So I watched 28 weeks later on rental last night, which is the sequel to 28 days later.
It was pretty good. There were some good scares and it was quite streamlined--there weren't many flat points. The ending especially was quite good, a nice sting that lent an irony to the rest of the film, although it was a little predictable.
It did sort of lack a point, though. In the first film, following the initial stuff there was a clear point of trying to escape to somewhere safe.
In this second one, I dunno, I guess there was a point, but it seemed a little random. The whole immunity of the mother thing almost seemed to be wrapped up in a suggestion that somehow she was somehow keeping the infection suppressed so that she could give it to her husband & family.
When you combine that with the husband's behaviour after infection (he seemed to be consciously targeting his kids), I dunno, it didn't chime well with the infection as established in the previous film as being about mindless rage. There was also almost a suggestion that the virus was somehow controlling them to act that way, or that the virus had come up with a grand plan to infect the world.
It was a little odd in that respect. A more traditional route to go might have been to have the US military conducting experiments on the infected to see if they could use them as weapons. I'd have bought that sort of plot-line, but the "rage family" thing didn't quite work for me. Still, it was quite good as a horror film.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Thursday, 11 September 2008
so now it's winter?
I can't figure this weather out at all--summer seemed all over the place, with some days hot enough for me to break out the aircon, but a lot of rain and cold days too.
Now I think it's meant to be autumn, but it seems we've skipped that and gone straight to winter--the mornings are really dark and it's cold and rainy all the time. In fact, it's been so cold I've considered putting the heating on occasionally, but instead I've broken out the winter jumpers.
I've been catching up with a lot of telly this week. Some of the highlights have included "the hairy bakers" which is a play on words--the series is normally the hairy bikers, but this series has been about baking, which is a subject close to my heart.
I like the hairy bikers, but the show is an odd mix of stuff. It's basically a cookery show, but the way it's delivered is almost high camp, although the idea is that these are two big hairy blokes who ride motorcycles.
Another highlight has been "mutual friends". This is a comedy drama starring Alexander Armstrong and that skinny young fella off of Hustle as well as a bunch of other people who you don't initially recognise but then go "oh yeah, that's her/him off of...". I must admit I was expecting this to be utterly awful. I can't remember the last time I saw a comedy drama that was actually any good--it's been a while.
Which isn't to say mutual friends covers any new ground as such. It's not really innovative in terms of its subject matter, but the jokes are good and it's well done.
What else? Oh yeah, the other thing has been a series of shows around surgery. The quality of the shows has varied quite a bit, but they're mostly interesting. One thing I have liked about the shows is that they're fairly impartial in their outlook.
By that I mean they're not fawning over the doctors and they don't hesitate to make the point that maybe some new technique sounded like a good idea, but clearly wasn't (or was flawed) and several patients died.
They're not for the squeamish, though--the blood really flies in some of the shows.
I got the new megami last week and just got some e-mails saying newtype et al are on the way. I don't think that means I'll have them for the w/end, though. However, my big plan for the w/end is to do a lot of scanning, I think.
There's a bit of an ulterior motive to that, though--I'm way, way behind on the new anime season. It's getting to the stage where the external HDD I keep them on is nearly full and I really need to burn some off to DVD. Plus the new season of shows starts in October, which means there will be a flood of new fansubs in some six-weeks or so.
Now I think it's meant to be autumn, but it seems we've skipped that and gone straight to winter--the mornings are really dark and it's cold and rainy all the time. In fact, it's been so cold I've considered putting the heating on occasionally, but instead I've broken out the winter jumpers.
I've been catching up with a lot of telly this week. Some of the highlights have included "the hairy bakers" which is a play on words--the series is normally the hairy bikers, but this series has been about baking, which is a subject close to my heart.
I like the hairy bikers, but the show is an odd mix of stuff. It's basically a cookery show, but the way it's delivered is almost high camp, although the idea is that these are two big hairy blokes who ride motorcycles.
Another highlight has been "mutual friends". This is a comedy drama starring Alexander Armstrong and that skinny young fella off of Hustle as well as a bunch of other people who you don't initially recognise but then go "oh yeah, that's her/him off of...". I must admit I was expecting this to be utterly awful. I can't remember the last time I saw a comedy drama that was actually any good--it's been a while.
Which isn't to say mutual friends covers any new ground as such. It's not really innovative in terms of its subject matter, but the jokes are good and it's well done.
What else? Oh yeah, the other thing has been a series of shows around surgery. The quality of the shows has varied quite a bit, but they're mostly interesting. One thing I have liked about the shows is that they're fairly impartial in their outlook.
By that I mean they're not fawning over the doctors and they don't hesitate to make the point that maybe some new technique sounded like a good idea, but clearly wasn't (or was flawed) and several patients died.
They're not for the squeamish, though--the blood really flies in some of the shows.
I got the new megami last week and just got some e-mails saying newtype et al are on the way. I don't think that means I'll have them for the w/end, though. However, my big plan for the w/end is to do a lot of scanning, I think.
There's a bit of an ulterior motive to that, though--I'm way, way behind on the new anime season. It's getting to the stage where the external HDD I keep them on is nearly full and I really need to burn some off to DVD. Plus the new season of shows starts in October, which means there will be a flood of new fansubs in some six-weeks or so.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Extra, Extra!
Something else I did last w/end was properly finish off some of the anime I've been watching recently.
Slightly bizarrely, and I'm not sure I've ever been in this position before, I had loads of extras to plough through. I mean, that never happens with anime--extras generally just run to clean opening and closing credits.
Agent Aika R-16 had interviews with original Japanese cast members and director and character designed as well as interviews with the English dub actors.
Black Lagoon had a music video and an interview with the English dub casts (all a bit light for an entire separate disk :/).
But Witchblade had the most - interviews with the original Japanese cast members and a series of 20-minute-ish documentaries talking to the Top Cow people.
Not sure about Aika, but I'll definitely be reviewing the other too, although I may roll Black Lagoon up together with Second Barrage. I understand they're not really particularly 'distinct' as seasons--more like one of those full seasons done in two parts you get with anime. Plus it's several distinct individual story-lines anyway.
Plus Funimation are pumping Second Barrage out one disk a month so it makes sense. As I noted before, it's just the Geneon release, but distributed by Funimation. I'm also hopefully about to get my grubby mitts on the last part of Gurren Lagann too.
Funimation seems to be on the verge of taking over the world. I've mixed feelings about that--if it means I can get hold of anime DVDs then it has to be a good thing, but if I'm honest I've never been that big a fan of Funimation. They seem to be the company most responsible for buggered about translations, although they are also the company that often offers the most extras/freebies and best episode-per-disk count.
If they get the last Welcome to NHK and Red Garden disks out--and they're consistent with the old releases--then I may be swayed.
Slightly bizarrely, and I'm not sure I've ever been in this position before, I had loads of extras to plough through. I mean, that never happens with anime--extras generally just run to clean opening and closing credits.
Agent Aika R-16 had interviews with original Japanese cast members and director and character designed as well as interviews with the English dub actors.
Black Lagoon had a music video and an interview with the English dub casts (all a bit light for an entire separate disk :/).
But Witchblade had the most - interviews with the original Japanese cast members and a series of 20-minute-ish documentaries talking to the Top Cow people.
Not sure about Aika, but I'll definitely be reviewing the other too, although I may roll Black Lagoon up together with Second Barrage. I understand they're not really particularly 'distinct' as seasons--more like one of those full seasons done in two parts you get with anime. Plus it's several distinct individual story-lines anyway.
Plus Funimation are pumping Second Barrage out one disk a month so it makes sense. As I noted before, it's just the Geneon release, but distributed by Funimation. I'm also hopefully about to get my grubby mitts on the last part of Gurren Lagann too.
Funimation seems to be on the verge of taking over the world. I've mixed feelings about that--if it means I can get hold of anime DVDs then it has to be a good thing, but if I'm honest I've never been that big a fan of Funimation. They seem to be the company most responsible for buggered about translations, although they are also the company that often offers the most extras/freebies and best episode-per-disk count.
If they get the last Welcome to NHK and Red Garden disks out--and they're consistent with the old releases--then I may be swayed.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Black Dahlia
Watched Black Dahlia this last w/end - rental job.
I have to say, if I'm honest, I thought it was rubbish.
Now, the whole point of a crime-thriller/drama type thing is that it's about the murder(s). Yes, there will be personal stuff about the detectives or whatever, but the focus has to be on them trying to capture the murderer.
Black Dahlia seemed to be about anything but the murder. The whole plot just seemed to be tacked on to a bunch of hugely melodramatic (and rather implausible) relationships and shags there related. There were so many sub-plots and related goings-on it just lost all focus.
And what's worse is that most of these sub-plots were utterly irrelevant. I mean, a good sub-plot illuminates the main story in some way. These were all just useless.
The biggest crime it committed though was that in the 'last real' we get a whole series of ridiculous "plot twists" that just result in a totally bizarre explanation for the murder. I mean, seriously, it's just the most ludicrous solution ever. Especially since the body was mutilated--there's no real reason given for these mutilations, and that's got to be a part of the plot. If weird things are done to the body there has to be a reason given for them.
It's not real life, where bizarre stuff happens for no real reason, it's a story--you have to answer that stuff or you're taking the piss. And Black Dahlia was definitely taking the piss.
I have to say, if I'm honest, I thought it was rubbish.
Now, the whole point of a crime-thriller/drama type thing is that it's about the murder(s). Yes, there will be personal stuff about the detectives or whatever, but the focus has to be on them trying to capture the murderer.
Black Dahlia seemed to be about anything but the murder. The whole plot just seemed to be tacked on to a bunch of hugely melodramatic (and rather implausible) relationships and shags there related. There were so many sub-plots and related goings-on it just lost all focus.
And what's worse is that most of these sub-plots were utterly irrelevant. I mean, a good sub-plot illuminates the main story in some way. These were all just useless.
The biggest crime it committed though was that in the 'last real' we get a whole series of ridiculous "plot twists" that just result in a totally bizarre explanation for the murder. I mean, seriously, it's just the most ludicrous solution ever. Especially since the body was mutilated--there's no real reason given for these mutilations, and that's got to be a part of the plot. If weird things are done to the body there has to be a reason given for them.
It's not real life, where bizarre stuff happens for no real reason, it's a story--you have to answer that stuff or you're taking the piss. And Black Dahlia was definitely taking the piss.
Monday, 8 September 2008
interweb? doesn't-ever-fucking-work-right-web more like
The internet here at work is shit.
It's impossible to go a week without the connection either grinding to halt, or just totally not working. And when it does work it's as slow as a geriatric snail.
I wouldn't mind (it's not like it's my connection) except I know the company pays a fortune for it and it rankles a bit knowing we pay so much for so very little.
Anyway, a fairly random w/end, if I'm honest. I'll do some more specific blog entries about some of the stuff later in the week, but I guess the main one following on from my last post is that I completed Company of Heroes.
My opinion is basically unchanged--pretty good game, but I felt a little disconnected. Interestingly I also started the sequel/expansion "Opposing Fronts" and this was much more personalised. You actually play one of the commanders and the briefings refer to you as that character, so I guess it must have been a common criticism.
Installing O.F. was a bit of a nightmare--there were something like six patches that it needed to download and install and all bar one of them was huge. Most were like 130-odd meg. Luckily my connection at home is a hell of a lot better than a t work so dl'ing files that size isn't hugely problematic.
But still, it was hugely frustrating. Mainly because why hadn't they rolled all the updates up into one patch? Maybe because it would have been nearly a gig, but I bet some of them overlapped.
It's impossible to go a week without the connection either grinding to halt, or just totally not working. And when it does work it's as slow as a geriatric snail.
I wouldn't mind (it's not like it's my connection) except I know the company pays a fortune for it and it rankles a bit knowing we pay so much for so very little.
Anyway, a fairly random w/end, if I'm honest. I'll do some more specific blog entries about some of the stuff later in the week, but I guess the main one following on from my last post is that I completed Company of Heroes.
My opinion is basically unchanged--pretty good game, but I felt a little disconnected. Interestingly I also started the sequel/expansion "Opposing Fronts" and this was much more personalised. You actually play one of the commanders and the briefings refer to you as that character, so I guess it must have been a common criticism.
Installing O.F. was a bit of a nightmare--there were something like six patches that it needed to download and install and all bar one of them was huge. Most were like 130-odd meg. Luckily my connection at home is a hell of a lot better than a t work so dl'ing files that size isn't hugely problematic.
But still, it was hugely frustrating. Mainly because why hadn't they rolled all the updates up into one patch? Maybe because it would have been nearly a gig, but I bet some of them overlapped.
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