Get Corrupted

Just a quick one today with some impressions of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I have been a huge fan of the series thoroughly enjoying the first two games in the series on the Gamecube and as such have been hotly anticipating this third game on the Wii. Having played through about the first hour or so I find myself in the position to make some initial impressions. Firstly this game starts very differently to the other Prime games, with a more obvious and involving story it draws you in nicely and makes a great change from the minimalist style of storytelling of the first two games. Immediately the thing you notice is that the game looks stunning, a definite step up from the first two games (Which both looks amazing also) Prime 3 has an amazing level of detail and architecture and the game benefits from the added grunt of the Wii. Now the Wii is never going to have Xbox 360 level graphics in purely technical terms but stylistically this is one of the best looking games I’ve seen. Added to this is the fact that it runs perfectly smoothly and the invisible loading once again helps the whole world feel connected. The controls are the biggest overhaul in the game and they work very well indeed. Utilising the Wii remote the controls are responsive and accurate, the at times frustrating slowness of the Gamecube game is gone and this is a much more fluid scheme. It does take a bit of getting used to (I’d recommend putting the sensitivity settings to advanced) but after just an hour I already much prefer it to the Cube layout and for that matter all other console FPS’s. Like I said the game starts very differently, there is a lot more interaction and team work with the Alliance which feels a bit odd, the Metroid series has always been about isolation, but it’s so well executed and feels so fresh that it really works in giving you something new. Along with the overhaul of the graphics some design elements have been re-jigged also, the visors are handily located on one button allowing you to quickly choose, and the new look to the power ups, doors and general items help the game feel new and not as cut as paste as the first two did at times. Still it is early days yet and the prospect of another giant game world to explore as Samus fills me with excitement. If you are a Wii owner who bemoans the lack of decent games you owe it to yourself to get this game, it is involving, beautiful and above all fun to play. As I have previously mentioned there is a distinct lack of advertising in relation to this game which is a massive shame, I hope that I can do my bit to spread the word and help this do well enough to justify more challenging hardcore games to be released on the Wii.

Where Nintendo is going wrong

But that’s the wrong title, you protest, surely you mean Sony! ‘Where Sony is going wrong’. Can’t be that hard to mix up the two names, can it? Well no, and I have in fact typed the correct one, for, whilst Nintendo are proving to be very successful at the moment, and Sony have had what the very generous would call a ‘difficult year’, that does not exclude them from the mistakes and pratfalls that befall all big companies. In fact were the DS and the Wii not proving to be so popular there may be some serious questions being asked of the Kyoto giant, rather than rapturous praise. However don’t get me wrong, I think Nintendo have been very clever and made a lot of good and wise decisions in the past few years, they have somehow turned around a flagging business into the model of success and done so without seemingly breaking a sweat. Through this they have remained humble and true to their core values, backing away from the proverbial slagging match that becomes technological warfare amongst the cutting edge. The fact still remains though that the console race, as many dub it, is far from over and there are several areas that Nintendo have been slow to correct or act on, that could hurt them in the future. Once the Wii is no longer new and exciting it will need a strong foundation, Nintendo’s job is to build that now for when the inevitable come-down occurs. In this article I will look at some of the questionable decisions of the past year or so, but also at action the company should be taking, but is not, remember a mistake can be one of omission as well as perpetration. 1. Attracting 3rd Parties Nintendo have always struggled in their relationship with third party developers. The reason for this is that historically Nintendo gamers have tended to buy Nintendo products over those from other companies. This trend was obvious back in the days of the N64 and continued throughout the life of the Gamecube despite many exclusive and top quality titles being released. However it must be noted that amongst these were an awful lot of rubbish games as well. Still the fact was that for whatever reason multiplatform games sell better on other systems, which led many third parties to discredit the Wii early on. When you are next in town take a look at the Wii games shelf. See all those party games, ports of older games and rubbish looking film tie ins? That is the result of this discredit. As soon as the Wii was proving to be a massive success third parties wanted in, unfortunately because they were late to the game, and making games takes quite a long time, many rushed ports and half finished games to shelves, desperate for some of the success. However it hasn’t exactly worked out for them, being that consumers can be more wary than some think. Charging full price for a port of a PS2 game is beyond cheeky and Wii has been sullied by these bad games. Still Nintendo should have been more vocal from the start in attracting these developers. While it is true that some companies only started developing for the Wii when it was launched others were on board beforehand, but Nintendo were slow releasing development kits and licenses and offered little help. Recently they have been improving third party relations but it’s a two sided coin. Third parties need to ensure they release quality products on the Wii, but Nintendo need to support them, advertise them and the public need to buy them. Once third party games starts to sell more will come, if the dearth of multiplatform releases with badly implanted control remains, then Nintendo, despite the huge console sales, could still be struggling software-wise. 2. Growing the attach rate So how does a console that has outsold everything consistently all year, struggle to sell games? Well it comes down to attach-rate. This is the number of games per console that is sold. This is a good figure to be able to see whether people, after buying a console, are keeping up by actually buying games for it. The Xbox 360 leads the way in this field with its more hardcore user base buying between 5 and 10 games each, Sony has struggled but bundles and such have meant more game sales. Nintendo however have always struggled, with the Wii it is a slightly different matter, with such a wide reaching console those elderly grandma’s who love playing Wii Sports are unlikely to rush out for the new Madden football game, but it is still a problem if, with a such a big user base your games are being outsold. Using Madden as an example, even though it was released on all three next gen systems at the same time the Wii version got trounced in sales – the message was clear, the Wii has a vastly different user base. Developers are cottoning onto this though and with original games such as My Sims and Zach and Wiki as well as EA’s upcoming Wii Playground developers are, more and more trying to connect with the Wii’s audience to create the next ‘big hit’. I only hope this happens soon before developers get tired of trying, there seems no logical reason why, with so many more units in homes, games can’t be huge sellers on the Wii, especially those games that offer something other consoles can’t, it’s just a case of finding the right formula. 3. Advertising One reason game sales may be down is advertising, or lack of it. Many posts have been made recently in online communities about Nintendo’s lack of aggression when it comes to marketing their titles, for example Metroid Prime 3 is released in Europe on Friday but I have yet to see a single advert or announcement relating to this. Nintendo have said that they are trying a new strategy of advertising games in the few weeks before launch so as not to jump the gun, but they seem unwilling to pay for the big advertising that may push games such as this into people’s hands. Nintendo are making a killing from console sales at the moment yet need to be more aggressive in selling the games, third party games as well. The introduction of the Metroid 3 channel you can download to the Wii is good start, but it needed more fanfare and more to back it up with. Nintendo may hope such games will sell on name alone, but until they get out of these bad habits (advertising has never been a strong point) sales will continue to be disappointing. Case in point is Guitar Hero 3. This will be a huge game, the first two were amazingly popular, this is the first time the game has been on a Nintendo system, with the guitar accessory that fits the Wii-remote neatly inside and online options the Wii version could be a massive hit, moreso than the PS3 and Xbox versions, but people need to know about it. There need to be ads highlighting the differences and getting the message out there, to miss something like this is to miss a trick and customers Nintendo can get buying games now, will pay off in the future in terms of loyalty and developer commitment. If Guitar hero 3 sells a million on Wii, that’s a guarantee that more games of its ilk will make their way in the future. 4. Embracing online gaming The Wii has online gaming, however while this is alright and with Mario Kart and Smash Bros. coming up, about to be expanded, it is still a shadow of what you can get on the PS3 or through Xbox Live. Now I’m not saying Nintendo should copy those schemes, but more commitment to downloadable content, demo’s for example, and the removal of friend codes for games (along with the introduction of voice chat) would allow their games to be at least comparable. As it is the Wii has a good basic set up, but feels ancient next to the competition. Online may not be the focus of the Wii but there is so much that could be done with it that it feels as if Nintendo aren’t bothering some of the time. Again if developers were given more tools and access we might stop seeing games that are online for other consoles but not for Wii, there is no excuse for this and the removal of online functionality may be a good reason why some games fail to sell on Nintendo’s console. 5. Alienating the hardcore Finally Nintendo need to be wary that in attracting casual gamers and people who have never played before they risk alienating the gaming fans they first attracted. For this they need games, and a wider variety, preferably with some of the aforementioned online functionality included. The Wii may be less powerful than the competition but it’s no reason why shooters, RPG’s and action games won’t work on the system. The Wii may not be the hardcore console of choice, but can work well as a backup. For example not many people will own an Xbox and PS3, but many may have either and a Wii. The variety in games means it is not directly competing, but Nintendo still need to support these people, as do third parties. For this reason I hope that come Christmas we see some big sellers on the Wii, games such as Pro Evolution Soccer (coming to Wii for the first time) should make a difference, but as I commented before it is a fine line to walk. Overall Nintendo remains in a strong position and will continue to sell out over the holidays, but can’t afford to rest on its laurels. As games get more advanced on Xbox and PS3 and the second and third generation of titles are released Nintendo needs to make sure it has enough up its sleeve to keep the magic going. For the start of a consoles life lazy ports and party games are to be expected, if the landscape remains the same in 12 months we will have a problem on our hands. The question to ask is, once you’ve changed the face of gaming – what do you do next?

Starter for Ten

On holiday this year I found myself, at a point, stuck with nothing to read. Anyone familiar with the concept of British holidays knows this is an occurrence worthy of dread, fortunately the place we were staying had a bookshelf for guests, a random assortment of collected works assembled over many years, and as I browsed it one book caught my attention, Starter for 10. This was partly because I had heard about the film, but soon enough I was caught up, the book was excellent and was finished by the time we left. So when I recently had the chance to see the film I was intrigued, as I have often commented before the perils of book to film conversions lie (usually) directly upon the viewers first exposure to the story. Those who have already enjoyed and grown close to either form find it much harder to accept the other. Set in 1985 the film tells the story of Brian, a boy from Essex who makes his way to Bristol Uni and his quest to get onto the local university challenge team, but more importantly it deals with the search for knowledge and truth and the growing pains that come with moving away from home, and discovering yourself. James McAvoy, who is making quite a name for himself in Hollywood now, plays the titular Brian and again impresses. His acting skills are without question but it was the subtle humour and comic timing he possesses that really shone in the film, he manages to really sell Brian’s earnest nature and self-destructive side. The rest of the cast are made up relative unknowns, boosted by some recognisable British comic faces, Catherine Tate plays his widowed mother, and the University Challenge host Bamber Gascoigne is aptly played by the League of Gentlemen’s Mark Gatiss. Adapted from his own book by David Nicholls (who is a scriptwriter by profession) the film is pretty faithful to the themes and ideas of the book and plays out the story well, always entertaining and with a keen eye for the detail of the time, with a great 80s soundtrack as well full of the Cure and Tears for Fears. However in adapting the book for the big screen many of the more realistic and enjoyable aspects of the book have been rounded off, like the sharp corners of a piece of furniture. Obviously films have more traditional conventions but the cheerier tone leaves many of the books key characters somehow dulled, primary to this is Rebecca, the local activist Brian meets at Uni, in the book she is marvellously scathing and defensive, her exchanges with Brian are both bruising and hilarious, however in the film she is a much nicer character, the obvious conventions of the romantic comedy genre forcing these character into archetypes and so somehow depriving them of their spark. That’s not to say the film does a bad job at all, like I said it is a faithful representation of the book, and in fact in some places neatly trims the unnecessary plotlines and actually improves the ending, something that was rather to abrupt in the book, its just that after enjoying the frankness and distinct characters in the book, it is harder to see them as the same as their celluloid counterparts. Still, like I said these are faults that lie more with the fact that I enjoyed the book so, than any particular fault of the filmmakers. The setting and ideas of the film help distinguish it from other films of its ilk and unlike many there is a genuine honesty about the piece that makes it refreshing and enjoyable. At the end of the day the film doesn’t re-invent the genre, but it does offer up some new ideas and its inherent Britishness has a unique charm of its own. This is a genuinely funny and romantic film that, despite its watering down of some of the books elements, retains enough of what that so great to be worth watching. Recommended.

A small but affecting film about adolescence and possibility that struck a chord with me and, despite the slight sugar-coating of the books rougher edges, this is still recommended as an amusing and heartfelt ode to youth and knowledge.

7/10

Five is the magic number

Well according to Sony it is anyway. With the announcement of a 40GB version of the Playstation 3 due for release in Europe this week, sans a couple of USB slots, memory card reader and backwards compatibility (more on that later) the console will go on sale for £299 and be the fifth SKU or version of the PS3 released so far into the wild. Along with this announcement was the news of a price drop on the existing 60GB model to £350, however along with this came the news that, like when a similar drop was announced in the US a couple of months ago, this is basically a clearance sale so that when all the consoles are sold they are gone, leaving the 40GB model as the only one available in Europe.

So if you are wanting to play any of your old PS2 games now is the time to get a PS3, of course it’s possible that a larger fully specc’d version of the console will replace the 60GB model (most like the 80GB version now on sale in the US) but as of now there are no plans. Obviously this is a move born from sluggish sales and poor yearly performance and to be fair to Sony they haven’t just sat back and watched the train-wreck that has been the PS3 this year, they have responded, but their decision making has been baffling at best leading to the aforementioned 5 models of the console, each slightly different, each in different territories. The message that simple, clear and transparent business is good for the customer has obviously been lost amongst the scramble to get the PS3 to sell.

I understand the concept of different models of a console, when the full package is too expensive then it makes sense, but the cheaper 20GB version that launched alongside the main 60GB in the US flopped massively, leading it to be canned within months. The proof was obvious; when faced with a choice between the full product, or a version that it cheaper but missing features, people will splash the extra cash. The difference between the new 40GB version and the existing one is now just £50, and you get 2 games with the 60GB one. Obviously Sony want to get rid of their 60GB stock by having this price but, but if consumers are willing to splash out that sort of money for something, they want to feel like they are getting what they pay for, rather than an almost version. Yes the price should make the PS3 more competitive this winter, but the consequences of this decision are more than sales oriented, in fact as some have commented it seems like a shift in their whole business strategy.

But first a little history, flash back to 2006 when Sony revealed the details about the PS3 to the world. There Phil Harrison proudly stated that: "backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices -- PSOne, PS2 and now PS3.".

These remarks were echoed by Sony Head honcho Ken Kutaragi who went on to say that: "the PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I'm emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven't been able to completely do this. It's costly in terms of hardware, but we'd rather invest firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on.". The message to those listening was clear, the Playstation 3 is about the brand, it is about rewarding loyalty and consistency from one generation to the next. In fact Sony were subtly mocking Microsoft who’s Xbox 360 had limited backwards compatibility. I wrote an article for my old website a while back that complained against companies misleading and treating customers unfairly and this kind of doublespeak and going back on ‘core principles’ is at the heart of what got me riled up. The trouble is that Sony are stuck, trying to promote all these new developments as positive, when everyone knows what is really going on. When talking about the new model Sony Europe president Nick Sharples said: "We have made clear on many occasions that our priority is on developing innovative new features and services for PS3 and not on backwards compatibility." Many occasions? I’d like to see one!

What frustrates me is not necessarily the decisions made, but the naïve business talk that accompanies them. Everyone knows that if the PS3 were selling like hotcakes and had been since launch we would not be in this situation. There would be no other models, no gimped backwards compatibility, so spilling some spiel about how it has always been Sony’s interest just doesn’t cut it. Thanks to the internet now people can easily keep track of everything your company executives say, and more than a few times this year that has come back to bite Sony.

When I talked about a new business strategy this is what I meant. Sony are shifting their focus and trying to leave the PS2 behind. It’s immense success this year has been a stone around the PS3s neck, and whilst it was probably bringing Sony some much needed income the truth is that as long as the PS2 kept selling, the PS3 wouldn’t. By supporting the PS2, allowing people to play cheaper PS2 games on their PS3 Sony were handicapping themselves; no-one was buying PS3 games. Sony boast about having 65 titles available at Christmas for people to choose from, somehow implying this is better than a catalogue of thousands. As Bill Harris, in his excellent weekly console post, rightly points out the price and the PS2 have been holding Sony back, this new SKU is their attempt to correct that, and it may, just may, work. But it’s a heck of a risk, the risk of alienating PS2 owners, frustrating fans and gamers alike. What this move more than anything sends out is a lack of confidence in the product, tweaking it and re-releasing it in the way that film companies do with DVDs these days. The only company to be worried about this is Microsoft, at £299 the PS3 is very close the Xbox price and with a Blu-ray drive included, if Microsoft want to keep their lead and attract the tech-savvy consumers they need some good PR, Halo 3 will have helped them recently but persistent problems with consoles failing do not help, especially against the PS3 which, in this regard at least, has been flawless.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the short term future, Sony’s real hope will be that when the dust settles people will forget all the fuss and with some more software and the new lower price the PS3 can move forward in its own right, no longer dwarfed by the success of its younger brother.

Oh and what about Nintendo you might ask, what to make of them with this whole business? Well right now they are that little spec in the distance, riding high atop the sales charts wondering what all the fuss is about.

Knocked Up

Comedy films seem to come in waves, like any form of entertainment the shifts come about generally from the success of one specific film, that then influences countless others. The biggest recent example of this is the whole American Pie subgenre of gross-out teen comedies, which unfortunately still run on to this day. Invariably the efforts that follow the original are uninspired and markedly similar, studios cashing in rather than catching on. Luckily Knocked Up does not follow this pattern.

Following on from director Judd Apatow’s 40 Year old Virgin, which was a surprise hit in 2005 Knocked Up follows in the same vein as its predecessor, mixing realistic, often crude, depictions of friends and relationships with a real heart and message. It seems a simple formula but it’s really one of the hardest things to do, to match up an interesting and crafted story whilst maintaining the humour and integrity of your characters. The humour in the film derives from reality, conversations, exchanges and conventions, rather than playing on these for cheap laughs and slapstick. By removing many of the easy tools for creating laughs the team have had to work hard to up the quality of the whole film, imbuing it with the right amount of emotion, whilst maintaining its funny bone.

Of course all this is easier when you have the likes of Seth Rogan taking centre stage, relatively unknown before Virgin he has with this and the upcoming Superbad become a bona-fide star. He is constantly engaging, hilarious and really helps ground the film. His Ben is far from perfect, but never unlikeable as he deals with the repercussions from a one-night stand with upcoming TV reported Alison, played wonderfully by Catherine Heigal. Formerly known from TV’s Grey’s Anatomy Heigel impressed me immensely with the film filling Alison with a real sense of humanity and reality as she is forced to also come to terms with her pregnancy and the man. If there is one thing the film excels at it is finding the balance between the sexes.

The success of 40 year Old Virgin and now this are not accidental, these films appeal to a vast majority of people, they are relatable and real, there is very little sugar-coating which is a welcome relief from the happy go lucky reality that accompanies most romantic comedies these days. These films appeal to both men and women and treat all their characters with reverence. The women are just as centre stage in Knocked up, another far cry from the teenage wish-fulfilment found in many of the aforementioned gross-out comedies.

The film also has a lot to say about the current state of relationships, society and marriage, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (Apatow’s wife) play Alison’s sister and brother in law who she currently lives with. Bickering and troubled they paint an at times heartbreaking depiction of marriage at its best and worst, but are used wonderfully to comment on this, rather than fill in as comedy sidekicks. The care and attention that goes into the supporting cast, including Ben’s bunch of stoner friends who spend all day cataloguing movie nudity for an upcoming website (blissfully unaware that such sites already exist). There is a great comradary between the guys, and the films tale of growing up and accepting responsibility is naturally presented, rather than overly hallmarked.

At the end of the day Knocked Up is an impressive and surprisingly moving film. Beneath its vulgar exterior and frequent tangents’ it manages to tell a simple story in a new and relevant way whilst respecting and trusting its audience. Never afraid to pull the punches when you aren’t expecting or hit you deep down there is a lot more going on here than may first appear. Apatow and Rogan are names to watch out for, stars who can connect with a wide audience and who have an honesty about them that demands respect. Knocked Up is more than a comedy, though it is frequently very funny. It is a tale about growing up, about modern life and about the humanity and heart that, deep down, we all share. In its own way, this is the most romantic, and entertaining film of the year, and it does it all with the minimum of fuss. If this is the new wave of comedy then it comes as a refreshing, and very welcome change.

A warm hearted and surprisingly moral comedy this pushes all the right buttons and finds a happy medium between honest home truths and wisecracking buddy humour. Few films treat their characters with such respect and appeal to the human in each of us. Guaranteed to leave with a warm glow, long after the credits have rolled.

Relient K - The Videos

Following on from my Relient K post from the other day I have tracked down a bunch of their vidoes for your viewing pleasure below starting with their newest single: Must have done something right Who I am Hates Who I've Been Be My escape Pressing On

Xkcd

If people can have a new favourite band, then consider Xkcd my new favourite website, or webcomic certainly. First brought to my attention through John Rogers excellent blog Xkcd describes itself as ‘a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language’ and for whatever reason it just appeals to my sense of humour. Simple sketches are all the site consists of but it’s full of creativity, humour and randomness that just puts a smile on my face. So if it sounds like your thing go check the site out and, as you start trawling back through the archived comics, prepare to lose great chunks of your time. - Xkcd

INLAND EMPIRE

Few filmmakers these days have such a distinctive and singular style and vision as David Lynch. Following up his 2002 masterpiece Mullholland Drive he has, this time, pretty much abandoned the entire Hollywood system, instead crafting the film on the fly on a consumer level handheld Digital DV camera over the past few years. Working closely with Laura Dern the film started as a series of shorts for his website, but quickly evolved into something much bigger. Against this background of unusual development and the freedom that the DV camera allowed him, Lynch could instantly think of something, grab the actors and just go film it, the film somehow remains a masterfully crafted and haunting experience. A three hour fractured narrative INLAND EMPIRE's (Lynch has insisted the films title be capitalised) spiralling logic and frequent tangents all make up part of the bigger whole, negating the usual filmic conventions in lieu of smaller moments, the films emotional resonance is in the experience, the twisted unease that Lynch so wonderfully creates even without his usual bag of stylistic tricks. More than any other of his films since Eraserhead this feel like his true vision, the world according to Lynch with its inherent nightmare visions, but also its moments of comic lightness and absurdity.

The film starts following Dern as an actress looking for a way back into the big time, being offered a role in a new film called On High in Blue Tomorrows. The film is a remake of a Polish film that was based on a legend; however that film was shut down as the two stars were murdered. As she starts to inhabit the part of a cheating woman the lines between the film and reality blur and her sense of self and identity are tested as her world crumbles and vanishes. The first hour slowly builds the basis for the remaining film in which Laura Dern, whose work in the film is stunningly brave and who helps ground the entire story, plays a number of characters, switching effortlessly between them trying to find herself, or her purpose. Of course as well as this we get other storylines thrown in, flashbacks of what could be the original basis for the legend in Poland, a group of prostitutes who hang around smoking and do the locomotion and a barren sitcom starring rabbits with banal dialogue and inappropriate laugh track. What amazes me about Lynch is not only the images he creates but the way he manages to tie the disparate threads of the story together, creating a narrative that may seem random and unintelligible but that manages to remain watchable and progressive, building towards a masterfully crafted finale.

As usual there are no easy answers here, compared to this Mullholland Drive feels like a walk in the park but this is not weirdness just for the sake of it. Identity is a theme Lynch frequently looks at and the story is more about how it is told, and the journey than a satisfactory neatly tied up conclusion. Once you learn not to expect this and to enjoy his films for what they are, a unique, disturbing and fascinating experience, then the images take a hold of you and stay with you for days afterwards. The low budget constraints of the film initially jar, like some amateur home video, but as the story continues Lynch uses this to his advantage, stripping the world bare of this decoration and his actors too, there is no hiding behind technology; the dark corners of his mind are laid out for all to see. But whilst the film has intense and dark elements, in some ways it remains an optimistic film with an almost happy ending, the closing credits take place over an oddly staged dance routine whose mood feels like one of relief, to be past the confusion and into the light, the reward for enduring Dern’s journey into herself.

Of course there could be endless hours spent analysing the film, some will dismiss it as cold and nonsensical, and many will echo these thoughts, there are a lot of seemingly redundant scenes and editing that could be done, and the film does drag a little in the middle where some of the less memorable scenes occur, but still for fans of Lynch or those seeking a unique cinematic experience this is a must see, if only to expand your minds to what cinema could be, to take you out of your comfort zone and show you the one guy who continues to rail against the system and who seems rejuvenated by the freedom modern digital technology gives filmmakers. This film is the exact opposite of those safe, conventional Hollywood blockbusters and like it or loathe it cinema is better off with people like Lynch stretching the boundaries and telling stories in new and challenging ways.

A deep and dark mystery that delves headfirst into itself, this is a challenging and disjointed film that is difficult to get into but that rewards those who do with a myriad of memorable scenes, characters and moments that are unlike anything else you would have seen. Unique, meticulously crafted and inspired this is Lynch at his most baffling, but also at times, his absolute best.