REVIEW: Portal 2

From the ashes of Half Life 2 came a weird creature called Portal that created quite a stir and ended up having a rather large, cult following. It was an attachment with The Orange Box which went on to sell millions and Portal itself had apparently revolutionised the puzzle genre in a way that hadn't been seen since perhaps Tetris. Now Portal 2 is here - so what's all the fuss about?


Truth be told I never got into Portal. In fact I never got into Half Life 2, I never really got into Counterstrike and I never even completed Half Life. However, such was the excitement for Portal 2 and that I kept being repeatedly told that I would enjoy it that I thought I'd give this game a go.

Essentially, it's beauty is in it's complexity in simplicity. Even though all you do is point, shoot and occasionally jump, it becomes a joy to solve each and every puzzle and the reason why is because of the physics involved with using portals. You have a gun that shoots two different portals, an orange one and a blue one, and that's it. You can only shoot them onto certain surfaces, but when you do you can walk through them. That's the entire game. However, where you place them and how you get to certain places is the trick and once you've figured it out you can't help but feel the satisfaction that you were able to figure out something that was actually very complicated.

If you get to a certain height for instance and put a portal beneath you, with a second portal in the distance which happens to be at a 45 degree angle then when you fall into the portal, it will launch you in the air on the other side of the room. This might not make sense, but this is probably one of the simplest tricks you have to learn how to use in order to continue through the game. Along the way there are buttons, holo-bridges, mini turret robots and different liquids that let you bounce, speed up and more. All you need to know is nothing is there on accident, everything has a purpose. Including the little blocks that really do help.

It's extremely well thought out and makes the puzzle solving enjoyable without being too easy yet not frustrating either - a hard line to manage and one that Portal 2 successfully pulls off. However, my problem is that it actually relies too heavily on the puzzle solving and, as a full game, I thought it fell rather short of delivering a fully packaged experience.

Firstly, the plot carries on from the first Portal (I think) and so everything that was once bright, white and shiny has been slightly ruined. Stephen Merchant plays the robot helping you out and provides the laughs, but in a sense his voice is so unique that you can't help but think of his face rather than the robot. At the same time, his voice acting, especially near the end is laughable for different reasons and even though it's meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek in his very self-aware way, it takes away from the immersive experience of the game. The graphics are also somewhat dated and it just feels like a PC game from about 5 years ago. The sound is almost awful at times, often a signature riff is heard when you're doing different things to do with the puzzle but  it sounded cheap and farcical. The plot of merely trying to escape is simple enough, but you'd rather just solve the puzzles and Portal 2 knows this. So it does have a story, but it's always trying to move you on to the next puzzle, which is probably a good thing.

I enjoyed this game, but thought that so much time had been spent developing the puzzles that by adding a nice, whole story they thought they could sell it as a full game when I thought it was rather short. The co-op was something I dabbled with, and would work well if with the right person but I can imagine it could get very frustrating very fast. Overall, the puzzle element was amazing and well worth it, but as a gaming experience I'd rather there just be a whole load of levels as I really wasn't bothered about the story. Great, simple and a whole lot of fun but it's not one of the best games I've ever played - I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy sitting down with a book of sudokus - which might give me a whole heap of satisfaction but doesn't necessarily make it one of my favourite books.

Great fun, but smash it out over a few days and move on.

Rating: 7/10

NEWS: First Look At Tom Hardy As Bane In Dark Knight Rises

Here it is! The first look at the absolutely huge Tom Hardy as Bane. If you thought he was big in Bronson, this shows that the man can really bulk up

REVIEW: Wild Beasts - Smother

After one of my favourite albums of all time, the Mercury nominated Two Dancers, Wild Beasts return with their third highly-anticipated album Smother. Is it the big spectacle we were expecting? Well, not quite.

Firstly, it somehow feels more personal with Hayden Thorpe taking over most of the vocal duties in a more softer, genteel approach than what people might be more used to. This isn't a Summer album, instead it feels like you're in a snowy lonely cabin reminiscing of better times and that girl who caught your eye. The melancholy seeps through like happy gas leaving you in a meditative, self-aware state that is hard to put down in words.

Album opener Lion's Share sets the scene for the more clean, open, honest and remarkably different sound from Wild Beasts that steps away from those lingering distorted guitars, to a more progressive sound that isn't as instantly fetching. This isn't to say it's not as good as Two Dancers, it's just different. Bed of Nails has a Talk Talk inspired backdrop that uses a lot of toms and continues the rather subtle emotion and repressed anxiety that Wild Beasts have directed their sound towards. It's in Deeper that we see the full beauty of why they have chosen this. I couldn't help but think this reminded me of when Tears For Fears took a similar direction with Songs From The Big Chair, a very strange comparison perhaps but slightly apt. It's longing, without the signature reverb, makes you feel like you're in the room with them, that they are speaking directly to you, and feels that perhaps it's slightly under-produced, something that only a great producer can achieve.

This means that this is one hell of an atmospheric record, something not to listen to lightly and has a deep, raw tranquillity that a song like Loop The Loop pulls up from the bottom of the soul to make a rather light, easy on the ears result that might be a bit too bongo heavy (which can be said for the whole record really), but leaves me in a strange mood that I can't quite put my finger on. It could be perhaps the rather direct lyrics of pain, passion, beauty, death and a lot of sex - this is Wild Beasts after all. Plaything symbolises the sexual element in more blatant terms but it's boiled down appreciation for the sound of music is unparalleled. Fleming takes over in Invisible and I'd have to say, I find him a lot more impressive than Thorpe, not because of talent, or because he sounds like a crying Tom Smith or Morrissey, but it has an almost operatic quality that Thorpe's slightly emotive whining Antony Hegarty sound can sometimes lack. However, Invisible is a bit of a 'skipper' and it's when next track, and released single, Albatross comes up that you realise that this isn't an album of singles, perhaps like Two Dancers, but an album that must be listened to as a whole. Invisible was a pre-cursor to Albatross and so on and so forth. It requires dedication, not that it's hard work, but it's something that deserves respect and attention, which you can't really say about much other music out there.

Reach A Bit Further returns to that Eighties New Wave drum sound and has a chorus that I can't help but well up for. People forget that the vocal melodies Wild Beasts are able to pull off are exquisite and pulls me in with a love for this album that at a first listen, I never would have thought about. It certainly grows on you and I've found myself looking forward to playing this album on my commute, of being transported to this world that Wild Beasts have created. It might be the My Bloody Valentine sound of next track Burning that gets me going, I just can't help but feel they have taken bits from a lot of bands that I have always loved and made a literal work of art. End Come Too Soon is a rather spot-on title, it's a slow burner that builds up much like a Sigur Ros track that might teeter on a dirge, but for a song that lasts 7 minutes, it feels like it runs away rather quickly and leaving us somewhat ungratified.

People forget that Wild Beasts are perfect songwriters, every single note is accounted for, meticulously sweated over for hours and yet sounds so effortlessly pleasing. They lead the way for not only musicians in the UK but also the world in what real music is about - their brave talented ballsy music isn't made for anyone but themselves, which is the way it should be. They clearly feel very strongly about their music and what might be something very different from Two Dancers but still so beautiful in a different way, shows just what these boys can do.

The only problems I had is that even though this is a different kettle of fish than Two Dancers, I am more than likely to return to their previous album than I am this. It's an incredible album from one of our best bands, but for people to give it full marks might be too over-zealous, after all I think this is a band that I wish to develop, grow and get better and I don't want to think they have peaked already. Smother is a more relaxed affair with a sombre touch but I still feel it's lacking in that hard hitting punch that an audience want, but then it's not what the audience wants that matters. I was never expecting another Two Dancers, I wasn't expecting this either, but people have to be honest and admit that this just doesn't reach the heady heights of it's predecessor but then I feel like it was never supposed to. Those who write for the top papers, magazines etc. will wet themselves over this record, but these were the guys that dismissed Two Dancers until it got a Mercury nomination, the same people who listened to it going 'Isn't that the Santander advert?', the same people that think it's cool to love a band like this. They should be honest and say that this album isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but thank God it's mine, and I don't want another Two Dancers, but I just hope their next offering goes in another direction as well because I think they've got Smother's sound covered.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: Thor

Another comic-to-film adaptation that lends some integrity due to Kenneth Branagh as director. But does it drum up thunder or is it merely a firecracker in the grander scheme of things?


Look at the poster. I can't help but think The Social Network's advertising campaign of writing words over people's faces has gone too far with every movie these days copying it (keep an eye open) so is the film as unoriginal as it's advertising campaign? Well, not really. Instead, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

The main reason why is because it cuts out the fat. The scenes are short, sharp and well written. The pace is relentless but never do you feel they have sacrificed anything for the sake of keeping everything tight - instead the whole thing feels well constructed and satisfying.

There are two parallel storylines going on throughout the film. The one is in Asgard where Thor is banished for being a petulant child and his brother Loki looks set to take over. Once Thor is on Earth, he soon realises he is not as special as he thinks he is while his mates in Asgard are trying to stop a war Thor has started with some cool looking ice people - or has he?

Branagh deals with the story in a mature way by concentrating on the family issues. In fact, he is an apt choice as the content itself is Shakespearean in nature: tragedy, betrayal, royalty, family focused politics that deal with fathers, sons and the issue of power. It's familiar territory for Branagh and one that disguises itself in a superhero blockbuster movie, a clever move for all involved. People forget that comics, like all myths (this one obviously being a real myth, if there is such a thing) deal with issues that form the basis of all great stories and Thor involves them all.

The acting was also top notch with Portman being more than just a silly little girl, Chris Hemsworth putting in a  surprisingly effective effort as Thor, newcomer Tom Hiddleston giving it all as Loki, Stellan Skarsgard (one of my favourite actors) putting in some minimal effort that is good enough to do the business, Idris Elba looking as menacing as Stringer Bell ever did and really it is Anthony Hopkins going through the motions that really comes across as a bit lazy. Out of everyone, I never would have thought him the weakest link.

What also surprised me was that I found myself laughing out loud on occasion and watching Thor mature into a self-sacrificing Christ-like figure might be quick, but it's not ridiculous. After all, he is portrayed as someone that is good at heart but just a bit quick tempered so his turn isn't as far fetched as it might seem. The only real problem I had is that it's different from the comics. If I remember rightly, some weedy blonde kid picks up the hammer and becomes Thor and the series is a bit like a personal internal struggle with himself and Thor - basically a bit like Hulk. Instead, Thor is a completely separate person and, as with other works of fiction, I'm sure fanboys won't mind the change if done right, and Thor does it justice. Perhaps the turning of weedy kid to mighty hero is too familiar with audiences and they would rather something different, so it's a good call.

Overall, I thought this was great and a decent lead-up to The Avengers. It's nothing that will make you want to see it again and again but was definitely worth the watch and is one of the better superhero films. I enjoyed this much more than the Iron Man series for instance. The marketing campaign makes it look like teen fodder but don't let this fool you - it's a film that all audiences will enjoy and like lead actor Hemsworth - it looks pretty but for once, carries some depth.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

The much anticipated second record from Seattle's finest folk band Fleet Foxes might just be the soundtrack of the Summer.


There's no denying that when Fleet Foxes burst onto the scene a little while ago with a magnificent EP then shortly followed by an even more impressive album, that folk was about to hit the mainstream like it hadn't done for quite a while. The soft, warm vocals with melodies and harmonies that could make you cry over such gentle guitar work was enough to make any cold heart flutter and melt. With such high hopes to live up to, it's great to see them keep up the good form on a very impressive second record.

First track Montezuma is a great doorway into the world you're about to enter. What you might notice from the off is that even though the reverb is still washing the entire sound, it has become a lot clearer and in a way, simpler. It feels less cluttered, more focused and wonderfully orchestrated. The sound carries onto Bedouin Trust which, through the violin, makes you feel like you could be in a barn on a warm summer night drinking the night away. Once again the lyrics are earnest, heart-felt and sung in such an emotional, beautiful manner that even if the guy was lying, you'd believe him anyway.

Sim Sala Bim is again proof of the amazing songwriting that this band effortlessly delivers. It was evident enough when I saw them on Jools Holland this week where they absolutely blew everyone else out of the water including Hugh Laurie's lame attempt at blues, KD Lang's terrible Nineties sound and some more awful 'out-of-the-box' sounds. Okay, so you won't be hard pushed to beat them perhaps, but I think it's common knowledge that no-one can really stand against Fleet Foxes in talent, ability and sheer genius. I might be over-gushing, but Sim Sala Bim shows how important they are as a unit and that, as a band, they cannot be outdone.

Battery Kinzie returns to the epic sound of the first album that people might be more familiar with. It shows a difference, though minute, between the two sounds of the albums. Helplessness Blues is a more relaxed, laid back affair and this might come through on the title. It's a more passive take, the music almost rolling off them in long, lush waves rather than the powerful punch of the first album. Singer Robin Pecknold suggested there were problems with this record and that it had become a life-changing experience. I can understand that. The Plains / Bitter Dancer is a dark, telling piece on relationships (much like Fleet Foxes' content - in fact much like all music's content) and the idea of problems, regret etc. told in an almost conversational manner. Either way, you can tell the album was a hard graft that had them spending hours tracing and retracing what they wished to achieve.

The songs feel rich and deep enough to roll around in and last single Helplessness Blues is a great example of the band still being able to provide those uplifting moments they are so amazingly good at. It's clear that the success they have enjoyed has only served to pressurise them to create something better, something every artist should think and Fleet Foxes' personal struggle with this comes across in the music in such a unique way that it feels so personal to the listener that you might be forgiven for forgetting that this hasn't been created just for you to listen to.

The Cascades is a beautiful instrumental that leads onto Lorelai, a softer, Summery track that might be more immediately accessible than the other tracks. However, it's ending leaves something more wanting and it's at this point in the album where you might start taking a step back from what you've heard and being caught up in the moment to wonder if it really is going to be perhaps the album of the year. Someone You'd Admire is again another work of beauty but feels more like an afterthought rather than a track in its own right.

The Shrine/An Argument is perhaps one of my favourite tracks on the album - it feels a lot more stronger and almost magical. It's the most progressive track on the album and delivers a sound that I feel would have been more suited to maintain throughout the album - an acknowledgement of their past success but something a bit darker and unique. It contains everything I love about Fleet Foxes and more and I think this track will be what people remember the most, not only due to it's 8 minute length (though by no means feels so long) and the variety of sounds - but because it's Fleet Foxes at their best and most mature. It even includes a strange saxophone/trumpet/something interlude that feels like elephants dying. Weird and slightly wanky.

Blue Spotted Tail is a simple vocals and guitar track from Robin Pecknold that sounds like it could come from a Kings of Convenience album without anyone noticing. Grown Ocean delivers that grand sound to leave the listener feeling as if he's wandering amongst the mountains through the huge forests that the music transports you to but always with a hook that keeps you coming back for a warm familiarity that Fleet Foxes do so well.



Rating: 9/10

REVIEW: Super

Imagine Kick-Ass was less about a nerdy kid and more about a middle aged man. Imagine that there were no special training involved, no huge amounts of money to be squandered on fast cars and no neon effects but rather a tale of personal vengeance with murder, rape and prostitution high on the agenda. Then make it stupidly funny and call it a superhero film and you have "Super".


Super has to be the one of the most 'out-there' superhero films in that it's not 'out-there' at all. Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) plays the Crimson Bolt who believes he is chosen by God to strike vengeance against those who do wrong. This epiphany comes after his wife, Liv Tyler, is stolen away by Kevin Bacon's slimy drug dealer and to which Ellen Page playing a comic store worker helps give him ideas.

For anyone who loves Dwight in The Office, Wilson gives a more in-depth but similar character to the much-loved character within this film. However, what he is lacking is Dwight's self-belief - something the Crimson Bolt can help with. Effectively, his superhero guise is a mask for his insecurity and complete emasculation at the hands of his wife and of Bacon. He is but a mere burger flipper working alongside Bubbles from The Wire and is a very simple, sweet natured man. So what makes this so strange is that he's a borderline psychotic.

Wilson's character Frank is practically brain-raped by God and under-used Nathon Fillion as a Jesus loving superhero seems to be his inspiration. This all seems well and good and could fit into any superhero origins story, however Frank is clearly deluded. Not only about God, but about his wife who does not care for him and, as we later find out, basically uses him as an excuse to go straight after a drug and booze fuelled past. Frank has clearly not lived a happy life, or one with much excitement, yet his moral compass is set to good - to the point where a lot of people get hurt along the way. It could be said that Frank is almost a metaphor for America in general - a superpower that believes it is banishing evil in God's name when in fact it's selfish, violent and horrendous behaviour arguably does more harm than good. However, my main issue is that there is no real redemption - Frank does not see the real folly in his ways and near the end the media almost glorify him. Great for the story, but not for the morally conscientious.

Frank literally knocks people's teeth out and goes to town on the most petty of crimes while Bacon's henchmen try and track him down by bumbling about and faffing around. Soon, once Ellen Page comes onboard, he starts to realise the psychotic behaviour of what they are doing and the grim reality behind what it must be like to fight crime. People get hurt and die. But this swinging from humour to tragedy is almost too regular and often leaves me confused - should I be laughing at the guy bleeding on the floor or at the man on fire while getting stabbed? One seems more funny than the other and although I did laugh, it was such dark humour that it was slightly uncomfortable. However, it's this point exactly that I love it.

Throughout the film, there's a lot of gruesome violence but all done with a tinge of comedy. It's lucky that they have clearly let Wilson go free on a lot of the scenes and the director (ex-husband of Pam from The Office) has a good eye and ear for what works. It's a stark, dark, twisted contrast to the ultra-glossy Kick Ass which it will undoubtedly be compared to and, although it's not as well-formed as Kick-Ass, I would probably watch Super more times than the latter. It's simply funnier and doesn't hold back. It brings it all back to a more personal, dramatic ending as, after quite a horrific Tyler rape scene, Frank looks back on his exploits and the reason behind all this and although he's no superhero, he's a hero in a lot of other ways. The epilogue sequence is a sad paradox to the superhero film because even though it works out, it doesn't work out at all. Frank is a sweet, simple man and for all his faults, he only tried to do the right thing. His memories and the life that he has been left with might be something others would sniff at but, for him, he's happy.

I enjoyed the film thoroughly and is a lot better than Defendor (a similar film in a lot of ways) but still lacks the oomph that could have made it spectacular. The humour was spot-on but the pace was somewhat lagging and I felt like there could have been more. It's clearly a well-loved piece of work and I would recommend it to the quirkier film-lovers out there who enjoy watching something a bit different. It simply won't work in front of a mainstream audience, but then, it was never meant to.

Rating: 7/10

REVIEW: Scream 4

Scream is back. After 15 years since the first one, Ghost Face is back and trying to kill Sidney Prescott all over again.


Wes Craven's original rehash of the 70s slasher film is very strange. Scream itself was a post-modern take on the genre that Craven helped invent and now, with Scream 4, it's coming after a huge horror remake episode that has taken over cinema since, something they discuss during the film. So then is Scream 4 a post-post-modern take on the horror film? The opening sequence would suggest so but people are really just going to go for the fun, and so they should.

The Scream series, similar to some other slasher films, is a more horrific 'whodunnit' that could fit into any pulp crime novel. The only difference here is that it's taken different conventions that make horror interesting, but essentially it's keeping you guessing throughout the whole film and that's what makes it so damn watchable.

The story is about how Sidney is returning to her hometown to promote her new successful self-help book and the killings start again. I always had a problem with how it's always about Sidney as she is the most boring character of the whole ensemble. She portrays the strong, feminine victim that becomes the Final Girl that is often discussed in horror analysis, but she lacks the key element needed for me to will her to survive like other horrors. Maybe it's just her smarmy face? Well, it hasn't got any better with age. In fact, no-one has, apart from maybe Dewey. Courtney Cox looks dreadful to the point where it's actually offputting as she has had a lot of work done and seeing as this is her most popular role apart from in Friends (maybe Cougar Town), she might as well enjoy what's left of her awful cinema career by having a more plastic face than the killer. Anyway, Sidney is staying with her extended family and we follow her daughter and her hot friends as they seem to become the focus of the killings.

The idea behind this film is that there are no longer any rules as it's a 'new decade' - that you shouldn't expect anything anymore. But really, it makes no difference. There are some good shocks, some great bloody bits and I enjoyed it more than I thought I did. I even thought the ending was okay, which is an issue I've had with previous Screams and it's purposefully mirroring the original but I left satisfied. There were some bits I had issues with, mainly the inclusion of Anthony Anderson who is in all the Scary Movies - a homage to a homage perhaps - but really, it's a stupid piece of fun that Craven is comfortable with doing. It hasn't fared as well at the box office as previous Screams but there is a lot of worse fodder out there and you'll be walking in knowing exactly what you're going to get - and by hell are you going to get it. It's nothing new, it's nothing amazing, it's nothing even that scary - it's just some good ol' fashioned slashing.

Rating: 6/10