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Heaven’s Devils Review

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‘For the poor, hardworking citizens of the Confederacy’s fringe worlds, the Guild Wars have exacted a huge toll. Swayed by the promise of financial rewards, a new batch of recruits joins the fight alongside a slew of mysteriously docile criminals — and a few dubious military leaders.‘

Cover

Tie-in fiction is often looked down upon with distaste, but I generally enjoy them as a break from reading massive sagas. They are usually short, fun stories that appeal to the lore nerd in me, as Feist would put it: ‘a ripping good yarn’. The history of StarCraft tie-in fiction is a mixed bag; while there are many excellent novels such as the Dark Templar Saga and Speed of Darkness, there are also very disappointing novels like Shadow of the Xel’Naga to remind us that just because the StarCraft Universe is a fascinating place, not all the stories that take place there are worth being told.

Heaven’s Devils falls somewhere between Continue reading →

At Home With Julia – Date Night Review

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‘It’s like any relationship. Who walks the dog? Who puts the bins out? Who sends the troops to Afghanistan? These are just some of the questions facing PM Julia Gillard and boyfriend Tim Mathieson.‘

At Home With Julia

There has been a lot of talk surrounding ABC’s new political comedy; some have questioned whether a politician’s personal life is off-limits, while others have felt that everything is fair game. The real question was how nasty the comedy was going to be, Julia Gillard is far from the most popular prime minister and many people would use an opportunity like this to get on their soapbox about every political decision they disagreed with.

Happily, At Home With Julia avoids stepping into this trap and Continue reading →

Deus Ex – Human Revolution Review

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‘At a time when scientific advancements are turning athletes, soldiers and spies into super enhanced beings, someone is working very hard to ensure mankind’s evolution follows a particular path.‘

Adam Jensen

If any game of 2011 had big shoes to fill, it was Deus Ex: Human Revolution. With the first Deus Ex holding a high (if not the top) place on many gamer’s top ten lists and a sequel (Invisible War) that is remembered for being such a disappointment, it was anyone’s guess as to whether Ion Storm’s new game would reinvigorate the franchise, or kill it for good.

Thankfully, Ion Storm have delivered a Continue reading →

Red Dog

Red Dog Review

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‘Based on the legendary true story of the Red Dog who united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long-lost master.‘

Have you ever sat around a campfire swapping stories? Told a few tall tales at the pub? Even as you’re listening you know that the stories have grown with every retelling, but you don’t really care as long as they’re told well. Red Dog is a movie that captures this experience and takes us back to the 70’s to hear about the legend of Red Dog, a clever canine that captured the hearts and minds of the people of the Pilbara.

Thomas (Luke Ford) arrives at the little mining town of Dampier where Continue reading →

Face to Face Review

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‘From Australia’s most acclaimed playwright, David Williamson, a moving and powerful new film about lies, betrayal, sex and bullying in the workplace. A young construction worker rams into the back of his boss’s Jaguar in a fit of anger at being sacked. Rather than fronting court, he’s given the chance to explain his actions in a community conference.‘

I hadn’t really heard anything about Face to Face until this week when I had the pleasure of seeing the film at an advance screening followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew (although David Williamson was unfortunately absent due to health problems). Made on an almost non-existent budget, Face to Face is a character drama that asks some hard questions about workplace bullying, and proves that Australian drama is still a force to be reckoned with.

Face to Face is a slow burning film, when Continue reading →

Cowboys and Aliens Review

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‘A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.

The title of this movie alone was enough to make we want to see it, which I suppose is the main reason that the studio chose it. And when you have a cast of actors including Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, and Clancy Brown then the movie sounds a lot more interesting.

Cowboys and Aliens was a fun movie, but I felt that Continue reading →

Jane Eyre Review

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‘A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he’s hiding a terrible secret.’

Jane Eyre is possibly one of the most adapted novels in the English language, it seems that every few years a new movie or TV series is released, allowing us to see many different interpretations of Charlotte Bronte’s classic.

Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre is a welcome Continue reading →

Conan the Barbarian Review

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‘The epic tale of child sold into slavery who grows into a man who seeks revenge against the warlord who massacred his tribe.’

With the new Conan movie coming out recently, I’ve spent a chunk of the last few weeks delving back into the original stories, movies, and the MMORPG Age of Conan to give myself the best chance for comparison. Conan is one of the best-known characters in fantasy fiction, and a lot of people have tried to capture the spirit Robert E. Howard’s original adventure tales.

So does the original Conan Continue reading →

Dungeon Siege III Review

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‘Fight hordes of dangerous creatures in a mystical fantasy world.’

With the hotly anticipated Diablo 3 coming out in the near future (hopefully), I’ve been filling a lot of my gaming time with other dungeon crawlers to tide me over. Among these is the recently released Dungeon Siege III, the latest entry in a series that I know very little about.

Dungeon Siege III is a game that oscillates Continue reading →

The Quantum Cat

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Just a quick shout out. My friend and fellow screenwriter Tom has started up his own blog over at The Quantum Cat where he covers:

  • REVIEWS OF MUSIC, FILM, BOOKS AND MORE… THE LIKE OF WHICH THE WORLD HAS NEVER READ OR HEARD BEFORE.
  • RANTS OF SUCH DIVINE INSPIRATION THAT YOU WILL DOUBT THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF YOUR BELIEF/POLITICAL/COMPUTER SYSTEM!
  • THERE WILL BE INTERNET MEMES, ANIMALS, MUTANTS, ROBOTS,  DINOSAURS! (Already coming through on that promise. To politics!)
  • THERE WILL BE EXCERPTS OF MY VERY OWN FICTION! (Not the good stuff, because WordPress would then own it and I’d be forced to pull out my laptop cord in frustration and then sue a pencil company.)
  • BULLET POINTS!
  • SHOES, SHIPS, CEILING WAX!
  1. NUMBERED LISTS!

…and a great many other things.

If you’re after a laugh, then check it out!

Al