Film Review: A Ghost of A Chance (Once Upon A Blue Moon)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

One of the best films I saw in 2011 wasn’t the usual big-budget Hollywood ego piece cooked up to win award after award, but a great and often laugh out loud funny comedy from Japan that’s worth tracking down even if it’s never released in English. That said, I’ll bet writer/director Koki Mitani wants a time machine for his next birthday. I know one of the first things he’d probably do is go back and meet Billy Wilder, Michael Powell and Frank Capra for dinner somewhere expensive where they’d smoke cigars, drink good whiskey and talk movies until the sun popped up like a fresh piece of perfect toast.

I say this because Mitani’s latest film, A Ghost Of A Chance (or Once Upon a Blue Moon if you happen to live in Japan) manages to get in nods to Wilder, Powell, Capra and a few other famous directors while also being as fresh and funny as Mitani’s other inspired comedy work. While a bit overlong, the film is funny (often hilariously so), touching (you’ll probably shed a few tears at some point) and despite a few flaws, is well worth watching a few times. With a plot that’s part crime story, ghost story, courtroom intrigue and romance (for starters), there’s a lot here to keep cinema buffs happy.

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So, Why Am I Caring That Might & Magic Is Celebrating World Music Day?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Actually, I’m not… I’m just a bit puzzled here. I’m also wondering when the heck we’ll get an actual return to the Might & Magic series many know and haven’t seen in far too long. You know, the one with that classic first-person perspective, huge dungeons and terrifying level of difficulty thanks to mobs of enemies to face off against. Hey, Ubisoft! You’re appreciated around here and all that, but come on guys and gals – let’s get some classic RPG action back where it belongs. You can save the funny videos for promoting whatever new M&M game you come up with. I say redo IX and follow that up with a proper “sequel” or just start from scratch, keeping the perspective and gameplay from those New World Computing gems. Trust me, MANY people will be happy to see this, especially if you can get it on consoles and handhelds as well as computers (of course)…

DREDD 3D Trailer: It’s Got The Look Down, So My Fingers Are Uncrossed…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Very nice stuff here, but I still want “I Am The Law” confirmed, no matter what it costs to get that song playing over the end credits. Anyway, I like that the trailer instantly reminded me of some of the comics in terms of the tone and visual style, Dredd keeps his mask ON throughout and it looks as if it will be dark to the core with not much in the way of stupid comic relief. Yes, like a few other folks out there, I was reminded of The Raid: Redemption (what with the plot point about a small force trapped inside a huge building packed with people wanting to kill them), but I’m smart enough to know this is an OLD theme that’s been done many times and goes back to the days of classic movie westerns. Which means you can tell the “aha!” crowd Internet to shut it with the lazy “rip-off” chatter. This one looks good, so let’s see what else they’ve got…

Hmmm… I’m Not Sure I WANT To Play As Stan Lee In A Spider-Man Game…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, it’s a stupidly cool Amazon pre-order bonus and all and yes, it’s looking like Beenox’ best game to date, but let me start some trouble here by stating historically (for some old school Marvel fans), it’s a bit off-base. I’d imagine any Steve Ditko supporters out there might be a wee bit ticked off at this, but hey, he’s a mystery man himself and there hasn’t been a photo of him published anywhere that I know of in decades. Feh, we’re a dying breed the kids don’t give a hoot in hell about these days anyway, as I’d bet none of them even KNOW who Ditko is.

Then again, given that Marvel and Stan Lee have been boosting Stan as the creator of any and everything successful about the company for decades (overlooking the contributions of too many comic art legends, many of whom are no longer with us) and Lee’s the perfect showman (in that Funky Flashman manner – if you know what I mean), I’m guessing a little bit of re-writing is helping keep those dollars rolling in for both parties. So, as long as you don’t think about it too much (and that’s not too hard in this era of shorter attention spans), it’s all good, right? Um, “Excelsior!” (which should mean, “Hell No!” in this case, but you can’t stop the fan train from rolling onward sometimes)…

Random Film of the Week: F for Fake

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’ll admit I fell asleep the first two times I saw this astounding “documentary” (and final directorial effort) by the late, great Orson Welles… but not because the film was boring. Hell, Welles’ own “trailer” for the film clocks in at over nine minutes… for a film that’s under an hour and a half long. Even more amazing, it’s not even a trailer, but a separate film shot around the same time that ended up not being shown to promote the film before it vanished for a bit and was later found and restored (*whew!*).

Um, where was I again? Oh yeah: On the contrary, dear readers, I’d been really looking forward to seeing this film each time, but in both cases, it was shown very late at night (actually, very early in the morning) and I’d been awake both times for a bit longer than I’d expected. The third time wasn’t the charm, either, as it was on again at a very late hour and I took a nap in front of the TV so I’d be refreshed and ready to go. Of course, guess who slept through the first hour of the film? Did I mention that I don’t have a TiVO or other fancy (or dated) video recording device? *Sigh*…

And so it went until attempt number four…

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The Dark Knight Rises TV Ad #2: And Then, What Happened?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Sus-pense! At this point, if this film isn’t as long as Lawrence of Arabia, I’ll be very disappointed. Just kidding, but. that said, director Chris Nolan has pretty much pulled out all the stops here and I’m almost convinced that staying home and hunkering down for the inevitable Blu-Ray box set release with all three of his Batman films might be a better idea than running out and seeing this in a theater. Granted, I’ll more likely than not do both, but I want to see what got left out of the theatrical release, as Hollywood likes getting asses in seats like clockwork, sometimes killing a director’s true vision until the home versions hit retail. As always, we shall see…

The White Wolf Returns: Okami Goes the HD Download Route Over PSN This Fall

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Excellent. At a paltry $19.99 with added Move support (and Trophies if you want ’em) this is a no-brainer buy, period. Of course, PSN-only means it’ll be overlooked by a few who can’t get DLC. Heck, you know I’d kill to have this on a disc, as it’s one of the more gorgeous, innovative and fun games on any console. Yeah, I still have the original PS2 version here, but I’d buy it all over again just to play it with the Move (and in HD)… Anyway, once Capcom drops an actual date, I’ll post that here…

Tech Review: Accell UltraAV DisplayPort to Dual-Link Active Adapter

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Whether you’re planning to use multiple monitors for gaming, an art project, multi-tasking or even more mundane needs, Accell’s UltraAV Display Port/Mini Display Port to DVI Dual Link Active Adapter (try saying that three times fast!) should be one product you’ll want to take a look at. This nifty USB-powered device (no AC adapter!) plugs into your PC’s DisplayPort (or Mini DisplayPort) and then into either a Single or Dual-Link DVI, allowing you to spread your visuals out across all two or three screens. Resolutions of up to 2560×1600 (WQXGA) as well as all HDTV resolutions are supported here and if you’re like me, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to go monitor shopping after seeing how cool this gadget is. Granted, I’d need more space in the home office for a third monitor, so I tested it with two here before the next phase of the trial…

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The Master Teaser Trailer # 2: More Yet Less Works Fine For Me…

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

I’m loving that P.T. Anderson isn’t giving anything away in these trailers. Setting up scenes that add to the mystery of exactly what the film is about is excellent, as I’m sick of seeing trailers that tell you all you need to know and basically make you not want to waste the cost of a ticket to see them. Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed be about the founding of Scientology or some other cult-like religion with a curious hold on its adherents, but these trailers don’t even hint at this at all. Like Anderson’s other films, I’m betting it’ll go over the head of those expecting a traditional narrative, yet stand up quite well to repeated viewings. Hey, I saw There Will Be Blood something like seven times just to pick through every scene and absorb all it had to say, so this one is looking like another deep diver. Off to find a milkshake… “Draiiiiiinage!”

Doom 3 BFG Edition Headed To Consoles, PC This October (Flashlight Mod Included)…

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Nice (and hell, it’s about time!). I loved the console version of Doom 3 and its expansion back on the original Xbox and next to Valve’s stellar ‘How the hell did they DO that” port of Half-Life 2 (still the technical achievement on the console in my book), it’s one of those games you’ll always remember after you’ve played it. Well, id is bringing the game to consoles and PC this October 16 with some nice additions PS3 and 360-only owners should approve of. The main game, Resurrection of Evil expansion and seven new levels (The Lost Mission) are all 3D optimized, feature 5.1 surround sound, new lighting, rendering an an actual checkpoint save system (for those who disliked having to replay certain tricky sections of the game over). In addition, fellow Space Marines, that aforementioned flashlight takes care of one of Doom 3’s more irksome problems (unless you owned the PC version and got one of the many flashlight mods) and yes, there are now Trophies and Achievements for those that feel the need to hunt them down. Even better, you’ll be getting the original versions of Doom and Doom II included in the package (hopefully ON the game disc and not as downloads, right, id?). The best thing here is the price point – $29.99 on PC and $39.99 for the console versions. That’s not bad for so much, I say. Especially when it’s a game that still has the scares to send you under the couch time and time again (and that’s just the first two games in the series)…