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

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