The end is near for Poirot...

Hello everybody.

So the last four Poirot episodes are soon going to be aired on ITV 1 and I must say I can't wait. I have been a big fan of the Belgian detective for a very long time and I think that David Suchet is just excellent.

The first one, The Big Four, will be shown on Wednesday 23rd October at 8pm and will reunite Poirot (David Suchet) with his good friend Japp (Philip Jackson), now Assistant Commissioner of the Met. Also Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) will make an appearance.

I really can't wait for this and once I've watched it I shall let you know my thoughts on it.

Take Care.

:)

Catch up time plus Breaking Bad Finale...

Hello people

I realize I've not put up many posts on here recently as I had been doing. With my other blog I started recently, PRESS START, which is getting a great response, and all the games I've been playing and reviewing and television I've been watching, I guess something has to fall behind.

But now that I've got a week off, I am playing catch up. Also this week gives me a chance to get some headway with my next installment of short stories which I am hoping to get released by mid November.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I don't know if anyone watched the Breaking Bad finale last week, but if you did, how amazing was it? It's been a long time since I've seen a TV series that actually answered pretty much everything and didn't leave any unanswered questions. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) got the ending that he deserved, but as much as his character became more and more evil throughout the series as he embraced his dark and criminal side, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him in the finale episode as he returned to Albuquerque to right the wrongs, finally securing his families financial security, wiping out Todd, Lydia and Uncle Jacks gang, and freeing Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) who was held captive by the gang.

I honestly thought that Walter would either get killed by the hands of Jesse of at the hands or the cancer that started his downfall at the start of the series. But after seeing the finale I'm actually glad it was neither. I guess it would have been too obvious. Instead Walter succumbs to the stray bullet from the machine gun he had rigged from his car to wipe out Uncle Jacks gang whilst he dove on top of Jesse to protect him.

In the end it was sort of a happy ending, Jesse was free to live his life and finally free from not only the gang that held him captive but also from the manipulations of Walter White. Walter had made sure that his wife Skyler was able to make a deal with the DEA and go on with her life with their two kids. And even as he had one last look at the meth cooking equipment before collapsing to his death, he had a look on his face that was sort of like a smile, like he had finally completed what needed to be done.

It was one hell of a ride and I glad I started to watch it. There is a reason why it won an Emmy and also why it is in the Guinness book of records for highest rated TV series, which is thanks to its meta-score of 99/100 on MetaCritic.com.

Until next time peeps.

Take Care

:)

Book Review: The Venus Complex by Barbie Wilde

The first piece of fiction I read by Barbie Wilde was a short story called Polyp which was featured in The Mammoth  Book of Body Horror. And then Sister Cilice from Hellbound Hearts, which in my opinion was the best story in the collections.
But of course I'm not here to talk about those stories. Although the latter short story certainly prepared me for what I was embarking on.

The Venus Complex is about the descent of Michael Friday, a respected art historian, who after a moment of rage filled madness kills his wife in a car 'accident'. It's told in the form of a diary which really livens the tension and at certain points you could be mistaken for reading an actual serial killers diary.

Apart from the dark sexual thoughts and psychotic dreams that Michael Friday has, he also likes to rant quite a bit and is angry at the world, which you can actually understand and may even agree with, I know I did.
Even though Michael Friday is quite an evil man in most ways, you can't help but root for him and want him to succeed in his 'Venus Project'.

I will warn you though, there are some truly shocking moments in this book and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. But unlike most stories I've read where they are just blatantly shocking, this is well written novel and I hope to see Barbie bring out some more delicious works of fiction in the future. Especially since the way The Venus Complex ends, there is definitely an opening for a sequel and would love to know what Mr Friday will get up to next, but at the same time if there isn't plans for another one then that would be okay as this book ends perfectly.

Some people have compared this to American Psycho, which I can see what they mean to a certain point, but I would have to mostly disagree because I think The Venus Comples is infinitely better and much better written in my opinion.
I really can't wait for the next book or piece of fiction by Barbie Wilde and I hope we don't have to wait too long.

If you have read The Venus Complex or are planning to then please let me know what you think, or better yet, tweet @BarbieWilde and her know what you thought.

Take Care

:)

War of the books!

It's the start of a brand new week.

To start us off, I have some more of my favourite books to share with you.


#7 - THE WAR OF THE FLOWERS by TAD WILLIAMS

Before I get started, I just have to say I have read this particular book four times, so you could say it's my favourite book ever. It was also the first one I ever read by the author. This is a portal fantasy novel with a gritty feel to it. Portal fantasy is where a character from the real world passes through to a different world. There are some colourful characters in this book, including a Fairy called Applecore who has quite the mouth on her. It has everything you want in a fantasy book, including a great plot, heroes in the making, villains to despise, mystery, romance, suspense and a few twists to keep you on your toes. In fact, I might start reading it again.

#8 - THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H. G. WELLS

Of course most of you will have heard this one, as it's one of the most famous classic sci-fi books of all time.  Published in 1898, this was the first book ever to depict an alien invasion. You can feel nothing but admiration for the author for coming up with such a unique idea during the time period. Martians invade Victorian England with advanced technology. It's told in he first person narrative and is presented as if it was a factual account. The entire book is just marvelous, but my favourite part is during the second part titled: 'The Earth Under The Martians', where the narrator and a Curate have taken refuge inside a ruined building. It's the deterioration of the relationship between the two that is quite fascinating, with the Curate becoming increasingly loud and traumatized by the entire situation (Well wouldn't you?) and the narrator has to silence him by knocking him unconscious.
It's a truly brilliant book and if you haven't read then I urge to go out and get a copy. It's one of those books that everyone should read.

Hope you enjoyed those recommendations.

Until the next time.

Take Care

:)

Mr Canning's Writing Tips: Finale

Okay people. Here are the last two of my Writing Tips.
Hope you've enjoyed all ten of them and thanks to those for the feedback. I will set up a page on the blog so that anyone who wants to look over them as a whole can do so.
And now without further ado....


Tip #9: Find the right time of day
For me, I find it difficult writing during the day. I write better at night. Now there are probably some writers out there who can write at anytime of the day, and that's great (I wish I could). But for those of you who find themselves sat in front of the laptop and just can't seem to write hardly anything, try doing at a different time of the day. I always used to struggle early on in my writing and found that I was easily distracted in the day time. Plus I find that the kind of stuff I write seems to be easier to produce at night. Of course it's going to work differently for different people. But you might find that changing the time of day might help.

Tip #10: Write, write, write  
This is one of the most important tips ever. At the end of the day if you want to become a writer then you have to actually write something. I've known of some people who have said 'I'd love to write a book' or 'I could write something like that.' Sometimes they even write a paragraph or two with the new laptop they bought and then, nothing.
To be honest though, writing is not for everyone and it takes a lot of discipline. But for those who have it in them, the only way you're going to ever do it is to actually keep writing. Of course don't push yourself (See Tip #2), but I do suggest that when you're in the mood for it, then do it. Eventually it will become second nature to you and you will be writing a lot more. Plus you will want to as the time goes by.

Well, that's it. I hope for those of you who have read these tips takes something away that is useful. And again as always, let me know. You can either comment below, email me: iancanning@gmail.com or tweet me: @Mr_Ian_Canning

Till the next time.

Take Care.

:)

Topic: The evolution of story in video games

"The princess is in another castle"

That was pretty much the story to the first Mario game. The princess has been kidnapped (damn you Bowser!) and you, as Mario, must travel through various lands and castles before rescuing her.
But back in those early years of video games, stories like that were fine.

But now as the success and popularity of these games become more and more, and also the technology side of it getting increasingly better, do we expect more than just a game to play?

Games like Bioshock, Heavy Rain and LA Noire for example have shown us that they are not just mindless video games that we supposedly waste hours playing, but are in fact well written stories with huge intricate plots that some films in Hollywood cannot even compare too. The game play is secondary, as the story is what is driving the player forward and you carry on just because you want to find out what happens next.
Sometimes I even forget that I am playing a game, especially during those fantastic cut scenes and plot twists that happen at important points, one of my favourites being in Bioshock, the moment you find out that the character, Atlas, who has been helping you, has actually been manipulating you with a hypnotic phrase 'Would you kindly?' It's hard to explain if you haven't played the game, but it was one of those jaw dropping, 'Oh my god', moments that you usually see in the movies. It's still to this day one of my favourite video game moments of all time.

Of course, it also helps with the improvement of graphics, motion capture and the amazing voice actors that they get, like Troy Baker & Nolan North. But also with the major popularity of games, even Hollywood actors are jumping on board. And with the right scriptwriting matched with the voice talent, it becomes truly magical.

Deep down for me, as much as I buy a game for the gameplay, the story is really important. I like to be fully immersed in the plot and be entertained. Heck, even Grid 2 which is essentially just a racing game even has a sort of story to it. And truthfully, I think it makes it better. Plus at the end of the day it has become another form of entertainment and has every right to be up there with movies, TV shows and books.

Thanks for reading and if you would like to discuss further or tweet me your favourite video games which you feel had the best story: @Brutal_Atlas

B_A

Books, glorious books!

Here are some more of my favourite books.

Right, let's just jump straight into this.

#5 - THE RATS by JAMES HERBERT

This is another author that my dad introduced me to and told me I should read 'The Rats', and I am so glad he did. This is quite frankly, one of the best classic horror books ever written. It's a gripping read and definitely doesn't hold any punches. The rats in question are the size of dogs and as the book continues are relentless. This is also the first book of a trilogy, the other two being 'Lair' & 'Domain',  the latter being more apocalyptic and the best of the three. There are some truly memorable moments and is definitely not for the faint of heart.

#6 -WONDER BOYS by MICHAEL  CHABON

I picked this book up really cheap and thought, yeah why not! This is basically just a delightful book and is for anyone who loves a book with good old fashion humour. It's full of wit and has some absolute hilarious moments in it. Again it's another one of those novels that I really like because of it's quirkiness. Some people actually say that they prefer the movie because it's short and more to the point in terms of driving the story along. I disagree! If you love to read then I would recommend the book over the movie any day. I love the fact that it's packed with detail and takes longer. What's the rush?
A WONDERful book all round.

Hope you enjoyed my favourite picks. If you have read any of these then please let me know what you think.

Till tomorrow then my pretties....(that was a bit weird!)

Take care.

:)