The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah
Greetings, Song of Susannah is the sixth novel in Stephen King’s long running fantasy series, the Dark Tower. The Dark Tower franchise contains eight books in total and chronologically concludes on the seventh one as the Wind through the Keyhole, the last novel to be released, is located in the middle of the series. It is a complicated plot to explain as its lore is expansive and it holds many storylines as well as having various themes. For instance, time travel and hopping from one dimension to another are important plot points in King’s novels. The genre cannot easily be labelled but it merges Western and fantasy themes together to form a unique setting. The Dark Tower series also serves as King’s main universe as characters from his previous books, such as Father Callaghan from Salem’s Lot, and the author himself are involved in the storyline. Song of Susannah was originally published over a decade ago in 2004.
As with the other novels, the gunslinger known as Roland Deschain of Gilead and his group of warriors are trying to reach the Dark Tower. The Tower is the centre point of the universe in which the gunslinger attempts to reach as the worlds around Roland seem to be dying and he hopes to find a way of stopping the catastrophe. It is connected to what King calls the beams, a force that holds up the universe and is represented by 12 different animals. The group of gunslingers are currently on the beam of the Turtle which is one of the few remaining beams still standing. The adventure has been a long one for Deschain as he has travelled for years and thousands of miles to reach his destination, encountering dangerous situations along the way. In this book, Roland is close to the Tower but his journey takes a turn for the worse when one of his companions, called Susannah, has been possessed by a demon named Mia. Susannah had struggled with split personality disorder before her possession but the demon manages to separate her from the group by taking her through a magical doorway and transporting her into New Yok City in 1999. The demon Mia had impregnated Susannah and promised to deliver the child to the Crimson King, a powerful entity whose motives are unclear but is a constant threat throughout the series.
The remaining gunslingers, Roland, a former drug addict named Eddie, a young boy called Jake and his pet creature Oy as well as Father Callahan attempt to follow their companion. They are able to use the magical doorway but find themselves separated from each other, an unusual occurrence as most of them had been travelling together for the majority of the books. While Jake, Callahan and Oy were transported to the same time and place as Susannah, the other two gunslingers were transported to Maine in 1977. Roland and Eddie are ambushed by the mafia, of who they had previous skirmishes with in the second book, when they are teleported there by the magic door. It is up to them to survive and locate Mia before she can hand over the demon baby to the Crimson King’s men.
This only scratches the surface of the strange universe that is the Dark Tower series. It is full of mythological creatures such vampires, witches, robots and mutants to name a few of those that roam the world. The writing is easy enough to follow even though King does insert random, nonsensical sentences between other sentences for reasons that I don’t fully understand. While I did find the book a bit slower and shorter than some of the early novels, I still managed to enjoy it. King had previously mentioned that he was writing the story as he went along, having no ending planned out beforehand but problems in continuity are more noticeable in the earlier novels. I have no idea how the series will conclude but I am eager to find out when I finish the series next year with his final book. There are also plans for a Dark Tower film that will be released in 2017 and I am looking forward to see how that will be carried out.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Can I say that curse word now?
Anger
Inside Out
The A-Team
Greetings, the A-Team is a film from 2010 which is based off of the original television series that aired during the1980s. The main cast consists of Liam Neeson as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Templeton “Face” Peck, Quinton Jackson as B.A. Baracus and Sharlto Copley as “Howling Mad” Murdoch. Some members of the original show such as Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz have a small cameo roles in the movie as new but minor characters. The music was composed by Alan Silvestri who is known for his work on films such as Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and the Mummy Returns.
The plot begins in Mexico, where Hannibal has been captured by two Mexican police officers who are working for a renegade general known as Javier Tuco. Hannibal manages to break free and runs to the rescue of his fellow soldier, Face, who is about to be executed by Tuco. Peck is saved when Smith and Baracus drive to Javier’s ranch, who manage to halt the killing by dragging Face into the van during the conflict. Despite the rescue, Tuco is still at large and follows them to an army hospital with the intent of killing them. Hannibal had taken this into account while previously scheming the rescue operation as he had planned on travelling to the hospital to recruit one of the patients there. He wanted to enrol the services of the eccentric H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock in order to fly them out of Mexico. The newly assembled A-Team attempt to escape Tuco’s men by travelling in a medical helicopter in which Javier follows by flying in his own helicopter, only for him to be shot down by the US when he crosses into American soil. The dogfight and Murdoch’s erratic flying leaves B.A. terrified at the thought of flying.
The real storyline begins eight years after the A-Team initially met and takes place in Iraq. Hannibal is recruited by a CIA agent named Lynch to retrieve stolen U.S. Treasury plates and $1 billion from Iraqi insurgents in a black ops operation. The A-Team are given the go ahead by their commanding officer known as Morrison and are ultimately successful in their task as they bring the plates back to base. The situation turns when Morrison’s vehicle is destroyed in an explosion and with their only alibi dead, the A-Team is court martialled as well as jailed in separate prisons. The attack was believed to be carried out by Brock Pike, leader of a private security firm called Black Forest as he desired to have the plates for himself. Lynch, the CIA operative, believes this to be the case as he contacts Hannibal six months after Smith’s incarceration and makes a deal. The A-Team would be fully reinstated after their dishonourable discharge and given clear records after the plates are returned. Hannibal agrees to the deal and plots to bring his old team back together so he can clear their names.
While I found the movie to be generally entertaining, I felt as though the plot could have been stronger and it could have introduced more interesting villains. The writers attempted to develop their characters, which is especially noticeable in Baracus’s sudden pacifism after years of killing people but it seemed forced and proved to be ultimately unnecessary. There was an interest in doing a sequel among main cast members such as Neeson and Bradley but plans were cancelled after it was decided the first one didn’t generate enough profit to warrant any continuation with the property. The actors gave a solid performances but the film was let down by its uninspired storyline. Overall, the A-Team isn’t a must watch experience for viewers but is an okay flick if you want to watch some mindless action in my opinion.
Plot=6/10
Characters=7/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
I'll be back.
The Terminator
The Terminator
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Greetings, the Man from U.N.C.L.E is a 2015 film based on an American television series of the same name that originally aired from 1964 to 1968. The movie was directed by Guy Ritchie, director of the 2009 and 2011 Sherlock Holmes series as well as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The Man From U.N.C.L.E stars Henry Cavil as an American agent named Napoleon Solo, Armie Hammer as a Russian spy called Illya Kuryakin and Alicia Vikander as a German mechanic known as Gabby Teller, as well as the daughter of a Nazi scientist Udo Teller. The music was composed by Daniel Pemberton who provides an interesting soundtrack that is accompanied with genuine 60s music, giving the movie a unique style that suits the feel of the film.
The plot begins in 1963 when professional thief and CIA agent Napoleon Solo attempts to extract Gabby Teller from East Berlin. The two manage to evade the clutches of Illya Kuryakin after being chased through Soviet territory and escape over the wall into West Berlin. Both the U.S.S.R and the U.S have an interested in Gabby as she is the daughter of Udo Teller, a Nazi scientist who later worked for America during the end of the war by experimenting on nuclear weapons. The intelligence services believe that Udo Teller has been forced to work for Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, a wealthy couple of Nazi sympathizers who wish to use Teller’s nuclear bomb for their own ends. As such, the two superpowers intend to use Gabby to get close to her father by way of contacting him through her uncle Rudi. Rudi is also working for the wealthy Vinciguerras as an employee in their fishing company.
With the high stakes of the crisis, both the Soviets and the Americans agreed put aside their rivalry to prevent a nuclear war by forcing Illya and Napoleon to work together. Initially, the two agents are reluctant to work as a team due to clashes in their personality, ideological disputes and their preference to operate alone. Gabby Teller also plays an important role in their plan to locate Udo by pretending to be engaged to Kuryakin. The Soviet agent is undercover as a Russian architect and must earn Rudi’s trust in order to find the whereabouts of Udo Teller. Solo is also undercover as an antiques dealer and the trio deduce that they are being watched by the Vinciguerras when they arrive in Rome to begin their mission.
While I did enjoy this film I felt that the plot could have been stronger and that the villains could have been developed more as characters. Despite this critique, I found the Man from U.N.C.L.E to be an entertaining watch with plenty of humorous moments and some memorable action scenes, especially when the main characters were fighting each other at the beginning. While I’m unsure if there would be a sequel, I would be interested in seeing one as I believe that it has plenty of potential to generate an entertaining series. I would encourage you to watch the Man from U.N.C.L.E if you have yet to see it.
Plot=7/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
What I try to tell you? This country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the woman. That's why you gotta make your own moves.
Tony Montana
Scarface
Scarface
Greetings, Scarface is a mob film directed by Brian De Palma and was released in 1983 as a remake of the original 1932 movie. The most prominent cast members include Al Pacino of Godfather fame and Michelle Pfeiffer, a relatively unknown actress at the time in which this film served as her break out role. The music was produced by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder who relied heavily on synthesizers and electronic music in the soundtrack, giving the OST an 80’s feel to it. I felt as though some of the tracks that tried to build suspense were rather tacky but it didn’t detract from the entertaining experience. It should be noted that the Cuban accents were very heavy and difficult to understand during the beginning of the film but you get used to it as Scarface progresses.
The movie begins in 1980 with Fidel Castro shipping Cuban prisoners out from his country, claiming them to be against the spirit of the revolution. Among the immigrants are Tony Montana and his best friend Manny Ribera who have entered America, settling in Miami. While stuck in a refugee camp Manny finds a way to access green cards in order to enter America legally. He is hired by a wealthy American drug lord named Frank Lopez to assassinate an ex-government official of Castro’s regime who is also hiding in the migrant camp. Once the official is murdered by both Tony and Manny, the two are given their green cards which gives them the right to live and work in the United States in adherence to the law.
The two protagonists are drawn further into a life of crime when Montana attempts to purchase cocaine from Columbians on Frank’s behalf. The deal was revealed to be a trap and resulted in Angel, one of Tony’s friends, being killed but the Columbines were massacred by the main duo. After the failed negotiations Tony and Manny make off with both Lopez’s money as well as the narcotics to meet with Frank personally. During the meeting, Montana briefly meets Franks’ girlfriend and is instantly infatuated by her the moment she makes her introduction. The gangster’s moll, Elvira Hancock, is portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer as a bored drug addict as well as a trophy girlfriend. Frank Lopez is impressed by Montana’s nature and offers the two characters full time employment in his criminal empire. At the beginning of the movie, Lopez believes that Tony could be controlled despite Montana’s wild character and excessive ambitions. The plot also tries to highlight Tony’s familial problems that stem from his criminal occupation and his mother’s disdain for his violent actions.
Overall, I did enjoy this classic film and felt that it was worthy of its status as a pop culture phenomenon. I would encourage you to watch it if you aren’t adverse to scenes of a violent nature, profanity, drug taking and nudity but keep in mind that these scenes are quite pale in comparison to the standards of modern entertainment. The series has spawned a few videogames surrounding the titular character such as the 2006 one named ‘Scarface: The World Is Yours’. There are also currently negotiations in process to get a sequel made. It would be set in modern day Los Angeles as a Mexican immigrant chases the American dream through building a criminal empire. Although it is too early to tell what to expect from the film, I am looking forward to what a modern sequel to Scarface would entail.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=8/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
You don't believe in the Force, do you?
Luke Skywalker
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Bastion
Greetings, Bastion is an action role-playing videogame that was developed by Supergiant Games and was published by Warner Bros in 2011. As it is an indie game, it lacks a notable cast, employing the acting talents of Ashley Lynn Barrett and Logan Cunningham to narrate the story. Both Barrett and Cunningham are relatively unknown actors but they have worked together in Supergiant Games’ previous work, titled Transistor. The small cast suits the story as there are only a few characters involved in the plot and the campaign contains little dialogue. Although I wasn’t overly struck on Bastion, the game was well received by critics who were impressed by the visual effects, the narration and the music.
The plot begins with the protagonist, a silent character named the Kid who wakes up from an apocalyptic event known as the Calamity. The true nature and purpose of the Calamity is explained further in the game but I cannot expand on it in this review as the event is a major plot point that shapes future events. The Kid heads towards the Bastion, a structure that was designed for the people of Caelondia to travel to in the event of an emergency. When he arrives the Kid meets Rucks, an elderly man who instructs the protagonist to collect Cores to power the Bastion.
On his adventures to collect the items, the Kid meets two other central characters named Zia and Zulf. Both of them are Uras, a people who were at war with Caelondians such as Kid and Rucks before the Calamity had occurred. Despite, previous hostilities the four get along while the Kid fulfils his duty to explore dangerous areas and recover the Cores or shards. The characters as well as some animals that the Kid brings back from various areas, mostly hang around on the Bastion and can be interacted with. The peace is broken when Zulf reads a journal that the Kid discovered in his travels and attacks the Bastion before returning to Ura lands.
My main issue with the game is that I didn’t really understand the storyline during the conclusion. I believe this confusion stemmed from the lack of dialogue in the campaign or interactions with the characters. The game also includes various challenges and trials based around the available weapons that are unlocked throughout the storyline. I found some of these to be a frustrating addition rather than a fun exercise because some challenges such as the hammer trial required repetitive, mindless button mashing in order to beat the clock. One thing I did like about Bastion was the unique music style that was composed by Darren Korb. I was especially interested in the vocal tracks such as ‘Build that Wall’, ‘Mother, I’m here’ or ‘Setting Sail, Coming Home’. Overall, I believe it was an interesting game to play but it isn’t an experience that I would consider to be an essential for a gamer to immerse themselves in.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.
Michael Corleone
The Godfather Part II
BioShock: Rapture
Greetings, BioShock: Rapture is a 2011 novel by John Shirley. Ken Levin oversaw the writing to ensure the book did not clash with the original source material or the second BioShock game. The novel serves as a prequel to the original game by introducing new characters such as Sofia Lamb or Augustus Sinclair as well as expanding upon existing ones like Andrew Ryan. Some characters were invented solely for the book as they do not appear elsewhere in the series. As BioShock: Rapture was released in 2011, it omits the events of BioShock Infinite, the Burial at Sea episodes and the role that Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth had in shaping Rapture’s future. This is most likely because BioShock Infinite wouldn’t be released until 2013, despite having been worked on a few months after the completion of the original BioShock since 2008. The novel is built around the viewpoints of various individuals but it mainly focuses on Bill McDonagh as the main character and his reactions to Rapture’s fall.
The plot begins in 1945 with Hiroshima and Nagasaki being bombed by the United States. The incidents inspired wealthy entrepreneur Andrew Ryan to build the secret city of Rapture between Greenland and Iceland as he believes that mankind would soon wiped out by nuclear annihilation. As founder of Rapture, he tries to run the city as an atheist, capitalistic society with minimal interference from governing bodies. His plans of a utopia are derailed when he gives Frank Fontaine, a conman posing as an honest business man, the opportunity to become a Rapture citizen. As Fontaine is responsible for the city’s fish supply, he uses the opportunity to smuggle confiscated items such as Bibles into Rapture. While Ryan can’t prove that Fontaine is behind the smuggling operation he remains suspicious of his entrepreneurial rival and waits for him to make a mistake.
Rapture soon descends into lawlessness with the discovery of a Sea slug that can be used to create a substance called plasmids. The plasmids, named ADAM, give users supernatural abilities such as pyrokinesis or telekinesis but also has an adverse effect on their mental state. Fontaine employs Doctor Tenenbaum and Doctor Suchong to develop the plasmids for Fontaine Futuristics. In order to produce them more effectively, Frank sets up orphanages that turn ordinary girls into hosts, known as Little Sisters, for the Sea slugs. The girls are protected from splicers by their guardians which are called Big Daddies. Fontaine isn’t Andrew’s only problem. Ryan is also troubled by the attempted incursion by psychologist Sofia Lamb who wishes to lead the citizens of Rapture through her cult, the Rapture Family. Therefore, sane Rapture citizens are trapped in the underwater metropolis as splicers of three armed factions fight to control the city.
While reading the novel is not an essential part of the BioShock experience, it is interesting to see how a civilized Rapture functioned and to watch some of characters, such as Sander Cohen or Dr Steinman, lose their sanity. If you are a fan of the series you might enjoy the novel and I would encourage you to read it if you want to learn more about the lore behind the BioShock universe. It should be noted that the book steadily moves from the year 1945 to 1959, ending shortly before Jack’s arrival into the city to find that Atlas and Andrew Ryan are fighting for control of Rapture.
Plot=9/10
Characters=8/10
Wording=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
Just relax. It's just like taking a stroll through the woods. 65 million years ago.
Owen Grady
Jurassic World
