strider

I’ve been playing this for months now and absolutely love it. Mtg goldfish has a selection of solid decks and the meta seems far more flexible than Hearthstone. I’ve always loved magic but stopped playing the physical version as it became too expensive. This is perfect and I’ve just used all my gold to buy 50 packs of the new set. I will put up my gamer tag when I’m at my computer. edit - there was also a code called gameawards that gave you access t9 key rares and uncommon. I’m not sure if it’s still valid, though. i play a white prison deck that blows up everyone’s lands, a red black land destruction deck and a mill deck. basically I’m an asshole when I play magic.

I'll check that out. I saw The Gringo and thought he was great in that.

Great write up. It's pretty much how I feel about it as well. I've always found it amazing that it's taking so long for film makers to realise that someone as hulking as Vaughan would make an intimidating character.

Yeah it had lots of lovely touches like that. Really, really enjoyed it.

Stan & Ollie (2019 Cinema) 16 years after leaving the film industry, Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C Reilly) embark on a music hall tour on England in an attempt to recapture past glories and kickstart interest in a new film opportunity. Delightful is perhaps the best word to sum up Stan & Ollie. It doesn't really do much and many of its beats are incredibly predictable but it's a film filled with warmth and charm that's difficult not to love. Setting off with a magnificent tracking shot that cleverly reveals the dynamics between the pair's successful partnership and their less successful handling of money, it sets the tone of Jon S Baird's film nicely. It also gives your first glimpse of two fantastic performances from the film's talented leads. Both Coogan and Reilly deliver exceptional performances and while it's Reilly who initially impresses (and is almost unrecognisable) as the health-stricken Hardy it's Coogan's turn that stays with you. Both actors have clearly studied their subject matter well but there's a warmth and sadness to Coogan's performance that's impossible to ignore. It's arguably one of his best roles and it's easy to see why it's nabbed him an Oscar nomination. Like the double act they're based on, the true strength of Stan & Ollie comes from how well the pair play off each other, whether it's recreating classic skits, moving a suitcase up a flight of stairs or taking delight in a new sketch that Laurel has thought up. The rest of the cast is also on fine form too, with Rufus Jones as a slimy tour manager and Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda as the duo's long-suffering spouses. It's fairly light for a biopic but it's elevated by the strength of its performances and its excellent attention to detail. An engaging biopic that's over far too quickly. I didn't want it to end. 4/5

We're planning a feature on the greatest PS2 games of all time. Tell us your top ten with 10 points for your favourite and 1 for your least favourite and we'll do the rest. Please include all 10 games or we can't include your vote There's a form here which makes things easier. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepPbS6xh78jP14lRck2_cNScFggZPvWifB-cvAzCfl6Tr4Aw/viewform

Oi! I had the soundtrack on vinyl. I think it works well.

Bad Boys (1995, 4K Blu-Ray) When a master criminal (Tchéky Karyo) plans an elaborate heist, detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) set out to stop them. But first they have to protect the one witness (Tea Leoni) who can be linked to the heist... Michael Bay's first film remains a lot of fun. Sure it's as generic as hell and sure it plays around with every tired trope from the buddy movie, but it's hard to care when it's this entertaining. It's largely down to the superb chemistry between Smith and Lawrence who deliver zingers and one-liners as fast as they fire bullets. Smith plays a ladies man, while Lawrence is the loyal family man but a case of mistaken identity mean they have to play each other. It works surprisingly well, largely down to the pair's improvisation and the fact they're both so likeable. While Karyo delivers a decent turn as the film's villain, most of the cast is fairly one-dimensional with a shouty captain role for Joe Pantoliano and a scared hostage role for Leoni (who does what she can with a relatively limited role). There's some decent gunfights, including a vicious scene in a nightclub and a great car chase at the end, but this is surprisingly light stuff from Bay, but it does mean the focus is always on the two likeable leads. Silly, over-the-top fun. 3.5/5

Sky clearly have a massive amount of dirt on Idris as he pimps their wares at every opportunity. I’d imagine he’s referring to that

Jurassic Park III (2001, 4K Blu-Ray) When Alan Grant (Sam Neil) is convinced to give a tour of Isla Sorna to Paul Kirby (William H Macey) and Amanda Kirby (Tea Leoni) he sets off with his protege Billy (Alessandro Nivola). Upon reaching the island he soon realises that he's part of a rescue mission and once again has to avid becoming lunch for the hungry inhabitants. Jurassic Park III is often hailed as the weakest film in the original trilogy and there's no denying that Joe Johnstone simply can't match the raw power of Spielberg's original movie. People moan about the talking dinosaur (it's a dream sequence you idiots) farcical elements and the abrupt ending (which I admit is rather naff) but I'll still defend it for a couple of reasons. The aviary sequence is a wonderfully creepy sequence, highlighting just how terrifying dinos can be, while the spinosaurus and T-Rex fight still makes the little kid in me do back flips. Sam Neil is on fine form as the reluctant paleontologist who is almost as unlucky a film character as John Maclane, while Nivola is decent as his spirited side-kick. Leoni is sadly giving little more than a damsel in distress role, which is disappointing considering how much spunk she's shown in earlier films, while Macey's character at first seems like another of his hangdog characters, but has something of a small character arc by the film's close. The river attack still looks great, but some of the effects do look a little ropey and the model work isn't as strong as the earlier films. Another thing which I find completely hilarious are the many evil eye close-ups of the raptor's and pteradons, suggesting they have nefarious plans that the hapless humans have somehow helplessly stumbled into. It's all silly preposterous nonsense but it's preposterous nonsense with dinosaurs in so I was always going to find it entertaining. 3/5

I remember seeing this years ago as a nipper with my nan. I may have to watch it again as I was way to young to understand it. I just remember there being a sex scene that was very awkward to watch.

When dashing legionnaire Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) leads an Egyptologist (Rachael Weisz) and her bumbling brother (John Hannah) to the City of the Dead, they inadvertently awaken Imhotep, a powerful and dangerous mummy. I've always loved The Mummy, largely because it seems to be a film where everyone's having so much fun in it. It effortlessly captures the thrills and spills of the old matinee movies and while Brendan Fraser is no Harrison Ford he does a fantastic Indiana Jones impression that's sullied somewhat by the dire sequels that followed. Rachael Weisz is on fine form as the librarian turned adventurer who slowly warms to the wily charms of O'Connell, while John Hannah delights as her cowardly brother who has a love of gambling and a serious aversion to bravery. And then there's Arnold Vosloo as the titular Mummy, all seething anger and stricken angst as the desperate man who longs to be reunited with his beloved Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velásquez). Famed at the time for its impressive special effects, a lot of the CGI is beginning to show its age, but it still can't hide the fact that Stephen Sommers film is a lot of fun. It rollicks along at a fine pace from one dizzying setpiece to the next and there's peril around every corner as the group continually find themselves jumping from frying pan to fire. The dialogue is a little weak in places and most of the supporting cast are completely forgettable (only Kevin J O'Connor leaves an impression as the cowardly Beni) but that can't hide the fact that The Mummy is a rollicking old school matinee movie that's very difficult to hate. 4/5

Yeah it's misleadingly named. I don't really think it was a good highlight of HDR if I'm honest. I'm glad I've watched it, but I'll stick with the original version going forward.

Logan (2017, 4K Blu-Ray) An aged Logan (Hugh Jackman) is looking after a sickly Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) with help from Steven Merchant when he's asked to transport a young girl (Dafne Keen) to a safe haven. As he's tracked down by the ruthless Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and Dr Zander Rice (Richard E Grant) he soon realises that Laura isn't what she seems. If this really is Jackman's last stab at Wolverine he's gone out on an absolute high. He's almost unrecognisable in the role he's been playing for the last 19 years, delivering a smart mix of weary resignation and unbridled rage that he's never really been able to explore in more cinema friendly films. He's a Wolverine at the end of the road, one who knows that he's finally running out of tricks and the ability to self-heal and you wince at every hit he takes, slowly realising like he does that this is a super hero film where the heroes don't necessarily get to live happily ever after. Stewart is also on fine form as the stricken Xavier, struggling with a debilitating disease that is causing brain seizures that affect everyone around him. They're like a super-powered version of Steptoe and Son, a crochety pair of old farts that constantly bicker but can't bear to be without each other. Holbrook makes a convincing villain, while Keen is superb, delivering a wild feral performance that leaves you in no doubt of her connection to old man Logan. Logan is essentially a road movie at heart, albeit one with copious amounts of bloodshed and the sort of body count that would make Sylvester Stallone wince. I'd forgotten just how violent Logan is and it's the kind of film that's not afraid to have its antagonists dispatched in the nastiest ways possible. It also highlights towards the end of the film just how good a superhero horror movie could be. Beautifully shot (I watched the recent 'noir' cut) and with some surprisingly decent dialogue for a comic book adaptation, Logan is an excellent slice of drama that proves there's plenty of life left in one of Marvel's most popular heroes. Here's hoping a huge pot of cash makes Jackman change his mind. 4.5

Thank you. Adjusted.