Random Film of the Week(end): Nights of Cabiria

Posted on April 12, 2014 by geelw

The first time I saw Nights of Cabiria, I was wide awake and it was the middle of the afternoon, but I was so wrapped up in watching Giulietta Masina’s spectacular performance that I’d stopped reading the subtitles and missed a chink of the story. Of course, this being a Fellini film, the visuals and expressive acting spelled out most of what happened and Masina’s work as a happy go lucky hooker with a head of stone and dreams of finding love kept me entranced until the ending.

I’ve seen the film quite a few times since and have introduced it to friends with no explanation because how do you properly describe a film about prostitutes that manages to be funny and sad and human all at the same time without getting wrapped up in someone’s “Uh, so… it’s a movie about what?” eyebrow. Granted, you can always take the easy way out and make it a double feature night with Fellini’s La Strada first, as like this film, it won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and has Giulietta Masina giving another performance for the ages. That SHOULD wipe away any smudgy thoughts about pedigree and content.

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Tech Review: Color Cables

Posted on April 12, 2014 by geelw

Welcome to the easiest review I’ve ever done: Color Cables are AWESOME (The End!). Okay, there’s a bit more to write about, but the direct and simple nature of this cool, colorful luminous charge and sync cable makes this one a no-brainer replacement for any OEM charge cables thanks to a few fine features. Available in seven colors with 30-Pin, Lightning and Micro USB options with two length choices (3 or 6 feet, $15 and $20 respectively), Your iOS, Android or Windows phone or device gets a superior cable that’s well worth the price point.

As the cables are flat and extremely well made, they don’t tangle up while in your bag of choice and solid connections on both ends mean you’re not likely to see any splitting or fraying form general wear. The cool factor comes from the distinctive luminosity on display and yes, it’s pretty nifty to let your cable sit in the sun or under a light for a bit during the day and have them giving of that soft glow in the evening or night. If you grew up with stars on your walls and ceiling or had some toys that gave off that familiar greenish color, you’ll get a grin going every time you use your cable.

Sure, there are similar colored cables out there for less that don’t have that funky glow thing going for them, but the smarter of you out there know you get what you pay for and often “cheap” refers to both price and quality. Color Cables are a nicer (and still affordable) solution that take care of a few problems as well as making for a great gift for that phone or device user you know who wants something to stand out from the crowd when they need a recharge at home or away.

– Greg Wilcox

Old Stuff Resurfaces – My Photobucket Account Lives!

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

Yikes. I’d almost forgotten about Photobucket until I was digging through some debug console games to rephotograph and recalled I have a kind of inactive account there. “Thanks” to facebook’s nosy ass “Hey, you can and SHOULD connect to EVERYTHING so we can place ads all in your face in your feed that you KNOW you want to see!” (Oh, kill me now. Or them, preferably), I’m now reconnected to my old crap in photo form and it’s nice to see some of that old stuff without having to dig through the stacks.I think I’ve presented this stuff previously, but nostalgia is good for you, I say.

Anyway, that’s Rent-A-Hero #1 and Dinosaur Hunting for the Xbox (two games that never got an official western release) along with Stolen, an interesting and ambitious game that killed the developer that made it after it tanked at retail and among critics. The last image is Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers along with the “action” figure I got with the debug builds. It seems to look just like ex-President George W. Bush (as some who’ve seen it up close and personal have commented, usually while chuckling a bit). I’ve got a bunch more stuff here, but need more time to write about it, a helper monkey to do stuff so I have more time to write and yeah, a better camera to take better photos with…

Game of Thrones Fans? Think Geek Has You WELL Covered (Not In Blood, Though)…

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

You may have not thought you needed a House of Stark, Lannister or Targaryen pillow, a TOO cute Dire Wolf Plush, a Fabled Axe Tea Infuser or a set of Wax Seal Coasters, but the folks at Think Geek think otherwise and have very wisely gathered up a load of interesting (and even some exclusive) Game of Thrones goodies on their site just for you. And you, too. And you over there on the left who still needs to play catch up with the series because you FINALLY got HBO and don’t yet realize that includes HBO On Demand which just so happens to be running the first three seasons along with episodes from THIS season after they premiere each Sunday.

See, you learned something today and you weren’t even expecting it! Now go buy one of those goodies above or perhaps that Dragon Egg Pendant or a replica of Jon Snow’s Longclaw Sword are more up your alley? There’s FREE shipping on orders over $75, so knock yourself out and brighten (or darken) up your space with some neat swag!

How Come No One Told Me There’s a Gauntlet Remake On The Way?

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

Well, thanks to whomever is handling PR for WB Games these days, grrr! Anyway, the fine folks at Arrowhead Game Studios (makers of the fun Magika games) are busy bee-ing it as they whip up this digital only (and so far, PC only, boo) solo, co-op and online Gauntlet reboot that actually looks as if it will a as fun as the 1985 arcade classic. Sure, this update gets a bit squishy with the blood effects, but that classic top-down viewpoint, simple but challenging gameplay and loads of loot to grab are all intact and that’s a good thing. This one’s coming this summer via Steam (I’d bet it’s one of their big summer game releases) and I hope it does well so Arrowhead can get to porting it to consoles, as there’s no reason this shouldn’t be on anything that can run it. In other words, I’d LOVE to see a Vita and Wii U version at some point down the road…

Load up on Atari & Kalypso PC Games On gog.com The Weekend!

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, N0irceuil!)

Yeah, yeah, I know spring has sprung and all that good stuff, but somewhere in the world, it’s going to be a rainy mess of a weekend or there will be some other weather event that forces you to hang around at home or some other spot with nothing thrilling to do. To that I say 60% off is quite a deal for these classics, so whether you’ve played them ages ago or are just getting around to discovering how spectacular Master of Magic, Powerslide, or Independence War (and a bunch of the other titles on that list) are, you’re sure to find a great deal for you or someone else.

Wait. Orphan Black Won A Peabody Award? How Great Is That?

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

Okay, it’s MORE than cool. I’m pleased to see all that hard work is getting noticed, although poor Tatiana Maslany not getting that Emmy was a shame, as she definitely deserved it. Granted, try telling that to people who still don’t watch the show or who think network dramas are as good as what this show has done in less time and you’re in for a fight of some sort. Me, I’m a lover, not a fighter at all, so I say check out Season One of Orphan Black before Season Two drops in about nine days and see for yourself. Um, that’s all I have to say, but it looks like OB will have a post show show just like The Walking Dead does.

100 From 2001 Is A Pretty Prime Number!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Duh, I forgot to put the link in. See below for that link. Heh, sorry!

A friend sent me a link to “something wonderful” the other day and after taking the ultimate trip through this amazing imgur gallery of stills and behind the scenes production shots from the filming of one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I’m reporting back and sharing the link for all to discover on their own time. I’ve seen a handful of these here and there over the years, but the entire gallery all at once is amazing and quite educational on a few fronts.

As with any film, I knew there were bits shot and discarded, but I’m now wondering about that lovely futuristic (well, for 1966-67) automobile among other things. Was that a mere production still or was/were there a scene or scenes shot on earth? Anyway, the placement of the images seems to follow the film’s plot, but if you’ve never seen 2001 before, fear not. Not knowing a thing about it means you’ll be scratching your head until you DO finally see it. Which is a good thing, of course…

Still… let me slightly not “ruin” things with this trailer (thanks, the cultbox!):

Trust me, you didn’t EVEN have anything spoiled there, as this film demands you pay attention. A few times, at that.

Tomodachi Life: Nintendo Goes Nuts, But In the Best Possible Manner…

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

Even if this is some sort of odd saving roll by Nintendo, Tomodachi Life looks like one of those great and crazy Japanese games that will have a wide appeal outside the usual suspects (Nintendo-only fans who swear by everything the company does and think they can do no wrong). This one’s got a nice “social” element to it, but I do hope there’s a way to play solo for those folks who don’t want to deal with that element. Anyway, this oddball combination of The Sims, Second Life and Animal Crossing should be a bit hit on the 3DS, but it might have been cooler to also see this as a Wii U game or at least have elements shared between the two systems as it’s not the 3DS that needs more great and quirky first-party titles. Eh, we’ll see what happens, of course. I predict a nice chunk of folks playing this with each other for quite some time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to try and un-see Mr. Iwata singing in that bathtub and a few other things in that video. Yeesh.

Transistor: Supergiant’s New Game Popping Up at PAX East, May 20 On PC, PS4

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’m not going to Pax East this year (I think Boston has banned me showing my face there since I my days as an usher in Cirque du Soleil during the Saltimbanco tour), but if I were there, the first booth I’d jet over to would be Supergiant Games just to see Transistor, which will be playable on the show floor before making it’s official debut on PC’s and PlayStation 4’s worldwide on May 20, 2014.

Yeah, yeah, other than a post or two last year I really haven’t been covering this one in detail like some other sites, but that’s thanks to SO darn many games (indie and otherwise) I’ve been following that I’m only paying the most attention to those a lot less polished than this one. It may sound backwards, but I trust Greg Kasavin and his team to deliver the goods, so they really don’t need me to hover around as they cook up a storm. Anyway, three new screenshots are below, so make sure you check them out and if you want to know more about the game, well… you know where to go, right?