'Real Steel' Review

Take the video game R.A.D. and combine it with Rock'em Sock'em Robots and you have 'Real Steel'. The post summer blockbuster movie, directed by Shawn Levy ('Night at the Museum'), is about a dad (Hugh Jackman) and his son (Dakota Goyo) bonding and just getting to know one another while attempting to make a name for themselves in world of robotic boxing.

We'll start were it matters with a movie like this, the action and effects. To say the least; they're awesome. I would even go as far as to say that the robots in this film looked better than the ones in any of the Transformers' films. Now sure that has a lot to do with the fact that they aren't meant to look like like big transforming robots from outer space and more like something we could possibly build. Regardless though they look better. The fights were all very well done too. Sure it's all computer animated, so the robots don't really move like "robots" should but it looked good. In fact most of the fights had a very 'Rocky' feel to them. Something most boxing movies would kill to have said about them. On a side note though, and this is just something weird that I noticed about the film, you only ever see one robot actually get into the ring. I know it's a strange thing to point out, but as a fan of boxing and other fighting sports I noticed that you never get to see the robots full entrance. Moving on.


It's rare for movies now a days to really grab a hold of you and make you care about the characters but 'Real Steel' does this flawlessly. Before you know it you're cheering for this father and son combo to win and ultimately just be happy. The story itself is quite predictable and nothing about the film is going to surprise anyone. Clichés that we've all seen before combined with a story we've all heard before may not sound all that good, but when they're done this nicely you just can't help but to admire the work of art that they create.

In closing here I say for everyone to go see this movie. Guys, girls, and families this film can be enjoyed by everyone and I definitely recommend seeing it. Also 'Real Steel' is far superior to the disaster that was 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' and actually knows how to mix a good story, great acting, comedy, and robot action all into a nice two hour bundle. Just saying.

'Bad Teacher' Mini Review

This is a horribly written movie with great actors. A few chuckles may be had but is definitely not worth watching. The best and funniest parts really were in the trailers, which really is a shame because I had such high hopes for this film.

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Review . . . . Kind of

Now I had all intentions of doing a "normal" review for 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' but life kind of got in the way and I ended up not writing one. What I did write though was an assignment for my writing class about the different aspects of the film.  I have also included a brief summary at the end giving my over all thoughts about the film as well.

Universal Themes - For this film it showed how most people look down upon animals regardless of intelligence and how they don’t know how to open their minds and accept anything different than what they think is “normal.” Which then fits into the much larger topic of bigotry and not being able to accept anything different and treat them as equals. The movie digs a little into this topic and very much into the repercussions of acting this way.

Personal Impact - As a huge animal lover this movie hooked me very easily and made me hate the humans in this film. Now sure it didn’t change anything about what I already thought, but it put a huge reinforcement into how I feel. I just really think it’s wrong what people do to animals and I wish I had some control over how they were treated. (Both parties, animals and loser people who treat them badly.)

Character / Plot Arc -  This movie did a great job of showing the relationship between man and ape. An even better job was done in showing the final break of they’re relationship and well, the rise of the planet of the apes. Now some of the human relationships between each other weren’t really developed very well and almost just shoved to the side, but I give major kudos to the film for doing that instead of putting the actors as the main characters. The movie is about apes, so the main character should be an ape, Michael Bay could learn a thing or two from this film.

Art Direction - Everything from sets to costumes was done very well, though it was set in current times so there really wasn’t much challenge there, although some films can’t even get that right, so good job, I guess. As for the effects, they were on the top side of “ehh” or maybe the low side of good, but nothing spectacular. There was really just one thing were they messed up too, the faces of the apes. It was super cool that they decided to CGI the faces because it did add a lot to the film but at the same time, it always looked fake. Now this wasn’t a HUGE problem but there were a few times were I was pulled out of the film and though to myself, “Wow, that looks fake.” Those scenes were very reminiscent of ‘Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘Spider-Man’.

Performances -  The performances were all solid across the board. You had a movie full of great actors, which after ‘Cowboys & Aliens’, I know for a fact means absolutely nothing but still it’s James Franco backed up by Freida Pinto and Tom Felton. Everyone was just very believable in there roles and had you rooting either for or against them. None of them made me wish they had cast someone else thanks to over or under acting, which is also a huge plus.

Final Thoughts - This was an amazing film and in my opinion the best film of 2011. I just don't see how anything will be able to "rise" above this film. Great acting, great story, great cinematography, this film has it all and I definitely recommend checking it out.

'Cowboys & Aliens' Review

'Cowboys & Aliens' a movie about a very one sided battle between, well, cowboys and aliens. The movie was directed by 'Iron Man 2' director Jon Favreau. An excellent cast was put together for this film as well with Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde as our main characters.

What I haven't gotten over about this film is the acting, it was just so bad. The main culprit here, Harrison Ford. It was as if he just showed up to get his paycheck. He never looked as if he was taking the movie very serious and every scene he was in, was just him being there, he never put any effort into the role and it showed. Wilde also didn't do as good as I had hoped but was the opposite of Ford. Instead of not caring about the film, she seemed to care a bit too much, to the point that it made her acting very hammy. Some scenes with her, serious scenes I might add, were turned into comedy just because you can't take someone acting like she was serious. As for Craig, he did a great job. He was very believable as the amnesic cowboy, even down to the way he moved and his expressions, it's just a shame that the rest of the cast didn't follow his lead here.

The effects here were great. Something about the aliens reminded me a lot of ‘War of the Worlds’ but that’s not really a bad thing, they just had a very cinematic look to them if you will. Also the gun fights in the movie were awesome, typical cowboy stuff mostly but the confrontations with the aliens really took it a level up. The problem though came in with the lack of these great battles, the movie relied too much on the acting and story to carry it which resulted in a very slow and forgettable movie.

Overall the film is a dud, which truly is a shame. With the plethora of talent in the movie, it could’ve been something great. I would say it’s still worth a watch if you’re a fan of the comic or if you really like Daniel Craig but just wait for it to come out in Redbox or something and pick it up as a rental.

'Captain America: The First Avenger' Review

Here we are again with another comic book movie this year, this time it's 'Captain America: The First Avenger'. The movie stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, and Tommy Lee Jones and was directed by Joe Johnston. The film tells the story of Steve Rogers, an incredibly tiny man from Brooklyn who just wants to go over seas and fight for his country during WWII. He is then given that chance when he is transformed into Captain America. (Cue music.)

Seeing as to how this is a war movie, we'll start with the action here. Although not as much action as one would have thought, seeing as how this movie is taking place and primarily about WWII, when it does happen, it's pretty damn awesome. Some of the effects needed a little work, mostly the green screens, but besides that, the movie delivers some very thrilling and entertaining action scenes. The movies pacing here was all wrong as well. They cut the film in half, the first part is all introduction and the second is all fighting, which is the way most origin stories go, but I prefer a better flow in movies. The only thing that this does do is that when you finally do see Rogers don the Captain suit, it's pretty exciting.

Since they did choose to split this movie and try to make it more than just an action packed WWII ride, then we'll move onto the acting. Evans did a great job of making you believe he really was just some wimpy guy from Brooklyn with no fear and with out his performance the film wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is. He's not the only one though, Jones did a fantastic job and stuck out as one of my favorite parts of the movie. I guess I just have a soft spot for the battle hardened war veteran with an interesting sense of humor. Now onto some of the not so good, Weaving did a decent enough job not to ruin the film but he was nothing spectacular and kind of hammed up his role a little bit. He just wasn't very entertaining, although he was very believable as a ruthless villain that will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I just think he could've done much better. As for the rest of the cast, they all did a fine job, no complaints here.

This movie is yet another great movie in Marvel's ever growing library and it did an excellent job of telling the origin of the beloved Captain America. This movie really is for everyone, it doesn't have that "superhero-ness" that a lot of films seem to have lately. Much like 'Batman Begins', it's an origin story that die hard fans can enjoy alongside new comers, while still not shutting out the average cinematic adventurer. I highly recommend going to see this movie ASAP.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' Review

The final movie in the Harry Potter franchise, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2', has been released and the world now knows the "full" story of what happened to the boy that lived. The movie picks up exactly where the Deathly Hallows Part 1 left off, with Harry and friends attempting to find and destroy the rest of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The film is again directed by David Yates and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.

This movie is full of action, once it starts, it never stops going. In fact the entire film is climax, which is a good and bad thing. It's good because this movie is everything that Part 1 wasn't, from the action to actually moving the story forward. In the same sense though it's bad because they leave out all of the moments of Harry and friends, just living if you will.  I really felt like I didn't get the full Harry Potter experience watching this movie because of the lack of just seeing the characters doing things besides fighting. Now I get that this was a two part film and if they were watched together they would be fantastic, but to watch either by itself, doesn't quite work.

Now seeing as how this film was based around the action here, I'll touch on that next. It was phenomenal. The movie looked great from living statues too the giant snakes. The battles did however lose a little of there impact though every time someone died, it was as if the movie didn't want to deal with the death of any characters and it shied away from it, making it seem almost as if they didn't matter.

I would just like to mention that I didn't read many of the books, only the first two and until now that hasn't been a problem. This was the first time in the series where I really felt like I was missing something that was kind of important in the book and that the movie was just choosing to brush to the side. Not that this really hurts the movie or anything but it just makes the experience feel a bit more incomplete.

Overall though, this was a great movie and a must see for movie goers of all ages. Sure the film had a few minor problems  but in the end they weren't anything that really hurt film as a whole and definitely should not detour you from seeing one of 2011's best films.

'The Amazing Spider-Man' Trailer

'The Dark Knight Rises' Trailer

More The Dark Knight Rises Videos

What do you even say after something that awesome?!....Trick question, you don't say anything, instead you just watch it again.

Weekend Box Office Estimates - July 15- 17 2011

1. Deathly Hallows - Part 2 $168,550,000
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon $21,250,000
3. Horrible Bosses $17,630,000
4. Zookeeper $12,300,000
5. Cars 2 $$8,344,000
6. Winnie the Pooh $8,000,000
7. Bad Teacher $5,200,000
8. Larry Crowne $2,573,000
9. Super 8 $1,925,000
10. Midnight in Paris $1,891,000

Harry Potter managed to break a lot of records this weekend, most notably the one previously held by "The Dark Knight" for the biggest three day weekend opening of all time.

'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' Trailer

More Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Videos

This one somehow looks worse than the first one did, and that's saying a lot. . . . . you know, cause the first one sucked. 

'Jack and Jill' Trailer

More Jack and Jill Videos

This movie looks, how you say, interesting. 

Weekend Box Office Estimates - July 8 - 10 2011

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon $47,025,000
2. Horrible Bosses $28,110,000
3. Zookeeper $21,000,000
4. Cars 2 $15,209,000
5. Bad Teacher $9,000,000
6. Larry Crowne $6,264,000
7. Super 8 $4,825,000
8. Monte Carlo $3,800,000
9. Green Lantern $3,125,000
10. Mr. Popper's Penguins $2,850,00

Transformers 3 has now earned 261 million domestically, making it the highest grossing domestic release of 2011, taking the title from Hangover Part II.

'Apollo 18' Trailer #2

More Apollo 18 Videos

The movie looks interesting but I can't help but think about 'The Blair Witch Project' when I see this trailer. 

'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' Review

'Transformers: Dark of the Moon', the third in the Transformers film series, again directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger. Shia Labeouf returns as Sam Witwicky, Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime, and new love interest Rosie Huntington - Whiteley. The plot for the movie is basically the same as the first two. Autobots try to find Decepticons; U.S. government reveals that they've been keeping secrets about Transformers; Government realizes Autobots really are good guys and team up with them; Big epic battle with tons of nameless robots shooting and dieing. No really that's the story again this time around, just with not as much comedy as the second film had.

The characters in this movie are just as horrible and outrageous as before only this time they usually don't stay around for very long, but they still are a bit annoying. The replacement of Megan Fox's character is a bit annoying for me too since it didn't really fit, they just expect you to go with it, but in a movie that should be primarily about giant robots fighting, it shouldn't really matter who the love interest is, because it's not really needed. As with the second film there are A LOT of new Transformers that are never really introduced or given names, they're just there to take a small part in some of the action scenes. They also took out more Transformers this time around, most notably Skidz and Mudflap. I for one am really pissed that they did this, I didn't see anything wrong with them in 'Revenge of the Fallen' and they were actually the main thing I enjoyed about that movie, well minus seeing Optimus die of course. Some people may think it's a good thing to have them gone but all getting rid of them, without giving any explanation in the film, did was allow Bay to create even stupider Autobots to replace them. And yes there are much worse Autobots than Skidz and Mudflap.

Now onto what this movie is really about, the action. To put it lightly, it was great. It still feels very mindless and almost gives you a "who cares who wins" attitude when you don't know who the two Transformers fighting are but it's still very entertaining none the less. The movie still hasn't managed to get the pacing down yet, some scenes drag out for way too long, while others end in the blink of an eye and leave you asking for more. This really is a problem and it becomes very apparent the farther into the film you get. Still though the fights were some of the best in the series and the movie tries yet again to make you believe this is the badass Optimus that we all remember from the original cartoon and to a point, it succeeds. Though it also succeeds in moving Megatron down even farther into the " Am I supposed to take this guy serious?!" category of villains.

All in all though 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' was a very entertaining and overall good movie. If you didn't like the first two films though, just stay away from this one, because it definitely won't make you fall in love with the series now. For the people who do love the other films in the series though, this is a film you definitely need to watch.

'Warrior' Trailer

More Warrior Videos

 Tom Hardy stars in this MMA drama about two brothers, both of whom are MMA fighters, who are both vying for the number one spot in the sport.

Pixar's 'Brave' Trailer

I'm a sucker for almost any Pixar film and this one looks to be no exception. Voice actors include Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, and Craig Ferguson.

'Green Lantern' Review

This summer's newest blockbuster is here with 'Green Lantern', a comic book movie about a group of intergalactic "space cops" known as the Green Lantern Corp. who battle all forms of evil with their power rings. The movie primarily revolves around Hal Jordan, the first human to receive a power ring and join the ranks of the Corp, as he discovers his new powers fights with himself as to whether he truly deserves this power and responsibility. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and was directed by 'Casino Royale' director Martin Campbell.

The acting in this movie is very solid with performances that could've been excellent, I'm looking at you Sarsgaard, and stuck out above the rest, had the script been better. To put it simply, the writing here was just bad. The film's dialogue consist mostly of expository lines trying to explain everything while still leaving many questions and actions in the movie unanswered. There's also quite a few moments were someone or something conveniently shows up or happens. All these moments just seem lazy and make you ask why?

Another problem I had with this movie was the effects or lack of. This movie is very much like the 'Fantastic Four' movie in that there's really only one fight that takes place and it doesn't occur until the end of the film and then fails to deliver anything worth talking about. Every action scene also seems very rushed, making you want more. Normally that would be a great thing except they don't give you much more and at the end you're just disappointed. Something else that really bothered me was the lack of other Lanterns in the film. You do catch a few glimpses of other Lanterns but you never learn anything at all about any of them except for the names of a few of them and that two of them were good friends. You also don't every really get to see much of the Corps home base OA. I suppose this is a good thing since the effects there were horrible and pulled me right out of the film. It just felt like they were in front of a green screen or that you were just looking at a painting and not a place were all these creatures live and train.

I went into this movie really wanting to like it, but overall it wasn't very good. The plethora of bad writing and poor special effects make this movie hard to watch and not quite worth the price of a movie ticket. I do however recommend that everybody who is a Ryan Reynolds or Green Lantern fan check this out as a rental because I'm sure you'll get some enjoyment out of this film as I did.

'Super 8' Review

J.J. Abrams returns to the big screen with 'Super 8', a movie that he wrote and directed. The movie was also produced by Steven Spielberg, and I'm pretty sure he had a lot more to do with it than that. The film just has that Spielberg feel to it, although is still very much still an Abrams film at the same time. The movie stars newcomer Joel Courtney alongside Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler. The film follows a group of teenagers in the fictional town Lillian, Ohio, as they are filming a movie on a Super 8mm film camera, when they see a train wreck that they suspect wasn't an accident. After which the town begins to be terrorized by what was on the train and is taken over by U.S. Air force troops.

The story here was very disappointing to say the least. It was almost the exact same story from 'Cloverfield'. The biggest difference here, well besides the elimination of the first person camera, is that this movie does feature the all knowing scientist character that 'Cloverfield' was missing. Don't worry though, Abrams doesn't stop at just ripping off his own movie, he also rips off 'District 9' by giving his alien the exact same motive and problem with humans that the ones from 'District 9' had, only he made his bigger. I guess bigger is better in Abrams eyes. Most of the movie just feels like a waste of time, it mostly revolves around these kids trying to make a movie about zombies while all this is going on and it just makes things kind of dull. I would however like to point out that the acting in this movie, and I'm referring to the kids here, was really good. Their characters weren't really developed all that much, you  do learn tidbits about a couple of them here and there but it wasn't really enough. Even still though, they were quite entertaining.

On the effects side of things, this movie is a pretty big success. Although there isn't really much action, there are only two or three action scenes in the movie, they all go above and beyond. The train wreck scene and the final scene of the movie both make this movie worth checking out. The effects on the alien were also really good but that was kind of over shadowed by the fact that it's just a generic big alien, nothing special at all. In fact it looked almost just like the Acklay, from 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones', if you gave him an extra pair of arms and made him a bit bulkier.

Overall this film wasn't all that great. It suffered from an extremely dull story, mixed with some very good acting, that had almost no point and just ended up being a generic monster movie with a sci-fi twist. The effects and action scenes were really great and definitely make this worth checking out as rental, just don't spend too much money on it and keep your expectations low.

'X-Men: First Class' Review

‘X-Men: First Class’ is the fifth movie in Fox’s X-Men franchise and is the start of what is said to be a new trilogy. The movie stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, and is directed by Matthew Vaughn. The plot primarily revolves around the relationship between Professor X and Magneto before they were leading their respective groups, The X-Men and The Brotherhood of Mutants. The film also shows the origins of many other mutants including Mystique and Beast.

The first thing I want to touch on here is the story though. Now I myself am a pretty big comic book fan and as hard as it is, I am ignoring the comics here and just referring to the movie franchise. Now the franchise has only been around since 2000 and only five movies have been made but yet they can’t seem to keep any of the storylines straight here. About the only things that are consistent are the names and whose good and evil….oh wait they screwed that up here too. Over at Fox they can’t even decide which mutants are going to be good and evil from film to film or the ages of them in the films. With all these problems, which I’m not going to specifically mention here, it’s almost easier to just look at the film as a reboot of the series, but wait! You can’t view a film as a reboot when they’re referencing the earlier movies in the series every few scenes. So to say the least, the story here was pretty screwed up.

As for the acting in the movie, it was pretty good. Fassbender’s portrayal of Magneto was very entertaining. He did an excellent job of making you feel what he felt, be it good or bad. The only part where he dropped the ball was when he was actually being Magneto, he just didn’t seem evil enough. McAvoy had a very interesting take on Professor X, he was something of playboy, using his knowledge of mutants to hook up at bars and yet he was still the all knowing Professor X when the story called for it. The problem is that while you see all the characters in the movie grow and evolve, he just kind of stays the same. He simply switches between the two sides of himself whenever he sees fit and it didn’t really work. I did very much enjoy Bacon’s portrayal of Sebastian Shaw. He’s the kind of villain you can really get behind, one that you truly believe will destroy the world if he isn’t stopped. As for the rest of the cast, nobody had any huge parts, some didn’t even have speaking lines.

The action scenes in the movie were all very well done. The best usually featuring Magneto. The movie has a lot of very short fights sprinkled throughout and even a nice training montage that could’ve been made a classic with some “Gonna Fly Now” (Rocky Theme). It was also nice seeing another teleporter in the movie. That’s just one thing these movies really have down, how to make fights involving teleporters look awesome. This is especially apparent in the fight between Beast and Azazel, which was definitely a high point of the film.

All in all though, this was a pretty great movie and probably the best X-Men movie to date. The story is very jumbled if you follow the movie stories but as a stand alone movie, it was nothing short of entertaining and I definitely recommend going to see this one.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 30

Best Game of all Time.

I don't feel like there is really anything that I can add to what has already been said here about this game. Just go play it, no scratch that. just go buy it, you won't regret it.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 29

Worst Game of all Time.

This was a hard question for I have played plenty of extremely shitty games in my time. I chose Sonic: Unleashed though mostly because well it's a shitty game that's in my collection so I'm reminded of it and it's shittyness almost daily. I hate this game.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 28

Boss or Villain Who is Most Evil.

Everything this guy did in Final Fantasy VII shows why he is the evilest boss / villain of all time. Remember when Sephiroth killed Aerith and just walked away with everyone watching, yeah the guy's hardcore.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 27

Favorite Game Based on a Movie/Comicbook/Book/Cartoon.

Man this game, just wow. Such an amazing game, and it puts you in the role of Batman and lets you be the badass that he is. The only real faults in the game are that some of the villains I'd like to see in here don't make an appearance and that Batman is pretty messed up looking.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 26

Favorite Multiplayer Game.

It's not because the Madden games are that great, even though they are. It's not because I really love football, although I do. It's not because it's the game all the famous people play, even though it is. It's because when I play people, something happens to them. Come around the end of the second quarter, what I like to refer too as the "Madden Exorcist" comes out to play. People just get so pissed at me when they start to lose, it probably has a lot to do with me constantly talking shit and making a huge deal out of every little thing I do right and making and even bigger deal out of every little thing they do wrong but either way it's hilarious and I love playing it.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 25

A Game You Didn't Think You Would Like.

I'm not sure if it was the look of the game or the feel it gives off but this game just didn't appeal to me at first. I actually didn't play this game until years later and it was only out of a deal I made that I never thought would actually come true.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 24

Favorite Platform game.

Conker's Bad Fur Day isn't my favorite platformer but it is probably my most memorable. I picked this game up from KB Toys way back, brand new for only ten clams. I didn't get it because I'd heard anything great about it or anything like that, I got it because I had ten clams leftover after getting some new toys and figured why not get a game too. The story was hilarious but what me and my friends had the most fun with was the multiplayer were you get to fight the bears. Good times, good times.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 23

Last Game You Downloaded.

This game is so much fun and so damn difficult. It's also very addicting and in that sense, it's probably one of the best platformers I've ever had the good fortune to play. Oh and also I got it for super cheap on Steam's end of the year sale, that just helps me love it even more.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 22

Last Game You Bought.

A truly great game, definitely one of the best Mortal Kombat games to date and one of the best fighting games period.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 21

A Favorite Character.

Solid Snake is one of the baddest / coolest dudes around, no questions asked. Oddly enough though, the game that made me really love this character was Metal Gear Solid 2, go figure.

DBZ "Question of the Day"

'The Hangover: Part II' Review

Three guys get wasted and wake up with no clue where they’re at, what happened, or where they’re friend is at. That’s the plot of the first film and the plot for ‘The Hangover: Part II’. The movie stars Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper reprising their roles as “The three best friends that anyone can have.” The film is also again partially written and directed by Todd Phillips, which may have been some of the problem here.

Right off the bat I want to point out that this movie was funny, not hilarious, but funny. It doesn’t hold a candle to the first one and will probably be forgotten and only mentioned as the “meh” sequel to a classic movie.

The problem here is that it’s the exact same movie. No really it is. There are a few differences, such as location and a few new jokes, but it’s not enough. Everything that made the first film a classic is redone here and not redone very well. You always know what’s coming next and that’s really a problem because there’s not really that mystery about what the hell went on the night before. Also, and I admit this is minor, but for this to be the sequel were everything should be bigger and better, it seems a bit tamer. Their night just wasn’t as wild and crazy as it was the first time around. This may have a lot to do with knowing pretty much exactly what’s going to happen, but it still didn’t help the film any.

Another place were the movie really dropped the ball was filming in Bangkok. This could’ve been exactly what this movie needed, a place crazier than the location of the first film. Problem is, they don’t take advantage of it. I feel like they could’ve done this movie anywhere and it wouldn’t have changed anything, in fact, if they change just one part of the movie, it could’ve taken place in Vegas again and no one would know the difference. It just goes back, to this being a tamer rip off of the first film. They just really needed to go all out here and they didn’t.

All in all this movie will make you laugh, but by skipping it you’re not missing out on anything that the first one didn’t already give you. This movie is a solid rental. I do not recommend spending all the money that a movie ticket cost to see this, just throw it on your Netflix queue or pick it up from Redbox once it’s out.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review

So ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ , the fourth in the series is finally here. This time around it was directed by Rob Marshall and stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Geoffrey  Rush. The story picks up just about were the last one left off, with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) looking for the Fountain of Youth. It is also to be noted that this time around the main character is Sparrow, no more Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom. Which going in, I thought would be a good thing, well the no Orlando Bloom part. I never wanted Knightley to leave.

Now as for the acting in this movie, I thought it was fantastic. Of course Depp did his usual, which is always great. The additions of Cruz and McShane were great choices as well, both did a really good job. McShane was just so evil as Blackbeard, you never doubt for a second that he’ll kill anyone who gets in way, although he doesn’t always. As for Cruz, just wow. She was a bit weird but so conniving the whole time. Every time she’s on the screen you always want to watch her, because you’re always expecting her to turn on somebody or just do something unexpected. Come to think of it, she was almost like a female Jack. Now onto the guy who stole the show here, Geoffrey Rush. His portrayal of Barbossa this time around was so refreshing. It really seemed like he was just having a blast as the character this time around. The only problem I had with this was that, until the end, you never get to see that badass Barbossa that everyone loves. Though when he does show up, you realize how worth it the wait was.

Something I found a bit interesting about this movie, but that I think I liked, was that there didn’t seem to be as much going on that involved the ships. Sure they were present and talked about a lot, but you don’t see much happening on them. In fact I don’t think there’s even any battles that take place between any of the ships in the film. Most of the time it’s scenes on land, be it the jungle, beaches, or the city. It didn’t bother me that much, but I just feel that a movie about pirates should have a bit more to do with there ships.

The movie, though not great, was still a solid addition to the series. If there is another one however I hope they don’t stick with this formula. This time around, with the story focusing on Jack, it was kind of like getting all desert and no dinner. In the first three films it was always great looking forward to seeing more of Sparrow, but now with a film full of him and not much else, it feels like there was just something missing. Definitely go check it out though, it’s worth the money and you’ll get a good laugh for sure.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 20

 A Game You've Beaten Countless Times.

There's kind of a lot of games that I've beaten countless times. I chose this one though because not only have I beaten it countless times but I've done so on multiple systems. I started on PS2, then went to Gamecube (Best version), then onto the Wii, and finally followed by the PC version. I also am super excited to be getting another version of it in HD sometime this year. Yeah, I love this game.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 19

 A Game You've Never Finished.

This stupid stupid, awesome game. It has been the bane of my video game life, which is pretty much my whole life, so it is my bane. I love this game but it's so damn hard, one day I will eventually beat it. Until then though, I'll just keep beating these new ones to try and make myself feel better about this one.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 18

 Favorite Wii Game.

This game was one of the reasons I actually bought a Wii in the first place. I love this series and this game is no exception, with new characters (Solid Snake! & Sonic!), better graphics, and crazier levels. With the lack of great Wii games out there, this is the one game that still keeps my Wii active to this day.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 17

 Favorite Gameboy Game.

This game trumps any game for the Gameboy with ease. The only other two games that can come close to awesomeness of this game is the Red and Yellow versions. I had so many hours invested into this game it was insane. Of course my Pokedex was complete, including Mew and Missingno. My elite team of level one hundred Pokemon were dreaded among my friends thus making me create a whole new, lower level, team that they actually would battle against. Truly a great game.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 16

Favorite Super Hero Game.

The choice of playing as any of Marvel's greatest heroes, minus The Hulk, awesome multiplayer, and a crazy epic story to go along with it all. I don't see how any other game can even compete to be the best super hero game.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 15

 Favorite Xbox 360 Game.

There are so many great games for the 360 and even some that have far better story modes and graphics that are on par or better than this game but I don't feel I could honestly say there's a better game out for the system. After putting in over ten days of playtime online, I don't have any other game for the 360 that has ever even come close to that. How can I say something else is my favorite?

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 14

An Addictive Game.

Addictive games come and go all the time, that's kind of the beauty of them. This gem just happens to be my most recent addiction. You can get addicted for free here too. ( http://chrome.angrybirds.com/ ) You need to have Google Chrome to play it though, well you don't have to have it, but if you wanna play without lag you do.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 13

Favorite N64 Game.

I hold this game on such a high pedestal that I don't think I can fairly talk about it. This game actually prevented me from enjoying most of the N64 era due to the obsession of me and my friends. The biggest problem with this game for me was that although there was a ton of content on there, I've seen and used and dealt with everything and now I can't really play anymore. Although every time I get my hands on a 64 this is the first game I go looking for. Definitely the best on the N64, bar none.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review

More of the same. That’s what I was expecting out of Super Mario Galaxy 2, but man was I wrong. Sure the game does still use the same engine from the first game but yet the experience still feels fresh. From countless new ideas and level designs to the amazing, and expected, addition of Yoshi, this game is constantly improving on the foundation the first one created. The camera, which was some times a problem in original was fixed, so no more dying because it somehow got stuck on the wrong side of a planet or wall. The controls are even tighter than before and controlling Mario seems so much simpler this time around. Everything move you try and do just flows so naturally and you never get that feeling that the game is flawed and that’s why you couldn’t make that last jump. The difficulty this time around has also been turned up, but is a very welcome addition. The game does give you a lot of hints if you’re having trouble though and it also includes the “auto play” feature so that if you really are at your wits end on how to beat a level then you can just agree to let it play and move on to the next level. The level select has also been redone. Instead of exploring to find were you need to go to get your next star, the levels are set up in a more traditional Mario style, very much like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World. The game is truly fantastic and a must play for any Mario fans, especially if you loved the first one. I definitely recommend picking this gem of a game up, you won’t regret it.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 12

 Favorite Action Game.

Ha! This just might be the easiest choice I've made on this list so far. This game is better than most games in any genre and especially the action games. The game play is fantastic, and the story will blow you away. Seriously this story gave me a hatred for all things Ares. Every time I see him in an Avengers comic now, I just get pissed.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 11

 Favorite PC Game.

This was a hard question for me, seeing as how until about five years ago I didn't even own a computer of my own. I always had access to one, but I never had one of my own, so I didn't bother with PC games. Though I do vividly remember being addicted to this game. A friend of mine had it and every weekend I would go over to his house and we would play this for hours. Looking back on it, I'm not sure if I could still be that entertained by creating a city and then destroying it, but at the time, it was great fun.

The Next Three Days Review

"If we choose to exist in our own reality, are we insane? And if we are, isn't that better than a life of despair?" That’s the question ‘The Next Three Days’ asks and also kind of the theme of the movie. Paul Haggis (Director of ‘Crash’) directs this 2010 thriller staring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. The movie is about a husband (Crowe) and wife (Banks) who are living very happy lives with there son Luke until the wife is arrested for the murder of her boss and the husband does everything he can to get her free.

The acting in this movie is top notch. I never thought Crowe was all that great of an actor but he really blew me away in this movie. In fact everyone, minus a few very minor characters, give great performances and I am shocked that they weren’t noticed more for it. All of the actors really make you feel for them. It’s very easy to sympathize with them and you want to see them succeed. Every time they fail, you kind of feel it too and you begin cheering for them even more to get back up and keep going.

Were this movie goes wrong is the outrageous story. I know it’s a movie and entertainment so being over the top is allowed but something about it didn’t fit with this movie and every time something crazy happened it just pulls you out of the film. Also the story is very predictable. I don’t think there was ever a time during the movie that I didn’t know what was going to happen next. That also hurts the film a lot since it’s supposed to be an edge of your seat thriller.

It’s really disappointing to see a movie turn out like this. The wonderful acting is bogged down by a predictable, mediocre story and because of this will probably never really be appreciated. I will recommend this movie as a rental, just don’t go into it expecting the story to blow you away.

Buried Review

‘Buried’ is a thriller about an American truck driver in Iraq whose convoy is attacked and is then held for ransom buried under ground in a coffin. The film was directed by Rodrigo Cortés and stars Ryan Reynolds alongside, well nobody except a few voices over the phone.

The film really knows how to make you feel sympathy for Reynolds character. Even though he’s in a coffin he has to go through so much and it really makes you kind of angry at the other people. The entire film I wanted to yell at him about what he could / should do. Sure my ideas weren’t the greatest but my point is that the movie pulls you in from the very beginning and never lets you go.

A problem for me though was that the movie shares way too many similarities with ‘127 Hours’.  I know that now days a lot of films seem similar to each other, but these two have things in common that you would never guess and it kind of bugged me. I will say that the camera work in this movie really sets it apart. From odd angles looking up at Reynolds to the weird green glow stick lighting, and even the scenes in complete darkness.  It made watching a movie that takes place entirely in a coffin very enjoyable. Although I can’t say this was a problem for me but I could definitely see some Closter phobic people not being able to watch this movie, being that there is some emphasis on the enclosed space.

A few minor spoilers in this next section so if you want to be completely fresh going into the movie then you can just skip ahead to my wrap up.

Another thing with this movie is that the entire time I was waiting for that huge twist. For some reason I couldn’t help but think the entire time that maybe this was some weird messed up test that the government was doing on him and that the movie would end with his coffin accidentally breaking and him realizing he’s in some type of airport hanger or lab or something. It didn’t help that they kept pointing out some of the holes and stuff in the coffin like maybe somebody was looking in. Also the way some of the people that Reynolds character spoke to over the phone talked to him about his situation. It just seemed like they knew what was going on and just wanted him to shut up. That was more of a personal thing for me, but I just figured I’d share that part.

This movie is definitely worth checking out, not sure about multiple viewings though. Again it’s very similar to ‘127 Hours’ so if movies like that are what you’re into then I would recommend buying this one to put in your collection because again, it really is a great movie.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 10

Favorite Simulation Game.

I could talk for days about all the great things in this game. I was so wrapped up in the game that it almost became my real life. It also happened to be summer vacation, so there was nothing I had to do except get up every afternoon and keep making my house in the town the best. Probably my favorite part about this game though, well one of my favorite things. Was that you could play the NES games. That was so awesome to just be able to take a break from playing a great game by playing great old school games. It just doesn't get too much better.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 09

Favorite Playstation 2 Game.

Wow. This was easily the hardest question so far. There are so many truly great PS2 games that I have put so many hours of gameplay into. I decided to go with the game that I have put the most hours into and it also happens to be the game that I have the most memories of. From getting my file deleted forty hours into it on my first play through and wanting to give up to having competitions to see how fast the game could be completed. Also this is the only game that I actually bought the soundtrack to so that when I wasn't able to play it, at least I could here the battle music and think about the game. Yea that's borderline fanboy right there.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 08

Game You're Currently Playing.

This is a great game. Don't you agree Zach?

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 07

 Favorite Playstation(1) Game.

Now I must first mention that this game is not my favorite PS1 game but as I am trying not to use the same game twice, I am just going to post my second favorite PS1 game. Metal Gear Solid was an amazing experience for me and it gave me one my proudest moments when I finally beat it. Not much really to say about this game except that it's an amazing game that everyone should play and one that I still play to this day.

Thor Review

Finally the god of thunder gets his representation on the big screen. ‘Thor’ stars new comers Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston alongside big screen regulars Natalie Portman, Ray Stevenson, and Anthony Hopkins. As for the story it’s pretty basic stuff for a movie about gods but it does do some very good stuff in the moments dealing with there family issues and of course in the action. Basically Thor, the son of the ruler of Asgard, odin, is banished to earth for an attitude adjustment when trouble arises in Asgard and he must return to save the day.

The biggest problem I had with the story here was that the whole thing takes place over the course of a weekend. A weekend?! A god is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers to teach him a lesson and after one weekend he’s changed his ways. I don’t buy it. Sure he’s almighty and everything but one weekend and he’s a completely different person who now cares for the good of all people. On top of that he also falls in love over the this weekend of enlightenment. I won’t mention the rest of the unreasonably quick timed events that occur over this weekend, but trust me there’s a pretty big list. Also I know that I’m focusing on this weekend thing a lot here but they couldn’t really have expected people to buy into this many things happening over the course of a weekend. I mean even if it had been at least a week and there had been more down time for Thor to get to know the humans and see a little bit more of what Earth was like, then it would’ve been a bit more believable, but I just can’t buy into it all happening so quickly.

Now on to the action, the beautifully done action. Seriously this movie’s action scenes were awesome, well minus the showdown with The Destroyer which just seemed kind of cheap. I’m not sure what it was but I think it had a lot to do with where the fight took place, which was some western looking town. You know, the town in the middle of the desert that is really only one road through the middle of the buildings, yea that one. Also The Destroyer held way to much resemblance to Gort (From ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’) making it hard to take him serious. The fight in the beginning of the film against the Frost Giants was definitely this films high point action wise. It featured not only Thor but also the Warriors Three, Sif, and Loki all battling it out with the Frost Giants. Some of the fighting is a bit childish or like something out of a video game but it works well and always backed up by something bad ass. Also helping is that they didn’t shy away from the comic book look. All the characters wear or have the outrageous looks of their comic book counter part, which was very welcomed here and really made it feel more like Thor.

Most of the movies problems arose during the scenes on Earth that don’t involve any of the family issues or fight scenes. They just seem dull and as I stated before are extremely rushed. All in all though, this is far from bad and is a very solid movie. Thor fans and most comic fans will love it for staying so true to the source material, while movie goers in general will probably feel a bit incomplete once the movie is over. I would say it’s definitely worth checking out, although I don’t think it’s one that needs to be seen in theaters, it can definitely wait until you‘re able to rent it. On the same note though if you want a very good movie to go see, this one won’t make you feel like you just wasted your money.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 06

A Game of Your Childhood.

Now Sonic and Mario ruled my gaming life as a kid but I did very much enjoy other games. So to keep this video game challenge fresh, I am going to try and refrain from posting up the same game twice. So for this entry I introduce you into the game that showed me how much fun it was to slay zombies and sometimes let your neighbors get eaten by zombies for being so stupid. This game also stands out for me because it was the first game that my mom got for me as a surprise. I had no idea what it was or what to expect from it, but I fell in love with it.

Fast Five Review

‘Fast Five’, the fifth movie in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise. While I have to disagree with the people saying that this is the best in the series, it is better than the disaster that the fourth film was. Still though, they have a ways to go before they can get on back on the level of the second and third films of the series.

The movie was directed by Justin Lin, making this his third straight ‘Fast and Furious’ film. Starring in the movie is series regulars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel accompanied by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and almost every other character from the franchise, seriously all of them. Nothing to fancy with the story here, it picks up right were the last film left off with Dom (Diesel) being broken out of police custody and the group fleeing to Rio to hide out. They get involved, in a bad way, with the local tyrant and chaos ensues. Wanting to get away and start fresh they decide to rob the tyrant and buy there freedom.

One of the greatest things about this movie was getting to see the interactions between all the characters from this franchise. Seeing Roman Pierce and Dom finally come face to face, along with seeing more of everyone’s favorite drifter Han made this movie very memorable. The problem that arose from this though was that there were too many characters, so the people who didn’t really have much of a back story or that were just not very developed, still aren’t. It was a great idea but it just wasn’t done well. Also some of the actors (Walker) gave very bland performances that would’ve easily turned this movie into what the last one was if not for the very well spaced out, yet very short, moments were we get to see the other characters that we all love.

One huge problem I’m having with these movies now though, and especially this one, is that with the story becoming so big and epic, there’s not really much of that great street racing that started it all. In fact in this movie I believe there is only one quarter mile race that last all of maybe sixty seconds. To make up for this though, the movie has some of the greatest chase scenes that I think I’ve ever seen. And the action is top notch, especially Diesel’s fight scenes. So it’s kind of a mixed bag here, although I would prefer a return to the street racing, I understand why they went this route and give them major props for doing a great job of it.

All in all this was a pretty great film for anybody who is a fan of the series. I don’t think this will make you a fan if you didn’t already care for the other movies but check it out because with the new “summer blockbuster” route they’re taking,  you’ll definitely get some enjoyment out of it.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - 05

The Best Sega Genesis Game.

 If I remember correctly Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the first game I ever played for the Genesis and was also the reason I eventually got one. I even got a Game Gear with the hope of playing some Sonic on the go. The only real problem with this game for me was that it was so good that I compared every Sonic game I've played to it and none have come close. I played the best the series had to offer first and now years later I'm paying for it. And I mean that literally because I still have to check out every new game that involves that stupid blue hedgehog.....ahhhhh I love ya Sonic.


 

Donkey Kong Country Returns Review

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fantastic revisit to one of Nintendo’s greatest Super Nintendo games, Donkey Kong Country. The developers, Retro Studios,  take the DK formula that Rare created and perfects it into what is almost the perfect game. The graphics are some of the best I’ve seen on the Wii to date. The game play and level design has just enough nostalgia to give you that warm feeling inside but yet so much new content that you don’t get that, been there done that feeling. One great new addition is the jetpack that Diddy Kong wears. Although this time around you don’t get to control Diddy, he sits on DK’s back and if you’re faced with a long jump you can use his jetpacks for that extra boost across. On that note I would like to point out that this game is not an easy game by any means, don’t get me wrong it’s no Demon Soul’s but this game will make you want to throw your controller out the window. The game does however include the “auto play” feature to help the, lesser experienced, players through the game. I however could not bring myself to ask for the games help, just the thought of it made me feel like a girly-man. In all seriousness though, the difficulty was very welcomed and the only real complaint here is the same problem I have with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, that you can NOT use the classic controller to play. This is because there are a few other new moves to DK’s arsenal that involve shaking the controller and that are completely pointless. Well not completely but I would’ve chosen to use the classic controller over having the new moves any day.  All in all though, it was a pretty great game and I definitely recommend picking it up because it will give you hours upon hours of great platforming fun with a little DK charm thrown in there.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 04

Favorite Adventure Game. 

It's a bit saddening to think about this game because when it came out I tried to get everybody to play it and sure I got a few people but I kind of felt like I failed getting the word out, although I never stopped. Now fast forward six years and now the world has been introduced to 'Heavy Rain'. A game that plays almost the exact same way just with a new story and far better graphics. I know I didn't make a very good argument just now about why you should play it, but that's ok, because whether it gets the praise it deserves or not, it already is one the all time greats.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 03

Best Super Nintendo Game.

 Now I know there are a LOT of great SNES games out there but for me this one stands above the rest. I've invested so many hours into this game and beaten more times than I can count. Even to this day, 19 years later, I still will pop it in. This game truly is one of the greatest games of all time and easily the best SNES game.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 02

Favorite Fighting Game.

This was an extremely hard question to answer. There are so many great fighting games out there that I love. I just chose this one because I remember being the most dominate at it. Sure I'm pretty great at other fighting games, but I was king in Tekken 2.

Scream 4 Review

“Fuck Bruce Willis.” That’s right and welcome to my review of ‘Scream 4’, the movie that doesn’t know if it wants to be a parody or serious slasher film. The movie brings back the original cast of David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and a slew of new red shirts, I mean actors and actresses to take on Ghost Face (The Killer). The story goes as follows. Sindy(Campbell) returns to Woodsboro, fifteen years after the original killings in the first movie,  on a book tour for a book she wrote about the killings. (Yea, Dr. Loomis style.) She soon discovers that there’s a new killer in town and he / she wants her dead.

Like I said above, this movie is very confused on what it wants to be. I know these films have kind of always been a parody of the slasher genre to a point, but I feel like it went to far this time. The entire movie I was waiting for the actors to start talking to me like this is a Deadpool comic or something, it just seemed like it would fit in some parts. There were even a few scenes that could have fit perfectly, as is, into one of the ‘Scary Movie’ films, most notably the first five minutes of the movie.

Another problem is that it doesn’t really seem like the main characters have evolved any, well minus now being the only people in the town with the balls to stand up to Ghost Face. To me it just seems that with a series as “smart” as ‘Scream’, the characters would have changed and grown much more than just getting older and getting new jobs. As for the rest of the characters, you don’t really learn much about them. Well except that one really likes to bake and a couple of them really love horror movies. (Yea they had to replace Jamie Kennedy somehow.) Oh and one more thing. Maybe it’s that I haven’t seen a ‘Scream’ movie in years but Ghost Faces’ voice sounded a bit different. Sure it could just be me and my spotty memory but it just sounded off.

All in all ‘Scream 4’ was a decent enough ride that all fans of slasher films should check out, regardless. As for everyone else, just wait on it. I wouldn’t recommend paying to see it in theaters, just rent it once it’s out on dvd from redbox or something.

30 Day Video Game Challenge - Day 01

First Game You Finished.

When I was younger my aunt was my babysitter and everyday I would sit at her house and play this game and I remember the day I beat it, when I got to World 7, she tried to take the controller from me because she didn't want me to get upset because the levels were to hard. The only time I got upset that day, well besides when she took the controller, was when she gave it back to me after losing a few of my extra lives trying to "get me past the hard stuff." Now looking back on it, I just think she was trying to steal my thunda!