Devil May Cry 5 - Black Haired Dante Making An Appearance

Devil May Cry. Devil. May. Cry. If I was to get cryptic up in here, Devil is bad, May is a month and crying is stupid. This therefore translates into the following sentence; Bad month, stupid. Well who ever utters this sentence is deadly wrong because along with this wonderful month of August (home to my birthday) comes Gamescom and ultimately, this Devil May Cry 5 trailer. I am not stupid either! I managed to get into university, just. But I'm getting a little of topic here, my bad, now onto the trailer.  Along with its dramatic cuts to darkness, fast tempo backing track and freaking awesome gameplay snippets, it has instilled a kind of fever within me, lets call it: I'mDefinetlyGoingToGetMyHandsOnThisGame-Itis. After playing earlier games in the series, it's just common knowledge that its the common that are the bread and butter of this title and with the footage I've seen, it looks like they are keeping in line with this feature. Hell yeah. There seems to be a fanboy uproar though due to new look of Dante, he new costume and black hair seems to have the proverbial uberfans flat out refusing to except the change, even with the flash of the white haired and red coat clearly visible within the trailer. The main reason for the character change is due to the fact its a younger Dante, it's an origin story, deal with it. With the Unreal Engine 3 this title look slick as ever, and I'm sure that the English Ninja Theory developers will not disappoint. Expect its release in 2012.

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance Trailer - Warning Contains Fire Urine

'Ghost Rider' wasn't the most loved of Marvel superhero movies. It was easily the most forgettable and I don't think anybody expected a sequel to be announced and actually made, but none the less 'Ghost Rider: Ghost of Vengeance' is set for summer 2012 release. This time around things seem slightly more promising thanks to the new trailer showcasing Nicholas Cage's Johnny Blaze and his inner beast the Ghost Rider. In the volatile hands of 'Crank' directing duo Neveldine/Taylor I shall be hoping they bring out Cage's inner beast and not that emotionless zombie from the first movie.

So there's your trailer. Looked cool right? His pee was fire. It may be a bit extreme but it's definitely more like what I expect from a film about a film guy with a flaming skull head. We also see a bit of Idris Elba and he is always awesome and the role of a warrior monk seems to further this idea. I don't know about anyone else but I'm optimistic about this movie - cautiously optimistic that is.

Out next summer Ghost Rider 2 could either be another major flop for the directing pair after the abysmal 'Jonah Hex' (probably not their fault) or it could inject a much needed boost of craziness into this batsh*t stupid comic book character.

Artist of The Week - Bleached-Horizon

This is the next weekly installment of my Artist of the Week Segment!! Every week I will be showcasing some artwork that I have stumbled across, from a range of different artists from many different countries.
Bleached-Horizon
Age: 15
Location: USA
Years Drawing: 4-5 years
Favorite Anime: Shugo Chara

You can find her deviant art account here.
Thanks again Bleached-Horizon, check her out!

The Inbetweeners Movie - Bring Your Wellies

Director: Ben Palmer
Cast: Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Emily Head, Laura Haddock, Tamla Kari, Greg Davies
Plot: Will (Bird), Neil (Harrison), Simon (Thomas) and Jay (Buckley), four socially troubled eighteen-year-olds from the south of England go on holiday to Crete looking for sun, alcohol and above all sex.

There are very few good television to film transitions. It seems to be an almost impossible task to translate the same winning formula that works on the small screen onto the big one, as many have tried and failed. So the announcement of a film version of the much loved teen sitcom 'The Inbetweeners' would have troubled many - I know it did with me. The show never had the deepest of story lines and let's say cleverly constructed humour was never it's strong suit, but it always made me laugh and I'm happy to report the movie will do the very same.

'The Inbetweeners' is a very simple show. 4 teenagers, outcasts in their suburban London area, try to appear popular and actively pursue women, both of which they fail miserably at. The movie follows the exact same outline except the boys have been transported to Crete's English youth filled city of Malia - and needless to say they don't quite fit in there.

Moving the awkward foursome from London to Malia was a very smart move on the writers part because we have seen them do almost every stupid thing possible in the capital. So by placing them in a place that completely overwhelms them gives it a movie feel rather than a long episode. Once in Malia the boys encounter the tortuously hot weather, a noisy coach ride and their seemingly war torn hotel where there is 50 euro fine for sh*tting on the floor. The laughs come thick and fast in the first act where the boys discuss potential holidays and them initially trying to the insanity of Malia. 

Simon, the most "normal" one, wants the holiday to get over his break up with long time love interest Carly (Head) only to find she also happens to like Malia. Will, the posh boy, and Jay, the serial liar, meanwhile are hoping to find girls and Neil, the idiot, is... well, he's just Neil - happy. The four bump into four girls who unbelievably don't find them immediately repulsive, despite the unorthodox style they attempt charm them (it involves dancing). And herein lies the story these four morons attempts to get as, Jay so elegantly puts it, "clunge", although Simon still pines for Carly.

Gag for gag this might be the funniest film of the year so far. It surprised me in how much it was able transfer jokes from the show to film and still keep them fresh and funny enough for a feature length movie. Jay is still by far the funniest character and has all the best jokes including one involving a young Greek boy (it might be a weird as it sounds). Neil, who I usually find quite one note, also has many funny lines and is just so naive that you have to love him. Neil is kept somewhat less prominent in terms of story because of the nature of his character, which is another smart move

The other three arguably have more to do as Simon, Jay and Will each have their own problems to overcome, which is devoted more screen time. Simon does his usual wide eyed face whenever he sees Carly and inevitably makes me laugh while Will does neurotic which somehow attracts Laura Haddock's Alison. I feel Will was the only weak point of the four. There is something about Simon Bird's performance that can really annoy me. While he certainly has many laughs I just enjoyed his subplot so much less than the others, but I always felt that way about him in the show as well.


There are also periods where there are very little jokes to speak of which is very noticeable only because of how many laughs there were in other sections. This could be seen as nitpicking but it stands out when certain jokes fall flat, many of which come in the middle section in the build up to the boat party finale. The "villain" of the film, club rep James, is also a bit much and is just so much of a d*ck that he becomes dull and uninteresting, although he is a very small part of the film.


'The Inbetweeners' is a very surprising success. As such a fan of the TV show I was relieved at how good the film actually was and how successfully they translated the humour to the big screen. It might not be clever, it's brash, it's sweary and a hell of lot more graphic than the show, but it is absolutely hilarious and it may also catch you out with a few more dramatic moments. For fans it's a must see but for the unaffiliated I would knock a star off. 

Rating:

Sucker Punch - Women Fight Dragons And Nazis Yet I'm Bored

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Scott Glenn, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm
Plot: Babydoll (Browning) is a young girl who is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. By retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the mental facility.


Zack Snyder likes his visuals, in fact he likes his visuals so much he made an entire movie completely centred around them and that film is 'Sucker Punch'. Yes, the director of the upcoming 'Superman: Man of Steel earlier this year with this teenager boy fantasy film that was supposed to have exhilarating effects, sexy ladies shooting guns, steam powered Nazis, an insane asylum and dragons. There is only one problem they don't quite all fit together and a lot if doesn't make sense.


Snyder is excellent at visual film making, but more often than not his films don't have much heart or soul - they are usually quite cold. Stupid is a word that springs to mind with Snyder's films, '300' certainly was and a great majority of 'Sucker Punch' unfortunately falls under that category as well. After 'Watchmen' (which I really enjoyed) I thought he would be able to follow it up with a fantastic action movie - but during the film I was majorly disappointed and above all bored


The opening was very promising as we see a glimpse of Snyder at his best using just visuals to set up the story with Babydoll (Browning) accidentally killing her sister in an attempt to save her from their evil step father. This leads to him putting Babydoll in an insane asylum where she will be lobotomised. Up to this point the movie was simple to understand and thoroughly enjoyable, but then something strange happens. Suddenly we go inside Babydoll's brain as just she is about to be lobotomised and we are transported to a burlesque bar where all the occupants of the asylum are workers there. It is initially very jarring but it intrigued me.


We then stay in this fantasy world with Babydoll and fellow patients Sweet Pea (Cornish), Rocket (Malone), Blondie (Hudgens) and Amber (Chung) who hatch a plan to escape the clutches of sinister owner Blue (Isaac). It should be as simple as that, but Snyder adds in more fantasy worlds every time Babydoll does a dance that is so seductive that everyone becomes distracted, allowing the other girls to further the escape plan. It is slightly confusing and feels completely unnecessary, as it almost stops the movie dead when for no apparent reason we go inside Babydoll's brain again but this time a place where she meets the Wise Man (Glenn) who tells her what she must do to escape. He says they need a map, fire, a knife, a key and a mystery. She says "OK" then fights big monster ninjas with machine guns for no reason other than it looks cool.


This stupid dance fantasy thing is what completely destroys the movie as it seems Snyder just wanted a way of cramming as much crap onto the screen as possible as he throws dragons, undead Nazis, scantily clad women and explosions at you. Normally I wouldn't complain but it makes no sense and there is no danger inside these worlds because it is just fantasy. The real danger is in the burlesque bar where things make much more sense and there is more direction. In the dragon world and WWI world there is no threat to the characters because what they are doing doesn't hurt them until the writers decide "Oh yeah, something needs to happen to the girls that actually effects them, so we will make this hurt them but another thing have no effect".


I'm sure just this review is confusing because it is hard to translate what happens into a comprehensible description. It's just so damn stupid.If it stuck to one fantasy level (i.e. the burlesque bar) and got rid of the dragons it would have been so much of more an enjoyable experience, but instead it's a world with no consequence where things just happen. The action is cool but it doesn't mean anything when you are supposed to care about these characters but you quite simply don't because it is just so ridiculous.


I hate to complain about this movie so much because I did enjoy parts of it. Most of the performances were pretty terrible (Browning, Chung and especially Hudgens), but Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone were good as sisters determined to stick together and Oscar Isaac hams it up as the girls evil boss making a very despicable villain. Also as previously mentioned the visuals are stunning, if meaningless at times and it has an absolutely fantastic soundtrack with covers of 'Sweet Dreams', 'Where is My Mind?' and 'Search and Destroy' being stand outs. The soundtrack might be my favourite thing about 'Sucker Punch'.


The ending was quite a good resolution to what was at times a torturous experience as Snyder reveals why the film is called 'Sucker Punch' which isn't quite as clever as he thinks it is, but none the less a satisfying conclusion to an otherwise unsatisfying movie.

All in all 'Sucker Punch' from my point of view at least has be seen as a failure. Snyder clearly had so many ideas swimming around in his head that he tried to cram them all into one film and it unfortunately didn't work, for me at least. He has to admired however for trying something new and different, it's just a shame it wasn't crafted in a more measured way.I can't recommend 'Sucker Punch' because it is just mind numbingly awful in parts, but it is certainly unique and who knows there may be an underlying meaning we are yet to discover. The next 'Vertigo' maybe?

Rating:

Lollipop Chainsaw - Cheerleader. Chainsaw. Zombies.

Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lolly lolly, lollipop. The title Lollipop Chainsaw comes from the dark and twisted imagination of Suda 51, the man behind the No More Heroes series, and more recently Shadows of the Damned, and I can honestly say it looks absolutely badass. Think cuteness and rainbows meets Dead Rising and you may have an idea of what this title is going to have to offer. You will take the role of star cheerleader, Juliet starling to take on hoards of zombies in now the zombie infested San Romero high school. You main weapon of choice seems to be your trusty blood thirsty chainsaw, which also has a severed head attached to it ..... which is also your boyfriend. Strange. Cut down zombie, earn upgrades and attempt to take on the zombie rock and roll lords. You can get your hands on the stylish action of Lollipop Chainsaw sometime in 2012, get your Poms Poms at the ready.

Borderlands 2 - Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions

The next effort from 2K Games and Gearbox Software in the Borderlands franchise, has now been officially released in the form of Borderlands 2. With the first title, Borderlands, selling over 4.5 Million units worldwide, there will be a mass fan base already eagerly waiting with controllers in one hand and a wad of money in the other to tackle the next role playing shooter installment. Not too much information has been released so far, but there seems to be a whole new cast of characters with ones from the previous title possibly making an appearance as NPCs. Borderlands 2 also boasts all new skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment. Get ready to venture across Pandora with the dual wielding maniac of a lead character that is shown within the trailer in sometime in 2012.

You can Pre Order the game here.

Mike Myers Signs On For 'Austin Powers 4' - "Yeah Baby!"....Maybe?

Yes it is true Mike Myers is bringing back Austin Powers. For better or for worst his most profitable comedy creation will be returning to our screens at some point in the not too distant future. Surprised? Yes? No? Well looking at Myers recent track you shouldn't be - 'The Love Guru' anyone?

I enjoy the 'Austin Powers' films - they are so much fun and endlessly quotable. They may not be that clever, but they have never failed to make me laugh - even 'Goldmember' the worst out the three is still enjoyable because there is the "the long, hard and full of seamen" joke which is just hilarious and there can be no debate about otherwise.

What worries me about this proposed fourth film is that Myers is clearly desperate to get his live action film career going again and that might mean certain things like quality can be diminished. Maybe quality is something someone wouldn't usually associate with Austin Powers, but this could turn into an absolute bomb if it is blatantly an attempt at a cash grab.

Hopefully there will be plently of Dr.Evil who is easily the funniest character from the series (there were even rumblings of spin off for him), but so far no plot details have emerged only the news that Myers is involved. One can only hope Myers best intentions are present in this film because no one wants Austin Powers to turn into his other cash cow 'Shrek' which should be all but dead.

That's this news story in a chestnut and there is no word on whether there will be frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads....yet.

Paul - That Alien Looks Familiar

Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, John Carroll Lynch, Sigourney Weaver
Plot: Clive (Frost) and Graeme (Pegg) are two nerds travelling across America in an RV taking in the sights when they come across an alien called Paul (Rogen). He is eager to get home and is being endlessly pursued by Agent Zoil (Bateman).

Paul is an alien. A pretty common looking alien. In fact you might describe him as the original alien. His personality however isn't what you'd typically associate with the child friendly 'E.T'. He smokes, he drinks, he swears and most importantly he is hilarious. With Nick Frost and Simon Pegg on as writers and the director of teen comedy classic 'Superbad' Greg Mottola helming chances are 'Paul' ,both the character and film, were going to be smart and funny.

Judging by the trailer I thought this film was going to be just 'Star Wars' references and toilet humour, but after watching 'Paul' I realised it is so much more than that. While those two elements are present the core to the film is the relationship between Pegg's Graeme, Frost's Clive and Paul voiced by Seth Rogen.It's what drives the story and the chemistry between the three is fantastic, so I don't know why I ever doubted the duo that helped bring two of my favourite comedies ever in 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' to fruition could deliver for a third time.

Paul is of course the star of the show and Pegg and Frost have created a comedy star for the ages in world savvy alien. Rogen does an incredible job of transferring that everyman charm  from 'Knocked Up' and 'Funny People' to a CGI character just by using his voice. Paul is an incredibly likable character and is completely aware of popular culture and the world around him - more so than most humans. The voice at first is slightly jarring however because what first springs to mind is "Hey that's Seth Rogen", but as the movie progresses he becomes an actual character rather than a Seth Rogen voiced alien. The CG used to create Paul is amazing as well because although he doesn't look completely realistic like say Gollum or King Kong did, he fits in with the tone of the film and when the personality is more important than the look it doesn't matter as much.

The humour in 'Paul' is absolutely brilliant and almost tailored made for me. I can't think of a film in the last few years that had me laughing as much as 'Paul' did. The comedy ranges from light hearted to swear filled put downs; especially from Kristen Wiig's love interest Ruth. This is yet another film where Wiig shows great comedic ability playing two sides to the same character; the first being a Bible crazed Christian and the other being a a school girl like woman eager to swear, drink and make a move on the smitten Graeme.

Pegg and Frost do of course have fantastic chemistry and effortlessly show a great bond between the aspiring writer Clive and artist Graeme. Seeing these two guys that have obviously fantasized about meeting an alien and then actually getting to meet one is fantastic to watch. The two react very differently to the arrival of their new travelling companion. Graeme is quite taken by Paul and almost instantly connects with him (after the initial probing worry) while Clive feels the extra terrestrial is ruining the trip they always dreamed of taking together. Clive's reaction doesn't feel totally natural because I mean come on there is an alien riding with you look a little excited, but his doubts soon pass and the fun returns - thankfully.

This is what works about 'Paul' - it is just so much fun. There are a couple of slower moments along the way as Clive, Graeme and Ruth (who comes along for the ride) try to help Paul return home. There must be someone trying to prevent this however and it comes in the form of Jason Bateman's Agent Zoil and his two backup agents played by Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio. Bateman is again on top form playing a character with a slightly meaner edge than we have seen before while Hader and Lo Truglio are funny as the idiotic duo who don't actually know what they are chasing after.

Unlike Pegg and Frost's two previous films however there isn't quite as much heart. There is definitely a connection to the characters and you want to see Paul make it home but there is much more of a focus on the comedy - which is fine but doesn't make it a true juggernaut to rival the near perfect 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz'. The ending could have been more emotional, but there doesn't seem to have been as much intention to make a similar emotional impact to ending of those films, so perhaps it is unfair to evoke comparison to them.

I really enjoyed 'Paul'; it isn't just crammed full of pointless geek references like a feared they are seamlessly integrated into the dialogue and story, therefore working perfectly. The characters are extremely likable and funny with Paul being the obvious standout. There are also two fantastic cameos that I haven't mentioned, so as to not spoil them. 'Paul' is just a great comedy that will keep you laughing and laughing till the end credits. And there is a great "three tits" gag, which for that alone makes it worth seeing - they are hard to come by these days.

Rating:

Artist of The Week - ParanoidNoodle

This is the next weekly installment of my Artist of the Week Segment!! Every week I will be showcasing some artwork that I have stumbled across, from a range of different artists from many different countries.
ParanoidNoodle
Age: 18
Years drawing: About 8 years
Location: Switzerland
Favorite Anime: Blade of the Immortal, Übel Blatt

You can find her deviant art account here.
Thanks again ParanoidNoodle, check her out!

Boardwalk Empire Season 2 Teaser - Nucky Is In Trouble

The hit HBO show 'Boardwalk Empire' is set prohibition era Atlantic City follows Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) who unofficially runs the city and the the benefits and troubles of his powerful position . Season 2 comes round next month and HBO have released a teaser showing what might be in store for Nucky in the coming episodes with his competitors beginning to surround him.

'Boardwalk Empire' in my opinion wasn't quite the masterpiece many proclaimed it to be. Season 1 certainly had its moments and some truly fascinating characters but I never fell in love with it like I did with 'Deadwood', 'Mad Men' or 'Breaking Bad'. It did just enough to keep me watching but at time it was horribly slow and there seemed to be very little conflict, that is until the final few episodes which raised the tension and were absolutely brilliant. But with Martin Scorsese and 'Sopranos' writer Terence Winter involved again season 2 promises to be much more interesting with the trailer perhaps being a premonition of things to come.

Hopefully there will be more time dedicated to Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) and Al Capone (Stephen Graham) who were the more intriguing characters because as much as liked Steve Buscemi's performance as Nucky he didn't really have many problems outside of widow Margaret Schroeder (Kelly MacDonald). More Michael K.Williams would also be appreciated as he was Omar from 'The Wire' and that's just awesome.

'Boardwalk Empire' returns September 25th in US and sometime October for the UK. Anyone not watching needs to start because this season promises to be good.

Limitless - Bradley Cooper Takes Drug, Makes Money, I Snooze

Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Tomas Arana
Plot: Writer Eddie Mora (Cooper) discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities. After making considerable ground in the stock market he is asked to work for powerful businessman Carl Van Loon (De Niro), but the drug begins to have a strange effect on him.

A drug that let's you use 100% of your brain. Wow. The endless possibilities or is it 'Limitless'? Apparently not because there was definitely a limit on how much fun I had watching this. There was significant buzz surrounding this film on its release and with a unique plot and interesting style it seemed justified. However there was something about this film that just didn't quite connect with me.

I was under the impression that 'Limitless' would be a cool stylish thriller and while it was certainly stylish it wasn't quite as cool as it thought it was. The main problem for me was that underneath the all the flashy camera tricks there wasn't really anything there. Neil Burger has a certain style that works brilliantly on a purely visual level with many sequences looking absolutely fantastic and at times they do actually further the story, but when the story is a deeply uninteresting one it doesn't really matter.

So Eddie Mora gets a drug called NXT that enhances the usage of his brain to genius levels and what does he do - get involved in the stock market. Zzzzzzzzzz. These were by far the dullest and least interesting scenes as we are watching Bradley Cooper do errrrrm well something to do with stocks - the movie never really says what. But I suppose all that matters is that he makes millions and is picked up by Carl Van Loon and his business. This is where I thought the film would pick up but nope there was then some more business jargon about merger or energy or some other big corporation. To be honest this film was sending me to sleep in these scenes and I simply didn't care.

What could have been more interesting were two murder mysteries that Eddie becomes embroiled in, but no they are barley touched upon. The first murder, which Eddie reports, is hardly mentioned after it happens with the detective asking him one question and then the second murder isn't brought up again and I'm sure it was left unresolved, but I can't be certain. These should have been explored so much more and would have upped the stakes considerably more than will Cooper be able to help De Niro merge his company. Of course this isn't the main plot, but it is a major part and takes up considerable time which moves soooooo slowly.

This middle act of this film is so slow and bogged down with boring financial talk that I was praying that it would pick up at the end and to a certain extent it did. When Eddie is pursued by mafia loan shark Gennady (Howard) that demands NXT off him after getting a taste himself there is a definite raise in stakes because he is scary and serious threat and one that gives a much needed boost to the film. The resolution to the movie is something of an anti-climax and doesn't feel particularly eventful taking into account the intense sequences that came before it.

'Limitless' was very much a mixed bag for me as there are elements that I really enjoyed. Burger's camerawork in many sequences like Cooper's brain fast forwarding and skitting through New York which is an incredible scene and I loved Mora remembering Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali's fighting style and then replicating it when he is being mugged. Cooper himself is a likable lead and De Niro classes up the scenes he is in. Abbie Cornish as Mora's ex-girlfriend is given little to do bar one chase scene, but does well in a small role. And it wasn't so much the personalities of the characters I disliked, but more what they were doing which at times was just dull.

When someone has the brain power to do anything they want I want to see something cool and exciting, not 'Wall Street 3'. A few scenes where Mora drives a Maserati round sun soaked European roads and gets any girl he wants are glimpses of this and it feels like a James Bond film. I wanted more of that not New York offices. Some camera shots from Mora's point of view are actually really exhilarating as we see the pace at which his mind is working. His apartment raining letters and changing into a trading board are also quite cool special effect scenes that come when Mora first tries NXT.

'Limitless' just wasn't for me. This review may sound like I'm complaining that they didn't make the film I wanted to see because in a way I am. I feel it was a missed opportunity to do something more memorable because with a title 'Limitless' I was expecting him to accomplish things slightly more interesting and something Charlie Sheen didn't do in 'Wall Street'. I'm sure this film has it fans but I'm slightly disappointed that I'm not one of them.

Rating:



What is Wrong With the World?

Well, with the recent events going on it's given me a lovely chance to have a nice rant about life and things in general. And in the firing line in this edition of me ripping the piss out of something is :

Swagger Jagger being number 1 and The UK Riots, Personally I think they may be connected.

So, Where to start. Well, This week we saw the scum of the UK plastered all over the TV and Radio. Yes! Cher/Shit Lloyd has managed to bag itself a number one. What is wrong with the UK public! I have previously discuss my pure hatred for this disgrace for this noise (It's not allowed the classification of song) yet the retarded people that now buy the music that makes up the majority of chart music 99% of which is all  repetitive,boring crap have propeled Lloyd's disgrace to godlike status and dizzying heights for the train-wreck of a song and artist involved. Now if it had charted at a deserved position of about 38 then fair enough that was to be expected due to the type of audience she attracts (They're currently out on the streets rioting) that wouldn't be too bad but now with Lloyd getting the  number one spot we the knowledgeable people who listen to decent music will be forced to put up with the girl all over our TVs, papers and radios. Godhelp us no wander people want to Riot. Which leads me onto my next point.

As you all know the UK is currently in a state. Simple as that. All because a few chavs have felt the need to jump onto what began as a peaceful protest about the death of a man shot dead by police. One thing is clear and needs to be confirmed. The people currently roaming the streets and looting our shops are not protesting about anything. Too often are so called experts or youth workers are appearing on Sky News claiming that this is all a fightback about the cuts and rise in finances. This is Bollocks. Pure and simple, chances are that many of the delinquents have no intention of going to higher education let alone be protesting about the cuts if any of them knew about them. These are just people willing to take a chance to get some free loot and unfortunatly many are getting away with it due to the laxness of the police. Now don't get me wrong, the police have done brilliantly with the tasks facing them with many working non-stop for numerous hours but I personally feel that a more forceful approach needs to be taken. After the promise of 'robust' policing there wasn't that much difference from the tactics that had been used the previous night. Let us hope for the safety of our cities and the other chains of Foot Asylum and suprisingly Carpet Right that these police can step it up and step out the scum invading our city.

RANT OVER!

Album Review - Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Arcade Fire appear to be music's very own version of Marmite. You either love them or hate them or in many circumstances the reply you will get is "Arcade Who?" Following the Montreal Based band winning Album of the Year at the Grammys, it was met with online disapproval with people not knowing who they are. Quite simply this shocks me as The Suburbs was number one in both the UK and US charts.

The Suburbs is the bands third album and for me is my personal favorite of the lot. The Suburbs has no stand out vocal point such as Funeral's 'Wake up' and 'Rebellion' or Neon Bible's 'Keep the Car Running' and 'No Cars Go'

The Suburbs rightly begins with a song of the same name. The song rightly starts with the ongoing themes of what would be expected in suburban life that weaves itself throughout the album. 'Ready to Start' explodes with lyrics portraying disappointment and anguish balanced with an air of triumph thrown in for good measure. The first two songs set the scene for what is to follow and without a doubt are two of the best songs on the album. 'Modern Man' brings a more relaxed feel from Ready to start and gently caresses the listener. 'Rococo' is a seeming live anthem with it's booming chorus and explosion from a relatively relaxed start. This is Arcade Fire at their grandiose best pounding drums and catchy chorus. 'Half Light'  is the first of two, two part songs on the album. Part one takes the more soft approach and easy on the ears with the main portion of the singing being done by Regine (Arcade Fire's second vocalist and Lead singer Win's wife.) Part two offers more guitars and vocals by Win. 'Month of May' returns to the upbeat tempo from 'Ready to Start' and is the main frantic song in The Suburbs. Both 'Wasted Hours' and 'Deep Blue' gives the listener a more gentle break before the album picks up again with the brilliant 'We Used To Wait' The plinking pianos begin this song and continue throughout the song with Win lamenting about writing letters to a true love and waiting for a reply. This song is one of the gems that gets uncovered as the album continues and rightly is the song used for the interactive experiment 'The Wilderness Downtown' (Link Below). The penultimate songs are Sprawl I & II the first being a gentle piano song with the latter being a synth filled poppy tune being sang by Regine. The Album ends where it began with Win and Regine singing acapella the chorus of Suburbs.

All in all The Suburbs is a brilliant album no two ways about it. Sure there are some filler songs but even these remain at a consistantly high standards. No doubt about it, Arcade Fire are getting better, there are not many bands who can consistantly make brilliant albums one after the other. Arcade Fire are doing this and with The Suburbs they are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

London Riots Spread - Country Full of Sheep

England is in an absolute state right now. I always thought as a country on the whole, even with its downsides like bad weather (why so much rain!) and the occasional drunken idiot hanging about here or there, that we were decent. With scenes that have been going up and down the country, it kind of makes me sick of tired of people who just ruin our reputation. We already have the stigma attached to us when we Brits go abroad that we are loud, beer guzzling, and plain stupid yobs. This view is only going to worsen as news spreads around the world about the anarchy allot of people are bring to our streets and town centres. I was clinging on to a shred of hope that at least we Mancunians (people from Manchester for you who don't now) will not copy cat behaviour like those in Birmingham and Liverpool. That shred of hope was set on fire and turned to ash much like 'Miss Selfridge' and the 'Salford Precinct' was earlier today.

Seriously, what is wrong with society today? One catalyst in the form of the shooting of a black male by police in Tottenham, and the riot that then ensued by people protesting over said death, have given idiots across the country to riot and loot just because they can. Do you know what the majority of these people can't do? Contribute to society in anyway shape or form, they instead to choose destruction. What also sickens me is the age range of these looters, High School kids kicking in shop windows, attacking police and setting cars alight even with some of their parents egging them on. What great role models some people's parents are in this country. It's sad that the amounts of morals they have are probably the same amount of GCSE's they have. It seems thug behaviour is hereditary nowadays with thugs becoming parents and their children coming out exactly the same, it’s an endless cycle.

People may say society doesn't do enough for these people who feel so hard done by the 'system' that they must loot goods to make themselves feel better. Yes we are in an economic climate where jobs are harder to come by, buts that is no excuse for laziness and resorting to the dole without out any intent in find work. I honestly can't comprehend what must be going through these rioter's heads. How can you destroy and burn your own town to cinders? Independent businesses are going to suffer immensely from all the destruction, how is that fair? They pay taxes, which I bet most of these rioters don't, which are going to pay for the damage that has been caused throughout the country.

I saw one video where a young lad was slumped on the floor with blood pouring from his nose. My hope in humanity was slightly restored as two males went to help him up. Then they started to casually root through his bag that was on his back and take the contents. All I could think is 'Are you KIDDING me!?' People honestly make me sick, and one thing that I can say is that there is going to be a backlash on the Black community. After going through countless videos, a common theme was expressed in the comments throughout, how it only seemed to be BLACK people looting and rioting and how all of this was a BLACK man's fault. Seeing people divided by race is inevitable, and in some footage there were black people, but also many people of other races.

Racial profiling is going to be ever more present in society in the near future. All this has done is given racists and ignorant elitists the opportunity to have more hate towards blacks and Asians. Being a mixed race male (white and black Caribbean) I've not got allot of stick for my colour, I hang around with the right people and don't go near trouble, but I have had it when I used to play Sunday league football. On one occasion, with there being a few black males on my team, we were called 'monkeys' and monkey noises were made at us. Trust me that would get you mad, but do I hate a whole race for it? No, I'm not an idiot. I don't group together a whole race of people and have a set assumption of them. I get heckled every now and then, manly due to the fact that I have an afro, which in my opinion is absolutely ridiculous, if more prejudice comes the way of the black community because of a select amount of thugs and idiots, its going to make racial segregation more prominent and will breed more hate.

Why are these kids who think they are 'men' out torching and looting? Where are their parents? Why are they seemingly being aloud to do this? These are some of the question I and many over people we have. Well, David Cameron cut his holiday short, must have been an inconvenience to him, let’s see what he can do about it. My guess? Very little. The police should have it under control soon enough, but it’s too late for Manchester Arndale. They looted Foot Asylum understandably for shoes, but why did they have to touch Dawson and Afflecks? Idiots.

Black God, Volume 1 - Everyone's Three of a Kind

I got this title as a gift a while back, and seriously, I was more than grateful. Black God is a manga series written by Korean Dall-Young Lim and drawn by Korean Sung-Woo Park. With the whole team also being Korean, they show a humorous side towards the fact that none of them can speak Japanese in the omake sections towards the end of the manga. Along with the glossy cover depicting main character Kuro and her dog, and the 4 pages of full colour in the opening, these little touches just help the reading experience. First impressions mean allot, and this group of Korean Mangakas have got it down to a T, making it a definite attention grabber among the manga pile.

The four page, full colour opening proclaim the ignorance and foolishness of humans in an almost chant like manner in the dialog and their natural enemy is proclaimed in the form of the 'Mototsumitama!', as the main character Kuro strolls down a well drawn (well referenced) Tokyo City street. A daunting tag line accompanies the next page, 'Puny humans, accept the fate you are given' as an unfortunate meeting results in death.

The plot begins and we are introduced to programmer Keita Ibuki, who is referred to immediately as an otaku by childhood friend and current financer Akane Sano. Later that day, high on life and alcohol, he stumbles across the stray Kuro as he sits down to his addiction, a bowl of ramen at a ramen stand. Little does he know after giving his bowl to the cute vagabond Kuro, his is about to be missing a limb and introduced into the world of Doppeliners (Doppelgangers to you and me) and the Mototsumitama. After waking up from a women filled dream turned nightmare, with arm intact, Keita confronts the stray attacking the lettuce in his fridge and we get to see his personality. He is pretty brutal. He begins launching whatever he can get is hands on at Kuro-Kun, only to be stopped when Akane appears in his apartment. I mean, c'mon, see just saved your life! Even if she technically endangered him in the first place, by being near him ... never the less, she meant well. Blinded by anger, Keita fails to notice Akane's feelings for him, shown by her excitement by the possibility to stay over in his room to help keep an eye on the powerful, but somewhat sweetly innocent Kuro.

After an explanation of her powers, Dopeliners and how she switched her arm with Keita's making it vital that they stay close to one another so that it can fully fuse, Kuro with a murderous intensity not seen before, declares that she is here to kill the strongest Motosumitama. I don't, there's always a confrontation when food is involved, as Kuro and Akane are ambushed by members of the Shishigami on route to grabbing a bite to eat. Just let the poor girl have some food! A brawl breaks out and with the power of her and Keita's synchronization; she destroys the underlings and faces of against the head of the family in the main event. It's his invisible exceed against Kuro and her unusual boxing style. With people to protect, there can only be one winner in the end.

After the page heavy fight scene (Which I love!), and a panel of some eye candy in the form of Akane, the story delves into a sub plot of Kuro's past, where she learns how to box by an ex pro, Ginji, who marks her clothing taste as 'something an exhibitionist would wear'. Kuro first spotted Ginji at his job, almost a side show act, where people pay for 5 minutes for 'Best stress relief!! Please punch me with all you got!!' as his sign states. Along with a sick sister needing money for hospital bills, you can’t help but feel for down on his look Ginji, especially when the arrogant and cocky boxer Iwata makes an appearance at Ginji's 'job'. With Iwata putting a massive amount of Yen up for grabs, Ginji cant lose, and with an acquaintance like Kuro that dream is made a reality as she steps in to take the place of a battered and bruised Ginji.

One thing that I loved about this volume is the fight scenes! They plot is developed so well, in a short amount of time that allows for a major amount of fight scenes taking up the pages, which when they are drawn so well, can only lead to good things. Everything is drawn so god damn well, from shading to design, everything seems to pop and is quite frankly flawless. The team behind Black God really did their Tokyo related research, with all settings and locations feeling authentic. Along with the stunningly designed character that is Kuro, the Korean tag team have brought an amazing title into my grasp and I can't wait till I get hold of the other volumes.

ThisCastleCanMove Rating:



Crank - It's Like 'Speed', But Jason Statham Instead Of A Bus

Directors: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Efren Ramirez, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Dwight Yoakam, Carlos Sanz, Keone Yeong
Plot: Professional assassin Chev Chelios (Statham) learns that small time gangster Ricky Verona (Cantillo) has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.

'Crank' has one of the great simple action movie gimmicks; a guy's heart is poisoned and can't stop moving or he'll die. It's essentially 'Speed' but with a man instead of a bus. I do love stupid action films that have one plot point that drives the movie; 'Die Hard's' terrorists in a tower, 'Con Air's' convicts on a plane and 'Predator's' hunter in the jungle. All these are classic action movie "non-plots" and I think 'Crank' may join the ranks of these greats.

'Crank' is one of those movies that should just be terrible, yet somehow it isn't. Many movies like 'Smokin Aces' and 'Sucker Punch' have tried to be stupid, stylish acton flicks but have failed because it was either not crazy enough or had no charm. Luckily 'Crank' is both insane and has a strange ugly charm to it that lets it surpass those that tried hard (perhaps too hard) to be an action classic.

Jason Statham plays poisoned hitman Chev Chelios (maybe the best character name ever) and is absolutely perfect for the role. Statham has all but mastered the funny tough guy and although he has pretty much played the same character since 'Snatch' he is still great to watch. Chelios does some pretty horrible things in 'Crank' so it is fortunate he has such charm and is actually quite likable despite being a ruthless killer. This is what Statham brings to the role and he alone drives the movie through all its absurd happenings.

Absurd is a word that could be used to describe much of 'Crank', but it absurd in such a fun way. While it is overly violent at times it fits into the hugely unrealistic Los Angeles directors Neveldine and Taylor have created. This is an L.A. where shouting "Al-Qaeda" at someone causes old women to jump on them and where Haitian cab drivers carry adrenaline inducing drugs in their gloveboxes. It's far fetched to say the least. It has been called by many critics to be the best videogame movie ever - even though it's not based on one.

There is certainly a 'GTA' theme running through the film as Chelios goes on a day long rampage encountering very little police, engaging in several shooting, car chases and in one scene public sex. The characters also feel cartoonish. The antagonist Ricky Verona is so over the top that he becomes dull, he shouts, he thumps, he swears but it just amounts to a boring villain that is there for Chelios to insult until the time comes for him to die. Almost every supporting character is just ridiculous or a racial stereotype but again it works in the movie's favour as they fit into the hyperstylised stupid world created. It has stupid rules and it sticks to them by being stupid.

A lot of credit has to be given to the directing duo of Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine as they give this movie its endless amounts of energy and its unique style. After a quick 5 minute scene that sets up the plot the action just doesn't stop, as Statham runs out of his apartment in search for Verona. The camera follows Chelios round in a manic fashion shaking and moving as if the cameraman was involved in a chase himself, which gives the movie an incredible pace. The action sequences are also fantastic with car chases, shootouts and punch ups from the get go.

While some attempts at slow moments don't work at all because they seem forced and unneccassary as although Chelios can't be completely heartless I didn't feel the need for the action to stop to have scene with girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart). Smart is Ok, if slightly annoying as the volatile, spunky girlfriend and is involved in some of the funniest scenes including a ludicrous sequence in which Chelios has sex with her on the street - in front of schoolbus full of Chinese girls. Yep this movie is insane.

As previously mentioned the villain is nothing more than a target for Chelios and is hardly memorable at all. Jose Pablo Cantillo is pretty terrible as Verona and couldn't be any more cliched if he tried. Whether that is the fault of the script, the actor or both is debatable, but regardless he doesn't make for a good villain. The script is mostly funny if a bit generic at times, but Statham is always humorous in his delivery and is especially good at saying "F*CK" every other line.

'Crank' certainly isn't for everyone. It's brash, it's loud, it's violent and stupid, but it's a whole lot of fun. Statham is great as Chev Chelios and while other than him there aren't really many good performances or characters, this is the Statham show. With the help of his directors 'Crank' made into an action classic that will be unlike anything you have seen. Just mental.

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Bleach: Hell Chapter - Let The Gates of Hell Open

The fourth installment in the Bleach movie franchise sees the gates of hell rise from the fiery depths and appear in Karakura Town. Whenever strange things go down in Karakura town, we all know, Ichigo 'Stawberry' Kurosaki will be involved somehow and this time it's personal. As the escapees of hell known as 'Unforgiven' and lead by Shuren abduct Ichigo's sister Yuzu, you'd expect him to get involved, right?

The early saviour comes in the form of Kokutō, the 'Unoforgiven' that saves Karin from abduction. Now, that was nice of him. The ever persuasive Kokutō then convinces the soul reaper crew to a showdown in the fiery pits of hell. Along with death, deception and betrayal this title will surely hit a high note among Bleach fans, and general animation fans (Movies are always nicely animated).

One of over 10 trailers released for this title can be viewed above, with the movie already shown to Japanese cinema audiences in December last year, and its dvd released due August 25th, 2011. No news about a UK release date yet, watch this space.

Anonymous Trailer - Shakespeare Didn't Write MacBeth...Rhys Ifans Did

Roland Emmerich the director of 'Independence Day', 'The Day After Tomrrow' and '2012' is man that likes natural disasters and explosions. So it is nice to see he is changing things up a bit with his latest flick 'Anonymous', which asks the question did Shakespeare write all his plays or what it in fact the Earl of Oxford Edward De Vere. Starring Rhys Ifans as the Earl and co-starring David Thewlis and Vanessa Redgraves - check out the trailer.

I don't know much about this "fraudster Shakespeare" theory but I'm almost certain Emmerich isn't the man to advance it or bring a logical argument to the screen. He's the kind of guy that will loosley base it on shred of evidence and have Shakespeare get into a sword fight at the end. I hope this won't be marketed as historically accurate because let's face it can't and won't be, but it will be interesting to see if Emmerich can tell a story for a change.

Anonymous is out on October 28th in the UK.

Rango - Your Typical Western, But With Added Lizards

Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty, Timothy Olyphant
Plot: Rango (Depp) is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a supply of water and ideally for Rango a new sheriff.

Gore Verbinski has a habit of making films that just pass me by without notice. 'Mousehunt', 'The Mexican' and 'The Weatherman' are three of these films and his most recent movie 'Rango' very nearly joined them. His other movies are part of a little known franchise called 'Pirates of the Caribbean' starring Rango himself Johnny Depp. It seems however because of the 'Pirates' trilogy Verbinski was allowed to do whatever he wanted with his animated western because lets just say it's slightly off the wall.

The Johnny Depp factor is one the main reasons I didn't see this film straight away (he is getting tiresome), but I am very glad I eventually saw 'Rango' because this is not your typical children's animation film. Starting off acting a bad stage production in his glass box, Rango is flung from his owner's car and onto the windscreen of none other than Hunter S. Thompson's convertible. This gag sets the tone for the movie. This is what made 'Rango' so enjoyable for me personally in that there were jokes and references to films adults would laugh at rather than just having a Johnny Depp lizard acting like an idiot.

That's not to say Rango isn't an idiot because he most certainly is. After falling from his owner's car and stumbling across the lawless desert town Dirt, Rango thinks it would be an ideal place to continue his acting - as a legendary gunslinger. While the character Rango could seem like just a stupid moron (which he is) he has a certain charm that makes him an extremely likable character. There are few that would think pretending to be a cold blooded killer in a frightening Western town would be a good idea, but you get the impression from the opening scenes that Rango has had a somewhat stale life in his glass container.

As for the town Dirt it is a classically Western except it is inhabited with a variety of desert animals and they are all fascinating creations. The level of detail and design that had gone into the animals is truly remarkable with each looking like that specific animal, but with a Western twist. Just on a purely visual level the characters are great but luckily they are funny as well. From it's title hero and love interest Beans (Fisher) to the town's mayor Lynch (Beatty) and terrifying villain Rattlesnake Jake (Nighy) 'Rango' has so many beautifully designed and interesting characters that I found it hard not to love this film at times.

The film felt like an adult Western turned into a children's animated movie and it works perfectly. All the tropes from classic Westerns are brought in but with a different spin that adults will appreciate. References to films like 'Chinatown' (the plot is taken straight from Polanski's classic), Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns and 'Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas' will please older members of the audience while there is more than enough harmless fun to keep younger viewers entertained.

There are several superb action sequences throughout Rango with my favourite coming near the beginning where Rango desperately tries to evade an oncoming hawk. While there are several sequences that might be lost on children; a scene with the Spirit of the West (who looks uncannily like a Western icon) springs to mind it is unlikely to ruin the movie for them. Chances are they will enjoy Rango and the towns people's insane antics just as much as adults, as previously stated this is such a bizarre but fun movie. I am also going to go out on a limb and say this may be the best looking animation film I have ever seen, as Verbinski has a clear style and his animators stick to it.

The voice cast is absolutely fantastic with Verbinski casting people that suit the roles rather than who's popular right now. Depp is fantastic as hapless chameleon Rango while Fisher does a great job of nailing the "Rancher's daughter" accent and showing both Beans' tough and sweet sides. The standout though are Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake who delivers each line with such cynicism that he may give some kids nightmares (Maybe me as well). Alfred Molina and Timothy Olyphant have small but memorable roles while Ned Beatty is great as the so obviously evil town mayor who reminded of John Huston's classic villain Noah Cross from 'Chinatown'.

'Rango' has a few issues; there isn't much in the way of plot until the final third where the writers forgot that their had to be a resolution and there's a bit sag in the middle when the movie really feels like it has no direction, but it far from derails the film. Also since the film strives to be like a classic Western those with a bit of knowledge of the genre know exactly what will happen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but just worth noting. These however are just minor complaints in what is a fantastic animated comedy western with animals.

'Rango' was a really unexpected surprise. From the beautiful animation, smart comedy and Western tropes this is a classic animation film. And although it may get lost in the desert halfway through the unique characters bring it back on track for the explosive ending. The beautiful animation is unlike anything I have seen and is by far the best looking animated film I have ever seen. This film is such a treat and enjoyable experience and shouldn't really be missed.



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Phineas and Ferb: The Second Dimension Gelatin World Trailer

There's 104 days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it, and the annual problem for our generation, is finding a good way to spend it!! C'mon who doesn't love Phineas and Ferb? Bowling For Soup, eh, not some much. Never the less, the Disney Channel hit show Phineas and Ferb, is now invading consoles with this PS3 and Wii title, The Second Dimension Gelatin World. It has a kinda of Simpson's Hit and Run feel to it, mixed in with Agent P and catchy ass songs which will have you hooked. They wont leave my head, seriously. You will find yourself in an alternate dimension where the Tri-State area has been taken over by gelatin and you will be attacked by gelatin monsters. Well, that's what Major Monogram told me anyway. Oh, and there will also be a sprinkle of Doofenshmirtz evil along with some Normbots. Nice. You can get your hands on this Disney Interactive title, well, two days ago. Go now!! He's a platypus. They don't do much. Or do they....

NBA 2K12 - Say Hello to the Legends

The king of basketball games (lets face it, the NBA Live series got blown out of the water) is back with its latest yearly reincarnation, NBA 2K12. Get ready to take to the court with some of the legends of the NBA such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Julius Erving just to name a few; and be prepared to face off against the current superstars of the franchise to decide who is the king of the hardwood, the past or the present. I'm a big fan of sports games and Basketball, along with the impending doom that is a lockout causing a huge doubt in a NBA season this year, 2K12 will go on to fill that void in the form of a well polished, innovative title from developers Visual Concepts and publishers 2K Sports. There also will be three different covers giving you the choice to pick between the hall of famers, Michael Jorda, Larry Bird and Magic Johnsoon. Get ready to hit the court this October 4th.

Artist of The Week - Double Segment! Junchai & Sheli1008

This is the next weekly installment of my Artist of the Week Segment!! Every week I will be showcasing some artwork that I have stumbled across, from a range of different artists from many different countries.
Junchai
Age: 16
Years Drawing: 2 years
Location: Thailand
Favorite Anime: D-gray man

You can find her deviant art here.


Sheli1008

Age: 16
Years Drawing: 3 years on the tablet And 5 years in traditional art
Location: Israel
Favorite Anime: Kuroshitsuji♥♥♥

You can find her deviant art here.
Thanks again to both Junchai and Sheli1008, check them out!

Akira (1988) - Wait...What? This I Did Not Expect

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Cast: (English Dub) Cam Clarke, Jan Rabson, Lara Cody, Tony Pope, Lewis Lemay, Steve Kramer
Plot: A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns biker gang member, Tetsuo, into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only fellow gang member Kaneda and a group of psionics can stop.

I know nothing about Japanese animation. Absolutely nothing. I have an idea of what films are supposed to be good and I know Studio Ghibli are pioneers of the industry but that's about it. So when my friend lent me his copy of 'Akira' to watch I had no idea what to expect. And let me tell you I was surprised. As I sat down to watch 'Akira' I thought this was going to be the Japanese equivalent of a Pixar film - then in the opening few minutes Tokyo blew up, a dog got shot in the face and a man is massacred Sonny Corleone style. Pixar this was not.

I could not believe how different this was to what I pictured in my head - but that was a very very good thing. 'Akira' stunned me. It is is brutal...really brutal. There's violence and blood everywhere, motorbike gangs and a even bit of nudity (although it's in a particularly unsettling scene). 'Akira' is an insane film and I'm sure it is one of least insane Japanese animations, but to me this was unlike anything I have ever seen.

The film revolves around biker gang member Tetsuo who is transformed into a psionic psychopath who wreaks havoc on Neo Tokyo and threatens to unleash the dangerous Akira on the world, who years earlier started WW3 and destroyed Tokyo. Kaneda, the gang leader tries to save his friend with the help of 3 more stable psionics as Tetsuo's powers grow and grow. The plot is very complicated and at times I was struggling to follow, but something really cool would happen that'd bring me straight back into the story. As for the psionics, they are very powerful beings that are able to control and manipulate people aswell as read minds. Tetsuo is one of these but his powers are out of control and he struggles to contain them.

The only real fault I have with the film is that at time I didn't understand what was actually going on. This may seem ridiculously stupid on my part - because it is - but there were so many lines of dialogue that was completely lost on me that I kind of gave up on looking for a deeping meaning to the story. Instead I enjoyed it on a superficial and basic level, like the average moviegoer, and I had a hell of time. The animation is just so incredible and the action is so fantastic that you could watch the film on mute and still have a great experience.

Speaking of the action, this film has it in abundance and it was badass. The powers are that Tetsuo possesses are so frightenly dangerous, yet cool, and provide some truly mesmerising action sequences. A more disturbing aspect to his powers are the visions the other psionics impose on him that are both horrifying and mesmerising. The thought and creativity on display in certain sequences verges on genius as there are few that could create something so hauntingly beautiful.

The characters are also very interesting. We have Kaneda, Tetsuo and Kai who is a member of a terrorist resistance group as the main trio and each are deep intriguing characters who have fascinating story arcs - Tetsuo most of all. It is rare in animation that we see so many risks taken with characters that aren't afraid to be brutal and don't always make the heroic choice, which makes it clear why this film has become such a cult hit.

This movie is so obviously filled with deeper meanings that I missed completely, which means I have to go back and rewatch it. On an entertainment level this was incredible to watch with so many amazing action sequences, haunting imagery and intrigiung characters there was more than enought to feast the eyes on. As a narrative I wasn't always with it as it left me behind at so many different stages - but importantly it won me back in usually emphatic fashion. Although I must admit I had to pull Wikipedia out to suss out parts of the ending.

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