holabendez blog

I loved Tintin as a kid growing up, I read all the books and really enjoyed the adventures. It was a real delight to see it on the big screen. The animation is brilliant and visually it is stunning. Life like while at the same time retaining an extremely close resemblance to Herge’s original art style.

It’s a rollicking adventure with some great action set pieces. Loads of fun, this movie is a must-see for a Tintin fan and is a great film even if this is your first introduction to the character. Trust me, you’ll be hooked.

Technically I saw this movie in 2010, but it was late 2010 and actually at the time I wasn’t particularly impressed by it. I enjoyed it but wasn’t gushing about it when I got out of the theatre. That said, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time I walked past the IMAX I contemplated going to see the movie again, but never did. When it finally came out on Blu-ray, I snapped it up immediately. I then watched it again, and again, and again. I couldn’t stop.

I must have seen this movie 20 times at least this year, I was so absorbed by it. The spectacle more than anything else, it is a beautiful film to behold, and I have so much fun watching it. The visuals, the soundtrack, the action set pieces, the style – it’s the cool movie you kind of remember Tron as being (but actually wasn’t at all), this is THE Tron movie. It treats the legacy of Tron with respect (more than it deserves) and proceeds to blow it out of the water.

Top 5 Movies I saw in 2011:
1. Tron: Legacy
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3. Source Code
4. Fast Five
5. Thor

Favourite film of 2010: Inception

Played a lot of sequels (more often than not second sequels), and generally with video games sequels turn out better than their predecessors. That was certainly the case for many of the first sequels to games that had their second sequels released in 2011, however for the most part those second sequels were unable to top their predecessors. Gears of War 3 was the notable exception where the game just got even better.

A great conclusion to the story, loads of great action set pieces, and hands down the best multiplayer experience I’ve ever had. Before I’m done with this game I suspect I will have played more of it than any other game on my consoles, it’s just that good.

Top 5 Games I played in 2011:
1. Gears of War 3
2. Saints Row: The Third
3. Uncharted 3
4. Killzone 3
5. Dead Space 2

Favourite game of 2010: Mass Effect 2

As an ardent GTA fan I’ve never really been able to accept any of the imitators to the genre and particularly the Saints Row franchise which always seemed like the poor cousin. However in Saints Row: The Third, Volition have absolutely stepped up to the plate and delivered the perfect batshit crazy game of complete insane mayhem that GTA: San Andreas should have been.

Where Rockstar took GTA IV in the direction of realism and stronger character and storytelling, Saints Row: The Third goes down the path of all out mayhem, and does so with such amazingly fun results. One of my favourite games of the past year, without question.

Respect to Treyarch for creating a different narrative technique for their Call of Duty game but after Modern Warfare 3 I was kind of sick of military shooters. I think I need some time out from that kind of game. Also, Sam Worthington can’t do an American accent to save his life.

There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with Modern Warfare 3, it is clearly a well made game with excellent production values. The problem is it is ultimately more of the same, a sequel to more of the same before it. Bringing nothing new to the table. At least it had a satisfying conclusion to its story.

Tom Cruise has still got it. This action franchise has no reason to ever end, and in the right hands has the potential to have the long life of the James Bond films. With MI:2 nothing but an embarrassing memory in the past, this film delivers awesome action and does so on an impressive IMAX canvas. More films should be made entirely on IMAX – it looks great.