Definition: Confusion

I am a technology geek. It’s ok, I admit it. However whilst I am interested and fairly up to date with new technology, I am not a geek in the sense that I have to buy each new advancement, the consumer commonly known as the early-adopter. Now there are a few reasons for this, firstly a distinct lack of spare cash can hinder such ventures, but even if I did have the money I am not the kind of person to pay through the nose for something purely because it is shiny and new, in fact I’d much rather wait, see how things pan out and make a more informed decision down the line. Because fact of the matter is that early adopters often get a rough deal. Just ask those that buy a piece of kit for £1000 just to see it slashed to £500 months later, or see a better, improved version released. Because the early adopters will always lose out, I mean sure they get to wave their fancy new gadget in their friends and families face for a few weeks, but ultimately in terms of quality and value they know they aren’t getting the best deal. . So why am I blustering on about this? Well really it’s because of the rise of High Definition. You know, the new technology that is (supposedly) sweeping the nation. Basically, in case you don’t know, High Definition is a picture format that gives better quality sound and audio for films, TV and games. You see whilst DVDs are fantastic and look pretty amazing as they are you can only fit approx. 9GB of data on DVD (and there we go, I’ve lost some of you with funny technical speak… please stay it won’t be that bad) whereas with the HD you can fit a lot more meaning the picture and audio are not so compressed and so look better. Ok easy, you think, where do I sign up? Well it’s not that simple. You see unlike DVDs there is not one format of these High Definition products. Because movie studios refuse to agree on anything we have ended up with an absurd situation of two warring factions, in one corner you have HD-DVD backed by Microsoft and Universal. These discs can store up to 30GB of information and the players you need to watch them currently cost around £300. In the other corner you have Blu-Ray technology being pushed by Sony and many of the other movie studios. Now Blu-Ray discs can store 50GB of information but the players cost a lot more at around £800-£1000. These Blu-Ray discs are also what the PlayStation 3 uses for games and it can play Blu-Ray films too (so technically the cheapest Blu-Ray player you can get is the PS3 at a measly £425). Still with me? Good. Now not only do you have to buy a new player for these new formats but they also require a HD Television to work properly. You see the current types of TVs (the big bulky ones) cannot display the required quality of picture, so a new HD-DVD played on your old TV would not look any better. Now flat screen TVs are all the rage and you need either a LCD or Plasma TV that is HD ready in order to view the content in this new way. Ok so that’s enough technical stuff but you see what I’m saying… this is a silly situation. In fact this is an entire format war that has been pushed upon us by the movie studios who are, of course, releasing all their old films again in High Definition, meaning that in theory people who a few years ago started buying DVDs to replace their videos, will now repeat the process buying the same films for the 3rd or 4th time. Add to this the fact that because different studios back each of the technologies different films come out for each,. For example Jurassic Park would only come out on HD-DVD. But Spiderman would only come out on Blu-Ray. It’s just a ridiculous situation where in order to get all the films you want you may have to splash out on two machines and whilst there is talk of players can play both they will be even more expensive! For these reasons especially this is something I am staying away from until either some kind of truce is made or one format dominates. Right now those who stand to lose are the consumers who are having to spend money on formats that may not even be around in a few years and the cost of ‘upgrading’ for is essentially a slightly better looking and more detailed picture is simply not worth it for the majority of people. Yes the TVs look great and you can see a difference but for your average man on the street this means nothing, they haven’t sat down, watched a DVD and thought ‘if only I could see this with a slightly better picture quality’. Basically people don’t care. DVD is still popular and cheap and will continue to outsell either of the new formats for years to come. When video was replaced by DVD there was so much to gain, they had extra features, commentaries, scene selection and subtitles. They were a huge leap forward; whereas these new technologies are maybe a small step ahead. The trouble is technology that is confusing and expensive will never hit the mainstream, if you have never heard about all this before there is a reason for that, it is not ready. So like I said at the top of the article, I am interested in the possibilities for these technologies but until the bugs are ironed out, the cost comes down and some kind of winner is clear there is no way I am investing money into it. Fortunately both sets of players are backwards compatible and will play your old DVDs, so there is a lot less need to re-purchase your back catalogue of films again. Overall the whole situation is a mess. The market is not ready for HD, not the mass market anyway. One day all our TV will be HD not just a couple of channels and everyone will have a nice flat screen TV (if mine dies I know that’s what I have my eye on) but what bugs me the most is that this was a commercial decision. It did not arise out of a need for better technology but as a rather cynical way of re-selling us the same things, but slightly better. So while this article may not have meant a great deal to you now, in a couple of years things could be very different and it’s only when the mass market has spoken, that we will start getting the best deals and the widest choice rather than the current situation of picking a side and hoping it doesn’t lose.

Spider-Man 3

After already heralding the biggest box office weekend in history (for how long is questionable though with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End today) Spider-Man 3 would have already served its main purpose. It has been a success and no matter what Sony may have been hinting at before this is most definitely not the last film in the series. But is it any good, and can the foundations laid by the first two films be built upon? Well the answer is… kind of. Whilst not the masterpiece many were hoping for Spider-Man 3 is still an entertaining and enjoyable blockbuster that suffers from a few basic flaws that hold it back. In fact I went into the film with rather lowered expectations from the rather mixed reviews the film has received since its release and maybe because of that I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I might.

Picking up some time after the end of the second film we begin by finding Peter Parker (Toby Maguire again perfect in the role) on top of the world, he is considering proposing to Mary-Jane, Spider-Man is more popular than ever, however it isn’t long before factors conspire to tip this balance and once again turn Peter’s world upside down. Now I’m not going to detail the plot because it does get rather confusing, now this in itself is not a bad thing but the criticisms that the film tries to stuff too much in are fairly justified. As well as Peter Parkers relationship issues we have (ultimately) three villains to contend with at one time or another and tying these threads together ultimately is where the film starts to fall apart, relying on unbelievable co-incidences and expositional speeches to navigate plot holes. However whilst the narrative may not flow as easily as the previous films in the series the action raises the bar above and beyond what we have seen before. For sheer spectacle the film can’t be beaten and some of the effects work here is stunning, especially on sandman and the various set pieces the film introduces are well executed and constantly exciting and inventive. However once again the film falls a bit flat in-between, the actors do a goods job and the drama level is raised but Raimi struggles to avoid the soap opera cheesiness that has also plagued the other entries in the series from overflowing again here, and the ‘emo’ style make-over he puts upon Peter Parker winds up looking a tad silly.

However for every bad scene there are some fantastic ones which is what makes the film a slightly odd mixture, but it is worth seeing not only for the effects but for those magical scenes that perfectly capture the character and style of the comic book. Some hated it but the much argued about dance routine in a jazz club had me laughing and there are lots of light, comic touches that elevate the series from the rather leaden and series superhero films found elsewhere. Many have problems with these parts of the film and I think that’s because of the rather overdone drama, had that been handled with the same delicate touch then the film may have ended up more a more cohesive whole.

There is also the fact that one of the fans favourite villains (though by all accounts not one of Raimi’s) Venom makes a far too brief appearance in the film and while, at the end, it becomes clear why the multiple villains are featured in the story, he never gels totally with the ongoing plot and it would have served the series better as a whole to merely introduce the character late on in this film in order to set up Spider-Man 4 perfectly.

But despite the flaws this is still an impressive and entertaining piece of blockbusting cinema, it could easily stand to lose a good 15 minutes from the run time even so it held my attention and certainly surpassed the other films in many areas, finally bringing many story threads to a close. Not perfect but not a disaster by any means Spider-Man 3 kicks off the summer blockbuster season with a bang, only in time will we see how its place in the history books falls.

Far too packed and tonally uneven this is still a massively entertaining and visually stunning film that despite its plot contrivances manages to make you smile and once again load its epic story with an important and well handled message.

28 Weeks Later

Five years ago a small British film called 28 Days Later took the world by storm. Low budget but ripe with a fresh take on the zombie movie by not having actual zombies, instead re-imagining the undead as living people infected with a rage virus that attacks the blood and leaves them frothing bloodthirsty creatures. Through it’s use of carefully crafted characters, exciting set pieces and London locations the film was a breath of fresh air, and so it is with great pleasure that I am able to say the same about this sequel, a film who’s existence I didn’t know about until recently but that ups the ante considerably taking what made the first film a hit and expanding the building upon it in a way few sequels manage. Set, as you never would have guessed, 28 weeks after the outbreak the film focuses initially on one family headed by Robert Carlyle who is reunited with his children with a safe area of London. They make up some of the people who have been brought back in to start the process of rebuilding the country. Despite the fact that no infected have been found for months having died of starvation the country is taking no precautions enlisting the help of the US military who manage the camp. However their safe existence is short lived as soon a survivor is found who is actually a carrier of the disease, but who shows no symptoms. Soon of course someone gets infected and all hell breaks loose literally as the military lose control of the situation and begin neutralising the whole area. It is down to a small group of people including the aforementioned children to escape the city before the infected or military get to them. This film is brutal and intense from the start and relentless as it gets going. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo manages to imitate and expand upon Danny Boyle style from the original and expanded budget allow for some impressive set pieces and heart pounding scenes. The actors are excellent all round and though the characters aren’t as clearly developed as the first film they are still interesting and sympathetic. More than a thriller than a true horror this still has its fare share of scares and more than a bucket or too of blood really selling the danger of the infected and the military really putting you in the shoes of this desperate band of survivors. On looking back there are a few plot holes and credibility issues but the whole thing is put together so well and keeps you riveted throughout that they don’t detract from the experiece as a whole In fact the last half an hour of the film is arguably the best and that is the one area if any that the first film fell short on.

So a nice surprise then and a genuinely great gory, shocking and exciting film guaranteed to get your heart racing. It’s rare that sequels get this level of time and energy and as such it should be admired and enjoyed because looking at the summer ahead it seems there will be plenty more coming up that fall short. Shocking, intense and unforgiving this is not for the feint of heart but this is a bigger, louder and more exciting sequel that expands and builds upon the original. For horror fans this is not to be missed and a genuinely pleasant surprise.

Trambopoline!!

I have always been a fan of the Simpsons, much to the grievance of Martha but one thing that they have never really gotten right was a decent game of the series. I remember enjoying the old movie studio they released yeard ago but nothing since has done the series justice. Well yesterday EA announced a new game to tie in with the movie, based on a story written by writers of the show and featuring over 8,000 lines of dialogue by the cast members. The game sees the characters embark on a series of episodes, each based on various video game styles and the whole game will be playable co-operatively. So far what I have read and seen of the game make me cautiously optimistic and whilst EA do not have the best reputation the time and effort that have already gone into the game make me think it could actually be pretty decent. There is a video below so have a look and see what you think:

The Devil Wears Prada

For this I can blame Martha. Without a female influence in my life this is definitely one of those films I would not have watched on my own, and yet that would have been a shame as this is actually a wickedly clever and sly film that is entertaining whilst subtly making some interesting and timely comments on modern society. Anne Hathaway plays Andy Sachs a down to earth girl with ambitions of making it as a journalist in New York. But in order to get to a position where she can do this she decides to apply for a position in a fashion magazine as assistant to the infamous Miranda Priestly, a position that she has no interest in, but that will open up the gates of employment once her tenure is completed.

This set up is one that is instantly familiar to myself, the idea of working in jobs you may not have ideally chosen, but with a higher purpose in mind and how the film works is by showing how fluid people can be, and how influenced we can be by our surroundings whether we are aware of it or not. Andy starts the film certain of her convictions and finds her views of the fashion industry altered, and to the bane of her boyfriend and social life. However this is not a scathing look at the industry and very little is made of the arguments against it, yes we are shown the fickle nature it can have, and the influence it can have on everything we wear, but that it not the film’s real purpose.

The key to the film is the character of Miranda played exquisitely by Meryl Streep who earned her 14th Oscar nomination for the film and deservedly so. She plays the ice queen role to perfection here keeping the right side of caricature and imbuing her with not only a real sense of menace, but humanity to in a few key scenes when her mask fades just for a moment. The relationship between herself and Andy is well played and the sharp script keeps the action moving at a brisk pace and stops the film veering into cliché or obvious territory. Whilst the film is obviously aimed at the female market there is a lot for everyone to enjoy here, and like I mentioned the subtle way the film plays you leaves you as shaken as the characters when the resolution hits.

The cast is good throughout and the secondary characters are reasonably well developed and realistic and help the film remain constantly entertaining and fun to watch. So, guys, if you feel like getting in your girlfriends good books by watching a film for her you could do a lot worse than this, believe me.

A surprisingly mature film that manages to combine the more obvious audience pleasing elements with a more adult look at growing up and forging an identity independent of where you work and who you hang about with.

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