So, I was sitting around with a few friends a few weeks back talking about movies and such when the subject of Christmas and holiday-themed movies came up and yes, everyone agreed that It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story and a few other classics were all going to be watched at some point during the Season of Greetings. Interestingly enough, a few very unconventional titles got mentioned during this conversation to the point that I decided to toss a few of these films at you in a post and see what you think.
For some strange (well, not so strange) reasons, there are a lot of very non-holiday films on some people’s Holiday viewing schedules with most set during the winter or with cold weather as a big part of their plots (but not always). Anyway, as I see you’re wearing those dodgy jammies and overly fuzzy slippers you got yesterday as gifts and have that cup of “eggnog “at the ready, let’s get started with three or four for now and pick up some others in a future post…
Ah ha ha. See what I did there? No? Well, you’ll get it soon enough if you didn’t. Anyway, that final Matt Smith show was a corker, wasn’t it. No spoilers here, but I’ll say that ending sets up the Peter Capaldi run in a fun little way and makes me look forward to seeing this NEW Doctor at work. I have to give Steven Moffat some major credit for all these past years of plot hints coming in bits and pieces and basically ensnaring fans and non fans alike into sticking with even the silliest of shows because it all makes sense when you see those bits fall into place. I bet there’s a notebook somewhere with a chart and long, long list of whats, whys, when, hows and of course, WHO… but then again, the magic of this show comes from NOT knowing and just enjoying the ride.
So long, Mr. Smith – you’ll be missed, but I bet your Doctor will make an appearance at SOME point during the next 50 years. Better sooner than later, of course…
Merry Christmas and all that stuff like that there! Okay,unlike the previous giveaway post this isn’t quite a freebie, but more of a trade of sorts. I’m clearing out a closet full of assorted things here and figure someone who loves movies might want this rather thick and heavy old tome. As you can see, it’s the 1971 volume of The New York Times Directory of The Film, which is 1243 pages thick and packed with reviews of the papers top ten films from the years 1924 to 1969 (but I think a few 1970 films get mentioned). Read on for more info!…
UPDATE: ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO! The Capcom book is claimed! The Pokemon Visual Companion book is still looking for a new home! GRAB IT!
For you breeders with little to teen readers or anyone who’s into either video games, Pokemon, Capcom history or fine (and game-related) illustration, I’ve got some treats to send out to two lucky folks who just so happen to live here in the connected states here in the U.S. of A.! Yes, you can grab ONE of these two excellent DK Books for FREE by simply leaving a comment below with which one you’d prefer. Winners will be chosen randomly on Friday from all responses received and yes, once I make sure you’re who you say you are and you live at an actual address within reach of the US Postal service via Media Mail, I’ll mail the books out to each person either Saturday or Monday depending on how quickly I get a response from the winners. Yeah, yeah, it’s a post-Christmas contest, but hey – any time of the year is a GOOD time to get something for nothing, right?
Sorry, no International shipping on these (yeah, yeah, I know, but books are stupidly pricey to get from point A to Pont Dupont or wherever and I’m pretty broke!), But anywhere in the 48 contiguous states is A-OK. Nope, I won’t sell or give your address to any spammers. I’m not facebook, you know!
Well, well, well… I actually haven’t played a Tex Murphy game since 1994’s Under a Killing Moon, so I’ve been way out of the loop on the noir/tech detective and his adventures for (eek) almost twenty years now (eek!). Anyway, Atlus (which is generally not known for publishing these types of games) is producing and publishing the long awaited PC follow up to the 1996 PC game Tex Murphy: Overseer and developer Big Finish Games is, as you can see, making a FMV (Full-Motion Video) game for the ages.
I actually loved these types of adventure games back in the 90’s, grainy video quality and all, so it’s fantastic to see this style of game get a nice boost thanks to better technology that allows for crystal clear FMV scenery in the cinemas as well as in-game environments and effects work that’s not embarrassingly cheesy for a change. I also love the idea of a film noir-ish detective in a post World War III San Francisco, which is sort of like Blade Runner without the pompous ego crisis and Philip K. Dick pedigree, ha ha. Heh, I may need to hire a Blade Runner of my own to protect my from the legions of fans of that classic film, but I think I can take my chances and survive. I’ll take on the all of the Pris impersonators first, though. I think my feeble brain could really use the vigorous thigh massage (Ouch! I was kidding, ladies, Don’t hit! Don’t hit!!!)…
Anyway, my eyeball is now fixed on one more great game that’s going to roll up in 2014 and get a lot of people buzzing about it for a few reasons. Anyway, all this gabbing and I still haven’t officially* linked you to the game’s official site where you (yes, YOU) can check out the assorted screens and a few FMV movies that will let you know what some are bouncing up and down in their favorite chairs about. I’d be doing the same, but I’m in the library here, these damn chairs are as hard as a rock and I’d rather not have to be hospitalized for being giddy. At least for this particular reason.
*”Officially, as in if you didn’t click on those other links already, you haven’t seen the site yet, of course)…
Nope, I haven’t yet picked up The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, but it gets an automatic kick onto my non-list for a few reasons. One: the GameCube original was pretty darn awesome and that wonderful art style made an impression on me as soon as I saw screenshots and others were griping that Nintendo had “lost its mind” by making Link and company look like something out of an old cartoon. As a friend ran out and snapped up a Wii U recently just for this game (he got that fine bundle package with the fancy Zelda-themed GamePad art), I got to see a few hours of the game running (and even played a a little) and can vouch for the buffed up HD visuals as being better than the original game… mostly.
There’s an odd muting of the palette in a few areas and while the use of depth of field is super cool, it tended to make some areas force my eyes to automatically squint until I got used to the effect (but that’s probably just me). Otherwise, the game is just as fun, funny and almost as tricky as ever. From what I’ve heard, Nintendo hasn’t adding any new areas, but tweaked the gameplay, adding some easier and harder means of playing the game for new and old players alike. The annoying Tingle portions are apparently less so, but if the game is also a straight up enhanced port, I’m gathering that long and pesky quest that makes up a chunk of the latter portion of the game is still intact. Oh well, but the good thing about a LoZ game is once you’re past a certain point, you’re committed to completing the adventure, so that’s not much of a big deal.
I’ll most likely go with the physical version over the eShop download just because I really, REALLY want that case and manual. My GameCube Wind Waker is signed by Mr. Miyamoto and I’d love to get the Wii U game signed as well. Hey, I may not have the biggest collection on the planet or be the super-fan Nintendo wants me to be, but I do know having the chance to meet one man I respect for what he’s done for the medium is one other thing worth holding out for…
Yeah, it’s that time of the year when people go insane spending too much money on stuff they then spend the better part of the next year paying for while others complain the spirit of the season is lost as they themselves have probably elbowed someone in the throat in a crowed mall to get a $39 HDTV. Me, I stay away from large crowds and small minds because there’s more room to breathe (and I hate catching a stray elbow in the neck). For perhaps 20 years or so I’ve been “holiday neutral” (for ALL holidays, mind you) but I certainly don’t mind people around me doing it up and having a blast. Heck, when invited to assorted gatherings over the years, I’d be that guy who pops into a party or dinner with gifts for everyone, maybe a pie if I had time to bake one and perhaps a bottle or three of whatever just to watch everyone open up stuff and have a blast. If I like the gathering of folks enough, I may even stick around to help with the dishes. But in general, I don’t go out of my way to throw up thousands of dollars in flashy decorations or leap around wearing a funky-ugly sweater tossing teddy bear mugs and peppermint marshmallows at random strangers with a big grin on my own mug…
So, I sometimes tend to let my mind wander all over the place when it gets busy around here, but then again, no one is ever in complete control of their brain and what it thinks. Anyone who says they are is lying, but they may also be unaware that their brain is getting the better of them by allowing the very thought of control from outside to creep in just to keep them properly pacified. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah… I’d been kicking this idea around for a while and some people have even done stuff like it in the past, but I’d always wanted to see popular modern films get reworked as if they were done in different time periods by famous writers of those eras. Now, before you get all “but that’s been done already and a LOT of times, too!” on me, I think a period remake of Death Wish as scripted by William Shakespeare might be a fun bit of business. Or Dirty Harry by Ernest Hemingway (yikes!). And for the ladies? Emily Dickenson’s Mystic Pizza or something like that. Feel free to think up your own favorites and play around with them (I’m not much of a chick-flicker, I’ll admit)…
Eh, maybe this has been done already, but the big hook would be every bit of dialogue would be true to the times each writer lived in, but the films would all be subtitled with the original English scripts. Hell, I’d pay real money to hear how “Gimme your money, or I’ll bust you up!” sounds in Shakespearian English (and you know you would, too!)…
As some of you may know, I hate making “best of” lists, as it’s always a case of what one DIDN’T experience not making the cut almost always being as good or (or better) than what was chosen. That goes double for public choice where popular seems to outstrip good by a few leagues. That said, if you kidnapped me, tied me to a couch with a bunch of random strangers and submitted them to some rather strange blood testing to see who was infected with an alien virus, I’d fess up beforehand that yes, I’m one of those Things just because I hate me the hell out of needles and sharp objects (unless I’m in the kitchen cutting up stuff to cook). I’d also probably admit that out of all the games I’ve played this year, I probably put MORE time into a few than most did because I liked them a lot more than most did. Okay, that and my backlog is insane and I no longer review too many games in a “speed to the finish!” manner, as that’s how you miss some important stuff… Continue reading →
One of my other big hobbies outside of gaming, film, cooking and generally staying out of most trouble (unless otherwise necessary for a good story later on) is sleeping. I’ve been been known to fall asleep almost anywhere at the drop of a hat. In fact, if you go buy me a hat and hand it to me right now, I could drop it and fall asleep before it hits the ground. Okay, I’m not that good, but I’ve definitely mastered the fine art of snoozing on any relatively flat surface. This is naturally both a very good as well as a very bad thing. Very good as in I can curl up on anything from a lumpy hardwood floor with a scratchy burlap blanket to a nice Italian leather sofa and zonk out with ease. Very bad as in my poor back, neck and other body parts have been through the wringer thanks to some of my sleeping choices over the decades… Continue reading →
So, I was sitting around with a few friends a few weeks back talking about movies and such when the subject of Christmas and holiday-themed movies came up and yes, everyone agreed that It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story and a few other classics were all going to be watched at some point during the Season of Greetings. Interestingly enough, a few very unconventional titles got mentioned during this conversation to the point that I decided to toss a few of these films at you in a post and see what you think. 
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 