Sunday, 31 January 2010
Edge Of Darkness
Labels:
BBC,
Die Hard,
Edge Of Darkness,
Liam Neeson,
Mel Gibson,
Ray Winstone,
Taken
Thursday, 28 January 2010
5 Albums for 2010
1. LCD Soundsystem - TBA
There's no real order for this list although if I was pressed I imagine this would creep in near the top. Sound Of Silver is undoubtedly one of the best records in my collection. Although I own a Junior Senior album, so you could argue it's not exactly a challenge. There's an April tour over here in the UK and I think the album is down for March, so I guess we'll find out soon enough. Could go either way with this one I think.
2. Frightened Rabbit - The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
If you're one of the 10-12 people who aren't wildly in love with Frightened Rabbit yet then you need to firstly question where your life went so wrong and then have a listen to The Midnight Organ Fight which is one of the best albums of the last decade. Still feels weird saying that. Ten years ago I was 11. Scary fucking stuff indeed. Lead single Swim Until You Can't Sea Land encapsulates everything that makes them a great pop act. Melody, catchy, great lyrics and a little bit of a Scottish accent. Got to love Scottish vocals. Due to "drop" in March.
3. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
This combination is like a musical wet dream. Danger Mouse and that bloke from The Shins. He has a name, but it's not relevant. Only heard The High Road a few weeks ago and it's infectious to say the least. So catchy it almost counts as physical abuse. But in a good way. Apparently (as in this did happen) the album leaked around Christmas, although you'd be hard pressed to find it now. I say that because I couldn't find it. But there is only so much work Google can do for you. Also out in March. Going to be a heck of a month.
4. Arcade Fire - TBA
I can safely assume I'm not the only one excited about this, my love for Funeral was rekindled not so long ago so it's very much at the fore front of my mind. I wasn't a massive fan of Neon Bible as well which makes me slightly more nervous. Although in fairness I didn't give it an awful lot of time. But given this isn't rumoured to arrive till May (for a change) I've probably got enough time to mend that.
5. Radiohead - TBA
Would any list from be complete without Radiohead? Well, yes. Any that doesn't involve music for a start. Anyway, they've been beavering away on this since 2007 so it's about time you'd hope. But of course it's Radiohead so they might just hide it in skips around the country and not tell us for 6 months just to be difficult. They've certainly got to top the drama of In Rainbows release anyway. Judging by last year's These Are My Twisted Words it's going to be as unpredictably perfect as ever. I would hazard internet meltdown in Autumn.
There's a few other biggies coming out this year; The Strokes, Flying Lotus, Laura Marling, The Streets, Gorillaz, Deftones, Daft Punk to name but a few. I've still got to listen to Vampire Weekend as well (sort it out Spotify!). So at this stage my album of the year is Hot Chip. As it's the only one I've heard. But that's not even out yet. Dear, oh dear.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
There Will Be Blood, Assassin's Creed 2 and A Bit Of Music
From high end cinema I go to the frantic mess of a narrative that is the end of Assassin's Creed 2. Not to spoil it, but the pay-off explanations at the end really are a bit of a disaster. There's one more thing that nags me about the game though. How much control do you assert over the character? Given you're supposed to be Desmond inhabiting the memory of Ezio and re-enacting his past. So in the cut-scenes is it Ezio or Desmond? How far does the control stretch? I feel like this game has pushed me into a philosophical nightmare. First Moon and now this. Probably wasn't paying attention in the cut-scenes. Should have warned of the intellectual quandaries you'll blunder into if all the information at the start is not fully understood. At least now I've got the relaxing opportunity of picking up the last 100G left in the game before sending it back. Bioshock 2 doesn't hit for a few weeks yet so still plenty of time!
Also, feeling fairly musically nostalgic lately and have been listening to a lot of the Arctic Monkeys debut. Lot of memories I've got with that record; some good, some bad. Still stunning lyrically though, a sharp wit that I don't think I appreciated as much when I first heard them. A lot of their newer matierial has left me a bit cold, I'm sure given time it's got some depth to it but their first record (or even the demos circulating long before the album) is the one I'll never forget. Might even slip you a sneaky weekly top artists chart from Last FM;
1. Arctic Monkeys (50)
2. Arcade Fire (30)
3. Radiohead (26)
4. Flying Lotus (24)
5. The Prodigy (19)
Monday, 25 January 2010
Moon and Assassin's Creed 2
Also feel I should mention Assassin's Creed 2, which has surprised me by being really long. As a result I've lost interest in the story as a whole and just knowing enough to get on with the missions at hand. Probably splurged far too much time on it I think, even though I took a good four day break from playing it. Oh well, if I'm going to get any chance of playing Mass Effect 2 or Bioshock 2 before I run out of money to afford rentals anymore I'm going to have carry on splurging my time.
Labels:
Assassin's Creed 2,
Bioshock 2,
Duncan Jones,
Mass Effect 2,
Moon,
Swapgame
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Football, Football, Football.... And Sherlock Holmes.
Anyhow everyone seemed to be excited about the first match on Tuesday. Apart from Man Utd seemingly, who kicked off with all the gusto of a fat guy climbing some stairs. That was in comparison to Man City though who buzzed around in a frenzied madness which meant that United literally had the metaphorical arm out holding City at a far enough distance where their wild jabs of energy were wasteful. But eventually City found their stride and genuinely looked the better team, United playing in a now familiar sedentary pace were outplayed. Tevez took full advantage and with his two goals raided the bank for obvious celebrations referencing his rather acrimonious fallout with the staff of his former club. United (Rooney) fought back in the final moments but Given is more than used to single-handedly winning points for his team. He was at Newcastle for Christ's sake! Anyway, Wednesday looks tasty to say the least and with Rooney bagging four yesterday I think goals are most certainly in the equation. That and we'll see how Gary Neville can further his status of acting like a dick more often than he actually plays these days.
Then on Wednesday we had Villa v Blackburn which was so ridiculous it was almost offensive. There were goals, red cards, goals, penalties, goals, OVERHEAD FUCKING KICK GOALS and more goals. Suffice to say; lots of goals. I can't even remember who scored them now to be honest, probably be easier to name who didn't score them. What is easy to say though is that Villa would have been in for a tough time if Blackburn didn't go down to ten men. But it was the right decision. That's what happens when you play a striker like Samba in defense. What's that? Oh he's a defender again now is he? But doesn't Big Sam always.. No? Anyway, a great game for the neutral and a great advertisement for a competition that before this week no-one gave a shit about. Made the FA Cup results this weekend look a bit tame in comparison. Hope Leeds can do over Tottenham at home now though. Can see some magic in that story.
Aaaaaand finally. Went to see Sherlock Holmes today. Heard mixed things about it, but I quite enjoyed it. But I quite like Guy Ritchie films so I always was going to. Downey Jr is amazing as ever, the music is a bizarre mix of Irish and Polka and there's lots of clever bits of slow-mo like you'd expect. Oh and Mark Strong is in it as always. Does feel a bit long and some of the scenes in the middle do bring the yawns but apart from that worth the £4.50 of Child's Tickets day or whatever was happening down at the cinema in town. Whatever it was still a half empty cinema.
Labels:
Blackburn,
Downey Jr,
Guy Ritchie,
League Cup,
Leeds,
Man City,
Man United,
Mark Strong,
Newcastle United,
Sherlock Holmes,
Spurs,
Villa
Monday, 18 January 2010
Assassin's Creed 2, Dawn Of The Dead, 500 Days Of Summer and Fucking Portsmouth
A quick mention of Saturday night where new life was breathed into Romero classic Dawn Of The Dead through a rather harsh drinking game. When one of the rules is "drink every time you see a zombie die" you know you're in for a messy night. Good fun was had by all. Then went on to have a hilariously awkward movie session with a few friends watching 500 Days Of Summer today. Awkward because two of them are in a relationship which shares many parallels with the film. Suffice to say I was called a cunt before the end for choosing it. Worth it though. Oh, and cheers to Portsmouth for voiding my accumulator before anyone had even kicked-off. I would have lost anyway, but that's beside the point.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Fahrenheit and A Bit Of Football
I don't often chat about football which does belay the love I have for the sport. It certainly is worth mentioning the fantastic performance of Reading against Liverpool on Wednesday night. It was a proper FA Cup match, David v Goliath and Reading were the only ones who really turned up. Rafa is, rightly so, in a fair bit of trouble. Should he go? Yeah of course he should. Looking at the Liverpool team sheet these days is like looking at a team like Porto's. Loads of average European players who barely deserve to be in the team they're playing for let alone an international squad. You just can't see them turning it round either. Worrying to say the least. Finally, here's my accumulator for tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Chelsea
Man Utd
Birmingham
Tottenham
Blackpool
Ipswich
Nottm Forest
Leeds
Bournemouth
Celtic
Labels:
Accumulator,
Alone In The Dark,
Assassin's Creed 2,
FA Cup,
Fahrenheit,
Liverpool,
Porto,
Rafa Benitez,
Reading
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
District 9, Being Human and Russia!
This being the new year it also means new TV time. With BBC One getting Survivors, a show I've never watched but I imagine I might enjoy and BBC Three getting Being Human. I quite liked the first season of it, and it had the blind luck to wander in before vampires were all the rage. Zombies were the big thing back then. Which reminds me, I need to get hold of a copy of the third book in The Walking Dead series. Anyway, everyone's back for this new series including a new menacing guy who reminds me a bit of Christopher Lee but it isn't. Pretty sure it's someone quite well known though. Wikipedia will embarrass me in due course. It does feel like an intrinsically British equivalent to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with big plot elements always revolving round very British things. Like pubs and tea-making. Which is lovely and adds a bit of warmth to the show. I'm going to hastily say that I'll stick with it again.
Finally I owe some praise to Russia today. Not just for their stereotypical choice of hats. Oh no. So much more. I've stumbled across the murky waters of Russian MP3 sites. Not sure where it leaves me legally but my $25 has bought me all the albums I've been holding out for quite a while. Flying Lotus, The XX, Karen O and the Kids, Madvillian, Portishead, Horrors, The Prodigy, Japandroids, Animal Collective, The Antlers, Florence + The Machine, Deadmau5 and Fuck Buttons. Still got $10 left too. I need to widen my tastes it seems. Toodles.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Right, better finish off packing for my train and bus journey back to Cornwall. We'll see what the snow conditions are like down there. Somehow doubt they'll be any better than up here. I'll leave you with the current gamerscore race scores.
Cherky 2: 6039 (10,000)
Captain Fantasm: 27,988 (50,000)
Labels:
Bargain,
Crayon Physics Deluxe,
G Race 2010,
Steam
Saturday, 9 January 2010
2010: What To Look Forward To
So, the obvious one to mention is Ellie Goulding who everyone seems to love at the moment. She doesn't do much for me really but I imagine by her being a solo, female artist and singing inoffensive popesque music she'll do well. The NME are banging on about The Drums who apparently sound like a modern Beach Boys. Personally they look like the biggest bunch of cunts since The Kooks. And they were massive cunts. Remember his hair? Jesus, he looked like a prick. The Drums music is also pretty dull. Like a few hyped bands from last year really. Girls and Phoenix. Went back and listened to their records. Just boring. Also listened to The Big Pink, they were just shit though.
My favourite new artist is Gold Panda who I've been loving for a couple of months. Making a kind of ambient electronica that is both unique and pleasing. Like a cake with personalised icing. From what I've listened to recently as well Surfer Blood, Joy Orbison and Egyptian Hip-Hop (Couldn't find Nifeo on Youtube, but it's worth hunting down) also are alright. To me Surfer Blood sound a bit Wezzerish, Joy Orbison is apparently "dubstep" although I know nothing about the genre really and Egyptian Hip-Hop sound like a mix of XX Teens and Late Of The Pier. Personally I think XX Teens are better than Egyptian Hip Hop. They certainly don't look as stupid. But what do I know!
Film wise there's three kinds of films to look forward to. There's some complete shit that undoubtedly people will go watch: New Twilight, New Narnia, Step Up 3D and even a new Cats and Dogs film (the ever popular franchise). There's some big hollywood releases: Prince Of Persia, Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, The A-Team and Toy Story 3. Then there's two films that will clearly be brilliant: Tron Legacy and a Red Dawn remake. Wolverines, etc. Not sure what's coming out of left-field for this year yet. Sure they'll be some gems though. Still got a few to watch from last year, namely: A Serious Man, Moon, District 9 and a few others.
Finally, game wise there's bundles and bundles of joy coming our way. A lot of it in quarter one for a change too. I hate that I just used the term "quarter one" by the way. Been reading too many articles about games it seems. Anyway, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Dante's Inferno, Aliens Vs Predator, Alan Wake, Just Cause 2 just to start with. Obviously the most interesting addition will be Natal vs Gem (as it's apparently known). We shall see. I predict Halo:Reach to be the years biggest seller. Possibly pipped by Treyarch's Call Of Duty iteration. Again, we shall see.
I shall leave you to what I look forward most this year; Newcastle United back in the Premiership. Adieu.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Left 4 Dead (NES Version)
Anyway, I saw that the game was made in a little program called Game Maker (link here) which made me wonder if I could have a go. So I downloaded it and had a go at the tutorial. Seemed simple enough. Then our internet and TV went down for about 8 hours so I felt fate was telling me to make something and make something I did. I give you Kris Akabusi's Health Munch.
Labels:
Eric Ruth,
Eurogamer,
Game Maker,
KAHM,
Kotaku,
Left 4 Dead
Gaming Tuesday (On Wednesday)
When I first got my 360 one of the immediate things that struck me was the achievement system. I'd dabbled on friend's consoles playing a bit of Halo and Pro Evo (When it used to be good :'( ..) and not really noticed it at all. As soon as I did though I became slightly obsessed with it. Then once I got Live going I realised that all my friend's scores were there to see and compete with. This encouraged me further. Further down the spiral. To the point where I stood in Blockbuster with unwashed clothes, pale dirty skin and a copy of Avatar in my shaking, sweaty palm. Well, not actually. But that sounds more poetic than just one day realising there's no real point in furthering your gamer score. That is of course until last night. I'm now ignited in a race for me to get to 50k before a friend of mine can get to 10k. Foolish you may say. Bah! Well, it probably is. But it took him the best part of 3 years to get to 5k so I'm hedging my bets on this one.
Anyway the point in that rather listless narrative endeavour is that I decided to pick up the baton and give Borderlands a thorough finishing. Which I did today. This game had bored me a little after I beasted a fair few hours into it when it first arrived. Coming back to it though, after a couple of weeks away, reignited my passion for it. Probably one of the best, if not the best, new IPs of last year. The story, as I constantly state, is cack. But the game is consistently fun and rewarding. Getting a sweet alien purple ball blasting rifle thing after defeating a rather troublesome grunt being a prime example of this. It went on to be my weapon of choice in the rather baffling final boss fight. It was a bit shit. Not Arkham Asylum boss shit. But still pretty shit. So, next on my list is the rather average Mercenaries 2. Like Just Cause before it, I find it a bit of a disappointing mess. My brother loved both games though. So I might be wrong. Anyway we'll see.
The scores currently are: Cherky 2 (5674) v Captain Fantasm (27703).
A long way to go for me then.
Anyway the point in that rather listless narrative endeavour is that I decided to pick up the baton and give Borderlands a thorough finishing. Which I did today. This game had bored me a little after I beasted a fair few hours into it when it first arrived. Coming back to it though, after a couple of weeks away, reignited my passion for it. Probably one of the best, if not the best, new IPs of last year. The story, as I constantly state, is cack. But the game is consistently fun and rewarding. Getting a sweet alien purple ball blasting rifle thing after defeating a rather troublesome grunt being a prime example of this. It went on to be my weapon of choice in the rather baffling final boss fight. It was a bit shit. Not Arkham Asylum boss shit. But still pretty shit. So, next on my list is the rather average Mercenaries 2. Like Just Cause before it, I find it a bit of a disappointing mess. My brother loved both games though. So I might be wrong. Anyway we'll see.
The scores currently are: Cherky 2 (5674) v Captain Fantasm (27703).
A long way to go for me then.
Labels:
Blockbuster,
Borderlands,
G Race 2010,
Halo 3,
Just Cause,
Mercenaries 2,
Pro Evo,
Xbox Live
Sunday, 3 January 2010
War Of The Worlds
Labels:
2012,
Dakota Fanning,
Half-Life 2,
Morgan Freeman,
Push,
Tom Cruise,
War Of The Worlds
Friday, 1 January 2010
Triffids & Arcade
So it's a new year today, a new start for all. Best get your gym equipment down at the Argos clearance sale then. My personal new years resolution would be. Hmmm. I'll get back to you on that.
In the end I did get round to watching the sparkling new BBC version of The Day Of The Triffids. The one thing I'd recommend before watching it is to get ready to get involved. Not because it's a deep and moving drama, no, because it's about people running away from plants. It literally is 28 Days Later, Homebase style. I found it very hard not to laugh when one of the opening lines was "My mother was killed by a triffid." delivered in a gruff Scottish style by Dougary Scott. It is though, good fun and well made. It almost begs the question why didn't they remake something that could be quite scary? I don't know, like The Blob? We're due a new version of that right? Anyway, good fun and Eddie Izzard needs to act more. Not in a bad way, he certainly is cut out to play more malevolent types.
Gaming wise I've finally got round to playing a few of the downloadable titles I've been meaning to get in to. Firstly, The Maw is a platformer where you lead an ever increasing in size alien around feeding him and solving puzzles. It's good fun in short bursts and most certainly worth the 400 points (crazy Microsoft and their currency) I paid for it. Secondly, Shadow Complex is like Metroid, although I imagine you already know that. It's all it ever gets compared to. But they are remarkably similar. This is a great title and really shows what can be done with the Live Arcade when some effort is put into it. I'm disappointed I left it off my top ten for this year now. Thirdly, Battlefield 1943 is another Microsoft discount lovely, aren't they kind this yuletide season. Probably because the were pre-empting the inevitable crash of Xbox Live this yuletide season. So what better way to ring in the new year than an online only FPS. It doesn't have the depth or variety of Halo or COD in my eyes but it still packs a punch. Although flying a plane is really tricky. I've successfully done a bombing run once and crash landed many more times. The final title I bought was upon Steam for a change. The title says it all really, Plants Vs Zombies. To put it simply it's PopCap. A company that are already very close to my heart thanks to Peggle. There is also promise of a song in the credits when I get there. We'll see if it tops Portal's. Oh and it's great by the way.
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