Film Review: Heavenly Sword

Back in 2007, the PS3 launched with a number of titles ready to go, one of them being Heavenly Sword. Spring forward 7 years and now it has been turned into a movie…of sorts.

In honesty, this is not the Heavenly Sword that was on the PS3. The story this time focuses of Nariko delivering the sword to their brother Loki, the fabled chosen one. It does appear as if some of the cut scenes from the original game (episodes available explaining the history are included in the story, with some additions to make them viable to this new story). For fans of the game, the familiar characters are here: Nariko, Kai, Bohan, Whiplash, Roach & the Flying Fox, but the story in it’s new form makes it even alien for those who know the game.Anna Torv is the only returning voice actor from original game to reprise her role as Nariko. Andy Serkis has been replaced as the voice of King Bohan by Alfred Molina.

This was apparently originally pitched as a live action series to Syfy and in some instances, it is had gone through, this might have been a better idea. It feels rushed, disjointed with no obviously flow between certain parts almost in desperation to get to the final fight sequence (which was already stunning in the original game). The ending to this hints more at a ‘could there be a sequel’ more so that the game. IF they were to go for it, then there is a chance that is would turn out better than this given they would be constructing a whole new story.

If you had the choice of watching this and playing the game, we’d have to opt with playing the game.

Rating: 2/5

Symphobia // Noc-Turn

Buy @ CDJapan | Buy @ YesAsia (Global)
Buy @ YesAsia (US) | Download @ iTunes Japan

The album opens with the last single, We Are (Feat. Daniel Dice) with a slight addition to the orchestra tune up at the start of the track and additional vocals over this. This is quickly followed by second single, I Do and Rachmaninov. Lightening the mood is the debut single Brand New Day before things are slowed down with the lovely Hungry.

Dark & loud are on the agenda with the track Total Eclipse, again featuring Daniel Dice before we’re back to light & airy with the track I Need Air. Just as quick it’s back to the loud & brash with Play, who’s classical piece (Chopin’s Nocturne) we can’t help feeling has been twisted & distorted into something sinister. 3rd single, What’s Done Is Done is next (see that review here)

We’re not entirely sure what to make of Trigger while SupahFreakinMarvelous & Prove Me brings us back to a more accessible sound. Victory once again features Jade sharing vocals (last heard on What’s Done Is Done) and if we’re honest, we would have swapped this and the final track, Still Standing, featuring Marinoux, again, who featured on What’s Done Is Done, around as Victory has more of a final feeling.

Overall, we’d really like to like this album but we’re struggling to get behind it and we think it comes down to few points: the first is that the majority of the tracks rely heavily on classical pieces and feel that there is just an overload here. The second is that the tracks have too much of a familiarity to each other. Hungry seems a little out of place on the album and we’d love to have seen a few more original tracks like What’s Done is Done just to break the album up a bit more. The third point is simply this: we can’t view this as an album. For us, when listening to tracks mixed with others from other genres altogether, individually, the tracks aren’t that bad. But viewing them together, is when we have issues.

But it’s not all bad. We love Adeesha vocals and think that the duets works well, particularly with Jade & Marinoux as we’ve said previously.While we get a small look at what Adeesha is capable of, it would be interesting to see her step outside of what seems to be a comfort zone as we suspect that there is more to come. There is however a danger of just becoming another voice in the crowd so to speak in doing so. For that reason, we’re going to sit on the fence just now.

Rating: 3/5

Film Review: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Welcome back to the Marigold Hotel! Well actually, we don’t start there. We start in California as Sonny (Dev Patel) and Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) heading to look for investment in Sonny plans to buy a new property & expand his hotel empire. Meanwhile back in Jaipur, our familiar residents appear to be settling in just fine: Evenlyn (Judi Dench) is a fabric sourcer for a company, Douglas (Bill Nighy) is a ‘tour’ guide, Norman & Madge (Ronald Pickup & Celia Imrie) are managing the The Viceroy Club & Carol (Diana Hardcastle) is in the travel agency

And here in lies the problem: Once you’ve been re-introduced, the film seems slow and, in some points, a little dragged out, not the haphazardness of the first one that kept the pace. There are still the laughs though it feels not in as much quantity of the first. The return of Jean (Penelope Wilton) halfway through the film, looking for a divorce from Nighy’s character Night, feels awkward and almost disjointed leaving you feel that there is either a)something missing or b)just an excuse to bring back this particular character. In some instances, if it had only been Douglas’ daughter Laura (played by Claire Price) & not Jean, it may have worked better.

Joining the cast this time around is Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavina Beech (Tamsin Greig) as the newest residents at the Marigold Hotel…but what are they really here for? Thankfully the film divides it time equally between the different characters and their lives rather than sorely being focused on just a few.

 

 

Was a sequel needed? Probably not as the first did finish on a nice little note and left you wondering what did happen next but felt complete. This one however we feel does leave a few unanswered questions and loose ends. As much as we love our friends at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, we are hoping that the plan is to leave things are they are here. There is a danger of ruining a good thing here is a three-qual was to be made. Maybe it’s time we checked out and allowed them to get on with their lives.

Markus Feehily // Love Is A Drug

Download @ Amazon.co.uk | Download @ iTunes

The name might not be familiar to you, but if we were to say drop the u and s from Markus and you’d have a former Westlifer. However, forget what you thought about him and see where he is now, with his debut solo single, Love Is A Drug

We’ll be honest and say that this was not the track that we were expecting, given the route other former members have gone down. This is at the other end of the scale yet feels honest and with a sound that we’re pleasantly surprised to say suits him. The song itself is something that we see fitting in with the musical landscape as it is at the moment.

Well worth taking a punt on and will be interesting to see where he goes from here

Rating: 4/5

Carly Rae Jepsen // I Really Like You

Download @ Amazon.co.uk | Download @ iTunes

It’s been 3 years since we last heard from the Canadian export, but now she’s back with her latest single I Really Like You.

The track itself feels as if it belongs to the 80s with it sound but at the same time there, there is a feeling of familiarity as hints of her debut single Call Me Maybe. Maybe that’s a good thing here given the time that passed since we’ve last heard from her. The only draw back we can see is listeners being annoyed by the constant repetition of really in the chorus (there’s a lot in there).

Rating: 3/5

Cascada // Reason

Download @ Amazon.co.uk | Download @ iTunes

It’s been a far wee while since we’ve heard anything from Cascada, but now they’re back with their latest single, Reason.

From what we can gather, this song was originally released under the alias of Diamond in 2004 but has been given a reworking for the 2015 release under the Cascada name. Knowing this explains why it does sound very much like the early Cascada releases. It is interesting to see them returning to a old sound, but maybe they’re needing to go back to the start to discover where they might have been going wrong

Rating: 3/5