The Angriest man in Brooklyn - Film Review

This 2014 film is almost prophetic. It looks into the life of Henry Altman, played by Robin Williams. This film was one of the last that Williams would make, and becomes more poignant because of that. Unlike the last performance of Heath Ledger as the joker (this film is no Dark Knight), Robin Williams takes the normal over the top comedy persona and transforms him into an angry, bitter and tormented character who has forgotten how to be happy. It is a short drive through human error and personal realisation that culminates in a touching end to the film.

While the film only scores 10% on Rotten Tomatoes I found this 83min film oddly charming. It misses some of the themes it tries to hit, but not by too much. If you are a less critical film viewer the film is enjoyable.

It has a pretty stellar cast with a few enjoyable cameos, and while there are arguably many flaws to the film, it is short enough to forgive them. The film touches on themes we can all relate to, even if some of the themes are not addressed as well as they could have been. The biggest mistake is trying to play the last 90 minutes of the characters life in semi real time. From the little I know of New York and Brooklyn, far too much happens or at least the journey the characters take would be unrealistic with the confines of the time frame we are given to believe is unfolding before our eyes.

It does however provide a few genuinely funny moments, with some very old jokes. A cameo from James Earl Jones as a shop keeper with a stutter was to me funny on a few levels. Not only because of the (almost) tired written jokes that they are using, but the fact James Earl Jones has such a strong, recognisable voice. Darth Vader, Mufasa and many more (little trivia from this is James Earl Jones and director Phil Alden Robinson worked together on Sneakers).

Peter Dinklage as Robin Williams' brother is amazing, this actor is even, in bad films a shining light of awesome.

Louis C.K. is in this fleetingly and while I had trouble believing he and Mila Kunis could be together, the fact his only scene is a sex scene, made it all the more funny. To give Mila Kunis her credit as an actress, in that scene she plays so well the look of someone enjoying the activities to disappointment and dejection.

The main down side is the, what appears to be, amateur use of green screen effects. The scene that is shot on green screen would have been a logistical nightmare to try to practically do, I get that. However it stands out like a sore thumb. I think they could have achieved the same results maybe shooting different scenes or in other locations but  the fact they went with this option is a shame. It looks like it was thrown in at the last minute and heavily detracts from the rest of the movie.

Overall this was a reasonable film that meets its expectations, as long as your expectations are not too high and you don't ask too much of it. It is funny in places and has a genuine message hidden inside it somewhere. The idea of not putting off your life till tomorrow and accepting each other, and more importantly your family is more important than you realise. It's never too late to rekindle lost connections, however angry they make you.

Tropico 4 - PC - Game Review

A couple of years ago I left the world of PC gaming and really hit console gaming, and played my Xbox360 with a group of mates online pretty much everyday. It was the time Call of Duty 4 caught the online gamers market and we progressed together into Modern Warfare 2. The hours we put into that game were crazy, and there are many videos of me and others playing. (This being my favourite.)

Some of the guys were great at this online play. I was not one of them! I enjoyed playing, the friendly banter  but generally sucked myself at the actual game. 

My life has changed, and I play on the console a lot less than I did. I now have a child (not a complaint I promise) which limits the time during the day I have to spend on this sort of thing, and also I no longer stay up till 1 or 2 in the morning playing, only to get up at 6 to go to work and still function. That would not happen. 10 is a late night now!

All that being said, I have mentioned in a previous review how I can use my laptop to game while relaxing with my wife in the evening, watching TV and drinking tea (but not too late or I will be up at 3am to use the toilet). 

One of the games in my rotation of PC playing now is Tropico 4. I bought this game as part of a Steam sale (dangerous times of the year!) in about 2013 if my achievements are anything to go by. I played it for a few hours back then, but it slipped of my radar for something else. I decided to give it another chance and I am so glad I did. This game is brilliant. 

If you are buying it on Steam today it will cost you £14.99 however for £29.99 you can get the Collectors bundle which includes a boat load of DLC. If you are in no rush, and frankly if you are reading this and have waited that long for a new game, a Steam sale is just around the corner (at the time of writing Christmas is just 35 days away, which usually means a sale of epic proportions) and I would see if it hits the sale before spending £30 on the game. Granted it is worth that much, but if you can get it cheaper why wouldn't you?

So when I first played I think I just did some sandbox level and didn't really get how to play or what it was about, but this time I am attacking the missions and love it. You have a specific challenge to beat and it is a great way to progress your skill in the game and what to do. 

So what is Tropico 4?

Tropico 4 is a top(ish) down land management simulation, where you manage the buildings and production on an island. It is similar to SimCity (which is how I found the game). You can choose to be a tourist trap, industrial powerhouse or maybe mine and produce resources for export. Ultimately you end up doing a combination of all 3 to maximise your income streams but some play the game as an extra challenge focussing only one one facet of you as a person/dictator. 

You issue edicts and these can be to help the island (social security/free housing) or be a way to subvert the masses (bribe faction leader). Through all this you are also balancing the islands factions needs (religious/environmentalists) with the global factors of the USSR, USA and to a lesser extent Europe, China and the Middle East. 

It is great fun to choose a path (mine nearly always ignores the environmentalists and religious) but this can cause problems as strong decent will cause rebels and protests against you and the government. It then comes to election day and you choose to make a speech, or not and even if there are going to be elections. Are they fair elections or do you rig the vote? It has many great twists that you have to consider when running a small island nation. 

There are also in built problems you can't avoid (earthquakes, volcanos, oil spills) and you then have to try to manage the clean up. If they happen at the start of a game your funds are low, meaning clean up can take longer hitting you in the wallet. 

After a while the missions can feel a little repetitive as you essentially start on a small map with the same few starting features and follow the story from there. Some missions require you be pro environmental, or pro religious and you follow that path to conclusion, some focus on tourism or industry, and while this is part of the problem of it feeling repetitive actually that is why you become a better player in the long run.  

If I was to now go back to a standard sandbox map, I would have more confidence in certain areas. I would try to work with every area I had to make money. Divide up my island into tourist traps and industrial pollution zones. 

It's also worth mentioning that you have to worry about traffic and where to place your garages in Tropico 4. If things get busy on the roads the transportation of raw materials and goods can take a while to get about and again impact your wallet. (It's not just garages, its construction offices and teamsters offices).

With the DLC I have more story modes I have not touched yet (I want to do the main campaign first) but they also offer other options. In the main game the highest export I can produce is fine jewelry, however in one of the other DLC's I could make cars. This has a much higher export value, but I expect you have to mine more things and may have other things you needed to compete one unit for export (at a greater cost). 

So should you buy Tropico 4, well, I think so because I did. It's fun and if you are into "god-like" strategy games (Age of Empires, Civilization etc) then this game fits nicely into that genre of strategy type game. If you never liked SimCity, then stay away this game is not for you. I will keep playing this (along with Prison Architect) and build my islands (or prisons) and love every minute of it. 

On the flip side to all this you can also now get Tropico 5 (hence why this review site is called I guess I missed that). Although there are many people that prefer 4 as by all accounts 5 was rushed a little to market, fixing some problems but causing others. 

So in short, check this game out it's worth it, especially if you get it cheaply on Steam then it's worth the punt even if you never liked this sort of game before.

Attack the Block - Film Review

This film is now on Amazon Prime (in the UK) and I had heard about it when it was first made, but never really thought about watching it.

It was pointed out that the main actor (John Boyega) in Attack the Block is going to be in the new Star Wars, so I thought now is the time to watch it and see if the good things I had heard were really true.

The film is written and directed by Joe Cornish who I had known in the 90's for his alternative comedy as part of the Adam and Joe show. It was a great TV show, but definitely of its time.

Looking at his history now and before Attack the Block, he had only done TV and since then, he has not worked on all that much, writing credits for The Adventures of Tintin and Ant-man (4 year gap between the two) are all he appears to have done. This for me is a shame!

I liked Tintin (but haven't seen Ant-man) however I loved Attack the Block.

This is a very good thriller/horror monster movie. It takes a very British sense of humour and film making and looks at the classic troupes for a monster movie and uses them perfectly to create a tense thriller.

The main protagonists are set up to be unlikable characters, who victimise a young lady in the first few minutes of the film. Their paths cross again and go along way to create more conflict but offer both parties a chance at redemption.

The film takes the traditional cliche of characters and uses them to its full advantage, giving the characters a chance to actually feel more real than most major film releases. Listening to interviews of the cast on Youtube afterwards, the kids sound very similar to the characters they play with their accents and speech patterns (not quite as emphasised, but still there) However the leading lady appears quite posh and very English when in actuality the actress Jodie Whittaker is as Yorkshire as you like.

The tension through the whole film is fantastic and takes you on a very claustrophobic journey through the council estate in London, as the characters try to defend and escape the incoming invasion.

Joe Cornish has said in many interviews how he wanted the alien effects to be practical and not just CGI, and they are (although they are enhanced afterwards) the actors talk about being chased by the physical alien (a man in a costume) and getting scared. It does feel a little like a UK version of Aliens. The fact the sets and monsters appear touchable and real gives the film a genuine tension rather than thinking oh this is all just green screen effects.

The characters fight more than just the aliens with other smaller parts playing to cause the lead roles trouble. It is a well thought out and well crafted film.

For fans of the horror/thriller/alien genre films this is a must watch. It is not too long, and keeps the suspense going from start to finish as the film does not get bloated with unnecessary plot devices. Everything that is there is there for a reason and a well thought out one too. Even the IMDB strap line is short and sweet "A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion."

If you have not seen this film yet, watch it now. You will not regret it. It is funny, slick, tense and just a great 90 minute film that keeps you entertained from the moment you start till the moment the credits roll.