Film Review: This is the End

   With this year currently bombarded with epic space adventures and men of steel and iron, comes a very original, very vulgar comedy from the twisted minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg called This is the End. Absurdly stupid but yet wildly entertaining that is sure to leave the audience holding on to their sides from laughter.

   This is the End begins with Jay Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles to visit an old friend and fellow actor Seth Rogen. The two later attend a house warming party hosted by James Franco where there are plenty of drugs, sex and alcohol to go around. Having not gotten used to the "Hollywood Lifestyle",  Jay briefly leaves the party to buy cigarettes with Seth when a massive earthquake hits and giant sinkholes appearing in the ground. Retreating back to James' house, the host and guests do not believe their story until they evacuate outside and see the world in turmoil. Another sinkhole appears right near where everyone is standing and proceeds to consume several guests, prompting Jay, James and Seth to take refuge back in the house along with fellow actors Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride. The group must now learn to get along with eachother, survive the apocalypse and learn the true meaning of friendship as the end of days slowly approaches around them.

   Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This is the End is a comedy, a disaster film and a satire all in one; a satire on celebrities, the lives they lead and their interactions with eachother. The situations the group gets put through almost seems like little skits that are blended together which isn't a surprise considering they are all comedians. The humor is so absurd and at times very over the top and out there but yet still manages to appropriately fit with the over all story. If that is not enough, the mere interactions and dialogues between the characters is more than enough to keep the audience laughing.

   Playing fictional versions of themselves, the main cast, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride all work so well with eachother; poking fun at eachothers careers and acting abilities. Initially parodies of their real life counterparts: Franco is the arrogant, narcissistic douchebag that only cares for himself, Rogen and Baruchel are the two friends who have slowly grown apart, Robinson acts as the voice of reason between the group, Hill who is a bit too nice to everyone and McBride who is the reckless foil and outcast of the group. During the party scenes the audience will notice a few more celebrities who have their own little comedic moments including Rihanna, Michael Cera, Kevin Hart, Jason Segel, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Aziz Ansari and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. One guest in particular is the beautiful Emma Watson, who's film version is so unlike herself that it comes as a pleasant surprise to see Emma in comedic role.

   This is the End is a pretty simple film to understand; A group of famous actors and comedians struggle to survive the apocalypse, and that is why it works so well. The dialogue and interactions between the characters is what easily makes the film enjoyable and yes it does tend to get a little ridiculous near the end but what can one expect from a comedy film? It's fun, it's loud and definitely has no shortage of laughs in what is one of the most absurdly entertaining, original comedies of the last few years.

Game Review: The Last of Us

  With all the hype currently surrounding the Next-Generation of Video Gaming, Naughty Dog and Sony Computer Entertainment has managed to not only provide one of the last great games to end this current generation but also happens to be one of the most important games of all time.

     Twenty years after a global outbreak of a cordyceps-like fungal infection, the world has become dark, bleak place. Civilization, or what is left of it, has settled in military run quarantine zones all around the world, complete with curfews and most people having to live off of militarized rations. For a man named Joel doing whatever it takes to survive means smuggling items including drugs and firearms on the black market and sometimes outside the quarantined areas. Following a deal gone wrong, Joel and his partner Tess come across a resistance group named "The Fireflies" whose leader wants them to smuggle a fourteen year-old girl named Ellie across the country in exchange weapons. Ellie turns out to be much more than just a teenage girl and Joel and Tess find this out the hard way as they are hunted by the military as well as having to deal with hostile survivors and more terrifyingly, the infected.

   The gameplay is set in the third-person perspective with players in control of Joel. However unlike Naughty Dog's flagship series  Uncharted where players are constantly engaged in firefights, The Last of Us is mainly based around stealth and avoiding conflict. Joel and Ellie are almost always outnumbered and with little resources, it'd be best for players to use their heads, be patient and save their equipment  for other, more difficult conflicts in which having the right weapon or tool would be the one crucial item for surviving. There are three main enemy types: hostile survivors, the military and the infected; the humans are less predictable in movement but are much easier to kill however the infected's movement is easily predictable but much harder to kill as some infected types are only killed by certain weapons and will result in an instant player death if it comes too close. During the quieter moments of exploration, scavenging for items is key. Ammunition is scarce and players will need as much as they can find, finding certain tools and parts can upgrade Joel's arsenal as well as crafting items such as med kits and molotov cocktails.

   The game is very dark, gritty and bleak but that's how it should be. Within the first ten minutes, the game and its story is already toying with the players emotions. Joel is established as a very different character than Uncharted's Nathan Drake; he has seen things, he has known life before the infection but most importantly he does whatever it takes to survive. Ellie is a precocious teenage girl who has no  knowledge of life and society before the outbreak, therefore she has grown up in a harsh environment and has learned to fend for herself, notably she can be just as fast and effective with her switchblade as she can with her feisty mouth. The relationship between the two characters of course starts off rocky but eventually grows into a father-daughter relationship which is easily the center of the game's emotional core.

   The Last of Us is a perfect blend of visuals, gameplay and emotional masterpiece storytelling; taking such inspirations from Children of Men, I am Legend and 28 Days Later but yet unique in its own right. Naughty Dog Studios has gained a reputation for making great titles but this game is arguably their best game yet as well as being not only one of the most important games in recent years but also a perfect send off for the new upcoming gaming generation.

 

Film Review: Man of Steel

     The Last Son of Krypton returns in his most solid incarnation yet that is easily THE Superman film fans have been waiting for; With breathtaking visuals, amazing fight sequences and great performances but however suffers from a weak, shallow story.

   The film begins with the birth of natural born Kal-El just upon the destruction of Krypton; his father, Jor-El, illegally obtains historical records of the planet and sends them off with his newborn son to Earth hoping he will one day be the savior for all humanity. Thirty-three years later Kal-El, now called Clark, is slowly discovering who he really is and why he was sent to Earth after many years of hiding his identity and abilities under the protection and love of his adopted parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas.

   Directed by Zack Snyder and written and produced by Christopher Nolan , it should be no surprise that Man of Steel is one of the most high profile, heavily anticipated films of the year. After the light-hearted borefest that was Superman Returns, this new take on the character is noticeable more darker than all the previous films, maybe even being a bit too serious at times. However this is easily the most action packed Superman filmed yet; with the character finally being able to let loose, show off his mighty abilities and actually throw more than enough punches which sadly have severely been lacking in other films. While nothing beats John Williams' iconic musical score from the original 1978 film, Hans Zimmer provides a rousing, heroically fitting soundtrack that goes hand in hand with the amazing visual effects. It should be noted that there isn't much humor throughout the movie and when there is, it seems a bit forced which can also be said for it's romantic scenes. The film also deeply explores the mythology of Krypton and how Kryptonians have been artificially bred with Kal-El being the first natural born child in centuries.

   Michael Shannon steals the show as General Zod, the former Military Commander of Krypton; portraying an insane, intimidating man driven by his determination to protect his homeworld and his people at any cost. The ridiculously cute Amy Adams finally portrays a Lois Lane that can not only hold her own in dire situations but also is the smart, feisty journalist she should be and not the comic-relief, damsel in distress. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner each play both Clark's biological and adopted fathers in somewhat small roles but yet are very important to Clark and the decisions he makes on who he wants to be. Newcomer Henry Cavill dons the  iconic cape and red boots of Superman and does so to great effect, giving off a bold, heroic vibe that is almost perfect for the character; however his Clark Kent persona is almost a bit too serious.

   With The Dark Knight Trilogy done, it's time for DC Entertainment to focus on its other flagship character and what should be their way to catch up with Marvel Studios. Man of Steel is almost perfect in doing so; It is the Superman film fans have been waiting for and while it heavily explores the mythos of the character and it origins, it overall takes itself way too seriously; however Man of Steel is still very fun and action-packed and hopefully can finally pave the way for a Justice League film.