Ahh Crysis, the game no one thought could run on consoles. The sequel to the game that brought even the most powerful PC to it’s knees.

Crysis 2 has been on the radar of every action game fan for a while now, and with good reason. Graphically, it’s without a doubt the nicest looking game you will ever see. It also features one of the most unique features found in any FPS game…. the “suit”. If you haven’t seen or heard about it, you can cloak, beef up armour and perform leaps and bounds with reckless abandon (well… until your energy runs out).

You take the role of an everyday soldier with the extra help, set to do….. something in manhattan. I’ll be honest, the story was not exactly the most captivating aspect of the game, instead, I found myself drooling over the visuals and some of the best cut scenes I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Well, that and the very original level design. Imagine a small sandbox area, which when cleared, leads to another small sandbox area. Each with a variety of choices. “Should i snipe them all while cloaked? Should I sneak up behind them one by one? Or should I go to that turret over there and blast them all to hell?”

Online is another story. While its pretty decent, it really doesnt offer much in the way of originality. The cloak offers something new, but there are many unbalanced issues happening right now that it’s tough to recommend for more than a couple of nights.

At just shy of 8 hours, it was the perfect length for me, but if you want to try different ways of clearing levels (I wasn’t too interested), you might get more out of it.

So the game with the bizarre marketing campaign has finally arrived.

I say bizarre because I never actually saw game footage, or in-game screenshots until I’d played the full release. The marketing campaign, which consisted of a visual assault of nothing more than.. let’s call him “Buddy-with-the-red-blindfold”, really did a number on me. And a number of other people apparently, the game has sold over 1 million copies as of this writing.

Anyways, on to the game.

I noticed almost immediately that Homefront takes some queues from many other games, including the obvious (Call Of Duty) to the not so obvious (Half Life 2). Basically, you WILL be immersed in the atmosphere whether you like or not. I really did buy into the whole “Korea takes over” plot and as difficult as it may be to believe, the execution was spot on.

The game controls VERY well, as expected, and as far as looks are concerned it threw me for a loop. At first, I cast them off as generic, however I frequently caught myself stopping… and looking around to gaze at the incredible lens flaring (yes, it IS really cool) and some of the very original lighting effects. You may not be as blown away as I was, but you will not be disappointed.

Listening to the various guns was rather enjoyable, and it seemed as if they leaned towards over the top, rather than realistic, which was perfectly fine for me.

Now comes the tricky part.

I sat down at 9pm to begin playing through the single player game. 1:30am rolls around… credits. Yes, it took 4 and a half hours to beat the entire game.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of short games, especially nowadays. However, due to this fact, it is VERY difficult to recommend anyone go out and plunk down $60 for a game they could beat twice while I’m at work.

Thankfully, the online helps with longevity, but without a healthy enlistment of friends, I couldn’t be bothered. I’m not one for pick up and play with strangers but if you are, you may get more out of it than me.

So, my list of movies to see in 2009 received quite a bit of traffic (and for some reason, continues to??), which took me by surprise.  I personally LOVE Top 10 lists, so it seemed only natural for me to continue with a list of not necessarily the biggest budget, highest grossing films of 2010, but some of the most interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love the big budget, popcorn flicks as much as the next guy, but I can only take so much Harry Potter and Iron Man before I crave another Moon or Donnie Darko.

Anyways, ON with the list!! Here are the 10 movies you MUST see in 2010.

10. The Social Network

While there has been little released for this film, the fact that David Fincher is directing should be enough to pique your interest. Everything he has touched has been good, if not great. Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Rashida Jones will all add a very interesting mix to the unofficial biography of the rise of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

9. Human Centipede

There’s not much to say about this, except weak stomachs need not apply. After being sent the trailer by my friend Steve, I quickly replied “Is this a joke?”.  Quickly discovering it was not, I scrambled to find it in any means necessary.  Let’s just say a viewing is set for the VERY near future, and I cannot wait.  It is in incredibly limited release, but I urge anyone who can find it, to watch it.

8. Machete

Ever since being lucky enough to see the FULL Grindhouse film in the theater (including Death Proof and Planet Terror), the action was broken up in the middle with the inclusion of what seemed to be fake trailers.  Well…. they were.  Thing is, Robert Rodriguez decided to take his trailer for Machete one step farther and turn it into a fully fledged feature film.

It will be ridiculous.  It will be over the top.  It will star Danny Trejo.  What else do you need to know???

7. Super 8

The reason this isn’t higher on the list is due to the fact it’s not actually coming out until NEXT summer. Hey… I cheated, but this year isn’t looking too stellar, so why not look forward to some ‘distant’ future releases?

But seriously, J.J.Abrams has delivered some pretty great stuff over the past few years and with Spielberg’s budget behind him, he might be able to produce something fantastic.

6. The Killer Inside Me

Michael Winterbottom has delivered mixed results over the years, but you can always count on him to create something unique. Being an enormous fan of Casey Affleck, this film is an easy choice for the top 10.  Casey has easily surpassed his brother in nearly every way…. which unfortunately, isn’t saying an awful lot.  I expect some great things from him in this role, let’s hope he pulls through.

5. Toy Story 3

While probably the most obvious choice for the list, it’s hard to deny that everything Pixar churns out is pure gold.  While the guys over at Dreamworks are figuring out how to get their latest fuzzy creature to crack the latest pop culture reference, Pixar screams ahead of them, both in the realm of visuals and more importantly, story-telling.  Toy Story 3 may be an unexpected sequel (I would have preferred a new Bug’s Life, but oh well), but I’m sure it will appeal to… well…. everyone.

4. The Other Guys

I can’t help myself, I’m a sucker for Will Ferrell. Ever since his stint on SNL, he’s clawed open and dug his way into my heart. He’s childish, ridiculous and over the top, but I don’t care. I laugh every time I see him, and that’s all you can ever ask from a comedian. The cast for this film is incredibly impressive, so I can’t wait to see if they capitalize on the available talent.

3. Inception

Just think of Christopher Nolan, Blade Runner and Children Of Men.  If those words get your mouth frothing, then this might be up your alley. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen page and my favorite actor of the decade, Joseph Gordon-Levitt all star in this incredible looking thriller. It will perform terribly at the box office, but that’s fine… as I foresee a dedicated following upon its DVD release.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Even though this is only Edgar Wright’s 3rd REAL feature film in nearly 7 years, he’s already proven himself to be an A-list director.  With 3 MORE films slated for the next 2 years, he will be keeping himself busy. Let’s hope he can direct people who AREN’T his close buddies, Pegg and Frost.

1. Tron Legacy

From the second I saw the trailer first start up on the IMAX 3D screen, I got goosebumps… which doesn’t happen too often. I am crossing every one of my available fingers, hoping that Disney has allowed this film to go in the direction it needs to. While technology has obviously improved since 1982, I sincerely hope they haven’t thrown in too much unnecessary CG, which can be the case for a lot of recent big budget films *cough* Alice In Wonderland *cough*.

Larry Gopnik is a loser.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?  Maybe.  Do I?  Not at all. This is the issue I had with A Serious Man, the latest ‘masterpiece’ from the infallible Coen Brothers.  It’s a story about a Jewish mathematician who has his life unravel in front of his eyes through a chain of events, ignited by his wife’s desire for a divorce.

Gopnik is bossed around by nearly everyone he encounters, and he does little, if anything, to try and stop them. Not only that, but he questions whether he’s supposed to complain or not. This is just not a character you can feel sorry for, nor one that you can cheer for.

By the end of the film, I was left wondering, who am I supposed to agree with?  Larry’s pot obsessed son? His daughter and her quest to endlessly wash her hair? The creepy and childish Uncle Arthur (played by the great Richard Kind)? I couldn’t connect with any of them.  Actually I really disliked them all. After all, there really was nothing to like about them.

This film felt like it was a passion project for the Coen brothers as it was quite a departure from their normally engaging story lines. Was it driven by past personal experiences of the Coens?  Was their dad a big, unloveable loser?  Did they smoke pot in the bathroom at school? Who knows, although it felt like a script that woudl have been very close to their own experiences.

While the film’s pacing was incredibly slow, there is no doubt you are in the 1960′s.  The set design, clothing and props reeked of the swinging decade.

It’s just hard to recommend this to film to anyone but the most diehard Coen Brothers fan. I am very open to unique filming styles, touchy plot issues, and nearly anything else, but I just could not connect with anyone in this film in order to develop a point of view.

As for dark comedy, there are definitely moments where you may chuckle under your breath, but you’ll immediately wonder if you should be or not. If you are as big of Coen Brothers fan as I am, do yourself a favour and submit your own opinion.

Synopsis : A departure from the normally engaging and creative writing/directing style of the Coen brothers. Very slow pacing, very unlovable characters and questionable focus make for a film that is tough to watch. If you can relate to any of the situations or characters, you will definitely take more away from it.

Yes, I know it’a LONG overdue for an update, but it’s been a busy month!

It’s become an annual tradition to attend the Toronto International Film Festival, and this year was no different. The long lines, the thousands of tourists, the amazing cars, the never-ending ‘Arrrrrr’ during the Piracy warning before EVERY movie… all make for a very interesting atmosphere.

I was only able to see 3 films this year, but I always love the chance to see a premiere, or perhaps even a film that would never normally see the light of day.  This year however, all 3 films are basically guaranteed release, at least in a few hundred theaters across North America. I have included reviews for all 3 films viewed at this years TIFF.

Capitalism : A Love Story
Directed by Michael Moore

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore knows how to entertain and he will get his point opinion across no matter what. His latest foray into the entertain-mentary genre (yes, I just made that up) is a more focused and fair film than one would come to expect.

This time around, he focuses on explain what exactly capitalism is, and why it’s so evil. Plain and simple.  You have probably heard the startling fact : The top 1% of Americans are wealthier than the bottom 99%…. combined.

He has chosen to focus more on the human factor. The film focuses on families directly effected by the recent downturn in the american economy, but also those who are able to profit from it (Condo Vultures for instance). It begins by showing, firsthand, a family being evicted from their home, with quite a bizarre level of force by local law enforcement.

When Moore began pulling his hi jinx, such as demanding the money back from the bailout banks, by backing up a truck to the front door, he kind of lost me.  I’m not sure what he was trying to do, besides be silly and catch a few laughs. It took me away from the film and felt very out of place.  The President Bush clip with the computer generated effect behind him, which I’m SURE you will remember, was just ridiculous.

I really feel as if this film was Moore’s tamest, as he opts for jokes over stretched truths this time around. It was also, unfortunately, his least serious.

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Directed by Terry Gilliam

I’m an enormous fan of almost all of Gilliam’s past work, such as Brazil, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys, the list goes on.  I admit, there was a bias walking into this film, one that would definitely sway my opinion.

Thankfully, the critiques of everyone around me were unanimous.  It was an incredibly bizarre, visually stunning and magnificently acted film.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this film, it was Heath Ledger’s final role, as he died during the filming. His friends gave a helping hand in order to help complete the movie.  Those friends being none other than Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Without spoiling too much of the very unique and captivating plot, their roles make sense almost immediately, and as Gilliam said in his Q&A session after the screening, it was almost as if it was meant to happen.

Many of the images from the film are still in my mind today, which will be what most are left with from this film. Some of the architecture, costume design and cinematography was just remarkable.

This film provided a very magical journey through the streets of London, and a trip through the mind of Doctor Parnassus himself. Trying to explain the plot is… well, difficult.  So I will let you decide for yourself. All you need to know is, you will not be able to take your eyes off the screen.

Up In The Air
Directed by Jason Reitman

I’ve always admired George Clooney. All he ever seems to do is smile, yet no one seems to care. No, I’m not swooning over the ‘Cloon’, but throughout the entire film, Up In The Air, his smug grin never seemed very far away.

Now, the film doesn’t exactly deal with heavy material, but can anyone really be THAT happy?

Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a guy who is in the air or hotel, for 300+ days a year. Due to the slow economy, his services are needed more than ever. See, he fires people for a living, so their bosses don’t have to. (Which is a rather strange co-incidence, especially after the review above!)

However, upon meeting a woman (played by the surprisingly good Vera Farmiga) in a similar professional situation as his, things get a bit interesting.  This is especially true when they begin comparing frequent flyer cards, something I KNOW my own father does, being a travelling salesman and all.

The director, Jason Reitman, creates a fantastic sense of isolation, yet Bingham retains a strange feeling of accomplishment, especially when he “hits the number he has in mind” on his frequent flyer miles. It’s almost as if this is HIS world, and everyone around him is in the way.