Watch “THE WITCHER 3 Gameplay” on YouTube

THE WITCHER 3 Gameplay: http://youtu.be/dF08QL5MQeM
This is definitely my second most anticipated games this year right after Batman: Arkham Knight. The immersive foreground and huge landscape has captivated me. I only played The Witcher 2 for a little while. But I’m so pumped for this game and hope to see more from CD Projekt’s other titles like Cyberpunk 2099

Academy Awards predictions

It’s that time of the year again, the Academy Awards or the Oscars as they are more known is around the corner, the nominations were announced recently and I thought I would highlight my predictions for the event. There are some movies or actors that I would like to win Oscars this year personally and they may differ from my perceived predictions. I would make it known in the list. Now there are a lot of categories and I won’t go into each and every one of them, mostly the major ones(no offense to other categories). I would highlight my predictions in bold, while I would highlight my personal preferences in italics(a trick I learnt from a fellow blogger). Please feel free to write out your own predictions. Let’s get it on.

BEST WRITING(ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Foxcatcher
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Nightcrawler

The Grand Budapest Hotel was phenomenal to me, it was packed with the regular quirky and dark comedy that one would expect from a Wes Anderson film with a really strong and compelling story and magnificent characters. But I think Boyhood might take the award. The movie was truly an artistic feat, shot over a period of 12 years and following the physical transformation of the individual characters. Both Foxcatcher and Nightcrawler were great movies too but I was more intrigued by the individual characters portrayed in the movies than the movie itself. Birdman was a pleasant movie as well, with the feel of a single continuous shot, but I was more enthralled by the character that Micheal Keaton played.

BEST WRITING(ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

• American Sniper
• The Imitation Game
• Inherent Vice
• The Theory of Everything
• Whiplash

Whiplash felt very close to home for me as I also was a drummer for a while way back in high school and I have also had to deal with mean instructors. While watching Whiplash, I got the same feeling I got when I watched Warrior, the overall drive to be the best at what one does despite the calamities that present themselves. But I think the Theory of Everything is going to take the award cause of the buzz and the source material. To be honest The Imitation Game is also a very strong contender for this category and it would be my second pick if The Theory of Everything doesn’t win the award. I am yet to see American Sniper, but I’ve heard some rave reviews about it. As for Inherent Vice, I think it falls under the same dilemma similar to that of The Wolf of Wall Street from last year, as the material might seem to graphic or extreme for the Oscar committee.

VISUAL EFFECTS

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Dawn of the Planets of the Apes
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Interstellar
• X-Men: Days of Future Past

Every movie on this list deserves to be on it, from the gorgeous cosmos of Interstellar, the vibrant and opera-like visuals of Guardians of the Galaxy, the militaristic layout of Captain America: TWS, the time displaced beauty of X-Men: DOFP. But the reason I picked The Rise of the Planet of the Apes personally and as my prediction is despite the act that the technology had already been used previously, it was improved upon as more apes were displayed in the second film and the emotional credence that was conveyed due to the aid of the visual effects was mind blowing. It was easier to empathize with the apes more mostly at the beginning of the film where the scenes were predominately about the apes.

SHORT FILM(ANIMATED)

• The Bigger Picture
• The Dam Keeper
• Feast
• Me and My Moulton
• A Single Life

To be honest, the only short animated film that I have seen was Feast, and it wrenched at my heart strings.The short animation was so touching and brilliant, showing life through the perspective of a dog. Be sure to check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it, you are sure to be in for a feast(pun intended). I haven’t any of the rest, but I do wish them some luck in this category.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• Into The Woods
• Mr Turner

The Grand Budapest Hotel had the vibrant and colorful background of a typical Wes Anderson movie, but the clever usage and camera angles got me totally invested while watching the movie. My prediction is Into The Woods, cause of the gorgeous and flamboyant scenery and the nostalgic factor due to the fact that it was adapted from a classic. Interstellar is my second choice, the movie captured the mute beauty of outer space perfectly and made the viewers feel like they were in the shoes of the characters much like Gravity did. The Imitation Game had a nice production set but it wasn’t as captivating as the other nominees. I haven’t seen Mr Turner yet.

MUSIC(ORIGINAL SONG)

• Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie
• Glory from Selma
• Grateful from Beyond the Lights
• I’m Not Gonna Miss You from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
• Lost Stars from Begin Again

Okay I’m on the bandwagon for this one, after seeing the Lego Movie, I just could not get the music out of my head, much like how Let It Go from Frozen was etched into my memory banks like a virus. Glory is my second choice cause of its deep and empathetic theme. Unfortunately I haven’t seen any of the others.

MUSIC(ORIGINAL SCORE)

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• Mr Turner
• The Theory of Everything

Interstellar’s score kept me gripping the theater seats as how ominous and esoteric the score was, done beautifully and masterfully by none other than Hans Zimmer himself. The score was so captivating and that’s why it is both my personal preference and prediction. A close second is The Grand Budapest Hotel because of the aloofness of the score that gave some really good comedic relief especially during dark moments in the movie.

DIRECTING

• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Foxcatcher
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game

Foxcatcher was a movie I was anticipating for a while based on the fact that I was familiar with the actual story it was adapted from. Bennett Miller did a wonderful job of creating a grim and foreboding atmosphere in the movie, making every scene feel sinister, especially scenes that featured the character of Du Pont. My prediction is Boyhood mainly because of the impressive feat that Richard Linklater was able to accomplish by filming the movie over such a long period, adding an unparalleled scene of realism that has never been fully captured before. Birdman is my second choice, Alejandro Inarritu’s one shot style of the movie made the movie feel like a moving renaissance art piece. Wes Anderson did not fail in delivering a dark comedy as fantastic as a fox(pun intended). Morten Tyldum also deserves props for his work on The Imitation Game. I did feel like Paul Thomas Anderson should have been nominated for Inherent Vice.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Birdman
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Ida
• Mr Turner
• Unbroken

The long sweeping continuous shot style used in Birdman captivated me beyond belief and made the film feel like a behind the scenes look at a Broadway lifestyle. It also happens to be my prediction as well with The Grand Budapest Hotel coming a close second. Unbroken also had a very trans-formative visual style documenting the radical change of the main character.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• Big Hero 6
• The Boxtrolls
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Song of the Sea
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Big Hero 6 was a wonderful movie with so much heart to it, the superhero themed brought back the memories of the first time I saw the Incredibles in the cinema. Disney has been killing it the animation department for so long and they don’t look like they are planning to stop anytime. But my prediction is How to Train Your Dragon 2, it was a very good movie and a better sequel which is usually hard to do. The story was very compelling and well written. I am yet to see the other nominations. As for the uproar about The Lego Movie getting snubbed, I also feel quite strongly about it, I personally enjoyed the movie but not as much as many others.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 

Patricia Arquette(Boyhood)

Laura Dern(Wild)

Keira Knightley(The Imitation Game)

Emma Stone(Birdman)

Meryl Streep(Into The Woods)

Seeing Emma Stone play an obnoxious teenager who thinks she understands the word was fun to watch, cause most of us had gone through this phase once or twice. It was a role that was more synonymous to me. As for my prediction, do I really have to explain why I chose Meryl Streep, I mean come on it’s f**king Meryl Streep. My second pick is Patricia Arquette from Boyhood, playing the same role for over a decade has to be exhausting but she managed to grow as a character both physically and mentally and conveyed a very believable transformation. Keira Knightley also dazzled in her performance but I didn’t really feel very connected to her character and also because doing a movie set in the olden days is like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to her. I am yet to see Wild.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Robert Duvall(The Judge)

Ethan Hawke(Boyhood)

Edward Norton(Birdman)

Mark Ruffalo(Foxcatcher)

J.K. Simmons(Whiplash)

J.K. Simmons is my pick because of his stern performance in Whiplash. Mark Ruffalo is my second pick and also my prediction. Edward Norton was equally amazing in Birdman, but it wasn’t a performance that I hadn’t seen before. Ethan Hawke was amazing as usual. I am yet to The Judge.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Marion Cotillard(Two Days, One Night)

Felicity Jones(The Theory of Everything)

Julianne Moore(Still Alice)

Rosamund Pike(Gone Girl)

Reese Witherspoon(Wild)

Gone Girl was actually my favorite movie of last year, it was so relatable and really showed the dark themes present in our modern society. Rosamund Pike held her own with the role and really shone in it. She really impressed me personally with her performance as I was not an avid fan of her previously. Julianne Moore is my prediction cause of her spectacular performance.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Steve Carell(Foxcatcher)

Bradley Cooper(American Sniper)

Benedict Cumberbatch(The Imitation Game)

Micheal Keaton(Birdman)

Eddie Redmayne(The Theory of Everything)

This is a tough category cause each of the nominees really showcased their acting chops, but Micheal Keaton stood out to me due to his performance in Birdman cause how close to his personal life that the movie plot was to him. I do hope he wins the award.

BEST PICTURE

American Sniper

Birdman

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

My personal pick for the best picture award would be The Grand Budapest Hotel, the sharp humor, brilliant story and engaging characters, i personally think it is Wes Anderson’s best movie yet. The main reason why I chose The Theory of Everything as my prediction is because of the word of mouth surrounding it and the fact that it was based on the life of Stephen Hawkings and not to its amazing story as well. My second pick would be Boyhood, also cause of the word of mouth and the painstaking style used in filming it.

These are my preferences and predictions, let me know your thoughts and free feel to post your own predictions as well.

 

Cinema Corner: Exodus: Gods and Kings

It’s been a while since I last wrote a review, with my exam period over I had some time to visit the cinema and catch up with some movies that I had initially missed out on. Last week I had the opportunity to see the latest Ridley Scott biblical epic and the new Disney Marvel animation Big Hero 6. This review, as stated in the title, is going to be about the former. I was originally surprised at the quiet release of this movie, well around my area that is, I was skeptical of this movie as well based on the reports about the ‘whitewashing’ of the movie; i.e. the majority of the main cast being Caucasian. I would address that later in this review. But I have to say I enjoyed the movie overall, the acting and the visual effects both worked perfectly. It took some time but I was finally able to see Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton as Moses and Ramses. This is my personal review, you may not totally agree with me, but please remember subjectivity is key. There are a couple of minor spoilers.

“A game of biblical thrones”

xxxMINOR SPOILERS AHEADxxx

The movie is mostly adapted from the Bible, particularly the chapter of Exodus. It follows the life of Moses as he grows up in the family of the Egyptian royalty and eventually follows his exile and his quest to liberate his Hebrew brethren who have been subject to slavery under the Egyptian regime, through the help of God. The movie deals with themes of spirituality, oppression, liberation and more. Moses was able to carry out his mission to free his people through the help of God. This was another interesting dynamic to me cause I was curious to see how Ridley Scott was going to portray the image of God. The childish representation used in the movie actually resonated with me as I could see how truly frustrated God would be to see his people be continually oppressed for so long. It also made me think of the jealousy of God, which in my opinion made sense, as I could imagine the annoyance to see one’s own creation behave in such bizarre and uncouth manner like the Egyptian did. Another thing I really loved about the movie was the portrayal of the 10 plagues, which were captured beautifully and albeit realistically with some really good and practical display of the plagues which were hilariously explained scientifically by a character from the movie adding some plausible logic behind the plague. The effects jumped right out of the screen and felt really captivating. I saw the movie in 3D and the plague with the flies did make me a bit queasy as I felt like the flies were in the cinema.

“Who let the toilet overflow again”

Now that I have spoken about some of my pros about the movie, I would like to talk about some cons, firstly I did not really like the pacing of the movie, as it felt like a drag at times particularly after Moses’ exile. The movie slowed down to quite a halt during Moses’ shepard years. There was also some lacking character development in some characters namely Joshua( who was played by Aaron Paul) and Aaron, the latter being Moses’ blood brother. agreed the story wasn’t mainly about them, but it would have been nice to see more fleshed out personalities from them. As a Christian myself, I have read the book of Exodus a couple of times and I know how much personality that both Joshua and Aaron have. These were my major cons with the movie. Concerning the ‘whitewashing’I must say I was also very peeved initially with the casting choices for the movie, but after some while I was able to see Christian Bale as Moses, a man conflicted by his beliefs and desire for justice and sanctity and Joel Edgerton as Ramses,  a brat of a king with the personality of a man child. Although most of the slaves in the movie were portrayed by Egyptian actors, I could see why Ridley Scott would cast the popular actors like Bale and Edgerton, given the fact that this was a very expensive movie to produce with a budget nearing 150 million dollars, it stands to logic that one would use the faces of popular actors in order to sell the movie and besides Charleton Heston(a Caucasian) also portrayed Moses previously in the Ten Commandments. Although I would have preferred Egyptian actors to play the parts of Moses and Rameses, I quite understand why they were played by these A-list actors. With all this been said, principally found the movie to be entertaining and I would like to see other biblical stories and chapters done on this epic scale like the book of Joshua and Judges. Overall I give this movie a 7 out of 10. Have you see the movie? Let me know what you thought about the movie in the comment section?

“Where is my bat suit when I need it”

PROS

• Epic scenery:- The movie truly felt epic and grande, the battle scenes were well done and perfectly shot and the plagues were well represented and showcased.
• Gorgeous landscapes:- The Egyptian empire was shown with awesome flamboyance and beauty.
• Strong lead cast:- Despite my initial cynicism, the lead actors really held their own and showcased their characters well.
• Accurately portrayed plagues:- The plagues did feel very real and devastating just as they were described in the bible.

CONS

• Slow second act:- The movie crawled a bit for me during some moments in its second act
• Poorly developed secondary characters:- Other characters like Joshua and Aaron were not given enough personalities.
• Little whitewashing effect:- Despite the lead actors delivering amazing performances, some of the actors were unconvincing as Egyptians like John Turturro and Sigourney Weaver.

What are your thoughts? What were your opinions on the ‘whitewashing’ in the film? I have also been working on developing my own YouTube channel were I would be reviewing movies and videogames and talking about other things. Once my channel is completely set up, I would let you know where to find me and follow me. Stay tuned for my Big Hero 6 review. Till next time. Szia.

“Well tell Moses to stop hiding my mascara”

Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer 2

Waking up this morning I never expect to be viewing the new trailer for the upcoming Avengers sequel. YouTube had the courtesy of alerting me of this new mind-blowing trailer. I wanted to quickly use this opportunity to talk about the new trailer. The trailer opens with scores of people running around in panic as the world around them descends in chaos. A shot of Captain America follows and a quick glance at Hawkeye behind a tree. A voice over by Tony Stark can be heard as more chaos unfolds revealing other members like Bruce Banner. We then get different clips of Thor and the Black Widow; undergoing some sort of forced experimentation. We are given brief images of Ultron’s Iron Legion. Another clip of Andy Serkis emerges which still leaves me pondering whether he would be playing the role of Ulysses Klaw from the comics, the Black Panther’s arch enemy. We see Captain America battling one of Ultron’s robots. We then get to see a shot of Ultron displaying his power as he fires a bolt of energy from his hand. My favorite scene pops up next as we see a more extended scene of the Hulk vs the Hulkbuster armor. That scene alone has gotten me super pumped for the movie. I wouldn’t personally mind seeing an entire movie of the Hulk exchanging fists with Iron Man in the Hulkbuster Armor. All of this awesomeness was happening while the Pinocchio theme played in the background.

With the release of the recent Ant-Man trailer, and with Hank Pym portrayed as an old man, it still stands to reason that he was the original creator of Ultron from years ago, but then Tony Stark stumbled upon the old technology and decided to reactivate, hereto breathing back life into Ultron. That would be a superb way to connect it all in my opinion. The trailer still carried an ominous and dark theme like the first one, which got me thinking about the survival rate of all the Avengers. But if an Avenger is going to die, my money is on Hawkeye. Then again they can always pull a “coulson” on us. Overall this was a very entertaining trailer that built on the first one and improved on it. I am curious to see the aftermath of the events in this movie and see how it leads up to the events in the civil war. Feel free to check out the trailer as well and leave a comment behind.

Top 10 movies of 2014

2014 was an amazing year filled with movies, there were superhero movies that tingled the inner nerd senses in us, amazing sci-fi movies that related to our current society like never before, surprise hits, bone chattering hilarious comedies, deep philosophical thrillers and many more. Today I am going to compile my list of my favorite movies, of course this is a subjective list and may differ from everyone else’s list. I would name the movies and give a brief description and reason as to why it resonated with me. There were a lot of great movies this year, unfortunately not every one of them reached my top 10. I would acknowledge such movies in my honorable mentions list. Now being human, it was physically impossible to watch every single movie that came out so I would also state my top watch list of 2014 that I have heard great news about and I’m looking forward to watching. I would list my favorite movies in the order that I enjoyed them, please feel free to state your own movies that you enjoyed in the comment section, and if you feel like I skipped a movie please let me know. I would later upload my list of my most anticipated movies of 2015. Let’s get it on.

•  THE GUEST

A surprise hit for me, this relatively unknown movie that also had a virtually unknown cast(save for maybe Dan Stevens and Lance Reddick) was an entertaining piece of work. I know it may come as a surprise that the movie is on the list but that is mainly due to how flabbergasted I was when I watched the movie. I initially came across it accidentally and was originally hesitant but when I saw that it was produced by the same producers that made You’re Next, I was interested and I must say I wasn’t disappointed. The story follows a man named David Collins who visits a family who are still grieving over the loss of their son Caleb, who was in the Army. David claims to have been a very close friend of Caleb and states that he has a message for the family from Caleb which were his dying words, but not everything is like what it seems. The movie revolves around David’s relationship with the various family members and other people in the neighbouring community. The atmosphere of the movie was perpetually haunting, as the audience was unsure of David’s motive despite being the main character. Overall the movie didn’t fail to deliver, and with a strong unknown cast and good acting, the movie hit the right notes.

• CHEF

Indie movies have been the norms in the movie industry for a while now, and they don’t get much recognition as we all know, but once in a while a really good one stands out to an individual. For me last year it was Chef, a brilliant movie from the genius’mind of Jon Favreau(Iron Man). The movie follows a recently demoted professional chef who must embark on a journey of self actualization with his son by opening a food truck. The movie had a lot of perfect moments that were easily relatable to the viewers. The acting was also top notch with a very strong chemistry between Jon Favreau’s character and the little boy’s character. Jon Favreau directs this movie which can also be seen as a throwback to his older movies like Made. Chef is a good movie to kick back and watch, and not to mention the onscreen savoury dishes. It gave me a little Ratatouille vibe.

• 22 JUMP STREET

Comedy sequels are usually very difficult to follow up on mostly due to the original novelty and schticks wearing off. As for 22 Jump Street, it played brilliantly on that factor by been a self aware movie on its own. The story still follows Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum’s characters from the first movie as they try to crackdown on a new drug ring in a college. There were a lot of new hilarious characters like the twins and a particularly memorable scene featuring Jonah Hill and Ice Cube. To top it all off, the movie had one of the best post credit scenes in recent history. There is a third movie in the works, but I am a bit wary cause I wonder if they would still capture the comedic gold standard of the previous movies without it getting old.

• INTERSTELLAR

Some of you might be surprised that this movie is this low on my list, but irregardless, this is still a gorgeous and amazing movie. As of 2013, it was my number one most anticipated movie of 2014. The movie was cinematic and jaw dropping. Christopher Nolan was able to flawlessly capture the sheer and vast emptiness of space. I did my review on the movie and mentioned my personal pros and cons of the movie cause I did find some really unsatisfying plot-holes, but no movie is perfect. It also showcased one of the most realistic depictions of outer space. The movie also bolstered a very strong cast in the likes of Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and many more. It also brought some really thought provoking existential questions that would leave the viewer pondering and arguing with his or her friends after.

• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

What do a green female alien, an anthropomorphic raccoon and a talking tree have in common…absolutely nothing in a practical sense. But in the Marvel Universe, that seems to differ. Guardians of the Galaxy was one of Marvel’s riskiest projects, but it eventually yielded a lot of space fruits. I was also originally very skeptical of the movie cause I barely knew anything concerning the source material. The story follows a ragtag group of criminals who decide to save the galaxy. Cue the hilarity and action. Marvel has proven that they can work with virtually any source material now, and I am now looking forward to other Marvel materials like Doctor Strange and the Inhumans. The movie was a nice blend of action and comedy with a tantalizing 80’s theme to it. It was a truly perfect space opera for the modern age. Each of the guardians had enough screen time to display their characteristics with Drax the Destroyer been a very pleasant surprise.

• EDGE OF TOMORROW

Nothing hurts a movie’s sale worse than a bad trailer and that was what plagued this fantastic sci-fi action flick. I was also very cynical about the movie but I was nevertheless intrigued by the concept as it resounded with me as an avid videogamer which is the idea of dying time over time while trying to accomplish a task but getting better and better upon each return. Tom Cruise played the main protagonist and didn’t fail to capture the surrealism of what he was experiencing. Emily Blunt wowed me with her performance as a woman not to be messed with. The story was compelling and the visuals were stunning to say the least. It was unfortunate that the movie didn’t perform wonderfully at the box office, but that didn’t deter the movie from being an awesome take on sci-fi that we have seen in a long while.

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Captain America: The First Avenger wasn’t my favorite Marvel movie, but the sequel improved magnificently on the flaws of the first one. Showing the more versatile part of Captain America and his shield with a beautiful opening scene. The movie also had a really cool 70’s cold war espionage setting similar to movies like The Hunt for Red October. The action sequences were also brilliantly executed with the likes of the ship and elevator sequences. It also had an engaging story with an electrifying plot twist. I cannot wait for the Captain America: Civil War movie cause its also still going to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo who both directed this second movie.

• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

A lot of movies get second chances in the form of reboots or remakes, but none does it has inventive as Bryan Singer did with this movie, Probably still peeved from the colossal mess of X-Men 3, Bryan Singer utilized the popular comic story and used it as a tool to reinvent the X-Men. The movie scores higher for me mostly because of how they were able to appropriate the various numbers of characters and give them a decent amount of screen time. It was cool to see most of the old cast and new cast interact, especially with James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart as both young and old Professor Xavier. It was able to explain a rather complex story plot in a very simple and interesting way. I am looking forward to the X-Men: Apocalypse movie.

• DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

When I saw the apes riding the horses in the trailer, I already lost my mind cause I was such a huge fan of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes movie, as I thought it was a very strong reboot for the franchise washing away the 2001 neanderthal abomination featuring Mark Wahlberg(ok that was a bit too harsh). But this movie showcased a deeper and more emotional side to the apes, I was able to connect more with their plight much like with the prawns in District 9. It was also an allegory to humankind as the apes also had their own form of civil dispute. The movie takes place a few years after the events of the first one where a plague known as the Simian Flu that kills off most of the human population and the apes have become more evolved. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

• GONE GIRL

Now the reason this was my favorite movie of 2014, was the realistic approach that David Fincher employed in tackling modern issues like unfaithfulness, media influence, childhood pressure amongst others. Most of this themes were similar to my personal life and experiences, so it was easier for me to relate with the characters in the movie. It also had a very impressive cast with Rosamund Pike displaying her best performance yet. I did a review on the movie previously in which I went deeper into the pros and cons of the movie. Ben Affleck also gave a very esoteric performance that kept me wondering about his motives. The movie was beautifully executed in my opinion and the suspense and thrill kept me at the edge of my seat. This was a worthy adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s original novel.

These were my top ten favorite movies of 2014, but there were many more that couldn’t make it to my final list, so I decided to make a honourable mentions list.

• HONOURABLE MENTIONS

1. The Lego Movie
2. Neighbours
3. Noah
4. How to Train your Dragon 2
5. The Purge Anarchy
6. The Maze Runner
7. The Equalizer
8. Fury
9. The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1
10. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
11. Horrible Bosses 2
12. Stonehearst Asylum

• WATCHLIST

These are the movies that I have heard about but have not gotten the chance to watch. I am still looking forward to checking them out

1. The Raid 2
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Foxcatcher
4. Birdman
5. The Two Faces of January
6. Nightcrawler
7. Top Five
8. The Drop
9. The Imitation Game
10. Inherent Vice

• RECOMMENDATION

Predestination is my shoutout  movie for 2014, it was a very interesting concept dealing with the predestination paradox. The movie is very complicated and confusing and required double viewings for me to understand. Ethan Hawke delivers an awesome performance as usual but the main star in the movie to me had to be Sarah Snook, her performance was top notch and really demanded a lot, but she still managed to pull it off Jodie Foster-style. This is a movie I would highly recommend for those into hard scifi.

 

Please feel free to mention some of your favorite movies of 2014 and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more entertaining news. Till next time. Szia

Charlie Hebdo:- An Attack on freedom of speech

A few days ago, a satirical publishing company located in Paris, France was attacked by two masked gunmen wielding assault rifles, they fired at the building which resulted in the death of 12 people, with many more wounded. I just felt saddened by the news cause l have a friend living in Paris who was greatly affected by the event, and I felt I would talk about it. The perpetrators have been confirmed to have been members of the Al Queda terrorist group. There was a video depicting some of the events, including the shootout and a recording of one of the men yelling “Allahu Akbar” which translates to God is great. Charlie Hebdo had been known for its extreme parodying and strong satires of topics on war and religion. Nevertheless this doesn’t give a bunch of Muslim terrorists the rights to shoot and kill anyone simply based on this.

The two gunmen are part of the reason people doubt and loathe religion as a whole, cause their actions make them look like ultra-nationalist looking to enforce their beliefs on others irregardless of what others might believe in. Their actions have done nothing else but sparked various protests and civil unrest. Charlie Hebdo might be a satirical newspaper but it’s not the only one in the world, so by logic are the gunmen going to attack every single satirical news outlet? This is a bizarre form of terrorism and I hope the culprits are apprehended soon and brought to justice. I have a couple of Muslim friends and they also feel disgusted by this actions as it just worsens relations and views that people generally have towards Islam. One shouldn’t be attacked for their rights. This is one of the saddest things to ever occur in this new year. My condolences go to the families of the victims. Please let me know what you think about this.

My Short Story

Before the end of 2014, I had been crafting a short story for a competition in Vienna that required writers and authors around the world to submit a short story for reviewing where the three best stories would be picked and the three winners would get a chance to complete their stories and work with popular authors in the business. I wrote an excerpt from one of my novels and sent it. All I can do now is hope and pray for a positive feedback. So I decided to post my short story here and see what you guys think of the story. Feel free to read it and rate it.

KNIGHTMARE CHRONICLES final draft

Click on the link above to download and read

Happy New Year to all

2014 had its ups and downs, it’s highs and lows but now it’s time to write history on a new timeline as we enter into 2015. I had not being able to post anything for a long time now. This was mostly due to exams and my focus on my novel. There were a lot of good movies, videogames, music and more. But now we are in a new year, and I am gladly looking forward to what this year has to offer. I would post my most anticipated movies and videogames later and I would also be posting an excerpt from my current novel that I am developing, please feel free to rate and give a feedback. I will try and post more often now. Once again I wish you all a happy new year and an eventful 2015. Till next time. Szia.