Red Dead Redemption
Greetings, Red Dead Redemption is a video game from 2010 and was developed by Rockstar San Diego. The game is actually the second instalment in the Red Dead series as it is a sequel to Red Dead Revolver, which was released some years prior in 2004. The game has a brilliant OST which provides Redemption with an excellent western atmosphere. The score was composed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson but other musicians or bands including Jamie Lidlell as well Ashtar Command help to create this memorable soundtrack. Rob Wiethoff is the main voice actor in the game, giving a skilful and encaptivating performance as the flawed but charismatic protagonist John Marston. Other actors and actresses involved in the project are Anthony De Longis as Marshal Leigh Johnson, Ross Hagen as an old Western legend called Landon Ricketts, Don Creech as the snake oil salesman Nigel West Dickens and Kimberly Irion as the headstrong rancher Bonnie McFarlane.
The plot begins in 1911, in the dying days of the Old West and in which the age of modernity is coming to America. A former outlaw by the name of John Marston is forced by the Federal Bureau of Investigations to capture one of his former partners in crime, Bill Williamson. The Bureau are effectively holding Marston’s family hostage, therefore he needs to comply in order to see his wife Abigale and his son Jack again. Williamson now runs his own gang and has taken over a fortress known as Fort Mercer. John rides his horse to Fort Mercer to negotiate with Bill and asks for his old friend to surrender as Marston isn’t able to storm the compound singlehandedly. Williamson refuses to hand himself over to the authorities and shots John instead, leaving Marston to die from his wound outside of the fortress’s walls.
John Marston wakes up to find he is being medically looked after by a local rancher called Bonnie MacFarlane. Bonnie explains that she had discovered him critically injured outside Mercer and brought the hero to her ranch so that he could recover. Over the following days, John starts to heal and helps Bonnie around the ranch as a symbol of his gratitude. He knows he is unable to catch Bill as long as the outlaw can hide behind the walls of Fort Mercer so Marston begins to ally with the local Sherriff, Leigh Johnson, to clear up the crime in the neighbouring town of Armadillo. John slowly but surely comes into contact with several other important characters such as the conman West Dickens, a grave robber called Seth Briars and the drunken arms dealer named Irish. He aids them in their separate quests, in order to later receive their helping hand in his mission, and begins to pull his resources together. Eventually he forms a plan to assault Fort Mercer and capture Bill Williamson with the assets of his new allies.
Overall, this is one of the best games I have played and John Marston is one of the most intriguing characters I have ever came across in any medium. The conclusion is also one of the most emotive and engaging endings to a video game that I have experienced. There are numerous mini games to be enjoyed in the open world environment from bounty hunting to five finger fillet but they are not crucial elements that will affect the main campaign. Undead Nightmare is the non-canon DLC which takes place towards the end of the main storyline, with the plot centring around a zombie plague infecting both America and Mexico. John Marston must fight his way through zombie hoards to find a cure for his zombified family who were bitten in the introductory scene. Asides from zombies, other mythological creatures can be discovered in the game. For example the Sasquatch, Chupacabra, the four horses of the apocalypse and the Unicorn roam across the map. It should be noted that this DLC is highly broken and is littered with many bugs that force the player to reload to an earlier save which makes it infuriating at times. Despite, the broken nature of the DLC I really did enjoy it and had fun playing as John Marston in a western setting that was terrorized by zombie hordes.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Graphics=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
Floo, Floo we've discussed this, mornings are for coffee and contemplation.
Chief Jim Hopper
Stranger Things
Stranger Things
Greetings, Stranger Things is a 2016 horror and supernatural series from Netflix that was written by the Duffer brothers. Winnoa Ryder, of Beetlejuice, Frankenweenie and Edward Scissorhands fame, is probably the most well-known cast member involved in the show. Other actors and actresses of the large cast include David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Matthew Modine. Many of them would be unknown as a large portion of the leads are child actors whose careers are just beginning. The OST was conducted by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, who give the series a distinct feel that is reminiscent of the 1980s, the time period in which this is set. Accompanying the Original Soundtrack are well chosen songs from the decade that are the works of bands and artists including the Clash, Foreigner, Echo and the Bunnymen, Moby, Corey Heart and Peter Gabriel. The tracks fit the series nicely and are well placed for dramatic effect throughout its arch.
As already stated the plot takes place in 1983, in a small American town of Hawkins. The opening scene begins with a panicked scientist fleeing an unknown and unseen creature before he is quickly killed off by his pursuer. The story then introduces four of the main lead characters, four young boys, playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The children are named Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas. When the game is over, three of the kids have to cycle to their own homes at dark. One of the boys, Will Byers, is on his way home when he catches a glimpse of the monster. He abandons his bike to run straight back to his empty house as his mother and older brother are at work. Will locks himself in his shed, hoping it will protecting him from the predator, but he vanishes after the overhanging light flashes and the creature finds him. News of Will’s disappearance begins to spread after his mother and brother, Joyce and Jonathan, notice that he isn’t in the house by morning. A desperate Joyce seeks the help of local law enforcement by meeting with Chief Jim Hopper. Hopper is initially unconcerned by Will’s absence as he notes that Hawkins suffer from very little crime but he eventually forms a search party for Byers after he fails to find the kid himself.
The following day after Will encounters the creature, a young girl wearing a hospital gown and sporting a shaved head, turns up at a local diner. She sneaks into the building to steal some food but she is caught in the act by the owner, a man named Benny. Benny, despite his initial anger at having his stock stolen, begins to feel sorry for the kid who he believes had been abused by her parents. He tries to get her to talk but he is mostly unsuccessful as she isn’t particularly talkative, leading him to call social services. The owner answers the door to a woman pretending to be a social worker before he is promptly shot dead by his visitor. Seeing this, the girl flees the area and manages to escape the woman as well as her armed colleagues that had been sent to capture the child. Benny’s death is then staged to look like suicide in order to remove any suspicions about his death. Jim Hooper investigates the scene and begins to wonder what is happening in what was a peaceful town until the past few days. The storyline further develops when the three main children go looking for their friend at his last known location in the forest and unexpectedly meet the girl in her hospital gown.
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It has quickly become one of my favourite shows despite only having eight episodes to catch my attention with. Everything from the music to the interesting and complex characters, seems to meld together perfectly to produce an excellent show. The characters and their relationships, even minor characters such as Barb or her friendship with Nancy Wheeler, are particularly interesting aspects of Stranger Things. Nancy and Jonathan Byers complicated relationship was also a highlight, especially since it seems to have ended differently than I had expected at the series finally. I eagerly anticipate the next season to see how certain storylines will be concluded and uncovering the mysteries to many of the finale’s scenes.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Special Effects=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
GOOD DAY, SIR!
Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Greetings, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 film and sequel to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a 2011 reboot of the original series. I should point out that I am not overly familiar with the source material but have a basic understanding of the main concepts. While I have yet to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I am aware that most of the human characters are only introduced in this instalment as opposed to some of the apes who are present in both movies. For instance, Andy Serkis reprises his role as the leading figure of the evolved apes, a common chimpanzee called Caesar, while Jason Clarke as a primary human character is a new addition to the series. Other cast members include Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russel and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The music was composed Michal Giacchino who has conducted scores for many well-known films including the Incredibles, the Star Trek reboots and Up.
The plot begins 10 years after the events of the first instalment in which a simian flu plunges the world into chaos, civil unrest as well as conflict is rampant and the virus kills 99% of the human race. Caesar leads his fellow enhanced apes and builds a primitive civilization as the remnants of the human world crumbles around them. Among the colony are various types of apes including Maurice, a Bornean Orangutan, and Koba, a bonobo that harbours a deep hatred for humans as a result of his days as an experimental subject. Despite, Caesar’s beliefs that all of humanity had perished in the last decade, the apes and humans once again make contact. Malcolm, a human, leads a group of survivors into ape territory in a mission to start a hydroelectric dam and produce power as the nearby human settlement is running desperately low on fuel.
A startled human by the name of Carver was the first to encounter two apes while on his way to the dam. One of the creatures he meet was Blue Eyes, Caesar’s son, and his childhood friend Ash. In a panicked state Carver shoots Ash and ends up wounding him but it does not prove to be a fatal injury. The rest of the human survivors soon catch up with Carver in the jungle but are also trapped when Blue Eyes calls for help. Caesar and his loyal tribe make it to the scene, outnumbering Malcolm’s group. Once Caesar is aware of their presence and that they had injured Ash, he orders the humans to leave and vocalizes the instruction. The humans are amazed at the development as they were unaware that the apes had evolved to the point of being capable of basic speech. They heed the order nonetheless and flee back to their settlement but are followed by Koba as per Caesar’s instructions.
Overall, I enjoyed this film even though I hadn’t watched the other movies in the series. I plan to at least watch the first reboot as it will be interesting to see Caesar’s origin story. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes strangely manages to pull off some touching scenes and bring across important themes which aren’t diluted by the absurd concept of monkey’s taking over the planet. The charismatic character of Caesar was also a highlight of the movie and it was interesting to see his futile attempts to stop the unnecessary conflict even as it becomes clearer that war is the inevitable outcome. Serkis had delivered a stellar performance in the role, making Caesar seem quite ape like and at times quite human too. I look forward to seeing the upcoming third movie entitled ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ and where the future of this series lies.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=8/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
I can't do it, R2. I can't go on alone.
Luke Skywalker
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Pan's Labyrinth
Greetings, Pan’s Labyrinth is a Mexican-Spanish film from 2006 which was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro has worked on many famous movies in his career including Pacific Rim, the Hobbit trilogy and the Kung Fu Panda series. Due to the film’s place of origin, the main cast would be mostly unknown to English speaking audiences. The lead actress, Ivana Bacquero, was eleven years old at the time of filming. Other actors and actresses include Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Alex Angulo, Ariadna Gil and Doug Jones. The music was conducted by Javier Navarrete who has mostly composed scores for Spanish films but also worked on the American movie, Wrath of the Titans.
In the introduction, a fairy tale is told about princess Moanna, daughter to the king of the underworld. The princess visits the human world and in doing so she loses her memory and becomes a mortal being. It is revealed that Moanna would ultimately die from illness but the King believes that her spirit will one day return to the underworld. The majority of the plot takes place in 1944, when Spain had fallen to Franscico Franco after his victory in the Spanish Civil war in 1939. Ofelia, a young girl who is yet to enter her teenager years, is taken by her pregnant mother Carmen to live with her step father, a man named Vidal. Captain Vidal is the father of Carmen’s unborn child and serves in the Francoist military by hunting down the remaining members of the resistance to Franco’s regime. Ofelia soon learns that that her new home is located next to a labyrinth which appears to be an ancient construction.
Ofelia encounters a stick insect that leads her to the entrance of the labyrinth but the girl is prevented entry into the maze by the house keeper Mercedes. In reality Mercedes is actually an informant for the rebels and uses her position to spy on Vidal as well as passing on important information. At night, the same stick insect from before flies into Ofelia’s bedroom and transforms into a fairy while she is still awake. It leads the amazed child through the labyrinth to meet the Faun, a goat-like creature, who is situated underground. Once the Fauna sees Ofelia, the creature comes to believe that the girl is the reincarnation of princess Moanna as told about in the introduction of the movie. The Faun then promises to give Ofelia the gift of immortality if she is able to complete three challenges before the return of the full moon.
Overall, this was an enjoyable movie that has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards since its release. I should also mention that the film is subtitled for English audiences rather than having dubbed voiceovers and that Spanish is the language spoken in Pan’s Labyrinth. I believe that this gives it an authentic feel due to its setting and provides the film with some charm. I would recommend it to you if you haven’t already seen it previously.
I don’t normally post about personal matters on this blog, normally using it for reviews or as a platform for my up and coming stories but I am making an exception for today. As you already know by now, one of our cats had recently passed away in a tragic accident. This will be the first blog update that I have written without her so I would like to leave a small tribute on this blog for Holly. She joined the family in December 2012 and had kept me company through the years ever since she had first arrived. Holly would often lie on my bed as I was writing for this blog or for my many Write Wise entries. Her absence is very noticeable, despite the fact that we still have two cats in the household. Holly will be missed and fondly remembered by the whole family.
Plot=8/10
Characters=7/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
And the moral of the story; appreciate what you've got, because basically, I'm fantastic!
Holly
Red Dwarf
The Godfather
Greetings, the Godfather is a crime novel published in 1969 and was written by an Italian-American author named Mario Puzo. The book started the Godfather series of novels as well as providing the framework for the iconic 1972 film adaptation of the same name and its subsequent movies. The book was followed by several sequels with Puzo’s ‘The Sicilian’ being released in 1984. To my knowledge, this story is centred on a protagonist that isn’t in the original book but it heavily involves Michael Corleone, a primary character in the Godfather. After Mario’s death in 1999, other writers continued his legacy by writing the Godfather Returns in 2004 and the Godfather’s Revenge in 2006. These were written by American author Mark Winegardner. Ed Falco had also contributed to the Godfather by writing a prequel to the original novel, entitled the Family Corleone, by basing his story on an unproduced screenplay by Mario Puzo.
The story begins in the 25th August of 1945 at the wedding of Connie Corleone and Carlo Rizzi. Connie is daughter of the influential and respected Don Vito Corleone, head of the Corleone family crime syndicate. The marriage scene sets up a lot of important storylines that occur throughout the course of the book and serves as an introduction to most of the main characters. For instance, the sons and potential heirs to Vito’s role, Michael, Sonny as well as Freddy are among the characters that are present. The plot picks up after the wedding when the Corleone family are approached by Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo, a drug dealer hoping to strike a deal with Vito. The Turk, backed by a rival gang called the Tattaglia, wants to win over the Corleone’s ties to influential people in political offices so that he can sell narcotics without fear of persecution by the state. Vito, who would have received his slice of the profits, declined the offer as he doesn’t want to be involved in the narcotics trade.
Shortly after, Vito Corleone is gunned down in an ambush which he ultimately survives. While Vito is in hospital, Sonny becomes the Don as he is the eldest child and seeks revenge for the attack against his father. It is revealed that the Turk along with the Tattaglia family were behind the attempted assassination as they wished to remove Vito and persuade Sonny, as the newly appointed Don, that the narcotics business is the future of crime. Some corrupt police were also involved in the plot to kill Vito, particularly a man named Captain McCluskey who had attempted to finish off the job in the hospital until Michael Corleone interrupted his plans. Sonny, along with advisors like his adopted brother Tom Hagan, begin to scheme with the intent of killing Sollozo and certain members of the Tattaglia family. Michael suggested that he should be the man to kill both the Turk and police officer McCluskey as he was least likely to be suspected of pulling off a murderous stunt due to his disinterest in the family affairs. He is warned that he would have to lay low in Sicily until the incident had blown over after a few years if he was to follow this course of action. Despite this, Michael still insisted that he be the one to personally kill the Turk.
The book and the film do differentiate somewhat as the novel focuses more on characters that were minor in the movie’s version of events. For instance, Johnny Fontane, a singer based on Frank Sinatra, and Lucy Mancini, Sonny’s mistress, are largely ignored in the film but receive their own story arch in the novel. On the other hand, less time was dedicated to Vito than I had expected him to have as I was previously basing my expectations on his presence in the first film. Overall, I enjoyed the Godfather and was interested in how it differed from the film adaptation. I am eager to read other stories centred on the Corleone Family, especially Mario’s the Sicilian, and how other writers have continued the Godfather series.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
See, it's all about control with you! I don't control the raptors, it's a relationship. It's based on mutual respect. That's why you and I never had a second date.
Owen Grady
Jurassic World
A Good Day to Die Hard
Greetings, Die Hard: A Good Day to Die Hard is the fifth instalment in the Die Hard series and was directed by John Moore. It should be noted that Moore has not previously had a role in the other four movies. A Good Day to Die Hard was released to cinemas back in 2013 which means that 25 years had passed since the original film was launched in 1988 and the fifth film’s unveiling. Among the main actors are Bruce Willis as he returns to his iconic role as John McClane and Jai Courtney as Jack McClane, son of the protagonist. Other performers include Sebastian Koch as a Russian political prisoner called Yuri Komarov and Yuliya Snigir as Yuri’s daughter Irina. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, best known for her roles in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Scott Pilgrim vs the World, briefly reprises her role from Die Hard 4.0 as Lucy McClane.
The film starts in Moscow with Yuri Komarov, a whistleblower on the Russian government, is going to stand in a rigged trial. The trial was set up by corrupt Russian official, Viktor Chagarin, as he believes that Yuri has incriminating evidence on him hidden in a secret file. Viktor is unaware of the location. Jack McClane, a CIA operative, has also been arrested after a failed assassination attempt and tries to get a shorter prison sentence by making a deal to testify against Komarov. In America, it is revealed that John McClane has a difficult relationship with his son and has not been in contact with Jack for several years. John learns that his son in is trapped in a troubling situation and he decides to travel to Russia to fix the problem.
Once McClane arrives in the country, he makes his way to the courthouse were Yuri is on trial and Jack is also being held. An explosion rocks the courthouse as part of an attack by an enforcer known as Alik shortly after John arrives at the scene. During the assault, Jack manages to free Komarov and escape the building at which point John is briskly reunited with his son. The three have to quickly escape Alik’s forces as they flee to Jack’s hideout. It is then revealed that Jack had been working undercover for the CIA to free Yuri and use the criminal evidence to bring down Chagarin. Komarov had agreed to the deal if he and his daughter Irina were given safe passage out of Russia in exchange for the document. John McClane is reluctantly pulled into the plan and placed into a dangerous situation once again.
Due to the success of the original trilogy and the first film in particular, A Good Day to Die Hard had a great reputation to live up to. It wasn’t able to do this in my opinion and the series continues to decline in quality. While some of this is to do with Jai’s somewhat wooden performance, the main problem in my opinion is that no villain in the series has been able to surpass or be on par with the character of Hans Gruber. The late Alan Rickman brought charisma to the character and all other foes seem to be a poor substitute for McClane to fight against. Overall, it is an okay but generic action film to watch which can stand on its own without the audience to needing to know about John’s previous escapades. There are also plans for a sixth film that will be a prequel set in 1979 when John McClane is still a young cop. I don’t place too much hope on Die Hard: Year One being able to recapture the feel of the first film but believe that it will be better than the last two instalments.
Plot=6/10
Characters=5/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=6/10
Quote of the Day
Most test subjects do experience some, uh, cognitive deterioration after a few months in suspension. Now, you've been under for … quite a bit longer, and it's not out of the question that you might have a very minor case of serious brain damage. But don't be alarmed, all right? Although, if you do feel alarm, try to hold onto that feeling, because that is the proper reaction to being told you have brain damage.
Wheatley
Portal 2
