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Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)
Cyberbug 2077
You play a protagonist in Burrito City in a simulation to buy cans and recycle them for parts. Side missions include a big adventure in the way you want to. Stealthy, guns blazing or hacking.
Craft your own distinct character then chose from a multitude of mismatched headwear accessories to ruin any look you were going for.
Level up skills your not quite sure about, and ride vehicles using a quantum map that tells you to turn once your on the turn.
Marvel as things glitch, props get frozen, enemies run into scenery, dialog talks over itself, random graphic effects and many many more, making you say 'why did you focus on porting before finishing the game'.
It is a good unfinished game. You buddy up with Keanu Silverhand, a companion with no likeable qualities, but a hand gun more powerful than Chewbaccas bowcaster, but its ok, as the story goes on, you find they really are just a terrible person wirh no likeable qualities.
Level design, graphics, clothes, style, buildings all are wow factors.
Driving, shooting and moving is as bad as you might expect from the makers of Witcher. Against all expectations they clearly didn't execute the last person who was responsible for this. Its not an interactive map, its interactive at exactly the points they want it to be. You want to shoot someone, they designed a sniper scope, yellow crosshairs on yellow glass. It simulates like shooting into the sun in every condition keeping you guessing where the middle is. If it were released 100 years ago the QA team would be publicly flogged, along with many others.
But the saving grace is that its pretty and you can customize your nether regions, and regularly find every didldo you can imagine. In a year it will be one of the best games ever after a massive overhaul, but for now its an overpriced beta that for a company with a great reputation is now just that company that released an unfinished game to cash in.
Immortal Fist: The Legend of Wing Chun (2017)
Just a bad indie film
If I asked my mates to make a film and filmed as we went, you would expect a film like this. Strange to see it on IMDB as it lowers the bar so low you might as well start adding school productions. There is nothing redeemable aside from the main girl is kinda hot in a cam girl type way. There was no Wing Chun just generic Kung Fu that was badly pulled off. The acting is person off the street quality. I've seen better costumes at haloween in my local pub. You get the impression, there is literally no reason to watch this. It's not differnt or edgy it's just unwatchable and a masterclass on how to do everything badly.
Man of Tai Chi (2013)
Tai Chi band wagon, but doesn't get one aspect well enough to be watched
MAN OF TAI CHI, well after an awesome trailer prepare for a film that has been surpassed by previous martial arts films doing the same thing, just more light hearted.
After the splurge of Yip Man films, we enter a Tai Chi phase now. Although the unsubtle yin and yang depicted through white or black clothing throughout one major problem remains. The main character is never endearing and despite being conflicted, I never cared. I just kept saying to myself 'That's a weird hair parting' which seemed far more important than his penchant to randomly act in a way befitting a teenager and not someone highly trained ESPECIALLY in Tai Chi.
Keanu brings nothing new in his directing style and his performance as an actor and martial artist is wooden.
The fights were well shot. But you know how Hollywood has Germans in castles, English in cottages drinking tea. Well the martial arts have been exaggerated in the same way. You think it would be cool, but none of the fights, despite being well shot are memorable.
In fairness the clarity of the fights was a genre high. Clear, crisp but that is also its downfall as it becomes clinical and samey. With poor character development there is no need to feel anything. Despite the realism I felt it was really let down with the good guy special move that only worked in films like Dragon Tiger Gate or Kung Fu Hustle. Although spoofy, both those titles are 10x better than this, with the same lessons.
If you want to watch a film with good fights and bad acting watch Man with Iron Fists. Tai Chi Hero/Zero are the best Tai Chi films. People will down rate this review with a false belief I missed the point of this film. I didn't. They did. I know what its meant to be, it just didn't deliver.
It was nice to use a mix of languages although ultimately it neither made the film better or worse, but its nice because its more realistic. Again realism goes out the window with Keanu's wooden dummy style attacking and what happens.
Do yourself a favour, don't watch this or at least tell friends to watch it with you because you'll feel awkward from start to finish. If you want a fighting tournament film watch a classic Enter the Dragon or Blood Sport. Or get a more gritty better martial art like Ong Bak. The guest fighter Iko Uwais (The Raid, also awesome apart from the last fight), would have made a much better lead. I can keep listing better films, I have a ton of Jet Li ones better than this-but similar story, but if you watch this, prepare to be underwhelmed with a predictable story and unlikable characters where only the people with high self regard will pretend to get more out of this film than there actually is.
Tai ji 2: Ying xiong jue qi (2012)
underrated amazing slick kung-fu film
I saw a popular review with 1 star. What the hell are they watching this film for when the trailer is accurate and the film gives you so much more. Firstly if your a fan of Kung Fu Hustle or Dragon Tiger Gate or even The Storm Riders you will love these couple of films.
In short a martial arts village must survive against the evil steampunk death machines and armies who want to build a railway which would destroy the town.
The story is really secondary. It carries the film, but the effects, action, strong characters are flawless if you understand the genre. Most of it is quite unique and visionary while not compromising on the values of a good dramatised Kung Fu adventure. I mean it is really slick how they merge effects, big graphic overlays to convey action and humour which is really good. My only regret after watching them was that I never saw them in the cinema.
If you like Kung Fu films this must be one of the most rewarding films you will ever see. The vision made reality is really epic. It's an instant classic. Anything less than a 7 and you really shouldn't be watching this type of film as it is a near perfect master class. Crouching Tiger action. Subtle Kung Fu Hustle humour. Tarantino style. Sherlock Holmes steampunk. Main character is like Jet Li early years. AMAZING FILM
The Grey (2011)
Final Destination with wolves
Picture somewhere very cold. Now picture an outpost full of A-holes in the middle of nowhere. A plane flies out from here and crashes.
The survivors are remotely stranded and have to get to safety because wolves are lurking around (I think they cast small ponies looking at the size of them.) As luck would have it, a depressed Liam Neilson is with the survivors and his job is killing wolves.
Not everyone will agree with the decisions made, but here is what the trailers don't state enough. There is almost edge of your seat worry with what will happen next because of the bleakness of the situation and the dangers that pop up. They got the balance just right with plot progression and suspense.
The reason I only gave it a 7 is because much like a Jason Stathem film, I couldn't hear what Liam Neilson was mumbling when he was talking. That and I didn't really have any empathy towards the survivors. From start to finish, Liam also has flashbacks which don't add anything to the film and get pretty annoying.
All in all I would recommend watching this. It's well shot and quite raw and real. Some parts frustrating, but overall its something different and done well.
Bedlam (2011)
Easy watching. Good for a light supernatural fix
Jed (Theo James) sees ghosts and how they died. Put him and an attractive cast in an old mental asylum that is now converted into luxury apartments and you get an enjoyable easy going, light hearted glossy horror. The location is spooky and ideal for the setting.
The series and the twists pick up as it progresses. If I were to pick any flaw, it would be to ask how all these people can afford such nice apartments decorated so well? I am eagerly awaiting the 6th episode as it's really all coming together and everything looks to kick off.
Don't expect anything new, but unlike other reviews I doubt you will hate it or feel you wasted time watching.
The Gates (2010)
Amazing. Supernatural Desperate Housewives
We follow the new police chief move in with his family to the Gates. A very wealthy and very private small town with some supernatural residents.
What angers me about US TV is the lack of character development in place of giving you everything on a plate in the pilot. This is different. The character development and story is well written, which I haven't seen the likes of since Buffy. Even better, the police chief does everything right. You know how Captain Picard was believable, well so is this. Its supernatural and you wont find yourself saying "oh no way, this is just getting stupid now" like in Warehouse 13.
Unlike Desperate Housewives this has a much broader audience for both men and women. I would never compare it to Twilight despite the werewolves and vampires, as if I had to watch that again id kill myself.
Its glossy, its believable and I wont go into any more detail as you will enjoy the series more the less you know about it, but its a MUST WATCH