Tag: soul
How Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow’s Tactical Soul System Inspired A New Generation Of Metroidvanias
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is celebrating its 20-year anniversary today, May 6, 2023. Below, we look back at how the successor to Symphony of the Night is still influencing the genre.
From the Souls-ian hack-and-slash of Blasphemous to the pastel beauty of the Ori series, the sheer volume of metroidvanias in today’s gaming market can overwhelm even the most die-hard enthusiast. But while most fans will always correctly consider Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as the most influential entry in Konami’s lauded series, there were other games that had a big effect on today’s metroidvanias–and I would argue 2003’s Aria of Sorrow is the best of them.
Aria of Sorrow is the third Castlevania game for Game Boy Advance, though it’s much more memorable than its two predecessors. It’s the fourth “Igavania”-style entry in the series, meaning that it has the same exploration and RPG mechanics first inaugurated by Symphony of the Night and designer Koji Igarashi. Its grand new innovation, the Tactical Soul system, would be the next step forward for the franchise, and it’s a mechanic that’s inspired many of the metroidvanias that have emerged over the years.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry review: A road-trip more interested in heart and soul than burning rubber
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY
(12A) 108mins
★★★★☆
IN Hollywood movies, road trips go through vast landscapes in open-top sports cars.
In this British one, the journey is less glamorous.
Despite the missteps, this film should be commended for taking the unlikely decision not to rose-tint the view[/caption]
Jim Broadbent walks more than 600 miles in sensible brown shoes, shirt, tie and blue jumper over rolling countryside, past boarded-up shops and roaring motorways.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage is more interested in heart and soul than burning rubber.
Based on Rachel Joyce’s best-selling book, this drama begins with Jim’s retiree Harold Fry peeping through net curtains on to his suburban street in the coastal Devon town of Kingsbridge while his wife Maureen vacuums.
Their routine is upended when Harold receives a letter from former colleague Queenie Hennessy telling him she’s in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed dying from cancer.
Intense anguish
On his way to post a reply, Harold decides that setting off to the far north of England would be a better idea, despite not even having a bag to carry any non-existent supplies in.
Maureen (Penelope Wilton) is left behind wondering not only what will become of her husband, but also why he holds Queenie in such dedicated affection.
During chance encounters with strangers and via flashbacks, we learn Harold might have another subconscious motivation for his pilgrimage — namely a mystery surrounding his son.
The film takes a turn for the worse when other people join his quest.
An attempt to create a cross-generational understanding by having 18-year-old Wilf follow Harold falls flat.
It’s like someone has been parachuted from a Channel 4 yoof drama into what is an otherwise gentle and grown-up film.
Director Hettie Macdonald also stumbles down a dark path with one brief scene that is too graphic for a 12A.
Thankfully, Broadbent is more than able to handle the uneven tone. Whether he is asked to perform comedy, tender moments or display intense anguish, this truly great British actor is never anything less than engrossing.
It’s just a shame that one of the few cast members who is able to match him — Wilton — doesn’t get more screen time.
Despite the missteps, this film should be commended for taking the unlikely decision not to rose-tint the view.
Grant Rollings
BIG GEORGE FOREMAN
(12A) 129mins
★★★☆☆
THE get fit sequence is a key part of any boxing film.
In this largely true story of how Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in the world, the pudgy pugilist is refused pancakes by his wife, pulls a jeep and carries a cow.
This is more Stocky than Rocky. Credit Khris Davis for the way he portrays Foreman’s transformation – and I’m not talking about going from a muscleman to possessing more spare tyres than the Michelin Man[/caption]
But even that can’t tone up the man best known for putting his name to a grill.
This is more Stocky than Rocky. Credit Khris Davis for the way he portrays Foreman’s transformation – and I’m not talking about going from a muscleman to possessing more spare tyres than the Michelin Man.
No, it’s for switching from humourless power puncher to a charismatic entertainer.
In his early years Foreman was an angry man with little to say, but after coming out of retirement he found humour. Sadly, the funny George only arrives near the end of this round-by-round take on his remarkable life.
Even Davis and Forest Whitaker, playing George’s mentor Doc Broadus, can’t lift an often flat-footed drama. This story of an underdog who gave up fighting to become a street preacher, before coming back to win the title again aged 45, has plenty of meat.
But it’s never tender or raw.
Grant Rollings
PETER PAN & WENDY
(PG) 106mins, streaming on Disney+
★☆☆☆☆
HE’S famously the little boy who can never grow old, so it’s ironic that this live-action version of J.M. Barrie’s story creates as much magic and excitement as an afternoon in an old people’s home.
David Lowery is the director and he’s given us a drab, dreary reimagining, though it does start with potential.
Wendy (Ever Anderson) and her two brothers play- swordfight in their PJs before Peter (Alexander Molony) bursts through the window and takes them on the flight of their lives through the London skies.
But when they hit Neverland, it’s a far less magical place than soaring above Big Ben.
It is, in fact, a bunch of grassy hills and brown caves, where Peter constantly fights a tired Captain Hook (Jude Law).
While many could have brought some hammy comedy of tantalising terror to the role of Hook, Law is as washed out as the movie itself, playing it straight and looking like he’s just waiting for the cheque to clear.
Even Peter’s constant companion, the seen-but-not-heard Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) can’t sprinkle any fairy dust on this cold, watered-down version of the magical tale.
FLIM NEWS
- THE Grange Hill movie will be directed by Sara Sugarman, who played Jessica Samuels in the TV show.
- SIGOURNEY Weaver has ruled out a return as Ellen Ripley in the new Alien movie.
- JAMES McAvoy will star in thriller Control.
Joe Biden in Ireland: President says Mayo is ‘part of my soul’
STRANGE IRISH TALES: The Lost Soul – The Creature of the Forest – Night of the Dead
My name is Adriano Damaceno, I’m 34 years old and I live in São José, a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. I always liked to travel and on one of these trips, I met my wife who is Irish and has family there to this day. She lived in Joinville for a few years with her family but she always traveled to see her relatives there. They live in a house near County Clare, and I got to know this beautiful place when I traveled with them and stayed there for a week.
It is an incredible place and the landscapes are reminiscent of medieval or horror films, in the style of The Legend of the Headless Horseman. I, as a great lover of the supernatural and its macabre stories, soon wanted to know about unexplained things that should happen there and my father-in-law told me several local legends and things that he himself saw, as he was born and raised in that region and these are some of those stories which I will tell you now:
• The Lost Soul
“I remember that when I was young, there was a lot of talk about an “Alma Penada” that was seen walking on the roads of the village at night. It began with the report of a lady who said she had seen a strange woman walking barefoot on cold nights on the road where the oldest houses were.
The strangest thing about this report was that people often woke up to put more wood in the fireplaces, and thus be warmer, and seeing someone walking outside at these hours was something to draw a lot of attention. One night, early in the morning, they heard screams coming from outside the village, they were terrible screams that made some men leave the house and try to see what it was. The people of the village thought that there was someone in danger and they went to try to save whoever it was.
That’s when they saw, coming out of a small forest, a strange woman, and it was she who was screaming, but she wasn’t being attacked. The men who went soon saw that it was not a thing of this world and they turned off their lanterns and returned to the village, and since that night, when they heard screams, no one went out because they knew that it was that woman who the cold did not bother. They couldn’t tell if it was a spirit or something else and they called it “Woman Without Cold”
• The Creature of the Forest
My father was a businessman and traveled a lot to other places, and he stayed many nights in inns, those very precarious ones, where a room has three or four beds and there are often people who have never seen each other before in their lives. Once my father was in an inn like this one, and almost at the end of the day, a couple arrived asking where a certain town was, and the owner taught them exactly how to get there, but warned that walking at night, and with fog, was not a good thing to do.
But the couple was in a hurry to go, and the owner of the place, together with his wife, who was already elderly, insisted that the couple stay, as the road was very dangerous at night and things could appear in the dark. The couple then decided to stay and the owners calmed down. My curious father went to ask why they were so nervous because he himself had already walked in the mist many times and nothing happened, so the couple replied:
“People here have seen a strange creature in these colder seasons for several years now, it comes with the cold and the mist and many have seen it walking these roads.”
“What creature is that?” asked my father, and they continued talking:
“No one can say what it is, they say it’s a type of monster that lives hidden in the darkest forests, but at night, and protected by the mist, it sometimes comes down and frightens the residents here. We’ve seen it, and believe me when we say, the roads at night are not a good place to be.”
“And what does this creature look like?”, my father asked, more and more curious. “It reminds me of an ogre from the old stories,” said the couple. “Much stronger and much bigger than any man who lives here. We hear reports of some shepherds who live in the open fields, at night they would enter their huts and hear roaring coming from the mist, the dogs would not bark until that it was day, and in the morning, they saw the footprints of the thing on the ground. A group once went into the forest after the creature, but the forest was so dense and dark that if they stayed the night there, they feared never returning. In the darkest times hot of the year the thing is never seen, but in the cold, and with fog, it’s better to stay at home.”
• Night of the Dead
“There was also once, not far from here, the story of a couple who lived in a beautiful house. They never had children, and when the man’s wife died it was a heavy blow to him. She was buried far away from here in a cemetery already almost in another city.
But a rumor started that the wife was coming to visit her husband every night, even after she was dead. Residents who live near the former couple’s house reported that a terrible stench was felt in the early hours and they heard moans of something that was hiding in the dark and, many times, the thing was seen entering the couple’s old house.
Neighbors fearing something worse would happen warned the widower that a strange thing was coming to his house every night, but the old man said that nothing visited him. The residents then began to think that it was the deceased wife and the widower who was trying to hide the macabre relationship. One night, they saw the woman walking near some houses and those who saw her described her as someone rotting but not dead, completely dirty with mud and dressed in rags and heading towards the widower’s house.
When the sun rose that morning, some went there and saw mud by the door and dark footprints leading inwards but the widower denied all rumors. No one has ever really been able to prove that she was the late wife who visited her husband, but it is said that it was, for after the master passed away the strange woman was never seen again.”
These were some stories I’ve heard from people who have lived in Ireland for years. and they know what they are talking about. Ireland has a very rich folklore with stories about gnomes, elves, leprechauns, and all these beings that many already know the stories but I want to show that there are many more strange things than we think.”
– Adriano Damaceno – São José – Santa Catarina – SC – Brazil.
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Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the ‘Chicago Mothman’, ‘Chicago Owlman’ & ‘O’Hare Mothman’ or ‘O’Hare Batman.’ – Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map – Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com – your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.
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This upcoming FPS is a love letter to soul patches, JNCOs, nu metal, and everything else 1999
John Lewis: Mary Portas warns retailer it has ‘let go’ of its soul
Stream: Jhene Aiko’s New Sleep Soul Project ‘Relaxing Nature & Rain Sounds With Green Noise’
After awakening interest in Sleep Soul with her two ‘Sleep Soul: Relaxing R&B Baby Sleep Music’ albums (as we reported here), GRAMMY-nominated songbird Jhene Aiko is attaching her critically acclaimed vocals to the project series again – this time with the 20-song set ‘Relaxing Nature & Rain Sounds With Green Noise.’
Curated by Aiko, ‘Green’ – which features titles like ‘
The post Stream: Jhene Aiko’s New Sleep Soul Project ‘Relaxing Nature & Rain Sounds With Green Noise’ appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. – Thirsty?.
TikTok star & mum of two Jehane Thomas tragically dies ‘unexpectedly’ aged 30 as tributes pour in for ‘kindest soul’
A TIKTOK star and mum-of-two has tragically died after suffering from “bouts of illness and migraines”, her pals claim.
Jehane Thomas – who’s TikTok account has over 56.6K followers and 1.2million views – passed away “unexpectedly” aged just 30.
Jehane Thomas tragically died after suffering from ’bouts of illness and migraines’, her pals claim[/caption]
Her pals have rushed to pay tribute to the ‘kind and genuine soul’[/caption]
Jehane – who’s TikTok account has over 56.6K followers and 1.2million views – passed away ‘unexpectedly’[/caption]
Her pals have rushed to pay tribute to the “kind and genuine soul” who was a “beautiful person inside and out” on social media.
The mum-of-two from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, shared vlogs preparing packed lunches for her two boys as well as dinner tips, cleaning hacks and shopping hauls.
Jahene also ran arts and crafts business Print and Pack UK, who shared a touching tribute to their “driving force” following her death.
The account wrote on Facebook: “This evenings post is dedicated to you, my love… the driving force behind Print and Pack UK Ltd.
“P&P would not be what it is today without you, your enthusiasm, the relationships you’ve built with so many people, and the lives of all the people you’ve touched and inspired by simply being you… and the absolute TikTok Queen that you are.
“Life will never be the same without you and neither will P&P, but we have made a pact to do our upmost the continue to grow our successful business and support your boys for as long as P&P is going – and I already know we’ve got the support of your followers too.
“Thank you for your ongoing support. Jehane will live on through her boys, P&P and her followers. Let’s make her proud. Love and miss you always.”
Jahene’s best pal Alyx Reast said: “Jehane Thomas was a 30-year-old mum of two boys when she suddenly passed away on 17/03/2023.
“Despite suffering from migraines and bouts of illness for several months, her passing was totally unexpected and we are all absolutely heartbroken.
“Her two children have been left without their mum. Jehane – I promised I’d do what I can for those boys, so that’s what I’m vowing to do. I love you.”
Tributes have flooded in across social media.
Jehane’s friend and fellow parenting TikTok star Kelly Medina Enos said: “I really have no words for the news we have found out today.
“Thank you to your family and friends for allowing me to post my respects.
“My heart is broken, for you, for your family, friends and the boys. Fly high my angel. Life is so short. I love you. Kelly x.”
Friend Jade Newby said: “After some very sad news today it just puts life into perspective even more! It scares me to death the thought of me not being here for my boy.
“You just never know whats around the corner. I preach a lot that life is too short and we have to enjoy every single minute because we never know when our time is up.
“I would like to pay my respects to Jehane Thomas and send love to her friends, family and especially her baby boys. I cannot even begin to imagine. May you rest in peace.”
The mum-of-two from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, shared vlogs preparing packed lunches for her two boys[/caption]
Jahene also ran arts and crafts business Print and Pack UK[/caption]
Kia’s EV9 has big Soul energy for when you start a family
Remember those real hip hamsters that starred in Kia’s Soul commercials? If they finally grew up and started a family, the EV9 is exactly the electric vehicle they’d be looking to buy.
Kia this week revealed the production version of the EV9 SUV in South Korea, and it’s looking like a three-row Telluride in size but a Soul in appearance. The center row is particularly interesting in the EV9, as the automaker highlights swiveling seats for a six-seater version of the SUV.
The two center seats in the six-seater Kia EV9 can be rotated to face the two rear seats for maximum face-to-face children-screaming action. The seats can also be rotated toward the doors, too, which looks like it could make it easier to situate your kid without…