Change Your Image
AdiVrj
Reviews
Blade of Darkness (2001)
My favorite game
Blade of Darkness is one of those games that you never forget. It is my favorite game of all time, and i've played quite a lot of games, almost any type. I must say (not to brag or something) that i finished the game at least seven times with the barbarian, about five or six with the knight and about four or five times with the amazon as well as the dwarf. The game is astonishing, and it looks great even in 2008 after i've played call of duty 4, or doom 3, half life 2, hit-man blood money, etc. You have four characters to chose from, every single one of them with his own moves and weapon techniques. The number of weapons that you encounter is very large so you have to chose carefully weapons from your f1 list of weapons in which the character you have chosen specializes(they are quite a lot, don't worry). Each weapon has a power strike that will take a lot of damage if executed(as soon as you master how to use the power strikes of your weapons the game becomes a lot easier and more interesting, the combination for each power strike is on the f1 list).
What most players don't know is that you have to uncover six tablets with some inscriptions on them(a big sign dominating the rest of the writing) so that you can use properly the sword of Ianna, the most powerful weapon of all which any of the characters can use in combat and even use it's power, it's ultimate strike which is very impressive, powerful and different from those of your usual weapons(i'm not going to give more details to spoil your surprise). I repeat in order to properly use the sword of Ianna and to gain another stage(your last enemy is not Dal'Gurak - for those who have played the whole game) you must collect all of the six tablets which are very well hidden throughout the stages, you have to look for clues, signs, loose walls etc. in order to find them. Beware though, before every one of those tablets you will encounter traps.
There are many types of enemies that you will encounter, some possessing special powers, some having certain weaknesses that you must observe and exploit in order to achieve victory. The battles are extremely engaging, realistic and bloody, you can actually cut one of your enemy's hands, or legs and pick it up in order to throw it or fight with it(not recommended). Some of your enemies will actually fight amongst them if they hit one and other by mistake. Another piece of advice that i can give you, and probably the most important is to always use "lock on" key in a fight as soon as you spot your enemy, it practically gives you control of the battle.The maps are beautiful, various, quite detailed and they never get boring.
If you take notice at my advices the game will become a lot easier and pleasant, otherwise you will find it to difficult and probably quit playing after two or three maps (like some friends of mine). Blade of darkness is a game that has everything, scary scenes, superb maps, lots of monsters and battles that you won't forget and dream about at night. If you haven't played it yet make sure you give it a try because it won't disappoint you.
Bad Santa (2003)
The ultimate anti-Christmas movie... and what a great movie it is
This movie was incredible! I laughed so much that throat almost exploded. Yes, it's very funny but it's much more than a simple comedy as you might think. Bad Santa is above all a story about a man sick of life, that finds everything meaningless and doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything, it is a story about an alcoholic Santa(Thornton) that finds a reason to go on with his life and change at the most unexpected time. This role fits perfectly to Billy Bob Thornton, he delivers a performance that is amazing in every aspect and most importantly believable. He makes you laugh, he makes you cry, managing pretty much to achieve what an actor is supposed to achieve: entertain you, make you feel certain feelings and send a message to the viewer.
I enjoyed every second of his performance and every second of this movie. It's the ultimate anti-Christmas movie for some but i think that what's really important in this holy day is excellently shown in the last part of the movie, and that is the spirit of Christmas, the will to do some good and try to be a better person.
American Gangster (2007)
excellent story, flawless performances
American Gangster is one of the best movies i've recently seen and it is a pleasure to watch even if you are not a gangster movies fan. The story is more captivating than i expected i must say, following Frank Lucas(Denzel Washington) - the afro-American drug lord who raised above all, even the Italian mafia - and Richie Roberts(Russel Crowe), the honest cop in a city full of corruption, sort of Frank Serpico but with less guts.
Denzel Washington delivers a marvelous performance of a man calm and patient yet heart-stopping ferocious at some points, fearless and ambitious but likable as always. His performances are always incredible, he's a great actor, the greatest afro-American actor of all time i dare to say, it's simply a pleasure to watch him in any role.
Russel Crowe delivers a good performance, he's one of the actors that never disappoint in my opinion and i think there's a great chemistry between them (Washington and Crowe) even though few scenes bring them face to face. Richie Roberts is in danger for being one of the few cops that actually do their jobs and refuse to take bribe so i think there's a big resemblance between Richie Roberts and Frank Serpico (Al Pacino 1973).
Cuba Gooding Jr. could have gotten a bigger part, or more scenes because he's a very talented actor and he proved himself many times that he's more than capable of delivering excellent performances.
The drama is less than expected but the movie is very well paced and it never gets boring even if it lasts more than two hours. Everything fits perfectly and there is an excellent antithetical presentation of the wealthy life of Frank Lucas opposite to the lives that he's drugs ruin every day, every hour, every minute...
I strongly recommend to gangster movies fans, actually to those viewers who enjoy good movies because this movie is above average and you will enjoy every second of it.
Eragon (2006)
What a shame..
Not bad, but definitely not good either. Other then Saphira's performance, as I read in other comments, and some special effects the movie sucks big time. A lot of unexplainable scenes and a script that makes you cry... because of its bad quality of course. Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich are two actors who have a lot to show but it seems that the director does not know that. Eragon is no match for The Lord of the Rings, actually it's way behind. It truly is a great disappointment, for your own sake avoid watching if you are over 12 years old because the lack of good acting and the amazingly bad written script will drive you crazy.