I haven't read the manga yet but as a fan of both dystopian science- fiction stories and Japanese culture, I decided to watch this movie yesterday. It was overall entertaining but on the other side, it offered more of the same if you are familiar with science-fiction scenarios.

The story is basically a mixture of Blade Runner, Equilibrium and maybe Tokyo Gore Police and therefore highly predictable. A young female cyborg called Mira Killian, who works as a major for an anti- terrorist bureau in a futuristic world, finds out that she wasn't saved but rather kidnapped by her creators. The beautiful soul in her disposable shell is searching for a sense of life. She tries to find out about her true identity while also chasing a mysterious hacker who is manipulating cyborgs and robots across the city to execute members of the company that created Mira Killian. She will have to choose sides in what might be her most personal case.

While the plot isn't all that convincing, the acting performances are at least of an average quality. Scarlett Johansson isn't as convincing as in Lucy but even an average performance by her is still above average in general and you will also sympathize with her character. Pilou Asbæk had played alongside Johansson in Lucy and he does the same here and this time around he has a bigger role and does a great job as cool special operative with a dry sense of humor. It's also a pleasure to see Kitano Takeshi on the big screen and Japan's most legendary contemporary actor does a great job as rough and resilient Chief Executive Director.

The movie focuses mostly on its visual special effects and portrays a futuristic city without a soul. One gets to see many quirky cyborgs, complicated machines, colorful screens, elegant vehicles and sophisticated weapons. The film actually looks closer to a video game than to an actual movie. Everything is very artficial and superficial despite being technically and visually stunning. In this case, the shell looks beautiful but there isn't any ghost inside. The movie actually makes you feel hollow at times but I suppose this was intentional and that's why I won't criticize that in this particular case. The different characters soon realize that they are living in a fake paradise. The underlying message of the movie is that too much technology will make humanity regress instead of progress which is an important statement in the early twenty-first century.

In the end, Ghost in the Shell is an entertaining dystopian science- fiction movie with an important message. It clearly isn't the bets of its kind but it also isn't the worst. Genre fans should be pleased while those who aren't familiar with that kind of movie will surely start to explore this genre further after watching this film that might serve as an appropriate introduction to its genre. Overall, I still wasn't impressed enough to actually check out the manga of the same name.

Blaze Bayley's Infinite Entanglement record was his most successful release since his debut solo record in the beginning of the millennium in terms of critical acclaim and financial profits. From an artistic point of view, it was however one of Blaze Bayley's least inspiring releases. Exchangeable traditional heavy metal with a terrible production met an average conceptual science-fiction story. The reason why this record was so successful is probably due to the fact that science-fiction themes are quite popular these days and it seems like Blaze Bayley simply jumped on the bandwagon here. Blaze Bayley is a hard-working, honest and sympathetic artist who surely deserves this success but I wasn't too excited about the fact that the last release was the first installment in a trilogy.

Endure and Survive is a step in the right direction in my opinion. First of all, the production improved by a mile. The bass guitar isn't as annoyingly dominating as on the previous release. Maybe the bass guitar is even a little bit too much in the background this time around but that's still better than what was offered on the previous output where that instrument buried everything else. The vocals also sound a little bit more balanced. They are still nasal and overtly dramatic but this time the record doesn't sound as if it consisted of under-produced first takes only. Secondly, the release has a more cinematic and epic atmosphere thanks to more spoken-word passages and conceptual interludes. The story is also getting more interesting. It picks up exactly where the previous record left us and ends with quite a cliffhanger.

This release's biggest flaw is that it sounds very similar to the first installment. The album basically consists of nine rather short mid-tempo heavy metal songs without any surprises and a more epic album closer that ends this release on a gripping note. The rhythm section sounds particularly uninspired since the bass guitar is almost inaudible and the drum patterns are as exchangeable as it gets. The guitar work is better than on the predecessor and offers enchanting acoustic guitar melodies, melancholic riffs and passionate solos. Blaze Bayley gives everything he has on the vocals and his enthusiasm is somehow contagious and almost carries this release on its own. Still, the album is definitely missing a standout track that delivers anything above a good average idea.

Despite its futuristic topic, this album is as conservative as it gets from a musical point of view. If you like old-fashioned mid-tempo heavy metal that could have been released thirty years ago and a science-fiction story that could come from one of the numerous recent video games in the key of Alien, Mass Effect and Soma, this record will fully satisfy you. If you expect something more courageous and creative, you might consider this release good average at best. It's slightly better than Infinite Entanglement but not by much. On a closing side note, the silly album artwork is weird and looks as if the main character had digestive problems. I hope that Blaze Bayley improves in the artwork, production and song writing departments for the third and final part of the trilogy which is due to come out next year.

Final rating: 72%

Ladies and gentlemen!

There is a first time for everything. This year I participate in my first hockey pool. I have chosen twenty-six players for the playoffs. Do you think I have made good choices? So far, I'm placed fourteenth out of twenty-three teams after the first five playoff games. It's not the start I was hoping for but it's not that bad either. By the way, my team is called ''Les Louves de Vladivostok'', honoring my inspirational friend J-D from D-M. You know who you are.

The playoffs start this week and I'm really excited. Last year was a disaster for Canadian teams, this year is quite the opposite. Edmonton and Toronto look dangerous with their young guns. Ottawa and Montreal have had solid seasons overall and seem to have enough depth for cup runs.

Alright, what are your predictions? Here are mine.

Canadiens versus Rangers: Canadiens in six. Honestly, New York hasn't convinced me this season and their games against Montreal were everything but great. I saw them live versus the Senators last Saturday and they were plain horrible with less than twenty shots and a defeat against a Senators team that had a rather bad day to be honest. The Canadiens look more composed right now.

Senators versus Bruins: Senators in six. Ironically, the Bruins have played rather well after Claude Julien's departure and the team probably just needed a change. The Bruins' physical play should never be underestimated in the playoffs. On the other side, it's not the same team as five years ago anymore as it hasn't aged that well. The Senators seem to have more chemistry and depth right now.

Capitals versus Maple Leafs: Maple Leafs in seven. I know this sounds like a crazy prediction but I really think that Toronto's young guns will be in better shape than Washington's older squad. Also, it has become a tradition that Washington outplays everyone during the regular season just to decrease significantly in quality in the playoffs.

Penguins versus Blue Jackets: Penguins in seven. Both teams have had a great season but the Penguins have finished on a higher note than the Blue Jackets who have been losing quite a few games recently. Still, one should never ever underestimate a team coached by John Tortorella and I'm expecting a really big fight and tight series. In the end, Pittsburgh might just be slightly better considering individual talent and experience.

Blackhawks versus Predators: Blackhawks in five. To be honest, Calgary and Nashville didn't make the playoffs because they were so convincing but because they were not as horrible as the rest of an overall cringe-worthy Western Conference with tank teams like Colorado and Vancouver. On the other side, the Blackhawks still have an outstanding squad and are currently cup contenders each season.

Wild versus Blues: Wild in seven. The Blues were average before the coaching change but ended the season on an overall high note. However, the Wild have been more consistent all season long. They seem to have an advantage concerning the goaltenders which can be really decisive in the playoffs, so I see them being favorites here. On the other side, Blues head coach Mike Yeo knows the Wild really well, so I still expect this being a really tight series. 

Ducks versus Flames: Ducks in six. Once again, Calgary is a team that made the playoffs mainly because other teams were worse than them and not because they were fully convincing in my book. Anaheim has more experience and better chemistry and I'm quite confident they will win this series.

Oilers versus Sharks: Oilers in six. Edmonton really is on fire right now with McDavid, Draisaitl, Lucic and the others. Even though the Sharks are a very respectable team and have gone really far last season, I feel that Edmonton is on quite a run right now and difficult to stop. Their coach also knows the Sharks really well which can be an advantage. 

I would predict that the Chicago Blackhawks are going to win another Stanley Cup this season but I can obviously be completely wrong. What do you guys think?

Chères lectrices et chers lecteurs,

J'ai commencé à rédiger des avis et à soumettre des photos sur Google Maps. Je vais critiquer des lieux différents que j'ai visités et vus comme des restaurants, des musées, des auberges et bien plus encore. J'écrirai mes avis dans trois langues différentes: en allemand, en anglais et en français. 

Pour l'instant, j'ai rédigé mes deux premières critiques en français hier: une du restaurant ''Chez Le Thaï'' à Gatineau et une du restaurant ''Chez Julie'' à Havre-Saint-Pierre. Je continuerai d'ajouter des critiques au cours des semaines et mois à venir.

Suivez ce lien pour lire tous mes avis:

https://www.google.ca/maps/contrib/104427502013346394888/reviews/@47.4504863,-75.0221196,6z/data=!4m3!8m2!3m1!1e1

Bonne lecture et au plaisir d'avoir des rétroactions constructives,

Sebastian Kluth