End of Year Review 2015

Howdy ladies and gents, 2015 is Romeo done, and now its time for my annual END OF YEAR REVIEW! It’s the 5th edition on WordPress and I’m ready to summarise my experience in this post. While time has moved relatively fine, I swear toward the latter side of the summer till Christmas just flew by absurdly quick, and here we are at the dawn of a new year. As with previous entries, I will talk about the year as a whole from my perspective, breaking it down into sections and then conclude with a summary. You ready? Cool, let’s go!

Video Games

In the last two years, I’ve really been getting back into my video games, but this year has been the one for catching that fever and playing several games at the same time. Again I’ve been primarily on my Nintendo stuff playing loads of Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. 4 on my Wii U. But I’ve also been playing a fair amount of Child of Light, Xenoblade Chronicles, Lego Marvel Superheros, Super Mario Maker and Trine 2. And I’ve been bleeding through Project X Zone, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Sonic 2 3D, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and A Link to the Past. However my favourite experience by far has been playing Xenoblade Chronicles X, I’ve only had the game for around a week now, but this game just makes me feel so satisfied when it comes to exploration, combat and sense of community when it comes to the online elements. Now obviously I don’t have a PS4, Xbox One or a fancy PC to play a lot of the awesome games that’s been released like Metal Gear Solid 5, Witcher 3, Batman Arkham Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest to name a few, but hopefully I’ll get around to a PS4 and some of those games next year.

Films

For me, 2015 has been a pretty good year for films, and while there’s been a fair amount of disappointment, there’s also been a good deal of unexpected gems too. For all of the average/lame films that I had to watch like Terminator Genisys, Chappie and Fan4stic, we also got an Ex Machina or Black Mass. I missed a lot of films in 2015, however, I saw as much as I could and most films delivered, though I wish I could have loved some of them more like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spectre. So now I give you my top 10 films of the year.

Technically I did a top 10 film post already, but for those who haven’t seen it I will list it below and as usual, I’m only counting films released in 2015, and films originally released in 2014 that got UK a release this year DOESN’T COUNT! But with that out of the way, these are my favourite films of 2015:

Top 10 Films of 2015

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Kingsman the Secret Service
3. Ex Machina
4. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
5. Straight Outta Compton
6. Amy
7. Mad Max Fury Road
8. Black Mass
9. The Martian
10. Ant-Man

Special Mentions

• Cinderella
• Sicario
• Inside Out
• Crimson Peak
• Me and Earl and Dying Girl

Television

This year has been the most crammed one yet for TV where I took on multiple shows, new and old over the course of the year, sometimes overlapping several shows at the same time! One of the most heartbreaking experiences I had this year was seeing the end of Parks and Recreation with season 7. I also got to rewatch Fringe and relive all that awesomeness, and after around 2 years I finally finished the Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh and I finally finished Hotel Babylon after all this time. With Netflix and Amazon Video I really got into a good few shows like Blue Mountain State and rewatched The IT Crowd, Chappelle Show, Alpha House and Justice League. But the main show I really got into was It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it was a show that was recommended to me by my mate’s sister back in July of 2013 and I decided to binge all 9 seasons over a few weeks and it was hella fun. That show is absurdly silly and funny and is one of my new favourite shows.

On top of that in the Fall/Autumn, we got to see the return to form of with Arrow‘s 4th season, more improvements with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3, more great material from The Flash season 2, some smart and funny material with season 19 of South Park, the continuing awesomeness with of Grimm with season 5 and more great stuff with Star Wars Rebels. I will admit that my love for Game of Thrones this year wasn’t as high due to a disappointing season 5 and while I’ve enjoyed the latest seasons of The Walking Dead and Castle I haven’t been as invested as before, especially when it comes to season 8 of Castle.

But it’s not just about on-going shows. I really enjoyed Blindspot, Agent Carter‘s first season was pretty cool, also after getting past some of the weaker episodes I really got into Moonbeam City and Master of None‘s first season was one of the most unexpected surprises of the year with its realistic take on life issues, relationships and a unique style of humour with a film-like quality. But Marvel’s first two dips into the Netflix realm with Daredevil and Jessica Jones proved to be very successful, with darker, violent and more realistic portrayals of the heroes of the MCU. I really enjoyed the violence, fight choreography and crime drama elements of Daredevil, while with Jessica Jones it was all about the more serious and personal stories that dealt with more mature and realistic issues too.

Top 5 TV Shows

1. Daredevil
2. Master of None
3. Mr. Robot
4. Jessica Jones
5. Moonbeam City

Overall this year has been great for TV and I’m looking forward to the continuation of my current shows, the return of Agent Carter and Daredevil with their second seasons, and the start of Legends of Tomorrow and Luke Cage.

Music

As for music, all I can say is that 2015 has been the most disappointing year for new music I’ve seen in ages. There’s next to no new music I liked, and most of the stuff I heard that was popular just wasn’t of any interest to me at all. The only new songs I liked probably not on anyone’s radar. Firstly there’s Asian Kung-Fu Generation with “Easter” from their Wonder Future album, it’s a great opening track full of style and intensity, and the other song was “Fiesta” from Bomba Estereo featuring Will Smith, while the song definitely fits into the standard EDM style of modern music, at the same time it has a pretty nice sound, and it also helps that my man Will Smith was rapping on the track which was so much fun.

My Experience

2015, to be honest, it is hard to rate this year when comparing it to previous ones. There were highs and lows, and I think I’ve realised that there will be no year at this current point in my life that doesn’t come without some struggle. That being said I’ve had one hell of an adventure.

I got to return to the Children’s Media Conference and make some new friends, I also went back for year two at London Film & Comic-Con and after a two-year gap, I went back to the MCM London Expo too. As for other events I finally got to see Asian Kung-Fu Generation live and witnessed a kick ass Pokemon concert too. In addition to that, I obtained my first long-term job that lasted longer than 6 weeks and got back into drawing in a big way for the first time in a while. But the key thing that makes me smile is the fact that I’ve been able to have such great experiences with my family and friends and that’s really helped me deal with some of the regular bullshit. Oh and the blogging, for those who read this blog on the regular you know this has been an inconsistent year when it comes to the pacing and amount of posts that I’ve done, but luckily I’ve had a lot of my regular people to help me through the slow days, and to them I thank you greatly. 🙂

Conclusion

In conclusion, 2015 was a good session, but I’m ready to say goodbye to this year and welcome the next. These days I’m all about the progression and I will look back fondly on some of my adventures individually and with other people, but for all I’m gonna say is “Peace out 2015, and hello to 2016! Come on, this will be my time!”

Well, thanks for reading. So how was your 2015? Please be sure to comment below and finally, have a happy new year and hopefully I’ll see ya in 2016. Laters! 😀

 

My Top 10 Films of 2015

Howdy people of the internet, the year is pretty much over and I think it’s about time that I give you my top 10 list of my favourite films of 2015. Before I get into this list I have to explain a few things:

1. As per-usual I DO NOT include 2015 films that got released in 2015 here in the UK, so films like Big Hero 6 and some others that were originally released in 2014 for me they don’t count. I only list films that are new and were released between the start and end of this year.
2. The following films aren’t the best critically received films, the reason I’ve listed them is because of my personal enjoyment, the quality and the re-watch value.
3. This list was constantly shifting over the last month and in the end at least the first four films are solid, but other than that everything is sort of up in the air.
4. Oh and there were some great films that didn’t make the list like the lovely Cinderella, the thrilling Sicario and the fun and imaginative Inside Out.

With all that in mind let’s begin shall we?

10. Ant-Man

This was the Marvel film of 2015 that I thought I’d end up just liking, however in the end I liked it way more than Avengers: Age of Ultron and I never thought I’d feel that way earlier in the year. But this Peyton Reed-lead film was incredibly funny, action-packed, refreshing and reminded me of why I appreciate the solo adventures in the MCU over the connected stories. Paul Rudd owned in the lead role, and Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Pena were some of the other highlights in the cast. And while the MCU villain issue reminds and the way Hope was handled could have been better, in the end this was another solid entry in this film universe and I can’t wait to see the sequel in a few years time.

9. The Martian

I thought The Martian would be good, and I hoped it would be good, but damn it was a lot better than I expected it to be. Thankfully Ridley Scott found his way back to greatness with this sci-fi adventure very much focused on this one man’s survival on the planet Mars after being left by his team. This film could have easily been very boring and conventional, but luckily it was very engaging, dramatic and surprisingly funny. The central performance from Matt Damon was awesome and I also appreciated the focus on the characters on Earth as well too.

8. Black Mass

Black Mass was an intense, dramatic and engaging film about power and how its use had major ramifications for everyone involved. The film dealt with manipulation, influence, corruption, and the moral and ethical issues that could be used for good or bad when it came to law enforcers and the criminals. I liked the non-linear style applied to the story and seeing certain characters recall their interactions with Jimmy and the use of different time periods detailing the rise and fall of Jimmy’s power. This was return to form that I’ve always wanted from Johnny Depp as he was incredible, but on top of that Joel Edgerton was brilliant and I also really liked appearances from Jesse Plemons, Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Scott too.

7. Mad Max Fury Road

Now this is where the controversy will probably kick in. For a lot of people, this was one of their favourite film of the year because of its unique style, insanity and use of practical effects. For me the fourth entry in this franchise was really impressive and had so many characters and moments of badassery, and some of those action sequences were just amazing. That being said, the film was overhyped before I saw it and I don’t believe it met the high expectations that many people had thrown out online, plus there were elements from Road Warrior that missed too. But make no mistake I still enjoyed this film a great deal and I thank George Miller for coming back to this series after so long.

6. Amy

I only saw this film a little while ago, however, it was certainly one of 2015’s most impactful films in my opinion. Just like Senna, director Asif Kapadia crafted a documentary that was incredibly insightful, dramatic, in-depth and heartbreaking. While I’m not the biggest fan of Amy Winehouse or her music, but I did like some of her material and because I was so familiar with her success and talent as a musician it made the rise and fall all the more tragic and painful especially when I saw her creative process and the way she was treated by certain individuals close to her.

5. Straight Outta Compton

This was not a film I was expecting to like as much as I did, I’ve seen a few music biographies in the past, but only a few of them capture the spirit and drama of the real events, but luckily everyone was on-point and crafted a really compelling and fun film. Now obviously certain elements were left out or dramatised for the film, but at the end of the day the film was effect in display the highs and lows of NWA during the formation, success and disbandment with awesome performances from O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell.

4. Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation

This is the fifth entry in Mission Impossible franchise and most films by this point would have sucked terribly, however Rogue Nation is to some the best entry in the series and for good reason. The stunts and action sequences were of the highest quality and were shot really well, we got to see Ethan Hunt in his most difficult position yet physically and mentally, but we also got more from the returning characters Benji and Brandt, but also got some interesting new characters in the form of the sexy/badass Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). This new entry definitely improved on a few of the elements from the last entry, but I feel like there’s a sense of fun and style missing from Ghost Protocol, but besides that I really enjoyed this film.

3. Ex Machina

In a way this may still be my favourite film of the year. Back in January I expected this film to be a good watch, but I had no idea that I’d enjoy Ex Machina as much as I did. I love a good thriller and with the sci-fi elements incorporated it was just so compelling to watch. The themes, tone and style of this film made every scene feel relevant, interesting, tense and not boring at all. I adore the main performances Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac as each of their characters were engaging and different.

2. Kingsman the Secret Service

I had a lot of hope for this film considering that it was another comic book adapted film from Matthew Vaughn, but it ended up being far better than I had hoped. Kingsman was the most exciting, humourous and violent material I’ve seen in the spy genre for a while. This film felt classically infused with the best codes and conventions of the spy/action genre paying homage and referencing films that have come before. From the snappy dialogue to the crazy violent action sequences, this film has everything, and I loved the performances from Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Sofia Boutella.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

It feels like a cheat to have The Force Awakens as my number one considering it’s issues and similarities to A New Hope, but fuck it, no other film has made me feel a sense of delight quite like this new Star Wars film. Of all the films year, none have given me that feeling of joy and magic that this one had. Part of that was the nostalgia factor that this film provides so well with the return of classic characters, music and use of practical effects, but in addition to that J.J. Abrams has brought a new sense energy with the pacing, humour, visual style and cinematography. All of the new characters, Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8 and Kylo Ren had interesting new personalities, motivations and chemistry, and there were also great returns for Han Solo, Leia and few others. The best aspects of the film for me was the new lightsaber duels, the drama between certain characters and the sense of magic and connections to the Original Trilogy.

Conclusion

In the end 2015 was a pretty good year for films, sure there was plenty of disappoints films, but there was also a great deal of surprises and certain films that delivered their promise of awesomeness. With 2016 around the corner we’ve got the likes of Batman V Superman, Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: Rogue One, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, The Jungle Book and Suicide Squad being some of the heavy hitters, it’ll be fun to see how next year pans out.

So how do you feel about my list and are any of your favourites on here? Also do you feel like some of these entries are wrong? And in general what were you favourite films of 2015? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Mr. Robot Season 1

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a super quick review and today I’ll be talking about Mr. Robot. Now this is a show that I’ve been hearing a lot about since the mid to late side of summer. First there was my fellow blogger, sidekickreviews thoughts on it, then there was my friend’s recommendation and after that there was the constant adverts on TV around 2 months back. So with all that in mind, I decided to watch it over the last 2-3 days and after finishing the first just a few hours ago I had to talk about it.

Damn what a show. It is kind of hard for me to describe my views on this show, but obviously this is a review so I will try my best. 😀 With that in mind, Mr. Robot is probably the best new show I’ve seen in 2015 and is one of the most interesting and engaging shows I’ve seen in a while.

The show can be summarised as the following:

“This show follows Elliot Alderson, a young computer programmer who suffers from social anxiety disorder and forms connections through hacking. He’s recruited by a mysterious anarchist, who calls himself Mr. Robot.”

The one thing I can say about this show’s first season is that it is one hell of a ride. The first episode feels like it could be a movie in itself because of what’s transpired, what will happen later on and it’s sense of scope, it felt like part one in a trilogy, and I after that I wasn’t sure what else this show cold throw at me that could feel larger or crazy than that, but this show continued to excel. At first things start out in an intriguing, mysterious yet fascinating way, and while those elements still remained up until the end, as the season continued, things got dark, complicated and all sorts of messed up. The show highlights themes of power, vulnerability, loneliness, addiction, anxiety, and fiction vs reality among many others, and it is presented though these great personal, intimate or grand stories focused involving the main characters with good, bad and dire consequences. The show makes you question a lot of things, but in a good thought-provoking kind of way. At times things did get a little too crazy or melancholy for my liking, but overall I juts found this show fascinating to watch and several of the key revelations left me thinking after the episode ended. There’s probably a lot more to the show than how I’m describing it, though at the end of the day I’m just an average guy with an opinion so don’t hurt me if I don’t explain things in the most in-depth fashion, okay?

But what are great stories without great performances? Thankfully this show has a wonderful cast to give these characters life. Firstly I have to talk about Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, wow, what a performance. Elliot is one of the most compelling characters I’ve seen in a long time, the fact that he’s so smart and is a hacker, but also has social anxiety disorder and other personal issues makes him one of the most unique and interesting protagonists I’ve come across on TV. He’s a little awkward, but he’s a functional human being, plus he’s cunning and ambitious, however he’s also fractured and troubled, and Malek killed it in those, he was so versatile with his awkwardness and emotions, but most times it was just his monologues that really grabbed my attention. Christian Slater also killed it as Mr. Robot, I loved this character because of his ambition, charisma, and off-the-wall actions, plus his interactions with Elliot were just fabulous. I haven’t seen Slater in many large projects these days, but it was great to see him in something that allowed him to use his acting skills in such a great way. I also enjoyed Portia Doubleday as Angela Moss, at first it felt like she was just around to be a personal attachment for Elliot, but her character progressed and got a lot of important screen time too. Frankie Shaw as Shayla Nico was one of my favourite characters as she had some funny and memorable moments, as did Martin Wallström as Tyrell Wellick, this guy started out pretty interestingly, then his story got a little uninteresting and then became interesting towards the end.I also really enjoyed the performances from Carly Chaikin also did very well as Darlene, Michel Gill as Gideon Goddard and Gloria Reuben as Krista Gordon as Elliot’s psychiatrist.

In conclusion Mr. Robot‘s first season was pretty damn awesome and I’m beyond curious to know what they’ll do with season 2. So much drama and chaos has already gone down, I just don’t know where things will go in future, but I’m down for it.

So have you seen the first season of Mr. Robot and if so what did you think of it? Leave you thoughts in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

Edward Scissorhands Review

Howdy ladies and gents, with it being the Christmas season and all that I thought I’d at least watch one film based on the holiday season and today I’ll be talking about Edward Scissorhands. Oh I love this film so much, it is one of my all time favourite films ever. I only saw for the first time in either 2008 or 2009, but ever since it has been one of those films that captured my heart and soul never let go. I’ve been meaning to review this film for a while and since I watched it today I thought now would be great time blog about it. 😀

The story can be described as the following:

“In a castle high on top of a hill lives an inventor’s greatest creation – Edward, a near-complete person. The creator died before he could finish Edward’s hands; instead, he is left with metal scissors for hands. Since then, he has lived alone, until a kind lady called Peg discovers him and welcomes him into her home. At first, everyone welcomes him into the community, but soon things begin to take a change for the worse.”

This film’s story is so good. The reason I like it is because it covers so much and has many interesting things to say about the way people treat others who are different or how some people are sheep and are quick to change their opinions based on secondhand information when they don’t have the full story or how not having the right guidance in life can get you in trouble. There is so much more to absorb and the film covers discrimination, influence and manipulation, the power of kindness, and knowing right from wrong as just some of the key subjects. This film is Edward discovering the world beyond the mansion, learning about the world and how the people react to him in positive and negative ways, and how he processes everything. Oh and the humour, my god it is brilliant, whether the jokes are verbal or physical, they work so well thanks to great timing and awkwardness. But beyond that, this tale is one that is so fun, humourous and magical, but it is also heartbreaking, tragic and melancholy too and this film makes feel happy, sad and awkward haha. I just love this world that Burton has created, it’s so strange and wacky with the setting and characters, yet full of heart and certain levels of realism, and I could just watch a film about the neighbours because they all seem so funny and interesting.

The cast is brilliant and do great jobs in their roles. Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands, bloody hell what a performance. This is my favourite film to watch him in, sure he’s playing a strange character, but this is one of the most interesting people he’s ever played. Edward introverted, shy and has known no one and done nothing outside of where he was created, he’s like a big kid. And he we get to see him grow and discover things for the first time, he enjoys success, failure, love, anger and so much more and it is just a marvel to see Depp handle this material with such charm, awkwardness and style. Winona Ryder as Kim Boggs is also very good, at first she’s very wants nothing to do with Edward, but as time goes on and certain events take place, she not only sees his value but also learns to care for him and Ryder is sassy and wonderful. Dianne Wiest I also love as Peg Boggs, she’s the lady that first finds Edward and introduces him to the world and I love how positive, kind and selfless she is. Alan Arkin as Bill Boggs is just great, he’s a very nice and chilled out kind of guy, but also has words of wisdom and great lines of dialogue too. Anthony Michael Hall – Jim, what an asshole, I mean sure he’s meant to be that way and Hall plays the character very well, but you can see from a mile away that this guy’s trouble and things only get crazier for him as the film progresses. Kathy Baker gives a very memorable performance as Joyce, this lady is very pretty, but also flirtatious and funny too. And Vincent Price as The Inventor, just wow, his appearance in this just makes me smile, this is a man who creates Edward is so down-to-earth, caring and humourous, but what makes him better is the fact that he’s played by Price and I just love that man’s voice.

The presentation is also very good too. Visually the film has a very interesting look, with great cinematography, lighting and use of colour, oh and the make-up and those scissors hands, damn they’re cool and so well made. As for the soundtrack it is handled by the brilliant Danny Elfman. From the time the film begins you’re treated to this beautiful, angelic, harrowing sound that really sets the tone for this film so well. At times the music is soft and playful, but other times it can be odd, aggressive and very saddening, together with the visuals, it amplifies the magic of this film by tenfold. Elfman’s score is gorgeous providing music that could melt the coldest of hearts and creating some of the most memorable music in film which would be used for all sorts of advertising and trailers for years to come. And in certain keys scenes that music makes me well up every time, this is the kind of stuff that reminds me that I have emotions haha. 😛

In conclusion Edward Scissorhands is still a film I treasure and which each viewing I think I love it more and more. Whether it is the great central performance from Johnny Depp, the strange neighbours, imaginative story or lovely soundtrack, this film has something for everyone and while it isn’t the standard Christmas film, there isn’t one I like watching more than this one. 🙂

Rating: 9/10

So have you seen Edward Scissorhands and if so what do you think of it? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next film review, laters! 😀

 

Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions Review

Howdy people of the internet, today I am here to give you my review of Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, the orchestrated concert based on music in the Pokémon video game series. Last night, along with my sister, I went to London and witnessed this amazing musical sound and I just have to talk about it.

As soon as I got into Hammersmith Apollo, I noticed hundreds of people around all buzzing about the show, some in cosplay and others in general Nintendo-based attire, and use I sat down, I turned opened my 3DS and checked my StreetPass and after that it just didn’t end. I was constantly getting StreetPass hits and I loved it haha. Also during the waiting period there was a huge screen below the seating area of the orchestra which had the whole “Who’s That Pokémon?” thing going on with various Pokémon throughout all six generations showing up in silhouette and then being revealed, I did alright, but some of them I could guess for the life of me.

Sorry about the picture quality, but this was the view from my seat before the concert took place.

Oh but when the concert started, man, the mood in the room was elevated and the feeling amongst all the fans was electric. And once everything started, the feeling overwhelming happiness never left my heart.

This was the setlist:

1. Overture
2. Pallet Town (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
3. Prepare for Trouble (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
4. Born to be a Champion (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
5. Ecruteak City (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
6. Songs of the Towers (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
7. … (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
8. Ancients of Hoenn (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
9. Falling Ashes (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
10. End of the Road (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
11. Dreams and Adventures (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)
12. Routes of Sinnoh (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)
13. The Lake Guardians (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)

Intermission

1. Pokémon Center
2. The Day I Became King (from Black and White)
3. N-Counter (from Black and White)
4. Farewell (from Black and White)
5. An Eternal Prison (from X and Y)
6. Welcome to Kalos (from X and Y)
7. Professor Sycamore (from X and Y)
8. Friends, Fights & Finales (from X and Y)

Encore

1. Gotta Catch ’em All (Pokémon Theme)
2. KISEKI

What made the concert so great was musical was a combination of nostalgia, interesting musical arrangements and the sense of unity amongst the crowd.

So let me start with the nostalgia factor. For me, I’m not a hardcore Pokémon fan these days, however, back in the 90’s to early 00’s this franchise meant so much to me and even these days I still show love to Pokémon when appropriate. But seriously, hearing the “Overture” and seeing the title screens of all the Pokémon games from beginning to end was special and I could feel the emotion right in the center of my soul being lit up. After that hearing a lot of the music from Generation 1, 2 and 3 was kind of magical, like there was that feeling of being a kid/young teenager stepping into these games again for the first time when entering new places, going into battles or going to the Pokémon League.

As for the music, oh dear god. The music was gorgeous. Just like Symphony of the Goddesses, this concert really opened my eyes to how creative and surprising orchestrated versions of video game music can be when handled well. I mean to be honest there’s at least two or three well-known versions of the main Pokémon theme thanks to the 90’s anime show, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, but when the “Overture” came along, I was like “Damn, this is even more incredible than I imagined.” It was like if the main theme of Pokémon descended from heaven. Yeah it was that good and it set the tone so well. But what was cool about the concert was that not every arrangement was so powerful, intense or large in scale, some were quiet, intimate and had certain genre differences especially when it came to some of my favourites like “Ecruteak City“, “Songs of the Towers” (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal) and “Professor Sycamore“.

There were some beautiful moments in “Falling Ashes” (based on the music from Route 113 which was one of my favourite pieces from Ruby & Sapphire), while “Born to be a Champion” was delightful and “…” featured some of my favourite pieces from Gold, Silver, and Crystal especially the battle with Red which was AMAZING! But my favourite arrangement by far was “Prepare for Trouble” which was the music from the Silph Co building in Red, Blue, and Yellow, that’s always been one of my favourite songs in the series and to hear this dark, super dramatic, overwhleming beast of a song come and just rock my eardrums was fabulous. It sounded like something out of a film, maybe a thriller or a sci-fi adventure, either way, you could feel the impact of the song and it was just intense and badass. I WAS IN LOVE!

And then finally there was the sense of community. This crowd was very vocal, whether they were reacting to some of the funny dialogue on-screen from the NPC’s or just reacting to conductor Susie Seiter or the MC (who’s name I can’t reemember at the moment), everyone had moments to scream and shout in happiness. Oh but my favourite moment was when we all got to sing the main theme from the Pokémon anime, any fan knows the song, we’ve all sang it and to sing it there was frigging awesome!

In conclusion Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions was a fantastic experience, it was nostalgic, powerful and interactive. Like when I went to the last two Zelda concerts, these concerts have presented very different and impressive orchestrated versions of classic video game music, and while I wasn’t completely familiar with all of the music, it was gorgeous and I would highly recommend it.

So if you’re a Pokémon fan have you experienced this concert before and if so how was your experience? Leave them below in the comments section and I’ll catch ya on the next review yo.

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review (Spoiler-Free!)

So the day of reckoning has arrived (at least for us in the UK), Star Wars The Force Awakens has finally been released and I saw it in IMAX yesterday, and excuse the profanity, but it was some good shit. The wait for this film has felt like an eternity but I’ve seen in this new Star Wars film, and while a spoiler-free review seems impossible. I’m going to attempt it anyway. 😀

The plot can be described as the following:

“30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat rises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of Heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.”

First thing I can say about this story is that it was really good. At first I thought this film would be just a retread of A New Hope, and throughout the film there’s certainly some call backs to that particular film, however as the story progresses it quickly evolves into its own tale with new characters, mythology and set up for even grander adventures in the future. What I loved about this film was its ability to connect with The Original Trilogy, but also feel totally fresh, exciting and unexpected. This film is full of humour, drama, mystery and intrigue, but at the center of it all it has heart. And for all the spectacle and larger-than-life elements, this was a very intimate and personal adventure for several of the characters involved and you could feel the emotion for sure. There’s also a lot of great references to the previous Star Wars films, and while you don’t have to have seen the previous films to understand TFA, you really can’t appreciate all of the subtle references or the dramatic moments involving the older returning cast members.

I have to hand it to J.J. Abrams and his team of writers for being able to pull this film off. This film really felt like Star Wars from a nostalgic standpoint, but it didn’t rely to heavily on it and created a lot of new material especially when it came to some of the humour and dialogue. Some of this material felt odd to be a in a Star Wars film, but it also helped the film feel relatable to modern film audiences. Also this film gets a little dark, sure it’s not the first time in this series, but certain moments were definitely violent and aggressive. Now this film isn’t perfect (although its pretty close), certain characters aren’t utilized to their full potential and certain plot points and mysteries you may be able to predict if you’re hardcore fan who has read the Expanded Universe/Legacy material or have speculated a lot online. But make no mistake, this film feels like the Star Wars you remember and it felt like a satisfactory follow-up to Return of the Jedi.

Oh and the cast, they were great. A lot of these characters come from different backgrounds and this film did a good job of weaving them all together in coherent manner that felt natural. Firstly let me talk about Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as Rey and Finn, man I adore these two. Rey was this smart, cunning and interesting scavenger, while Finn was a defected stormtrooper from the First Order who was brave, extremely funny and emotionally scarred. Both of these characters have great chemistry together, but their separate adventures were also very personal and badass. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren was very badass, this character could have easily been a one-note villain, but there were layers to him, and discovering more about his personality and history as the film progressed was exciting and engaging. Oscar Isaac was great as Poe Dameron, just the definition of cool with a great deal of charisma, humour and confidence, and I have to give a shout out to BB-8 as he was one of the most adorable and humourous aspects of this film.

And then there’s Harrison Ford as Han Solo, I loved him SO much. Ford, while certainly older, he felt like he hadn’t lost a step as Solo. This character was still just as charming, daring and hilarious as ever, however, he’d also aged and his perspective on certain things has changed a great deal, and while he was certainly used as a means to guide the new characters into this franchise, at the same time he had a key role to play and it was handled nicely. Carrie Fisher’s return as General Leia Organa was very nice too, Leia, while similar to the woman were known from the previous films, she’s changed too, she has a lot more responsibilities and it was cool to see a different side to her. Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata was another great new addition as she had such wonderful moments with some of the heroes, and Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke was quite fascinating, he was imposing, powerful and yet strange and mysterious too. The rest of the cast was either not given enough screen time or weren’t developed enough especially when it came to Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.

When it comes to the presentation, dear god I could nearly explode from the feeling of happiness this film gave me. Visually the film was beyond awesome. Everything from the gorgeous, pulsating space battles to the dirty/aggressive lightsaber duels to the lovely practical effects for the aliens and robots was stunning. What was great about this film was that it looked and sounded just like the previous films, but now with a swifter pace, a different style of cinematography, better use of practical effects and the CGI was clean, sharp and flawlessly executed. Oh and the music by John Williams, it was pretty damn cool. Now I will admit there weren’t any new themes that stuck out to me (like “Duel of the Fates” in the prequels), however the music is a mixture of new and old, but it has the Williams touch, that sense of magic and wonder, fear, intensity and joy that comes from a Star Wars film and it was a joy to hear it.

In conclusion Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to put it simply, the film just made me feel good. There’s a sense of satisfaction that I got after this film ended that I haven’t felt since The Avengers, all I needed this film to be was good and it exceeded my expectations in ways I never thought would happen. With an engaging new story, brilliant performances from the main cast members and stunning production values, Star Wars in back for fans new and old. Now the film does have issues and some fans will not be entirely happy with everything that goes down, but hell I really enjoyed myself with this film and I will probably see it several more times into the new year.

Critic Rating: 8.5/10

Fan Rating: 9/10

So are you going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and if so are you hyped or worried? And if you’ve seen the film were you pleased or disappointed? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

TRAILER OVERLOAD! QUICK REVIEWS FOR 2016 FILMS!

If you’ve been on the internet during the week you would have seen that there’s been  a lot of film trailers released online within a short space of each other. Since Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the main focus at the moment, I guess all other studios are pretty to get the focus back on their trailers instead haha. So the trailers that have come out so far are: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, X-Men: Apocalypse, The Legend of Tarzan, Independence Day Resurgence, Star Trek Beyond and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I was going to do individual trailer reviews, but honestly things got too busy and I’m too lazy, so I’m gonna compile them all into one blog post. So here we go!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

While most people hated it, the 2014 edition of TMNT was surprisingly better than I expected, when April O’Neil wasn’t the focus and we had time with the Turtles, the film was really fun and kind of badass. So while I wasn’t super hyped for the sequel, I was definitely interested in the sequel and I’m surprised by how much I liked it. While I hate the choice of music and don’t care for Megan Fox again, I do love Stephen Amell as Casey Jones, the Turtles and their classic van looks awesome and even the Foot Clan look like ninjas instead of Call of Duty soldiers. Though the main winning aspect of this trailer was the appearance of Bebop and Rocksteady, since the since TMNT film in the 90’s fans have wanted a live-action version of these villains and they’re finally here and they look great. Now the film does look very CG heavy and the visual effects don’t look as polished or realistic as they did before, but I assume they’ll look better when the film’s released.

X-Men: Apocalypse

It’s been almost a week since this trailer came out and I have to say that the trailer was a bit underwhelming. Unlike when the first Days of Future Past‘s trailer came out which had me excited and intrigued, this trailer was good but not great. That’s not to say that there wasn’t great things in the trailer, I do love Storm’s new look, the information about Apocalypse being known by different names and being the basis for some of the stories in the Bible was great and James McAvoy seems to be bringing his A-game again as young professor X as his acting in that one seen when he’s in Cerebro with the helmet on was fabulous, oh and he’s bald at the end of the trailer! Cool! However, other than that this film looks like it could be dramatic and personal for the key members of the X-Men, but there’s nothing that screams “awesome” to me, plus I’m not keen on the fact that Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique isn’t blue in any of the footage so far and I’m concerned that the mutants controlled by Apocalypse will end up like Hawkeye in The Avengers; being stuck under control for a good portion of the film and not bring able to be themselves until the end of the film. But I guess we’ll see what happens.

The Legend of Tarzan

Right now this film looks interesting, the look of Tarzan is cool and I like way the film looks in terms of the use of CGI and lighting. But everything else looks kind of generic and forgettable. That final shot of Tarzan and that ape going up against each other in slow motion, that felt like something that belongs in a standard action film  and reminds me of that specific fight been Vin Diesel and Jason Statham in Furious 7. For me Disney’s Tarzan is the only version that exists, though I’m willing to give this a chance because I like the cast and director, but I’m not expecting anything special.

Independence Day Resurgence

For me Independence Day was one of my favourite films from the 90’s. It was a disaster film with a goof cast of characters, funny humour, all the crazy action and cool set pieces too. It didn’t need a sequel, but hell since loads of film films have to become franchises, we are returning to this world with Resurgence and I have to say that I’m intrigued. Basically it looks like Earth has had a time of peace and have ungraded their technology, but the aliens who got beat in the past have come back with bigger ships and more destructive power. I like the look of the film, it’s incredibly detailed, large in scope and it’s fun to see Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman back, but I’m not quite sure how Liam Hemsworth fits into this and I do miss Will Smith as his chemistry with Goldblum was one of my favourite aspects of the old film, but it’s not a massive loss for me. This film could either be fun or it could suck ass, but here’s hoping that the film’s fun and gives a logical explanation for the alien’s return and why we should care.

Star Trek Beyond

Ah Star Trek, I’m concerned for you now. Now Unlike a lot of hardcore Star Trek fans, I’ve liked the new JJ Abrams films (especially the first one), before 2009, Star Trek was dead to the world beyond its fan base and the new film brought that sci-fi franchise back into the public consciousness and while I think that film laid pretty good groundwork for a sequel, however Into Darkness didn’t exactly take the franchise in the direction I was hoping and made some mistakes with its marketing and plot elements that prevented it from being the sequel that I wanted. So now we have Beyond, directed by Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious franchise (films 3-6) and it really shows. While this film looks consistent with the previous one’s in terms of look, feel and style, honestly I wasn’t keen on this trailer. Why’s the Enterprise destroyed? What’s with all these crazy action set pieces and hand-to-hand combat? Now I know these new films are a far cry from the original source material and that was part of the reason I liked the first film, but I thought it would eventually evolve into the classic style of the show with sci-fi elements, however, its like the people behind this franchise have decided to drop that part altogether and just for action set in space. And it doesn’t help that “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys is being played over the trailer like a music video, I love the song and I understand the significance from the first film, but it is not the way you sell Star Trek to people especially the fans. I will say that I like the look of new aliens and that moment when Bones and Spock are surrounded by enemies, but then Spock disappears and leaves Bones alone, that was awesome. I hope the films is good but right now this trailer isn’t doing it for me.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The teaser trailer for this, was alright. Besides hearing a familiar spell in the beginning and hearing about some creatures that have apparently escaped, there was much that was worth noting for me. Seems pretty mysterious and interesting, but the trailer didn’t show me anything that made the film seem very enticing, but it was only a teaser and I’m sure future trailers will be better.

Okay and that’s everything done, as you can see I had more to say about certain trailers than others, but in any case I just had to talk about these trailers as they are films I’ll probably watch in 2016. So what did you think of any or all of these trailers? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Godzilla Resurgence

Good day to you ladies and gents, there have been a lot of trailers released for big 2016 films, but one that flew under the radar that I didn’t know about until yesterday was the teaser trailer for Godzilla Resurgence. This is not a sequel to the Gareth Edwards film, but rather a new film from the original Japanese studio, Toho. There hasn’t been a traditional Godzilla film since Final Wars in 2004, so when it was announced that there would be a new Godzilla film from Japan, all of the fans got pretty excited. And recently the new trailer and poster got released and I feel the need to talk about it.

So here’s the trailer below:

After watching this trailer I feel like the Japanese are the only ones in the film business at the moment who know how to do teaser trailers. With exceptions like the first footage from The Force Awakens last year or the recent Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them teaser, most western films have teasers that can be up to 3 mins long with loads of footage and spoilers galore because that’s the way things work these days. And while this trailer certainly wasn’t anything special, it was nice to actually see a teaser trailer that actually teased and did nothing more.

Right now we can only speculate about what this film will entail, but those few seconds of footage does paint a picture and because of the history of this franchise I believe there is reasons to be excited about what’s been shown. So what did the trailer actually show? Not much, just people running away from stuff in a Cloverfield kind of manner, but even that alone is worth talking about. What we have in this trailer is loads of Japanese people running away from something and even though we can’t see what they’re running from, we can probably assume its Godzilla. What surprised me about this footage is the style, it is a handheld style of filming and to have the camera focused so closely in the crowds in chaos and with such kinetic movements, it just illustrates a style and sense of pace that I haven’t encountered in this franchise so far (that being said I’ve only seen 2 out of the 28 Toho films). I’m just hoping for a solid monster film with great action, the cool codes and conventions of the franchise and I am expecting a combination of practical and digital effects, though I am curious to know if there will be people in suits or if that element of the series is over and the monsters will be full CGI. Regardless of the outcome I hope the film will be good and will hopefully get an international release.

So have you seen the Godzilla Resurgence teaser and if so what do you think? Did you like it and are you excited about the next instalment of this franchise from Toho? Be sure to drop me a comment and I’ll see ya on the next review! 🙂

 

QUICK REVIEW: Master of None Season 1

Howdy ladies and gents, time for another TV review and today I’ll be talking about Master of None Season 1. Before this show was released I was immediately interested because of Aziz Ansari, he was not a person on my radar until I watched Parks and Recreation and he killed me with his charisma and humour. However, when I heard and read about the format of the show I wasn’t sure it was for me, but since I had some free time during the week I watched all 10 episodes and I wanted to get my thoughts out about this show.

The show can simply be described as the following:

“The personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York.”

What I didn’t expect was how emotionally invested I’d get in this show. For all of the humourous and crazy stuff that goes down in this show, a lot of the stuff that Dev experiences is very relatable and true to life. Each episode’s title is a reference to the theme or key elements of that episode and it is surprising how many topics get presented. There are interesting themes covered like parenting, racism, infidelity, sexuality, feminism, and relationships between lovers and family. Whether it be the complications that come with being an aspiring actor, reconnecting with your family, the highs and lows of being in a relationship or the feelings of uncertainty when thinking about the future, this show covers those subjects in a very realistic and wonderful way. While some of the stories aren’t as riveting as others, I found all of the key stories involving Dev and his interactions with people to be incredibly engaging from start to the really great final episode which was so unexpected and emotionally fulfilling. Oh and I have to say that the choice of music was awesome with some really great with some of my favourite songs being featured at the intro of an episode or at other points of other episodes as well.

But what good would these stories be without its cast? This cast brings these colourful characters to life in fun and relatable ways, but at the end of the day they felt like fully formed people because of their realistic personalities and decision-making. Let’s start with Aziz Ansari who was awesome as Dev Shah, this man has an interesting and fun life, though he has issues with his personal and professional life that keep things engaging and challenging, and it was just fun to see him tackle these scenarios in ways that didn’t feel like network TV. Also great was Noël Wells as Rachel, this woman was smart, witty and not your conventional kind of lady and when she became Dev’s primary romantic interest things got even more interested. Wells and Aziz had such great chemistry and worked really together because of the humour and typical TV-based relationships. Eric Wareheim was also great as Arnold Baumheiser, this character was one of the more wacky/strange people to show up, but he was always very fun and his relationship with Dev was so chilled out, weird and relatable. Lena Waithe did such an amazing job as Denise, she was Dev’s lesbian friend who was always so cool and open about her sexuality, but not in the conventional way, but she was also very funny and gave great advice to Dev on numerous occasions. Kelvin Yu as Brian Cheng was also pretty good, but I wish I had seen more of him. H. Jon Benjamin was one of my favourite people as Benjamin, I’ve never seen Benjamin in anything live-action, but have recognized his voice work from years since Home Movies, Family Guy, Archer and Bob Burgers among other things, and in this show his character was really funny as Dev’s an acting colleague, but beyond that his character was very insightful and offered good life advice. Oh and Shoukath and Fatima Ansari did such great jobs as Dev’s parents, Ramesh and Nisha, especially with Ramesh, he was bloody hilarious with some of his dialogue.

In conclusion Master of None is a very entertaining, fun and heartfelt tale of one man’s adventure in the city of New York experiencing the highs and lows that life throws at him with varying degrees of success. While the show didn’t have me laughing out loud like comedy shows that I watch, it was really was funny, but also surprisingly engaging on an emotional level and covering certain topics in a realistic and unexpected way.

Rating: 8.5/10

So have you seen Master of None and is so what did you think of it? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

What I’m Currently Watching #16

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Howdy ladies and gents, and welcome to post #16 on What I’m Currently Watching where I give you a tiny update on what TV-based stuff I’m watching and give mini reviews/impressions on them. This week I’ve been behind schedule with several shows so I’m literally going to be doing just three reviews this time round because I’m short on time. With that out of the way let’s talk about some TV! 😀 Oh and careful for minor spoilers below…

The Flash “Running to Stand Still”

This week’s episode of The Flash was awesome, nuff said. I mean besides a few nitpicks I had with Patty Spivot’s storyline, this episode was hella good featuring some of the best humour, drama and collection of characters together in one episode for a while. One of the key elements that stood out were the villains, not so much Weather Wizard, but more so Captain Cold and Trickster. Wentworth Miller continues to kill it in this role proving such a fun and engaging performance nd while his character is a villain, he’s definitely starting to show signs of being good with his warning to Barry about the upcoming attacks. While Trickster on the other hand that guy is just evil, he’s crazy, whether he’s making announcements of TV, dressing up as Santa or signing weird versions of Christmas songs, Trickster makes it clear he’s out to do no good and Mark Hamill, dear god, I love this man, he just ate up every scene he was in and I loved every second he was on-screen. And he took lines and did things that would probably come across as cheesy if any other person was doing it, but Hamill made it work. Oh and there was some awesome dramatic moments with Joe and Iris in regards to Francine and her hidden son, the acting in those scenes were awesome. There were also some great scenes with Earth-2 Wells and discovering what he’s been up to with Zoom and learning about Zoom’s ultimate plan to steal Barry’s power once he’s much faster which was cool. Oh and seeing Wally West getting introduced was nice too, can’t wait to see what will happen with him in the future. As I said before there were a lot of great humour in this episode, but my favourite line probably of the show so far was Cisco saying to Caitlin and Jay: “Oh lord just kiss already. The thirst is real.” Best. Line. Ever.

Arrow (Season 4) “Dark Waters”

This week’s episode of Arrow was pretty interesting with Oliver finally calling out Damien Darhk on his evil plans, only for Darhk to come along and crash a party, have a good few people killed and then steal several of Oliver’s key people in an effort to see what he’d do when the people closest to him were in a tight spot. I appreciated how everyone had a purpose and it really felt like this episode got Arrow back on track to what I liked about the show in the first two seasons. I loved Darhk in this episode, still just as charismatic, fun and humourous as ever and I also liked how Felicity found out about her mother’s relationship with Quentin Lance too. Once again I didn’t care for the flashback sequences as they felt completely irrelevant and didn’t hold my interest at all, but the ending was certainly interesting with Felicity getting shot during that chaotic shoot out sequence in the limo, I wonder if she’ll die?

Star Wars Rebels (Season 2) “Legacy”

I thought this week’s episode of Rebels was pretty good. I’ve seen and heard some complaints about the show’s heavy focus on Ezra and Kanan or the fact that some people just aren’t fans of Ezra or that this episode didn’t progress any of the new plot created in this season, but for me this episode was mainly about closure for Ezra and finally finding out about what happened to his parents. I wasn’t keen on Ezra at the start of season 1, but he’s come a long way and he really is becoming an interesting character, from his interactions with the Force to seeing him use his Jedi trying to take out stormtroopers and Agent Kallus with ease, the dude’s becoming more powerful and badass by the day… And looking more and more like he could turn to the dark side, did you see how aggressively he went after the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister? How crazy would that fight have been had Kanan not intervened? It was also great to see Ezra acknowledge and thank Kana and Hera for all the help that they’ve given him. Oh and I can’t talk about this episode without mentioning how great it was to see Hera in her leadership position helping out Rex and Sato in that escape mission when the Empire tried to capture them.

Well that’s what I’ve been watching. So have you seen or plan to watch any of these shows? If you have any thoughts be sure to drop a comment below and let me know what TV shows you’re currently watching  too. Until next time, laters! 😀