Web Review – JourneyQuest Season 1

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‘Following a group of dysfunctional adventurers on a quest to discover and destroy the mythical Sword of Fighting, JourneyQuest is a comedic adventure through the fantasy world of Fartherall, where intellectual orcs, incompetent wizards, and holy zombies form the living (and not-so-living) backdrop to an epic story of unrequited love, burning passions, and severely reluctant heroism. And running away. Lots of running away…’

JourneyQuest

I’ve always been a big supporter of web delivered content, but with the huge number of web series popping up around the Internet lately it is often hard to find the diamonds in the rough. Given that so many bad web series choose to focus on geeky things as an excuse to avoid creativity, I must admit that I was dubious when I first heard about the D&D based JourneyQuest.

Within the first minute of watching, all of my doubts were Continue reading →

Rest in Peace Andy Whitfield

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I was very saddened to hear that Andy Whitfield passed away yesterday after losing his battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Andy was best known for his breakout role on Spartacus: Blood and Sand although some may recognise him from appearances in various Australian shows and the movie Gabriel. Unfortunately we never got the chance to see him in many other things. While I didn’t know him personally, Andy always seemed like a fun-loving guy that really enjoyed what he did. A video of him hanging out with Freddie Wong and his crew provides a great look at the man behind the gladiator.

Andy passed away in his wife’s arms at their Sydney home yesterday morning. He was 37. Far too young.

Rest in Peace Andy, we’ll miss you.

Priest Review

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Director: Scott Charles Stewart

Writers: Cory Goodman, Min-Woo Hyung

Starring: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q

Year: 2011

When, exactly, did Paul Bettany become an action star?

He is, on the surface, the least threatening guy I’ve ever seen – he looks like the kind of guy who’d enjoy a good night’s easy listening to Kenny G. But at some point in the past few years he really got into the idea of tackling spiritual issues with extreme prejudice.

Anyhoo, Priest is an apocalyptic-sci-fi-horror-action-comic-book-western (and I’ve probably missed one or two genre mash-ups there). An impressive animated Continue reading →

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 →

Cash Cows – Firefly

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Creator/Director: Joss Whedon

Writers: Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Ben Edlund, Jose Molina

Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Ron Glass

Years: 2002-2005

“…You can’t take the sky from me.”

Let’s hop in the wayback machine. In 1997 a limited-run program titled Sessions at West 54th presented a live performance of an up and coming band calling themselves “Ben Fold Five”. Host Chris Douridas intorduced them with this brilliantly simple statement: “If you’ve heard these guys perform, you’re a fan. If you haven’t, you’re about to be.”

Ladies and gentlemen… 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 →