Because Everybody Else Has One

Well, that winning streak was fun while it lasted... This review is also up at Channel 24 What it's about A decade after the events of X-Men: Days of Future's Past, our favourite mutants once again find themselves standing between humanity and a potentially world-destroying threat: this time in the form of Apocalypse, the god-like first mutant who decides to “cleanse” and remake in his image the world he awakes to after thousands of years entombed in an Egyptian crypt. What we thought Between Deadpool and the previous two X-Men movies, Days of Futures Past and First Class, it looked for all the world like Fox studios had finally gotten a firm handle on their Marvel Mutant-verse properties after seriously dropping the ball with the likes of X-Men: Origins – Wolverine and X-Men 3. Sadly, though no one in their right mind would dare suggest that X-Men: Apocalypse is anywhere near as bad as the worst X-Men movies, let alone Fox's manhandling of the Fantast...

What to do when the best horror movie in ages is barely even a horror movie... This review is also up at Channel 24 What it's about A couple adopt a young boy, Cody, after their own child died a few years before but they end up getting more than they bargained for when increasingly strange things start happening whenever Cody falls asleep. What we thought Before I Wake has been held back for months now internationally (I saw it as a press preview late last year), looking for a moment there like it might not be released at all, but it's really hard to see why. It may not be the most original or the most memorable film ever released but it is, by quite some distance, the very best horror movie to hit our shores in a very, very long time. Bringing to mind great Spanish-language dark fantasies like the Devil's Backbone or the Orphanage rather than your typical, increasingly boring, jump-scare-heavy (though there are one or two thrown in for good measure) Hollywoo...

Just one of those I wish I liked more. Sadly, this isn't the only film this week to suffer from that. This review is also up at Channel 24 . What it's about The true story of a young mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar (Dev Patel), who was plucked from obscurity and poverty in the city of Madras, India to work side by side at Cambridge University with famed mathematician G.H Hardy (Jeremy Irons) mere months before the outbreak of the first World War. What we thought The Man Who Knew Infinity is that odd sort of film that as plenty going for it, yet just steadfastly refuses to add up to something truly satisfying. Following the model of films like a Beautiful Mind and the Imitation Game almost to a tee, this particular true story of a mathematical genius outsider has some wonderful performances, often witty dialogue and the kind of true story at its heart that may by now be somewhat familiar thanks to the above-mentioned films but is still well worth k...

About as pointless as it sounds. This review is also up at Channel 24 What it's about Based on the massively popular series of games, Angry Birds tells the story of a colony of flightless birds and Red, an angry outsider who has spent his life separate from his close-knit community, who discovers a plot against the birds by the apparently friendly pigs that show up on their shores one day. What we thought If you're wondering how on earth they're going to make a movie out of a bunch of games with nary a narrative between them, I'm afraid that the Angry Birds movie does nothing to actually answer that question. I enjoy Angry Birds Friends on Facebook, it's a fun little game to play for a few minutes at a time, but turning it into a film makes about as much sense as Pong: The Movie or the True Adventures of Tetris. Sigh. I just gave the hacks in Hollywood the idea for two new cutesy animated moves, didn't I? Anyway, Angry Birds plays...

Working with the grateful assistance of Zed Bees Comic Universe in Edenvale, South Africa (more on them in a bit), I've decided to shake things up a bit on this here blog by introducing a new, semi-regular comics column. I'll be reviewing both the latest comics and a bunch of classic reads that are, usually, easy to find in collected form; taking a look at standout comics and graphic novels that will be coming out in a few months time (usually from the latest Previews) and talking about general trends and goings-on in the industry. A few points to keep in mind, though. First, I hope to publish this column as often as possible but like all the writing I do primarily for fun, it will inevitably take a back seat to any paid work I have going at the time. With so (hopefully consistent but) decidedly haphazard a schedule, I'm also going to forego any sense of real order or specific plans; opting instead to talk about whatever is on my mind on any given day - though, hopefull...

A video game movie that doesn't actively suck? Say it ain't so! This review is also up at Channel 24 What it's about Based on the series of popular video games, Ratchet and Clank tells the story of a young, restless mechanic, Ratchet, whose dreams of becoming a heroic space ranger becomes a reality when he meets a robot named Clank who alerts his to a crisis that threatens the entire galaxy. What we thought Unless I'm missing something, Ratchet and Clank is very easily the best film based on a video game ever. Of course, that's not saying much – as the film's solid but modest rating should attest – as most video game movies have been ear-bleedingly terrible but credit where credit is due: it may not be on the same level as, say, Inside Out or Zootropolis but it's a really solid, highly enjoyable space romp for kids of all ages. Admittedly, it's probably more for boys of all ages than girls. I know, I know, it's probably politica...