Category: Uncategorized

Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians Disassembled

gotg

Some time we have to go back to our roots and chill. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is one of my favorite MCU films and years before the movie, they were a big reason why I started reading Marvel comics. So to start the new year, let’s start with some GOTG badassery…

The Guardians of the Galaxy have always been trouble-makers in the universe, and while the down trotted have seen them as heroes, there’s some powerful forces that call them enemies. Helping the time displaced X-Men retrieve Jean Grey in Guardians of the Galaxy/ All New X Men: The Trial of Jean Grey was a final straw for these forces. Tony Stark, fresh from his time with them, asks Flash Thompson, better known as Agent Venom, to hang with them as a representative of Earth. They accept this new misfit with open arms. While Quill sleeps, Drax takes Venom shopping for new weapons for his cosmic adventures, and Gamora is on her own leave, they are captured and divided. J-son of the Spartax captures Quill with his ultimatum; Gamora is sent to the Badoon who want to know where Thanos is; Drax is taken by the Shi’ar empire and faces off against Gladiator; the Skrull take Venom; The Brood take Groot while the Kree experiment on Rocket.  While things look grim, help comes in the form of Angela, the rogue Asgardian bounty hunter who aids Gamora and Captain Marvell who frees Quill and helps Star Lord bring down J-son once and for all. It’s hard to keep good Guardians down…

This is a damn quick book but it’s action packed. From page one until the end there is plenty of action that’s easy to follow. While it’s volume 3 of the line( Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers being the first) it’s really easy to pick up with a helpful summary and a fluid introduction to the characters. Besides a good story, the book includes a Captain Marvell solo, Venom solo, and future Guardians tale so you get a nice bang for you’re buck. I’d definitely check this book for a Marvel or Guardians new comer. May the gaming gods bring you glory and Happy New Year.

Hostel

hostel

With our decade coming to a close, I want to take a minute to go back and look at the last decade in horror. Saw and Hostel ruled the scene, a scene made up of “torture porn”. Eli Roth, director of Cabin Fever, gave us this hit in 2006.

Two friends, Josh and Paxton are backpacking through Europe with a dude there hanging out with, looking for hot babes, booze, and drugs. During a party, they meet some hot chicks that tell them about a awesome party town with a cheap hostel they can stay at. Everything is fun until there friends start to disappear and the folks around town deny knowing anything about the disappearances. It isn’t long before the friends discover they’ve been tricked into a sadistic network of rich men who pay to come torture and kill people at there leisure. The question is, can they make it out when the whole town is in on the conspiracy?

I have to say, this movie is pretty damn overrated but solid for the most part. The acting and score are fine but the atmosphere and premise are the selling points. There are some pretty nasty gore scenes, but it’s nowhere near as extreme as the sequel will be. The dialogue, like many Roth films, is vulgar and awkward and the pacing is slow to start but it fairly thrilling from the second act and on. The revenge ending is pretty satisfying I admit and the world is pretty interesting and makes you want to know more. In the end, it’s a pretty fair movie but I wouldn’t call it a modern classic as some would so it’s worth watching. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Shark Night 3D

shark night

We love a good B movie here at Saviorgaming so when this stinker from early this decade washed up on Netflix, I couldn’t help myself. Whether it’s the classic Jaws (1975) , the underrated Deep Blue Sea , or the corny Shark Attack 2 I’ve got a soft spot for shark movies, so what does Shark Night bring to the table?

Like many horror movies, we begin with a group of college friends who go to the hot girl, Sara’s cabin on the lake. She hasn’t been to the cabin in a few years or dated a guy either. Well, during a water-skiing run, the friends discover there are sharks in the water. Alarmed by the WTF question of how a bunch of different breeds of sharks got in a southern river, they trust in the aid of Sara’s disgruntled ex boyfriend and redneck friend to help there dying friend, but do the rednecks know more than they let on?

Shark Night is pretty much what you thought it was going to be from the trailers, it’s a pretty funny B movie with some cheap 3D thrown in. The acting is one dimensional and the sharks are pretty poorly CGI but the effects are better than Sharknado. What kills the enjoyment is the over usage of crappy college rock and the Pg-13 rating which cut most of the gore and topless scenes but instead teases you with great set ups for them. Still, the corniness and absurdity makes it a decent  B movie but not a great one. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Resident Evil 2 ( classic)

re2 classic

One of the best games we got in 2019 was the Resident Evil 2 Remake which I have to say, is one of the best done horror games of this console generation. As a kid, my friends and I used to plug away at the classic RE2 on the original PlayStation and pray we didn’t die because we didn’t have a memory card. The question is, how does the old Resident Evil 2 hold up over 2 decades later?

Months after the destruction of the mansion in the Arklay Mountains, a massive outbreak of zombies has befallen Raccoon City. It’s here that we’re introduced to series legends, Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy. Claire is looking for her brother Chris after he went M.I.A after investing the mansion in the original; Leon is a rookie cop on his first day on the RCPD who meets Claire as she’s about to be zombie food. They try finding refuge in the police station, only to get split up and set to face the secrets of station and the influence of the relentless Umbrella Corporation and the horrors they’ve unleashed, as well as the creator of the new G virus, the monstrous William Birkin…

So while regardless of it’s age, the game is a horror classic that  definitely surpasses the original. The atmosphere and music are still eerie and the monsters still hold up, especially during some impressive cut-scenes for the time. I still remember wanting to crap myself when they introduce the Licker and Birkin’s massacre post transformation. While I admit, I don’t have much experience with Leon, I do appreciate the differences between the campaigns more than there was with Chris and Jill in the first game. What seriously kills the game are the damn tank controls which are clunky as hell and make some puzzles that aren’t hard on there own way more of a bitch than they need to be ( the best example is the library bookcase puzzle). There is a good amount of content including Hunk and Tofu’s campaigns. The graphics are muddy for most of the main game and the writing and voices haven’t held up that great unfortunately. In the end, the game is well worth a play for vintage gamers, but if you can’t stand the controls and gameplay style, move onto the remake. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Naughty Bear

naughty bear

Dude, when I first heard about this game in Fangoria magazine (man that seriously brings me back) my brain truly had no idea how to comprehend this game. Essentially what we have is a Grindhouse- exploitation revenge tale in a kid’s program. Naughty Bear is a outcast on a island of happy, friendly Teddy Bears. One day, he snaps when one of the most popular bears doesn’t invite him to a birthday party and the madness ensues. Naughty goes on a violent stuffing filled rampage, facing off against the police, military and even freaking ninjas as he gets his revenge.

The opening level, in a rare feat, actually shocked me. Naughty has a huge range of possibilities to kill the other bears, whether you are going to traditionally melee or blast your enemies away or take more creative, sadistic measures like drowning them in a toilet, burning them alive in a campfire, or bashing there heads in off a DJ mix table. The aesthetic and music pretty legitimately feel like a children’s TV show, including a really creepy, sinister narrator that sounds way too cheery to be telling the story of a teddy bear who went postal. Despite the insane premise and horrific possibilities, the gameplay sadly rather sucks. Everything feels clunky and the levels feel repetitive and small. The base game is really short, so I seriously recommend if you try it, to get your hands on the special edition with the bonus levels to extend the length but even then it’s a short ass game. I recommend checking it out if you play a truly batshit game, but I don’t think it’ll make any top 10 lists. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Superman: Red Son

red son comic

I have to admit, my timing couldn’t have been better, getting this book the day before Superman: Red Son trailer dropped. Red Son is one of DC’s most famous multiverse stories. We all know the tale of the last son of Krypton landing in the backyard of the Kents in Smallville who would grow up to be the legendary Man of Steel, Superman. But what if he didn’t land in Smallville?

Red Son follows the life of “The Superman” who became Joseph Stalin’s right hand and nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. Born to a small, poor, Ukrainian family, this Superman fights to protect his people and country and uphold the ideals of communism. The US asks genius mind Lex Luthor to trump the seemingly invincible Superman but he can never seem to stop him, whether its the villainous creations, allying himself with the Russian anarchist known as “The Batman”, or creating a corp of fighters wielding alien Green Lantern tech. Stalin is assassinated, leaving Superman as the President of the growing USSR, a omnipresent godlike figure of security and fear but can he keep being the hero he desires to be when everyone wants to see him get brought down?

Red Son is perhaps my favorite Superman story I’ve read. I love the depth and complexity of Red Son Superman as well as that world’s versions of Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Brainiac,  Batman, and the Green Lanterns. The artwork is great, and I love the era Communist era Superman posters that do feel pretty realistic. I do like the twist villain at the end but the very end didn’t work for me. Nevertheless it’s an amazing book I’d highly recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Kirk Cameron Saving Christmas

evil

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Savior and I this season. We’ve covered many of the usual holiday staples on the blog these past few years, but this year I wanted to try something different. First, I have to get this out of the way, I’m not going to shred this movie for the religious views but the insane way they are presented. I mean there are some pretty crazy ass rants here as Cameron discusses the nativity, Christmas trees, and Santa while trying to teach to a dude named Christian about the meaning of Christmas.

It doesn’t take long before you realize this is a propaganda film, hell, there is a good 10 minute prologue telling you about how Christmas is dying. Cameron and the cast beat you over the head with some really one sided religious messages so get ready for a preach fest and I warn you now, don’t watch this if you’re easily offended. I had fun watching the hilariously bad film-making on display but was creeped out but the utter insanity of some of these rants; the swaddling clothe is a good place to start for those who saw this thing. There is a hell of a lot of filler in this and this probably could’ve been an hour but it’s 80 minutes. If you like hilariously bad movies, I recommend this but if you want a decent Christmas special, look elsewhere. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Glass

glass

I’m sure I’m weird to say Glass was one of my most anticipated movies of 2019. Unbreakable is one of my favorite superhero movies and Split was one of my favorite horror movies of the decade so I was really pumped to see how the trilogy would conclude and I wanted to see the reunion between Dunn and Glass.

The Horde is on the loose, kidnapping and killing young women in his pursuit of saving the broken. David Dunn, now deemed the Overseer, has spent the past 19 years as a vigilante using his powers to keep people safe. He’s been hunting the Horde down while evading the police. After confronting him, both are surprised at the others ability, but are apprehended by a mysterious doctor convinced they aren’t superhuman but rather mentally ill. They aren’t the only one she has captive however, seemingly comatose for nearly two decades is Elijah Prince who is reunited with Dunn and introduced to Crumb. Mr Glass has a plan to unite with The Beast and unveil the existence of super humans to the world. Can the Overseer stop the deadly alliance?

First, don’t go into this expecting a conventional super story. There isn’t a lot of pomp and circumstance, and I can’t say this movie is for everyone. I personally believe it’s a damn good end to an amazing trilogy. The three main leads do a great job but Jackson and McAvoy steal the show. The movie is a decent mix of cross over combined with dual sequels for Unbreakable and Split. The pacing slows quite a bit in the second act but McAvoy thankfully carries what could be a painful slog. I couldn’t help but wish we got more time with Dunn as a vigilante. The fights are pretty cool for what they were. I liked the twists and the ending, being the minority and felt uplifted after. Glass isn’t perfect nor the ultimate trilogy ender and while I can see where a lot of the choices made will piss fans off, I will say it’s well worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Halloween (2018)

halloween 2018 2

A few days ago, I posted a rant during my review of Texas Chainsaw (3D) about horror’s particularly bad track record of sloppy canons. Like TCM, Halloween thought it was better to wipe out it’s lackluster sequels and far from great remakes and start from a new slate, keeping only the events of the original Halloween in canon. No Thorn cult, no Busta Rhymes, and no edgy gargantuan Michael that roams the countryside. Most importantly, Michael and Laurie are no longer brother and sister. So how does the new canon hold itself up?

Forty years have passed  since Michael Myers stalked the streets of Haddonfield on Halloween night. Scarred and silent, he’s stayed in the sanitarium. A pair of bloggers try interviewing him to no avail, reminding him of that night by presenting him with the mask he once wore. Meanwhile we join Laurie who’s life has been ruined by Michael and has dedicated the past four decades to stopping him if and when he would break out, even if it meant the rift in her family life. Her daughter Karen wants nothing to do with her, trying to raise her own teen daughter away from the trauma of there past, while Laurie struggles to stay in there life’s. While being transferred on Halloween, Michael escapes and the bodies begin to pile up, leaving Laurie to face her fears once and for all…

This is the damn Halloween movie I wanted. There is a surprising amount of character drama in this sequel and the characters are done really well but Jaime Lee Curtis steals the show as a broken Laurie hellbent on killing Michael. Old man Michael is terrifying and badass. There is a surprising amount of twists in the story and a surprising amount of humor that weirdly works. The classic score returns but is given new life with new music added that’s really good. I enjoyed the cinematography. Overall, Halloween 2018 is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in recent years and I highly recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.