Interview with British Blogger Laurence Droy

British blogger Laurence Droy enjoys basketball, reading, tae kwon do, plus great passion for video games and related films “across the pond” in the U.K. Droy recently shared his media point-of-views between our home countries.

Which console do you feel is the most popular in the U.K.?

Most popular? Well, it would have to be a toss-up between the Wii and the Xbox 360. Definitely not the Playstation 3. It’s too costly and there are not nearly enough games available yet! The Wii control is awesome fun. I especially enjoyed the stealth game Splinter Cell: Double Agent. The Xbox 360 holds the cup for most games. Their graphics are also leagues ahead of the Wii. It’s a hard one to call, but for my taste, the Wii control is just too good.

What are the most popular video game series/film genres?

I would have to say Total War, Call of Duty , GTR, GTA and of course World of Warcraft are the most popular video game series on the British market today. Each series has a reputation for consistently producing high quality video games and has built up a wide fan-base.

In Britain, most films that come out are ether action, romantic comedy or horror/thriller. We do enjoy the odd period piece though.

What’s the most popular handheld?

Everyone I know owns a Nintendo DS. There is a great selection of games available of the DS, everything from, Phoenix Wright to Mario. Some would argue that the PSP has superior graphics, however the actual quality of game play isn’t nearly as good. I don't normally see people carrying them around, that's just asking to be mugged. No game play of any kind is allowed in school — no handheld consoles, Internet games, mobile phones, mp3's etc. — on pain of death!

What do you think of video games adapted from movies?

Egh, the mere thought makes me shudder. Almost all movie-tie-in games are rushed, low budget and only there to bleed money from unsuspecting fans. Some exceptions to that rule would be The Lord of the Rings tie-in games like The Battle for Middle Earth and some of the Harry Potter movie games. The overall variety of movies and games means we can find the films/games that best suite our mood or personality.

What are your general impressions of U.S. films released in the U.K? Feel free to discuss by genre (action, sci-fi, etc.). Which titles are the most successful?

Comedy/Romantic comedy:

OK, U.S., you have to stop! You guys normally make great films, but your comedies suck! I swear if I hear one more advert declaring yet another riotously funny film about to hit the big screens, then see it followed up by another fat man getting kicked in the balls by a donkey and finally a close-up of his face when he’s farting, I’ll kick my TV in. Our comedy's rock: Monty Python, The Full Monty and Four Weddings and a Funeral are all great examples of British comedy. On a lighter note, Americans are much better than us at romantic comedies.

Action:

U.S. action films are brilliant! Terminator, Mission Impossible, The Matrix… you name it, the U.S. made it. I have to concede British action movies like James Bond are normally poor quality (with exception of the recent Casino Royale).

Science Fiction

I think Americans invented the genre. Star Wars and Star Trek being prime examples. We do have Doctor Who though. I don't know that show exists in America, but it trumps anything the U.S. has.

Romance

I don't watch many pure romances, but I know that films such as The Lake House, You've Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping.

Horror/thriller

Another place where U.S. rules – Phone Booth and The Village are great American films.

Describe a recent movie experience you had

On a cinema trip with my family, we had chosen to go and see Wild Hogs, a rare example of good American comedy. Unfortunately, that film showed at the same time as Pirates of The Caribbean 3. It was only when we sat down we realized that in fact we were the only people there. Everyone else had gone to see Pirates 3.

Catch more of Droy’s thoughts, reviews and writing at laurencesblog.spaces.live.com.