Hella Mega!!

Posted on June 25, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Yesterday I went to London with Tabby and Reece to see the Hella Mega tour, featuring Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day. Both Fall Out Boy and Green Day are amongst my favourite bands of all time, with American Idiot being one of the first albums that I bought. We drove down, to ensure we didn’t get stuck in London due to the train strike and trains ending earlier, and ended up parking in Hackney, about a nice forty minutes walk from the London Stadium.

We ended up getting there very early and got to walk around the outside of the stadium when it was very quiet, compared to later on. Then after heading off to Westfield to get some food, we came back and joined the queue to get in. As always there was a bit of confusion with which queue was for what, but it was a relatively painless experience. Then we got to our seats, which while close to the back had a fantastic view of the stage.

The standing area slowly filling up before the show started

The opening act, Amyl and the Sniffers were brilliant. There was a lot of energy with their punchy songs that got the crowd going and a perfect way to start. I’m not that familiar with their music, even though I’ve seen them before, and quite enjoyed them both times. I’ll have to actually listen to their albums at some point. Following them the stage was changed over for Weezer. They came on with ‘Hash Pipe’, which I’ve never really thought much of, but I thought it sounded a hell of a lot better live. They went through some of the better known songs, with an awesome cover of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’. During ‘Island in the Sun’ Rivers Cuomo’s guitar would work, but he made the best of it, awkwardly air guitaring while singing. They ended with ‘Buddy Holly’, which is just a great song. I’ve always kind of liked Weezer, but not been a massive fan, but I definitely appreciate them a lot more now.

Next up were Fall Out Boy, which are one of my favourite bands. Their set was big on the hits, without any new songs. It’s been five years since their last album, Mania, and they only played one song from that, ‘The Last of the Real Ones’. They started with the epic ‘ The Phoenix’, and then dove straight into their older hits, before ending with ‘Thanks Fr Th Mmrs’ and ‘Saturday’, which they end most shows with. There was a video that introduced and ended the show, setting up a story. There was also an elaborate set-change half way through with a small house and fences brought on. It kind of felt a little weird and I don’t really get why they did it. The music was just fantastic though, with great song after great song. A great live act.

Then after a short break Green Day graced the stage. Their set started with a Queen’s ‘Bohmeian Rhapsody’ over the sound system, with the whole stadium singing together, followed by The Ramone’s ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ as the drunken bunny got the crowd ready. After those songs played, Green Day ran out and jumped straight into their phenomenal ‘American Idiot’, followed by ‘Holiday’ and a wide range of classics from their discography. Billie Joe Armstrong is a stunning frontman, creating a great atmosphere throughout the crowd. Their set was just great song after great song, moving through most of the discography (although the most recent song was from 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown, with nothing from the five albums they’ve released then, not even a track from Father of All…, which was announced at the same time as this tour back in 2019).

The show took two years to actually happen, thanks to Covid, but it was definitely worth the wait. Each band was better than the last and it was a full afternoon of great songs and classics that I grew up with. A fantastic day, and one that will be hard to top.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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Something Went Wrong

Posted on June 24, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Wednesday marked the launch of Paramount+ in the UK, which I was excited about purely due to being able to watch the new Star Trek, in particular Strange New Worlds. As soon as I could I signed up for the free trial, set the app up on my TV (which took way longer than it should as my TV wouldn’t let me log into the store to download it), eventually signed in and started to browse. I went through the TV shows and movies, adding some stuff to my list, not much, but a few things that I haven’t seen before as well as Star Trek. I think the library is okay, but it’s not as strong as what Disney+ is offering, with their back catalogue including Fox’s as well.

Then I went to watch Strange New Worlds, and it just wouldn’t work. A endlessly spinning circle on a black screen until an error message popped up asking me to try again. It didn’t load once, neither did the Oasis Knebworth 1996 documentary, or Breakfast in Tiffany’s (when we wanted to try something not a Paramount+ exclusive). For some reason the only thing that will play is the comedy TV show Cheers, which I’ve seen before but added to the list, so my wife Tabby can watch it, and then we can watch Frasier (which I haven’t seen). That works like a charm, with no issues or buffering. No idea why, but we’ve started watching Cheers now, about 8 episodes in. Still as funny as I remember it. I just thought it was the only thing that would load seemlessly.

If I try Paramount+ on my phone or laptop then Star Trek works, so it’s obviously an issue with the TV app, or maybe my TV is outdated now and is struggling. I don’t really know what to do to fix it, but will look into it more over the weekend. I don’t really want to watch it on my phone or laptop, as that is literally what my TV is for, plus we both want to watch it, so would be a pain to huddle around a laptop for it. I’m hoping it’s just some teething issues and it’ll start working soon.

Yesterday the new PlayStation Plus system launched in the UK, which means that there are PS1 games included in the catalogue now. I’ve been eagerly waiting for this since they first announced it, and on my lunch break yesterday I spent some time downloading mostly PS1 games, and started Ape Escape 1. I loved that game as a kid, and while it has definitely aged poorly, still enjoying it now. I’ve got Syphon Filter, Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, and Toy Story 2 ready to go. As well as Wild Arms, which I’ve never played, but have wanted to check it out for a while. That’ll keep me busy for a while, and I hope they continue to add more games to it in the coming months and it doesn’t become forgotten about, with very sparse and obscure releases like Nintendo’s range of classic games on the switch.

That’s pretty much what I’ve been up to for the last couple of days. Today I’m heading down to London for the Hella Mega Tour, seeing Fall Out Boy (for the 5th time) and Green Day (4th time), and Weezer, who I’ve not seen before. Will also be catching up with Reece, a friend from Uni, who I haven’t seen in 5 years. It’s going to be a good day.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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Ms. Marvel – Episode three: Destined – Review

Posted on June 23, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Meera Menon

Writers: Freddy Syborn, A. C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey

Starring: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden, Azhar Usman

Rating: ★★★★

In episode three of Ms. Marvel, Kamala (Iman Vellani) continues getting to know her newly discovered powers, while also going about her day-to-day life. There’s a really good amount of time spent developing her family, and not everything is focused on her powers. It’s refreshing to see and so far the show has managed to do a really good job at balancing her home life and the superhero story.

Most of this episode is focused on Kamala’s brother, Aamir (Saagar Shaikh) getting married, with the massive celebration that’s interrupted, and forces Kamala to act to save her family. It’s clearly being set up that Kamala is going to have to make a choice between her family and her powers, and that she won’t be able to keep the two sides of her life in harmony forever. There’s a mystery from her family’s past that is slowly being unravelled and you know it’s going to cause a lot of tension when the big reveal is finally made.

This episode also marks the first time that we really get to see Kamala use her powers in combat and it’s one of the best moments of the show so far. The choreography is electric, and there’s so much energy throughout. The best thing about Ms. Marvel is how so much of it is presented in a quirky and off-beat fashion, and that carried over to the fight in the best way possible.  

Towards the end of the episode there’s a scene where Kamala lies to her parents about what’s happening to her and while it’s a brief moment where the standard superhero formula starts to show. Every superhero show has this moment, especially the coming-of-age ones, like Smallville and Arrow. At this point, for anyone who’s watched a lot of the genre has seen this too many times. It creates division, jealousy, and is really played out. While it’s an inevitable plot point, hopefully the show can steer away from the cliches and do something new.

As the third episode ends and we are now at the halfway point, it finally feels like the overarching story is taking hold. We know who the villains are and Kamala is starting to really discover her powers. There’s a lot of mystery in the show, and hopefully the rest of the series continues to be this good.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi – Series Review

Posted on June 22, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Rating: ★★★★

The Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series has been one of the best additions to the Star Wars franchise in recent years. It’s pure Star Wars, exciting and an absolute joy to watch. It’s not been a perfect series, but then none of the franchise is perfect, with, some poor moments, but it’s still by far the best live-action series in the franchise so far.

With any addition to a long-running series, especially when it’s set between two existing films, there’s always a worry that it’s going to feel a little pointless. You know certain things going in, like Obi-Wan is going to survive everything, Dark Vader isn’t going to find out about his children, and so on. A lot of the comics feel like this, where nothing really changes and everything’s the same at the beginning and end. Despite this, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series feels like a genuine addition to the franchise. There’s a deeper understanding of the characters, and how the pieces are set up for A New Hope. It’s not an essential part of the franchise, but it’s far from filler.

Seeing Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan has been a pure joy. He’s one of the best characters of the franchise and McGregor has never been better. It’s great to see a new side of him as well, especially from the period the film is set. Hayden Christensen is also back, both in and out of the Darth Vader suit. Vader is brilliant in this series, showing how obsessed he is with finding Obi-Wan, and how ruthless and sinister he’s become.

There are some newcomers as well to the franchise, with Moses Ingram as Reva, one of the Inquisitors who are hunting the last remaining Jedi. She’s a brilliant character, and the series is almost as much hers as it is Kenobi’s. There’s a darkness in her past that is revealed all the way through. At its heart Star Wars has always been a story of redemption, and her story arc fits that perfectly. Vivien Lyra Blair is also beyond excellent as the young Princess Leia, you can absolutely see Anakin and Padme in her, as well as the usual characteristics that we’d expect from Leia.

The characters, new and old, are all fantastic and the show, even at its lowest points, never feels like it’s coming close to being boring. The action is great, and the actual lightsaber duels are fantastic, with that last one going down as one of the best in the entire franchise.

Like all of the Disney Plus shows, there are parts of this that kind of feel a little ‘made-for-TV’. The scope isn’t always there in the settings, and the fights feel a little rushed compared to the films. It’s a minor issue, and one that you forget about quite early on, but with the series coming to cinemas soon that’s going to show a lot more. It still looks polished and high budget, you’re just always aware it’s a show and not a film.

A bigger issue is that the fourth episode is really pointless and feels like filler. Not a lot really happens in it and will probably get worse with each re-watch. There are also a couple of moments throughout that feel like poor choices, the chase with Leia in episode one is probably the worst offender. The grown men struggling to capture her, even though she’s not moving fast, is laughable. As it doesn’t change the plot, and they catch her pretty quickly, it’s easy to look over. In episode four, there’s a moment when Obi-Wan hides from some Stormtroopers, even though they must have seen him, there’s no way they didn’t. It’s a little jarring when things like that happen, but everything else about the series is so good that it’s easy to overlook.   

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a really strong show, and the good far outweighs the bad. For anyone else who grew up with the prequel trilogy, this was made for us. Seeing McGregor, and others, back is just fantastic. There’s a lot of talk about whether there will be a season two, and while it is open for that possibility, there’s no real need for it. Then again, there probably wasn’t a real need for this season but it ended up being fantastic anyway, so bring on season two.

You can also read my full episode reviews here:

Episode 1 & 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

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Obi-Wan Kenobi – Episode Six – Review

Posted on June 22, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Deborah Chow

Writers: Hossein Amini, Andrew Stanton, and Joby Harold

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, Vivian Lyra Blair, Rupert Friend, Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Edgerton, Jimmy Smits, Bonnie Piesse, and James Earl Jones

Rating: ★★★★½

It feels like the last few weeks have just flown by and Obi-Wan Kenobi is already over. The final episode completes the story, further bridging the gap between the prequel and original Star Wars trilogies. After the events of last week episode Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) separates from the rest of the group to cause a distraction, knowing that Vader (Hayden Christensen) will follow him, and allow the others to escape. At the same time, Reva (Moses Ingram) heads to Tatooine to seek out Owen (Joel Edgerton).

Like last week’s episode, this episode hits the ground running, without wasting any time. It’s one of the quickest paced episodes of all live-action Star Wars so far, and for the most part it doesn’t miss a beat. It makes the entire series feel like a vital addition to the universe and not just a spin-off that’s not really needed. For the most part episode six is split into two, one with the long-awaited true rematch between Obi-Wan and Vader, and the other showing Reva hunting for Owen and eventually Luke to get her revenge. The series ends on a real high with a really satisfying finale.

Watching Obi-Wan fight Vader while being at full power is probably the highlight of the entire series. After spending so much of the series disconnected from the force, and trying to find his strength, Obi-Wan goes all out here. The choreography is brilliant, with some really cool moments in the fight that just look awesome. It’s definitely one of the best fights of the franchise. Sadly, there’s some choppy editing and strange overhead shots that make it feel less fluid than some other duels from the franchise. It would have been so much better to have really long shots, so you don’t feel like you’re missing anything or trying to catch-up with what’s going on. It’s a minor issue, and doesn’t detract that much, but it’s still there. It’s still absolutely awesome to watch.  

There’s a moment when the fighting pauses and Vader and Obi-Wan have a moment to talk to each other, and McGregor really shows how good of an actor he is. Seeing him return as Obi-Wan has been really great, and this is by far his strongest performance as the iconic character. Without spoiling anything, as someone who grew up with the prequels, this feels like a perfect addition to Revenge of the Sith.

Shortly after the fight Obi-Wan rushes from one planet to Tatooine and seems to get there in a few minutes, which is a little bit jarring. It doesn’t impact the plot really, but it does stand out as an odd choice, especially as he could have arrived hours later with no change to the story. It’s all made up for in the final ten minutes or so, which gives us some really excellent fan service moments. It is really a joy to watch as a Star Wars fan. There’s nothing quite as good as Mark Hamill returning in the season two finale of The Mandalorian, but it’s close.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has been a really strong Star Wars series. Seeing the characters return and filling in some gaps in their history has been really entertaining. It’s another example that the future of Star Wars, at least for now, is on the small screen.  

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