99 Sleeps to go, only 99 sleeps...

Auckland, November 22, 2005 - It’s only 99 sleeps until New Zealanders can get their hands on the world’s most powerful games console, the Xbox 360.

Microsoft today announced that two versions of the console will go on sale from 12:01am on March 2nd, 2006. Consumers will be able to choose from the Xbox 360 at RRP$719.95* and the Xbox 360 Core System at RRP$549.95*.

“Amazingly realistic gaming experiences are now within our reach,” said David McLean, Regional Director, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft Australia and New Zealand.

“Xbox 360 ushers in a whole new generation of gaming. Game characters and environments are just like the real world or as fantastic as the imagination can dream up. The New Zealand lounge room has not seen richer or more detailed games.”

Xbox 360 is the first console that lets gamers enjoy the freedom of wireless gaming, as standard. The Xbox 360 offer will include the console, 20GB hard drive, media remote, wireless controller, component high-definition cable and Ethernet cable. Xbox 360 Core System delivers the same powerful gaming as Xbox 360, but starts with the basics and lets you expand at your own pace. The Xbox Core system includes the console, composite AV cable and wired controller.

Both packages come with a complimentary Silver subscription to the world’s leading online gaming service Xbox Live, which provides gamers new ways to compete and hone their skills.

There are currently more than 200 games being developed for the Xbox 360, with 18 titles now launched in the United States and other markets. A full list of titles available on New Zealand launch will be available in 2006.

A wide range of Xbox 360 accessories will be available on launch. The current list includes:

· Wireless (RRP$89.95*) and wired (RRP$69.95*) controllers

· Play charge cable (RRP$39.95*)

· Rechargeable battery pack and cradle (RRP$59.95*)

· Battery pack (RRP$24.95*)

· 20Gb hard drive (RRP$189.95*)

· 64MB Memory unit (RRP$59.95*)

· Wireless networking adaptor (RRP$189.95*)

· VGA cable (RRP$59.95*)

· Advanced AV pack (RRP$44.95*)

· High Definition AV pack (RRP$59.95*)

· Headset (RRP$59.95*)

· Faceplate (RRP$34.95*)

· Universal Media Remote (RRP$59.95*)


Xbox 360 consoles, games and accessories will be available from leading retail outlets.

Hhhhmmmmm, better start saving hard!

Games Plus Suck

I don’t buy games very often, and when I do I make sure I get the best deal I can. I’ve discovered that GP Store normally has the best prices before postage. But EB (what is with THAT site??) will match their competitors price, so…

I normally look online, then go to EB and get if for the GP price, minus the postage. Trouble is on Saturday EB had sold out of Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood, so I decided to try my luck at the new Games Plus store. They had heaps of copies of the game, but the price was $89.95 not the $82.95 advertised by GP. So I grabbed a copy of the game and took it up to the counter. I asked the guy if that was as low as they could go. He said that they’d already taken $10 of the recommended price. When I told him that GP had it for $82.95 he said that there was nothing he could do.

Nothing he could do? So this new gaming store, raised out of the ashes of Central Park doesn’t have the ability to be competitive? I wonder how long they will last?

So what was I to do? My wife wanted to go to The Warehouse, so I figured I could get it there, and fortunately they had one copy left, at a staggering $78.98!

Now I don’t like buying games at the Warehouse, in fact this was the first time, as I like to support the small specialist stores like EB who help bring gaming to the masses and keep the price lower.

So what’s the moral of this story? It has none; I just wanted to rant about how much Games Plus suck!

And to say what a friggen awesome game Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood is. It’s a step up, nay, a friggen leap up from the original, especially in enemy AI and difficulty, but it’s just as much fun and just as addictive.

That’s all, end of rant.

X-Box | Heroes Of The Pacific

Like many World War II games released over the last couple of years, Heroes puts you right in the middle of the action from the get go. This time you’re at Pearl Harbour when the Jap’s attack, and it’s up to you to save the day (again).

All sound a little to familiar? Well not to worry, this isn’t your usual WWII shooter; it’s a combat flight ‘simulator.’ And don’t let the word simulator scare you, cause it’s not really, though it does have two settings, simulator and arcade.

Sitting on the runway in your plane as luck would have it, you get to take off and prevent the Jap’s from destroying too many planes, and then some!

Once you’ve helped save the day (well, not quite save the day, but you know what I mean) it’s off to another Pacific hotspot as the game unfolds through some 30 missions, taken from actual military actions in WWII.

Along the way you take part in all manor of air combat with a variety of planes and upgrades available.

Graphically the game is amazing, with clouds, smoke and exploding planes all around you.

The gameplay is easy to get into (even if you, like me, skip the training part!) but is challenging enough to keep you coming back to try and get that little bit further.

Heroes brings a new dimension and a whole heap of fun to the WWII genre.

DVD | The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never read the book, or anything to do with the book. I’m a complete idiot when it comes to everything about this cult classic, and I get the feeling that I’m now going to be misquoted as saying, “I’m a complete idiot” with out the context of the previous sentence. Oh well, that’s life, don’t panic.

Anyway, back to the movie, Guide is a rather quirky British comedy. The kind of comedy where you don’t laugh out loud, rather chuckle inside at the absurd nature of what’s going on, and the subtleties and such. In that, it’s going to depend a lot on your taste for humour weather or not you enjoy this movie.

I for one enjoyed it, and coming at it from a ‘complete idiot” point of view, didn’t know if it was true to the book, or an absolute abomination. And I don’t care. What I saw turned out to be a rather interesting road trip/love story.

And also a kind of parable.

You see, the main character, Arthur Dent is so totally unprepared for the end of the world; it’s only his friend (from above) that saves him at the last minute, still in his pyjamas no less. The crazy thing is that notice of the impending destruction had been posted eons ago, but no body ever took notice. It’s a similar situation we find ourselves in, from a spiritual point of view; we all know the end has to come soon (the average lifespan of human is 70 or 80 years) but most of us would rather sit around with a bag over our heads then do anything about it. A lot of Christians are just as bad, and they have no excuse, they’ve read the notice and are still wearing bags.

Any way, back to the movie. Guide is a wondrous, visually stunning and imaginative movie, that should be seen by everyone who never got round to reading the book, especially those who love British humour.

Movie quote: It won't affect me, I'm already a woman.

DVD | Coach Carter

MTV. Not exactly renown for making great movies, especially not inspirational movies. But take a true story about controversial basketball coach who made national news after he locked out his never-lost-a-game basketball team because their academic performance wasn’t up to scratch. Place in this story the ever so talented Samuel L Jackson, as Carter, and you have the makings of a fantastic movie.

Coach Carter didn’t have to be the coach, it was a passion of his, not just Basketball, but also believing in people and wanting so much more for them, and such is the theme of this movie:

We all have the ability to live extraordinary lives. But working against us fulfilling our potential is belief. We have to believe in our selves, and the people around us have to believe in us also. It’s about the hidden potential in each of us that society often quashes through subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) messages. And it’s about one man who was prepared to take a stand and effect change in his community.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world; there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure about you.

We were all meant to shine as children ... it is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same as we are liberated from our own fear. Our presence automatically liberates others.

Of course it’s flawed and predictable in places, but it warms the heart and make for a relaxing, feel good evening in front of the TV.

DVD | Top Gear: Revved Up

Top Gear has to be one of the most unnecessary shows on British TV, well, apart from coronation Street. I mean It’s a car show, but it doesn’t really give you any practical advice what so ever. And the amount of money they spend on a show with no purpose is astounding.

So why is it so popular? Because it’s damn hilarious. It’s pure entertainment. It’s fun.

Richard Hammond (yes, the short guy) fronts this DVD collection of some of the best and most requested clips from the latest series. Being an occasional watcher I was pleased to see plenty of stuff that I hadn’t seen before, but even the stuff I had seen before still had me in fits of laughter.

So weather you like cars or not, this is a DVD that’s gonna tickle your funny bone, if you have one, that is.

Movie Quote #2

"So this is how liberty dies - with thunderous applause."

What movie is the quote from...?

DVD | Revenge Of The Sith

The galaxy is weary after three long years of war. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have become legendary heroes in their campaigns against the droid forces of the evil General Grievous. Anakin and his secret wife, Padme Amidala, have been separated for months, and he finally reunites with her to learn that she is pregnant. He is plagued by visions of her dying in childbirth, haunting images of a possible future. Anakin is determined to stop her from dying, no matter the cost. This leads Anakin down a dark path to commit terrible deeds. Obi-Wan Kenobi must face his former apprentice in a ferocious lightsaber duel on the firey world of Mustafar. Blah, blah, blah.

I used to be a Star Wars fan, and thought highly of George Lucas, but that was when I was younger, and Star Wars was a visionary movie. A ground breaking visual feast that set Hollywood ablaze. Lucas was pushing the boundaries of what could be done, and was inventing some of the best visual effects that have far reaching implications for today’s movies.

But then he decided to do the prequels. The world had moved on, but George hadn’t. Both episodes 1 & 2 were massive disappointments (to me anyway) but rumour was that he’d got it right with Episode 3: The Revenge Of The Sith.

Sadly the rumours were wrong. This was no better. Cardboard cut outs could act with more character than the small ensemble of actors in this movie. But you can’t blame the actors too much, it must be hard to try and act a scene when there is no scene. Nothing but green screen. Lucas’ over reliance on computers that so blighted the first two, now destroyed any hope of a decent final movie.

Sure the computer graphics are stunning. But they are all too perfect, and the inability of any actor to really be able to grasp the idea of acting on non-existent sets, with non-existent characters, destroys the story. I could go on but I won’t, it’s to easy to pick apart Lucas’ terrible decision to not use real sets or models.

And because it’s a sequel, the main fight scenes, the ones that should have had you on the edge of your seats, were about as exciting as watching paint dry. Sadly, knowing that both people in a duel to the death actual survive till the next movie kinda takes all the excitement away.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for the Sith. If nothing else, the movie answered all those nagging question we had about Darth, Luke and Co. And it showed in spectacular form how dangerous a mix power without character is. As the ever powerful Skywalker was lead astray by the subtle leading of the dark side, it was easy to see that a life grounded in Godly character is the only thing that’s going to keep the dark side at bay.

So basically, if you liked the first two, you’ll probably love Sith. If, Iike me you wish that Lucas had either left the franchise alone or given it to Peter Jackson, then you’ll hate it.

DVD | Batman Begins

Batman Begins is, as you’ve probably heard, the Batman Movie that the fans have been hanging out for. Well, I’m not fan, but compared to what has been done before, I’d say that this was the best, and could almost make me into a fan.

But for a comic book movie, it doesn’t really feel like a comic book movie. The real emphasis is on building the character of Bruce Wayne and his ascent into his alter ego Batman.

The movie starts off with Bruce as a little boy, falling into a well and waking up a cave of slumbering bats – it’s a defining moment in the movie, of which there are several. Another such moment is when bat-like characters in a play his Parents and himself are attending freak young Bruce. He convinces them to leave early, and its here that the defining tragedy occurs, a petty thief murders his parents.

Pretty soon we see Bruce as a man, bent on revenge, but it’s not until he finds a shadowy group of vigilantes who help him overcome his fear and train him to be a fighter for justice that he realises his true calling.

Along the way Bruce has to make many decisions, and it’s how he grows through these decisions that we see a man transformed from a vengeance is mine kind of guy to the honourable, lets do what’s right incarnation of Batman.

Batman Begins is a dark movie, set in the dark underworld of a city going to the dogs. Organised crime and conspiracy is rampant, and whilst Batman uses truth to bring light to the world, the movie it’s self is aided by some appropriately humours moments curtesy of the ever capable Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. The funny thing is these two veterans seem more at ease in there roles that Christian Bale does in his. Maybe it’ just me, but sometimes when he’s playing the part of Batman, she’s not always that convincing. Maybe I’m too cynical, and it’s only a minor point.

Another minor point is that the movie ends about 5 minutes too late, and finishes on a very un-needed cheesy moment. That along with more time needed for focussing on his training are my only two gripes about this movie. But now I’m just being picky.

A fantastic movie, with some great themes, set on a very dark backdrop of despair.

Movie Quote #1

"That's not a knife. THIS is a knife."

What's the movie?

DVD | Rock School

This documentary revolves around failed rock star Paul Green and his after school music school. Not so much a place to learn music, but more a place to be forced into the rock genre through constant verbal abuse form self taught ‘teacher’ Green.

His approach to encouragement is akin to that of Idol’s Simon Cowell, but where as Cowell has some redeeming features (namely his charisma), Green has no redemption. His school borders on chronic child abuse.

So why bother with Rock School? Well, as a documentary it does a damn fine job of showing the life of Rock School, and the journey that the participants take. It shows that if you’re strong enough to take on Green, he’ll kick you out – for all he wants is to be worshipped – a kind of Peter Pan crossed with a Hitler-ish control freak mentality. He needs the kids more than they need him. They are his wellspring of eternal youth.

Wether intentionally or not, Director Don Argott manages to produce a fairly entertaining documentary that leaves you wanting to give Green a spoonful, not, make that a bucketful of his own medicine. You’ll have to assume that this is the way Green really is as no sane man would do all that just for the camera. You also have to wonder if his tactics really work, as yes, he gets them to play some of the (apparently) most difficult rock music in the world, but is he just creating copycats or nurturing real talent?

Disney to buy Pixar?

Pixar's split with Disney was very public, and now Pixar is going it’s own way… leaving the likes of Toy Story and The Incredibles in Disney's library.

But have they really split, or is there more to the story?. ABC, a subsidiary of Disney has recently been helping out Pixar's parent company Apple. ABC made episodes of "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" available for download via Apple's new iTunes video download service. Apple website MacDailyNews suggests that not only may the two giants be getting back together, but Disney may be on the verge of actually buying Pixar.

"Mr. Jobs would consider a sale at the right price." But at what price? The company's market value is $5.9 billion, but Disney already owns the Pixar movie catalogue, so it's not like that will be part of the deal.

It’s obvious that nothing will happen though, until after this weekend.

Why? Chicken Little opens this weekend. If it’s a hit, Disney will think that they don’t need Pixar, but if it flops, who knows?

The real question in many peoples minds is what would happen if Disney did buy Pixar? Would they do the wise thing and leave Pixar to do it’s thing, or will they quash the creative spirit of Hollywoods only film studio never to have a flop?

Is Disney better off without Pixar? I think not. Is Pixar better off without Disney? A resounding yes.

DVD | The Machinist

The Machinist is a real head-trip. It’s designed to keep you on edge, to keep you wondering, to keep you confused. From the use of lighting, to the music and the concentration camp survivor looking Christian Bale. It’s one of the best psychological thrillers of the year.

The problem with reviewing a movie like this, is that it’s so very easy to give too much away, so I will warn you that reading this before seeing the movie may give the ending away.

You’ve been warned!

The main character, Trevor Reznik is suffering from a bad spell of insomnia, and hasn’t slept for a year. He spends his time compulsively cleaning his apartment and his hands. His only human companionship outside of work is split between a prostitute who’s fallen in love with him, and an romantic relationship with a waitress at a 24hr café.

But it’s at work that things really start to go wrong, as he starts to hallucinate and see a co-worker that no one else can see. With his mind transfixed by this person his concentration lapses causing a horrific injury to one of his workmates. Things go from bad to worse as he starts doubting his own sanity.

Paranoia and conspiracy theories abound in his head, and it’s not until he starts to look inside that he starts to discover the truth.

In a brilliant conclusion to this finely crafted masterpiece, we realise that we’ve been looking at the ability of guilt to destroy a life, and the freedom that confession can bring. For a gritty and dark movie it’s redemptive look at the power of truth over darkness is amazing, and we end up understand exactly why facing up to our responsibilities and problems works much better than trying to hide things we’d rather didn’t exist.

Jobs Sells 1M Videos!

Steve Jobs and Apple have done it again! Proving that he still has the golden touch, Jobs announced that iTunes Music Store customers have purchased and downloaded more than one million videos since they debuted on October 12. Customers can choose from over 2,000 music videos, Pixar short films and hit TV shows for just $1.99. Top downloads include music videos from Michael Jackson, Fatboy Slim and Kanye West; Pixar’s “For the Birds” and “Boundin’”; and episodes of ABC’s hit TV shows “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.”

“Selling one million videos in less than 20 days strongly suggests there is a market for legal video downloads,” said Jobs. “Our next challenge is to broaden our content offerings, so that customers can enjoy watching more videos on their computers and new iPods.”

Now, I really want an iPod. Donations can be made....

You’ve been splogged!

At first glance, it seems like a regular blog. But look closer and you'll see there's something very odd about the blog's content: It's very familiar. Too familiar.

That's because you wrote it, six months ago, on your own blog. The rest of the content doesn't make sense: The same word repeated over and over again. There are ads all over the sidebar for products like Viagra and mortgage loans.

This, you realize, is a splog, and you're the victim.

"Splogs," or spam blogs, are the latest way for spammers to manipulate the blogosphere for profit. The phenomenon hit an all-time high recently, when Google's blog-hosting service, Blogger, was inundated with more than 13,000 fake blogs spawned by a script (all have since been taken down).

Splog topics are often so nonsensical and wide-ranging they can be hard to pinpoint. Scott Beale of Laughing Squid said some really strange splogs have shown up on his watch list, everything from "Phish Rocks, Dude" to "Geeks Meet Greeks."

But why do sploggers do it? How do you know if you've been splogged? And what can you do to stop it? Here are a few tips:

[read the full article at wired.com]

Armageddon Games Preview Part 2

Ubisoft’s King Kong is looking pretty damn impressive. An action/adventure that looks to have enough action to keep even a hardened gamer happy. The one Ubisoft title that I had been hoping to take a look at, I couldn’t find. Brothers in Arms was an awesome game, and it’s sequel Earned In Blood looks even better on the trailer, but with out actually playing it, I wouldn’t want to rave about it too much!

Rockstar were showing off The Warriors. An classic movie turned into a video game. The look and feel of the game was good. Easy to get into, with the usual controls, but it suffered from the same problems as most action/adventure games: you can’t always take the most direct route. An interesting title, but not one that blows you away!

Sony’s latest party toy is BUZZ! The Music Quiz. A TV game show styled music knowledge game that will be a hit at parties and other gatherings this Christmas – you have be warned!

But the big one would have to be Microsoft and the X-Box 360. Now there is a sexy console. Sleek and with curves in all the right places, and a controller that just melts into your hand. Sadly theirs no official date, or price. In fact other than a jaw dropping trailer of a couple of games, Microsoft didn’t have much of anything. But I will say one thing; It’ll be worth the wait when it reaches NZ sometime early next year. Forget buying Christmas presents and save your money for a 360!

Armageddon Games Preview Part 1

Friday night saw the gaming industry in NZ treat the media to a preview of all that’s good and coming up over the next few months. Highlights were:

V8 Supercars 3
The early code on this game looks flippin amazing. Only got to play on one track: Bathurst. The think that struck me first was the incredible feeling of speed. It really was a step up from the last couple of games. The graphics of course were better, a lot better. The franchise is heading towards more of a simulation which is friggen awesome, so the handling was noticeable harder, but this being early code, handling will change, so I was told. The other main feature was the inclusion of racing rules, and it wasn’t long before my dangerous driving style that won me races in previous V8 games, earned me a drive through penalty.

The Path Of Neo
I didn’t play this much, ‘cause it was incredibly hard not knowing what I was supposed to be doing, but watching the Atari guy (who obviously had played it before!) I was blown away. Not just by the graphics and the fluid gameplay, but also by the fact that the game looked just like the movies. There was the foyer shootout from the original Matrix, and even the burley brawl. This is going to be THE game for Christmas.

More later.

DVD | Hotel Rwanda

Back in 1994, over a period of 100 days, an African country named Rwanda imploded with unrestrained racial fury. Almost a million people were slaughtered. And the civilized West saw the images on the TV news as we ate dinner, and did nothing about it.

Well, we did evacuate our own people. White people.

The UN was helpless and hopeless, with their hands tied with the ropes of bureaucracy. Rwanda would become a word that described the Western civilisations darkest hour, when we turned our backs on people in desperate need.

Hotel Rwanda focuses though not so much on the failures of the West, but the actions of one man. Paul Rusesabagina.

Paul Rusesabagina was a hotel manager in one of Rwanda’s flashest hotels, and when the violence flared up he did everything he could to protect his family. Initially he didn’t care about anyone else but his family. He would have died to save them. But then his family began to grow, as more and more people came to seek refuge, his eyes were opened, his heart broken and he became an accidental hero who did everything he could to save the lives of over a thousand people.

Hotel Rwanda is a heart-wrenching movie; it’s an emotional roller coaster that will leave you stunned. But it’s also one of the most inspirational movies of the year. It brings to life Edmund Burke’s famous quote: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Don Cheadle gives an outstanding lead performance, bringing a reality and passion to his character, and the movie it’s self does an amazing job of portraying the situation with as little visual gore as possible. Having said that, the movie is rate M and recommended for audiences 16 and over, as whilst the content may be controlled, the feel and atmosphere of the movie make sure you know what is going on.

NZ Post does KONG stamps!

But of course, I mean why wouldn't they? Expect a mad rush of Kong stamps appearing on letters, of course the sucky thing is you can't send the 'real' Kong stamp on an over seas letter, as Kong himself only appears on the 45c stamp....

RIP Vanilla Coke

I got some devestating news on the weekend. A friend who works for coke told me that they were about to ditch Vanilla coke. What am I going to do? I'll have to start drinking water again.

PS: Stay tuned, I've got some movie reviews coming!

News | Peter Jackson to do Halo!

Ok, so when Microsoft first announced that they wanted to bring Halo to Hollywood and create a blockbuster movie, I was a little cynical. I mean video games haven’t always made the best movies, and hell, Halo isn’t even all that as far as games go. At least in my humble opinion.

But news out yesterday brings hope for the project: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will be executive producers, and the whole shin-dig is being done in Wellington. Whilst it would have been better news if Peter had also been named as the Director, it will be interesting to see how this little movie works out.

Here’s the official blurb from the good people at Microsoft…..

Triple-Academy Award® winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have been signed as executive producers of Halo®, the forthcoming feature film based on Microsoft’s hugely popular game for Xbox and Windows PC.

The movie will be filmed in Wellington, with the pair providing creative counsel on all aspects of the film through WingNut Films. It will make use of the team’s award-winning production and post-production facilities, including Weta Digital Ltd, Weta Workshop Ltd, Stone Street Studios and Park Road Post, to create the mind-blowing creatures, miniatures and effects Jackson and Walsh are famous for.

Peter Jackson, a gaming fan, said: “I’m excited to bring Halo’s premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today’s technology can provide. I’m a huge fan of the game and look forward to helping it come alive on the cinema screen.”

Jackson’s involvement isn’t the only Kiwi connection to the game, however. One of Halo’s developers is Bungie Studios’ Chris Butcher, who grew up in Kakanui, a small town just outside of Oamaru.

Microsoft New Zealand product marketing manager Tom Hunt, said: “This is an incredible announcement, both for Xbox and for New Zealand. Halo is the most popular game on Xbox and has a massive local following, and the character Master Chief has become a cult figure.

“We can’t wait to see the game brought to life on the big screen, and we can’t imagine anyone better placed to do this than the legendary team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.”

Pre-production on Halo will start immediately, with shooting due to begin in May 2006. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox studios in mid-2007. Acclaimed UK novelist and screenwriter Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) wrote the original feature film adaptation, and a director is to be announced shortly.

Nobody's Perfect #1

Continuity can be a problem, and for the most part mistakes go unoticed by most movie goers, but I have to ask, how does an extra olive appear on your stick.....

Constantine 2?

Ok, so I haven’t been posting very regularly recently, but that’s because I’ve been working 10-12 hour days and I’ve been too whacked to even think about movies. Reading other peoples websites and stealing their stories is much easier at the moment, so when I came across a rant about Warner Bros dragging their feet over a Constantine sequel that tickled my fancy, at one of my favourite movie sites, I decided to let y’all have a read.

Now he comes up with some good points, is a tad rude in places (you’ve been warner!!hahahahqahaha), and ends up with a similar thought to me, but I’m gonna take a stand and say to Warner Bros: Don’t do it. A Constantine sequel would suck big time. Like most sequels do. I mean the great thing about Constantine was the originality of it, the fresh-ness of it, something that can’t be carried into a sequel.

But hell, enough of my ranting, read the stolen rant right here:

With recent news that Warner Bros are twiddling their thumbs and playing with their executive balls when considering a sequel to this year’s CONSTANTINE one can only sigh the deepest of sighs when thinking of their salivating eagerness to flick the often abused green-light sequel switch for the likes of MISS. CONGENIALITY, CATS & DOGS and SCOOBY DOO.

The comic book Keanu starrer may not have bought in the same kind of buckage as most of the aforementioned cinematic shit-splats but it was by no means a flop and, most importantly, the film possessed (please hold)… IDEAS. Now, repeat that once again like that badly animated paedo looking fella from ‘Sesame Street’; I-D-E-A-S.

CONSTANTINE was not a perfect film, but for a big-budget Warner release it was something of a revelation (no pun intended.. or was it?).

Fans of its source material, Vertigo’s "Hellblazer" comics, were concerned that their foul-mouthed, chain smoking, cancer-ridden anti hero John Constantine would come out the arse end of the Hollywood Machine acting more like Hugh Grant in Richard Curtis’ ‘LOVELY LOVE IS LOVELY’ (coming soon).

They needn’t have worried; with newcomer Francis Lawrence coming good, CONSTANTINE only went through a handful of alterations; his trademark olive jacket did a ‘Kingpin’ and morphed to black and his Liverpudlian twang was twisted into the calming tones of one Ted Theodore Logan. But the quirks, defects, cynicism and addictions remained. A minor miracle if you consider that nowadays it’s virtually impossible for a studio to allow you to simply commit a cigarette to celluloid, the fact that Reeves was sucking back 20 cancer-sticks a second and coughing up blood into a rusty plug-hole was something to behold (am I sick?).

Then of course there’s the whole religious to-do, a backstabbing Gabriel (excellently played by an androgynous Tilda Swinton), multiple suicide attempts AND the concept of the Devil and God treating the human-race like a planet of toy Weebles (but, oh how we DO fall down). All of this in a ‘mainstream’ studio flick?

I’ll happily take a different coloured coat and a transatlantic switcheroo over Sandra Bullock falling over and the systematic rape of an iconic childhood cartoon canine anytime.

So, the argument against a sequel? Well, I suppose this is where those predictable and jaded Keanu bashers come out of the woodwork. Criticising Keanu Reeves’ thesp abilities seems to be a no-brainer knee jerk reaction for some film geeks, most of these critiques are often riddled with ‘Excellents’, ‘Duuuudes’ and ‘Woahs’. Ingenius.

Well for my money Keanu Reeves is a movie-star, I enjoy watching his performances and I will happily pay the admission price to see him playing a time-travelling valley dude, a lovelorn vampire hunter, a Chilli Pepper bashing surf-cop, a Dennis Hopper decapitating bus driver or a Commodore 64 infecting Martial Artist.

Reeves seems to have a precise and graceful movement on camera as if his use of the space around him and his knowledge of the frame is as much a tool as his own physical performance, it’s intriguing to watch and to instantly dismiss his abilities is most non, non-heinous.

I wasn’t a particular fan of the MATRIX trilogy, in fact I didn’t even warm to the original so whilst I endured the unforgivable debacle that was RELOADED and REVOLUTIONS with a somewhat smug and self-satisfied grin on my handsome face, I joyfully observed my Morpheus loving buddies turn their salty popcorn even saltier with their pathetic tears.

BUT ask yourself this? Who else could have played Neo? The true test of a great iconic movie character (Dirty Harry, Peter Venkman, Ferris Bueller, The Godfather, Deuce Bigelow; European Gigolo) is when you simply cannot imagine another actor playing that part. Who of Reeves’ peers could have entered the mainframe so effortlessly? John Cusack? Sean Penn? Charlie Sheen? Deuce Bigalow; European Gigolo? Reeves all the way.. dude.

So with this in mind and the fact that CONSTANTINE is now cleaning up around the globe on DVD what’s Warner’s problem? They’ve already gotten through the controversial material unscathed and built a foundation (and a following) for a very intriguing franchise…so what’s the delay Bugs?

Maybe they’ve had visions of CONSTANTINE : RELOADED?

The author of this column is Dan Palmer, not OnScreen. Just in case you didn’t get that from my intro.

Have an awesome weekend now y’all.

What Movie Am I #22

Sean Penn plays a death row inmate.

DVD | I Heart Huckabees

Convinced that a series of coincidences involving a doorman hold some secret to life's largest riddles, Albert Markovski seeks the help of a detective agency unlike any other. . . which leads him down a path that questions the essence of existence itself.

So starts the bizarre movie that is Huckabees. And I use the term movie very loosely, as this is a movie unlike any other. It’s a movie which seems to have no plot or direction. A movie that claims to be a comedy, but uses very intellectual humour. Not that intellectual humour is bad, at least it gets you thinking about what you’re watching, but I do like a bit of slapstick now and then.

So to say that Huckabees is a very funny movie could be true, but it could also be a lie – It’s kind of a parody of the movie itself, it depends on what you believe humour to be.

So I guess you could call Huckabees one of those strange movies. A movie about the meaning of life, about how we’re connected, about our needs. I’m not sure that it answers any of the questions that it poses, but it does make you think, and thinking is good for the brain.

What I can say for certain, is that Huckabees has some outstanding acting.

DVD | 2B Perfectly Honest

This is an interesting little comedy. It starts out as a predictable movie, but soon the main character gets in a bit of bother, and not long after, weird stuff starts happening. Most of the time you’re left wondering what is going on, but in the end everything is sorted out. It wasn’t a huge barrel of laughs but did connect with my Bible reading the next day, Proverbs 32:4-5.

News | New Website

One or two people may have noticed that there have been no movie news or reviews for a week now. Sadly I’ve been very busy at work and just haven’t had time to write any reviews. I have seen a few DVDs, so don’t worry, reviews should start appearing later this week.

One of the things that has kept me busy over the past week is a new Christian Music Website that I’ve been working on. It’s pretty much an example of what you can do for next to no cost, with just about no knowledge of html (I created the main page with Mozzila’s free web page creator!).

News | A Scanner Darkly

Whilst these posters might not excite many people, I quite like them. They are bold, well cropped and are more of a tease than trying to portray anything but the feel of the movie.

And lets face it, the movie is gonna rock big time.

Click here to see the whole range of posters, thanks to JoBlo.com

DVD | Constantine

I received Constantine on DVD yesterday, so any plans I might have had for last night were out the window. I looked the kids in their rooms, sat down with the wife, lights out and settled in to see how well the movie had translated from big screen to DVD.

Let me tell you, it’s still as good as it was the first time. Sure, it’s diminished a little by the size, but lets face it, more and more people are buying bigger TVs and more of us are staying home to watch movies, so size isn’t the issue it used to be.

And what of the whole disc of extras? Well, you’ll have to wait for that, that’s my weekend job.

If you like spiritually significant, freaky supernatural-edge-of-your-seats thrillers, with deadpan acting by Keanu, then you’ll love Constantine.

If you don’t like that sort of thing, well, you should!!

DVD | Harsh Realm

Harsh Realm, part The Matrix, part Apocalypse Now was created by Chris Carter and dropped by Fox after only 3 episodes. Consequently it never made it ti New Zealand as a TV programme, but now 6 years later it’s arrived on DVD.

Basically, the story goes like this: The US Military have created a virtual reality world that mirrors our world, and have been using it to train their forces. But someone has discovered how to hack in to the programme and has taken over, so now the military must send someone in to take him out.

The storyline didn’t grab me either, but the first episode did. Being based in a huge virtual world much like the Matrix, gives the series huge scope and stops it from getting tired. It’s action packed and the characters are loveable, add to that some light cheese moments and you have the perfect sci-fi series.

Whilst it does suffer occasionally in the special effects department, the quality is great and shows no hint of dating despite it’s 6 year hiatus in Fox’s wharehouses.

Be glad that this has finally seen the light of day in good ole New Zealand.

DVD | Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is one of those funny films. It’s not one that I would have picked, but there wasn’t a lot else available at the time. It’s also not a film that had me on the edge of my seat.

But the more I think about the movie, the more I like it. The way Morgan Freeman’s character narrates reminded me of The Shawshank Redemption. But Freeman isn’t the main focus; he’s more of a constant background piece. The main characters are played by the ever-capable Clint Eastwood, and Hilary Swank, who gives an outstanding performance.

Basically a story regret and looking for redemption, Million Dollar Baby brings two very different people with similar hurts and needs, together in a journey of acceptance, trust and commitment. Two characters who have let down or been let down by their respective families find in each other a family worth fighting for.

Fortunately Eastwood stays away from Hollywood clichés and delivers a knock out blow that you don’t see coming in the form a huge twist that changes the entire focus and direction of the movie.

And it’s a twist that I’m gonna stay away from as it will ruin the movie if you haven’t seen it.

As I said earlier, this movie didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, but it did keep me thinking long after the movie was over. So if you’re looking for something to think about, a movie that’ gonna give your grey matter something to do, then grab a copy of Million Dollar Baby.

Quote | Scott Derrickson

“To me, the horror genre is the genre of non-denial. It's about admitting that there is evil in the world, and recognizing that there is evil within us, and that we're not in control, and that the things that we are afraid of must be confronted in order for us to relinquish that fear. And I think that the horror genre serves a great purpose in bolstering our understanding of what is evil and therefore better defining what is good. And of course I'm talking about, really, the potential of the horror genre, because there are a lot of horror films that don't do these things. It is a genre that's full of exploitation, but the better films in the genre certainly accomplish, I think, very noble things."

Scott Derrickson, director and writer; The The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

X-Box | Fahrenheit

You are Lucas Kane. You are sitting in a male restroom, your wrists had been hacked with a knife and you’re not completely sure who you are or where you are. Another man walks into the restroom and proceeds to use the washbasin. Suddenly you rise from the toilet and stumble towards the man. But you can’t control your actions; you’ve been possessed; your eyes are white, rolled back and your face expressionless. You’re floating above your body, watching as you lunge towards the man with the knife knocking him to the floor. Then you sit on the man and stab him on the restroom floor in a sacrificial killing. Suddenly, you are released from your possessed state, return to you body and realise the atrocity you’ve just committed. Shocked and stunned you drop the knife and panic quickly sets in.

This is where the game begins and you take control. But I use the term ‘game’ lightly as this plays more like an interactive action thriller. Kinda like those old school text adventures, but this time instead of typing ‘west’ you get to move your character around and interact with the environment and other people. But be careful, everything you do has a consequence.

Having only played a short demo, I’m hooked and can’t wait till it’s released. The graphics are beautiful, if somewhat dark and moody, but that sets the tone for the game

Fahrenheit is going to be one of the most original and addictive games of the year.

DVD | Cellular

Starting off a little cheesy, this popcorn thriller owes a lot to the very underrated Colin Farrell thriller Phone Booth, which is no wonder as Larry Cohen wrote them both.

But no matter how it starts, the ride gets fast very early on and turns into a very solid thriller, with some laugh out loud scenes just to let you know it’s only a movie. A great combination of elements makes for a very enjoyable watch that in the end keeps you hooked to the very last frame.

The funny thing is, the main bad guy, the ever capable Jason Statham seems somewhat out of place in a movie populated by faces your recognise, but no actual real players (unless you call Kim Basinger a real actress).

Trivia
The movie the kidnappers are watching is "Final Destination 2" Also there is an announcement at the aiport for "Volé Flight 180 to Paris," a reference to the original "Final Destination" Both are New Line productions, as was Cellular.

DVD | Finding Neverland

I like movies with Johnny Depp in them, hell I even enjoyed 21 Jump Street (in it’s day). He seems attracted to the unusual, challenging roles, and he usually nails them.

Finding Neverland is based on the experiences of author J M Barrie during the time he wrote the children’s classic Peter Pan. Coming off the despair of writing a major flop, Barrie meets a widow and her four boys one day in the park. He finds and instant connection and bonds with the kids, re-kindling his imagination, and helping him discover Neverland.

But the time he spends with the widow and her family has consequences he never dreamed of. (I’m not gonna spoil it for you, you’ll just have to rent/buy the dvd!)

Neverland is an enchanting movie, and the theme of unconditional love and acceptance of children really brought to life Matthew 18 where Jesus extols us to become like little children, and to welcome the children. It’s a sad indictment of adulthood that we often loose the imagination and excitement that we had as children.

Fortunately Depp brings his character to life and creates and believable oasis in a time and society that frowned on such unruly behaviour. Neither action packed nor edge of your seats, Neverland pleases in other ways. It speaks to the heart and leaves you with a feeling of hope.

Trivia
In the scene where the families are sitting down for a formal dinner, and Barrie is entertaining the children, behind the scenes the producers and Depp used a fart machine to make the children laugh more.

News | Some Movies Suck!

Thanks to Joblo for this tip off, but according to the New York Times, the reason that people aren’t going to the movies so much any more could be due to bad marketing, high fuel costs, or shock, horror, too many Hollywood movies these days are just not good enough.

Yep, it’s official, too many recent movies have sucked. Hhmmmm, but is this news to anyone, hell I commented on this fact a while back, but hey if the NYT says so, then it must be true.

Oh dear, poor Hollywood, they might just have to think for a change and start creating some truly interesting movies, now that would be something to look forward to!

News | Saw 2 Poster Banned

Ok, maybe it’s because I’m not American that I don’t get how that wonderful country works. Or maybe it’s just that regulating bodies around the world all don’t make sense – hell the Aussies decided to ban GTA:SA after nude sex scene became unlockable – so what about the thousands of games already sold? Does that make you a criminal for owning a copy? Ooops, getting off topic.

So, Lions Gate released a teaser poster for Saw 2, and the MPAA didn’t realise, at first. But now they’ve seen it, they don’t like it so they’ve banned it. Fair enough, we have to keep ‘unacceptable’ content off our movie posters don’t we?

So what’s the deal with the replacement? Hell, I can’t see how less offensive it would be, but then, I didn’t find the fist one offensive!

Spot the difference!

Trailer | Jarhead

Now this is looking like a damn funny anti-war movie, with some deadpan black humour a-la American Beauty. Could be a winner. Check out the trailer, like now!

What Movie Am I #21

My title is Yiddish for 'monster'.

DVD | Young Adam

I struggled with this movie. It’s so bleak and dark, and every second scene seems to have nudity or sex or both. The funny thing is it never felt like it was gratuitous nudity, rather another element in a sad spiralling life story.

The cinematography is wonderful, moody, well thought out, but still, because the movie is, so the scenery is too: bleak and dreary. You can probably guess at this stage that this doesn’t have ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’ or ‘edge of your seats thriller’ written all over it. In fact it moves at a deafeningly slow pace. But if nothing else, the acting is riveting, with Ewan McGregor translating the lead role with believable authenticity.

And I think that’s the point. And it’s the only point that I could grasp from this movie: life then was slow, bleak and depressing. So much so that our (anti) hero is so desperate for some life that he mistakes sex for fulfilment and wanders on a journey of regret from one women to another, not realising that he’s destroying himself and many others along the way.

A sobering look at the reality of sex without love.

News | Tsunami Movie

I guess we shouldn’t really be surprised at this news, Hollywoood after all only ever has one thing on it’s mind: profit. But is it just me, or does it seem a little too soon to be talking about a movie based around last year’s Tsunami disaster?

Writer/Director Michael Patwin doesn’t seem to think so. His low budget movie aims to have a ‘historical’ feel to it.

And what’s the main focus of the movie? The story of an American man who, in the aftermath of the disaster walks barefoot for seventy miles to find his wife and child.

Apparently Patwin was inspired to write the story after reading news stories of locals who had walked to find their loved ones.

Hhhmmmm, so why change it to a (presumably white) American, and not leave it as a local. Oh that’s right, if it’s not about Americans, it won’t sell. Hell, if we really want to make it into an American story, they should angle it some how to make Al Qaida responsible for the tsunami. Yeah, now that’s a movie even George W could get behind...

DVD | The Real Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown’s best seller The Da Vinci Code stirred up a storm of controversy when it was released, mainly due to the claims it made about the Holy Grail.

Ask most Christians and weather they’ve read the book or not, they’ll tell you that it’s a load of rubbish. Me, I’ve read the book. Interesting story, quite action packed in places, but a little too preachy for my liking. The thing that really irked me about the book though, was that at the start Dan claims that whilst the book is a novel, most of it is based on fact.

So it was with keen interest that I watched The Real Da Vinci Code last night. It was a bit of en eye opener. I’d grown up knowing about the traditional Holy Grail – the cup that Jesus drank from at the last supper, but I didn’t know that there was more than one version of this story, and that it was just that. A story. A novel in fact. One of the first works of fiction is the story of the Holy Grail. The cup of Christ is nothing but a best selling novel, written so long ago that most people take it for historical fact.

But what about the other stuff in Dan’s book? The secret societies, locations and even University departments. None of it is real. Sure, Dan did his research and found out about all these things that he wrote about, but what he didn’t realise (at least, let’s assume he didn’t realise) was that like countless people before him, he had been had. He’d uncovered stories that he either wanted to be true, or didn’t have the time to investigate properly.

And what of Leonardo’s painting of the Last Supper? What of the secret messages hidden in that? According to the DVD, there is likely a hidden message in it, but more of a shout out to the man who paid for it to be painted then any secret societal code.

But the question that doesn’t get answered by this DVD is who’s the biggest sucker? Dan Brown for not getting his facts right or countless readers who believed everything he said.

DVD | Criminal

Criminal is an interesting little movie about 2 con artists who meet by accident and decide to team up. The older, wiser one, mentoring the younger, less sure one. It starts slow and seems predictable, I mean it’s not rocket science is it – one of them is our to fleece the other, right?

Well if I told you, It’d ruin the movie for you. But hey, it’s not as predictable as it might first seem. For the most part, you’re wondering who’s gonna fleece who, switching between the two of them from scene to scene as the movie progresses.

And then more characters come in, and you don’t know how the hell it’s gonna end, and it ends up being a really enjoyable movie.

The really weird thing is. Is that it’s unbelievably honest, right at the end of the movie, when you’re sitting back smiling and laughing, it fades to black and the words ‘Based on the movie Nine Queens’ appears. And you think damn, that’s weird. I mean have you ever seen a movie that admitted to ripping off another movie? I know a lot of movies are rip offs of other movies but do they ever admit to it? Hmmmmm, weird.

But a good little movie, and a far better thing to watch on a Monday night than say, Desperate Housewifes…….

DVD | Saw

I’ve been excited about Saw ever since seeing the teaser trailer with the lady and the contraption on her head. Sadly I couldn’t get to see it at the movies, but as the saying goes; good things come to he who waits.

I picked up an ex-rental copy of Saw from my local Video Ezy for only $12.50 this week and the timing was perfect, with my wife at a ladies weekend, I was able to watch it last night.

I can’t say too much about the story line, as I don’t want to risk ruining it for any one who is still waiting to see it, but let me say that the journey wasn’t how I had expected it. But man, what a ride it was. I was glued to the TV for the full length of the movie – no popcorn or coke required!

Visually spectacular, Saw keeps the heart rate going through plenty of gore – not just gore for gores sake, but twisted gore. Situations that any sane mind just couldn’t come up with – but that’s the point of the movie, serial killers are seldom sane of mind!

And the twists and turns are great, you never quite know what’s going to happen next, and you never see the end coming – definitely not a Hollywood ending!

The acting? You wanna know about the acting? Well to be honest no matter how excited I was about this movie, the cast left me with doubts. Danny Glover never excites me and Mr Princess Bride himself Cary Elwes, well he was great in The Princess Bride, but in a gritty, dark as hell, serial killer movie?

Well blow me down with a feather if Cary didn’t give the performance of his career – who knew he had it in him? And Danny – he was damn fine as well. It just goes to show that you don’t need the latest hot actor to make a great movie.

If you liked Seven, then Saw is for you. If you cried for weeks when Bambi died, better steer clear.

DVD | The Brotherhood Of War

Ok, I’ll admit, I love a good modern war movie. Saving Private Ryan and Band Of Brothers are my two favourite DVDs. Hell I even enjoyed A Very Long Engagement and that was more a love story.

But the Korean War isn’t a historical event that gets a lot of movie attention, so It was good to see a Korean movie that gave an honest approach to it.

Sure the story line revolves around two brothers, and this may have caused a few of the more unbelievable points in the movie, but you’ve got to remember that Korean culture puts greater emphasis on family and respect.

The first 25 minuets is used to get us familiar with the brothers, their families and their dreams. It’s a good ploy to get us personally connected to the main characters and feel for what happens to them. It shows the human side to war very well.

As well as showing the human side of war, the movie sets out to show how dehumanising war is. It’s a brutal war movie – very similar to the opening scenes of SPR in it’s cinematic carnage.

Brotherhood however goes much further than SPR, it takes us through the entire war, showing us how dangerous war is in dehumanising us, and creating an environment for atrocities on both sides of the conflict. Brotherhood doesn’t set out to say who was right and who was wrong. Rather it seems to be more of an anti war movie.

This isn’t a movie for the faint of heart, Director Je-gyu Kang leaves nothing to the imagination when dealing with the battle field or the atrocities of war. This is one of the most visually gruesome war movies that I’ve seen, but it has to be to make it’s point. War is hell, hell is ugly, war is ugly, this movie is visually and emotionally ugly.

But it does have a redemptive ending, and ending that gives us hope. And ending that is hinted at in the beginning, but comes by way of an unexpected journey.

All in all a great movie, showcasing Korea as a credible player in the world of movie making.

I’m not sure when this DVD will get released in NZ. I think it has a September release in Australia so sometime in October would be a good guess.

What Movie Am I #20

Way back in 1986 I had Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards play husband and wife, but more importantly this movie was the breakout role for my main star who went on to such roles as a Nascar Driver, a Samurai and more recently a dad.

X-Box | Doom 3

Ok, so this is where I admit I’m not a hardcore gamer. Sure I’d love to spend more time playing games, but I have a job, way too many DVDs to watch and more importantly a lovely wife and three beautiful daughters to spend time with. You can probably judge from this that I’m probably not that good at games either. Hell, whilst I’m being honest I’ll admit to only ever fully completing 2 games – V8 Supercars 2 and Brothers In Arms (easy setting!).

So what’s a useless some-time gamer like me doing with a copy of Doom 3? Well I saw it in a bargain bin. And it was the special edition metal case version. And to be honest once again, it was the cool metal case that made me buy it. Sure I had wanted to play the game ever since seeing the screen shots and reading about it, but I’m crap at FPS, and I tend to go for the more ‘realistic’ ones like Rainbow 6 or Brothers In Arms. I don’t really see the need of playing a game where alien scum are hell bent on killing me. I also like the fact with the aforementioned games you get other men to send ahead of you. Obviously I’m a wimp.

So anyway, there I am Saturday night (well, technically it was Sunday morning), kids have been asleep for hours and the wife has just taken The Da Vinci Code to bed, so I fire up the X-Box, grab the headphones and turn off the lights. I decide to go for the standard skill setting – not going to try and be a hero, or take it to easy. The first thing I notic is how damn good the graphics are. Then there’s the way you walk, with a little bit of a head bob/body sway. None of the standard FPS gliding here. And the sound, my footsteps echoed down the metal hall, whilst various announcements blared at me from various speakers and the static hum of machinery buzzed around me. This was a game that took emersion seriously – I was hooked, hell, I was THERE. I was in the game and the game hadn’t even really started.

First I had to get my orders and then get armed. My first mission was to locate an AWOL scientist on one of the lower levels. I met various people on the way, and was temped to test out my sidearm on most of them, but figured I might need the bullets later. It was a freaky enough trip getting down there – not being quite sure if there were any monsters waiting for me. There wasn’t

I found the missing scientist and he wasn’t too pleased to see me – through again of testing my gun, but held on to self-control. I should have popped one in his head as it turns out. Suddenly all this freaky light and sounds start happening around us, and then as soon as it’s died down. The scientist comes at me with a rather unsettling I-want-to-kill-you look in his eyes. I’m not too sure if I’m allowed to kill him (I obviously don’t have killer instincts) but when he starts laying into me I decide to put a couple of rounds into him, and then a few more.

I’ve got new orders now – orders are being screamed over the intercom to re-group. There’s also a whole lot of screaming and dying going on over the airwaves. I’m not looking forward to the journey ahead of me.

I start off down a familiar poorly lit corridor, gun in had, freaking-my-ass and wondering what’s ahead of me when some one - make that something – starts shooting at me – no problem, I’ll shoot back. To cut a long story short, I never made it back to the top. I dispatched all manner of ‘men’ and monsters and picked up a few spare weapons along the way, but I wasn’t quite up to the task. And when I died, instead of having another go as I normally would with any other game, I ripped the headphones off and turned the light on.

I was emotionally exhausted and physically drained. I’d been fully emersed in the game for about 20-30 minuets – a short game session even by my standards, but I’d had enough excitement for one night. I will be having another go next weekend, no doubt about it. And I will get to the end of the level. I will.

But if it’s not the freakiest most enjoyable ‘realistic’ game I’ve played, I don’t know what is. Sure GTA SA is a heap of fun, but it’s a cartoon compared to Doom 3, and Brothers In Arms is a realistic journey, but Doom 3 was full on, no rest, relentless action fest that left me breathless.

But it’s not perfect. No game ever will be. It suffers like all FPS from the very linear play. You HAVE to go here to get THIS to go THERE. Sure there’s plenty to find and places to go that you don’t have to – but game play is VERY scripted. But this wasn’t a biggie for the short period that I was playing, and like I said, I’ll be back with vengeance next weekend to give it another go.

What Movie Am I #19

Robin Williams plays a doctor and Robert De Niro plays his patient.

DVD | Bullitt

Steve McQueen is the king of cool. There was just something about him. Charisma I suppose. But having only seen him in 2 prison break movies I wasn’t sure what to expect in a cop movie.

Now a word of warning, classic movies can seem tired at times, especially to a generation spoilt by special effects blockbusters, but I think Bullitt manages to stand the test of time somewhat. The story line is pretty basic, with a bit of a twist, but it’s good enough to keep the story moving along.

The real highlight of the movie though is the car chase scene, and it’s got to be one of the best. Looking for realism, there’s no 200 cop car piles ups as seen in the Blues Brothers, in fact this is purely a two care chase, with no special effects. And you know what, not having all the candyfloss of exploding cop cars actually makes for a refreshing change, and an edge of your seat ride.

All in all the movie rides on weather or not you like Steve McQueen movies or a good car chase, as the plot has some glaring holes, an gets a little confusing in places.

DVD | Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

I wasn’t expecting much from this movie and I still ended up being disappointed. But it was for different reasons that I expected.

Knowing that the entire movie was done on blue screens with no real sets – just like the hideous Episodes 1 & 2 of Star Wars – was for me what was going to let the whole movie down. I figured that after George Lucas tried unsuccessfully to do an ultra-realistic movie this way, and failed, Sky Captain would suffer the same fate.

In this I was dead wrong. Instead of trying to make the movie ultra-realistic, the soft focus, tonal range and colouring of this movie all lend itself to more of an animated feel than a live action movie. From just a visual perspective this movie is awesome.

So what lets it down? I was expecting a superhero type action adventure movie, with huge battle scenes that would blow me out of my seat. Instead what I got was a very cool looking, but slow paced drama. Hell, The Incredibles was more an action movie than this was.

But maybe it was just my expectations that ruined the movie for me. If I knew it was going to be a period drama (albeit a fantasy period drama) then I may have been pleasantly surprised. So who’s to blame for my miss-choice of movie type? Did I not investigate the movie enough before ordering, or was the movie wrongfully promoted as an action flick?

Hhhmmm, let me see…. “innovative… special effects that will thrill you and amaze you right through to the action-packed finale.”

I guess they just figured that angling it as an action movie would sell it better than a drama…

DVD | Carnivale

Carnivale is a period drama for people like me how don’t like period drama. It’s dark and brooding. It’s a tale of good and evil, darkness and light. But it never lets you know which is which. It keeps you on your toes.

Superbly filmed, acted and thought out, it’s one of the most original TV series I have seen in a while. Though it’s based around the lives of a travelling Carnivale (hence the name) it’s really about two people – one a young man trying to come to terms with his supernatural ability to heal, who takes a job in the Carnivale after his mother dies. The other is a preacher who gets a very clear mandate from God, but to fulfil this mandate, people start to die.

Both it seems are on a journey of discovery, and it’s unlikely that they will meet, at least in this the first season. But it’s a journey that’s both compelling and sad. The Carnivale is a place where the weird and wonderful find solace in their own company – who make money by having people come gawk at them, A strong subplot is the way prejudice was rampant, and how these people are treated as outcasts, just because they are not the societal norm.

The twist is that the preacher’s (played with an air of sinisterness by Shawshank’s most hated guard, Clancy Brown) mandate is to another group of outcasts, immigrant workers. So we’re left rooting for both sides of this eternal conflict. Only time will tell which side we should to cheering on. For the time being I’m going to enjoy the ride.

Trailer | V For Vendetta

I’v been raving about V For Vendetta for a while now, and finally the trailer is online. I’m not sure what to think, I’m still optimistic about this movie, but after seeing the trailer admit to being a little bit worried that it may turn out cheesy. Hell, what am I saying, it’s gonna rock.

Grand Sex Auto

So Rockstar did it. Big deal. So the US Video Game Industry changed the rating for GTA San Andreas to AO, what for? Sure the game has hidden explicit sexual content. Content that was apparently to risqué to Rockstar to have as part of the final game, but in a twist of fate was left in the code, so that some Dutch computer geek could discover it and promote a little bit of software HE WROTE that gives gamers access to it.

So hold on, the sex isn’t available unless you download third party software? So what’s the big deal? Wouldn’t it be easier to ban the third party software? And why act surprised – this is after all the most loved and most hated game franchise ever. It’s known for it’s violence and sexual content.

And why don’t we blame the media, websites and blogs (yes, me included) ‘cause if some Dutch geek found it, it would only have a limited life, but now the media and governments are blowing the whole thing out of proportion, EVERYONE knows about it. It’s been given a life of its own – it’s huge.

And lets not forget one thing, it’s an R-18 game – it’s designed for adults. So what’s the big deal? Adults have sex. Adults watch porn, Some adults even hire prostitutes (apparently). But sex hidden in a game and discovered by a Dutch computer geek – oh my goodness, that’s a national emergency. What if little Johnny gets to witness two computer generated characters having sex? Well, what the hell is little Johnny playing GTA for in the first place? Huh? GTA isn’t a kids game.

And whilst I’m ranting, yes I have played GTA SA. And yes, I ENJOY it. Not for the violence and not for the sex (sex isn’t a necessary part of the game) but for the FREEDOM that this game gives you. Most games are story driven and don’t let you go and do your own thing.

But GTA SA lets you do just about anything. You can earn money, you can buy cloths, eat food, get fat, work out at the gym, go for a swim, get a pilots licence, walk around, explore, drive cars, you can even get a mechanic to upgrade your car. But all we hear about GTA SA in the media is how you can drive down the footpath and kill people, or more recently have sex with people. Sounds like a media bias to me.

So what’s a good Christian boy like me doing playing such an evil game? Probably because I enjoy blobbing out for a few hours one night a week and playing games. Probably because it’s one of the best games available. But most importantly, I like most other gamers can tell the difference between a game and reality.

That’s it, ranting over. Just a little something for y’all to masticate on over the weekend.

Movie | War Of The Worlds

Ok, first up I’m assuming that most people already know the basic story, so I’m not gonna worry about putting spoilers in here.

In 1975 Steven Spielberg invented the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ genre with Jaws. Whilst most summer blockbusters occur in winter for us lucky Kiwis, the blockbuster season should be a well known phenomenon for all movie goers, as movie studios fall over each other trying to get the best release for their blockbuster thrill ride.

But in recent years, sure fire hits have missed the mark and cinema ticket sales have been steadily falling. Movie studio’s have been blaming movie piracy for this down turn, but that’s just wishful thinking. Most people will recognise the slump for what it is – there’s a lack of really good movies recently, that added with rising ticket prices, the grotty state of most cinema complexes and the rise of home theatre and the drop in DVD prices all add up to one thing: falling ticket sales.

So what makes WOTW so good? Well I’ll be honest, I decided to give the local Village Cinemas in Manukau a miss – the place is in need of a complete make over. The joy of going to the movies has long gone from that place. Instead I gave Berkley Cinemas a go.

All I can say is wow – welcome back to room dominating huge cinema screens of my youth. The screen was huge. The seats were impressive and the sound sharp. Ok, so it wasn’t perfect (there were huge problems whilst the trailers were being played) and I’d like to see how it measures up in about 5 years. But hell, it gave me back a love for going out to the movies.

So possibly the venue made the movie bigger than it is, but I’m guessing it’s the return of the true Summer Blockbuster. It had everything going for it. Based on a great story is a good start, the story was given a modern do over. The acting was great – Ok, I don’t really like Tom Cruise, but he rocked in Collateral, and he did a good job in WOTW. And then there’s my man Tim Robbins, playing a flipped-out conspiracy theorist that plays a key role in the story.

But story line and acting alone can’t produce a blockbuster – as with jaws there has to be believable special effects. WOTW has awesome CGI by the truckload, all done in a gritty, realistic way. It also has that other compulsory component: the freak me out time and time again factor. This is one hell of a ride. Sure the movie slows down form time to time, but the War kicks off within the first 15 minutes, and once those badass aliens come up out of the ground, they are constantly there, if not visually, then they can still be heard or felt. It’s a scary ride.

Ok, spoiler warning, I’m about to give away the well known ending and a not so well known part of the plot.

The ending was great, stayed true to the original, and the voice over by Morgan Freeman was great. The unstoppable alien force was stopped by a common organism that as Freeman states, was created by God just to ensure the continued survival of man. Now this is cool on two different levels: Firstly we have a Hollywood blockbuster where God is given the credit for saving mankind, and in the same instance we have Hollywood blockbuster that doesn’t have America saving the world, all over again. Did you hear me? It’s an American movie where the superiority of Americans over every other country, saves the world. God did.

But there was another way to stop the aliens that our all American hero discovered, and I’m not sure how the movie would have turned out had this theme been explored more. But at one point in the later stages of the movie Tom Cruises character is captured by one of the alien machine as a kind of fuel source, and though he is saved at the last minuet by some very Finding Nemo team work, he was prepared by destroy the alien machine by a method of warfare most feared by Americans (and more recently, Londoners): The suicide bomber. Tom just happened to have a couple of grenades on him, and as he was being sucked up into the machine, he pulled the pins. When he got pulled back out Nemo style, he left the grenades in the machine and boom – the only human way to kill the killing machine was discovered – it’s weakness was laid bare.

DVD | Ladder 49

Ok, first up, this isn’t an action flick. If you’re looking for another Hollywood action fest then Ladder 49 will possibly disappoint. What it is, is an action packed drama.

The movie kicks off in the present time as our hero Jack Morrison (played by the ever capable Joaquin Phoenix) gets himself into a difficult situation whilst saving lives in a huge fire.

Most of the movie however is played through flashbacks, as we follow Jacks journey from rookie fire-fighter, to husband, father and onto hero. It’s a story that is full of clichés, but more importantly it’s well acted with plenty of drama, emotion and laughs. It portrays the reality of life as a fire-fighter, and draws you into the lives of the people involved.

The emotional levels are ramped up as we follow Jacks life, whilst he is trapped and alone in a burning 20 story building. We’re propelled toward an ending that we know has only two possible outcomes, and for the most part it’s impossible to know what the ending is going to be.

It’s a very credible look into the life of a big city fire-fighter and should give any viewer an appreciation for what fire-fighters do, even in smaller countries like New Zealand.

Who's The Link #5

Three Kings

The Thin Red Line

Valley Girl

DVD | Elektra

Ok, I admit to not expecting much from this movie, after all it is a spin off from the less that lovable Daredevil.

But I was pleasantly surprised with all aspects of this movie. Jennifer Garner does a good job at continuing the role of Elektra, this time being the leading character in a superhero movie. This is a darker movie where good and evil fight in the shadows, sometimes in epic battles and sometimes in the souls of individuals.

In this movie, the battle is not only for the soul of Elektra but also an exceptionally talented young girl, who is known as The Gift.

With some great action, a fast paced plot and great CGI, it’s a movie that will appeal to action fans. For me though, it went a lot deeper than your average action flick. It had a very strong spiritual side.

Spiritual Aspects

So it’s not hard to see the spiritual aspects of this movie – at least not the supernatural abilities of the evil characters, the followers of the hand. But the spiritual connections go deeper than that.

Stick, played by Terence Stamp is an almost Christ-like figure. Not only does he raise Elektra from the dead, but he also lets her go her own way so that she can discover her true vocation; clear her heart of revenge and embrace her new life, ‘some things cannot be taught but have to be lived to understand’.

He never actually leaves her – he’s always watching her and waiting for the time when she is ready to meet him again. When she’s ready to discover the truth, to let go of her past, he comes to her aid.

Evil is also portrayed exceptionally well through the character of Typhoid, played by Natassia Malthe. She has been cursed with abominable twist on the Midas touch – instead of gold, everything she touches dies. In one scene she comments that she was once considered The Gift, and didn’t like the new competition. This hints that she was once a good character who has been seduced by the dark side, and has been slowly decaying ever since.

The main battleground in the movie is for the souls of the two main characters, with the dark side deciding that if they can’t have them, they would kill them and the light side only concerned for their life.

All in all a great movie from both and action/escapism point of view and an emergent Christian point of view.

PS2 | Street Racing Syndicate

Street Racing Syndicate is pure and simply an arcade racer. It doesn’t try and be a simulation: its focus is fun.

But it’s fun with add-ons. More than just your standard arcade racer, this is street racing – you get to put money down on every race, and more importantly you are racing for kudos. And how do you win races? Sure, good driving is a must, but its how you tune your car that matters – what additional parts you purchase and install can give you the edge over the competition.

Other factors come later in the game such as trying to impress girls, racing for your opponents car and avoiding the cops.

It’s an easy to get into game, and this may be its weakest point, as it may be a little to easy to keep serious race fans hooked.

DVD | Ruby & Quentin

Ruby, a ruthless criminal is thrown into jail after stealing someone else ill got gains. All he wants to do is get out, take a little revenge and get to his money. Unfortunately he is put in a cell with Quentin – the world’s dumbest thief.

Together they somehow manage to escape and are on the run from both the police and the people Ruby stole off. Despite his best attempts, Ruby just can’t shake off Quentin.

It’s hard to explain why, but this is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen for a while – I think its because the French, for all their faults, know how to use humour in a visual way so that it transcends the problems of translation.

DVD | Ong Bak

Apparently Tony Jaa is the new Bruce Lee/Jackie Chan.

Can’t say that I’ve seen any Bruce Lee movies, but I can see the similarities to early Chan movies. Only his movies seemed lighter.

Back to the movie at hand, some one has stolen the head of Ong Bak (A local village god) and it’s up to local Muay Thai fighter Ting to travel to the dark and violent underworld of Bangkok and fight for it’s return.

Darker and more violent that most Jackie Chan movies, Ong Bak does contain some funny and very well done Chan-esque set pieces that leave you wondering just how the hell he just did that. But set pieces does not make a movie, and if you took these away and removed the fighting you wouldn’t have much of a movie.

A movie like this is of course all about the fighting – and the fight scenes are great – with no wire use or CGI it’s amazing to see just what Tony Jaa can do. But for me it comes back to the fact that with wire work, the fight scenes in movies like Arahan and Hero add a unreal almost humorous feel to the movie that lightens the mood.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do like dark movies, but sometimes I want more that just violence.

Having said that – given the right scripts, Tony Jaa will be some one to look out for.

August/Spetember release.

DVD | My House In Umbria

This made for TV HBO drama is a delightful, if somewhat erratic tale of four survivors.

All four meet for the first time on a train, and with the exception of Emily, they each loose someone close in the explosion that destroys the carriage they were in. Whilst they are recovering in hospital, Emily decides that it would be good to offer her house in Umbria as a place to recuperate when they are released from hospital.

As it turns out the house is an ideal setting, and emotional wounds start to heal. It’s a slow process, and Emily is able to help through her own past experience with pain. The story has a few twists and turns; some elements aren’t followed and leave you wondering what was happening, but all in all, a fairly solid story, with a cunning twist.

Well, not so much a twist as a concept. After watching the movie, and thinking about certain scenes, the way the movie was set up, and the ending, you’ll be left wondering if the whole story wasn’t just an idea for one of Emily’s next novels.

Truth they say is stranger than fiction, so who knows!

What is evident in this movie is some great acting and beautiful surroundings make this an ideal movie for fans of intriguing dramas.

Movie | Appleseed

Visually stunning, Appleseed is a fusion of traditional Anime style with 3D computer generated images, running at breakneck speed. It’s an action movie exploding out of the constraints of both Hollywood and Animation. It has the imagination and the attention to detail of a Peter Jackson blockbuster. It stars out dark, with a foreboding warning from the book of revelations. But it promises a bright future in utopia.

The only problem with utopia, as one character notices in the movie, is that it’s only a self-imposed prison. And with any prison, someone is running it.

This is where the story kicks in. Our heroine has been rescued from the bad lands, from a life of war to one of peace in a perfect city. But she can see the hairline cracks in a society that is blissfully un-aware that there is a power struggle going on.

As the movie continues, our heroine finds it increasingly difficult to figure out who she can trust, ultimately having to face her past in order to find her future.

With themes of love, forgiveness and racial harmony this movie has plenty of great themes running through it. Complex at times, and with a pace that can be hard to keep up with, it’s ultimate statement is that we have to learn to live with each other if we’re going to survive.

Appleseed can be seen at the Telecom International Film Festival in Auckland tonight, but I’m not sure if it will follow the festival around the country. There will however be plenty of other great movies on offer.

News | London

I was going to watch a movie titled Fidel & Che last night and post my thoughts today, but just before putting the DVD on, news broke of the London bombings, and I was glued to my TV for the next couple of hours. With family and friends living in and around London my DVD watching took a back seat and was soon forgotten.

It’s a shame when groups think the only way to get their message across is to use violence against weak targets, but that’s the world we live in. No political comments from me on this, this is after all a DVD/Movie review blog.

On to something nicer, I won’t be posting on Monday as I will be enjoying a day in the city with my wife and some complimentary tickets to see Appleseed as part of the Auckland International Film Festival. If anyone is going to be in Auckland over the next couple of weeks I’d urge them to check out some of the great movies on offer. Take a break from Hollywood blockbusters and find a hidden gem. You’ll love it.

DVD | Suspect

Ok, so Tom Cruise might be nuts, but these guys are insane. But in a good way.

Suspect: Ill Mannered Hooligans is a film by Ryan Gibb. And I’m using the term film very loosely. Basically it’s some of the best extreme mountain biking you’re ever likely to see. These guys are nuts. In one chapter, titled The Struggle they talk about their injuries; ‘snapped my ankle joint in half’ ‘broke my left leg and my right leg in the same season’ ‘my femur was forced into my tibia’ Ouch.

As I said, these guy are crazy – but in a good way. It’s awesome to see what they can do on a good day, and the whole thing is set to a rocking soundtrack that includes one of my favourite groups; Thousand Foot Krutch.

So if you’re into mountain biking and want to be inspired to be suicidal, or you love extreme sports then this is for you. If not, check it out anyway, ‘cause its cool.

News | Is Tom Cruise Nuts?

According to one website the answer is a definite yes. And from what I’ve heard in the media, I’d have to agree.

The first sign of nuttyness was when Cruise fired his long-time publicist, Pat Kingsley last year, and replaced her with Lee Anne DeVette.

And who is Lee Anne DeVette? Cruise’s real-life sister and fellow Scientologist. Well, hello! No wonder he’s become a nut, spouting everything Scientology, he’s being managed by a fellow nut!

Is their any hope for cradle snatching Cruise, or will his ranting actually make studios scared of him?

Only time will tell. In the meantime we can only hope that Cruise comes back down to earth, soon.

DVD | Arahan

Sang Hwan is probably the only honest policeman in South Korea. Trouble is he’s also clumsy and timid – not exactly what you’d expect from a policeman – especially on the mean streets of South Korea.

When Sang stumbles onto something totally over his head, he is taken under the wings of a mysterious group calling themselves the Seven Masters. These masters see in Sang a power that they them selves have and decide to train Sang, and help him understand who he really is.

Whilst his training is going on, an evil force is released from captivity and wants to seek revenge on the Seven Masters and ultimately the world.

As you can guess, in the end it comes down to Sang to save the world, and the girl. Oh yes, there’s a girl. But she’s a girl that wants to kick his butt (at first) so it’s all good.

It’s not an easy road for Sang, along the way he has to discover his inner strength and struggle with the desire for revenge over the need to stay focused on good.

The fight scenes are awesome with some imaginative wire work, and the mood is kept fairly light with plenty of humour.

Overall this is a very entertaining mix of laughter and action.

DVD | Saved!

Now this is an interesting mix. It’s basically a clichéd teen comedy, about perfect girls trying to find their place in the world. But throw into the mix the setting; American Eagle Christian School, and you have something quite unusual.

In places this is a very funny movie. It’s honest look at charismatic Christianity is unnervingly close to the real thing, and it doesn’t look good on screen. It would make great viewing fro some Christians, the only problem being that the Christians I’m thinking of are the very ones portrayed in this movie, and I doubt they would be amused!

But from my lopsided Christian view, I found it to be a real eye opener, and although it’s a light hearted comedy, the not-so-subtle plot showed that being perfect is far from what we should be. Perfect is a far cry from acceptance. Perfect is a world away from grace.

And more importantly, perfect people are only ‘perfect’ on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that matters, and as the film shows, it’s only when we start being honest with ourselves that we really discover who we are and who are friends are.

As I said before, a clichéd teen comedy, but with a great message.

DVD | Stealing Beauty

This interesting movie has a pre-Lord of the Rings Liv Tyler as a nineteen year old virgin who travels to Italy to discover who her real father is, and to re-kindle a relationship with an Italian boy.

It’s another of those movies that will bore the crap out of most people, but if you give it a chance, actually turns out to be a delightful little gem.

It’s a hard movie to tie down, but essentially a coming of age movie, with some superb acting by Liv. Set in a bohemian world of an artists community, the movie focuses on relationships. Relationships on many different levels and reasons. It’s here that the movie really shines, with some interesting commentary no modern relationships, and the disruptive influence of casual sex.

An interesting movie if you have the stomach for a story that demands your concetration.