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Dragonball Z: The Dead Zone

dbz dead zone

Like many anime, Dragonball Z has more than it’s fair share of movies ranging from awesome to crap. Dead Zone is the first and takes place around the Saiyan saga. While most aren’t cannon, many fit well enough into cannon they can be said to be. Dead Zone is actually cannon and starts the story of Garlic Jr.

Goku and his family are hanging around, living there lives when Goku comes home from fishing one day to find Chi-chi knocked out and Gohan gone. he was taken hostage because of the Dragonball on his hat and because he fought back. Goku tracks him down with Krillin at his side only to find it’s a group of monstrous warriors lead by Garlic Jr, the son of an ancient enemy of Kami’s and by extension Piccolo who jumps in after getting attacked. Garlic Jr seems to be on the ropes until he transforms and unleashes the power of the Dead Zone which destroyed his father, but help comes from a unlikely force…

Dead Zone isn’t terrible but isn’t great. The action isn’t really special but the fight between Kami and Garlic Jr is pretty cool. The story is fairly basic and is a pretty quick watch. Gohan has a moment at the end, that does play a part in things to come later which is pretty cool. In the end, Dead Zone is fine and worth a watch for the hardcore DBZ fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z ( The Saiyan Saga)

dbz 1   June is here and 2019 is half over. A part of my New Year’s resolution was to bring us more varied reviews. As a kid, I loved cartoons but my childhood friend Violet, like much of what’s brought me to this point, helped me discover something brand new: anime. Blood, tons of fights, flashing lights, and a complex story of complex characters we care about; this was a whole new world for me. It would be much later in later when I’d journey farther into anime ( unsure it was a genre at the time and merely thinking it was just an anomaly) So let’s begin to start the epic saga that is Dragonball Z…

Years after Dragonball ended, Goku defeated Piccolo and the world was safe. He settled down with Chi-chi and had there son Gohan, named after Goku’s grandpa. His old friends are having a get-together at old Master Roshi’s place, so Goku and Gohan set out to meet them. Meanwhile, an alien crash lands on Earth, and searches out Piccolo on accident, mistaking him for someone named “Kakarot”. This alien is a Saiyan named Radditz and he’s looking for his brother- Goku. After kidnapping Gohan, Goku and Piccolo have to team up to face Radditz, just barely beating him but not without a heavy cost. Goku dies and Radditz promises two more Saiyans will  come to earth in search of the mystical Dragonballs in a years time. Goku’s friends: Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chotzu and Yajarobe train with Kami as Goku had as a child. Piccolo, after seeing the incredible power inside him during the fight against Radditz, takes Gohan for training. Meanwhile Goku journeys  across Snake Way in search of King Kai for training. The time passes and the Saiyans arrive, Vegeta and Nappa, and as promised there powers go far beyond Radditz. With Goku wished back, can the Z fighters last against the terrible duo?

The Saiyan saga is the first season of DBZ and as you’d expect, it’s a bit slower and more adventure based but no less awesome. My favorite character to follow was Piccolo, starting as the villain who begrudgingly helps his enemy out of necessity and develops a heart through helping Gohan. The final fight between Goku and Vegeta will go down as one of anime’s greatest battles but the Radditz and Nappa fights are also pretty badass. The season is a slow burn but it’s a hell of a climax and the characters and adventure are well worth the time. In the end, for new anime fans it’s a must watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Michel Gondry in Transilvania: ‘Experimentation is What Really Drives Me’ — Variety

CLUJ, Romania–Academy Award-winning writer-director Michel Gondry shared his thoughts on the creative process and the lessons he’s learned across his celebrated and wide-ranging career during a masterclass Saturday at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival. Gondry appeared in conversation with TIFF artistic director Mihai Chirilov, who introduced the French filmmaker by describing his own personal connection…

via Michel Gondry in Transilvania: ‘Experimentation is What Really Drives Me’ — Variety

Star Wars Battlefront 2 (EA)

battlefront 2 new

When I was covering the classic Star Wars: Battlefront 2 , I crapped all over this game. After clocking in roughly 30+ hours, I can say much of what I originally said still stands. What’s overall offered in the EA game pales in comparison to what the original did almost 15 years, 2 console generations ago and I’m flat out recommending that now more than EA’s. However, now I was able to play the story mode as well dive into much of the other modes and pretty much this review won’t compare old and new past this point but squarely on it’s own merit…

Battlefront 2 (EA) has it’s own original story, set after the events of Return of the Jedi when the second Death Star fell. We primarily follow Inferno Squad, a badass special forces crew of the Imperial Army reigning revenge on the rebels, lead by Iden Versio. She was born and raised by her father, a high ranking Admiral in the Imperial Fleet, to believe the Empire were the good guys spreading law and justice throughout the lawlessness of space. Suddenly when Iden watches the cruelty of the Empire first hand against her loyal home-world, her and her comrade abandon the Empire and join the rebels to end the Empire once and for all…

The story itself is fine, not great or terrible but just kind of there. It’s best moments no doubt are when you are with the Empire and I think a better story could have done if the focus stayed on the Empire. The rebels don’t seem to really give that much of a shit that you essentially killed hundreds of there people simply because you said sorry and defected. The story is pretty short but an alright experience that has it’s moments.

The game’s focus is predominately multiplayer. The best mode in my opinion is Capitol Supremacy, which changes scenery and has some exciting pulls and feels like a real war. Heroes and Galactic Assault are solid but feel repetitive quick. Starfighter Assault would be my second favorite and I’m glad there bots mixed into the fray, making it feel more full. The horrendous system has been cut all around and Heroes are way more affordable but you can still find the pay-to-winners scattered throughout. The Heroes ain’t bad but feel clunky and require practice to get good with them.  Gameplay overall is solid but I warn you there are some pretty hard bugs throughout the game. I’ve had games crash, I’ve fallen into the nothing void a few times, and a few times the environment just disappeared only to pop up and kill me. In the end, it’s an alright game on sale if you need a Star Wars fix but I wouldn’t pay anything over 20 for it. May the force be with you and the gaming gods bring you glory.

Island of Terror

isle of terror

This goes out to my parents, Duke and Marsha, who watched this movie all the time when I was a kid amongst dozens of others. This stuck out to me for a variety of reasons I’ll get to at the very end.

Essentially we begin with an instance of man playing god, creating a strange series of lifeforms that could best be called “turtles”. These turtles are in fact giant, lumpy creatures that kill with long stinger-ed tentacles, liquefying the victim’s bones and fluid and sucking them dry ( think early Cell from DBZ). A pair of scientists are trying to track down the creatures origin while trying to survive the growing infestation…

For a early monster monster movie, it ain’t bad for it’s time. The acting is solid if not a bit too serious for a movie like this. The music ranges from solid to mildly corny. There are some decently creepy environments and atmosphere. What I will always remember about this movie are the “turtles”. They look goofy and are ludicrously slow; I laughed my ass every time they’d get someone because you know there would be no way in hell these things would kill anyone in real life. But, what I remember most, and I’m not exaggerating here, I’m pretty sure they bleed and gush raw Campell’s Chicken Noodle soup. Originally, if I’m correct this movie was in black and white where they may have been able to get away with it, but color it’s hilarious. In the end it’s not a bad old sci fi horror movie that cn worth some laughs. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

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.

Thrust and Flutter — Perpetually Past Due

Yearning for release will bypass apprehension. A revelation in our intermingling; when thrust and flutter peel back our intricacies and rip at the scabs of bitter romance until taste slips sour with the coupling of each kiss. A beard brushing amongst such soft skin would bring about welcomed abrasion until our cup runs over and, […]

via Thrust and Flutter — Perpetually Past Due

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.

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.