Mass Defect

When it comes to the mainstream media the events of this past week have proven more than ever that as a medium there is a long way to go before video-games become acceptable and talked about with the same level of criticism and knowledge that movies and music currently enjoy. In case you missed it the whole furore involves the game Mass Effect, Bioware’s epic sci-fi role playing game which sees you create a character and move through a huge and detailed universe building relationships, solving puzzles and becoming immersed in one of the most well crafted and involving stories yet found in a videogame. Oh and yes there is a short two minute non-controllable sex scene which can be a part of the story. The horror. Never mind the fact that the scene in question is far more tasteful than 90% of even pre-watershed TV, or that it is a scene crucial to the plot and characters, or the mere fact that it is something that has to be worked towards through genuine affection and relationships between characters, the media has chosen to side with the usual uneducated ‘video-games are corrupting our children’ line of enquiry, the typical knee jerk reaction to something they have little experience of or understand, and which leads to these scare mongering stories. This little debacle started out a couple of weeks ago with an extremely uneducated and alarmist post from political blogger Kevin McCullough who posted an article on the net basically condemning mass effect as videogame porn and condemning videogames in general, his post containing so many inaccuracies it was almost laughable. He later posted an apology of sorts for the misinformation (after the massive gamer backlash) but never fully rescinded his position. Naturally such an inflammatory piece garnered much attention in the media and gaming sites, however things dies down a bit until the other night when a fox special news report was broadcast focusing once again on Mass Effect, the staggering fact being that this national news broadcaster chose to re-iterate many of Kevin McCullough’s inaccuracies in a fluff piece that soon become clear had no bearing on reality. Videogame expert Geoff Keighley was brought in to bring some facts to the proceedings but that the piece itself made it to air or warranted such attention boggles the mind. You can watch the whole exchange here and there is a much better analysis and transcript of the piece over at Bill Harris’s blog here, it’s an excellent read and sums up my feelings 100% (but in better words.) Thankfully today EA have issued a statement and a letter to Fox news stating their disappointment and seeking an apology, whilst they are often seen as the corporate baddies of the videogame world this time I am right behind them, this kind of misinformed tripe needs to be monitored and corrected and the people responsible held accountable. All such news pieces do are bring the industry into disrepute and add more stains to an already blotchy history, and of course peddle misinformation to the general public who, shockingly, rely on the national news for information. If such blatant untruths were spoken about a book or film there would be an outrage, but somehow gathering people who have played the game in question to host a debate on it is acceptable and normal? I am glad however at the storm that the games playing public has caused around this issue and can only hope that it leads to sensible and well reasoned discussion in the future, there may well need to be questions raised about targeting games to children and the content of such titles, but with more violence and sexuality than ever before available on the internet and on TV it seems mightily hypocritical, not to mention ironic, that the finger ends up pointing at one of the few modern games to really try and push the medium as an art form and whose structure and ambition should be lauded as one of the best example of recent years of videogames finally growing up.

The English Patient

Winner of 9 Oscars and one of the most highly regarded British films of recent years the English Patient comes with a requisite amount of critical baggage. Adapted from the supposedly unfilmable novel by Michael Ondaatje it tells the story of the mysterious Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes), a Hungarian map maker who is injured in a plane crash in the Sahara desert during the war. As he is cared for in an abandoned monastery by his nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) he recounts his story, a tale of a doomed love triangle, the result of which led him to his accident. Beautifully shot and with a poise and elegance this is a classy film, filled with classy performances that moves at its own pace, and whose ultimate restraint may be its biggest failing. The film starts out slow, seemingly disconnected scenes detail Almásy’s plane crash and care, but there is nothing to really draw you into the story from the off and the sense of disconnection follows throughout. Once we are established and the flashbacks begin the film comes alive. Fiennes and Kristin Scott-Thomas have great chemistry and the complex nature of their characters make them interesting to watch, however the nature of their affair make them unsympathetic and there is never enough romance or genuine affection between them to fully disguise the selfish nature of their affair. That said Fiennes gives a fantastic performance throughout, half of it through some heavy make up, his unlikeable and hard nosed character hints at depths and a past we are never told about, it is an intense display but his prickly nature and selfish desire lead to him becoming unsympathetic, something that results in a more emotional coldness towards the end, when it really should be at its most affecting. Binoche however is radiant as always and some of her scenes with the local security force officer Kip (Naveen Andrews) are great examples of creating emotional attachment with little time, and in fact one scene towards the end of the film is almost unbearably tense and involving, purely down to their chemistry and characters. The film as a whole is overlong and slightly overwrought, its build up to the climax feels overworked and the final revelations are not as interesting as we may have been led to believe. However there is a bittersweet sadness to the tale and the acting and direction elevate it above most other productions. At the end of the day this is a technically accomplished and well acted drama whose only main critical failing is its failure to properly connect to the audience through its main characters. Many I’m sure would disagree but personally it failed to have the resonance I would have expected. So a landmark film it remains and a good example of British film no doubt, but one whose sense of importance seems unjustified or at least overestimated. Accomplished and elegant with a hatful of great performances, but let down by its refusal to dig deeper into its characters leaving a disconnect that can leave the viewer cold. The supporting cast redeem this to an extent but the serious drama and slow pace hold this back from the film it maybe could have been.

The end of year re-cap 2007

I figured I should get this out of the way soon before it comes ludicrously late and faintly ridiculous to be looking back to the past year and not forward to the one ahead. 2007 was a great year for me personally, the first full year of being married to my wonderful wife Marti saw us move from our first flat in August, see her continue on to her third year of University, go on several holidays with varying family members and grow closer to our great group of friends we have in the Southampton area who all make it feel so much like home here. It was a year as well of personal growth and as I approach my 23rd birthday and continue this blog I know that I have a long way to go on this yet, but that I’m on the right path. The title of Forward Motion reflects this and I pray that this year I will grow stronger in my faith and in myself to achieve what I want to, rather than being held back by doubts. Aspects of my future are still uncertain to me, but I have grown a lot in my writing and hope that this is the year when I kick it into gear and start to really go for what I want to happen, rather than sitting back.

Entertainment-wise this was a great year as well, many great films were released and on the console front with the big three consoles finally released it was a time for the talk to stop and the games to do the talking, something that will long continue into this year as the developers get to grips with the new hardware. So now to my top 5 films of the year, something I do every year on my website (though the previous years lists are lost to the depths of the internet now). Again these are not necessarily the best ‘made’ films, or even the best films that I rated highest, but the ones that now, looking back, I enjoyed the most, impressed me the most and that I will continue to watch and appreciate in the future. Also these are just the films I have seen, my viewing was spotty at best this year and so many great films I’m sure just passed me by!

5. Knocked Up The so-called year of Judd Apatow started with Knocked Up, a surprisingly sweet and very funny comedy about a one night stand that takes an expected twist. Catherine Heigl and Seth Rogan shone in the main roles and the supporting cast were equally well developed. The film really impressed me with it’s more realistic approach to relationships and growing up, and as a result shines through with real heart.

>Read my review.

4. Hot Fuzz Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost can do no wrong at the moment and their hotly anticipated follow up to Shaun of the Dead did not disappoint. Hilariously aping 80s buddy cop movies whilst mixing in a midsummer murders style mystery the film managed to be an homage, a parody and it’s own beast entirely. Fantastic performances again all round and another wickedly subversive entry to the resurgence of British cinema.

>Read my review.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Despite an awkward opening the fifth entry into the Harry Potter series really impressed me this year becoming my favourite of the film adaptations so far. Darker and brooding, yet retaining much of the books trademark humour and heart this was a terrific adaptation of the biggest book of the series, perfectly showing how to trim the fat and keep the core values at heart. The three stars have really grown into their roles and it shows and the new characters slotted into the world perfectly, feeling as if they had always been there. The good news is that director David Yates is staying on for Half Blood Prince to be released this November, I can’t wait!

>Read my review. 2. Inland Empire David Lynch’s follow up to Mullholland Drive was a revelation this year, abandoning his usual visual style for the freedom of home DV camera, lynch spent the past couple of years crafting and improvising this sprawling epic about a doomed actress who gets lost in her part in a cursed film. Strange, unsettling and unexpected this was a dense and difficult film but one filled with moments and images that stuck with you. Like a dream this was an experience, with Lynch its always about the feelings and the journey, not the destination and that he managed to pull out a moving and upbeat ending makes the trip all the more worthwhile. The film is a grower and since seeing it, it has burned its way into my subconscious, the mark of a truly great film if there ever was one and this will be a film I revisit many times over the coming years I’m sure.

>Read my review.

1. Ratatouille Whilst the rest of this list took a while to form there was a clear winner for the top spot this year. Pixar’s Ratatouille under the helm of the master Brad Bird was a stunning film, the animations was gorgeous, even for Pixar, the characters vivid and real and the story heartfelt, entertaining and filling – like a gourmet meal. Bridging the gap once again between kiddie animation and adult storytelling this found the sweet spot in the middle and didn’t put a foot wrong. Pure joy from start to end Ratatouille is a film that I think will only grow with people as time goes by and acts as a reminder of how valuable an asset Pixar are to the filmmaking world, and with another stunning looking film – Wall-E – out this year, there’s no evidence of them slowing down any time soon.

>Read my review.

Hostel: Part II

And a happy new year to you too! Well yes no better way to bring my blog screaming into the new year than with another gore-splattered review, holding to my promise of reviewing all that I see requires me to get these up promptly before I become swamped and lose interest, though if I am hasty with this one then it is because really there is little left to say on the matter. Taking place directly after the first Hostel and, aside from the fairly needless tying up of lose ends at the start, the film this time focuses this time on three women who decide to go travelling, we find them en route to Prague when, for fairly flimsy and overly signposted reasons, they are lured to Slovakia to find themselevs the latest victims in Hostel’s lurid games. This time round we see a bit more of the other side of the fence and so parallel to the girls we follow two men who have signed up for the experience, bidding and selecting the girl of their choice to kill. It is an interesting decision to try and dig a little deeper at the people who would be attracted by such a set up and whilst there is a fair amount of suspension of disbelief in the way it is handled there are hints of more interesting moral dilemmas and character motivations below the surface, and the almost bait-and-switch Roth pulls at the end is pretty clever. Visually the films is a noticeable step up from the bland faceless European backstreets of the original, the colours are more vibrant and Roth has definitely improved as a director, one sequence when the men make their way into the complex is fairly haunting with its use of music and composition. However like before the film falls short of any potential if could have had by being a slave to the genre. Much as we are meant to believe that these are characters to be cared about and explored, and whilst the acting is much improved over the original’s, truth be told they are all still pieces of meat to Eli Roth and his glee at the torture once again leaves a sour taste in the mouth. One character and subsequent death in particular is not only unpleasant but structurally unnecessary and inconsistent with the rest of the film, it would lose nothing by cutting the entire set up and sequence, evidence again that it’s ultimately about the money-shots, rather than any kind of emotional investment. It’s this box ticking approach to a sequel that is disappointing, it feels more designed than an extension of the original with some new set-ups, movie by committee is the phrase and in the blood-soaked climax you can almost imagine Roth gleefully anticipating the audience’s reaction. In fact we spend little time in the aforementioned torture chambers, that we know what is coming for the extended build up dissipates any potential tension, and herein lies the major problems with the film – it is not scary. Not at all. It may be an improvement on the original in many respects but at least at the tail of that film there was danger and several nerve wracking scenes. Here there is none of that and so as a horror film it falls very flat, sure it is gore filled with some truly graphic scenes, but they are not earned. The main problem with this is that horror films often survive on the scares and the tension, my like of the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was largely down to how effectively it handles these very things, and an involving and harrowing experience can make up for lacks in other areas. Without that to fall back on all that is left is a rather forgettable film in many respects, it is not awful, and Roth’s dark sense of humour, which may undermine any claim to deeper meanings within the film, at least provides some humanity into a film mostly lacking it. Ultimately by the end the overhwleming feeling is that the so called torture-porn horror films have run their course by now, the irony being that this sequel to the genre’s poster-boy may have just delivered the final nail in the coffin. A surprisingly by the numbers sequel that does most things better than the first, except the horror, yet doesn’t distance itself enough or alter the core concept beyond a typical horror sequel. And despite the nastiness there is a distinct whiff of playing it safe here.

I Am Legend

To round off the year I think I just about have time for one last film review, moving to this new format of the blog has made it a lot easier for me to put up reviews and with the decision not just to review films from the cinema I have a lot more material to write about than before. Of course this does mean that I still probably see two films for every one review I write but I will try to correct that next year even if it means slightly short but more frequent reviews, I think it would be nice to build up a picture of my film viewing for the entire year and next year is one where I hope to catch up on a lot of older classic films that I painfully admit I have never seen before, so it should be a healthy mix of the old and new. I am Legend is the third filmic adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic 1954 novel of the same name, the plot as you are probably aware concerns Robert Neville (Will Smith) the last survivor of a deadly virus living in New York City, which has become desolate and overgrown. But as he desperately searches for a cure and to maintain his sanity it becomes clear that he is far from alone in the city. To reveal much more would be a shame as I went into the film knowing very little and it made the experience much richer to come to it cold. One of the first things to mention with the film is Will Smith, over the years I have constantly been impressed by his performances, making the usually awkward transition from comedy to serious drama look easy and for generally even outside the movies coming across as one of the most decent and likeable people you could hope to meet. Here he impresses once again, and it’s no mean feat given that he has to carry the entire film on his shoulders, Smith is in almost every shot of the film and for 90% of the running time has no co-star but his faithful dog. Yet he keeps Neville an engaging and real character, flawed and struggling with keeping up his day to day routine, so much that he becomes fascinating to watch. Some may find the early pace of the film slow but I thought it was a brilliant decision to spend the time building a picture of this man’s world and how he has come to cope with a seemingly hopeless situation. Another brave decision was also not to downplay the mental instability that comes with extreme isolation and there is a great pathos and sadness in the fake conversations Smith has with the various mannequins he has set up around the city to simulate human contact. However once the second half of the film kicks in it switches up a couple of gears and the action and scares come more frequently. Don’t get me wrong, this is a pretty scary film in places and director Francis Lawrence expertly cranks up the tension in several scenes, the quiet nature of the beginning help offset the shocks that come later and there is a feeling of dread always lurking in the background unseen. In fact one of the films only flaws is that it lets this menace be seen and though some of the CG work is good is still looks rather fake and is a bit of a let down in places, being far too cartoony and feels a tad disjointed from the reality established early on. Still at the end of the day this is a very solid and surprisingly deep and sombre character piece that still manages to entertain but that makes a potent effort at digging below the surface and putting us in the shoes of an engaging protagonist. A welcome change and definitely a film worth checking out on the big screen for the spectacle and the experience. Will Smith cements his status as one of the biggest stars on the planet with this accomplished and moving ode to loneliness and humanity. Big issues for a blockbuster but they are tackled well, and the pondering never gets in the way of the action when it kicks in. Just a few less CG monsters next time and you’re all set.