We all know the Duke is coming back soon and 2K has been hyping him up with some sweet trailers. We seen him play with poop and even busting some aliens in the face so what else more do you need in a Duke Nukem game? How about some beautiful CG girls to go along with it.
2K’s new Duke Nukem Forever trailer features girls who just want to let the Duke feel the way he deserves like a freaking king. Looks like Duke will have his hands full, hopefully for the Duke has brought some protection for that gun of his. Take a look at the trailer here below.
Genre: Comedy/Mystery/Thriller Director: Alfred Hitchcock Starring: Margaret Lockwood, Dame May Whitty, Michael Redgrave, Naunton Wayne, Basil Redford Running Time: 96 minutes Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($34.95)
Overview
Hitchcock is as much of a household name as Britney Spears, but for most of us it is his later work that rings a bell: the likes of Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho spring to mind. With the Hollywood suspense films and psychological thrillers it can be easy to overlook the director’s earlier period of filmmaking, although many of them are just as intriguing, suspenseful, and insightful as his later works.
One of the films from the director’s great British period is The Lady Vanishes: one part mystery, one part political, one part romance…and all parts fantastic. The DVD re-release by Madman allows audiences to watch the classic 1938 film, but also includes plenty of goodies for the collector in us.
Plot
A trademark of Hitchcockian films is suspense, and this film is about that from the very beginning. While it doesn’t incorporate as many psychological twists as his latter films (think Psycho, or Vertigo), it still has enough of that good ol’ action and mystery to keep you interested from start to finish.
The story begins at a small hotel, where travellers on a transcontinental train have been delayed due to an avalanche. A variety of passengers stay here overnight, including the heroine Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), the elderly Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty), Gilbert the musician (Michael Redgrave) and British cricket enthusiasts Caldicott (Naunton Wayne) and Charters (Basil Redford). Iris befriends Miss Froy after a complaint about the ruckus upstairs, and the next day they both encounter each other after Iris bumps her head while boarding the train. The two have a sit in the same carriage and, after tea and a nap, Iris awakes to find that Miss Froy is no longer in the carriage and the other passengers claim that Miss Froy never got on the train. A psychiatrist on the train believes that Iris’ head injury meant she imagined the entire situation, but Iris believes there is something much more sinister afoot.
I should tell audiences who aren’t big Hitchcock fans that his films never include supernatural elements: there is always some form of psychological or mystery twist, which makes the plot even more intriguing because it either is all in Iris’ head, or there is something larger going on than what Iris and the viewer knows. The film can be a tad confusing to follow because the sound quality is not as crisp as modern cinema, but overall there’s plenty of mystery and suspense for all to enjoy. The biggest plus point I had to make was that it wasn’t an overly heavy plotline: while the storyline seems to be very serious, there’s plenty of comedic moments to enjoy and plenty of romantic moments too, if that’s what you’re after. The film also has a few underlying political tones (keep in mind it was made just before Britain’s entry into World War I) which is always a bonus for those who like to see the historical context of things.
Characters
While the main protagonists are Iris and Gilbert, there are many other characters who enjoy plenty of time in the spotlight. Some are there for entertainment and a bit of political commentary (i.e. the two British cricket enthusiasts) but the majority of the characters are vital to the contribution of the storyline in some way. This is very rare for any film, because many characters truly do tend to just be a support role but in The Lady Vanishes, everyone is there for a purpose.
Iris is spunky, spoiled, and stubborn. While she’s awesome to look at because she’s definitely one of those beautiful classic film women, she can get very irritating and a little bit whiny at times (think of everything that is a feminist’s nightmare, and put it into one person…that’s Iris). I far preferred Gilbert because he was funny, entertaining, and he didn’t take life as seriously as she did. He is first introduced in the film at the hotel, where he is causing the noise from upstairs by playing his clarinet. While he comes across as a little bit obnoxious, it really does end up growing on you. However, I have to say that my favourite was – hands down – Miss Froy. She’s like the grandmother you wish you had who would give you fresh cookies and buy you all these cool things. There’s a lot more to Miss Froy than what meets the eye though, and towards the end of the film you find out her back story which makes her that much more awesome.
The rest of the characters are pretty much just ‘there’; I didn’t feel much of a connection to them but none of them really irritated me either besides the psychiatrist and the other people in Iris and Miss Froy’s carriage. All of the characters are brilliantly portrayed by their respective actors, although a few do have a tendency to get overdramatic at times.
Visual and Audio
Because this is an old film, the image and sound quality is less than desirable. It is a black and white film – although not silent, which can make films difficult to watch – and it’s quite obvious that sound technology had not been perfected yet. While the technical issues don’t interfere with the overall experience of the film, it does make it slightly frustrating to watch at times. Of course, it’s in no way Hitchcock’s fault and these can be overlooked fairly quickly.
Special effects were most definitely not even half as advanced as they are in this day and age, but some effects were far better than what I had expected. There were great simulations of the train passing another train while Iris looked out of the carriage, and that exhilarating feeling of being so close to another moving vehicle is conveyed quite well. On the down side though, gunshots and shots of people dying are not very realistic at all, so don’t watch this film if you’re searching for a bit of a blood-splattered action film. I noticed that when I was watching the film though, these became secondary to the suspense that was occurring on screen – it truly is a testament if audiences can watch the film today and still find it exciting and thrilling.
The audio is really where this film trips up a bit, and it can be a little annoying in some places. As I mentioned before, a few of the characters seem to have problems speaking properly and all their words just turn into a massive jumble. Even more frustratingly though, there are moments of silence where no one is talking and it is actually dead silent: no background noise or anything. This latter part can most definitely be attributed to the technology available at the time, but the muttering of the characters can make it hard to follow the story at times.
DVD Extras
This is where the DVD for The Lady Vanishes truly shines. The DVD comes with audio commentary by Dr Brian McFarlane, an essay about the surrealism of the film, and the original theatrical trailer. Now, I know that an essay and audio commentary really doesn’t sound that exciting, but there are two good things about it: firstly, the audio commentary really helps if you want to find out a bit more about the film, its political undertones, and the actors, and secondly, the essay means the DVD comes with a booklet (hooray for us collectors!).
While Dr Brian McFarlane is not the best commentator in the world, he knows his stuff and upon rewatching the film with his commentary, I found a lot of new aspects of the film had emerged for me. Also, it’s very helpful to have him explaining certain moments that I didn’t quite understand on my first viewing. The essay on the film is interesting, but not vital to read. It gives some good insights, but unless you’re a major Hitchcock film buff, you won’t appreciate it much. The original theatrical trailer is always worth watching though, just for a glimpse of how Hitchcock advertised his films back in the 1930s.
Final Comments
The Lady Vanishes is a great Hitchcockian work, with a ton of extras to make every film buff or general purchaser happy. The film is definitely worth watching to get an insight into Hitchcock’s British period, and the DVD is a great gift for a grandfather or father who loves the ol’ mystery and suspense films.
As previously mentioned on Capsule Computers, Bethesda studios have announced a release date for Prey 2 sometime in 2012. Despite the fact that 2K games have nothing to do with the franchise anymore, Human Head studios remain as developers and according to Chris Rhinehart, the project lead are very excited to be working with Bethesda on this title. Prey 2 will offer gamers a look at a new facet of the Prey universe, including fast paced first person action in a new alien environment. For those who have forgotten between now and 2006 when the original Prey was launched, the game is focused around Tommy Towadi, who taps into his ancient birthright powers after being abducted aboard an alien mothership, in order to save his family and the world.
Bethesda studios have announced they will be releasing much information especially surrounding the sequels connection to the original. Until then here is a Screenshot, custom piece and trailer to enjoy. Prey 2 will be coming to all platforms including PC, PS3 and XBox 360. Check out the Prey 2 Facebook page and keep updated with latest updates for the game.
Love Might and Magic but wish it would come to Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 already? Well, Ubisoft have released new gameplay videos for their upcoming PSN and XBLA game, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD.
There are two gameplay videos that were released: Basic Tactics on Playstation Network, and Advanced Tactics on XBLA. The game is similar to the Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes game that was released on the DS in 2009, combining a role playing, turn based strategy game with a puzzle game. The basic tactics video covers the simple gameplay strategies, such as creating walls and and attacking, while the advanced tactics video demonstrates the special abilities that can be used by different factions, as well as units in combat.
Check out the Basic Tactics video at the Ubisoft site here, or have a peek at the Advanced Tactics video below.
Mama had herself a busy year last year while taking up crafting and babysitting, but it looks like she is set to return to her cooking roots this fall. As how leaks typically happen these days, a listing on Gamestop.com has revealed Cooking Mama 4 for the Nintendo 3DS.
Each Cooking Mama title usually adds in some kind of new gameplay ingredient to the series, so it will be very interesting when Majesco eventually fill us in on with some news on what to expect with this new title. I personally can easily see the series move to 3D as well as take advantage of the handheld’s new features. For now though all we can do is wait and stay tuned as that date could very just well be a placeholder, but for you 3DS owners who want the cooking guru now, you are in luck as Mama has posted her Mii for all of you to download on the official Facebook Page. Just scan the code below into your 3DS and enjoy, and while your at it don’t forget to “Like” the page to keep up to date on all of Mama’s news and happenings.
Ever wanted to play a pictionary-type game on your mobile device but you’re sick of playing against artificially intelligent players? Well now you can verse anyone you want thanks to Gamevil’s new game Chalk n’ Talk.
Developed by AP Games and Gamevil, Chalk n’ Talk is a real-time online social drawing and word-guessing game that brings players together from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an iOS device and the game of course. Players sketch and guess while trying to beat the clock in order to earn points. These points can then be spent on customising the game with brushes and canvases, which can also be sent as gifts to friends.
For those of you who possess above average artistic abilities and are particularly proud of your drawings, or even if you can’t draw at all and still feel a sense of pride, no need to discriminate we’re all just here to have fun, can submit their images to the world gallery to be rated.
Players can also connect to Gamevil Live from the game to expand their network of friends. Automated matchmaking means that there is always a possibility for new challengers, or if you are more set in your circle of friends you can always open a private chat room.
Chalk n’ Talk is currently out now on the App store and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Click here to download it
Lots of dev diaries flow through the doors of Capsule Computers. Most go through the same old stuff, detailing everything that goes into the game and how motion capture works. But, EA Vancouver has released a dev video that shows off the new hotness in the game. They go through step by step of all that the team wants to accomplish in the game. A second and third video is also promised. If your a fan of SSX, take a look at these trailers and have your faith restored. Keep it locked to learn more about the game, as you can be sure that we will cover it. 😉
Dead Island looks to be a gritty zombie slaying game, and Deep Silver has now released some new info on a character called Sam B. His background, as described by Deep Silver, is below:
“A one-hit-wonder rap star of fading fame, Sam B was booked by the Royal Palms Resort Hotel to perform his well known song “Who do You Voodoo?” at a high profile hotel party. He gladly took the chance to play this gig.
Once strong, self-confident and proud, Sam B has had a troubled past and a history of drug and alcohol abuse, as his private life became caught in a haze of fake friends and bad advisors.
Trying to pick up the pieces and earn some extra cash, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a whole lot of different problems…”
It just doesn’t seem possible to have a video game in the shooter genre that does not have an attractive male lead and a smokin’ hot female companion. Volition has embraced this concept and provided a trailer detailing the new character in the Red Faction franchise, Miss Kara. Check out the trailer below to get a handle on her traits. THQ has also kindly provided some interesting biographies for the other characters in the game. They are included below.
“The Story So Far…
For a time, Mars was free. Following the liberation of the planet from the EDF by Alec Mason, the Martian colonists for the first time controlled their own destiny on the Red Planet. Though not without adversity, the colonies prospered. For the first time on Mars, there was peace…
50 years later, a new enemy not only threatens the colonists’ freedom, but their very existence. Adam Hale, long an enemy of the Mason family, has destroyed the Terraformer, the only thing keeping the surface of the planet habitable, forcing the citizens of Mars underground.
Now, citizens from each faction of Mars will join together to fight this new threat. Kara, a Marauder smuggler, Winters, a hard-nosed Red Faction sergeant, and Darius, the grandson of Alec, come together to free Mars once more in Red Faction: Armageddon, set to release on 2nd June in Australia and New Zealand.
DARIUS
For better or worse, the Masons are the “first family of Mars”—Washington, Jefferson, and Adams all rolled into one, along with the fighting spirit of the Minutemen. Darius is the scion of this legacy, though he never asked for the responsibility or wanted it. He just wanted to be left alone to live his own life, not the one Mars had seemingly demanded of him. He might have succeeded in avoiding the “Mason destiny” if not for Adam Hale and his apocalyptic cult. While doing his tour of duty for the colony, Darius was unable to stop Hale from destroying the Terraformer. The Martian atmosphere quickly deteriorated to the point where only the caverns and deep places of Mars were habitable. While the Colonists didn’t necessarily blame Darius for the disaster, his guilt ate at him, and he was never as comfortable with them as he once was. Darius’s guilt prompted him to spend longer amounts of time alone, seeking out missions that would take him away from settlement life. He learned how to survive by eking out a living from Salvage, how to blend into a crowd, and how to fight. The one thing he couldn’t do was forget or forgive what had been done to him.
KARA
Born a Marauder, Kara is a hard-nosed smuggler who knows both the streets and the world of science. Kara ran away from the regimented hierarchy of the Marauders at an early age. Smuggling goods around Mars and from Earth just seemed a natural course of action, both as an act of defiance and as an easy way to make cash. It was while operating in the underground of Mars that she met Darius. Aside from their place of birth, Kara and Darius couldn’t be more different. Darius was a hard worker who took people at face value; Kara was a sly, sarcastic rebel who trusted few. Darius wanted to live his life and avoid authority; Kara was always looking to pick a fight. They do have one thing in common: they wanted to stay hidden, and through that, a natural friendship was born.
FRANK WINTERS
A sergeant in the Red Faction military, Winters got where he is by being the toughest son of a bitch on the planet. Winters prefers to be in the field with his men, not sitting back in a bunker. He has earned an almost mystical quality among his soldiers… stories of Winters charging headfirst into battle and emerging unscathed are common. Winters is physically imposing and carries himself with a “no-nonsense” attitude. Winters is all business, and if you jeopardize his mission in any fashion there will be hell to pay.
ADAM HALE
Adam Hale’s father was an EDF captain killed by Alec Mason during the Revolution of 2125. Hale was raised by EDF survivors abandoned on Mars. In 2150, Hale’s White Faction launched a new war against the Colonists. Red Faction forces led by Alec Mason and his son Jake defeated Hale. Hale vanished after the Battle of Bakhuysen Trench. Years later, he returned as the messiah to a band of violent Marauder separatists. Hale’s Cultists claim he joins the mystical Martian past to a glorious future. Others see a madman who would destroy the planet to rule it.”
Honey and Clover Collection 1 Tag Line: Love, Life, Education!? Produced by: J.C. Staff Run time: 325 minutes in 12 Episodes and Bonus Features Language: English, Japanese Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($59.95), Amazon US ($42.49), Amazon UK (£23.97)
Overview:
Most anime are based off of some form of previous media from Japan when they are created. Now the benefit of creating an anime that was based off of a popular manga or light novel offers a number of advantages. Occasionally the anime will be created shortly into the other media’s life which means that there are often a lot of filler episodes which detract from the end product. Sometimes this is not the case and Honey and Clover is an example of that.
Now Honey and Clover was created as a manga originally by Chika Umino back in 2000. An anime was then produced by J.C. Staff in 2005, a full five years into the publication of the monthly manga. Now Madman Entertainment has brought the series to Australia. With its slice of life basis with a mix of drama, romance and comedy placed into the kiln does Honey and Clover offer fans of those genres a true piece of art?
Story:
The story centers around five different characters who happen to all be attending an art college in Tokyo. Three of these characters are Yūta Takemoto, Takumi Mayama and Shinobu Morita. All three of these men live in the same apartment complex as one another. Despite the quirks of Shinobu they manage to make it through as well as college students living on their own can imagine.
Now one day they are introduced to a young girl named Hagumi Hanamoto who is related to their art professor Shūji Hanamoto. Hagumi is a first year student but happens to also be an artistic genius. Things would normally carry on as though nothing ever happened, except both Yūta and Shinobu fall in love with Hagumi at first sight. Despite these two being “friends” a love triangle has formed between the two.
While Takumi may not have fallen in love with Hagumi, he has problems of his own. Ayumi Yamada, a woman also attending the art school in the field of pottery, happens to love Takumi even though Takumi does not reciprocate her feelings; instead he is in love with his boss Rika Harada, forming yet another love triangle. The story then follows these five characters as they try to sort out their feelings and make their way through their college lives and graduate.
Now it is worth taking note that this is only the first collection of 12 episodes from the original 24 episode series, meaning that the storyline doesn’t truly wrap up at the end of the last episode, instead carrying into Collection 2 which will be released by Madmen at a later date. Moving on from that the first twelve episodes help lay the ground work of the rest of the series by introducing the characters and situations to the viewer and providing enough time for viewers to understand each character.
There are a number of times that viewers will truly feel for the characters in the series thanks to the great writing that is employed in Honey and Clover. The writing goes into great detail about how each character manages situations in their lives, from their art to how they deal with love and friendship. To add more fuel to the emotional fire the topic of unrequited love and the impact this can have on the person not having their feelings returned by the one that they love.
Being a comedy series there is always the problem of balancing how much comedy can be thrown into an episode without it feeling like it is hindering the development of the story as a whole. Honey and Clover manages to balance these relatively well as the series moves on but the first few episodes of the series may leave viewers questioning if they wish to continue watching the series due slow plot development. These episodes construct the base that the rest of the series stands upon but they are unfortunately rather sluggish to get going despite having comedic elements mixed in.
The comedy that is employed by Honey and Clover manages to present an enjoyable viewing experience with plenty of moments that I found myself laughing too. These comedic moments often come from the absurdity of a situation and the interactions between the characters. Whether it is Ayumi’s axe kick being unleashed or Shinobu’s schemes that place the rest of the characters in funny situations the series does produce enough laughs to be enjoyable.
Artwork:
The visual style used by J.C. Staff is something that isn’t often seen any more in most mainstream anime. The anime style uses softer color choices and attempts to stay true to the original artwork that one may find in the actual manga series when it was being published. The overall look makes the series look like it is older than it actually is but creates a nice atmosphere for the themes that are focused on during the story. The artwork that the characters design is impressive to say the least and helps hammer home the fact that they are all following various degrees in an Art School.
Now the character designs can be hit and miss. Each character doesn’t really have a whole lot of features that set them apart from each other besides overall appearance and outfit due to the simplicity of the coloring. The animation is a bit dry and considering the anime is based around the feelings of the main characters there are many times that the scene will shift into an obvious “emotional moment” that is highlighted by a shift in background for no reason than to simply punctuate the moment. Plus the series has a tendency to use chibification often, usually implemented into the comedic moments of the story which can sometimes help provide a laugh on their own but can also be tiresome when overused.
Now although I just mentioned that the characters don’t have a whole lot to set them apart visually, one character does have stand out most obviously and this is Hagumi. Now Hagumi is supposed to be an 18 year old girl, but she is also extremely tiny in appearance. She is more than just tiny however she is basically a loli character that easily passes as a child under the age of ten years old. When this factor is tied in to the fact that Shinobu and Yūta both develop feelings for her, it does raise a creepy flag.
Audio:
Honey and Clover sports a musical soundtrack with most songs being simple low-key affairs that focus on accentuating the dramatic moments happening on screen at the moment. The ending sequence, “Waltz” that often plays a few seconds before the ending animation begins is unimpressive and can be easily forgotten. While the opening song “Dramatic” is a little bit better, it is still the most memorable opening sequence you will come across.
The reason for this is that the entire opening features a green background with a plate in the middle of said background. The plate will then have different pieces of food placed on it through stop motion. Each piece of food depicts something other than what it actually is, such as a hot dog man or dancing spaghetti and is quite impressive to see. Also better watch out for shrimp.
Honey and Clover comes with both the original Japanese dub and the new English dub so it is up to you on which you choose to listen to. As for the English voice actors they do a great job voicing the characters and Hagumi was especially a highlight to listen to as her voice matched her small stature perfectly.
Characters:
As in any slice of life anime, the quality of the show resides in how strong the characters turn out to be and how well they interact with one another. Honey and Clover has an extremely strong cast of characters that meld well with one another and not a single one of them seems out of place in this stellar cast.
Yūta Takemoto who can be seen as the main character of the story is perhaps one of the best examples of a student in college who has to struggle through life. He has multiple insecurities as one would expect from a student who is far away from home and is trying to find out who he really wants to be, especially when you add in the fact that he has fallen in love for perhaps the first time with Hagumi. He is a very subtle character who likes to keep his emotions mostly to himself which can cause the viewer to grow frustrated with his actions as he doesn’t usually act on his feelings. The viewer is given a taste of his inner turmoil and inability to express his feelings for the girl who is more important to him than anyone else in his world.
Hagumi Hanamoto is a small girl who is a very artistic girl but her artistic side has a downside to it. Thanks to often being wrapped up in her work she is very shy and has trouble socializing with those around her. This lack of interaction makes it difficult for her to make any friends as they often only see her as an artist with sculptures around the world in art museums. Her childlike stature makes her the object of Shinobu’s get rich schemes. Hagumi can be hard to relate too and her small stature can leave the audience questioning what her age really is, considering the anime itself seems to forget her age at times as well.
Perhaps one of the most comedic men in the series is Shinobu. He often disappears from the apartment building for many days at a time and doesn’t attend school only to return with a wad of cash. He is extremely eccentric and easy going in life but exhibits amazing artistic talents at the strangest of times, while also being completely spontaneous. Shinobu often thinks up get rich quick schemes, and takes advantage of Hagumi’s small size to create artwork for himself. Despite his immature personality Shinobu is affected by Hagumi greatly and has difficulties actually understanding his own feelings which are different from Yūta who simply can’t express himself.
Wrapping up the rest of the cast we have Takumi Mayama who appears to be the most mature of the group of friends. He is the most reliable and understanding of them all and can be seen as an older brother to Shinobu and Yūta. There is a strange side of him however that causes him to fall in love with his boss, despite his unwilling nature to express how he feels about her. Takumi is the object of Yamada Ayumi’s affection however, leading to the second love triangle. Yamada is the character of much heartache in the series as she expresses herself much more openly than the rest of the cast. Yamada is also called Iron Man by her classmates due to her daily training when she was younger and often expresses herself with violence.
Bonus Content:
Honey and Clover Collection 1 doesn’t come with just the twelve episodes but also a handful of extras. Before I mentioned that the opening sequence was probably the most unique thing you will ever see and this is true. So much so that they provided an extra feature that shows how the foods were created and how they created the opening as a whole. Also on each disc is a Cultural Reference guide which explains various Japanese terms which may not be understandable for first time anime viewers.
Besides a clean version of the opening and ending sequence a bonus episode was included in the two disc collection. Titled Chapter L it follows the characters’ dealings and remembrance of a character named Lohmeyer which is entirely separate from the storyline but is a nice little bonus feature.
Overall:
Many anime titles struggle with the concept of love and how it develops. Most of these titles simply focus on one on one relationships or a harem type with every girl throwing herself at a central main character. Honey and Clover places itself leaps and bounds above the rest of these anime and creates not only an enjoyable piece of romantic comedy but plenty of drama at the same time. With a unique art style not often seen today, Honey and Clover is certainly worth a watch and I will be greatly anticipating the second Collection of episodes.
