Finally a constructive reality check and explanation of the effects of the oil ‘crisis’ on the conditions and quality of life for us all. While the film is quite hard hitting, dare I say it verges on a ‘stress test’ for most of us, it’s purpose is to help us take control and promote a community approach to sustainable living. This was the first in a series of fortnightly Thursday film screenings by Transition Galway in the Kings Head pub. See upcoming details on links below.

Transition Galway is one of the hundreds of Transition Initiatives around the world. Peak oil and climate change have rapidly moved up in people’s awareness in recent years, but often, particularly in relation to peak oil, solutions tend to be thin on the ground. Transition Galway will hope to serve as a catalyst for community led responses to the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change at a local level in Galway. Transition Galway will work to inspire, encourage, connect, support and train communities to create initiatives that rebuild resilience and reduce CO2 emissions.

I strongly recommend looking up the links and who knows we might even start a Transition Claregalway.

Denise Griffin, River Oaks, Claregalway.

Contact for Transition Galway/Links:

• Mary Greene (085) 731 8953
• Caoimhin O Maolallaigh (087) 125 4817
• www.transitiongalway.com
• Facebook Group
• Watch Online

Where to start? I was six years old when the original Toy Story was released, way back in 1995. Needless to say, I was absolutely captivated like most other people in the world, young and old alike. It was superbly animated, well-acted and revolutionary for the film industry in terms of what was possible to achieve on film. The concept of an entire CG film was mind-blowing, but Toy Story had the characters, charm and humour to pull it off brilliantly. Now, in 2010, following an excellent 1999 sequel that successfully matched the first, everyone’s favourite toys are back for a side-splitting yet contemplative adventure that is simply outstanding.

Woody, Buzz and the gang are forced to face the harsh reality of their owner Andy growing up. He’s about to head off to college, and the toys face an unknown fate. Will they be thrown out because they are no longer needed, or will Andy realise how much these toys mean to him and keep them safe? It’s a noticeably darker story for the franchise but is all the better for it. It allows for some emotionally satisfying moments and genuinely great commentary on acceptance and letting go.

The animation in Toy Story 3 is absolutely perfect. Shrek Forever After (see review here) was also powered by brilliant animation, but Toy Story 3 really sets the bar. Every single minute detail is superbly realised. Everything looks as it should; fluff, rain, plastic. They’re all represented with eerie realism that completely draws you into the film. The characters themselves are utterly fantastic. Joining the remnants of the original toys is a multitude of brilliant characters from the Sunnyside Day-care centre. Standouts include; Lotso, the de facto leader of the day-care toys, Ken, the famous male counterpart to Barbie, and Chuckles, a once happy clown now feeling seriously depressed.

The voice acting is fantastic, with Hanks and Allen once again completely on form. Michael Keaton also turns in a great performance as Ken, providing some very funny scenes with Barbie. The old cast all return, with the exception of the late Jim Varney who voiced Slinky in the first two films. He is replaced by his close friend Blake Clark, who makes the change barely noticeable. The supporting Sunnyside characters and Bonnie’s toys are all performed very well, with actors such as Timothy Dalton and Bonnie Hunt portraying them. Classic characters like Rex, Hamm, Jessie and the Potato Heads are all as excellent as ever.

Toy Story 3 is not only a perfect end to a perfect trilogy, it’s also one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen in quite some time. The sentimental value of Toy Story hasn’t diminished one bit and it’s great to see such a satisfying second sequel. Having grown up with Toy Story, seeing this instalment at 21 years of age was a fulfilling experience, giving a great sense of completion to a beloved film series. Adults will adore it. Children will adore it. Everyone should adore it. And after all, it’s Toy Story! Did I even need to tell you how good it is?

‘Predators’ is the latest instalment in the popular sci-fi horror franchise which follows a viscous type of alien that lives for the hunt, and ultimately, the kill. The big change from the previous two films is the setting. Where the 1987 original and its 1990 sequel took place on earth, the newest chapter shakes things up significantly by bringing the action to the Predator’s home planet.

A group of people, most with military backgrounds, find themselves inexplicably plummeting from the sky toward a dense jungle environment. Disorientated and curious, they set about figuring out why exactly they were brought here. As they explore the foreign surroundings, they come to several horrifying conclusions. They are the game in a devastating hunt. Chosen because of their deadly skills, they are forced to band together to try and survive the strange terrain and the terrifying creatures which prey on them.

‘Predators’ definitely takes its time getting to the action. While that might sound like a gripe, it actually works massively in the film’s favour. It echoes the original in many ways. We are following a hardened group of combat specialists through an unknown area, while an ominous air of danger hangs over every scene. While watching I could never pinpoint exactly when one of the hunters would make its appearance. The film-makers toy with the audience in this respect, providing great character development while always keeping you on the edge of your seat. The direction is excellent, and the jungle setting makes for some brilliant visuals. You really get the sense of an alien world that is both mysterious and dangerous.

Adrien Brody carries the torch passed on by both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover in the previous films. He’s a typical tough guy and does his job well, but the raspy, often cheesy voice rivals Christian Bale’s Batman at times. Brody’s character (who I won’t name here for purposes that become clear as the film goes on) figures things out a little bit too easily for it to be believable. Still, it keeps the film moving and audiences are sure to be rooting for him before the end. Alice Braga is by far the most human of the cast, as her character shows fear and compassion as the situation becomes dire. Laurence Fishburne provides a brief but memorable role as Noland. Topher Grace’s Edwin is an integral character whom he plays with ease and believability.

The creatures themselves are as creepy as ever, and there are some fantastic new designs on offer throughout the movie. The predator’s hallmark weapons all make a return, including the most eerie use of their voice replication ability seen thus far. Ruthless with their executions, the predators find some inventive ways of taking out their game. Some of the kills will make you chuckle as much as grimace, which is surely an intention of the film-makers.

Tense, gory and action-packed, ‘Predators’ isn’t a massive leap forward in originality, but it will keep fans of the original movies happy. Seeing as this is the first solo outing for the franchise in twenty years, the premise of the predator homeworld hopefully means we won’t have to wait too long until the hunt begins again…

Christopher Carton, Gortatleva.

The final chapter of the Shrek series isn’t likely to stay in your memory for long, but it wraps things up nicely after a lacklustre third outing. While not as laugh-out-loud funny as the first two, the newest entry manages to craft an interesting story based around a what-if scenario.

With the mundane reality of family life beginning to set in, Shrek longs for the days when villagers chased him around with torches and pitchforks. He wants to be feared again. When he finally snaps at his sons’ birthday, he says some harsh things and storms away in frustration. Stumbling upon the crafty Rumpelstiltskin, Shrek unwittingly enters into a terrible contract, one that makes him unknown to all of his friends and changes the land as he knows it. Shrek then sets about saving the kingdom from the mischievous magician.

Once again, the animation department has completely outdone itself. Every minute detail is excellently animated and provides spectacular eye candy throughout the film. The characters are brimming with life and personality. Even busy action scenes manage to maintain a brilliant clarity so there is never a feeling of clutter on the screen. It really is a treat for the eyes and, as with so many animated films nowadays, the people involved are masters of their craft.

The voice acting is once again excellent. Mike Myers gives a fantastic performance, this time showing his emotional vocal range with some of the more powerful scenes. Eddie Murphy is revelling in his role as Donkey, which this time seems to consist of making Donkey break into song as often as possible. Antonio Banderas does a great job of voicing fan-favourite Puss in Boots, the only problem being his criminally small role. Walt Dohrn, a long time animator, really gives it his all as Rumpelstiltskin. This character is among the most emotive and fascinating in any animated film I’ve seen. Cameron Diaz is so-so as Fiona, and she never really sounds like she’s enjoying the role at all, as much as you can enjoy the role of a hardy female ogre anyway. Mike Mitchell directs the film well, but the direction is overshadowed by the sheer stunning of the animation.

The film lacks a generous amount of laughs, but the few that there are here do work quite well. To compensate, this entry takes a much more story orientated approach. As a family movie, this doesn’t have the cheery appeal of past Shrek movies. The previous stories were much more approachable and filled with laughs than Shrek Forever After. No matter what I say though, seeing as this is being touted as The Final Chapter, I’m sure families will come in their droves to see the ogre one more time. It never reaches the height of past movies, but it’s still a serviceable send off nonetheless.

Prince of Persia sets out to recreate the action found in the videogame series and hopefully find a new adventure franchise for cinema-goers. The series creator Jordan Mechner is even on board to help with the story. It proves to be a by-the-numbers approach taken by most blockbusters nowadays but it’s not without its charms.

The plot centres around a young orphan named Dastan, who is kindly taken into the care of the King of Persia. With them he fights, until one battle leads him to the discovery of a dagger with unique capabilities. Along with the princess Tamina, Dastan uncovers a plot to use the power of the dagger for something which puts their entire world at risk. Cue epic speeches, tense swordfighting and lots of physically impossible leaps of faith.

Taking place in Persia in the sixth century, the film certainly provides an excellent backdrop for fast paced and rousing scenes. Most of the sets are beautiful and are perfect for creating the atmosphere for the story. Mike Newell, who previously directed ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, helms the movie with confidence. Thanks to some snappy editing, the action comes fast and thick, with the prince flipping and jumping like an accomplished gymnast. It’s admirable that the film stays true to its source by providing die-hard fans something to smile over. There are also some brilliantly choreographed fight scenes to break up the free running prince’s antics.

Gyllenhaal is serviceable as Dastan. He physically looks the part but there are certain borderline cringe-worthy moments involving the prince’s dialogue with Tamina. Perhaps Gyllenhall’s not to blame but some of it comes off as a bit too cheesy. Still, some of their back and forths can be amusing. Gemma Arterton plays Tamina, the character with the most knowledge of the heroes’ dilemma. The obligatory love interest, Arterton gets the job done for a film of this scale. She looks good, provides exposition, and gives Jake Gyllenhaal’s character something to fight for throughout the movie.

While definitely nothing to write home about, I don’t think Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time deserves to be dismissed either. As a summer blockbuster or popcorn movie, it certainly gets it right. With just enough nods to the games coupled with the involvement of the series creator, the prince makes the transition to the screen in a much smoother way than most videogame adaptations. With a tighter script and perhaps even a darker approach, I would be interested in seeing how the Prince of Persia could evolve on our cinema screens over the coming years.

Christopher Carton, Gortatleva

As long as you know what you’re in for there is massive fun to be had with Clash of the Titans. Man of the moment Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) stars as Perseus, a demi-god who is the son of Zeus, king of the gods. After war is declared on the gods, Hades convinces his brother Zeus to bring their wrath upon the people who refuse to worship them. They give the mortals 10 days until the titan known as the Kraken will be released. Their only hope is to sacrifice the princess Andromeda of Argos, only then will the Kraken be called off.

When his adoptive mortal family are killed by Hades, Perseus vows revenge. Setting out from Argon with a band of Praetorian guards, Perseus seeks to find a solution, something which will destroy the Kraken and save Argos.

The film stays fairly close to the original, with some characters left out and events slightly reshuffled. For those familiar with the original there is also a great cameo by a certain mechanical owl to be found. Fans of epic swords and sorcery will not be disappointed by this movie.  It’s filled to the brim with breathtaking scenery and excellent fight choreography. Liam Neeson clearly loves his role as Zeus, playing up his ridiculous power with gravitas. Likewise Ralph Fiennes suitably hams up his role as the slimy, evil Hades. Worthington himself is also quite apt, choosing the mostly silent, brooding approach. This is appropriate seeing as how the family he had grown to love were taken from him. Gemma Arterton is mostly used for exposition but it suits the pace of the film nicely. The supporting cast of Perseus’ allies are very fun to watch and have amusing and natural on-screen chemistry.

The special effects laden action scenes easily get the heart pumping, and for the most part consist of genuinely well-executed CGI. Classic creatures like Medusa and the Kraken are brought to life in original ways, and the creature design is fantastic. The film is showing in both 2D and 3D. I can’t comment on the 3D version as I saw the film in 2D. However it was a conscious choice. 3D can sometimes seriously hinder the enjoyment of a film, and acts as little more than an excuse to take an extra few euro off the unsuspecting public. This is a film where you will want to see everything, and 3D would leave the out of focus parts of the scene blurry and dark. Also, rather than being filmed in 3D like Avatar, Clash of the Titans was converted in post-production, meaning the extra dimension was just an afterthought.

As long as you aren’t expecting a thought-provoking drama with morals and emotion then Clash of the Titans should easily sate your appetite for action and adventure on the grandest scale possible.

By Christopher Carton 06/04/2010

Developer:

The story deals with six people branded with the dreaded symbol of a l’Cie, making them enemies of a floating futuristic world called Cocoon. Chosen by the fal’Cie gods to fulfil a mission or ‘focus’, they are essentially enemies of the state. The story does break free of some of the conventions of the series, and the graphics throughout the cutscenes are quite breathtaking. The voice acting can sometimes be unbearable with an unnecessary amount of whining and melodrama coming from certain characters (Hope, Vanille; I’m looking at you), but for the most part you will get through it simply to see what comes next.

It takes a large investment of time in order to properly analyze Final Fantasy XIII. The game takes a linear approach for the first twenty five hours of play time. Basically it consists of; walk down corridor, fight enemy, continue, fight more enemies, fight boss, cutscene, repeat. This isn’t as awful as it sounds but it’s definitely a change from what has come before. You don’t gain the ability to customise your party or take on side quests until this point in the game, and it is probably the games’ main fault. In keeping the story on track for this long Square Enix have taken a huge risk. I could easily see many die-hard fans getting fed up with the lack of flexibility in the gameplay for such a large section of the game. That being said, once you reach the twenty five hour mark the game becomes much more familiar. You can then customise much of your party’s movesets and structure. With this also comes a massive increase in difficulty. I urge players to persevere in order to see what the game really offers.

The battle system is fast-paced and exciting. It no longer allows you to sit back and go through the motions by choosing the same commands over and over. You really need to concentrate on enemies’ weaknesses and keep a keen eye on your companions’ health. Quick reactions are needed to deal with critical situations and I found myself dying on several occasions due to a lapse in concentration. This is easily one of the best parts of the game, as it really feels like an evolution of previous games.

Unfortunately, Final Fantasy XIII takes more steps backwards than it does forwards. The graphics are amongst the greatest I’ve ever seen and the story is intriguing all the way through. It’s still worth a playthrough for the visuals and fun battle system. However the game falls short of backing these merits up by dropping key familiarities of the series (eg. the iconic victory theme is absent). Square Enix should be applauded for trying to take their most popular franchise in a new direction, but if it’s at the cost of the many loyal fans they already have, what’s the point?

Director:

Right from the get go Scorsese establishes an unsettling tone which really works to the films credit. He wants his audience to be filled with a sense of uncertainty and intrigue about this eerie place. The wards of Ashecliff are suitably grim but nonetheless pleasing to look at in the context of the film.  An ominous musical score looms over the opening scenes and continues to evolve with each disturbing revelation throughout Daniels’ investigation.

Leonardo DiCaprio may have once been seen as nothing more than a heartthrob, but he has really come into his own in his most recent films. Like The Departed, DiCaprio once again proves here that he has the talent to back up his image. Daniels is a seemingly confident character, and his grim search of the haunting island is made very believable by the capable DiCaprio. He’s supported by veteran Ben Kingsley who has an understandably creepy air about him as the head psychiatrist Dr. John Cawley. Also notable is the diverse cast of patients, who really make the film their own with some genuinely memorable interrogations.

The main problem I found with the film was its length. I’m not one to complain about a long movie normally, but Shutter Island really seemed to drag in its last forty minutes. Exposition which could have been cut to ten minutes, is inexplicably stretched out over a few scenes and I found this to detract from the overall experience.

Nevertheless Shutter Island is an intriguing mystery that’s guaranteed to keep you guessing. It’s just a shame that things couldn’t have been wrapped up quicker than they were. In that case, it would have been a classic.

Director:

The film nails the aesthetic of the 1800s perfectly, giving the audience a moody and atmospheric setting for some unnerving moments. Perhaps the film could be likened visually to Tim Burton’s ‘Sleepy Hollow’, with a bleak and misty town being the centre point.

There are some genuinely flat out horror moments littered throughout the film and it more than lives up to its 16 rating (the squeamish need not apply). The transformations from man to wolf are presented with impressive CG that makes the scenes very effective. Thankfully though, the crew decided to stay true to the original monster movies by ensuring the Wolfman himself uses no digital trickery. The make-up work is extremely impressive and as such really harkens back to classic years of cinema.

The cast give great performances considering this is a movie about a half-man half-wolf terrorizing the countryside. Del Toro’s Talbot comes across as a brilliantly jaded man, thrust into a devastating situation which he is forced to comprehend rather quickly. Hopkins gives a darkly comic performance as Talbot’s father. Emily Blunt is suitably convincing as a troubled widow with conflicting new feelings welling up. The always excellent Hugo Weaving (The Matrix Trilogy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) stands out as the determined old-timey inspector.

Directed with a well-balanced amount of shock-horror and humour, The Wolfman does its job as a modern monster movie which chooses not to tamper with the formula yet still provides a particularly pleasing ride for those in the mood for a scare.

Reviewed by Christopher Carton, Claregalway.