Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 has the weakest plot in the series, since it's paper thin and filled with a lot of elements which doesn't really fit together.  The film doesn't feel like it's in the same spirits as the first two films and it suffers for that.  It's still funny, but a lot of the humor is more sexual, crude and racist (not to the point of being offensive, just that it's more pronounced than it has been before).  The action sequences are fewer, since it relies more on humor, and the stunts are less spectacular.  I was surprised that Lee speaks Japanese... (so he can speak four languages... English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese, what a gifted person...) although the backstory that's retconned here feels awkward.  I'm glad of the fact that while they annoyingly went with the whole partners falling out angle, it wasn't too long before they got back together.  Overall, a noticeable drop in quality in the series.

Book Review: The Miserable Mill

Review:  #406
Title:  The Miserable Mill
Series:  A Series of Unfortunate Events - 3rd book
Author:  Lemony Snicket
Read Before:  yes
My Comments:  There is a decent story amidst all the other things that you have to sit through.  The key/defining feature of this series is also its biggest annoying.  It includes so much nonsense and ramblings that it can get tiring.  It gets infuriating when the grown-ups do not listen to the Baudelaires and not see what is so obvious.  However, the story is intriguing and it keeps you going, keeping you wanting to find out how the ending is going to be.  You would dare to hope that maybe this is the one where the Baudelaires can get a somewhat happy ending.  There are a tiny bit of mystery involved which makes the plot more interesting.  It’s short enough so that you don’t feel like your time is wasted and long enough to give you some enjoyment and build the story.

Rating:  6/10

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP)

Uggggh, going from Vita games back to early PSP games really make you appreciate the improvement in graphics.  Although after ten minutes, you will get used to it once more.  There's no denying that the environmental graphics are really impressive for it's time.  The game was released in 2005, the same year as the PSP (at least in Western countries) and the fact that they managed to fit such a large free roam city is amazing.  Sure, the buildings have a blocky and flat texture to them and the character models can feel undefined (especially the hands) but they are easily overlooked.  I am surprised at the attention to the game world, ranging from weather effects such as rain and cloudy skies and day/night cycles.  Pop in is noticeable while you're driving.  Unfortunately, the game doesn't allow in-game screenshots which sucks...  Anyway, one of the bigger annoyance is the camera control in which you hold down the L button and move the stick.  This is caused by a lack of right stick, it takes some getting used to especially when Toni is running around and the camera swings wildly which is disorienting as you can't immediately adjust it.  This makes a lot of the missions frustrating especially when you can't swing the camera on a whim so you can aim properly.

The game is mission based, you play one after another and some of them are fairly short and easy.  However, you will have to do the majority of them multiple times due to the unfriendly checkpoint system (you die and you have to repeat the whole mission again) and struggling against the controls.  This is also not mention the fact that sometimes the game just throws something hard at you.  It's like, oh, how about I chuck you a bunch of enemies wielding rapid fire machine guns that will mow you down your pitifully low health bar within 5 seconds?  Or maybe you'll like 20 enemies with chainsaws constantly chasing you and can kill you with one swipe?  This makes the game feel like a drag when you have to repeatedly drive from place to place and repeat the tasks.  It gets frustrating when you die not because you suck but because the controls aren't accommodating enough for you to do what you want (getting stuck on uneven ground and the chainsaw guys caught up to you?) or the aiming system is so clunky that you have to stop to aim but by then, enemies would have shot you.  I would say the difficulty of the game is a bit above average, purely because there are some annoying and frustrating missions out there, there is not instant gratification.

Even with cheats, the game can be somewhat tough especially when the odds are very against your favour in some missions.  It gets sickening by the end of the game (it takes around 14 hours to finish without diverging too much on sidequests) where you have to keep repeating and repeating the same mission to try and pass it.  They really should have made a more friendly checkpoint system as it feels like the game wastes so much of your time sometimes.  The core optional features from the PS2 games are here, from taxi missions to ambulance missions to fire truck missions.  There are heaps of optional activities that unlock as you keep playing the game.  The amount is staggering but the game doesn't make it obvious which sidequests are available.  For example, you can sell cars, be a delivery boy or be a tour guide, yet there isn't any markers on the in-game map for you to easily find them.  The mission variety can feel limited as you play through the game, it is mostly comprised of driving (some cars are hard to control, liking to skid and slide with poor handling) or shooting (auto aiming here only, folks).  The game focuses on a protagonist called Toni who isn't a likeable guy in the beginning.

He starts off in the lower ranks but as he climbs his way up, you start to appreciate him more.  It still isn't spectacular by any means as the cutscenes can end rather abruptly and you're thrust into some sort of task which just comes out of the blue.  The voice acting is top notch.  You will meet some crazy characters with weird traits and personalities.  You have to wonder why Toni is often just blindly following orders.  He meets a new character, that character tells him what to do and he does it, there's not enough justification here to make it believable.  Furthermore, the ending wasn't satisfactory, especially with the way his boss treated him after all Toni's done.  I half expected Toni to pull out his gun and blast his brains out.  The final moments of the game felt stretched, especially with that stupid 10 minute long speedboat shooting section.  The famous radio function is here and there are ten channels to choose from.  I found that there needed to be more variety in that when you get into a car, more often than not, the radio begins with the same segment.  They have a long playtime but by starting at the same place the majority of times and having short vehicle trips, it doesn't allow you to appreciate the full scale of these tracks.  Overall, the game isn't bad but I didn't find it too enjoyable thanks to some of the difficulty spikes and lack of hook.

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Reviews for other games can be found here.

Rush Hour 2

More fun than the first movie but also ramps up the sexual references, which can sometimes seem a bit too much and out of place.  There are a whole lot more action sequences, making the film overall more of a visual spectacular.  Some of the stunts are pretty cool, especially like the one where Jackie Chan just slips through a gap in the cashier/teller bars in a casino.  I was surprised that the first part of the film takes place in Hong Kong, since it's a significant portion, but just when you think it's going to stay there, the characters have an awkward reason to go back to America.  The humor is good but sometimes it's straying towards just paying out everyone.  The music used was quite distinctive and sticks to your mind, yet it sounds familiar too.  Building upon the first film, there are even more scenes in which another language is spoken instead, this makes sense in the first part of the film where it's set in Hong Kong, but later on, when the characters still talk to Mandarin when there's really no point, it feels a bit forced.

Book Review: Ice Breaker

Review:  #405
Title:  Ice Breaker
Series:  The Hidden Series - 1st book
Author:  Lian Tanner
Read Before:  no
My Comments:  It had a good prologue and actually reveals too much.  It would have made a mystery of the Sleeping Captain plot device, and leave the reader to try and think of who it could be etc.  Anyway, at times, it didn’t flow very well.  The setting isn’t that amazing, and it’s hard to envision why some people would hate machines so much.  The ending is a little bit predictable but it was still good.  Fin and Petrel felt stiff and away from their world, it was hard to relate to them.  The writing isn’t too addictive; the characters will grow on you.  The plot is solid but not astounding, overall, it’s not a bad book but it doesn’t suck you into its world.

Rating:  6/10

Toy Review: Transformers Robots in Disguise (RiD) Rail Racer (JRX)

Review:  #169
Name:  Rail Racer (JRX)
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Robots in Disguise
Year of Release:  2001
Size Class:  Combiner
Variations:  the Japanese version had a lot more sections made from translucent plastic

TEAM MEMBERS:

Let's get straight onto it, shall we?  Rail Racer is the combination of Team Bullet Train, comprised of Railspike, Rapid Run and Midnight Express.  All three have a good train mode.

Their robot modes aren't too shabby either albeit they're all a bit short in stature.

TRANSFORMATION:

I have to admit, their stock footage of their transformation in the RiD cartoon was amazing and very nice, just wished that it was longer!  Anyway, you'll be familiar with how the three combine after watching the show as it is pretty accurate.  Considering how Rapid Run adds to Rail Racer (which is, admittedly, not much), it has the most complex transformation with a lot of twisting and extending of parts.  Midnight Express is very easy since there are not alterations to the robot's legs while Railspike's transformation is elegant and impressive.  It's a fun transformation and they all connect solidly.

COMBINER MODE:

Rail Racer is an utterly FANTASTIC combiner and one of the best, even 13 years into this day.  I loved the placement of train kibble throughout the whole body from the windows on his shoulders tot he protruding train cockpit chest.

Only major negative is the fact that Rail Racer has a decently sized backpack, comprised from the majority of Rapid Run.

Railspike forms the arms, upper torso and head, Midnight Express the lower body and torso while Rapid Run is the middle torso... least visible (as it's only a portion of the train cockpit).  Serving only as a spacer between the other two members.

As a backpack, Rapid Run's legs form jet packs of sort (it reminds me of Animated Prowl's jump jets or boosters).  They actually look quite nice and by fiddling around with Rapid Run's arms, you can get those pieces to be more aligned to the ground like in the cartoon.

The head sculpt is nice, although it's not as great looking head on.  The transparent green plastic is too dark and blurs his red paints eyes too much for it to look cool.

It is situated on a balljoint (with limited range in terms of looking up) but the sculpting on the sides are amazing.

Comprised of three approximately Deluxe-height robots, he's only around twice the size of a normal Deluxe.  He is still big and impressive mind you.

As mentioned, there are some really nice features such as the waist skirt.  I found that his forearms are too big, which is a shame.

Thanks to the large feet and heel spurs, Rail Racer stands up just fine, this is especially crucial considering the amount of backpack that he has.

The hands are somewhat articulated.  They can open and the thumb is moveable, this is mainly for transformation storage purposes and wielding his weapons.

The articulation is decent on this guy.  He must be one of the more articulated combiners we've hard, plus, he gets to effectively use those joints as he doesn't fall over too easily.

The hips and knees are on ratchet joints, which helps carry the weight.  Unfortunately, what you'll find more likely to happen as time goes on is that the catch that keeps his legs/knees extended will loosen over time and he'll start to collapse on one side.  The hip ratchets are also spaced too far apart, so he doesn't look too good if you spread his hips at more than one ratchet.

Speaking of his weapons, you can combine Railspike's and Midnight Express's guns into a large, double barrelled one.  It looks pretty stupid and forced though, they don't gel very well.

The light gimmick from Railspike's weapons still work as intended.

You also have Rapid Run's shield.

You can see the amount of transparent plastic Rail Racer has, his legs are completely cast from it.  What this means is that if you have a light source behind him, his legs appear somewhat transparent since the paint is not thick enough to completely hide that fact.

Each weapon can be held tightly in either hand.  Tough luck if you don't want to use them though as there is no storage space anywhere on the body.

To elaborate further on Rail Racer's super articulated self, he has multiple swivels and joints at the elbows and shoulders.  You can also untab those shoulder windows such that his arms have more reach going forward.

Rail Racer is extremely cartoon accurate.  Both missile launchers still work although it is slightly more awkward getting to the triggers.

You can create some pretty dynamic and amazing poses with minimal effort (although I lack the imagination).  The trouble with using the type of swivels for his shoulders is that it can sag when holding either weapons.

Understandably, Rail Racer lacks a waist joint.  There aren't any more gimmicks to speak off, the main gimmick being the combining.

There are some good generic sculpting and detailing such as the inside of his forearms and legs.

A brilliant robot mode that looks great, fun to play and is super poseable to boot.

OVERALL:

A fantastic team.  Each team member is a decent individual in their own right but they really come together to shine when forming Rail Racer.  He is seriously much more than the sum of his parts.  Rail Racer is packing with classic transforming goodness combined with poseability.  Highly recommended.

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Other Transformers reviews can be found here.

Rush Hour

A nice film that blends comedy with action quite well.  Loved the partnership portrayed in the movie by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, it felt natural and they played up the comedic effect well.  It wasn't just all humor and no plot either, as the story was tightly paced (it's not intricate, complex story, but it works here), coupled with numerous actions scenes which made it quite enjoyable to watch.  There were some great moments and gags and that jump out of the blue.  There were some dull moments where nothing exciting was happening, which caused the film to plod along, thankfully, the film isn't too long so it never seems to just waste your time.  To be fair, there is a bit too much Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue, which, while authentic, does still take away the immersion.  A funny film scattered with some great action scenes.