FILM REVIEW:MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Funny and witty, Midnight in Paris is a light hearted journey of self discovery for aspiring writer Gil Pender (Owen Wilson). However, it is also not entirely a romantic comedy as its title might suggest.

Gil, a successful Hollywood writer who is struggling with his first novel, travels with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams) to Paris. He is enthralled with the city and has thoughts of staying in Paris after getting married but Inez thinks otherwise. Gil sees Paris as the ideal place to find the inspiration to accomplish his artistic goals; while Inez views it merely as an important touristy location of note. It is this difference that would lead them to very different conclusions about their lives. When Gil decides to leave Inez to party with her friends and goes for a midnight stroll along the streets of Paris, he is picked up by merrymaking folks who will provide him the writing inspiration he needs.

The film begins in modern day Paris, with its beautifully designed buildings and museums that display its golden age of artistic expression; before luring us into the 1920s, where its dimly lit, moody streets evoke a rustic, cosy feeling that makes you want to stay a little longer, among the literary/artistic greats of the past, just to know them a little better.

Owen Wilson is aptly cast as protagonist Gil Pender. A veteran of the comedy genre, he exudes an unbiased and unassuming air that allows him to be the nonjudgmental eyes and ears of the audience, while not losing his own character in the process.

Performances are good, although some of the supporting cast’s roles serve merely as character foils to the protagonist; to highlight how different and possibly incompatible he is among their company. What delighted me the most were the many cameos of accomplished actors, aptly taking mentoring roles in their fictional impersonation of the many artistic talents that flocked to Paris circa 1920 .

Woody Allen writes and directs a film that is very watchable, expects nothing from its viewers other than an open mind and a need to escape reality for a brief respite. His script is snappy and witty, subtle and gentle; coaxing and luring us into the magical, alluring past of Paris. Filmed entirely on location, in Paris, Allen also engaged a number of local French actors and actresses (like former model and wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni) to evoke an authentic Parisian feel that is different from, yet similar in some ways to their American counterparts; a juxtaposition of sorts.

Midnight in Paris is no epic melodrama; nor is it entirely a romantic comedy in the traditional sense but it is definitely more than the sum of its parts. The film sublimely delivers Woody Allen’s message to artists of all mediums to seize the present and not mope about the difficulties they face, especially when they are misunderstood by those around them. However, it might offend some people with its shallow, materialistic depictions of antagonistic characters that oppose Gil’s chosen literary path. All in all, with the exception of young children, Midnight in Paris is entertaining, educational and doubly entertaining for art and literature enthusiasts.

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Age: Late teens to adults (strong language, violence and some disturbing situations)

Price: ~$59.90 (Prices may vary)

The Call of Duty (COD) franchise started a revolution in first person shooters. It was cinematic, semi-realistic and immersed the player in the second Great War. Melding cinematic, ensemble style storytelling and combat that required cover and flanking to defeat your foes. Though the combat was rudimentary, the resultant game play drew the player into conflicts that were critical and provided a glimpse of the fun and horrors of war. However, COD Modern Warfare 3 is not such a game. In fact it stopped being fun about halfway through. Fortunately, its multiplayer component is still competent.

The single player campaign of MW 3 revolves around the start of a Third World war esque conflict through the manipulations of terrorists. The basic plot serves as an excuse to create audacious set-pieces for the player to shoot through; like the New York Stock exchange, The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in Britain and other prominent locations in the Western world. My personal favourite was you having to stop a Russian naval invasion by hi-jacking a Russian missile submarine and unleashing it’s payload on the unsuspecting Russian navy. However, its downhill after that; the plot yoyos between a few of the major characters in the conflict, namely special forces soldiers from America, Britain and Russia. Little characterization is done as the story races to its climax where you hunt down the terrorist responsible, ending the fictional threat that began in MW 1.

MW 1 presented a possible future scenario where control of information and misinformation can ignite global conflict; providing the perfect setting to showcase some of the latest in military hardware (namely, guns, rifles, pinpoint artillery/airborne strikes and a myriad of other accessories). MW 2 expanded of the same philosophy, but pushed the plot to overdrive; generating controversy from the Russian airport massacre by terrorists (reminiscent of the September 11^th attacks on US soil) in order to frame the United States of America and cause a Russian invasion of America that would spill into Europe in MW 3. While MW 1 introduced the masses to the new age of conflict in the 21^st century, and many enjoyed the war on the home front depicted in MW 2; MW 3 has no central theme to pull its loose narrative together. The player is presented with a collage of the previous 2 games with a mere change in locales. Enemies still charge at you en masse and spawn infinitely till you push forward your attack. This might have worked before, but it falls short of my expectations. In a market where hyper realistic and immersive shooters like Crysis 2, Arma and Operation Flashpoint have gained acclaim for cinematic yet believable combat situations that demanded careful planning before initiating an assault; MW 3’s looks and game play feels dated. These games also offer tone downed difficulty modes for more casual gamers while still maintaining a sense of connectivity between its missions and overall story.

MW 3’s single player story mode delivers frenetic action for the trigger happy weekend warrior but fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the story it brewed 2 games ago. Fortunately, its multiplayer mode allows for co-op play through certain pre created scenarios aptly named “Spec Ops”, as well as competitive multiplayer team matches similar to the previous titles; with some new features added in. If you prefer immersive war games however, Battlefield 3 might be more to your liking for it allows the use of land, sea and airborne military vehicles to wreak havoc with your friends. In contrast, MW 3’s multiplayer is more squad level based, like an update of the excellent classic, Counter-Strike. Its strong focus on gun play is evident with a leveling structure that rewards players with perks to further boost their weapon choices, armour and many more.

Graphically, MW 3 looks suspiciously similar to MW 2; with only the varied touristy locations like London, Berlin and a New York under siege that barely disguises the ruse of reused textures and artwork. The sound effects are decent but very much like the prequels and the music, while effective; cannot hold a candle to Hans Zimmer's excellent composition that so elegantly suits the scenes of war you are embroiled in MW 2.With its steep price, short single-player campaign (4-5hours in length) and familiar multiplayer options, MW 3 is for the weekend warriors who cannot wait to satisfy their urge to shoot something. The rest of us can wait for it to be placed in the bargain bin.