2 Year Anniversary!

Another whole year of reviewing. Where does the time go? Through copious amounts of text devouring…. duh!

2 years in and there has been 3, 213 views and 53 followers of this blog… at least as of this post.

So thank you for your continued support. It really means a lot! Here is my top favourite reviewed texts on this blog from this year to celebrate. Enjoy!

10.

 

Kicking off this countdown is the novel Dark Inside by new author Jeyn Roberts. It makes my list due to the incredible telling of the story, the way you end up feeling for the characters and the mystery element that grabs you and doesn’t let go until the end. Also, it’s told in a different and interesting way, that also adds to the mystery element. It surprised me, in a good way, and has a very powerful story as a result.

9.

 

Next is the film Edge of Tomorrow, a film in the style of Groundhog’s Day. Despite it being a very heavy action-based thriller it’s a very enjoyable movie. Taking the whole ‘replaying the same day over and over’ to the extreme, add some gore and war carnage, aliens and Tom Cruise and you’re good to go.

8.

 

At 8 is Maleficent, a film that I wanted good things from, but worried would be too girly and not capture the imagination of its audience. Fairy tale retellings are, after all, hard to get right. But this is a brilliant telling of the background to the evil fairy that curses Princess Aurora to prick her finger on a spinning wheel. Dark, massive scale CGI and effects, a surprise twist to the fairy tale as we know it (that surprisingly works), all with a sprinkling of fairy dust, make for a magical retelling of the character. Plus there’s Angelina Jolie’s enhanced cheekbones.

7.

 

This list wouldn’t be complete without good old Doctor Who, a show that very recently celebrated its 51st birthday. A good nerd knows these things. The show continues to enthrall all those who watch it, with brilliant characters, fantastic story lines and witty British humour and insults. Having ploughed my way through the entirety of the ‘New Who’ era this year, it really is no surprise as to why this show continues ever onwards. Pure genius.

6.

 

Another series, this time of books, that I finished this year was Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series. This is easily my favourite set of books EVER. I started to read them at the age of 14 and now 8 years on we must say goodbye to the wise-cracking detective in an all-out finale. My sense of humour, my style of characters, plus trying to imagine most of the characters with their Irish accent is amusing. I bloomin’ love the Irish accent ;). Now all we need is the film please Mr Landy.

5.

 

A bit of indie author love now in the form of new writer Ryan Attard, with his debut novel Firstborn. This is every nerds dream, and you can tell Attard is one himself. Full of magic, demons, angels, talking cats and jokes, expect a roller coaster of a ride reading this. Only problem is it isn’t long enough to fill your hunger for this brand new world. As far as new authors go, Attard has certainly caught my attention.

4.

 

Recently celebrating its 200th episode, Supernatural keeps on coming. Fans still love it just as much as when it first started back in 2005. And that’s because it’s well-told, with a charm that rarely befalls a show that delves into the horror and supernatural genres. A combination of well-researched legends, a brilliant back story, superb special effects with the occasional CGI, plus, of course, the clear chemistry between the cast, it’s really no wonder that this show is still airing. I’ve watched up to the end of season 7, and am currently near to the completion of re-watching the fourth season. No worries… it’s only on its 10th season -_-. This is going to be a long trek, but a worthwhile one.

3.

 

It’s been a while since there was a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable X-Men film, the last one being X-Men Origins: Wolverine in my opinion. The first two of the initial trilogy were also some of the best, so when their director, Bryan Singer, climbed on board to direct the newest one, X-Men: Days of Future Past, fans certainly rejoiced. And the film delivered immensely, even if its ending did make the third film in the trilogy null and void. Mixing the young with the old was a bold move, but it certainly paid off. Hats off to you Mr Singer.

2.

 

This one JUST missed out on my top spot. You will see why when you read said spot. But Guardians of the Galaxy reaches in at number two with Groot-like limbs. With a talking tree and a talking raccoon this film could’ve fallen at the first hurdle. Taking some less heard of Marvel characters and making a movie out of it? Bold move. The end result? A funny, thrilling film that captured audiences hearts everywhere with its underlying messages of friendship and teamwork. Aww, soppy, I know. But one of the best Marvel films to date, most definitely up there with Avengers: Assemble. Your move DC.

1.

 

Is it any surprise that my number one is Benedict Cumberbatch? I’m talking about the BBC’s version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s consultant detective of course. Simply entitled Sherlock, it places the stories within the modern-day, an ingenious idea that makes Sherlock’s deductions even more complicated, but still very impressive. The chemistry between Watson and Holmes is also brilliant, ranging from funny to intense to adorable, often within seconds. I fell in love with the series with just one episode, that’s how brilliant I believe this show to be. But it’s only 3 series long currently, with only 3 1 hour and a half episodes to each series. Not enough BBC! We need more!

 

Other texts reviewed that didn’t make the list, either because there were too many good texts to choose from, or certain text had appeared in last year’s special post (for example The Walking Dead), include Constantine (the film), Nikita, Marvel’s Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Cornetto Trilogy and The Walking Dead novels, to name but a few.

It’s been a good year for reviewing, and I really am appreciative of you guys and your continued support. Here’s hoping that the next year is just as prosperous.

Much love guys and thanks for reading :).

Edge of Tomorrow

Director Doug Liman has done the never before seen, and placed Tom Cruise as the coward, centre piece in his 2014 released movie Edge of Tomorrow. Granted the character eventually arcs into the hero, but Cruise is more known for playing the hero from the word go.

A film based off the classic Groundhog Day (the films leading female characters even share the same name), this is an interesting take of a story where our front-man keeps living the same day over and over again, following a series of violent deaths. This version, however, is a bit more darker and violent than its inspirational text, set during the throes of a destructive battle, where the humans have no chance of winning against the very deadly alien Mimics.

The Mimics themselves seem extremely clumsy in the way they move, yet simultaneously quick and most certainly lethal. This is the work of the spectacular CGI here, creating a monster that had best not be underestimated.

It’s not just the CGI that makes this film great. It’s a combination of great fights with spectacular stunts and choreography, and of course those special effects that really give the feel of all out war. And let’s not forget the great ensemble of cast and acting. The support characters are just as good as Cruise and Emily Blunt, creating a paraphernalia of relatable, likeable characters that you cheer for just as much as the main duo.

It’s the story that really steals the show though. It’s very fast paced; if you blink you will probably miss something. It’s a very easy storyline to get confused with, yet definitely keeps you on your toes with a few jump scares, and by just being rather tense throughout as we watch Cruise struggle to find a plan to survive the day and destroy the alien menace before they can destroy his new-found friends, who he has technically only known for 12 hours, but gets to know over the course of his many deaths. And though mostly dark, the piece is lightened up somewhat here and there with some funny quips from characters, or with a ‘seriously?’ style death that you just can’t help but laugh at, no matter how morbid the subject matter may be.

The only thing to really criticize is the ending. It basically cuts quickly, like it’s about to lead into another scene, but instead leads to the credits. It’s not even a cliffhanger really. It does make you wonder what will go on next, but doesn’t really leave much room for a sequel. Basically, it could have been tied of a little neater or given us a bit more of a cliffhanger than what we were given.

The best quote from this movie is:

• ‘Look alive if you wanna stay that way!’ Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton)

Providing you don’t miss a beat this film is a beautiful masterpiece, of story telling, of CGI and of character building. The ending does need work, but the rest of the film will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride.

An 8.5 out of 10.

Oblivion

2013 saw director Joseph Kosinski bring us the sci-fi, post apocalyptic film Oblivion.

After an invasion of Earth that us humans barely fought off, the planet is rendered uninhabitable thanks to nuclear warfare. Humans have all moved elsewhere… except for a mop-up crew, left behind to gather what remains of the Earth’s resources. But all is not what it seems when a spacecraft falls out of the sky and soon drone repairman Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) will question everything about himself and the mission.

I was truly blown away by the attention to detail in this film. I loved the scenery, and the attempt to show remnants of Earth such as the underground library and some of the structures still partly intact. Then you have the sci-fi element with all the technology and it made a brilliant contrast that really did give this feel of post apocalyptic isolation. Many of the special effects were on the grand scale, and breathtakingly beautiful. A job well done.

The storyline itself is crazy, twisting and turning to the point where you really don’t know what’s going to happen next at all.

The acting was superb, with Cruise creating a character that you can really connect with and feel for as he learns the truth. The other characters too are also highly relatable, as they struggle to survive in this harsh new world.

Some brilliant moments to watch out for are when Jack is down the sinkhole, where he finds a buried library and, naturally, some Scavengers; the underwater kissing scene… just a bit strange; the scene where the drone spins wildly out of control, before smashing into a wall and dramatically exploding into a colourful cloud of sparks; Jack being chased by the three drones; Jack fighting…. himself?; and finally the battle in the secret base against the drones… complete and utter chaos.

And my favourite quotes from this film are:

• ‘Our job is not to remember. Remember?’ – Victoria (Andrea Riseborough)
• ‘You look like sh*t.’ – Beech (Morgan Freeman)   ‘You should see the other guy.’ – Jack
• ‘Buck up Bob. Don’t get all shaky on me.’ – Jack to his Elvis bobble-head
• ‘If we have souls, they are made of the love we share. Undimmed by time. Unbound by death.’ – Jack

Overall this was an impressive display of visual effects, with a clever, if confusing in places, storyline that really set the tone of a well thought out post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.

A 7.5 out of 10.

War of the Worlds (2005)

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells has been brought to life through the album by Jeff Wayne and in the film first brought out in 1953. But it is in the more modern film adaptation, brought out in 2005 by Steven Spielberg, that we get a more modern take of this alien invasion epic.

This version of the story sees the tale told from the perspective of Ray (Tom Cruise) and his two children, Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and Robbie (Justin Chatwin), as they battle across the destroyed states of America in a bid to escape the invading aliens.

Having read the book, and listened to the brilliant and haunting album, I was a little sceptical about the films, as I had read they were both set in America rather than Britain, and in particular London, as both the album and the book have done. But I decided it was time to nut up and shut up and so I watched the more modern version… and actually quite enjoyed the modern changes made. For me this film made the aliens more scary with all the special effects.

I particularly loved the beginning shots, that went over the intro, as they were beautifully transitioned from one shot to the next, a reflection of evolution, which is basically what the intro is talking about.

My favourite parts of the film were the first experience with the heat ray, a very iconic moment in the book, although the film made it more modern by making it more of a disintegrator beam; I also liked the scene where Rachel is panicking and starts screaming for Ray to take her to her mum; I found the scene where Ray gets angry and throws a half-made peanut butter sandwich at the window rather amusing – just kind of random; I love the complete destruction of the basement too… a lot of effort was obviously put into this, and also the same with the later scene of the plane wreckage outside; the scene where Rachel sees the dead bodies floating down the river is also iconic as the protagonist in the book also witnesses this gruesome scene; when the alien Tripods come out of the water all hell breaks loose and it’s an excellent action scene; I love the scene where Ray, Rachel and Ogilvy (Tim Robbins) fool the alien camera into thinking they aren’t there… it was very impressive and very well choreographed and thought out; and finally the scene where Ray blows up one of the Tripods is pretty awesome.

And my favourite quotes from the film are:

• ‘This thing came from someplace else.’ – Ray  ‘What you mean, like Europe?’ – Robbie   ‘No Robbie, not Europe!’ – Ray
• ‘By the toll of a billion deaths man had earned his immunity, his right to survive among the planet’s infinite organisms.’ – Narrator (Morgan Freeman)

This is a good movie that, despite not being set in Britain, still does justice to the book. Steven Spielberg, you have done it again!

An 8.7 out of 10.

 

Got something else you want me to review? Let me know below!