Author Archives: Junior Smart

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 – Review

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A powerhouse business laptop with portability

As with all of the Lenovo Thinkpad range, they are aiming for a certain type of market; the discerning business consumer, those that are looking for office type machines, packaged in portability and ‘set yourself up anywhere’ approaches.  The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 is expensive in terms of core components but then it’s meant to be. 32GB of RAM as standard; almost 4x as much as the average consumer who tends to have just 8GB puts it in the territory of users who demand an exceptional degree of power, think creative industries such as sports photographers, architects and designers, think special effects implementers think those utilising the 360 market.

What else does that price get you besides the power? There are so many areas. I could talk about the size of the machine; it still has a remarkably small footprint. The weight of it, barely 1.17kg yet balanced. The material used to make up the body; a mix of magnesium alloy, for the lid and carbon fibre-reinforced for the keyboard plate all give it this polished look.

Out of the box, it looks slick and refined. Compared to other laptops I have tested in the past; you just get this feeling that this is premiership quality. Connectivity wise the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 affords two ultra-fast USB-C Thunderbolt 4 sockets, one of which would normally be occupied by the power connector. Then there are two USB-A connectors, a full-size HDMI, and in models with mobile Internet, a Sim tray. According to Lenovo, HDMI only supports 4K/60 output, so it’s not HDMI 2.1 in terms of output but let’s be honest that is hardly problematic. The Carbon Gen 10 features a 1080p software rich webcam. The screen can dim if you walk away, and there’s an IR emitter for secure face unlock. Nice.

A week into use and I am still enjoying using the keyboard. The depth of the keys doesn’t feel tremendously deep but the keypresses feel sturdy and satisfactory as does the mouse pad and buttons. There is not separate number pad here but you don’t tend to find them on the 14 inch laptops anyway. Keys are well backlit in lowlight conditions and like most of the Thinkpads it has a TrackPoint; a red button in-between the keys which acts like a sort of mouse, although it has to be said, takes some getting used to.

Visuals

I found the X1 Carbon Gen 10’s screen to be very good. My model was the 14-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED display. It gave great colour, with fantastic contrast although I understand that is not the bog standard model. The laptop when fully opened lies completely flat on the surface, affording a maximum viewing range and making it even more compatible for those perhaps wanting to use a separate keyboard. Another thing that has to be said is great is the sound. Two speakers either side of the keyboard take great pleasure in taking care of the stereo meaning that presentations, movies, games and do I say meetings have a great level of sound quality.

Testing the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10:

Testing of the Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon Gen10 was carried out with UserBenchmark software using their freely available speed test tool tests. The software not only tests each component such as graphics cards and processing chips individually but compares the results to other users with the same and similar components. This provides the extra benefit of being able to size up a machine, identify hardware problems and explore the best upgrades. The machine I reviewed is a very high-end spec, with 32GB RAM, an Intel Core i7-1260P CPU and 1TB SSD. This spec is high level and perhaps more than what is required for most people users looking to buy a laptop this portable and light. That amount of RAM also limits the number of competitors which could be be taken in comparison as bar just a couple (the Macbook’s, the enhanced versions of Dell’s and the HP’s) most will have lower RAM.

Areas Of Excel

This machine cleared the testing as you would expect. 32GB of RAM demolished every computing task set before it with ease, this included RAW photos and fast rendering times of 4K video used in both Adobe Premiere and After Effects software, the only two machines to beat it in terms of processing was the Dell XPS 15 (2022) and the HP Envy 16, the latter of which other reviewers have noted has a higher depreciation rate owing to the way the chips and processing power is configured within the system. It also handled most games although these were at normal, not enhanced settings. This should be expected; it is after all, not a dedicated gamers machine and is suited towards the business consumer with the needs of a casual gamers requirements being met as an added bonus.

Power consumption was average in the testing’s. The ThinkPad Carbon lasting nine hours off a single charge. Not as much as I would have liked, especially given that over time battery life tends to shorten with the age of the technology but for the business consumer this is not a dealbreaker and is more than enough to last most journeys and meetings combined before a recharge is required.

FINAL Verdict: A very capable machine

The ThinkPad series continues with the trend of delivering a premium quality at a requisite price tag, Here you have an ultra-transportable PC that appears delivers on power, prowess and is best for its desired market, that of commercial and enterprise staff who will require power on the go. Whilst you might spend more on a MacBook Pro, or a MacBook Air in in terms of purpose, the layout and power of the Thinkpad Carbon 10 puts it in a very similar league and with the connectivity that means it is slightly more mainstream.

There’s a lot here to like and love and for that it gets 4.5 out of 5 stars

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 – Review

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A stunning looking machine, that combines power and portability but falls short on connectivity.

I have to say straight off the bat that there is so much to love about this machine, there really is. Opening up the box the first thing that hits you is the curves, curves, curves and more curves; it seems like any sharp 90 degree angle they wanted to smoothen and soften it, and it gives you this real prestige feeling; the feeling you get when someone pays attention to detail. The smooth curves  extend to the Bezel which houses the webcam. The second thing that hit me was the lightweight of it. Holding it in my palm it felt light, balanced, but not flimsy.

Looking at its size, It is undeniable what market this ThinkPad is aimed at. At 0.55 by 11.59 by 7.86 inches (HWD), it’s similar in dimensions to the Dell XPS 13 Plus (0.6 by 11.63 by 7.84 inches) and the Apple MacBook Air (0.44 by 11.97 by 8.46 inches), it’s a market for those that crave a powerhouse on the go. This is further evidenced by the designs available, the all-metal aluminum construction version or the discerning vegan leather edition. It’s also evidenced by its price; the bog standard 16gb ram edition arrives at a near £2k price point. Put simply, this is a laptop geared at people in business, where time is money and money is time.

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Trackpad

OK so I have to get this out of the way, one of my biggest disappointments with this machine was the lack of connectivity on the machines. I appreciate that what Lenovo is trying to do here is challenge the Dells and the Apple Macbooks; limiting the connections space probably to keep the the speed and size of the machine compete against its rivals, but to only have two USB-C connectors (that’s right they are the only connectors you have) is just absolutely terrible. Remember back in those days when the Macbooks were relatively new, where you turn up at a training course or meeting and there would be the one person who had one but they needed completely different wires and leads to everyone else? Do you remember what a headache it became and sometimes you would have to make do and watch it off their laptop because they wanted to be different. Yes you get that type of feeling. Out of the box, if you don’t have a multiport adapter you cannot even run a third party mouse with this.  There is no USB, HDMI, or even a card reader. Fine, you can get an adaptor but that costs and you have to carry it as well, which kind of well adds to what you’re carrying which beats the idea of having a laptop in the first place if you have to pitch up with more stuff on the train and in the meeting spaces that would expect to use it.

Visuals

The laptop’s display very good, It houses 13.3-inch IPS panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The slimness of the screen and its surrounding frame is also impressive, the laptop has a 91.6% screen-to-body ratio, and the quality of the visuals is great. Colours are vibrant and bright, contrast making details pop, and the laptop has great wide viewing angles.

On the top of the display is a bump that Lenovo Communications calls a bar. This is a prominent housing for a Full HD webcam with an electronic shutter and his IR capabilities for facial recognition. Next to it are two microphones with Dolby Voice noise cancellation to filter out unwanted ambient noise. While the Z13 serves a definite purpose when open, the bar also has a handy lip that easily opens and closes the slim laptop.

Usability

Almost into a week in using it and it has to be said that typing on the keyboard is a lot of fun. The keys have some base lighting which helps in darker conditions and I found that the keytrokes aren’t very deep, which is probrably down to the slim nature of the machine but each key is well separated out. Lenovo have this thing and the full-size keyboard layout is comfortable to type on.There’s also a fingerprint reader lock for basic biometric security. For those familiar with think pads, Lenovo has developed the TrackPoint; a red button in-between the keys which acts like a mouse, although it has to be said takes some getting used to. Here they have added a new double-tap feature that brings up a range of tools including adjusting camera settings, muting the mic, and even a tool to transcribe speech right into a document. All very good.

Testing the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13:

Testing of the Lenovo ThinkPad was carried out with UserBenchmark software using their freely available speed test tool tests. The software not only tests each component such as graphics cards and processing chips individually but compares the results to other users with the same and similar components. This provides the extra benefit of being able to size up a machine, identify hardware problems and explore the best upgrades. My review unit was equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U processor and integrated Radeon 680M graphics, paired with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive for storage. For benchmark comparisons, I compared the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 with other premium 13-and 14-inch laptops. Among those are top models like the Apple MacBook Air (2022, M2) and Dell XPS 13 Plus, two of the best high-end thin-and-lights on the market. For a side by side comparison I also looked at the business-oriented Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10.

Areas of Excel

The ThinkPad Z13 pits its AMD Ryzen 7 Pro processor against the Core i7 CPUs used in most competing systems and Apple`s M2 processor, making it an interesting alternative to most laptops in this price range. But as Intel and Apple move toward architectures that attempt to balance performance with efficiency by using a mix of different processing cores, AMD sticks to the more traditional approach, with every processing core equally yoked for different tasks. The result is a mix of leading scores in tests like PCMark and Cinebench, but the ThinkPad Z13 lands in the middle of the pack in tests. Not being the best but not being the worst. I found the overall performance to still be incredibly fast and this makes it extremely competitive, the 16GB of RAM delivering pure power when it came to resource heavy tasks.  Complex video and photo editing tasks were not a problem, even some FX files and Adobe After-effects at HD levels were handled with ease, which easily matched the performance of other premium ultra portables. Moving into the UHD level though did slow the machine down in terms of rendering times. Here the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 with its 32GB RAM outstripped the competition with only the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio left as its competitor but given that these are different machines in terms of the processing power it’s not the one-to-one comparison that you would usually benchmark against.

Another area where the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 stands out was in the battery test, astonishingly the thin, small laptop lasted nearly 18 hours on a single charge. This easily outperformed its competitors, and here the USB-C brought an added bonus, as the battery supports fast charging, which means you can quickly recharge when you need to. In comparison against the MacBook I found the display to also be brighter and with a wider viewing angle too, this beats its competitors, especially given the size of the machine. That’s impressive.

FINAL Verdict: Premium Price with Premium Performance

I have to be honest, these are tough times for a consumer, regardless of where you are, everyone is looking to cut costs and make savings. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is proud not to be the cheapest out there. BUT, if you are in the market looking for premium ultraportable space and most importantly, power, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 vindicates the real truth that you what you pay for. It easily competes with the best of the best. Its size, its shape, its design is impressive, and the AMD-powered system has performance that’s delivers. At well under 3 pounds, with nearly 18 hours of battery life, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a powerhouse, and if you can look past the lack of connectivity is an ultraportable laptop, with fantastic performance to go with it. In terms of the score, it’s a solid 4 out of 5 just missing out on the top score owing to the lack of connections and optical drives.

Captain America: Civil War Film Review

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_1453319820Based on the 2006 Marvel Comics crossover storyline Civil War is perhaps one of most adventurous pieces of comic book fare to be brought to the big screen. Based one year after the last Avengers movie; Age of Ultron and the colossal damages that occurred within all the previous cities the United Nations is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords; an international governing body to monitor and police the rapidly growing superhuman population. The team is divided; Tony Stark supports oversight because he feels responsible for creating Ultron and for the destruction the android brought to Sokovia, while Rogers is distrustful of any government having control over them and wishes the Avengers to remain free to act of their own accord. When the Winter Solider reappears accused of another assassination Iron Man leads the charge forcing Captain America to choose a side. This leads to Civil War; a war within.

Featuring almost every Avenger (with the exception of Thor and Hulk) in addition to new characters like Spider-Man and returning supporting characters like General Ross this film should perhaps be re-named Avengers 2.5. It seems like this year when it comes to comic book adaptions it is all about the showdown between big superheroes and sprawling cataclysmic battles. No doubt comparisons will be eagerly made between this and the previously released Superman Versus Batman with fanboys clamouring either side to say which one is best. Civil War has been released with far less fanfare than its DC counterpart, but like the good old Captain America quiet confidence is perhaps what makes it so great. I’ll settle the scrap now; in my humble opinion Civil War is a better film.

There are a number of advantages that Civil War has over its Dawn of Justice rival. First is the fact that Marvel has spent numerous movies developing each and every character in the build up to this showdown and most of the characters have had their own films (or significant pieces within) to develop. In the run up to seeing the film, my friends and I were enthusiastically discussing which Marvel films we liked the most; some liked Iron Man, some liked Captain America, some liked Thor. Although film-wise there have been a couple of misses, what is undeniable is that Marvel has been successful in creating movie comic book characters that are semi-independent of each other, films that have their own valid personality and structure. Indeed, you can almost be divided over the movies like you could be the comic books. How that translates into Civil War is that less time needs to be dedicated showing their back stories (parents murdered or motivating tragedies) and secondly we have already come to know the characters as multi-faceted beings through their own movies which makes the ultimate show down far more complex than simply choosing a side. Tony Stark; the narcissistic billionaire but an individual always touched by the plight of the weak and defenceless versus Captain America a soldier who fights for freedom but has increasingly become disillusioned by the corruption he has witnessed. In Civil War the fights are gruelling but not gratuitous, no one wants to hurt each other but they will for what they believe in and ultimately they do.

Sadly, Civil War does suffer from a long build up, yes there is action but like Dawn of Justice it spends a long time getting you to see the story from both sides and introducing you to the new characters. But what a line up it is, in addition to Robert Downey Junior’s incredible Iron Man (let’s face it; there could only ever be one Iron Man) and Chris Evan’s one and only Captain America, we have Chadwick Boseman making his debut as an impressive Black Panther, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the all new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland.  I have to say I was a bit worried about the new wall crawler’s debut (I think we are on its third iteration within ten years) but with all honesty I think he was one of the many highlights and what he brought to the film was a much needed comedic boost to alleviate the movie’s more serious themes of lost friendship and broken trust. With Spider-Man a part of this film the credibility was seriously boosted in a way that perhaps only Wolverine could to a Hulk film. Overall then if you are a fan of Marvel, this film will excite and meet many if not all of your expectations. But we warned the ending is not a happy one. Last but not least there are two post credit scenes so stay until the very end.

O.k so my verdict:

Easily a 4 out of 5.

The Hateful Eight – Film Review

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the_hateful_eightRolling in at a mammoth three hours and seven minutes, the aptly titled The Hateful Eight is a film that in many ways will divide audiences. Those that love Quentin Tarantino’s style of film-making; the long build ups, exaggerated sword plays of dialogue and immediate violence, the no expense spared approach to making scenes look and feel authentic will no doubt rejoice here. But for those who were perhaps looking for a quick fix of action seen in examples such as Django Unchained and the Kill Bill series are likely to be disappointed or lack the endurance to see this film through to the end. It follows then that this film can be seen as a blessing and a shame in equal measure.

Shot in Ultra Panavision 70 which is apparently super widescreen, a long, and I mean long intro follows a horse and carriage through what must be a the bleakest snow storm. Yes, it is almost ten minutes before we actually get any dialogue. Only Tarantino could do that and not break a sweat. But when people do start speaking its then that you appreciate the depth and texture that he places within his characters.

John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is a bounty hunter carrying his charge Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to a town called Red Rock. He never fails to bring his quarry in alive rather than dead so that they can be hanged by the state. Before long he is joined by Major Marquis Warren (played by an incredibly on form Samuel L Jackson) who after some convincing is permitted to share the stagecoach to Red Rock. They are soon after joined by Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins); allegedly Red Rock’s new sheriff, who makes it clear that in return for riding on the stage-coach he’ll ensure that justice will be done on arrival.

The worsening storm forces them to break their journey at Minnie’s; an isolated shop that they intend to use as a stop-over point and it’s here that four more faces join the crowd, potentially all eager for a share of the bounty that is on Daisy Domergue’s head. They are Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern), an old Confederate general, Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), a taciturn cattle-hand, Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a flamboyant hangman, and Bob (Demián Bichir), the shop’s temporary Mexican caretaker. Minnie herself however is nowhere to be seen. This sets the scene for a set-up where no one can be trusted and anything can happen.

It’s here where the dialogue goes into overdrive and Tarantino really goes to work building and creating tension. However, it has to be said that it is a shame that it is such a slow build up; a growing crescendo which perhaps would have fared better if the characters had redeeming qualities. The reality is I found I could find little empathy with any one of the characters, they all had behaviours which I found distasteful, but perhaps that is the whole point. The second act plays out almost like an Agatha Christie novel; largely a quest to find out who is behind it all. The characters try and suss each other out. Flashbacks occur; who was where and when this or that happened and people try to talk their way out of being in the guilty frame.

What embellishes this is the fine cast. Very rarely do you find films where every actor shines. The only one I can think of right now where that occurred recently was in The Wolf of Wall Street and again it was because the director was very credible so the cast gave it their all. Here it is the same. They all implicitly trust Quentin so they hit their roles with vigour, the end result is stunning, at times riveting and in so many ways simply wonderful.

Personally, I am not a fan of long films. My friends were divided in equal measure between loving and hating this film. However, it has to be said from Tarantino this film seems intimate, like a personal project he really deliberated, stressed over, savoured and desired to share with his fans. The end result is something only he could realistically pull off at such quality and regardless of whether you love it or hate it you have to admit it’s a fine piece of work.

Battlefield: Hardline Game Review

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q0r5sr3kccqdbasd5lyrIt’s easy to see why games producer Visceral made a decision to change up the pace with Battlefield: Hardline. After the much criticised (but nonetheless well acclaimed) Battlefield 4, most players would agree that the typical war format of First Person Shooters (FPS) has been done to extinction. As such Battlefield: Hardline represents a refreshing take in the genre; the Lethal weapon, the Michael Bay, the Die Hard or Bad Boys film. The presentation visuals being instantly recognisable to a weekend cop show and, it has to be said, for each and every moment of distinction it actually feels better for it.

Hardline follows a hard-working, honest young cop as he helps tackle a drug ring, falls afoul of police corruption then tries to set the world to rights. It’s a plot that seems determined to pack in every imaginable cop movie cliché, but wins you over thanks to entertaining dialogue, a little personality and a desire to put you in the thick of some amazing action scenes.

Some of the pillars of previous Battlefield games return: this is still primarily a first-person shooter where you’re propelled along from one objective to the next. Much too is made of the series’ signature destructible scenery, which sees solid-looking stud walls torn apart by shotgun explosions, and a rusty trailer offer little protection when you’re under assault from buggies with mounted heavy machine guns. Yet Hardline does bring something new to the table, by emphasising stealth and infiltration over all-out warfare and by focusing on non-lethal takedowns as well as headshots.

Playing this online game you learn different techniques of getting through each scenario, sometimes you need to sneak up on enemies and take them down one by one, sometimes you need to arrest them with badge and gun. using this method means you rank up faster and unlocking new weapons, customisations and gadgets you can use within the campaign, while the same goes for using your handy scanner to find crucial bits of evidence. You’ll still find sequences where you’ll be forced to fight your way through waves of attackers in a more standard Battlefield style, but these tend to be lobbed in as climactic set-pieces – and even here there are rewards for playing smart. In short, Hardline actually makes something of its whole cops and robbers premise, whether or not it can’t resist the occasional shoot-out, or blow up the entire set with spectacular set pieces.

And what set pieces await you aren’t restricted to the cops and robbers premise, crazy tank vs helicopter scenes out in the desert, car chases through industrial zones or a frantic escape through a ramshackle town and down a mountain, hiding from searchlights and patrols. A great deal of action games boast of being thrillers, but Hardline can be thrilling and quite suspenseful owing to the episodic nature of the campaigns meaning the characters actually have an story arc through the game and as a result you actually start to care about them, compare that to Battlefield or Call of Duty where you could play literally anyone from a multitude of characters who may actually die at the end of the stage.

Yes there is still the occasional classic ‘follow this person and do what they say’ kind of stuff, whilst some episodes are happy to give you an objective in addition to a wide area full of possible routes and bad guys, and leave you to make your own way through. New gadgets, together with a grappling gun and a mobile zip line, play their part, giving you ways to find a way in from the rooftops or over the wall. It doesn’t always work, with suspiciously brilliant sharpshooters, alarms and minimal checkpointing spoiling the fun, but by and large it’s a minor distraction.gYph9WmIK8l6.878x0.Z-Z96KYq

I played the game on a PS4 and I was a fan of the quality of the visuals and the trademark Battlefield destructible scenery. Character models, skin and shiny surfaces look wonderful, so does the voice overs although I did spot some lip sync problems a few times. My other problem with the game was the length of time it took to download, my gosh it was hefty. The full download of all the episodes taking a good few hours to complete, this was even when it bought was on a physical disc. I felt annoyed that I actually couldn’t play the game straight out of the box.

So how does battlefield measure up on-line? Well, the cops and robbers modes play out a bit like ‘Heist’ ‘Payday’ and ‘GTAV’ rolled into one. Having said that I am going to go on record and say that they are not all as brilliant as you might expect, variants of the genres we’ve seen and played before ‘capture the flag’ is heist under another guise, where one team has to grab a bag from a vault and take it to the extraction point while the other team try to stop them.

Hardline affords four separate classes – Operator, Engineers, Enforce and Specialist – with loads of unlocks and weapon upgrades available, there’s no shortage of scope for detailed customisation. Similarly, the maps won’t yield up all their secrets overnight, with vantage points to discover, interactive elements to mess around with and some great rooftops and towers where you can put the grapple gun and zipwire to good use.

Verdict:

I really like Battlefield: Hardline; the single-player campaign just works brilliantly and it has a fantastic set up as a big, dumbass cop action thriller. As a game it easily fits into the class of ‘next gen’ in terms of the quality of graphics and sound. Multiplayer too is enjoyable and competitive. Yes hard Hardline does have faults but in my opinion they are minor faults in what otherwise is one heck of an enjoyable romp.

8.5 / 10

Battlefield: Hardline is out now

 

Halo: Nightfall – Interview with Mike Colter

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Halo-Nightfall-LayeredImages-SDCC Group 2 - 3Here’s a challenge, describe Halo: Nightfall in multiples of two words.

Hmmm let’s see how about “Bad Ass”, “Computer Game”, “Action Movie” “Special effects” or “Xbox Classic”? How about “Mike Colter”, the actor who plays the role of “Agent Locke”?

In case you didn’t know Halo: Nightfall is set between the events of Halo 4 and the eagerly anticipated Halo 5: Guardians and is the second full-length live-action feature for the Halo franchise.

From Executive Producer Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Blade Runner) and award-winning Director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Battlestar Galactica, The Pillars Of The Earth), Halo: Nightfall features an all-star cast including Mike Colter (The Good Wife), Christina Chong (24: Live Another Day), Steven Waddington (Sleepy Hollow) and Luke Neal (Final Prayer).

Halo: Nightfall tells the personal story of Jameson Locke, a legendary manhunter and agent with the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), Earth’s most powerful and secretive military branch. The film provides the background to this pivotal new character in the Halo universe, who will play a key role in the next gaming instalment.

Whilst investigating terrorist “chatter” on the distant colony world of Sedra, Locke and his crew are caught in a horrific biological attack. Led by Locke, ONI agents are forced to coordinate with the local command who have a deep-rooted mistrust of ONI. As they unravel a plot that draws them to an ancient, hellish artefact, they are forced to fight for their survival and to make the ultimate choice between their loyalty and their lives.

I caught up with Mike to find out more about his experiences of playing a part in such a coveted franchise.

Halo-Nightfall-LayeredImages-SDCC COAS - 1How was the experience filming Halo: Nightfall?

Well, it wasn’t a glamorous shoot. One word that comes to mind is rigid. It was a rigid, rigid shoot. We were filming in Iceland for most of it so the location was beautiful, but it turned out that the weather was not like what we were expecting – it rained the whole time. We were up against the elements, and I think this added to the overall essence of what we were looking for in this film, being destitute on a foreign planet without a way home. In this sense it helped, but at times walking around in heavy armor for hours was tough.

What was it like filming in Iceland?

Iceland was really phenomenal; I’d love to go back on a leisure journey or holiday. I went to the Blue Lagoon – actually, I went  here about three times! It really helped my back. Soaking in that water is so wonderful and regenerative. Just sitting in there gave me so much energy and made me feel so relaxed. I definitely recommend it if you ever get a chance to visit Iceland – when you leave the airport get your driver to head straight for the Blue Lagoon, don’t even go to the hotels first. It’s a phenomenal experience with not that many tourists.

I like it here, there were times I’d be driving past waterfalls, volcanos and icecaps, its such wonderful scenery. It’s such a great place, I really like it a lot, the food is great and the people are very nice here.

Halo-Nightfall-LayeredImages-SDCC Halo Ring - 4What were your first thoughts when you were first presented with the role of Locke? And being part of the franchise. We’re you familiar with its huge global following?

Not really actually, just the basics, I knew that it was a popular game that people enjoyed which has a huge following; It’s a great brand that people are really dedicated to, and it always made me curious about it, to find out more. And so to be offered this part in Halo made me look deeper into what is was about. It gave me some opportunities to do things that I wanted to do, which was doing more action projects, like this, like sci-fi, to give me an opportunity to branch out and diversify and also get a chance to do a voice-over.

Did you prepare for the role by playing a lot of the Halo games and immersing yourself in that world, to help you become more familiar?

No, playing the game wouldn’t have helped me much, as my character, at that point, hasn’t been created or introduced in the video game. As far as the film, he was the only character who wasn’t a Spartan, and in the game it is primarily just Spartan super solders who can do these awesome things, that’s above everything humanly possible, and have these incredible suits on, I on the other hand, had to focus on my character’s journey and origin story, and what’s the fate of his team when he left the planet. It’s more of him only as a solder and not so much what he was going to be when he becomes a Spartan, which is where the video game picks up from. It’s more of a human story that we’re trying to tell. There are very little situations where I’m actually doing anything like the video game; it’s not very similar.

You started with getting the voice-over role in the game, which explicitly led to your role in the film, is that right?

It was actually the other way round. I signed up for the film and then that led to the video game and the motion caption character, which would then go into the video game. I was approached as an actor to audition for the role in the digital film, that was the first thing that happened, then we moved on to creating the character for the video game.

It must be quite a unique experience playing the same character in both the film and video game. Has their been much cross referencing and how have they correlated? 

The first thing is that they are both so different, acting on film verses doing motion caption verses doing voice-over is all different medias, so it’s not the same as what your trying to convey. I’m used to acting, which relies on your total being in front of the camera trying to convey what the character is experiencing, but when your doing voiceover work you really have to get all that expression and emotion and everything through your voice and sometimes that can feel a little phony, because you’re trying to convey something that people can’t see and at times you feel like you’re doing too much, it was a bit weird at first but Amanda Wiseman, who directed the voice over sessions guided me through and you eventually get used to it. The motion caption was very technical thing and very subtle. You have to walk around in these funny suits with a camera right in your face, which can get a bit tedious at times. Watching it all back was surreal, the technology in these video games are incredible.

What can you tell us about your character in Halo: Nightfall?Halo-Nightfall-LayeredImages-SDCC COAS - 4

Locke is a ‘think first, act later’ kind of guy; always making a decision based on the fact that it can affect so many people, so that is something that he doesn’t take lightly. He’s a very logical methodical man, and even though there are lives at stake, he always understands and knows that this is what he signed up for.  I got in touch with my character, but I think it’s something that a lot of people would find hard to relate to – unless you’re in the military, people who put their lives on the line everyday – I’ve tried to understand that and try to feel what it would be like as a solider with nerves of steel and not be afraid.

What was it like working with the other cast members and crew?

We had a great time. They assembled a great tem – our production crew were some on the few that worked on the game, and in Iceland and some that had worked on The Game Of Thrones, so they were incredible, just used to working long hours and shooting in weird locations. They were very professional all the way through. The cast were great; a lot of the cast were actually from the UK, I got to meet a lot of people and still keep in touch with a few of them and formed some lifelong friends. We had a great time even though the elements were harsh, we still had a great time and a lot of laughs; it would be cold, raining and we’re stuck on a mountain, tired and sleepy but what can you do, it was great. We had a fun time.

You obviously enjoy energetic, action movie roles, but were you allowed to perform your own stunt & action scenes?

I’m getting quite a bit more ‘sign off’ to do more. Unless you could potentially die doing a scene or stunt then it’s usually ok. But I’ve never really been the type to throw myself in to do my own stunts, because stuntmen are trained and tend to be adrenaline junkies – they like it! One stunt guy wanted to fall from a large building, it was a huge fall. Huge! But he wanted to do it, but in the end we decided against it and used CGI. But that’s part of their job I guess, they love it. I do as much stunts as I can, when all the proper precautions are in place, because it’s not so much fun when you get hurt.

Do you think there are any pressures that come with a role in a film with the Halo brand, having such a huge fan base?

They’re trying to change a little bit of the narrative for Halo, and give it a story that would be able to connect to a reach a wider audience. One that would not have necessarily have been a fan of Halo video game series, and create a stand alone film that you could watch and connect to the characters and the story, and I guess generate an interest in the video game, regardless of who you are. I don’t think you have to just be a sc-fi fan or gamer to enjoy this.

Halo: Nightfall is released digitally on March 17 2015 and internationally on March 17th.  Check out the trailer below for a taste.

Will it Take the K.ing of Jewels to Capture the Queen of Your Heart?

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Valentine’s Day is almost upon us; the time where it’s customary to celebrate the love of our lives in ways that truly matter. If there was ever something invented to capture a woman’s heart, then its jewellery and its things that sparkle. In the 21st Century, flowers and chocolate can only ever be the ‘bubble wrap’ to something with bigger, deeper meaning. For the 21st Century woman size doesn’t necessarily matter but quality does. Some of the sharp readers amongst you may have seen the title and thought the spelling of King was some kind of typo, but it is in fact the name of a new and upcoming artist K.ing with her latest jewellery Collection “Diamond K.ing”. A brand with an outspoken mandate in that it promises to treat each and every wearer as a Queen.

Model: Frances Lane Jewellery: K.ing Photography: Active 8 Images

Diamond K.ing is the gemstone of Inga Klabyte, who chose to employ everything that life threw at her to polish and reveal her inner diamond. Now under the artistic name of K.ing she makes a living by helping others to do the same. I find it astonishing to think that out of all the different types of companies one could create, the one she chose was jewellery making. However upon meeting her it is easy to see why; just like a diamond, the brand K.ing embodies and accentuates all her key strengths. For example, the number of hours that Inga puts into each design, the immaculate attention to detail which goes into each and every piece and the importance that she places on having each piece unique to the wearer.

The value of not taking things for granted is reflected in the “Diamond K.ing” logo. What appears to be a playing card of the ‘King of Diamonds’. Possession of this card can mean the difference between winning and losing and is essential in a hand of ‘Royal Flush’. In the same way K.ing jewellery is designed to be truly exclusive to the wearer and that absolute possession of the wearer is essential.

Model: Meriely Araujo Jewellery: K.ing Photography: Active 8 Images

Model: Meriely Araujo
Jewellery: K.ing
Photography: Active 8 Images

I find myself pondering on why since time began jewellery has held such an elevated position with the sole purpose of making someone feel special. Why, Inga sparkles even talking about it, she truly believes that every woman is a Queen of someone’s heart and should be treated as such. Listening to her I find myself drawn off into a different world that as a man I had never truly appreciated: “Jewellery is the Queen of every woman’s wardrobe, it’s the jewel of Queen’s crown. There is no Queen with no jewels, simple as that. The truth is women love a good fairy tale crowned with dream come true relationships promising a sparkling future. If you manage to wake up the Sleeping Beauty inside her, you are and will always be her Prince Charming. So is she “Her Grace of Lace” like Queen Victoria or irresistible Scheherazade of “One Thousand and One Arabian Nights”? Is she romantic “Queen by Nature” or your personal Muse of “Eternal Inspiration”? Is she “The Conqueror of Your Heart” like Cleopatra or simply “The Fairest of Them All”?

“When I was a child, I saw people treating my mum as someone ordinary, when to me she was Special, a one off, someone who could never be replaced. From that moment K.ing was almost born to say: “You are the Queen of my Heart”.

Hence K.ing started out by making her mum feel special by creating unique pieces hand-made especially for her. Her mum must have been deeply touched as she took K.ing straight to Arts college entrance exams. This was followed by a Degree in Visual Arts and a Masters in Arts and Cultural studies as well as work placements all over the world. While specialists may have thought she was ‘Ace’ Inga knew she was actually a ‘K.ing’ by proving that everyone can be special and should be treated as such. There’s something in that message for everyone out there who questions their own uniqueness.

Today, Diamond K.ing is limited edition, unique wear. It is bespoke in that it is created directly for the wearer with your choice of metals, certified diamond cut Swarovski Element Crystals in all colours. There is also a ready-hand-made collection ready for you to take home or order to be posted to you straight away. The whole Collection is also there for you to rent for specific events so that you too can be feel like a celebrity on night out or even in your own home.

I have to admit I am smitten by the collection, seeing Swarovski Crystals Elements which have a unique sparkle and brilliance magnified by a choice of gold and silver. Looking at the various sets there is almost an endless variation of colours, shapes and sizes that range from earrings, to bracelets and necklaces to headpieces that can only be found at Diamond K.ing.

At a moment like this being a typical man, one’s thoughts turn to cost. I ask the question; expecting to hear rhetoric along the lines of ‘if you have to ask then you can’t afford it’. Instead, her response is much less faint inducing. For individual unique wear her prices are incredible, the smallest pieces start at just £20 and can go up to ten or hundred times more depending on the project in mind.

Why diamond-cut and not diamonds? “Genuine Crystal Jewellery has got more advantages to me as an artist and a woman than the offcuts of diamonds found on the high street. If a man brought me a diamond big enough to being able truly appreciate it though I would feel obliged to call the authorities, the price people paid for diamonds, and not only monetary, is far too high, I am a Queen with a heart and I chose not to work with diamonds who are associated with pain not love. That’s why I love what authentic diamond cut Swarovski Crystal Elements stands for.”

So what was the reaction to Diamond K.ing’s wares? Well, Jewellery was invented to conquer woman’s heart and that is exactly what K.ing does. The reaction of her other customers was evident; each woman’s eyes lighting up, instinctively reacting to the sparkle and wanting to touch and try on the items.

Inga smiles at her customers with real genuine sincerity “I’ve never seen a woman who is not a “jewellery person”, even if some said so at first. She breaths in, her chest and chin rises and her eyes start sparkling more than any man-made jewel; especially when time is taken to match the jewels to her inner character, her dreams and her aspirations for the future.”

When you put it like that I have to agree, even if just for one day where all the other distractions and mandatories of life are put aside, Valentine’s should be like the fairy tale your loved ones deserve. If there is a dream worth chasing then it should be the one where we all live ‘Happy Ever After’ the closer we can get to making that fantasy a reality the brighter the future can only be for us all.

So, have you got a Queen of your Heart?

Are you looking for the ways to keep the sparkle in her eyes?

Contact:

www.K-ing-Of-Order.com

Email

Get-piece@K-ing-Of-Order.com

Tel: 07730006364

Facebook: Diamond K.ing

Selma – Movie Review

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There are three things that this movie absolutely gets right. Firstly you have the subject matter. This is a film about Dr Martin Luther King; powerful, complicated, legendary. A leader almost completely untouched by modern day film-making, yet a leader who deserves respect. Why? Because he chose non-violent resistance in the face of utter brutality; if there ever was a time for a film about his legacy, it is now. The marches from Selma to Montgomery that took place in Alabama in 1965 over the right to vote must rank as one of the most iconic moments in history. Make no mistake, sometimes it is difficult to watch this film; visceral but not gratuitous, anger inducing at times but not ever condoning. In many ways as a historical story it’s beyond criticism, especially when so much reflects the world we live in today.

Selma, Selma film review, film, review, movies

Selma marks the first big-budget film from black independent director Ava DuVernay; she pulls no punches by filming in the very places where these historic events took place. She keeps things brisk, crafting each scene like an elegant dish to be served; she doesn’t waste any time on screen. Everything from a telephone ringing to an intimate conversation has purpose. For a motion picture epic such as this it comes in at little over two hours yet you never get the feeling that anything of value has been lost in transition.

Which leads us to the second thing this movie gets right; the approach. Rather than going for the customary ‘from the cradle to the grave’ biopic approach, Selma wisely concentrates on the events in Alabama, occurring just over a few weeks in February and March. 10 years after King’s first major civil-rights action. By the time the film starts he has already risen in power, delivered the ‘I have a dream’ speech and received the Nobel Peace Prize. This gives the film real focus as the series of atrocities which caused Dr King to be present in Selma can be covered in real depth. When King scores a victory, no matter how small, it is a victory for everyone. By the time the film finishes you may be on such a high that you fail to realise that just three years later Dr King will be assassinated at the age of 39. Such is the emphasis on the moment to moment reality, and the inner conviction of him and his many followers.

Thirdly you have the casting. Many of these actors could hold down a movie in their own right and they seem to be in roles that they relish. Tim Roth as racist governor George Wallace, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, Oprah Winfrey (may she never ever quit acting) in her portrayal of the indomitable Annie Lee Cooper and David Oyelowo, a British actor who just seems to go from strength to strength and steps into Dr King’s shoes with ease, easily outdoing Idris’ portrayal of Mandela in just sheer power and presence alone. The supporting cast are strong, too, with Carmen Ejogo lending warmth and courage to the key role of Coretta Scott King the continual strain on their marriage is a central theme, Stan Houston is assured as the embittered, trigger-happy sheriff Jim Clark, and Dylan Baker fleetingly creepy as J Edgar Hoover, whose FBI wire taps and intercepts provide some genuinely testing scenes. The actors really lend themselves to making this film a success. A huge thanks too should go to Brad Pitts Company Plan B in backing this film. It’s no wonder that its snubbing in the Oscar nominations (up for Best Picture but not for director or acting) has caused almost complete outrage.

I noted that some reviewers have criticised the film for being too grandiose in nature. I feel these comments are completely unfair; grandiose compared to what? Titanic, Gladiator, Les Miserables,  even Man of Steel had a sense of identity, something to live up to and all of these are works of fiction. Selma has an identity because it is embedded in history. It’s understandable and only right that the actors desired to do the film justice.

Selma is one of those films that need to be seen, it’s compelling viewing because it’s a quality film that was deserved to be made for a generation that needs to see it. In a time where true values are easily forgotten Martin Luther King’s dream endures. If his truth were ever to be realised then the future can only be brighter for us all.