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(11/07/18 11:12pm)
by Daniel O’Connell
Disclaimer: This review is of the Xbox One version of the game.
Back in 2010, Rockstar Games, best known for publishing game series such as Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne, published the open world Western game Red Dead Redemption. The game took place in the last days of the Old West and followed former outlaw John Marston as he hunted down former members of his gang. It was praised for its visuals, gunslinger-style combat, and nuanced story and characters, including John himself. Fans were eagerly hoping for another game in the Red Dead series. After being delayed last year, their wish has come true in the form of Red Dead Redemption 2, a prequel to the original. And it more than delivers.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGKiFNDw-vM[/embed]
(10/18/18 7:48pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Disclaimer: This review is of the Xbox One version, and was done in a playthrough as Kassandra
Last year, Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed Origins. The game took the franchise in a new direction, taking place in ancient Egypt and focusing on the origins of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. The biggest change the game made was to its combat, now akin to the combat in The Witcher III. Origins was considered a welcome change, and many thought that the next game would take place in the Roman Empire. However, Ubisoft threw the fans a curveball with the latest installment, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, taking place in ancient Greece—and it is an excellent follow up to Origins.
(09/24/18 2:32am)
by Daniel O'Connell
This review is based off the Xbox One version of the game.
The Tomb Raider series is one of the longest running action-adventure franchises in the genre. The series that was rebooted back in 2012 is now a trilogy focusing on how an inexperienced Lara Craft became the Tomb Raider we all know. Shadow of the Tomb Raider finishes off the final leg of this journey and provides a fun and exciting end to the trilogy.
(09/16/18 8:18pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Back in 1987, Predator was released onto the movie going public. The film took your standard 80s action movie plot, and turned it on its head by having a group of special forces soldiers hunted down by an alien. Ever since then, Predator has been regarded as a classic of 80s action cinema and has spawned a multimedia franchise. This includes two sequels, comic books, video games, and several crossovers with the Alien franchise. This film marks the cinematic return of the ultimate hunter after eight years. Helmed by Shane Black (director of Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Iron Man 3, and The Nice Guys, along with having a role in the original film as Hawkins), the film is a welcome return as well as being enjoyably fun.
(09/10/18 4:44pm)
By Daniel O'Connell
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for the movie Kin
August through September is an interesting time of year when it comes to movies. It falls between the big summer blockbusters and the time where studios release their contenders for the Oscars. Therefore, it is often used as a dumping ground for the movies studios don’t know what to do with. Kin is definitely one of those movies. Directed by Johnathan and Josh Baker, and based on their short film Bag Man, the film had the potential to be interesting. The result, however, is a film with wasted potential and serious tonal inconsistencies.
(07/30/18 2:14pm)
By Daniel O'Connell
Back in 2014, Antoine Fuqua, the director of films such as Training Day, Tears of the Sun, and Shooter, teamed with Denzel Washington to make The Equalizer. Based loosely on the hit 1980s television series, the film followed Robert McCall, a former Black Ops operative who uses his skills to help the innocent while waging war against the Russian Mafia. The film was a box office success, and was enjoyed by both critics and audiences alike, praising it for its acting, action, and unique visual style. Now, both Washington and Fuqua team up again to bring audiences The Equalizer 2, making it the first time Washington has returned for a sequel.
Taking place some time after the first film, it follows McCall (Washington) who now works as a Lyft driver. He continues to help out people in trouble, with the aid of his old friend, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo). However, when Plummer goes to investigate an apparent murder-suicide in Brussels, along with intelligence agent David York (Pedro Pascal), she ends up being murdered. The sudden murder motivates McCall to investigate and uncover it, all while being followed by the same people who were responsible for Susan’s murder.
Like the previous film, one of its major strengths is its acting. Denzel Washington, once again, brings usual talent and charisma to the role of Robert McCall. His performance makes McCall a likable and engaging lead as we follow him helping out people and investigating Susan’s murder. We also get more insight into McCall’s past, including how he use to have a wife around the time he left the life of an operative. Another standout performance goes to Pedro Pascal as David York. Looking almost unrecognizable in the role, Pascal also makes York a friendly and likable character, who also has a past with McCall in working in the field together. As the plot unfolds, the characteristics of these two leads make the twists and turns all the more shocking and dramatic.
Another strength of the film is McCall’s interactions with the people he helps, which make up two of the film’s subplots. The first revolves around McCall helping an elderly Holocaust survivor named Samuel recover a painting of his sister that was separated from him. The other subplot revolves around McCall helping a troubled youth named Miles Whittaker, who has an artistic talent, go along the right path and make the right choices in life. The subplot with Miles, however, comes off as the more engaging one, especially because of the relationship between McCall and Miles.
The mainstay and most exciting part of the film, however, would have to be its intense action sequences. Like in the first film, McCall rarely uses guns throughout the movie, preferring to use his hands, combat skills, and whatever he has at his disposal. This makes for interesting and tense fight scenes, where McCall makes notice of his surrounding before going into action. Like the first film, the climax involves a game of cat and mouse between McCall and a group of heavily armed pursuers. This film, however, ups the ante by having the confrontation take place in a seaside town about to be hit by a hurricane.
However, the film suffers from some problems, namely in plot and pacing. The main plot surrounding McCall investigating Susan’s murder is nothing to write home about. It does not come off as interesting or engaging as the subplot surrounding Miles, as well as not having nearly enough screen time devoted to it. The problems with the plot ties into its other problem, its pacing. It feels slow to watch, namely with the amount of time devoted to its main plot as well as its subplots. However, the pacing does pick up again in the last quarter of the movie, making up for the slow paced film.
(06/20/18 4:00pm)
By Daniel O'Connell
The summer movie season has finally started for 2018. With it brings the usual summer blockbusters and superhero fare that has come to be expected. However, there can be some hidden gems among these movies, and Hotel Artemis is one of them. The directorial debut of Drew Pearce (who created the show No Heroics, and co-wrote the story for Iron Man 3), is a rather good one, aided by an excellent ensemble cast of talented actors.
The film takes place in not-too-distant future Los Angeles. Public utilities like water and power have been privatized, people are rioting in the streets, and black outs are frequent. However, as the Nurse (Jodie Foster, in her first film role in five years) puts it, it’s just another Wednesday. She, along with her orderly/security Everest (Dave Bautista) run the Hotel Artemis, a secret hospital for high end criminals to use in emergency situations. The night at the Artemis seems like a usual Wednesday night, with its guests including a sleazy and surly arms dealer named Acalpulco (Charlie Day), and a sultry and sullen assassin named Nice (Sofia Boutella).
However, the night begins to take an interesting turn when bank robbers Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown) and Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry) come in for an emergency treatment following a botched bank robbery. The two robbers have unknowingly stolen property from a notorious crime lord known as the “Wolf King of L.A.” (Jeff Goldblum). Specifically, they stole $18 million dollars in yellow diamonds, stored in a fancy looking pen. With the Wolf King on his way for an emergency treatment, as well a cop showing up and begging for help, the Artemis has just become a powder keg waiting to blow.
It is immediately evident from the start that one of the major strengths of the film is its ensemble cast (which was heavily featured in the film’s advertising). Each actor in the film turns in a good, though sometimes just serviceable, performance. However, there are a few stand outs among the cast. The first is Jodie Foster as the Nurse, who has been keeping herself secluded in the Artemis for 22 years due to the guilt over losing her son. The second goes to Sterling K. Brown as Waikiki, a career criminal who has the makings of someone who could make something of himself, but is held back because of the loyalty to his brother Honolulu. Another great performance comes from David Bautista as Everest, who steals every scene he is in with his presence, humor, and clever dialogue. However, the most surprising performance comes from Charlie Day as Acapulco. He takes the usual loudmouth energy of his traditonal roles, and channels it into playing a sleazy, contemptible scumbag of a person. He will have the audience begging for him to get a violent death.
Despite what the advertising may show, there is not a lot of action in the film. However, it more than makes up for it with the interactions between the patrons of the Artemis. The different personalities bounce off of one another, with hints of an implied past between Waikiki and Nice. However, when things start to go to hell in a handbasket, the movie more than makes up for it in the action. With fantastic stunt work and fight scenes being done, the movie makes the waiting for the action up to that point worth it.
However, the movie still has its flaws, namely when it comes to its setting. The riots happening in Los Angeles barely play into the plot at all, and they only serve to get the wounded cop to the Artemis, which could honestly be done without. The only way the story takes advantage of the fact that it set in the future is to have technology such as nanites, organs made from 3D printers, and robotic auto-doctors. Aside from the riots and the future technology, the setting doesn’t seem too different from today. As a matter of fact, the Hotel Artemis wouldn’t feel out of place in the John Wick films.
One element that barely comes into play is the pen containing the yellow diamonds. It is first used to establish that the Wolf King does not take kindly to anyone stealing his property, and that Waikiki and Honolulu have landed in hot water. However, it does not play into anything else. The Wolf King does not even find out about the stolen diamonds.
Another flaw of the film would come down to its plot. The film gets the ball rolling in the opening scene, establishing the setting through news broadcasts, and shows Honolulu and Waikiki’s bank robbery. However, things start to slow down during the second act, which gives time for the Nurse and the Artemis’s patrons to interact with each other. The pacing of the second act will annoy people that are looking for action packed scenes. However, as stated earlier, it makes up of the lack of action in its climax.
(04/04/18 3:15pm)
By Daniel O'Connell
Back in 2013, Guillermo del Toro released Pacific Rim, in which humanity battles interdimensional monsters called Kaiju by using giant mechs known as Jaegers. While the film did not do well domestically, it did do well internationally, as well as receiving good reviews, praise from creators of the mecha genre such as Go Nagai and Hideo Kojima, and developed quite a following and fandom. Now, five years later, a proper sequel to the film has been released, produced by del Toro and featuring the directorial debut of Steven S. DeKnight. However, while the film is fun, it is not quite as good as the original.
(03/07/18 5:25pm)
(03/07/18 2:00pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
Alex Garland has had a successful and interesting career. He began by writing several films, which included 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and the underrated Dredd. In 2015, he made his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a science fiction film which explores the relationship between man and artificial intelligence. Now he scores another hit with his film Annihilation, loosely adapted from the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer (which Is the first book in his Southern Reach trilogy).