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The Hobbit

hobbit

I’m not really a major fantasy nerd by heart but I’ve always been told to read it if you want to become a writer. So I did, finding myself perplexed but impressed at the same time. While not as grim or action packed as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it is in fact an epic adventure to the core and I love that Tolkien writes in a particular style of not dumbing his world down for us to understand it, he challenges you to experience it for yourself. I respect that.

Bilbo Baggins is an ordinary hobbit in The Shire, boring, polite, and something of a homebody. That it is until Gandalf the wizard shows up, and then after that the pesky dwarves show up to his cozy hobbit-hole, requesting his presence in their party as a master thief on Gandalf’s behalf. Bilbo hasn’t done a damn thing like thieving. The dwarves, led by Thorin, a monarch who’s family was forced out of his kingdom and castle full of gold by a badass dragon named Smaug. Thorin wants Smaug gone and his shit back. The group sets off, facing trolls, spiders, a sweet barrel ride, and an important encounter with Gollum and a ring he is obsessed with. The whole time Bilbo grows into the role Gandalf set up for him, armed only with a glowing sword and the ring that let’s him become invisible, but can he raise to the challenge and defeat Smaug?

The Hobbit is a simple classic that has a great range of characters, setting, and world building. Of the three times I’ve read it, it does get better each time I read it. It is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy but I love that it’s not a A-B prequel, which was a huge reason I loved that direction for Prometheus ; you can read it perfectly fine as a standalone book. The book was cut into three full fledged, 2 hour plus movies even though the book is just about 300 pages. What almost drew me to the movies was Benedict Cumbatch’s portrayal as Smaug, which was terse but perfect; friends that are way more into Tolkien than I am told me the trilogy was a waste of time in the end. I highly recommend the book, especially if you are a aspiring writer, but I can tell you it’s ok to skip the movies. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Terminal trailer

The vibrant contrast of colors of this picture made me watch the trailer and I was intrigued. Visually I was pretty hooked, curious as to the colorful neon Noir they were going for. I’ve always been a fan of Margot Robbie, especially after her great performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad so I’m always curious what’s she’s up to next. I’m curious for the next trailer, so check it out, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Children of the Corn

children of the corn

I will never step foot in a corn field, or anywhere predominately full of kids without thinking I’m going to get mauled and put on a damn corn cross. At the same time, Children of the Corn is my favorite cult movie. I briefly talked about the short story when I talked about the book Night Shift by of course Stephen King, but let’s go a bit more in depth…

General premise: under a demon influenced child preacher, the children of Gatlin Nebraska murder all the adults and take to human sacrifices for “He who walks behind the rows” lurking in the corn, and a couple stumbles upon this after running over a kid they found with his throat cut. This is pretty much where the similarities end.

In the story, Burt and Vicky are a couple who hate each other driving through the deep nowhere of corn because Burt has a interview. They hit the kid and uncover some weird shit in his possession. They park in town and split up. Vicky gets taken by the kids, which is the last time we see her alive; the last time she’s on the cross with her eyes ripped out and corn husks jammed in her sockets. Burt discovers that the kids murdered there parents and murder anyone past 18; and that they’ve been procreating extremely young. A kid named Amos is seemingly the one who started all this and Issac and Malachi are on the chopping block. Burt finds what’s left of Vicky, but He who walks behind the Rows finds him first…no happy ending, not even close.

In the movie, Burt and Vicky are married and mostly happy but there’s a rift because Burt has issues with kids. They talk to a old mechanic that lives on the outskirts of Gatlin that directs them away, but the corn is never ending and traps them there, then they hit the kid. Issac is the preacher that brought this madness, aided by his violent lieutenant Malachi. Again Vicky gets taken while Burt finds some messed up shit. But unrest in the group keeps her alive; Malachi turns on Issac and hosts him up for sacrifice with Vicky. Burt gets rescued by nonbelievers Jobb and Sarah, and together they ban together to get Vicky back and stop the children.

There’s a remake which blends both but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it; does this premise at all seem fit for a made-for -TV movie?

I love both story and movie but for different reasons. The story is bleak and very ambiguous; piecing what those kids were doing was half the morbid allure of it. We really didn’t see faces, no speeches, just remains they left behind. While the movie has creepy parts, I love the look and the child actors, especially Issac and Malachi and how over the top they could be and some of the shitty effects are just fun. Either way, I’d check either out, and may the gaming gods bring you glory Outlander!

5 Marvel characters I’ve never read before

I’ve only really been reading comics for about five years now and I admit the films, for better or worse helped guide my direction in what to read. In a universe so huge, it’s hard to figure out where to go sometimes, so here’s a list in no particular order of famous Marvel characters I haven’t read yet starting with…

1. Ghost Rider-

I loved the first movie for the spirit of vengeance, because well, how do you get more badass than a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle from hell?

punisher comic 2. The Punisher-

I’ve seen his movies, played the controversial game on PlayStation 2, and loved him on Daredevil season 2 but never read his comic. I enjoy a good revenge story, who better to give a bit of punishment?

capt marvell 3. Captain Marvell-

In the Thanos Imperative I had a little experience with the lesser known Captain, but the most recent, Carol Danvers, has become quite famous. Played by Brie Larson in the upcoming MCU film as well as being one of the leads of Civil War 2, I want to get into one of her stories soon.

4. Silver Surfer-

I’ve found myself becoming fond of the cosmic side of Marvel like Fantastic 4, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Inhumans. Surfer was my favorite part of Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer so I would love to see his exploits on the page.

thor comic 5. Thor-

This blows peoples minds but I know next to shit about comic book Thor. The old English gets me but I love the movies and the comic art is beautiful so I’ll give it a shot.

In the end I plan to try them, but if anyone has ideas which stories to start with, I’m all ears and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fortnite Update 1.51 is LIVE; Check Out The Notes, Brah! — All The PlayStation You’ll Ever Need.

The weekly Fortnite Update is live, bringing with it a multitude of chances across all versions of the game, including the removal of 30FPS mode plus a guided missile to wreck havoc on your enemy. Grab a snack, because these notes are loooooong: Guided Missile (Battle Royale) Take down forts with a more personal touch. […]

via Fortnite Update 1.51 is LIVE; Check Out The Notes, Brah! — All The PlayStation You’ll Ever Need.

The Shining

the shining bk

Heeeere’s Torsten with another long overdue book/movie review. Savior once covered the movie, link here to see his thoughts: The Shining

Either way you go, the Shining is the story of the Torrance family spending a winter care-taking for the Overlook Hotel. Father, Jack, is a disgraced English Professor and struggling novelist and ex alcoholic. Mom, Wendy, silently resents Jack because he’s a F-up and last time he got drunk accidentally broke there psychic son, Danny’s, arm. While Danny sees things inside the hotel, Jack discovers the dark secrets of the Overlook’s past, things go shit up when they are trapped inside the Hotel and madness ensues, turning Jack against his family…

While the premise is the same, the executions are really damn different. Remember those creepy ass images from the movie: creepy twins, elevator full of blood, and whatever the hell was going on between the bear suit guy and that guy in the tux? Well there’s none of that in the book. In the book we got hedge animals that come alive and a hornets nest… Ok, so sorry no really creepy visuals in the book. What sells the book is the atmosphere and the build up to Jack losing it. The characters in the book are very deep but I can’t say I ever really found the book scary but a family drama with a dark ending. I like the movie better for a few reasons. Whereas I found the Overlook’s history ok in the book, I love the imagery Kubrick created from the same backstory (though the bloody elevator was all him.) I felt the family in the book was actually a loving family that would have been Ok if this didn’t happen, but the family in the movie seemed off, like a family pretending they weren’t about to explode. In the book, it’s plain that it’s a freaking ghost story but it was more intriguing that we didn’t know for sure what the hell was going on. Last was how the movie had a darker ending which I felt more fulfilling.

In the end I thought the book was Ok but the movie is legendary. Stephen King again proved he’s a master storyteller. May the gaming gods bring you glory and happy Easter from us to you.

Incredible Hulk

hulk 2008

Hulk smashed back the terrible Hulk movie with his introductory reboot into the MCU. Following the insanely huge success of Iron Man, Incredible Hulk is the second film of the MCU.

We begin with a quick origin of Bruce Banner’s accident, this time during an experiment that was covertly meant for the government. General Ross now has a reason to want Banner as an encounter with Hulk killed people and landed his daughter, Betty in the hospital. Bruce Banner is on the run in South America, living off the grid, desperate for a cure. Working with the mysterious Mr. Blue could bring about the cure, but to complete it they must meet in person at his lab in America, forcing Banner to come out of hiding and reunite with his old flame Betty Ross. After a disastrous encounter with the the Hulk, one of Ross’s specialists wants revenge, while finding himself enthralled by the creature’s power. Ross has a solution: using a failed attempt to recreate Captain America’s super serum. But as Banner’s seemingly cures the Hulk, he discovers Mr. Blue’s true intentions which inadvertently causes the creation of the Abomination. Can Banner control the Hulk long enough to stop the Abomination?

While some hate this movie, I personally love this darker take on the Hulk. There’s a lot more action and the poetry and despair comes through without the utter pretension of Ang Lee’s. Hulk has never looked better in my opinion and though Abomination looks somewhat like a Resident Evil boss, was pretty badass. I do really like Edward Norton as Banner and William Hurt as Ross but some of the other acting can be a bit bland. In the end, Incredible Hulk is a pretty epic movie and a damn good installment of the MCU. May the gaming gods bring you glory and stay tuned for the rest of our upcoming MCU reviews.

Favorite Locales in gaming…

Let’s talk real estate, location, location, location. In gaming we get some gorgeous worlds that make us wish we could live there or pray we’d never set foot in but either way are memorable. Here’s a list of mine in no particular order starting with one that actually exists..

ac2 italy 1. Renaissance Italy ( Assassin’s Creed 2)

I’m a huge fan of the Renaissance era and being able to experience it and venture through Italy’s gorgeous architecture was truly a pleasure.

skyrim 2. Skyrim ( Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim)

Who the hell wouldn’t want to go to the lush, fascinating kingdom of Skyrim full of interesting people, magic, killer beasts and epic dragons? Plus talking cat people…

arkham city 2 3. Arkham City (Batman: Arkham City )

I’d go here just because of the villains that lurk here like Two-Face, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and that lovable goof Mr. J and his sweetheart Harley. A community is only as good as it’s people after all..

yharnam bloodborne 4. Yharnam (BloodBorne review)

I loved this creepy, Victorian, Gothic town the second I walked in with my trusty ax. Between the Lovecraft style monsters and classic horror feel, I’d put a top hat on and hang out there a night.

dishonored dunwall 5. Dunwall (Dishonored series)

Another town, though with a steampunk flavor of whale blubber, robot walkers, and plague but hey, the fashion is quite dashing. Especially that creepy bastard in the skull mask…

sevastopol isolation 6. Sevastopol Station (Alien: Isolation)

The last two are a morbid curiosity deals more than anything, but as a sci-fi, horror nerd I gotta do it. Granted I ain’t going here with a alien on board, hell no..

ishimura deadspace 7. U.S.S Ishimura (DeadSpace )

Many modern horror fans shiver at the name, knowing the horrific things inside but the areas inside are creepy as well as cool looking to see. Just make sure you have a plasma-cutter handy..

May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ant-Man

Ant-man

So let’s talk a movie that once announced in the MCU made me say “Wow, really dude? A freaking Ant-Man movie!” but like many times before, I ate my words. This movie is pretty freaking entertaining and it’s about a superhero I don’t even really like.

Scott Lang is a ex con looking for redemption so he can do right by his daughter. Once a thief though, after a hard time getting back on his feet, Lang finds himself thieving again and getting busted trying to rob famous scientist Hank Pym. But Pym has a job for the thief; his Pym particle technology has fallen into the hands of his old protege Darren Cross (Yellow Jacket) who wants to replicate it and sell if off to Hydra. The particles can help him shrink while increasing his strength while wearing a helmet that helps him communicate with ants…hence Ant-Man.

I loved this movie because of the creativity behind it, especially during the fight scenes at the end. It was amazing to see how otherworldly everyday things can be shrunk down and it is filmed on a epic scale. The characters are solid and the tone is fun but Cross is overall a eh bad guy with a cool costume. My biggest flaw with the movie is that it is extremely formulaic, much how Doctor Strange ( 2016) followed the Iron Man formula pretty damn closely but the movie is fun and imaginative enough to stand on its own, especially if you can watch it in 4K or get to watch it in theaters in 3-D. May the gaming gods bring you all glory.

Pink Floyd’s The Wall

pink floyd the wall

Once upon a time I knew a guy named Nick who had something of a break down and three musicians helped got him through it: Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. Namely this movie, based on the legendary album of the same name; it can said the movie can be called a really long music video for the whole album and that’s not totally wrong. It is. But I found it beautiful, scary, and uplifting all at once. It follows the life of a guy called Pink: how his dad died in war, how he almost died as a kid, had mom issues, loved a girl and got his heartbroken, had a drug induced meltdown where he imagined himself as a fantastical Nazi and would get shit on by a techni-color literal ass judge…Ok, let’s be honest, there was likely some drug use behind the making of this but it doesn’t subtract the power the fusion of music and imagery, both animated and live action has. Again, like Fantasia, this won’t be for everyone; it can be said The Wall is a R- rated Fantasia in many ways. If you love Floyd or need something strange or just want to watch a weird ass movie, absolutely deserves a watch. Speaking of Strange, here’s a video of Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, singing the famous Comfortably Numb with David Gilmour of Floyd and it is epic as hell. May the gaming gods bring you glory and may you never be just bricks in the wall.