Mockingjay – Part 2 didn’t seem likely to be the best part of Katniss Everdeen’s story. First off, it was based on the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, considered the weakest by a lot of readers. And that book was split into two movies, which could easily be interpreted as a cynical cash-grab rather than something artistically motivated.… Read the rest
When you boot up the game Lifeline, you will find yourself with a stranded astronaut called Taylor in your phone. He – or she, the game never specifies – has crash-landed on a planet and is now trying to survive and to find out what made his/her ship crash.… Read the rest
There are no happy ever afters, as long as someone can think of a new story to tell. The heroes from the original trilogy were last seen celebrating at the end of Return of the Jedi, but it turns out that they have had a pretty rough time of it since.… Read the rest
Back when I played Borderlands 2, I noted that I loved the humour and the writing but couldn’t be bothered with all the comparing of loot, the respawning enemies and the other ways in which the Borderlands franchise conspired to be a massive time-sink.… Read the rest
Watching a botanist try to survive on Mars against all odds is funnier than one would suspect. When Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets left for dead by his team during a mission gone wrong, things seems hopeless. A lesser man would possibly just give up and expire, but not this guy.… Read the rest
I’ve never reviewed a board game before, but there is something so fascinatingly off about this one that it inspired me. Firefly is based on Joss Whedon’s Space Western series that was cancelled before its time and wrapped up with a very good movie.… Read the rest
I can’t actually remember the first time I saw Blade Runner. I think the soundtrack was imprinted on me before I ever did, a synthy and at times jazzy moodscape by Vangelis. It conjures up an odd sort of future nostalgia; warm, reflective and sad, slightly dehumanized by being all electronic but deeply emotional at the same time.… Read the rest
Ho. Lee. Sh*t. I had heard that the latest cinema outing by the Wachowski siblings was a disaster, but I was hoping for at least something like the lesser Terry Gilliam movies. Those where everything rambles and the script threatens to come apart at the seams, but somehow it’s still charming and entertaining, despite being flawed.… Read the rest
Mad Max – Fury Road is a very good action movie that makes you realize that physical stunts give a kick that special effects just can’t quite match, no matter how good they are. Not that there isn’t CGI here, but during the chase that makes up the majority of the movie, there is a sense that you’re watching something real and tangible, even if it’s taking place in an obviously fictional and far-out context.… Read the rest
William “B.J.” Blazkowicz has a gigle-worthy nickname, but is dead serious about killing Nazis. There are a lot of those around, as in the alternate history that he lives in, the Nazis won the war and have achieved global domination. After spending years in a vegetative state due to a brain injury, B.J.… Read the rest
