Category: Movie Review

The Oath (2018)

The Oath is a pretty simple of a movie concept. The United States government has decided to ask every citizen to sign a loyalty oath. This of course isn’t mandatory, tho there are benefits to it. There is also time to decide, the day after Thanksgiving to be exact, Black Friday.

This movie does a good job showing how easy it is to divide people, there are even a couple scenes of violence in the streets, fighting among  family members. Every so often there will be news playing in the background that does an admirable job showing how many Republicans and Democrats will simply argue or make stuff up to defend a position they themselves don’t even understand to begin with or to feel superior.

Throughout the movie there are also rumors of government officials intimidates and kidnapping people that don’t sign the oath or protest its very existence. The whole thing is very well done honestly and you can actually feel the apprehension it causes and see where the real world influences how they made the movie. You know people just like this, maybe they are friends of yours that you hang out with but avoid political talk or have talked to people like this online.

Here is the issue, the movie is a comedy. The comedy aspect is where it falls a bit flat. They took what could have been an amazing thriller or even horror movie an failed to make it all that funny but also ruined the more tense moments of the movie. Worse, what should have been a spectacular ending to really accentuate the seriousness of the situation was then met with what felt like a total cop out to simply end the movie without ever solving anything. I won’t say the movie was bad as I did enjoy it, but what should have been an amazing movie with great social commentary basically ended up simply as an okay movie not worth watching twice. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Scary Stories to tell in the Dark trailer

A little while back we got the a clip filled Scary stories to tell in the dark trailer that didn’t give much of plot synopsis. I have to say, it’s raw that I get this excited for a horror movie these days but with the exception of IT: Chapter 2 and Pet Sematary 2019 this looks to be awesome. The creatures and atmosphere look fantastic and the plot seems like a decent way to roll it all together. I’m seriously pumped for this movie and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: The Dead Zone

dbz dead zone

Like many anime, Dragonball Z has more than it’s fair share of movies ranging from awesome to crap. Dead Zone is the first and takes place around the Saiyan saga. While most aren’t cannon, many fit well enough into cannon they can be said to be. Dead Zone is actually cannon and starts the story of Garlic Jr.

Goku and his family are hanging around, living there lives when Goku comes home from fishing one day to find Chi-chi knocked out and Gohan gone. he was taken hostage because of the Dragonball on his hat and because he fought back. Goku tracks him down with Krillin at his side only to find it’s a group of monstrous warriors lead by Garlic Jr, the son of an ancient enemy of Kami’s and by extension Piccolo who jumps in after getting attacked. Garlic Jr seems to be on the ropes until he transforms and unleashes the power of the Dead Zone which destroyed his father, but help comes from a unlikely force…

Dead Zone isn’t terrible but isn’t great. The action isn’t really special but the fight between Kami and Garlic Jr is pretty cool. The story is fairly basic and is a pretty quick watch. Gohan has a moment at the end, that does play a part in things to come later which is pretty cool. In the end, Dead Zone is fine and worth a watch for the hardcore DBZ fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spider-Man Far From Home Trailers

I saw this morning what is supposedly a new trailer, tho it honestly just seems like a bunch of trailers rolled into one. Either way I did enjoy that most of the writing isn’t even in English while the spoken language is. Plus Spider-Man footage is always nice. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Island of Terror

isle of terror

This goes out to my parents, Duke and Marsha, who watched this movie all the time when I was a kid amongst dozens of others. This stuck out to me for a variety of reasons I’ll get to at the very end.

Essentially we begin with an instance of man playing god, creating a strange series of lifeforms that could best be called “turtles”. These turtles are in fact giant, lumpy creatures that kill with long stinger-ed tentacles, liquefying the victim’s bones and fluid and sucking them dry ( think early Cell from DBZ). A pair of scientists are trying to track down the creatures origin while trying to survive the growing infestation…

For a early monster monster movie, it ain’t bad for it’s time. The acting is solid if not a bit too serious for a movie like this. The music ranges from solid to mildly corny. There are some decently creepy environments and atmosphere. What I will always remember about this movie are the “turtles”. They look goofy and are ludicrously slow; I laughed my ass every time they’d get someone because you know there would be no way in hell these things would kill anyone in real life. But, what I remember most, and I’m not exaggerating here, I’m pretty sure they bleed and gush raw Campell’s Chicken Noodle soup. Originally, if I’m correct this movie was in black and white where they may have been able to get away with it, but color it’s hilarious. In the end it’s not a bad old sci fi horror movie that cn worth some laughs. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Rambo Last Blood Trailer

Rambo Last Blood finally has a trailer, and admittedly I have been pretty skeptical about this even being made, and I still don’t see why it even needs to exist. That being said the teaser tells a story of an older and retired John Rambo doing what he does best, kicking ass and blowing stuff up for a not quite disclosed reason that most people won’t care about anyway. I personally will probably check this out on the grounds of it truly looks like a classic 80’s action flick. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Godzilla: King of the monsters (Torsten)

godzilla 2  Every nerd has there favorite franchise that just sticks to them. Long time readers of the blog know Alien is mine; for Savior as well as our friend Autobot, Godzilla stirs them up. While I’m not the biggest Kaiju fan, I wanted to feel the hype my friends had and see some giant monsters kick the shit out of each other. I wasn’t disappointed…

Picking up 5 years after the first appearance of Godzilla, Monarch has been trying to keep tabs on these Titans that walk the Earth (Godzilla, Kong, the MUTOs, and 17 others) but the government is getting ready to shut them down. A scientist from Monarch has developed a device called the Orca, meant to communicate with them. But when the Orca falls into the wrong hands and starts awakening the sleeping giants, namely the “devil with 3 heads” called Ghidorah, can Godzilla restore balance against a foe not from this world that means to rule it? Long live the King…

I have to agree with Savior in his review of Godzilla King of Monsters (Savior) , this is basically what I wanted from this kind of movie. Unlike the 2014 movie, there is plenty of action and it’s plenty visible. The monsters look incredible and there are plenty of awesome fights. What I wasn’t expecting was the epic cinematography and musical score for each monster. The lore was surprisingly interesting. The characters weren’t bad and I actually felt for a couple of them but you definitely know they aren’t the main focus of the movie, as they shouldn’t be in a spectacle like this. In the end, Godzilla 2 is a epic summer movie I’d highly recommend in IMAX or XD and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

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.