Thursday, March 17, 2011
Game Baftas: PS3 brings the Heavy Rain
Matt Adcock for Darkmattters
Last night the Video Game Baftas were awarded and for the second year running, the PS3 was the console which had the most wins. Last year Uncharted 2 took home 4 Baftas, this year it was Heavy Rain which won 3 and was the only game to win multiple awards.
There was a good selection of winners but the only Xbox 360 exclusive to win was the kiddie friendly Kinect Sports - surprisingly Sony's Move enabled Heavy Rain beat Kinect to the Technical Innovation award. Microsoft had put Alan Wake up against Heavy Rain in two catagories but the PS3 title beat it both times.
"Multiple Baftas for the MOVE controlled game"
And the winner is:
Best Game - Mass Effect 2
Artistic Achievement - God of War III
Action - Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Multiplayer - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Original Music - Heavy Rain
Sports - F1 2010
Story - Heavy Rain
Technical Innovation - Heavy Rain
Best use of audio - Battlefield: Bad Company: 2
Game Award 2010 (Voted by the Public) - Call of Duty: Black Ops
Family - Kinect Sports
Gameplay - Super Mario Galaxy 2
Strategy - Civilization V
Social Network Game - My Empire
One to Watch - Twang
Handheld - Cut the Rope
Well done to all the winners - here's to another great year of gaming which has already kicked off in style with LittleBigPlanet2, KILLZONE 3, DC UNIVERSE ONLINE and YOOSTAR 2.
"Heavy Rain - the game to beat in 2010"
Darkmatters review of HEAVY RAINTuesday, March 15, 2011
Darkmatters Review: Battle Los Angeles
Battle: Los Angeles (12a)
Dir. Jonathan Liebesman
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
“Retreat?”
“Hell no!”
If there is one thing that Hollywood teaches us it’s that when tooled up alien invaders turn up and begin systematically wiping us out – the people you really want in your corner are U.S. Marines. Battle: Los Angeles is all about man vs aliens – told from the point of view of a bunch of Marines who risk everything to save some civilians trapped behind enemy lines.
Splashing impressive special effects, Battle: Los Angeles paints a pretty bleak picture as to earth’s capacity to repel invaders and packs in a huge amount of peril and threat for a 12a rated film. This is basically a cinematic hybrid version of two classic shoot-em-up PlayStation games namely Call of Duty crossed with Resistance: Fall of Man (look out for the massive billboard for Sony’s Resistance 3 which arrives later this year in one scene).
We join Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz (Aaron ‘Dark Knight’ Eckhat), a soldier whose last mission didn’t go so well, leading to most of his men getting killed. He is tasked with leadings a small team of Marines into the occupied area of Santa Monica – an area that has been devastated by the evil alien exterminators.
Think ‘Black Hawk Down’ just with angry armoured extra-terrestrials instead of Somali soldiers and you’ll have some idea of the non-stop against the odds action that makes up most of the screen time. The deafening interplay of large caliber guns being answered by the sonic booms of the advance alien weaponry is the constant backdrop to the macho goings on. Who, if anyone, will survive is the only variable factor as the team battle valiantly to save some cute civilian kids and token multicultural clichéd characters.
Battle: Los Angeles is a pure boys own movie – a fact backed up by my eldest son who turned to me as the end credits rolled and said “I could happily watch another two hours of that!” Don’t be expecting any real character development or deep exploration of meaningful issues – just sit back and enjoy the alien carnage and untold battle mayhem.
The effects team has created some of the best alien special effects to grace the screen since AVATAR (even though Colin and Greg Strause jumped ship midway to direct the lesser sci-fi work ‘Skyline’).
Battle: Los Angeles is loud, dumb and action packed, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for – step up and join the fight!
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
öööö
(4 - Big bangs, little brains, Woo Haa)...
Awesomeness öööö – LA gets trashed in style
Laughs öö – unitentional laughs only
Horror ööö – some convincing death and destruction
Babes öö – Michelle Rodriguez looks good kick ass
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – LA is worth fighting for!
- - -
Second opinion - try Sci-Fi-Cool who said: "“Battle: Los Angeles” is one hell of an alien invasion kick-off for 2011. For now, at least, it’s the film to beat."
Rodriguez looks good out of combat gear too"
BLOODED: coming soon
Matt Adcock
Imagine if protest groups who disagreed with what people do took the law into their own hands?
Well, in October 2005, five young people were kidnapped in the Highlands of Scotland.
Stripped and abandoned in the the wilderness, they were forced into a deadly game where the hunters became the hunted. Their ordeal was filmed by an extreme animal rights group as a warning to others: if you hunt...you're fair game.
Combining dramatic reconstruction and compelling interviews with the survivors, BLOODED finally tells the full story behind one of the most extreme internet virals of modern times.
Check out the trailer for this interesting flick HERE
Darkmatters Review: MARCHLANDS
Dir. James Kent
Starring: Alex Kingston, Dean Andrews, Shelley Conn, Jodie Whittaker, Tessa Peake-Jones, Jamie Thomas King, Elliot Cowan, Ethan Griffin, Sydney Wade, Elizabeth Rider, Sophie Stone, Anne Reid
Reviewed by Matt Adcock (A version of this review is also available on FRANK THE MONKEY - which Matt Adcock also writes for) Click here to read
Thank you for your interest in this lovely large Yorkshire house. As I’m sure you’ll agree, ‘Marchlands’ has a lot of character – unfortunately it’s seen a fair share of unhappiness but let’s not dwell on that.
If you do feel a chilling supernatural presence or see a spooky little girl that isn’t actually there – please don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about… Unless…
Marchlands is a classy ghost story about a little girl named Alice who haunts the big house that is home of three families who live in it across three time periods (1968, 1988, 2010). The one thing that links them all is Alice and her untimely death.
What follows is a gripping drama follows the events as the various repercussions of the unsolved mystery of Alice's death and why her spirit is still freaking people out in Marchlands.
"Residents of Marchlands through the years"
The production values are excellent (which I’m sure isat least partly thanks to Warner Brothers investing for the first time in British TV). ITV have surpassed the normally untouchable BCC with Marchlands – a mystery thriller that delivers more frightful thrills than any number of Paranormal Activities and features a fantastic cast including Alex Kingston (Moll Flanders), Denis Lawson (Bleak House), Jodie Whittaker (St Trinian's), Anne Reid (Ladies of Letters), Shelly Con (Mistresses) and Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools and Horses).
The enthralling story of the three families linked across three decades as they live in the remote house is very well put together. The plot jumps in time effectively but never confusingly and builds up a delicious slow burn which pays off in a satisfying climax.
It is better to go into Marchlands not knowing all the ins and outs of the characters in each generation, so for maximum viewing pleasure don’t go reading up on the plot beforehand. Credit must go to the makers for reinvigorating the haunted house genre without relying on too many clichés.
Special props should go to the young Sydney Wade who plays ‘Amy’ – another 8 year old girl who comes to live in Marchlands and who becomes ‘friends’ with the dead Alice. Hers is a key role and Wade marks herself out as a child actor with a big future thanks to a gripping depiction of a troubled child.
Alice isn’t the only ‘ghost’ in Marchlands as the skeletons and demons of past actions tumble from the closets of various characters… Who will survive emotionally and what will the dark secret behind Alice’s death mean to those across the generations?
Marchlands sets the new high benchmark for TV horror-lite. It carries the torch of the old Hammer Horror shows and delivers an unsettling miniseries that will suck you in and chill your bones. Highly recommended for those who like it when things go ‘bump’ in the night…
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
öööö
(4 - just the right balance of spook-em-up and mystery thriller)...
Friday, March 11, 2011
Darkmatters Review: Altitude
Dir. Kaare Andrews
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
“Keep an eye out…”
“For what?”
“For ANYTHING!”
Ladies and gentlemen please fasten your seat belts and prepare for some rough air – thing are going to get a little hairy for the next hour and a half…
Altitude - the debut feature from award-winning comic book writer and illustrator Kaare Andews (The Incredible Hulk; Ultimate X-Men; Amazing Spider-Man), is a supernatural thriller that puts several hot teens in some serious aerial danger. Altitude features "90210" star Jessica Lowndes (The Haunting Of Molly Hartley) who heads the cast of up-and-coming young talent that includes Julianna Guill (Friday The 13th), Ryan Donowho (The O.C.), Landon Liboiron (Life Unexpected) and Jake Weary (As The World Turns).
"Boldly going where no teens have gone before..."
It’s hard to sum Altitude up in mere words – maybe you should watch the UK trailer before reading on: http://onlinemoviepromo.com/newplayer.php?id=3905
The plot sees rookie pilot Sara (Lowndes) taking to the sky with some pals, only to lose control of the plane as they hit some freak weather. And when I say ‘freak’ I mean a diabolic storm that is home to a strange, angry and homicidal malevolent creature. It’s a clever play on the fear of flying mixed with a huge Lovecraft-esq tentacle spouting beastie.
For maximum enjoyment, don’t try to think too much about the plot – just sit back and lap up the teenagers in peril suspense which is nicely worked. Altitude has been likened to Donnie Darko or Twilight Zone which isn’t entirely unfair – it’s a movie that takes the themes of fear and the power of the imagination to terrifying new ‘heights’.
"The plane hits some WTF is that turbulence"
The DVD comes packing some decent Special Features too which include: audio commentary by director Kaare Andrews; Altitude: Behind The Scenes; Green Storm featurette; original concept gallery; trailer; 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Dolby audio options.
Overall Altitude is a confirmed cult classic B-movie horror that delights whist you watch it and is forgotten the seconds the credits roll.
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööö
(3 - solid airborne horror hokum)...
PlayStation®Move does Lily Allen’s Lucy In Disguise
PlayStation®Move announces second collaboration with Lily Allen’s fashion concep Lucy In Disguise.
What do you get if you cross a pop sensation, scanty underware and PlayStation Move?
...Lucy in Disguise
Darkmatters are happy to announce that a new collaboration between PlayStation®Move and Lucy In Disguise to celebrate London Fashion Week. The collaboration see’s Lucy in Disguise founders Lily Allen and Sarah Owen produce a new three minute short film and a special new window installation inspired by movement.
PlayStation Move is the funkiest way to play games on PlayStation 3, users just need to pick up the Move controller and interact with the game on a whole new level! As part of the relationship, Lucy in Disguise was one of the first places in the UK to showcase the new games available with PlayStation Move.
Lucy In Disguise is a unique concept store from sisters Lily Allen & Sarah Owen. Visitors are able to delve into Lucy’s wardrobe and hire or purchase beautifully selected vintage clothing from the 20’s all the way through to the 90’s, along with Lucy In Disguise branded products such as T-Shirts, candles and screen prints. There are two Sony PlayStation installations in store, one for the boys and one for the girls.
The short film explores the theme of time travel - produced and styled by Lily Allen and Sarah Owen and directed by Marie Kristiansen.
The short sees Lucy getting ready for a night out and being drawn into her closet and taken on a magical fashion time tour through different fashion era’s from the 1980’s back to the 1920’s. Part of the inspiration for the short has come from Lily and Sarah’s favourite PlayStation Move game Buzz! The Ultimate Music Quiz.
Watch the film here:
In the behind the scenes making of, Lily and Sarah are transformed into Buzz! quiz contestants, scanning their face into the game and choosing their 80’s inspired outfits before battling it out to see who will be named Buzz! Ultimate Music Quiz champion. Lily and Sarah have also created a Lucy in Disguise PlayStation Buzz quiz to go with the short.
You can view the video and Lucy’s new blog and fashion tips at http://www.lucyindisguiselondon.com/
‘For our second Lucy in Disguise film project we wanted to explore fashion through the ages - the film like the store is about girls living it up in a fantasy world, where we rule and are let loose. Out of all the PlayStation Move games we play, Buzz: The Ultimate Music Quiz felt like the perfect accompaniment! ’ Lily Allen and Sarah Owen
Alongside the film will be a special motion sensitive light window at the Covent Garden Store commissioned by PlayStation Move and inspired by the idea of movement in fashion.
The installation has been designed by Deniz Kurtel so if you're in the area, why not drop on by to check it out?
Here's the earlier film:
About PlayStation Move
PlayStation® Move launched worldwide on the 17th September 2010, offering a motion-based, high definition gaming experience unlike anything currently on the market. Unlike existing motion controllers, the PlayStation® Move controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced sensors as well as a colour changing sphere which is tracked by the PlayStation Eye camera. Through the PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can be detected and users can provide direct input through action buttons and analogue triggers as well as capturing their own voice or image through the PlayStation Eye.
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, 47.9 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 149.8 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 67.8 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, more than 69 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.43 billion items have been downloaded.
More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com/
PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
PS3 'saves' Hallelujah!!
"Cloud saving - not even Final Fantasy 7 related"
Matt Adcock for Darkmatters
It's a terrifying thought for any gamer who has sunk many hours into a game... Data loss!?
If you've invested in leveling up, getting to the final boss, working towards a Platinum trophy - the one thing you really don't need would be for your save data to be lost.
Many of my Xbox playing friends have openly wept as their machines went the way of the infamous Red Ring of Death or new improved Red Light of Death with the slim model... It wasn't so much the repair bill or replacement cost of the hardware but more the pain of lost game saves. PS3 users too have complained that buying a new PS3 or upgrading the hard drive can mean saying goodbye to some copyrighted game save data.
But while Xbox 360 players will still have that worry - and will need to keep some sort of external disc to hand for backups, now PlayStation 3 owners need never fear losing their save games ever again. All that's required is to sign up for the Sony's PlayStation Plus service - an excellent way to get free games, Beta access and exclusive treats from Sony anyway.
Because Sony know how to treat their gamers and have introduced 'cloud storage' for game saves.
This feature allows gamers to upload 150MB of save game data to the big Sony game save bank in the sky (online), so that you can not only easily transfer game saves between PlayStation 3 systems - should you own more than one, but also access your game save from a mate's PS3 by logging in on their machine.
So if someone should steal your beloved PS3 or heaven forbid, it die from years of hard service - your game saves are protected. Even copy-protected data can still be stored online, which will make the transition between PS3s or Hard Disc Drive upgrading that much more easy.
Nice move Sony, we gamers salute you!!
The Cloud Storage comes with the 3.60 system update and is accessed through the XMB's Saved Data Utility menu.
"Sony's PS3 Angels - waiting to look after your game save data"
KILLZONE 3
DC Universe Online
Monday, March 07, 2011
Darkmatters Review: Catfish
Catfish (12)
Dir. Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost
Reviewed by Matt ‘Rachel’ Adcock
My name is Rachel, I’m a sexy young babe with a hot body and naughty mind… I’d love to be your facebook friend and send you some great pictures of myself!? Tell me what you’re into, where you live, maybe we could meet up, I know you want to at least ‘poke’ me, surely it would be rude not to?
"'Rachel' - who looks a lot like Emma Stone"
Of course none of the above is actually true (apart from the hot body bit LOL) but thanks to facebook there’s nothing stopping me pretending to be ‘Rachel’ if I choose to and you might well have become my facebook ‘friend’… In fact I could have created a whole raft of alternate personalities on facebook – all linked to each other and interacting across the virtual social network.
Catfish is a thought provoking documentary which follows Nev Schulman - a New York photographer who strikes up an unlikely facebook friendship with an eight year old girl named Abby who has some artistic talent and likes to paint paintings of Nev’s photographs.
Nev’s brother Ariel Schulma and his friend Henry Joost are the filmmakers here and their documentary records how the virtual friendship between Nev and Abby grows. Nev gets talking to Abby’s mum Angela and comes across her sexy sister Megan – with whom he strikes up a long distance – social network enabled flirtation.
What at first starts off as a seemingly harmless and interesting set of new contacts for Nev, spirals into something a bit more worrying when cracks and inconsistencies begin to raise doubts in Nev’s mind as to who he is actually in contact with.
Catfish is a brilliant and compulsively watchable cautionary tale – which leaves viewers asking “just how well do you know your facebook friends?” Nev makes a good everyman hero – and his Scooby Doo style investigation with his pals into who or what he is virtually involved with in Abby, Megan, Angela and their increasingly diverse circle of facebook ‘friends’ makes for good viewing.
Needless to say that all is not quite what it seems but I won’t spoil the rest of the plot for you as it works best when you don’t know what to expect. The cinematography is of the shaky cam Cloverfield style – recently employed so well in The Last Exorcism. The filmmakers keep the narrative of their documentary ticking along so that you don’t have chance to get bored during the slow build up as you’ll really want to see how it ends.
There are some places where the film could be accused of exploiting real people’s lives (if in fact this is a ‘true’ as they’d have you believe) but the fact is that you’re likely to come away from Catfish having been moved and challenged – which are reactions that only the best films really accomplish.
Catfish is the perfect flip side to the big budget The Social Network, it seems that Mark Zuckerberg has a lot to answer for, not least empowering people to lead virtual lives that may not actually be rooted in reality. Recommended viewing for every facebook user in your life!
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
öööö
(4 – a carcrash spectacle of eyewatering social interaction)...
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Darkmatters Review: Unknown
Unknown (12a)
Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
Do you know what it feels like to become insane? It's a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are... Which do you think wins?
My name is Doctor Martin Harris, you’ll never guess what happened to me when I went to Berlin for a biotechnology convention… I’d left my briefcase at the Airport and I had to grab a taxi back – only en-route we were involved in an accident and I was knocked unconscious.
Four days later when I awoke from my coma I found that I wasn’t the man I thought I was. My lovely wife Elizabeth (January Jones) no longer recognised me and to make matters worse some other guy (Aidan Quinn) is claiming to be Doctor Martin Harris!? My only hope of proving that I am not crazy and that sinister things are afoot is to track down the taxi driver Gina (Diane Kruger) whose cab I was in.
Or am I mad? Maybe there never was a Martin Harris? Or perhaps this is all an evil plot and I’m going to have to fight to prove myself.
What would you do to try and take back your life? Surely there’s nothing more worth fighting for… And fortunately fighting back is what this Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) does well. Adopting his ‘Taken’ hard man persona Neeson kicks copious amount of butt in his quest to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on. Car chases, gunfights, beatings and danger lie around every Berlin corner… Director Juame ‘Orphan’ Collet-Serra wants to deliver a Bourne meets Bond actioner but is hamstrung by having to keep the material with the boundaries of a 12a rating. So what could have been a wham-bang crunching cinematic adventure becomes a watchable but unremarkable lightweight dose of low level mystery and thrills.
Unknown doesn’t bring enough new or anything remotely shocking once you get on board with the plot. You can tick the boxes of cinematic ‘tried and tested’ elements including the plucky friend of the hero’s saviour with a short life expectancy, an old-school spy ally, a sinister agent that might not be all they seem – BINGO you’ve got a by-the-numbers action thriller.
As I left the cinema having watched Unknown with my lovely wife, we overheard several people saying the same thing… “It was ok, just not as good a ‘Taken’” and that’s a fair summation.
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööö
(3 - single serving of mystery action thrills)...
Awesomeness ööö – nice in places
Laughs ö – no funny business
Horror öö – not very grim at all
Babes öööö – January Jones is hot (see below)
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – your life is worth fighting for!
- - -
Second opinion - try Geeksyndicate
"Miss January... Jones"
Friday, March 04, 2011
Darkmatters: Killzone 3 Review
Developed by Guerrilla Games
Published by SCEE
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
We brave PS3 gamers have fought the Helghast and using the ISA marines pushed into their homeworld thanks to Killzone 2…
Now even with their evil leader ‘Visari’ taken down, we find that the war is far from over…
The Helghast forces are not beaten and are mounting a devastating counter-attack, the few remaining ISA are being pushed back to the point we must evacuate the planet of Helghan.
But if we have to go… let’s go in fine style and take as many of the enemy as possible with us – lock and load soldier!!
"don't shoot until you see the reds of their eyes"
Ok, so there isn’t exactly a shortage of fine First Person Shooter games, Call of Duty and Modern Warfare are mass selling master-classes of the genre, Battlefield Bad Company 2 brought tasty destruction of the environment into play. Medal of Honor got revamped with extra beards, Halo Reach continued its classy sci-fi warfare and newcomer Bulletstorm raised the level of insanity with ‘skill kills’. But as we wait for the promising looking Crysis 2 and the potential game of the year Battlefield 3 ...
There is only one game you need…
Just what can Killzone 3 bring to this overcrowded orgy of destruction then? Well, how about the best and most satisfying online multiplayer frag fest to date, a unique and brilliant motion control method through the Move and by far the richest FPS graphics to grace any console… That’s what I’m talking about… Bring it!!
Killzone 2 was graphically superb but Killzone 3 surpasses it on every level – the levels range from article snowfields which boast the best incidental ‘snow effects’ of any game available through to steamy alien jungles. The industrial Helgan cities and bases return and have been brought to even more vivid life than in the previous games. Both the orange eye Helghast and the macho jock ISA characters are excellent with gorgeous detailing (the feeling of satisfaction when you shoot a Helghast’s helmet off and he turn round to frantically try and find it is immense).
Killzone 3 packs a mighty surround sound punch too – the fear inducing explosions rip from all directions, the screams of the injured and the barked orders of friends and foes echo convincingly around the beautiful battlefields. This game has quality voice casting also with screen legend Malcolm McDowell voicing evil Jordan Stahl and British legend Ray Winstone voicing Helghast Admiral Orlock. Having actors of this magnitude lends the cinematic cut scenes massive watchability and it is a joy to watch the baddie commanders squabbling amongst themselves in the power vacuum left by Visari.
I mentioned that Killzone 3 can be played in two ways – the trusty Dualshock 3 can be used with a Call of Duty button set up which will please fans of those shooters. The new way to play though is through the funky Playstation Move – this uses the glowing light ended controller to ‘look around / fire’ and the nav controller to move. For the most realistic control system out there you’ll want to invest in the sharpshooter peripheral which fits both the two Move controllers into a shotgun / rifle style rig (complete with pump action reloading). It’s just beautiful… Once you acclimatise to set up many have reported getting much better kill / death ratios with the Move controls!?
The main game campaign can be played in either single player mode or through co-op – very satisfying it is too working with a human pal to take down the enemy. It’s good but the campaign is only part of the Killzone 3 package and it’s not even the best part. The online multiplayer mode is where the real fun is to be had – refined and polished from the Killzone 2 online there are a decent choice of game modes including Guerrilla (Team Deathmatch), Warzone (which cycles through different objective based games) and a brilliant ‘Bot Zone’ where you can hone you skills against the A.I. opponents.
Kills and feats will give you points to spend on new abilities and weapons – and the upgrades are very very tasty so it is worth going for them as the gameplay just gets better with each new weapon or skill e.g. the sniper ‘Marksman’ can unlock a powerful Machine Pistol as a secondary weapon which has a ferocious rate of fire…
Overall Killzone 3 is delicious, addictive multiplayer deathmatch perfection… And if you have a 3D TV, this game will show it off like nothing else around. Every gamer on planet earth who has ever enjoyed a shooting game should witness the sheer brilliant carnage that Killzone 3 delivers – there is no substitute!!
"David Cameron's recreation mask"
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööööö
(5 - Awesome shock and awe)...
Previous love for Killzone 3 on Darkmatters:
Trailer
Kevin Butler Advert
"If Killzone 3 was a woman in would be Emma Watson"
Jameson Empire Awards: vote KICK ASS
Film Awards season rolls on...
Matt Adcock gives his picks for the 2011 Jameson Empire Awards.
The shortlist of finalists has been announced - there are only a few days now to get your votes in!
Click here to VOTE
Voting ends 9th March.
Best Newcomer: Darkmatters picks - Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass / Let Me In)
Best Thriller: Darkmatters picks - The Town click here for review
Best Horror: Darkmatters picks - Let Me In click here for review
Best Comedy: Darkmatters picks - Four Lions click here for review
Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy: Darkmatters picks - KICK-ASS click here for review
Best Actor: Darkmatters picks - Colin Firth (The King's Speech) click here for review
Best Actress: Darkmatters picks - Natalie Portman (Black Swan) click here for review
Best Director: Darkmatters picks - Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) click here for review
Best British Film: Darkmatters picks - KICK-ASS click here for review
Best Film: Darkmatters picks - KICK-ASS click here for review
"Chloe Moretz FTW"
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Darkmatters hearts Sucker Punch's awesome new trailer
Matt Adcock's tip for awesomeness next month...
Check this great new trailer:
Which one is your favourite?
"Emily Browning is Babydoll"
"Vanessa Hudgens is Blondie"
"Abbie Cornish is Sweet Pea"
"Jena Malone is Rocket"
"Jamie Chung is Amber"
You. Will be. Unprepared...
More about Emily Browning HERE
Monday, February 21, 2011
Darkmatters Review: Drive Angry 3D
Dir. Patrick Lussier
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
“Tell them, I’m coming… Hell is already walking the Earth”
How far would you go to avenge the death of your daughter and save the life of her baby? If you’re John Milton (Nic Cage in full on wild eyed, insane mode) then you’d break out of hell itself and hunt down the sick murdering cult leader who killed your loved one and plans to sacrifice her baby to Satan. Seems only right really.
"Amber Heard - looks very good in 3D"
Drive Angry 3D delivers everything that limp comic adaptation Ghost Rider failed to. Here Cage brings his Kick Ass A-game and is ably assisted by Amber Heard who scorches the screen, sizzling in 3D.
"This is 'driving really angry'"
The revenge / save the baby plot won’t win any originality awards but it serves as an excuse for director Patrick ’My Bloody Valentine’ Lussier to wreak as much bloody carnage as humanly possible – all in eye-popping 3D. Lussier delivers a megaton action horror that has put him on the cinematic map, and bagged him the right to make the next Halloween and Hell Raiser films. He is also an unlikely master of 3D – cars, bullets, blood and babes are surely what 3D was developed to deliver and Drive Angry 3D has the best 3D around.
Amber ‘All the boys love Mandy Lane’ Heard is the hot ticket actress of the moment and she delivers a great love interest / side kick to Cage here. The supporting cast are strong too with the excellent William Fichtner channelling Christopher Walken as Hell’s own unstoppable ‘Accountant’ and Billy Burke is all twitchy satanic menace as deranged cult leader Jonah King.
"Not just a pretty face"
Drive Angry 3D is a cult classic in the making, packing mean classic US automobiles such as the ’69 Dodge Charger along with unforgettable scenes including a ‘Shoot ’Em Up’ homage where Cage gets into a massive close quarters gun battle whilst making love to waitress.
It might not be big or clever, but Drive Angry 3D is perfect pulp fiction schlock and action fans should sell their souls to see this!
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööööö
(5 - a perfect storm of grindhouse B movie action)...
Awesomeness ööööö – don't fear the reaper
Laughs ööö – slap stick violence a go go
Horror öööö – goes over the line of good taste many times
Babes ööööö – Amber Heard is a thermo-nuclear hottie
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – did you know that Satan doesn't like when people sacrifice babies to him?
- - -
Second opinion - try Bloody Disgusting who call Drive Angry 'first “fun” horror movie of the year'.
Try this pro / con list of checking the film too from BLOG CABIN
"Amber is the hot ticket actress for 2011"
Miss Heard stars in And Soon The Darkness
Best looking zombie in Zombieland
Comedy star in Pinapple Express
and
Trophy girlriend in Never Back Down
Darkmatters Review: PAUL
Dir. Greg Mottola
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
Prepare for some quality close encounters of the nerd kind…
In the beginning there was Spaced, it was a superb slacker TV comedy that fused sci-fi geekiness with laugh out loud comedy to winning effect. Spaced launched the comedy genius partnership of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost onto the world and it also paved the way for their excellent big screen films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
Now the dynamic duo reunite for a new comedy of intergalactic proportions - ‘Paul’. This is the tale of two average sci-fi nerd earthlings, Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost), who pick up a hitch hiker named Paul whilst trekking across America's UFO heartland. But Paul isn’t your average traveller – he’s a crash landed alien with a foul mouth and extra-terrestrial powers - who joins the guys on a bawdy road trip that just might alter their universe forever.
"The good, the bad and the nerdy - Comic-Con"
‘Paul’ is the ultimate fan boy sci-fi movie reference viewing experience, a love letter to every cinematic Martian adventure and close encounter we’ve had. From Star Wars through E.T. and Aliens – Paul is packed with dialogue lines, visual gags and nods of the head ripped from those classics of the genre.
Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been amongst us for a while, he’s been trapped at a top-secret military base for the last 60 years. But it seems that his usefulness to them appears to be coming to an end and so he promptly escapes pursued by gun toting federal agents. Graeme and Clive are the unwitting humans who he picks to help him get back to his mother ship – and comic misadventure on a grand scale ensues.
"We come in peace..."
Director Greg ‘Superbad’ Mottola brings a more frat boy feel to Paul and evokes a harder side to the comedy of his leading men than Edgar ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Wright did in Hot Fuzz etc. So it’s possible that you’ll be a bit offended by Paul if looking for the traditional Pegg / Frost vein of good natured comedy.
The special effects are great and Paul the alien is a masterpiece of CGI creation, fitting in superbly with the talented human cast which includes Kristen Wiig as a one eyed hill-billie bible basher love interest!?
Overall Paul is a triumphant blast – effectively pressing the inner nerd buttons and packing in more smiles per minute than any other comedy so far this year.
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
öööö
(4 - my God, it's full of stars)...
Awesomeness ööööö – take me to your leader
Laughs öööö – lots of quality laughs
Horror öö – nothing too grim
Babes ööö – Kristen Wiig is fair
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – faith in a God who can love more than one species required!?
- - -
Second opinion - try Den of Geek
"worth Wiig-ing out for?"
Darkmatters Review: Brighton Rock (1947)
Dir. John Boulting
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
“Brighton today is a large, jolly, friendly seaside town in Sussex, exactly
one hour's journey from London.
But in the years between the two wars, behind the Regency terraces and
crowded beaches, there was another Brighton of dark alleyways and festering
slums. From here the poison of crime and violence and gang warfare began to
spread until the challenge was taken up by the Police.
This is a story of that other Brighton - now happily no more.”
With the remake hitting cinemas this year – there’s never been a better time to brush up on the excellent original, now digitally restored and available for the first time on Blu-ray.
Featuring a star making turn from young Richard Attenborough as the weasel faced Pinkie, leader of a seedy gang of crooks. Yes Brighton Rock, or ‘young scarface’ as they called in initially in the US is the crime tale adapted from Graham Greene's classic novel.
The new restored picture quality is by far the best way to witness this sneaky peek into the underworld of bustling Brighton. Amidst the tourists and tawdry London types taking the sea air there is a crackling undercurrent of bother that grips throughout.
There are many memorable scenes including the thrilling early chase sequence in which newspaperman Kolley Kibber is hounded by a gang of razor-blade packing henchmen through the daylight streets. The juxtaposition of knife violence and candy floss – mixed up with a heady dose of religious guilt and repressed sexuality – all makes for a fantastic cinematic experience.
Brighton Rock belongs to Attenborough though – his iconic lead performance is absolutely mesmerising to watch.
It’s a bleak and unrelentingly grim storyline brought to vivid life by the superb cast who have created a classic dark noir thriller. Perfectly summed up by Ida (Hermione Baddeley) when she says:
“I've never changed. It's like those sticks of rock. Bite one all the way down, you'll still read Brighton. That's human nature.”
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
öööö
(4 – classic hoodlum seaside angst) go!)...
"Catholicism issues?"
Friday, February 18, 2011
Killzone 3 Anticipation
Let the games begin!!
Darkmatters review of Killzone 3 CLICK HERE
"Anticipation is high"
"Mmmmmmmmm!"
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Darkmatters Review: True Grit
Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen
Reviewed by Matt Adcock
“You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God.”
As a big fan of the 1969 version of True Grit which starred John Wayne as federal Marshall Reuben ‘Rooster’ Cogburn and a huge admirer of the Coen brothers, I had high hopes for this gritty remake.
The new version keeps faith with the earlier film and Charles Portis's novel on which both films are based. It follows the trail of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) in her quest to see justice brought to outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who gunned down her father in cold blood. She chooses Marshall Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) – a man who she sees has the ‘true grit’ necessary for such an undertaking.
"Marshall Reuben ‘Rooster’ Cogburn"
What follows is a classic Wild West odyssey of revenge, told in the Coen brother’s trademark gorgeous cinematic style. The western landscapes are breath-takingly shot, the build up to the climactic showdown is tense and the gun fight action is suitably fast and furious. This is a classy film that doesn’t rush the plot, lets you get alongside the characters to the point where you become fully invested in their plights and as such is an absolute joy to watch.
Steinfeld is an amazing young actress who makes the lead role of Mattie her own – determined and no-nonsense she is a powerhouse that matches Bridges excellent Cogburn blow for blow. The bond that grows between these two unlikely allies is powerful and shows that despite the differences to their age and backgrounds – they share a core understanding of honour and justice.
"Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross"
Also along for the ride is La Boeuf (Matt Damon) a Texas Ranger who is tracking Chaney down for his own reasons. He brings some comic relief which helps break up the stark manhunt dynamic and is much better than Glen Campbell was in the original.
As the heroes close in on their target and it looks like Cogburn will have to ride out against at least four gun toting crooks, you’ll be right behind him – reins in your mouth, a gun in each hand!
True Grit as a stunning film, by far the best Western for many a year and a fantastic exercise in gun-slinging, rootin, shootin action. You’d be a fool not to saddle up and mosey on down to Cineworld to check this at your earliest convenience.
Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööööö
(5 - serious quality retribution)...
Awesomeness ööööö – high plains drifter
Laughs ööö – some nicely worked comedy especially by Damon
Horror öö – nothing too grim but violent throughout
Babes öö – Steinfeld might be cute in later life
Spiritual Enlightenment öööö – justice comes one way or another
- - -
Second opinion - try The Guardian
"Hailee Steinfeld - voted 2nd best dressed woman at the Golden Globes"
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
N-Dubz 'Took It All Away' - Play Create Share mix
Only on PS3...
Added for Darkmatters by Matt Adcock
You don't need to be a N-Dubz fan (like my eldest son Luke) to appreciate just how cool this is. The power of LittleBigPlanet 2 on PS3 is awesome... So N-Dubz have created the first pop video in Little Big Planet2, and if that wasn't enough the band are also offering you the chance to create your own LBP2 N-Dubz video for a chance to win tickets to meet the band. Head to the YouTube LittleBigPlanet UK Channel homepage for full details or Click here.
Watch the video below :)
Added for Darkmatters by Matt Adcock
You don't need to be a N-Dubz fan (like my eldest son Luke) to appreciate just how cool this is. The power of LittleBigPlanet 2 on PS3 is awesome... So N-Dubz have created the first pop video in Little Big Planet2, and if that wasn't enough the band are also offering you the chance to create your own LBP2 N-Dubz video for a chance to win tickets to meet the band. Head to the YouTube LittleBigPlanet UK Channel homepage for full details or Click here.
Watch the video below :)
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