Category: Opinion

The Blood Lands ( aka The White Settlers)

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After how much the twist at the end of The Boy pissed me off, I needed carnage and Netflix was there to answer my plea…kinda. Granted, I went into this expecting something like Wrong Turn or dare I say more like Hostel. I was ultimately wrong, but calmed down by this simple thriller. Blood Lands is about a British couple who buy a old cottage in Scotland to fix up, but a group of pig masked strangers doesn’t want them there. Essentially that’s the main plot. Where the movie thrives is the couple, Ed and Sara’s chemistry; they act like a genuine couple and do feel like real people. For a movie called “Blood Lands” there isn’t much blood, going mostly for a suspense approach which is welcome. The pig masked group aren’t very scary though; the combination of the heavy Scottish accents and the masks make everything a damn muffled mess; what saves them as villains is there ultimate motive which I found refreshing. Honestly, Blood Lands was a pretty decent horror movie, short and simple but effective. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dark Knight turns 10 today

the dark knight

Why so serious today? July, 18th, 2008 we got one the greatest superhero movies of all time, as well as one of the best sequels of all time and for many, the best Batman film to date. I know plenty of folks who hate superhero films, but still adore this movie. The trilogy was one of my biggest inspirations as a writer in the genre, and a decade later it still holds near and dear to my heart. From Heath Ledger’s frightening performance as the Joker, a winding plot leading to an emotionally gripping finale, and Batman at some of his most epic. I had the pleasure of seeing it for the midnight showing in Scranton because of my dad, Duke, and because he sacrificed something I was able to be inspired by something truly special, and for that I’ll always be grateful. In the end, sit back and enjoy this masterpiece so it can put a smile on your face.

The Boy

the boy

So I’m really late to the party on this one. My old roommate and I really wanted to see this a few years ago when it came out. He saw it around that time, I watched it last night. He told me don’t watch it. I almost wished I took his advice.

The Boy follows Greta, who ditches her asshole abusive ex boyfriend by taking a nanny job overseas in England. Her employers are a rich, old couple who live in a old mansion in the middle of the countryside. She meets the charming Malcolm, who brings the groceries and soon meets the child she is tasked with caring for: Brahms. Greta immediately finds herself creeped out because Brahms isn’t a child at all, but a doll made to look like a boy. Greta accepts this for easy money, ignoring the strict guidelines his parents gave and suddenly things begin happening and Greta is forced to care for Brahms like he was her own and she finds out the mystery of the Brahms that used to be…

This movie is tricky. It is filmed really nice and acted pretty damn well given the movie’s strange premise. I’m glad it’s not a common ghost stories, and I do like how you start to think Greta maybe going insane at times. I feel like the movie could have been a really psychological thriller attuned to the original Haunting, but alas the twist ending happens. I hated the twist, which kills a lot the movie for me. In the end, the movie is fine but could have been great and there’s no harm catching it on Netflix. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1

power rangers v1

To start, I’m going to start this four part review with a shout out to my friend Autobot who loaned me these comics. After the Power Rangers Shattered Grid Trailer , many were interested in the Higgins run of Power Rangers comics, to which we get the first volume.

Shortly after being freed from the grasp of Rita Repulsa, Tommy Oliver is finding the balance between being a normal teen and the sixth Power Ranger. The dynamic of the team has changed as the old rangers learn to adjust to there new teammate and former enemy. Tensions are high amongst the group; Jason and Tommy butt heads over leadership and Zach is ensure of Tommy’s true aligence after it appears Tommy can’t fully control the powers of the Green Ranger. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Rita is mentally torturing Tommy, trying to lure him back to her side. Or, does Rita have other plans?

I grew up with Power Rangers like many and to this day I still love the classic Mighty Morphin series so I loved this book. If your a die hard fan and are worried it won’t fit the show, rest assured, the characters act and look how they did then. What I liked is how it was just a little bit darker, but wasn’t as drastic as last year’s remake seemed to be. I couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series. The only issue I had was it felt short; there is a Bulk and Skull short at the end but I felt like it was there to pad the book up a bit. Either way, old fan or new, it’s definitely worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

A simple favor trailer

Now when the name Paul Feig gets brought up, your mind goes directly to GhostBusters 2016, which sparked an idiotic amount of controversy and outrage. I have no prior knowledge of his work, but I’m intrigued by the trailer for hi latest, A Simple Favor. The premise seems basic, tried but true, but the music, tone, and retro elegance of Blake Lively’s costumes brought on a otherworldly quality I’m a sucker for. I love Anna Kendrick as an actress and I’m glad she’s rising up. I hope the Ghostbusters remake hasn’t scarred this film; I laughed a little at the opening of the trailer that states it’s from the “darker side” of Paul Feig. In the end, I hope it’s a redemption for the guy, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dr Sleep release date announced

Dr sleep movie

In the The Dark Tower we saw a brief glimpse at a picture of the Overlook Hotel, the setting and antagonist of The Shining . I groaned, expecting a remake of Kubrick’s classic but months ago we got news that Ewan McGregor will be playing a grow up Danny Torrence in the film for Dr. Sleep. Mike Flannigan, as seen above, is set to direct; with credits including Oculus (2013) , Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, and last year’s Gerald Game, it seems Dr Sleep is in capable hands. Rebecca Ferguson is also cast. We have a a release set for 2020; January 24th according to IMDB. Film Buffs out there may find this alarming; January has always been a notorious month for shit movies, and I pray this isn’t the case. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Evil Dead

evil dead

Before the one-liners, before the madness of Asliegh Williams killing Deadites in the middle ages, before the remake that took itself way too seriously and Ash vs Evil Dead (series) there was the gory, claymated wonder that was the classic Evil Dead. Like many wacky misadventures, Evil Dead is about a group of friends that go to a nice sweet little cabin in the woods. Things are fine until the basement door pops open and in the basement they find an old tape recorder and a peculiar book made of flesh and written in human blood- like we all do. On the recorder is a translation from a past victim of the book, who loudly recites the translated incantations, unleashing the Evil Dead on them. Malevolent spirits awaken, attacking and possessing the friends, turning them into disgusting demons. By the end, on the cusp of his sanity is the whimpy, meek, Ash but can he rise to the challenge?

I know I’m playing against the the gross opinion but I actually like the original Evil Dead best. I like the gritty filming and there is a good blend of WTF scenes that are funny actual horror. Linda, Ash’s girlfriend, creeped the hell out of me with her clownish make up and wide grin. The infamous tree rape scene holds up pretty well in my opinion and is still alarming. In the end, Evil Dead is a simple movie with a simple premise that is a damn awesome B movie I recommend checking out for the simple fact it is a fun horror movie of gore, slapstick, and some chills. May the gaming gods bring you glory, now it’s time to go to sleep:)

Is evil, evil?

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Below there will be spoilers for multiple movies and TV shows that I will list.

  1. Supernatural 2. Marvel Infinity war 3. final fantasy 9

 

When I was young I remember never questioning things like this. The good guys were good, the bad guys were bad. That was it. There was no in between. The character I played or the protagonist in the movie was the good guy, the people they faced off against was the bad guy and that was how I viewed things. But then I got older and things didn’t seem so simple. However in my old age I have to wonder, maybe it isn’t so simple.

Watching Supernatural I see Gordon Walker, obsessed with killing Sam who happens to be the Antichrist. Now for those that watch the show, this isn’t entirely wrong. He actually does help mess things up pretty badly. The Winchester brothers while a force for good and saving the innocent numerous times do inadvertently cause some problems, like start the end of the world. While maybe not the best way to go about it, was Gordon a bad guy? Killing Sam would stop all kinds of bad things from happening and save many lives.

Thanos is another good example in the MCU Thanos Not the Villain?    while he may not be the typical example of a hero, and he may have a messed up way of going about it, he is far from being truly evil. What he says is factually correct, and his solution will actually work.

On the flip side, many of the people we see as heroes, aren’t truly good. Captain America in the same movie in his refusal to trade lives is guilty of the same “evil” we accuse Thanos of. He took the choice as to living or dying away from countless people in both Wakanda and in the universe as well as for Vision when he refused to let him sacrifice himself. By the time Vision was allowed to make that choice, it was far to late. Both Thanos and Captain America are arguably equal on the scale of good and evil.

There was a time in video games this wasn’t very common however, it was simply a good vs evil story. There are however exceptions to the rule. Garland from Final Fantasy 9 for example, he was a bad guy but only mostly. While he is responsible for Kuja and some unsavory things he wasn’t lets destroy the world evil like Kuja.

Now I am not saying all evil characters aren’t evil and all good ones aren’t good. But as a kid the subtle things were lost on most people and as an adult going back and seeing these things is rather odd. Fun, but odd. Now there is no real reason for this, just some random thoughts. Tell me what you think or any examples you have, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Exorcist (movie)

the exorcist movie

In 1973 we got a movie that changed horror forever, traumatizing thousands because of its dark as hell themes and realistic effects that hold up remarkably well today, almost 50 years later. Directer William Friedkin (Bug ) took the terrifying book by William Peter Blatty and pulled no punches.

The Exorcist follows the demonic possession of Reagan MacNeil, a 12 year old little girl and the two priests that come together to take on the daunting task. The intro to the movie we meet Father Merrin at an archaeological excavation in the Middle East, culminating in a stare down with a freaky looking statue we get a foreboding dread he has encountered before. Across the world, Reagan is with her mother, a successful actress,  as small, strange things begin to happen. Her mother doesn’t notice until a disturbing sight happens at a big party she throws, leading to sights nothing within reason can explain. Reagan turns violent, having violent seizures and physically striking at the doctors trying to help her. Enter Father Damien Karras, a priest dealing with the loss of faith after his mother’s health plummets and dies;  Chris, Reagan’s mother, reaches out to Karras who inspects Reagan and comes to the dark conclusion about her possession. Can Merrin and Karras save her soul and expel the demon?

The possession sub genre hasn’t been my favorite, for every The Exorcism of Emily Rose  there’s a The Devil Inside but the Exorcist is honestly the greatest and undeniable progenitor of the sub genre. The effects are damn good, even today when CGI has taken over film land. The acting is amazing and the characters are strong. I will say the movie is slow, with decent gaps between scares where we see the characters develop, but some modern audiences may frown upon that. Horror fans and film buffs alike, this is a must watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Is Cross Play Important?

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The question today is simple, is cross play important? This kind of depends on how you look at it. Sony recently has been getting a lot of flack for not really being involved with it which honestly isn’t as true as it is made out. They have plenty of cross play with PC games for example DC  Universe online. That isn’t to say it is great with it, but the idea that Sony is completely against it and has none is false.

The other problem is people keep throwing around the term anti consumer in reference to it, but that also isn’t true. Anti consumer is when a company’s policy is unfairly against the customer in favor of the company. Sony being against cross play is in no way unfair to anyone. You aren’t being punished or hindered from playing the games.

vgchart If you look at total consoles sold for PS4, Xbox one and the Nintendo Switch The PS4 has outsold both the Xbox and Switch, combined. To say there is some anti consumer practice going on where PlayStation 4 users are being hurt and lack people to play with is insane. There is no anti consumer practice occurring.

Companies do things to benefit themselves on a business level and to help their customers, but cross play with Xbox and Nintendo honestly doesn’t add much for Sony. They already have the biggest player base outside of PC gaming. They would simply be giving their competitor access to their customers. And when something goes wrong, they would be blamed. And as a person that owns both Xbox and PS4 I can’t help but acknowledge that I run into far more issues with people on my Xbox than my PlayStation, and I spend more time on my PS4.

Now on to the flip side of things. While I do agree and acknowledge Sony is 100% right for not embracing cross play in a wide-spread manner because truly it does not help them, and people are also ignoring that in the early days of online game play it was Sony that attempted to make cross play happen and Microsoft that said no, and it was because they had the bigger online population which nobody seems to care about or want to acknowledge, there are some games I think Sony would be smart to simply bite the bullet on and just let it happen with. Minecraft and Rocket League for example have been out for so long at this point anyone that is going to buy the games, have basically done so. While it doesn’t benefit them I don’t think ti will really hurt them to go along with it either.

Sony has outsold everyone at this point, and as such they are smart not to let their competitors simply have access to their players at every turn. Especially since most people I have personally come across and know personally legitimately don’t care and can take it or leave it. But to save face and pacify some, Sony would be smart to simply embrace cross play for some older games and see how it goes. Most people don’t care, and with older games it won’t cost them anything. And while right now they are undeniably king of the mountain, at one point so was Sega and Nintendo, being right and being smart aren’t always the same thing. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.