The following is a review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The Winter Soldier was something very special. Not only did it have some of the best mid- and post-credits scenes in the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it might also be the most groundbreaking Marvel Studios-film since Marvel’s The Avengers. It gave us new friends, reunited old ones, and changed the entire look of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Continue reading “REVIEW: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)”
By now you should know that I absolutely love cinema. Previously I’ve told you that I’ve studied Dramaturgy, some might say I majored in it, in High School. My father welcomed me to the world of cinema at a very early age, and as a result I’d say I’ve seen most known films. Continue reading “Predicting The Academy Awards 2014”
I remember when I first watched the trailer for this movie. I felt that it had potential, and I was really excited to see the writers of the original The Hangover-movie tackle something focused more on the younger audience. My focus group, I guess. Unfortunately, this movie did absolutely nothing for me. 21 & Over stars Miles Teller, Skylar Astin & Justin Chon as three best friends, on Jeff Chang’s 21st birthday, played by Justin Chon. Initially, I thought this movie might work well – I did somewhat like Teller and Astin as old friends, but their association with Chon’s Chang did not seem real enough.
It didn’t help that the friendship roles perfectly dealt in The Hangover, had been mixed together into these three guys. Skylar Astin’s character was a mixture of Justin Bartha’s Doug and Ed Helms’ Stu. Teller felt like an odd mixture of Bradley Cooper’s Phil and the Stifler-character from the original American Pie-movies. The drunk actions of Jeff Chang made him seem like a mixture of Ken Jeong’s Mr Chow and Zach Galifianakis’ Alan. With that being said, Jeff Chang did seem like a fine character when Justin Chon didn’t try to act drunk. I really like Sarah Wright, who played Nicole, and Francois Chau, who played Dr Chang, and I would’ve liked to see them in more scenes.
Overall, I felt that this movie tried to be like The Hangover too much, and 4 good acting performances were not enough to make me care for the overall plot. I really wanted to like this movie, sadly I did not.
Final Grade: 5.5 out of 10.0. Mediocre movie, too convenient ending.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex
Naughty Dog recently released downloadable content for its new potential super-franchise The Last Of Us. Now, I’m not a huge DLC-gamer, I tend to stick to the originally released story. Going into this story DLC I was very much afraid of it becoming too similar to the Tomb Raider feel, and I was really worried that they potentially would ruin parts of the game campaign I absolutely loved.
As you know, The Last of Us was a 10 out of 10 for me, and I was worried about how I would really react if they released something below average. I was really, really worried. It did not help when I was told one would play as Ellie throughout the game. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ellie – but Joel’s feel was special to me, and I would have loved something like a story DLC focusing on the twenty years prior to him meeting Ellie. Hell, maybe they’ll get to that in a later game . Now, as we move on – please be aware – this coming post is SPOILER filled. Also, know that the original game campaign will also be SPOILED somewhat.
If you played through the original campaign, you might remember Ellie talking about an old friend – mentioning how she got bit. That is one half of the DLC, the other focuses on the immediate period following Joel’s big injury. If you’ve played the original campaign, you should know what I mean – his injury right before winter. The DLC does a nice job of switching at important moments in both stories – and makes the total story theme work perfectly – fighting for life, for love, for friendship – being all poetic […]. Hint. Hint.
Don’t expect a lot with Joel, though you do see the ‘hero’ of the original campaign. Ashley Johnson returns to the game, and yet again is amazing as Ellie. Newcomer Yaani King is perfect as Riley, Ellie’s good friend. Their relationship is the heart of this tale, wherein we see the transformation that Ellie has gone through. Perfect moments include the two girls imagining a Tekken-like game, that hints to the original campaign somewhat. My favourite moment, though, was when they tried out masks. It was just a nice experience to have.
I’ve read other reviews of this DLC, and I do feel like most were right. I totally agreed with IGN’s Colin Moriarty, when he expressed that the combat felt forced – especially near the end of the game. Though there was a great use of the ‘distraction’ technique in this game, wherein you can eliminate danger perfectly by leading the infected to the humans chasing you and Joel.
Overall I felt that the DLC was amazing in story, but lacked a great deal when it came to active combat. The story added feel to the original campaign, and I think it left us at the right point. Some might argue that it wasn’t long enough, that you had to overpay for a short DLC – but I believe that the experience of Left Behind could leave no one wanting in story. Naughty Dog continues to shine.
Final Grade: 9.0 out of 10.0. An amazing stoy shines in a great DLC that forced some combat to appease a small part of its audience.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex
Today I’m posting a Top 10 list of great games I’ve played in my life so far. A lot of top 10 lists are biased, even though they promise not to be. This time though, expect a biased list – for this is my own top 10 – not of the best games or of my favourite games, but the most meaningful or important games for me. I have been known as a Sony fan boy, but hopefully you’ll see today that I am much more than that; for Nintendo and PC were my early lovers in gaming before settling down with Sony’s powerhouse franchise, PlayStation.
Honourable mentions include: ThatGameCompany’s Journey (2012), Epic Games’ Gears of War (2006) and Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 (1997).
10 – Game: Grand Theft Auto III. Developer: DMA Design / Rockstar North. Release Year (EU): 2001.
This was the first really violent game I played, I think. At least the first game wherein I noticed violence and/or a change in feel. Now this was not the first ‘GTA’-game that I played, but the first one that I truly loved. I still have fond memories playing it on my old PlayStation 2, and to see the leap gaming has taken since then has been absolutely amazing.
9 – Game: MediEvil. Developer: SCE Cambridge Studio (PS Exclusive). Release Year (EU): 1998.
This game feels really old to me in memory, but it is one I remember loving. Maybe it was the feel, maybe it was the gameplay – but something kept me going playing this early on as a gamer. Sadly, this series is not really breathing today.
8 – Game: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Developer: Naughty Dog (PS Exclusive). Release Year (EU): 2001.
This was the very first game I played on the PlayStation 2, and I absolutely loved it. The PlayStation 2-generation symbolises the era in which I became something more than a Light Gamer, this was the era in which I began walking on the road to becoming a Heavy Gamer. I’m actually not sure how the Jak-series is looked upon generally, but I absolutely love that era in gaming.
7 – Game: Pokémon Yellow. Developer: Game Freak. Release Year (EU): 2000
This game series has been really powerful to my generation, both my generation of gamers and for simple anime-interested in my generation. It is the touchstone of the genre for me, the paramount level for Pokémon I’ve witnessed.
6 – Game: Bomberman 64. Developer: Hudson Soft. Release Year (EU): 1997.
I’ve counted 4 best friends in my life, and the first of these was Kasper from Copenhagen, Denmark. Kasper introduced me to a lot of things in gaming, one of these things were Bomberman. I would call this game addictive, and it really was for us year round. Today I get really nostalgic just thinking about the times we spent with this little game.
5 – Game: Gone Home. Developer: The Fullbright Company. Release Year (EU): 2013.
This last year was a big one for gamers of all types, and for me two stood out, one’s number 1 on this list and the other is this one. Gone Home is special for what it does not do, rather than for what it does. I’ve said before that you must play this game not knowing what it is really, for the story is simply amazing, and I’d hate for anyone to get that ruined.
4 – Game: Mario Kart 64. Developer: Nintendo. Release Year (EU): 1997.
This was another game Kasper and I played a lot, especially at his place. I think every kid, who acknowledges Nintendo, has a special spot in his or her heart for Mario. This game solidified his place, along with characters like Luigi. I vividly remember switching between Mario and Luigi every time we started a new race.
3 – Game: Tekken 3. Developer: Namco. Release Year (EU): 1998.
Remember when I said GTA3 was the first violent game I played, well evidently that is not true – but these games did not feel real to me, I guess that is why. This is probably the game I played the most with my sister growing up. My sister is not a gamer, I’d say she is way too casual to call herself that, but these types of games my sister always gets hooked by. To this day I remember how we nicknamed the characters fighting, and how, frankly, she’d beat me up when she was Yoshimitsu.
2 – Game: Crash Bandicoot. Developer: Naughty Dog (PS-Exclusive). Release Year (EU): 1996.
I think this was one of the first games I ever played on a console. I remember sitting in a Copenhagen apartment in my sister’s room (for some reason our PlayStation One console was in there) playing this all day long, my sister even enjoyed the game, as I understand. It is amazing for me to see how much Naughty Dog has ‘shaped’ me as a gamer in my life. For more on the developer, I suggest, and highly recommend, IGN’s piece on its history by Colin Moriarty.
1 – Game: The Last of Us. Developer: Naughty Dog (PS-Exclusive) Release Year (EU): 2013.
I’ve talked about this game a lot for a long time, and I’ve even blogged about it numerous times these last months, I believe. It is deserving of all the praise in the world. Writer Neil Druckmann, and the rest of the Naughty Dog-team, created a world that blew me away. But before commenting on the game itself, let me talk about the build-up briefly. It feels like ages ago it was announced formally, though I think it was in 2011 at Spike’s Video Game Awards – anyway, I believe that’s when I heard of it the first time. I was instantly hooked, and for a very long time this was the game I was anxiously waiting for, hoping for. I might say that it ruined other games for me, for in the time between the announcement trailer and the launch of the game I always focused on it – sat there waiting – Dualshock 3 in-hand. Eventually it released/launched in 2013, and my expectations were big – I, myself, thought I would be disappointed, thankfully that was not to be. PlayStation 3’s Swan Song The Last of Us is for me the greatest game personally, but also the greatest game I’ve ever played. Why? It is the perfect mix of gameplay, multiplayer, story and art in games. From the opening moment of the game to the much-discussed ending I was hooked emotionally. It has become my favourite game of all-time. I honestly don’t believe I’ll ever love a game more than this, but then again – who knows what Naughty Dog’s up to. For more on the game, read my award section for 2013 wherein the game received high praise as well.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex
Academy Award-nominated movies tend to arrive in Denmark very late, sadly. Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club, which was nominated for six Oscars, didn’t open in Denmark until February of 2014. Nevertheless, when I finally got the chance to see the film at a so-called ‘early showing,’ I was very excited and had high expectations for the film. Thankfully, the film did live up to my expectations, but I was surprised by how clueless some of my fellow theatergoers were. Continue reading “REVIEW: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)”
The first I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards features 17 categories.
In the next few days, perhaps even hours, if you are lucky, I will be posting a blogpost regarding my personal picks for various ‘Awards’ for 2013. The I’m Jeffrey Rex Award Show will feature the following categories – do note that I have listed at least 2 nominees for each category:
*Do note that when dealing with movies, games and songs I nominate out of the pieces I have seen, played or listened to.
I will announce the winners in the next few days,
– I’m Jeffrey Rex
The following is the 3rd and final edition of my review of Man of Steel, a Zack Snyder film.
In a way, this film, and the experience of writing this review, has been somewhat of a difficult experience for me. If you look around the blog you’ll probably notice that I’ve been very critical of my original review of the film. The fact of the matter was that I was perhaps too hyped up for the film when I first experienced it, and my review ended up going ‘too easy’ on what was, to some extent, a problematic film.
The second edition of the review was a little bit more fair, but I didn’t love how it turned out. So, in anticipation for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), which serves as the sequel to this film, I decided to revisit the film, and review Man of Steel one last time. Continue reading “REVIEW: Man of Steel (2013)”
Every now and again a movie comes along, that will shake you to your core. The kind of movie that will make you think for days. A movie that will leave a lasting impression. There is a popular Danish proverb that goes something like this: “you will hear the truth from drunk people and children,” and Thomas Vinterberg’s latest film definitely challenges that common saying. The Danish director of films such as 1998’s The Celebration has tackled a challenging subject-matter head-on with his latest film, The Hunt. The Hunt is that type of movie. It is an infuriating and heart-wrenching masterpiece, but I also think that this astounding conversation-starter is one of the best Danish films ever made. This is, undoubtedly, a must-watch movie. Continue reading “Review: The Hunt (2013)”
I'm Jeffrey Rex 