Shute The Critic's Most Wanted Upcoming Film, Album and Video Game

Film - The Adventures of Tintin

From Director Steven Spielburg and Producer Peter Jackson comes this performance capture 3D film based on The Adventures of Tintin comic book series by Belgian artist Georges Rémi (1907–1983), better known by his pen name, Hergé.
The animation looks stunning, and seeing as how this film is the joint effort of two of the greatest modern day film makers, I can see no conceivable way that this could be bad. I hope for the sake of Tintin fans everywhere that it lives up to the classic comic books.

Album - Smile/The Smile Sessions by The Beach Boys

Smile was a Beach Boys album intended to follow their masterpiece, Pet Sounds (1966). The album was recorded in 1966-67, but was never released due to problems which Brian Wilson (lead songwriter) encountered. Technical difficulties were a problem due to the complexity of the project, and Brian's mental state was at an all time low. Instead of Smile, Beach Boys fans got a different album, with alternate versions of Smile tracks included, called Smiley Smile.
Smile was left alone until, in 2003, Brian Wilson performed the album in its entirety to a very select audience, which included fellow musicians such as Paul McCartney. The entire performance was recorded and can be viewed online. This performance gave Brian the idea to finish the album by himself, so he did. In 2004, Smile was finally released, not under The Beach Boys, but under the name of Brian Wilson. the album has received more critical acclaim than any other since the year 2000 and onwards.
Finally, on November 1st 2011, The Smile Sessions by the Beach Boys is getting a proper release. The box set will include Smile, reconstructed from original recordings, along with alternate takes and session highlights. The world has waited 45 years for this album, and it's finally coming out.

Video Game - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyim is the sequel to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006). The Elder Scrolls is a series of Role-Playing Games which uses a First-Person perspective. The games are open world, and allow the player a lot of freedom, not only in where they go, but what choices they make.
Skyim will feature many improvements to the gameplay, including levelling perks, improved NPC conversation system, dragon battles and much, much more.
The hype surrounding Skyrim is unheard of. The game will have to be a masterpiece for it to not be a disappointment. I'd recommend looking up some gameplay footage. From what's been displayed so far, it's looking sure to be Game of the Year.

Avatar (2009) Film Review

Avatar is a film that will be remembered. That much is certain. This film completely won over audiences in 2009 and was hugely successful in the box office, not unlike James Cameron’s previous effort, Titanic (released in 1997). However, while Titanic was not even close to being worthy of its hype and cult status, Avatar is.

On a visual level, this film is one of the most (if not the most) beautiful films ever made. The effects took 12 years to pull off and that really shows. The scenery is vivid and beautiful, the creatures are detailed and imaginative and world of Pandora feels full of life. The plants and animals all feel like they could (and should) be real, which really sucks you into this world and makes you want to believe that it’s real.

The design for both the human technology and the inhabitants of Pandora is exceptionally impressive, managing to be both creative and believable at the same time. The Na’vi are also fantastic. Their war paint makes them look fierce and strong, while their language gives the impression that they are also very wise.

However, amongst all this originality and visual prowess is what many people consider to be the weakest aspect of Avatar, and that’s its plot. The plot is nothing new, and some of the characters are slightly stereotypical. I also felt that the back-story of the main character could have been explored a bit more. However, the characters which really made me get emotionally involved with the film were the Na’vi. As the film progresses, I came to understand the Na’vi and their culture. By the end of the film, I really found myself on the edge of my seat. I wanted them to win. It was at that moment when I realised what a brilliant film this truly was.

In conclusion, Avatar is a flawed masterpiece. While it may not satisfy plot-wise, the visual effects, creativity, cinematography and emotional involvement make this film a must see. Many years into the future, there is a good chance that this film is looked back upon and viewed as a classic.

I watched the Collector’s Edition version of the film, which features 16 minutes worth of deleted scenes. While this may not sound like much, they were very good scenes. They gave the plot a bit more depth and explained some things which weren’t explained in the original theatrical release.

4/5