The Green Inferno: Eli Roth Lets The “Save The Planet” Crowd Have Both Barrels…

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

So, what’s up in the jungle, Jim? Not much but lots of death and leftovers! Anyway, here’s the plot of this upcoming horror flick, suitable for no one under the age of slashenteen without a cast iron stomach:

A group of college students take their humanitarian protest from New York to the Amazon jungle only to get kidnapped by the native tribe they came to save. A tribe that still practices the ancient tribal rite of cannibalism, with a healthy appetite for intruders.

(thanks, Movieclips Trailers!)
Well, there goes my plans to visit even the nearest sunny park around here at this point. Guaranteed to cause all sorts of outrage when it’s released (mostly among people who won’t see it under any circumstances, I’d bet), The Green Inferno is a throwback to the gory glory days of exploitation horror films and nope, I’m not planning on seeing this in a theater at all.

If I do decide to commit to this flick and it’s NOT a media screening with relatively normal people in attendance squealing and hiding under the seats, it’ll be in the comfort of my own home where I can shut it off and find something else to do if I’m feeling queasy. I’m gathering the home video and/or cable versions will have more footage and on disc, I’d hope there’s a nice behind the scenes documentary that gets into how this was made. I didn’t make it through Cannibal Holocaust (this film’s inspiration) in one sitting, but I think I can handle this… I think… (cue creepy music that gets me wanting to go watch a Caillou box set instead on a permanent loop)…

Orphan Black 2:7 Recap/2:8 Preview: From Grins To Grimaces At The Drop Of A Hat…

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

I don’t think I’ve laughed more WITH a serious sci-fi show than I have during this season of Orphan Black. Last Saturday’s episode gave poor Vic both barrels, Sarah and Allison didn’t escape without making me chuckle and Donnie? Yeah, he’s even MORE clueless than even I realized. Given the rather surprising end to that episode, he’s in even MORE trouble than I’d have imagined, so we’ll need to see where that bit of story takes him. That said, next week’s show looks to get the dramatic elements to the forefront again now that the other big clone-related reveal has borne some rather unique blossoms.

Oh yeah… it looks as if there’s going to be quite a bit of drama kicking around in next week’s show…

Indiegala Wants Another Dollar (Or More) from You. You’ll Give It To Them (Again)…

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – you know the drill. 24 hours to get this deal for a buck minimum and then the price jumps up. I actually haven’t played any of these yet, but my backlog has gotten SO huge that I don’t know if I’ll e able to if I do buy this set of six games. I know that the Uncharted “homage” called Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta – Episode 1 – Gold Edition is seen by some Sony fans as a bit of a ripoff, but hey, if you’re going to steal, steal from the best, right? It HAS to be better than those three Adam’s Venture games that snuck light bible study bits into an adventure game that looked okay, but had some control issues. Anyway, as usual, spend what you like, help charity and feel good on an otherwise hot and odd Monday!

Jodorowsky’s Dune Coming to Blu-Ray/DVD July 8. BUY IT.

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Predictions: this one will get a nomination for Best Documentary at next year’s Academy Awards for sure, but will probably lose to something more dramatic and real-world fixated. Anyway, if you’re a creative sort, Jodorowsky’s Dune will expand your mind significantly even as the project as intended ends up not getting filmed in the end. If you happen to love behind the scenes dirt, this film is packed with it (and MAN, is some of it of the VERY bizarre variety). Still, I wonder how the sci-fi film landscape would have changed had this been shot and completed as intended. It would have certainly been one of the more expensive films ever created at that time, but as we all know, money tossed down a well doesn’t guarantee all the wishes dumped in afterwards will come true. Anyway, grab this one in July, invite some friends over and make it a movie day, as I’m betting any special features included will be as compelling as the documentary or even more so…

Falling Skies Landing Hard on Consoles, Mobile In Autumn From Little Orbit

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Confession time: I’ve never seen a episode of Falling Skies, so last year when I heard a game was in development, I was wondering what type of experience it would be with my fingers crossed it was going to at least be a genre I liked and not just another first or third-person action game that would be compared to superior genre entries and easily forgotten if it wasn’t good enough to grab the attention of the shows fans or gamers expecting something like what they know so well.

Today’s news that we’re getting this as a tactical strategy RPG for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC along with a mobile game called Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare is making me smile a bit more. Some screens to peek at from both versions (and I’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which, although it’s pretty obvious):

Granted, these work in progress screens aren’t going to blow you away if you’re expecting a superior LOOKING tactical experience. On the other hand, this particular genre is known for games that may not look the best, but deliver the goods on the gameplay front.

I did take special notice that Little Orbit mentions the Wii U version FIRST in the press release, which is a good thing to me 9and probably a bunch of other Wii U owners). If the game is good, it’ll probably (and hopefully) use the GamePad as a key part of gameplay (which is a no-brainer in my book). Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough. I’m hoping Little Orbit gets this game orbiting into the hands of editors post-E3 just so the folks who aren’t attending that madness (raises hand) can get some hands-on time and spread the word if the game works as it should. Back in a bit with more on this one. Maybe it will get me to actually check out the show at some point on DVD… We’ll see!

Movie Review: APP

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

As the first second screen “horror” film, Bobby Boermans’ APP dares to ask you to not only keep your cell phone ON during its entire running time, it wants you to download an app just for the purposes of getting the most out of the wild ride it sends you on for a very brisk 75 minutes.

However, if the very idea of having a phone buzzing away a few times on your lap as you watch a film outrages you to no end, you can watch the film without a phone and still enjoy it quite thoroughly. It’s certainly worth seeing this one both ways (which I did for the purposes of this review) as the phone-enabled parts are cleverly crafted to not distract from the film at all, giving you enough time to glance down then back up without missing anything important.
Continue reading →

Review: R-Type Dimensions (PSN)

Posted on June 1, 2014 by geelw

Developer: Southend Interactive
Publisher: Tozai Games
# of Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site
Score: A (95%)

Some things never change, and in the case of R-Type and R-Type II, this is a great thing even if you’ve always hated both for being so incredibly brutal to play through. Developer Southend Interactive has put together a neat little retro package with a few great modern twists for you arcade shooter fans as well as anyone looking for a true old school challenge that’s finally flown onto PSN after appearing on the Xbox 360 last year. R-Type Dimensions is an absolute must-buy if you like your games tough, tricky and full of replay value. Sure, both games combined only total a mere fourteen stages, but just like back in 1987 and 1989, both games will test your reflexes to the maximum. And if you take what’s here for granted, how far you can throw a controller.

If you’re terrible at these types of shooters, terminally lazy or just want to see the endings of both before you flee this mortal coil, Dimensions includes couch co-op play and a new Infinite mode that gives you multiple lives, allowing anyone to blow through the game no matter how many times you’re blasted into space dust. Of course, purists will want this because the classic games are intact and perfectly presented in terms of gameplay and even the terrible “Get me a proofreader!” text that spells out the rather minimalist story… Continue reading →

Let’s Get Snoop-id With The Sneaking Around: The Snoopathon Is Here!

Posted on June 1, 2014 by geelw

Whee! Super spies, evil guys (and gals) and perhaps some long trench coats and fog await you, dear reader over at Movies, Silently and a few other blogs over the next three days. Pop on over there and like a hero in a good spy mystery, you may find yourself rendered unconscious and wake up somehow back here reading not one, but TWO posts about secrety angenty stuff. I won’t say which flicks get the treatment here, but I bet you’ll wake up tomorrow and forget ALLLLL about what you saw. Um… Wait, that’s NOT a good thing! Hmmm… I should have diluted that formula a little more, huh? Oh well, as long as you click and read, I’m happy! Mua-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa…

Sad Saturday? Miz Miller Says “Oh No You Don’t!”

Posted on May 31, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, you were about to drown your sorrows in a pint of ice cream or booze, huh? I know that feeling, kid… but sometimes you just need a lift out of that Dumpster you’ve fallen into (by accident or on purpose). Ann Miller (as Nadine Gale in the classic 1948 musical Easter Parade) will get you back on track and happier or at least tapping and snapping to the beat. So, put down that vice and pick up another one, grab that sweetie or pet of a tall lamp and get it shakin’, you. Tomorrow will be a better day once you get your groove on and some of those kinks out.

You’re welcome, by the way.

Weekend Update (Kinda Sorta)…

Status

For some reason (or all the updates this week), it took THREE days to download one game from Steam and I still have to get another one. Boo. Anyway, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II will get some playtime, but the new chapter of The Wolf Among Us will have to wait for a bit. In the interim, I did read a Fables collection a friend lent me to help supplement Bigby’s episodic adventures in The Wolf Among Us, so I’m glad I got that done finally. I also have an APP review to write, but not for an app, exactly. That’s the name of a pretty cool horror flick that uses a downloadable app to inform you of a few things as you watch the movie and guess what? It’s actually quite good and nowhere near as annoying as I thought it would be. So that’s also going to get done up in a review. Yeah, yeah… E3 is right around the corner and yeah, yeah, I’ll cover what I see and like as the show progresses. I also have some peripherals on the way from PDP, but I missed the Fed Ex truck by about ten minutes on Friday, so I’ll need to haunt my doorway come Monday like a vulture waiting for a not so fresh meal.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I can’t believe I did over 150 posts this month (which went by too quickly), but I think I’ll have more as June rolls out thanks to so many games being announced and my poor brain doing back flips over stuff that grabs my attention. I’m not quite sold on everything “next gen” consoles have to offer, as much of what I’m seeing on the indie front can be done on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and a lot of the newer games are disappointing like most launch and launch window titles tend to be. At this point, it’ll be best to scoop those up when they’re marked down considerably, as I’m not exactly rolling in disposable income these days (as aren’t a lot of gamers in this current economy). Er, I think that’s it for the month… see you in June (or tomorrow, for at least a post or three)…