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Max Payne 3 (2012)
A masterpiece!
One of, if not the greatest games - let alone action games - of all-time.
Max Payne 3 not only stands the test of time - it improves with age - I've just replayed through on PC at 4K 120hz AA x4 using an LG C2 42 inch. Whilst I remember it's Clear that Max 3 inspired John Wick & Co. Everything about the game is utterly magnificent. The soundtrack, sound design, ambient SFX, art, gun-play, story, direction, character arc, mechanics...it's a marvel of game-craft and, it is a better game than previous two, of which I also adore. It's rare a film or games action starts well and becomes superior the further towards the end you get. Those who have already completed know what I mean. The fizz you feel from walking into a nightclub to an airport - unparalleled in any game (think more fizz than the John Wick night club scene)!
The noir, the gun-foo, the score, the OST, the story, the gritty truck-stop toilet that is Max's misfortune is undeniably back to and beyond, peak form with a several changes of appearance, location, alcohol branding and facial hair.
Make no mistake, this isn't just a legendary Payne entry - it's an iconic game - an instant classic that undoubtedly inspired more than gaming.
After replaying it for the 6th time since 2012 - it's now August 2023 - I remain entirely sold. I've a very powerful editing suit that has a RTX 4090. I maxed (pun intended) every setting, including AA on my rig. Wow! Just WOW! Every time I play the game is a revelation.
I'm baffled by the lack of overall love from the community and why some feel it's not good due to a few aesthetic changes whilst ignoring that RockStar dialed everything way, way beyond the initial game and it's sequel.
I love the noir New York City stage. It's legendary. That said, MP3 is as good, if not better than the rest if you remove nostalgia and factor in the many improvements and overall execution.
Gawd, there's so much I could say. I'm absolutely jazzed. Totally pumped. I think I'll go replay it again!
Man Down (2015)
A good film let down by daft IMDB ratings
Man Down is an underrated, and at times, exceptional film. To begin with it is well crafted, acted and written. Moreover it attempts to approach a subject matter that's extremely difficult to cinematically portray
Whilst Man Down might not take an Orthodox approach to PTSD, it does attempt demonstrate a horror, not the horror PTSD can leave suffers. Suffering PTSD is like a fingerprint - no one suffers in the exact same way - a lot like grief.
It is very different to films of a similar nature like Jack Knife, The Dear Hunter, American Sniper, Private Ryan, Born of the 4th of July, The Hurt Locker etc.
In more ways than one, Man Down is closer to the original Jacob's Ladder than the aforementioned films.
The entire film is a road that leads to an unmissable end.
Project Almanac (2015)
A very poor man's iteration of The Butterfly Effect/Cloverfield
Whilst The Butterfly Effect isn't the greatest film it is leaps beyond this ridiculous effort. It's insulting to watch a 'found footage film' that have the quality combination of a Arri or Red with Leica APO-Telit-R lens mounted to a Russian Arm & sound that somehow is a wirless Telefunken lavalier.
Moreover the acting is poor. The premise is tired. The first half is unnecessary. The direction is via a book of, "direct by numbers"...just watch The Butterfly Effect - even if you've already seen it. Project Almanac is the worst film but it really isn't worth wasting time on.
I rarely gift lower than 5 stars. For some reason people hand out 1 or 2 star ratings willy-nilly. That's ridiculous. You have to see 5 stars as 1 star and work from there. Most films are above 6 stars. 6 stars is a low rating. 7 = watchable. 6 = tolerable. 5 = should have accidentally been better. 4 = there's no excuse for it's existence - it shouldn't have been green lit let alone released. 3 stars or less is something you'd rate as a form of protest - for instance you'd give "Triumph des Willen" 1 star because it's a famous Nazi propaganda film.
The following is personal advice. Please prevent yourself from using lower than 5 stars. Most films via craft and effort alone deserve 5 stars. And if a film truly blows you away and has done for years then it deserves 10 stars (it's a classic. Don't rate a film classic just because that's the going consensus. If you thought The Godfather was pretty good but nowhere near as entertaining as Back to the Future then give The Godfather an 8 or 9, don't gift it classic status because that's what's expected).
Of course you're free do to as you please but I feel the scoring system is far too loose and therefore very much ineffective. I love The Godfather but do most really feel it's better/more entertaining/more memorable/more impactful/more influential etc than Raiders, Aliens, The Thing, Back to the Future, Private Ryan, The Shining, Carlito's Way, Jaws, The Matrix, Withnail & I, Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Se7en, Funny Games, Fight Club, Casino, Cape Fear, Schindler's List etc? Because its ranked higher. For the overwhelming majority of viewers, it is not - most haven't seen The Godfather let alone care to watch it yet it's ranked so high because they feel they must rank it high, a lot like a combination of how folk are more likely to follow an account on Instagram purely because it has a lot of followers even though the content is poor and the followers were paid for and/or Winston Churchill is loved when next to known knows his history beyond a few trademarks during World War II (and that it's the going consensus to blindly treat him as a hero). I hope that makes sense.
Ghostbusters 2016 = 6 stars (equivalent of 2/5 stars)
Ghostbusters 1984 = 10 stars (equivalent of 5/5 stars)
Back to the Future/Terminator/T2 = 10 Stars
The Butterfly Effect = 8 stars
Project Almanac = 6 stars.
Half-Life: Alyx (2020)
Forget reviews. Immediately buy the necessary kit & play!
Unlike others I'm not going to talk VR beyond saying that the platform is the future & already owns simulation like flight & racing - & is how all revisions of past legendary games should be revisited
As with film & music, classic iconic games transport you to another place/time/feeling when replayed. The Soviet-esque Eastern Bloc dystopic vibe that HL2 built can now be experienced in an awe that'll never be available in 2D. Moreover, the tension, mystery, action, nostalgia, gunplay, puzzles etc are simply out of this world - you're in City 17
True VR can't be told. It has to be experienced.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Magnificent, Cool AF & Totally Raimi!
Oowff! If you're a fan of The Dead Trilogy then you're in for a treat. Stop reading. Go watch the flick. I'm shocked you haven't already! \m/
The Crossing (2018)
A thoroughly satisfying show...
As with Deadwood & many others The Crossing bites the dust in its prime.
I won't go into the premise. But I'm fairly sure the overwhelming majority of those who give it a try will enjoy it very much.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)
Possibly the greatest COD of all!
Superb story, great cast, graphics that that stand well today (Jan 2021), co-op campaign and legendary Zombies maps. Absolutely fantastic!
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Epic scope yet held back by future standards of the MCU
Good, solid, jumbled, chaotic, messy, OTT, PC fun that lacked the stakes, sincerity, intimacy, cohesiveness and the opposing narrative mastery of the utterly brilliant Infinity War.
A love letter to fans? Yes, in the comic book sense but films are not comics, the MCU films are inspired by comics. Film craft is drastically different than book or comic. If you're judging Avengers Endgame by the Russo brothers usual excellent MCU standards, who've mostly managed to please comic fans then the Easter egg laden love letter to fans was at the cost of their ability to craft a visual narrative as well as they have in the past.
A film is the sum of all its parts like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. To me, this film was more a trojan horse - it felt it was to service future MCU characters than the current - disguised as a love letter. A film should be made to cater for its own ingredients and not to aid others work, past or future, whilst risking not only deflating your own achievements but literally undoing current cinematic sense, logic, reason and reward in order to draw more cash later over a compelling and ripping yarn now.
Suspension of disbelief was mostly removed from this film at the cost of a minefield of forced 'just for laughs' and up-and-coming MCU 'product placement'. The film wasn't allowed to stand alone or, at least stand side-by-side with Infinity War. It felt like the Brothers had orders and those reshoots and last minute edits caused the many, 'what could and should have been' gripes from fans and, potentially the beginning of the End of the MCU.
It was a good film, but that's the problem, it should have been far more. There's plenty of good films. What about classic = 5/5 or Great = 4/5. Evidently the Brothers have a knack for turning out classic MCU, what was with the epic-in-scale but overall 3/5 flick?
I could write forever but I can't in fear of giving away spoilers. What I will say is, if they can make Thanos, one of the greatest and most misguided cinematic villains of all time become just another baddie seemingly overnight then you can imagine what occurred to some of the other beloved characters in this film. On occasion the OG6 feel entirely forgotten/forgettable and that they're merely in the way of the new, which is odd because it took 10 years to build their arch whilst the likes of Captain Marvels arch is, 'just is'. One film. Boom. We seemingly know all there is to know in less than 2hrs and we're expected to except that because we're told to. The potential future of the MCU could be on a path of, 'just is'. Call me old fashioned but I enjoy character development and risk vs reward vs loss etc. 'Just is', isn't compelling enough for me. Very soon, 'just is' won't be enough full stop.
In short there's a lot to like in Endgame just as there was in The Return of the Jedi. That about sums up Avengers 4 really. There are people out there who love Jedi and there are others who thought Empire Strikes Back should have had a much, much stronger follow up. And, what happened to the quality of the Star Wars Universe beyond Jedi?
I've a terrible feeling Phase 4 killed the MCU before Phase 4 even got off the ground...