Game of Thrones Season 4 Ep. 1: "Two Swords" Review

Yes, that's right! Dispatch the ravens immediately, rally all Thronies cause the HUGELY anticipated fourth season to the phenomenal Game of Thrones is finally upon us. The first episode premiered on Sky Atlantic at 9pm, but since I couldn't wait that long and with the real possibility of spontaneously combusting from sheer excitement, I decided to watch it earlier this afternoon through the NOW TV app on my console. As we all know, season three had left us all reeling from the bombshell that was the infamous Red Wedding, which spawned a thousand YouTube reaction videos. We gasped, we screamed and in some cases yes..we cried (I know I did, *sniff*), yet we all left with an overwhelming sense of where the series could possibly go from here. Finally, after an agonising wait of nearly a year, season four is now here and boy does it start with a bang. Some key spoilers will follow as I will be discussing several of the plot points and notable character interactions. As I booted up the episode I was greeted with, "This programme contains Strong Language, Strong Violence and Adult Themes.", hell yes you know what that means, Game of Thrones is back baby!

The impressive and symbolic first scene really does set the stage.

The opening scene has the ancient Valyrian steel greatsword Ice melted down and reforged into two swords, under the equally steely and piercing gaze of Tywin (played effortlessly as ever by Charles Dance) as the Rains of Castamere seeps ominously in the background. This sword was a cherished and ancient family heirloom of House Stark, which Ned Stark had used to behead a deserter of the Night's Watch way back in the first episode of season one, the sword that in a tragic twist of fate would also be used to take his own head later on. He casts Ice's wolf pelt scabbard into the fire and watches it burn, which is not at all subtle...yeah we felt that. Tywin gifts one of the these two swords to Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), fresh from the trials and tribulations and his long odyssey in the North, he's now sporting a new haircut but one less hand. His father insists (in typical Tywin fashion) he must return to Casterly Rock but Jaime is having none of it and vows to stay in the Kingsguard, despite his...handicap. There is always that great tension amongst the Lannister camp and it's certainly true here, and family drama is what Game of Thrones excels at. Jaime has certainly undergone many radical changes throughout the seasons (particularly Season 3), with his ever growing complexity and moral ambiguity, but you can't help but like him despite his obvious flaws, and Nikolaj as ever plays him with great conviction.

Meanwhile, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage, on impeccable form as always) along with his squire Podrick and the ever delightfully vulgar and plain-spoken sellsword-turned-knight Bronn is set to welcome the Prince of Dorne to King's Landing. However they discover from his travelling entourage that he is too ill to attend the Royal Wedding and has instead sent his brother in his stead. Que probably one of the most memorable entrances for a character thus far. Enter Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal, who is perfectly cast) a man with a seemingly genial demeanour yet under that cool and charming veneer is a man consumed with vengeance, particularly against the Lannisters. You are in no doubt by the end of the scene in Littlefinger's brothel (yep, cue full frontal nudity folks) that this is a man who will, like a viper, snap at any moment and one who is hell-bent on exacting swift, bloody justice on those who he feels wronged his family, particularly his dear sister Elia and her two children. She was the wife of Rhaegar Targaryen (a.k.a The Last Dragon) who later died at the hands of Robert Baratheon during the Battle of the Trident. The Sack of King's Landing later followed, and her two children Rhaenys and Aegon were butchered and Elia herself was supposedly raped and cut in half by Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane during the siege, who Oberyn believes was ordered to do so by Tywin Lannister. He warns Tyrion to tell his father that, "the Lannister's aren't the only ones who pay their debts." Look out for this one folks, the Viper is loose.

Oberyn Martell (a.k.a the Red Viper) speaking truths with Tyrion. Look out, there's a new player in town.

Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke, looking gorgeously regal as always) is enjoying some leisure time with her dragons, which are again beautifully brought to life by the special effects team who should be commended for rendering them so incredibly and seamlessly. However, they are growing larger by the day, and here they already appear enormous despite not even being full size yet. She looks on at Viserion and Rhaegal fighting over a dead lamb while stroking Drogon's head. Feeling left out, Drogon decides to join in the fight but as Dany tries to calm him down he snarls at her (like a typical teenager really), warning his mother to stay back and leaves her understandably shaken. Ser Jorah (Iain Glen) ever her wise counsel gives her a dose of reality and states that, "dragons can never be tamed Khalessi, not even by their mother". She sets a course for Meereen, the mother of all slave cities, with her army of Unsullied in tow and a recast Daario Naharis (now played by Michael Huisman, who is a much better fit) who is now more chasing her as opposed to her being in his shadow which I think makes for a better dynamic between the two. He even presents her with a lovely bouquet of exotic flowers, aww a budding romance in the air perhaps. This is a fairly Dany-lite episode which isn't surprising since it's still very early days yet, but as book-readers will know, Meereen plays a very significant part in her campaign so there will be a lot more to come. 

There is a particularly touching scene at the end where Dany and company stumble upon a grisly mile marker in the form of a dead crucified slave child nailed upon a wooden cross, pointing in the direction to Meereen. Ser Jorah states there is one for each mile to the last of the great slave cities, making it a disturbing 163 in total, and Dany vows not only to have them all buried and their collars removed but that she will "see each and every one of their faces". If her Sack of Astapor from Season 3 (Ep. 4 "And Now His Watch Has Ended") is anything to go by, which undoubtedly is one of the greatest moments across all seasons, then Meereen better watch out. The Silver Queen is coming a'knocking, and shes brought her dragons not to mention her 8,000 eunuch warriors who aren't at all shy about getting their spears a little bloody. 

The Mother of Dragons cradling the biggest of her dragons, Drogon who has quite the attitude.

At Castle Black, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is being tried for his actions, namely breaking his vows (by sleeping with Ygritte) and the killing of Qhorin Halfhand. Jon Snow obviously knows...something, warning acting Lord Commander Ser Alliser Thorne, Ser Janos Slynt and Maester Aemon that Mance Rayder's wildlings will attack Castle Black. He is ultimately released at Maester Aemon's behest, much to Slynt's and Thorne's dismay who wanted him executed. Jon also doesn't resist a sly dig at Slynt's misfortune of being a former Commander of the City Watch at King's Landing to now an exiled member of the Night's Watch, which is always welcome. Elsewhere, Ygritte (Rose Leslie) and Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) are awaiting orders from Mance Rayder about their next move before they are interrupted by the arrival of a Free Folk clan known as the bald-headed, self-scarifying Thenns (who resemble a cross between a Romulan and a Cardassian) and who also have an appetite for human flesh. Though if you've watched Game of Thrones for as long as I have then throwing cannibalism into the mix shouldn't come as that big a shock, since you've already become desensitised to like EVERYTHING else that is the barbaric world of Westeros. You get the sense that something big is about to erupt in the North, and yes the inevitable battle will come but it's great to see the character arcs evolving already even if it is only the first episode. The Battle of Blackwater Bay will take some topping, but already the building tension is palpable and you can bet in true Game of Thrones fashion that there will be some shocks in store this season.

Back at King's Landing, Tyrion tries to comfort his disconsolate wife Sansa (Sophie Turner, a tragic victim here), as she tells of her brother and mother's butchery at the Red Wedding, I know dear, I know *sniffs*. He also struggles to fend off an overbearing and lovesick Shae (Sibel Kekilli) as their 'relationship' is constantly tested which makes for some great tension and scenes between the two even if I feel personally she has run her course somewhat now. Jaime also gets a fetching new golden hand from Cercei (Lena Headey) though the loss of his original hand and his long time away makes for some much needed friction between the two siblings/lovers (though perhaps not in the way Jaime was..hoping) which is a joy to watch as their deeply complicated relationship continues to unravel. There are a few other great scenes with Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) who encourages Jaime to live up to his vow of returning the Stark girls to safety, though recent events have obviously made this difficult. We briefly drop in on the Tyrells, namely Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) who are planning for the upcoming wedding, a wedding that as is always the case in the George R.R. Martin universe, will be one to remember, particularly if the Red Wedding is anything to go by and were not forgetting that anytime soon. 

As good as the episode is overall, they really did save the best scene in my opinion til the very last. The Hound (Rory McCann) and Arya (Maisie Williams) are travelling through the woods somewhere in The Riverlands til the pair stumble upon a tavern, where the food and ale is merely the appetiser. Arya's out for a full serving of good old fashioned revenge and she knows it's a dish best served cold, and what better man to have by your side than The Hound who likes a bit of killing himself and...chicken? Seriously, this scene had me in stitches at times, and the two together make for one awesome double act. Dishing out some great lines, brutal violence which of course is what we come to expect in Game of Thrones and from the destruction of one Stark sword in the beginning to regaining another. The execution (pun intended), line delivery and everything about this scene was amazing, and it left me cheering giddily if I'm honest. Full credit to Rory and especially Maisie for making this a truly memorable moment, one of many more to come from them I hope. If "All Men Must Die" is the central theme of this season then there certainly off to a flying start, with the body count already mounting up. Arya is certainly turning into a fine instrument of Stark vengeance, which is not surprising considering all that she's been through and it brings a little smile to my face to see her paying back blood with blood with an almost ruthless sang-froid and icy resolve. Valar Morghulis indeed Arya, go girl! 

A Hound and a Wolf pup walk into a bar...yeah and awesomeness ensues in what is perhaps one of the best scenes of the entire series and certainly of the episode.

The Verdict

A very strong first episode with great performances as always, as well as a compelling new player in the form of Oberyn Martell. Still early days yet, but already it's starting to develop into something truly special. Season 3 will certainly take some beating, but with an assured and promising start like this, I have the utmost faith in Game of Thrones maintaining it's quality and the standard as still, without question the best show on TV right now. That last scene alone will live long in the memory for me, all an all a great episode! Roll on 13th April.

 

Apocalypse Now: My Review of Part I of Derren's Most Daring Mind-Buggery Yet!

This is Steven, and his reaction pretty much summed up how I felt watching it. But that could mean anything so read on...

I know what your all probably thinking, "three posts in the space of three days?!" Yes, clearly I must be coming down with something severe. Well you wouldn't be far off the mark since I'm currently stricken with Derren Delirium at this very moment! It usually occurs whenever he decides to pop onto our TV screens again, giving us folks another special serving of his unique flavour of intellectual nourishment, a true feast for the eyes..food for thought in every sense of the word. But enough of my ho-hum metaphors and sycophantic sentiments, let's tuck in to Derren's latest offering after nearly a year off our screens...my god! I thought the world of decent and thought-provoking television had ended, never mind a world apocalypse it was a bloody TV meltdown at least until Derren came along again. Rest assured, this IS Derren at his best and probably his most dare I say...wicked, and no not the slang definition of it either though it is that too in spades. Now I did say I would be quite thorough with this review, but that would be at the expense of people who haven't seen it to a certain extent so I've decided to hold back a little on the intricacies of it. I'll cover some of the bases that should give you a pretty good idea of what it is so I'm not going to spill the full can of beans at this juncture. 

If you want to do one of them mash-ups from established popular culture I suppose you could say it's 28 Days Later meets The Walking Dead. It also has this core almost Stoic sensibility and philosophy at the heart of it, particularly of the Roman philosopher Seneca which Derren brings up and was one who preached that the only way to truly value what you have is to imagine that the worst could happen at any moment. Well the worst IS about to happen to this hapless 21-year-old chap called Steven. He is about to be taught the harshest lesson imaginable in how to change his ways for the betterment of not only himself as an individual but also his attitude towards those who near and dear to him. From the outset, we get a pretty good impression of this guy at the beginning through witnessing his day-to-day life at home via of course Derren's favourite tool, yep them hidden cameras again. He is literally waited on hand and foot by his parents, loafs about on the sofa with his head buried in his phone paying little attention or consideration for anything else and his room's a bloody state. Yep, he's your typical teenager then only he's NOT anymore, he's a man! Or at least Derren will soon be making more of a man out of him for sure, this is after all what it's about.

So Steven ticks all the right boxes and Derren is ready to get the ball rolling with only weeks left until Apocalypse, for Steven anyhow. He starts by planting the seeds of the coming doomsday by first getting his brother to steal his pride and joy - his phone in the middle of night. Derren then brings in a hacker (oh yes...) to work his magic so Derren and his team can have full reign of it and can send him fake news stories pertaining to the upcoming Perseid meteor shower. This is an actual event that is taking place and Derren and crew can twist it and exaggerate on the possibility of a collision with Earth which will no doubt be in the back of Steven's mind. It's all very ingenious stuff and they continue to feed him fake news stories, radio interviews and other forms of media through the house's radio and TV, very HAL 9000 almost in terms of the level of control they have on Steven's surroundings and I found that to be quite frightening in a way. Then on the day of the Apocalypse after weeks of sowing the seeds of the coming meteor shower, Steven and his brother are given tickets to see his favourite band The Killers. This is a gig he will never make, a far more terrifying and hopefully life-changing series of events is in store for our unwitting bloke...you may want to buckle up.     

  

Steven's day of reckoning. The coach he thought was taking him to see his favorite band is actually taking him to a living nightmare.

      

In a scene straight out of 28 Days Later, Steven then wakes up the following day in a run-down, abandoned military hospital. He soon experiences a series of disturbing scenes and terrors including "infected" people who are out to get him and another survivor and all hell basically breaks loose in quite stunning and often convincing fashion. It's ingeniously constructed and set-up to create a truly foreboding and scary atmosphere with plenty of creep factor, you can't help but feel for the guy in the end who is going through this truly harrowing ordeal. I must say I got some SAW vibes watching it as well since it has a similar aesthetic with some quite grisly scenes. Derren and company have really outdone themselves this time, and it's on such a different level to anything he's ever attempted before that you can't help but marvel at the sheer ambition and scale of the whole production. I know my eyes will be fixed on Channel 4 next week to see the nail-biting conclusion to what is arguably his finest piece of television for many, many years. I will again be giving a run-down of the finale and the show as a whole next week. Til then, I urge you all to dig out 40D whether it's on your PC, laptop, tablet whatever or even your TV and watch it! It will be there a good few days on catch up so I'd urge you to watch it at the best possible opportunity. This is not to be missed folks, this is television at it's most daring. 

Derren Brown: Apocalypse Preview

 

The end of the world is almost upon us...or at least for one unsuspecting bloke anyway and with just two months to go before the world...*cough*...really ends then I suppose it's very pertinent then eh? If Hollywood films haven't sated your appetite of the coming 2012 Apocalypse well maybe this might, so tune in you must. In perhaps his most audacious project to date, Derren will convince one man that a meteorite has crashed into the planet reducing the landscape to rubble and ruin which is certainly very evident from the impressive trailers. If that wasn't enough, the meteorite carries with it a deadly virus that turns the surviving denizens into mindless zombies who are all that remain. Sound familiar? Well to Derren this kind of grand mind-screw is nothing new to him, though he's never attempted anything this downright daring and barmy before. He may have been able to program someone to assassinate Stephen Fry and force an innocent man to confess to a murder he didn't even commit but can he convince someone the world has actually ended?! This is what we all find out tonight so make sure your eyes are fixed to Channel 4 at 9 o'clock tonight in the first of the two-part special. How convincing can you recreate the apocalypse on just a television budget? Well this I imagine will be answered too, it's certainly nothing short of ambitious.

Derren's rather unfortunate subject this time is a guy called Steven who is perceived as this really complacent guy who lives his life in a similar fashion. Someone who takes life for granted like many of us do, that suffers from that "lazy sense of entitlement" as Derren put it in a recent interview. He is about to be thrust into a extreme situation where he is forced to act and it's in these situations where we dig deeper for our inner humanity. Will it compel him to change the way he lives his life? I know it certainly would for me if I was convinced that the world had ended, well wouldn't it anyone right? Like I said, I will be giving my full, in-depth analysis of it sometime tonight or at the very latest tomorrow.

 

DERREN BROWN: APOCALYPSE, 9PM TONIGHT ON CHANNEL 4

Derren Brown: The Experiments & The End of The World As He Knows It

After a rather long intermission, which I admit went on a tad longer than expected...I'm back! And here to give you another delightful and hopefully insightful helping of our nations favorite goatee-sporting entertainer. Yes, the ever-marvelous master of mind manipulation, the one and only Derren Brown. It's been a truly fascinating trip from his formative years as this budding 'magician' and entertainer with a twist, to this powerhouse of a performer who consistently leaves audiences all over the country completely awestruck and dumbfounded in his wake, myself now included ho yes. I've been there almost since the very beginning, from his earliest television special Russian Roulette way back in 2003 to his Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat series to the other TV specials that followed and subsequent stage shows. In his own words: "out of love of magic I tried to come up with a form of magic that was a bit more thought-provoking and challenging and would get under your skin a bit." That was certainly very true of his most recent four-part series called The Experiments that hit our TV screens this very month last year which was only recently released on DVD and as you'd expect being the hardcore fan that I am snapped that up right away. The Experiments were essentially a series of ambitious and sociological...well experiments that centered around an unwitting subject be it a single person, a crowd or even an entire town. Derren wanted to further explore the darker side of human nature and behavior which was true of the first three episodes until finishing off with a relatively jolly and more positive finale. In stark contrast to his earlier showman material where he takes center stage and is the focal point of the show, Derren takes more of a back seat here you could say or rather the passenger side as opposed to being in the driving seat. There is more of an emphasis on the subject or subjects which I think is true of his more recent TV stuff. Now without further ado let's delve deeper into The Experiments shall we? Or more specifically the first only in this article.
 

The Assassin
In the first of The Experiments, Derren asks - is it possible to hypnotise someone to carry out an assassination? One such instance is the case of the imprisoned killer of Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan who has professed many times that the CIA programmed him to murder the senator. Derren is out to set the record straight and discover whether such claims are remotely plausible. At the start of the episode, Derren demonstrates some basic but still very impressive feats of suggestion and hypnotism such as making someone instantly sleep before collapsing to the ground in quite dramatic fashion. This is known as a snap induction in which he interrupts an automatic process (something we don't even think about) such as the handshake, putting the persons mind into a state of confusion in which he can then directly influence and issue a command like sleep which they submit to and that provides relief from the confusion. He also performs a hypnotic induction on the entire studio audience making them all drift into a state of deep relaxation at the click of his fingers and the words and phrases that he uses. Even though I've seen him demonstrate this sort of linguistic trickery and programming in the past, it still never ceases to impress and amaze me on how much control he can exert merely through suggestion and based on the audiences expectations of what might happen. This is something he can do pretty much better than anyone and executes it in a way that boggles the mind.        

Now, the meat of the programme is to find someone who would be the most susceptible and responsive to his techniques in carrying out the public assassination of a well-known celebrity, though they have no idea of this. He eventually whittles his potential assassin down to four highly responsive individuals and puts them through the classic "acid test" to see if the subjects under hypnosis would involuntarily throw acid into someone else's face. By laying down the command and the hypnotic trigger (a poker-dot handkerchief) he manages to successfully get them all to throw..which is thankfully water upon seeing the handkerchief into the faces of the four members of the audience. So far so good, but then he really puts his two remaining candidates to the test. Through hypnosis and suggestion he completely overrides the sensation of the ice-cold tank, suggesting to them it's a lukewarm feeling almost body temperate as they manage to keep there hands in the freezing cold water for a good two minutes. He then removes the suggestion by merely grabbing the side of the tank and they immediately take there hands out of the tank as you would normally and that cold sensation would come back. This amazed me and it's true what he says about pain being subjective. A similar routine in his early years would involve him cutting off the sensation in the back of person's hand to the extent that they would be willing to put a syringe needle through it without feeling any pain whatsoever.

Here is that routine in his earliest series Mind Control in which he induces the pain of a toothache through suggestion and the infamous needle through the back of hand.

Without going off at too much of a tangent here though, he then selects Chris of the two remaining candidates to lay back in the gelid tank. As you'd expect he sits there quite comfortably, even as his heart rate is slowly dropping due to the cold temperature. Derren has completely suppressed Chris's somatic sensory system almost, or at least parts of it otherwise he wouldn't be able to withstand the freezing temperature for more than a few seconds. It clearly demonstrates how powerful hypnosis and suggestion can be. After clearing the suggestion by placing his hand on the side of the tank as before, Chris quickly leaps out, unaware until that point how much his body temperature has plummeted. He ultimately chooses Chris as his assassin, noting that there is something of a "blank slate" about him. Derren then brings Chris to a gun range under the pretense of how hypnosis can drastically improve your marksmanship, he is unaware that this is actually the first phase of the assassination programming process...a sly one that Derren. While Chris is in a sleep state Derren lays down the triggers, namely a ringtone cue that will send him into this trance-like state. In this state he will become a first-rate shooter through a "marksman mode" which is activated by placing his index finger to his forehead. Remarkably, he scores a good few bulls-eyes with both the rifle and the handgun while in this marksman state compared to when he was popping shots off normally. My mouth was agape at this moment, as was the instructor's.         
It's incredible to think that hypnosis can drastically improve a person's aim, which begs the question of how far hypnosis can really go. Are there any limits as to what you can achieve through it? Its a fascinating thought for sure, and to me hypnosis could essentially provide the key into unlocking our brain's untapped potential, considering how complex the human mind is. Anyway moving on before I stray to far again, so after Derren has set up the marksman mode, the next phase is to induce a state of spontaneous amnesia in Chris. He will essentially forget everything at the sight of the poker-dot design which again serves as the psychological trigger. Derren demonstrates this rather impressively by making Chris look at the poker-dot pattern on a screen which he does for a good two minutes or so. As soon as Derren switches the pattern off he asks Chris how long he was looking at the screen to which he replies,"10 seconds." He also gets Chris to reveal his PIN number in this temporary state of amnesia and is amazed after coming out of the state that Derren got it right even though he told him like seconds ago! With the programming phases now completed, it's time to answer that most important of questions: can you really hypnotise someone to carry out an assassination? The answer is both breathtaking and thought-provoking...

   

On the day of the assassination, Chris is given a case with a loaded gun inside by one of Derren's crew who asks him to mind it for the duration of the show. The show is a special talk taking place at a small venue, the speaker...the one and only Stephen Fry and also Chris's target. Chris sits himself up in the stalls unaware he's being secretly filmed and soon Melchett takes the stage and begins his talk. A woman in a poker-dot dress then enters the stalls and sits in front of Chris. This sets the spontaneous amnesia in motion and seconds later the music que from her phone rings out, this is the same ringtone that enables him to enter that marksman mode. Sure enough, upon hearing the trigger he raises his finger to his forehead and is told by the lady in the dress that his target is Stephen Fry. After an agonizing, nail-biting pause he finally reaches into the case that he had placed on the floor. He takes the handgun out of case which is loaded with what he believes to be three real bullets and stands up with his gun raised, he now has Stephen in his sights and then...BANG! BANG! BANG! Pops poor old Stephen three times in the chest much to the shock of the audience. He casually sits back down as if nothing happened while Stephen lies motionless on the floor, mission accomplished. 

When he later meets Derren and Stephen after the show, Chris has no recall whatsoever of anything unusual happening during the talk when quizzed by Derren. Derren then reveals to Chris that they were actually secretly filming during the entire show and he watches on in bemusement at the footage of him coolly gunning Stephen down. He is then tapped on the knee by Derren and it immediately comes rushing back to him. Chris then starts to remember details and that he believed he was back at the gun range when he carried out the public assassination, never once acknowledging that he was in a venue or theater or that he was firing on a real human being. Stephen was just a "target" to him like those he had punched holes through at the range and this revelation even left Stephen dumbfounded and gobsmacked. This is definitive proof that an individual of a suggestive and responsive sort can be programmed through hypnosis and suggestion to carry out something as heinous as an assassination. A truly compelling and engrossing 50 minutes of television that answers the most significant question while leaving many others open to debate and speculation. 

Apocalypse Tomorrow

Tune in to Channel 4 tomorrow at 9pm as Derren is about to turn one man's world upside down in probably his most thrilling, groundbreaking, ambitious and darkest project to date. He is going to convince one man that it is the end of the world as he knows it. I will be posting my thoughts later that night if I get the chance. This is not to be missed! Make sure you tune in.

 

Neil Armstrong: A Tribute To Earth's First Moon Walker

Neil Alden Armstrong 1930-2012

The man who took one small step for a man and one giant leap for all of mankind tragically passed away only hours ago at the age of 82 at a hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He died of complications following heart bypass surgery he had earlier in the month. Now this was a man who in July 1969 made history and became the first man ever to set foot on the Moon, defying all the odds. Hundreds of millions of people back on Earth tuned in to watch history unfold on the lunar surface where Commander Neil Armstrong took the first steps off the lunar module and onto the surface famously declaring, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This landmark achievement paved the way for other successful lunar expeditions as part of the Apollo program and undoubtedly galvanized a generation of aspiring astronomers and scientists. The Apollo 11 astronauts went above and beyond where no man has gone before, opening our eyes and minds and giving us a vivid and better understanding of not only our Moon but of us and our place in the solar system and ultimately the universe. By venturing beyond our little world we discovered the sheer vastness of our galaxy and how Planet Earth seems insignificant in contrast to the bigger picture of the ostensibly infinite universe. This startling and rather sobering realization has only propelled us to further explore our solar system, even beyond our Moon. The Moon Landing of July 1969 was not only just a historic event or even a technological and scientific breakthrough, it set the groundwork for how incredibly audacious and extraordinary we could be if we came together. To me that is what Neil Armstrong is an embodiment of, our intrepid, indomitable and insatiable will to: explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations and yes boldly go where no man has gone before. Thank You again Star Trek, very apt.

Neil Armstrong's family released a statement in which they requested people in memory of his life to: "Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and next time you walk outside on a clear night and the see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." As a child, I was always fascinated with the Moon, so much so my parents' nickname for me back then was Moonboy. I would gaze up at it constantly, in awe at what it actually was or what it was doing up there looking down on us. Neil's achievements and accomplishments will never be forgotten and he will live long and prosper in our hearts and minds forever. His sheer modesty proved how in fact down to Earth he actually and literally was and was always a bit uncomfortable with his hero status. He took it completely in his stride and was a gentleman to all those who knew him best. We know him as the first man in the spacesuit bouncing about the surface of our moon in glorious black and white, now preserved for all time. His legacy will live on forever and as Neil once said: "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." So very true, and we owe Neil for igniting that wonder in us all to better understand our galaxy and our universe. We have really come leaps and bounds since '69 and every time we have undertaken another successful and daring space mission we owe it in part if not all to the original success of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins pulled it off in truly spectacular fashion. Speaking of which, it only seems fitting to put up that original and iconic footage of Neil Armstrong's first steps onto the Moon courtesy of YouTube. I'll give you a wink and a little wave on the next clear night Neil, your gone but never forgotten, Rest In Peace.   

My Top 5 Film Trilogies

Since were on the subject of films, or more specifically film trilogies since I reviewed The Dark Knight Rises which was the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, I thought it would be a neat idea to go a step further. Trilogies in the typical sense as we know are fairly sporadic and there are only ever a handful that a majority of people can declare a "truly great trilogy". How do we define a "truly great trilogy"? Well of course first and foremost it must have fluid continuity. I know this generally goes without saying, but we need to nail down the 101's first here guys. Secondly and probably most importantly to me anyway is that it should use the foundation of the first film to take the successive installments or chapters up a couple of pegs, perhaps even exceed it's predecessors either out-rightly or in various ways. Thirdly, since were going with the whole trio theme here..it's all about pushing the envelope, breaking the parameters while at the same time staying true to the core of the formula which is no cakewalk and can be a notoriously difficult balancing act sometimes. Anyways here are my personal top five film trilogies and yeah I know it's a matter of opinion but I thought long and hard about these five choices and they are all in my mind deserving of there place. Oh, and for the record and the whole: "yeah, yeah you must have had a pretty deprived childhood yadda yadda yadda..." don't judge me please folks but I have never seen ANY of the Star Wars films so they won't be on this list. So after that awful bombshell, unforgivable I know but before all you Jedi Grand Masters crucify me, keep them lightsabers at bay at least til I'm done...please? Thank you, haha.


5. The Scream Trilogy

To those who are at sea thinking I've miscounted, I haven't honest. Scream 4 which was released some eleven years after Scream 3 was in my mind only ever intended to please Dimension Films big cheese Bob Weinstein or cash in on the franchise's popularity or at best it was a half-baked attempt to reel in a new audience. Screenwriter for the Scream franchise Kevin Williamson himself originally conceived it as a trilogy, penning a five-page outline for TWO sequels to the original Scream. So with that we will completely disregard the fourth and focus on a trilogy that as a whole in my mind revitalized the horror/slasher genre. The original Scream which was released back in 1996 came at exactly the right time, since the genre had become so saturated with direct-to-video films and a ridiculous influx of pedestrian and derivative sequels. With an ingeniously constructed script and a tongue firmly planted in cheek, Scream provided a fresh perspective on the genre with it's acutely self-referential and wry humor complete with it's own brand of scares. It was a breath of fresh air and while I was too young to see it when it was originally released, some eight years later I saw it on TV for the first time and absolutely loved every minute of it. At last I finally had a horror film to really scream about! On it's own it's definitely one of my favorite all-time horror films like ever.  

Scream 2 while not as immediately impressive as it's predecessor, was a more than worthy sequel on almost every level with some instances where it even surpassed it. It had the same satirical, razor-sharp humor that had now become it's stable and was used to great effect again here in contrast to the body count that was again stacking up. While you'd think it would suffer from the typical sequel problem of simply rehashing what the original did so well, Scream 2 really stood on it's own feet and played to the series' strengths which worked. The finale Scream 3 however I will admit was nowhere near as good as the first two. It was nonetheless a satisfying conclusion to the franchise with some interesting and welcome callbacks to the original. Unfortunately it had become a victim of the very thing it was satirizing, which makes me wonder whether it was actually intentional. The trilogy's placing on my list is purely based on the fact that the first two were fantastic, and while the conclusion didn't really end the franchise on the highest of notes, it did what it had to wrap everything up and was satisfying enough. 


4. The Matrix Trilogy
 
"Welcome to the real world." Just before we greeted the dawn of a new millennium, in early 1999 The Matrix literally exploded onto screens, becoming a sensation almost overnight and later a phenomenon. You can't deny the impact this film had not only on us film-goers but the industry as a whole. It practically reinvented the rulebook on how to make an action film and set the benchmark for future action films. Boasting some truly awe-inspiring cinematic fight sequences and employing the use of slow-motion, incredible camera angles and spins and a jaw-dropping bullet time effect, which was an innovation. Conceptually it is one of the finest of it's kind, blending a mix of cyberpunk, dystopian fiction and a high emphasis on Hong Kong action cinema. It features some of the finest fight choreography I've ever seen in a film with a premise so profoundly unique you'd swear it came from the mind of someone like Phillip K. Dick. If the literary minds of Phillip K. Dick and George Orwell had been combined and put through a filter, it would have come out something quite like this I imagine. It has that distinctly Orwellian palette only on a much more grander scale of something as metaphysical and philosophical as a Phillip K. Dick work. There is really no film quite like it, and to quote Morpheus: "No one can be told what The Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself." Very true indeed.

It was followed by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 and was a true sequel in every sense of the word. Featuring some of the same incredible action sequences and in particular a memorable highway chase which is one of the best scenes of the trilogy. It carried over the same philosophical tones that had made the first so unique and executed them well for the most part. However, I did feel it sacrificed some character development here and there for the sake of a bigger emphasis on action which isn't necessarily a bad thing cause like I said the action scenes are still top draw. Some more exposition would have been welcome to flesh it out a little more, but overall it was a great follow-up. The Matrix Revolutions was released only a few months later in the same year. Now the final chapter of The Matrix Trilogy was considered something of a letdown by many people. Expectations were high, and while I agree it was flawed, I still found that the better aspects of the film outweighed the negative. The Siege on Zion which made up almost half the film was visually spectacular and the final showdown with Neo and Smith was nothing short of epic. It remains one of my all-time favorite showdowns and it ended the trilogy on a bang for me, despite it's flaws. You have to give The Wachowskis credit for coming up with something that was so original and being able to pull it off competently for the most part. Flaws be damned, it's still a remarkable feat of imagination.


3. Toy Story Trilogy
       
Being a kid of the 90's, it should have been considered sinful if you hadn't ever seen or heard of Toy Story. This for me defined my childhood, and it was one of the first films I ever saw in cinemas back in '95 when I was only a wee pup of six. It left such a lasting impression on me then and there are few films I can ever recall having that much of an affect on me. Toy Story may have been one of the very first feature-length computer-animated films and it was unlike anything I had ever seen. Featuring probably the most beloved cast of characters ever put into a film, animated or otherwise, it instantly propelled young kids like me to go out and buy all the merchandise. I can vividly recall going into Toys-R-Us with my mum in December of '95 and picking out literally dozens of Toy Story stuff that I wanted off Father Christmas. What I had is something I still cherish to this day (hey don't judge me...) which was a limited edition Buzz Lightyear with chrome silver armor, the best present like ever! Toy Story will always have a special place in my heart and not only is it one of my favorite all-time animated films, it's one of my favorite films period. It truly had something for everyone, it had universal appeal which you rarely see nowadays but Toy Story pulled it off. Visually spectacular with an incredible ensemble of instantly likable characters, in a heartwarming adventure story of friendship and acceptance, a truly rare gem that only comes along once in a generation.

As if defining an entire generation wasn't enough, Pixar went a step further and released the much anticipated sequel Toy Story 2 four years later which was a truly rare accomplishment in the fact that remarkably it was even BETTER than the original. I don't know how they did but they did. They completely blew it out and took the franchise to new heights, attracting a new generation of kids with the same wit and sophistication that made the first such an instant classic. Toy Story 2 surpassed it's predecessor on so many levels with an even grander adventure that would take Woody, Buzz and gang literally to infinity and beyond. We have become so attached to these characters that we want them to succeed and Toy Story 2 really does tug on the heart strings more so than the first film did. I guarantee you will laugh and you will cry like I did and there is absolutely no shame in that confession. It would be almost eleven years before we would see another Toy Story film which was going to be the conclusion to this incredible and beloved franchise. Toy Story 3 was not only a more than fitting conclusion to this franchise, but it had achieved the impossible by still maintaining the same quality and sophistication as it's precursors to top off a truly remarkable trilogy. I think the Toy Story Trilogy is deserving of an inclusion in everyone's personal top ten or top five trilogies ever, and I urge anyone out there to come forward and convince me otherwise.


2. The Dark Knight Trilogy 
                 
It wouldn't be unfair at all to say that the much lambasted Batman & Robin effectively killed the Batman film franchise for everyone. Joel Schumacher's cheesy sleaze-fest of cringe-worthy one-liners, mind-numbingly awful acting, completely over-the-top action sequences with campy costumes complete with Bat nipples and close up crotch shots, Hollywood had really dropped the ball big time. So yeah...there was a lot to like about Batman & Robin, sarcasm aside. Fret not, cause a guardian angel in the form of one Christopher Nolan came and gave the franchise a much needed boot up the arse with a complete reboot that finally did Batman the justice he so deserved. Don't get me wrong, the Tim Burton films were really good at the time but Nolan really came and presented us with a much more mature and grittier Batman. Batman Begins really nailed the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with the evolution from a young orphan witnessing the tragic and senseless shooting of his parents to his eventual rise as The Caped Crusader. It was a completely fresh perspective with Christian Bale at the helm delivering an incredible performance as the Bruce Wayne/Batman of our time. It was faithful to it's source material while Nolan put his own unique stamp on it, and for better or for worse took it from a comic-book-like approach to something more adult and darker. For me this is how a superhero film should be done and Christopher Nolan really hit the nail on the head. It was really high time that Batman was taken a bit more seriously for a change.

Batman Begins really reinvigorated the franchise and came at just the right time. Along with the first Spiderman, they both remain one of my two all-time favorite superhero films. What followed Begins was the inevitable sequel that would go on to receive unprecedented commercial success, surpassing the $1billion mark that only a few films have achieved. It is among one of the highest-grossing films of all time, and was at the time the highest grossing superhero film ever until being surpassed by The Avengers in 2012. The Dark Knight descended upon the world and set it on fire almost overnight. Featuring an astonishing and legendary performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker, which rightfully went on to become one of the greatest villains ever portrayed on screen. He truly captured The Joker, and not only was his performance exatrodinary but the film featured incredible performances by Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, Christian Bale reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and overall a fantastic ensemble. It is a one-of-kind film that completely eclipsed Begins on every level. The Dark Knight to me is the definitive superhero film that has yet to be surpassed and as good as the conclusion is (won't go into it here, for a more detailed analysis see my review), it still doesn't quite hold a candle to this masterpiece.  


Well, this is it folks we've come this far. Shockingly there is a trilogy out there that surpasses the pure nostalgia of the Toy Story Trilogy and the gritty grandiosity of The Dark Knight Trilogy. You may be wondering, "hey, how come that isn't up there? Surely that deserves a place somewhere, I mean it is...that for Christ sake!" Well, perhaps I am saving the best for last...ah to hell with it I'm done being vague, here it is!! My number one all-time favorite trilogy is...

1. The Lord of the Rings

It's not surprising really that this just simply trumps them all by far. Behold undoubtedly the greatest fantasy epic of all time. A truly remarkable piece of film-making by a master director who really captured the very essence of the Tolkien books and blew all expectations. Every film is a landmark achievement in itself, with a meticulous and mind-boggling attention-to-detail. Middle Earth is brought to life in the most spectacular and awe-inspiring fashion. There are really no words I can use to describe just what a perfect trilogy this is. It's perfect, a true diamond, flawless and with no comparison. The one trilogy to rule them all, that would be The Lord of the Rings.

The Dark Knight Rises: Review

To those who thought I had shamefully left this blog to the inevitable decay of time, never you fear. I'm now back to firmly re-access my priorities which is to get this back on the rails once again and start providing new content to those who will read, only now hopefully on a more...consistent basis. I would also like to personally thank those who have taken the time and patience to check out my blog, it really means a lot. But anyways, let's get right down to the nitty-gritty here with my first official film review on the blog. I've written film reviews in the past for sites like IMDB and review aggregate site Metacritic but nothing quite on this scale before. It's no surprise really that I have chosen arguably the most anticipated film of the year by far which is of course The Dark Knight Rises, the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me personally I can't ever recall a time that I have been this excited for a film, and those torturous four years were almost agonizing for me without sounding overly dramatic. It's predecessor The Dark Knight had set the bar incredibly high and expectations for the climax of this franchise were equally towering to the point of being nigh impossible to exceed. The Dark Knight for me was a phenomenal film, with an utterly sublime and masterclass performance from the late, great Heath Ledger and it completely surpassed the original on almost every level. It set the standard for what a superhero film should be. The biggest question however is: does The Dark Knight Rises accomplish the rarest of feats in traditional movie trilogies and surpass BOTH of it's predecessors? This my friends is what we will find out.

     

"And here we go," once said the Joker, now I will desperately try to keep this review in spoiler-free territory, but that isn't carved in stone. They will be minimal at best, but I will still urge you to read the following paragraphs judiciously folks. So it's been approximately eight years since the events of The Dark Knight in which The Caped Crusader literally took 'the fall' for Harvey Dent's crimes. They are deceptively preserving his image as a staunch defender of justice, a symbol of valor and essentially putting him up on a pedestal which has consequently ushered in a new crime-free era for Gotham City due to the Dent Act. This legislation inspired by Dent's putative heroism, primarily facilitated by Commissioner Gordon of all people, has led to the abrogation of crime in Gotham altogether. Bruce Wayne has become something of a recluse, cooping up in his manor and keeping very firmly out of the public eye. It's fair to say hes let himself go a bit, sporting a rather fetching beard even, reminiscent of the one when he first encountered the League of Shadows in Begins. He has hung up his cape and cowl indefinitely it seems, but like the line by Selina Kyle in the recent trailers suggests...a storm is indeed coming. Not just any storm however, but a category six hurricane by the name of Bane, ah how poetic. In stark contrast to The Joker's psychotic, maniacal, self-styled breed of destructive chaos with anarchic sentiments, Bane is peddling this more militant nihilistic, seditious agenda. 

The opening sequence which serves as Bane's introduction is nothing short of impressive, featuring some breathtaking aerial shots, can't say I've seen a scene like it in a movie before. It establishes Bane as a man not to be trifled with, and his physical presence alone is menacing enough. Right off the get-go, this film really does reel you in and what surprised me more is Tom Hardy's performance throughout the film. Now I only really know Tom Hardy as Eames from Inception and thought he was great in that. Here he demonstrates not only how minacious Bane is physically but also in how he speaks. Many have complained that the mask he wears makes it hard to understand him sometimes and even though I had one or two issues where I had to listen a little more closely, for the most part I understood him perfectly. It gives his character this distinct quality and found some of his dialogue truly forbidding and Hardy delivered it with equal venom. In terms of sheer villainy, I don't think he quite reaches the heights of Heath Ledger's Joker, which was a hard act to follow anyway but Hardy does Bane more than justice and is one of the standout performances in the film. He genuinely looks like he could Break the Bat, that scene alone, the details of which I won't spoil here remains one of the best scenes in the entire film and arguably of the trilogy.

Tom Hardy is truly mesmerizing and equally terrifying as Bane. Looking at him here you can see he means more than business.

The beginning of film also introduces us to the sultry Selina Kyle, a feisty and sassy thief who crosses paths with Bruce Wayne early on. Funnily enough, her alter-ego Catwoman is not mentioned once in the film since Nolan made a conscious effort to strictly ground her in his interpretation of the character and it works really well. When Anne Hathaway was initially cast in the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, many were doubtful that she would be able to pull it off, as was I. Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal in Tim Burton's Batman Returns was the definitive Catwoman in many peoples eyes and minds. However, after watching this film that skepticism was completely unjustified in my opinion cause Anne Hathaway completely steals every scene she is in. She's sexy, fierce, confident and shrewd and she completely blew me away, she was puurfect (had to be done, sorry...) as Selina Kyle. It's the best performance of the film hands down and the dynamic between her and Bruce Wayne/Batman works so well and makes for some great action sequences as well as providing a few good laughs along the way. She's utterly captivating as Catwoman, so step aside gracefully Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway is now the definitive Selina Kyle and I wouldn't be surprised if they did a spin-off film. Now I'd pay to see that if done properly of course, let's not forget what happened when she had her own film last time...wait you have forgotten? That's good.

The Bat and The Cat, Anne Hathaway completely steals the show as Selina Kyle. Que the inevitable spin-off Catwoman film ho yes!

Some familiar faces return as well all delivering great performances. Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's lovable Cockney confidant Alfred who is undoubtedly the emotional heart of the whole film as he has been throughout the trilogy but definitely more so this time. The stakes are even higher now than they've ever been and for once in the trilogy Bruce and Alfred's relationship will come under considerable strain. Without going in too deep, these scenes are heart-wrenching for sure and I certainly felt water develop in my eyes at one point in the film. Alfred is Bruce's conflicted conscience and we are essentially seeing it unfold through his eyes almost. Michael gives a particularly emotional performance overall, it's a pity we didn't see more of him though in this film but what is there of him is fantastic. Morgan Freeman also reprises his role as the smooth Lucius Fox and again it's a great performance from Morgan but you already knew that right? However, there is considerably less of him in this film as well, but I guess that's understandable with literally everything going on when the film really does pick up. Gary Oldman is back as Commissioner Gordon of course and he is as good as ever, no surprises there. Thankfully he wasn't reduced to a minor character and plays a key role in the film like he should as Commissioner of Gotham City.

The other main newcomers to the franchise besides Hardy and Hathaway are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard. Joseph plays a young and endearing cop John Blake who suspects that there is trouble on the horizon. Like with Tom Hardy, I've only ever seen Joseph in Inception but in The Dark Knight Rises he has demonstrated that he is a very versatile actor and plays Blake with great conviction. He is this idealist who is soon promoted by Commissioner Gordon who sees something of himself in Blake. To say more about Blake would potentially spoil where his character may be going, but know that he will certainly become more than he is by the time the film wraps up. Marion Cotillard plays Miranda Tate who is a member of the Wayne Enterprises executive board and the one who actually convinces a damaged Bruce to rejoin society and to follow in his father's footsteps. She becomes a key character in the film and Marion played her well overall. Cillian Murphy makes a brief appearance as Dr. Jonathan Crane and even though he had very little screen time in this one, his appearance was nonetheless welcome as always cause Murphy really nails the character.   

Now of course let's not forget our principal billionaire playboy/caped crusader with Christian Bale at the helm once more and for what may be the last time. Here he plays a more conflicted and impaired Bruce Wayne not just physically but mentally. Like in the previous films, Christian was born for this role and he blows it out of the park once again. Much like his character throughout the trilogy, Christian has evolved dramatically and matured to really dig deep into the facets of Bruce Wayne's character. Many may complain as Batman he sounds like he has some form of laryngeal cancer, but it has never really bothered me. I mean immortal lines such as: "I'm not wearing hockey pads!" In that trademark husky voice has been the subject of countless tongue-in-cheek memes but he needs to distinguish himself from Bruce Wayne after all, and he seems to play them both almost effortlessly. The chemistry between him and Selina Kyle works so well because they come from two completely polar backgrounds. If this is truly his last Batman film then he will no doubt be missed, because he has become the definitive Bruce Wayne/Batman for our time. Keaton, Kilmer and to a very, very, lesser extent Clooney (why George why?!) stand aside cause Bale IS The Dark Knight.               

Christian Bale continues to demonstrate his commitment to the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman in his most testing role yet. 

Now to discuss the core of the film which is what is most important and what I have been building up to, hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Well, like an aging steam train the film does take a little while to get moving at first but once it picks up steam let me tell you it is one hell of a ride full of twists and turns that you probably won't see coming. Once it gets going it will rarely give you time to catch your breath and showcases some truly awe-inspiring action set-pieces that are high on spectacle and sheer unnerving intensity. In a post-9/11 world, it is hard not to notice that some of these scenes hit home seeing as Gotham is very reminiscent of New York here. The Dark Knight Rises stands heads and shoulders above it's predecessors in terms of sheer spectacle which Nolan deftly conveys here and rarely without a hitch. He's really pulled out all the stops this time and truly pushed the boundaries. This is nothing short of ambitious and he pulls it off in breathtaking fashion. The epic soundtrack by the one and only Hans Zimmer really does take the film up a couple of gears for me. He has done it again, delivering a score that truly compliments the intensity and grandiosity of it all. While the film does take a while to get going, it makes up for it in an insanely satisfying second-half that barely gives you respite. Clocking in at a staggering 165 minutes, the film is Christopher Nolan's longest to date but for me it went by so fast cause I was so absorbed in the film and it eventually builds to a sensational climax. 
     

Bane and The Bat have at it.

   

The Dark Knight Trilogy will go down as undoubtedly the finest superhero trilogy of all time and conceivably one of the best ever. It is notoriously difficult to make each film stand on it's own and even rise above it's predecessors the way The Dark Knight Rises often does. However, as incredible as this film is The Dark Knight will always be in the my mind the definitive superhero film for me. It did to superhero films what The Godfather did to the gangster genre, and Christopher Nolan has brought the Batman franchise which had been left for dead back to life in incredible fashion and that is an accomplishment that should not be overlooked. I cannot praise Nolan enough for achieving a truly rare feat in film-making and has done The Caped Crusader more than justice. The Dark Knight Rises truly rises above Begins without a doubt but stands proudly just below The Dark Knight which still remains in a league of it's own. It is no shame at all to come second place in a trilogy this good. I take my hat off to you Mr Nolan, bring on the reboot!               

The Verdict

The Dark Knight Rises is a fitting and epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's incredible Batman trilogy. It's big on spectacle, big on emotion and is at times aesthetically astounding. Featuring some knockout performances from Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway and an amazing ensemble, this is the sendoff that we wanted and a whole lot more. While it doesn't quite rise above The Dark Knight, Rises can still be considered one of the finest and most satisfying conclusions to a franchise in recent times. This is the blockbuster of the year!