TV REVIEW: BLACK MIRROR, WHITE CHRISTMAS

Black Mirror, a show that regularly applies imagined technology from the not-so-distant future against the cracks of human weakness. In Charlie Brooker’s dystopian British Christmas special, extrapolates how Google Glass and implanted tech might dilute our sense of humanity in the most disturbing of fashion. Black Mirror episodes usually run around forty-five minutes; just enough time to introduce characters, and delve deeply and thoroughly into one central concept. At nearly twice that length, “White Christmas” has more space to kill. splitting up the running time into three interlocking tales and a frame story. All of which ultimately connect together to tell one big story. We learn the consequences of humans using technology to reform how we see the world and to force those closest to us into new roles or contexts. This special is supremely disturbing but necessary holiday viewing.

As sad-sack Joe wakes up, dazed, in a snowbound cottage, with the radio and Jon Hamm (Mad Men’s Don Draper) preparing Christmas lunch. You want to know what on earth is going on?

Seems these two people have been stuck with each other in a desolate place of the earth. There uncomfortable body language and dull conversation gives a sense that they have both done something wrong if their former lives. Being Christmas Matt (Jon Hamm) a good-looking man with charisma. Feels they need to open up and conversate more. Joe is hesitant about making conversation at all. So Matt open up first proceedings , explaining that he used to have a hobby helping men attract women, counselling them in real time. This segment introduces augmented Google Glass. People now have Z-Eye implants let them control and share what they see. 

 It’s in this kind of technological advance - one that doesn’t seem far off in the realm of possibility but that has the potential to shatter human relationships. We learn that Matt is a dubious character, he is a seedy pickup artist, who coaches loser into getting woman. All while conducting to a voyeuristic choir of online pervs. Yet one of his clients, upon meeting a glamorous but severely disturbed woman at a Christmas office party, had unwittingly persuaded her to kill both him and herself – to silence the voices in their heads. We saw the fellow vainly insisting that the voice in his bonce was real. “No one understands what that’s like!” she smiled, as her fatally spiked drinks claimed them both.

Hamm gives Matt this atmosphere of being all nice, friendly and good-natured. Both those facts make you want to trust him. He is also has this perfect kind of swaggering, smug Yank. That first story helps breakdown his character. You become invested in this story. Like Joe you become more intrigued about this what this handsome man has done. Where lured into his story web. As he asked Joe “What do you think my real job was ?”

The next interwoven story. Tell us of his previous actual job. Starts of in a hospital with what seem like a simple procedure. Then turns all kind of dark and twisted. We are introduced to a beautiful porcelain-skinned spoilt brat. That has make a cookie of herself in order to run her digitally controlled house. Trouble is the copy is completely sentient. Matt job is to break this digital doppelgangers into obedient slaves. Forever trapped in the dwelling’s circuitry with nothing to do but draw blinds and make toast. What are our responsibilities to the people who provide our consumer luxury? And is digital enslavement something we should be signing a petition about anytime soon?  You’ll never again take your phone’s “intelligent personal assistant” for granted again. This was the darkest of the 3 stories. At this point in proceedings, Matt is the villain of the piece. He’s manipulative, deceitful and views people by category.

We jump back to the cabin in the snow. With Matt confessing all this horrible sins. Joe finally open up about what he did. Turns out that the former’s girlfriend fell pregnant, had permanently blocked him and vanished. Why? Because, as he eventually learnt, in an appallingly tense scene, the baby wasn’t his. Joe kills the grandfather and left the tot to freeze, he had been found by police, unwilling to talk. The slack is quickly picked up by the final segment, which ties all the elements of the previous hour with deft efficiency, twist and unblinking bleakness.

If you thought there was something fishy about Matt and Joe confines, you were right. This was in fact an artificial construct. As Matt being digitally sent in by police to tease a confession out of Joe’s cookie. Like an episode of any procedural cop drama. Matt was only helping to gain freedom. Although he might have gain it, he’s still being punished for his previous, illicit hobby. Now being universally blocked, reducing the rest of humanity to indistinct, inaudible pixels. But, as the real Joe languished in jail, his cookie had a yet worse deal, incarcerated for millennia in the digital snow-globe in which it had been all along, with I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday playing on a never-ending loop.

It was thrilling stuff: escapist entertainment with a very real-world sting in its tail. Like the stronger of the previous Black Mirrors, it exaggerated present-day technology and obsessions to subtle but infernal effect, a nightmare-before-Christmas reminder that to revere our digital gizmos is to become their pathetic slave

5 out of 5 dystopian Christmas waffles

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HOBBIT- BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES (2014)

Concluding the second trilogy set in the Lord of the Rings universe, the question is: does The Battle of Five Armies provide a satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy. Added to this, there is the added pressure of providing a conclusion that lives up to the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Under all this pressure, The Hobbit unfortunately buckles, often feeling bloated and full of pointless action sequences while missing the emotional investment necessary to make the action sequences worthwhile.
 
The Battle of Five Armies picks up where the previous Hobbit movie lets off, with the dwarves awakening the dragon and failing to kill it, setting it on a rampage on the human settlement close by. Gandalf has also just been captured by the Necromancer and an army of Orcs is ready to march upon the good people of middle earth. Add into this an army of elves and dwarves coming to try and claim the treasures in Smaug's horde, it appears as if all the pieces are in place for a grandiose conclusion to The Hobbit Trilogy.
 
And this is where the movie begins to fall over. With a rampaging dragon serving as the prologue and the titular Battle of Five Armies, this movie has allot of action. It begins with the dragon fight, with Smaug rampaging through the human settlement. This battle scene starts the movie on the right path, as the characters and emotional investment has been established from the previous movies. After this, we have Elrond, Saruman and Galadriel stage a rescue of Gandalf and defeat of the Necromancer which is also really cool.

And then there is a giant lull in the action as we are teased with a possibility of the dwarves fighting the elves and humans, which we know is never going to happen. This part is meant to establish the characters involved in the final battle and their internal struggles, but it just feels bloated. And that is exactly how the final battle feels. The Orcs never feel as a threat as main characters just seem to go through them like a hot knife through butter. It doesn't help that most of the main battle sequences are concluded off screen. This is because the movie often focuses on individual characters that we don't care about. This movie feels like it goes out of its way to show how cool all there characters are as opposed to showing the characters and the battles progress more naturally.
 
This is a movie that the Lord of the Rings production crew seems to have used to take a victory lap of showing characters being cool and pandering to them. It tries to do major battle sequences, but it never feels like the characters are in any danger. Compared to Return of the King with its tighter focus and much more engaging battle sequences, the Battle of Five Armies feels like an unsatisfying conclusion to the Hobbit trilogy. Even as a standalone movie, it feels like an over bloated action movie that is ineffective in establishing an emotional connection with the audience which is only saved by a couple of cool sequences towards the beginning of the movie.

2 out of 5 Dragon-toasted Waffles.
 
 

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: MEMETIC #1

This week, along with a hefty stack of all the other comics I’m reading, I picked up Memetic #1 from Boom! Studios. I remember reading about and the premise of a weaponized meme that destroy civilisation and bring about the apocalypse as pretty interesting. Actually a suck for apocalypstic story. That was the whole reason I saw Mel Gibsons ‘Apocalypto’, which was a great movie and you should check it out. Memetric does well at building spense and intrigue. Only a 3 part mini series so establishing world, character and atmosphere is critical special in the first few pages of a comic book. The visual sell that before moment of everyday life. With our protagonist Aaron following an argument with his boyfriend,all done via texts or facebook messenger. Aaron finds unable able to sleep so he starts scrolling through Raddit (That world version of Reddit) in his room rather than going to sleep. Not long into Aaron internet procrastinating that he comes across a picture of a sloth, smiling and giving a thumbs up surrounded by trippy circles and colours. A Raddit post author insists that the image makes them “feel amazing”. Due to Aaron all too human mutant ability to distinguish colour (other than blue). Think that Aaron having a hearing aid will play an important part of the story.

 As the day progresses all of his friends, and soon the entire world becomes infatuated with the ‘Good Times Sloth’, with everyone reporting euphoria and a general feeling of happiness.to the point where many as it a sign from god. Really like how the sloth is taking of the background of the whole book. From giant TV to community billboards. You start not being able to unsee the it. Only those who can’t see the picture, like Marcus, the blind former head of US Military Intelligence, or unique cases like Aaron aren’t infatuated. Artist Eryk Donovan does a excellent job of setting up the atmosphere of uncertainty and mystery. He captures the invisible thread of information following on top our world with bold text message blocks. Give a sense of movement having the Sloth showing up everywhere not just in the background. Show how the image has affected the person.Either by having the image set in the character eyes like it was burned in, to just being happy/crazy by thrusting the image on everything like the crazy cat lady from the simpson. 

All it excellent service to Writer James Tynion IV. The character are relatable and fauld to begin with. Then in a few short pages there breakdown into crazed killers. If his point was to ponder if a meme spread destruction worldwide would it be very successfully. Than I would answer yes it would.Memetic delivers it’s first issue in style, with a truly gripping and unique storyline brought to life with stylish visuals which help subtly illustrate the direction of the plot, this series is a must buy, departing from the traditional superhero genre commonly associated with comics to something a little more intriguing and unique.









 4 out of 5 ‘Good Times Sloth’

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK (2014)

Keanu Reeves is back to his action roots in his latest offering, John Wick. An pure-bred action movie that excels in driving home a relentless pace above all else, John Wick sees Keanu play the titular hero, a retired hitman who just wanted to be left in peace following the death of his wife (by cancer). Unfortunately, life has other plans. Unfortunate for life, that is.

His wife's dying gift to him is a dog, which he takes care of. That is, right up until some Russian thugs break in, beat him up and kill his dog. Still grieving, Keanu then decides to track down the thugs and make them pay for killing his dog, stepping back into the hired killer game. And because you know it is one of those movies, the thugs just happen to be involved in the Russian mob (one of the thugs is the head guys son),

What follows is a rampage of revenge as Keanu takes up the mantle of professional hitman once again and carves a bloody swathe through the Russian mob. He has nothing to gain from his rampage, but for the next 80 minutes we are taken with him through slick gunplay and hand-to-hand combat sequences. From the first time he glares at the camera following the death of his dog, you know it has hit the fan for the people that had the gall to cross him.

In that firs glare, you see that Keanu Reeves has nailed the part of John Wick, He has the action chops and the detached coolness that is so often misused in other movies put to great effect here. He is also backed by a stellar supporting cast playing mobsters and other hitman out to get the bounty placed on his head as everyone is caught up in a frantic pace with just enough quiet moments to let the audience catch its breath.

After every quiet moment, we get a slick action sequence where Keanu does his stuff. These action sequences feel gritty and dirty. This is because every encounter feels like anything could happen. As opposed to one character being a superhero, there is always a threat of danger and henchmen aren't treated lightly, always posing some threat to Keanu during the hand-to-hand fighting or gunplay.

John Wick is a really good action movie. It never tries to be anything more than what it is and drives a relentless pace forward. It also puts in enough quite moments so that the audience isn't too overwhelmed with a cacophony of noise.

5 out of 5 Wick'ed Waffles.

Sword Art Online

I used to love anime when I was youngling, from pokemon to evangelion and everything in between. The shows were completely different from the usual cartoons I would watch. Was the main reason I became curious about japanese culture. As I grew older I found that anime was just the same stereotypical characters placed in another different setting. My interest in the medium dried up, except for Miyazaki films. My recent trip to japan and the advent of site that stream anime has seen my enjoyment of the medium return.One thing I learnt is that there is a massive amount of anime. Was a rather daunting task, trying to pick one to start watching.

The premise of Sword Art Online is instead of being stuck in the matrix your were instead trapped in World of Warcraft.  Our story follows Kirito, one of the 10,000 lucky people to log into Sword Art Online, a new, highly anticipated virtual reality MMORPG. Eventually  the players discover that they cannot log out when the creator of the game, Akihiko Kayaba issues them an ultimatum: if they die in the game, so will their bodies in the real world. The only way out is to pass all one-hundred floors—each a self-contained world in and of itself—and defeat the game's final boss.

The idea a might not have been very original but I thought there was a lot they might be able to do with the series. The first few episode are a bit flat, as the character and the world are only just started to be fleshed out. The series shined from around episodes 4-13 and I wish they would have kept with that pace. I was totally loving the show in those episode, watching Kirito go from noob to badass was great. 

 Seeing how others character adjusted to their new lives inside the game drew me in. The psychological implications of being in a virtual reality for so long that you start to wonder if the real world even exists. And if it does exist, should everyone still be trying to get back to it instead of giving up and starting to make new lives for themselves inside the game world. That was so smart and played out in the background of the shows main story. Allowed the creator time to play with different story ideas. Sometime  it's a mystery; sometimes it's a love story; sometimes criminal suspense; sometimes supernatural horror; and sometimes it's a straight-up fantasy adventure.

It was such a disappointment that halfway through the series they resolve the main arch of getting out of the game. Which would have been fine, if they decided to focus their attention on the players adjusting back into the real word. It was so frustrating to watch the show just repeat itselfs. I wanted to know how Kirito would handle being powered down to normal human after being a super saiyan ninja warrior. Do we get that explanation ? Nope. He just wakes up and moves on to finding his girlfriend. It was such a missed opportunity. The show just feels like it became a wish-fulfillment drug for male teenagers and adults who are addicted to online gaming and can't deal with real-life challenges.

Really annoys me that they went in the same direction. Would have been great for the show to talk to its audience about an issue that relevant to todays society. As gaming addiction is real, I myself have had a good friend lose themselves to it. More important to show these issue and how they affect people. If handled well it could have been a better story then the fantasy one. Highly suggest watching the first 14 episode, they’re highly enjoyable. After that just take sometime to think about the message the shows is talking about.

3 out of 5 virtual reality super saiyan ninja warriors.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, Exodus: Gods and Kings is uneven and lacking in emotion. The real shame is watching famed British director Ridley Scott, the visionary behind such classics as Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. In a creative dead zone. The movie hits all the major points, like checking off boxes on a list, yet tells its tale at an arms-length with paper-thin characters. I would actually suggest watching DreamWorks, The Prince of Egypt to get a more nuance and emotional oomph then Exodus.

Exodus is one of the most telling examples of storytelling mediocrity .Which is completely overshadowed by amazing  production values. The visual are clearly lavishly splurged upon . From the monuments through to the slums of the slave's right down to the extra clad streets, Exodus brims with life and a detailed and often incredible visual palette. What’s the point to all these amazing production values if the script never engages it’s characters. Feels like Scott has become more concerned with spectacle than story.

Before seeing the movie, the media were making a lot of noise around the casting of actors in Exodus. I honestly don't care, Hollywood been making biblical movie with high profile actors since forever. What’s more important to me is if the cast can turn that performance into something. That’s their job. Christian Bale fairs the best, only because he’s imitating Russell Crowe from Gladiator. His incarnation as Moses is unbalanced, they’re moments of

humanity but he feels more a like BC batman. You never really feel the weight of Moses actions and as a audience you don't care what he does. Because you are never given a reason why Moses care about his people. Bale is also the only character in the film that looks like he ages or gets hurt. Everyone else just seems to get sand or dirt on themselves.

Joel Edgerton general looks confused. Like he not sure what to do with his character. The performance is decent but lacking. He plays Rhamses like a confused child with

eyeliner and grizzled looks. It would have been better to just do full over the top villain. The rest of the cast is sadly mis handled. Signorine Weaver is in this movie. She literally does nothing. Then disappears into the background never to be seen again. Aaron Paul's Joshua and Ben Kinglsey's Nun do nothing memorial. They occasionally get to make a face between angry, confused or battle mode. The film has a few genuine moments of memorability, that being all largely related to the onset of the plagues. 

These really are the set piece for seeing the movie. The impressive visuals, stunning sets and genuinely wow moments concerning the plagues lift the movie up. Shows off Scott’s masterful direction of his production department. Like a conductor of biblical mayhem. It’s not enough to save this emotionally void epic from a giant wave of the mundane. 

I hope he can break his slump and remember how to portray his characters actions. Rather than relying on visual effects.

2 out of 5  confused actors with eyeliner and grizzled looks.

Interstellar

I really haven't been in the mood to watch a movie. Been avoiding seeing Interstellar because it would require me to sit in the one spot for 3 hours. I just feel like that could be time spent on doing other things. Like understanding how science works. Plus I was still disappointed by the dark knight rises. My curiosity for the movie out weighed these issue, plus it was so hot outside. That the idea of sitting in a room with air conditioning for 3 hours was the real reason why I went and saw Interstellar. The film begins by establishing its own rhythm. Along with setting out its ambitions: man overexploiting land resources, humanity forgotten they’re explores and the pursuit of science is a waste of energy. The best we can hope for is death by suffocation. It’s a rather bleak scenario. Which I found contrasted against the mid west america corn fields where the sky is still bright blue and the fields are green gave a sense of hope. So you never really get that imminent death feel. In the cornfields of the midwest we meet Cooper or as I called him Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot played by Matthew McConaughey. A man in born at the wrong time. We spend just enough time with Cooper and his family before he is whisked away into space to try and save humanity.


Once in space the movie really turns into a epic journey. One that goes beyond space and time. It’s also Nolan most emotional film to date, about love and time. But it's so much more than that too. I found the the script balanced the both the hard science elements and emotion human side really well. The visual effects are an amazing achievement. To see a black hole created through visual effects in such a way, with pages theoretical equations provided by Kip Thorne (theoretical physicist, of whom's work inspired the film's genesis); what you see in the film is the most realistic depiction of a black hole.


Just a shame that all the alien planets were so bland. Watch as Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot, Science Woman and Sci-Fi mash up bot explore Ice Planet, Water Planet and Rock Planet. These are minor issue. Think the film biggest asset is the family/love connection that Cooper has with his daughter, personal feltl it keeped me tethered to the film. Have to admit it got me in the feels a few times, especially after they returned from Water Planet. The emotional core of this story is the relationship of Matthew McConaughey's character and his daughter - Mackenzie Foy' and Jessica Chastain' character. McConaughey acting was really great.. All the drama and tragedy of the relationship of father and daughter in this film will not leave anyone indifferent. Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn and other actors also coped with their roles and presented the film's supporting characters very realistic.

I would particularly like to note a small but important role of the two robots that accompanied our heroes in this difficult journey. As they added a nice touch of humor. Interstellar is a film that wins the hearts of the audience not only with its sci-fi splendor, but also an emotional story that lies at its very heart. This film is not only about the discoveries, space exploration and the final frontier of mankind, but also about the relationship of we share. I would say these is Nolan's best film to date. It takes on a heavy subject matter, yet doesn't feel like its ever taking down to you. Was nice to see a movie with heart and a brain. The story is punctuated with moments of true human values ​​and emotions. Has outstanding performances, breathtaking visuals and a epic and dramatic soundtrack.Christopher Nolan has create a masterful sci-fi epic in the league of 2001 Space Odessy.  

4 out of 5 Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot

MOVIE REVIEW: SIN CITY- A DAME TO KILL FOR (2014)

 Calling the original Sin City (based on a comic written by Frank Miller) one of my favourite movies is a bit of an understatement. I loved the style it was filmed in, the stories it told and the whole "bad people doing bad things for good reasons" vibe from all the stories. So to call the latest instalment of Sin City- A Dame to Kill For (from now on called Dame) underwhelming would also be an understatement.

 Dame is set in the same style as the original, telling 3 (or maybe 4, I am struggling to remember) separate stories that are kind-of interwoven. There is the titular Dame story, the story about a gambler trying to win big against a congressman, and a sequel story about Jessica Alba also getting revenge against the congressman who killed Bruce Willis in the first movie. Some of these are prequel stories to the original movie as well, just to try to keep riding on the coat-tails of a better movie.

 The immediate problem Dame has is how much the sequel feels like it has condensed the world. Instead of telling 3 unique stories that might have passing tie-ins to the original, it instead recycles most the characters and locations. Instead of Sin City feeling like a city where anything can happen and anyone can be brought, you are left with a story where everything seems to revolve around the one seedy place. This is in contrast to the original where 3 separate stories were told that just happened to go through some of the same locales.

 Along the way, it also seems to lose the sense of style that defined the first one. Without this style, even the first movie would have felt mediocre. Of the new stories told, the Dame story is the best, and even then it feels like it lacks any real depth. Too often it seems to fall into hero worship of the original characters (such as Marv and Miko), and it never feels like there is any real threat to them. When any of your characters feel like they can blast through the most dangerous henchmen that the most dangerous man in the city can muster, then the gritty style of the original movie is lost, and that feels like a problem for this kind-of movie.

 There are other issues also present. Most of the acting isn't very good. The special effects look decidedly second-rate. The movie seems to go out of its way to prove that the main characters aren't bad people. But this could have all been forgiven if they nailed the gritty style of the original. They didn't so it ended up being quite a bore and easily missable.

 1 out of 5 Waffles To Kill For.

The Magicians

As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels. I always struggled understanding why Harry was a rather slack student. He loves magic, yet never seem to  enjoy school. Sure school sucks, but at least he had magic.

In Lev Grossman’s  book The Magicians he creates a fantasy world that feels more real and rewarding by combining popcorn fantasy and the mundane. It’s like someone wrote a book about all the boring procedural things that make life boring and wrapped it in a layer of magic . Like Law and Order but more interesting because they would solve crimes with magic.

The Magicians is heavily inspired by the Narnia series, with a dash of Harry Potter and a gooey Tolkien centre. The story centre around Quentin and a bunch of kids who attend a college designed to teach them how to use magic, and who later visit a magical world populated by talking animals.  The biggest difference is that Grossman treats his magical world very seriously.

More than anything, it’s about the  revelation that even a world containing magic is a cold, harsh place, where true love doesn’t always conquer all. Being noble doesn't mean you’ll defeat the big bad.  Found that is one of the few fantasy books I’ve read that really ponder the psychology of its world.  

Really loved Magicians episodic nature. Gives the book a brisk pace that leaves you wanting more. Felt it gave the character and you the reader some space to reflect on the protagonist journey.  Each character was given more depth than just your usually cookie cutter archetypes, the young man raised by non-magical parents who discovers a world of wonder, a  smart girl whose super smart yet socially awkward, and a sidekick .

Eventually these characters are fleshed out to include a self-loathing alcoholic, a drama queen and assorted of others personality flaws. Their connections are tenuous but real, the hurt they deal to each other stings, and there’s no Dumbledore to help save the day. Everyone in The Magicians is capable of great damage and great kindness, but not everyone realizes it.

After years of watching and reading about fantasy character that go on amazing journeys, it was refreshing to read one that brought the world of fantasy crashing down to reality.

3.5 out of 5 alcoholic Dumbledore riding a self-loathing Aslan

FRANK

 All it took was finding out Michael Fassbender's face was hidden to get me interested in Frank. A high end hipster drama that lifts above its cultural aesthetic and provides a funny yet poignant film.

Michael Fassbender dons a gigantic fake papier-mache head. With massive anime eyes and a delightful robot voice in this fictionalised account based on a book written by journalist Jon Ronson. Who In the 1980s played keyboards in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band, in which Frank wore a big fake head and nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.

The first divergent from the book is the jumper into a more modern setting. Set in a quiet English seaside town Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) tries to pursue his passion for writing songs. In between working at his humdrum day job, Jon struggles to  write anything even vaguely resembling a half decent couple of lyrics. We watch him send tweets about his songwriting status or more the lack of it, along with updates on what he is eating for lunch. Jon undoubtedly enthusiastic  about this passion, he just can't seem to get it to come together yet.

When a band with an unpronounceable name comes to town. After witnessing their previous keyboard player go off the rails. Jon has the opportunity to play for a band at an actual gig. Shortly after he finds himself travelling with the band to Ireland to record an album which ends up taking him on a pretty epic journey.

Entranced by the fake head that group leader Frank wears 24/7 ("Would it help if I said my facial expressions out loud?"), Jon becomes seduced both by the guru-like enigma of his mentor, and by the waving hands of theremin player Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who seems able to conjure beautiful sounds and savage weapons out of thin air with equal ease.

Frank is a hard film to easily define and although it manages to remain on the right side of upbeat with plenty of laughs it does delve into the exploration of the creative process within mental illness. Franks states numerous times that he has a certificate. There is also an ongoing battle between art and commerce. Watching the exploits of the band trying to make a album touch on notions of artistic endeavour, originality and the sphere that songwriters and musicians have to encounter in trying to be creative. Which starts clashing with John's own dreams of stardom. Using social media to its full effect.  

This avant-garde performance art band, eventually gathers a huge enough following to get a gig at SXSW.From here the movie takes a dramatic shift. Without seeing Frank's facial expressions, we witness his transformation from mystic/guru to an unstable and socially uncomfortable dude. Striving for likability, but unsure what the term really means. Must artists suffer for their art? Why does society latch onto the newest social media gimmick? What is creative success and why are so many afraid of it?

Watching Frank is like peeling away the layers of an onion. Having question raised about the creative process, while watching the facade fade to reveal a more sinister issue. I was left we a sense of a movie journey. Something I haven't had since, Fight Club ? While Frank may not be for everyone, for those who like their movies to dance to a different beat, it is something rather exceptional.

4 out of 5 strange and wacky insane black comedies

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS (2014)

 Leaving Megalopolis was released in 2014 and is a bit of a different take on superheroes. It is kind-of like an Escape From New York-style superhero tale showing how ordinary people are coping when their protectors turn on them. It follows the story of a group of ordinary people trying to escape a city (Megalopolis) that super-powered individuals have turned into their personal hunting grounds.

 The premise of the story is that Megalopolis is protected by a bunch of superheroes. One day, a dimensional rift opens up and the superheroes all unite to battle some kind of eldritch horror. When they defeat this horror is when the real problems start as it drives the superheroes a bit insane. The heroes now have an insatiable desire to kill once every few hours or so, but also limiting them to the city limits.

 Into this horror, the story follows Mina. Mina is a cop who is trying to find her way out of the city with a bunch of people who are drawn to her in the hopes that they lead them to safety. Mina and her group are trying to escape the city limits to escape the superheroes. In their travels, they meet different civilians and how they are trying to cope with the villains.

 The art throughout Leaving Megalopolis is superb. It really captures the horror of the crazed heroes and the brutality they are inflicting on the population without being too over the top and gritty. The tone of the book is definitely more Marvel Zombies than horror, however. The design of the superheroes also fits in well with the story.

 The story is very tightly woven and very good. You never get the feeling that characters are taking stupid actions just to progress the story, and you can understand all the characters points of view. Whether it is the pragmatic Mina or the people who make deals with the crazed heroes, the story never feels like it is forced. The ending leaves allot to be desired as it doesn't really resolve too much, but as a first-issue an adequate job of setting things up. The one thing that it doesn't set up well are the different characters personalities. Outside of Mina, most of the supporting cast feel like interchangeable cannon fodder for the heroes.

 Overall, Leaving Megalopolis is a story I would definitely recommend. The story is good, the characters are compelling and the art backs the story and tone of the comic without being too over the top. Although it has a few shortcomings, for the most part it a very good first-issue.

 4 out of 5 granite-laden waffles.

MOVIE REIVIEW: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a film I was going into expecting the worst. From the bad trailers, the seeming focus shift to 'dark-and-gritty' turtles (somehow), the attachment of Michael Bay (who has made exactly 1 movie I liked) as a director and the seeming focus on a bland Megan Fox over the Turtles (as we repeat the mistakes of Shia Le'Bouf and Transformers), this movie seemed to be made to make me hate it.

 After watching this movie, I can easily see how easy it is to be critical of it. From the inconsistent tone shifts (such as the elevator scene leading into the final battle), the poor CGI on Splinter or the convoluted coincidences that ties everyone into the plot, it is an easy movie to hate. Yet, I felt that despite all of this, it somehow comes together to resemble a movie that works, at least on the fun level, by not taking itself too seriously.

 For those unfamiliar with the turtles, they are a bunch of mutated, well, humanoid turtles, who have become ninjas under their master, a rat called Splinter. You have the leader (Leonardo), the Joker (Michaelangello), the smart guy (Donatello) and the tough-guy (Raphael). They live in the sewers and work to thwart the Foot Clan (a gang) under the command of The Shredder (a power-armored ninja). April O'Neil (Megan Fox) is a reporter who is trying to get a major scoop on the Foot Clan and whose father helped create the turtles with the help of the bad businessman (who is trying to get supply and demand under his control ala Iron Man 3's bad businessman).

 What helps make this movie work is it never loses its sense of fun or ability to poke fun at itself. This is mostly through Michaelangello, who has such classic lines as "he is doing his Batman voice" when Raphael tries to do the tough guy vigilante or his unrequited love for April O'Neill. The turtles are constantly spitting out funny one-liners and doing daringly acrobatic stunts and fight moves as the movie hurtles its way through cool set-pieces in the best Michael Bay style.

 But by far, the star of the show ends up being April O'Neill, surprisingly. Although the acting does nothing to distinguish her and she has a convoluted way into the plot, she proves herself to be a proactive character. This is really highlighted at the end, as she suggests a back-up plan in case the turtles fail. She even ends up saving the turtles a more than they help her. It also helps that her character has very believable motivations (an underachieving reporter looking for her big break).

 At the end of the day, it would be very easy to hate the turtles. However, far from being a dark-and-gritty take on the beloved characters, it instead is a very fun take on the turtles. Their is probably slightly too much focus on the human supporting cast instead of the Turtles, but April O'Neill is a compelling enough character and her story ties allot more closely in with helping the Turtles that it works (as opposed to Transformers where it is a boring side story completely divorced from the actual Transformers).

 So when Michael Bay asks, "Were you not entertained?", I can answer "Yes".

 4 out of 5 pancakes in a half-shell.

The Inbetweeners 2

As a massive fan of all 3 series and the first film, I couldn't wait for this. The relatively laugh-free trailer cause me to think “Do we really need a sequel ”. That idea lodge itself into my brain, as the marketing machine started pumping its release, I was losing my interest in wasting my money on it. I’m glad I didn't end up paying to see this stinker.

The film is slow to start, too, with a overly stylised opening setting, where three of our central quartet are set up for uncomfortable misery. Will hates university, Simon’s girlfriend is crazy and  Neil...well Neil is Neil. Not until the reintroducing Jay as a kind of superstar DJ-cum-Scarface, it a fantasy sequence that is deliberately overdone, easily the funniest part of the movie. That’s about 10mins in.

Eventually they make it to Australia.Where the movie spends too much time  setting up borning peripheral characters and relying on stereotypical backpacker perceptions. It was just so dull dull dull, I  even drifted off into a daydream half way through the film. Its really annoying as i love this show, the sequel feels like a cheap throwaway to earn a some extra cash and have a holiday.

As a fan I felt it failed to deliver this was just a crude bland imitation.  What made the TV show so brilliant was the how witty and clever it was. Had lots of great awkward moments that you could empathise with. However the sequel seems to just try and recreate that rather than try and be original in its own right, and as such just leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.  Shame as I was looking forward to watching the four of them together again,  what I got where 4 lobotomized idiots.  

1 out of 5 sunburnt bus wankers.

Movie Review: Lucy (2014)

 Lucy was surprising movie that I really didn't expect to like. It was a good action movie that was well-paced and interesting and, unlike allot of movies these days, didn't try to beat me over the head with a certain message (although it definitely had its themes running throughout it).

 Lucy, the titular character played by Scarlett Johansson, begins the movie as a partying blonde who gets involved with a shady character. After a deal goes wrong with the mob, she becomes an unwilling drug mule for a new drug which happens to be injected into her system. The effects of this drug: it increases her mental capacity from 10% to higher levels, giving her access to a range of superpowers. She then wants to share her new found enlightenment with the rest of the human race through a university professor, Morgan Freeman, who has made a study of the human brain.

 If you can't get over the 'only use 10% of our brains' myth being exploited for this story, you probably won't enjoy this movie. If you can let it go, what lies underneath this is a slick action movie when it wants to be. When it doesn't want to be an action movie, it cleverly subverts the audience expectations as Lucy relies less on violence as her mental capacity and superpowers improves. For example, at the beginning she uses some cool kung-fu and gun skills to escape the mob. However, later in the movie when they line up for a big showdown, she just calmly walks through them.

 The acting here is solid. Morgan Freeman puts in his normal solid performance as the university professor, but Scarlett Johansson really stands out. As she becomes more intelligent, she captures the growing feeling of feeling detached from humanity even as she becomes more enlightened. The only failure of this movie is the lack of a solid villain. They try to establish the the mob boss as the villain, but he never feels like a true threat to Lucy.

 Despite the lack of a good villain, Lucy is a good movie. It is fast paced with good action and a good story. It doesn't let itself get bogged down with philosophy even though it has a message (knowledge is good, ignorance is bad). It is definitely a movie I would recommend checking out among all the big-budget disappointments currently out (I am looking at you Turtles).

I'll Give It My All...Tomorrow

 I picked up I’ll Give It My All….Tomorrow at my local library. This crudely drawn manga glistened among the highly polished titles asking me to pick it up. It easily had the most uninspiring cover design I’ve seen. I remember commenting to myself, “I can draw better than that” but the title was the real reason I picked it up.

Once I sat down I was deeply touched and involved in the life of Shizuo. A middle-aged man who ditch his unfulfilling job as a soulless office worker to pursue his dreams of becoming a manga artist,no matter how impossible they may seem. Although Shizuo has declared to the world his intention in life, he still has to battle himself. Rather than work, he plays video game and tends to vegetate at home, which annoys his father. 

His daughter, friends and work college accepts him for what he is. Just a man who does what he has to, to pursue his goal of getting a manga published. Its a hard uphill battle for Shizuo as he faces rejection again and again and yet, he never gives up.

Despite the fact that he lacks charisma, good looks, talent, or even common sense at times, people are drawn to him because of his kind heart and intent to live his life to the fullest.  At times the story can dwell too much on the "loser" aspect of the and less on the "lovable." Eventually the these aspects become more balanced. We get to root for Shizuo, hoping that this perpetual underdog will get at least one small chance to see his dreams come true.  

Shizuo journey really hit especially close to home for me. Although I might not be 40 yet, I’ve only just started my journey to happiness. I still struggle with my own personal demons, specially about my skills and talents . I'll Give It My All...Tomorrow has taught me some important little lessons about how beautiful the bonds between people can be and believing in yourself. 





4.5 out 5  persistence waffles of dreams.  
 

Snowpiercer

 Snowpiercer greatest asset is it simplicity. Yet under its straightforward plot is a political statement about class structure. In the near future climate change has turned our Earth into a super happy ice world. Humanities remaining survivor are now stuck circling the Earth in Thomas the Tank engine. Each carriage section has be broken into poor, middle class and rich. Our hero Captain America (Chris Evan)  must lead the huddled masses at the back to the front and overthrow the upper class.

The movie is broken into video game-esque levels. Before each level Curtis (Captain America) receives a cryptic messages about what's ahead.

Before the poor can begin there revolt they must free former head of security, Namgoong (Song Kang-ho).They need  his ability to unlock the gates ahead to progress.  

Each section is a wonderment of production and thought from a brainwashed children's classroom to a fully-fledged aquarium, one of the true joys of the film is seeing what awaits our revellers behind each unlocked door. Along the way they encounter Minister Mason, Tilda Swinton doing her best Margaret Thatcher impression. Her only job is to be puppet that moves the chessboard around for her mysterious boss Wilford. The rest of the cast brings this small-scale depiction of society to life with an array of different human conditions.

Snowpiercer was a brutal,crazy ride that left you thinking. Go in with an open mind and have a really long think about how you can compare it to the world today.

3.5 upper class train waffles out of 5

Movie Review- Welcome to the Jungle (2013)

 Welcome to The Jungle (2013) is a comedy movie that surprised me with how good it was. It definitely had no right to be as good as it ended up being. With an aging Jean Claude Van Dam playing what is essentially a caricature of himself, I went in expecting the worst. However, I was pleasantly entertained for 100-odd minutes, even if there is nothing too memorable about it.

 The movie begins set in a sales company. Chris (Adam Brody) is presented as a bit of a weakling who has his ideas stolen and can't muster the courage up to ask a cute girl at the office out. But then a team-building activity has them camping with Jean Claude on a remote island happens, and no-one in the company is ever going to be the same again (da-da-dum).

 Of course, things don't go as planned on this company getaway. Van Dam gets mauled and incapacitated by a tiger, they can't get off the island, and the office bully takes over the workplace as a god-king while everyone is sort-of high on some native plants. Chris, his best friend, his crush and his best friends wife (all of whom I promptly forgot the names of) have to take back control so that they can be rescued. What follows is Chris going through a pretty standard "heroic" journey. He learns to overcome his fear, stand up for himself and (of course) finds out the girl likes him.

 There was nothing too memorable about this movie, but it did make me chuckle. Van Dam has some of the best lines as he hams up his part in the movie, and Chris played a believable dweeb. The storyline may be predictable and I roll my eyes in the girl being treated as a prize after Chris overcomes his fear, but it does make up for it for not taking itself too seriously. Especially when Van Dam finally performs his round kick.

 3 out of 5 wilderness-hunting waffles