Category: Movie Review

Star Wars Episode 9 poster revealed

star wars episode 9 Along time ago in a galaxy far far away some Star Wars fans complained J.J Abrams ripped off Star Wars when he did The Force Awakens . I personally disagree; I’d say he paid omage to it but there was enough difference to have it be it’s own movie. But I digress. When I see this poster I immediately think of a poster I’ve seen for Return of the Jedi or rather “Revenge of the Jedi” as it was originally going to be called.

rev of the jedi The poster For Skywalker looks pretty but I can’t help but wonder how much of will be a Jedi retread. Also, another point I have to ask because a friend pointed it out, are we the only ones getting a Lion King vibe from the poster? May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian trailer

So D23 was this weekend and we got some big Star Wars news, including two trailers dropped. The Mandalorian on Disney+ is pretty much looking to be a show about the bounty hunters of the Star Wars universe ( for casual fans, Mandalorians are the race and enemies of the Jedi that Jango and Boba Fett belong to, hence the main character’s garb.) While the trailer doesn’t give many plot keys, I do like the western vibe and the main character does look like a badass. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a cool show. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Underwater trailer 1

Underwater looks to be one of those movie premises I’m kind of surprised it’s taken this long to come up with. It does look really cool though and I found myself curious what the creatures will look like. I did a strong Alien / Descent vibe, especially during the credits which kind of bugged me a little. It does look interesting and I do want to check it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Alien: Covenant “Last Signs of Life”

I admit I’m pretty surprised this came out but all the same happy it did. While many of the 40th anniversary Alien fan films were great in there own right, none of them dealt with the prequel material. David’s Lab was one of my favorite pieces of Alien: Covenant . Recreating the look and vibe of the lab was done really well and I like the use of score and music. I think Alien fans will appreciate this little film. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Idiocracy (2006)

Idiocracy is the movie about a guy that is average in every possible way that is subject to an Army experiment gone 100% wrong. When the man in charge gets arrested for trying to run a prostitution ring the base is shut down and the project is lost, for about 500 years.

When Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) wakes up with his fellow experiment victim, Rite (Maya Rudolph) he discovers a world where being completely average would make you the smartest person on Earth.

This seen kind of explains it all really. Brawndo is basically Gatorade by the way. The entire movie actually comes across as sort of a warning. It was funny in 2006 when I first saw it, but now it seems like more of a warning. The performances are great and the movie is hilariously funny but not in the traditional laugh out loud funny.

Most of the funny parts of the movie come from recognizing that many of these people are kind of realistic but in a greatly exaggerated way. Nobody is actually this stupid, but we all know that guy that just doesn’t get it.

The movie is well written and if you have Hulu is worth checking out this cult classic. It is far from perfect obviously, but it is thought-provoking and interesting and one of those hidden gems. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Thing

the thing

Awhile back in my list of 5 horror remakes I loved and during our Halloween special ( Our Favorites, Day 18, The Thing ) I briefly talked about this superior remake from horror master John Carpenter. Beside the cold and isolation and the basic premise, this movie stands completely on it’s own merit.

We begin with a stranger sight, a armed helicopter chasing down a husky through the Arctic tundra. Why would anyone go the trouble you wonder? The guys chased the dog to American outpost where there chopper exploded, leaving the dog with them. They decide to lock it in the kennel with the other dogs and they investigate the other outpost, led by pilot McCreedy. It becomes apparent they found something deadly; they had found a large craft buried under the ice and a lot of dead bodies. Back at there camp, the dog transforms into a horrible monstrosity. The alien is a microscopic organism that takes in the bodies and traits of whatever it comes into contact with, recalling its traits as a defense mechanism. Alone in the middle of frozen nowhere, tensions rise as everyone has to wonder not only can they kill the Thing but who is the Thing?

The Thing is a rare and perfect blend of body horror and suspense. The originality of the creature’s designs steal the show and are things I have rarely seen matched. Kurt Russel as always is awesome as McCreedy but the rest of the cast does a great job. The music is very fitting and well used. What is really cool is rewatching the movie for hidden details, trying to pinpoint  when people were taken by the Thing. Some may not like the unclear ending or that there isn’t a true sequel other than the PS2 game but I love it. In the end, it is one of the best remakes ever and must watch for horror fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Thing From Another World

thing 1950

There are rare times I approve of remakes; especially when it comes to ones that seem so close together. As a kid, I remember watching the classic black and white Thing with my parents and later, in high school I wrote a paper on how this movie related to the Cold War.

A reporter visits a isolated Air Force outpost in the far reaches of Alaska. A scientist comes to them requesting aid in investing a strange crash up north. The men go to investigate, finding some large and round buried beneath the ice. They uncover what appears to be a man with what appears to be a flying saucer. The take the frozen man back to the outpost, where it thaws and goes on a rampage, a monster from another world…

As far as old horror movies go, the classic Thing holds up decently well. There is some good atmosphere and music. James Arnes as the creature is pretty effective and he is pretty physically threatening as a big, lumbering creature. The characters are pretty standard for the times with a love story tacked on that doesn’t really add to anything. The movie is definitely a product of its time; there’s no blood, language, and the creature’s origin is really goofy when you find out it’s a “Space Vegetable”. In the end, it’s a decent old time horror movie that deserves a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

A Hidden Life Trailer

A Hidden Life is another movie coming out that is based on a true story. This one about a man that refused to be a Nazi. A literal Nazi by the way, in Germany during World War 2 this isn’t a metaphor or anything like that. He is taken from his family, tortured and beaten and refuses to do what he sees as wrong. The trailer seems cool, tho it won’t be a movie for everyone. I look forward to it hitting Netflix or Hulu personally. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.