So 2 weeks ago, I was walking around aimlessly in Soho after a rather pathetic (7min long) interview with a recruitment agency when I stumbled across a Vintage poster store on Brewer Street. With nothing better to do, I strolled in for a peek. Past the tacky Elvis mugs, I made a beeline for the boxes of vintage copy posters. I leafed through the super sexy pinup girls and then onto the sci-fi boxes. I saw Godzilla, Metropolis some other sci-fi movie’s I’d never seen, and then more Metropolis. What is this film I wondered? With no job and so no money to spend, I left the store.

When I got home, I did a quick google for the movie ‘Metropolis’ and what I discovered was amazing film history that I never expected. Premiered in 1927, Metropolis is the most expensive silent film ever made, directed by Austrian-American filmmaker Fritz Lang. After it’s initial premiere in Germany, it was substantially cut and edited (ie. BUTCHERED) by Paramount Studios, US (where approx. 1/4 of the film was cut), while a very slightly longer version was released in Germany following the US release. The cut footage was lost throughout the subsequent years.

Numerous edits and restoration attempts have been made since it’s release but it was not until 2008 that a 16mm dupe negative was discovered in Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Almost 25min of footage thought to be completely lost to the world had been found – albeit in horrible condition. It took experts almost 2 years to restore the lost footage and the final edit was finally shown in New York at the Ziegfeld Theater in October 2010.

In a stroke of luck, I found out that this very same movie was to be showing at the Prince Charles Theatre in Soho the following week. Needless to say, I purchased the tickets immediately.

Metropolis is a story centered around Freder Fredersen, the son of the futuristic mega-city’s master Joh Fredersen. It’s set a world where the ruling class frolic in beautiful gardens out in the open air, while the working class toil underground maintaining the M-Machine that keeps the city running. When Freder sees Maria with a group of scared and sad looking children, he is immediately mesmerised by her beauty and in a bid to find her, discovers the underworld.What ensues is a story of about love, betrayl and revolution. (I’m not a fan of spoilers, so I will leave the curious ones to read the wiki for more details)

I have always loved distopian movies, where society’s structure is questioned and examined; knowing the amazing history of this film has given it a magical quality, where I can appreciate it in a completely different way. However, I am convinced that even if I had not known about it’s history, I would have been equally mesmerised. To say the least, I have never seen a film this way, where the acting and visual imagery is so paramount. Every expression, every frame is so packed with information that at times I felt slightly overwhelmed. Without audio dialogue, the entire movie is backed with orchestral score (composed by Gottfried Huppertz), with intertitles. The score was captivating, sometimes right there with the imagery, at times fading into your subconciousness; it left me humming from the cinema steps, onto the bus and through my front door.

You were all probably expecting an update on my latest dazzling adventures in London. But the thing is, between the exciting pictures I post (or haven’t posted), I’m just another wannabe Londoner trudging to work day in, day out. Luckily, I have my trusty iPhone (and cable) with me to make the commute less of a bore.

Enter my latest craze – Super Quick Hook

By the time I got this game, ‘A’ had already sped through all the stages and started going for the badges; but I was still tentative about it all. 

I’m not one for action games, fps’s, shooting arcade games, anything that requires split second hand-eye co-ordination is a low-interest for me. Unlike most gamers, I DON’T like the adrenaline-pumped feeling of dying I get when playing games. Even just watching ‘A’ play had me grabbing the bus seat until my knuckles turned white. Retrospectively, it’s actually quite indicative of how engrossing this game is. Before I got the game, I was already telling him to buy the pretty looking ‘Moon Hook’ from the ‘shop’.

I have to admit, the RPG element was what really got me hooked in the first place (pun intended). Earning coins, upgrading, and being able to customise the look of your super quick hooker! Wow wee!! And those retro graphics – absolutely awesome!

Every time I entered the store, I found myself with a dilemma, rocket boosters or crocodile hat? I spent ridiculous amounts of time in Avalanche (endless) mode just so I could earn some dosh to spend in the shop. Not surprisingly, this was also where I developed my – still lowly – skills. Things get a lot hairier at the later stages, where no amount of endless mode will help, the lava levels are killers, and just wait till you stumble upon Zig Zag Horror.

I’ve managed to ‘finish’ each stage, but now I’m aiming for secrets, coins and speed, all in pursuit of the Golden badges. I’m still a long way away, but I’m proud to say I’m now ranked 42^nd on ‘Fungus Depths’ – even higher than ‘A’!!!  (Sorry to rub it in – but I’m REALLY proud of this!)

Plants vs. Zombies – ahhh. The first time I played this game was about 1-2 years ago when it first came out on the Mac. It was addictive, and I played for about 3 consecutive nights. I love the way it’s recreated tower defense, and I especially love the graphics; give me any colour filled game and I’ll be happy to play it.

Since moving to London, I’ve had to leave my consoles at home, so my gaming fixes have come exclusively from my DS and iPhone. So PvZ was a welcome addition of my iPhone games collection.

The game is pretty much a direct port so not exactly different, but it’s no less fun. I actually prefer the little portable version, controls are intuitive and being that it’s a tower defense type game, it’s excellent for on-the-go playing.

I have notice some major lagging issues when you have heaps of things going on, but it hasn’t been majorly disruptive to the game. I miss the zen garden though, must be the female in me.

The first time I touched this game was about 1.5 years ago at a friends house. I literally loaded it up, skipped the cut scenes and went straight to the game for 5 minutes. Needless to say, it was a pointless exercise.

So 2 evenings, 5 hours and 5 deaths later, I’m pretty sure I’m still somewhere near the beginning of this seemingly epic tale. How far I’ll go I don’t know, but that fact that I’m still considering playing after repeating 1 particular scene 3 times is quite a compliment when you consider my track record – I never finished any of the Castlevanias on DS even though I loved it (dying tends to put me off and I do that a lot).

My first impression as cutscene #1 unfolded was definately “cinematic”. The music, the colours, the camera work pulls you straight into the game just like a good film would, and I found myself wondering who the director was. But I have to say, the writing in this game is what I found truly impressive. From the minute details on signs to the terminal logs, every bit helps you discover the world a little and keeps you wanting more. Little snippets of humor are embedded into the whole game – loading screens, billboards, look around and you’ll find yourself quietly chuckling. The whole game has an awesome style – think retro war era mixed with laser guns and robots and you’ll get the idea.

At 5 hours, I probably could have progressed further through the main storyline, but the exploration is always what I love in a game. I spent at least half an hour in a supermarket looting and shooting, and much much more time hacking, stealing and lock picking. OH MY GOD – DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR BOBBY PINS – YOU NEED THEM TO PICK LOCKS!!! – did the game tell me this? I really don’t know, but if they didn’t – [insert anger].

Oh, and did I mention I convinced an evil Doctor not to annihilate an entire town just by using my uber flirting skillz? Dont’ judge me, I did it for the citizens.

In terms of controls, I’ve never been good at FPS style games (can never fine tune my movement to aim), and my first reaction was to panic when I saw that little crosshair in the middle of the screen. Luckily it’s more of an RPG, the way the shooting works (semi-realtime), and the ability to regen in the middle of battle is the only reason I haven’t given up. I have to admit I’ve forgotten buttons and accidentally shot a couple of people who I wasn’t suppose to and it resulted in me 1.escaping from a town, 2-dying. I’m pretty sure that’s my fault and not the game’s…

One thing I thought was a shame was the 3rd person view option, the view is clunky as it’s off centre and it felt like an add-on for fpv challenged people like myself – only it’s failed to help. It’s a real shame considering the character looks different according to what you equip – I found myself using 3pv during non-combat travel just so I could get a taste of the new gear I’d put on – it would be nice if shooting was easy with this option.

I’m still trying to figure out some of the abbreviations in the HUD, but I’m slowly adapting – like the weight system for your pack. Turns out, there’s really no point looting empty bottles and dinted cans – WHY do they let me pick that shit up then?? Try hoarding anyway, it’s hilarious when you unload them all at once and you leave a giant puddle of your crap in the middle of a room – hrm, I wonder if it’ll still be there later? Maybe I can retreive those bobby pins…

[To understand what Incomplete Reviews are - click here]

Even so, I’ve decided on a new review system – for people who just want a low-down, simple, first impressions type review of games. Most likely I’ll never see the end of these games, but hey, I’m still allowed to like/dislike the few hours I play! Thanks to my lovely A, I don’t have to purchase all this stuff as he buys enough games for the both of us.

Incomplete Review #1 – Bayonetta on Xbox 360

awesome concept art!

I’m a girl. I love female ass kicking bitches as the ‘heros’ of games. I don’t care if they have big tits, short shorts and inappropriate proportions – as long as they kick ass and arn’t portrayed as sexual objects (think DOA – vomit) I’m cool with it, and I’ll probably love it.

I’d really only heard about Bayonetta, and hadn’t really seen a picture of the much anticipated and highly rated game, so I wasn’t realy sure what to expect. I knew the main character was a chick, and the cover was dark with a woman in leather. That was it.

So when A said he’d ordered it online, I wasn’t too fussed or eagerly awaiting it. He brought it over this weekend for me to have a look at and I must say – it’s quite different to what I’ve played.

Art-style wise, awesome – dark, edgy and comic book style. Introduction was long but visually engaging with comic style cut scenes – some animated some not. Characters have decent voice-overs that arn’t overly Americanised  (I believe it’s a Jap game). Although, I have to say I was a little surprised and slightly disappointed at how corny some of the scenes/lines were – sometimes I felt like I was playing a x-rated noir version of Sailor Moon.

I’ve played about 2 hours of the game, and the story is suitably engaging, you’re sort of thrown into the deep end when it comes to the game universe but the short cut scenes keep you curious about the character you’re playing. I did notice the linearity of it – not much room for exploration, which is a pity because the environment is beautifully crafted.

Once you get over trying to make it a serious, hardcore game and take it for what it is – fun, hack/slashy, dark and sexy – I could probably get into this game for a few more hours to come!

Worth checking out – put it on easy mode and enjoy some button-mashing visual stimulation!

A 30min wait in line for the tickets and a massive crowd wasn’t ideal, but I was definitely glad I went. It was amazing to see such a full body of work from the amazing artist, from his early impressionist works to move sets and ballet productions. Although I am not an explicit  fan of his work or style, there was no doubt that Dali as a person was infinitely interesting. His experiences, personality, interests and all that inspired him to create what he created was what I found most satisfying from the whole exhibit. I was a bit upset that I’d missed the animation of Dali and Disney’s collaboration titled “Destino”, but I did manage to find it online. WOW! I just can’t believe it’s still in archives.  Also, did you know that the dream sequence from Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” was designed by Dali? How cool is that!

Definately an artist I’m going to do more reading and research on!

Anyway, as wiki does, it lead me to look up “Avant Garde” and I thought I’d share the interesting meaning behind it:

Avant-garde (French pronunciation: [av???a?d]) means “advance guard” or “vanguard“.^[1] The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.

The term was originally used to describe the foremost part of an army advancing into battle (also called the vanguard) and now applied to any group, particularly of artists, that considers itself innovative and ahead of the majority.

The vanguard, a small troop of highly skilled soldiers, explores the terrain ahead of a large advancing army and plots a course for the army to follow. This concept is applied to the work done by small collectives of intellectuals and artists as they open pathways through new cultural or political terrain for society to follow.

Source: wikipedia

Nevertheless, I went along with about 20 or so of my geeky friends who came from across the city to bask in the glory of a VMAX cinema – and was quite pleasantly surprised. My eyes were glued to the non-stop story/action, it was sort of good to know that I was watching this movie not as a fan would – comparing and referencing the old stuff, but seeing the characters, ships and world as completely new creations – all of which were exciting, engaging and often funny. 

So as much as I hate to go with the crowd – Star Trek really is worth watching – but as always, you should judge for yourself.

Now to wait for the next 2 sci-fi flicks which I really AM excited about: Terminator 4 & Transformers 2…>.<

Source: Official, Trailer Addict, IMDB

In a nutshell: Set in World War II about Jewmericans slaughtering the Nazi’s in occupied France

Source: official, imdb