Ah, Darksiders. Vigil Games and THQ's oft-criticised "zelda-clone". Funny how that very criticism is what made me want to buy this game in the first place.
Darksiders tells the tale of War, one of the four horseman, who is tricked into starting the apocalypse early and sentenced to death by the omnipotent "Council". In order to clear his name, he returns to Earth to kill everyone who betrayed him and in the process uncovers a deep conspiracy frmo the lowest pits of hell to the highest peaks of heaven. The story in Darksiders is surprisingly deep and interesting, helped along by some great writing and brilliant voice acting. Mark Hamill leads his best Joker insanity to War's "keeper", The Watcher, a kind of Navi-esque character, but Navi after she's finally gone insane from listening to herself too long and has taken to whiping Link for shits and giggles. Outside of gaming regulars Phil LaMarr and Fred Tasciore, Liam O'Brien lends a haunting baritone to War and Moon Bloodgood provides a righteousness to Uriel that helps highlight the character's tragedy. Also pulling at the heartstrings and beating against your chest is the brilliant soundtrack, easily on par with God of War's epic blasts, but mixed with a tenderness often missing from action games.
And that's the thing, to classify Darksiders as an action game would be doing it an injustice. At it's heart, it is in adventure game very much in the vein of Ocarina of Time. At least at the beginning. War must travel to four dungeons, collecting items in each dungeon and fighting incredible bosses. However, later levels draw from more modern sources by giving you a portal gun and some very interesting portal based puzzles, including a portal based boss and mini-boss. The combat itself is similar to Zelda, you have one button to attack and a lock on, as well as three slots for items and one for a secondary weapon. You can change between weapons and items on the fly, building some easy and effective combos. My only real complaint about the combat is that there is too much of it, especially where it isn't needed. As the game progresses, they begin to throw wave after wave after wave after wave of enemies at you, often mixing in mini-bosses until you're almost numb and frustrated from the endless combat when you'd rather be doing something more fun like puzzle solving or platforming, both of which Darksiders does brilliantly. This is the best dungeon design I've seen since Ocarina of Time, hell, there's even an annoying water temple.
Darksiders may not be the prettiest game, in fact it's received a lot of flak for its graphics and art style, however I am a huge fan of both. I love the over-the-top character design, the burning reds and greens of the demons and against the bright whites and golds of the angelic horde. The graphics remind me of a graphic novel, although they aren't cell-shaded, just exagerrated almost to the point of carriacature. They won't be to everyone's liking, but they suited me just fine and really lent a sense of life to the world. There's also plenty of varied locations, which is good because, like any good "zelda" game, there's a lot of backtracking to be done as new items open up new areas. And there's a lot of hidden stuff to find and collect as well for huge rewards.
Darksiders is not a perfect game, and yes it does borrow heavily from other games, but it does well as its own game. It is fun, challenging and surpisingly deep and clever with a great story to keep you engaged, a well written soundtrack and powerful sound effects to draw you in, and at least 15-20 hours of gameplay. If you're a fan in any way of action-adventure-puzzle-dungeon-crawlers, then this is the game for you. A must play.
Darkiders is available on PS3, Xbox360 and PC. This review is of the PS3 version.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Dungeon Seige III - Gameplay Preview
Dungeon Seige III, featuring the appetising display of both Square Enix and Obsidian's name, is a game I had little intrest in. I had not played, nor heard of, the first two, and to be honest I've never been one for the dungeon crawler, Diablo style game. However, after seeing the free demo on Steam the other day, I figured, what the heck, I'll give it a whirl. The demo takes place at what I can guess is the start of the game. You can play as either Lucas, a sword-weilding hack and slasher, or Anaji, a mythical fire-weilding woman, who fights with fire and spear. Both characters are really fn, and the combat is pretty intuitive and easy to pick up. The character is either controlled by holding and draggin the right mouse, or the slightly more clumsy WASD. The camera is set at aclose or far isomentric, depending on you preferance. Combat is as simple as clicking, with the number keys used for special abilities and the space bar for blocking and rolling. Each character has two fighting stances, a fast syle for single foes, or a slower, group style. Switching between them is a simple as pressing Q and can be done at anytime in a split second. The rest of the game appears to be taken up by questing, exploring and looting, and while I can't say much for questing from the demo, there is definitely an abundance of loot that would please even the most Diablo-hardened gamer. The inventory system is simple, if nothing ground breaking, and items can be equipped, sold or "transmuted" into coin, fixing the commonplace rpg issue of what to do with all your loot when the nearest store is miles and miles away. On the graphics side, the game is surprisingly beautiful, and ran butter smooth at ultra settings on my laptop. The environments are gorgeous and really detailed, water effects and lighting are fantastic, and even the character models are surprisingly good for an isometric game. Sure they look a little funky in the cutscenes, but they are meant to be admired at a distance. This demo has really got me quite excited about this game, and if I have moved in with my friend at it's release, I'll probably buy it. If you're looking for a fun, if not ground-breaking, co-op loot collecting hack and slash dungeon crawler to tide you over until Diablo III, then this is the game for you. I recommend checking the demo out. Dungeon Seige is coming to the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on June 18.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Red Riding Hood Review - Guest Review by Cheryl Billman
A Review of Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood
or, ‘Why I Hate Today’s Cinema’
There are probably those that would argue that Red Riding Hood is kind of like Twilight-meets-The Village-meets-Jack the Ripper-meets-The Crucible. Don’t listen to these people, they’re fucking idiots, and they’re making this film sound much better than it actually is.
LET’S GET SOMETHING STR8~
Red Riding Hood aka “The Worst Movie I Have Ever Forced Myself to Endure in Its Entirety” borrows aspects, plot twists, and (in some cases) actual dialogue from each of the aforementioned films, intertwines them and then loosely assembles them into a tour de force of poor taste via a weak and fundamentally flawed plot constituting 60% “mystery”, 30% "romance", and 10% "supernatural themes".
A part of me wants to say that Catherine Hardwicke, director of this “cinematic” shit-storm, intended to pay homage to all of the films mentioned in the introduction. The other, more intelligent half of my brain realizes that anyone who would dedicate time and money to this film without a shred of inhibition isn’t actually smart enough to pay homage to anything other than Taylor Lautner’s abs.
I can’t go much further without a disclaimer.
DISCLAIMER:
The 830pm viewing of Red Riding Hood that I attended was practically deserted save for four young couples somewhere in their mid-20’s and five quite clucky middle-aged women who – and I can tell you this with confidence, because I was eavesdropping on the loud, indiscreet conversation they were having over the previews [as a side note: FUCK I HATE IT WHEN I DO THIS, AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO APPRECIATES THE SANCTITY OF MOVIE PREVIEWS] – had just moved to Brisbane from a small rural town. All were dedicated Twilight fans, and all but one suffered from perennial single-dom, but none among their number was astute enough to realize that both misfortunes were, in all likelihood, directly correlated to each other.
I mention the people who inhabited the cinema with me because I spent more time watching them than I did the actual screen. The couples were the most interesting to watch, because this “film” is built on the same foundation as every other "film" released in the past three years: a love triangle between three really ridiculously good-looking people who lack personality and are essentially undeserving of the love of another human being.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about all the films that have approached this angle in a self-aware manner and parlayed it into a film that is gritty and real. You're thinking that some films execute this theme in a refined, interesting manner. This film is not among that distinguished few. Hence, my prolonged people-watching session.
When the majesty of the cinematic experience proved elusive, I found solace watching young girls caught in the enthrall of a twisted romance, clutching at their boyfriend’s hand, while he stonily contemplated suicide and/or tried to focus as much of his energy and attention as possible on the popcorn sitting between them.
The German’s have a word for the delight I found in this simple act: Schadenfraude.
The movie itself is barely worth discussing. This is the tale of the fictional village of Daggerhorn which is plagued by a furry menace. For those who haven’t guessed, or who have just emerged from the blissful sanctuary of some isolated cave, away from the horrors of the 21st Century (see: ‘Whip My Hair’, ‘Hannah Montana: the Movie’ and ‘90210’ – the remake) and therefore don’t actually know how the fairytale goes: it's a wolf.
Or, in this case (and in keeping with the latest Hollywood trend): IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING WEREWOLF. A big, cuddly werewolf which looks like it was animated by a twelve year old with rudimentary knowledge of graphics generation for a school I.T. project.
In the first ten minutes, the viewer is thrown into the tepid romance that exists between village girl Valarie (Amanda Seyfried), the Little Red Riding Hood of this interpretation, who shall heretofore be known as “Photogenic Lead Female” and woodcutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), or “Brooding Lead Male”. The dynamic of this relationship is thrown somewhat off kilter by the fact that little chemistry exists between Seyfried and Fernandez, and watching their romantic scenes is sort of akin to watching two elderly drunks get into a slurred verbal sparring match. The sizzle between the two pretty leads is sorely missed and casts a shadow over the romantic development between their characters respectively, who have apparently known each other since childhood.
Side note: in her opening monologue, Valarie laments the fact that Peter can bring out the worst in her. One of the middle-aged Twilight fans all but swooned in her seat. I choked on my frozen Coke. Suffragettes rolled over in their graves.
Hardwicke is also quick to establish that a love triangle – DID YOU HEAR THAT? A love triangle; the most underutilized of all plot elements! – exists between Valarie, Peter, and another character named Henry (Michael Shanks), who I came to know as “Boring Nice Guy”. Henry is more conventionally attractive than Peter; he is also smarter, funnier, wealthier, and infinitely more respectful of Valarie than Peter is, and he has loved Valarie from afar for an indeterminate amount of time and for indeterminate reasons. Naturally, Valarie thinks he’s a douche and wants nothing to do with him – this film does come from the school of Twilight, after all.
The village goes stir-crazy following an unprovoked death and calls in a werewolf-hunting priest who makes the Spanish Inquisitors look like friendly Latter Day Saints popping ‘round for a chat on a Sunday afternoon. This bat-shit crazy son of a bitch, played by Gary Oldman, has a personal vendetta against anything and everything that goes bump in the night. I’m not going to recount the entire plot, because there isn’t a plot worth recounting - sitting through this sloppily-assembled estrogen-fest once was enough – other than to say that the rest of the movie details the mad scramble to identify who among the cast is actually the werewolf.
Credit where credit is due, Hardwicke did her best to manufacture something sort of like suspense throughout the course of the movie – she was even successful at one point, but I won’t ruin one of the movie’s few redeeming features for you by giving it away. The rest of her attempts, however, have the same sort of effect as a reality T.V. show elimination special: you can easily guess whose headed home based on whose furrowed brow or teary-eyed expression doesn’t get airtime right before the vote is announced.
For those of you who are being reluctantly dragged kicking and screaming into seeing of this film by a friend or romantic partner, I have little words of condolence. You may cling blindly to the hope that it will be visually stunning, or that the acting will be good or that it will have a dynamic and unique soundtrack, but I wouldn’t advise it. You’d just be setting yourself up for disappointment. Having suffered through Twilight and having quite enjoyed Lords of Dogtown, I had at least hoped for stunning landscape shots from Hardwicke, director of both projects. She let me down. I was left with the impression that this was a film shot on a historically inaccurate, shoddily-dressed set built with poor quality materials.
This was probably the worst film I’ve seen this year. That’s a tall claim for me to make, seeing as I habitually browse video stores looking for the worst conceivable titles and the most laughable plot synopsis’. The only way I can adequately describe how utterly terrible this film was is to say that, if I were a male who had been dragged out of my house to endure this heinous piece of cinematic fodder, I would expect reimbursement of the most serious kind. Before you let your girlfriend or friend subject you to this test of loyalty and dedication, make sure to arrange a prize for yourself if you manage to make it out alive. Gentlemen, if it’s too late for you, suggest a trade-off: reserve the right to blow your girlfriend off for video games at a time of your choosing, without complaint from her, because it's THAT bad.
If you let your friend drag you out to this film already, and you managed to make it through without slipping into a shallow coma, I really have no suggestion for you other than to recommend you bathe in the warm glow of the knowledge that you are a good friend and a person of strong will.
4/10. And that’s being generous.
or, ‘Why I Hate Today’s Cinema’
There are probably those that would argue that Red Riding Hood is kind of like Twilight-meets-The Village-meets-Jack the Ripper-meets-The Crucible. Don’t listen to these people, they’re fucking idiots, and they’re making this film sound much better than it actually is.
LET’S GET SOMETHING STR8~
Red Riding Hood aka “The Worst Movie I Have Ever Forced Myself to Endure in Its Entirety” borrows aspects, plot twists, and (in some cases) actual dialogue from each of the aforementioned films, intertwines them and then loosely assembles them into a tour de force of poor taste via a weak and fundamentally flawed plot constituting 60% “mystery”, 30% "romance", and 10% "supernatural themes".
A part of me wants to say that Catherine Hardwicke, director of this “cinematic” shit-storm, intended to pay homage to all of the films mentioned in the introduction. The other, more intelligent half of my brain realizes that anyone who would dedicate time and money to this film without a shred of inhibition isn’t actually smart enough to pay homage to anything other than Taylor Lautner’s abs.
I can’t go much further without a disclaimer.
DISCLAIMER:
The 830pm viewing of Red Riding Hood that I attended was practically deserted save for four young couples somewhere in their mid-20’s and five quite clucky middle-aged women who – and I can tell you this with confidence, because I was eavesdropping on the loud, indiscreet conversation they were having over the previews [as a side note: FUCK I HATE IT WHEN I DO THIS, AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO APPRECIATES THE SANCTITY OF MOVIE PREVIEWS] – had just moved to Brisbane from a small rural town. All were dedicated Twilight fans, and all but one suffered from perennial single-dom, but none among their number was astute enough to realize that both misfortunes were, in all likelihood, directly correlated to each other.
I mention the people who inhabited the cinema with me because I spent more time watching them than I did the actual screen. The couples were the most interesting to watch, because this “film” is built on the same foundation as every other "film" released in the past three years: a love triangle between three really ridiculously good-looking people who lack personality and are essentially undeserving of the love of another human being.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about all the films that have approached this angle in a self-aware manner and parlayed it into a film that is gritty and real. You're thinking that some films execute this theme in a refined, interesting manner. This film is not among that distinguished few. Hence, my prolonged people-watching session.
When the majesty of the cinematic experience proved elusive, I found solace watching young girls caught in the enthrall of a twisted romance, clutching at their boyfriend’s hand, while he stonily contemplated suicide and/or tried to focus as much of his energy and attention as possible on the popcorn sitting between them.
The German’s have a word for the delight I found in this simple act: Schadenfraude.
The movie itself is barely worth discussing. This is the tale of the fictional village of Daggerhorn which is plagued by a furry menace. For those who haven’t guessed, or who have just emerged from the blissful sanctuary of some isolated cave, away from the horrors of the 21st Century (see: ‘Whip My Hair’, ‘Hannah Montana: the Movie’ and ‘90210’ – the remake) and therefore don’t actually know how the fairytale goes: it's a wolf.
Or, in this case (and in keeping with the latest Hollywood trend): IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING WEREWOLF. A big, cuddly werewolf which looks like it was animated by a twelve year old with rudimentary knowledge of graphics generation for a school I.T. project.
In the first ten minutes, the viewer is thrown into the tepid romance that exists between village girl Valarie (Amanda Seyfried), the Little Red Riding Hood of this interpretation, who shall heretofore be known as “Photogenic Lead Female” and woodcutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), or “Brooding Lead Male”. The dynamic of this relationship is thrown somewhat off kilter by the fact that little chemistry exists between Seyfried and Fernandez, and watching their romantic scenes is sort of akin to watching two elderly drunks get into a slurred verbal sparring match. The sizzle between the two pretty leads is sorely missed and casts a shadow over the romantic development between their characters respectively, who have apparently known each other since childhood.
Side note: in her opening monologue, Valarie laments the fact that Peter can bring out the worst in her. One of the middle-aged Twilight fans all but swooned in her seat. I choked on my frozen Coke. Suffragettes rolled over in their graves.
Hardwicke is also quick to establish that a love triangle – DID YOU HEAR THAT? A love triangle; the most underutilized of all plot elements! – exists between Valarie, Peter, and another character named Henry (Michael Shanks), who I came to know as “Boring Nice Guy”. Henry is more conventionally attractive than Peter; he is also smarter, funnier, wealthier, and infinitely more respectful of Valarie than Peter is, and he has loved Valarie from afar for an indeterminate amount of time and for indeterminate reasons. Naturally, Valarie thinks he’s a douche and wants nothing to do with him – this film does come from the school of Twilight, after all.
The village goes stir-crazy following an unprovoked death and calls in a werewolf-hunting priest who makes the Spanish Inquisitors look like friendly Latter Day Saints popping ‘round for a chat on a Sunday afternoon. This bat-shit crazy son of a bitch, played by Gary Oldman, has a personal vendetta against anything and everything that goes bump in the night. I’m not going to recount the entire plot, because there isn’t a plot worth recounting - sitting through this sloppily-assembled estrogen-fest once was enough – other than to say that the rest of the movie details the mad scramble to identify who among the cast is actually the werewolf.
Credit where credit is due, Hardwicke did her best to manufacture something sort of like suspense throughout the course of the movie – she was even successful at one point, but I won’t ruin one of the movie’s few redeeming features for you by giving it away. The rest of her attempts, however, have the same sort of effect as a reality T.V. show elimination special: you can easily guess whose headed home based on whose furrowed brow or teary-eyed expression doesn’t get airtime right before the vote is announced.
For those of you who are being reluctantly dragged kicking and screaming into seeing of this film by a friend or romantic partner, I have little words of condolence. You may cling blindly to the hope that it will be visually stunning, or that the acting will be good or that it will have a dynamic and unique soundtrack, but I wouldn’t advise it. You’d just be setting yourself up for disappointment. Having suffered through Twilight and having quite enjoyed Lords of Dogtown, I had at least hoped for stunning landscape shots from Hardwicke, director of both projects. She let me down. I was left with the impression that this was a film shot on a historically inaccurate, shoddily-dressed set built with poor quality materials.
This was probably the worst film I’ve seen this year. That’s a tall claim for me to make, seeing as I habitually browse video stores looking for the worst conceivable titles and the most laughable plot synopsis’. The only way I can adequately describe how utterly terrible this film was is to say that, if I were a male who had been dragged out of my house to endure this heinous piece of cinematic fodder, I would expect reimbursement of the most serious kind. Before you let your girlfriend or friend subject you to this test of loyalty and dedication, make sure to arrange a prize for yourself if you manage to make it out alive. Gentlemen, if it’s too late for you, suggest a trade-off: reserve the right to blow your girlfriend off for video games at a time of your choosing, without complaint from her, because it's THAT bad.
If you let your friend drag you out to this film already, and you managed to make it through without slipping into a shallow coma, I really have no suggestion for you other than to recommend you bathe in the warm glow of the knowledge that you are a good friend and a person of strong will.
4/10. And that’s being generous.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Verbal Diarhoea - Coming Soon
Just a quick update on what's been happening behind the scenes here. I'm working on a video series appropriately titled "Verbal Diarhoea", an animated rant/review show. The first episode is nearing completion. The vocals are recorded and mixed and the animation is being storyboarded by my sister, who's kindly lended her awesome art skills to the process. Expect an episode on youtube within two to three weeks. Also, a whole slew of reviews coming soon, I've been busy. Until then, TTFN.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Top 5 Daria Episodes
Just a hold over until my new shows are up and running. Now, I am a huge Daria fan, I always loved the show and I got the entire Daria collection on DVD for Christmas, so it's pretty hard to pick 5, so I've gone through and picked basically the essential Dari episodes in my eyes. Thefunniest, the saddest, the ones that capture the characters the best. So here it is:
The Top 5 Daria Episodes
1. Daria! (Ep7, S3)
Daria! is my favourite episode for a great many reason. It's by far and large the funniest, it has all myfavourite quotes, I can basically recite the episode word for word, it's a musical(!), and it's the best episode to show anyone if you want them to know anything about the show as it is quintessential Daria and includes just about every character ever in Daria.
2. Boxing Daria (Ep13, S5)
Boxing Daria is the last official episode of Daria and also the most serious the show has ever been. A deep character study of Daria, her relationship with her parents and sister, and her troubled childhood. This episode resonates with me on a deep personal level as I went through a lot of things Daria did, as oblivious as she was to it all.
3. Jane's Addition (Ep13, S3)
Ah, Jane's Addition, thank you for introducing my favourite character, Tom, who shook up the Daria world for another two seasons and two movies. This episode also once and for all ends Daria's crush on Trent and includes the best quote out of Daria, ever, so beautifully and astutely summing up Daria's home life:
Helen (offscreen) - Meeting!
Jake (offscreen) - Golf!
Quinn (offscreen) - Date!
Daria - Sarcasm!
Jake (offscreen) - Golf!
Quinn (offscreen) - Date!
Daria - Sarcasm!
4. Dye, Dye, My Darling (Ep14, S4)
This was a tough choice, I was really torn between I Loathe a Parade and Dye, Dye, My Darling. Both are fantastic episodes for roughly the same reason, although I have sentimental attachment to I Loathe A Parade as it was the first Daria episode I ever saw. In the end, I ha to choose this one, which revolves around the building tension between Daria and Jane over Tom, culminating in one fateful scene that all but destroys their friendship.
5. Esteemers (Ep1, S1)
Esteemers is the best way a show could have started. Well written and interesting characters, snappy dialogue, and Mr. O'Neil's somewhat suspicious "Esteem" class. Check Daria's "psyche test" for some of the funniest moments in Daria, later given a bittersweet treatment in Boxing Daria.
Honourable mentions go to both movies, especially Is It Fall Yet?, which sees the characters develop in startling ways over summer break. Jane goes to art camp where she goes through a major identity crisis, Daria is forced into 'supervising' Mr O'Neil's ill-guide "OK to Cry Corral" and is chalenged by a traumatised kid and Quinn gets a tutor and begins to develop well beyond her shallow persona.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Sucker Punch Review
Wow, it's been awhile, possibly-fictitious readers. How have you been? Let's get right back into the thick of things with a train-of-thought review of Zack Snyder's new film, the ambiguously titled "Sucker Punch".
Sucker Punch is a fantasy/action/drama about a young woman whose mother dies, leaving her and her younger sister at the mercy of their surly step-dad, a priest with rather unconventional taste (wink wink, nudge nudge). Anyway, after getting tired of old 'Daddy', the lead character Baby Doll (Emily Browning), gives her step-dad the old what for involving his own handgun. Sadly, she's not the best of shots and only ends up busting a light and enraging her stepdad even more. Being a particularly crafty and evil stepdad, he calls the men in white, bribes an orderly and has the Baby Doll set up for a lobotomy in 5 days. Inside the insane asylum, we witness the fantasy world Baby Doll creates as part of guided therapy from the resident psychiatrist, played beautifully by Carla Gugino, who instructs the girls to create a world in which they are in control as a way of facing down their fears. In this world, Baby Doll is a dancer with four other girls at a brothel and she will lose her virginity in five days to a mysterious "High Roller". And then from this world, further fanasy worlds emerge as the girls 'quest' to find the items related to their eventual escape. The story is not perfect, there are plenty of plot holes, but it's nice to finally see a big budget movie that doesn't feelit has to pander to the bottom line. This is a very complex tale that you will have to analyse and view multiple times before you truly understand it. Even then, a lot is left open to interpretation. In a world where even Christopher Nolan feels the need to explain everything in painful detail (I'm looking at you Inception), this is a welcome change.
The acting is for the most part strong, Emil Browning and Carla Gugino definitely steal the show, but our own Abbie Cornish is brilliant as the sour and cynical Sweat Pea, Donnie Darko's Jena Malone gives a strong performance as Sweat Pea's feisty younger sister Rocket, and even Vanessa Hudgens surprises in the somewhat underused Blondie. The five girls hold their own very well against the older actors, which is a welcome sight as it's their story after all. Or is it? But I digress.
The movie is driven by a fantastic avante-garde, alt-rock grunge soundtrack, mainly remixes of older songs, including a killer version of Sweet Dreams and Bjork's Army of Me. These songs underpin not only the high action fantasy scenes, but some of the more powerful dramatic scenes. Emily Browning's haunting rendition of Sweet Dreams over the introductory scene is undeniably powerful. Speaking of powerful, the sound effects will rock your core. I'm not one to be bothered by loud noises, but even my ears were ringing after seeing this bad boy at the cinemas.
To sum up, well, this is a hard one to sum up. On one level, this is a brilliant drama and morality tale, at another it's a ballad of female enpowerment, ad at a whole other level it's a teenage wet dream of loud music, loud action, flashy special effects, video game references, hot chicks and giant samurai robots with chain guns. This movie is not going to appeal to everyone, you have to be willing to open your mind and absorb everything, but Zack Snyder should be heartily commended for not being afraid to make a film that so adamantly ignores the any conventions of so called modern blockbusters. This film is the modern equivalent of the musicals of old, except characters burst into wild action scenes instead of heartfelt songs. This is the future of rock operas, an erotic, psychotic, fantastic, mind-bending, surreal world where everything you see is false and everything you know is a lie. Zack Snyder, you remain the man.
Sucker Punch is a fantasy/action/drama about a young woman whose mother dies, leaving her and her younger sister at the mercy of their surly step-dad, a priest with rather unconventional taste (wink wink, nudge nudge). Anyway, after getting tired of old 'Daddy', the lead character Baby Doll (Emily Browning), gives her step-dad the old what for involving his own handgun. Sadly, she's not the best of shots and only ends up busting a light and enraging her stepdad even more. Being a particularly crafty and evil stepdad, he calls the men in white, bribes an orderly and has the Baby Doll set up for a lobotomy in 5 days. Inside the insane asylum, we witness the fantasy world Baby Doll creates as part of guided therapy from the resident psychiatrist, played beautifully by Carla Gugino, who instructs the girls to create a world in which they are in control as a way of facing down their fears. In this world, Baby Doll is a dancer with four other girls at a brothel and she will lose her virginity in five days to a mysterious "High Roller". And then from this world, further fanasy worlds emerge as the girls 'quest' to find the items related to their eventual escape. The story is not perfect, there are plenty of plot holes, but it's nice to finally see a big budget movie that doesn't feelit has to pander to the bottom line. This is a very complex tale that you will have to analyse and view multiple times before you truly understand it. Even then, a lot is left open to interpretation. In a world where even Christopher Nolan feels the need to explain everything in painful detail (I'm looking at you Inception), this is a welcome change.
The acting is for the most part strong, Emil Browning and Carla Gugino definitely steal the show, but our own Abbie Cornish is brilliant as the sour and cynical Sweat Pea, Donnie Darko's Jena Malone gives a strong performance as Sweat Pea's feisty younger sister Rocket, and even Vanessa Hudgens surprises in the somewhat underused Blondie. The five girls hold their own very well against the older actors, which is a welcome sight as it's their story after all. Or is it? But I digress.
The movie is driven by a fantastic avante-garde, alt-rock grunge soundtrack, mainly remixes of older songs, including a killer version of Sweet Dreams and Bjork's Army of Me. These songs underpin not only the high action fantasy scenes, but some of the more powerful dramatic scenes. Emily Browning's haunting rendition of Sweet Dreams over the introductory scene is undeniably powerful. Speaking of powerful, the sound effects will rock your core. I'm not one to be bothered by loud noises, but even my ears were ringing after seeing this bad boy at the cinemas.
To sum up, well, this is a hard one to sum up. On one level, this is a brilliant drama and morality tale, at another it's a ballad of female enpowerment, ad at a whole other level it's a teenage wet dream of loud music, loud action, flashy special effects, video game references, hot chicks and giant samurai robots with chain guns. This movie is not going to appeal to everyone, you have to be willing to open your mind and absorb everything, but Zack Snyder should be heartily commended for not being afraid to make a film that so adamantly ignores the any conventions of so called modern blockbusters. This film is the modern equivalent of the musicals of old, except characters burst into wild action scenes instead of heartfelt songs. This is the future of rock operas, an erotic, psychotic, fantastic, mind-bending, surreal world where everything you see is false and everything you know is a lie. Zack Snyder, you remain the man.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Top Ten Family Animated Movies
In no particular order:
Honourable mentions:
Aristocats, 101 Dalmations, Hoodwinked, Kronk's New Groove (More Kronk!), The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Robots, Monsters, Inc., Tarzan, The Adventurers Down Under, Despicable Me
Think I've forgotten any? Disagree? Leave your comments!
- Shrek (1 and 2 are best, although all are worth watching)
- Lion King (all of them)
- Winnie the Pooh's Grand Adventure (Most watched movie from my childhood, saw it again recently and loved it just as much)
- The Emperor's New Groove (Kronk, that's all I'm saying)
- The Road to El Dorado (Hans Zimmer and Elton John's brilliant soundtrack over a touching and hilarious story)
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (Anyone who doesn't cry at the end of this movie has a heart of stone. Beautiful animation, a great story and a brilliant and powerful soundtrack from Zimmer and Bryan Adams)
- Any Hayao Miyazaki movie, at the very least Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle.
- Chicken Run (It's Aardman at their finest. "I don't want to be a pie, I don't like gravy")
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (Painstakingly stop-motion animated, Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, what else is their to say? Also, check out Corpse Bride. It's got Johnny Depp!)
- Up! (The first five minutes of this film is the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. So is the rest.)
Honourable mentions:
Aristocats, 101 Dalmations, Hoodwinked, Kronk's New Groove (More Kronk!), The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Robots, Monsters, Inc., Tarzan, The Adventurers Down Under, Despicable Me
Think I've forgotten any? Disagree? Leave your comments!
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