Opinion – Page 77 – Savior Gaming

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.

Chris Hemsworth Explains Why he Turned Down Star Trek 4

Recently Chris Hemsworth finally explained why he turned down the now dead project of Star Trek 4. ScreenRant reports that is actually quite the boring reason. He simply didn’t like the script. While speaking to Variety he said he just wasn’t intrigued by the script and it wasn’t really strong enough for Georges come back. Admittedly I understand, nobody wants to make a return a lot of fans want and just have people hate it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Bell Jar

the bell jar

I’m going to start this review on a somber note. May in the US celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month. Most of the world suffers from some form of mental illness whether mild or severe and many never get treated for one reason or another. Much of it comes from guilt, shame, or denial or plenty of other reasons but the outcome remains the same: a pain others can’t see. I’ve suffered from mental illness and many of my loved ones have. The Bell Jar helped me realize I wasn’t alone…

Esther Greenwood is a young woman who ought to feel on top of the world. From college she scored herself a much sought after internship at a women’s magazine and has come a long way from her roots in Boston. Unlike the others around her, she isn’t fascinated by the big city life. She feels stuck, unsure what to do or where to go after school and what the world could have in store for her except a life as a homemaker to please her nagging mother and marry a dude she barely likes basically because she’s expected to. One night she finds herself in a dark situation and Esther unravels, leading to suicide attempts and trips to the asylum and the barbaric treatments of the day, all alone, and misunderstood inside of her own personal jar…

The Bell Jar scared me. Deeply terrified me in fact. It wasn’t the fear of a monster or the supernatural that terrified me but how much I related to the feelings Esther portrayed. The book is beautifully written and the characters feel palpable through Esther’s eyes. The feelings she has feel justified and while sympathetic, by the end I rooted for her to find hope. The ending I found even more tragic when the real life of Sylvia Plath was taken into account. In the end, The Bell Jar is a book every reader, writer, or anyone dealing with mental illness should read. Instead of our customary farewell, I urge anyone dealing with mental illness to seek help and best wishes; it’s Ok to not be Ok.

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.

Memorial Day (United States)

As Memorial Day comes winding down in the United States (I am being specific because I know many of you in other countries have your own Memorial Day, or version of it) I just wanted to take a minute to tell you all to be careful on your way home tonight as always, but also to remember the lives that were lost not for what they were, but for the plans they had. Entire lives planned out suddenly lost, so with that in mind don’t wait on the things you want, because next year may not come. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory, and those that came before us peace.

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.

Pokemon Stadium

With Detective Pikachu killing it in theaters, I wanted to look back at a classic for 90’s kids. Pokemon Stadium was a simple concept done right- choose from the classic first generation 150 Pokemon and battle in epic tournaments against the AI or your friends, challenge the classic Indigo League gym leaders, or play some pretty fun mini games.

Much like the classic Pokemon games on Gameboy ( Red, Blue, Yellow, etc.) battling is standard turned based combat. I admit, knowing Pokemon in advance is a huge advantage. Types are everything and discovering what type beats your opponent grants you a near instant K.O. While the combat is certainly fun, type-matching and spam moves rule. There are a awesome assortment of modes to choose from; my favorite was a combination of the gym leader tower and the mini games. The graphics are fairly solid for the time but the sound effects are pretty corny, even for twenty years ago. While I don’t have much to say, if you have a friend and an N64, Pokemon Stadium is an amazing time. 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.

Game Of Thrones Ending (Spoilers)

As the title says, this is about the ending of Game of Thrones and contains spoilers so please, stop reading now if you haven’t watched. This will contain spoilers, in fact, this contains the ultimate spoilers.

Everyone here that wants to be here? Cool. There have been a lot of complaints about the last season of G.O.T. and the end is no exception, and let us be honest, this was always going to happen. Everyone had their idea of who would take the Iron Throne and how and why and what Jon and Sansa would end up doing? Well, we finally have an answer after 8 years.

To give you a quick rundown, After realizing what Dany turned into, Tyrion begs Jon to do the right thing, and he does. He gives her one last chance to do the right thing and when he sees she is clearly not going to, he stabs her with a knife and kills her. Drogon in his rage won’t hurt Jon, which there are already many theories on why melts the Iron Throne and takes the body of Daenerys Targaryen and flys away, presumably back to Valyria. This results in Jon being arrested by Grey Worm.

This is where Tyrion explains it doesn’t matter what anyone wants to do, it all is the choice of the new king or queen and since the most powerful people in Westeros are gathered they should just pick one. Samwell Tarly votes to let everyone have a vote, but he gets laughed at. Tyrion has a better idea, to give it to someone with a story because stories unite people and never die. And nobody has a better story than Bran the Broken who fell from a tower and lived, cross the wall despite having no use of his legs and became the one eyes raven. The fact that he can’t have kids is sold as a good thing, because as they have all seen the son of kings and queens can be cruel and kings should be chosen at that spot from now on by the houses of Westeros.

Grey Worm is fine with this but demands Jon still be punished, and he is banished back to the wall and the Night Watch. Meanwhile, Tyrion is once again Hand of The King which he refuses because he doesn’t want it. Bran points out he doesn’t want to be king, but there they are.

The issue is most people are upset and don’t realize pretty much everyone got exactly what they wanted. Jon didn’t want to be king, in fact, he liked the north to the point when Tormund invited him to go he basically says he wishes he could. The show literally ends with him walking out of the wall into the north with Tormund and the Wildlings.

Arya points out nobody knows what is west of Westeros because all the maps end at Westeros and she decides to go there, and interestingly enough the last thing you see of her is her on a ship and the ships sale is of a wolf, the implication being she is the captain of the ship. This is of course what she always wanted, she wanted to go on adventures and do her own thing.

Last is Sansa, and if you think back to season 1 all she wanted was to be queen. Her end is she is the Queen of The North as she told Bran that the North would remain a free realm despite the fact that she loved him.

That is what people are missing, all the main characters in the end that are alive got what they wanted plus they got a king that wasn’t a tyrant or power hungry. While the ending isn’t perfect, it is still a pretty happy ending for the characters we grew to love over the years and the world is a better place. The wheel is broken and most importantly, Tyrion lived. Tell me what you guys think, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.