Review: Damsels in Distress [GiggleBeats]

Whit Stillman has returned. After a thirteen year hiatus, the writer/director brings us Damsels in Distress, a campus comedy bursting with whimsy and razor sharp dialogue.

Read my full Review over at GiggleBeats!

Review: Simon Munnery [GiggleBeats]

Simon Munnery - not a hipster

So the other week I was able to nab myself some tickets to see Simon Munnery. Having spoke to Simon a few weeks prior I was very curious to see how the full show would pan out.

You can read my full review over at GiggleBeats!

Interview: Simon Munnery [GiggleBeats]

Simon Munnery

I got the chance to catch up with Simon Munnery to find out more about his latest show, Hats off to the 101ers, And Other Material. A very pleasant chap.


Read my full Interview over at GiggleBeats!

Review: American: The Bill Hicks Story [GiggleBeats]

To a lot of people, Bill Hicks was a captivating comedian from another generation. He has become a name within comedy that almost everybody knows, but how well did we really know him?

Read my full review over at GiggleBeats!

Review: The Binding of Isaac

At a glance, there are a lot of very familiar aspects to The Binding of Isaac. You may have been drawn in by the original Zelda dungeon style, the RPG shooter mechanics or an art style in the same vein as indie game hit Super Meat Boy. All of these aspects have been combined by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl to create a highly addictive experience.

The game is set upon a simple, yet incredibly dark premise. You play as Isaac; a young boy stripped of his possessions and forced to flee into the basement before his religious nut mother sacrifices him to her god. As you can imagine, Isaac is pretty upset about these turn of events and has no choice but to delve deeper into the ominous basement. Equipped with nothing more than his own tears of sadness he must fend off the creatures that lurk below and confront his Mom once and for all.

Every room presents a different challenge.

The gameplay might initially appear similar to that of an original Zelda dungeon, the twist is that every room is randomly generated and no single play through is ever the same. Each room you enter will have a different assortment of enemies, layout and potential loot drops. The RPG mechanics show themselves in the form of power-up items Isaac can find during his exploration of a dungeon floor. The effects of these items will stack and grant many different bonuses such as stronger shots, increased health or companions to fight alongside you. There are a ton of these items and you will come across completely different ones every time you play; expect to have a very different beefed up Isaac by the end of each playthrough. On top of these power-up items are pills and Tarot cards you can use. These items present a roll of the dice as their effect can be either positive or horribly negative. You may for example use a card and be unexpectedly teleported right into the middle of a boss fight. Not the outcome you were particular hoping for. To say any more about the specifics of the power-ups and gameplay in general would spoil the surprise, you need to try these out for yourself.

Don’t expect the game to explain its mechanics any more than I have. It’s deliberately ambiguous when it comes to telling you what items or enemies do; your first experience with Isaac is trial by fire. This may infuriate some players and their first point of call will be to consult a guide to find out exactly what to pick up and what to leave. I would urge against doing this as it’s the unknown and skin-of-your teeth risks that make the game so enthralling to play. Part of the challenge is its completely random nature and having  to think on your feet. You will have some immensely satisfying playthroughs wherein all the random rooms, items and enemies go your way. Other times you will have more challenging playthroughs where you can be doing well, only to use an item that lowers your speed and health. What makes the gameplay great and so addicting is that you are forced to learn hard lessons and overcome the odds. Trust me, after using that Boss teleportation card you will not to do it again in a hurry.

As you have probably gathered, Isaac is a game you will be playing through multiple times. Make no mistake; the difficulty can be brutal, but what did you expect from half of the creative team behind Super Meat Boy? Players are going to die repeatedly before beating the game the first time. After that, even more times as they face increasingly harder versions of the dungeons. As cliché as it sounds, the more you play you better you become. You begin to feel like a dungeon crawling pro as you uncover the tricks required to finding secret rooms and defeating enemies is specific ways.

Awwwwww!

Edmund McMillen has designed a world for Isaac that is both cute and disgusting. Giant maggots with smiley faces that initially look almost cuddly will charge at you with ferocious jagged teeth and explode into a bloody mess. Other enemies are equally disturbing with the likes of floating foetuses, slimy crawling brains and what can only resemble walking vaginas which shoot streams of blood at you. It’s a dark style, but it’s very cartoony and there is plenty of humour and retro gaming references to be found here. The game compliments this with some stellar sound design; creepy ambient music for each dungeon floor and adrenaline pumping boss themes. Everything in The Binding of Isaac sounds wet and disgusting in the best possible way.

For £3.99, The Binding of Isaac undoubtedly provides value for money. I managed to sink 20 hours into dungeon crawling and there are still plenty of challenges, achievements and items worth going for. For such a cheap price it’s hard to complain about their only being one real game mode. It would have been nice to see features such as leaderboards, expanded stats or even a speed run mode but this is nitpicking and only a minor blemish on a product that provides perhaps the highest replay value too price ratio this year.

Interview: Daniel Sloss & Kai Humphries [GiggleBeats]

Daniel Sloss

Daniel Sloss has just kicked off his Joker tour with the support of up-and-coming Geordie comedian Kai Humphries. Travelling up and down the country, they will be making appearances in Darlington, Gateshead, Middlesbrough and York. Daniel Carmichael caught up with the pair to find out more...


Read my full interview over at GiggleBeats!

Review: Predators

When the title of ‘Predators’ was chosen for the newest film in this franchise adding that extra ‘S’ sets very high expectations. By paying homage to James Cameron’s title of the alien sequel Robert Rodriguez is sending a clear message that more is better and to expect a high octane action sequel the original predator deserved. But does Predators earn its title and the plural or was it simply a clever marketing gimmick?

The plot wastes no time in getting started as we see Adrien Brody falling hundreds of feet towards a dense jungle. After a very hard landing, our leader awakens right in the middle of our first Predator homage, another soldier spraying mini gun fire and tearing apart the rainforest. We are gradually introduced to seven more survivors who fell into the jungle, all of which have no recollection of how they got there. Filling out this roaster brings the talents of Alice Braga, Danny Trejo and Walton Goggins. The group begins to determine that they are all very capable badasses in their own field. Mercenaries, Black ops, marines, yakuza; the only one feeling a bit out of place is the doctor Edwin played by Topher Grace. After a springing a few traps and an encounter with the vicious predator dogs the group realise they are definitely a long way from home and are part of a game preserve to be slowly hunted.

The characters are a mixed bag. The ones that make it towards the end are given sufficient development. Others are clearly only there to fill out the roster for trophy kills. The group ends up feeling a bit too big and waters down screen time which the main characters Royce and Isabelle (Alice Braga) could have used. Adrien Brody cast as the lead predator slayer is an unconventional choice when compared to the tank Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original. I was taken by surprise on how well Brody fitted into the role. He’s a confident, tough and remorseless mercenary with a clear objective in mind. Brody really gives a performance that makes you believe this guy could go head to head with the predator and would put up a good fight. It’s just a shame Brody and Braga weren’t given time in the plot to develop more chemistry.

Royce’s character was a good use of symbolism. All through the film we never know his name; he’s cold, lacks emotion and refuses to get close to anyone. By his very nature he is a predator. It’s only at the end when he shows human emotion that we find out his name. This mirrors why the alien hunters don’t actually have a proper name.

But how do the new predators fare? What new tools of destructions do they have? How creative are their kills and skills as hunters? Well not very is the answer. You’re not going to see many new sides to the trophy hunters in this film. In fact you will see less. Gone are the gadgets such as the Smart disc, spear and razor sharp nets. What you get is a much more stripped down minimalist predator like in the first film. Multiple visors, plasma casters, cloaking and brutal hand to wrist blade combat. It’s a direction that actually really amps up the tension over the course of the film rather than waiting to see one single use gadget and kill every few minutes. As a result the films feels a lot like the original, the predator is a methodically, terrifying force that doesn’t run in guns blazing.

The film reaches a very satisfying climax against the final predator, which once again pays homage to the original. It is let down somewhat by a totally out of place and needless betrayal by one of the group. You can see it coming yet it still doesn’t make any sense and is pretty unnecessary. The story could have continued perfectly well without it or more logical reasoning could have actually motivated the betrayal.

As a sequel, predators fails to create that adrenaline rush, edge of your seat action that the extra “s” suggests. It's an enjoyable action slasher and it is clear that director Nimród Antal was heavily influence by the original. You catch yourself feeling you’re actually watching the original when you see the group walking through the jungle to the ominous predator theme music and variations of it. It throws in a few too many homage’s for its own good but they never feel tacked on or corny. If you’re a fan of the series you’ll appreciate the winks and nods, but no alien skull anywhere to be seen this time I’m afraid. The amount of elements taken from the previous films is disappointing however as there really isn’t much new here. A new location, change in the predators character or extreme twist in the story was severely missing and would have helped towards bringing this franchise back to life.