True Romance in New York

Are you looking to go away on a short romantic break with that special person, look no further than the Big Apple.

Without doubt New York is the most iconic city in the world, but it also provides the greatest romance stories in the world. Despite most romantic comedy films being set in the Big Apple very few associate it in the same way as Paris or even London.

From the moment you step onto the streets of this city it is easy to feel intimidated but there is no need to be, from the entire buzz and entertainment of Times Square to the soothing and relaxing Central Park, there is something for everyone.

A good way to start is at Central Park, at over eight hundred acres in size it provides the perfect sanctuary from the rest of Manhattan. From here you can walk arm in arm through the peaceful observatory garden, take some great photos at Strawberry Fields, take a rowing boat under Bow Bridge at the Ramble and Lake, or for $35 you can travel in a romantic horse drawn carriage from one end of this lush part of the city to the other.

There is so much more you can do, for the experience it is worth going to the top of the Empire State building, but for the best panoramic view of the city, go to the top of the Rockefeller centre. From here you get to see every inch of the city's skyline for all its glory, although it's tempting to go at night it is best to go during the day so you can see Central Park and the Hudson River.

Away from all of the sight seeing there is plenty of shopping to do, lets face it there is no point in going to New York if you are not going to do a bit of shopping. In Midtown not too far from Times Square you have Macy's, the largest shop in the world, you can pick from every designer brand imaginable, the choice is yours.

But it's at night when New York really comes to life, if you choose to pick a hotel near Times Square it will give you easy access to all of the Broadway shows, there is a wide variety to choose from, but it's
advisable to buy tickets in advance to avoid price hikes and long queues.

If it's not Broadway you are after why not try going out for a romantic dinner, The River cafe is the perfect place. Located at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, it is perfect to watch the lights of Manhattan at dusk before you head off back to your hotel. Remembering that a whole different story begins the next day in the city that never sleeps  

* This is a slightly updated version of travel feature I did in my first year of University. I have been to New York 3 times, the photo in this blog is one I had taken on a boat tour around the Hudson River 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: A retro review (updated review from my portfolio)

When gamer's were first introduced to Sonic the Hedgehog way back in 1991 they were mesmerised by the game's sheer speed, which had never really been seen before. Gone were the slow movements of a character plodding along the screen waiting for the next pitfall to jump or the next baddie that stood in your way. In Sonic, to progress through the game you had to run up hills, broke through walls, and bounce off baddies in mid air.

But the 1992 sequel does everything the original did but better, from the moment you hear the word 'SEGA!" sound out from the voice-over as the cartridge is powered up, you immediately sense that you're playing a very special game. Sonic 2 plays off from where the first one started, Dr Robotnik once again returns as the villain, at the end of each level you get the pleasure of defeating him in a boss fight.

If you thought the first game was fast the sequel is even faster,  although the level's are generally longer in length they tend to be linear until the last few levels of the game where it diverts from a simple left to right scrolling platformer to a more challenging top down one. The level's are also far more vibrant and colourful compared with the first game, the designers have done an excellent job of making the backgrounds as imaginative as possible, my personal favourite being the Emerald Hill Zone.

As with the first game the funky and iconic tunes return, each level has its own soundtrack and they accommodate one another perfectly, to play the game without the music is unthinkable. The only downside to Sonic 2 is the difficulty, although challenging in the latter third of the game you will not find it long before you master each level with ease on further play throughs. Which albeit there is plenty of, no matter how many times you might complete the game you will always come back for more.

Sonic 2 on reflection was without doubt the pinnacle of the blue hedgehog's heyday, he was still fresh and dynamic, there was quite simply nothing else like it on the market at the time, it sprang up countless clones but it was never and still never been beaten for simple video gaming joy. This truly was the gem in one of the most popular video game franchises we have ever had the joy to play.

Top 5 underrated/guilty pleasure films

I don't usually write lists, but on this occasion I thought it was appropriate. There are always films which are universally seen as terrible, Pluto Nash comes to mind. But there are also those bad films which if you turn off half your brain, and look beyond the surface are actually not as bad as you'd think. There are of course film's which were underrated on release but when you look back on them, they deserved more praise than they got.

1. Super Mario Brothers

Ask any fan of the most renown videogame franchise what they thought of this film and the chances are they will scowl at you, they completely disown it. It's true that it has very little in common with the game, Mario and Luigi apparently live in Brooklyn, and Bob Hoskins in dungarees just doesn't work. However the film is very entertaining, the goombas are a work of genius, and those jet shoes (is that what they're called?) are simply amazing. It's the perfect film to watch at Christmas or on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

2. Final Fantasy- the spirits within

Groundbreaking for its time, it got a mixed reception at the time and spectacularly failed at the box office. The animation is a bit dated now, but the heart of the film is still very sound, and the story is actually very good and at times even quite emotional, the villain is not two dimensional, and at times even sympathetic. But again like the first film in my list it wasn't faithful to its source material, which is why fans of the games disown it. Which is a shame because in my opinion it's still the best videogame movie adaptation in my opinion.




3. Lost in Space

Watch this and try not to think that it's Joey Tribiani and not Matt LeBlanc on screen, it's impossible. But the film is very entertaining, Gary Oldman again plays the campy villain perfectly, the special effects understandably vary in quality, the opening scene still holds up very well indeed. Some of the dialogue is atrocious, 'DESTROY, DESTROY, DESTROY', but it only makes the film even better. It's a shame because the film leaves with a cliffhanger, and because of the film's under performance the planned sequels never happened, and we will never know what happened next. Shame.



4. You've got mail

Unlike some of the others on the list, this film wasn't universally hated on release, it has just kind of been forgotten. But You've got mail is a great New
York romcom, not only is it an original plot it is also a rare film that actually makes you feel better about the world, it provides perfect comfort watching. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are perfect in both roles, on a rainy day put this film and try to be depressed, impossible.



5. Small Soldiers

Tommy lee Jones was born to voice Major Chip Hazard of the commando elite, the great thing about this film is that it's fun and doesn't take itself seriously
at all. If this film was made now it would most probably be done in CGI, which is why it would never work or be made in the current climate of the film industry. Added in with the great action scenes is
plenty of tongue in cheek humour. Small Soldiers was sadly crowded out by the incumbent of CGI kids films.

The Purge- Review

Director- James DeMonaco
Running time- 85 minuted
Starring- Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey



Set in the year 2022, America has become a place of prosperity and full employment, but for one night in the year, for a twelve hour period there is an event called 'The Purge', where all crime is legal and services are suspended.

On this one night the film centres around the Sandin family, who live in an affluent upper middle class neighbourhood, Ethan Hawke and Lena Headley give reasonable performances for what they
are given, from the beginning we see that they represent an idealistic family unit, and 'The Purge' is far removed from their everyday reality as they lockdown their home. The tension builds up until a stranger being pursued by a group who want to kill them turns up at the front door.

Circumstances lead this stranger into the house, and it is from here that a lot of the action begins to take place. The problem is that so much of the suspense leads to nothing, while effective what little action there is is few and far between, and over far too quickly. And what begins with a very good villain ends in total disappointment, and we learn nothing of the group's motives as to why they want to kill this person.

There are too many changes of direction in the last third of the film, and none of it ends up making the film any better, by the time it ends it all felt like a 'meh' experience, although the final scene as 'The Purge' comes to an end, and normality is resumed does have a lot of impact.

For a lot of its faults, the film has a lot of original ideas, it conveys the worst in humanity in a crude way, it will keep you engaged throughout, like most thrillers it will keep you on the edge of your seat, and constantly guessing at the back of your head as you're watching. It's just a shame that all ends up being average.

The Purge plays on the uncertain economic climate that the world still finds itself in five years after the banking crisis, but for all that it has going for it, and with a very good build up, the second half of the film just falls flat on its face. 

2.75/5