Posts Tagged ‘Review’
1
Jul
Posted by vagrantesque in Movies. Tagged: Film, Man, Movie, Nolan, of, Review, snyder, steel, superman. Leave a comment
Here it is: The latest big and blockbusting effort to make Superman relevant to the masses again. I saw it four days ago.
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Starring: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams
Director: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen)
Rating: M
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Man of Steel was one of my most anticipated films of 2013 and it had been so for a while, despite the fact that I am not a comic book reader and never have been. There were just so many fascinating questions to be answered – could Christopher Nolan‘s influence on the Superman mythos translate into another superlative movie despite the unavoidable need for the inclusion of superpowers? Would General Zod prove a worthy villain in yet another reboot of the character? And how would Zack Snyder‘s post-Sucker Punch direction factor into things? Having seen it now, when all is said and done, it turns out Man of Steel is a rather difficult film to review. Or at least to score. It has been tormenting me for days.
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26
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS3. Tagged: dog, ellie, joel, last, naughty, of, PS3, Review, us. Leave a comment
So many zombies on screens at the moment!
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Platform: PS3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Rating: R18+
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I didn’t have a regular case for the game.
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This is it.
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Despite its expansive slate of rock-solid console exclusive franchises, blu-ray disc capabilities, the amazing benefits of Playstation Plus and the otherworldly, standalone magnificence of Journey, The Last of Us is in my opinion the most convincing reason yet, and perhaps ever, to own a Playstation 3. Super developer Naughty Dog have crafted a masterful blend of visuals, sound and affective storytelling that exceeds its highly acclaimed previous efforts thanks to some wonderfully balanced gameplay.
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22
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Movies. Tagged: brad, Film, Movie, pitt, Review, war, world, z, zombies. Leave a comment
Three of my most anticipated films of the year came out this week. Here’s the first of them.
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Mereille Enos, Fana Mokoena
Director: Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace)
Rating: M
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It’s a wonder Brad Pitt‘s new zombie virus outbreak film World War Z has even come out in cinemas, given its well documented production troubles. The script, adapted from a well received but difficult to film novel trilogy, was almost completely re-written and re-shot along its tumultuous journey to our screens. It was only the determination and stubbornness of Pitt‘s production team that allowed it to scrape through. And at the end of the day I’m glad it did.
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15
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Tagged: capcom, dontnod, Me, nilin, remember, Review. Leave a comment
I’m in d-d-d-danger, Pinocchio…
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Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: DONTNOD
Rating: M
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Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background.
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I won’t forget.
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The general internet consensus on Remember Me hasn’t been too kind. The conveniently pun-tastic line that the game is “forgettable” dominates many sites and forums. However, with some caveats, I beg to differ. The game does have the misfortune of releasing very close to the excellent The Last of Us and, yes, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. Remember Me may be a rather flawed videogame experience, but it packs enough memorable moments to be worth a play.
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18
May
Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games, PS Vita. Tagged: 3DS, escape, last, PS, Review, reward, virtue, Vita, zero. Leave a comment
Now for a little gem that came out very late last year in Australia and got buried in the AAA blockbuster rush. It only came to my attention last month when it was available as a free download on Playstation Vita as part of the Playstation Plus service. I liked it so much that I tracked down a 3DS copy of the game so my Vita-less friends could play it.
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Platform: 3DS, PSV
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Rating: M
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Creeeepy.
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It was agonizing.
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The first time I was faced with that terrible screen, forcing me to select either “ally” or “betray”, I stared blankly at the two options for what felt like hours. There were so many implications to that decision, so many permutations. What if my opponent betrayed me after I left myself open by choosing to ally? What if I was the one who betrayed a vulnerable player, bringing them that much closer to their death? Which option was worse? Such is the primary dilemna at the heart of the truly mind-bending Virtue’s Last Reward.
Simple, but never, ever easy.
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16
May
Posted by vagrantesque in Movies. Tagged: abrams, darkness, Film, into, jj, Review, star, trek. Leave a comment
I did something very similar to my The Expendables experience to accommodate this blockbuster release; I only watched the first Star Trek film the night before seeing its sequel.
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Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch
Director: JJ Abrams (Mission: Impossible 3, Super 8)
Rating: M
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At the start of this week I held the same position on Star Trek as I always had: I couldn’t care less. I had always been a Star Wars fan first and foremost and anything that Trek did was in my mind vastly inferior. It couldn’t possibly hope to match the excitement and grand operatic scale of George Lucas‘ brainchild franchise, and no matter how iconic the characters of Trek had become over time, they didn’t hold a candle to the likes of Darth Vader, Yoda and the like. But, like many other Star Wars fans the world over, my attention was forcibly grabbed recently by the news that JJ Abrams, the director of the Star Trek reboot of 2009, would be in charge of Disney’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy. So I watched the 2009 movie on Blu-Ray, was promptly stunned by its quality, then went to see its freshly released sequel in theatres the very next day. And boy, do I think Star Wars is in good hands now.
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15
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Music. Tagged: cancer bats, dead set on living, dsol, Review. Leave a comment
Another glorious album review! This time from a man who lives in a dark and dusty dorm room in a country town, Sean0graphy.
—Written by Sean0graphy—
—Edited/formatted by Vagrantesque—
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Released: April 2012
Label: Distort
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Sludge Metal, Doom Punk
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Still one of the best band names I’ve ever seen.
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TRACK LISTING
1. R.A.T.S
2. Bricks and Mortar
3. Road Sick
4. Breathe Armageddon
5. Dead Set On Living
6. The Void
7. Old Blood
8. Drunken Physics
9. Bastards
10. Rally the Wicked
11. New World Alliance
-As a foreword, I highly suggest listening to this album as you read the review, even if you are not a fan of the music. It will help you understand it better-
Since their inception in 2004, the Cancer Bats, comprising of front man Liam Cormier, guitarist Scott Middleton, bassist Jaye R. Schwartzer and Mike Peters on drums, have never really fit into one genre, each album having it’s own distinct sound. The trend continues with this haymaker of an album. Jumping from songs that are so punk that you want to get up and two-step to songs that are so heavy that your neck will hurt for weeks to come, the album shows that the boys really are Dead Set On Living.
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13
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Movies. Tagged: Battleship, Movie, perspective, Review, themes. Leave a comment
Think of this next guest post as a companion piece to the Battleship movie review I posted last year. It’s written by the rather Canadian Foxtale.
—Written by Foxtale—
—Edited/formatted by Vagrantesque—
When I first heard that Battleship was going to be a movie, my first thought was “How?” That thought was pretty quickly answered when I jumped online and checked out the trailer. I assumed straight away, as most people must have, that someone had decided to get Giorgio A Tsoukalos to write an American patriotic piece and he somehow snuck in his favourite subject matter.
If he hasn’t already used this movie as evidence of Ancient Aliens, he’s losing his touch.
But then I went and saw the movie. And I’m not sure if it’s just my overimaginative use of deconstructive theory that led me to this Alternate Battleship Hypothesis, but I think this was one of the most subversive films of 2012. While on the surface, Battleship appears to be a cheesy showing of Americans shouting “MURICA” and winning the day through good old freedom and American ingenuity, I think underneath the script writer was brilliant.
I realise this film has been covered in a previous Vagrant Rant post, and so I’ll leave it to you to read that for the surface criticisms (for which there are many). I’ll deal with the underlying themes, for hidden in this movie is a brilliant commentary on American over-aggression against foreign foes, a realistic view of how first contact might play out, and some good old fashioned paranoia over China.
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12
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Music. Tagged: Bop Alloy, Marcus D, Review, Substantial. Leave a comment
Vagrant Rant’s first album review in a long time comes courtesy of Dazidia, a Croatian music man and anime enthusiast who produces some smooth tunes of his own over on SoundCloud, which you can also take in via his YouTube Channel.
—Written by Dazidia—
—Edited/formatted by Vagrantesque—
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Released: September 2010
Label: Tamashie Creations Corp.
Genre: Jazz-Hop/Jazzy Hip-Hop
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That’s some awfully tiny text in the middle.
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TRACK LISTING
1. Jazzmatic (feat. Steph the Sapphic Songstress)
2. Another Day In The Life (feat Cise Star and Mr SOS)
3. Chillaxation
4. Cloud 9 (Interlude)
5. The Art Of Work (feat Steph the Sapphic Songtress)
6. Save The Day
7. Universe Works (feat Steph the Sapphic Songstress)
8. Star Child
9. Music (Interlude) (featuring Steph the Sapphic Songstress)
10. Lead The Followers (feat Edgar Allan Floe, Niles*, Steph, Tunji)
11. Still Think Different
12. Why The World Weeps (feat. Mello-D, Steph)
13. In Memoriam… (Interlude)
14. The Boy With No Name
15. Tokyo Twilight
When you want to build a bridge solid and impervious to rust, you use an alloy of iron and carbon for a durable structure. Likewise, when you want that firm balance between classy jazz melodies and smooth lyrical flow, your best bet is Bop Alloy. Featuring the likes of chilled wordsmith Substantial and producer Marcus D, Bop Alloy is off to a strong start with their first construction Substantial and Marcus D are Bop Alloy (2010), creating a perfect blend between the chillaxing smoothness of jazz and a lively urban beat, perfect for your local cafe rendezvous.
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1
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Xbox 360. Tagged: 360, bioshock, infinite, PS3, Review, xbox. 2 comments
I picked up this much-hyped game a few days ago amidst a flurry of other titles. Suffice to say the other games fared a little better.
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Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Irrational Games
Rating: MA15+
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At least the case looks good.
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Well this sucks.
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I have waited for Bioshock Infinite to arrive on store shelves for a very long time. It was announced years ago and as the third in an incredibly revered series of games, I wasn’t alone in expecting big things. But now that I’ve played it, I barely think it’s worth wasting words on. In fact, you can skip the review if you want; just please don’t buy this game.
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Vagrant Rant 