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Reviews by RB6K
One of Sci-fi's Greatest.
Posted : 9 months ago on 6 March 2008 04:51
(A review of Stargate: Atlantis)After the huge success of SG1 it was inevitable a spin off would be made along the way, hardly anyone really expected it to be that good, what more could they possibly do with a gate that transports you from one point in space to another? Well Atlantis answers that question with gusto, and proves that with enough writing talent you can come up with anything. Atlantis starts with Earth in need of a weapon to defend them against a powerful alien who is getting ready to annihilate the human race. Daniel Jackson discovers that earth used to be home to the lost city of Atlantis much like history had always suggested, but that it wasn't just a city, it was also a ship which has since left earth (due to a great plague) and set up home in a new galaxy (the Pegasus galaxy). After searching for the city for quite some time they discover its where abouts and send a team in to make contact. Upon getting to Atlantis they find it abandoned, and a few thousand feet underwater. The city has been hidden and since abandoned by the Lantians who used to populate it, all their technology and research has been left behind. We soon learn that this happened several thousand years ago due to a large scale war against a race called "The Wraith" these almost vampire like creatures are hideous monsters who feed by draining the life force of humans right out of them causing them to age years in seconds. Their race is not the most intelligent but their huge numbers, fox like cunning, and unrelenting attitude to war means that the battle with the Lantians soon become a war of attrition, being fought on several fronts, throughout the galaxy. After the Lantians fled the Pegasus galaxy, the Wraith began to gauge themselves on everything available, culling whole races. However, soon they began to grow too large in numbers and the humans began to run out, they decided to go into mass hibernation to allow the human population to increase to a number more suitable to their needs. The Atlantis team manage to resurrect the city of Atlantis from the depths of the ocean and decide to use it as a strong hold within the Pegasus galaxy, searching out new technology and forming alliances with the primitive humans that remain after the Wraith have gone. Of course whilst forming new alliances and exploring they accidentally awake the Wraith from their hibernation, and a new war begins, this time however there is not enough food for the Wraith to sustain themselves and build a large army, and the Atlantis team are creative in their guerrilla warfare. Extreme underdogs to the last, they manage to fortify their position in the city of Atlantis and become a force of good in the Pegasus galaxy. Atlantis is creating itself a name in Sci-Fi as a brilliant stand alone story from its predecessor SG1. It is now into its 5th season, and will then go on to dvd movies from 2009 onwards. I thought nothing would better Stargate SG1, but Stargate Atlantis is definitely proving to be a fantastic tale and has far more potential yet to come. The characters are brilliantly portrayed, and the stories are always integral to the overall plot even when they seem to lack relevance at first glance. There are many threads and links which intertwine not only throughout the Atlantis story, but also the SG1 story, and the Stargate universe as a whole. If you like Science Fiction, and obviously if you liked Stargate, this show is for you!  0 comments, Reply to this entry
Insane
Posted : 9 months ago on 6 March 2008 04:07
(A review of Lost)Lost is quite possibly the most insane, random, off the wall show ever made. At first glance its a show about a group of people who all survive a plane crash and find they are stranded on an Island in the middle of the ocean. Seems straight forward enough i thought, its bound to show their daily lives and how they go about surviving and trying to get home. That isn't even the half of it! First off theres the island monster. A roaring mechanical sound that comes from the jungle once in a while, striking horror in the hearts of the survivors. Then there is the hatch, the mysterious door in the ground with numbers on it, not just any numbers, THE numbers, the same numbers that appear in almost every episode, the numbers which one of the main characters happens to have seen before, off the island in his old life, a lot! In fact he won the lottery with them and has been cursed since. All the characters have intertwined pasts and their lives are far more connected than they first knew. This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of Lost, there is so much going on, so much to take interest in, and far too much to take in all at once. If you are new to Lost, try and watch as many episodes in one go as you can, it makes things connect far better, although it is probably more of a challange to say "Try and watch one episode a week" You wont, its not possible if you have more than one available!! This is a show that leaves you wanting to know more every episode, it is not for the impatient or the slow minded, you need to think when you watch it, you need to remember, and speculate. If you are incapable of thought, you wont like Lost. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Everybody wants to be a Hero
Posted : 9 months ago on 6 March 2008 03:58
(A review of Heroes)Heroes is a show about people who discover they have extraordinary super powers and insane abilities, people who on one side want to use their powers to save the world, on the other want to use their powers to destroy it. The magic of this program is that its most peoples dream to discover they can secretly fly, or heal, or travel through time, and we all think about the many things we could do with such power. This program shows the trials and tribulations of having powers, and does it from a biologists point of view. The whole idea is that man has evolved to possess these powers and that nature is giving these gifts to help humans survive changes on the planet. There are also virus' which are capable of killing people who possess abilities, and people who have evolved the ability to steal or silence abilities giving them a predatory edge. The premise of the show is that a junkie who can paint the future, paints a picture of a nuclear explosion destroying New York, things unfold from there as all the characters do their best to find out when, where and why the explosion happens, and how to stop it. Also whilst coming to terms with their abilities. This program has huge potential, and is a definite gem. America have done good in creating this show and i for one hope it goes on for many many seasons. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Edge of your seat stuff!
Posted : 9 months ago on 6 March 2008 03:27
(A review of Prison Break)Prison Break is a brilliant show, such a simple idea but so cleverly written. It is a show about a man named Michael who's brother Lincoln has been sent to jail for a crime he did not commit. He wants to break his brother out of Prison before he is subjected to the electric chair, and does so by getting him self sent to prison. The twist is, he just so happens to have the entire blue print of the prison tattooed on his person along with several tips and clues to help remind him of each step of his plan. Each episode involves another step in the plan, another twist and another turn. Problems appearing being overcome, characters becoming involved in the escape and others forcing their way into it. The characters are all unique and wonderful people, if not quite disturbing in some cases, and they are all well acted and lovable. The show has been running for 3 seasons now and each season is as good as the last, the overall mythology of the show is centralised around "The Company" the people who are to blame for Lincoln being in Jail in the first place, and what their agenda is. Whilst the prison is the central setting, atonement, revenge, and family bonds are the key elements of the show. If you have not seen Prison Break you are missing out! 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Fantastic Album
Posted : 9 months ago on 6 March 2008 12:55
(A review of Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World for Tomorrow)Being the final part of a 5 album epic, Coheed and Cambria's "No World for Tomorrow" is a brilliant finish to a magnificent journey. The story began at part 2 (Second Stage Turbine Blade) in 2002 with albums following every two years afterwards. 2007 saw NWFT being released after absolutely huge anticipation from fans. The album does not disappoint, and stays true to the previous releases. Each song is unique, but also holds the ingredients which make Coheed and Cambria such an awe inspiring band. The first song is called the Reaping, it is a slow and thought out beginning to the CD, setting the mood of the story to come, the last Album left things in a pretty deadly place and this one picks up where that one left off. The pace soon changes when the title song "No World for Tomorrow" comes on, the second song on each album usually tends to be one of the longest, usually the most story filled song, and this one is no different. Whilst not the best "second song" of the series, it is definitely a good one, but in my opinion the album does not really take off until "The hound of blood and rank" starts with its awesome guitar playing. It has kind of an 80's feel to it in parts which feels right some how, and it has the trade mark lines and sounds coheed and loved for. Next they opt for a more up beat and radio friendly song called "Feathers" which i expected to be poppy and lame, but actually quite enjoy listening to, (although that being said the whole point of a coheed album is to SING to it, not merely listen!!! And this song is great for that, which is why i like it.) The next song is another radio friendly, called "The running free" this one is definitely one that i enjoy and again its one to sing along with, this one along with Feathers are the 2 that would appeal most to people who have not heard coheed play before, (coincidently they are the 2 they released!) although most of their songs are nothing like this one. Mother Superior is the next track and it is a much slower song, an acoustic guitar is used and the song builds up as it goes along, it is a brilliant piece with great lyrics and a fantastic pace that increases as the song goes on building up to a climax at the end. The next song "Gravemakers and Gunslingers" completely speeds things up, being the fastest song on the album, this one is just a general speed fest of great lines, great guitar and plenty of cool story. (Coheeds albums are also part of a comic book series, each song is expanded upon throughout the series in great detail, so this song is going to be one of the better ones when released) The pace continues with Justice in Murder, i think this song is probably the albums low point, although it is still a good song, its just not on par with Coheeds best. This doesn't matter for long when the albums final piece "The End Complete" begins, it is a 5 part piece that comprises the epic finish to the entire series, the first part is named "The Fall of House Atlantic" which is actually just an instrumental piece, the name has more significance than the song as House Atlantic played a huge part in the story up until this point, so hinting it "falls" has wetted the appetite of many comic fans. The next song is a great tune called "Radio Bye Bye" most of it is classic Coheed, there are some unusual breaks from the norm in it that are quite catchy, this song is definitely a sing along song again, and there are some decent guitar parts in there. The album starts on its final run now with the 3rd from last song "The End Complete" which is more of a story song, it is definitely building up during the song, (mainly raising the bar to the heights of the next song) the song does feel a bit too long sometimes but that is only because once you have heard it you know what song comes next and so (if your like me) you kind of want it to just get on to the next one named "The Road of the Damned" this song is my favorite on the album, the last song quietens right down to silence then suddenly your hit with the first words of this song, from there you are treated to great lyrics, fantastic guitar and an emotional song which to me everything has been built up to during the 4 albums preceding this one. This song passes with a feeling of things coming to an end, things quieten back down again ready for the final song. This is the absolute final song of the series, and as expected, it has to be something special to go out with a bang. I feel they achieve this to an extent, the first 3 minutes of "On the Brink" are brilliant, pure coheed, the middle 50 seconds are an insane moment of the word HAIL being repeated 50+ times which im not too fond of, then a legendary guitar solo finishes the album with a bang much like the end of the album before it, but better. It is a break from their regular type of music but a brilliant sign of things to come if they continue to release new material in the future, separate from this tale. Overall this album is brilliant, i recommend it to anybody who likes music really, Coheeds lead singer Claudio Sanchez has a feminine voice, so if that puts you off dont listen, but if you dont mind that (i prefer it personally) then you are going to enjoy at least one track on this album, if not all of them. I think it would make more sense to listen to the albums preceding it first so that you can appreciate the throw backs and nods to past songs etc, but that is not necessary really. This is just a thoroughly enjoyable album. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Greatest Disney Film Ever
Posted : 9 months ago on 5 March 2008 11:55
(A review of The Lion King)I remember watching a documentary about this film before it was released, it showed the amount of time and effort which was put into the making of this film. All the animals were studied to try and animate them just so, their world was analyzed in depth to try and capture it just right in film form, and i think they succeeded. Obviously, being a Disney film, all the animals can talk and form unlikely alliances, but that aside this film is a brilliant story using a classic tale of the prince returning to claim his throne from an evil relative who has stolen it. This story everything including romance between Simba and his childhood sweetheart Nala. Tragedy between Simba and his father Mufasa, betrayal with Simbas uncle Scar stealing the throne, and Comedy in the brilliant duo Timone and Pumba. Accompanying the brilliant story, memorable characters and fantastic animation is a wonderful music score. Songs written by Elton John amongst others, and catchy Disney songs like "I just cant wait to be king" and "Hakuna Matata" that will be remembered forever. This is definitely one to watch if you haven't already! 1 comments, Reply to this entry
I thought this would be awful.
Posted : 9 months ago on 5 March 2008 11:36
(A review of The Simpsons Movie)A Simpsons movie?! I thought, in absolute outrage. Hasn't that corpse been picked dry already?! This was going to be painful. I awaited it patiently, the adverts began to get tiresome as it was the same joke repeated on tv, cinema, radio, posters, etc etc, i kept thinking to my self "If thats the funniest point in the movie (as adverts normally wind up portraying) then this is worse than i thought! Fortunately i presumed wrong! The adverts merely portrayed a taste of things to come, and there was a hell of a lot!! The plot is completely random, like all Simpson episodes, but fantastic in the sense that while you are thinking what the hell?! You are also thinking, thats my Homer!! It was inevitable that he would eventually cause some kind of national trouble which causes the downfall of Springfield and this was the perfect stage for it. I expected "just a long episode" and i think that was probably one of the main worries when writing a film for the Simpsons, and it was overcome just right. This film had the right amount of "action" (unlike some scenes of family guy that seem to go on a bit too long) the right amount of dragging a joke, ie the hammering the nail into his hand/head gag was used a few times in the film but every time it made me laugh again. It also has the right timing, the right deliverance, and all the characters get to play a part and be funny. In a normal episode Homer and Bart would usually take center stage in some way, and they did in most of the film, what with its subplot of Homer and Bart's father-son relationship. But Lisa Marge and Maggie had their moments and were funnier than they have been in years, while Ralph was used less which is a bonus in any episode because he just is not funny. This film should be enough to convince any fan of the Simpsons who had given up completely, that there is still some magic left in the old thing. Its on its 19th season at the moment, and the episodes iv watched recently seem a little lacking in the wit department, but after this film and after reading a lot of the upcoming episode synopsis' i am hopeful it is heading for a revival. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
My families in Florida, and IM in New Yo
Posted : 9 months ago on 5 March 2008 11:01
(A review of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)This film is absolutely brilliant from the get go. In what is probably an attempt to make up for a dire christmas last year, the McAllister family are going to Florida for their christmas vacation, everyone is excited except for Kevin who believes the most important thing about Christmas is having a tree, and presents, and spending it in a traditional environment. To him, nothing else means christmas. Fortunately for him, whilst rushing to the airport on the morning of their flight, a series of events means Kevin, yet again, winds up being separated from his parents as he follows a man that looks like his dad onto a plane to New York by mistake. Once there, he decides to make the best of it, after all he has his fathers seemingly unlimited credit card at hand and a hefty Arsenal of one liners and tricks up his sleeve should the inevitable happen and he winds up in trouble. Of course, by pure coincidence, the wet bandits from HA1 have recently escaped Jail and are starting fresh in New York, they happen to see Kevin of all people, alone in the big city, and decide pay back is in order. The film goes on a wild tangent from this point onwards, it is very funny, the lines are memorable, and the scenes are great. They do not make films like this any more and it is a bitter shame. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
A Fantastic Concept.
Posted : 9 months ago on 5 March 2008 07:46
(A review of Pokémon)Pokemon has seen in its first Decade now and is still going strong world wide. Its such a simple idea, yet no one seems to have capitalized on it quite so well as the Japanese have with this. A series which seems able to conform to any media, it has games, films, cd's, books, stickers, models, everything! The potential for this show is unending. The main reason it is so capable of maintaining its popularity is the way it has been set up at the beginning. It is about a young boy named Ash (in English versions) who reaches the age in his society when children are expected to go on a "coming of age" journey armed with their first pokemon. Ash gets a Pikachu, nobodies first choice, and sets off on his travels with it. Obviously soon they become the best of friends, fighting crime, saving towns and rescuing pokemon. As it is about a young boy with no knowledge of pokemon, the fans knowledge and his are on the same level from day 1. From that point onward Ash travels the world learning new things and discovering new Pokemon, and new scenarios, the things the watcher discovers in the show can then be transfered onto the hand held games and the franchise evolves as the years go by. There may come a point when the creators go too far, and perhaps ruin the concept, but i dont feel that has been done yet as i have yet to get a game i have not enjoyed, the new pokemon keep things fresh, and the new elements and types keep things original also. The only downside to this series is that it is meant for children so no adult can really watch it properly, if the writers could come up with an adult version some how, i think it would likely succeed. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Possibly the worst cartoon ever made?
Posted : 9 months ago on 4 March 2008 07:23
(A review of TaleSpin)Take one fairly low appealing Disney character from a fairly limited setting (the jungle), give him a pilots license and a failing delivery business. Throw in a young orphan with navigational skills Columbus would envy, and add a (possibly homosexual) trouser waring female with cash looking to start a business of her own, and you have yourself one of the worst cartoons ever made. Talespin is set in the 1930's and is about Baloo of Jungle Book fame trying to cope running his own delivery business and failing miserably. Contemplating suicide, Baloo tries desperately to offload his business to any mug willing to run a cargo plane in the most notoriously pirate ridden place on earth. Fortunately he finds said mug in Rebecca Cunningham, also a bear, who provides proof of the old saying "Bears just do not have any business sense" Baloo thinks he has finally got shot of the black hole he created when Rebecca tells him she will only buy the company on the condition that he continues to fly for them. Baloo agrees and mundane adventure ensues. Fortunately this cartoon was soon taken off of the air when it was found that just moments into the pilot episode children world wide ceased to live. It has since been found that even 1 second of Talespin interaction can cause ones soul to consume itself. Do not watch this cartoon. 2 comments, Reply to this entry
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