BUFFY SEASON 8: NOW WITH 20% MORE SUBMARINES [REVIEW]

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

When Joss Whedon said “I’d rather make a show one hundred people need to see, than a show that one thousand people want to see” I believed him. I was pretty into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some could argue too much so. Being too young to stay up for its prime time 10:30pm slot on a school night, I would religiously record and then watch the episode at 6am the next morning. If the tape cut off, the previous program ran over, or I encountered “VHS problems”, schoolmates would have to deal with a day of surliness and an embarrassing level of angst. I had a lot to say on the Angel vs. Spike debate, owned all the DVDs, trawled magazines for posters and articles, and could probably still give re-enacting the musical episode a red-hot go.

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SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF CLUEDO [REVIEW]

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Adam vanLangenberg

I don’t mind Guy Ritchie’s take on the Holmes legend. He’s made him cooler, quirkier and fightier than before. He’s fun to watch. The scenes where Sherlock visualises the fight before it happens are fantastic and reminiscent of  Zhang Yimou’s 2002 martial arts flick, Hero. Let’s be honest, Ritchie’s 2009 version of Sherlock Holmes was a brilliant romp and we all expected something wonderful for the sequel.

What we have now though is not, I’m sorry, a Sherlock Holmes story. It is an action flick, that while great to watch doesn’t really hit the Sherlock spot.

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WHERE SHOULD YOU BUY BOARD GAMES IN AUSTRALIA?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Adam vanLangenberg

This is the best game ever, right?

Update: MilSims have apparently closed down and owe a lost of customers money. Best to steer clear for a while.

Here’s the problem. You read my board game reviews and think to yourself: “This Adam guy sure knows his board games. I want to be more like him, but how!? When I go to the games section of KMart or Big W all I see is Pictionary, Simpsons Monopoly and Guess Who! Whatever shall I do?”

Listen, you are smarter that your average Kmart shopper. You have moved on and put Cluedo behind you. KMart doesn’t want you to change, though. They want you to remain comfortable in your little world, bringing out copies of Taboo when you notice that your Alf-themed party is starting to suck.

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MELANCHOLIA: NOT WORTH A SLOW CLAP [REVIEW]

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

Melancholia is an unusual film. Not just in content, but in pace and structure, and it is easy to see why it has prompted a division of opinion. In the session I went to most of the audience was unsettled and restless. I’m fairly certain at least two people left, and when it ended there was silence followed by a slow clap. One woman exclaimed “that was the worst film I’ve seen” and exited as those around her laughed awkwardly. Despite this, a decent amount of people remained in their seats well into the credits, and didn’t look as though they would be back to lynch the box office.

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CHINATOWN: YELLING AT ITS BEST [REVIEW]

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Adam vanLangenberg

Sometimes you just want to yell at people. As a teacher I get to do this a lot, but occasionally I want to do it in my free time as well. When the need hits me I’ll usually head into the city, get drunk and scream in stranger’s faces that the space monkeys are coming. When my wife steals my car keys, I’ll stay home and play Chinatown.

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