Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Age of Ultron continues the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells the story of the original Avengers battling Ultron, an AI designed by Tony Stark. That is where spoilers end.

The cast in this movie all serve their roles well, although that should not be a surprise considering how they have all had multiple movies to perfect them. The one surprise for me was that the most developed character in this movie ended up being Hawkeye, played well by Jeremy Renner. 

His character performed such a turnaround between movies that it was as if they brought him back to the drawing board and decided to start again. He provided a great everyman look at the team from the inside. 

As I said before, the other characters served their purposes, fulfilling their professed roles. Paul Bettany as an actor was surprisingly good in his role which was expanded from his previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He brought a warmth to his character that was unforeseen.

As for the newcomers, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, their characters appeared one dimensional. 

James Spader as a villain was memorable, but far too cartoony as Ultron. At times it felt like he should be twirling a robotic moustache as his voice chewed the scenery with his impeccable pronunciation. His character remained cartoony until the end. I feel like Ultron could have better served one of their television offerings where they can allow more time for Ultron and Spader to evolve the character.

The story for this film ended up being relatively predictable, but I suppose that if you have a summer tentpole movie, it is very hard to get away with taking risks. The only surprises that came were minor character moment, some that worked (Hawkeye) and others that didn't (Banner and Black Widow).

None of these points take away from the fun of the movie. However, there were two things that seriously bothered me.

The first point is that I never felt a sense of danger in this movie. It could be Marvel fatigue due to their knack for bringing characters back to life, or that too many moments took you out of the movie. It was chockablock with one liners and in jokes, that moments of tension felt like a quick reprieve as the audience prepares itself for the next one.

The second thing I am afraid is a cardinal sin. This film is unable to stand on its own. It expects people to have seen movies with these characters beforehand to understand what is going on. There are so many cameos and references that first timers now require an encyclopedia, or wiki, to get them all. 

It also seeks to set up the next phase of movies. This means that alongside the references, they leave a lot of dangling strings to entice the viewer to watch the next lot of movies. This leaves little room for plot and character growth, as well as little space for the uninitiated to enter into the world. 

This point makes my skin crawl. Movies should be able to stand on their own. A couple of strings are fine, but this has so many interconnected parts that it stifles the production of a good stand alone movie.

Despite my two major concerns, this film was fun. There is something I can't put my finger on that made it enjoyable. Maybe it is because I am not a newcomer, I don't know. But this was a fun movie to watch. It managed to hit something that can't be explained.

Number of times I looked at my watch: Four

Recommendation: See this film if you are previously acquainted with the Marvel cinematic universe.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.

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Mortal Kombat X (2015)

Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game produced by Netherealm studios. It features a story mode, single player towers as well as online competitive gameplay.

The story mode is a great introduction to the mechanics of a fighting game. It leads you through a variety of characters, enabling you to find the type of characters that fit your playing style. It does however only cover twelve members of the twenty four strong roster.

The story itself is good for a video game story. It continues the story from MK9 (2011) and introduces the audience to a new generation of fighters, preparing to take the reigns from their predecessors. The fact that half of the characters we followed in the story were new ones helped ease the changing of the guard. What also helped was that the new characters weren't just created to be a light version of the character, but were instead created to feel unique, despite their heritage.

The single player towers include Klassic, Endless, Survivor and Test Your Might. They provide an adequate challenge for people seeking a quick, single player tournament. The character difficulties can be altered and there are more than enough options to keep you entertained for hours.

Living towers also help kill time as they constantly change. One changes every hour, one a day and the premier tower changes approximately every week or two. This keeps the challenges fresh and allows players to test out DLC characters before buying them (Premier Towers).

Multiplayer and online is where the bread and butter of this game lies. Despite some server issues (factions stopped working again today), this game lives and dies on the addictive competitive matches online and at home. No matter what option you pick, you will find yourself craving that one more fight or rematch. I would recommend finding someone to play with in two player competition as I personally see no better sight than the look on someones face when you perform a fatality on their character.

Fatalities are back as per usual varying between black humour and completely sick, but I wouldn't expect there to be anything different regarding that. They are joined this time around by returning brutalities and faction kills. Brutalities are quick fatalities (not cinematic) that can be performed if a certain number of criteria are met. Faction kills are kills that you gain from the faction you are a member of.

This edition, Netherealm Studios has added a factions points based game. When you start the game, you decide upon a faction and everything that you do in game contributes to your factions points. At the end of the week, the team with the most points wins, unlocking either a new skin or a new faction kills.

Concept art, fatalities brutalities etc can also be unlocked in the Krypt. This time, the crypt has numerous puzzles to solve in order to gain access to everything available.

On the down side. Easy fatalities have been introduced as well as the ability to skip fights. 

Easy fatalities are button prompts for your character to perform a fatality. This, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of fatalities as they were a demonstration of how well you knew your character and their move set. Luckily easy fatalities, as well as fight skip tokens, are limited in number.

All in all, this has been the most solid version of Mortal Kombat that I have played in a while and it keeps dragging me in for more.

Recommendation: If fighting games are your thing, prepare to lose hours.

This game was reviewed on Xbox One.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other upcoming games you would like me to review.

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The Voices (2015)

The Voices is an darkly hilarious tale of a psychopath. It is an brilliant showcase for Ryan Reynolds.

The movie tells the story of Jerry, your everyday employee at a bathtub factory, who happens get worldly advice from his talking dog and cat. This premise may not be for everyone, but it is a fantastic study into the internal working of its leading man.

Hidden beneath this quirky backdrop is a sad story about a little boy who has a disconnect with the real world. He is aided by a court appointed psychiatrist.

Ryan Reynolds fully embraces this role, taking on all of the quirks and nuances of his character with a certain aplomb which took me a little off guard. His outsider presence is truly a bright light in this movie.

The other highlights and bright post were the dog and the cat. The cat purring evil intent out of its Scottish laced tongue, while the dogs loyalty and honesty is made astute thanks to the incredible tone of voice. Credit must be given to Reynold again for producing such wondrous voices for both Bosco (Dog) and Mr. Whiskers (Cat) 

Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick put on good performances as both of his love interests. They are both able to fit their characters well. Unfortunately, like a lot of the other characters in this movie, they are quickly sidelined to make was for what was ultimately Reynolds show.

The cinematography in this movie appears to be pedestrian for a quirky comedy until it isn't. When the viewpoint shifts and reality is shown, the viewer can be left disturbed. It says something when a movie takes you through the mental health of your protagonist. It leaves you with a lot of food for thought.

This is a movie that at made me laugh inside, before feeling sick to my stomach. In that regard, it has served its purpose better than any horror movie of the last few years.

Where "Still Alice" should be lauded for solely following the one character, "The Voices" should have taken more time to better develop the supporting cast. As much of a fan of Ryan Reynolds performance as I am, this film deserves to flesh out the characters for Arterton and Kendrick.

The Voices is a great demonstration on how to create a movie with an interesting premise. It is also a good showcase for Ryan Reynolds.

Number of times I looked at my watch: One

Recommendation: See this film, but not necessarily at the cinema.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.

Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.

Daredevil (2015)

Warning: There will be no spoilers in this review.

Daredevil is where Marvel draws a line in the sand. The movies and network tv are aimed at an all ages crowd, while the online content is not. Online is where the darker stories can be told. There is no better opening statement for this than Daredevil on Netflix.

The quality of the show should not have come as a surprise given Netflix track record, but it did. Maybe it is because the television and movie branding was growing stale in my opinion, but that is besides the point.

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio manage to completely embody their roles as Matt Murdoch and Wilson Fisk respectively. Their characters becoming more and more three dimensional as they both on their path to hell. The good intentions that this road to hell is paved with is wonderfully littered with a superb supporting cast, providing each of the two lead characters, Fisk and Murdoch, with their own pair of friends as well as a support team each.

The path of their stories is what makes it stand out. No matter how similar the characters paths are, they are on the opposite ends of said spectrum. When one is on top, the other is at the bottom. This duality makes the show more compelling as it acts as an invisible link, causing an unknown anticipation for when they face off.

The action also reflects this, the characters have opposite fighting styles which causes each of them to be unbeatable. The action is also fantastically shot. Cameras pan and change, but never in a way that confuses the audience. It seems brutal as it is shot, but that adds to the tone of the show.

The city is my only complaint. I know that it is an odd complaint, but I was hoping that the city would feel alive and not like a group of set pieces. Sure, there are locations which have personality, but they merely reflect the characters who inhabit them. It is one thing that I hope will improve next season, build a better Hell's Kitchen.

Otherwise, the show was bringing with life and had a range of characters that I was not expecting. I am anticipating the next Marvel/Netflix show.

Number of Episodes: 13

Recommendation: Binge Watch.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other shows you would like me to review.

Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.

P.S. Later this week expect a movie review of "The Voices" starring Ryan Reynolds

Still Alice (2015)

Still Alice is an emotional journey with an exceptional performance from its entire cast.

Still Alice tells the story of a linguistics professor hit with early onset Alzheimers. The films leads you into this by highlighting minor issues.  This allows room for the audience to realise something is wrong, without knowing whether or not it is serious.

The cinematography helps with this feeling as every time the character of Alice is losing a part of herself, the surroundings blur. It gives the audience a glimpse into what occurs

The role of Alice is deftly performed by Julianne Moore. Her performance range is well explored as her character devolves over time. She is well supported by Alec Baldwin who does a stellar job as her burdened husband. The cast is rounded out with wonderful performances from Kristen Stewart, Hunter Parish, Kate Bosworth and Shane Macrae as her children and their partner (Macrae).

At one point in this movie my eyes were welling with tears. The mental anguish that the character hit a nerve.

This story is so well done and following the one character alone added to the impact on the audience. Even though the film solely follows the one character, the other characters are given space to grow on the side as opposed to solely being reactionary.

This film is an excellent example of how to take a sensitive subject and make a touching movie which can begin a conversation.

Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero

Recommendation: See this film.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.

Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.