torstenvblog

Leviathan

Miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean, a group pf miners lead by a geologist are harvesting minerals from the ocean floor. During a routine sea-walk, a pair of crew members stumbles upon a Russian sea wreck named the Leviathan. Within the confines of the ship, there were casualties, questions, and a flask of vodka. It isn’t long before the crew discovers it isn’t booze in the flask and not only do the crew members that drank from it die, but suffer a series of heavy genetic alterations, creating a beast unlike any other. Can the survivors not only survive the beast but the crushing sea waiting to destroy them?

Leviathan is a movie I grew up with, and off the bat I have to say it’s a pretty decent B movie. This movie is trying to be Alien and The Thing just underwater and it does pretty decent at it until you get the creature effects. Back in 89, I think the effects were fair enough but today, in 2021, the creature effects are pretty cheesy looking. I do have to give credit though, the underwater scenes and general atmosphere are impressive for the time and have a great sense of claustrophobia. The acting is pretty fair but admittedly Ernie Hudson was my favorite character in the movie and had my favorite line in it. The score fits and adds to the movie in a couple spots. In the end, while not great by any means, Leviathan is a decent B movie worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Bar Rescue

One of the very few things I claim as a guilty pleasure is reality TV. Of course, reality TV is never real but it’s pretty fun just to see the shit show for the camera. My all time favorite is Bar Rescue. Master businessman and bar expert Jon Taffer travels the US, saving bars from neglect and failure with a slew of experts. What can I say, I love watching crappy bar owners getting ripped apart by Taffer and seeing how bad is truly bad before the rescue. You will see some gross things in this show, and frankly, it did make me think twice before entering a bar. The show is great for learning new recipes not only for drinks but food as well which is unexpectedly cool. I have to say, in a world of bullshit reality tv, I find myself fascinated where reality and fiction divides; I believe Taffer is a good dude, I believe most of the gross shit in these bars is real, and I absolutely don’t believe all the back door you see is real because- hey there is some damn good camerawork for these private moments. In the end, like most shows of this kind, it’s repetitive but oh so satisfying and I recommend checking it out.

Venom: Let there be Carnage trailer 1

Here it is, the debut of Carnage, a fan favorite gritty psychopath and nemesis of Venom. First of all, again, actual Venom and especially Carnage look great. Everything else looks lackluster. I’m hoping for the best and I know Hardy will give his all but will it be enough? May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Green Lantern: Wanted Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan, air force pilot, hothead, and legendary Green Lantern is many things but a perfect man is not one of them. After being shot down and held captive by terrorists with two of his fellow pilots, unarmed. After getting free, the guilt eats away at him and he quickly gets the chance to face his captors again when his new girlfriend is taken back. The rescue proves successful but not without casualties, seeming at the hands of Lantern himself. Suddenly Jordan is caught in a international mess that pours into the cosmos, the mastermind having connections to not only Jordan’s origin as a Lantern, but the Lantern he is proceeding…

I forgot how much I loved Geoff Johns’ work on Green Lantern. Set before Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War , the story takes a little bit to follow but won’t be long. The artwork is great and Johns’ does great writing Jordan. Amon Sur is a pretty decent villain and I like that he is used to foreshadow events to come and the rise of the Sinestro Corps. Along with the main story, there is a pretty interesting story about the formation of the Star Sapphires that helps bring Blackest Night into play. In the end, it’s a pretty fun book that helped me why I love Green Lantern and is worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Coraline

Coraline Jones is a girl who yearns for adventure in a dull, boring world with her neglectful parents. Her family moves into a spooky house surrounded by strange neighbors. One day Coraline discovers their is a whole new world made for her, ruled by her fun, loving Other Mother. There is fun, there is games, but something simply isn’t right with their wide grins and button eyes. The Other Mother offers to keep Coraline, all she has to do is let her sew buttons into her eyes; the Other Mother rapidly shows the horror of the Other World but if Coraline ever wants to save not only herself but her real parents, she’ll have to match wits against the Other Mother unless fall to the same terrible fate as others before her…

So, whether book or film, this ties with Willy Wonka as my favorite kid’s story. Neil Gaiman creates a genuinely intriguing horror story that is pretty damn original and creepy for all ages. The book isn’t long and simple but doesn’t talk down to it’s audience. The movie does an amazing job of translating Gaiman’s world and adding it’s own touches; the Other Mother stole the show for me and is one of my most underrated horror villains. The book and movie are absolutely amazing and I couldn’t recommend them more. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Invisible Man (2020)

Ok, so we live in a world of rehashes, reboots, sequels, prequels and nostalgia-mania and the fact is pretty inescapable. The Invisible Man is a tale older than many and it’s been a while so I was extremely curious after hearing the extremely positive reviews.

Cecilia’s life has been hell and in the middle of the night breaks free from her genius, abusive boyfriend Adrian. She’s petrified of his influence and determination, barely able to walk to the curb if able to leave the house at all. She’s at odds when discovering Adrian killed himself and left her as the sole heir of his multimillion dollar fortune. With him dead, she starts showing improvement but something isn’t right. Things move and she never feels alone and this presence gets more and more malevolent, isolating her from her family and friends, until she is completely alone.

I have to say this movie is way better than it had any right to be and I mean that in the best way possible. Leigh Whanell did a fantastic job directing and Elizabeth Moss is damn compelling. There is a lot of good psychological moments as well as a pretty badass moment towards the end. I actually cheered at the end. Surprisingly there is a level of uncertainty that adds some replay value to the movie like The Thing . As for negatives, there are a few logic gaps, especially when the real plot is unfolded and at times the pacing feels off in places. In the end, its as damn good reimagining I seriously recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Justice League Snyder Cut

Prime Video: Zack Snyder's Justice League

So it’s no secret I hated the hell out of Justice League (2017) and in all honestly, I wasn’t sure how I really felt when the Snyder Cut was announced. Four hour runtime, added characters and storylines, I just assumed it was going to be a crap ton of fluff. I’m going to tell you right now, while far from perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed the Snyder Cut vs hating the hell out of Wheddon’s version.

I’m happy to say the movie is broken into 6 chapters with a 7th as a epilogue so it’s pretty easy to break apart and watch it more like a mini series. For such a long movie, I found the pacing pretty fair, never really feeling overbearing. The effects are radically improved; Cyborg, Steppenwolf, Atlantis, and the Speed Force scenes look way better. I love the addition of Darkseid, Martian Manhunter and the cameo by Joker ( Leto redeems himself in this cameo). My favorite part of the Snyder cut is the characterization which was a huge problem before; Cyborg, Flash, and Steppenwolf are huge improvements and Batman is kept serious and is no longer a chump.

While a lot of things are improved, there are some mixed and damn right annoying things. The opening flat out made me laugh my ass off. Zach Snyder still has a really irritating habit of going effects heavy and drawing slow motion scenes on for too long. The lighting could be better but looks better than the red toned end of the previous ending. Sometimes the music is overly dramatic; I will say the battle music is badass as hell. While better flushed out, I still feel like too much is going on and I feel like the general audience will get confused at points.

In the end, I really liked the Snyder Cut of Justice League vs the botched theatrical cut and I think it’s well worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

JoJo Rabbit

I never thought a movie like this would hit the mainstream but it did. Every trailer promised a whacky, feel good comedy where a cute little Nazi youth befriends a goofy imaginary Adolf Hitler. I’m proud to say I finally got to see this movie and I applaud Taika Waititi and the whole crew for making this, not just because it was a great movie, but because it took a lot of balls to make it.

JoJo is about to experience the greatest day of his young life when he joins a camp for the Hitler Youth, encouraged by his best, imaginary friend, Hitler himself. After several humiliations and a grenade throwing incident gone wrong, JoJo is left heartbroken and scarred when he’s demoted from the Hitler Youth. If that wasn’t enough, he discovers his mother’s secret, embedding a young Jewish girl in there walls. It’s up to young JoJo to decide right from wrong as he questions his hero and his heart and discover who he really is…

Watching the trailers, this is everything you expected and a lot more. The cast is fantastic and I have to give Roman Griffin Davis huge props as JoJo; I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. This movie balances absurd comedy, coming of age story, and some really dark things extremely well. The soundtrack and cinematography are outstanding. I give bonus credit may I add for my favorite PG-13 F bomb ever ( if you saw the end, you know what I mean). In the end, I absolutely recommend JoJo Rabbit as something funny, beautiful, and unique which is the highest compliment I can give. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer

So besides Eternals and the host of sequels in the MCU for phase 4, Shang Chi is a interesting addition I admit I don’t know much about. I know the movie will feature the true Mandarin, set up from Iron Man 3 as well as being hinted at in the subtitle. The movie looks pretty interesting and the fight scenes look pretty cool. I’m curious to see what’s to come. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness trailer 2

While I’m really hyped about this as much as many I’m sure are, I’m curious what a animated Resident Evil series would be like. The animation is nice and I’m glad to see Leon and Claire reunited once again. What interests me is where this series falls into the timeline. I definitely want to check it out but I’m cautious at the same time. May the gaming gods bring you glory.