Jurassic World Review

I’m not long back from having seeing Jurassic World; now whilst it is a good film, there are many flaws with it. The first and foremost being that the dinosaurs inspire fear through size and look rather than the cunning of the raptors or ideal of the T-rex that the original used. So this means when you see the Indominus-Rex (the mutant one they cooked up), you don’t hold your breath or clench your knuckles white as you did when the Raptors hunted the kids in the kitchen after opening the door. Here you don’t even respect the power of this creature, you just look at it and think it’s a big dinosaur that can’t be killed, there is in intrinsic sense of fear or terror behind it; which for my money is needed for a Jurassic Park film to work. Which is even more infuriating as initially they had started this creatures arc with signs of intelligence (to escape its cage and remove a tracking implant) but, at the end it just ended up being a big dinosaur that could kill anything in its path through size.


However, the use of this creature is a good attempt at modernising the themes of the original, as it preached that man should not play god “Don't you see the danger, John, inherent in what you're doing here? Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet's ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun.” As Ian Malcolm phrased it to Hammond in the original film, which is still true here and that very quote came to me during my watching of Jurassic World. As in Jurassic World they are not just making dinosaurs but they are making new dinosaurs, bigger and scarier just to wow audiences at the park for money. They went and made an attraction without though to nature and ended up making a monster rather a dinosaur “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.” Though they did use this to good affect during one section of the film when we see it has hunted for sport not for food, as it has been well established in the series the dinosaurs hunt when hungry or when threatened not for sport. So perhaps this was an attempt by the writers to show that this monster was even more dangerous as it was human in act of hunting for sport.


Alongside its similar representation of the playing god theme of the original it does reference the original many times, which initially was nice for the fans but at one point it became too much. The references started with little things like the DNA character (google it and you’ll know what I mean) appearing on a screen, someone wearing a Jurassic Park T-shirt and a red flare being used to lure a T-rex, which I’d almost say is the best scene in the entire film. Those references were fine but about an hour into the film a sequence where the two kids stumble into the original parks complex happened, which initially was cool but in retrospect I found it detracting from the film as it became impossible not to compare to two. That was bound to happen anyway but just not to the same degree that I find myself doing because of it, and hampered efforts for this to be a new and separate film.


Though that all being said it is still a great film in its own right; as with the original you get Goosebumps from the reveal of the T-rex, you can see the raptors thinking behind their eyes. The sense of awe and wonder may not be the same of the original but it is damn sure close to it; it changes the ratio of man and dinosaur being mixed after 65 million years of evolution and whilst achieving similar effects it takes a different route to achieve it.

8/10.

If you want to hear more of what I thought of the film head to my channel where I take 30 minutes to discuss everything.

Trailer & Patience

Every day, every week we seen to have new films, new trailers and new leeks upon us from studios or otherwise and I wish it would stop. You may think that is a strange though for an admirer of film but honestly it’s not; as I don’t want a teaser for a trailer that will be released in a weeks’ time (yes I’m looking at you ‘Jurassic World’) as believe it or not I can wait a week.  And worse than that is when studios decide to release clips and information years ahead of the film’s release is stupid as once you start giving us information you can’t stop yourself from giving us more. So you end up like Watch Dogs (yes I know it is a game) building up great expectations and then when we finally get our hands on the final products it is CRAP!!

Now don’t you dare get me wrong I want to see a film trailer as much as the next guy but I want the trailer to be a reflection of the films progress. So by all means release a trailer for the film if it is near completion or release; like Age of Ultron which is a full trailer about 6 months before the film’s release. And this trailer contains enough to please us with it but equally not too much to reveal all of the film’s plot points and themes. Yes we saw a Hulk Buster amour (or whatever it is called) fighting the Hulk but we don’t know why. Did the Hulk go bad? Did Tony join with Ultron? Does Ultron now have control over the Iron Man suits? Or you do and I missed the memo as other than the films I know diddly squat about the comics.

But then on the other hand I really looked forward to the release of the Age of Ultron trailer to be released on the Friday before Agents of Shield but not necessarily to watch that. Then someone goes and leaks the trailer online, you would think this is a good thing but then Marvel had to release an extra clip which would have been better left in the film than released early but that’s what happened. So now we have one less surprise in the film and then the guy who leaked the trailer is at the bad end of Marvels lawyers; so if he has any money left to afford a computer he will learn to be patient for a trailer.

So maybe after reading this you will reconsider how you view film trailer releases by studios or otherwise. 

Goodbye.

The Shippibg News

This has to be one of the strangest films I have ever watched. As it doesn't have a conventional structure for a film following someone rediscovering themselves. As usually for that they go on a journey to help them get over a disaster in their life; in this case Kevin Spacey just goes through life to get over it.

Literally all this film is, is us following Spacey's character as he adjusts to his new life in this small remote lake town.

I now find myself wondering on how to review this film, if it was a bond film it could be compared to the others, if it was an Oscar film it could be reviewed on its artistic merit. But its like nothing I've ever seen before, there is no milestone to compare it against, no guidelines to follow for something like this; which makes me wonder was that the directors intention. I don't mean making it hard to review but to make it different from everything else out there; if it was he (maybe even she) succeeded at doing so.

Though this film doesn't really take us on a journey, just through his life, I still felt immersed into the narrative and setting of the film; as perhaps as we are just watching someone's life play out we can easily relate. Maybe not to the exact events he's in but similar events in our lives, workplace conflicts, muck ups with women, miscommunication with others. This is all stuff we each know, which you would think would make the film mundane but in fact it does the opposite; as we want to see how it will turn out for Spacey come the end of the film. Yet rather than just focusing on him we are shown other characters and what they are going through but as if we are Spacey witnessing them, as we only see/know what he does.

But all this considered if you asked me if I liked the film I would tell you I loved it, if you offered it me on Blu-ray I'd take it. But if you asked if I wanted to watch it again I'd probably say not now, as it is one of those films that only needs watching once to be fully effective then must be left for a long time before being watched again.

Thank for reading.

The Siege of AR-558.

As I've mentioned prior I am watching through all of DS9, I'm now into season 7; a season where I've seen every episode but watching this one again reminds me of why I love this series so much.

Though the whole series focuses on the impact of war in all of its forms, this episode and a handful of others stand out due to their representation of war. During the series we've seen great space battles, fleets attacking fleets, a single ship outnumbered, we've seen how it affects people and what it pushes them to do (In the Pale Moonlight) but this episode changes the war we see. Instead of watching ships attack others we are now on the front lines, seeing men fight the enemy on a nameless rock, being pushed to the edge and then asked for more. This episode makes us face the reality once we are pushed so far we become an animal willing to do whatever is needed to survive.

The episode starts with Sisko looking at the latest casualty list from Starfleet, he notes to Odo that when these lists first came in at the start of the war he would read each name to honour their sacrifice but now these names are blending together. We then cut to them on the Defiant heading to AR-558 to deliver supplies to the troops deployed there, once they beam down they are fried upon; but not by the enemy but by their own troops who suffering from shell shock saw movement and fired. We learn that in the past five months the troops have lost 107 men with no relief or support having come only more enemies but they are told to hold that nameless rock because it has a device that might help later in the war; a war that in previous episodes we are told we are likely to lose and 900 billion people die. As we see Sisko talk to the CO of the camp we hear a muffled explosion, a mine has gone off killing a man and we learn these mines can kill any time without warning and can't currently be disarmed. Could it be worse, yes the Defiant has to leave so Sisko is trapped there but before he can do much they come under attack; but this itself is a trick of the enemy to uncover troop deployments and then bang, another mine goes off.

It is from this point the episode gets interesting, Sisko sends out a recon team but only 2 of the 3 come back, one having been shot in the leg. Going to check on Nog (the injured one) he see's Nog's leg has to be removed. Nog looks up at sisko and asks "it's worth it, right?", Sisko replies "I hope to God it is." Though Ezri and the camp chief engineer Kellin can now deactivate the mines but Sisko orders them to be deployed in the camp entrance to kill any attackers, Ezri laments that we would call those weapons obscene but now we are willing to use them against our enemy in the name of survival. This shows how when our very survival is at risk morals and principles that we treasure no longer apply, that war is a force that can change even those with the strongest sense of duty.

Now they wait for the attack and when it comes we hear those mines detonate then we see the enemy charge towards the base. The men open fire at them, everyone does, the doctor who swore to do no harm fires alongside the soldiers pushed to the edge, even he has to give up his oath in the name of survival and when others get shot he continues to fire as he knows that repelling the enemy is more important and the best chance of saving them. We see Kellin shoot a Jem'Hadar about to kill Ezri just to get shot after doing it, she crawls over to his lifeless body to hold him one last time. We see Sisko kill and kill again to be knocked down from behind then it fades to black, the battle is over, we have won but at what cost; dozens are dead, many injured and a relay that may help in the long war. Before he leaves the base with the last veteran after reinforcements arrives, the veteran remarks "children" Sisko simply replies "not for long".

They could have ended the episode here and it would still have been heavily effective on showing the dark side of humanity that surfaces in war, the desperation to survive by using weapons we would usually see as brutal and obscene. But it goes on for one more sense, Sisko is back in hi office and is brought another casualty list with what he is told has 1730 names on it. Looking out of his office window at the stars he says "They're not just names, it's important we remember that. We have to remember..." then we go to the credits. And I think that was a powerful way to end the episode as we can see how seeing the front lines made him see once again why he needs to read those lists, as most of those people died on a nameless rock, a skirmish in a unknown system or fighting for a thing that may not save anyone. We see that if we don't honour them they are just names on a list and we must never forget they are more than that, they are the ones who made victory possible and saved many others who survived the battle.

Captains Log 18/07/14

As some of you will know recently I have been watching through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which is awesome by the way. Though I have already seen almost all of the episodes within it I find myself discovering ones I haven't seen but more importantly rediscovering characters in their full depth.

As I can watch some of the favourite episodes such as 'In The Pale Moonlight' and 'The Visitor' and still understand and know the characters that the episodes revolve around, there can always be a details or moments from previous episodes that increase or change the dynamic. Which is why I love doing this watch through, granted I only started to love it once I hit season 2, as I can get to know the characters again, what defines them, how they changed for better or for worse through the 7 seasons.

Lets take Garak for example, early on we are introduced to this idea of him being a spy but we don't see much to back up that claim. Yet as we see more of him we learn some truths about him; the most of important of which is his desire to serve his Cardassia. As early on though exiled from his homeland of Cardassia he could have all he wants by helping the Federation undermine Cardassia but he doesn't as he wouldn't betray his homeland and fellow Cardassians. Yet by season 7 he is helping the Federation crack Cardassian codes, not because he has changed or being turned by them but because it will help his Cardassia rise again. And it is noticing these motives and values in the full watch through that make it worth while but you can't be expected to watch it all again for a single episode or two you want to revisit.

Lone Survivor Review.

So Lone Survivor, one hell of a war film to say the least. But, yes there is a but, watching this film I don't know if it is meant to be an action film or if it was meant to be a serious look at the face of war; and to be honest I don't think the film itself knows. I feel that this problem solely lies with the director, don't get me wrong I'm not saying he is a bad director, I just think he was out of his depth here. His previous film before this being Battleship, a blockbuster action flick, before that a load of TV episodes and before those Hancock another blockbuster.

I think if he chose one path for the film; either another action flick where you can go in and enjoy yourself. Or a serious film that explore the reality of war that leaves the spectator thinking of the harsh and stark reality of those on the front line and what they face. And this film is a mix between them, a combination that just doesn't work.

The first 45-60 minutes, in my opinion the best part if the film, pertains of the serious look at war and what those men and women face. And Berg does this really well, what I saw there placed this film high up in my favourite war films, competing with Black Hawk Down for my 3rd favourite war film. Everything about this part of the film is great and done right, we feel like we are with those men and are thinking of our own answer on problems they face, but then the shooting starts.

From the time that the first shot is fired the film goes downhill, albeit the action sequences are shot extremely well, we lose the serious look at war and descend into yet another action war film. There is the occasional moment after this that returns to the serious look at war but it is too little too late. I feel if Berg had kept the film on track from the start it would have been one of the all time great war films, with the likes of Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan, but sadly it didn't.

Now you are probably thinking "so where is the big plot hole in this film, as you always find one". Well here there isn't as it is a true story and not having read it I can't comment on how well it follows the source material. And if I was to try and find one that would disrespect the memory of those who didn't survive this mission.

So, the verdict. I so wanted this film to be great as it was at the start but sadly it wasn't, so I shall be awarding this film a 7/10; but it is a must see film, for either war film enthusiasts or standard film goers.

Thank you for your time, see you in my next post.

American Hustle

So American Hustle, my god what a film it is. I have not seen another film like it in all my film watching time. Scored to an amazing soundtrack this film brings the hustling experience to the big screen without a hitch.

I can't overstate how good this film is, well maybe a little, it has everything it needs to be successful and I'm not just talking about a brilliant script. Each of the actors in my opinion deserves an Oscar, them being Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. They each performed at their up most ability in this and without a shadow of a doubt knew it inside out.

So onto the script, the writer must have been a true hustler before he made this. As every angle, every detail and every move was predicted correctly and written in as such. So much so that I did not see the ending coming in a million miles. But for obvious reasons I can't tell you how it ends, as you should go and find out for yourself. And due to the way they develop the characters and in which order you come to love them, so much so you begin to change opinions of other characters due to their actions. Lets take Bale's character for an example, he starts as a man who does what he needs to survive, but ends up doing so much more for reasons I can't disclose.

But let us look at other area's of the film such as the editing and scoring. I mean how often do you get a film where you can look at it and even appreciate the editing. The way it cuts between scenes is impeccable and some of the best I have seen, it gives the film a more natural flow and development. And the score, my god it is brilliant. The use of so many songs at the right point, such as Live and Let Die, they blend in so seamlessly and feel as if the characters are listening to them rather than as an overplayed track. Albeit, at some points it is both and is done in such a way that it feels natural and enhances what the scene is trying to convey to us.

Usually at this point I would compare this to another film and see how it stands up against it. But I can't think of another film like this that I have seen. The nearest I can get is the BBC TV show Hustle and even that is a far reaching comparison as they have worlds of difference. Will there be other films that follow in this genre, whatever it may be, hopefully they will. But being as good as this is another question all together, as so many elements needed to come together for it to play out successfully as it did.

So the verdict, this is a hard one, as I said there is little to compare it against to get a true verdicts. But that aside I am giving it a strong 9/10, as it is the single greatest film I have seen this year. But I hear you ask "Is there something wrong with it?" Not that I can see, but it just isn't a 10/10 film for some reason. But I do urge in to go out and see it now!

24

I thought I would give you a warning that until I run out of material I will be posting article after article about the great action show that is 24. So what sort of material should you expect in this bombardment of 24. Well, everything from season reviews to character biographies to scene breakdowns.

Update shizzle

I haven't posted for a while I hope to post regularly on here but I may not. Only time will tell. But what I wanted to say is as you may know on my YouTube channel I shall be doing a video every day for at least 4 weeks. So enjoy.

Interstellar

So a few days ago Nolan kindly gave us a teaser trailer for his new film. And I just need to say how much I am looking forward to this, even more after watching the teaser.

You may be asking what does the trailer tell us, not that much really. Just that it will be about some crowning human achievement to come that is in space. That is literally all we can get from it.

But come on its the next Nolan film so it will be awesome. No doubt about that, so roll in 2014 so we can it.

The British Comedy Awards 2013

So as I'm writing this the comedy awards are taking place. But I plead to anyone who may turn over to watch them or catch up on them, don't. I have just sat through 40 minutes of them and not a single funny joke was told, I would not even give any of them a 'lol' as young people say.

And why they got jonathan Ross to host I have no idea, it's like getting Professor Hawking to host the Olympics, you just don't do it. Get someone funny in to do it, get Graham Norton he is twice the chat show host Ross is and knows how to formulate a joke and a joke that will get laughs at that.

And the awards, who actually judges where they are going, as this person must never of seen any comedy before. Lets take the first award for an example, it was the clip show category. And the winner was a clip in which a man said Michael Gove twenty odd times, how on earth is that comedy. But hey why let something like not being funny get in the way of being a shit show.

So please I beg of you don't waste your time on that tripe, go to YouTube and watch some Monty Python or Morecambe and Wise or Fawlty Towers. If you want laughs watch actual comedy as this show is devoid of it.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

So earlier today I watched the new Hunger Games film. And I have to say it wasn't what is all it was made up to be, don't get me wrong I really liked it I just expected more. But on with the review and sadly I do have to warn that their WILL BE SPOILERS as I can't come up with a review without referring to the film sorry.

So where to start, oh yes the beginng. And it starts approx 1 year after the first film finished and we haven't really missed much other than political issues. So we see Katniss and that boy she loved from the first film, not Peta the other one, having some time together. And I'm thinking this could really lead to something considering in the public eye she and Peta are lovers. So there may be some affair or something, oh was I dumb as that would require common script writing sense to come up with. I'm not lying we literally see him once they kiss and say how much they love each other, 2 hours later they see each other again, minding between then Peta and her have apparently gotten married and have a child on the way, they show no signs of love and all he tells her that her home district is destroyed. I really hope that is ending wasn't supposed to be shocking as for the entire film they were leading towards his. Hell earlier they said about a district 13 having been destroyed, but I shall come onto that in a moment, due to revolution. So you tell us this and show revolt and crap discipline in that district and expect us to be shocked when we find out it is destroyed, learn to write. I don't know if this is directly from the book or adapted for screen but either way it is stupid.

So district 13, a major exposition point wouldn't you agree about an entire district being destroyed. But did we hear of this before, say in the first film when you tell us about the district system, the revolution and why you have the hungers games, when it would make sense to tell us. Nope and do they mention it again nope, as that would require them to know who to write. And this system has gone on for 75 years, so Kantiss is what 17 so that's 50 years for it to have been destroyed without her knowing about it. But if it was her mothers generation in which it is destroyed don't you think someone would of spoken of it, even if it was the generation before how have people forgotten about it. An entire district being destroyed and no one talks about it, really? Pompeii was destroyed how many thousands of gears ago and we still know and talk about that, so in a country that had 13 districts how can the destruction of one of those have no one remember it.

But carrying on the theme of being unable to write we come to the predictability of the film, as stated before district 12 being destroyed how obvious was that. And how about kantiss surviving these Hunger Games, but would they really kill the main character, no. But they still write in at least 6 times events in which could lead Kantiss to death, 1 or 2 times yea but 6 can you write, oh no you can't. Did you really think that we, the spectator, are dumb enough to think that you would kill the main character. And when they aren't trying to kill Kantiss, they are just piling up the exposition or just aimless action sequences. Learn to write.

But on the up side the film carried on brilliantly from the last film, the visuals were spectacular, a couple of the characters are explored very well. There are also some good special effects within the film but it isn't spectacle over substance, there is still a lot to this film its just easy to find negatives as they just forgot how to write.

So now your thinking should I really go and see this, but then if you haven't seen it you probably didn't read this due to the spoiler warning. But yes do go and see it, it is still an amazing film that is better than the first one by miles. And my rating is a solid 8/10 I really hoped I could give have given it more but it just didn't work out that way sadly.

United 93

Oh My God! This is the single greatest piece of  afilm documentary ever made. There are not enough words to describe the epic proportions of this film. It does everything that you expect of it and more, you feel like you are on that plane, that you are at the air traffic control. Where ever Greengrass points the camera is where you are, at one point I was even offering my decisions to the air traffic controller.

My words can't do this film justice though, it is a film that has to be seen to be believed. Forget Gravity, this is way more breath taking and edge of your seat. And you may think I know how it ends so it won't be that powerful of an ending, oh you couldn't be more wrong. I literally knew 90% of everything that happened in those events and I am still awestruck by it. And that ending is one of the greatest film endings ever, it even puts the ending of the soprano's to shame, even though they are technically identical.

So my verdict. It is to simply go out and buy this film and sit down and watch it. Make sure you have no distractions, turn off your phone, unplug your landline and disable your internet. A rating you ask, my only answer is that it would be arbitrary to give it a rating as there is nothing else on the market to compare it with.

My first post.

So here we are about 50 subscribers later, with many rants, reviews and high blood pressure later. A Blog, who'd believed I would have started a Blog of my own, I know I did some work on Curtis's Reviewling but that wasn't really a Blog of my own. But this one this, so what shall we include on this Blog, how about reviews. Not very original and their better on the channel but they shall be here none the less. How about rants, nah written rants are crap. Oh how about a short story or two, that'd be something stories by me and not the fondoodling type. But you may ask yourselves would short stories by me be any good, how about you read and find out.

On that evening occurred the final act in this great betrayal. The evening was young but because of a fierce snow blizzard it was as dark as the depths of the ocean. Due to the snow Alex had no choice but to walk home, he was wrapped up in his make-shift artic gear and steel capped walking boots. As he walked through the blizzard he could barely see 2 feet in front of him and all he could hear was the crunch of the snow beneath his feet. The only illumination that he had was the dimly lit street lights; these provided barely enough light to help his visibility.

As he carried on walking on his long trek home, the crunch of the snow became louder; he presumed that the snow was simply getting deeper. As he carried on walking he felt that one of his boots had become lose; he bent down to re-tie the lace on it but whilst he did that he fell upon something that was a mystery to him. He was standing still but the crunching of the snow continued, he turned around to see if someone was behind him but there wasn’t. As he turned back around to continue on his way home he could see a black silhouette heading towards him from the corner of his eye, this stopped him in his tracks.

 As the dark figure carried on coming towards him Alex could start to see more of his features, but still couldn’t make out who the figure was until he was right in front of him. Stood inches in front of him was the last person Alex wanted to see, James. As they faced each other mere minutes passed but for them it was an eternity, during this time they said nothing to each other only gazed into each other’s eyes.

Alex was the first to break the deadlock stare they kept at each other. Yet he only looked at his watch, knowing it was a futile effort to read the time from it as it was covered in a thin layer of snow. But as he looked back up he did not meet with an unrelenting glare, that he had expected to see, but a right hook from James. Even with the sub-zero temperatures and the small covering of ice on James’s hand, it still felt as hot as the depths of hell to Alex’s cheeks.

James had swung his fist with all of the force he could gather, yet Alex still felt no pain once it had connected with his cheek. Although he had felt no pain, the punch had still caused him considerable damage. He had bitten the side of his cheek open, and it was now a reservoir of blood that was flooding into his mouth. As well as this one tooth had been knocked out of the gum, with several others severely chipped. As rivers of blood began to fill Alex’s mouth, he found it considerably harder to breathe without choking. So as he looked back into the face of a hysterical James, he spat out the blood into James’s face followed by a stare of anguish.

James wiped the blood front his face and broke the silence that had separated them. “Six months ago, you gutted my career; and destroyed everything I stood for. After that I had nothing left, my job, gone! My wife, my fucking wife, left me because of that. And to add insult to injury she aborted our baby. For that Alex I can never forgive you, and even revenge would be bitter sweet knowing that I lost a child over this. So as you stabbed my back, I’ll stab yours, literally!” James plunged his hand into his pocket and almost immediately reproduced a 7inch long knife. 

Before Alex could even react James had plunged the knife into his back, and as it entered James twisted it to cause maximum damage. But it had gone in-between 2 of the discs in Alex’s back, so as he twisted the discs started to separate, and one by one the nerve cords broke like strings on an over-tuned guitar. After he had twisted the knife 180 degrees James removed the knife and let Alex collapse to the floor. For James this all happened within a minute, but for Alex time stood still as daggers of pain assaulted his body with no resentment. As he fell to the snow laden ground, the cold winter air flowed into the wound, as it did waves of agony and torture resounded up and down Alex’s body until finally he fell into a void of darkness as his body finally fell unconscious to the pain.   

As Alex’s body lay in the snow, the blood slowly gushing out of his wound and dying he nearby snow red; James knelt down beside him and whispered in his ear. “I forgive you now”. And with that he disappeared into the blizzard. But he was barely fifty meters away when his phone started to ring, as he stared down to see the caller id, a moment of satisfaction washed over him.   

The caller id identified the caller as Ben; even though he thought it a bad choice James answered the call. “Look Ben, I don’t want to talk right now and there is nothing you can say to change my mind.”

“If you don’t want to talk, you can listen then. I’ve spoken to Amber, and she has reconsidered her actions and realised the harm she has caused you. But said she could never abort little Hannah. But most importantly she said that Alex showed her how much she over-reacted, and managed her to agree to talk to you again; she should be phoning you later this week.”

“Ben, are you sure she said Alex?” asked James, with a regretful tone appearing in his voice.

“Yep, as sure as the sky is blue.”

“I’ve got to go. I’ve made a terrible mistake!” James remarked, immediately hanging up on Ben. “My god, what have I done?”

James turned round and began to run back to where he had left Alex. He was only mere meters away and covered it with seconds, yet it would have made no difference to him had it been a mile as it still took an eternity to get there. In the blizzard flakes of snow struck his eye’s like needle’s, as the inches of snow on the ground felt like quicksand which he was constantly sinking and falling into, with extreme difficulty to get back up. Once he reached Alex he knelt beside him, and looked him straight in the eye’s; he was so fixated in them he didn’t even notice a small smirk that appeared on Alex’s face.

“Alex, look at me, stay with me! I’m not going to let this happen again.” He said with panic in his voice, whilst slapping Alex’s cheek to keep him conscious. James reached for his mobile and hastily dialled 999, “come on answer, come on.”

Finally, to his satisfaction there was an answer to his call, and before the operator even had a chance to speak he started to shout for an ambulance. “I need an ambulance now; a man has been stabbed and has lost a lot of blood.”

“Where are you and do you know the name of the man who has been stabbed” asked the operator.

“I’m on Taylor Lane and he has no id on him.”

“Thank you sir, an ambulance has been diverted to your location and will be there in a couple of minutes. May I take your name?”

“Yes, tell him Ben Jones saved his life.” And with that James hung up the phone and gave Alex a reassuring nod and walked off into the blizzard.