Batman: Arkham Asylum

Directed By: Sefton Hill
Written By: Paul Dini
Voice Cast:
Kevin Conroy
Mark Hamill
Arleen Sorkin
Kimberly Brooks
Tom Kane

“Welcome to the madhouse Batman! I set a trap and you sprung it gloriously!” – Joker

Batman Arkham Asylum comes after a slew of subpar Batman games and in 2009 we Batman fans finally got the videogame we deserved and the one we needed.

Batman takes Joker to Arkham Asylum after he foils yet another one of his mad plots. After handing joker over to the Arkham guards he decides that something’s not right, that he gave up too easily, he was right. Joker gets loose and with the help of Harley Quinn completely takes over the asylum and lets free all of its inhabitants. It takes the saying of the inmates taking over the asylum to feverishly new heights.

This is everything a Bat-fan can hope for in a game based on the caped crusader. My favorite Bat-scribe Paul Dini was hired to script the game which tiled the game into my favor even before it was released.

There is a great combat system in place (the free flow combat system). You can beat criminals up in style, just as Batman would. You can also utilize Batman’s predatory stealth abilities and use the shadows to strike terror into the hearts of the inmates. There is a feature called detective mode which can be turned on at any time to see more than the naked eye and get info on your surroundings, you can even see enemies heart rates and if they are: calm, terrified etc. These combines to make you really become the “The Worlds Greatest Detective”.

Detective Mode

Through the years I began to lose hope that a great Batman game would ever be released. I owned Batman: Vengeance (the game based on Batman: The Animated Series), a good game but lacking to some degree and there was the game based on Batman Begins which I never played but didn’t hear much good things. So I wasn’t expecting anything amazing to come from any Batman game.

Freeflow Combat

The greatest superhero game up until 2009 was Spider-Man 2 (based on the movie) which I saw as the pinnacle of the superhero gaming genre. By the time 2009 rolled around and the trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum started making the rounds, I thought wow this looks really good! When I finally got my hands on the game I was fully blown away. The main voice actors from Batman: T.A.S on voice duty, Paul Dini writing and Rocksteady on stellar form this game was such a joy to play through from start to finish.

As great as the character design is and the voice actors are in there respective roles, maybe the best character is Arkham Asylum itself with its meticulous gothic architecture and design that really evokes a dark and creepy atmosphere. It’s really something to behold, as you have free roam of the iconic madhouse from Bat-lore.

The map is jam packed with Easter eggs relating to the Batman mythos. Most of these can be found while completing the Riddler side story that runs throughout the game where you have to solve riddles and find trophies.

All the boss fights are well designed and fun. A standout is the Scarecrow’s fear toxin induced nightmare sequences. By far the best in the game is the Killer Croc battle which depending on how you react to horror movies might just scare the piss out of you, but at the least will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

This game is phenomenal and you don’t need to be a Batman fan to love it. (Although you will definitely appreciate it more if you are). This is an outstanding game in its own right not just a fantastic superhero game.

10/10 – Cody

10/10 – Michael

  8/10 – Matthew

10/10 – John

   N/A – Jason

95%

 

 

Blue Valentine

Directed By: Derek Cianfrance

Written By: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis & Cami Delavigne

Starring:

Ryan Gosling

Michelle Williams

John Doman

Mike Vogel

 

Blue Valentine is Derek Cianfrance’s romantic film chartering the relationship of Cindy and Dean. The film cuts back and forth between the present day when they are unhappy and the past when they were madly in love.The past scenes when they meet and fall hopelessly in love are touching and heartwarming to say the least.

 

Dean works in a moving company, moving furniture for the likes of an old man who moves into a retirement home. Cindy is in medical school, with hopes of becoming a doctor. She spends her time looking after her grandmother, who lives in a retirement home. It is here that a chance meeting between the two where sparks fly, well for Dean at least, Cindy is not quite impressed at first.

 

The present day scenes are much more dull and depressing. Dean has lost his good looks, he enjoys the occasional drink but he’s not a drunk. Basically he’s your typical lazy husband. Cindy, now tired of Dean and their marriage is almost at the end of her tether. In the middle of the two is their daughter Frankie.

 

Out of the two times, I would say my favourite parts are the past because each scene is memorable, upbeat and exciting. My favourite scene is when Dean sings and Cindy tap-dances in front of a store. The looks of surprise and awe on their faces perfectly embody their relationship at the time.

 

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, both executive producers, have sublime chemistry on-screen as the happy couple and the dysfunctional husband and wife. Michelle Williams was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe deservedly. Ryan Gosling was nominated for a Golden Globe however I feel he also deserved a second Oscar nod. Both are brilliant in every aspect and time of their characters. Their best scene is during the past when they are both on the subway, comforting each other.

 

Derek Cianfrance does a good job directing this film. His style of using a shaky camera during intense scenes is used to good effect.

 

Earlier, in my review of Her I said that it was my favourite romantic film ever, well not anymore. Blue Valentine can be extremely fun to watch and happy and then can be beautifully depressing and sorrowful. It has the perfect balance of both. It is most definitely my favourite romantic film ever.

 

10/10 – Michael

N/A – Cody

100%

 

Winter Passing (AKA Happy Endings [UK Release])

Directed By: Adam Rapp
Written By: Adam Rapp
Starring:
Zooey Deschanel
Ed Harris
Will Ferrell
Amelia Warner

“The Woman treated me as a mild curiosity all my life” – Reese

Winter Passing is the first feature film from playwright Adam Rapp.

It follows the story of Reese Holden (Deschanel) a struggling actress living in New York who is approached by a literary agent who offers her a small fortune which she will get if she can obtain letters of correspondence from her famous famous novelist parents Don (Harris) and Mary Holden (Mary has recently passed away) from early in their relationship. Reese agrees to the deal and travel back home to Michigan to be with hear father and try to find the letters. While there Reese meets the people that her father has taken in since her mother’s passing, handy(ish) man Corbit (Ferrell) and former student Shelly (Warner).

This is a really nice film and is well made by Rapp.

Zooey Deschanel is superb, she plays her character of a young woman reduced to rubble by her parents extremely well. For the first twenty minutes or so she carries the movie on her shoulders. Ed Harris gives a stirring portrayal as the reclusive writer Don Holden. Will Ferrell and Amelia Warner are really good as the supporting characters.

There is going to be people who will consider the movie a bit slow, but it is a joy to watch. All the characters are well rounded and interesting to watch interact with each other.

The music that was chosen for the movie fits in nicely where they are placed. The music adds to the tone the movie is setting.

Deschanel’s performance really fully evokes on screen how Reese is feeling, cold and lonely.

I love the first twenty minutes of the film, before we find out much about her parents, we can see the psychological damage that they have inflicted upon her, She now does cocaine and has resorted to slamming her hand in a drawer just to feel something.

His is a wonderful and emotional film with great characters, a solid story and would be worth watching for Zooey Deschanel and Ed Harris’ performances alone.

7/10 – Cody
N/A – Michael

70%

Clerks II

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Written By: Kevin Smith

Starring:

Brian O’Halloran

Jeff Anderson

Trevor Fehrman

Jason Mewes

Kevin Smith

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith

Those fuckin’ hobbit movies were boring as hell. All it was, was a bunch of people walking, three movies of people walking to a fucking volcano – Randal

Clerks II is Kevin Smith’s sequel to Clerks. and return to the Viewaskewniverse after a five year hiatus.

After the “Quick Stop” store where Dante and Randal have worked at for over a decade burns down, both of them find new employment at “Moobys” a fast food franchise. A year later it is Dante’s last day working at Moobys, as he is about to move to Florida to start a new life with his wife to be.

Clerks II is a great sequel to Clerks as it is interesting to see where Dante and Randal are in life a decade after we left them in the first film. They are not the slacker twenty-somethings they were in the first movie they are now thirty-somethings and have more responsibility such as Dante now having a fiance.

This movie is hilarious, it is well written and directed by Kevin Smith. Most of the laughs in this movie come from what wise-ass Randal says and the always funny Jay and Silent Bob, while Jay and Silent Bob are a little more toned down in this movie they are still funny none the less. But for all the laughs the film still manages to be moving in parts

This is everything you could want from a Clerks sequel, it’s funny, it’s just as good as the first movie and it has just the right amount of humor and heart.

It is a must watch for all fans of Clerks and Kevin Smith’s other movies.

 

8/10 – Cody

N/A – Michael

80%

Clerks.

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Written By: Kevin Smith

Starring:

Brian O’Halloran

Jeff Anderson

Marilyn Ghigliotti

Jason Mewes

Kevin Smith

Lisa Spoonhauer

I wasn’t even supposed to be here today – Dante

This job would be great if it wasn’t for the fucking customers – Randal

Clerks is Kevin Smiths rollicking directorial debut, this is the movie that launched his career and kick started the Viewaskewnivese.

It Follows the story of Dante Hicks (O’Halloran) who is asked to go into work on his day off. While there he passes the time by playing hockey on the store roof, mulling over life and conversing with best friend Randal (Anderson).

Made on a shoestring budget and film mostly at night at the store Kevin Smith worked in at the time, this film still manages to be just as good as any movie with a Hollywood budget.

The movie is humorous most of the way through due to some hilarious conversations mainly between Dante and Randal (which shows of Kevin Smith’s talent for comedic dialogue) but the movie does have serious moments that are fused into the movie between the comedy.

The movie is splendidly written and directed by Smith who seemed to be adept in his first role as a writer/director.

From “milkmaids” and hockey on the roof to conversations on if there were independent contractors working on the second death star when it blew up, this film is a very impressive comedy

This cult favourite is a must watch for any comedy movie fans

 

8/10 – Cody

N/A – Michael

80%

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

 

Directed By: Tomas Alfredson

Written By: Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan (Based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré)

Starring:

Gary Oldman

Mark Strong

John Hurt

Colin Firth

Tom Hardy

Benedict Cumberbatch

Toby Jones

Ciarán Hinds

Stephen Graham

Amanda Fairbank-Hynes

 

There’s a mole, right at the top of the Circus. And he’s been there for years. – Oliver Lacon

 

She told me she had a secret, the mother of all secrets… – Ricky Tarr

 

Things aren’t always what they seem. – Easterhase

 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the best MI5 film ever. It explores the actual intelligence and spy work done without clouding over the realism with pointless action and cheesy lines, like in Bond films. Although I love Bond movies, this film is so good it surpasses the limits of Bond and shows you how isolated and dangerous spy work is.

 

Tinker Tailor is set during the Cold War and follows the story of espionage veteran George Smiley, who after being forced into retirement, is asked by a livelong friend to undercover and find a Soviet mole in MI5. In this compelling story we taken back in time and shown the relationships between Smiley and his former co-workers, the former operations of suspects and then taken to the present and shown his search and investigation to find the Soviet spy.

 

Gary Oldman gives his best performance ever as George Smiley. He really should have won the Oscar for Best Actor instead of Jean Dujardin, who won for The Artist.

At one stage he is having a conversation with a colleague and when he is asked about a previous meeting he sits forward and has a conversation with an empty chair, recalling the exact meeting for his colleague. It is here that Gary shows the best of his humility in his subtle performance, he makes you feel as if you are in the room and that the meeting is actually taking place.

 

This film boasts one of the best British cast ever, even allowing Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy (as Peter Guillam and Ricky Tarr respectively) to showcase their profound ability. Apart from Gary Oldman, it is Mark Strong who stands out as the best actor in this film. He can change his expression with ease and shows you his suspicion, fear and loneliness extremely well.

 

The film has distracted many movie fans and even some critics as it is a slow film but if you pay attention all the way through to absolutely everything it will all make perfect sense. At first I didn’t like this film nearly as much as I do now, it took a second and definitely more attentive viewing to fully appreciate this films scintillating quality.

 

It’s cinematography is amazing and dark, the writing is very intricate and clever and the all round performances are well, just plain brilliant!

 

10/10 – Michael

10/10 – Cody

100%

 

Only God Forgives

Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn

Written By: Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring:

Ryan Gosling

Kristin Scott Thomas

Vithaya Pansringarm

Yayaying Rhatha Phongam

Tom Burke

Wanna fight – Julian

Only God Forgives is Nicolas Winding Refn’s ostentatious tale of revenge. It is his directorial follow up to 2011’s Drive.

The plot follows Julian (Gosling), the runner of a Bangkok boxing club and drug smuggler, who after his brother Billy (Burke) is killed, is called upon by his mother Crystal (Scott Thomas), to exact revenge upon Chang (Pansringarm), the police captain responsible for the killing.

Disappointing, is what this movie is. After the dramatic powerhouse that was Drive, I was expecting greater things from Nicolas Winding Refn’s most recent Cinematic outing, but I was wrong to get my hopes up after seeing the trailer for this film.

The movie is painstakingly slow  and although only 90 minutes long, it seems to drag on forever.

Ryan Gosling seems to speak only 10 sentences in total during the movie. Most of the time Nicolas Winding Refn lingers too long on particular shots, one such shot is where Julian stares at his hands while he slowly makes them into fists.

As a film watching experience the film is poor and the ending is anti-climactic, so it doesn’t really justify sticking the movie out till the end. To me the acting comes off as mostly wooden, apart from Kristin Scott Thomas and maybe a couple of moments where Ryan Gosling shows flashes of the great actor i know him to be.

At points the movie is just violent for violence sake, such as a moment where somebody cuts open the stomach of another character who is already dead, for what purpose is this done?

The cinematography in this film is beautiful (courtesy of Larry Smith) and Bangkok looks spectacular. Cliff Martinez‘s thumping score is great and even during the really dragged out bits (of which there are a lot), it keeps the movie pumping along

As I have pointed out above the cinematography is stunning and the film looks beautiful, its just a shame that there wasn’t anything more interesting going on onscreen, but regardless of this movie being disappointing I believe that Nicolas Winding Refn is still a filmmaker to watch closely and i would be interested to see what his next project is.

4/10 – Cody

2/10 – Michael

30%

 

(500) Days of Summer

Directed By: Marc Webb

Written By:  Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Starring:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Zooey Deschanel

Geoffrey Arend

Chloë Grace Moretz

Matthew Gray Gubler

Clark Gregg

There’s no such thing as love, it’s fantasy… – Summer

(500) Days of Summer is Marc Webb’s stellar feature film directorial debut

This movie follows the story of greeting card writer Tom (Gordon-Levitt) who falls in love with the radiant Summer (Deschanel), who doesn’t believe that true love exists. The movie starts on day 488 and flips back and forth between the days as Tom remembers his relationship with Summer, the highs and the lows.

This film is easily one of the best romantic comedy movies ever made as it is more realistic, original and breaks away from the cinematic norm of what people expect a romantic comedy should be like. One part that is original in this movie that I personally love is the Expectations/Reality moment where we see onscreen in split-screen Tom’s expectations for a particular encounter, the reality and how different the two really are.

The acting is really great, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wonderful as the lovelorn Tom and Zooey Deschanel is sublime as free spirited Summer. All the supporting Cast are very solid and funny especially Chloë Grace Moretz as Tom’s wise beyond her years sister Rachel and Geoffrey Arend & Matthew Grey Gubler as two of Tom’s Best Friends, McKenzie and Paul whose onscreen presence I really enjoyed.

This movie has a first rate script penned by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber and is remarkably directed by Marc Webb.

The soundtrack is fantastic, the movie starts with the lovely Regina Spektor song “Us” and uses the Song “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates in one of my favorite sequences in the movie, where Tom has slept with Summer for the first time the night before and is so happy that the song starts playing in his head and he precedes to walk to work, all the while imagining himself dancing in the street with the pedestrians around him. The film also contains songs from the always brilliant The Smiths and The Temper Trap.

This movie remains both funny and touching throughout the whole of its 95 minute run-time.

I really love this movie so very much, it’s smart, it’s sweet, it’s charming, it’s inventive and it’s quite brilliant.

10/10 – Cody

N/A – Michael

100%

 

Her

Directed & Written By: Spike Jonze

Starring:

Joaquin Phoenix

Scarlett Johansson

Amy Adams

Rooney Mara

Olivia Wilde

 

The past is just a story we tell ourselves. – Samantha

 

Her is Spike Jonze’s groundbreaking and heartbreaking romantic/dramedy film.

 

It follows the story of Theodore Twombly, a lonely writer, who after a tough divorce buys an OS. An OS (Operating System) is an Artificial Intelligence that is suited to the user. He bonds with Samantha, his new OS and the two develop an unlikely relationship.

 

Now I know people are going to think that this is just an oddball romance with a loner and his computer but it is far from it. Yes it’s odd at times but it is a touching story that will impress all movie fans.

 

Joaquin Phoenix never ceases to amaze. He is just brilliant as ever, even though his character can be out of his comfort zone, which just shows that he is one of the best actors of today. He will make you laugh, he can make you cry but seemingly he can’t win an Oscar. Bullshit.

 

However, despite the fact that he didn’t get a deserved Oscar nomination he wins the audience’s hearts once again. All of the supporting cast are amazing however it is Joaquin who carries the film as it is mostly just him acting by himself.

 

The colourful and vibrant cinematography, the excellent score, the clever and funny screenplay, the brilliant directing and the amazing performance Her is my favourite romantic film ever. By the way, Silver Linings Playbook is better but it is more of a dramedy than a romantic film.

 

10/10 – Michael

N/A – Cody

100%

 

#4 On Michael’s list of favourite movies of 2013

 

A Streetcar Named Desire

Directed By: Elia Kazan

Written By: Tennessee Williams

Starring:

Vivien Leigh

Marlon Brando

Karl Malden

Kim Hunter

 

STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! – Stanley Kowalski

 

A Streetcar Named Desire follows the story of Blanche DuBois who arrives in New Orleans to live with her estranged sister Stella. However, she did not expect Stella’s husband Stanley Kowalski to question her motive for arriving there. Is Blanche hiding from a dark past or is Stanley wrong about her?

 

A Streetcar Named Desire is a brilliantly written story as you should expect from the great playwright Tennessee Williams, who also wrote Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. This film has strong characters and an interesting story.

 

Marlon Brando is excellent as Stanley Kowalski. He demands a huge presence and is very charismatic which is exactly how Stanley should be portrayed. I think he should have won the Oscar for it as he can be very funny and also serious throughout.

 

Vivien Leigh is great as the tormented Blanche DuBois and although she comes across as very practiced and overacted, for the time she was very good, winning an Oscar for her role.

 

Karl Malden is very funny as the awkward and shy Mitch. He rightly picked up an Oscar for his excellent performance.

 

Overall, A Streetcar Named Desire is a classic that must be seen.

 

10/10 – Michael

N/A – Cody

100%