Category Archives: Reviews

Gamer Guest Review

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Another guest review from Lindsay. – Al

Gamer

Writers/Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Starring: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall

Year: 2009

I think Gerard Butler may be the greatest actor of all time. If there is another guy out there who can retain credible action status after starting with Dracula 2000 and moving through rom-com dross like P.S. I Love You and The Ugly Truth then we may be closer to creating a perfect race of atomic supermen than I thought.

None of that has any bearing on Gamer. I just think he’s awesome.

Gamer essentially finishes Continue reading →

Outlander Guest Review

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This is the first of what will hopefully be many guest reviews by my friend Lindsay. – Al

Outlander

Writers: Dirk Blackman & Howard McCain

Director: Howard McCain

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, John Hurt

Year: 2008

A human-looking alien is transporting a vicious not-human-looking alien in his ship when he falls asleep at the console and drifts off the road and hits a planet.

Our planet.

Only this time he doesn’t have to convince those pesky Continue reading →

SpaceChem Review

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‘SpaceChem is an obscenely addictive, design-based puzzle game about building machines and fighting monsters in the name of science!‘

Puzzle games have a fine line to walk. Often they’re so frustrating that you’re more annoyed with yourself rather than pleased when you actually solve the puzzle, but just as often your hand is held so much that you don’t really feel like you’ve accomplished anything in solving the puzzle. SpaceChem is a fantastic puzzler that manages to walk on the harder side of the line, but not frustratingly so.

After hearing several people raving about Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Great Game Review

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‘Sherlock investigates the murder of a young civil servant and soon finds himself in a battle of wits with a deranged bomber who sets a series of escalating challenges for the consultant detective.‘

Sherlock - The Great Game

The third episode of Sherlock really steps up the pace of the show, which is fitting for a season finale. Rather than following the clues for one big mystery we see Holmes in overdrive as he has to solve a series of mysteries to get to the mastermind behind everything.

While Watson took centre stage for The Blind Banker, The Great Game is definitely Continue reading →

Mythbusters – Paper Armor Review

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‘Adam and Jamie explore the physics of shock waves in water, while Kari, Grant and Tory find out if paper battle armor can compare to steel.‘

Mythbusters - Depth Charge Disaster

Paper Armor

I love it when the Mythbusters do historical myths. These are usually the most fun myths to watch, and it is interesting on a historical level as well. The Ancient Korean Hwacha in particular was one of my favourite myths in recent years.

The myth on display here was actually one that Continue reading →

Transformers – Dark of the Moon Review

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‘The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.‘

I’ll admit going into this review that I have a huge amount of nostalgia for the Transformers. The cartoon was the show of my childhood. This means that I’ve given the Michael Bay movies a bit of an easier time than I might have otherwise. While the movies have had plenty of problems (particularly the second one), they’ve been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.

While I’m sure a franchise that makes this much money Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Blind Banker Review

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‘Sherlock and Watson work on deciphering deadly symbols that are covering the walls around London, killing everyone who sees them within hours, before any further victim succumbs to the mysterious Black Lotus.‘

Sherlock - The Blind Banker

After the fantastic pilot episode, The Blind Banker had a lot to live up to. While it wasn’t quite as good as the first one this second installment is definitely great television. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have the sort of chemistry on-screen that usually only comes after years of working together.

Once again, the relationship between Holmes and Watson takes centre stage. Their dealings with Continue reading →

Sherlock – A Study in Pink Review

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‘Sherlock Holmes is introduced to ex-army doctor John Watson who he moves in with and then convinces to help him solve murder mysteries. Their first case together is one that looks, to police, like a case of linked suicides.‘

Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Pink

Sherlock Holmes has been reimagined so many times that it’s hard to imagine anyone could bring something new to the table. But Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ new series Sherlock brings the famous detective into modern times while keeping true to the spirit of the original stories. This series starts with a bang and I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes.

The first episode had a lot to cover with the introductions of all the major characters, Continue reading →

Columbo – A Stitch in Crime Review

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It’s a few days late, but this review is dedicated to my favourite TV detective: Peter Falk, who passed away earlier this week. Sadly, his advanced dementia meant that Peter no longer remembered playing his most famous role: Columbo. Don’t worry Peter, we’ll remember for you. Rest in Peace.

‘A surgeon has an ingenious plan for murdering his partner in a research project, but a nurse catches onto the scheme.‘

Columbo - A Stitch in Crime

The creators of Columbo must have had a hell of a time pitching this show. ‘It’s a whodunnit but we’re going to show you who the murderer is right at the beginning of the episode.‘ It seems bizarre, but thankfully some producer decided to take the gamble and we got one of the best detective shows to ever grace the screen.

In A Stitch in Crime, the murderer is played by Leonard Nimoy, and his character has quite a brilliant way Continue reading →

Paul Review

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‘Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.‘

Paul certainly isn’t going to be winning any awards but it is a lot of fun. The story of a road trip across the U.S. with an alien passenger is ripe for the referential style of humour that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are famous for, and the movie generally doesn’t disappoint. This movie was made for a very specific type of audience member and if you’re not sure that you’re one of them, you should stay away because you’re probably not going to get the joke.

The story is fairly simple: Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are following their visit to Comic-Con Continue reading →