127 Hours

Nice day for a walk in the cannyon... or maybe not...

One of the 2011 Oscars nominees for best movie, 127 Hours tells the true story of engineer and trekking enthusiast Aron Ralston, that ends up trapped all alone in a cannyon, having to self-amputate his arm to get free and save his life.

Although I think this movie isn't worthy of an Oscar (specially taking into account the other nominees), it's still a very good movie that you definitely should see.

The picture is almost entirely centered on the main character and the director (Danny Boyle) does introduce some curious shots and filming style that do a good job at putting us in the character's shoes.

The main actor's performance (James Franco) is also quite good, probably his best yet. Definetely a kind of role that I hope we see more from him (altough famous for the Spider Man movies, James Franco has also done some good performances before in Flyboys and the not so known The Great Raid).

Altough the film gets points for going with realism , the strong point of the movie is the story. This accident works as a trigger for a self-evaluation of the characters life, since he realizes that his self-centered personality and the way he's been living and regardind those around him is the main cause that led him to this situation.

While watching this film, I couldn't help asking myself "What if it was me?". I believe that nobody stays indiferent to this story, each one looking inside themselves in a parallel process to the one that the main character goes through, realising that our life and those around us are things that we take for granted and shouldn't. After watching 127 Hours, there is a good chance that you'll feel a big urge to pick up the phone and call your parents or someone you care about, to just say how much you appreciate them.

Name: 127 Hours
Genre: Drama
Date of Release: 2010
Director: Danny Boyle
Actors: James Franco

Rating: 8/10

Machete

I have to get one of these for my bike!

Robert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michele Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan and Don Jonhson. Are you convinced you should see this? No? Okay. Let's see... unreal explosions, hot babes, over-the-top characters, spectacular deaths, intestine bungee-jumping and Steven Seagal. What about now?

If you're a fan of Rodriguez, Tarantino or both, chances are you've seen the Grindhouse tribute they did. And if you did I'm sure you remember the crazy fake trailers they did. Well one of those was Machete a trailer so crazy that fans demanded that Rodriguez made into a feature-length movie. And so he did.

This movie is a work of joy, something that everyone involved did simply because they enjoy making movies. It was not meant to be a profitable movie, a award-winning feature, an art piece or anything else other than fun. And that's the main word here, the driving force behind the whole project. This is meant to be fun. Not funny like a comedy, but fun like any old action movie from the 80's was (sometimes I really miss those days).

If you want to see a serious movie, about serious things and with a good plot and a good story then go elsewhere. But if you're willing to let Rodriguez and Trejo take you on a joy ride through the crazy world of Machete then sit back and enjoy. I guarantee that you will appreciate it. Especially if you watch it while intoxicated (the substance of choice may vary, depending on your current location and laws).

Movie: Machete

Genre: Action

Date of release: 2010

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Actors: Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Michele Rodriguez

Rating: 7/10

Armadillo

The true passion of war.

Armadillo is a war documentary by Janus Metz following Danish soldiers during their tour in Armadillo a Forward Operating Base in the Helmand province in Afghanistan.

The thing that most impresses me is how different this is from the usual war-doc format, there are no interviews, no one talks directly to the camera and there are no voice overs commenting the story. I had to go and check if it really was a moc-doc or a real documentary. And this is the real deal.

There are no over-the-top explosions, no one-man army bullshit, no heroes. These are real people fighting a very hard war because the only way they can tell civilian from enemy is when they are being shot at. Imagine that, fighting a war where you never get to fire the first shot.

One thing that stuck with me is how chaotic it all was. There's even a time where they seem to be firing at each other.

The documentary allows us to dive deep into the minds of young soldiers and how they deal with war. And then we see how public opinion feels about the way the killing is done. It still amazes me how, in this day and age, people still think that are can be civil...

The camera work and sound is nothing short of amazing. The way that this movie looks and feels is very similar to Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker. This can mean two things either Kathryn did an amazing job is recreating a war scenario or Janus Metz and Lars Skree (cameraman) are to be commended for making reality seem like a movie. I think both are true.

If you haven't then please watch this movie if nothing else than for the sole purpose of being a little more aware of how this war is fought.

Name: Armadillo

Genre: Documentary

Date of Release: 2010

Director: Janus Metz

Rating: 9/10

Toy Story 3

Love the jacket!

There has been a lot o fuss surrounding Toy Story 3 Oscar nomination for best picture - can, and more importantly, should, an animated movie be nominated for the ultimate category?

For those of you with short memory problems, this is a third: in 1991 Disney's Beauty and the Beast was the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture (it lost to The Silence of the Lambs). Disney-Pixar's Up (2009) was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards. It lost to The Hurt Locker.

In 2009, the number of films nominated in the Best Picture award category increased from five to ten, which IMHO is why Up managed to be nominated. Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie, but its nomination reflects a blockbuster success rather than some fine acting/writing/directing.

Truth be said, I didn't watch Toy Story 3's 3D version which will, most likely, influence the final rating - i did, however, watch the Bluray 1080p version, on a 50'' screen and a 5.1 surround sound system - the experience was, overall, pretty awesome!

In Toy Story 3, the bar was set so high (after the immense success of the first two prequels) that one naturally expects something amazing. This can be a problem if the movie fails to meet your expectation - fortunately, it didn't.

Voice acting is beyond reproach (as you would expect considering the cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack) and with truly inspired jokes from the very first minute until the closing seconds during the credits, this is easily one of the funniest movies of the year. However, Toy Story 3 manages to reach both children and adults in very different ways, as it is not only about cute and funny characters, it also takes a turn into deeper issues, like mortality, which makes it at times the darker, and best, movie of the series.

Such a carefully managed mix of emotions make this title one of the best out there - it does, in fact, deserve it's place among the top ten. If you still manage to catch it in theaters, don't forget the popcorns for this one!

Name: Toy Story 3
Genre: Animation
Date of Release: 2010
Director:  Lee Unkrich
Actors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Rating: 8/10

Star Wars: Republic Commando

Introducing Delta Squad. The Republic's Special Forces.

Lucas Arts has been making video games for quite some time. Some managed to become great hits. Others not so much...

Being the Star Wars Universe such a rich franchise, various kinds of games came out, namely arcade space combat simulators, RPGs, MMOs, RTSs and FPSs. In the later category, several games were developed, mainly the Dark Forces series and their descendents which can be traced down until the fairly recent Force Unleashed 2. Altough these were generally good games, they all came down to the traditional "one-man-army" FPS. Republic Commando aims at being something a bit different... and succeeds.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a squad-based tactical shooter that takes place in the Star Wars universe, between the time lines of Episodes II and III. You play has the RC-1138 "Boss", the leader of "Delta Squad", a four member team of Republic Commandos, which are basically the special forces of the Republic's Clone Army. The Star Wars fan boys (like me) may initially feel a bit suspicious by the lack of Jedis and use of the "Force", but this only serves to be positively surprised with the game experience.

In terms of gameplay, you may find common elements between this game and the Rainbow Six series, although Republic Commando does not focus on realism. You are able to control your squad members by means of point and click commands such as "follow me", "hold position", "cover that", etc.

The HUD is specially interesting, since it is displayed as if you had your helmet on, with all the game's information being provided by it's interface.

The action is what you would expect for any decent FPS, being able to carry a certain amount of weapons and equipment, with the addition of your "vibroblade" for the melee attacks (it's quite fun to sneak up on a droid to perform a melee attack on him and get hydraulic fluid all over your visor).

In terms of graphics, the game is built on top of the Unreal Engine, so, for 2005, they are pretty decent.

Although the previous features would be sufficent for the game to be worth a shot at, there's something else that makes it stand out. The plot, more specifically the characters' interaction, is really something that gets your attention.

I must say that, in my experience, most games that stand out in my gaming memory owe that to their gameplay. However, with this game, I really became attached with the characters and that alone was sufficient motivation to replay the game's (rather short) campaign several times. There is something about the different personalities and their "one-liners" that really makes you feel as if they are your brothers.

Adding that to the fantastic soundtrack of dark and militaristic musics, the mood is set for you to become completely envolved by the game's environment, making for a very enjoyable experience.

Summing up, if you like military style shooters, playing this game will certainly be worthwhile. However, if for you Star Wars must be synonymous with lightsabers and Jedi Mindtricks, this probably isn't the game for you.

P.S. If at the end of the game you got completely into the characters and the clone's brotherhood, be sure to check out all the Republic Commandos' books by Karen Travis.

Name: Star Wars: Republic Commando

Genre: First-Person-Shooter

Platform: PC (Windows), Xbox

Date of release: 2005

Publisher: Lucas Arts / Activision

Rating: 8/10

Undisputed III

Uh-oh.

I've grown up watching action movies. And fighting action movies have always found a soft spot on my heart. So has this one come to fill a spot that has been vacant for quite some time? Yes it has.

First of all the Undisputed series is not very well known. Why? Because all of them went straight to video. And that's a shame because these are some of the most entertaining fighting action movies I've seen in a long time.

The story? Not really important but ok. Our hero, Boika (Scott Adkins), a russian prisoner who believes he is the most complete fighter in the world, was the villain in Undisputed II. At the end of that movie he got his right knee broken and bent backwards (sorry about the spoiller). And now he needs to win a fighting tournament, why? As he so eloquently puts it "I have to win." plain and simple(imagine that as an american trying to play a russian speaking english, ok?). The tournament, of course, is filled with fighters from a variety of styles.

I'll be the first to say that acting is not Scott Adkins forté, but he does a good job as Boyka. I will also say this, when it comes to fighting, and looking good while you do it, this guy rules (seriously, search for his name on youtube and you'll see). His spinning kicks put Van Damme's famous kicks to shame. Sure they are too acrobatic to be really useful in a fight but who cares! They look awesome!!! And part of the reason why it looks awesome is due to the excellent work of the director Isaac Florentine and fight choreographer Larnell Stovall. Looking forward to see their work on other movies.

In short it's a light movie, story wise, with amazing fighting scenes.

So is it good and does it entertain? Yes and yes! Bring the popcorn and coke for this one!

Name: Undisputed III
Genre: Fighting
Date of Release: 2010
Director: Isaac Florentine
Actors: Scott Adkins, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Mark Ivanir

Rating: 8/10

Oregon Trail

After my dogs, my wife died.

The Oregon Trail was not only played by millions, it was the first contact with video games for a whole generation. Installed on classroom PC's during the 80's, children grew up with the righteous sense that it was okay to play video games during school hours.

As the name suggests, the player needs to cross the Oregon Trail as a pioneer in the late 1800's. There are a number of problems to juggle during your journey - food supply, firearms, clothes, spare parts, oxen, hunting, river crossing, trading, native-americans, thieves, diseases, etc. The game is punishingly difficult no matter what difficulty level you choose, even by today standards.

Mostly text-based, there are some graphical moments and even some shooter action (it takes a surprisingly good aim to become a good hunter) making this a solid strategy game. In the Mass Effect era, it is still a fun game to play, although I doubt you'll get a History lesson from it (as originally intended). However it does (did) teach kids about the importance of making plans, rationing and risk vs. reward.

From the countless ports and remakes since its 1971 debut, the 1985 version for Apple II computers is generally acknowledge as the definitive one, featuring detailed color graphics ahead of their time.

Name: The Oregon Trail

Genre: Strategy/Edutainment

Platform: Various

Date of release: 1971, 1985 (Apple II)

Publisher: MECC

Rating: 9/10

Black Swan

Finally, some blood from Queen Amidala.

It's not often you see a movie claim this much audience without the use of some elaborate special effects, 3D, a compelling true story, an academy award winner cast or Jim Carrey/Steve Carrel (and look-alike) acting like idiots.

This Darren Aronofsky’s film has none of the above (granted, you can see Natalie Portman in an lesbian scene with Mila Kunis and Wynona Ryder stabbing herself in the face with a nail file).

There are, however, two very good reasons why one should watch such a ballet movie:

1. Aronofsy's directing, where his camera dangles between a shaky over-the-shoulder point of view and a plethora of close-ups, successfully used to get the viewer inside Portman's head.

2. Portman's coming of age, with the most significant performance in her career so far, finally making us forget Amidala or Evey (V for Vendetta). The viewer can actually watch this transformation on screen, as Nina (Portman's character) derails from her perfect juvenile and enclosed life (Princess Odette - the White Swan) and becomes more and more like Odette's evil sister, Odile, the Black Swan, free from any moral restrains. With this performance, not only does Portman becomes an Actress, per se, she finally becomes a Woman.

This alone is not enough to award this movie an Oscar for best picture, but the latter should, however, land in Portman's hands for Best Actress.

Although the ballet is pretty good (Portman’s dancing is excellent despite the use of a double at times and Aronofsky’s over-usage of medium shots in some dancing sequence) I wouldn't recommend popcorns & Coke for this one.

Name: Black Swan
Genre: Drama
Date of Release: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Actors: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

Rating: 8/10

Tropa de Elite 2

A cop treating a corrupt politician like a common criminal. My dream come true.

Normally sequels tend to be worse than the original, and José Padilha set a very high standard with his previous Tropa de Elite. He could make a good movie and still be worse than the first. But believe me he really delivered!
Tropa de Elite 2 is just as good if not better than the original. The story has evolved, growned, matured as a good wine. And now we are presented with a larger picture where it's made clear that the corruption in Rio de Janeiro is not only between the drug lords and military police, but also involves the politicians. And when the drug lords are removed from the picture by the BOPE, the corrupt police is free to roam the slums of Rio de Janeiro and show that they are no better than the drug lords. It's now up to the main character a compelling Coronel Nascimento, played by Wagner Moura, to fight the corrupt politicians.
The movie is almost perfect, there is a good story, good characters played by great actors, good action scenes, was made on a very low budget of $9M (many american "superstars" wouldn't get out of bed if they were payed what this movie cost) even though it's as good as any action movie.
But the greatest thing is that this movie, like the first, is an accurate picture of the current state of affairs in Rio de Janeiro, actually I would go as far as saying that this movie shows just the kind of people that are running the whole world not just Brazil, but that's another story.

This is an action movie with real substance! If you are alive you need to see this movie. you have no excuse.

Name: Tropa de Elite 2
Genre: Action
Date of Release: 2010
Director: José Padilha
Actors: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, Maria Ribeiro

Rating: 10/10

Tron/Tron: Legacy

The evolution of lightcycles.

Just finished watching Tron, the old one, after watching the new one on theater.

I have to say that as far as the story is concerned they are both ok, a user enters the grid, user finds help and fights a program that wants to take over the world. The acting is also on par. Visuals and sounds? A completely different affair, but an unfair one, given the almost 30 years of difference. Of course I've felt blown away by the visuals and by Daft Punk's OST on Legacy. But I'm sure many have felt like that back in '82.

So why do I feel that the older one is better? Simple. Lightcycles, recognizers, the grid, that doesn't sit well with present technology. Space Paranoids and Tron (the games) feel off place in the era of Mass Effect and Bioshock. And so does the new movie. I've still enjoyed it but I've spent my youth in the times of spectrum and vga games, I can only imagine how stupid it must have felt for a 16 year old who has grown in the Matrix era.

Name: Tron

Genre: Science Fiction

Date of release: 1982

Director: Steven Lisberger

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner

Rating: 8/10

Name: Tron: Legacy

Genre: Science Fiction

Date of release: 2010

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde

Rating: 7/10

Spacewar!

Somehow, I expect Leonard Nimoy to be standing in front of this screen.

Spacewar! is probably the least attractive but more important video game you will ever play as it is (arguably) the most influential video game ever (11 years before Pong).

Before Spacewar! there are only a couple of video games worth mentioning:

- (1952) OXO or Noughts And Crosses - this is a tic-tac-toe game running on a 1949 EDSAC computer (you can follow this link to download an EDSAC simulator that includes a copy of the game - watch it here);

- (1958) Tennis for two - The technology consisted of an analog Donner computer linked to an oscilloscope used as display. The game was played by two people using hand controls (watch it here).

There are other older wannabe video games (like CRT Amusement Device, or  NIM) but they fail to qualify as they rely on other stuff than video for the output (this is a personal opinion - if you do not agree, fell free to post).

You can read all about Spacewar! in this wikipedia article. Fortunately the original Spacewar! can be played on any computer with Java enabled. Simply go to this link. After reading the "readme" page you can play the game as in 1961.

The game is a monstrous effort for any 1961 programmer - not only does it feature vector graphics, it also imitates some real life physics. Imagine the load on a  200kHz processor (that is not a misprint) and 9 kB of main memory!

Thrust is awkward as it has little power and only switches between full and none - but this is what makes it challenging to play. You can alter your orbit around the star (usually called the sun) with just the right amount of thrust and end up in an perfect circular or elliptical orbit (stand in awe as you see Newton's laws in motion - your speed is anything but constant).

Unfortunately, the shots fired (missiles?) are not under the influence of the star's pull (there was no processing power left) which makes it pretty easy to shoot your fellow opponent - this is probably the only downfall of the game. It ends so quickly, you sometimes wish there was no other player so you could watch yourself orbit around that sparkling thing in the middle.

Naturally there are no sound effects, no music, no storyline, no dialogs, no bosses, etc which, as strange as it may seems, benefits the overall experience.
Make no mistake - although 11 years older (this is equivalent to a couple of centuries in dog-techno-years), Spacewar! blows Pong out of the water.

Name: Spacewar!

Genre: Shooter/Competitive Multiplayer

Platform: DEC PDP-1

Date of release: 1961

Publisher: MIT (Martin Graetz, Stephen Russell, and Wayne Wiitanen)

Rating: 10/10

Spacechem

Never would have guessed that chemistry could make such an entertaining game.

Spacechem puts you in charge of overseeing the chemical production in alien worlds. You are given a few input molecules and you have to transform them into whatever molecule is required as the final product through the cunning use of a few basic operations. And believe me when I say that this game is really addicting. First of all the puzzles are really challenging (almost too challenging sometimes) and the feeling of accomplishment is directly proportional to the difficulty of each puzzle. Second of all the fine tuning of the reaction process, trying to use less elements and reducing the time it takes is very addicting.

Besides, it's educational!! All for $20!

Name: Spacechem

Genre: Puzzle

Platform: PC/MAC/Linux

Date of release: 2011

Developer: Zachtronics Industries

Rating: 8/10