Maniac Cop - Film.

Maniac Cop (1988)
Director: William Lustig
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Robert Z'Dar, Tom Atikins
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095583/

I was expecting much worse than what I got with Maniac Cop and honestly, that kind of disappointed me. It's definitely in the exact same vein as most cheesy 80's slashers but it's actually a half decent film. It also didn't have nearly enough Bruce Campbell for my liking.

Robert Z'Dar plays a massive terrifying shadowy cop who just loves killing people. He's actually a little unnerving when the film doesn't finally devolve into silly bang bangs and car chases. It maintains something of a tense atmosphere throughout although it does feature a pretty great performance from Sheree North as Maniac Cops crippled girlfriend. Campbell as ever has a boyish charm and charisma that makes him so god damn lovable.

Whilst for the most part it maintains some semblance of reality it finally does give it in by the end. Turning from a decently made low-budget horror to your standard poorly made action film. It also features what seemed to be some weird social commentary on how cops treat other cops when it comes to crime within the police force.

Maniac Cop isn't terrible and for me, that's the worst thing about it.

Stoker - Film.

Stoker (2013)
Director: Park-Chan Wook
Starring: Nicole Kidman,  Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682180/

Stoker is an interesting film for a number of reasons, the main two are behind the camera. Firstly, it's Park-Chan Wooks first english-language film. He's already incredibly well established with South-Korean films like Oldboy and I Saw the Devil. Secondly, the writer behind Stoker is none other than Wentworth Miller. He wrote it under a pseudonym whilst we was breaking out of prison and it was only a couple of years ago that it was picked up by Park-Chan Wook.

Now, back to what's in front of the camera. Stoker is an intriguing film that has stellar performances from the 3 leads. It maintains a tense atmosphere throughout and features some well-done twists and turns scattered throughout. It's got some lovely imagery and Park-Chan Wook brings a lot of beauty with a gothic look.

My only real problem with Stoker is something of an immature ending. It feels a little brutal and pointless. It ruins any sort of mystery I could have about the characters after the credits have rolled. It turned Stoker from a film that could have perhaps lingered in my mind into just a pretty intriguing thriller.

Lincoln - Film.

Lincoln (2012)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee-Jones, Sally Field
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/

It's hard not to talk about Lincoln without wanting to just rave about Daniel Day-Lewis. It's also hard to use superlatives that haven't already been said a dozen times over. I don't know Abraham Lincoln personally, but Day-Lewis brings him to life in a way befitting of the legend. He exudes charisma and makes it hard to turn away whenever he is on screen. Without any shadow of a doubt, Day-Lewis is one of the main reasons to watch this film.

Despite how great he is, he's backed up with other stellar performances. Sally Field in particular plays Mary Todd Lincoln. Field is superb and her character is believable as a woman who is Lincolns equal, just as fiery and strong-willed. Tommy Lee Jones is also fantastic as a hard as nails republican.

The problem with having a performance like Day-Lewis gives is that when he isn't on screen, you find yourself a little bored, just waiting for him to come back. Lincoln for the most part avoids this trap. However, even with an interesting world, and pretty huge events going on, it's easy to feel like you're just waiting for Day-Lewis to show up again.

For the most part though, Lincoln is thoroughly enjoyable throughout. It retains a sense of humor despite the enormity of the events going on. A grand test for a biopic is whether it can keep events you know the outcome of, tense. Spielberg pulls that off with ease. The final vote being gripping, tense and also pretty joyous at the end.

It's impossible to not recommend Lincoln. Even if you know the events off by heart, it does the next best thing to actually bringing him back to life and it's a joy to see Daniel Day-Lewis.

Tearaway - Game.

Tearaway (2013)
Developer: Media Molecule
Platform: Vita

I love my Playstation Vita, it's the best handheld I've owned and one of my favourite pieces of gaming hardware, which is what makes the admittedly lack of original games a bit of a bummer. Media Molecule more than make up for the drought with the delightful Tearaway.

Tearaway is visually incredibly. It's got one of the most original and inventive art styles I've seen. Everything in the game appears to be made out of paper. This isn't just limited to things you see in the environment, walking threw a puddle creates a little paper spray. Rain drops and snowflakes are little bits of paper that fall to the ground. It's a really delightful game to just explore, to see what things look like and to appreciate the insane amount of effort put into it.

The visuals are backed up with some very clever mechanics. Tearaway is a rare game that actually takes advantage of the PS Vitas numerous inputs. It uses the Vita to the fullest and aside from the gyro stuff it's all pulled off pretty well. From creating bridges by peeling paper, to poking your finger into the world through the rear panel, it's all pretty joyous. It does get a tad boring being told to take a picture of yourself over and over, my vanity can only stretch so far. Then again, it's cool when the images you capture are planted in the world for you to stumble across. I also realised that I have an incredibly un-scary roar.

The story in Tearaway is a little basic, but has some clever turns. You play as an envelope turned messenger called Iota who needs to deliver a message to "you", the player. The story has two narrators who lead Iota through the world of Tearaway. Theirs a few interesting moments when the story is deviated by a narrator but overall the story remains basic and pretty uneventful.

Tearaway needs to be played. It's a special game, especially on a system so lacking in killer software like the Vita. It's got gorgeous visuals and clever mechanics to back it up. Just be ready to be more enthralled with the visual design over the storytelling.

The Butler - Film.

The Butler (2013)
Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/

The Butler is a solid if pretty unremarkable film that is carried by a strong Whitaker performance. Despite a serious subject nature, it's a relatively light watch and perhaps suffers from one too many cameos.

At times The Butler feels like something of a conveyor belt of actors appearing as famous political figures. You're almost waiting with bated breath to see which star will turn up in pretty bad make-up as a president. When the film is out of the white house it's at its strongest.

As mentioned Whitaker is great. Having a disarming charm and being instantly likable. Winfrey also has a good turn as an alcoholic turned sober wife who has to deal with a husband serving in the white house and a son who is fighting for basic human rights. David Oyelowo is great as Louis Gaines, a man who transforms many times trying to fight for his rights. The only problem is that it all seems a little too convenient and maybe a little forced that his involved with literally every major historical event.

There are many big names in The Butler and it's difficult to talk about them all. Nobody really sticks out as bad, except maybe John Cusacks prosthetic nose, everyone plays their part well. At times it falls into the oscar bait catagory, but overall it manages to remain an interesting if at times uncomfortable watch.

The Desolation of Smaug - Film.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Director: Peter Jackson

Starring: Martin Freeman, Luke Evans, Sir Ian McKellen.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170358/

I haven't been a fan of anything related to Lord of the Rings films since The Fellowship. Two Towers was fine, Return of the King was an overlong CGI mess and The Hobbit was just bad. I therefore wasn't expecting too much from Smaug, I was pleasantly surprised then that I actually enjoyed Smaug, although it still has quite a few faults.

Let's get the good out of the way though. Smaug is a much, much improved take on The Hobbit than The Unexpected Journey. It's more involving, it's fun and it doesn't feel entirely self-masturbatory from Peter Jackson. The first film was a film made by Jackson for Jackson whereas Smaug is made for normal people who want to watch something good. 

It features way less shots of Jackson longingly starring at the mountains and poking us telling us to love it, LOVE IT. Instead there is much more action and fun to be had in Smaug. Speaking of Smaug the dragon is definitely the highlight of the film. Incredibly well designed and realised. I'm not Cumberbatches biggest fan but he plays a mean dragon! Probably better than he plays Sherlock. 

Despite the improvements, Smaug still has problems with pacing and length. It's about 30 minutes too long and at times feels incredibly stop and start, it never quite flows properly and gets kind of boring to watch at times. Also, Orlando Bloom is pants. 

For me, the biggest problem with The Hobbit is the director. He is too in love with the source material to consider anything worthy of cutting out. Most of the stuff that I hated would have made for great extras in the extended cut, but in the cinema, it just doesn't work. 

Seriously, why couldn't have Del Toro stayed on board?

Pain & Gain - Film.

Pain & Gain (2013
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1980209/

I'm not gonna lie, I was always going to have a good time with Pain & Gain. I knew it was going to be loud, fun and have Dwayne Johnson in it, which is all it normally takes. With the truth bombs out of the way I can say that Pain & Gain is a helluva lot of fun and worth watching to see one of the more bizarre true stories about.

Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie play three body builders who take it upon themselves to make the American Dream a reality. By working hard and paying your debts? Nope, by kidnapping a rich dude and taking over his life - and that's as normal as I can make it sound.

This film is the antithesis of the phrase "fact is stranger than fiction." It features some absolutely bonkers scenarios that if it wasn't adapted from a true story would be marked down for how ridiculous it seems. If one director was going to handle this film, it was going to be Bay and all in all he pulls off the relatively low budget film well. There's a few "bay-esque" moments (see: loud noises and explosions) that feel a little out of place in the film and make the tone go all wonky.

The performances are where the film really shines. All three of the leads work incredibly well together and bounce off each other like I imagine all inept criminals do. Johnson in particular is funny, empathetic and the best god damn coke-head-who-isn't-actually-on-coke you'll ever see. Tony Shalhoub, pulls off a rare feat of making it hard to be sympathetic with a guy who is having his life ripped apart.

I would have enjoyed Pain & Gain with or without being pre-disposed to it. Even if Bay has never been your cup of tea, it's a fun ride and one well worth taking, if just for The Rock on coke.