How I Live Now, the latest film from director Kevin Macdonald, is based on a 2004 novel I’ve not read, and yet I feel there’s either half a movie on the cutting room floor or the original text has been radically altered at the director’s whim. The film’s poster, with world-class absence of imagination, proclaims that “love will lead you home,” but its failure to come up with something commendably original sounding is nowhere near as offensive as its total mis-sale of the film.
Not long now 'til The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds graces 3DS consoles worldwide and it looks like Nintendo is maintaining promotional momentum off the back of their announcement of a limited edition Triforce-themed console with this new trailer, which showcases the game's soundtrack.
Batman: Arkham Origins shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t be. How did a brand new developer working from the abandoned toolbox of one of this generation’s finest teams, self-exiled with cast and writer in tow, and on an origin story of all things, pull off one of the PS360 Era’s last great upsets? Arkham Origins may have everything going against it, but it’ll take the most cynical among you to fault it, try though I’m sure you will.
And lo, with so much sound and fury, Pacific Rim has come and gone, and with it any hopes that it would be better than or worse than or exactly as good or as bad as it turned out to be. You guessed it: I’m not here to commit to a criticism. I just wanted to share with you five hulking great ways I thought the film could have been shaped into something more interesting that Gil Del Toro and company can feel free to pick clean for use in any sequel Hollywood's deep pockets elect to produce.
Alan Partridge is a chameleon of media, a character of perfect adaptability because he’s as realized as a fictional person could ever be. Since his debut in BBC Radio 4’s superb news satire On The Hour in 1991 he has worked his way through countless projects, weaving a canon that’s seen him present a chat show, followed his efforts to get his career back on track in the yet-unmatched I’m Alan Partridge and witnessed the publication of an actual bestselling and 100% faithful and suitable autobiography, with forays into documentary-making and charity work on the side. He is Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and Steve Coogan’s greatest creation, and if you’re reading this outside of the UK, it’s very likely you’ve never heard of him. With the perceived legitimacy that comes with the leap from screen small to silver, perhaps Alan’s international profile is finally set for its overdue expansion, as Alpha Papa, the Alan Partridge movie, is finally upon us.
With great success comes great compromise. Capcom popularized a genre with Resident Evil, and its sequels made many a merry gamer with their idiosyncratically garnished blend of what Simon Pegg’s Tim Bisley best described as "a subtle blend of lateral thinking and extreme violence." As time wore on, though, Capcom began to worry that their formula would soon begin to wane and tweaked the ratio, upping the action at the expense of the horror upon which their series of zombie-starring games was founded. This, of course, led to Resident Evil 4, unquestionably 2005’s game of the year, though subsequent efforts have leaned more and more towards the general market with an abundance of gunplay and the lifting of mechanics from considerably more popular franchises. It saddens me to say that Resident Evil’s just not my baby any more. It belongs to everyone, now. Imagine, then, if you will, my absolute delight at the prospect of a Resident Evil game that was being pitched by its developers as a return to a purer horror, and the extent to which that was multiplied by the realization that Resident Evil: Revelations is largely compromise-free, and no less successful as a result.
I figure I’d best get this off my chest before we go any further: I think Iron Man and Iron Man 2 are awful movies. Sure, Robert Downey Jr.’s on a career high thanks to a defining role that’s carried him through three summer blockbusters to date, not to mention dotted appearances here, there and everywhere, but it’s a role that, Avengers excepted, has fallen squarely within the limits of pictures severely limited in scope and sizzle. Jon Favreau’s two movies made bank because of the character they were built around, but it wasn’t until Joss Whedon got his hands on Tony Stark that the character, while already expertly and affably realized, found a movie worthy of his scenery-wolfing presence. With the news of Favreau’s departure and the hiring of the superb RDJ vehicle Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang’s writer/director Shane Black, it finally seemed likely that we’d get a solo Stark outing worthy of the critical praise that Favreau’s films fell just short of. If Black’s involvement alone can be said to represent a treasured parcel in this battered metaphor, does Iron Man 3 deliver the goods? For a spoiler-free (Honest Injun) reaction, read on.
In the most alarming gaming news of the week, some of the sheen has been taken of the recent reveal that Metal Gear Solid V and The Phantom Pain are in fact a single game (combining as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) by the subsequent confirmation that legendary voice actor David Hayter will not be returning as Solid Snake in the next-gen stealth actioner. Hayter has played the soldier and his genetic blueprint Big Boss in each of the series' major games since 1998's Metal Gear Solid, as well as making a guest appearance in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008. Although Snake appears in the new title, the trailer seems to confirm that he's been recast. Apparently, Hayter simply wasn't asked.
In an early strong contender for my favorite thing of the year, erstwhile Captain Kirk William Shatner has filmed a promo video for the upcoming Star Trek videogame from Digital Extremes.
I figured I'd write this intro like one of the old Fighting Fantasy game books because, well, why not? Watched the new trailers for The Wolverine yet? If no, go to here and rectify that immediately. If yes, skip to the next paragraph. Also roll a five and brush your teeth. Man, I suck at that. No more FF for me.
