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Reviewer:
diabolical
Reviews:
0
Votes:
45 (78% helpful)

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  1.  Cant wait.....

    Posted: 

    This should be a must-buy for any real fan of The Next Generation. The episodes contained within, (Encounter at Farpoint, Sins of the Father and The Inner Light) are all clasics in their own way and represent some of the best next gen trek available.. Encounter at Farpoint being the series Pilot gave us our first look at the new crew tasked with furthering Roddenberry's vision. Although the first season is hardly be considered amongst the series best it will be in these early years that the high definition transformation will be most apparent. Previews of the changes highlight just how much work has been done and the end result is colours that are far more vibrant, details that much more sharp and vastly improved special effects. Thankfully the decision has been made to not replace all of the model shots (some of the best model work in Sci Fi in my opinion) with CGI as in the Original Series. The external shots of the Enterprise look fantastic in high definition, one can only speculate how vital ship/battle heavy episodes such as Yesterdays Enterprise or Best of Both Worlds will look presented in this format.
    Sins of the Father is a seminal episode from series 3, dealing with Worf, Honour and Heritage and although not heavy on special effects (although i do recall some model shots that will benefit from the Blu Ray treament) the dark shadows and muted colours of the Klingon Homeworld Qo'noS should also do well in Hi Def. The final episode being presented 'The Inner Light' is one of my personal favourites with a defining performance from Patrick Stewart and a truly touching story. Being from season five it never looked too shabby in the first place but i cant wait to see what magic is wrought upon the sweeping vistas and beautiful scenery that comprise much of this epsiode.
    Overall its a great teaser of what lies ahead for fans. Three great trek episodes that should highlight in the best way the new hights the series will be capable of reaching in Blu Ray. Simply put.... 'Make it so'

  2.  All Conquering....

    Posted: 

    I've been lucky enough to obtain a promo copy of this record and i am happy to say this is another crushing album by metals foremost VIkings. Amon Amarth are going from strength to strength with each release and it was always going to be a mighty task to equal the last record, 'Twilight of the Thundergod' a task in which in many ways they have suceeded.
    Overall the album is less immediate than its predecessor and it may take the listener a few plays to appreciate the tracks the way they have been arranged on the CD. The opener 'War of the Gods' is typical Furious Amon Amarth riffs and drums driving the song and Heggs vocals snarling and growling throughout, its sure to be a live staple in future tours and is very typical of Amons style.
    The tempo is brought right down next with the mid paced 'Tocks Taunt', delving into Norse mythology as many of the songs on this and indeed all their releases do it is nonetheless an enjoyable enough chugger if nothing astonishing.
    The next song blasts out of the speakers with 'a fury sublime' as the lyrics say, 'Destroyer of the Universe' is a speeding savage cut much in the vein of 'Asator' from 'with Oden on our Side' the next few tracks are typical Amon, each with its own merits 'Slaves of Fear' being by far the most commercial of these with its slow heavy beats, it is also the most decidely 'non viking' track on the album but again is sure to go down well in a live atmosphere.
    'Victory or Death' is the kind of rousing march to war chant heavy song that Amon have become renowned for and is another very strong track that immediatley stands out, but the Lynchpin that this album rests upon though is 'Wrath of the Norsemen'. If 'Destroyer of the Universe' is this albums 'Asator' then this track is it's 'Fate of Norns' from the same titled album. With a fantastic riff and a chorus you'll wish would repeat just one more time, it's probably the best thing on this album and easily on a par with anything they have done before.
    The ending track ' Doom over Dead man has some interesting haunting string work that suggests a guest return from Apocalyptica and although unfortunately it is not as strong as Twilight of the Thundergod's closer 'embrace of the endless ocean' it does bring the album to a satisfying end.

    Overall is 'Surtur Rising as strong as its predecessor? It's not an easy decision to make. I felt that Twilight probably had more strong tracks but it also had one or two duffers, this record has no truly poor tracks but less stand out ones, (although what is good is really good) Overall i think it is a very strong album and am sure Amon Amarth will continue to crush all before them. Regardless at its current price of 6.99 this is easily a Must Buy....

  3.  Dead Space Aftermath

    Posted: 

    Billed as a preview to Dead Space 2 this animated feature is a story split over a variety of different studios ala Animatrix or Halo Legends. However, where those titles were several short stories each being handled by a different studio, Aftermath uses flashbacks by the protagonists as a means of shifting animation styles. This would be much less jarring if the style used throughout the main part of the story wasnt so unbelievably poor. It resembles the half finished animatics you sometimes see on special features on bonus dvd discs. Unfortunately it detracts from the rather competently told story and cheapens the production as a whole. Its not jst the rendering that is poor, the animation is stilted and unlifelike and the colour palette is bland and sterile. The other animation styles are much more traditional and all do a perfectly adequete job of presenting the action(although there do seem to be some inconsitencies when events overlap)
    The story will present no real surprises if you are familiar with the Dead Space Lore as the Unitologists (a thinly veiled jab at the Scientologist movement) search for alien artifacts once again proves resposible for the unleashing of the Necromorph menace which proceeds to eviscerate and slaughter everything in sight. One thing that is explored slighty better in this ferature is the Psychological effects of the artifacts in question upon the crew steering the story away from the standard 'zombies in space' fare it could have become and injecting the Psychological horror credentials the series is known for.
    Overall i would say it is worth a watch as the story is quite engaging and well written, you may find it difficult to overlook the awful animation you are confronted with, but on the whole i actually found this sequel to be an improvement on its predecessor 'downfall'. It certainly got me in the mood for Dead Space 2. 4 star story but im removing a star because the CGI was so very very poor.

  4.  Knows its limits...

    Posted: 

    Outpost is a film that knows its limits. Realising it has a low budget and an unoriginal story with unlikable characters it never the less tries to be as entertaining as it can. And to some degree it succeeds.
    Youll find nothing special or original here. Youll know every plot element before it happens and the film is decidedly run of the mill and as generic as it comes. As others have said, it takes a LONG time to get going, and it would be worth it if there was a little more payoff. It doesnt help that you really could not care less what happens to the characters. No attempt is made to flesh them out and as a result a fair bit of the tension is removed as they get picked off one by one. The effects whilst workmanlike do nothing to enhance the film and the story is typical - Nazis experimenting with paranormal - hokum.
    On the whole its worth a watch if not a purchase. If you go in with low expectations youll find an average at best low budget british horror film, Get a few drinks in, dont take it seriously and youll wring some enjoyment out of this bargain bucket flick.

  5.  Full circle.

    Posted: 

    One of the perks of being a Metal DJ is getting to listen to records before their release. And when the album is as good as We Are the Void it makes me quite compelled to tell everybody just how good it is, as soon as I heard it a week or so ago I pre ordered it and now im just waiting for tour dates to be announced.

    We Are the Void is Dark Tranquillitys ninth studio album and at the risk of sounding cliche it really does sound like an amalgamation of all their work to date. All of their previous records are apparent within the songs on this album from debut Skydancer to latest Fiction. The album sounds like archetypical Dark Tranquillity whilst still bringing something new to the mix. Nowhere is this more apparent on Dream Oblivion which follows pounding opener Shadow in Our Blood which sounds like it could have come from their last album Fiction, I cant really describe the sound of Dream Oblivion, its atmospheric and crushing and slightly gothic (in ambience not musical aspect) sounding I guess, its definitely a riff to remember but you would probably have to hear it to understand. Put it this way, its sure to be a live favourite and its not even my favourite track on the album.

    The quality on We Are the Void is evident throughout with tracks like The Fatalist sounding like it could have come off the commercial sounding Damage Done and At the Point of Ignition being a particular highlight. However the album really comes into its own in its latter half, saving the best for last. This is indicated no better than in Her Silent Language, sounding like Haven or Projector Dark Tranquillity and sure to please fans of this period of their career. Stannes clean vocals really lift this song up and some excellent keyboard work makes this a real stand out song and a good mid point for the album, Arkhangelsk is of a similar vein but features an truly outstanding guitar solo and I am the Void is probably the most commercial song on the album, its sing along chorus marking it out for the live set. However the true masterpiece on this record is Iridium, one of those songs that you wish would repeat the chorus one more time. The verse is mostly spoken, again the clean vocals harking back to Haven or Projector. When the chorus kicks in it evokes a semi black metal ambience and reminds me of the bands first studio album Skydancer, bringing the album truly full circle.

  6.  Full circle.

    Posted: 

    One of the perks of being a Metal DJ is getting to listen to records before their release. And when the album is as good as We Are the Void it makes me quite compelled to tell everybody just how good it is, as soon as I heard it a week or so ago I pre ordered it and now im just waiting for tour dates to be announced.

    We Are the Void is Dark Tranquillitys ninth studio album and at the risk of sounding cliche it really does sound like an amalgamation of all their work to date. All of their previous records are apparent within the songs on this album from debut Skydancer to latest Fiction. The album sounds like archetypical Dark Tranquillity whilst still bringing something new to the mix. Nowhere is this more apparent on Dream Oblivion which follows pounding opener Shadow in Our Blood which sounds like it could have come from their last album Fiction, I cant really describe the sound of Dream Oblivion, its atmospheric and crushing and slightly gothic (in ambience not musical aspect) sounding I guess, its definitely a riff to remember but you would probably have to hear it to understand. Put it this way, its sure to be a live favourite and its not even my favourite track on the album.

    The quality on We Are the Void is evident throughout with tracks like The Fatalist sounding like it could have come off the commercial sounding Damage Done and At the Point of Ignition being a particular highlight. However the album really comes into its own in its latter half, saving the best for last. This is indicated no better than in Her Silent Language, sounding like Haven or Projector Dark Tranquillity and sure to please fans of this period of their career. Stannes clean vocals really lift this song up and some excellent keyboard work makes this a real stand out song and a good mid point for the album, Arkhangelsk is of a similar vein but features an truly outstanding guitar solo and I am the Void is probably the most commercial song on the album, its sing along chorus marking it out for the live set. However the true masterpiece on this record is Iridium, one of those songs that you wish would repeat the chorus one more time. The verse is mostly spoken, again the clean vocals harking back to Haven or Projector. When the chorus kicks in it evokes a semi black metal ambience and reminds me of the bands first studio album Skydancer, bringing the album truly full circle.

  7.  Avatar. The Best looking film ever made.

    Posted: 

    In Avatar James Cameron has made the most visually impressive film of all time. I have no qualms at all about saying that, the colour palette, the direction and the design are literally out of this world. Pandora FEELS real and thats despite the flying lizards and 6 legged horses, oh and the 15 ft blue aliens. This is of course helped by 3D but the film will look just as good in HD 2D offering maybe a little less of the immersion. At day, at night, the only ugly aspects of the film are the scenes in the humans base of operations and this is most likely intentional. The dank grey cold militarian tones provide a stark contrast to Pandoras lush natural jungle beauty which emphasises both the ecological morals of the film and the alien aspect of Camerons created world. Theres so much to see, the flora the fauna, the scenery and the character designs, the designs of the vehicles, everything is top class. Avatar took over three years to make from a concept Cameron had over 10 years ago.and the time was well spent. The time and care devoted to this film is plain to see.
    Every single bit of the budget is on screen, when Cameron spends 300 million on a film you know it and though the studios may have wondered if it was too much of a risk at times the world record box office returns will ensure sequels are a no brainer and Cameron probably just became Hollywoods hottest property all over again.
    The film really is a masterpiece, I totally forgot that it was CGI at times helped in part by some excellent voice acting. At the heart of all the action and the ecological morals in this sci fi take on Dances With Wolves is a believable love story made all the more convincing by the obvious chemistry between the lead characters whom I had to keep reminding myself were mostly computer generated. Zoe Saldana as Neytiri is an absolute revelation, the emotion and depth of expression is astounding and although I was not overly impressed by her role as Uhura in Star Trek I was blown away by her performance in this. Sam Worthington, in technically his first film (he filmed this before Terminator Salvation) also impresses and the voice acting on the whole is of excellent quality. The only weak link is Stephen Lang as the gruff OTT gung ho military badass Colonel Quaritch. Although i get the distinct impression he is hamming it up for the role it sits poorly next to the other more subtle characters on show. Sigourney Weaver gets another one of the hard yet maternal roles she excels at and the supporting cast do a good job of just that, supporting. The story in general is possibly the films only real weak point, not helped by being so similar to Costners 7 Oscar winner. There are differences but the similarities are obvious and although the plot is by no means bad it pales to the visual experience on offer. The script is also excellent and again its Lang who gets some of the only questionable lines. Military cliches and tough guy phrases abound and its a shame a way to make the only real bad guy in the film a touch more rounded wasnt found.
    However these minor, (and they are minor) niggles take nothing away from the staggering achievement that is Avatar. I cant think of many films that when I go see it again 8 weeks after its initial release still plays to a nearly full cinema. I could watch this movie again and again and when the DVD formats and special features are announced ill be pre ordering the most expensive deluxe commentary and feature laden version I can. Avatar deserves nothing less.

  8.  Back to Pandora

    Posted: 

    You can tell Avatar is a James Cameron film. One look at the military types, with the Vasquez Clone tough female pilot and her erstwhile Drake a like compadre gunner is evidence enough of that. In the same way, Avatars score is noticeably James Horners work. Although both artists embrace new ground on this project there are still recognisable echoes of their earlier work. In this case Aliens. Horner refrains from including entire motifs from the 1986 Sci Fi blockbuster but if you listen carefully you will find familiarity in arrangements and sounds of certain instruments.
    Avatar is a good score, it is very evocative of the film and its possible to pinpoint moments in the movie without referring to tracklistings. On the whole however, the score seems slightly subdued and understated. Without the visual backdrop it loses a little impact yet remains just as listenable. One of the recurring themes in the score is tribal and indeed some of the chants in the music put me in mind of the music from the Japanese Anime Akira, that films Neo Tokyo Cyberpunk setting about as far removed from the lush jungle of Pandora as you can imagine.
    The standout track on this CD must be Destruction of Worldtree, I cant listen to it without the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. The recurring refrain of despair sorrow and grief casting your mind back to the burning forest and Zoe Saldanar as Netyri screaming in anguish. Its a landmark moment on the album but there are other highpoints such as Becoming One Of The People, Climbing Up iknimaya, and final track War. ( I completely disregard Leona Lewises effort I See You)
    On the whole it is a good score without repeating a single motif throughout, this may also be its downfall as it seems somewhat inconsistent in places. It may not grab you the to the same extent all the way through but it is an enjoyable enough listen and will certainly transport you back to the fantastic world that Cameron created.

  9.  Hit and Miss

    Posted: 

    A real mixed bag this one, which is a shame as it starts off so strongly. The first two episodes are an origin story, narrated by Cortana and dealing with the Forerunners war against the flood and the construction of the Halo rings. It provides an intriguing glimpse into Halo lore and is a promising beginning. Next up is the high point of the collection, The Duel. A better name for this would be The Arbiters Story as it deals with the back story of the heretic Elite from Halo 2. Set on the Elite home world and presented in a watercolour effect that makes the whole thing seem hand painted. Its a stunning piece of eastern art and the story although perhaps not as sophisticated as it could be, is a captivating tale of love, duty and consequence. Easily my favourite of the lot. After this the quality varies considerably. Theres a story about a Spartan assigned to an ODST sniper unit that is fairly well done but nothing really matches the excellence of before. One story celebrates one of the more well known Japanese traditions. Absolute insanity. The only way I can describe it is Dragon Ball Halo, off the wall and rather silly, with tongue firmly in cheek youll either hate it or realise that its just par for the course for eastern animation and culture. However it is probably best viewed as a distraction rather than anything of real merit. The final episode is a CGI affair and is ok though its nothing special. The animation looks cheap and although the action does its best to impress the story is typical gung ho silliness. This seems to be the problem with Halo Legends in general. There is a deep and well crafted universe to plunder here and they have barely scratched the surface with these largely disposable story lines. The first three are definitely worth your time but after that its very much a question of how much of a fan you are and how much you would expect from this collection of Halo Stories as anybody expecting Legends will be somewhat disappointed.

  10.  Who Watches the Watchmen?

    Posted: 

    Unfilmable they said. Every time an adaptation was attempted and subsequently abandoned that was the verdict: Watchmen is unflimable, and to be honest they may have been right. However in this movie no one can say that Zack Snyder hasnt given it his very best shot.
    Watchmen is a phenomenon amongst graphic novels, it won the Hugo Award for literature and not many comics (sic) do that. Stark, brutal and undeniably brilliant it displays some of the finest writing I have ever read. Unfortunately the episodic nature of this amazing story doesnt necessarily translate very well to film. When not on paper furious action scenes jar with extended monologues and dialogues and although Mr Snyder has been amazingly faithful to the original (to the extent of replicating panels from the book in his scenes) some of what makes Watchmen so compelling and extraordinary in graphic novel format has been lost in the translation to movie.
    The film may seem a little long to some but believe it or not it misses a fair bit of the book out to try and cram the plot into even this extended run time. The casting is excellent, though a major star may have sold the film to doubters a little more, and the acting on the whole is of a high standard. The cinematography is also excellent and the film at least looks the part completely.
    The most jarring change is the different ending, I can see why it was changed as what worked well in the end of the cold war era would seem somewhat hokey today. Still it would have been nice to have an alternate original ending included in this DVD as a special feature as the new ending has quite an impact on one major character.
    Overall Watchmen is a hard film to review, as a film it in all honesty doesnt work particularly well. Snyders determination to stay as true to the book as possible damages the movie. It causes pacing issues and anybody who has not read the graphic novel will find themselves confused and potentially bored in places as the human nature of these *superheroes* is dissected in front of them. The action scenes work well but the exposition can cause non Watchmen fans to lose interest as the metaphysical elements of the story escape them. As a film: 3 stars
    As a comic book adaptation it is equally difficult to judge, There is an extended edition only available in the States which I havent seen but I would like to think fills ALL the gaps and will one day be made region 2 including extended sequences of Rorschachs psychiatric interviews and the chaos that erupts among the general populous during the climax of the story as the doomsday clock gets closer and closer to midnight. I am forced to concede however, although it would make the film a perfect adaptation the inclusion of these scenes would only further damage the movies flow and pacing. As it is Watchmen plays a fine balancing act and undoubtedly sacrifices accessibility in the name of accuracy which damaged its box office considerably. As an adaptation of the graphic novel: 4 stars
    making the average 3.5 stars.
    Certainly not a terrible movie by any standard I would have to say I recommend Watchmen whether you have read the book or not. Fans will doubtlessly see all the differences but will appreciate the attention paid to making the movie as true to the book as film will allow. People who have not read the book will hopefully watch the film with guarded expectations and then read the graphic novel afterwards to fill any gaps and properly appreciate the story and amazing social/psychological studies contained within. Who watches the Watchmen? You all should.