Film Review No. 32 Thor: Ragnarok (12+)

Strong Points:
Great comedic moments
Amazing special effects
Superb fight scenes
Korg
Ties up a load of loose plot threads
Back-references galor
Sets up for Infinity War
The Valkyrie
Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster
Hulk’s Toddler-esque speech
Anthony Hopkins as "Loki"
Chris Hemsworth has been allowed some freedom
Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon’s cameo
Thor’s lighting powers
Dr. Strange

Weak Points:
Some of the jokes are only going to be funny once or twice - rewatch-ers will miss the tension
Lack of tension due to continuous wisecracks
The whole ‘Hulk being all powerful’ scenario is becoming a bit unbelievable as he keeps losing
Are we supporting Loki now or...?
Where’s Jane Foster (and, for that matter, Lady Sif)?
The Warriors Three's end

Spoilers ahead:

Comment: Entertainment Release Times

27th October 2017 and 17th November 2017, two days which will stick in the minds of entertainment writers, businesses and the general public for a while. For these two days had A LOT released, at the same time. On the 27th October, we had the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin's Creed: Origins and Wolfenstein 2 released, each one vying for the attention of gamers everywhere.

Today has: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon, The Sims 4 on console, Justice League, Skyrim for Switch and VR, Star Wars Battlefront 2, again all vying for the attention of the public. Some employee huge marketing campaigns, some focus on nostalgia and even some go for the idea that 'no publicity is bad publicity' (EA's SWB2 lootboxes have to have been a stunt, right?).

Personally, I've only been able to go for one of these at launch and that's Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon. The choice was simple for me as I'm a massive fan of all things Pokémon (although Skyrim for Switch was pushing me). However, for all the others out there I have to ask, how do you choose what to play or watch with just so much out there now? Does it persuade you to actually buy more or none at all? Would you rather a couple of days a year with everything or a more staggered release? Finally, how much of a backlog do you have of games and movies/shows? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Film Review No. 31 The Meyerowitz Stories (15+)

Strong Points:
Strong ensemble cast
Involving story
Balances drama and comedy nicely...
Nice cameos
Interesting colour correction and filters
Sharp, stilted dialogue works - two conversations are happening at once
Constant back referencing to past conversations really involves the audience
Great uses of music
Use of sharp cuts brings you out of story to focus on another one
Surprisingly emotional by the end

Weak Points:
Slightly too long
...Although sometimes goes too far in trying to get to either end of the spectrum
Emma Thompson's character is underused

Some spoilers ahead:

Review No. 134 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo Switch (3+)

Strong Points:
Works excellently in all Switch modes
Even more characters and karts
Boo and Feather are nice item editions
Purple boost and two item slots are incorporated well
Battle mode has been remade!
Mario Kart on the go is where it's meant to be
Crisp graphics and animations
Online works well

Weak Points:
At least another cup would have been nice (especially for previous DLC owners)
The ability to compare kart setups is still not here
No Mission Mode yet

Video Game Character of the Month - November 2017 - Waluigi - Mario Series

Video Game Character of the Month

November 2017
Waluigi
Mario Series

Overview:
Poor Waluigi. Created for the sole purpose of giving Luigi a competitor in sports games, he always believes that the grass is greener for everyone else. Even Nintendo has made him into a comic relief character, but we believe he deserves better. For once he can stand on his own and say 'I am Waluigi, my own person and I am proud!' For he is today, the recipient of the Video Game Character of the Month award! 
Now for some information on Evil Luigi Waluigi:

Film Review No. 30 The Death of Stalin (15+)

Strong Points:
Strong cast
Satire galore
Lovely camera shots
Constant wordplay
General air of tension
Funny
Use of deliberately not Soviet accents

Weak Points:
Pacing could have been better
Sometimes confusing
One part was excessively gory

Some spoilers ahead:

App Review No. 108 Rider

Strong Points:
Strong art style
Lots to collect and do
Drop rate of cars is fair
Nice sense of progression compared to other games in genre

Weak Points:
Fiddly controls
Repetitive
Random difficulty spikes

Review No. 133 Life is Strange - PC (16+)

Strong Points:
Superb voice acting
Nice art style
Choices that matter, and impact across all episodes
You can see how your choices stack up against others at the end of each chapter
Time travelling mechanics allow for interesting puzzles...
...As well as the chance to correct mistakes
Believable characters who are developed over time
Some surprising twists and turns
Great soundtrack

Weak Points:
Lip sync issues lose immersion
Art style sometimes comes in the way of detail
The pace can be slow
Not all questions are answered
This all happened in a week?

Note: as this game is episodic in nature I will also be giving mini-reviews and ratings to each episode as well as more general points

Spoilers ahead!:

Film Review No. 29 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (15+)

Strong Points:
More spy references
Strong performances from all
A certain celebrity cameo
Funny - mix of innuendos, clever humour and slapstick
Stylised action worked
The Statesmen
Twists and turns
Evil plot - scary outlook on the world
An almost sympathetic villain

Weak Points:
Less concise and focused than the first film
Villain doesn't have a lot of backstory
Villain's in the background a lot
Some gory sections weren't needed to be repeated!
Sudden removal of people from the first film
Some dodgy values

Some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - October 2017 - Rabbids - Rayman Raving Rabbids

Video Game Character of the Month

October 2017
Rabbids
Rayman Raving Rabbids

Overview:
GWAAH! BWAH! FFRAW! *incomprehensible noises carry on for 10 minutes*. I think we're going to need a translator over here. Translation: give us the award or we'll *"£?^&£ destroy you!
Oh... Um... Congratulations to the Raving Rabbids, the newest recipients of the Video Game Character of the Month Award!
And now some information about the Raving Rabbids: