In my Crysis 2 review, I stated that I would not be playing the sequel anytime soon. But played it I have, for the most superficial of reasons. I recently upgraded my PC, to the point where it can run current games at pretty much the highest settings.… Read the rest
I consider myself a fairly ‘typical’ viewer. By which I mean that I tend to find myself agreeing with the professional critical consensus on a book, movie or film. (Rather than the popular one, which tends to get distorted by rabid fans on one side and equally rabid haters on the other end.) Personal mileage can vary of course, but it is rare that I find myself really enjoying something that – according to most critics – sucks.… Read the rest
In Lucy, Scarlett Johansson drops down a rabbit hole of silly pseudo-science as innocent bystanders die left and right, unmourned by her or the men pursuing her. This being a Luc Besson movie, there are – of course – also French policemen and there is a car chase.… Read the rest
I enjoy a good story. Even in my video games, though a game is not the best medium for a carefully crafted tale. It’s helpful if you actually care about the characters, your alter-ego especially, and are curious about what will happen next.… Read the rest
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the reboot of the franchise started in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Thankfully, the sequel ditches the never-not-smug James Franco – barring a quick ‘cameo’ – and makes the slightly bland but likeable Jason Clarke (as Malcolm) its main human instead.… Read the rest
Crysis 2 is a convoluted Jerry Bruckheimer action movie poured into a video game, starring a dead-man-walking protagonist, who was almost literally poured into a power suit as he lay dying. It allows him to withstand a great amount of damage or to turn invisible, but not simultaneously, and only for a short amount of time.… Read the rest
Europa Report is a movie for people who have seen Gravity and are jonesing for more stressed-out astronaut action. (Though it was actually released a few months before Gravity was.) The approach is a different one, though, as the movie is part of the ‘found footage’ storytelling genre.… Read the rest
Far Cry: Blood Dragon is a love letter to the eighties and more specifically to that decade’s magnificently cheesy science-fiction and action movies. Someone savvy at production company Ubisoft, decided to use the basic building blocks of Far Cry 3 and to repurpose them, giving them a fresh lick of paint.… Read the rest
Looper is a futuristic action thriller that combines criminals, hover bikes, time travel and telekinesis to interesting effect. It starts both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as Joe, a ‘looper’. Loopers assassinate people that are sent back from the future by a criminal organization, for clean disposal.… Read the rest
Farscape is a scifi-series which ran for four full seasons (1999-2003) and then got hastily wrapped up in a mini-series. I’d missed out on the original run but have now finally gotten around to watching the series from beginning to end.… Read the rest
