torstenvblog

The Purge

purge

Happy belated Independence Day ever one. We hope you had a lovely day before the annual Purge. Soon, we get to discover how the madness started. In 2013 I was excited as hell for the first Purge movie; I swore up and down it was going to change how we saw horror. Poor 2013 me…

In the near future, the USA is enjoying a long period of crime free living and prosperity after the New Founding Fathers took over. How is this so, you may ask? The Purge: one night a year where all crime is legal. The Sandin family are good, privileged folks living in a clean, happy suburb, safe and sound from the horrors outside- until there son let’s a poor wounded man in who’s being hunted by a group of killer yuppies. The killers offer to leave the family alone in exchange for the stranger, but can they live with themselves after?

I wanted this to be epic but alas, this is a pretty generic home invasion movie that wants to have it’s cake and eat it too. It wants to be deep and thought provoking but the scope is too limited to get a feel for the purge’s impact and the commentary you get feels watered down. It wants to be a over the top, Grindhouse style movie, but the horror is jumpscares and the Gore and killings are kind of bland. I felt it was playing it too safe quite a few times. However I did care about the family and in a corny ass sort of way, I liked the cartoony villians too. A lot of pitentpot went to waste but it’s not a bad movie to see if you find it cheap or streamed. May the gaming gods bring you glory and release the beast as they say 😁.

4 super people I wish were here to save me from summer

snowglobe

It’s summer everyone, which means a lot of things around the world but there is one thing that can be said no matter where you are on this world. It’s freaking hot. Sunburn, sweat, humidity and so many sleepless nights and high electric bills but don’t worry, there are some super folks to help, starting with…’

storm 1. Storm-

if you hate the weather, why not change it? Why not have a winter wonderland in July? Why not have a week of calm, quiet rain? With help from this powerful Xmen, you can afford to lean off the sunscreen a few days. Speaking of X Men and winter…

iceman 2. Iceman-

Screw it, let’s freeze the damn planet and make a giant hockey rink! With his Omega level mutant abilities, I’m sure Iceman wouldn’t mind giving us a few snow days in August.

aquaman 3. Aquaman-

If snow and ice ain’t your thing, how about water? I’m sure he’d b glad to raise the oceans a bit and give us a planetary water park with all of the cool ocean life we can only see in a aquarium. Just a thought.

4. Mr Freeze.

I work outside, just how many of my friends have. Water and Gatorade only do so much. How about getting flash frozen? That will cool you off long term. Just let the ice thaw you out and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed the list while trying to keep cool and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

F.E.A.R 3

fear 3

First and foremost, it is ok to laugh at the actual, F3AR title of this game, if Fant4stic wasn’t bad enough. Why its a belief replacing letters with numbers for a title makes it hip or trendy, I’ll never understand. Fear 3 is another thing I’ll understand, but let’s try. Somehow Alma is pregnant with a super psychic ghost baby and it’s up to her sons Point-Man and Paxton from the first game to stop her as she brings on the apocalypse.

If you read my review of F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin , you’ll know how hard I gave up on the story. That being said, the graphics are the best of the series and the game does have two totally different ways to play. Point-Man we get the F.E.A.R staple of Slo Mo gunplay, only this time with a badass sliding kick. As Paxton, you can shoot blasts of psychic energy and possess others. I feel while the plot is the most disposible, the game maybe the most fun of the series and I can recommend checking it out for some quick FPS fun. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Strangers: Prey at Night

strangers 2

I was skeptic when The Strangers got a sequel after a decade, even more so after Strangers 2, trailer 1 came out. Was I wrong to be nervous after a decade of waiting?

This installment picks up at a trailer park where the familiar trio of strangers murders an elderly couple and not long after, the whole park’s inhabitants while they sleep. We join a family, sending there angst y teenage daughter to boarding school. On there trip, they stay the night at there relative’s home- in the same park the strangers are lurking in, and of course the carnage ensues.

Sadly to say, I was pretty justified to be skeptical. Strangers 2, truth be told feels nothing much like the first movie. Where the first was very suspense heavy, Prey at Night goes for a more gorier, over the top approach. The characters aren’t bad for a slasher movie but Christina Hendrick’s performance is too good for this kind of movie. The son and daughter annoyed the hell out of me at times. The movie is well shot and the over the top scenes are done well. Honestly, if you want a more 80’s style horror movie done today, this isn’t a bad pick. Why I’m kind of pissed is the first movie was suspenseful and had a kind of realism to it the sequel lacks. It is worth watching whether approach you prefer. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin

fear 2

F.E.A.R was a pretty good game. Scary as hell at parts and a fun FPS game. Alma Wade, the creepy ghost girl on the covers of both games, main antagonist, is hardly seen and is chilling when you do…and then a sequel happened. After the events of the first game, we play as Michael Becket, who is sent to deal with the crazy shit going on near the climax of the first. There’s more phenomenon going on, more clone soldiers and way more Alma, and she’s way more naked.

Does this description sound phoned in? After playing the game through at least twice, its pretty damn evident this game is a phoned in sequel. The gameplay and easy mechanics are the game’s best attributes; the game is a entertaining FPS and the Slow Mo again is a nifty feature. The graphics are a good step forward and the sound is solid enough. F.E.A.R 2 pretty much throws any fear Alma created out the window; you will get ambushed by this pointlessly naked, bloody ghost girl A LOT and have to QTE her away. Alma became annoying really quick. The story is a mess, trying to be bigger but I have to honest, I quickly forget most of it due to it’s weak Si Fi channel quality, only without the fun. F.E.A.R 2 isn’t wholly terrible, it’s OK for a quick play through but you will quickly forget it. May the gaming gods bring you glory, and go away Alma.

The Last of Us

the last of us

This past E3 there has been a lot of news and controversy over The Last of us 2 as well as trailers and gameplay clips. I’m personally excited for 2, glad that time was taken to develop and put the amount of heart and effort the first game had in it.The first game has been regarded as one of the best PlayStation 3 games of all time, as well as a masterpiece of survival horror, but does it live up to the praise?

After one of the saddest openings in gaming, we join a broken, hardened guy named Joel who is almost alone after utter madness ensued after a fungal infection went rampant. Those infected are the clickers, not your typical zombies; the mold overtakes there face, rendering them blind but able to click for a sort of echolocation. On top of all the sick, people have ruthlessly banned together to scavenge and basically just lose there minds. Joel and his partner are given a job to do, escort a girl named Ellie across the country to a group that thinks her natural immunity to the fungal strain can be used to save the world. Joel’s partner perishes in a attempt to save the pair, leaving Joel and Ellie to make a perilous journey where the world truly feels against them and no choice is ever easy…

Much of what makes Last of Us great is the gripping, tragic, but beautiful story we play through. Joel and Ellie feel extremely real as does there relationship, which constantly twists and turns; I couldn’t think of a character I didn’t feel attached to by the end. The graphics are beautiful as are the voice performances and the gameplay is pretty damn good. Situations are tough, enemies aren’t easy and supplies are seriously limited but I can’t say nothing ever felt impossible, just challenging. The clickers I have to say creep the shit out of me. So what’s the downside? This maybe the slowest burning game I’ve ever played. The story never gets boring but there are some lengthy cut scenes, and in the beginning you find yourself wishing they just made a damn movie because the first chunk I felt I wasn’t playing a game as much as watching a interactive movie. And for my trophy hungry friends out there, sorry guys this game is stingy as hell with them. Last of Us deserves a lot of the hype and praise and I do think it’s one of last generations best games, but don’t expect a fast pace zombie game. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Red Sparrow

red sparrow

Normally I don’t really like spy movies but I’ve heard such a strange spectrum of things about this movie I had to check it out. The trailers made me think it was going to be a boring piece of Oscar bait, I was slapped out of that delusion about twenty minutes in. I heard it was practically a Black Widow origin movie; not really but I get why some could think that. So why was I so into Red Sparrow?

Dominika is a promising Russian ballerina whose career is cut short after a accident leaves her leg scarred and broken. Desperate, failing to make ends meet and care for her sick mother, her uncle provides her a path. Aid the Russian Intelligence agency by getting close to a CIA man and search out a mole in the upper echelon of Russian government. Become a Sparrow, the perfect seductress to gather information, but Dominika quickly learns the horrors of the business as she sacrifices much of her humanity just to stay alive…

I was genuinely enthralled by this movie, because I couldn’t completely tell where Dominika’s allegiance lied until the end. Jennifer Lawrence is talented as hell, playing a cold, broken character that is somehow vulnerable and scared throughout. There is some really disturbing moments that are really well done but I don’t recommend the movie if you shock easy. The acting is really good but I warn you, while interesting, the movie feels long as hell. I recommend it if you want a different kind of spy thriller with great acting and some hard WTF moments. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Haunted

haunted

A couple of years ago, I had no idea Fight Club was originally a book. After loving the book, I was kind of surprised learning writer, Chuck Palahniuk had written a really acclaimed horror story. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to check out Haunted. Haunted is a strange book to talk about, but I can say I haven’t read many like it if any. The core premise is simple: a group of weirdos is drawn to a three month long writer’s retreat by a rich old guy named Whittier and they are told to bring what matters most to them. They are brought to a secluded place, locked away with a limited supply of food and no kind of contact with the outside world. What ensues is a catalog of desperation becoming madness as they run out of food, become deprived of sleep, water and utter sanity as they create their own stories that gives us a window into the lives of our “victims”. These stories are, excuse my language, are fascinating as they are fucked up. There is a story of a dude who lost part of his small intestine in a pool filter, a professional foot fetishist, a woman who named her cat after her dead cat, and a dude who told some real nasty lies about a former child star to name a few. I warn you, do not read this book if you have weak constitutions or get freaked out easy, don’t read this book.

While I didn’t love every single short story or every free form poem, this maybe one of the best books I’ve ever read. By the end, I legitimately felt different then when I started and that maybe the best compliment I can give. The overall story is disturbing but relate-able as are many of the short stories. Palahniuk’s writing style is a lot easier to get into this time around then Fight Club; in fact I was pretty engulfed by how well everything flowed. Haunted is a great read I highly recommend if you want to read something really different but really deep. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spider-man sequel title announced

spidey ffh tease

After Avengers: Infinity War I’ve had a lot of people ask how Spidey and Black Panther and others are getting movies still. Well, that’s the magic of comics. So a couple days ago, Tom Holland was shown with the new title of the the sequel to Spider-man: Homecoming , Spider-man: Far from Home. Obviously this can mean many a things. Will Spidey be stranded on Titan, having to find his way back to Earth? I doubt it, mainly because I’ve heard a lot of buzz of Mysterio being the next major villain we’ll being seeing as well as a lot of buzz about the story being centered around a field trip to London, if I’m not mistaken. Either way, it’s extremely early but it has been confirmed Spider-man: Far from Home will be the first movie in Phase 4 of the MCU. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Predator, trailer 2

I came back on one hell of a good day; we got a really epic new trailer for the fourth Predator movie. I liked what I saw for the first The Predator, trailer 1 but I love the second trailer much more. The tone reminds me a lot of the first movie, including the crude joke on the bus. The Predators themselves look incredible. So far, I totally dig the story idea but as I stated in the last trailer review, I’m not a fan of the title of the movie but that’s just a weird hiccup from me. I’m excited as hell to see some badass action and some epic level gore this September, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.