EXO-K - Overdose (Latest K-Pop Videos)

In this segment of 'Latest K-Pop Videos' we discuss EXO-K's epic Music Video for their track 'Overdose'. EXO-K seem to be killing it at the moment, with their latest video reaching in the 12 million mark, viewing figure wise. The group, comprising of 6 members (Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun) lay down some serious dance moves on their track, proving that they have still have it after XOXO. The group EXO is of course, split into two sections; EXO-K and EXO-M (which is made up of Xiumin, Lu Han, Lay, Chen, Tao) and both perform admirably in their separate respective music videos. 

In addition to its catchy video, the musical composition of 'Overdose' is actually quite clever, and the track is suitably catchy, possesses a solid beat, and plenty of catchy clicks and twists to really sell the hook of the track. It is also unique in that it showcases the talents of all of its singers, something which some K-Pop tracks fail to do. The chorus is especially catchy as the group perform some pretty crazy dance moves in perfect synchronism. 

As always with EXO, the sets and design of the music video is high-rate, and has that twist of dark (we especially love the set with the reflective mirror and the diamond-esque piece on the ceiling) that we all have come to expect from the group. 'Overdose' is a solid addition to their second mini-album, and we can look forward to great things in the future. To watch EXO-K bring the moves in their latest video, click below: 

Iggy Azalea - The New Classic [Album Review]

The release of the debut studio album from Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea's brought with it much promise. Entitled The New Classic, it featured numerous hits from the female rapper, and with a name like that - it pretty much set itself up to be a hit or a failure. So which one is it? Making its way to the Billboard Hot 200 (at number 2) it certainly proved to be popular, but did The New Classic deliver on its promises? Well, the answer is yes and no. The avenue the album seems to have taken is a sort of self-praising, as if Azalea has been around for centuries; which is obviously not the case. It seems to be a bit confused as to whether its a compilation of hit singles or a fully formed album. If the album had taken a different angle in regards to not making most of the tracks focus on Iggy's journey into the music business (without actually revealing much about how that happened, other than to effectively boast about 'making it') then this could have garnered a higher rating.

However, The New Classic features a considerable amount of gems, one of which being the nineties-inspired track 'Fancy', which is an eclectic mix of electro-hop and hip-hop, packed full of enough sass to fuel a small city. Teaming up with Charli XCX, the two make for a rather dynamic duo as Iggy sasses her way through the track, unifying pop and hip-hop successfully. Charli XCX provides the ultimate hook on the track 'I'm so fancy/ You already know/ I'm in the fast lane/ From La to Tokyo' and the rapping from Azalea ('First things first I'm the realest/ Drop this and let the whole world feel it') really balances out the track, making it addictive and incredibly memorable. This rebellious streak continues in other areas on the album, crossing over into popular hits such as 'Work' and 'Bounce.' 

Other notable tracks from the album include the upcoming single 'Black Widow' which features Rita Ora (who provides the main singing parts, in counter-balance to Azalea's rapping), and actually is one of the best songs on the album. 'Black Widow' is one of those tracks from the album that you just have to listen to, and her partnership with Ora is unexpected but actually quite suitable, as Iggy reels off her lyrics in quick succession across the killer beat. The first track on the album, 'Walk The Line' is seemingly another success, as it once again focuses on the singer's past, but it is actually rather more forward thinking than some of the other tracks like 'New Bitch', as it is far more optimistic. The album is lacking in no amount in terms of self-confidence and self-validity, with 'Goddess' and 'Don't Need Y'all' proving to critics that she literally doesn't need you to validate her success or self-worth as a recording artist. In regards to 'Goddess', Azalea addresses the misconception that White Girls can't rap, 'Oh what?/ A white girl with a flow aint been seen before?' whilst spitting out verses in rapid succession. 

There's actually a lot of things to like about the Azalea as an artist; her quick-firing rapping, her unique southern drawl (despite the fact she is Australian) and her over-emphasis on the endings of words (in a cartoon-esque manner) certainly mark her out as an individual artist, and make her easily distinguishable on tracks, and indeed, on the radio (which is vital in today's music culture). Not to mention her level of sass is off the charts. An avid fan of 80s and 90s culture, Azalea incorporates them into her work, (most recently with her music video for 'Fancy') and within her songs themselves. The New Classic is a combination of pure drive and passion for her craft, combined with the grafting she has done to get where she is, and her renouncing that she has finally made it, and that no body can make her disappear.

If there's a few things The New Classic suffers from, it is perhaps that it is so bizarrely constructed. Featuring an array of hits, but a unidentifiable theme (apart from hardship), it seems as if Azalea has accumulated too many songs and needed an album as more of a storage device to her fans as opposed to a relative project. Occasionally on some tracks, Iggy's singing isn't as strong as her rapping and she loses her way somewhat, dipping into the dangerous territories of not quite matching the tracks beat. That being said, Iggy is seemingly strongest and most confident with the short verses with a strong beat where she can fully utilize her skills and create a maximum impact on the audience. The New Classic appears to have been produced a little bit too early in Iggy's career, and no doubt people will be confused as to the name choice, but despite this, it does actually feature numerous songs that are worth listening to. These notable successes ensure that The New Classic is remembered, but perhaps not as much as it could have been. 

3.5 stars 

Hannibal Season 2 Finale 'Mizumono' [Review + Recap]

Last night NBC's Hannibal aired its season 2 finale and boy, was it a shocker.

Directed by David Slade and written by Steven Lightfoot and Bryan Fuller, the episode was almost perfection. It answered a few of this season's most perplexing questions, but raised a few more. There will be spoilers, so do not read ahead if you have yet to watch the episode.

Hannibal is a show that is artfully done. The photography is carefully placed and significant, the season finale provided no exception. Initially, the show might seem focused on Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson), his persona, and it is; however the narrative has always followed the theme of friendship. Throughout the two seasons, Hannibal's friendship with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) has evolved, however it some ways it has never truly been severed. This finale, however, seems to ensure that there will be no phoenix rising from the ashes in terms of their friendship - this is the end. It was clear that there was no coming back once the last 10 minutes of this week's episode began to play. It will be interesting to see where the writers choose to go from here now that Hannibal has been renewed for a third season, but the finale secured that indeed no focal character can go back to their previous lives.

The episode opened with Hannibal writing an invitation to a dinner party to Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). This dinner party had been planned and heavily mentioned in the previous episode. Hannibal would lure Jack to the house to 'tell him the truth' - i.e. to cut him up into little pieces and serve him as some sort of tasty, elaborate dish, probably. However, this party had been truly orchestrated by Will and Jack, who are trying to set Hannibal up to attempt to kill Jack, so they will have the proof they need that indeed Hannibal is a monster.

Hannibal begins burning all his patient documents, so that once he flees there will be nothing left behind. He talks about getting caught - something we rarely ever see Hannibal mention, he is usually so composed; in this scene though he does contemplate being apprehended, but says that he will flee to his 'mind palace'. Will asks if Hannibal could be happy there, Hannibal replies that 'All the palace chambers are not lovely...there are holes in the floor of the mind'. Will talks of what he does to calm himself; he tilts his head back, closes his eyes and 'wades into the calm of the stream'. Viewers do not know it yet, but this will hold significance in one of the final scenes of the episode, where the story reaches its climax.

We start to see glimpses of Will and Jack's plan going array; earlier in the day Will went to see the still alive and kicking Freddie Lounds, but this serves to aid Will's destruction because Hannibal later smells Freddie's hair on Will - but does not give away that he knows. Of course, if Freddie was the burnt corpse that Will claimed her to be, her scent should not be on his clothes.

Their plan stats to unravel even more when Kade Prurnell (Cynthia Nixon), who is an investigator for the Inspector General, puts Jack on 'compassionate leave' after a full investigation has been conducted because she disapproves of the ethical implications of trying to 'entrap' Hannibal Lecter.

So Jack and Will are off the case, they will have no back up and warrants have been issued for their arrest due to their improper conduct. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) tells Kade that Jack and Will won't stop. Kade says that's why she is going to arrest them. Alana then calls Will and tells him that they are coming for him and Will escapes through the back entrance of his house. Will then calls Hannibal and says that 'they know', Hannibal hangs up.

It's all getting very tense as Jack turns up at Hannibal's house early for the dinner party (realising he is running out of time); of course we all know what will happen next, it was foreshadowed in the first episode of season 2. Jack and Hannibal's intricate fight scene ensues. Jack gets a few good punches in, however he is ultimately dropped by a shard of glass to the neck. He flees to the pantry and shuts the door.

Then Alana turns up at the property. At this point in the programme, viewers might be likely screaming at the screen. Alana seems to be armed (she has a small gun) but we all know that Hannibal is resourceful and not easy to kill (of course Beverly Katz had a gun earlier in the season, but that did not help her). Alana enters the house and goes to the kitchen. She walks in on Hannibal who he trying to break down the door to finish Jack off. She asks him where Jack is, he replies 'in the pantry'. Looks are exchanged. It's all getting very tense. He says he will give her a chance to leave and if she does not, he will kill her. She shoots at him, but her gun has no bullets (!!) He explains that he took out the bullets from her gun earlier on - something which, really, you think she would have checked before walking into this death trap of a house (good going Alana). She then proceeds to run upstairs and locks herself in the upstairs room.

The writers then deliver a truly shocking moment. Alana turns around and from the corner of the room, emerges Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl). Abigail says to Alana that she is sorry and proceeds to push her out of the window. At this point, it's all becoming too much for us to watch, just as Will pulls up to the house in a taxi and finds Alana sprawled out on the front path looking severely injured, although she is conscious at this point.

Will rushes over to her and she tells him Jack is still inside and he promptly leaves Alana (thanks Will) and rushes to Jack. As Will enters the kitchen he sees Abigail in the corner. He looks as confused and traumatised as viewers are probably feeling at the moment. He asks Abigail where Hannibal is, she gives Will a look that makes everyone watching realise he's right behind you. Will turns around and of course, Hannibal is right there. At this point we know there's no going back. He knows. Will knows. Abigail knows.

Hannibal begins to embrace will, this is one of the most genuine moments throughout the whole season - we can see the pain in Hannibal's face, we all know what's coming - mid embrace, Hannibal stabs Will in the stomach. Will recoils, Abigail's crying, Hannibal looks disappointed. He says to Will that he let Will see all of him, and this how Will repays him. He knows Will orchestrated the whole thing and yes, he feels betrayed. He mentions that there might have been hope for them to go off, the three of them and that Abigail was his surprise for Will.

It's tense. Will is on the floor of the kitchen, bleeding out. Hannibal calls Abigail over to him, and in literally a second, he is slitting her throat right before Will's eyes and Will is distraught. She falls next to him and Will tries to stop her bleeding out, (whilst neglecting his own wound). It's really not looking good for anyone at this moment. Hannibal walks over to will and tells him to tilt his head back, close his eyes and wade into the calm of the stream. He exits the house, casually walking over Alana's body (is she dead?) as he leaves.
The composition is perfect.

The credits start to roll - we're feeling a bit fragile - but suddenly we cut to Hannibal on a plane, being asked if he'd like champagne. The camera pans right and just like that, the writers drop another bombshell, less than 30 seconds before the end of the programme. Sitting next to Hannibal on this (rather fancy looking) plane is Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), Dr Lecter's former psychiatrist. He looks over to her, she looks at him and they both smile. The screen fades to black.
We are left with so many questions. Are Alana and Jack dead? What is the fate of Will? (We're pretty sure Abigail is definitely dead at this point). Were Bedelia and Hannibal in it together all along? What are we missing? What will Season 3 hold?

The season finale was put together with such intricacy - Hannibal which had a slow mid season, managed to reach a truly thrilling, satisfying, yet agonising conclusion which makes us really anticipate season 3. This is definitely a triumph for Hannibal, and hopefully, if the show continues to be this good, there will be many more seasons yet.

4.5 stars

X2 (2003) Review

                 'The assassination attempt on the President. What do you know about it?'  

As X-Men: Days of Future Past hits our screens, we look back at some of the best and worst films from the franchise, and possibly one of the best comes in the form of X2, known internationally as X-Men 2 or X2: X-Men United. Released way back when in 2003, the film saw the introduction of one of the best villains in the series; Colonel William Stryker, portrayed by Brian Cox. Directed by Bryan Singer, and co written and edited by Zak Penn, David Hayter, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, X2 was the highly anticipated sequel to X-Men, a film based off of the Marvel superheroes of the same name. 

An emotional and touching film that dealt with humanity and peace, X2 saw the introduction of the villainous Stryker, who wanted to essentially eradicate all mutants. Differing from the first film, X2 saw Xavier’s gang team up with Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants to battle Stryker and save the mutants. Back for the adventure were of course the Professor himself, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, along with Magneto (Ian McKellen) and also the powerful Storm (Halle Berry), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Cyclops (James Marsden), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore). X2 also saw the introduction of new characters such as Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) and of course, Stryker.

Having been left in a plastic prison following the first film, Magneto is visited by Xavier and Cyclops, who are enquiring about an assassination attempt on the President. It soon becomes clear that Xavier and Cyclops aren’t the first visitors Magneto has had, as Professor X discovers a government operative named Stryker has been extracting certain information from Magneto. After Xavier and Cyclops are captured, it is up to Wolverine to defend the school from Stryker, and for the rest of team X-Men to join forces with Mystique and Magneto to try and get them back, whilst also preventing Stryker from completing his goal of mass genocide of all mutants. 

With rather thought-provoking themes such as world-peace, genocide and social inclusion, X2 proved itself to be something more than just another superhero movie, by being highly relatable to real-world issues. The film marked itself out as being a tribute to those who feel like outcasts in their society, such as teens, different races or people of differing sexualities, and that is one of the defining features of the film, that it is universally relatable. These emotional themes, combined with the usual killer special effects, elaborate costumes and incredibly detailed make-up earn X2 its status as one of the best comic book movies of the 2000s.

What some films lack, and of which X2 made sure it didn’t, was a truly engaging and devious villain. Stryker was all of these things, from his war-like mentality when it comes to dealing with mutants to his manipulation of others to achieve his goals, he seemed unstoppable. Brian Cox was sure to play the character to its full potential, and the scenes where Stryker featured were arguably the best of the film. In addition, the acting from the cast improved all round, and X2 seemed altogether a better put-together film, despite some of its flaws in its storyline. I remember watching the film when I was younger and one of the inevitable moments that sticks out is the ambiguous ending, which was dramatic in itself, and sets the series up for a climatic third instalment (even if it may not have turned out that way).

With engaging and emotional performances and themes, it is hard to find a reason not to watch X2, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed. So prepare to board your X-Jet to the land of Marvel movies and join the X-Men in their fight for the survival of the mutant race!

4 stars 

You can also check out this review on I'm With Geek

Red Dead Redemption [Review]

In 2010, Rockstar, the group made famous for its Grand Theft Auto series, released Red Dead Redemption, an open-world western-style game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles.

Red Dead Redemption follows the story of John Marston, an ex-gang member and outlaw who must hunt down his previous friends and fellow gang members in order to appease government officials, so that his wife and son will be returned to him. Marston's story is elaborated throughout the game and although the character appears prickly, defensive and none too friendly at the beginning of the game, the way in which the story progresses allows you, as a player, to understand his motivations at a deeper level.

The true triumph of this game lies in the way in which the story is told and its open-world element. Did the game not provide the ability to explore relatively freely then this might be a rather different review. However, the main draw of this game is its emphasis on discovery and diverse activity. The player can take part in a variety of different activities, whether it is aiding a stranger in need find their missing loved one or saving a stagecoach from being robbed - there are several side missions, quests and challenges to do. This variety allows gameplay to be mixed, rather than just progressing through the main story line and its accompanying gameplay, players can choose to 'take a break' and explore many of the alternative activities on offer.

Indeed, the gameplay is also diversified by allowing players the option of choosing from several different types of weapons. Throughout the game and main storyline players will be able to pick up more durable and powerful weapons (the rifle you start the game with will be far inferior to the rifle you receive near the end of the game) but there are also a variety of different types of weapons. Players can utilise perhaps more common-place weapons such as rifles, shotguns, pistols and revolvers. However, players can also use explosive rifles (which literally cause enemies to explode), knives, dynamite, fire bottles and tomahawks to dispense of enemies; gameplay even allows players to lasso horses and enemies, with the option of hogtying the latter.

The game provides players with various choices throughout the game (although not as overt as choices in games such as the walking dead). Players can choose to aid other bandits or fight against them; when approached by pleading members of the public, players can choose to aid victims or ignore them (however all choices have consequences on 'honor' and 'fame' levels in the game.

The gameplay is so diverse and complex (spread over 4 different chapters, based in 4 different parts of the world) that players are unlikely to get bored. The game follows Marston as he explores various areas of America and Mexico and each new area offers new challenges, new strangers, new missions and new animals available for hunting. However, to unlock the new areas (such as Mexico) the player must progress through the main story line. Players can ride on horses, stagecoaches and trains throughout the game but they can also hunt a diverse range of animals including birds, deer, elk, bears, rabbits, wolves, cougars, coyotes, beavers and more.

The game is truly excellent - and that's without even mentioning the graphics. The graphics really make the game almost perfect; one only needs to look out across the desert at sunset to see how much thought has gone into the game in terms of quality.

Perhaps ahead of its time, Red Dead Redemption achieves greatness visually and its characterisation coupled with diverse gameplay provides a winning combination. 4 years on and it is still the best western-based game ever made for a console and is guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment to players.

4.5 stars