Zathura

I know, finding Z but not finding Y, seems strange...so shoot me. Don't really.

Think of this as a spacey-type remake of Jumanji, because that's essentially what this is. Plus perhaps a little more kids oriented, but debatable. Thing is, Jumanji didn't really need a remake. I get that perhaps the developers were trying to make the idea more accessible to this generation, but really?

It's not a @#$% movie, but it certainly holds no candle to the first. You do very much get the feel that it's trying to be one of those "nice moral stories for the kids", and the actual storyline doesn't have a heck of a lot that's original. One interesting point is how they changed up the person coming in from the game a bit....but I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Though whether it's worth seeing it just for that... it does have fun moments to it, and it is fairly likeable, but it's definitely no masterpiece.

But then, I guess, it was never meant for a heavy analysis. Not that this really is one.
That's the conclusion of this A to Z, minus my Q and Y posts (which I'll be putting it later, hopefully). The next one will be starting up either tomorrow or Sunday. Possibly Sunday, because tomorrow is going to be a bit packed for me. I'll have a post up before then detailing a bit more about it.

X-Men: First Class.

OK, straight up warning: for those who watched/are going to watch this expecting it to fall in naturally with the other X-men movies, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. Because it's quite clear in the movie that some plot elements don't line up with the original series, particularly in reference to the flashback sequence in X3. (Case-in-point: by the end of First Class, Xavier is in a wheelchair with a full head of hair, but in the flashback in X3, he is bald but has no wheelchair.) It's not too much of a stretch to largely ignore these, however.

The movie is based in the time of the Cold War; and it is suggested that one particularly dangerous mutant, Shaw, wants to start a nuclear war, which he believes will destroy the humans while breeding more mutants. Charles, of course, wants to stop this, and he happens to run into Erik, who wants to stop Shaw. He then works to gather a team of mutants to fight against Shaw.

For those who are familiar with the original series, this film particularly explores the interesting interaction between Charles and Erik in much greater detail than the original trilogy. Of particular interest is the satellite dish scene, which explores part of Erik's character that most would be surprised by.

Though it can at times feel like a new mutant overload just to keep the fanboys happy (I believe there's eight that are new to the movie series), I don't think that's the intention. I think it's a pretty decent movie, really. Maybe that's just because I'm a bit of a Marvel fan, I dunno. Any other opinions?

Watership Down.

In this one, I'm going to talk about the movie, not the book. For those who haven't read it, it's a fantastic book, but certainly not a light read. The movie's a bit easier to get through, I guess.

Watership Down is one of those classics, both of book and film - even though it is only a cartoon. Honestly, in this case, I don't think it would have been done at all well if it wasn't one. After all, if it's a story about rabbits - well, they're a bit difficult to get to do your specific things you want them to do and such. And yes, for those unfamiliar with it, I know, it seems a bit strange. A story about rabbits. Bear with me.

The basic story is this: these rabbits are living fairly cosily in their den, but one of them (Fiver), who is somewhat prophetic, foresees that there will be death coming to the warren, and they all have to leave. Some do, some don't. The rest basically details their journey to this "Promised Land", as such, which is Watership Down, a great hill where you "can see the whole world" from. Oh, and their attempt to then get some females, because they didn't bring too many along.

It's got some great plot elements to it, and some interesting animation when it comes to some of the rabbit mythology, particularly in relation to Lord Frith, their "god" of sorts. It's a good drama, which has some great elements of adventure, but also a bit of comic relief, particularly with Kehaar the gull.

If you haven't seen it, do. Seriously, do. It's an amazing film. And if you haven't read the book, I'd suggest that to you as well, particularly for the more avid readers. It details some of the mythology and language a lot further, which can be quite interesting.

The Voice.

Probably not a book that a great deal are familiar with. The book centres around the idea that the voice of God could somehow be recorded, through something called Cosmic Background Radiation. Basically, they take rocks from where God's spoken, do stuff to them, and they've got God's voice. That's the idea.

Thing is, obviously this project isn't so popular with some. Especially since they found that the same voice said it was God and said it was Jesus Christ, which some people wouldn't be too happy about. As such, the two working on it are captured, and their deaf daughter seeks the aid of her uncle, an ex-Special Forces Agent. Who is himself being tailed by an FBI agent. Who was herself not told the whole story. You get the idea.

It raises some interesting moral/religious questions, even venturing into ground such as whether people from other religions (such as Islam) will go to heaven or not. But as well as that, it's also a pretty decent action/adventure, with some good comedy lines thrown in there - "'Crap', that's like a G-rated word." Ah. Kids. :P

Up.

OK, yes, I really didn't have a lot of choice for things starting with U.

Up is yet another animated offering from Pixar, and probably one of their better efforts. It has a fairly interesting storyline, some likeable/funny characters, and some decent graphics.

Part of the basic premise of the movie - that an old man uses an inordinate amount of helium balloons to go floating away - is something that I think a lot of younger kids could relate to. They might often see balloons disappearing into the sky, and think, "Wow! Wouldn't it be cool to do that?"

Of course, while physics and Mythbusters would have a field day with this one, that's not the point, and it isn't meant to be. It's a kid's movie, of course there's going to be some things that are a bit - well, not very real world. The other particular example in this movie is the dogs' speaking collar. (Which provides a fair few laughs, particularly with Alpha and squirrels.)

All in all, a decent movie.

This Moment.

First one of my reviews on a Christian album. Thought I'd put one in there; and, since this is going to be the last of my albums (because I don't have any more for the subsequent letters), thought that it had better be this one.

This one's by good old SCC - Steven Curtis Chapman. It's a good CD, with some great lyrics and great sounds happening.

It starts off with Miracle of the Moment, one of the best on the album, easily. It then continues on with Broken, a solid song, and on to Cinderella. We then hear Yours, and Something Crazy. One of the better songs on the album. We go through Children of God, One Heartbeat at a Time, and My Surrender, all decent songs, and go onto You Are Being Loved, again, one of the good ones on the album. It finishes off with Definition of Me and With One Voice.

A pretty good album, though you can get the feeling that there is a bit of the same sound happening here and there. But that's something I'd be willing to overlook, personally.

Stormbreaker.

The book, not the movie. Just because you'd get a similar story to when I did Eragon, so I'll do the book this time. No, the movie wasn't that much of a fail in comparison, but it was a little disappointing. Anyway, doing the book.

Think James Bond meets Spy Kids, because Alex Rider ain't no kid. He's a rough and ready teen, trained for the job by his uncle, whom he only ever thought was a banker. Turns out he was actually a spy, and Alex only found out after he died. He subsequently gets reluctantly recruited by MI6, who use him to check out a too-good-to-be-true guy, Herod Sayle. He has just built a revolutionary new computer platform called the Stormbreaker, and plans to gift one to every school in the UK. But Sayle has a few tricks up his sleeve, and Alex will learn more about his uncle than he ever knew...and even come face-to-face with his killer.

It's a good action novel about a reluctant teen who just gets caught up in things he doesn't want to be. He wants to go home and live a normal life, but he can't sit idly by and just let things happen to him. And MI6 have threatened to remove his housekeeper/friend, Jack, due to a near-expired visa. But neither is he your average kid - he has a black-belt in karate, is an experienced diver, and speaks multiple languages; he has also engaged in many extreme sports.

But the thing about Alex Rider is that the author makes you think that, if things had been a bit different, you might have turned out quite similarly. And that's the charm of the series, I think, coupled with some good action and interesting ethical difficulties (though that's more in the latter books than this one). But anyway, a pretty good book.

The Ruins of Gorlan.

I know, I didn't do a Q. I was hoping for a book, but I couldn't find any books starting with Q that I actually knew. So I've skipped it. :P I might do a delayed post later, if I can find something decent.

This one is the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. It's probably targeted at a slightly younger audience than me, but I still like it.

Once again, back in medieval times. (I seem to be saying that a bit.) An orphan called Will strives to become a warrior, but is just too small. Instead, he is taken under the wing of Halt, one of the King's elusive and mysterious Rangers. Over time, he learns their skills of stealth and subterfuge, and even befriends his childhood rival-come-Warrior-apprentice, Horace. But bigger things are threatening the kingdom of Araluen, and Will is going to need to use all he has learned as a Ranger, not just to protect himself, but also his friends...

And yes, I wrote that, I didn't copy it. :P I've always liked the books/movies etc that were based on characters that were really focussed on stealth, it's just something I've always found interesting. As such, this is a series I find quite interesting - but it also has elements of adventure, comedy, a bit of action; it's a good mix, and I really quite like it. You do get some slightly cliched characters that fit into very easy slots; but they're also very likeable characters, and I think it works well.

The series does go on for a number of books, but this one's just good as a stand-alone if you'd prefer not to get into another series.

The Princess Bride

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "Oh great, he's gone and done a soppy love story." It is a bit of that, but above that there's more. I will elucidate...

If you're not familiar with the movie, I'll give you a quick run down. It's back in medieval times, and the main girl and the main guy fall in love. Guy goes away...actually, no, do me a favour and look it up on Wiki if you haven't seen it. Save me ten minutes writing it out. :P

OK, now that you've done that. Firstly, I love some of the comedy in this. The giant is just hilarious, but overall the movie just has lots of laugh-out-loud parts to it, which I love. And it's just a really great, feel-good story, the kind of one that has you smiling the whole way through it and for a while afterwards. I like that. :)

This is a tad short, because of my lack of synopsis - so I'll write about my next A to Z. I'm planning to do songwriting as my next one - as in, for each letter I'll write a song starting with that letter, do a video of me singing/playing it and plonk it up on Youtube, then put the lyrics and link to the vid up here. Should be cool. :)

Ocean Eyes

You've probably heard the song Fireflies. Well, this is the album that made it a hit.

Owl City is a bit hard to categorise. iTunes calls it electronica, Wiki expands on that and plonks in pop, indie, new-wave and alternative as well. I'd say that's probably about right. Not too good with categories and such, so I let other people do it for me. :P

One interesting thing you may notice by Owl City (which may seem evident by the title, but anyway) is it uses a lot of animal metaphors, and indeed just metaphors in general. If you're familiar with their late single, Alligator Sky, which has been seeing a bit of radio time, you'll know what I mean.

It starts off with Cave In, a decent starting track. It then goes on to The Bird and the Worm, which I reckon is probably the best one on the album after Fireflies. It also includes the Nemo joke. (If you don't know what I mean, here is the vid.) It then goes on to Hello Seattle, a pretty good one as well. It then does a couple more, then over to Dental Care. Finally, a song about dentists :D The next one is Meteor Shower, a fairly short one that I'd say goes back to Adam Young (who is Owl City, more or less)'s Christian faith. (Though that's just my guess.) It goes on over to Fireflies, which you've already heard enough about, most probably. It goes on for a couple more good ones, then a remix of Hello Seattle (which is actually pretty decent, for a remix), and finishes off with If My Heart Was a House, a bit of a nice, bit quieter end to the album, with the fade out at the end.

It's a good album, first off. It's pretty quirky, and a bit different. Owl City very much has it's own unique sound, which is very recognisable. (Thinking about perhaps taking a leaf or two from their book in making my own music a bit more unique.) And there really aren't any songs in it that you'd go, oh, I didn't really like that song. They're all decent songs. If you're thinking you don't have enough for the album - then I'd suggest The Bird and the Worm and Hello Seattle. (I'm guessing that you'd have Fireflies already.) Other than that, listen to the samples and make your own call, but I'd say you'd definitely want a few from Owl City in your collection.

NCIS

Today I thought I'd do another TV series, haven't done one in a while.

I know, you're thinking, "Oh, another crime series..." and if you've watched it, it's quite possible you've had that response to it as well. You've got the egotistical smartass handsome guy plus the good-looking foreign girl, the geeky guy and the tech/goth girl, the medical examiner who's also a shrink, and the boss guy who's a man of few words. Cliche cluster time, evidently....

If it was just that, it probably wouldn't do that greatly. But it's not - it takes the mickey out of itself, to some degree. It does have a laugh with the different types of characters it has, which is good.

I, admittedly, haven't watched it for a while, so I suppose that does tell you that it's grown a bit old for me. Out of the different ones that I've seen, though, I think it'd be top 4. Worth a look at.

Men In Black.

Sorry about the late post, I lost track of the time.

First off, this one is an absolute classic. If you haven't seen it, do.

This one is a from a few years ago, back when they didn't have quite so many special effects to make everything look flashbang. And it still managed to do pretty well. Admittedly, the main bad guy in the movie is simply a giant cockroach, but they managed to pull off everything pretty well.

Feeling a bit like the CIA meets Alien Invaders, Men In Black provides an interesting mix of sci-fi, comedy and action. With their unilettered names, and wiped identities,the MIB attempt to establish Earth as a neutral zone that aliens can live peacefully in. Obviously, however, not all aliens are completely happy with this, and so some friction arises. And so they get a Bug, which they have to clean up.

Both J and K provide their fair share of laughs; J as the wise-cracking new guy, K as the poker-faced veteran. A nice few gags also come from Frank the pug, who we are told is an alien as well.

The plot is sound, the comedy is good, the effects, visual and sound are all quite reminiscent of that era of movie-making. A classic movie that is highy recommended.

Live & Acoustic

This one is an album from a guy who goes by the stage name of Latchkey Kid (real name Gavin Heaney). It's got a bit of the folk style in there, probably a pop/folk mix at a guess. If you haven't heard of the guy (a distinct possibility), this one plays guitar, piano, drums, mandolin, harmonica, bass and sings. Thankfully, not all at once. Obviously, however, because this one's an acoustic album he doesn't play each of the instruments. I would hazard a guess and say that, apart from singing, he does guitar and harmonica. Wiki wasn't any help :P

The album starts off with a song you may be familiar with if you ever watched Packed to the Rafters in its first season - Good Times was actually the song played in the ads for it. It's a good starting song, with a decent beat to it, and a nice happy feel. That beat and feel continues more or less throughout the album, and it's all got a very laid-back style to it.

Another couple of good ones that pop up (in my opinion) are Almost Anything and Angel in the Alleyway. It's a great album to just cruise along to, though, and it really doesn't have any let-downs in there. Good stuff :)

The Karate Kid (Part II)

I know. You're probably thinking, "Part II? What?" Pretty much the only reason I know about it is because we've got a box set, with the original, and Parts II and III. (And now I blow your minds again by saying there's a part III.)

This one follows straight on from the events of the original, with the first few minutes being those directly after the martial arts contest. Kreese gets some bloody hands from trying and failing to hit Mr Miyagi, and ends up looking pretty stupid. We get a fast forward six months. Ali has left Daniel, and he now lives with Mr Miyagi, because his mum's over in Fresno for a while. Miyagi then gets a phone call to go back to Okinawa (his home town) because his father is dying. The rest of the movie is then basically Daniel falling for another girl, and Miyagi sorting out a fight with his best friend, which was the reason why he left Okinawa. And, of course, there's another iconic karate move - the "drum technique".

It's a decent sequel. It's got a good storyline, and it follows on fairly well from the original. (Apart from you kinda thinking that they just got another girl because the original one would only stay on for one movie or something.) Good morals, good ending, that kind of thing. But you do kinda wonder why it needed a sequel, at some of the points; and that can be a bit weird.

But if you're happy to just let that go, and the extra girl, it's a decent movie. Don't recommend the third one, though; not as good.

Jesus Freaks.

This will be a bit late. Been watching a livestream of a new game.

This one is a book - largely put together by an organisation called the Voice Of the Martyrs (VOM). The phrase came from a song by dcTalk, who also put a bit into the book (though I'm not exactly sure what, and Wiki ain't helping). It's best described as a compilation of stories of martyrs (though there are a few that either escaped, survived or refused it).

It's certainly not a book for the faint-hearted. It's got some heavy stuff in there - I remember one guy who got rolled through glass and got cigarette burns all over him. Think that might have actually been the guy who started VOM, Richard Wurmbrand (who actually only died a few years back). They've also got ones from much older times, such as Polycarp - the last living relation to the apostles, because he studied under John. He was burned alive - but apparently he appeared like gold in the flames, and the scent was like incense. There's some amazing stories in there.

If you're not a Christian - then some of these stories are just great examples of human perseverance and excellence. But that's your call. Again, if you're interested uni dudes, can lend.

Infinity Rock Explosion.

I had a look at the calendar, and realised that if I continued at the rate I do, this series will take me until nearly the end of October. I'm hoping to start my next one before then. As such, I'll now be doing these daily again, which should see me starting the next one in mid-October, which is a bit better. Stay tuned as to what that next one will be. (No, I don't need ideas this time. I've already got it, but I won't tell you yet. :D)

This is the second album by the comedy rock trio the Axis of Awesome, of 4 Chords fame. And this time, I haven't just done this the day before. So it should be good.

The album has a very evident comedic tone throughout, with some pretty well-thought out lines. The three guys that make up the Axis of Awesome each have their distinct "personas" that they fill; Jordan, the egotistical frontman; Benny, the smart short guy who gets picked on; and Lee, the dumb guy who just doesn't always get it. It's a formula that works well, and they've got it down pat.

The album starts off with a small intro segment and The Glorious Epic of Three Men who are Awesome, which immediately set up the aforementioned personas. It then goes through to Birdplane, probably their second most well-known tune, a parody of Five for Fighting's Superman. The laughs continue with Songs to Sing Along To, and Harry Potter and the Drunk Teenage Animals Escaping from Zoos. They continue into more serious ground with their more controversial, Wwjd? (About which I might do a post in itself.) but then unfortunately do the seemingly-mandatory-sex-joke-song-these-days, Sexual Harassment. The album then finishes with their classic Four Chords, and a rehash of Birdplane in Spanglish, El Pajaro Avion.

All in all, I think the album's pretty good. But for the more conservative among us, in almost every song there's at least one swear word used, and not necessarily the more "tame" of them. The album does venture into more risque area a few times, which is a bit unfortunate, because they can really be funny without needing to do that.

So as long as you're not too fussed about that sort of thing, then this is a great album to check out. Alternatively, if you do want to listen to them but are a bit more conservative, check the songs on Youtube first so you know which to perhaps avoid.

Hood.

This one is probably not so well known, and certainly not as much as it should be. That's probably because it's by this Christian author - Stephen Lawhead, who's also written a few others, mostly located somewhere on the British Isles and somewhere in the more medieval period.

In this one, though, he's undertaken the task of one of the more well-known folk stories of all time - Robin Hood. And he's put a bit of an interesting twist on it. Well, a few, actually, but this is the main one; he's in Wales. He's pushed it back into the time of King William II of England, when the Normans were in power, and they were attempting (unsuccessfully) to expand over into Wales.

And this is where he's rebirthed Robin Hood; rebirthed as the young prince Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne of Elfael, a fairly rebellious, stubborn and charming sort of guy, who liked the ladies. It seems quite removed from the Robin Hood we know. And, indeed, the name Hood only crops up once (probably a throwaway), as a misheard word.

Bran's father goes to Lundein (London) to swear allegiance to William (he's delayed for so long because he's proud and stubborn). But he's delayed for too long and gets met on the way by a Norman force, who have been "given" his land because he took too long. As such, he and almost the entire warband are killed. Bran, with the one remaining member of the warband, attempts to reclaim Elfael from the Normans, but is captured, outlawed and nearly killed. A healer/bard/wise woman finds Bran and nurses him back to health, and in the process teaches him what he needs to know to become a good leader.

And so Bran, with what is left of Elfael, launches what can only be described as a guerilla war against the Normans; using a combination of stealth and superstition, they fight back as best they can.

It's a great read, combining historical fiction with adventure. And this guy really knows his history; he's researched all the facts about the different eras and such. And he actually has a sound historical basis for why he put Robin Hood in Wales, which I think might be an Afterword in this book; though it may be in Scarlet or Tuck, the second and third in the trilogy.

If you're thinking, but ohhh, it'll be so different without all the things I loved in Robin Hood - it's got Little John, it's got Friar Tuck, Marian (though she's called Merian), and in the latter books there's Will Scarlet as well. Bran's an unrivalled shot with the bow (a crucial point to the series, as a matter of fact), and he's still taking from the rich and giving to the poor. But it's all a bit different, and it's a really refreshing and interesting new way of looking at it.

I'd highly recommend to anyone having a look at this one, and indeed the whole trilogy; guys at uni, if you're interested, I can lend you my copies.

The Gruen Transfer

This one will probably be up a bit late. Been doing some stuff. And that sort of thing.

Anyway. This show you will quite possibly know, or have heard of. If not, it is essentially about advertising, and understanding the way that advertisers sell us stuff. In a nutshell. In that, they've done everything from sport to religion, water to flight. They've done a fair bit, over the time they've been up.

Being hosted by Wil Anderson, they've also done their best to make it pretty entertaining. And they've really done a pretty decent job of it. One particular section, where they ask two ad agencies to sell the impossible, almost inevitably brings a laugh or two.

The two consistent panellists that join Wil on the show, Russell and Todd, are such different people that it's quite funny watching them argue about almost everything.

Though, for the more conservative among us, this probably isn't the show for you. If you can manage to get an episode that doesn't have a fairly high level of sexual references or coarse language, then great, but they can be few and far between.

However, if that doesn't worry you too much, then this would be a show I'd definitely suggest. They've actually just finished up for this season, but are starting a new one (spin-off, I don't know) called Gruen Planet, where they go a bit more global, and that starts this week. I'll certainly be checking it out, and I'd recommend it to anyone else as well.

Full House.

This one's from good old John Farnham. A reasonably lengthy album, 16 tracks from one of his live shows (hence the title). Though no idea which one.

Being a live show, of course, this one has all the classics thrown in. If you don't know at least one of the tracks on the album.... well, maybe you're not from round here.....

It includes some of Farnham's best, including Age of Reason, Help!, You're the Voice, and A Touch of Paradise, just to name a few. All great songs.

The pace varies nicely across the songs, and there's some good instrumentation and solos happening there. Good stuff. OK, I'm struggling to come up with anything to say apart from "it's good" in 10 different ways. Hello, Wikipedia...Hmmm. Apparently, it was recorded across three different tours back in 1987, 1989 and 1990. And there's not much else Wikipedia has to say about it. Thanks, Wiki. :P

Well, I've got nothing else then. It's a decent album. Worth a look. Got enough singles on it that you may as well just buy the album, rather than just the ones off it that you know. They're all pretty good :)
Sorry for the lack of deep philosophical talk here....couldn't think of anything else good for F.

Eragon.

The movie, that is, not the book.

For those that are only familiar with one and not the other - if you've only seen the movie; read the book and it's a lot better, but the movie will now seem shit. If you've only read the book; don't watch the movie.

The Eragon movie had big shoes to fill. Christopher Paolini (the author) has reaped in massive numbers of readers, and for good reason; it's a pretty decent book. And there's two more (and one on the way very soon) to follow.

But for some reason, despite the big interest in Eragon, the moviemakers thought that the Eragon movie wouldn't actually get that much interest. And so we have book inconsistencies, left right and centre. Sections in the book that take up long amounts of time may only find bare moments in the movie; in particular, one bit I remember - what was a large trading city in the book was reduced to some ramshackle dwellings on stilts in the water. Some great characters only barely mentioned. Argh! As well as that, there were bits - particularly the ending - that meant it was virtually impossible to continue on with the series, without changing it quite significantly.

However, if it's looked at as a stand-alone movie, ignoring the book entirely - it's not too bad. It's got a couple of decent actors in there, some good moments occasionally, but it doesn't jump out at you.

In summation; if you've come from the book, it's going to be a big let-down. Movies-from-books usually are, but more so. If you haven't, it's alright, but nothing special. I'm hoping for a re-attempt at it in a few years time or something.