Dungeon Siege III Review

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

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

Green Lantern Review

A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

Given that Warner Brothers in their infinite wisdom decided to release Green Lantern locally over a month after the US release, I’ve had plenty of time to hear how much people don’t like this movie. Reviews are almost universally scathing, and the ticket sales reflect that, so it was no surprise that I went into this movie with low expectations.

Unfortunately, those expectations were Continue reading

Sunshine Review

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Alex Garland

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Mark Strong

Year: 2007

I can’t remember who it was who described the formula for a thriller, but it goes something like this: A man is on a crashing plane and the controls are damaged; at the last second he finds a parachute and jumps from the plane, only to find Continue reading

Beat Hazard Ultra Review

Arcade action powered by YOUR music! Experience your music collection like never before with this intense arcade shooter. How will your music play?

How many times have I told myself not to go nuts during a Steam sale? I always manage to grab a bunch of games that I look at once and immediately uninstall, but for all of those disappointments, there are the diamonds in the rough. Beat Hazard Ultra is one such gem.

The concept behind Beat Hazard is a fairly Continue reading

The Taking of Pelham 123 Review

Director: Tony Scott

Writers: Brian Helgeland, John Godey

Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta

Year: 2009

…what? I don’t even remember watching this.

Which is odd because I’m looking at the disc which I have only just now taken out of the player; and the cover which lays open on the coffee table; and I know that I’ve had the TV on and it was playing something…

Good grief. If we can translate the principles Continue reading

Limitless Review

A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.

I have to imagine that this story was born when the writer was struggling for ideas and envisaged a magic pill that would solve all their problems. I mean, that’s the dream of any writer isn’t it? Some MacGuffin that would allow you to churn out amazing stories with no effort so you can write a new novel as fast as you can type. If only.

The concept is a very interesting one, and the movie Continue reading

Dawn of War 2 – Retribution Review

Ten years after the events of Chaos Rising and the fall of the Blood Raven’s Chapter Master to Chaos, Sub-Sector Aurelia remains in a state of constant warfare. The pirate Freebooter Orks have arrived to take advantage of this and loot the sector, the vile forces of Chaos continue to spread their blasphemy, the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc work to recover key artifacts from their past, and the feral Tyranids remaining from the failed Hive fleet invasion have suddenly reestablished contact with the Hive Mind.

The Warhammer 40K universe has always been a great deal of fun. The sheer silliness of the whole thing is very endearing, and you can’t help but get attached to the horrible races that inhabit this crazy reality. Relic has always done really well with their Dawn of War games, but Dawn of War 2 seems to be following the same path as the original with each expansion being less fun than the last one.

Retribution picks up the tale of the intrepid Continue reading

Swerve Review

A woman, two men and a suitcase of money – a lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.

I really regret not going along to see more movies at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival, because I know that I’m missing out on some really great films. Thankfully, I did get along last night to see the really fun new Australian movie – Swerve. Swerve is a thriller full of some great dark humour and a simple but compelling storyline.

The film opens in the middle of Continue reading

Web Review – A Lonely Place for Dying

In 1972, the conflict in Vietnam continues. The creeping threat of communism grips the nation in fear. In an abandoned prison on the US/Mexican border, KGB mole Nikolai Dzerzhinsky waits for his contact from the Washington Post. He holds explosive evidence against the CIA, information he will trade for asylum in the United States. Special Agent Robert Harper’s orders are clear: take the documents from Dzerzhinsky and kill him.

I’ve been a big fan of Vodo.net for a while. Their mission to try and create a new business model for film and TV that involves community support is something that I really hope will catch on. A Lonely Place for Dying is a film that has been doing the festival circuit for a while now, and Writer/Director Justin Evans has decided to tap into the audience that studios have been so busy fighting with a piecemeal release via torrent over the next few months.

One of the first things that struck me Continue reading