Nick Kyme

I’m torn. I’ve just been on i09 who’ve recently posted their best and worst sf/fantasy movies of 2010 and, honestly, what is going on with that? Check them out here.

It’s an… interesting list and I guess I agree with most of it. Some of the movies I haven’t seen, either, so I can only comment on what I know. In the ‘Best’ list, I’ve seen Scott Pilgrim vs The World (5) and Kick-Ass (6), both of which are great movies (even if Scott Pilgrim is more an amusing oddity than a film I’d buy and then watch more than once), Predators (4), I mean really? This film was just a piss-poor and, frankly, just plain shit, remake of the far superior original.

I shall now digress in order to rant…

Predator the original and best, was a great, great movie. Despite its slightly shady special effects and hammed-up performances, it’s iconic and awesome. The twist: a bunch of bad-asses (and I mean proper bad-asses; not just some douche bags with moral ambivalence and okay fighting skills) are sent in the jungle only to find an even badder bad-ass is stalking them… like, for fun. In the awesomely flatulent Predators there’s no Arnie, no Carl Weathers, no special forces hard man in sight! Oh, there’s beak-nosed Adrian Brody, who despite buffing up for the role, is no tough guy. Not one capable of beating down on not one, but a whole team of predators… with dogs! WTF! WTF! I say it twice because it’s just so unbelievable. The story we already know – all the best bits are ripped off the original movie and done badly, and Lawrence Fishburne – arguably, the best actor in the entire arse-farting excuse for a film – has the most ridiculous and pointless role of all. I guess his kids needed new shoes or something? This film is a turd, is what it is and it has no place in the top ten best sf movies of the year – i09, what the hell were you thinking!!!

Phew!

Onwards then. I’ve also seen Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows pt1 (3), Toy Story 3 (2), and Inception, which was a wholly deserved number 1. Oh, and on the subject of Inception, I saw an interesting interview clip with Ellen Page where she stated that the movie defied genre – huh? It’s about going into people’s dreams and extracting/implanting ideas – it’s science fiction, my dear.

Anywho.

So, out of the films I’d seen in the top ten, the only one I really had issue with was Predators. And again, WTF?! Apparently, How to Train Your Dragon was only worthy of honourable mention, which is a shame as it’s a great movie – it’s a LOT better than bloody Predators, I can tell you that.

On to the ‘Worst’ then , and I have some queries here too. Of the list presented, I’ve seen Alice in Wonderland (10), The Wolfman (9), Legion (8), The Lovely Bones (7), Iron Man 2 (6) and Tron: Legacy (5). The real stinkers passed me by, it seems. Well, I have to take issue here too. I also have to say that Predators, for me, pretty much invalidates the credibility of this list. I agree that numbers 10 through 8 are pretty stench-ridden movies. Alice was a huge disappointment, Wolfman was ridiculous and Legion was jus till-conceived pap. I’ll come back to The Lovely Bones, but Iron Man 2 one of the ‘worst’ sf/fantasy films of 201 – are you nuts?! Look, it perhaps didn’t quite reach the heady heights of the first film, but that no way in heaven or hell consigns it to a list of worst sf/fantasy films. That’s just dumb. Remember, dear reader, this is a list with the eminently shoddy Predators in the ‘best’ list. I’ll admit, I watched Iron Man 2 at the cinema and I felt a tad let down, but on subsequent viewings – expectations modified – I found I really enjoyed it, and have actually gone back to watch it several more times.

And what about The Lovely Bones? Overlong? Certainly, but it was dark enough and looked amazing. I thought it was moving and well told; again, not a contender for ‘worst’ sf/fantasy film of the year.

Moving on to Tron: Legacy… Admittedly, the reviewer does say that fans are divided on this one. I liked Tron: Legacy. It entertained me and I’d watch it again. It looked amazing, has an awesome soundtrack and a great atmosphere throughout. It also pays homage to the original.

I have to say, and have done now, that this list was a bit rubbish. Sure, it’s all just down to popular opinion and one man’s poo is another man’s gold, as a friend of mine once said, but seriously? Predators?

After a pretty mental end to 2010, writing-wise, I pledged to ‘ease off’ in December and take a little break in order to recharge my batteries. Apart from penning a couple of synopses/pitches, I’ve done just that.

Fully gorged on Christmas food and drink, overindulged on chocolate and all of that other tasty filth, there’s one thing I definitely need to do in 2011 – exercise! Yeah, aside from getting back on the writing horse, I shall be running and keeping fit with extreme vengeance. I plan on running a half-marathon around Silverstone at the minimum, plus there’s the Robin Hood half as well, in April and September respectively. I’ve also just joined a running club. Having only gone out two weeks (the others got nixed on account of the weather and a footballing injury), I figure I should be like Bruce Lee and apply myself.

Between sitting in my pants of an evening, visiting relatives and spending time with friends and girl friend, I’ve got a fair bit of other leisurely pursuits nailed. For starters, I finished a couple of video games. That’s quite rare for me. I usually play a game for a bit, enjoy it, leave it and never finish it. There are odd times when I’ll pick it up again after a longish break and crack on with a few more levels, but it’s rare. I nailed Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (0h, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception looks totally awesome, by the way) and finished Modern Warfare 2(btw, I played a bit of CoD: Black Ops at a mate’s house and didn’t enjoy it as much as MW2 – why is it that Infinity Ward, who make the Modern Warfare games, don’t just do all of the Call of Duty stuff; they’re obviously much better at it than the team that put Black Ops together). Both were very cool games.

Having finished a couple of games, I have managed (through the magic of Christmas) to procure a couple more… Both Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare and Time Crisis: Razer Storm (?) are waiting for my attention in the near future.

As well as cracking video games, I’ve also been to see Tron: Legacywhich I thought was great. Sure, this is a movie that’s getting some mixed reviews but as popcorn-crunching fodder that it is I enjoyed it. The Daft Punk soundtrack is freaking awesome (I’m listening to it now) and will doubtless be the inspirational music behind the next novels that I write. I actually really liked the visualisation of the digital world and Jeff Bridges was almost ‘Dude-like’ in his rendition of Flynn. Yeah, so the story was a bit waffy – so what. Olivia Wilde was super-hot, the action was great and I was entertained from start to finish. Certainly, it was a lot better than The Expendables, which, I have to say, sucked. I think it would’ve been better if it hadn’t tried to tell a story and just gone with the ludicrous macho explosions and murder-death-killing. Ah, well.

I’m reading a fair share of graphic novels at the moment. After polishing off Grant Morrison’s Batman titles (with Dick Grayson donning cape and cowl), well the first two that have been released as trades, I’ve also now read Tony S. Daniel’s Life After Death, which sort of follows up on Batman: R.I.P. Another great title. Currently, I’m reading Blackest Night, which feels a little like DC’s answer to Marvel Zombies, albeit tied into the continuity a little better. Having read a few seminal titles now (mostly the ones recommended by Christian Dunn or that connect to the Batman storyline), I’m starting to get a much better appreciation of the DC meta-narrative that runs through its titles. It’s an idea that intrigues me and I like the notion of promoting this through a book line. It was fun having the crossover between the short stories Aaron Dembski-Bowden and I did for Fear the Alien, and definitely something I’d like to do again.

I’m about a quarter of the way through Blackest Night so far but loving it. There are references to Final Crisis, Batman: R.I.P, Flash: Rebirth, Identity Crisis  and a whole host of other books that I’ve actually read, so it’s cool to make those connections and be rewarded with continuity and revelations for my diligent efforts.

Next on my list of graphic novels are the third of Morrison’s Batman titles and then Return of Bruce Wayne. I also have a volume of The Boys to get through but I’m hankering for some purist super hero action at the moment, rather than the depraved stuff that goes on with that particular book.

So, as December draws to a close and with it the remains of 2010 I’ll be thinking about next year and getting back into the writing again. Firedrake is kicking ass and taking names it seems, so thank you to everyone for buying it and for those of you that gave it nice reviews. I’m on with Nocturne now (sorry that you’ve got to wait so long for it), with much of it conceptualised but only the first paragraph written. Once my break is done with I’ll get back on the case. Besides the dramatic close to the Tome of Fire series, I’ve got a couple of books slated for 2011 already with Fall of Damnos now in the bed, off to the printers and in stores around April, and then Dwarfs, an omnibus of novels featuring me and Gav Thorpe, coming a little later down the schedule. Oh, and don’t forget ‘Forgotten Sons’ my contribution to Age of Darkness for the Horus Heresy series. So, I’ve hardly lifted a finger to type and there’s lots of good stuff on its way – you lucky, lucky people…

Okay, that’s enough rambling for now. I’m off to read a bit more of Blackest Night and chill out for the rest of the evening. Ta, ta.

Whatever you’re doing this season, whatever your faith or otherwise, new friends and old, friends I have yet to meet – I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It’s been a great year for me, my busiest as a writer yet, and 2011 looks like it’s going to be just as packed (if a little less stressful – here’s hoping).

I know I’ve not blogged that much this year, a resolution in the making is in order I think, but I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who commented, read, enjoyed, fed back on the blog. This is really just a forum for me to ramble but it’s nice to think that folks get something out of it too. Thanks as well for all the kind words, reviews, support and suggestions (even the mad ones).

And to get you in the festive, 40K mood, check this mini out from toycutter…

Happy holidays, y’all! See you in 2011.

Just in case you haven’t already seen this…

Wow!

Well in advance of the game’s release next year in the Fall, trailers have started rolling out for Arkham City.

This latest one is the longest and features Hugo Strange. Looks great. It’s likely just for promo purposes but if the in-game FMV looks anything like this then the standard looks high. I’s say, officially, it’s the game that I’m most looking forward to next year. Woot!