Isaac's Film Reviews

An out-of-nowhere sci-fi masterpiece. Film review by Isaac Handelman Beginning with its mono-syllabic title, Her is deceptively simple in a multitude of ways. Spike Jonze’s techno-romance places socially awkward protagonist Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) front-and-center, and he’s the only (visible) onscreen character for a sufficient portion of the film’s duration; furthermore, the film positions itself as a romance, a genre known for tripping over its own cliches. Despite these considerable hurdles, Her ’s stunning ingenuity and brilliant execution render it an unforgettable cinematic masterwork. Centering on Theodore Twombly, Her aims at first to tell a tender, emotional tale about modern humanity’s relationship with technology. Twombly acquires and subsequently “befriends” his new artificially intelligent operating system, which names itself “Samantha,” and is voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Writer/director Spike Jonze marries his terrific screenplay with Joaquin Phoenix’...

Keanu takes a backseat in this reimagining of the Japanese legend. Review by Isaac Handelman Given its troubled road to release, 47 Ronin has actually turned out better than it had any right to. The film, which was supposed to release near Christmas 2012, was pushed back to Christmas 2013 after series production delays hampered the planned release schedule (and, many assumed, the quality level) or the finished product. Now 47 Ronin finally sees the light of day, and you know what? It’s not half bad. Sure, the film is hamstrung by numerous issues, and is poorly made in more than one respect, but it manages to achieve a level of self-awareness that imbues the film with an element of likability. 47 Ronin is based upon an ancient Japanese legend wherein forty-seven rogue samurai seek revenge on the traitor who brought about their master’s demise. Keanu Reeves was given top billing, most likely for marketing reasons, but his character, a half-Japanese outcast named Kai, isn’t tr...

The PS4's go-to tech demo. Review by Isaac Handelman Note: This review pertains only to the single-player component of Killzone: Shadow Fall . Multiplayer was not tested and will not be addressed in this review, nor will its quality in any way affect the score. If you purchased a PlayStation 4 at launch, then there’s a good chance that you picked up Killzone: Shadow Fall alongside it. It’s difficult to blame a PlayStation fan for that decision; the launch pickings were rather skim, and Shadow Fall stood as the single recognizable first-party Sony brand present at the console launch. Shadow Fall is the first next-gen iteration of one of Sony’s first-party franchises, and as such, it has some mighty big shoes to fill. Do Guerilla's efforts live up? Well, yes and no. Shadow Fall ’s story, placing Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellen front-and-center, starts off strong, setting the stage for a more personal, emotional narrative than the series is known for, still with strong ties to t...

Proof that bigger isn't always better. Review by Isaac Handelman Gone Home is a tough game to sell by description alone. Its premise is simple, but intriguing: you are Katie, a college student who returns home from her Euro trip to find that her family has vacated her house for mysterious reasons. It's your job to journey through the huge house and find the truth behind her family's disappearance. Your task consists mainly of rifling through the items left behind by Katie's family scattered throughout the house. You'll inspect notes pinned on the refrigerator, journal entries buried in desk drawers, forgotten cassette tapes from basement storage rooms, and much, much more. Though it's immediately impressive how fully you are able to interact with the objects within  Gone Home , this feature becomes one of the game's liabilities. Some objects in the home are disappointingly void of detail or purpose, and rendered with low-res textures that stand out in a ...