#122; Preferring To Be Sim-ple

The Sims are a big bookmark in the history of videogames. Whether you love or hate the creation of Will Wright’s mad mind and the powerhouse that Maxis games were before EA decided to poke their nose in and make a cash cow out of a fantastic concept, The Sims are a landmark in games for whatever way you look at the series. Whether it be the fact that the series of games became a insanely popular game, or whether the fact it manage to cover across a broad range of audiences which no doubt led to the popularity and status it holds in gaming history, the original title was just something else. Of course, now we have the frustrating saturated franchise of The Sims rather than The Sims as just a game but a conversation that Lou and I were having yesterday evening about The Sims got me wondering today again what game really stands out in the 3 main PC titles.

I’m a pretty simple person, there’s no denying this on my behalf – my mind does not need lots of things going off at once! The Sims, as in the original title, was rather simple in what it achieved but it still seemed like a complex game in what you could do at the time. Simulation games at the time were still a progressing market, especially with a developer like Maxis and Will Wright pushing the genre forward to whatever heights they could as well as other developers like Bullfrog Games. At the time though The Sims blew everyone away – I remember my nephew telling me at the time he had bought the game with his mum and I ended up soon rushing over to his house just to watch it. It took bloody ages to install. We needed to download patches. It felt like an eternity on that evening to just get it going but we were transfixed. It was just so different to anything else we had ever played on our Playstations and Mega Drives and even to this day I could happily go back to The Sims because it’s so conventional and simple, but so utterly absorbing.

The Sims 2 was a big step up in the series I feel. I don’t think it gets as much recognition as it deserves because, like I said with the original game it brought something so unique into a huge market that opened their arms and flocked together to make it a commercial haven in terms of the success it achieves. The Sims 2 is such a good game, and even though I think I prefer the original game, it kind of amazes me that a game that seemed so complete at the time in the original managed to develop into something so further advanced but totally brilliant at the same time. It would be a bit hard to argue that The Sims argued quite quickly visually as graphics and the rapid improvement of technology within computers left the original falling behind quickly and The Sims 2 brought a new look, much deeper gameplay and goals to achieve in your guys lives and much more. For me though it still lacked that charmthat made the original game so absorbing. It completely drives me mental though that EA totally destroyed the series with an absurd amount of expansion packs, content disks and so much more. I mean, I can remember seeing 20+ different versions of The Sims 2 as well as expansions and whatnot. Very frustrating, but if there’s a market willing to fall or that then you take the opportunity to make ridiculous money by the horns…

This is where I maintain that there needed be no more Sims games after The Sims 2. For me, the sequel still looks the part to this day and it can be easily modded to bring it forward if people wanted that. The Sims 3 is such a non-entity in the series that needs not be there. The leap between 1 and 2 compared to 2 and 3 is totally uncomparable. Sure, you can argue that it’s smarter, it offers more and it does stuff better and more realistic in some areas but so what? It had no charm whatever in my opinion and whenever I played it I felt like I was just playing The Sims 2. Of course, it still has plenty of expansions coming out…

I feel a little bit frustrated at how The Sims has progressed. Like I say, the original game was a landmark and nearly everyone I know played The Sims and loved it when it was released over as decade ago. The whole Sims talk came over my realisation of a new Sims title being released on the Xbox 360 last week, and that if I bought it how addicted I know I would become. I would buy it, perhaps hypocritically in some aspects, because I do love The Sims. But maybe being a simple Sim is better than being one desperate for money.

Anyways, you can’t beat that rush of waking up a Sim with an empty bladder bar and watching them pee themselves everywhere after an angry outburst like you can on The Sims 1. Classic.

#121; Letting Robeson Sing On

As you probably know, I’m a huge Manic Street Preachers fan. Sure I am a bit of a silly for not realising they were playing in my home town a few days ago as it totally passed me by but I’ve been a big fan of the band for many years. Despite this, a song totally passed me by that I only discovered a few weeks ago that both surprised me but also made me quite proud of the South Wales rockers. The song in question is Let Robeson Sing, a single released from their album Know Your Enemy. Check it out, if you fancy.

You may not know what the song is about, but this leads to the point of this entry. The subject of the song is Paul Robeson, an American concert singer who formed a very strong bond with the coal miners of South Wales throughout the 1930′s and became a figurehead for the social activism and equality movement of America for black indidivuals. In this case it is his bond with coal miners that leads to his inclusion of a Manics song. Many years ago when I was back in primary school, our school arranged an awareness week of black people who have made a difference with their life and those who stood out to improve the equality of their race over the 20th Century. This week saw our class go out on a trip to a local historical home, Tregedar House, and it was here we were given an extensive day learning about Paul Robeson. It’s quite odd how there’s plenty of my childhood I don’t remember but this day stands out quite vididly.

On this day we learnt plenty about Paul Robeson’s life and what he did upon meeting coal miners at an event he was singing at in London whilst they protested. Upon this protest these miners were protesting the poor conditions of their working environment and the general poverty they lived in. Robeson’s activist ways immediately saw him becoming a frequest visitor to South Wales – on many times he visited coal mines across South Wales and it was clear at the time he wanted to make a difference for coal miners however he could. It’s an odd relationship I suppose, how a concert singer based in America can become such a figurehead for a group of individuals like coal miners in South Wales but Robeson always fought for them. However, his views and social activist pursuits often meant his visa from the US to travel to South Wales was often denied, meaning there were many times such as Eistedfodd events in which Robeson was invited to and yet never able to attend due to these issues with visas and entry to the UK.

This led to a defining moment in his relationship with the miners of South Wales however, as in 1957 soon after the first ever transatlantic phone cable had been completed and connected Robeson found the opportunity to sing for the Eistedfodd via the phone call despite being in the US. I’m sure that on the trip to Tredegar House we were actually given clips of the phone call and Robeson singing, but I will be honest in this and say that my memory is hazy in confirming if we did or not. Nevertheless, even now it inspires me just how much of an effort Robeson made to make a difference for these people. He also starred in The Proud Valley after meeting the coal miners, a film I’ve seen a few times as it tells the tale of an international miner coming to South Wales and winning over the hearts of the locals despite their reservations. It’s a wonderful film, and it hasn’t aged a bit from what I remember. I’ll definitely have to find it somehow and pick it up. Sadly, the internet seems very empty on resources for the film which is a massive shame.

Anyways, in regards to the song it kind of threw me back how this day in my childhood suddenly came rushing back upon hearing the song for the first time. The song itself is a really, really lovely song and it’s lyrics are totally appropriate, with sound clips from Robeson himself within the song but it also goes to show how 50-60 years after his time he is still part of Welsh heritage and should always continue to be so. He’s a remarkable man and it’s fantastic that a band with such prominence as the Manic Street Preachers have the opportunity to make him known within their music. It also made me proud of what he achieved – whilst my family were never within coal mining (My grandad was a steel worker, another prominent industry in South Wales at the time), this day of education has always stuck true within me and it’s been fantastic bringing back Robeson’s legacy into my memory. It’s only appropriate to end this entry with a quote from the man himself.

“You have shaped my life – I have learnt a lot from you. I am part of the working class. Of all the films I have made the one I will preserve is The Proud Valley.”

 

#120; Explaining Silly O’Clock

It’s rare that proper F1 conversations happen at work away from myself and our Security Guard but there was a brilliant one that occurred today. One of my closest friends, who is an F1 fan but nowhere near to the levels I am, began discussing this weekend’s race. Upon asking what time it was on Sunday, I told him the race began at 7am. He laughed at such an idea, a Sunday morning wake up of ridiculous magnitude. Of course, the laughter confused me. I mean, I’ve been doing this for years and years for F1, getting up at silly o’clock for the fly away races in Japan, Australia and the like. He then asked me – “Are you getting up for it?!” – to which I replied – “of course…” and his reply was simple – “…Why?!”.

This actually got me wondering about us F1 fans in general. why do we get up several days in a row for silly o’clock sessions? I mean, even practise at 2am or 6am like they are this weekend we still tend to go for. I didn’t actually have a proper answer for him. I just responded ‘Because it’s F1.’. I love F1 to death, but it struck me at this moment how I had never actually answered this question properly before. He began the list of alternatives – it’s on the iPlayer immediately, you can record it, wake up and watch it, and so on and so on, but why would I want to do that? Watching F1 at silly o’clock has an odd appeal. I have no idea why it does… but it just does. I wonder why we do this though, I mean my friend had a very valid point. We could just wait till we wake up. We could record it. We just just not watch practise sessions. But a lot of us hardcore f1 fans still go for it if we can. strange how I’ve never really thought of this though. Nevertheless, if I can get up for F1 at these times I always will.

Why?

Because it’s F1, of course.

#119; 9000 Days Were Set Aside

Every once in a while I seem to find something that genuinely throws me back a few steps and perhaps get a slap in the face from reality. Earlier this week I had the pleasure of watching Invictus, and I know I’ve been blogging a lot recently around movies and films but I could not pass up the opportunity to talk about some of the stuff from the film. The story rotates around the release of Nelson Mandela from Robben Island and his rise to power, looking to make South Africa a equal nation with the Rugby World Cup approaching for the nation. The story features some very strong themes such as the highlighting of apartheid differences in South Africa and Mandela’s desires to make all races as one in a rainbow nation but the story of Mandela was most captivating.

Hidden within the film was the poem that the name of the film relates to – Invictus, written by poet William Ernest Henley in 1875. The poem speaks of a desire to keep a strong spirit within one’s self no matter what challenges or hardships lay ahead in wake. Mandela himself used this poem as a source of inspiration and self motivation during his time on Robben Island, and a moment from the film that saw Morgan Freeman narrating this stunning poem blew me away.

 Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I think what really grabs at me with this poem is how these short paragraphs can lead to such inspiration as we all know of Nelson Mandela. That final paragraph in particular really does get into me – I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul – just sends shivers down my spine in how strong these simple words can be. Any man or woman can relate to the poem when they read it or need that extra bit of motivation to get them through the toughest times in life and it just really blew me away. Perhaps I am delving too deep into my soul here but it’s just a beautiful bit of writing from William Ernest Henley that I will always refer to if my morale falls down and needs a helping hand.

Another talking point I wanted to make out quickly was one of the themes from the film that appears on Invictus’ soundtrack entitled 9000 Days by Overtone & Yollandi Nortjie. If you are unfamiliar with Mandela’s life the song name refers to his time spent at Robben Island – it’s such a stunning song.

Just like Henley’s aforementioned poem, something about this song really managed to get into me with a considerable effect. I think watching the story of Mandela’s attempts to help South Africa as President and knowing about his life from previous studies really blew my mind much more than I was expecting to be honest. 9000 Days include moments of Henley’s stunning poem and it makes for a rather wonderful combination, and a very strong song.

In regards to the actual film, as you can imagine I adored it. I really did. Is there anything that Morgan Freeman can’t do? If you were to ask me what Freeman is most famous for to me it was his role as God in Bruce Almighty, and that casting is perfect there because this man might as well be God. I have never seen him in a bad film and Invictus joins this ever growing list as Freeman is just totally mesmerizing as former South African president Nelson Mandela. The film follows the plot of Mandela’s election victory into office for South Africa and his attempts to make South Africa a rainbow nation, to bring together the segregation and the success story of the 1995 South African rugby team as South Africa hosts the Rugby World Cup. The story is admittedly predictable in it’s delivery but whereas I’ve seen elsewhere criticise it for this, I personally felt that the predictable nature of the film at times didn’t distract from the emotion of the story and how powerful it was. You have to remember that South Africa truly went through what you see in this film under Mandela’s reconciliation and it’s a beautiful story.

Again I go back to Freeman being cast as Mandela that, for me at least, started the ball rolling in what made this film such an enjoyable because he is perfect. There wasn’t a moment in the film with Freeman where he felt underdelivered or didn’t bring the necessary passion – the charisma of Mandiba, the care of the country he loved, the focus and determination, even the accent is incredible. It all came across so evidently as if it were Mandela himself. It’s just an inspiring performance that I’m sure if you have seen the film you would agree with in regards to Morgan Freeman’s performance – Nelson Mandela himself said before the film was made that the only person who could accurately portray him in a film would be Freeman. He was right.

It’s a very long film though and obviously the focus is totally placed upon the story being told. Personally I don’t feel Matt Damon was as good as I hoped for most of the film – he is cast as the team captain Francios Pienaar and at times he just doesn’t seem to be in the same scene with the rest of the team. It’s odd to explain but he just felt emotionless at times in a film that had a very emotional feel to the story it was trying to tell. There are some memorable scenes though that add to his character as the film goes on, two in particular involving a visit to the townships of South Africa and their children, and a visit to Mandela’s cell on Robben Island that, by the end of the film, see a transformation in Damon’s portrayal as Pienaar. It’s also an oddly feel good film at times too which seems strange to me given the issues involved with apartheid and segregation but that’s no complaint at all. Invictus is just a fantastic piece of film that brings out a very important time in South Africa’s history in the right fashion, and a film I would recommend to all.

#118; Movie Reviews V

It’s been a while since I took the time to write out some reviews for films I’ve watched on DVD recently so here’s my choice this time out – Kick Ass, How to Train Your Dragon and Moon, three quite different films in three quite different genres that I hope you will enjoy reading about. Please feel free to post your feelings in the comments following the post!

I really wanted to go see Kick Ass in the cinemas but I never seemed to find the time so I was very much excited before watching this alternative superhero film. The film got recommended to me as well after my love for Scott Pilgrim was so often expressed and I had to check Kick Ass out. Was it worth the long wait? Most definitely. fun, action packed and downright stupid at times, it’s such a fun film to watch. Now don’t get me wrong, it did take a while to get into I felt and it started off a bit slow but it turns into an absolute blockbuster of a film, especially with a last hour that actually blows away what I was expecting. The character development in the film is superb, particularly the father-daughter duo of Mindy/Hit Girl and Damon/Big Daddy which builds up to a quite stunning scene in the film that I simply refuse to spoil. Simply put, I would be amazed if it doesn’t make your jaw drop in awe… you will know what scene I mean if you watch the film I’m sure.

On the topic of Hit Girl (The young girl with purple hair above), don’t expect a young, innocent schoolgirl. Foul mouthed, angry, violent and downright rude, she makes for the biggest anti-superhero you will ever see… and makes the film oh so even better for doing so. But I loved Kick Ass, the characters are great, it was much fun to watch and the soundtrack and score were fantastic. You can find the score and soundtrack on spotify and released of course, and I recommend both because they’re both seriously impressive and quite memorable too. The only downsides are a slow first hour or so and a very predictable story which won’t shock too many people watching it but it doesn’t detract from a seriously, seriously fun film. In fact, you could say it was totally kick ass.

Summary: Kick Ass definitely lives up to it’s name. I wasn’t expecting as much storytelling as it provided to be honest and it did start off very slow but when it get’s going, my word it gets going. Hit Girl is easily the stand out character, she will destroy your every conception of an 11 year old girl as well as being star of one of the film’s defining moments. A definite must watch for action fans and those who loves a good superhero romp, because this is an alternative superhero film that definitely packs it’s punch.

There is no denying this fact – I am a sucker for CGI films from Pixar and DreamWorks. I just love the, they tend to be very watchable and enjoyable to me, especially if they’re from a certain production company known as Pixar. HTTYD was not a Pixar creation though, instead coming from the computers and minds within DreamWorks. The plot follows a viking world who’s hatred for dragons lead to a young child, head of the viking village, being forced to train to defeat them but he of course finds a dragon who is actually quite a nice fellow. It’s not the most complex of plots at all, in fact it’s very simple but sometimes simple is good because I enjoyed the film. It was very heartwarming and lovely, and it looked fantastic. Some really good work from the Dreamworks guys to create a very human feeling about the characters too, even with awkward conversations that only humans can do so well, it came across fantastic in the film. It looked great, it sounded great, it came across great.

Plus, how cute is the main dragon? Quite frankly if you watch this film and don’t fall in love with Toothless then you have no soul! For a dragon he is awfully adorable, albeit it very dog/cat-like in his manner and behaviour in the film but it’s very sweet. There’s also a deeper meaning in the film in terms of overcoming ignorance to see what the truth is actually like but that’s a far deeper amount of analysis necessray for a film like this. Predictable, sure, simple, of course, but totally heartwarming and a really enjoyable and lovable 90 minutes.

Summary: Although it certainly isn’t totally original in it’s plot devices and storytelling, Dragon is still a very enjoyable film to watch that I feel all ages could enjoy. It’s quite universal in the fact that it has that cute factor for kids and a wow factor for adults but the fact it’s quite a simple story should make all understand it easily. But it looks fantastic and it’s very heart-warming, one for the feel good club. Plus it has Jonsi in the credits, perfect way to end a feel good film with a happy song!

Now I won’t lie to you here. Moon was a very, very difficult film to watch in my honest opinion. The whole film is very haunting and quiet, with the film mostly surrounding around the mental destruction of Sam, a lone scientist working on a satellite as the film follows his last few days before heading home. Granted it has similarities to the likes of 2001: A Space Oddyssey and Sunshine in my opinion but it’s such an atmospheric, thrilling and even mind boggling film at times. Maybe it’s just me being a bit thick but it geniunely made me think and move closer to the screen as the film’s story unravelled and Sam’s downfall continued. Sam is played by Sam Rockwell, who I know mostly because of his role in Hitchiker’s Guide as Zaphod Beeblebox but my word is that role a whole galaxy and a half away from the incredible persona he pulls off within Moon. He is just magnificent, it did feel like I could feel the trauma he puts himself through at times and it’s such an emotional performance that I’m not surprised so many people came away from Moon with praise for Rockwell’s performance. His claustrophobia, paranoia and downward spiral into a man in vain was worth of an Oscar he sadly never achieved.

It’s also quite remarkable that the film was created with a $5million budget. You really would not tell from watching it that it was a budget film because it’s been so well produced. It also struck me how unique it felt in how it was a sci-fi film and yet felt so far away from sci-fi as it studied the psychological nature of a lone human. In that aspect it felt much more human than most sci-fi films do to me, again it’s worth crediting Rockwell for his performance in the film for creating such an effect. As I say, it was a hard film to watch but it’s told so well that it’s totally worth watching and pulling through it because ultimately you’re rewarded with a fantastically told, gripping and emotionally draining experience.

Summary: It definitely won’t be to everyone’s tastes but I’d recommend it to all just for Sam Rockwell doing what he does so well in this film and that’s being such a convincing actor. The story felt quite different but remained totally engrossing, but the harsh nature of the storytelling and how quiet the film felt, as well as the lone nature of the protagonist added to how hard it seemed to watch. Claustrophobic, challenging but totally immersive.