those_who_dig

I first watched Otto Preminger's Angel Face eight years ago and decided to give it another viewing last night. My impression of the film improved somewhat - my original IMDb rating was 6 which I've now bumped up to 7.

Mitchum and Simmons - both arguably underrated - make it a compelling watch. The story isn't film-noir at its finest, but if you're interested in the leads then it's definitely worth your time. As the lower third of the poster may suggest, there are some standout scenes in 'Angel Face' which go above-and-beyond what you may be expecting from an inexpensive-looking noir from the early 1950s.

This is a supremely likeable road movie and, with Joaquin Phoenix's harrowing performance as the Joker still fresh in mind, reminds us of the actor's extraordinary versatility. Phoenix's on-screen nephew is played by Woody Norman who has impressed me more than any child actor since I saw Jacob Tremblay in 2015's 'Room'.

As the direction of my review has indicated, 'C'mon C'mon' is very much a performance-driven film. If you enjoy seeing brilliant actors get completely lost in their roles, treat yourself by watching this. I wasn't familiar with director Mike Mills prior to this, but he's firmly on my radar as of today!

Although the visuals, companions and soundtrack to The Outer Worlds are first-rate, the rest of the game gradually disappoints. Perhaps too much was expected of Obsidian, and this game was bound to be diminished by our memories of Fallout: New Vegas.

This is branded as an RPG but feels more like a rather linear looter-shooter.

The NPCs don't appear to inhabit the world they're placed in - standing in place, often not even interacting with other passing NPCs or their surroundings.

The enemy AI is very limited in both variety and behaviour. You'll soon tire of run-of-the-mill bandits charging at you with no apparent strategy or ability to adapt.

I typically love dialogue-rich games, recently completing the Mass Effect trilogy and making sure to explore every dialogue option in every interaction. That said, the conversations the player has with NPCs in The Outer Worlds feels bloated. Just about every quest-giver has too much to say without any real substance.

Consider it on sale, but otherwise look elsewhere for a role-playing experience that can stand the test of time.