamous 2 begins you are Cole MacGrath the electricity fueled superhuman who saved Empire City in the previous game. As the final moments of the first game are recounted in the opening cutscene you are reintroduced to your foul mouthed but good natured sidekick Zeke and meeting all new character Lucy Kuo NSA agent and former lab partner of scientist Sebastian Wolfe, the man who invented the Ray Sphere, the device which gave Cole his powers. Quickly you are told about the impending attack by the Beast, the creature that is said to be the destroyer of the world. And just as you are refamiliarizing yourself with the comic book inspired world of Infamous the Beast appears in the center of Empire City and begins laying waste. As the superhero you jump into action but are quickly thwarted as you are not powerful enough to defeat the Beast. You wake up on a boat heading to New Marias with the task of becoming powerful enough to stop the Beast.

Infamous 2 begins with an amazing action sequence with Cole at the height of his powers from the first game, and as most of these games go, you are stripped of your powers when the Beast wipes the floor with you, and you must then regain you powers as well as discover all new powers. Infamous 2 doesn’t change much from the first game, and that’s a good thing, the first Infamous was a surprise hit from Sucker Punch, developers of the PS2 era Sly Cooper games. The game had a great open world with smooth and fun traversal mechanics that are still here and slightly improved. The game is still structured similarly with main story missions popping up on the map one at a time, as well as side missions that are mostly unique with a few repeated missions like bringing power to parts of the city or taking pictures of incriminating things to rally the people of New Marias to your cause to overthrow the maniacal Joseph Bertrand who has the city in lockdown with his private military scaring the citizens with the threat of Conduits (superpowerd people) and the Corrupted (bug-like monsters) on top of the stress of a  plague that is slowly killing thousands.

The gameplay hasn’t changed either; the game is still an immensely polished open world game with parkour style traversal. Layered on top is a third person action game with fin tuned shooting mechanics as well as a more in-depth fighting system. Sucker Punch amazes me with the amount of time they spend on every detail, the game not only looks better than the first, with more colors and better looking effects and a entirely new city, New Marias; which is even slightly destructible with some building crumbling nicely. But it also improves on existing mechanics like traversal, where the first game as Cole you could climb, glide for seconds at a time and, grind on rails in Infamous 2 gliding has been improved with more maneuverability as well as all new ways to get around like an electric tether that acts like a grappling hook making getting to the tops of building that much easier and fun. Shooting has remained the same with quick bolts of lightning acting like an average gun as well as grenades and rocket launcher variations using electricity. All the powers from the first game return, but there are entirely new elements in Infamous 2 to master; Fire or Ice, or because it’s one or the other, you can’t have both. There is a integral choice moment where you can decide and it relates to which female character do you wish to side with Nix (fire) the feisty Cajun native who wants to scorch those who have scorned her; Or Kuo (ice) the NSA agent who is trying to control her newly discovered powers as well as right past wrongs.The game does right by not making this a Karma based moment, though Good and Evil decisions define the actions you take across the entire game, no matter which side you are on you can choose the power you want most.

Infamous 2 does have problems, the bosses are always giant monsters and their defeat boils down to "hit the glowing parts" until their animation loop changes then hit the new spot. The main villain, Bertrand’s motivations are strange and nearly contradictory, he is a generic bad guy who needs to be defeated and so his purpose is served, but it is a bit disappointing considering the strong characterization the rest of the cast has been given. Probably the biggest improvement in Infamous 2 is the story and characters, the weight of your actions are also much more apparent.  The story while more dark and dire is given a sense of urgency as the Beast makes its way down from Empire City to New Marias destroying everything in its path. The characters are more fleshed out and more sympathetic, Zeke having betrayed you in a significant part of the previous game is shown the proper amount of trepidation from the rest of the characters as well as from Cole. Kuo and Nix are also really well realized character each affected by this world in different ways and even when they are used to choose between a good or evil karma mission their reasoning behind their choice is always relatable and it makes the decisions that much harder and subsequently better.

Infamous 2 is more of the same but better, all the things that were in the original game are here again, except gone over with a fine tooth comb to make an almost shockingly polished game. The new elemental powers are fun even if they are only slight variation of your existing powers. And the new arrays of enemies are tons more fun to fight, even hand-to-hand fighting which has been greatly improved over the first game is now a viable option. Most fun is traversal which has been speed up and added to with unique traversal specific powers. Infamous 2 is a smart sequel and a good step if not a huge leap forward in this new and exciting franchise. 

(4 out of 5)

X-Men: First Class Review

With X-Men: First Class, X-Men as a franchise has now gone the way of the Batman franchise making a series of great (at the time) movies, and then rebooting them years later with the Christopher Nolan films and changing the way we view comic book movies, except X-Men did it in half the time. Bravo First Class you have defied all expectations and managed to be an engrossing character study with exciting bombastic action, a match up most comic book movies would never dare attempt, and yet First Class goes above and beyond what we expect from the average summer movie and becomes an astounding accomplishment and a immensely pleasurable experience in an exceedingly over crowded market of comic book movies. The film begins with a real 60's James Bond feel, unfolding almost like an old school spy film supported by the Cold War backdrop the movie takes place during; it later switches gears a little into a full blown X-Men spectacle and the two distinct parts are both equally enjoyable and a cool change of pace.

At the center of First Class is the relationship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), when we first meet these characters they are nothing like what we remember. Xavier is charming and womanizing with a full head of hair and two functioning legs. Erik on the other hand has been traumatized by the Nazi concentration camps of his childhood and has taken it upon himself to hunt down and kill Nazis who have hidden themselves in society. These two will go on to become each other’s archenemies and their friendship and eventual falling out is a large part of the movie and arguably the most entertaining.  Both McAvoy and Fassbender give amazing performances that is every bit as engaging as the relationship between the future Professor X and Magneto. Fassbender’s performance is truly stunning, and is done a great service by not being the villain of the movie; his character survives such an immense trauma which he spends his entire life trying to rectify that by the time he is willing to condemn thousands of innocent lives to death the audience is nearly cheering for him to succeed. Fassbender is the true standout of this entire film and he give such a transfixing performance that you almost perk up in your seat whenever he appear on screen.

The rest of the film centers around Charles and Erik recruiting young mutants to fend off an impending attack from fellow mutant Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and his cohorts who are orchestrating World War 3, which Shaw believes can be used to eliminate those who are not worthy to live and leave only the next step of evolution, Mutants. Plenty of mutants appear in First Class and since this movie take places decades before the previous X-Men films we are given a whole new and pretty obscure team of mutants including Havok, Banshee, Darwin, Angel and, more familiar ones like Beast, Mystique and, Emma Frost. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) also plays a large role as her character goes through a major arc as she discovers that she is not ashamed of whom she is and yet she hides her true scaly blue form from the world. Her feelings toward Charles in the beginning as well as her thoughts on mutants change dramatically over the course of the film as she learns to accept herself with the help of Erik. The most disappointing part of the movie is Shaw who is such a one note villain he could have been replaced with anybody else. His entire purpose is to put the Americans and Russians on edge so that the already hostile superpowers go into global nuclear war. The film takes a bit of time with Charles and Erik recruiting and subsequently training these young mutants to stave off the possible advancements of Shaw’s plan, and its a fun and frequently emotionally moving part of the movie as Charles teaches Erik that his anger is not the only source of his powers by forcing him to remember suppressed memories of happier times. The kids themselves are very strong characters each with their own trepidations about their powers, but they must master their powers and become comfortable with who they are if they are going to stop Shaw.

The last 30 minutes of the movie is one of the most amazing action spectacles, wonderfully directed with tons of energy and momentum that gets you pumped up and nearly jumping up and cheering on the X-Men as they fight the opposing Hellfire Club lead by Shaw. The special effects on display are some of the most astounding without being completely over the top, Erik pulling a submarine out of the water is not only an incredible spectacle because of the visuals but because of the  intensity of emotion Fassbender gives.

Everyone gets their moment to shine; Beast and Banshee especially have great inventive action scenes and play a large role in beating the Hellfire Club. Some characters are short changed including Havok and Emma Frost, who is actually being held prisoner thousands of miles away. It's unfortunate that some potentially creative fights don't occur because the cast is so big not everyone can be shown off to their full potential, well at least its one more thing to look forward to in the subsequent sequels.

X-Men: First Class is an astonishing revitalization of a once thought dead franchise, and if this movie is any indication there are amazing things still to come from the X-Men. The performances throughout the film are strong, but none stronger than Fassbender who is truly outstanding as the haunted man who has been ruined by his childhood trauma. The action is well directed and consistently unique and exciting.  X-Men: First Class is ambitious with powerful performances, stylish action, and a well written script, it is a strong reboot for the franchise and I for one am very excited to see where they go from here.

(5 out of 5)

The Hangover Part II Review

As The Hangover Part II begins we are treated to a strange sense of déjà vu with Phil (Bradley Cooper) on the phone with his friend’s girlfriend who seems anxious and worried as to where they are; Phil, Stu (Ed Helms) and, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) stand dirty, scared and, delirious as Phil utters the words “We Fucked Up… Again”. This scene is almost a line for line recreation of the opening of the first Hangover and for better or worse sets the stage for the entire rest of the movie which is a mixture of reused or slightly altered jokes or increasingly insane and ridiculously improbable scenarios that the Wolf Pack (Alan’s name for the 3 of them) have to overcome.

The Hangover Part II is a lot more of the same and not for the better, it follows almost exactly the plot of the previous movie and deviates only in location and who is getting married. This time its Stu’s turn to get married and his friends travel to Thailand for the wedding. The night before they all gather on the beach along with the brides 16 year old Stamford graduate brother, Teddie and as they raise their beers in a toast the screen fads to white and we are transported to the most foul hotel room in existence (located in Bangkok) with cockroaches crawling over the beds and 17 different colored stains on the mattresses and of course a finger in a bowl of blood. Just replace a trashed Vegas suite with this nasty hotel room and replace a tiger in the bathroom with a chain smoking clothed monkey and the game as been set. When they wake up they find the brides little brother missing instead of Doug like in the first movie and so begins a long retread of the events in the first film as The Wolf Pack must try and locate Teddie and get back to the wedding in time. The 3 friends must retrace their steps and piece back together what happened the night before while along the way discovering the chaos they instilled in the shadier parts of Bangkok.

As the movie progresses Phil, Stu and, Alan are confronted by Russian and Asian mobsters, ladyboys, and a monk monastery. With each new obstacle they learn something deep and disturbing about their actions and as Stu states “There is a demon living inside me that is the only explanation for the things that I have done”. The Hangover Part II sees the return of Mr. Chow the Chinese gangster who the boys found in the trunk of the police car in the last movie and now Alan has invited him to party with them. The movie amps up the action quite a bit with shootouts, car chases, and riots but even through all of these insane set pieces I can’t help but feel like the film makers couldn’t come up with any fresh jokes and instead added a bunch of preposterous scenarios that are just so far over the top that that serves as the joke itself.

The Hangover Part II isn’t all bad with the return of some great characters including Mike Tyson. And some amazing scenes from Zach Galifianakis who truly steals the show as the increasingly sociopathic Alan, as he has all the most hilariously memorable moments. The monkey makes quite the impression as well with his tendency for nibbling on penises.

Though The Hangover Part II made me laugh and entertained me quite a bit it is too much of the same and not creative enough for me to recommend it, even more so considering the amazing quality of the first movie. With more action but less laughs the Hangover Part II is a mixed bag, not nearly as memorable as the first but also cranking up the ludicrous scenarios The Wolf Pack find themselves in. Hopefully after this hangover they will say “never again” before they run any good will they have left into the ground. 

(3 out of 5)

Converted: The Office

   For a long time I have had a vocal hatred for The Office, I never understood why so many people watched the show and thought so highly of it. I have tried many times to watch The Office and every time I sat down to watch an episode I find myself consistently annoyed and uncomfortable with the way the characters on the show acted. I thought Michael Scott was the embodiment of everything I hate in people; he was ignorant, disrespectful and incredibly annoying. Dwight was such an outlandish caricature and a borderline sociopath I could not believe he could ever function in society let alone handle a job where he is required to interact with other human beings. So even though I had tried several times to try and break into the show I found it impenetrable.

   Recently friends of mine started watching it and came away with very positive feelings, I stood in disbelief, and I could not understand what they found so enjoyable about it. Against my better judgment I tried once again to get into the show. I must have stopped watching the first season like 20 times and its only 6 episodes long. I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what everyone enjoyed so much about the show. I laughed occasionally but I cringed every time Michael Scott would open his mouth, and sure enough some insanely insensitive remark or racial slur would spill out and I would get fed up and turn it off but finally I got to the first episode of the second season and like seeing an image of Jesus in my grilled cheese I was converted. 

The episode started off like any other with Michael up to his usual shtick, preparing for some idiotic award ceremony he invented to boost morale, like usual I couldn’t stand Michael as he continuously acted selfish and annoying. It wasn’t until the office went to Chili’s for the awards and things started to go south that I became interested. Michael was humiliated by his employees and the patrons of the restaurant and it was there that I finally felt bad for him and once Pam tried to raise his spirits by getting everyone to applaud and cheer I was hooked, it was touching and I found myself caring about these people. I still find Michael’s behavior distasteful but he see him almost like a child, I excuse the things he does because I know I really does have good intentions and really only wants everyone to like him.

   As I am writing this I am deep into the 4^th season and I have no intention of stopping, these characters have grown on me and I have learned to love them all for very different reasons. Dwight is completely insane but is sweet and loyal, Kevin is inappropriately hilarious, Jim is a romantic to a fault, and Angela is bitch (I got nothing). Everyone is great on the show and the cast is so strong they are able to swap characters in and out Ryan becomes a deuce when he moves up to corporate and, Andy who is even more unstable then Dwight (which is impressive) is integrated with the offices when they merge branches.

The Office is a fantastic show and it’s entirely because of its cast, everyone is needed and no can be removed or replaced. They meld together so well and their growth as the series continues is the most compelling part each with their own hopes and dream I continue watching hoping to see Michael find someone to be with so he won’t be alone, to see Jim and Pam married and happily together, Dwight and Angela to acknowledge and relish in their relationship and for … the assholes to get what’s coming to them (Ryan, Andy, Jan, David). I am happy I gave the show a chance (many chances) because I really did end up loving this show with its endearing characters and its strong comedy. 

L.A. Noire Review

     L.A. Noire has been misrepresented that is something everyone needs to know right off the bat. Between the action heavy trailers and an emphasis on "from the Makers of Grand Theft Auto" on pretty much every piece of promotion for the game, I have a strong feeling people are going in unprepared for what L.A. Noire really is. Anyone opting into this game because of the Rockstar connection are going to be surprised, but not necessarily in a bad way. For one L.A. Noire isn't a traditional open world game in the vain of GTA neither is it a by the numbers third-person shooter. Instead Team Bondi (Not Rockstar Games) take a huge risk in making what is ostensibly a $90 million adventure game, and its Astounding.

    L.A. Noire is quite simply the story of young police officer Cole Phelps as he raises through the ranks of the LAPD and comes face to face with the vile, corrupt and, increasingly violent underbelly of 1940's Los Angeles. As the story progresses you will spend time in each of the major crime divisions of the police force from beat cop to Homicide detective. First thing most people will realize is that Cole is unlike any Rockstar protagonist, he is war hero and is dedicated to clean up the streets of L.A. He is a sharp contrast to the world around him and it makes for a very interesting lead, and though Cole may act high and mighty even he has dark secrets that unravel over the course of the story. A decidedly Rockstar trait does rear its head in L.A. Noire and that is a constant revolving door of strong stand out side characters, from the classic Irish police captain to the drunk on the job detective. These characters are always fleshed out and never feel one note, each of these individual people play a large role in your time with the game and by the end of the game you will have strong opinions on all of them. Its a testament to the writing that the characters are never on opposite ends of a good/bad spectrum, most characters have very good traits and crippling bad traits. It all culminates in a cast and story that is gritty and believable which rival some of the best crime movies.

Actually playing L.A. Noire is where the the game really differentiates itself. The majority of the game is spent investigating the scene of a crime, you and your partner arrive and are given a quick recap of what might have transpired and you quickly get to work looking for clues in the area that might help solve the case. Interacting with the crime scene is handled well whenever you approach an item of interest the controller vibrates and some music cues up (both of these features can be turned of for added difficulty). Once you have your hands on said object its just a quick turn of the right-stick and you begin to turn and flip the object to see if just maybe there is a case solving clue on the bottom of that coffee cup. Once you feel like you have collected enough evidence you will move unto the next stage of the game where you will need to interrogate suspects to get information. You will enter these interrogation scenes with anyone who may be able to provide more information on the case or on a possible suspect in order to coaxes a confession out of them. These interrogation moments have you asking questions and judging whether the person is telling the truth or is a bald faced liar either with incriminating evidence or by reading their facial expressions, yea you read that right.

This is where L.A. Noire becomes truly ground breaking. Through voodoo and black magic Team Bondi is able to capture the souls of some of Hollywood's greatest characters actors and trap them in this game and force them to act with the false promise that they will be released. In all seriousness Team Bondi was able to create from scratch a process which takes 32 high definition cameras, positions them 360 degrees around a central point, have an actor get into full hair and make-up and then have that actor sit in a chair and perform their lines as if they where in that scenario. The result is nothing short of jaw-dropping, the actors are giving these characters life and its their performance that is being shown and its their skill as actors that makes it better not an animator carefully raising one side of the mouth to create something that sort of resembles a smirk. It is a huge step forward in having videogames crossover from the "toys" or "for kids" mentality and stand tall next to the likes of big Hollywood summer blockbusters. Interestingly and completely fitting L.A. Noire is the first game ever to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.

With its outstanding technology that gives the already wonderfully written and realized characters life and a gripping story with twists and revelations that span the gamete of classic noir and refreshing new gameplay that stands out amongst all the rehashed games that fill the market, L.A. Noire is an innovative and engrossing game that no one should miss out on.

(5 out of 5)

About Me and this Site

I have created this site for a few reasons, mostly I just wanted a place where I could write indiscriminately about things I love those things being Videogames, Movies, TV Shows and, whatever else strikes my fancy. Secondly I wanted a place where I could practice writing and have the internet judge me harshly and extremely negatively (I'll just keep telling myself its constructive criticism).

You can expect a wide range of different topics including but not limited to articles about important news (in the field of subjects I named above) , reviews, quick impressions, and just overall opinions on the latest and greatest Games, Movies, and Television Shows.