One of the biggest surprises of SDCC was the trailer for the return and proper finale of Star Wars: the Clone Wars. I’ve watched the first 2 seasons and a chunk of the 3rd. I do prefer the original Star Wars: the Clone Wars (05) more but I’d be lying if I didn’t give credit to the canon show. The season 7 trailer I admit has a huge upgrade in animation and I like the little touches in there wardrobes that help it feel on the brink of Episode 3. I’m glad it can get a proper end now. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Category: Anime review
Alita Battle Angel
So I’m really wondering where the hell the hype is for this movie. Seriously, every trailer I see for this, I think it looks stunning and the anime/ CGI/ art style is really well done. The action looks kick ass and there’s heavy star power behind the camera. So where’s the hype? I’m pretty pumped for this after the trailers I’ve seen. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
DragonBall Super movie: Broly trailer
Broly: the Legendary Super Saiyan, one of DBZ’s most terrifying villains that wasn’t even canon, until now. The old story of Broly is being retold in the new movie for DragonBall Super with a new origin and all. I see a light and a dark to this. The positive, we get to see Broly square off against the awesomeness of Super Saiyan God and such; also, I always wanted to watch Broly and Frieza fight, which we get. The negative- it’s Broly, not an unknown Saiyan, not some new character. He may look different, his story maybe different, but at the end of the day, fans are excited for the Broly we knew. I hope he’s not a totally new character in a skin. In the end, I want to see the movie but I’m cautiously optimistic. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Batman: Year One
There have been many upon many retelling of the origin of Batman and one of the most iconic is Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, which helped inspire Batman Begins. Year One as far as story is pretty self explanatory. Gotham is a crime infested hellhole full of crooked cops and mainly controlled by mob families. Young Detective Jim Gordon transferred willingly here with his budding family in search of money and a new start but quickly learns Gotham is no place for a good man. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne returns after nearly a decade abroad, prepared to seek vengance on the crime that took the life of his parents. At first, dressed in black he attacks the small time crooks to no avail. Using his fear of bats, his natural intellect, and the skills he learned across the globe, he chooses a new identity, something to scare the wicked. Gordon and the newly emerged Batman of Gotham are fighting for justice, but can they work together?
I admire the book for it’s intamcy in regards to Gordon and Wayne’s thoughts and stories. I enjoyed how Batman’s origin wasn’t tied to a specific super villian but fighting the crime families of Gotham. It was cool to see the thought processes behind Batman’s transform, as well the impact he makes on others. There’s an iconic scene where he engages the family heads directly that always stuck with me. I found it weird Catwoman started off as hooker in this and didn’t really think she needed to be there. I did see the animated film which was adapted really damn well and I recommend seeing in conjunction with the book or just on it’s own. If you want a cool origin and a good crime drama, this is well worth the read. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Justice League Dark
As someone who isn’t too deep into magic, despite my love for Dr Strange, I had a lot of fun watching the R rated animated JLA Dark movie. After a grim series of murderous crimes the JLA can’t explain, Batman sets off to visit British occult expert, John Constantine and his old friend, Zatanna to try uncovering answers, coming across the Deadman, Etrigan, and Swamp Thing in a winding mystery of demons, dark magic, betrayal, and a epic finale.
I was deeply surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. Right off the bat, I’m impressed how the R rating came out; there is no heavy language past shit but instead it’s for the themes going on mostly. There is some disturbing crap in the beginning- if the fact you almost see a woman try to kill her baby, who commits suicide after Batman saves the baby unnerves you, this may not be for you. The characters were done damn well and as for plot, it’s surprisingly strong but at times it feels slow and sometimes it can be a little hard to follow if you aren’t familiar with the source material. In the end this is one of the best animated DC movies in my opinion and well worth watching. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Justice League: Doom
It’s no secret I was pretty disappointed with last year’s Justice League (2017) I took this opportunity on Hulu to get my fix of real JLA.
Mostly based on the story “Tower of Babel.”, we get the story of how Batman’s paranoia and over preparation almost destroyed the JLA. Brilliant immortal Vandal immortal brings the likes of Bane, Star Sapphire, Cheetah, Mirror Master, Metallo, and Ma’alefa’ek because they hate a member of the JLA. Savage forms the Legion of Doom and with files Mirror Master stole from the BatCave, he gives each villain a specifically designed plan to take down there foes, tailored to there specific weaknesses. One by one, Batman, Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter fall. With some help from Cyborg they manage to pull themselves up, barely, but can they beat the Legion and trust Batman?
I loved the hell out of this movie. The voice acting was great, especially Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly as Batman and Superman, but my favorite may have been Nathan Fillion as a great Green Lantern. Every character gets a fair amount of screen time, though I admit Flash and Cyborg lack a little. The bad guy choices were interesting, definitely not the usual picks. The movie movie drags once or twice but nothing major. It’s a really good JLA movie I suggest checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
May the 4th be with you!
May the fourth be with you all as we celebrate Star Wars day. For every nerd, all it takes is that opening title of “a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.” and the thunderous John Williams score and all so legendary title to send our blood rushing and light up a smile on our faces. During our trip to Last Jedi, the crowd cheered and roared applause before the damn movie could even begin- that’s a rare thing, I can sure as hell say that. Star Wars inspired me so much as a kid; without Star Wars I don’t think I’d be the same kind of writer I am today. Dynamic characters you can’t get enough of, epic battles you can’t stop watching, and a special message: no matter how small and insignificant you seem, you can change the world. Before I leave you with links to our Star Wars collection so far, I beg every nerd to stop and remember the lessons the series has taught us, and go out to make the galaxy a better place. May the gaming gods bring you glory and may the force be with you.
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi The Force Awakens Star Wars The Last Jedi Review (Savior) The Last Jedi (second opinion) Star wars: Rogue One
Star wars: The Clone Wars (game) Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
Star Wars: the Clone Wars (05)
TMNT
I’m not going to lie folks, I never grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. No cartoons, video games, comics or anything. In fact my friend Autobot was the one to introduce me to them with the 2007 CGI film which caught me by total surprise. What happens when the turtles go there own separate ways? After the rift between Raph and Leo bursts, the team splits and must get back together to fight a new foe.
I was a lot more drawn to the turtles than I thought I’d be, Raphael is my favorite. Visually the movie’s CGI is really freaking cool to watch and has some really sweet looking moments through out. The bad guy isn’t great but Patrick Stewart is always a great voice actor and it was refreshing not to have Shredder again. It was a fun movie with some deep parts that I recommend for newcomers as well as the long time fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Once upon a time I knew a guy named Nick who had something of a break down and three musicians helped got him through it: Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. Namely this movie, based on the legendary album of the same name; it can said the movie can be called a really long music video for the whole album and that’s not totally wrong. It is. But I found it beautiful, scary, and uplifting all at once. It follows the life of a guy called Pink: how his dad died in war, how he almost died as a kid, had mom issues, loved a girl and got his heartbroken, had a drug induced meltdown where he imagined himself as a fantastical Nazi and would get shit on by a techni-color literal ass judge…Ok, let’s be honest, there was likely some drug use behind the making of this but it doesn’t subtract the power the fusion of music and imagery, both animated and live action has. Again, like Fantasia, this won’t be for everyone; it can be said The Wall is a R- rated Fantasia in many ways. If you love Floyd or need something strange or just want to watch a weird ass movie, absolutely deserves a watch. Speaking of Strange, here’s a video of Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, singing the famous Comfortably Numb with David Gilmour of Floyd and it is epic as hell. May the gaming gods bring you glory and may you never be just bricks in the wall.
Fantasia
I’ve always been inspired by imagery connected with music, especially if it has a darker tone. When writing, I can listen to a piece of score and create something completely different than what it was intended for, or reinterpret it. As a kid I was utterly fascinated by this very odd Disney film that remains to be my favorite decades later. Fantasia is a blend of live classical orchestra composure with Disney’s animations to create stories whether concrete or abstract. Duke had some fun stories about seeing this in theaters during the late sixties- use your imagination why that may be. The most famous of the selections is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, where Mickey enchants a broom to do his chores but it gets out of control and he’s being swamped by evil brooms. While there are bright, vibrant colors there are also some dark and scary ass images- I’ve never been more scared of the devil than I was in this movie. While not for everyone, I think everyone should experience this film at least once and I urge people to give it a shot. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 