In a summer of stacked comic book movies and bland comedies like The Hangover Part II. There are some diamonds in the rough. The biggest diamond I've seen so far is Bridesmaids. An original comedy, that isn't just funny, it has an interesting plot and loveable/hateable characters. Written by Kristen Wiig, who plays the main character Annie Walker and her writing partner Annie Mumulo and directed by Paul Feig, the man behind Freaks and Geeks.
Bridesmaids tells the story of Annie Walker, a woman at a low point in her life. Her cake buisness folded, she is frequently used and mistreated by Ted (Jon Hamm) and she lives with a weird British brother and sister combo, one of them being Matt Lucas. When her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) reveals that she is getting married, Annie is thrust into the world of preparing a wedding. As the maid of honor, she has to organise everything. We then meet the rest of the bridesmaids. Theres the rich annoying one, Helen Harris (Rose Byrne), the Disney obsessed newlywed Becca (Ellie Kemper), a bored middle aged housewife Rita (Wendy McLendon-Covey) and Megan, the loud mouth and aggressive sister of the groom played brilliantly by Melissa McCarthy.
If you sell Bridesmaids as a comedy, it will let some people down. It's not non-stop hilarity. It's a good drama with great comedy set pieces that are just hilarious. The one that people will remember is the gross out scenario in the wedding dress shop. Disgusting but absolutely hilarious. The standout performances of the film are Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Chris O'Dowd. All three are great and this is the film that will hopefully propel them to more comedy roles of the same stature.
Bridesmaids is one of the best movies I have seen this year. That's not saying much because there have been some absolute stinkers like Scream 4, Sucker Punch and maybe even Green Lantern. But that shouldn't draw away from the fact that Bridesmaids, is a well written, well directed and well acted comedy that is just brilliant. Also, to the haters that say Bridesmaids is a comedy for women. It is aimed at women, but can be enjoyed by men too. It's not every day that a female driven comedy comes along, is not only a great film and does well with audiences. Bridesmaids is the funnier and smarter alternative to horrible void that is The Hangover!
Hey, Chris here with a delayed Green Lantern review.
For many years now, DC has only had Superman and Batman when it comes to Hollywood blockbusters. Marvel on the other hand have released countless titles for properties such as Spiderman, X-Men and Iron Man. DC is looking for it's own Iron Man and this summer sees the release of Green Lantern. Is Green Lantern the lifeline DC and Warner Brothers needed for a new franchise? Short answer, no.
Green Lantern tells the story of cocky fighter pilot named Hal Jordan (Ryan "Creep" Reynolds). When an giant smoke cloud named Parallax kills Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic space police. The Green Lantern ring chooses Hal Jordan as the successor. Hal is thrown into a world of rings, lanterns and aliens of all shapes and sizes. Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins turn up as Carol Ferris, Hector Hammond and Robert Hammond. Also, Mark Strong, Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan portray and lend voices to Green Lantern Corps members Sinestro, Tomar-Re and Kilowog.
Green Lantern has many problems. One of them being the script. It jumps in tone so many times. We have a serious scene on Oa mixed with a cheesy soap opera scene between Hal and his cousin, puke! It isn't a good film. It's more disappointing and frustrating than anything else. There are moments that work and these moments stand out, but they also bring the films problems to centre stage. With the plethora of Green Lantern comics, DC and Warner Brothers had an opportunity to create to something great. With this movie, there is so much potential. The fact they don't capitalise and jump the gun makes it frustrating and disappointing. After the second trailer I had so much hope for this film, it was more like the first trailer.
There are parts of the film that work, Ryan Reynolds is perfectly fine as Hal Jordan. Mark Strong is brilliant as Sinestro. The scenes on Oa look marvellous and the CG is spectacular. The action sequences are quite cool too, especially the last battle with Parallax in space. That was awesome!
A poor script, bland score by James Newton Howard, decent performances, cool action scenes and a story that has so many plot holes repeat viewing will make the film funnier, for all the wrong reasons. Green Lantern is a complete misfire. Warners Brothers were looking for there brightest day, this movie ended up being more towards a blackest night.
Hey Josh here with some news on the much anticipated Batman Arkham City game.
So it was released a while back that Robin would be a pre order bonus for Best Buy. This means that he would be a bonus unloackable for challenge modes and what not.
Well we have some more info on the character and some new info that you may find interesting.
First off here's the promo pic for Robin:
It looks like they've gone with the slightly older looking Robin who has been revealed as the Tim Drake version of the boy wonder. So that leads us to believe they are saving Dick Grayson for a cameo in this game or as Nightwing or saving him for the next title.
It has also been revealed there will be some maps with this character, they are:
Black Masks Hideout
Freight Train Escape
Also before i leave you to pre order this game in order to get your Robin costume i feel obliged to tell you slightly more die hard fans that there is a second skin with this pre order bonus. Red Robin.
Hey Josh here giving you some news on Battlefield 3 and the boycott that unlike the Modern Warfare 2 one has actually worked.
So it appears that a lot of people where not happy about EA removing content and having it as a pre order bonus. (and good on them for starting this boycott) If a game is made with content it should be kept in and not removed to be added in later to cash in on honest (gullible) fans.
So the Internet decided something had to be done and a boycott was arranged. At first it was mocked and i have to admit i was one of the people who mocked it at first (seeing as so many boycotts for video games cave in so easily) but i was all for the reason for the boycott. A prime example of a company rewarding fans in Valve. With Left 4 Dead they wanted to include survival mode with the game on release but where not happy with it so they removed it and later added it to xbox as a free download along with a new free map. Usually xbox adds a price to add on's but since Valve said it was intended for release they allowed it to be for free.
After the boycott showed no signs of dying down and EA wants to keep Battlefield 3 as a big contended with the Modern Warfare series they have said that the physical warfare pack (blatant jab at Modern Warfare) will be released for free at a later date for anyone who hasn't pre ordered the game.
So it looks like EA has learned not to fuck with consumers and not to remove content from games to try to make a bit more money from people who have already payed for the game.
Hey Josh here bringing you our first Now Loading... To start things off i decided to visit a game i enjoyed a lot as a kid and now I'm an adult i can appreciate the story and all the effort put into the game.
Now the plot of Soul Reaver is that you are a vampire called Raziel who is a lieutenant for Kane who is a bad ass vampire looking for power. But when Raziel surpasses his master and grows a fancy new pair of wings Kane decides he should destroy Raziel before he gets too powerful and tries to overthrow him. Kane throws Raziels dying body into "the lake of the dead" ( a pit of souls that rip you apart for eternity) Ravaged by thousands of years of torture the lake has been emptied somehow and Raziel is back ( A bit slimmer and with a bit of a blue tint to him. and his lower jaw missing ) So he is awakened by a booming voice that says "Raziel You Are Worthy". So you spend the whole game hunting down Kane and getting revenge for your murder.
The game was easy to get into with the controls not being too complicated and an interesting way of replenishing health. When you killed an enemy you would remove your scarf and retrieve their souls in order to replenish your health. Now this is used in a lot of games but it was cool in soul reaver for 3 reasons
Your stealing the souls of fallen enemy's and that's just awesome.
Its one of the few chances you get to see Raziels face in the game. It took a bit or handy work with the camera but it was just cool to see him missing a lower jaw.
It makes Raziels sword glow blue
I for one would gladly welcome a brand new Soul Reaver game or even a HD remake of the original for Xbox. Another reason this game was awesome is the intro. now keep in mind this is 1999. The graphics hold up very well. Here's the intro for some of you younger readers.
Hey Josh here at a very early/late hour giving you the hot news from E3.
So i have been glued to my laptop and exchanging messages with Chrisregarding all of the big announcements. some we where expecting, others not so much. So lets get right into it with a bang.
Microsoft
So it was Microsoft who was set with the task of setting the bar for the rest of the developers and may i say they set it pretty fucking high. I mean sure they where pushing the Kinect titles because they have no giant announcements. Or do they?
So Microsoft tested the waters with some of their Kinect titles that are just there for the sake of making you look ridiculous while you play sports you could play outside. But with some of the games i feel Kinect added life to them. The Disney game was a nice addition to the collection and provided a real feel to the Disney World the kids who own a Kinect and not a ticket to Florida could wish for. The main downside for the Microsoft show was the damn unconvincing actors with names like "Billy and Timmy" who use phrases like "FIST BUMP" when they're done flying with peter pan. Things stayed the same as we where hit with kiddy game after kiddy game but eventually a shimmer of hope. A NEW HOPE! (see what i did there?) Yes, Star Wars Kinect made an appearance and even made my counterpart consider buying a Kinect just to force push a tank out the way and duel Siths. After that we where treated to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and got to see briefly how the Kinect aspect of the game worked. We where also treated to a very nice Kinect surprise Minecraft on Xbox which is compatible with Kinect.
Then it was time for a change of gears. (get it?) Yes it appears good old Cliff had some more game play to show us with Gears Of War 3, but this time he wasn't alone. Joining him on stage was none other then regent recruit to the COG Ice T. So its Cliff and Ice fighting off a giant sea squid and looking very Epic (i thank you). After Ice T lays a phat beat about Horde mode we move on to another trusted title in Microsoft's army.
And we got something new. well old. well 10 years old. well a reboot. well a HD remake. Well it was the reveal of Halo: The Anniversary Edition which is a HD remake of the original game Halo Combat Evolved. Now I'm sure your all thinking "what a way to end" but it seems Microsoft had forgotten a bit of info ( god knows how they posted it on the Internet 10 Min's before the big reveal ) But we got a look at a new game. the first of a new trilogy.
Halo 4
*Drool*
Moving swiftly on from that visual orgasm.
EA
So with Microsoft out the way it was time for EA?. FUCK!.
Well believe it or not EA was not just sports games like Madden and Fifa this year. They also had some new news for us but lets get the sports out the way first. So Fifa 12 was EA's big reveal and they showed us a lot of information about improved tackling and ball control. They also showed the new online features that they will be showcasing with the new Fifa and how it expands the online experience in new ways. After the Fifa 12 talker we where ready for Madden 12. Now Madden doesn't interest me much but the graphics and game play where something special. the game looks incredible and the same has to be said about Fifa. Madden had some of the biggest names at hand for the reveal and luckily it went smother than than the luchador fight last year. But after the jocks got their screen time we got a look at some nice surprises. Like Mass Effect 3 the new Need For Speed which is going for a more fast and furious approach with the ability to get out of the car and run from helicopters on rooftops (as you do) and Battlefield 3. Now with Mass effect we got a glimpse of game play and some very nifty armour suits that drop down and plan on fucking with Shepard's day and try to destroy earth. The graphics have greatly been improved and it has been released it will be the last of the series so that means we may be saying goodbye for good to our greatest hero.
After Mass Effect 3 we where given a look at Battlefield 3. Now this game is shaping up to be something spectacular with the frostbite 2.0 engine and the brand new story that expands further than we originally thought. The demo shows more of the destruction of environments and how you can blow shit up and make it look amazing. The demo showcased one of the first levels and had a very spectacular end to it which showed all out war between battleships and tanks.
Ubisoft
Now with all of whats been shown what haven't we yet experienced? Oh i have it. A VERY VERY ANNOYING HOST THAT MAKES WAYNE'S WORLD REFERENCES AND HAS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LAUGH AT HIS POP CULTURE REFERENCES. Now my rage for the host is out the way lets focus on the games. Not much was revealed by Ubisoft this year. The 3 main stories would have to be Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Assassins Creed: Revelations and Far Cry 3. Now a few of UbisoftsUbisofts reveals and i have to say it looks like a real return to form. The game play is the same as the originals and no annoying rabbits in sight. Just amazing visuals and our favourite punch throwing thingamajig.
We also got a look at a brand new Brothers In Arms game that gave both me and Chris a feeling we had already seen this done with Mr Fassbender. So we where shown a trailer that is set in a basement of a bar somewhere in Germany or France. A group of Nazi's are enjoying having fun until the Furious 4 show up. They shoot up the place and kill every Nazi in the bar until one is left comically in a toilet literally caught with his pants down.
As for the 3 big games well. Ghost Recon looks like it is providing a more tactical approach from some of the army based shooters we have seen as of late. The graphics are amazing and the actual game play is different to the traditional Ghost Recon games and has gone for a more Splinter Cell/Rainbow Six feel to it. The demo we saw had 4 player Co-op which means we could be looking for members to join us when the game is released.
Big release number 2 was Far Cry 3. This was a very big surprise for us seeing as nothing was hinted by the host or the guy who came out. All we got told was a background to your story then we got thrust into the game play. Now the game has more of a movie feel to it (if the movie was done right) and we see our character fight into a helicopter and get shot out again. Very epic and watch this space for more coverage on this hidden gem of E3.
Final big release for Ubisoft was Assassins Creed: Revelations. This showed us a slightly older Ezio in Constantinople trying to find out more about his ancestor Altier. We see glimpse's of Altier to show us that he is starting to bleed into Ezio's reality and guide him to certain places. The trailer was kick ass and we where treated to a game play demo. We see Ezio doing traditional Assassins Creed stuff and running in
the streets and dodging people. But we get treated to a brand new side of Assassins Creed. Ezio is attempting to escape and you get to use a flamethrower and jump from ship to ship till you escape the dock and the demo ends.
Playstation
After we waited up for a while we finally got PlayStation and their presentation. We where greeted by the head of PlayStation in the US who looked like he belonged in the Sopranos and had more experience breaking legs than controllers in rage. Anyway after PlayStation apologised for the whole hacking situation and moved swiftly on to Uncharted 3. Now i was shocked by this move. It appeared PlayStation where coming out guns blazing and attempted to show us the great games first and make a big impression. We got a game play demo set on a ship. After taking out a few bad guys it all goes pear shaped for Drake as the whole map gets turned on its side (literally) and water begins to flow into the ship meaning it is a race against time to escape. The action seems very well done and considering its only one of the first levels and they will have both of their game play demos at the booth you can expect more on the multi player to Uncharted 3.
After Uncharted we where shown some more of PlayStation's nifty new technological advances. Like their 3D t.v that has split screen that isn't a screen split into 2 so that is very cool. They also showed their bundles for Resistance 3 which has a Half Life feel to it and has a wide variety of an arsenal. The only downside i would have to say is the presenter for Resistance 3, he didn't seem enthusiastic about his game and interacted with the audience poorly. Didn't get me wrong he wasn't as bad as the Ubisoft host or the "Fist Bump" kids from Disney but it wasn't good.
Then Playstation revealed there follow up to the PSP, formerly named NGP. The handheld will be called the Playstation Vita. It boasts WiFi and 3G, astounding graphics, touchscreen, low prices across continents and brilliant technology for a handheld console. Watch out 3DS!
We were also treated to tons of games and news on Playstation Move. Just like Xbox, this year both are really pushing there new technology with games and lots E3 conference time. There was an appearance by Kobe Bryant to try out the new NBA game on the Move. The graphics were so good, at first I thought it was actual footage of real life games.
So all in all the first day of E3 was a very epic and gave us a lot to look foreword to over the next year. Here's hoping that we get some more bad ass announcements.
Hey guys, Chris here. I don't usually post clips or scenes from upcoming films or TV shows. I stick to trailers, news items and reviews. But a new clip from the upcoming comic book movie "Green Lantern" has appeared on online. The reason I am posting it is because of how great I think it is.
Ever since the first trailer was released last year, I have had major worries about Green Lantern. The trailer was terrible. Dodgy CGI and awful character dialogue made me worried about the comic book movie. Looking back now it just seems like Warner Brothers wanted a trailer out quick and therefore the CG wasn't that great. Then we got a Wonder Con trailer and my expectations were raised. The four minute trailer was filled with great character, story, action and CGI. Ever since then the posters have looked great and the TV spots and second theatrical trailer looked good too.
But I still had my doubts, until now. A clip from the film has been released in which we see Tomar-Re (Voiced by Geoffrey Rush) introducing Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to Oa. The tone of the clip is brilliant, it really has that stranger in a strange land feel. If the whole film is like this one minute clip, then I think the Green Lantern could be great!
So what do you think of the clip? Are you already a fan of the comic? Will you be seeing Green Lantern when it's released on June 17th? As always leave your comments below.
