First Impressions Quick-Fire Vol. 1

   If you regularly follow my "first impressions" reviews, I hope you've been enjoying them. :) But even trying to write those short reviews (up to 250 words) is still time-consuming because I sometimes have trouble articulating my thoughts. And lately, I've just been losing my motivation to write them; it's starting to become a chore.
   So, you can go ahead and call me lazy and slack if you want, but the fact that I'll simply have so much to watch in the coming weeks certainly doesn't help matters. It looks like most of the remainder of my year will be spent watching movies. I mean, there's a lot of stuff coming in the cinema, and I still have a shitload to rent – mostly because that six-week period when I was receiving no income and had to cut down almost completely on expenses lost me so much time.
   Anyway, what I've decided to do, at least until the end of this year, is, instead of writing full reviews for every new movie I see, I'll just do brief report every Saturday of what I see each week.
   Up first, however, is another PS3 game I completed quite recently – and this is probably the closest you'll ever see me get to reviewing a game when it's brand new! :D

Far Cry 3 (PS3) 

Far Cry 3 is absolutely fantastic; it's one of my new favourite games. :) The tropical island environment is animated to perfection; it really makes me feel like I'm walking among wild animals. The psychological journey of the main character is completely riveting, as he finds his true calling with the Rakyat people. I love how the gameplay allows me to prioritise stealth over direct combat, and I also love how sometimes a predator can come by and clear out an outpost for you. :D And of course, Vaas steals the whole show: so demented that he's equal parts funny and shit-your-pants scary. It's just a breathtaking game in every respect. My rating: 95%.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns parts 1+2 (2012+2013)

I haven't yet read the graphic novel, but this two-part animated movie really impressed me. It has to be the darkest, most brutally grisly Batman story I've ever seen. But it's also, in just about every respect, the perfect swan song for Batman. I especially like how the two volumes feel very different from each other, especially regarding their set of foes, but are still very well connected. Both volumes feature spectacular climaxes. I do wonder, though, what exactly this "agreement" was that forced superheroes into retirement; maybe it's explained better in the comic. …I don't know what else to say other than, "It's very, very good." My rating: 85%.

   And it's not just the PS3 game I finished recently. :) Here's my take on the book I just finished reading…

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Stieg Larsson)

The big drawback of this book is that it takes a long time to get started. It's over 180 pages before it even gets to the story described on the back cover, and only a handful of scenes before that prove consequential. However, all that build-up does mean it comes as a jaw-dropping shock when it's revealed who the murder victims are, and the mystery aspect of the story that follows is nothing short of brilliant – but I obviously won't spoil all the details. :) All the returning characters are just as compelling as before. So, despite some shortcomings, this sequel is still a success. Oh, and don't expect an ending, because it doesn't have one! My rating: 85%.

   And now for this week's Xtra-vision trio. :)

Epic (2013)

Because this movie has an obvious environmental message, and it's about tiny people living in the rainforest, the comparisons to FernGully are inevitable. And it's every bit as predictable as it sounds. Literally every single plot point is either clichéd or telegraphed – except for a pivotal one that had me seriously questioning if it was ever established. The only thing I kind of liked was how Queen Tara actually does use her control over plants to kick some ass! :) It's thoroughly predictable every step of the way… but I guess it's harmless enough that I'd have no problem with showing it to your kids. My rating: 40%.

World War Z (2013)

I haven't read the book, but I understand this movie misses the point completely: the book was an anthology story about the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. So how's the movie in its own right? I can put it to you in one word: boring! The characters are completely flat, the performances are dull, and the constant use of shaky cam not only devolves the action scenes into an incoherent mess, but is sometimes unforgivably used to censor the violence! Plus, the CG effects, especially all the masses of zombies, just look awful! The ending is really good, though. But that's not enough to save an otherwise monotonous film. My rating: 35%.

Behind the Candelabra (2013)

It's the story of the relationship between Liberace and Scott Thorson. Honestly, I don't have much of an opinion on this one. It all comes down to whether or not you get into the relationship between these two people. It's not so much about being gay as becoming family to each other. But the inevitable downfall becomes apparent pretty early on when the relationship becomes so manipulative, Liberace takes such control over Scott, that he even changes his face! The performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are both excellent. Overall, it's not bad, but it's nothing I'd be in a rush to see again. My rating: 60%.