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Venom

venom

Thanks to a special friend of the blog, I got a chance to see what’s been a pretty divisive superhero movie. The trailers have been a roller coaster and frankly reviews haven’t been great after a sour taste left because of it’s Pg-13 rating. How does it fare after the rating and 40 minutes cut?

Venom is the story of controversial reporter Eddie Brock’s fall from grace after getting slammed by a evil corporate head. Carlton Drake, head of the Life Foundation, sent a rocket into space to retrieve samples of alien life to further humanity’s evolution and future. These symbiotes require compatible hosts to survive. Drake is having his forces capture the homeless  and use them to experiment. Brock, wanting revenge for losing almost everything he had because of Drake, is given a opportunity for revenge and comes in contact with one of the creatures. First comes hunger, than spasms, and a guttural voice only he can here and before long he realizes while not in control, this thing is powerful and deadly. “We are Venom”

So, what I’m going to say is going to say will be strange but this movie sucks but is also awesome. The first 40- 50 minutes were a struggle. Venom himself is the true star in the movie. His scenes are nearly spot on perfect. The action scenes are violent and really well done. Eddie Brock I’m sorry to say wasn’t done well. Tom Hardy tries but his character wasn’t written that great. In fact I can’t say any of the human characters were great but the worst is Riz Ahrned as Drake who is one of the worst villains I’ve scene in a movie in a while- the guy seems too nice and is never actually threatening. The second half of the movie is awesome but the first half drags and tries too hard to be funny or emotional.  In the end the movie is almost the precise definition of a 5/ !0 movie, both really great and really crappy  at the same time. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

venom 2018

Our Favorite Movies Day 8: Evil Dead

Evil Dead is a 1981 Sam Raimi horror movie that is, well pretty much a cult classic. It has everything you could want, death, gore, nudity,a cabin in the woods. The only real issue is to me it was always more funny to me than anything. I feel like a lot of others felt the same way considering how the sequels were made. I actually first saw this movie hammered with friends and me and his wife annoyed him to no end when we talked through the entire movie making fun of the outdated effects. And yes, I was way under age to be drinking. I loved the movie and I still like tossing it on every so often, and you should definitely check this one out. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Texas Chainsaw massacre 2

tcm 2

If you’ve been following my posts for a while you’ll see how I have a taste for those special horror movies that make you laugh and say WTF with your friends. Most people didn’t expect such a treat to come as a follow up to the late Tobe Hooper’s gritty horror classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre . Well, after a 12 year gap, a shitload of legal battles and productions problems we got a sequel, but why were people so pissed?

So we begin with a pair of A-holes driving through the countryside, being jerks and public nuisances, even harassing the local rock station over the phone. Until they went to far and screwed with the wrong truck. While one of there calls harassing Stretch, the local DJ, the truck catches up with them and the notorious Leatherface attacks the truck shredding the truck and giving the punks a taste of his saw. Stretch has the call recorded and brings it to a mad ex sheriff named Lefty who’s obsessed with the “Chainsaw killers” would killed some of family in the first movie. After playing the recording to draw them out for Lefty, the Sawyers emerge and madness is unleashed on Stretch…

Ok, if you want a horror movie, something to chill you to the bone I recommend trying the first. This won’t scare you but if you have a warped sense of humor there’s a lot of laughs. There’s a chainsaw fight, Leatherface trying to waltz with a victim, a chili cook off, and Chop Top. Bill Mosely is amazingly quirky and over the top as Chop Top who steals the show more then Leatherface, although Dennis Hopper as Lefty is great too. There’s a fair amount of blood and creepy stuff throughout but unlike the first, this is definitely a movie and a solid dark comedy. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning

hills beginning

I’ve been asked where my love of comics began and it feels strange to say but it all started with a movie tie in book, namely the prequel story to the The Hills Have Eyes(06) as told through the perspective of Hades, the first mutant and main antagonist of The Hills Have Eyes 2 . A small mining town in the New Mexico desert gets ordered to evacuate by order of the US government. Poor and prideful with nowhere else to go, most of the citizens stayed. A band of army men dispatch themselves into the town to try forcing the people to leave. After a women’s family is killed and she’s raped by one of the army men, she vows revenge. The bombs begin to drop soon after and the people flee into the mines. For years they fall as the townsfolk live underground. The woman is blessed with a baby, but the massive child hardly resembles human. Hades is the first of a new kind.

After Hills 2, I was pretty damn let down by the series but the Beginning restored my faith. Beginning, like the first, is a multi-layered revenge story. It’s bloody, shocking, and badass and pretty much everything I loved about the first movie. Hades is much more sympathetic and gruff as a main character and I like that from the get go we are lead to follow the mutants as the protagonists and humans are the bad guys. The book is paced very well and a must read for fans of the series. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Aquaman trailer 2

We got a treat yesterday in the form of a huge Aquaman trailer that gives us a huge look at movie in general. First I have to say visually it looks improved from Aquaman trailer 1 and the Atlantis stuff looks absolutely stunning. Jason Mamoa is charismatic as always and I can’t lie, he pulls off the classic outfit at the end of the trailer; Amber Heard seems natural as Mera and I was glad to see her use her power. I was glad to see Manta in action but I am really liking Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master. I’m really digging how it’s shaping up. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Hills Have Eyes 2

hills 2

So, anyone remember the hype they had being a kid getting into a R rated movie without your parents? This was my first time, after the awesome The The Hills Have Eyes(06)  and boy was I excited. Poor stupid younger me.

For the sequel, we delve into the the hills themselves where a clan of mutants lives. There numbers are dwindling as we see in a gruesome opening scene. A team of soldiers are dispatched into the hills after a base goes dark and after finding what’s left of there taken officer, they discover they aren’t alone and the battle of survival begins.

Ok, if it happens to seem like I’m not putting much effort into this review, it’s because not much effort was put into this movie. The plot is bland with no real memorable characters or mutants like the previous movie. The kills are weak but instead of well done gore and natural intensity, it takes the low road and tries to disturb you with some rape scenes and a woman giving birth to a stillborn mutated bay in the opening scene. I like the setting above ground where again you do feel a sense of emptiness but once the movie goes into the mines it becomes dark and drab. I will say though, there a hilarious moment with “Shitman the Barbarian” that still makes me laugh my ass off. In the end, Hills 2 is a blah cash grab sequel you can skip. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Zombieland 2

After many years of rumors and such Comicbook.com and many others have been reporting that zombieland 2 is set to release a year from now in October of 2019, 10 years after the original. The stars had to align to make this happen with. Getting the original cast together was hard, and they pretty much demanded a high quality script.  Wegotthiscovered.com also reports that we have been promised a cameo that will rival that of the Bill Fucking Murray came from the first, but we will have to wait to see. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Daredevil season 3 trailer

In less than 3 minutes I suddenly wanted my Netflix back after seeing this trailer. I’m curious why he’s wearing his original costume again instead of the red. I personally think the impostor maybe Bullseye, which would be a great way to introduce him. I love that Kingpin is returning as the main villain and knows who Daredevil is. I can’t wait for season 3 to drop, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Dark Knight Rises

dark knight rises

You know how people say there are no perfect trilogies? Most of us have our subjective favorites, but 9 out of 10 times the landing at the end may not be perfect. After how insanely epic Batman Begins and the The Dark Knight were, how did the final installment land?

8 years have passed since the death of Harvey Dent and Batman disappeared. Everything Dent did has been upheld under the Dent Act, locking up hundreds of criminals. Crime seems low, Gordon is nearly obsolete and Bruce Wayne is a battered recluse living in the renovated Wayne manor. Physically and emotionally he’s been torn down and Wayne Enterprises is bleeding money. A mysterious philanthropist named Miranda Tate and notorious Rowland Dagget are clawing for the company from 2 sides. After a run in with a cat burglar, Selena Kyle, Wayne discovers bad times are going to come again. A masked mercenary has come to Gotham with a small army of highly trained soldiers at his heels, working to break the city from the inside out. Enter Bane, the man who broke the bat; can the citizens of Gotham survive without there protector?

This is going to sound weird but despite how flawed it is, I do love this movie and I think, logical leaps aside, it’s a great end to the trilogy. I have to say Tom Hardy as Bane steals the show with his great dialogue, intimidating physical presence, and strange accent; I do wish Nolan picked a better explanation for Bane’s mask. I don’t get why Venom couldn’t be a mix of steroids or something, it didn’t have to have outrageous effects. I personally really like Anne Hathaway as Catwoman although she doesn’t have the cat puns or  the trademark whip. The supporting cast is great and I liked the inclusion of the “John Blake” character. I felt Bale’s performance in this was fine but I hated how much he growled as Batman and well, here we come to the logic leaps. Batman is paranoid and an extremely cautious character by definition so why the hell would he reveal all his secrets to a chick he slept with a couple days prior , let alone be shocked when she betrays his ass? Questions like this, how the hell he could get across the world and back to a quarantined Gotham in less than a day kind of break immersion. Another little issue I have is the final act drags a bit after the climax with Batman and Bane. It may sound like I’m nitpicking this movie but there’s great story arcs and a very powerful message in this final chapter that completes the trilogy quite nicely. In the end, it’s not perfect but it’s a damn good way to end the legend of the Batman. May the gaming gods bring you glory.