Twenty*25

With my xbox out for the count (and on his merry way to the repair centre) I busted out my Wii and finally got back into those games that I have been neglecting. First on the list was Goldeneye - which I completed a few short hours ago.

As far as a re-imagining of a generations classic which redefined the first person shooter genre I don't think you could have asked for a better game. Keeping in mind that it in no way attempts to replace Goldeneye 64, rather it provides us with an interesting interpretation of the classic Pierce Brosnan tale as it would be seen by today's audience. Keeping in mind that the original film and game are over ten years old now, it provides an intriguing commentary on the state of the Bond franchise and the developments that Daniel Craig's iteration brings to the fore. While those purists out there are sure to argue against the altering of characters ages and several key story elements, they remain as faithful to the original as Craig's Bond allows. Boris the computer-hacker is gone - an inevitable result of a time where a singular computer genius is just not plausible. MI6 does not wait for the EMP-resistant helicopter to turn up again, and sends Bond to Siberia where he is amongst the initial Goldeneye blast. This speeds up the plot considerably, removing one favourite level from the original game - but we cannot have everything.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this game. Playing with a GC controller oppposed to the remote/nunchuck option. This is not unique to this game but rather to any fps on the wii, I have difficulty adapting to the motion sensor for such precise movements - it feels awkward. The mutliplayer isn't too bad either, but having on played 1v1 it is impossible to provide any real feedback.

The only addition to the game that I would have suggested is to include a copy of the original, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker providing a ported version of Ocarina of Time.

The standout factor to all Wii games of late is their capacity to provide a gmae of real depth and playability. Lacking the graphic capabilities of their competitors, developers are certainly outdoing themselves to ensure that those who have chosen Wii as their main source of gaming remain consistently  entertained. I'm hoping that the rumoured Wii-in-developement is simply a hd upgrade for the existing system. That's all it needs, we don't require a new console just yet.

Total Bitchin' Rockstar from Mars

"I closed my eyes and made it so with the power of my mind. I cured it with my brain, with my mind." 

That is but one of many statements that Charlie Sheen has made in the past week regarding his most recent 'rehab' stint, which was spent in the comfort of his own home. I would say that Sheen has successfully cost himself his rather considerable paycheck for Two and a Half Men, not to mention those of the crew and his fellow co-stars. The only issue that CBS should currently be considering is whether or not they attempt to reinvigorate their comedy flagship with a new star, or move on and focus on The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother (more than deserving successor's). With Sheen's rants screamed in the direction of Chuck Lorre and the CBS head honcho's it is safe to say that there is little that will be no reconciliation between the offending parties. Lorre is not completely blameless in this fiasco, but he has other ventures which he may continue.

Claims of tiger blood aside, Sheen has run his course. His hopes of going back to film and the referenced 'superstars' may be a result of a little too much dreaming and 20 odd years too late. Can Two and a Half Men continue without him? Inevitably. It may even be a success (dependent upon the actor chosen) but it will inevitably fall to the same dilemma as Scrubs without Zach Braff, That 70s Show without Topher Grace and 8 Simple Rules without John Ritter. Unfortunately Charlie Sheen is what breathes life into a show that would otherwise be long dead.

Twenty*23

Twenty*22

The image above aptly describes the 83rd Academy Awards. Did Franco and Hathaway really know what they were doing? It didn't appear that way. The pre-recorded intro video was great, but unfortunately for the young hosts it was all downhill from there. They will be blamed for the failure in it's whole but you cannot deny that that there was alot of poor writing in there as well. Their hosting wasn't bad, it just lacked any substance whatsoever. Gone were the performances or any real segment of any length. Hathaway got a chance to belt out a very short song, but where were the other segments that had been revealed online prior to the broadcast? Summary - James Franco looked half asleep and couldn't even look at his co-host. Anne Hathaway was a gushy teen falling at the feet of Hollywood greats when she has had more recognition from the Academy than some of those names that she was screaming.

The Academy is clearly failing in it's attempt to move from comedian hosts. Last year was a failure. This year was better, but not by much. My thoughts? Jeff Bridges. He owned the Best Actress presentation, let him do the entire show.

Quick summary of the awards;

Best Picture - The King's Speech

I felt this was deserved. I am yet to see the film in it's entirety but from what I have seen it is quite masterful.

Directing - Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Once again, very deserved. From what I have seen of the film the direction seems to be fantastic. But so were so many of the others in the category (Black Swan & True Grit in particular).

Best Actor - Colin Firth

Could not be happier with Firth finally winning an Oscar. He is a fantastic actor and someone of his caliber is deserving of such an honour. I was going to be rather rage-filled if Jesse Eisenberg had won.

Best Actress - Natalie Portman

Like Colin Firth, Portman is very deserving of this honour. Black Swan was phenominal - and it could not have been so without her contributions.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale

This came as a suprise. I expected that perhaps Geoffrey Rush would land this one but that proved to be false.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Melissa Leo

Did not pick this one. I felt that there were more deserving nominees. Although dropping an f-bomb at the Academy Awards was quite entertaining.

Best Animated Feature - Toy Story 3

 Predictable. The Illusionist held no hope of getting further than a nomination but I held secret hope for How to Train Your Dragon. Unfortunately the sheer mass of Toy Story 3's characters and environments proved too overwhelming. Pixar has had a continuing upwards journey the past few years, I would say that Cars 2 could very well upset this ride.

Best Animated Short - The Lost Thing

An Aussie film!! Winner!! The film is brilliant, absolutely mind-boggling. If you have not seen it, do so very soon. You can pick up a copy on dvd at JBHIFI! Oh, and to beat out Day & Night?? Well done!

Best Live Action Short - God of Love
Haven't seen any in the category.... Can't really pass judgement at all.

Best Documentary Feature - Inside Job

Having not seen the film I cannot pass judgement, but I was very interested to see what would have occurred if Exit Through the Gift Shop had won.

Best Documentary Short - Strangers No More
Unlike last year there was no upset with producers running up on stage or anything along those lines. I have not seen the film so there's not much I can say.

Best Visual Effects - Inception 

The category that I am perhaps most interested in I find the most difficult to pick. It is hard to determine what they are looking for but I am pleased that Inception landed the award this year. Seamless effects. That's what it's all about.

Best Art Direction - Alice in Wonderland

A tough category, the only film I was confident wouldn't get the award was Harry Potter.

Best Cinematography - Inception
Obvious.

Best Film Editing - The Social Network
Another tough category. All films were deserving.

Best Costume Design - Alice in Wonderland
A suprise. I expected that (as usual) as period piece such as The King's Speech would have won.

Best Makeup - The Wolfman
The stand out in the category, but the unexpected winner. I really enjoyed the film - the art direction was amazing, so it is nice that it has been recognised (in part).

Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing - Inception

Again the one film wins both categories. I had hoped that Tron Legacy would land editing but I can think of no other film that was more deserving that Inception. So much of that film was reliant on the sound, evidence in fact if you youtube the soundtrack you will find hundreds of rehashed films to the soundtrack.

Best Original Song - We Belong Together (Toy Story 3)

Awful. Noone can understand Randy Newman and all his songs sound the damn same. I was not happy with this one whatsoever. Personally I was backing 'I See the Light' & 'If I Rise'.

Best Original Score - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
Another tough category. Mind you, whilst the score was brilliant I don't feel that it was deserving. I felt that several of the others were far more compelling than I found The Social Network's score. Hell, I was displeased that Tron Legacy was not nominated for this category as well.

So that's my Oscar's wrap-up for this year! 

Twenty*21

Slowly getting things to work.