torstenvblog

Lanterns teaser trailer

Ok folks, this is a rough one. I’m a big Green Lantern fan. I want this show to work. Green Lantern is one of the biggest disappointments in superhero movie history. I loved the cameo in Justice League and Guy Gardner was one of my favorite parts of Superman (2025) so I thought we were moving in the right direction. Chandler and Pierre- I think have the aura of Hal Jordan and Stewart and I can totally tell they have good chemistry together. Besides that, I couldn’t guess this was a superhero show, let alone a Green Lantern show. Yeah we get a glimpse of a costume that has almost no green in it and we see a ring and lantern and Jordan fly but everything else looks like a generic small town cop drama. I’m morbidly curious but I’m not getting my hopes too high here sadly. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Parasite Mutant trailer

On and off, I’ve heard of a spiritual successor to Parasite Eve in development. This looks like to be it, and I’m all here for it. I love the anime, noir vibe. The monsters look cool. The combat looks retro but seems smooth. It’s definitely a game I’d check out, especially since I never got to play the iconic Parasite Eve. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mortal Kombat 2 trailer 2

If the last trailer didn’t have me hyped, our next taste of the bloody video game movie sequel has me cheering. The characters look incredibly faithful. Shao Khan looks terrifying. I love what I see of Karl Urban’s run as an older Johnny Cage. I’m hoping this movie delivers. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy trailer 2

Well, I’m pretty sure I found my WTF movie of 2026. I’m all for unique interpretations and trying something different. Everything from this trailer makes me wonder if this was even supposed to be a Mummy remake at all and not just a case of generic script retooled with a familiar title slapped on for market value. I like some of the imagery but others just seem…off. I’m morbidly curious to say the least. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spider-Noir reveal trailer

Holy crap this looks incredible. I didn’t know how I felt at first when this was announced- although I loved Cage voicing Noir in the first Spider verse movie. I always enjoyed Spiderman Noir and just from looks alone, they nailed the seedy, 1930’s detective vibe perfectly. I love that there’s going to be two options to watch- I’m definitely going black and white myself. I can’t wait to see what villains we’re gonna get and who the main bad of the show will be; Noir Vulture is my favorite rendition, a deranged, cannibalistic serial killer for my personal pick. I’m super excited to see it and that alone is worth a month’s Prime subscription. May the gaming god’s bring you glory.

Silent Hill Townfall reveal

I promise I’m trying to hop on the Silent Hill bandwagon. I do own the 2 remake and I did play Short Message. A fully first person Silent Hill could be awesome if done right. I really like some of the imagery and music from the trailer. I’m definitely keeping an eye out on this next entry in the infamous town’s history. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Talk to Me

You ever play Bloody Mary as kid? You and your friends ever fiddle around with a Ouija Board or dare each other into a haunted house? This movie asks those questions in honestly, the most real playout I can picture. Sometimes we hate to admit it, but we were all dumbass kids once.

Mia is a average teenage girl- plenty of friends, a guy she likes, and she loves to hang out them as normal teens tend to do. During a basement party, one of her friends pulls out what looks a marble hand. Legend has it, if you hold the hand and ask it to “talk to me”, you can become a vessel for the dead-or worse. The game should only last 10 seconds, before the vessel needs to break contact or else you may not come back. Mia, during a game, sees her recently deceased mom and finds herself obsessed with the game. What’s the worst that can happen?

So there’s a scene where everything goes horribly wrong and it genuinely made Savior and I flinch. It’s raw, it’s intense and goddamn it stayed with me after. The movie has a simple premise and follows through, never really trying to be more than it is. The movie does well at capturing nostalgic teen angst and vibes- a lot of times I felt like I was there with them. Unfortunately, the characters, while feeling like authentic jackass teenagers, are also the worst part. No one in this movie is likable in a very realistic way. There is no hero and I can’t say I felt bad for anyone involved. Otherwise, it is a damn solid solid horror movie worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Nosferatu (2024)

So for the start of 2026, we got ANOTHER remake of Dracula. Why am I mentioning this in my review of the highly acclaimed Nosferatu remake? Well, in lot of ways, Nosferatu was the first mainstream adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel-so much of it follows the plot beat for beat. My money though, I always found Count Orlok more frightening and more terrifying than Dracula. I was incredibly pumped to see what Robert Eggers brought to the gothic vampire tale.

Thomas and Ellen Hutter are young newlyweds that are madly in love and excited to start their lives. Thomas is presented with a business deal that can set them up for a bright future, but must journey to he far off land of Transylvania to meet the wealthy Count Orlok at his castle to seal the deal. Leaving Ellen in the care of good friends, he sets off on the perilous, horrifying journey that fills him with unspeakable dread. Ellen is plagued with terrible nightmares of the Count, who unbeknownst to her, is coming for her as death and hysteria grips their lives. Can the fiendish Count be stopped?

Nosferatu is absolutely stunning to behold. Eggers made damn sure you feel like you’re watching a gothic fairytale play out. Bill Skarsgard’s transformation is nothing short of incredible; I wish we got to see more of his design because Orlok’s look is both beautiful and haunting. The cast is fantastic and bring Eggers’s passion to the movie. While I enjoyed it, I will say the movie is very slow burn. It’s over 2 hours and you do feel it. This also isn’t a movie full of action and gory kills, but instead drama and intense atmosphere. Also, the movie is very dark- literally. Thankfully my place is a basement with very little outside light, because I can see this being a hard watch unless you’re watching this movie in total darkness. My last complaint is the ending feels very disappointing, very anticlimactic given the stakes and scale of Orlok’s reign of terror. In the end, I did enjoy Nosferatu and if you can see in 4k or in theater, I highly recommend jumping on it. While it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, it’s undeniably a beautiful horror film made by talented, passionate people I do recommend checking out on a dark, cold, winter’s night. May the gaming god’s keep Orlok away.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

So you know Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne but do you know of FromSoftware’s (arguably) most challenging masterpiece of them all? After almost a year playing on and off, I do.

Sekiro tells the story of Wolf, a shinobi in ancient Japan tasked with protecting his lord, Kumo, a young boy plagued with a great and terrible curse. Dragon’s Blood- immortality. They’re are forces that want eternal life and will go to any length for it. After losing his arm and his lord to a rival, Wolf is resurrected and granted a special prosthetic from a mysterious sculptor that can be fitted with deadly and useful attachments. With his new arm, Wolf must embark on a epic quest to save his lord and stop this curse…

Is Sekiro a Soulsborne game- one of gaming’s hottest debates. Honestly, I’m torn but ultimately believe it qualifies. Sekiro is easily the hardest of the group I’ve played. It requires intense focus, creativity, patience, and Jedi fast reflexes. I’ve gotten my ass kicked and pulverized harder in my 60+ hours in Sekiro than I did my 100+ hours in dark souls 2 and multiple playthroughs of bloodborne but after it was all done, I felt true accomplishment I’ve rarely gotten in gaming. The game flows incredibly well and can be extremely challenging without ever really feeling like bullshit (I’m looking at you Souls 1 and 2). Swordplay is fast, responsive and thrilling. Stealth is smooth and easy. The platforming has a few rocky moments but mostly is solid overall and adds alot of depth to combat and exploration. Visually, the game is utterly breathtaking with stunning color and environments. The bosses are memorable, especially Genichiro, The Guardian Ape, and Ishinn the Sword Saint; Ishinn is hands down one of my favorite final bosses.

In the end, I think Sekiro beats Bloodborne as my favorite Fromsoftware game and like Bloodborne, I consider it a masterpiece. Like all the games in the category, it won’t be for all. Especially, and I cannot stress this enough, if you aren’t good at parrying- I don’t recommend this game if you aren’t a parry god or able to learn. If you are, then you’re in for a divine treat. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

28 Years Later

It’s no secret I went insane when I found out this long awaited awaited sequel was actually coming. It was my most anticipated movie of of 2025 even. In a year of surprises like Sinners and Fantastic 4: First Steps , I was sure Years was going to be a legendary following to a masterful trilogy…

28 Years have passed since the Rage virus has run rampant through the UK and neighboring areas. Spike and his family live in a small island off the mainland, separated by a natural bridge only accessible between tides. On his twelfth birthday, Spike and his dad must partake in his right of passage and go hunting for supplies on the mainland full of starved infected who are evolving and the madmen who thrive against them. Spike and his father narrowly escape their trip, but Spike must risk another trip in search of the only Dr who can help his ailing mother. How far can the boy go for love?

28 Days Later was noting sort of a masterpiece. 28 Weeks Later fell off a bit by the end, but was still a pretty damn good sequel. 28 Years is one of the most conflicting movies I’ve seen in recent memory. I genuinely love and hate this movie, and honestly can’t debate you either way.

This movie has an incredible cast. Alfie Williams, steals the show as Spike; I can see him going very far in the future. Everyone brings their A game. Visually the movie is gorgeous. The color pops naturally, no bullshit filters. Th scenery is breathtaking. I liked that there is some inspiration from Day of the Dead in that this story is genuinely an epic and a point is how the infected are naturally evolving over time. The story at it’s core is fantastic and full of heart I haven’t experienced since the first time I played the original The Last of Us ; I did get teary eyed at the end.

Danny Boyle, who directed the the first movie, wanted to be different this time around. Unfortunately not all those choices worked. This movie hits you with a lot quickly. There are jarring cutaways that reminded me think of House of 1000 Corpses . Most of the kills are filmed in a way that reminded me of a Call of Duty kill-cam. The blood is comically over the top at points. The music choices can be rattling as hell. The pacing feels rushed in the first half hour. There’s a lot of plot threads that feel useless, including the opening, that serve the follow up films more. The ending, while good for a laugh and some blood, is pure sequel bait which admittedly I’m both excited for but also irritated with. I really can’t argue if you tell me the ending pissed you off.

In the end, even writing this review, I’m totally conflicted on this movie. I loved things about it but absolutely hated others. It is wildly unique from it’s predecessors and delivers a hell of an experience- whether it’s to your liking or not. I absolutely think it should be watched but just know you may not get what you expected. May the gaming gods bring you glory.