The Hangover

Have you ever woken up and found that you've misplaced something. Like "Dude Where's My Car?" something very serious has been misplaced. But in this case the 3 hero's of the story have misplaced the groom at his own bachelor party!

The movie follows 3 friends as they attempt to remember what happened to their friend Dug who is to get married the next day. "The Hangover" lays it on very heavy with the jokes and the ridiculousness of the various situations they find themselves in is at first hard to beileve but a sketchy plotline attempts to tie it all together and explain the absence of their friend, the presence of the tiger in the bathroom and the baby they found in the closet.

Despite the sketchy plot and the relentlessness of the jokes it is an enjoyable experience all round and has managed something amazing. It has managed to be just the right length.

Overall its a good show although not without its faults.

B+

Another Amazing Performance!

What is it with old people today. Mr Stallone is off making more Rocky an Rambo films. Mr Ford is still playing Mr Jones and there are no old people who just want to be an angry, grumpy, bigoted, racist old man who is nearing the end of his days and knows it. Well now there is. Clint Eastwood is completely effortless in Gran Torino. All he has to do is walk into a room and grunt. Clint is what you think of as an old man being. He’s moody, racist, grumpy and wears his trousers hitched up around his ears. I’ve heard people say its like Dirty Harry never left. Well I agree. He’s just grown up and got meaner. Its a stunning performance from all of the actors but Clint really shone and brought a new dimension to what is an amazing story.

A+ an amazing film and a brilliant performance from Clint.

More Reviews

At the expense of alienating a great many people I am going to talk about books.

The 2 books I will talk about are both very different.

Mark Haddon’s A Spot of Bother

Mark Haddon’s books are probably better know among a much younger audience than the target audience of this his second adult novel. However despite his inexperience in this field of literature Mr Haddon has truly created a masterpiece. This however is no surprise as his first adult novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” despite the undeniably strange title this book is beautifully written and deals with some very deep themes.

However I am going to talk about “A Spot of Bother” and as the name suggests the main character is not having a good time of it. George has just found out he has cancer and his wife is having an affair with an ex workmate. On top of that his daughter is getting married to a man he doesn’t like. The main character is not without his flaws but despite of these you just cant help liking him. The short chapters move the story on and quicken the pace. The story switches well between the main characters. The plot twists although infrequent add depth to the story and take it in a completely new way.

Although this book is nowhere near as good as his first adult novel it is still great and I heartily recommend it.

Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander

This book is allot slower in pace than “A Spot of Bother” and it is only perforated with short periods of action.

Master and Commander follows Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Although the pace of the book is slower it pulls you along with the charms of Captain Aubrey and his companion Stephen Maturin. The book is very different to the 2003 film. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany play their parts perfectly and perfectly portray the characters as they appear in the book.

The short periods of action make even a land lover like me yearn for the perils of the ocean.

Both books are masterstrokes of 2 very accomplished authors.

2 Reviews

Well avid followers! What delights do I have for you today?

Well today I've decided to bring you 2 (yes 2) game reviews.

Firstly I give you Mirrors Edge!

It's all about the flow! Getting from here to there as quickly as possible. Many racing games have tried to capture what EA has achieved in Mirrors Edge. It happens when you string together a series of beautifully timed and perfectly executed moves.

The games designers are obviously proud of what they have achieved as they force you to use it at every occasion. By taking away the gun that they included in the early version of the game. A smart move because what they have there is absolutely brilliant.

However the game is not without its faults. Despite it's replayablity it is still a very short game. Difficulty is inconsistent as well. While there may be sticking points mid game, some of the later game sections are quite easy. However these games help the aforementioned flow.

Overall its is an amazing game and well worth at least a rent.

A- Whats there is brilliant but there should be more

Left 4 Dead is the second game.

Valve have done it again! They have created something great. Not only with the brilliant atmosphere which holds you on the edge of your seat throughout the game, but also used the various elements to shape how the player plays the game.

The pure numbers of the horde and the swift ambushes of the special enemies (Boomers who spew bile which attracts the horde. Hunters who pin you down and tear at you with their claws. Smokers who constrict you with their long tongues. Tanks think Nemesis out of Resi and Witch's who are to be avoided!) Valve has put allot of work into the environments. Blood Harvest being a level which deserves special mention as throughout the level there is ample opportunity for ambush by 30-40 zombies at a time. And the rural farmhouses can be both a best friend and an enemy. Housing either a small army of zombies or goodies.

At the end of every level is a last stand style zombie stand-off where you must stay alive for a set period of time in a well supplied area while wave after wave of zombies flood the area. To beat these areas a knowledge of the terrain. A good supply of ammo. The right gun. And some good PLAYER controlled allies are what is needed. Especially on expert.

One of the things that you really need is a sharp ear and a keen eye as enemies are heard well before they are seen and learning these noises could mean the difference between life and death. A keen eye is needed to avoid the witches which is something you really want to do.

This game is as well balanced and finely tuned as anything created by valve.

A* Top of the class.

Until next time!

LittleBigPlanet

Just got LittleBigPlanet and its AWESOME. Steven Fry does the voice over and reminds me of the time he did Hitchhikers Guide(Awesome Film tie-in to an awesome book). I havent started to create any levels but I will start soon. I promised steve that I'd make a level for him. I alredy have a few ideas but its just putting them into the game that will be the trickey part. Been playing through story mode and the levels that Media Molecule have made are pretty awesome.

LittleBigPlanet definately deserves the 10/10 that its got in almost every review site on the (LittleBig)Planet (LOL). Im lovin the game already and i feel that it has soooooo much more to offer.

To keep SRJ and Tristan happy (despite the fact they wont read this) I'll talk about Gears of War 2.

Well what can I say about Gears 2 that wasn't said about the first one? Not much really. But is that a bad thing? Well No. Some very inovative level design. Awesome gore. Awesome Weapons. Some great Enemies. Brilliant online. Atmospheric. Brilliant Cutscenes. Great Graphics and points where you really feel on the edge of your seat.

And Yes... Where the game excells in some areas it shoots itself in the foot(with a torque bow) in others. Team AI that is so bad it almost reduced my friend to tears. A so-so Story. Characters that are really annoying. Points(2-4 per level) in Hardcore mode when the game is unpassable (2boomers w/ chainguns, 20 grunts, 2 flamethrowers, a mortar, 2 reavers(ie Tanks) and a coupe o turrets vs you and Dom under the control of the worlds most retarded AI). Really Terrible Driving Sections (more terrible than you could ever imagine) and the most obvious plot twists in the history of video games.

Please note I am trying to be unbiased so here it goes. The rest of the game is so awesome that it more than makes up for the places where it was less than great.

But heres the thing. The things they excelled in was what was great last time and what was mearly an annoyance last time arround has almost ruined the game this time around. The fact that they have not come away from Gears 1 saying what wasn't done so well means that it has deteriated this time around.

A solid 8.7/10 but a shake of the head. I expected better. F for effort.