reviews
VIDEO GAME: Killzone 2
The original Killzone was produced for Playstation 2 and arguably a mediocre first-person shooter. Killzone 2 is by no means mediocre but far superior to its predecessor. This game is extremely addictive and the battle sequences are graphically intense.
Killzone 2 picks up where the original concluded. The war between the Helghast and the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance has intensified. Now the ISA invades Helghan, home to the Helghast, to try and capture their leader and stop the war. The gamer plays as Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko, who, with his Alpha Team, drops down behind enemy lines to try and eliminate the Helghast threat.
Graphically, Killzone 2 is a sight for the eyes. Lots of time was spent designing this game and the fighters in this game look pretty dang real. The objects found throughout the game have a real textural look about them.
Another aspect that makes this game so nice is the variety of weapons. What gamer doesn't love to choose his killing tool? These guns range from a simple revolver, to the ISA assault rifle, and the sniper rifle. Then, there are the really big guns like the always entertaining AA gun or the ISA tank. No matter what the preference, there's a gun for everyone.
Killzone 2 is probably the best first-
person shooter released by Playstation 3 thus far. The game is fairly simple to play and the gamer can run through the entire storyline in less than a week. So this game does not have time to become boring but leaves the gamer anticipating the next addition to the Killzone series.
Drew Anderson
MUSIC: Middle Cyclone, Neko Case
Neko Case uses her fifth album, Middle Cyclone, to tear her way through the world of music much the way a tornado would, leaving listeners affected and impressed by her captivating voice and beautiful music. Her nature-filled lyrics and storm metaphors only add to the charm and creativity of the album, and the album features a number of impressive collaborations, with guests including M. Ward, members of Calexico, The Sadies, and Sarah Harmer.
The track "People Got A Lotta Nerve" is bright and perky but empowering at the same time, with Case describing herself as a "maneater;" though "Middle Cyclone" is a more mellow addition to her collection of storm-related songs. Case morphs from a maneater into an animal on"I'm an Animal," a track with a catchy beat and a striking melody. The album ends with "Marais la Nuit," which means "The Night Marsh," and is a collection of exactly that—31 minutes of swampy, nighttime noises heard on a farm in Vermont, which ties the nature references throughout together in an
outdoorsy conclusion.With this album, Case brings her talent and creativity together in a whirlwind of beauty and ingenuity to create music that will leave its mark on any listener standing in its path.
— Amanda Sorell
MOVIE: Let the Right One In
The horror of Sweden's Let the Right One In is not contained in its brief flashes of gore, but rather in how serious it treats the vampire myth and combines the myth with an astute coming-of-age tale.
But don't get me wrong. Let the Right One In is effectively unsettling, even perverse, in its juxtaposition of adolescence and horror-fantasy. The filmmakers draw resonate emotions from the story of a fragile 12-year-old boy named Oskar; who struggles with his own weaknesses and frustrations. Tormented by bullies at school, our introverted protagonist can only fantasize about revenge, miming it against trees in his courtyard late at night. It is in this courtyard that he meets Eli, a 12-year old girl with her own source of isolation and revulsion; she is in fact a 200-year-old vampire.
Their love develops as awkwardly as any young adult's but each of them gains something deeply valuable through the relationship; Eli is able to reclaim some aspect of humanity and Oskar is empowered to defend himself against his tormentors.
Photographed with obsessive austerity, the film's atmosphere of dread is soberly stated. Where most horror movies are punctuated with blood splatter or obtuse camera angles, the filmmakers of Let the
Right One In never exaggerate, heighten or underline rendering the film all the more stark and creepy.
In many ways heartbreaking but overall terrifying,Let the Right One In is a penetrating horror film because of its seriousness and sensitivity.
— Chance Dibben
MOVIE: Watchmen
Based on the 1980s comic book series of the same name, Watchmen is a feast for the eyes and damn fun to watch.
The story takes place in an alternate 1985 and revolves around the death of Edward Blake, otherwise known as the former masked crime fighter The Comedian.
Upon the discovery of the murder, the psychopathic and lone active masked vigilante Rorschach pieces together a conspiracy to rub out all of the former Watchmen.
For those who have read the book, all your favorite characters are here and pristinely represented. Rorsarch, with all his vile and tormented domineer, is played by Jackie Earle Haley, whose raspy voice stings with insanity. Billy Crudup lends his detached and almost inhuman voice to Dr. Manhattan—the only Watchman with super powers.
But the real acting gem is The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Every move he makes, even the way he smokes his cigars, is exactly the way he is portrayed in the book.
For those who haven't read the book, there is still plenty to be seen. The story, just like the comic by Alan Moore, is incredibly gripping. The movie runs almost three hours but never bores.
Everything from Dr.Manhattan's fortress on Mars to Nite Owl's II flying ship are an
amazing sight.The way this film looks is nothing short of spectacular.
Some might be perturbed at the slightly changed ending and the sometimes hokey soundtrack, but overall Watchmen is both faithful to its source material and straightforward enough to entertain.
18
Mark Arehart
March 12, 2009