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Dark Knight turns 10 today

the dark knight

Why so serious today? July, 18th, 2008 we got one the greatest superhero movies of all time, as well as one of the best sequels of all time and for many, the best Batman film to date. I know plenty of folks who hate superhero films, but still adore this movie. The trilogy was one of my biggest inspirations as a writer in the genre, and a decade later it still holds near and dear to my heart. From Heath Ledger’s frightening performance as the Joker, a winding plot leading to an emotionally gripping finale, and Batman at some of his most epic. I had the pleasure of seeing it for the midnight showing in Scranton because of my dad, Duke, and because he sacrificed something I was able to be inspired by something truly special, and for that I’ll always be grateful. In the end, sit back and enjoy this masterpiece so it can put a smile on your face.

The Boy

the boy

So I’m really late to the party on this one. My old roommate and I really wanted to see this a few years ago when it came out. He saw it around that time, I watched it last night. He told me don’t watch it. I almost wished I took his advice.

The Boy follows Greta, who ditches her asshole abusive ex boyfriend by taking a nanny job overseas in England. Her employers are a rich, old couple who live in a old mansion in the middle of the countryside. She meets the charming Malcolm, who brings the groceries and soon meets the child she is tasked with caring for: Brahms. Greta immediately finds herself creeped out because Brahms isn’t a child at all, but a doll made to look like a boy. Greta accepts this for easy money, ignoring the strict guidelines his parents gave and suddenly things begin happening and Greta is forced to care for Brahms like he was her own and she finds out the mystery of the Brahms that used to be…

This movie is tricky. It is filmed really nice and acted pretty damn well given the movie’s strange premise. I’m glad it’s not a common ghost stories, and I do like how you start to think Greta maybe going insane at times. I feel like the movie could have been a really psychological thriller attuned to the original Haunting, but alas the twist ending happens. I hated the twist, which kills a lot the movie for me. In the end, the movie is fine but could have been great and there’s no harm catching it on Netflix. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1

power rangers v1

To start, I’m going to start this four part review with a shout out to my friend Autobot who loaned me these comics. After the Power Rangers Shattered Grid Trailer , many were interested in the Higgins run of Power Rangers comics, to which we get the first volume.

Shortly after being freed from the grasp of Rita Repulsa, Tommy Oliver is finding the balance between being a normal teen and the sixth Power Ranger. The dynamic of the team has changed as the old rangers learn to adjust to there new teammate and former enemy. Tensions are high amongst the group; Jason and Tommy butt heads over leadership and Zach is ensure of Tommy’s true aligence after it appears Tommy can’t fully control the powers of the Green Ranger. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Rita is mentally torturing Tommy, trying to lure him back to her side. Or, does Rita have other plans?

I grew up with Power Rangers like many and to this day I still love the classic Mighty Morphin series so I loved this book. If your a die hard fan and are worried it won’t fit the show, rest assured, the characters act and look how they did then. What I liked is how it was just a little bit darker, but wasn’t as drastic as last year’s remake seemed to be. I couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series. The only issue I had was it felt short; there is a Bulk and Skull short at the end but I felt like it was there to pad the book up a bit. Either way, old fan or new, it’s definitely worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

A simple favor trailer

Now when the name Paul Feig gets brought up, your mind goes directly to GhostBusters 2016, which sparked an idiotic amount of controversy and outrage. I have no prior knowledge of his work, but I’m intrigued by the trailer for hi latest, A Simple Favor. The premise seems basic, tried but true, but the music, tone, and retro elegance of Blake Lively’s costumes brought on a otherworldly quality I’m a sucker for. I love Anna Kendrick as an actress and I’m glad she’s rising up. I hope the Ghostbusters remake hasn’t scarred this film; I laughed a little at the opening of the trailer that states it’s from the “darker side” of Paul Feig. In the end, I hope it’s a redemption for the guy, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dr Sleep release date announced

Dr sleep movie

In the The Dark Tower we saw a brief glimpse at a picture of the Overlook Hotel, the setting and antagonist of The Shining . I groaned, expecting a remake of Kubrick’s classic but months ago we got news that Ewan McGregor will be playing a grow up Danny Torrence in the film for Dr. Sleep. Mike Flannigan, as seen above, is set to direct; with credits including Oculus (2013) , Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, and last year’s Gerald Game, it seems Dr Sleep is in capable hands. Rebecca Ferguson is also cast. We have a a release set for 2020; January 24th according to IMDB. Film Buffs out there may find this alarming; January has always been a notorious month for shit movies, and I pray this isn’t the case. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Evil Dead

evil dead

Before the one-liners, before the madness of Asliegh Williams killing Deadites in the middle ages, before the remake that took itself way too seriously and Ash vs Evil Dead (series) there was the gory, claymated wonder that was the classic Evil Dead. Like many wacky misadventures, Evil Dead is about a group of friends that go to a nice sweet little cabin in the woods. Things are fine until the basement door pops open and in the basement they find an old tape recorder and a peculiar book made of flesh and written in human blood- like we all do. On the recorder is a translation from a past victim of the book, who loudly recites the translated incantations, unleashing the Evil Dead on them. Malevolent spirits awaken, attacking and possessing the friends, turning them into disgusting demons. By the end, on the cusp of his sanity is the whimpy, meek, Ash but can he rise to the challenge?

I know I’m playing against the the gross opinion but I actually like the original Evil Dead best. I like the gritty filming and there is a good blend of WTF scenes that are funny actual horror. Linda, Ash’s girlfriend, creeped the hell out of me with her clownish make up and wide grin. The infamous tree rape scene holds up pretty well in my opinion and is still alarming. In the end, Evil Dead is a simple movie with a simple premise that is a damn awesome B movie I recommend checking out for the simple fact it is a fun horror movie of gore, slapstick, and some chills. May the gaming gods bring you glory, now it’s time to go to sleep:)

The Exorcist (movie)

the exorcist movie

In 1973 we got a movie that changed horror forever, traumatizing thousands because of its dark as hell themes and realistic effects that hold up remarkably well today, almost 50 years later. Directer William Friedkin (Bug ) took the terrifying book by William Peter Blatty and pulled no punches.

The Exorcist follows the demonic possession of Reagan MacNeil, a 12 year old little girl and the two priests that come together to take on the daunting task. The intro to the movie we meet Father Merrin at an archaeological excavation in the Middle East, culminating in a stare down with a freaky looking statue we get a foreboding dread he has encountered before. Across the world, Reagan is with her mother, a successful actress, as small, strange things begin to happen. Her mother doesn’t notice until a disturbing sight happens at a big party she throws, leading to sights nothing within reason can explain. Reagan turns violent, having violent seizures and physically striking at the doctors trying to help her. Enter Father Damien Karras, a priest dealing with the loss of faith after his mother’s health plummets and dies; Chris, Reagan’s mother, reaches out to Karras who inspects Reagan and comes to the dark conclusion about her possession. Can Merrin and Karras save her soul and expel the demon?

The possession sub genre hasn’t been my favorite, for every The Exorcism of Emily Rose there’s a The Devil Inside but the Exorcist is honestly the greatest and undeniable progenitor of the sub genre. The effects are damn good, even today when CGI has taken over film land. The acting is amazing and the characters are strong. I will say the movie is slow, with decent gaps between scares where we see the characters develop, but some modern audiences may frown upon that. Horror fans and film buffs alike, this is a must watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Games that made me want a Nintendo

nintendo

Yesterday I talked a bit about Games that made want an X Box and there I mentioned how I only had a Nintendo 64 and GameCube. I have friends that absolutely swear by Nintendo through thick and thin and so I wanted to talk about some games that make me want a Nintendo. In no particular order I’ll begin with the franchise I have a little experience with..

kirby 1. Kirby-

One of my favorite N64 games was Kirby 64 and to this day, I haven’t had a gaming experience so weird but epic at the same time. I’d love to replay it again. I also want to see what else the series offers in cool power combinations and imagination.

metroid 2. Metroid –

Back in the old days, I played the demo for Metroid: Prime for GameCube and fell in love with it. I always like the Giger influences of the earlier games, plus Samus was always one of my Smash Bros. favorites.

3. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem-

I love a good horror game, and I’ve heard many tell me how much this game scared the hell out of them. I’ve heard stories about the sanity meter and how eerie the game becomes after it becomes distorted. It sounds like a game we need today.

f zero 4. F-Zero

I’m not a traditional racing fan. Cars going fast bore me. But going light speed through bright colored maps in a insanely aggressive slam-feast, hell yeah I want to play that game!

zelda 5. Legend of Zelda –

Believe it or not I never played a Zelda game in my life. I know Link, Zelda, and Ganon by name and name only. I heard rave reviews for several of the games, including Breath of the Wild. Someday I’d love to see what all the hype is about.

I hope you enjoyed my list and may the gaming gods bring you glory

Games that made want an X Box

I’ve never had an X Box in my life. My gaming experience has solely been PlayStation with two turns at Nintendo with the 64 and GameCube. PlayStation was my old reliable, but even I have to admit, the backwards compatibility with X Box is extremely tempting and there are some games I’d like to try, or in one case dive deeper into, so lets begin the list with that particular series…

jedi academy 1. The Star Wars: Jedi Knight games-

I briefly played the sequel on GameCube, going straight for the lightsaber multiplayer levels which were fun as hell. Seriously, with solid FPS and sweet saber combat, how is this not on any Star Wars fan’s list, as with…

2. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games-

These games were legendary amongst my friends and after I fell in love with the Mass Effect trilogy, the thought of Star Wars having a huge epic story like that peeked my interest hard. I’ll get to it one day.

3. Condemned: Criminal Origins-

The first game of the series, an X Box, shows up on many lists of horror greats for its freaky atmosphere and brutal melee combat. The sequel, not so much. Regardless, I always love a good horror game.

4. Gears of War series-

I can’t lie, one thing and one thing alone utterly sold me on this series: having a chainsaw bayonet on your gun. I like monsters, I like carnage, and I love any reason I can get my hands on a chainsaw. Oh and I hear the stories are solid too…

halo 5. Halo series-

The series that pretty much defined X Box. I heard one and two have great stories but then they fell to the Mutilplayer craze, but I’d still like to see what all the hype was about.

I hope you enjoyed the list and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Order: 1886

order 1886

I know what you maybe thinking, why the hell am I talking about one of the PS4’s original launch games. I’ve never seen a review that called 1886 a masterpiece; mainly every review I’ve seen for this game says it was a huge disappointment. I wanted to play it as long as its been out, and because I found it on a huge sale, I had my chance. Well, I only wasted 4 bucks…We follow a secret order descended from King Arthur’s court going through England in 1886 with their steampunk weapons fighting werewolves and keeping the peace.

First and foremost, the game looks and sounds great. Good thing too, because you will be doing a lot of walking around and looking at random items you find. Primarily the game is a third person cover shooter with a lot of QTEs thrown in. 3 chapters in I found myself getting pretty pissed at the monotony of the chapters. I got to fight the werewolves which was pretty lame; there A.I is pretty dimwitted. I noticed after they attack, they go right back to the original position and attack again. I can’t call this game truly terrible, but 3 chapters in I’m starting to believe the other reviews. May the gaming gods bring you glory.