Movie Round Up

The Bourne Identity (2002/USA)

A superior action-thriller that manages to stay grounded at all times despite the conspiracy-theory nature of the plot. The stunts, particularly the car-chases and the fisticuffs, are executed with aplomb and add to the gritty nature of the film. A must watch.

The Bourne Supremacy (2005/USA)

A rarity – a sequel that manages to equal the heights of the original. Marginally less gritty as some Bond-esque gadgets and shenanigans are introduced but they certainly don’t detract anything. The sentimental elements, also, only serve to bolster what is already a strong plot.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007/USA)

A faster-paced affair than the two prequels. A couple of the characters aren’t quite as strong as in the previous films and the flashbacks/memory-recovery scenes can be a bit much but that is really just nit-picking. Continues the lineage with great success containing all of the elements that make the previous films great.

Transporter 3 (2008/France)

Another slickly put-together action film that does justice to the Transporter canon. Forgoing the OTT nature of the second film in a return to the basics it could easily underwhelm. However, the action scenes are as high-octane as ever (bar the disappointing finale) and Statham fans (myself included) will lap it up.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994/USA)

Self-referential and contrived sequel to the horror classic that revives some of the unnerving nature of the original. It struggles to remain coherent at times and ends poorly but it entertains for the most part.

Vacancy 2 (2009/USA)

The original Vacancy was filled with tension and frights but this prequel idea really doesn’t work as the focus is shifted to the perpetrators rather than the victims. This removes any horror as the audience witnesses the bumbling incompetence of those that are meant to be terrifying!

Movie Views

REC (2007 / Spain) Another horror that uses the handycam/point-of-view style to great effect and manages to be gripping and claustrophobic due to it. Although not entirely original it still contains a few fresh ideas for a genre that has begun to stagnate







Logan’s Run (1976 / USA) Classic Sci-fi adventure that still stands up today. As thought provoking as it is obscure, its filled with abstract moments and existential dilemmas, presented with a beautifully pseudo-futuristic/psychedelic sheen. Epic stuff.







Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007 / USA) The structure of this film can be summarised thus: Act1 – Nothing happens, Act 2 – Something is going to happen (but not quite yet), Act 3 – Something happens. Even when the action gets going it is hardly noteworthy and certainly does little to redress the balance of the opening hour of dross.





Sweet House of Horrors (1989 / Italy) To say this is Lucio Fulci’s worst film is really saying something! It begins with the usual key elements of gore, unusual camerawork, poor dubbing and some 70’s synth soundtack. The majority from there on in is more akin to a dull children’s fairytale. Unequivocally awful.







The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007 / UK/USA) The confusion and pace for the first half of this sci-fi/horror serves to generate a decent amount of intrigue (akin to a typical J-Horror). Unfortunately the confusion turns to bewilderment and things get a bit “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Still, a novel premise and it has its moments.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)

This may be the eleventh title in the series but not an awful lot has changed since it’s beginnings on the NES in 1990. There are some minor tweaks over the Gamecube prequel, to which this continues the story, but really this isn’t going to attract any of the new audience the Wii has so successfully courted.

The most immediate and glaring lack of innovation is the decision not to use the Wii’s motion sensing capabilities. One might’ve thought that for a grid-based strategy title the use of a mouse-like cursor might be ideal but instead you are forced to use the Wiimote as an NES pad! In hindsight this mightn’t have been a bad choice as the switching between the small tiles could become quite fiddly and the fatigue factor during a 2 hour long level might be crippling.

The graphics have received a welcome update (if not as much as some might’ve expected) with some nice spot effects for the magical attacks being the highlight. The anime cut-scenes are superb its just a shame there’s so few of them.

The freshest part of Radiant Dawn comes in the alternating use of multiple armies - levelling up, recruiting and arming 3 entirely separate groups of characters. This greatly helps to maintain your interest over what is a very long game(60 hours+) as you are effectively playing 3 instances of the game. Strangely, however, you are given charge of the weakest army first and are asked to negotiate 10 gruelling levels at the beginning. This then serves to render the subsequent chapters as quite an anticlimax seeing you breeze past the enemy with a new, and much more powerful, army at your disposal. Overall the approach does work and throws up some interesting twists towards the end of the game.

Continuing on the plot of the 2005 Gamecube game is handled with the story-telling skill one would expect from Intelligent Systems with the bold issues of prejudice, racism and the horrors of war smoothly transferred into a new context with original topics of hero worship and religion also being broached admirably. This is aided by the superior dialogue and scripting that doesn’t have you skipping though the endless juvenile nonsense contained in most text heavy games. Regrettably the narrative is let down at times by some unsophisticated changes in direction that helps break the predictable flow of events but could surely be accomplished by some subtler means.

As strategy games go this is up there with the best of them, it requires solid planning and tactics whilst bound by a logical and consistent rule-set. Its difficulty, although being steep, never leaves the player feeling cheated and always leaves the opportunity for a new approach. If the genre isn’t your “cup-of-tea” then this will do little to persuade you otherwise – especially with its sink or swim initiation, functional graphics and general lack of Wii-ness.

Movie Round Up

Evil Dead 2 (1987/USA)
Disappointing re-hash of the classic original leaning more towards comedy rather than horror. Still contains some hilarious moments and entertainingly gorey scenes

Doomsday (2008/UK)
Silly but largely fun sci-fi adventure that borrows heavily from the likes of Mad Max, Escape from New York, Aliens – to name but a few. Quite slick considering the low-budget but far too derivative to stand out.

Burn After Reading (2008/USA)
As entertaining as you would expect from the Coens in their take on mid-life crises and infidelity. A reliance on the base humour elements, however, overshadows the wittier moments which are few and far between. Some great characters and good performances make it worth a watch.

Dead Man’s Shoes (2004/UK)
Tense, dark and brutal at times, this solid drama delivers on a lot of fronts. The superbly crafted balance between the genuinely disturbing and the darkly comic makes for a poignant piece of filmmaking.

Toolbox Murders (2003/USA)
Dull remake that fails to make use of a decent premise. A chore to watch - Hang your head Tobe Hooper

Movie Views

The Strangers (2008 / USA)
The simple premise of this tense horror allows for the well crafted jumps and taut scenes to keep coming. Some could argue it gets slightly repetitive but they couldn’t deny it delivers pure horror with aplomb.






Rambo (2008 / USA)
One could understandably baulk at the idea of wedging in some political commentary into a film of this ilk but strangely enough the ultra-graphic violence actually reinforces the depiction of the Burmese regime. Whether that works for you or not its still a cracking action movie.






Hancock (2008 / USA)
What begins as an entertaining black-comedy descends into sentimental Hollywood drivel by the hour mark. A missed opportunity to do something a bit different.







Eastern Promises (2007 / USA/UK/Canada)
A fairly unassuming plot as Mafioso movies go. Aided by some believable characters and tight casting with a reasonable twist towards the end makes this a pleasant surprise. Cronenberg fans will be satisfied by the typically visceral knife fight scene.

Movie Views

The Happening (2008 / USA)

What begins with some promise (and Shylaman’s trademark atmosphere) ends up petering-out before long and results in a post-apocalyptic “lite”(as the yanks would say) experience

Cannibal Ferox (1981 / USA)
A bizarre mix of social commentary and gorey, shock-horror mirrored in the jarring scene switching between the locales of New York City and the Amazon jungle. Strangely effective though and worth a look (if you can stomach it!)

The Hamiltons (2006 / USA)
A low budget but skilfully directed horror with a genuinely creepy atmosphere. The disturbed characters and innovative finale make this a gem and well worth looking up for fans of the genre.

The Evil Dead (1981 / USA)
A schlock-horror classic due to the harrowing intensity it maintains during even the most ridiculously cheesy of scenes. Brilliant.

Movie Round Up

Batman: The Dark Knight (2008 / USA)
A genre masterpiece which manages to maintain a relentless pace throughout it’s 150mins, not just through typically dynamic action sequences but via an engaging and enjoyably convoluted plot. Nit –pickers will have to bite their tongues as the level of entertainment is well worth the suspension of disbelief.

Prom Night (2007 / USA)
Generic teen slasher which despite being fairly slick in parts, never breaks from the tired clichés in almost every scene.

Wicked Little Things (2004 / USA)
Unfortunately this dull horror never makes the most of its excellent locations and superbly dilapidated sets. The decent premise is ruined by woeful plot exposition which leaves very little worth recommending.

Death Proof (2006 / USA)
An over-reliance on kitch B-movie references and dialogue which is well below Taratino’s normally excellent standard makes for a film which takes far too long to get going and then fails to live up to its potential.