X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past
Greetings, X-Men: First Class is a 2011 film and prequel to the original X-Men trilogy that had begun in the year 2000. The movie stars a large cast of notable actors and actresses including James McAvoy as Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast as well as Kevin Bacon as the antagonist, Sebastian Shaw. The music was created by Henry Jackman who had also composed film scores for other movies such as Wreck it Ralph, Captain Phillips, Kick-Ass 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While First Class uses the Marvel Comics as a source of inspiration and that the film was released during the beginning stages of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe they two storylines seem to be in separate worlds. The separation is also to do with 20th Century Fox owning the X-Men franchise and Marvel studios owning the rights to the Cinematic Universe.
The plot begins in 1944 at a Nazi camp with a young Erik Lensherr, a boy who would later grow up to be the super villain Magneto. Dr Klaus Schmidt, also known as Sebastian Shaw, discovers Erik is a mutant with the special ability of controlling magnetic fields. Schmidt orders Erik’s mother to be shot in order to release Erik’s powers which manifest through his rage and grief. Klaus’ plan works as Lensherr destroys the room and kills two guards in the process. Meanwhile in New York, a child known as Charles Xavier who has the mutant ability of telepathy meets another mutant, a shape shifting girl named Raven Darkholme. The two manage to form a relationship, forming it on the grounds that they are both mutants. The plot jumps forward to 1962 and focuses heavily on the Cuban missile crisis. A grown up Erik still seeks revenge for the death of his mother and attempts to track down Shaw. Sebastian has established a group of mutants known as the Hellfire Club and is pushing the USA and the USSR close to a nuclear war. Xavier’s expertise in mutation gains the attention of the CIA who believes he is a useful ally against the threat of Sebastian Shaw.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
The sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past, was released in 2014 and brings back cast members from the original trilogy such as Patrick Stewart as well as Ian McKellen. Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Wolverine but this time as a more prominent part as than his cameo in First Class. Peter Dinklage is one of the new faces to appear in the series and he takes on the role of a villain named Bolivar Trask. John Ottman replaces Henry Jackman as the composer for Days of Future Past, already having conducted the music for the second X-Men movie back in 2003.
Like X-Men: First Class, Days of Future Past is based around historic events and this film mostly takes place in the 1970s. It begins in the future were machines known as Sentinels are hunting down and exterminating mutants on a global scale. The Sentinel were created by Trask, a military scientist and entrepreneur who sees mutants as a threat to humanity that must be annihilated. The Sentinels become a formidable foe to mutants after Trask’s death at the hands of Mystique in 1973. Mystique, also known as Raven, is captured and her mutant ability is used to make the Sentinels practically invincible. As such the future versions of Magneto and the X-Men are forced to work together to stop the genocide of their people.
The former enemies come up with a plan to send Wolverine’s consciousness back in time to 1973 to stop Mystiques assassination of Trask by using Kitty Pryde’s powers. Wolverine needs to free a young Magneto from his imprisonment in the Pentagon after being accused of assassinating John F Kennedy. Wolverine also needs convince to Charles to work together with his old nemesis, a difficult task as the two characters had fallen out in the events of First Class over the issue of coexistence between the humans and the mutants.
Both films were an enjoyable experience with a large, talented and recognizable cast. The two movies bring new interest to the old trilogy which had seen a decrease in quality with the release of X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. The conclusion to Days of Future Past indicates that there is at least one more film to be made with the current cast and given the success of the two movies I am looking forward to it.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
Genes are the key that unlocks the door to a new age, Erik. A new future for mankind. Evolution. You know what I'm talking about? It's a simple thing I ask of you.
Klaus Schmidt/ Sebastian Shaw
X-Men: First Class
The Stanley Parable
Greetings, the Stanley Parable is a game based upon a mod that was released in 2011 and it was developed by Davey Wreden. The game itself is very unusual in that it is based around exploring the map and discovering the various possible endings rather than solving puzzles or undertaking other traditional game play elements. There are around 18 different conclusions that the player can experience by taking different routes however a few of them are regarded as joke endings or eater eggs, such as the Whiteboard ending, that don’t conclude the story. Throughout the game there are only two cast members who both play characters that are heard but never seen, Kevan Brighting as the Narrator and Lesley Staples as the female Narrator. The main protagonist, Stanley, is controlled by the player but is silent and only able to communicate with the Narrator by following or disregarding his instructions.
The Stanley Parable has a short campaign with a simplistic story to unravel but the main objective of the game is to explore all the endings and possible variations of the plot that it has to offer. The main story begins in Stanley’s office and it can also end there if the player chooses to shut the door as it is one of many conclusions. If the player continues to walk around the Narrator will explain that Stanley’s fellow employees have disappeared mysteriously and that the quickest way to discover the reason for their unexplained absence is to follow the Narrator’s instructions. The Narrator’s personality will change based upon Stanley’s actions becoming obnoxious, infuriated or even depressed if the player doesn’t follow the orders.
VALVE also left their mark on the game as they had helped contribute to the final product by referencing their previous games. A Portal map for was made available for the player to explore, accompanied by the Still Alive tune broadcast from the radio. Notch’s Minecraft was also in the same ending of the Stanley Parable as the Narrator was irritated by Stanley refusing to play his own games in which you had to press the same button for four hours in order to complete it. The whimsical nature of the game and its style of humour can also be seen in its achievements, for instance the ‘You Can’t Jump’ achievement that can be unlocked by pressing the spacebar several times or ‘Go Outside’ which can be won by not playing the game for five years.
Overall, it is an interesting game and unlike any I have ever played before. It has an impressive and humorous script that is effectively carried out by good performances from its two actors. The music was composed by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra, a British composer who is known for his Youtube channel that consists of remixes or orchestral versions of videogame music. I enjoyed the Stanley Parable and would recommend it if you haven’t played it already.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Here it is. You're screwed. You made a choice, and this is the consequence. Me, I'm the consequence.
Lorne Malvo
Fargo
Fargo
Greetings, Fargo is a 2014 television series based on the Coen Brother’s 1996 film of the same name. The story is set 19 years after the movie, meaning that it is focused on an entirely new cast of actors and characters while occasionally referring back to the themes or important plot points from the 1996 version of Fargo. It contains similarities to the movie as there is introductive text at the beginning of each episode, suggesting that the storyline is based off real events that took place in Minnesota during 2006 but despite the claims it is a work of fiction. The series does have a relatively large cast with some of the more noticeable actors and actresses including Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks and Bob Odenkirk.
The story begins with Lorne Malvo, a contract killer played by Thornton, crashing his car on a wintry highway outside the city of Bemidji, Minnesota. Malvo is slightly injured in the accident and goes to a nearby hospital to get aid. The story also focuses heavily on Martin Freeman’s character, Lester Nygaard, an insurance salesman and henpecked husband. One day Lester bumps into an old high school bully of his, a man called Sam Hess, who intimidates Nyggard into accidentally breaking his nose when trying to flee Sam. As such Nygaard meets Malvo at the hospital where the two discuss what had caused Lester to break his nose but the conversation takes a strange turn in which Lorne stated that he would have killed Hess if he was in that position. Malvo continues the conversation by promising he would kill Hess for free if Nygaard agreed to it. A confused Lester was called by a nurse before he could answer, leaving the assassination open to interpretation.
Later on Lorne does kill Hess, a lowlife criminal with connections with a crime syndicate in Fargo, as Nygaard never said no to the proposition. In return the Fargo criminal organization send two of their own assassin’s to track down Sam’s killer, hoping to avenge his death. The story returns to Lester after he returns from hospital. In the spur of the moment he kills his abusive wife, Pearl, with a hammer and calls Lorne to dispose of the body. At the same time Hess’ death is under investigation by the local police force, the meeting between Nygaard and Malvo is discovered in which Sam’s name was often referred to. As such police Chief Vern Thurman travels to Nygaard’s house to question him about Hess’ murder, where Pearl’s corpse is hidden in the basement. Thurman is shot dead by Malvo before Lorne escapes, leaving Lester trapped in a crime scene. Nygaard decides to run into a wall with intentions of knocking himself unconscious, in order to create an alibi in which he was supposedly attacked as well. The investigation falls to Deputy Molly Solverson after the death of her boss, in which she has to unravel the complicated case which appear to be different and unrelated crimes.
That is the main outline of the plot but there are many other storylines that run through it and characters that have a bigger presence later on in the series. The character progression is done particularly well, especially with the fall of Lester Nygaard into the depths of immorality. Lorne Malvo is the character I found that was the most intriguing who was played brilliantly by Thornton. His mischievous nature, oddly worded threats and references to Biblical scriptures have lead some fans to believe that he is actually an incarnation of the Devil but this is never stated outright by the writers. The music, composed by Jeff Russo, sets the mood nicely and positively enhances the experience. I really enjoyed this series and look forward to what season two has to offer.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special Effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
Ain't no thing like me, except me!
Rocket Raccoon
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy
Greetings, Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2014 and is the latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It provides a few subtle references to previous films including the Avengers but it is mostly a self-contained story that revolves around new settings and characters. Some of the most prominent cast members include Chris Pratt as the main protagonist, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan. Guardians is quite different from the rest of Marvel’s work as it set in space rather than being confined to Earth, providing quite a lot of new lore, extra-terrestrial species and civilizations to experience that hadn’t been mentioned in the pre-existing plots.
The story begins on Earth during 1988 with a young Peter Quill at his dying mother’s bedside. An emotionally distraught Quill runs outside of the hospital when his mother passes, having lost her fight against cancer. When Peter is alone, he is abducted by an alien pirate ship that is captained by an extra-terrestrial called Yondu. The film skips 26 years into the future with an adult Peter Quill who had been raised by Yondu and the pirates that captured him since his mother’s death. Peter followed in their footsteps and became a thief, going by the name of Star-Lord. Quill is sent on a mission to the deserted planet of Morag to steal a mysterious orb but he is intercepted by Korath, a subordinate to the villain Ronan, but Star-Lord manages to escape with the orb in his possession.
The antagonist, called Ronan, is a fanatical alien known as a Kree that wishes to destroy the civilization known as Xandar. While his hatred for Xander isn’t expanded upon it is revealed that he plans to annihilate planet by acquiring the orb that was stolen by Quill, by handing it over to opne of the strongest beings in the universe, Thanos. In return Thanos would destroy Xandar. Seeing that Korath had failed in his task to get the orb, Ronan sends the assassin Gamora to retrieve the object from Star-Lord. Gamora hunts down Quill on the planet of Xander but Peter has also caught the attention of two bounty hunters after his bounty, an intelligent racoon called Rocket that is the result of an experiment, as well as the humanoid tree creature known as Groot. The four end up in a fight on Xandar before being caught and sent to prison by the Nova Corps, in which they meet the fifth protagonist, a prison inmate called Drax. The five decide to work together to escape the high security prison, gradually forming the team that would become to be called the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The film is very impressive overall with an interesting soundtrack that runs throughout the movie, giving it a unique feel and keeping a connection to Quill’s past on Earth while adding to his character. The actors and actresses gave good performances, delivering their lines well, especially in the many humours scenes. It is my personal favourite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far and it seems to be building up the character of Thanos, who was barely in the film, for future works. I look forward to what the sequel will add onto the success of the original and what impact Guardians of the Glaxy will have on other Marvel films.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Special Effects=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
A famous man once said, "We create our own demons." Who said that? What does that even mean? Didn't matter. I said it 'cause he said it. So now, he was famous and it was basically said by two well-known guys. I don't... uhh... I'm gonna start again. Let's track this from the beginning
Tony Stark/ Iron Man
Iron Man 3
The Dark Tower: The Wind through the Keyhole
Greetings, The Wind through the Keyhole is a novel that was penned by Steven King and was published in 2012. It is the eighth book in the Dark Tower saga, the saga being one of King’s main works, and it is the last novel in the series to have been written. In terms of the fictional chronology, it is takes place between the fourth and fifth books which are named Wizard and Glass and the Wolves of Calla. It is similar to previous novel, Wizard and Glass, as it revolves mostly around the adventures of the protagonist, a gunslinger named Roland, while he is still quite young. As such most of the main characters in the series have few chapters devoted to them, instead elaborating on characters from Roland’s teenage years that had only been mentioned in passing in previous books.
The plot is quiet irregular as it is made up of three different but interconnecting stories that are contained within each other. It begins with Roland and his friends travelling on their dangerous path to the Dark Tower after the events of Wizard and Glass. When they arrive at a desolate town, Roland is able to tell that a terrible storm known as a starkblast is coming their way and so they barricade themselves in at the local town hall, planning to wait out the storm that would freeze everything in its path. To pass the time Roland speaks of his past as he tells his audience that when he was a teenager he and his friend, Jamie DeCurry, where sent by his father to a little town called Debaria to solve a mysterious murder case. Reports coming from the town suggested that a Skin-changer, a supernatural creature that takes the appearance of a man and could change its form, was on a killing spree in the small settlement and that it needed to be stopped by gunslingers. The adult gunslingers were busy fighting a war at the time, a conflict that wasn’t expanded on much by King, which meant that the two teenagers had to solve the problem on their own.
When Roland and Jaime arrived in the town they uncover that there had been an attack on a local farm and that one of the victims had survived. The sole survivor, a young boy named Bill, had apparently seen the creature revert back to its human form but was unable to get much of a good view as he had only seen the creature’s feet. Roland wishes to use the boy as bait in his hunt for the monster as he hopes to lure creature out of hiding as it would have intention of killing Bill to keep its identity secret. The young Roland also tries to ease Bill’s fear of being identified by the skin-man by telling him a story from his childhood, “The Wind through the Keyhole”. It is a fable about a young boy called Tim Ross who had lost his father under suspicious circumstances, forcing his mother to marry an abusive drunk, his father’s best friend before he died. The story is somewhat complicated and is partially about Tim uncovering what had really happened to his father.
The Dark Tower is a strange series which has so far involved psychotic monorails, vampires, giant bears and witches but it is enjoyable if you can appreciate its strange mix of genres. I only have two more novels to read, Songs of Susannah and the Dark Tower, which will hopefully be posted in this blog in the coming years. There are also talks about a film coming out which should be interesting to see, starring Russel Crowe as Roland of Gilead and Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame to star as ex-drug addict Eddie Dean. I thought the book was an interesting read and wonder how King is going to end it.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse.
Petyr Baelish
Game of Thrones
Hector: Badge of Carnage
Greetings, Hector: Badge of Carnage is a point and click adventure game that was developed by Straandlooper and published by Telltale Games. Straandlooper is an animation studio and game developer located in Northern Ireland with the Hector series being the first game they have ever made. Like other Telltale works Badge of Carnage has an episodic format that consisting of three segments in total and a storyline that runs through all the episodes. The humour is adult in nature, with the plot being set in the fictitious and degenerate town of Clappers Wreak, infamously renowned as the crime capital of Britain.
The storyline follows the brutish and vulgar protagonist, Detective Inspector Hector of Clappers Wreak Police Service as he gets entangled in a hostage situation that is occurring in an abandoned building. Hector is sent in to settle the situation by order of Meeks, Chief Superintendent and Hector’s boss, after several negotiators are killed by a skilled sniper hiding in the abandoned building. Once negotiations begins it is revealed that the unidentified terrorist is shocked at how far the town has sunk into depravity and demands that Hector rebuild Clappers Wreak by handing him three assignments.
As such Hector is forced to comply, repairing the dysfunctional town clock, destroying the local adult entertainment industry and donating a large sum of money to Barnsley Noble, head of the Clappers Wreak Preservation Society. The first episode is rather simple in terms of plot as Hector merely fulfils the sniper’s demands but it expands later on with the terrorist being identified at the end of the second episode and the aims of the villain being uncovered in the third game.
The series has a large and colourful cast of characters, some of which appear throughout the whole trilogy, but only two of them are playable. Hector’s slow witted partner, Lambert, becomes an increasingly important character as the story progresses and the player has to take control of him to solve certain puzzles in the last two episodes. The puzzles are unusual and can only be completed with the use of various items found throughout the map, some of which have to be combined in order to solve them. Overall it is an enjoyable game with interesting challenges, art style, setting and characters, especially Hector himself.
Plot=9/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Today. Today... at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other. Today there is not a man nor woman in here that shall stand alone. Not today. Today we face the monsters that are at our door, and bring the fight to them. Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!
Stacker Pentecost
Pacific Rim
