Category: Opinion

Candyman

candyman

Candyman is one of those rare horror classics I haven’t seen fully until just recently. Based off of the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker (one of my favorite horror authors), I was excited to see what this icon had in store for me.

Helen Lyle and Bernadette Walsh are grad students investigating a local urban legend held accountable for several grisly murders, the Candyman. If you look into a mirror and say his name 5 times, a figure with a hook for a hand disembowels you. Upon further investigation Helen learns where this story originated, a young African American man was brutally killed by having his arm cut off and slathered in honey so he would by stung to death by thousands of bees and finally his body was burned and his ashes were scattered in what would be a run down apartment complex near her. She takes the legend in jest and summons the haunting figure who turns Helen’s life upside down to continue his legend; can Helen bring down the figure before he steals a baby’s life as well as her own?

While not perfect, I can safely say Candyman is a classic. Tony Todd as Candyman is menacing and his voice is frightening; my only grip is that they echo him too much and there’s a few times it becomes hard to understand his lines. I love the cinematography and the use of symbolism. My favorite besides Candyman’s full  reveal at the end is the entrance to his lair being a painting of his screaming face. Virginia Madsen as Helen isn’t a typical survivor girl and I liked her as a main character. The movie’s pacing is good and the score is pretty different which gives the movie a tone different than most slasher movies. A couple of times the effects look kooky but nothing unforgivable by any means. Candyman is definitely a movie I recommend to any horror fan who never saw it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Day 10, Bahamut

Bahamut is very odd in the sense of depending on where you are looking at it from it changes. For example, if you are Playing final fantasy it is a huge dragon, but in Hebrew lore, he is more of a giant fish. He is kind of all over the place and has a bunch of different names, tho as a gamer I love the Final Fantasy version. So enjoy the evolution of Bahamut and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy

scary stories tril

As much as I love Goosebumps , the original Scary Stories trilogy gave me and a bunch of kids nightmares in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I’m saying this right now, if you got younger kids and want to spook them out old school this Halloween, these book have you covered. With some surprisingly grisly tales throughout Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones and truly nightmarish artwork throughout. I admit, the kid in me went spastic when I saw the trailers for the movie and saw the ghouls and stories brought to life. Some tales that stuck out to me was the story of the girl with the terrible zit, the “wonderful” sausage, and a wedding game gone wrong. As an adult, I love to bring the treasury out which contains the trilogy and enjoy a good horror tale or 2 before bed. These books are a must read for horror fans of all ages and a fun thing that needs to be shared with the younger generations. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Day 9, Grendel

Grendel is a descendant of the Biblical Cain, the world’s first murderer that killed his brother Abel over God choosing his offering over his brothers. Originally appearing in the epic poem  Beowolf. He is considered evil and cursed by God to never be happy.

The interesting thing about Grendel tho is how his actual description is actually debated since in the original poem he isn’t described really tho he is thought to be human-like. Since than Grendel has appeared in other stories, video games and even movies. Grendel is proof that sometimes you can create something and never know how far it will go. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Phantasm 2

phantasm 2

Phantasm is one of my all time favorite horror movies and one of my first reviews I ever did on the blog. The Tall Man is a dark, menacing figure with untold horrors at his disposal. Unlike typical horror series though, Phantasm has a huge story that continues each installment.

The sequel picks up right where the first left off. Mike and Reggie barely escape there house, blowing the Tall Man up inside. Mike tells his story to the cops and is understandably thrown into the funny farm, released when he’s a full grown adult, reuniting with Reggie who go on a cross country hunt for the Tall Man. Setting up another remote funeral home, the Tall Man and his minions come across a gifted young woman named Liz. Can Mike and Reggie vanquish the sinister Tall Man once and for all?

I got to admit, as far as sequels go, Phantasm 2 is pretty damn awesome. The story stays fresh and stays strangely unpredictable as the original was. Angus Scrum is once again awesome as the Tall Man. The score is a cool, more action paced version of the original. There is a awesome amount of kills, including new modifications to the sphere that are simply badass. I definitely recommend checking out this strange, WTF, sequel that doesn’t disappoint if you loved the first. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Day 8, Sharks

Sharks have been a staple in horror movies ever since Jaws (1975) and never really slowed down. There were multiple movies for Jaws, the Sharknado movies, and a plethora of other B movies involving them. Why? Because a giant creature coming at you while swimming and tearing you to pieces is terrifying. Seriously, look at these things.

Do you want to get hit by that damn thing? I didn’t think so. So lets just not get attacked by sharks, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Borderlands 3

borderlands 3

A couple weeks ago I did a Borderlands 3 first impressions post I highly recommend checking out in conjunction with review. It’s basically going to give you a better look at my thoughts on the game as a whole, but I’m driving the point I originally made here.

Borderlands 3 picks up 5 years after the events of Borderlands 2 and the Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the fight for Sanctuary DLC. The Calypso Twins, Tyreen and Troy, are uniting the bandits and scum of the borderlands together in a massive cult called the Children of the Vault (or COV), known for hosting there brutal killings live on the net YouTube style for the masses. They seek to find all the vaults across the galaxy and become the gods they are seen as. With Lilith’s Siren powers gone and in Tyreen’s grasp, things look bleak for our heroes. It’s up to our new Vault Hunters, Moze, Fl4k, Zane, and Amara to stop the COV from conquering not just Pandora but the galaxy…

It’s been a long ass time since I felt so divided on a game. The gameplay, as I previously said, is immaculate. The guns and shooting are better then they ever have been; new mechanics like power sliding and the alternate fires make combat more exciting with the improved AI and the increased enemy damage. Each class is a blast to play as and the new class system offers more possible replay-ability than any other game in the series. The enemies and settings are much more varied and refreshing. So what’s the catch? The writing is frankly sub-par. The jokes are cringe-worthy, you’re favorite characters pretty much are glorified cameos mostly, and the Calypso Twins get annoying quickly. The format feels closer to the original Borderlands before they got there story telling mojo. Essentially you feel like you’re playing a damn good shooter with a Borderlands skin attached. In conclusion, the game is amazing to play but the story is a huge disappointment. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Day 7, Bigfoot

Yes Bigfoot, why? Because it probably doesn’t exist in the way people think it does. It is most likely a species of ape that is occasionally seen and since people aren’t familiar with it, the story of Bigfoot grows. There have been over 400 reported sightings, footprints and photos, some proven fake some not. Regardless there is too much evidence out there to dismiss it as a total myth. Here are some links to some interesting articles, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot/lists/10-bigfoot-sightings-last-5-years/

https://www.bfro.net/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/

Dragonball Z: Fusion Reborn

dbz fusion reborn

All hell basically breaks loose as a new entity emerges in the afterlife, busting the barrier between HELL and the living world. This means many of the familiar Z rogues have returned to Earth including Frieza, Bojack, The Ginyu Force, and Cell ( and a hilarious caricature of Adolf Hitler) and it’s up to Gohan, Videl, Goten, and Trunks to stop them. Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Goku finds a fat, yellow, baby like dimension warping creature called Janemba is the source of the commotion. Using the full power of Super Saiyan 3 he puts Janemba down, or so he thinks. Janemba returns in a sleek, more malevolent form and quickly overpowers Goku’s SS3 form. The only solution is to fuse with Vegeta through the fusion dance, which they’ve never done before. Can our heroes get there shit together and beat this dimension shattering foe?

Fusion Reborn is probably my favorite movie from the DragonBall Z: The Buu Saga era. The fights are badass and Janemba is a strange but fitting fiend I prefer over Buu if I’m going to be honest. Seeing other DBZ villains return was awesome and the Hitler cameo was easily one of the funniest moments I recall from anime. My only real gripe is that once Gogeta shows up,  Janemba is finished in about 3 seconds, feeling way too abrupt for my taste. Fusion Reborn is a cool, pretty badass movie I recommend to any DBZ fan. May the gaming gods bring you glory.