Category: Movie Review

Godzilla King of Monsters (Savior)

Last night was sort of a bucket list night for me. @torstenvblog , our friend Brandon and myself went to see this and while torsten can take or leave Godzilla me and Brandon are huge fans.  Also as some of you know the birth of Savior Gaming came about a few years ago, in fact 3 years ago tomorrow, when my dad died and left me a few bucks with the stipulation that I could only use it for what I wanted, not what I thought I needed. It wasn’t a lot, nothing life changing, but enough to have a little fun with. The problem is I didn’t really want anything so I have it away to my girlfriend of 11 years, my kids and of course I bought torsten a few things. I also started this. I tell you this to add this fitting bit of trivia, me and my dad always wanted to see a Godzilla movie in theaters. Every year he would take a weeks vacation, and we would spend 1 night up watching old monster movies like this, and I would spend all day picking my favorites. So it is only fitting that I tell this story before I talk about this movie.

Godzilla at hits heart is everything you would want from a Godzilla movie. It tells the story of how mankind is attempting to find all these titans, 17 known, and debate as to whether they should be destroyed or studied or even controlled. Things of course go very wrong when Mothra’s containment grid goes down and the machine to control her works, and a Eco-terrorist group attacks and kidnaps the lead scientist, her daughter and the machine.

They later use the machine to wake up Monster Zero, the 3 headed dragon and Rodan. Godzilla is not a fan of this and fights Monster Zero only to lose, leaving Ghidorah in charge and to wake up all the other titans to wreck havoc on the work.

I won’t go further on the story here because it is a good one, but this time around they spend a lot of time focused on the monsters and their fighting which is a huge positive for any fans of this  type of movie. It felt like the golden era of their time just watching these beast go back and forth, and to make things even better this movie may be the best fan service I have ever seen. It was all done in such a way that fans like me instantly notice the classic Godzilla reveal music in the back but it was spun into the music so new comers wouldn’t feel left out. Beloved songs were remastered or covered and snuck into the movie or credits masterfully such as the cover of Godzilla from Blue Oyster Cult and the Mothra theme, something fans would love but new people wouldn’t quite grasp the significance of. They are left out of the movie, but are in the end credits which for me was monumental.

The movie isn’t perfect, and if you aren’t a fan I can see why you may not have much interest. But if you are a fan of Godzilla, there is no reason to skip this movie. See it now, and long live the king.

The Perfection

perfection

I have a strange place in my heart for movies that make me say “WTF?”, especially more psychological endeavors like May (2002)  or  The Witch: a New-England Folktale . My last jump into Netflix horror was I am the pretty thing that lives in the house which didn’t really do anything for me. What lured me were claims of how controversial it was. By the end I wasn’t able to speak.

Charlotte was a cello prodigy who left her prestigious music school to care for her dying mother, leaving a life of fame behind. She returns to the posh world of classical music she left behind, finding another young prodigy, Lizzy, has taken the scene by storm. There mutual mentor, Anton, says they were the greatest pupils he ever had. It just so happens Charlotte’s last day was Lizzy’s first and there talent seems equal. They hit it off after a duet together, and after a night of dancing and love making, they go for a trip that goes horribly wrong when Lizzy gets sick and the question goes: how far will some go to find perfection…

There is a lot to the story I don’t want to spoil but there is a crazy amount of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. What I feel is the movie’s strongest attribute is how well it switches between romance, drama, horror, and revenge thriller. The scenery and music are beautiful and the acting is well done, especially the romantic chemistry between the lead actresses. The only real gripe I have is it’s annoying how the movie literally rewinds itself after a major twist to replay what’s really going on and there is a really weird camera choice for the final climax. I have to say while satisfying the ending feels a bit abrupt. Regardless of some bumps, the Perfection is a damn good movie with a story that will keep you guessing and I recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Terminator: Dark Fate trailer

Terminator was once upon a time an amazing Sci-fi action movie with one of the greatest sequels of all time, becoming two pop culture icons. Sadly that wasn’t enough and now with one of the muddiest canons in modern film, we get yet another “Se-boot” , trying to be the T2 sequel that never was. Despite Cameron’s involvement and the return of Linda Hamilton and Arnie, I doubt this is going far I’m afraid. The effects look fairly poor by today’s standards and the new Terminator reminded me of Ultron mixed with Conner in Genysis. The future isn’t written but I hope the title doesn’t reflect Terminator’s future, a dark fate. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Tag (2018)

Tag is the movie of a group of friends that played the same game of tag for about thirty years and is actually based on a true story. There are some pretty big differences that I will get into later, and some outlandish things in the movie that are confirmed based off real life that you will even see the real video of in the end credits. The movie, however, takes place in the month of May, as their friend Jerry (Jeremy Renner) gets married and decides after this year he is retiring. The problem is he has never been tagged, and his friends can not allow this. This year they pull out all the stops to tag him, for example, Hogan (Ed Helms) goes to the mall and dresses as an old lady in an attempt to tag him. This is is based off a tag that really happened for the record. Another attempt was when they all broke into Jerry’s house in an attempt to tag him, which in real life also happened. It is worth noting in the real story there is no Jeremy person that was never tagged and these plans worked unlike in the movie.

The movie is pretty amazing honestly and is worth watching but having looked up the real story to write this I have to say while the movie does it justice, the true story is even better. It is worth watching tho without a doubt.

Some of the differences tho are the real story is 10 friends, not the 5 from the movie and while the movie is based on the story the characters really are not and many things are tossed in for effect tho some things, legitimately happened. Some examples are in the movie they discuss people being tagged at a funeral or giving birth. These did happen in real life, and these guys really did travel all around the country to play the game. Oh, and while the movie takes place in May, the real guys played in February and there really was a written agreement. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

blackcoats daughter

The Blackcoat’s Daughter is the story of 3 young women and a remote all girls boarding school. Katherine is a quiet, weird girl whose parent’s haven’t come to get her on winter break; Rose is pretty, popular, and is afraid because she may or not be pregnant; Joan is a mysterious girl found on the side of a road by a grieving couple and given a ride, while being followed by the cops. Katherine and Rose are stuck at the school over break, waiting for there parents to show. Something isn’t right when Katherine begins acting strange; can an old rumor be true?

This is not a basic horror movie. I will say the atmosphere, the cinematography, and sound sell the film. There is a very well done feeling of cold isolation throughout and a really good sense of dread. There are a few creepy moments and the ending is unsettling. The acting is really good from the 3 leading ladies. The story itself is a bit confusingly laid out but overall is solid. It is a slow burn and I feel many will zone out because it’s not an eventful movie and there isn’t any huge effects in it which will turn many off. I  feel the first third of the movie drags a bit too much. Blackcoat’s Daughter is a decent movie with some great aspects to it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Backdraft 2 (2019)

Yes, you are seeing that right, almost 30 years after the 1991 movie Backdraft it got a sequel. A direct sequel. Now I know what you are thinking, Savior is about to shred this movie apart. It is almost 30 years later, it can not be good. Well, I am not.

William Baldwin returns to his role as Brian McCaffrey, years later as his a bit out of control nephew and son of Stephen from the original movie, does his job as an arson investigator. Sean McCaffrey is almost a reverse arsonist himself. He is in love with fire, he understands it in a way most people never will, it is why he is good at his job. However, he uses this love to track down the bad guys and now he must find out who is burning down buildings in Chicago and why.

Along the way, he will also meet a woman, find a dog he refuses to name and maybe discover the truth about his father which will possibly bring him and his uncle a little closer together since they kind of don’t get along very well. The movie is well done with nice effects and if you give it a shot it is a pretty solid and fun movie if you enjoy this type. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Backdraft (1991)

Backdraft is a 1991 Action crime drama that takes place in Chicago and follows two brothers, both firefighters, that do not get along, on their life. Younger brother and rookie Brian McCaffrey (William Baldwin) joins the force and tries to win the respect of his older brother, veteran  Stephen (Kurt Russel) after Stephen bribes someone to get Brian into his unit with him.

It doesn’t take long for this to go horribly wrong as the two always seem to have a reason to be fighting and eventually after seeing a series of fires set by an arsonist that were set to kill specific people Brian gets himself put into an investigation unit and instead of fighting fires with his brother finds himself trying to stop the criminal.

Honestly, the movie isn’t bad. It is well done and the special effects were amazing for its time. The story while at times convoluted and weird to follow is done in a pretty realistic way many times and you aren’t shoehorned into a happy ending for the sake of having one. This is however very much a movie made for firefighters and people interested in that sort of thing. In fact, almost everyone I know that loves this movie and raves about it was a volunteer firefighter at some time. If you like that sort of thing tho, there is no reason not to watch this one. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Hush trailer 1

When I heard that Hush was going to be the next DC animated movie, I was pretty excited. Originally I was under the understanding it was going to be R rated and at first I was bummed. Regardless the animation and voice acting looks solid and I think it would be a cool, though my main fear is it being watered down. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

IT Chapter 2 teaser

I have to admit I was surprised the trailer didn’t drop during Pet Sematary 2019 but after an extremely tough week, it was a nice surprise. I adore the choice of starting the trailer with adult Beverly and the old woman and slowly letting the suspense build. Like the first part, I’m glad they aren’t showing much, which helped immensely the first time. I can’t wait to float this September with Pennywise again, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.