ORIGINAL VS REMAKE - Broadchurch/Gracepoint

Today ITV's Broadchurch does battle with FOX's Gracepoint.

Original

In 2013 a new series aired on ITV1 about the investigation of a boy's murder in a coastal town in England. I'd seen British crime dramas before, I'd seen  Sherlock and Death in Paradise and that sort of thing so I did actually give this one a miss; what did peak my interest though was the fact that on various websites and forums around the web people were raving about Broadchrurch, the whole of the UK seemed to be entranced with this show. A few months later I got round to watching it and boy, what had I been missing. Broadchurch is one of the most intriguing, emotional, fantastically realistic piece of television I have ever watched, it's plot and characters are so drawing I watched four episodes in one day. It is incredibly well directed, the shots and camera work is beautiful, the script is real, the acting is amazing from everyone. I don't know if it is because I have visited towns like these as I live in the UK (and have actually been to where it was filmed), but I can't get across how real it all felt. Whatever your taste in genre, you need to give Broadchurch a try.

Remake

When I heard there was going to be an American adaption I was disappointed because I am not in favour of films or television being remade for a foreign audience. But because it was the same writer and apparently it would end differently so I decided to check it out. Well, what can I say? Gracepoint is a shot for shot replica of Broadchurch, the scenes are exactly the same, the dialogue is verbatim to Broadchurch and there are very few creative differences. The problem is that it's just not as good, the acting is quite poor, David Tennant's terrible American accent is off-putting and for anyone who saw Broadchurch you could predict every plot point from the word go. I mean, to be fair they did add some new elements, mostly in episodes 4 and 7 and there was a new twist in the finale which were interesting but I'm afraid there was just not enough change for me. Even for new viewers the premise apparently it didn't go down well as the second season has been cancelled.

Comparison

As if I hadn't made it clear already Broadchurch is far superior so for this Original VS Remake, the original wins. Thank you for reading, if you disagree please leave a comment, after all these are just my opinions,

OJ's TV Review - Doctor Who: Last Christmas

Moffat, you haven't redeemed yourself yet, but your on the right path.

So the end of 2014 brings us Peter Capaldi's first Doctor Who Christmas special. It's about a group of scientists trapped on a polar base in the North Pole because of weird alien creatures. To start, I love anything with a premise like that so I knew I was probably going to enjoy this; and I did!
   'Last Christmas' was a really good, solid episode. The plot was really engaging and smart, it had some real good suspense and creepiness. The feel of the episode definitely had vibes from the Alien film (which is acknowledged) and also things like The Thing and even Inception I'm all on board for that and loved the callbacks, so plot wise it was one of the best, except maybe towards the end it started to cross the line but not too much.
   For the characters, this was a good episode, the people on the base seemed realistic and normal, The Doctor has definitely settled into the role and had some great lines of dialogue with Clara who I don't really like but she was good in the episode. And of course Santa Clause himself and his elves. Now, I don't celebrate Christmas but seeing Santa and the Doctor interact was one of the funniest things this year, They did a few back and forth banter which was great and there are definitely some things about Santa we don't know, so maybe a return...? In the end I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and look forward to what series 9 has in store.

9/10

OJ's Movie Review - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Don't lie to yourself, you want a Capuchin monkey too.

You know, Night at the Museum is one of those films where it's not a huge movie, it's not a blockbuster, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just generally not talked about in the film fan world as I've seen it. It is however regarded as a nice family film to sit down and enjoy, so was the second instalment, and this one isn't any different.
  We all know the premise; a special Egyptian tablet makes it possible for all the exhibits in the museum to come to life at night. What I'm glad about is that this third film is not a rehash of the previous two; it's predecessors had a similar theme of a main villain wanting the table,t which were different enough to enjoy but Secret of the Tomb does something completely different with it's plot and execution which is an awesome change I enjoyed a lot. Of course another thing we enjoy with these movies is the actual museum coming to life and they do some really cool stuff with that idea and it's awesome to see these historical figures interact with statues and even paintings!
    They brought us some new characters too which included Lancelot who steals so many scenes and has some great lines, I love that character; also we get Ben Kingsley as King Merenkahre who surprisingly didn't actually have much screen time for a big-name actor. Rebel Wilson as a British security guard didn't quite grab me as the other characters did, she was the comedic relief in what was already a comedy so her presence wasn't really needed and could come off as annoying. In the end Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a fun ride just like the first two, it has some awesome surprises I wasn't expecting and all round a good family film.

8.5/10

R.I.P. Robin Williams

OJ's Game Review - Minecraft

An open-world survival game stylized entirely around blocks and pixels... but you already knew that.

So yes, Minecraft. There wasn't much to see after Interstellar and a few weeks ago I downloaded Minecraft for THE FIRST TIME EVER. Yes I know it's been out for like five years but now I've gotten round to it. I'd heard so much about Minecraft on the Internet, I knew what it looked like and there were a million 'let's plays' on YouTube but for some reason I never went to it. Now though, I cant get enough; Minecraft is addictive. 

     Basic premise is that you have to survive in this huge (infinite?) world where you have to mine for materials and then build houses and tools and fences etc. and that in itself is the kind of thing I enjoy, but the fact that it's all blocks just seems to make it more enjoyable to work with. Of course it's not just a place to build stuff, oh no; you have to survive! You have to eat to stay alive, try not to drown or fall off a cliff, and then at night time... monsters. I hate them all, yes, if your not careful this game can make you smash your computer out of rage. 

     Minecraft brings you the joy and satisfaction of building a life, it gives you the skill and cautiousness from being stalked by these creatures and the awe at the amazing landscapes, portals and detail. Also there is Creative Mode to let your imagination go wild and multiplayer so you can annoy your friends by destroying their house. In the end Minecrat is one of the best games out there in my opinion and I'm glad to have joined this Mining fandom!

6.5/10

OJ's Movie Review - Interstellar

It's not possible, but it's necessary.

  So, Interstellar; the latest film from the brilliant and awesome director Christopher Nolan. When this film was in production it was wrapped up in so much secrecy that hardly anyone knew what the plot was about and the cast was kept fairly under wraps too. Anyway what can I say about a three hour space epic from the same guy who made Inception? Let's start with the things that don't need mentioning because we know what it's like, the acting is perfect, Matthew McConaughey delivers some fantastic scenes of power and emotion which ultimately takes you all through the movie, you're there for him, you want him to succeed; his daughter as well gives out some pretty surprising scenes, the young actress they got was really good. So on an acting front the film was perfect.
      Now do I need to mention the CGI? Nolan tried to use as little as possible and use as much practical effects as he could which worked amazingly well but then when CGI hit your face, you didn't even notice, wow, the visuals of this film are nothing less than stunning, the planets, space, everything looks beautiful.
   The plot is really what drives a film too, Interstellar is a film which isn't for everyone but it is a unique experience for anyone who watches it. It has some obvious inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey but in a good way and it is not a prefect movie in whole. I do have to say it really picks up on the second act, the beginning I felt was quite slow and dragged on a bit and I was hoping it was going to get better, but as soon as they go into the second act it picks up, the story gives you a lot of food for thought, questions that are not very easy to answer and I was definitely thinking about it after the movie ended. Some parts shocked you, some parts will bring you to tears, it is an incredible journey of morals, exploration and desperation.
   The ending I think will split some people, you either love it or hate it; I look at it positively and loved how they depicted certain physical concepts from science. In the end my opinions on it will probably change with every new thought but I will definitely watch it again which says something.

8/10

OJ's TV Review - Doctor Who series 8

Attack eyebrows.

So here we are, the start of another 50 years. Last time we saw the Doctor he turned into an intense older man with a Scottish accent. Of course, it was Peter Capaldi; let's start off with the acting and actors then. Capaldi obviously is a brilliant actor, it took some time to get used to his personality but he came out with some cracking lines and I like his outfit. Jenna Coleman is also really great at acting, I still don't really like her character much but she did some powerful scenes which could easily win an award. We also got some new faces such as Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink which I liked and he was a good character, very realistic and fun to watch; Michelle Gomez played the wonderfully mysterious Missy who was fantastic in her character, a truly evil villain. So on an acting par, Series 8 was great (even the child actors actually).
    Let's get into the plots and episodes now.' Deep Breath' started us off and in my opinion, it wasn't great; I personally dislike the Paternoster Gang so that didn't help and most of it felt like the script was still being written for Matt Smith. After that however, it was one of the best series of Doctor Who since the revival, I really enjoyed the majority of the episodes, 'Robot of Sherwood' was funny, 'Listen' was scary, and 'Mummy on the Orient Express' was my favourite. So yeah, even the series arc that stretches over the episodes was good.
    Eventually we got to the finale and wow, it got dark quick, the subject matter even got a few complaints and was quite a sensitive subject; I thought the plot itself was good and I enjoyed it except some parts of 'Death in Heaven' which I'm not comfortable with. As a whole though the 34th series of Doctor Who was good beginning for a new chapter.

8/10

OJ's BIT Review - 2001: A Space Odyssey

I can't even.

Sometimes there are films made where it splits it's audience into two categories: those who get the film, it's ideas and everything about it; and those who don't get it at all and view it in quite a negative light. This is one of those films.
   I can guarantee that this film is unlike anything you've ever seen in your life; it is a unique piece of cinema and an outstanding historical achievement of the film industry. But goodness me, this isn't for everyone. The plot is anyone's guess but it's set in space. The thing is the cinematography is so unique and amazing, especially for the 60's, you can see that it has obviously influenced films from then on even to today. The problem is though, it's just so boring! The majority of the film is made up of very long, extended shots of space, or the ship, or travelling through another dimension with these epic pieces of music behind it. If your into classical music, or that genre of the arts then this is amazing. But for the majority then this is a very slow, long and uninteresting 160 minutes of your life.
   The only positives I have to say is that the H.A.L. 9000 computer is the best part and the special effects are pretty good even now. In the end I'm not surprised that 241 people left in the middle of the premier but glad it exists because it's inspired so many of the biggest blockbusters that we've come to know and love.

3/10

OJ's Movie Review - The Maze Runner

A young adult novel being adapted to film? Never had one of those before...

  So yes, The Maze Runner is the latest in a genre that tries, and sometimes succeeds, to get teenagers to give their cash. I've watched trailers for them over the years but then I learnt about this film and it actually sounded interesting; I haven't read the book so this review is going off just what I saw in the movie.
   To start off, the storyline, it's about a guy who finds himself in a large field surrounded by a giant maze, and he's not the first to appear there, there is a whole community that has been built by these young adults who have also had their memories wiped and are in this field. This film certainly gave you the feeling of isolation, the CGI was pretty good for the most part so the walls and the maze looked awesome, the plot had few good twists, although maybe some were a little predictable, and for at least the first two acts it was a solid movie, it had tense chase scenes, strong characters and I enjoyed it. Some of the dialogue was a little hard to swallow, nobody could seem to answer questions straight forward, it was always a vague command or statement.
    Of course there has to be a resolution to all this and that becomes the last 20 minutes or so. Without going into spoilers, I was a little surprised how after the revelation the entire tone of the movie changed; some people are going to hate it, I'm on the fence currently but it just seemed odd; especially the fact that they were almost to the point of looking at the audience and saying "Please let there be a sequel!". Apart from that though I enjoyed The Maze Runner's mystery and thrilling dark moments and the I couldn't really fault the special effects so from me, this movie gets:

6/10

OJ's Book Review - Exposure

Let's expose my thoughts on this novel.

So Exposure is the 4th book in a series of young adult novels written by Kathy Reichs. If you've read the previous one, Code, then you'll know it had an awesome climax involving a serial killer, the beginning of this book carries that on a bit showing the court case and after effects which to me was a mistake, it would be very confusing for new-commers and to be honest I couldn't remember the finer details of the last few pages of Code so a few references went over my head.
     After that is all over with we get into the plot. The main focus in Exposure is basically a kidnapping; the Virals also start having problems with their powers but that's secondary to the criminal investigation they've decided to take upon themselves. The book flowed mostly smoothly with just a few plot pauses here and there but the tension at the end kept the book glued to my hands. There were also a few humorous points and some cool references to pop culture and the like.
     The only major thing I can criticize about it is that it feels like it went really mild in terms of story. The first book was great with the characters learning their powers and that, the second had a big treasure-hunt adventure and the third involved geocaching, a hurricane and a sweet twist near the end but Exposure didn't really feel amazing, it felt very average. Even their powers took a break a lot of the time because of {spoilers}. In the end it was a good read but inferior to the previous three.

6/10

ORIGINAL VS REMAKE - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This Original VS Remake takes you to a world of pure imagination.

Original

In 1971 Roald Dahl's unique book was adapted to the big screen and fascinated a generation. The film was called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Gene Wilder created an iconic depiction of the titular character. I really like this film, it's warm and actually really funny; Wilder delivers some cracking lines that wouldn't look out of place in today's comedy movies. It has a solid story, you enjoy watching the characters interact with the factory and for it's time it has some pretty good practical effects. A true classic.

Remake

Along comes 2005 and with it a film that actually has the same title as it's source material, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Johnny Depp becomes the chocolatier and popular child actor Freddie Highmore is Charlie Bucket. Unlike the original, this adaptation does stick much closer to the book and obviously CGI makes for some awesome visuals along with more of a science fiction feel than the original's fantasy vibe. Johnny Depp's Wonka though is where I think it fails, his portrayal makes him seem very weird and even a bit mentally unstable, which I guess what comes when you have Tim Burton directing. 

Comparison

I'm glad that the 2005 adaptation stuck closer to the book with making the setting British again and using the actual songs (which were pretty catchy) but in the end Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory caught the imagination of many audiences and so today the original wins.

OJ's Game Review - LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

I love Marvel. I love LEGO. What else is there to say?

So LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was released late 2013 which is when I bought it and planned to review it; unfortunately I didn't read the PC specifications and basically I couldn't play it on my then-current  laptop. So eventually I got a new laptop and here we are!

   This game is your basic LEGO game, you collect studs, you unlock characters, etc. But this time it's Marvel! These characters are awesome, you can fly, you can shrink, you can grow, throw fire, ice, electricity. It's just a roller coaster of powers that you love exploring. The mechanics are nice and smooth, easy to get a handle of. The animation is amazing, the movements of Spider-Man swinging or the transformation from Bruce Banner to the Hulk look incredible. Some of the characters can be a bit generic like construction workers or enemy minions but the majority of the people have unique powers from the X-Men, Avengers, Sinister Six, you have them all. 

    It does have a plot mode which isn't bad. It has some good comedic lines and some of the cinematography was definitely influenced by the films. Also the music, the music in this game is really good, especially when you jump off the Helicarrier. The only down-side I would have to point out was the repetitiveness, because there are so many things to collect you have to redo levels over and over again which for me took some of the joy away. In the end though, this is the first LEGO game of this type I've bought and I am a satisfied customer.

9/10

OJ's TV Review - Falling Skies season 4

This is not a world I would like to live in.

So TNT's Falling Skies has reached it's 4th season, where can they go now? Well if you remember last season we were introduced to the character of Lexi, a human-alien hybrid and daughter of Tom Mason; this year she is grown up due to her extra terrestrial DNA and she is the main plot of the season.
   When the season began various characters were quickly thrust into one of four story arcs; I felt this was weird, I thought that each story arc was going to drag over the whole season and then meet in the finale. Fortunately that isn't what happened, although some of the arcs were interesting they dispersed with them around episode 5 and it got into the main focus of Lexi. Now Lexi did have a solid and complete story, but I, and I know others do, didn't really care. Lexi just never caught my interest, she never did anything which I really wanted to follow. Her story does allow us to see some new things concerning the Espheni though and that was cool to see; the series definitely looks like it has had a budget rise. All the main characters were on top form though, and we even had to say goodbye to some; a couple of new faces joined as well and they were fun to watch. After all that though I'd say it was an improvement on the last season with a good finale cliffhanger but still not quite as good as the first two seasons.

7/10

OJ's BIT Review - A Trip To the Moon

For this special Back In Time review I will be looking at the first film ever made.

Originally called Voyage dans la Lune, this film was made in 1902 and is considered to be the first actual film made - of course the definition of film is up to you as the first ever motion picture was back in 1878 - but this is a movie specifically shot to entertain an audience, it had a plot, characters and special effects.
   The story consists of a group of astronomers (who seem to resemble wizards) who travel to the moon and then meet alien beings. Although compared to today's films it could seem quite boring this just shows how it all began, and to an audience in the early 20th century elements of this could be creepy and strange as it had never been done on this scale before. I think A Trip To the Moon just shows us how far we've come in the last century; just over 100 years of cinema and we have CGI, 3D, motion-capture, fantastic concepts that really did seem alien in 1902. This film has also inspired much pop culture media as well and the most well-known is probably the 2011 film Hugo which stars Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliés - the creator of A Trip To the Moon, that film in its own right is fantastic but it's nice to see the roots of cinema, and what it looked like. So if you've got about 12 minutes to spare then I recommend you watch this 1902 icon, you can find it on YouTube easily, then you can contemplate that you can watch footage that was shot over 100 years ago.

9/10

The OJ Reviews 2nd Anniversary

Well hello there. It's been two years since I started this little website and already I've done 104 reviews! If you're new to my site then welcome, and these anniversary posts just show you some site stats, changes to the site and upcoming reviews.

Stats

Numbers

Page views of all time - 23, 558

Comments of all time - 7

Total Members - 9

Top Three Countries that visit The OJ Reviews - 

1. United States (11434)
2. United Kingdom (3437)
3. Germany (1109)

Posts

First Ever Post - OJ Reviewing: Megamind (http://bit.ly/1nQ3SN5)

Most Viewed Post Ever - OJ's TV Review - Person of Interest season 2 (http://bit.ly/1rapOFd)

Longest Review Ever - OJ's Movie Reviews - Transformers 1, 2 & 3 (http://bit.ly/V6Yrlj)

Shortest Review Ever - OJ Reviewing: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (http://bit.ly/1c4lpvT)

Changes to the Site

Right, now the only things I'm changing about The OJ Reviews is just the way I review media.

First off, when I write my review instead of keeping it in one big chunk of text, I'll split it up into paragraphs making it easier to read and separating different thoughts or opinions.

  Secondly, the rating system, I've tried going by words or descriptions for the past year and I didn't really feel it showed my ultimate conclusion accurately enough so now I'll simply be doing it out of ten, which will look like this:

10/10

 

Upcoming Reviews

After this post I will be doing a Back In Time review of what's considered the very first film ever made. After that I plan on reviewing films such as Kingsman: The Secret Service starring Colin Firth, also The Judge with Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan's space epic Interstellar. With television I'll be looking back on season 4 of Falling Skies, Peter Capaldi's first run in Doctor Who and next year I have a whole load of Marvel including Agent Carter and Daredevil. With games I'm still planning on LEGO Marvel Superheroes which is late due to a technical fault and the only book I'm reading is Exposure so expect those soon!

Shoutouts and Thanks

I'd like to thank two people who gave me a shoutout in the past year those were Hayden Lang on his website 52 Movies in 52 Weeks and also @primeval_official on Instagram gave a shoutout to one of my Primeval reviews so thanks guys! 

So that's basically it for this anniversary post; I always enjoy doing my reviews and get great pleasure when I see new members start to follow or even people commenting and giving a +1! Don't forget, The OJ Reviews is also on Instagram, Google Plus, Rotten Tomatoes, Tumblr, and Pinterest - links at the very bottom of the website. Bye!

OJ's Top 5 TV Series That Lasted 1 Season

You know the story, a new television show starts, it looks pretty good. You start watching and half-way through you're really getting into it, and then just a few days later it's announced that it has been cancelled, usually due to low ratings. Well, to celebrate the two year anniversary of The OJ Reviews, here is my list of the top 5 TV series I enjoyed watching until getting brutally cancelled after just one season.

5. Alacatraz

2012's Alcatraz starred Sam Neill (from Jurassic Park) and some other people; the basic premise was that in the 60s all the prisoners in Alcatraz just disappeared, now in the 21st century they've started reappearing and committing crimes. A detective woman and some author start to solve the mystery. From what I remember it wasn't that bad, the actors were your basic television acting but the story, the start off with, was compelling; it was very episodic with your inmate-of-the-week style pattern but with a loose story-arc or two I watched week after week. Now in the end it got cancelled which unfortunately made for a rushed ending and bit of a lame finale. If they had carried on it could have gotten better as it had potential. 

4. Terra Nova

Famous for being the"most expensive television show ever made" Terra Nova came to us in 2011 and was about a colony of humans from the far future who had travelled back in time to the age of the dinosaurs due to there being nowhere to live. I really liked Terra Nova, the concept was cool, the world was interesting, the overall story-arc was a little weak but the individual stories weren't to shabby and the visual effects were for the most part pretty good, I remember watching a huge Spinosaurus and thinking that it was some good CGI. If you wanted some hard sci-fi complete with future tech and dinosaurs then this was the thing to watch. In the end, production costs were too high for view ratings so low and thus it was ended.

3. Almost Human

This year came a new police crime investigating series starring non-other than Karl Urban, a face already known to sci-fi fans. Unlike other series of this genre though, Almost Human is actually set in the future of 2048 which makes for some interesting stories because it isn't just modern crimes with the future as a backdrop, the crimes committed fully embrace the futuristic technology. The characters as well are entertaining; the banter makes you laugh, the script is pretty solid and apart from a very weak series arc due to it's cancellation, I would have definitely watched season 2.

2. Firefly

I know, many people would put this at number 1 on a list like this and I don't blame them; Firefly was a Joss Whedon creation and was about a crew of criminals zooming about space looking for jobs. It had great humour, the stories were solid, characters you took to and just a really unique television series. Unfortunately the Fox channel messed some things up and it never got renewed; there was film to wrap things up but it wasn't as good and a lot of potential had to go to waste.

1. No Ordinary Family

In 2010 No Ordinary Family was brought to our screens; the cast included a few familiar faces and it was all about superpowers. It was good family sci-fi drama, it was fun, enjoyable and the special effects for the powers were good. I liked the relatable tone and the comedy blended well with the serious story-arc. All together it had 20 episodes and I really wish it hadn't have been cancelled. I think it if it was on TV now it would do better as the superhero genre is very big at the minute but No Ordinary Family, along with Firefly, I'd really like to see return.

Well, that's my list. Do you agree with me? What shows do you want to return? You can comment below if you want or give this post a +1 if you enjoyed and share it if you think someone else will too. Thanks for reading; bye!

OJ's Movie Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

I am Groot.

Guardians of the Galaxy. For me, one of the most anticipated movies of the year; it's set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but features characters that the majority of us have never even heard of. I was very excited going in to this so lets review. The basic premise is that a group of criminals, of various degrees, join together to stop a villain from destroying a world, I know, it sounds like a lot of sci-fi films, but that's it! This movie has so many science fiction elements but no where does it ever feel like a rip-off, it is most definitely it's own thing. I'll start with the story, as I just said it covers some familiar ground but it does it so uniquely it is extremely entertaining, from not just a plot view but also nostalgia from the great sci-fi epics you love; you do get a Star Wars feel, and then you start getting a Star Trek vibe and even Indiana Jones for some of it; but because James Gunn does a fantastic job writing and directing it is comprised of brilliantly unique twists and scenes and characters that any comedy/sci-fi fan will love. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill was entertaining, Zoe Saldana was both interesting and fun as an alien assassin; of course the voice work to both Rocket and Groot were top notch with Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively. Even the wrestler-turned-actor was really good in his role as the very literal Drax bent on revenge for his family and delivered some awesome lines. Talking of lines, the dialogue in this movie is the best; the comedy, the tone, the banter it all works, definitely a few laugh out loud moments. Obviously it's a Marvel movie so the special effects are some of the best you're going to see, with mixing huge real sets with visually stunning CGI of space, and worlds and the colours are very pleasing to the eye. The only bad things I've heard about this movie was that it had a weak villain but for me Ronan had a very powerful presence, I feel that a lot of villains in the MCU have been quite weak (with the exception of Loki and possibly Red Skull) but this guy I enjoyed, he felt like a threat. My personal gripe with the movie was only very minor, first off, the beginning had a very dramatic scene and then literally seconds after it went full comedic which I thought was an awkward transition and secondly was Thanos, he was OK in the plot but Josh Brolin's american accent I felt was very obvious for an alien titan and took me out of the movie slightly. Apart from that Guardians of the Galaxy was, and always will be, AWESOMENESS.

OJ's Movie Review - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This movie is actually the definition of intense.

I've been looking forward to this film for while, back when I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes I thought that it was such a well made movie and looked forward to where it was going. Now I finally get to see what has become of Ceaser and his tribe, and boy did I.  Dawn starts off showing us an average day in this society the apes have built up in the last 10 years; and that just to start off was fascinating, the shots you see, the feel of it all is just unlike anything you've ever seen. Soon after you start getting the plot, the humans need to get to a big dam to restore power but the forest of the apes blocks their way. Now through the various interactions between apes and humans you are holding your breath just hoping for both their sakes every single meeting between them goes well, you can feel the power of such a sight of these apes and how scary they must be; even within the ape tribe itself you see trust issues start with one of the apes - the incredibly freaky-looking Koba. You can also see from the humans apocalyptic camp how they're getting so desperate you know that the climax isn't going to be nice. Now with this story you may start predicting certain events but after jut a few more scenes you realise the plot is going a completely different way, there were most definitely a few surprises in there for me, so as whole, the storyline was fantastic. The actors themselves, well, who can fault Andy Serkis, the king of motion-capture does an excellent job, I love how realistic this apes moved and look, just great; the humans although weren't bad actors I just wasn't as involved in their lives as I was the apes, I had been with Ceaser longer so these new people we had to like just were OK, not bad but nothing special.  Of course I have to touch on the special effects, the CGI in this movie was out of this world, some of the things you see I probably couldn't distinguish between physical prosthetics. The feel and tone of this film is so unique you come out the cinema thinking 'wow'. The only critique I have is probably that there are one or two cliché events or lines of dialogue but in the end Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was AWESOMENESS.

OJ's Movie Review - Transformers: Age of Extinction

I think I may be watching this franchise just out of habit now.

So after the first three Transformer films we were told that was it, end of a trilogy but nope, here is yet another Transformers. Now I really didn't like the last one, Dark of the Moon I thought was just a bad movie in general and didn't really want to see any more, but then like many others I hear of the cast change and I like Mark Wahlberg so I decided to give this a try. First off, this movie goes to some very different places than what we've seen, not only does it feel different because of the cast but the concepts and ideas that they touch on or imply change this franchise drastically; although I still think the first movie is the best out of them all this movie has elements that seem to be headed on the right track, there aren't really any generic giant robots that are used as cannon fodder, this movie, like the first, gives you defined recognisable characters, both heroes and villains. The new Autobots had their own personalities and the main villain had an interesting character; then there's the humans, Wahlberg was great in his role and his family were an enjoyable group to watch, Stanley Tucci was awesome and even Kelsey Grammer was a good government baddie. The comedy has improved too, like the first movie I genuinely laughed at some of the jokes, I mean you still get some Michael Bay unrealistic humour which is a bit awkward but what do you expect. Now that brings me to some negative points, it is after all a Michael Bay Transformers movie, the explosions are over-the-top I mean to the point where you think every battle is the climax, way to much. And then there's that thing that the third movie started doing and that was giving the robots saliva and blood. I mean so it's supposed to be oil or alien liquid but what robots vomit or spit? It's a problem I find annoying anyway. By the way there are two plots in this film, the main one about this alien bounty hunter/pirate, I didn't mind, the second one about some secret science project I wasn't a fan of, it seemed a bit unnecessary and then they did a twist near the end which I was not a fan of so yeah, Transformers: Age of Extinction is still very much like the others and even 20 minutes of Dinobots didn't help; the first act was brilliant and then it started to go downhill but in the end it left open some intriguing plot points and IT WAS OK-.

OJ's Movie Reviews - Transformers 1, 2, & 3

Well Michael Bay's fourth installment of his robotic franchise comes out this month so I've decided to review the previous three.

To start off we'll go straight to 2007's Transformers, I went to see this at the cinema with my dad and a few others and basically we loved it. The dialogue was funny, the action was awesome to watch, the story was nice and solid, characters seemed real, it was just a really fun movie, I enjoyed everything about it from start to end; so there are a few mistakes, but what movie doesn't? I bought it straight on DVD when it came out and I still have it now. Two years later and I watch a trailer to it's sequel...
  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen arrived in 2009 and I once again saw it at the cinema and came away feeling slightly disappointed, although it was not as good as the first it was still an enjoyable watch; the humor varied to weather it was funny or not, the villain was evilly cool looking but was weak character-wise, and the action was more exaggerated which took away from the movie somewhat - so apart from some annoying side-characters (I'm looking at you Skids and Mudflap) the movie wasn't as terrible as some critics make it out to be. The third movie however...
  Finally in 2011 we got Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It was supposed to be the epic finale of it all, ending a trilogy so of course you had to up the stakes and they did that by basically getting hundreds more Decepticons and tech, trying to destroy Earth and giving Shia LaBeouf a new girlfriend. This film was really a mess, the first half was bit rocky, didn't quite know what it was doing with mixing some dark Apollo 11 plot and awkward, bland jokes that just didn't work, the second half of the film you struggled to keep an eye on what was going on, so much destruction, special effects, death, explosions, it was mess, and although it does have an Avengers/Dark Knight Rises kind of vibe and visuals it's nothing compared to those. And for some reason getting Leonard Nemoy to voice one of the baddies means you have to stick as many Star Trek references and quotes as you can into it.  Poor, poor film-making.
  In the end it went from good to average, to dire. I hope Transformers: Age of Extinction will be better with the new cast as the trailers make it look quite new and interesting.

OJ's Game Review - Pause Ahead

So like my last game review this is another indie PC game you can play online. It does come with a warning though: "This game may be quite difficult. Play at your own risk!"

  Pause Ahead is a very clever game designed by Tadakuni Amano which uses clever concepts to complete the game. It's a platform game and has many levels including some secret ones you have to find. It also has a story too it, as the description says: 'You’ve woken up in a strange place with the eerie feeling that you’ve been here before. Conquer the treacherous traps by running, jumping and using your power of pausing to get ahead. Just remember: once you pause, there is nothing you can do to change your path. Let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully not directly onto a spike.' The tone of the game is quite creepy and very well done. The graphics are 8bit so you get an old style visual as well. And as for the gameplay, well sometimes it can be surprisingly easy and other times it can frustrate you to death. Along the way you can unlock up to 20 achievements and find some cool stuff. It's been likened to the game Portal a lot and people have even said they'd buy it if it was on Steam. In the end I thought this little game was a 8/10 - I'D PLAY IT AGAIN.

LINK: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/628969

OJ's Movie Review - X-Men: Days of Future Past

Do you realize that since the release of the first X-Men film both Spider-Man and Superman have been rebooted, twice?


First it was a trilogy, then there was a prequel, and then a separate prequel, and then a spin-off from the trilogy and now we have... a reboot? X-Men: Days of Future Past is the 7th movie in the X-Men franchise, a franchise that's been on our screens for fourteen years; it's had some ups, it's had some downs, but it has certainly been a unique series. This year we get to see not only the original cast but also the refreshed younger cast. Of course the film involves time travel but this time it's quite different from mainstream sci-fi time travel, the movie doesn't dwell on it too much, if at all; the main focus is definitely the characters, I noticed two or three times that it showed more character interactions and dialogue than previous X-Men films, I mean of course there are the fight sequences and the big special effect scenes but the story definitely drove it a lot. Talking of the story I heard going in that this movie fixed every continuity error of the past films and was like a huge refresh; now after seeing it I was a bit taken back by how they did it; they do in a sense fix all the problems but in quite a big way, that's all I'll say not going into spoilers. One thing that did fascinate me with the movie was the look and feel, the parts set in the future, although not many, were for me the highlight, they were the most action-packed and the most emotional; the past has those things too but not as strong I don't think, although I did enjoy when they made it look like scenes were filmed on an old 70's camera. Obviously it was great seeing all the cast again and each one did a fantastic role, Hugh Jackman will always own Wolverine and although he took a bit more of a backseat in this one he still is entertaining to watch. In the end, I don't think it is the best X-Men film ever but I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

OJ's Movie Review - Godzilla

Story, visual effects and all-round feel of the movie have improved drastically since the 1998 version, but still fans aren't happy?

When I first heard they were remaking Godzilla I thought to myself that the Roland Emmerich one wasn't too bad and that there were better films to be made. Of course I was using memories from my childhood sitting on the sofa watching a huge dinosaur-thing smashing around New York. Come to 2014 though and through various leaks, posters, announcements etc. I'm starting to get into the Zilla mood, and then one day I saw the teaser trailer. The best trailer I've ever sen in my life. That brought me on board for definite. So after seeing the movie and hearing how divided the fans are I was a tad disappointed, not by the movie, just how many didn't like it. To me this new Godzilla was a very atmospheric movie, the feel of it can sometimes send shivers down your spine, the sounds it creates and the music by far make it what it is. The film also grounds itself into realism too, don't go in expecting Pacific Rim, this is very different regarding execution, it doesn't show Godzilla every five minutes, it focuses a lot on the human story, almost as if the giant destructive forces of nature now appearing were like a back-drop. That I think that is where it lost a lot of its fans; I myself thought it was interesting way to go and didn't mind it. Don't get me wrong you do see full shots of Godzilla and what he does which are some of the best scenes in cinema, the CGI is barley worth mentioning as of course it's going to be fantastic. As a film critic though I do have to share my negative points and that was that one or two times there are instances where unrealistic things happen concerning locating a massive creature (or lack of) which do take you out of the movie. Other than that and what I would say quite an abrupt ending Godzilla 2014 was TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Arrow season 2

Couldnt work out if Arrow fell into sci-fi? Well now you have your answer.

The first series of Arrow was quite enjoyable, the plot was mysterious enough to keep me interested but didn't drag on enough to annoy me. The same carries on into its second run but much better! Obviously a lot had to have changed since the season 1 finale and it goes into much more depth on a lot of the characters. The individual plots I think have gotten better and its fun to catch all the DC easter eggs it references for you; there are definitly a few episodes which flesh out certain characters which makes you all the more invested into what happens to them. The over all story arc is different from the last one in the way that it involves both present day and the flashbacks to past to create a long backstory. Nearing the finale it kept getting more intense and rested at a satisfying conclusion. In season 2 we got to meet the whole reason I started watching Arrow and that was the Flash; he does indeed appear (not yet with powers) and I loved all of his scenes, I hope more crossovers will be done as his spin-off series does look brilliant. In the end Oliver Queen's second year as the Arrow is TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Person of Interest season 3

I don't know why this series isn't getting more popular, it is absolutely fantastic.

Person of Interest has finished it's third season. Last time we had the evolving plot of the corrupt cop group called HR. That story arc carries on into this quite heavily and comes to a climactic end mid-season. I think they finished it well and at the right time before it got to annoying and weighed down; the results of the HR plot affects the series quite a bit and although it surprised me I felt it has a powerful punch to any long-time viewer. In season 2 a character called Root showed up and became a sort of antagonist to the series; this time round though she is less of a villain and more of an obstacle that keeps appearing and then as the series progresses she comes more of a main character and also evolving into what you could call an ally to the team. In the end I really like her character and she adds a lot to the series. The main team themselves have some brilliant episodes, each member has a huge revelation or a big dive into their story arc. During the latter half of the series, two story arcs rise up concerning the machine which eventually come together to make an awesome finale, they did the end so well and so climactic I honestly had to check if there was a season 4 being made (there is) because the whole premise now has changed and that is very exciting.  One thing I can say is that Person of Interest does emotion really well, some of the scenes and the way it's shot is so well done it makes you the love the series more and more. Another thing it does well is definitely the humor, the comedic timing of this is fantastic, quick one-liners or a bit of dry humor really do make the series an enjoyable piece of entertainment. All-in-all with all these brilliant elements mixed in I think season 3 is the best season of Person of Interest and I'm giving it was TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 1

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a juggernaut of a franchise; can it translate well to television?

When I first heard that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was being made I was very excited; I couldn't wait to see how they were going to do it. I think nearly everybody loved Phil Coulson in the movies and were sad to see him go during The Avengers; now we have a entire TV series with him as the main character! Even the trailer look promising but that night I sat down and saw the first episode, it was unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of 2013. I was expecting a clever spy thriller packed with awesome sci-fi concepts and Agent Coulson being cool; instead as the series went on all it was we got was stereotypical characters, cheesy dialogue and cliche scripts. Even a Nick Fury cameo didn't cut it for me. I am a Marvel fan though so I kept with it, I held hope and eventually it payed off. That's right, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. went on a break for a while and then episode 11 aired and this thing picked up. I was interested in the story, the lines were less cheEsy, the action got good. basically from that point each episode got better a better, towards the end I'd even say it had some strong emotion. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for me is a two-way split. First ten episodes were rocky and unentertaining shoving Avengers references down your throat like there was no tomorrow. After that it's a pretty fun ride; good fleshing out of the characters and even the ones tying into the movies didn't feel like it depended on them. After watching the whole series it is Very hard to rate it. After some thought though I'd give Marvel's first live-action television series a strong 7/10 - IT WAS OK+.

OJ's Movie Review - The Love Punch

A new British comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson arrived in cinema so I went to investigate.

So I this trailer a few weeks a go and I liked what I saw, it looked funny and entertaining. The movie itself isn't too bad either; the story is basically a divorced couple have to venture to France to steal a diamond because the owner has stole all their money via his company. The premise is nice and simple, a tad boring in places as they use one or two cliche scenes that you get in these types of films; the beginning is a bit slow and some of the jokes fall  a bit flat but by the time the plot gets going it's quite enjoyable, the humor is classic British humor mixed with some modern stuff as well which makes a nice blend of funny, the characters were a amusing to watch and although I wasn't invested in their troubles I enjoyed watching them go about the heist. The shots were nice as they showed lots of France and gave the feel of it with the French music played over the scenes. All-in-all I think the older generation will get more out of it that than others but as a young person I enjoyed the majority of it. IT WAS OK+

OJ's Movie Review - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Watch out Disney, Sony have upped their game!

In 2012 we got to see a reboot of Spider-Man's story, in my opinion it was better than the original trilogy and I love Andrew Garfield in the role. Now two years later we have a sequel and boy does it get better. First off let's talk cast; Andrew is still fantastic as Peter Parker, he also has great chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. Jamie Fox as Electro was an amazing thing to watch too along with the other great cast members who all do a fantastic job (even Stan Lee with his cameo). The characters in this film were actually really interesting to watch, a lot of the story focuses on Electro and his origin which is fascinating, plausible (sci-fi wise) and downright creepy, I mean creepy; this film goes to places I wasn't expecting; some of the scenes were real freaky to watch, especially Electro and certainly the Green Goblin who was nightmarish to say the least. What added to the creepy and tension had to be the music, the music in this film is phenomenal; there are so many good parts where the music goes perfectly with the beautiful shots that the movie gives you. Talking about the score itself, whenever Electro does his thing and fires electric bolts and everything they go real heavy on the dubstep, a lot, I think that adds to film though in some way, I enjoyed it. The story itself I really liked as well, the ways they went surprised me a few times but were definitely fun to watch, (I didn't see it in 3D but from the scenes I saw at the cinema it would definitely be worth it). The only negative thing I would say about the film is that there are one or unrealistic scenes where I thought "That wouldnt happen", It doesnt ruin the movie but does take you out of it for a few seconds. I would say the ending will surprise a lot, and for more than just one reason. In conclusion I want to say The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the best Spider-Man film to date and is absolutely AWESOMENESS.

To see my review of the first movie, click here: http://bit.ly/1ihPMjU

OJ's BIT Review - The Valley of Gwangi

60s sci-fi with Cowboys vs Dinosaurs - whats not to love??


The Valley of Gwangi is an old western about about a guy, a girl, a circus and a valley. This is a film I enjoy watching, weather it's Harryhousen's special effects (this movie has some exellent stop-motion for it's time) or the cheesy acting, this film has a fun story from beginning to end. Some may say it's King Kong with a T-Rex which I see where they're comming from as it has some very similar scenes but it's different enough to enjoy without being reminded of Kong all throughout. The characters are fun to watch and give out some 60s cliche dialouge and the locations are pretty cool to see. After watching the movie you realise how many references the Jurassic Park series makes too it, I remember one or two bits where I thought 'hey, that's in Jurassic Park!' But all in all it's a brilliant pop culture film and definitly worth a watch, even if you just wanna see a Tyrannosaur fight an elephant. The Valley of Gwangi was TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - The Musketeers series 1

Yeah, the only reason I really watched this was because Peter Capaldi was in it.

The Musketeers is the BBC's latest gritty period drama starring mostly people I've never heard of. The trailers looked interesting though and I wanted to see some Capaldi acting before he shows up in Doctor Who later this year. To start off I really didnt like The Musketeers, I thought the first few episodes were kind of boring and Capaldi's Cardinal was by far the most intersting aspect of it; what suprised me though was about half way through the series it picked up tremendusly; episode 6 aired and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, all the episodes after that were also really entertaining. I dont know if it was the story arc unfolding or just the singular plots in general had gotten better but the latter half of the series was far superior to the beginning. I think I was expecting it to be like the 2011 movie which I really enjoyed but The Musketeers is its own thing and in the end was pretty fun to watch. As finales go the last episode was very good and we eventually got the "All for one..." line which showed how far the characters had come since episode one. In the end IT WAS OK+.

OJ's Movie Review - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Wow, now that's a game-changer.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, film number 9 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a most relevant one at that. The directors, producers and writers all said it was the one that followed most closely to The Avengers and would go almost directly into Avengers: Age of Ultron and all-in-all a big game-changer; they weren't kidding. The movie is unlike the rest, it doesn't quite seem like a Marvel movie most of the way through but rather a really unique spy movie, which it is. The plot is extremely well done, I loved it from beginning to end, very good points that flowed the story and even some twists that pleasantly surprised me. The new characters they brought in were fantastic, the Falcon I especially enjoyed, his character was cool, comedic, and just an enjoyable person to watch; Robert Redford's political character was also on top form although the characters' traits and ambitions I have seen in other movies. Now talking of characters, the movie's subtitle the Winter Soldier was a fantastic, unique character who's life was deep and interesting to watch, the majority may know of his true identity already as Marvel haven't really done anything to cover it up as it is obvious from about 5 mins of casting research, but I felt the character wasn't used as much as I thought; his name is in the title but his story isn't the main arc, he was in less scenes than I expected. Another disappointer for me was that the climax seemed to have a lot more violence than previous ones, not as graphic as Thor: TDW, but certainly quite strong, almost distracting - although that may have been the cinema experience. In the end I thought Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of the best of the MCU, and even Marvel movies in general. Pure AWESOMNESS.

OJ's Movie Review - Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Dreamworks' latest animation about a time-travelling dog and his adopted son - how could you resist?

So I went to see this with not much expectation at all, the one trailer I had seen didn't really grab me but I decided to see it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. Mr. Peabody is this extremely intelligent dog who can talk and his adopted son Sherman is a 7-year-old boy who is a sponge for facts but quite slow practically. They go on adventures through time to learn about history. The movie sets that up in the first 15 minutes, which by the way it was done it looked like the movie was going to be some kids documentary about history but when it actually got into the story it was really fun. The comedy made me laugh, the visuals are stunning, I wish I could've seen it in 3D, the story is quite unique but also had similar elements of other movies, I got a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure vibe and you get some pretty generic characters that you've seen in quite a lot of animated movies but the plot was't boring; I was interested to the end. The voice acting is pretty average but the way Mr. Peabody says things do add a certain something to the film. It's my third 8/10 this year: I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

OJ's Movie Review - The Monuments Men

A unique film, an amazing story, a brilliant cast.

The Monuments Men stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Hugh Bonneville. The basic premise is that in WWII a group of men, all with a passion for different types of art, must travel around Europe stealing back the stolen art from the Nazis. I have to say before watching this I loved the trailer and was quite excited until seeing some reviews which said it was no where near as good as they expected but nevertheless I went and saw it and I came away understanding where people criticized it but all-in-all I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's fun seeing all these brilliant actors in one film, the comedy is good, the story has a nice moral and all together I liked it. I've hear people say it's boring but I wasn't bored at all, the pacing inst fast, and there aren't particularly any 'action scenes' but it's by no means boring. The way the film is put together I thought was a little strange, the first half felt like a series of sketches mixed with a very dramatic story of World War horror; about half way through it got much better but you did get the odd scene which added nothing to the story but gave you a good laugh, which I did. So in the end The Monuments Men was a gentle film with some very funny moments and some quite sad moments and worth a watch if you want a break from the fast-paced CGI destruction of modern cinema. I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

OJ's BIT Review - Convict 99

This the first Back In Time review, and today's classic entertainment is the movie Convict 99.

  This is one of the many Will Hay films that were made in the early 1900's, and in case you didn't know, Will Hay was a true British comic genius. Convict 99 Hay plays a school teacher who is being transferred to another school but due to a mix-up with some names he is mistaken as a prison governor and sent to some tough prison down in Devon. To make it worse when he arrives in a drunk state he is mistaken for a convict. From beginning to end this film is full of laughs. Original British comedy is truly a gem; Will Hay does comedy brilliantly and this film is no exception and as with most of his other films it also stars crazy old Moore Marriott and funny kid Graham Moffatt who add to the laughs as well. The story isn't half bad as well and you love how the characters react to different situations. Don't always turn away from black & white movies, especially the comedies, I'd give Convict 99 a 10 out of 10 any day, pure AWESOMNESS.

OJ's Movie Review - The LEGO Movie

I haven't actually reviewed an animated movie in quite while, but how could I pass this one up?

I love LEGO, I've had it since I was very little, I love building things, usually just building them and never touching them again but I also played with the sets I had. So when I learnt that there was a LEGO movie coming out I was so pumped and ready for it that when the first trailer came out I just wanted to show everybody. And just a mere few hours ago I sat and watched the full film at the cinema. What can I say about a movie entirely based on an actual brand? Is it just a giant product ad? Well I think the urge to buy/play LEGO afterwards is just an added bonus. The LEGO Movie is some of the best animation I've ever seen, these things on screen look especially real, almost to the point where you're convinced that certain parts must be stop-motion (I still think bits are). Adding to the animation is of course the voice cast, with Chris Pratt leading (2014 seems to be his year as the main guy) and also Will Arnett whose work I've only seen in voice form in animated movies and then the big one: Morgan Freeman. All these guys do terrific work and the lines and jokes they come out with are fantastic. The storyline itself can seem a little slow at times but as a whole it's pretty solid, the last 30 mins especially is the best part. Oh and by the way, for the next week you'll have an awesome song going round your head! All in all I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

OJ's Movie Review - Junk Head 1

A 30 minute short-film uploaded to YouTube - better than some big movies I've seen at the cinema.

So it's not a major feature film or anything (but hey it has an IMDB page) but I really had to review it Junk Head 1 is AWESOMNESS. because it's just an amazing piece of art. The creator if it, Takahide Hori, took four long years to make it because he has a full-time job so this was done on late nights, and busy weekends - but the work he has put into it is incredible. The basic plot is that in the distant future mankind begins research on clones that live underground in search of lost genetic information so they send one little guy deep below the surface. The film itself has very dark, atmospheric feel to it. The sounds, visuals and everything are all really eerie and creepy; and then some scenes are very thrilling and heart-racing. It's all surrounded in mystery as well, you never quite know what actually happened all those years ago and with the story you never know whats round the corner (literally). But it's not always dark, there's humorus scenes in it too, quite a good mix actually of humor, horror, and then some fun scenes too because the music is really cool. So I think for a 30 minute film created in four years
  After it was uploaded, Takahide set up a campaign for $100,000 to make a 60 minute sequel. If he gets that then he'll quit his job and work full-time on the Junk Head 2. Unfortuanatly it ends on Febuary 28th and the contributions arn't going up to high; but if you want to donate for the next Junk Head film then here's the link: http://igg.me/at/jh2

Watch the full film on YouTube thing HERE.

OJ's TV Review - Sherlock series 3

Dare I say?....... BEST SERIES EVER.

  Wow, Sherlock is back, I mean back! He jumped off a building, hit the ground and then he's just BACK. For two years the Internet has come up with 1000 different theories and then along came 'The Empty Hearse' and fandom imploded. The first episode of this series was excellent, it made fun of what people have said, it gave viewers it's own fan fiction and was just what BBC's Sherlock should be - funny as ever, thrilling as ever, enjoyable as ever, I mean they upped the stakes a bit in the first episode but boy was it good. Then along comes episode 2 and this just borders on stand-up comedy, 'The Sign of Three' is hilarious from beginning to end, it has crime scenes obviously, cases to solve and all that but not quite the way they've done it before which has seemed to split some fans but I enjoyed it. And then of course is the third and final one; 'His Last Vow', what can I say? At the time of writing this it's been less than 40 minutes since it finished and I'm still in shock. Every Sherlock series has a cliff-hanger and I was worried it would't quite stand up to the first two but this is equal, if not better. All in All series 3 was a brilliant ride; I love how everything links together, how each title references basically one line of an episode and just how it looks, the visuals, music, actors everything - pure genius. Sherlock's third run really is: AWESOMNESS!

The OJ Reviews: 2014 UPDATE

It's 2014! Get ready for Godzilla, Peter Capaldi, and Vin Diesel as a tree! Last year The
OJ Reviews had a lot of changes throughout and most of which are it's social network sites. If you are on one of these sites then feel free to follow The OJ Reviews, here is a list:

• Google+ - This is where you can find all the links to official reviews, extra reviews and also links to the other posts from the social networks.
• Tumblr - The OJ Reviews on Tumblr gives you reviews of trailers, clips and announcements from the media world. Also posts pictures, gifs, videos, and stats.
• Pinterest - One of the least used of the networks but here I post media pictures relating to The OJ Reviews or media in general.
• Rotten Tomatoes - Here you can find a collection of all my movie reviews!

So there are all the new extra OJ Reviews stuff but what about any changes to the main site? Well there will still be ORIGINAL VS REMAKES, and the usual 3 posts a month, but one new type of review will be OJ's Reviews, that's with an 's' at the end, because I will do a review of not just one thing but multiple things in one post; so it might be a movie trilogy, or a whole franchise, a book series, an entire TV Series or anything like that really - these reviews will come under the tag "Multiple".
  Another type of review will be OJ's Back In Time Review, where I will review considerably old media weather it be black & white movies, a really old game or similar things.

 Well I hope you enjoyed 2013 and all it brought but now look forward to another year of The OJ Reviews! Please join the site if you have Blogger, Google, or Yahoo and share with you friends if you like. Thanks anyway and see you soon!