TV Series: Gunpowder

Zealotry begets Zealotry.

Robert Catesby (Kit Harrington) is a devout Catholic living in a very Protestant England, hiding among people who regularly condone and cheer the brutal executions of those of his faith. Having had enough, he decides to become a terrorist and plots to kill the Protestant King and most of his court.

What could possibly go wrong,eh Fawkes?

While the sets and props are fantastic - especially those beautiful swords, this three episode drama has a minor pacing issue with some scenes being very drawn out then suddenly time skipping ahead to the next. Some lines also felt just a bit wooden, but maybe that's just because of the way they talk.

It's a decent show, especially for those who are not familiar with Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, but if you expect action you will be disappointed. Also, be prepared for some gore. I like that stuff but I know it's not for everyone. I give it 2 executions out of 5.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Vengeance of the lab rats!

Following the events of the Scorch Trials, Thomas and his merry men go on a risky rescue mission right into the heart of the corporation hunting them. A simple story, executed rather well but one you won't be too invested in if you haven't watched the previous two.

I don't even see what you're shooting at dude.

The pacing (except for one small bit), settings, action pieces and effects are great, and acting wise everyone is fine. There are quite a few questions it leaves unanswered though, but as long as you aren't thinking too much - it remains an enjoyable action flick with some really cool camera shots.

Watch again? Maybe. If you liked the previous Maze Runner movies then you should follow through. I give the Death Cure 3 cranks out of 5.

Knights (1993 Movie)

What's worse than vampires and cyborgs? Vampire cyborgs!

Knights is a tale of one woman's revenge on a ruthless group of mystical vampire cyborgs led by Lance Henriksen who is either drooling or spitting while on camera, or is sporting an affectionate pet parrot who has no bearing on the story.

While the plot is ok, it is definitely on the low budget side of the track - making extensive use of fight scenes instead (reusing masked fighters and an obviously younger and more agile double for Kris Kristofferson's character). Fortunately Kathy Long makes a very watchable protagonist, and those old school stunts they do are quite cool / scary when you think about it.

Lots of acrobatic stunts in dangerous environments.

Not one I'd really recommend unless you enjoy B grade films, but strangely I think I would watch it again if given the chance. I give Knights 2 muddy pools out of 5.

Avengers: Infinity War

All hail Thanos!

Wow. This is a great film, packed with story and every actor brought their "A" game. As expected, the music, CGI and plot are all top notch too - it had to be to get all the heroes together, and while you don't get too much of anyone everyone does get their chance to shine.

I'm the glue that holds it all together.

There are action pieces a plenty mixed with strong story moments and Thanos himself (the villain) is surprisingly charismatic, which is great as the movie is basically about him. As far as I'm concerned, it was a perfect 5 infinity stones out of 5. I do suggest that you watch a few of the lead up movies though (at least anything with the word Avenger in it, as well as Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok) or you will be very lost.

Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle

Stupidly missing the mark.

Continuing on from his first adventure, Eggsy and the Kingsmen must team up with their American cousins to counter a new global threat. There are a number of good action sequences here, a few surprises and decent music to boot.

Alas it falls apart somewhat as Juliane Moore's villain is much less effective than her predecessor, there are more than a few useless scenes that advance absolutely nothing (why is Elton John even in this movie?), and the main plot which the protagonists are trying to stop would actually be more beneficial to the entire world if they just did nothing.

Sup, we're just chilling.

That last point would have been easily fixed too had the villain been a mega pharmaceutical company (poisoned meds) instead of a drug cartel (poisoned recreational drugs). Not one I'd watch again and definitely falls short of the original. I give it 2 meat grinders out of 5.

May 2018 Status

Another month down and this top list just keeps getting longer as I add more ideas and sundry items that I really should get around to... Also I've still mainly been focused on killing my backlog. Priorities right? :P

    End the year with less weight (-1 kg from last month, running total: -1.2 kg)
    Complete NWO: Lost City of Omu (0/2, 1-2 weeks to go)
    +Learn 3 more songs (0/3)
    Draw 12 drawings of anything (0/12)
    +Make a parody comic (planning)
    Make board game 19 prototype (procrastinating)
    Complete web comic chapter 1 (procrastinating)
    Make a simple computer game (procrastinating)
    +Clean out computer games
    +Clean out wardrobe

Backlog Update:

FROM GIFTS
Sims 3
Loki (Abandoned. Mindnumbing.)
Overlord 2
Commandos 2: Men of Courage (Abandoned. Not user friendly at all)
C&C Red Alert (DONE)
C&C Red Alert: Counterstrike (DONE)
C&C Red Alert: The Aftermath (DONE)
C&C Tiberian Sun (DONE)
C&C Tiberian Sun: Firestorm (More of the same)
C&C Red Alert 2 (DONE)
C&C Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge (DONE)
C&C Generals (DONE)
C&C Generals: Zero-Hour (DONE)
Supreme Commander (Abandoned. Too slow)
Dawn of War II (DONE)
Universe at War (Done / Had Enough)
Sins of a Solar Empire (DONE)
Diablo: Reaper of Souls (Doesn't Work)
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (Infinite Patching)
+Eador: Masters of the Broken World

GOG FREEBIE PILEUP
OxenFree (DONE)
Grim Fandango Remastered (DONE)
Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire (No. Prefer to retry Free UO)

COMPY CAN'T RUN (but I want to play)
Batman: Arkham Knight
Dying Light
Alien Isolation
Shadow of Mordor
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
+Satellite Reign

I thought I'd just put in some mini reviews with each of those "abandoned" items, most of which I did try my best to play but ultimately just found it not to my liking. The only exception, and the one I'll start with is The Savage Empire.

Ultima in Africa is a bit strange, but I was willing to try it until I heard that Official UO has become free to play. If I'm going to play any Ultima, it's definitely going to be UO and there's no way The Savage Empire was going to stand up to that.

The ARPG diablo clone Loki is up next, and while the game is functional (though very texty) it just dove head first into the realm of mind numbingly boring. Regardless of what on the rails quest you were on, it boiled down to enter new area, kill the hundreds of things in the area (and that's already sneaking past half the map). Rinse and repeat. Just... no.

Eidos' Commandos 2 should have been perfect for me. A bunch of specialists sneaking around in Nazi Germany should be great right? Yes and no. In theory it's good, but lousy voice acting paired with the most unfriendly user interface I've ever come across sent me packing quickly.

Supreme Commander is another RTS game, this one taking place on maps so vast you often needed to zoom out to almost see the whole planet to manage your huge array of forces. With epic music, decent story (from what I played) and nice combat (if you zoomed back in to see it) you might wonder why I gave up on this one, and the answer is simple: build time.

It's a case of hoping your dots overwhelm the enemy dots.

Even compared to the slowest builds in Command and Conquer, this game moves at a glacial pace. Watching two glaciers crash into each other is grand, but waiting for to build your glacier (army) and then getting them to travel across the map was hours of boredom. Ultimately I decided that I simply have more rewarding things to do with my time. :P

Sins of a Solar Empire

A space opera with zero story.

Three warring factions duke it out in this 4x platform (explore, expand, exploit and exterminate) which almost plays like a very cool board game. The music is fantastic, and a careful balance must be maintained with your resources.

Questions such as "do we build an army of little frigates or just a handful of capital ships?", "What research paths will best serve us now?" And "Do I have enough credits to pay off the pirates?" must be answered!

Some pretty scenery here, but you'll mainly be looking at the HUD!

That last point is a most interesting balancing item as the pirates are well established from the get go and are troublesome to eradicate. Giving them money to attack your enemies makes them pretty handy, as long as you can outbid said enemies trying to do the same to you.

The main issue with the game though is there is zero story outside the broad overview given in the intro. A game is played via scenarios, and for me (non pvper) that doesn't really give much in the way of replayability, so while as a game platform it is pretty great - as a game I can only give it 2 cruisers out of 5 and I can only recommend it for groups of friends who enjoy to PvP RTS against each other.