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    Power Cricket T20 - 2016

    Power Cricket T20 - 2016

    Games and Sports

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    Its time to warm up for the T20 World Series! Play against the best cricket teams from across the...

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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Gravel in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019  
Gravel
Gravel
2017 | Racing
Last year at the start of PAX West; Genevieve, Joseph, and myself were invited to get a look at the pending racing game GRAVEL in a private meeting at a suite near the convention. What made this even more exciting was that the meeting took place a day before the convention opened so since we were in the area to run errands and pick up our press passes; this was a very appealing way to see a game and get the jump on our convention coverage.

I do want to say at the start that I am horrible at driving games. My preferred method of braking often is using the wall, other cars, and obstacles to redirect my vehicle or slow down, but it does not stop my appreciation for them.

GRAVEL is a very fast paced and enjoyable game that mixes online and offline racing and allows players to use and customize trucks and cars as they race on tracks and outdoor courses. Everything from the Pacific to Alaska and Africa come into play and there are even some amazingly difficult night races where you have to make your way with only your headlights to keep you on the ever changing off-road course.
I had hoped for a few more locales, but there are variations on each locale and you can expect more maps and possibly modes will come down the road.
The graphics are fantastic and playing the game on a PS4 Pro with a 4K television brought the visuals of the game into amazing focus as it was easy to become immersed in the game from the very start.
The menus do take a bit of getting used to as it was at times unclear what form of racing I was about to embark on but I was up to speed in no time.
Matchmaking was fairly easy but it did seem to match me with drivers of a far superior ability time and again which makes it hard to see anything other than a last place finish should I make one mistake on the course.

While the game may not have the depth of other racing games, I found it to be instantly engaging and very fun which is saying quite a bit considering I usually do not play many racing games. Joseph is a fan of racing games and he was able to successfully complete many of the races in our PAX West meeting with no issues and often in the top position.
In the end GRAVEL is a fun entry for those looking to dip their toes into some off road racing or for diehards, but some hardcore racers may want more depth and variety.

http://sknr.net/2018/03/10/gravel/
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Allied (2016) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019  
Allied (2016)
Allied (2016)
2016 | Drama, Romance, War
Story: Allied starts as Canadian Intelligence Officer Max Vatan (Pitt) lands in Morocco to work with French Resistance Fighter Marianna Beausejour (Cotillard) as they pretend to be married as they complete their mission. The two fall in love for real and return to London to get married against the his superior Frank Heslop (Harris) opinion.

After a year of marriage Heslop comes to Max believing Marianna is indeed a spy, this leaves Max questioning, which side of the story to believe and what is the truth.

 

Thoughts on Allied

 

Characters – Max Vatan is Canadian intelligence working in Africa, highly skilled he can blend into his environment, but he does fall in love with his undercover wife. When he gets informed she could well be a spy, his life is turned upside down with doubts about what is the truth. Marianna is the French resistance fighter working with the Canadian Max as his fake wife, but she also falls in love with Max and returns to start a family with him. We don’t learn too much apart from that she is a loving wife and mother though.

Performances – Brad Pitt is good for the opening mission, you believe his every decision, but when he becomes the family man, he just doesn’t reach the levels you know he can. Marion Cotillard is good without being her breath-taking best in this role.

Story – The story here follows love and spies during World War II, we see how two people from different sides of the war fall in love and they must decide which side of the war they are supporting. This film doesn’t become as intense as it could be because seeing it from both sides could have heighted the experience and by the end it just doesn’t feel like it reaches the levels it should.

Action/Romance/War – The action during the film is tame with very little being used or looking overly real. The romance doesn’t feel whirlwind like you think it should be either, but the war side comes off strong as we see how the tension between the sides cause most of the issues in the lives.

Settings – The settings look authentic for the time, which does work well for the film.


Scene of the Movie – The truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just fizzles out in the second half of the film.

Final Thoughts – This is a war romance film that just never reaches the levels it should do, it just seems to go on and becomes one of the average films that you forget by the end.

 

Overall: Average and disappointing.

https://moviesreview101.com/2019/02/01/abc-film-challenge-oscar-nomination-a-allied-2016/
  
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JT (287 KP) rated Vehicle 19 (2013) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Vehicle 19 (2013)
Vehicle 19 (2013)
2013 | Mystery
6
5.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Paul Walker can’t seem to stay away from cars at the moment, in between Fast Five and the recently released Fast and Furious 6 Walker took the lead in Vehicle 19.

Walker plays Michael Woods whose recently jumped parole and heads out to South Africa to see his girlfriend, in the hope of rekindling their relationship. Picking up a rental car, a minivan, which is hardly fast or furious, it turns out to be the wrong choice as during his journey he’s chased down by the local police for the murder of a young woman.

The film for the majority of its entirety is shot from the inside of the car, with Walker rarely stepping out of the driver’s seat as he tries to navigate his way through a city he is totally unfamiliar with. Films that capture one location need to rely on a number of things, firstly the acting has got to be top draw and secondly you’ve got to pull out the tension and hook the audience.

Phone Booth and Buried which placed its protagonists in a confined space paid off pretty well, but here Vehicle 19 struggles and almost splutters as if gasping for more fuel. The problem is the despite Walker putting in a decent performance as a man with a goal who is pushed to the edge it lacks any real bite or conviction.

For the opening twenty minutes we see him converse with his girlfriend via phone, complain he’s got the wrong rental car and try to remember which side of the road he has to drive on. It’s dull, and when you compare it with Ryan Reynolds’s opening twenty minutes in Buried where he’s confined to a 6 foot box, Vehicle 19 is way off the mark.

Relative unknown director Mukunda Michael Dewil leaves it too late, and when Woods discovers a phone and gun in the glove box as well as a bound and gagged girl in the trunk many of us have already turned the ignition off. Woods is hunted by Detective Smith, a man with a terrifying accent that leaves genuine chills down your spine, for someone who only gets a minimal amount of screen time at the end he does leave a lasting impression.

It does have its rare moments and of course Walker gets to use his driving skills to full capacity as he’s perused through the townships and city streets by police cars that you’d expect would be able to catch up with a minivan.

It’s short but not so sharp, the surrounding locations begged for so much more than what was delivered. I’d much rather have seen Walker behind the wheel of a high performance vehicle…oh wait I can!
  
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