Cold nights encouraging creature comforts, Black Friday deals on games consoles and the vast array of TV & film streaming services at our disposal have conspired to turn me into a gawping, goggle-eyed monster these past few months. Here's a quick review of what I've been staring at:
TV: Mr Robot
Saw this advertised on Amazon Prime Video, read some good reviews on Twitter and the subject of a master coder bringing down big corporations appealed to me, so I gave it a go. Rami Malek, who plays the lead role of Elliott, is very convincing as the lone and troubled coding genius who broods, Hamlet-like throughout the 10 episodes of Season 1 (the naming conventions for each episode, like illegally downloaded files on a laptop, are inspired). Christian Slater is the star turn, while Martin Wallström as Tyrell, the ambitious Senior VP at Evil Corp, is one of the most compelling characters, an inspired amalgam of Michael Douglas in Wall Street, with elements of American Psycho and Fight Club thrown in for good measure. The hacktivist characters are a little weak and underdrawn, but what I love most about the series is its style and sound, both dark and immersive, as we descend with Elliott into his personal hell. Series 2 is out later this year. Rating: B+
TV: Making A Murderer
Indicating the present power of streaming services to provide compelling content, this 10-part documentary came out on Netflix in late 2015 and was an instant sensation, largely fuelled by social media. Following the story of Steven Avery, and his nephew Brendan Dassey, as they're put on trial in Manowoc County, Wisconsin for the murder of Teresa Halbach, it reminded me a lot of the great American documentary maker Errol Morris, especially his 1988 film, The Thin Blue Line. While it highlights the flaws in the US justice system, it also highlights one of its strengths: transparency. The fact that filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos had such intimate access to documents, witnesses and proceedings is partly what makes the TV series so compelling. And alarming. The apparent police corruption is quite shocking, even to a cynic like me, especially in the episode that deals with the discovery of the car keys, in which we enter a strange new realm of physics with which I'm not familiar, whereby a car key can fall sideways from a book case, hit the ground without making a sound and then disappear under a pair of slippers. I ended up with some sympathy for Brendan, a young man of low intelligence who was clearly manipulated, but remain uncertain about whether the two men were guilty or not. Instead, the real heroes of the piece were the lawyers who valiantly defended the men, especially Dean Strang, whose humanity is all too clear to see. Rating: A-
Game: Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)
Long a fan of this game, its PS4 version was a big motivation for buying the console, which cost me £280 in November 2015, bundled with FIFA 16, GTA V and The Last Of Us Remastered (see next entry). I've dropped out of gaming for most of my adult life, partly under pressure from my wife but also because I enjoyed not having one at university and finding time for reading and other pursuits, and this has continued for the past 10-15 years (excepting the purchase of a Wii, which I used little and often after an initial burst of interest, and occasional iPhone games like Football Manager -- which I always end up deleting as it becomes all-consuming -- Stick Cricket, GTA and Words With Friends and the like). This long break from proper gaming meant I was completely taken aback by how immersive gaming has become with the latest-generation consoles, and I loved the multi-player aspect of GTA V, with the ability to play as Franklin, Trevor or Michael. I only explored the online element briefly (as it looked like another rabbit-hole to fall down), and avoided many of the side missions, instead focusing on the main thrust of the game, which I completed in a few weeks, taking the nuclear option of not killing T or M but taking down the whole machinery of the FBI, mercenaries and the rest. So many fun late nights but that said, while I undeniably enjoyed the various heists, car chases and violence (often random), there was something about the experience that left me feeling a little hollow. It was all just a bit too cartoonish for my liking, but that shouldn't detract from the genuinely funny writing, immersive gameplay and stunning graphics. Rating: B+
Game: The Last Of Us Remastered (PS4)
Wow, this game is as good as any I've ever played, up there with Legend of Zelda on the Super Nintendo in my eyes. Initially, I wasn't that drawn in, finding the controls and gameplay unlike any I'd experienced before, but gradually the storyline started to grip me and the emphasis on stealth and survival made it more intense and lifelike than any game I've played. What really stands out to me is the quality of the writing, and in that sense the game was a complete revelation, opening up whole new possibilities for the worlds of writing and technology to fuse in spectacular ways. At first, the whole post-apocalyptic angle, and fantastical elements of mutating spores creating zombie-like characters (Clickers and Bloaters are genuinely frightening), made me a little wary but I was soon sucked in by its plausibility and eventually suspended disbelief. Again, the game took me a few weeks to complete (killing the boss David took me ages!). In fact, never has a game got my heart racing in such a way, and there were sections (like the sight of the giraffes and the closing scenes) that I found genuinely emotional. This game is a towering achievement. Rating: A
Round-up
Other highlights of the past few months have been the BBC's War & Peace, a stunningly visual feast that was reminiscent of Terrence Malick at times, and brilliantly acted, with Paul Dano the star as Pierre among a stellar cast. It completely overcame any reservations I have about costume drama. The other TV series worth mentioning is Fargo, series 1 of which I watched on Netflix, and which I almost enjoyed as much as the original film. Martin Freeman's Minnesota accent is surprisingly good, but the real star of the piece is Billy Bob Thornton, as the unhinged but wickedly funny villain.
As for films, here's my Top 5 from the past few months (Star Wars aside!):
- Midnight In Paris (Woody Allen's moving evocation of Paris and its past)
- Beasts Of No Nation (Idris Elba deserved an Oscar nomination)
- Whiplash
- Birdman
- Still Alice
Apart from giving Vinyl a try when it comes out on Sky Atlantic in the next week, as well as catching up on the next seasons of Mid Morning Matters and Game of Thrones, my plan is to stop gawping at screens so much and devote more time to reading. About which more on the blog later. Cheerio.
TV: Mr Robot
Saw this advertised on Amazon Prime Video, read some good reviews on Twitter and the subject of a master coder bringing down big corporations appealed to me, so I gave it a go. Rami Malek, who plays the lead role of Elliott, is very convincing as the lone and troubled coding genius who broods, Hamlet-like throughout the 10 episodes of Season 1 (the naming conventions for each episode, like illegally downloaded files on a laptop, are inspired). Christian Slater is the star turn, while Martin Wallström as Tyrell, the ambitious Senior VP at Evil Corp, is one of the most compelling characters, an inspired amalgam of Michael Douglas in Wall Street, with elements of American Psycho and Fight Club thrown in for good measure. The hacktivist characters are a little weak and underdrawn, but what I love most about the series is its style and sound, both dark and immersive, as we descend with Elliott into his personal hell. Series 2 is out later this year. Rating: B+
TV: Making A Murderer
Indicating the present power of streaming services to provide compelling content, this 10-part documentary came out on Netflix in late 2015 and was an instant sensation, largely fuelled by social media. Following the story of Steven Avery, and his nephew Brendan Dassey, as they're put on trial in Manowoc County, Wisconsin for the murder of Teresa Halbach, it reminded me a lot of the great American documentary maker Errol Morris, especially his 1988 film, The Thin Blue Line. While it highlights the flaws in the US justice system, it also highlights one of its strengths: transparency. The fact that filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos had such intimate access to documents, witnesses and proceedings is partly what makes the TV series so compelling. And alarming. The apparent police corruption is quite shocking, even to a cynic like me, especially in the episode that deals with the discovery of the car keys, in which we enter a strange new realm of physics with which I'm not familiar, whereby a car key can fall sideways from a book case, hit the ground without making a sound and then disappear under a pair of slippers. I ended up with some sympathy for Brendan, a young man of low intelligence who was clearly manipulated, but remain uncertain about whether the two men were guilty or not. Instead, the real heroes of the piece were the lawyers who valiantly defended the men, especially Dean Strang, whose humanity is all too clear to see. Rating: A-
Game: Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)
Long a fan of this game, its PS4 version was a big motivation for buying the console, which cost me £280 in November 2015, bundled with FIFA 16, GTA V and The Last Of Us Remastered (see next entry). I've dropped out of gaming for most of my adult life, partly under pressure from my wife but also because I enjoyed not having one at university and finding time for reading and other pursuits, and this has continued for the past 10-15 years (excepting the purchase of a Wii, which I used little and often after an initial burst of interest, and occasional iPhone games like Football Manager -- which I always end up deleting as it becomes all-consuming -- Stick Cricket, GTA and Words With Friends and the like). This long break from proper gaming meant I was completely taken aback by how immersive gaming has become with the latest-generation consoles, and I loved the multi-player aspect of GTA V, with the ability to play as Franklin, Trevor or Michael. I only explored the online element briefly (as it looked like another rabbit-hole to fall down), and avoided many of the side missions, instead focusing on the main thrust of the game, which I completed in a few weeks, taking the nuclear option of not killing T or M but taking down the whole machinery of the FBI, mercenaries and the rest. So many fun late nights but that said, while I undeniably enjoyed the various heists, car chases and violence (often random), there was something about the experience that left me feeling a little hollow. It was all just a bit too cartoonish for my liking, but that shouldn't detract from the genuinely funny writing, immersive gameplay and stunning graphics. Rating: B+
Game: The Last Of Us Remastered (PS4)
Wow, this game is as good as any I've ever played, up there with Legend of Zelda on the Super Nintendo in my eyes. Initially, I wasn't that drawn in, finding the controls and gameplay unlike any I'd experienced before, but gradually the storyline started to grip me and the emphasis on stealth and survival made it more intense and lifelike than any game I've played. What really stands out to me is the quality of the writing, and in that sense the game was a complete revelation, opening up whole new possibilities for the worlds of writing and technology to fuse in spectacular ways. At first, the whole post-apocalyptic angle, and fantastical elements of mutating spores creating zombie-like characters (Clickers and Bloaters are genuinely frightening), made me a little wary but I was soon sucked in by its plausibility and eventually suspended disbelief. Again, the game took me a few weeks to complete (killing the boss David took me ages!). In fact, never has a game got my heart racing in such a way, and there were sections (like the sight of the giraffes and the closing scenes) that I found genuinely emotional. This game is a towering achievement. Rating: A
Round-up
Other highlights of the past few months have been the BBC's War & Peace, a stunningly visual feast that was reminiscent of Terrence Malick at times, and brilliantly acted, with Paul Dano the star as Pierre among a stellar cast. It completely overcame any reservations I have about costume drama. The other TV series worth mentioning is Fargo, series 1 of which I watched on Netflix, and which I almost enjoyed as much as the original film. Martin Freeman's Minnesota accent is surprisingly good, but the real star of the piece is Billy Bob Thornton, as the unhinged but wickedly funny villain.
As for films, here's my Top 5 from the past few months (Star Wars aside!):
- Midnight In Paris (Woody Allen's moving evocation of Paris and its past)
- Beasts Of No Nation (Idris Elba deserved an Oscar nomination)
- Whiplash
- Birdman
- Still Alice
Apart from giving Vinyl a try when it comes out on Sky Atlantic in the next week, as well as catching up on the next seasons of Mid Morning Matters and Game of Thrones, my plan is to stop gawping at screens so much and devote more time to reading. About which more on the blog later. Cheerio.
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