iconogeek » jason

Wolverine (I hate movie reviewers)

jason — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:49:16 +0000

Yes, I hate movie reviewers. I am including myself to some degree, although no one is paying for my opinion. I read the reviews for Wolverine yesterday before seeing it at the midnight showing and all of the bashing had me concerned. Don’t believe the bullshit. It’s a great, fun(ny) and action packed start to the summer movie season.

Hugh Jackman was great, fully embracing the character and story and making even preposterous scenes feel genuine. This is another case that depending on your knowledge of the original comic books your mileage may vary as far as overall enjoyment. If you’re going to get pissy about every little detail not being carried over from the books, or about the filmmakers taking certain liberties then you’ll have some issues. If you haven’t read the books or are more forgiving, I think you’ll enjoy the crap out of this like I did. However, I do wish Deadpool, Agent Zero and Gambit got a bit more screen time because what was there was simply awesome.

Only 3 things got me, and all were FX related. First is Cyclops… who in general I just don’t care for, but the younger version is on screen a few times and the eye-beam gets to do some spectacular damage. Here is the first issue. Where does the eye-beam effectiveness end? It cuts through buildings but then it just stops? Seemed like they got lazy and didn’t want to have to animate another building falling down.

The other two were just crappy/weird FX that felt out of place when compared to the rest of the polished pieces throughout. One is a mirror shot with Wolverine’s claws… looked crappy and plastic. The other was a close up of Wolverine shredding a fire escape. Watch for those two and see if you agree.

Anyway, I think you’ll have a good time if you’re a fan of the X-men movies or the Wolverine character. It tells a great story, explaining a lot about the character and his motivations, his rivalries and attitude. Don’t listen to toolbag reviewers (including me) and go check it out for yourself.

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Twitter. Seriously people?

jason — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:49:07 +0000

So I was having this conversation with a good buddy of mine the other day about some of our friends getting on the Twitter bandwagon. I was very happy to find another individual that felt the same way as I did.

Internal dialogue. That’s essentially what goes on. 140 characters or less of random babbling about:

This girl on the train is hot. (not gonna happen buddy)
Man, this sandwich is tasty. (congrats tool, your keyboard now has mayo on it)
I’m late for class. (stop typing and get to class dumbass)
This rash is spreading. (glad you’re far away)
Other bullshit. (see above)

Fortunately some talented people decided to put together a video that sums up how my buddy and I feel about it. I’m sure that some will say ” either you get it, or you don’t” or “it’s not for everybody” in some assinine condescending fashion, and you know what? I’m glad I don’t get it. Scientoligists probably say the same shit.

So… really?

Wait.

No, really??

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Who Watches the Watchmen?

jason — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:01:13 +0000

Well… um… we do? I mean it’s out now in theaters.

Luckily that question is not the only one I have answers for today as we were able to catch the Watchmen at a midnight showing last night.

Here’s another question: Was it any good?

Hell yes it was. Brutal, graphic, pretty to look at, well paced, well acted and it hit a very large majority of the books major points right on the head.

Here is where things get tricky. If you did not read the book, you’ll likely be confused as hell at times and you’ll probably be surprised by the overall adult nature of it. You see this is not the Xmen, or Spiderman or any other average comic book. The majority of the ‘heros’ have some heavy pyschological issues, 0 superpowers and are basically masked vigilantes that the majority of society would like to see locked up permanently. The only guy that actually has any real super-type abilities is mostly devoid of emotion and really doesn’t give a shit about the human race.

So if you read the book and loved it and you’re not a detail nazi (ZOMG!!!11!! RORSHACH IS SUPPOSED TO GO HOME FOR HIS SECOND MASK!!! THIS MOVIE IS RUINED!!!) then you’ll love it. They pulled no punches when it came to the graphic nature of the novel, so don’t be surpised to see shredded flesh, attempted rape, a bunch of breasts, compound fractures, blue penises (penii??) and more.

Bottom line is this. It’s not for everyone, but for the fans of the graphic novel it seems like the movie version you could have only hoped for.

BTW: yes the ending has been changed and that entire plotline that goes into the construction of the ‘squid’ has been scrapped, but I think it’s for the best. The movie’s ending not only performs the exact same function, it actually feels more legit.

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Aliens+ Resident Evil+ Event Horizon= Dead Space

jason — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:31:38 +0000

So I had some downtime recently and I finally got around to playing and completing a couple of games. I’ll try and review some of the others ( Fable 2, Gears of War 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4) but Event Horizon came up in conversation today, and Dead Space became my first target.

Dead Space casts you as an engineer sent out on a rescue mission to find out what went wrong on a mining vessel in deep space. The game sets the story up pretty well, and its not long before you’re seperated from your team and the action begins. It’s apparent from the get go that not is all as it should be on the derilict ship. “Necromorphs” as the game refers to them (essentially the reanimated corpses of the fallen crew) are your main adversary throughout the game. They take on a variety of shapes and sizes and without exception they are all fairly grotesque. They make a great foe throughout the game, giving you a few genuine shocks and scares. In addition an interesting mechanic is implemented, wherein headshots (the defacto killshot in most games) are ineffective and the best way to take down the enemy is through dismemberment. This results in a lot of good-bloody fun.

I’d say the big star is the ship and its atmosphere. It may come accross as a bunch of greenish corridors, but the feeling of dread that the designers conveyed through graphics and sound design really make it seem if you’re in a haunted spacecraft. The designers also mix up a good variety of believable locales while still remaining within the confines of the story. The ship is in total dissaray, and when you’re not looking over your shoulder for necromorphs, you’re preoccupied with zero gravity areas, zero oxygen zones and some nicely scripted cataclysmic type events.

This was a game I couldn’t stop playing until I got to the end. For me, thats the mark I look for. Great Resident Evil-like gameplay, tense atmosphere, interesting story, fun-upgradeable weapons and gear as well as an awesome final boss fight made this one a winner in my book.

One last thing. Before I played the game I watched the set up story on dvd. Dead Space: Downfall is a full lenght animated feature that sets up your characters arrival at the beginning of the game. I love animation. I love movies. I love games. I have 2 things to say about this. (1.) It’s a good thing I got it from Netflix and didn’t buy it. (2.) It pretty much sucked. Not horrible horrible… but for me of all people… the same guy who enjoyed Deep Blue Sea to not really enjoy it, well… that’s saying something.

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The Walking Dead chews my face off.

jason — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:02:48 +0000

So I may have been a little late to the party. Cesar has been evangelizing this series for some time now and I jumped on the bandwagon fairly recently. However I feel that I need to do my part and let my legions of fans ( Hi Mom!) know exactly where I stand.

If you like any of the following: Incredible art, fantastic storytelling, thought provoking dialogue, deep characters, rollercoaster action and gut renching drama ** then use some of that Christmas money grandma sent you and order the first Walking Dead. Once you read the first, you’ll have to continue through the rest. The ninth volume comes out in graphic novel form this week ( or if you’re Cesar, last week) and if it shapes up anywhere near as tense as #8, I may have to get some medication.

If however you like puppies, rainbows, happy thoughts and feel good moments… you may want to take a pass. This graphic novel, and yes I realize this is just a book, is not for the faint of heart. (I deleted a line here that was just too disgusting to post, sometimes I even gross myself out. trust me on this… you owe me one )

So if you’re not a fan yet, get cracking. If you are a fan let’s talk. True iconogeeks already have an outbreak plan of some sort. So here’s a question… If it comes tomorrow, who are you?

Are you a Rick?

A Carol?

An Andrea?

A Glenn?

A Tyrese?

The Governor?

It’s never too early to start planning.

** also ok if you like zombies

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Fable 2 DLC coming next Tuesday.

jason — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:47:07 +0000

Fable 2 is definitely one of my favorite games of the past year. After beating the main campaign I still found myself wandering around towns with my dog at my side, beating random people and dodging diseases from pesky prostitutes.

By the way, the dog in Fable 2 is much better than a real dog. No fur, no smell, no picking up dog crap, no walking, no biting.

So needless to say I was pleased to learn that the Fable 2 DLC: Knothole Island will be available this coming Tuesday, January 13th for 800 Microsoft points from Xbox Live. Opens up the new island, new quests, armor clothes and a bunch more.

The develop has more info here.

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Attention Iconogeeks! Special Assignment!

jason — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:16:40 +0000

Ironman is now on DVD. If you have yet to see this movie we must insist that you turn your computer off immediately, go to your local BestBuy, Blockbuster, Supermarket or 7-Eleven (yes, they are selling this absolutely everywhere) and purchase the Ironman DVD. If you have already seen this movie, you should still go and buy it.

I picked it up the other night and we watched it again and it really was just a damn good time. If you are on this website, their should be no question in your mind about whether or not this is a must own.

You. Must. Own.

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Because Burn Before Reading would be too difficult.

jason — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:12:31 +0000

Clooney, Pitt, Swinton, Malkovich and McDormand in a film by the Coen brothers.

Obviously, this should interest you.

I’ve been following this one for some time now, and I was definitely not disappointed. Burn After Reading is easily one of the most entertaining movies I have seen this year. To prepare mix: 3 parts funny, 2 parts bizarre, a splash of violence… sprinkling on a few sex toys for good measure.

The entire cast give fantastic performances that should not be missed. Clooney the neurotic womanizer, Pitt the personal training dumbass, Malkovich the asshole, Swinton the cold bitch and McDormand the ditzy self desctructing center of it all. What I admire most is the stretch of some of these characters, except perhaps Tilda Swinton playing the exact same role she played in Michael Clayton. She still did a great job, and it was what the role called for but I’m hoping she doesn’t end up type cast for future gigs.

As I said, everyone was great. I would have to single out a non headliner in the form of J.K. Simmons (aka Juno’s dad or J Jonah Jameson). He nails some of the best lines in the film as a detached, unflinching CIA director. His only concern being that the entire case/situation simply just go away. It’s just about worth the price of admission for him alone.

The Coen brothers, after No Country for Old Men have returned back to the offbeat, seedy characters that made Fargo, O Brother, Lebowski and Raising Arizona such entertaining films. I’m not sure that this one will win an Oscar like No Country (only because the academy is filled with a closed mindedness to anything that can be percieved as ‘main stream), but I am sure it’s far more enjoyable.

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To the World: You were right, I was wrong.

jason — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:33:33 +0000

I’ve taken a lot of flack over the years for being the one person on earth that enjoyed Ang Lee’s Hulk. I could never understand what the problem was. He was a comic book character and for me the movie was fun to watch. I like Eric Bana. I really like Jennifer Connelly. He rips a tank apart! Whatever, judge me if you like.. I enjoyed it.

However.

I saw the new Hulk this weekend, and I guess you were all right… Ang Lee’s Hulk is just an ugly bastard of a movie in comparison. This is what a Hulk movie should be. Ridiculous over the top tense and exciting action sequences, enjoyable characters (good interplay between Norton and Tyler, although Jennifer Connelly was much more ‘appealing’), fantastic superpowers, great CGI and most importantly a ton of fun. This movie will get an assload of play on my home theater when it comes to DVD.

The CGI had a few moments of ‘eh’ .. you know where you look at it, and something seems off but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Overall though it was top notch. The integration of live action and 3d was especially noteworthy, which is where most movies have issues. This is where the Hulk excels, pitting his massive frame against normal sized individuals had an awesome impact.

Definitely go check this one out. It’s a 10 in my book.. not an Iron Man 10, but a 10 nonetheless.

P.S. No need to stay past the end credits this time… they throw you the bone right before it ends.

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What’s (the) Happening? Not much :(

jason — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:56:30 +0000

M. Night Shyamalan’s summer flick ‘The Happening’ came out this past weekend. If you’ve been keeping track with us over here (slackers I know) we discussed this movie a few weeks back and the scare the pants off you red band trailer that was on line.

I had high hopes for this. I like M.N.S. and most of his movies. I like the approach and the feel. I liked that this seemed to be going edgier, with his first R rated production. The first trailer had me intrigued, the red band trailer had me sold. I bought my ticket, alongside enough others for it to rake in a very respectable $35 million or so on its opening weekend.

Here’s the big twist with this one. How did a trailer with so much awesome result in a movie with so much suck? I could go into a myriad of reasons why this movie failed to deliver, and I am pretty much the most forgiving movie critic in the world. I like just about every movie I see ( except Diary of the Dead, my new favorite ‘most horrible movie ever’) and even I had trouble finding redeeming qualities with this movie. It did have a good sense of dread, had some decent creepiness… but when/if you see it, your response will probably be something like this.

“Seriously??!?”

{internal dialogue}
Something else must be coming…

“Really?!!!???”

“Oh C’mon!”

End Credits

Save your money, thank me later.

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JOOONEEESSS!!!

jason — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:57:29 +0000

So we took in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this weekend, with I admit some apprehension because of some mixed reviews coming out. It’s a good thing I don’t listen to critics because I thought it was great. Great story, strong performances, familiar faces and just some good old fashioned fun.

A lot of people have been coming down on the story, and I think this is where I am going to differ the most. The film definitely has a sci-fi bend to it and for me that works great. I think because the first films delved heavily into theology in one form or another, people were expecting the same. They all deal with some sort of mysticism, the new film included. The mysticism simply has its roots in different areas.

Harrison Ford and Karen Allen held up pretty well. They both look like they have aged 20 years, but they are still watchable and attractive people that fit comfortably into their roles. Shia Lebeouf also gave a great performance once again, he’s shaping into a great actor.

If you enjoyed the first three Indy flicks you should not leave the theater disappointed in any way.

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Bring the Thunder

jason — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:58:21 +0000

A new red-band trailer for Tropic Thunder is online and it looks absolutely over the top. Robert Downey Jr. looks to be hitting big again, and some early screenings have met with extremely positive reviews.

Alas we will have to wait for August, but I think that’s a good thing. Usually we only get crap towards the end of the summer movie season, maybe this year will be different.

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No Speed Racer, No!

jason — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:11:49 +0000

Did you see Speed Racer this weekend? No??? Don’t feel bad, neither did anyone else apparently. Speed Racer has officially bombed at the US box office.

At an estimated 200 million dollar cost and an opening weekend take of only 20 million, it’s doubtful we’ll be seeing any sequels. Apparently it was expected to do at least double that this weekend as it failed to knock Iron Man out of the number 1 spot.

Hopefully this picture of Christina Ricci looking hot will cheer you up. Or at the very least you can admire her hair and dress.

If you saw it and you still have your vision, please post to let us know what you thought.

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More NIN Love

jason — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:37:01 +0000

http://theslip.nin.com/

New Nine Inch Nails album, not just instrumental this time either. In his effort to constantly outdo himself this one is entirely free. Yes, free.

Once I get it downloaded and give it a listen I’ll let you know my thoughts.

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Why can’t this be real?!

jason — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:36:10 +0000

When are we going to get to the point in technology where we can have these robotic super soldiers? Seriously, when you see this movie you’ll want one for yourself. Go see Iron Man tonight.

Rocks.

Hard.

It’s very hard for a superhero movie to sustain the interest of moviegoers when the hero isn’t doing their thing. You spend a lot of the downtime waiting for them to get suited back up. Such is not the case here as the story of Tony Stark is as compelling as the incredible action sequences. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark… he doesn’t play him, he is him. It’s a shame that people don’t get recognized for performances this good just because the subject matter isn’t the usual ‘Academy’ fare. This movie will seriously get you excited for the hopeful future of this franchise… I saw the movie an hour ago and I already can’t wait for the sequel.

The summer blockbuster season has started off with a giant bang.

** stay past the end credits

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Everbody Loves Niko

jason — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:03:36 +0000

After what seemed like an eternity, Grand Theft Auto IV finally came out on Tuesday. Was it worth the wait? Does it live up to the hype? Is it the biggest video game event of the century?

In short, yes.

GTAIV is the rarest of the rare. The possibilities that this game opens up from the moment you start playing is simply astounding. Rockstar definitely deserves credit for creating a believable and lived in world for you to spend many, many hours in. I’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of playtime with this game, yet I can easily say this is the most enjoyable gaming experience I’ve had since playing the first Half-Life or the first Metal Gear Solid. Even those pale in comparison to the majesty of this title. Critics around the world are all saying the same thing. Meta-critic has it at 99% with 35 professional reviews reporting.

What Rockstar has done was take elements of its own series and added or honed everything to a razor sharp edge. You have an action game, blended with a sweeping dramatic story. That’s pretty standard stuff, but when done well can be incredible on its own. GTAIV ups the ante with relationship building, discovery, natural/thoughtful- progression, incredible characters and loathsome villains. A refined driving system and shooting mechanic. More music, hours of television, on stage comedy shows and tons of mini games ( billiards, darts, bowling, in game video games, etc). This game will even allow for some personal introspection.. ( I found it disturbing, yet not very surprising that I spent more money on strippers than on food) Absolutely breathtaking graphics and incredibly realistic (disturbing even) physics.

Obviously if you’re a gamer you know about the game and the series. If you’ve been a fan before like me, you’ll be blown away by what is in store. If you’re a fan of games in general, their is likely something here that will appeal to you. If you’re offended by language, violence, crudeness… you know that it won’t appeal to you. I implore everyone else though to go out and grab this game. It’s not just sex, violence and cursing… it’s characters you care about in a living world that gets under your skin, consumes your thoughts and demands your time. Like an incredible book where you determine the outcome and the plot points along the way. The game of the year and possibly the decade is already here.

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So it begins…

jason — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:23:00 +0000

*special thanks to my lovely wife Crystal for tipping me off on this one.

Some may argue that I’m a week early, and that perhaps Harold and Kumar do not represent the summer blockbuster ‘mold’.

Screw ‘em.

Harold and Kumar will be fantastic for anyone that loved the first, simple as that. Next week however is Ironman, followed by Speedracer, then Indy, Batman, Hancock, Hulk, Wanted and the list goes on…

I say bring them on, its going to be one hell of a summer.

FirstShowing.net had this incredible Dark Knight poster that I had to share.

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DVD Tuesday (Happy Anniversary to us!)

jason — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:44:46 +0000

Anniversary you say? Surely this site has not been around for a year already has it? Well… no. It most definitely has not.

But that’s old school convention, and I say screw it. It is our Anniversary today because the first movie we discussed on iconogeek when it was in the theater comes out on DVD today. We have made it a full theater to home release cycle, and that my friends is something to proud of.

Alright maybe it is not that big of a deal, but seriously give me a break. It’s only Tuesday and this week feels like its 2 months long already, so let me have my little delusions.

Cloverfield -The much hyped, motion sickness inducing, nail biting, hair raising mystery dated flick that re-invigorated the monster movie genre. Even with all of the anticipation leading up to this movie, it still managed to deliver. Buy this DVD. We need more movies willing to take chances… and I don’t mean like indy-movie chances where you discuss the inner spirit or some crap like that… I mean I want more balls-out monster movies. If they make a sequel and it has bare breasts in it, I can safely say now that it will be the last movie I will ever need to see.

The Orphanage – Guillermo Del Toro produces this extremely creepy looking movie with kids talking to ghosts and random nightmare concoctions of that sort. I’ll be picking this one up this week and I’ll let you know how I feel… from what I’ve heard though I may be hiding under my bed for a week, terrified.

So, it may be awhile.

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I Want to Believe

jason — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:56:04 +0000

That title is not just a common theme from the show, but it is also the subtitle of the new X-files movie coming out July 25th. From reading this article we find out that this was the title Chris Carter had wanted from the beginning, so I’m happy to see that execs let him have his way.

I used this image so all of the fans out there can go ahead and Photoshop their own heads in place of Duchovny’s.

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Ghost in the Shell comes to life.

jason — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:56:53 +0000

Dreamworks has acquired the rights to make the Ghost in the Shell property into a 3d live action film. Apparently Spielberg is a big fan and threw his weight behind it in order to make it happen.

Avi Arad, the producer for a ton of the latest comic book movies ( all of the Spiderman, X-men, Fantastic Four films in addition to the upcoming Iron Man and Hulk flics) is already attached to the project so it sounds like it has a great shot of being something special.

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DVD Tuesday (Directed by Uwe Boll)

jason — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:25:22 +0000

Well maybe it’s unfair to plague these other two releases with the ‘Boll’ moniker. However, it has been proven* that just being released to DVD the same week as an Uwe Boll movie is detrimental to video sales.

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale – Please… someone stop him. Uwe Boll strikes again, forever dooming video game based movies to a reputation of crap. Luckily for us this 80 million dollar craptastrophe did only 3 million on the opening weekend and only 10 million or so world wide. Apparently he admitted disappointment and is saying he will stick to smaller films in the future. We can only hope. Look at the cast in this thing! How did these good people get wrapped into such a mess?

On another note he also made the ‘Postal’ movie that is to be released in May… hopefully that will be the final nail in the coffin. Also in the currently in development Postal 3 video game you will have the opportunity to kill Uwe Boll. If that’s not a selling point, I don’t know what is.

Juno – J Jonah Jameson’s daughter Kitty Pryde gets knocked up by George Michael. Michael Bluth and Sydney Bristow try to adopt the baby. If you get all of these references, you’re on the right site.

Alien vs Predator: Requiem -Aliens, Predators, Aliedators, Predaliens… apparently it’s a Christmas story.

*Proof not applicable where you live. May just be a gut feeling.

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Johnny Lee getting some airplay.

jason — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:05:10 +0000

We had mentioned Johnny Lee a few weeks back and he seems to really be getting some recognition these days. (I’m not claiming we had anything to do with it.) He gained quite a bit of notoriety with his Wii hack videos and TED.com now has a new video posted where he gets into some of his concepts. Can’t wait till he gets some funding, I’m sure he’ll be working on my robot slaves or something equally important within the next few years.

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To those of us that need our Lost fix.

jason — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:23:11 +0000

Pure Genius.. never realized how often this was used in the show. I’m sure this will spawn yet another Lost drinking game.

What?

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DVD Wednesday!!??

jason — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:05:24 +0000

In a surprise move this week the DVD industry moved new releases to Wednesday. David Van Davidson had this to say “All of you DVD ‘fans’ who’ve been converting over to Blu-ray are ungrateful assholes. We’re moving this week’s releases to Wednesday to remind you sons of bitches that we hold the cards and to stop taking us for granted.”

I swear this is the truth and it has nothing to do with me slacking off and not posting these yesterday.

Walk Hard – Judd Apatow’s re-imagining of the Johnny Cash story. Hopefully more interesting and entertaining than the trailers I’ve seen. Maybe he’ll do the ‘shake and bake’ thing.. at least that will be good for a laugh.

There Will be Blood – One of the big contenders for pretty much every award this year. I’m sure its a great story, great acting, etc. etc… but will it be better than Doomsday?!

Lions for Lambs – Tom Cruise takes a break from speaking to aliens to bring us this story about forbidden love that will either fully unite or entirely sever the animal kingdom once and for all. At least that’s what I want it to be about… I got to the part that said starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and I fell asleep. When I woke up the animal kingdom thing was what I remembered from my dream.

My take.. Netflix the first two and maybe the last one if you’re desperate… even the ‘real’ critics didn’t think highly of LfL.

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Jericho Fans Rejoice!

jason — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:00:33 +0000

So great news for all you Jericho fans out there. Showtime has just announced that they have picked up the former CBS show for two full seasons. They also made the statement that ” being an elective cable channel we can allow the true Jericho story to be shown without the sanitizing necessary for network television”. Could you ask for more? Not only are they continuing the series, but from the sound of it, they’re looking to make it edgier and more kick ass than before.

The cable channel says you can expect to get your fix again in late summer ’08. Read the full story here.

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DVD Tuesday..2+2=3

jason — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:34:17 +0000

Of the 3 posted above, 2 of these movies feature cutting (throats, edges) and 2 feature blowing* (hard, long). This is like that whole thing from geometry class where a square is always a rectangle but a rectangle is not always a square. In this case we’re talking about the relationship of things being cut, and things being total piles of suck.

Sweeney Todd - If you like Johnny Depp, meat pie, blood and singing then this is the movie you’ve been waiting for. I’m not sure why, but I really enjoyed this movie, very twisted and macabre…oh, never mind.

Alvin and the end of Jason Lee’s movie career - After this and Underdog in the same year I just cannot fathom what the extremely talented Jason Lee is thinking about when he gets involved with this crap. Oh, the non stop hookers and blow he can afford from the giant movie star paychecks… never mind again.

Cutting Edge 3! - Chuck called me last night and insisted I include this movie today. Who ever though we needed not just one ‘Cutting Edge’ but three needs to be brought to justice and face charges of ‘crimes against humanity’. I suggest they be executed by guillotine for a sense of irony.

*not in any good way you could imagine.

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New X-Files details emerging.

jason — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:16:22 +0000

Chris Carter and other members involved in the production of the new X-files movie announced some details about the upcoming film. Apparently the movie will not involve the main X-files story about alien abduction/etc but will take place in modern day and will take into account the established lineage of the show. Meaning that the shows events will be relevant to where Mulder and Scully are at this point and time.

Although the film is coming out this July 25th, Carter and Fox Television have not yet come to an agreement on what the title should be. Personally I propose one of the following:

The X-Files: Pretend like seasons 7 and 8 never happened
The X-McflyFiles: Fight Back to the Future
The XXX-Files: Gillian X-posed

I know which one I’m hoping for.

New bootleg trailer here.

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DVD Tuesday… wait… just one?!

jason — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:45:33 +0000

So this week is pretty damn anemic. As long as I can remember I have been checking IMDB to see the latest DVD releases and never have I seen such a light Tuesday. Usually the page is populated with re-releases, director’s cuts, box sets and a few dozen things you could not possibly imagine people wanting to own. As far as I am concerned this week has The Mist. The Best of the Price is Right?! WWE Triple H: King of Kings?! Magic:Fantasy Bellydance?! (ok, maybe that last one would be worth fast forwarding through)

The Mist – Adaptation of a Stephen King story that:

A. Doesn’t suck (the Stand)
B. Is less than 20 years old ( Carrie, Cujo, Firestarter, Maximum Overdrive, Christine)
C. Actually fucks with your head the way a good Stephen King story should

Some of the Iconogeeks had seen this when it was out in the theaters and we all found it to be tense and exciting. One of those movies that you walk out of and feel like you got the crap beaten out of you (in a good way).

Edit: Just read about the DVD 2 disc edition. Apparently it includes a black and white version of the film that many people are saying is even more unsettling than the theatrically released version. I’d have to say that sounds pretty damn cool.

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This may be why people say the things they do.

jason — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:55:10 +0000

In pretty much the biggest show of geekery humanly possible, 80 people dressed up as video game characters to set a new world record for the the Guinness World Record Gamer’s Edition. I do find it hard to believe though that it took only 80 to establish a world record for the largest gathering of game characters… I do believe that some of our friends in Japan would scoff at 80. You could probably find more than 100 on a random street corner in Tokyo on a rainy Friday night, and they would have all just been out for a walk and just happened to run into one another. I expect this will be a fast record to fall.

BTW, Jill Valentine has had better days.

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DVD Tuesday (includes previously unseen footage)

jason — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:25:29 +0000

I am Legend -Will Smith fights off hordes of things that used to be human. Includes a new cut of the movie that a lot of people are saying pulls the movie together better. I saw this one in the theater and enjoyed it, albeit it was a bit of a downer at times.

Southland Tales – Richard Kelly of Donnie Darko fame follows up with something that is all together confusing. I saw this in the theater about 5 months ago and I still have yet to decide if I loved it or hated it.. thought it was art or crap. I guess the fact that I still think about it says something. I’ll probably buy it in hopes of figuring something out… if you have any conclusions after seeing it, please let me know so I don’t go insane.

Revolver -Guy Ritchie (check) Jason Statham (check) Ray Liotta (check) Sounds good so far eh? Made in 2005? Uh-oh. Apparently it had some trouble getting released and when it was finally in theaters a few months ago it was quickly in and out of only a handful. Need to check it out for the aforementioned reasons, I’ll let you know where it lands on my scale*.

* I have determined that my own personal scale differs than the normal, some would say ‘sane’ individual.

Normal Scale:

1star=poor
2stars=fair
3stars=good
4stars=excellent

My Scale:

1star=excellent
2stars=exceptional
3stars=mind numbingly incredible
4stars=Magical Unicorn Starship Avalanche

(I have yet to see a 4 star movie.)

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Doomsday is a better movie than No Country for Old Men.

jason — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:40:55 +0000

Go ahead flame away. When your done ranting continue on and read my explanation.

First off, I love movies dearly. To me what makes a movie better than another is entirely subjective. What brings me satisfaction may be entirely different than what works for you.

I thought NCFOM was an excellent movie. I think it deserves its exceptional reviews and awards. I also agree with all of the people that said Doomsday was an over the top gorefest with a scattered story. I have the ability to check reality at the door when I sit down to watch a movie and Doomsday requires that. If you can manage that much and you can get into the excessive nature of it, you’ll enjoy it too.

The characters in NCFOM were rich and nuanced. Doomsday… not so much. The story in NCFOM was filled with suspense and drama. Doomsday… maybe a little? The script in NCFOM was exceptional. Doomsday… c’mon, seriously.

So why in the name of all that is holy would I say that Doomsday is the better movie? For me the Holy Grail is always entertainment. I saw two movies this weekend, one being Doomsday and the other No Country for Old Men. I simply was more entertained by Doomsday. When I sit down to watch a movie I want to be taken to another place. I am much more interested in seeing an apocalyptic outbreak and post apocalyptic society gone awry than watching an aging man lament about how the world has moved on. You can keep your well developed story and characters and give me Rhona Mitra** in black spandex chopping off the heads of Mad Max rejects.

I guess this boils down to the age old situation in Hollywood. Is it a ‘film’ or is it a ‘movie’. NCFOM is clearly the better ‘film’ but Doomsday is the ‘movie’ I would rather watch.

** As of late we have seen a lot of female protagonists heading up action movies. Milla Jovovich, Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, etc… but after seeing Doomsday I’m hoping to see Rhona Mitra leading the way. She was not just the requisite eye candy, but actually gave a sense of real strength to her role. She’s in awesome condition conjuring Linda Hamilton in her Terminator 2 days. When this woman hits some thundering lug, you believe it will hurt. This is in stark contrast to the too lady-like and dainty approach of many other actresses. She’s tough and fit enough to make it believable, yet still remains feminine and sexy even when battered, bruised and dirty.

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Peter Gunn rides again..

jason — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:38:29 +0000

Remember Spy Hunter? Loved it as much as me? Always wanted to drive the car from the game when you were finally old enough to get a license? Cried all the way home the 10th time you failed your driving test at the age of 28? If so Pontiac has just the car for you.

Go here to watch the Best Car Commercial Ever.

Watch it.

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SMASH! (bonus:301)

jason — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:33:29 +0000

Finally we’re seeing some marketing for the new Hulk movie. This is a “trailer-teaser” a preview of the actual trailer… yeah kind of weird but whatever. The full trailer can be seen tonight on MTV at 9:56pm. I was one of the few people that actually enjoyed the last Hulk movie, but I am also really looking forward to this one. Edward Norton is an incredible actor, and anything that involves good CGI and superheros is a win for me.

Also… could be some big news, or some big rumors. Mark Canton discusses the possibility of a new 300 movie. The wife and I were just talking about this the other day after seeing King Leonidas on a movie poster for some crappy looking kids movie. I know he’s got to pay the bills… but he set the bar pretty high for himself and to see him cheesing it up with Jodie Foster, some kid and a seal is somewhat disappointing.

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Fail. (me, not the movie)

jason — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:22:07 +0000

I was such a big fan of the first Appleseed and it totally slipped my mind until just now that the sequel came out today. I have failed myself, my family, my friends… excuses, I have many, an acceptable one…I have not.

The 3d and design alone of the original and the trailer for the sequel are akin to coming home to find Scarlett Johanssen and Jessica Biel making out on your bed. (if that doesn’t appeal to you head to your doctor, you may not be human.)

If you have not seen the original, go get it and it’s sequel… if you like animation, 3d, action, adventure, whatever… you’ll love it(them).

IGN has a stellar review of the new one here.

Trailer:

Forgive me.

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DVD Tuesday…it’s a good one.

jason — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:21:23 +0000

No Country for Old Men – According to the Academy this is the best picture of the year. I love the Coen Brothers (yes, in that way) so I’m really looking forward to picking this one up.

Hitman - Timothy the Elephant (sp?) plays Agent 47 in a movie based on a video game series. Not directed by Uwe Boll, so it actually has a chance of being something other than insta-crap™.

Bee Movie – Jerry Seinfield ! CGI from the makers of Shrek! It’s got Bees! … wait.. what? Pass.

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Finally an affordable MacBook Air.

jason — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:29:02 +0000

So the folks over at bling-my-thing.com have outdone themselves this time and made a Macbook Air for the rest of us. Created using over 12,000 Swarovski crystals and 24k gold this baby is only about $40,000 dollars.

If you want the solid state drive with that the price goes up to about 4.3 million.

*Editor note: I’ve just been informed that $40,000 dollars is actually MORE than the base price for the Macbook Air. Who would have guessed?!

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DVD Tuesduuggghhhhh…

jason — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:14:57 +0000

So I think it’s pretty well known that I like just about every movie I see. I think that’s a direct effect of me just ignoring things that don’t jump out and grab me. I’ve decided that with this weeks 3 DVD releases that I have no interest in, to rewrite the synopsis for each in a way that makes me want to watch them.

Into the Wild – This is a story about our friend Ben and how he sold his belongings to go live on a boat. It delves deeply into the mind of a madman. Penguins get involved in some way. It’s a horror flic.

Things We Lost in the Fire- Catwoman, Frankie Four-Fingers and Fox Mulder are part of an elite arson squad in inner city Detroit. They discover buried treasure and a magic lamp that grants wishes.

Awake- Darth Vader has a dream about Jessica Alba. Basically it’s just him crying and screaming NOOOOO! for 90 minutes after he wakes up to find it didn’t really happen.

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New Ironman Trailer… Damn this looks good.

jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:24:45 +0000

New Ironman trailer floating out there and I have to say it looks incredible. It looks like Ironman could potentially be up there with the big boys after all.

From a pure marketing standpoint, this movie is already kicking all sorts of ass.

Watch and drool.

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Terminator 4 just got interesting.

jason — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:12:46 +0000

After Terminator 3: Breasts, a movie audiences found somewhat disappointing (I loved it), many thought that the franchise was dead. Now with a television series and a whole new crew working on the next Terminator movie a lot of people have been wishing it would just go away.

The franchise definitely can use some good news, and here it is. Batman has signed on to play the adult John Connor in T4 out May 22nd, 2009. Christian Bale has proven himself as a diverse and exciting actor, hopefully he can pull this franchise back up.

** as a side note I was just thinking how kick ass it would be to have a Batman vs Terminator movie. Someone in Hollywood call me, I’ve got the plot all worked out. It involves cat food. I’ll tell you more over the phone.

Anyone watching the television show? I’d like to hear some impressions.

By the way I was going to put up a picture of Christian Bale, but I couldn’t locate one (didn’t try)anywhere on the web. I had to run with this one of Kristanna Loken from Terminator 3 instead… sorry.

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DVD Tuesday (Unrated Director’s Cut Edition)

jason — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:20:07 +0000

30 Days of Night- Saw it in the theater, definitely enjoyable but somewhat depressing-bizarre ending. The whole movie makes you feel like you’re freezing your ass off.

Beowulf- Just go buy it. I mean… seriously, don’t be a fool.

The Darjeeling Limited- The latest from Wes Anderson of Rushmore/Royal Tannenbaums fame. I enjoyed his other stuff ( big shock, I know.. movies I like), hope this one follows suit.

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As if this summer movie season could get any better…

jason — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:21:11 +0000

We’ve got The Dark Knight, Iron Man, the new Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy 2, Hancock, Babylon A.D. and Indiana Freaking Jones… and now what could be my most anticipated movie in ages. July 25th, 2008 the X Files are back. It’s a pretty safe bet that if you’re not a fan of this show, you don’t belong on this site.

Yeah its a crappy video of the trailer… but seeing them on screen, it’s a thing of beauty.

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Gears of War 2 in November WOOOOO!

jason — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:24:31 +0000

Check out IGN for a whole bunch of news from the Game Developers Conference including the first video from Gears of War 2. Lot’s of great info coming out so jump on over and see the latest announcements.

And if you’ve never seen Lester Speight as Terrible Terry Tate (aka: Cole Train from Gears of War) the Office Linebacker, you should be ashamed of yourself and go to youtube now and watch them all.

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DVD Tuesday.. now featuring movies you actually want to see.

jason — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:04:35 +0000

Not a bad take this week as we’ve got some movies that you can not only enjoy, but you get to pretend like you’re cultured and deep in the process.

Michael Clayton- George Clooney in a movie about him on the phone. At least that’s what the box cover makes me think. I’ll need to see this one since I am a Clooney**fan… but he does look awfully serious.

American Gangster -Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in a 70′s period piece about gangster Frank Lucas. Sorry Virtuosity fans, this is not a sequel.

Lust, Caution – Ang Lee’s somewhat controversial NC-17 rated WWII espionage drama. Personally I think it’s Lee’s apology to American audiences for the Hulk. And by apology I mean he gives us a bunch of sex and it will allow you to appear interested in foreign films.

** Clooney fan status does not include his portrayal of Batman.

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How perfectly deranged.

jason — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:37:54 +0000

I always admire the ability of some folks to take the sweet memories of youth, and meld them into something twisted.

Exhibit A: The Lego Electric Chair. Some more pics and even a little Flash piece here. Wonder if its compatible with Lego Jar Jar Binks… cause we all know he’d be the first one strapped in.

Count your days buddy, cause they’re numbered.

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Great news! Our computer overlords are almost here.

jason — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:31:49 +0000

So some researchers over at IBM are in the process of building a computer that can RUN THE ENTIRE INTERNET.

Seriously, that warrants caps.

Read the full article for a bit of explanation as to how they plan to make this machine capable of hosting the entire web as an application.

I for one welcome our computer overlords and offer forth my services as a liaison between them and the human ~~plague~~ race. In exchange I would like to be paid in robot slave girls. Oh, I’ll require an office with a hot tub as well.

Thanks.

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DVD Tuesday… don’t get too excited.

jason — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:32:13 +0000

Pretty crappy DVD releases this week in my estimation.

Across the Universe – if you’re a Beatles fan this is a no brainer, for the rest of us its a creatively done love story. I’ll pass.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – Brad Pitt stars in the most self explanatory and longest titled movie since Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Critically acclaimed and heavily touted as a modern day classic… don’t know, just doesn’t seem too exciting to me.

The Brave One – Jodie Foster in a revenge movie. Has Naveen Andrews from Lost in it, so that makes it noteworthy. I’d watch it on cable.

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Devil May Cry 4 reviews

jason — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:50:36 +0000

Devil May Cry 4 should start popping into stores tomorrow and Wednesday and some reviews have started appearing online. From what I’ve read thus far if you’re a fan of the series you should be very happy. Check out IGN, Gamespy and Gametrailers.com for more images and reviews.

I won’t be picking this up as part of my FINISH THE DAMN GAME™ campaign. You know the one where I actually finish one of the dozen or so games I am halfway through. I’ll pick this up as soon as I finish Halo 3 or Bioshock or the Witcher.. maybe even Call of Duty 4 or Mass Effect… hopefully sometime this month… then again, I said that last month. Who am I kidding, I’ll likely get this over the weekend, play through 75% of it and then move on to something else.

Sigh. Someone help me.

Chuck however will not be playing this as it’s not coming out for the Commodore 64 or Colecovision.

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The Superbowl delivers…

jason — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:21:58 +0000

… a couple of decent laughs, some awesome looking movie trailers and some long drawn out commercial breaks featuring a bunch of guys in tights and helmets chasing after a brown leather mock-up of Stewie Griffin’s head.

Personally the highlight thus far for me is a new trailer for the movie Wanted with Angelina Jolie. I had read a bit about this, but seeing it in action is something entirely different. It’s from the same guy that did the Night Watch and Day Watch movies Timur Bekmambetov and based on Mark Millar’s graphic novel. IGN has a longer trailer than the Superbowl version if you’re craving more. Let’s all keep our collective fingers crossed that Wanted has as much action but is more comprehensible than his previous movies. Iron Man is looking pretty hot too.

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The real return of Bionic Commando

jason — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:59:52 +0000

So they announced a full fledged 3d action Bionic Commando a few months back for XBOX360 and the PS3 and it looks like it can be pretty cool. However the one that is in this video looks infinitely better. It’s basically a 3d/2d remake of the original NES game that I played the crap out of years ago, and it’s being made for XBOX Live.

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Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy lead tapped to direct Hobbit

jason — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:29:05 +0000

Some rumors were floating around but apparently now it’s official. Guillermo del Toro will be directing New Line’s 2 Hobbit films produced by LOTR helm Peter Jackson. Lots of talent being thrown at this, hopefully it will be something special.

In other news Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro are both:

A. Rotund
B. Bearded
C. Directors
D. All of the above

My theory is that they are the same guy… they/he just does this to skirt around some IRS issues. DNA tests to follow as soon as I get the beard samples I ordered off of Ebay.

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