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Mockingjay

mockingjay

Happy Thanksgiving again, one and all from me and Savior. We come to the conclusion of the Hunger Games trilogy. Arguably Mockingjay ties with the first for my favorite of the series and it is one of my favorite conclusions in all of fiction. I tip my hat to you Suzanne Collins.

So Katniss is in a fucked up place after being decisively rescued at the end of Catching Fire. District 12 was burned to the ground; Peeta and a few of the surviving tributes were taken captive by the Capitol; she discovers District 13, which we are told was destroyed by the Capital during the last rebellion since book 1 still exists under the ruins and is trying to unite the other districts in full out war. Katniss is on the brink of sanity after 2 rounds of murder and mayhem, her and fellow survivor Finnick are trying to cope. Snow still finds to psychologically torment her. President Coin, head of 13, starts pushing Katniss to become the Mockingjay as others have started calling her, to be the poster child of rebellion. Katniss agrees if only to make things a lil less shitty for her and her family and to make rescuing Peeta and the others higher priority. Katniss is suited up in a fancy combat suit with a new high tech bow and is sent out to make connections with real people after failing hard at making TV promos. These trips, while damaging her further inside, are helpful. In a daring move, the other tributes are rescued, but all is not well. Peeta violently attacks Katniss and damn near kills her. He’d been tortured and brainwashed. Everything comes together in a last ditch effort to finally capture Snow, but it turns out to be one last game…

Writing this review was hard for me because I want to get into spoilers but I want anyone who never saw the movies or read the books to pick them up and experience them as I did. I will say the ending is ballsy, especially for a YA book and I respect that much darker, realistic ending than some bullshit Hollywood happy ending. As for the movies, both were really done well but I prefer 1 over 2. Somehow the ending feels watered down to me on film than the book. Overall, it was a great end to a pretty great trilogy. I have a special friend who seemed interested in the series, so I’ll list them order below. Happy Thanksgiving and may the odds be ever in your favor

Hunger Games- Catching Fire- Mockingjay

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Thanksgiving Grindhouse trailer

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Happy Turkey Day one and all! So this is a weird ass thing, even for Saviorgaming, but I’m going to talk about a trailer for a movie that even real, but hot damn brought me so much enjoyment.

Some explanation is due first. So we had two amazing directors, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, come together in 2007 to bring us a double feature showing off there love for the old Grindhouse films. I had the privilege of seeing the whole thing in theaters and it was GLORIOUS! Well between films, we were treated to mock trailers directed by actual directors inspired by the sub-genre like Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, and in this particular case, Eli Roth (Cabin Fever and Hostel 1 and 2). Some like Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun did become actual movies in time.

So Thanksgiving is meant to be a slasher film in the spirit of Halloween or Black Christmas, and holy shit I wish this was a really movie. The film is grainy and raw like an old school 70’s horror movie. There is a creepy ass narrator. And I shit you not, the killer dresses up in a pilgrim suit and beheads a turkey mascot with hedge clippers during the damn town parade. the final tag line is “This Thanksgiving everyone’s coming to dinner…in a bodybag!” I love this trailer as much as I love the Grindhouse. The trailer made me laugh and was just gross and insane and awesome, so I implore all you horror fans to check it out on Youtube if you never seen it. Best wishes, and I will return later to cover Mockingjay.

Catching Fire

catching fire

Catching Fire is the second story of the Hunger Games trilogy, for which I’m covering Mockingjay on Thanksgiving. So to get us in the mood, let’s get into the book and movie.

Picking up almost a year after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the 74th Hunger Games, the pair is about to set off on there victory tour, still pretending for the cameras they are madly in love. Unfortunately, President Snow is not convinced. He shows up to Katniss’s house, telling her that there stunt at the end of the games triggered problems in the other Districts, unrest was beginning and the people were rebelling. If she wants to bring peace, he tells her they’d better act more in love so the public would think they were just lovesick teens and weren’t trying to spit in the Capitol’s face. As hard as they try though, the other Districts are already riled up. The fire is catching. As the 75th Hunger Games approaches, the third quarter quarrel, snow delivers the special rule of this special game: the tributes would be limited to the past champions of games past. Being the only female winner from District 12, Katniss is selected by default. This time it’s Katniss and Peeta against the old champions, being forced into uneasy alliances to survive a game Snow will make damn sure they can’t win…

Both book and movie are really good sequel; the movie was a major improvement over the first. The book is a bit slow at first but racks up tension really well, leading to a epic oh shit ending. My favorite part of the book are the backstories of the other tributes. As for the movie, the acting and action improved a lot as well as the special effects. This time they add some humor to it but it surprisingly works well and well placed. In the end I think the book and movie are definitely worth checking out. Best wishes and may the odds be ever in your favor

Rampage trailer

rampage movie

I’ve been hit by some pretty strange WTF movies in my day. Dragonball: Evolution, Alien and Halloween: Resurrection, Jason X, Slither, and Repo: the Genetic Opera to name a few. So why the hell am I surprised a video game I played and loved as a kid is getting a movie staring none other the Rock, Dwanye Johnson. Hell, I was actually pissed about it but for you guys I watched the trailer and I’m glad I did. George, Ralph, and Lizzie look pretty damn sweet and the Rock seems solid enough. I recommend checking it out if you ever played the games, giant monsters and a fun actor, it looks to be a good time so far.

The Dark Tower

dark tower movie

I finally got to sit down not long ago and watch it finally. I was cautious Sony was going to crap on it. I was mostly right…

Separate from the books, the movie is a new tale. Walter, a inter-dimensional wizard is kidnapping people from our world with the gift of the “Shine” to power a device to destroy the Dark Tower at the center of the universe and is basically existence itself. He is being ruthlessly hunted by Roland, the last Gunslinger, who is out for revenge for the deaths of his father and friends. Walter’s experiments are effective but not to the magnitude he desires, until his Taheen forces (creepy ass animal people that wear human skin) track down a kid named Jake Chambers that has a huge “Shine”. Jake, having visions of crazy shit like a Gunslinger and a Man in Black and a long Dark Tower, tries to find it before Walter can shatter the last beam…

As a writer, I get how adapting this would be like trying to play Dark Souls with your dong. There is a epic ass load of exposition which makes the movie feel longer than it really is, and kind of slow. I think the actors did the best with what they were give; I believe Matthew Mcconaughey would have been spot on if given a R rated script. Seriously, who’s bright idea was it to make this movie PG-13? As for action, there isn’t much but I can definitely say the finale is pretty badass. A huge peeve I had was you can tell this was the first movie of a cinematic universe, but a lot of the Easter eggs were pretty cool all the same. Overall, my feelings on the movie are kinda meh. Wasn’t great, wasn’t shit. I’d say it’s worth a Red Box trip or stream but I can’t really recommend owning it at full price, maybe Wal-mart crap bin price at max. Long days and pleasant nights.

Robocop

robocop

Remember when action movies weren’t for kids and full of bad language, blood, drugs, and boobs? Well, Robocop helped me remember.

In a near future Detroit full of crime and corruption, new guy on the force Alex Murphy is gunned down by a gang of drug lords led by Clarence Bodiker. Ok, gunned down is an understatement, he gets ripped to shreds by gunfire to the brink of absurdity. Somehow his brain isn’t dead and he is enlisted into a new robotics program that turns him Robocop, a gun totting, one lining badass looking for justice while fighting his programming, and searching for his humanity while taking down the evil corporation that built him..

I love this crazy ass movie. All the over the top gore, one liners, random boobs and drugs in this is just great 80’s action movie greatness. I thought the action scenes were sweet and the effects hold up fairly well; ED-209 has moments where he looks pretty off but for the time I can excuse it. Kurtwood Smith as Bodiker is great, one of those actors that’s just great wherever he is. Definitely watch it, if you love 80’s action movies or you’re sick of modern shit, this will make you feel like a kid again. I’ll buy that for a dollar.

5 stories I’d love to see for a solo DCEU Batman movie

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Anyone else getting tired of the same old Batman films? If I have to watch Thomas and Martha Wayne get shot again I’m going to scream! In BVS and JLA we got Easter eggs for things that have happened to Batman in the DCEU, so here’s a quick list of Batman tales I’d love to see brought to life in the DCEU with no particular order, starting with:

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1. Court of Owls/ Night of the Owls- essentially Batman wrapped up in a tale of suspense and mystery as he discovers the true driving force of Gotham, the Court of Owls and there deadly assassins, the Talons stop at nothing to reclaim Gotham from the dark knight. It’d make a great thriller with bad ass fights and great secrets throughout.

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2. Arkham Asylum- since the DCEU is pretty damn rushed as it is, a cool way to introduce a lot of the villains through the tale of Batman trying to survive a night in the infamous madhouse. Featuring such great villains as Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Joker and Killer Croc it’d definitely would make for a cool tale.

riddler 3. A Riddler movie- Some of my favorite episodes of Batman the animated series and the show The Batman were the detective stories of Batman tracking down Riddler, I think being a welcomed change of pace from what we’ve gotten in recent years. I mean, imagine Seven with Batman answering riddles instead of observing the sins.

under the red hood

4. Under the Red Hood- BVS teased the shit out of this with the broken Robin suit tagged in Joker graffiti, so why the hell not follow through with it? Let Batman see the dark reflection of himself through the son he believed tested, see him pushed to the brink of sanity again and have to pull himself back again. Also, it wouldn’t be a bad way to introduce Nightwing and Mr. Freeze into the DCEU.

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5. Hush- another good tale for a R rated audience featuring a great who done it mystery, lots of great bad guys, and even a rematch with Superman, which I think we could all use.

Best of wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Aquaman (new 52, volume 5) sea of storms

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My good friend Autobot was kind enough to loan me some Aquaman comics before Justice League came out, so thanks man.

We begin our stories with Arthur Curry dealing with his rule of the oceans and trying to protect those land. People are weary of him on the surface after Orm, the Ocean Master, nearly brought a massive flood on them. In Atlantis, people aren’t trusting him because he still tries to help the surface dwellers, who damn near kill themselves by accidentally uncovering a titanic Atlantean beast that causes further devastation on land, nearly kills Aquaman, and sours the favor of the Atlanteans even further because it was an ancient protector meant to serve the reigning king, not try to murder it. Arthur couldn’t stop it. A idiot named Daniels, who has been pursuing Arthur finds his trident and accidentally sets free a race of Giant-borns from a makeshift hell created by a past Atlantean king, which forces him to fight a crazed Hercules and team up with Wonder Woman to finish this, all while stressing over his high school reunion. While Mera is hunting some failed assassins who tried taking her life, Aquaman finds himself face to face with the fabled Swamp Thing in our last story.

Essentially the book is three stories in one and that was really cool. Of the three, the last was my favorite just because it was cool to see Swamp Thing kick his ass. Something I have to say for the series itself, the artwork always catches my eye and makes me take in the details and colors. There are a lot of great, epic fights and I was glad to get time with Wonder Woman and Swamp Thing, who neither I’ve experienced much. Overall, it’s a fun book to pick up in sections and definitely gorgeous to look at. Best wishes all, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jason X

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So through the years we’ve seen Jason in different outfits, as a zombie fighting a psychic chick, walking around the Big Apple, as a ghost, and even fighting Freddy Kruger. So what could possibly be next? I know, how about outer space?

So Jason X begins in the near future at a government installation where Jason is being held because he just won’t die. They plan on cryo freezing him until they know how to execute him. Jason somehow manages to escape and the only survivor is a scientist named Rowan who manages to freeze Jason, but not without getting caught in the process too. Hundreds of years later they are found, brought aboard a science vessel and reanimated. As you expect, Jason is a tad bit cranky…

Despite how idiotic the premise is, I really do enjoy the movie. Though not tense or scary, the special effects are actually pretty good and Jason does have some really sweet kills in here. Of course there were moments that made me laugh too. There is a twist at the end where Jason is transformed into a half metal cyborg, commonly referred to as “Meta Jason” or “Jason X” which was really cool. None of the characters really annoyed me like they tended to do in the previous sequels. Overall, it was a fine movie that tried getting away with the ultimate gimmick of SPACE and won in my opinion. Best wishes everyone and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Justice League (second opinion)

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Ok, folks, let’s recap the DCEU thus far: Man of Steel was ok, BVS was the heap that was way too serious, Suicide Squad was the heap trying way too hard to be trendy, and Wonder Woman was the bed that Goldilocks found just right. Caught up now? Justice League is the heap that tries it’s ass off to be fun.

So Superman is dead. World is losing a lot of hope. Batman is still trying to track down the Meta-humans him and Diana discovered while also trying to find out what the hell are these Mother boxes. Diana is off in London while Batman is beating down Parademons in Gotham. Spread throughout the world, the three boxes are guided by the three tribes of man: Atlantean, Amazonian, and the third was used in helping to create Cyborg. Steppenwulf returns after being defeated centuries ago to get the boxes because, well Superman is dead, no one gonna stop him. So it’s up to Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg to all band together, try to resurrect Sups, and kick Steppenwulf’s ass.

Savior and I agreed, Aquaman was our favorite part of the movie, with Superman surprising second. We get a more light hearted, classic Superman from Henry Cavill this time and honestly I really dug it. Cyborg was definitely the weak link but to Ray Fisher’s credit, it wasn’t his fault. Sometimes his CGI is crap and he didn’t really have too much to do. Steppenwulf is the definition of forgettable bad guy; I’d go as far to say I liked Enchantress better in Suicide Squad and that says something. This movie has a wealth of problems, like how rushed and bloated it feels. Everything feels like it’s in fast-forward mode; I’m curious as hell what that nearly 3 hour director’s cut looks like. I will say, there are great Easter eggs and please if you are a DC fan, watch all the credits. My favorite scene was the final after credit where a character many of us have been crying for in the DCEU finally shows up. No spoilers though. Overall, the movie is alright, fun but not a great movie in any sense of the word but there are sweet moments and HAHA to all those people who laughed at me when I said Aquaman would be the coolest of the group. May the gaming gods bring you glory and come together everyone.