Happy New Year, 2014 Review
Greetings, today’s blog update is the last one from 2014 and it sums up my favourite entertainment that the year has provided. Like last year’s review the categories consist of games, books, television shows and films that I have experienced in 2014 and not necessarily media that has been produced during the year. The next blog update will occur sometime next year and I will be reviewing ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’. I hope that 2014 was a good year for you and wish that 2015 proves to be an even better year.
Television show of the year: Fargo
I haven’t seen that many TV series this year but Fargo was certainly an entertaining show to watch. Prominent celebrities include Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and Allison Tolman who were cast as the main characters. The show does have links to the 1996 film but it is set in 2006 and revolves around new characters that are unrelated to the original Fargo. Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo, a sadistic contract killer, is one of the shows highlights and is a memorable character that keeps the story interesting. Even though season two of Fargo will focus on different individuals I am still looking forward to what will bring and if it is connected to the Coen brother’s previous works.
Game of the year: The Walking Dead
The game of the year goes to Telltales’ take on ‘The Walking Dead’. The story is episodic in format and is set during a zombie apocalypse, following survivors named Lee Everett and Clementine. It introduces a wide range of colourful characters that often come into conflict with one another and forces the player into difficult decisions. The choices are difficult to make with the player being pressured due to a short time limit in order to reach a decision that often pits morality and rational reasoning at odds. I have yet to play the DLC or the second season but I intend to play them soon and am expecting it to keep up to the same high standard as the original.
Book of the year: A Clash of Kings
‘A Game of Thrones’ was crowned the book of the year for 2013 and ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ manages to win the title again in 2014. George R.R. Martin is a talented writer who has created some intriguing stories and characters, most notably the clever and sly dwarf known as Tyrion Lannister. This novel introduces some new characters, such as Melisandre, that will become more important as the series advances and it has expanded on others that were only mentioned in passing previously. Martin is setting up a complex world with an extensive lore and various opposing factions that the reader has only just begun to explore. I have plenty more novels to read before the series is finished and I am eager to see what plot twist lie ahead or who will be the ultimate victor in the conquest for the Iron Throne.
Film of the year: Guardians of the Galaxy
This year’s competition for movie of the year was a tough one as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ were contenders. It was a close call between the three notable films but the latter wins the title and is easily the best work that the Marvel Universe has produced so far. It stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Dave Bautista as the main cast. The film has many positive aspects including a good sense of humour, memorable characters as well as a noteworthy soundtrack. I look forward to what the Marvel Universe has in store, especially the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy.
Quote of the Day
What should we do next? Something good, or something bad, or a bit of both?
Peter Quill/ Star Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy
Merry Christmas 2014!
Greetings, today’s blog update is a short message wishing you a merry Christmas. To celebrate the occasion I have written an entry called ‘The Death and Life of Ellen Smith’ despite the fact that there are no more Write Wise Christmas Challenges. Last year’s story was ‘Frontier Planet: Winter Tales’. I hope you enjoy this new entry. The story itself is intended to be a standalone plot which is unusual as Cogworld and William Litt: Corruption are the only other works that I have created that don’t have a sequel or prequel. My next update will be celebrating the end of 2014 with a quick review of this year’s entertainment. I hope you have a good Christmas.
Quote of the Day
Oh, Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost its wheel, the Joker got awa--hey!!!
Bart
The Simpsons
A Clash of Kings
Greetings, A Clash of Kings is the second novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series, written by George R.R. Martin and was published in 1998. In this novel he introduces new characters to the story, such as Melisandre of Asshiai, and elaborates on those who had only been mentioned beforehand, most notably Stannis Baratheon. There are a lot of characters to keep track of even this early on in the series as well as numerous dynasties with different loyalties and an extensive lore. There certainly were a few more minor individuals that lacked any sort of uniqueness, personality or traits that made them stand out and added to the confusion. I’m sure that it will only get more complex as the series progresses as even more characters are introduced. Despite this, it still is an entertaining experience due to the inclusion of devious or untrustworthy characters such as Tyrion, Varys and Littlefinger.
The plot takes place shortly after the first novel and the kingdom is at war with four kings competing for the throne. Joffrey, a young and cruel king who had inherited the throne from Robert, tries to maintain his crown from the clutches of the other kings. As he is an unpopular ruler he has to keep his starving and rebellious subjects suppressed or be overthrown by his own population. Robb Stark crowned himself king of the North and attempts to avenge his father’s fate by waging war against Lannister troops. In another plot line, the Stark kingdom of Winterfell is under threat from a region that seeks its independence from the North and the rebels hope to achieve it through force. The other two kings are Robert’s brothers who are called Stannis and Renly. The two both claim that the throne is rightfully theirs and as such are on hostile terms, threatening to use their militaries to settle the dispute. While Renly relies on earthly powers his older brother, Stannis, has enlisted the help of a sorceress called Melisandre to help him win the war.
The storyline revolving around the four monarchs is the most prominent plot in the novel but there are others that take place outside of the main realm. For instance, John Snow and a convoy of the Nights Watch are searching for his uncle, Benjen Stark, beyond the wall as he had not returned from his mission in the first book. The main concern of the order is that there are circulating rumours that Mance Rayder, king beyond the wall and a threat to the Nights Watch, is building an army of wildlings and supernatural creatures. Another central character to the plot is Daenerys Targaryen, a princess titled the mother of dragons, that lost her inheritance to the Iron throne of the seven kingdoms when Robert took it by force. In my opinion her storyline is rather slow and her chapters are the least interesting to read. Her chapters are about her attempts to raise an army in the East in order to invade and retake the throne that was denied to her.
Those are just a few of the many plots and characters that are in the novel. Individuals such as Arya Stark do have chapters dedicated to them but it would take too long to list all the important characters for this blog update. I did notice that many previous characters, including the antagonist Jamie Lannister and John Snow, received little attention in this book compared to the original but I assume that this was to introduce new characters. Overall, it is entertaining to read even if some characters are a little dull at times. I look forward to what lies in store for the future of the series and all the unexpected plot twists that are bound to come. I would encourage you to watch it if you have an interest in the fantasy genre.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
I wanted this to be professional. Efficient, adult, cooperative, not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way, so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life.
Hans Gruber
Die Hard
The Quiz Part 6
Greetings, it is that time of year again. This is the sixth version of the annual quiz and as usual it has 10 questions based on film, games, television and books as well as more general topics. The answers to the test can be found below. I hope you enjoy taking it and will be interested to see if you can improve on your score from last year.
1. Which actor plays the protagonist, Walter White, from Breaking Bad?
2. Who said the following quote- “You know, this is — excuse me — a damn fine cup of coffee!”
3. Which region did the Russian Federation annex during the beginning of 2014?
4. Who writes the A Song of Ice and Fire series?
5. How many Write Wise Challenges have there been?
6. What conflict did Forrest Gump fight in?
7. Name this character.
8. In what year was Star Wars: A New Hope released?
9. The majority of X-Men: First Class is set in which decade?
10. What do you call the actor who provided the voice for the Narrator in the Stanley Parable?
Spoilers!
1. Bryan Cranston
2. Special Agent D.B. Cooper
3. Crimea
4. George R. R. Martin
5. 19
6. The Vietnam War
7. Lorne Malvo
8. 1977
9. The 1960s
10. Kevan Brighting
Quote of the Day
You're worried you'll go crazy without Troy. That's why you're going to let Britta fix you, right? Because you think you're broken, you're going to get diagnosed by someone who said her favourite superhero was X-Man.
Evil Abed
Community
The Thing
Greetings and happy Halloween! Today’s blog update is in keeping with the spirit of the holiday by being a science fiction horror film from 1982 as I’m reviewing John Carpenter’s The Thing. It is based off of the 1938 novel ‘Who goes there?’ by John W. Campbell Jr. The cast includes Kurt Russell as the protagonist known as MacReady, Donald Moffat, Wilfred Brimley and Keith David. Out of the entire main cast the one I am most familiar with is Keith David who I know as the voice of David Anderson in the Mass Effect series as well as him having performed in the Call of Duty series. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone, who is best known for creating the score for Italian Westerns including the Dollars trilogy and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The plot is set in the Antarctic and begins with a Norwegian helicopter chasing a dog that is heading towards an American research station. The American crew are confused by the actions of those in the helicopter as they are shooting at the dog but they don’t manage to hit it and are killed in the process. With the pursuers dead, one shot by an American as the Norwegian would not stop firing and the pilot did not survive an explosion in the helicopter, the researchers take the dog into the kennels alongside the other dogs. MacReady, in search for answers as to why the attackers were trying to kill a dog, is sent to explore the nearby Norwegian station. When he lands his helicopter at the research facility MacReady discovers that the building has been destroyed with fire and finds a charred humanoid corpse with two faces. MacReady decides to take the corpse back to base to be examined by another character called Blair in which the autopsy revealed that the mutated body had normal human organs.
The story turns its attention towards the rescued dog and reveals that it in reality it is a shape shifting monster that had managed to escape its death at the hands of the Norwegians. The Americans become aware of its presence when they hear the dogs howling as the creature kills the other animals that had been locked inside with it. MacReady and the research team couldn’t prevent the monster from fleeing the kennels which means that it is stalking the protagonists in their own base and is able to take anyone of their forms. As such the team begin to violently turn on each other under the psychological pressure as they suspect and fear that one of them could be the monster in disguise. It is up to MacReady and the others to identify the monster and kill it or suffer the same fate as members of the Norwegian research team.
The film relies on stop-motion animation, due to a lack of advancement in CGI technology at the time, which gives the movie a unique feel that is genuinely creepy and memorable. There was also a prequel made in 2011 that focuses and elaborates on the Norwegian’s experiences with the monster but it isn’t regarded as a particularly good movie. Despite the criticisms of the prequel I still might watch it at some stage in the near future as even the original Thing wasn’t regarded as a particularly good movie at the time and is now considered a cult classic. I can say for certain however that the 1982 version of the Thing was an enjoyable experience and is worth watching.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
Vampires, gargoyles, warlocks, they're all the same — best when cooked well.
Gabriel Van Helsing
Van Helsing
Kick-Ass 1 and 2
Greetings, Kick-Ass is a comedy film that was based off a comic book with the same title and it was released back in 2010. Cast members include Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the superhero and protagonist Kick-Ass, Nicholas Cage as another hero known as Big Daddy and Chloe Grace Mortez as Hit Girl, Bid Daddy’s eleven year old daughter. On the side of the villains Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D’Amico son of the crime lord Frank D’Amico, played by Mark Strong. It is the first film in a possible trilogy with the second movie being released in 2013. The original soundtrack for both films was composed by Henry Jackman, the same man who wrote the music for X-Men: First Class.
The plot begins with Dave Lizewski, an American teenager living in New York City, who desires to follow in the footsteps of his fictional heroes and become a real life superhero when he realizes that no one is standing up to the local criminals. As such he creates a suit armed with batons and calls himself Kick-Ass, ready to face danger without having any adequate training. His first attempt to stop a crime was highly unsuccessful as he was stabbed and the thieves managed to escape when he was injured. As such he is landed in hospital but the setback Dave doesn’t convince him to stop his crime fighting activates and soon he becomes an internet sensation after healing from his injuries. He continues to train himself despite it being apparent that he lacks knowledge of combat or professional technique and that the consequences of being overwhelmed were made clear in his first failed attempt at being a superhero.
Kick-Ass soon finds himself tackling a gang of drug dealers that he can’t defeat due to his amateur skills but this is when he is encounters two professional superheroes for the first time. Lizewski is rescued by Big Daddy and Hit Girl who were targeting the drug dealers at the same time as he was. The two characters are different than Kick-Ass in that they are prepared to and are able to efficiently kill criminals with specialized weapons as well as combat prowess. Hit Girl is only eleven years old at the time of the story and had been trained by Big Daddy to become a skilled fighter for his desire for vengeance on the antagonist of the film, Frank D’Amico. The drug cartel were only a small gang and Big Daddy was after the main kingpin of New York, D’Amico, who had been the source of pain in his past life that he wished to avenge.
Plot=9/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=8/10
Overall=9/10
Kick-Ass 2 sees the return of much of the original cast such as Taylor-Johnson, Mortez, Mintz-Plasse as well as introducing various other members including Jim Carrey. While I enjoyed this film I believe that the first one was better, possibly in part due to the omission of some characters due to the previous plot. It has a similar feel that Kick-Ass managed to deliver as it shares the same type of elements that the original had such as crude humour as well as containing violent scenes.
It takes some place a few years after the events of the first movie in which Dave Lizewski and Mindy Macready, the real identity of Hit Girl, are now in the same school. The two are bored of their normal lives that they had been living since hanging up their costumes and retiring from crime fighting. New York City had changed when Dave and Mindy had turned their backs on superhero business as many ordinary citizens were inspired to fill their place during their absence by becoming heroes. This leads to the formation of superhero teams that go around preventing crimes including Justice Forever which is lead Jim Carrey’s character, Colonel Stars and Stripes. Meanwhile the D’Amico criminal syndicate falls into the hands of Chris D’Amcio after he accidentally kills his mother. With all of his inheritance he claims a new super villain identity, builds up an army of villains with which he wages war against Justice Forever and targets Kick-Ass in particular.
There is a post-credits scene to suggest that a sequel is planned or there is at least room for a potential one. A third movie could be made in theory but this may never happen due to the poor box office performance of the sequel according to Mintz-Plasse. Overall, both films are enjoyable to watch and I hope to see another movie in the franchise to finally conclude the storyline of Kick-Ass and Hit Girl with a proper ending, even if it wasn’t as entertaining as the original.
Plot=7/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=8/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
I'll give you a strawberry if you keep this a secret.
L
Death Note
