• 13May 13

  3 months summer break/study period.

  Today, I had my exam in Approaches to Historical Archaeology. An exam that consists of a 10 minute presentation and 20 minutes, where the teachers asks you questions, based on everything you've learned during the semester. The exams at the university are a lot tougher than during high school (least if you ask me), because you are asked to remember a great deal of things, in your head, both for the oral and written exams. That said, the teachers at the oral exams are usually very nice to help a student out, if they get lost during the presentations... anyway I'm getting side tracked here. The point is, I passed with a 4 (which is the third best grade), which pleases me. It means I only have to focus on studying for one exam, rather than two. Better find something else to do during those 3 months though.
  • Posted May 13, 2013 5:00 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 5May 13

  Well that's quite an absence

  So it's been... what, almost two years since my imposed blog retirement? Not quite what I expected, when I said I'd take a break. In any case, I shall try to be back for a little while, to see how the Gamespot community has been in my absence. How ya been, guys?
  
  Personally, it's been full of ups and downs. When I took my break, it had only been around two weeks since me and my girlfriend had broken up (which in hindsight is both my fault, and a bit of her's too), and it shattered me completely, unsurprisingly. I also managed to lose both my cat, and my grandmother (though my grandmother's death was last year, not in 2011). In positive news however, I graduated from the Gymnasium (the Danish equivalent to high school), and I have (somehow) sucessfully enrolled at the University of Copenhagen, just a few months after, where I am studying Archaeology (with a focus in the Near East). It's quite different from High School, given that there's a lot to read and prepare for every class, and the exams basically doesn't allow you to have notes with them (like previously). So far, it's going great, with the exception of a failed exam a month ago (which I have to retake in August, meaning I'll miss the field school this year, but be able to join it next year), and the people I'm in class with (as well as people in other classes) are very nice to hang around with. I don't think I've ever been that social, lol.
  
  But enough about me, how have you guys been?
  • Posted May 5, 2013 7:48 am GMT
  • Category: Other
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 30Jun 11

  Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon review

  Back with some reviews. Making a movie on Transformers, a live action one that is, sounds ridicilous, because... well it's action toys for kids. But surprisingly it worked. The first one was surprisingly good, epic and entertaining, and started off the movie franchaise. Then of course they had to dumb it down for Revenge of the Fallen (which the Razzies were quick to pick up on). Now we're here with Dark of the Moon (Weird title... soudns like one of the words went missing), and it can only be better than the last one... right? Well to explain the first disappointment: there's no Pink Floyd tracks from Dark Side of the Moon being played, at all (fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu)

  

  Ya know why America wanted to send their own people to space so badly? It was because something mysterious crashed on the moon, and they wanted to investigate it, meaning the whole Soviet space arms thingy was a cover up! What landed was a spaceship, called The Ark, which escaped from Cypertron, while they were at war. The ship contained something called "The Pillars", that could have saved Cypertron... that and it can defy all the rules of time and gravity as we know it. The decepticons wants to get the pillars, so they can transport Cypertron to earth and restore it, while the autobots seek to help the humans, and stop the decepticons. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who has saved the world with the autobots twice, finds himself with a new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and without a job. Eger to make a difference, he wants to help the autobots save the world, though of course, the goverment won't let him.

  Let me start out by saying, that The Pillars isn't our Deus Ex Machina, and there isn't anything that is even close to being as stupid as reviving Sam at the end of Revenge of the Fallen. It actually has more story than the previous ones ever did. Though for a series that's in it's 3rd sequel, it's kind of late to asking us to feel emotionally engaged to what's going on. The movie does at least try to act like it's going to kill off some of the characters, but it doesn't quite works because... well it's for kids and teenagers, and they would normally refuse to kill off characters. (and to put a note here, I am aware that the original transformers animated movie was a oil steamed blood bath). The focus on the story also allows it to be a bit darker than previously, though there's still plenty of humor to go around.

  And that's also one of the problems. The first hour is pretty uneven. One minute it has a few dark scenes, follow up by some humerous scenes. It removes some of the dark feeling and tension the movie's aiming for. On the other hand, the humor si better than before. Gone are the two annoying robots (I forgot their names, and am too lazy to look them up), and Sams parents aren't having so much screen time either, which is always a 100% win.

  After the first hour though, the story somewhat get's reduced to just being an excuse to get people form one place to another. That's where the some plot holes starts appearing, but that's also where it get's kick ass. Everything after the 1st hour feels like serveal epic battle scenes just happening. It's pretty awesome to see, and even a bit impressive in a few places. The final hour, which takes place in Chicago, is defaintly epic as hell. Just one epic battle scene after another, with minor story in them, which doesn't bog down things for once.

  That however also has a problem. As good as the action scenes are in Chicago, it drags on. After the 5 or 6th battle or something, I was just thinking (yea it's awesome, but when does it end!?). The movie is 2 hours and 34 minutes long, and it's way too long. I guess the movie knew that though, because when the battles are over, so is the film. Seriously, after the battles, Sam & Carly share a few brief seconds, and it just ends. Quickest ending ever.

  The acting was decent, a small improvement over the 2nd. Shia is awesome as ever, and has some really funny "furious" scenes. Rosie is a much better actor than Megan Fox, and looks even better (bonus points for british accent). Hell, she's even useful at least once, though she does have a few scenes where she just stands, staring, doing nothing, like she doesn't know what the hell she should do.

  The 3D was decent. It didn't feel tagged on as in so many other movies surprisingly. It didn't work quite like Avatar worked with 3D, but it's one of the better movies in 3D. The music was okay. It helps add some epicness, but it just felt too much like they heavily reused parts of the music from the 1st and 2nd movie. There's even one tune that is flat out a copy of the Mind Hiest track from the Inception trailers. That was stupid.

  To sum it all up: Transformers: Dark (Side) of the Moon was pretty entertaining. The additional story focus was nice, and the action was way better than the 2nd one. It has a lot of really sweet action scenes, and a lot of good laughs. Though it's also obvious that some thigns doesn't work, like the uneven first hour, and how it just drags out, as well as some other flaws.

  7/10

  • Posted Jun 30, 2011 3:39 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »