Sunday 22 August 2010

Film Reviews:

Toy Story 3: As always, the animation and characters are superb but the plot is where the film lacks a little. It feels like we’re just going through the motions—in the first two films there are more genuine moments (especially the first) but here they seem a little tried. I wish they had made the film a little more serious—like the first—it seems too obviously targeted to kids. One moment I liked was when the baby turned on the bear and pushed him in the dumpster. There was some character emotion. The rest of the film feels a bit flimsy on this level. Oh—I like when Mr. Potato Head was a taco :p. 3 Stars

Wednesday 18 August 2010

TV Reviews:

The Dudesons: Dud

Samurai Champloo: Nice animation—that has some great characterizations. If I’m nit-picking, it is plagued by bad timing—I would much prefer the animators to attempt a more mature output rather than trying to stylize cliche anime techniques (though they do the cliches well). A−
I just tried the B&W Zeppelin in the Salisbury Waitrose. The Zeppelin got 5 out 5 stars and a Best Buy from WhatHi-Fi? so I thought it nessesary to test it! I have to admit I enjoyed the sound. It was a nice, clean, smooth soundstage that was obviously of professional standards. One thing I didn’t like was the over-bearing bass. It was not, just, that it was over-bearing but that it didn’t sound very good. The bass was flat, muffled and dumb-sounding. I have read online that there is a bass setting you can fiddle with—and that changing the location of the Zeppelin can affect the sound dramatically. I really want to try this out—to see if I can create a better sound—as the treble and mids were outstanding for an iPod dock (even if it is £400).

Note: The Zeppelin’s rating (from WhatHi-Fi?) has now decreased to 4 stars. I find 4 stars a more precise rating—it is a well crafted piece of hardware but it lacks in reach. The bass is too strong, the treble and mids are not as dynamic and as smart as I thought they would be and it sounds dumb at high volumes. Not something I would like to spend 400 pounds on, at any rate.

Friday 13 August 2010

TV Reviews:

Samurai Jack: Impressive animation that focuses more on style (of which it consumes everything else) than on substance. ***

Mystery Science Theatre 3000: An idea that sounds as if it shouldn’t work—but it does. The simplest of shows—hillarious and true. The guys comedy is not stonerish and doesn’t become monotonous but encapsulates the style of the films they mock. A−

Monday 9 August 2010

Film Reviews:

Inception: I know I’m a bit late on this one. What a movie! I was actually surprised how much I appreciated this movie. I haven’t seen a film this genuinely interesting since, perhaps, the Dark Knight. Nolan produces an original and intelligent plot—twisted with great cinematography and direction. The actors and actresses produce a smart action movie and keep the movie rolling through—rather than, say, the Matrix which incessantly tries to focus on every piece of ingenuity it had to offer. A brilliant movie I will certainly be excited to own on DVD (or is that Blu-Ray now?). 4 Stars

Saturday 7 August 2010

TV Reviews:

Samantha Who: Who (I had to do that)? Bad acting, in combination with, poor direction and a dreary, uninteresting plot leads to one of the worst popular shows on air. They somehow find an array of stars to perform cameos—do these people really watch this show? I can understand the women—women have a tendency to dismiss poor quality if it focuses on the lives of women. That is sexiest, I know, but it’s true. Hay—I like Sex and the City (not the films). B−

Friday 6 August 2010

I know I can’t speak about the new Kanye West album (as I haven’t heard it)—but from the single ‘Power’ I don’t think it’s gonna be all that good. It seems he hasn’t learnt that his fist two cd’s were great and the second two a little wack. He’s still arrogant as shit—which I wouldn’t ordinarily have a problem with (at least he knows he’s a star—most are dumb enough to assume they are)—but it affects his music tremendously. I’m so dissapointed in Kanye—the only good thing about the song is the bass line which runs, intermittently, for about 10 seconds of the song. :/ I’m sure the album will still make an A−.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

TV Reviews:

Phineas and Ferb: A less hyper-active, slightly more entertaining, TV show for kids. **