Random Film of the Day*: One Million Years B.C.

*For the next week or so, I’m going to add a random film the great Ray Harryhausen worked on. The legendary special effects MASTER passed away on May 7, 2013 at age 92 in London and yes, the film world has lost a true giant as well as a fine and talented gentleman…

one million years b.c. posterWhen I was a wee bairn, I actually went to two different schools where some kids thought this 1967 film was based on actual facts and at least one really deluded kid thought it was a documentary. Seriously. My ears still spin in opposite directions thinking about that, but I digress. You’re either watching One Million Years B.C. for its faux historical value, Ray Harryhausen’s excellent dinosaur effects or Raquel Welch with a side order of Martine Beswick in that cave gal cat-fight sequence. Don’t deny it, now…

Anyway, I’ve always thought this films was pretty awful for a few reasons I’ll touch on below, but the camp value plus those always awesome looking and moving Harryhausen dinos make it very watchable and re-watchable, provided you take none of what you see at all seriously…
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Defiance 106: “Brothers In Arms” Preview: Doc Yewll Only Makes House Calls on Monday Nights…

Of all the characters on the syfy show to get a rabid fan base, Trenna Keating’s humorously irascible Doc Yewll seems to be one of the breakout stars of the show thanks to her non-stop cranky attitude and fact that she gets some of the funniest lines on the show that work thansk to her sarcastic delivery. Well, it looks as if we’ll get to see more of the Doc in next week’s show, so keep that popcorn warm… er, or just buy some fresh popcorn. Doc says you can choke on the old stale stuff and she won’t treat you unless you pay up first…

Random Film of the Week (Too): Let’s Scare Jessica to Death

Let's Scare Jessica to Death Poster While I was too young to see this one in a theater during its initial run, I do recall the poster giving me the creeps whenever I saw it in a subway station back then. When it turned up on TV a few years later as an ABC Sunday Night Movie, I can recall watching it and being to scared to stick around for the ending, but not being able to move from my spot in front of the TV. I don’t recall whether or not I slept that night, but I think I was not good for much for a few days afterward.

Anyway, this severely underrated 1971 horror flick is worth tracking down for anyone who has a thing for slow burners with a tense psychological edge and two actresses that give excellent performances in a taught genre sleeper that absolutely deserves a great deal more respect these days…
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Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser: The Dark Knight Grouses…

Man, that Bruce Wayne (er, Batman) sure is a real party-pooper, isn’t he? All that gloom and criminals are the scum of the earth stuff plus what looks like a vinegar and lemon diet make for one grumpy Darknight Detective, that’s for sure. Then again, this is ONLY the teaser for the upcoming game. The actual trailer drops on May 20, 2013… so I’m betting it’ll be even darker and grimmer. Hmmm… that man needs some cotton candy and a fancy paper hat, I think. Either that or he needs to stay in one night and maybe catch up on some old TV shows. Comedies, preferably…

Diablo III PS3/PS4: It’s Not Wizardry At All… It’s Just Damn Good Coding At Work.

If there’s one game I really want to play as soon as it launches on either the PS3 or PS4, it’s probably Diablo III. Not because it’s the greatest game on the planet, mind you (it’s not), but because I want to see how well Blizzard got it up and running in single player mode with direct control and no always online nonsense to keep solo play fans from enjoying the ride thanks to a crappy Internet connection or a few other reasons. Of course, I’m more of a Torchlight 2 guy these days, but I love my isometric dungeon crawlers on anything (but a touch screen) as long as they’re done right. DIII looks as if it will draw in a load of new fans as well as some older ones who got shut out of the PC version. It should also silence those who think this type of game “can’t” be done on a console (despite years of proof from other iso RPGs running on Sony as well as other systems). I’m hoping this gets an official demo at some point before release just so Blizzard can show off all that hard work to the cranky crowd, but as always… we shall see…

Pacific Rim Official Trailer: Rise of the Robots, Too…

OK, I’m tired from only getting about three hours of sleep before the Capcom event I came from not too long ago, so my I left my Giant Robot Pun Drive (Model 2.5!) in the freezer next to some ground bison. Oops. Anyway, Guiilermo Del Toro’s upcoming sci-fi flick, Pacific Rim is making fans of some anime robots cranky because his live action and CGI blend is making them want to see their favorite shows get this treatment. Granted, the director is paying homage to all those old to recent shows while carving his own path in giant robot history, so I say take this in and enjoy it on its merits as opposed to knocking it for “copying” other works. I think some of the naysayers will be surprised and impressed at this one once they clam up and enjoy the ride…

Random Indie Game of The Week: One Late Night

OK, not so chilling the tagline on the game’s site, “Experience the horror of working at an office” made me laugh as I thought of all the crappy office jobs I’ve held over the years since the 80’s, but Black Curtain Studios managed to make its short horror game One Late Night work on a few levels that make it worth a play. Yes, you past to present office drones will feel the chills this one presents more than those who just want another jump-scare game in the Slenderman vein who haven’t worked an honest day in their lives. Of course, this means some of those slackers won’t jump as much as some of us former cubicle dwellers, but, hey. If you’ve paid your dues long enough at that desk making copies and drinking bad company coffee into the night and you’ll maybe squeal like a schoolgirl once or twice while playing this gem. It’s free, so get it and prepare to relive the horror (or experience it for the first time with the realization that it usually takes about a year to start hallucinating like that in a real office situation).

Yeah, it’s over pretty quickly (unlike the average day at the office where watching the clock actually slows down time), but you get a couple of endings and there’s some nice use of lighting here. Make sure you pay attention to that note about keeping a light handy, as it certainly helps out quite a bit (he said, overstating the obvious). Anyway, bonus points if you download and play this while at the office on a day where you’re not getting out until it’s past midnight. If that’s your situation today, I’m hoping that you’re going to have a few hiding places (and at least one from the real-life boss prowling the halls and looking for someone to haunt with more work-filled folders)…