Ha. I actually forgot this extended Season 4 teaser was on tonight, but as noted, I hadn’t planned on watching it anyway because I prefer to go into the show cold (and will, what with winter still in full effect here as well as in the upcoming season). Nope, I still haven’t watched this, but I’m posting it for your enjoyment. Eh, I’ll catch it On Demand soon enough if I want to, as it’ll always be there. Ah, the things I do for you, dear reader. Now, then – let’s tuck you in (tuck, tuck, tuck), here’s a smooch to the forehead (*smack!*) and there, you’re allllll ready to go to sleep. Gooood Niiiiight. Whaddya mean it’s ONLY 10:25? When I was your age, I was in bed and out like a busted light by 11! Well, OK… not really…
Aha. I see what happened! I accidentally overwrote this post somehow thanks to having TWO “Add New Post” tabs open, using one to post these trailers, closing up shop for the night and restating today to use that second window. WordPress recognizes multiple windows open as the SAME post, so if you try to be slick and do multiple posts in different tabs, you’re going to simply overwrite the first post as you think you’re publishing NEW ones. Blargh. I haven’t done that in a while, so I’ll need to NOT do that again. (gives self Vulcan memory pinch): “REMEMBER.” Any-way, here we go again (and I HATE rewriting stuff, so it’s a bit different this time:
As you can see, there’s a new shiny metal sheriff coming to town, so you’ll want to be extra good while hoping this film is as well. I think it’ll do well on its own merits, but you know some of the die-hard who want that R-rating will be going after this one for anything they see as not as good as the original. On that note, I say as long as you guys cling to that classic, it’ll live on forever. But don’t poop on this reboots’ parade if it manages to get stuff right and isn’t a bad film at the end of the day. Granted, it’s going to be headed to home video in what, four to six months from now and possibly hit cable before the end of the year, right? So you can see this without paying that ticket price. I guess if you average in whatever you pay for cable or whatever streaming service you use, you’ll be buying this for LESS than a dollar soon enough. Ha and ha ha.
Meh – I like the old post better, but this will have to do. At least I dug up a third clip I just noticed while recovering the other two. The FUNNY thing is I had a tab with the old post in it open, but closed it, so I could have copied and pasted the darn thing if I’d caught the error! Ah well… Love me, love my dumb mistakes!
Under two weeks to go before the RoboCop reboot rolls into theaters and I think it’ll hold its own against the original at least as far as the story goes. Granted, I don’t think that the film is even trying to copy anything directly from the original, so some die-hards will slam it for that. I’ll take it in as a new start and see what happens, as I usually do with these remakes/reboots. Of course, if the film falls into the “too much CG, pointless plot” trap other franchise friendly films frequently fall into, then I break out the knives (which I bought for a dollar, by the way. Seriously, the dollar store nearby sells kitchen knives starting at a dollar) and start chopping away.
As much as I love this show, I try to keep away from these sneaky preview shows and other online “entertainment” that exists mostly to satiate those fans who’ve not read the books and only stick to the show’s canon (or fans of the book who want to get all picky and pissy about the changes). I’m still flipping a coin as to whether I’ll watch this behind the scenes clip show as I prefer going in cold and letting the assorted writers and directors have their way with me and the stories and characters they’ve added to Martin’s work. Then again, it’s the same for me with The Walking Dead and any other show I like based on something else…
So, it’s John Carpenter’s birthday and once more, I find myself writing about The Thing. The last time it was a dissection of that disappointing 2011 prequel and this time, it’s a little look back at what I think is one of the scariest mainstream sci-fi/horror films of the 80’s that still works today thanks to how well it was put together. The overall tone of relentless, deliberate dread the film sets up from the very beginning is claustrophobic and overpowering as you’re sucked into the story about the doomed men of Outpost #31.
I saw this back in 1982 and the film really pushed the envelope of what could be done with practical effects so much that even today most of Rob Bottin’s (and that brief slice of Stan Winston’s) groundbreaking work holds up as believable. Of course, the story and excellent cast also make this one such a killer film to curl up with that I’d even recommend it to those who hate horror movies just because everything clicks so well… Continue reading →
Hmmmm… As predicted, with The Creative Assembly on the case this time out, Sega’s upcoming Alien Isolation is looking pretty impressive in this introductory teaser and developer diary. Hopefully, the story will work as intended, as I can see some folks not being all aboard the playing as Ellen Ripley’s daughter thing. Me, I’m a wait and see guy myself because I trust The CA to do their best and they’ve always done just that when they make their games. I do like that it’s turning out to be NOT a stupid shoot everything that moves experience and seems to be focusing on story and characters first and foremost.
The only major sticking point to some will be the lack of a Wii U version as the gameplay seems perfect for that GamePad, but such is life in this generation of consoles I suppose. Someone HAS to get a suitable Alien game out on that system one of these days, I say. I’m not sure who, but it would be nice to see one at some point…
So, here we go folks – once more into the breach with Sega and the somehow tougher to make it work right as a video game Alien license. Can you name a decent game made this century with the license that’s not only on PC? I thought not.
While its last two attempts were decidedly of the “mixed results” and “missed opportunities” trains, this time out it’s veteran developer The Creative Assembly at the wheel and Alien Isolation is looking pretty darned scary where it counts (as you’ll see in Three… Two.. One.):
Of course, the boo-bird naysayers are out in force on this thanks to the critical mass that was Aliens: Colonial Marines, so Sega has a lot to live up to and live down even if Isolation is indeed the best game using the license to date.
I trust this team quite a lot as in addition to the incredible Total War franchise on PC, they’ve also had fun making more action-heavy game experiences such as the excellent Spartan: Total Warrior (which is being remade as a PlayStation 4 exclusive!) and the solid Viking: Battle For Asgard (which could use a nice remake or sequel one of these days). So an Alien game from these guys and gals should be (wait for it…) a “walk in the park” to some extent.
Of course, we shall see what the future brings and of course, I’m hoping that people aren’t all screaming into space for all the wrong reasons again. But again, I trust The CA to not go where man has gone before and deliver an Alien experience that’s truly memorable and frightening for all the RIGHT reasons. More on this as it develops…
With strong influences ranging from Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories, the classic fantasy art of Frank Frazetta and other illustrators, PC games such as the Barbarian series, “B” games such as Sword of Sodan and many others, Crian Soft’s violent and nudity packed Age of Barbarian was one of those games that drew some controversy in some circles for its decidedly NSFW (and DEFINITELY not for the kiddies content). Granted, if you appreciated all of what the game was attempting in its gloriously macho over the top recreation of its fantasy world, you were grinning like a Cimmerian while playing through the bloody side-scrolling hack and slash action. Conversely, if you were a cranky prude who only saw a trailer or screenshots, you were probably shaking your fists at a monitor and letting your eyeballs and brain boil in your skull.
No matter how you felt about the game, creator Christian Fanucci is in the process of whipping up an even more polished sequel and yes, it’s crowdfunding time! Given that the goal is a pretty modest $12,000 and the funding campaign runs until February 2, 2014, I’d say Fanucci makes his target provided he’s got people who aren’t afraid to fly their flags proudly and say they loved the first game and want to see a second. Given the planned and promised changes to make it an even bigger sequel (Golden Axe style mounts, a bigger world map and many side quests to tackle), this is one of those games that I hope sees everything happen to get it out there and played by those who want more of Rahaan and Sheyna’s adventures on their computers. Forget about this one coming to consoles, as it would probably be an automatic AO for the near nudity and other scenes alone. That said, fans of Conan, the Sword and the Sorcerer and a ton of other 80’s flicks should get this on their plate and check out some of the higher-end rewards, as they’re pretty cool for those with the cash to spare.
Thanks to this year being SO packed with new games and a LOT more new indie games popping up on anything that can play them, Dead State nearly dropped off my radar. Thankfully, the folks at DoubleBear Productions seem to be at least part psychic as they’ve dropped that new video above on their YouTube channel that shows some nice progress on an upcoming demo version. The game’s Kickstarter backers and anyone who pre-ordered the game will get first dibs, of course, but I’m hoping there’s something for us media folk to dink around with at some point because this is the sort of game that needs some love from those of us who love games like this. I’m getting a heavy X-Com meets Jagged Alliance meets Fallout vibe from this one, all of which were (and still are) truly stellar tactical RPG experiences. Granted, some of those gamers who think this is a fast-paced kill-fest along the lines of a Left 4 Dead or Dead Island will be shocked (shocked, I say!) at the more deliberate pacing and need to think before you take any action here. But if this game makes some of that crowd learn to appreciate this style of game and gameplay, all’s the better, I’d say…
Hmmm. So THAT was something, wasn’t it? For starters, the sheer amount of fan service was mind-blowing and yes, I ended up watching the episode again later just to pick up on a few things I thought I missed. Anyway, it was all good stuff: The Zygons were back after something like 38 years(!!), there were more than three Doctors in the episode (“No spoilers!”), the switches from comic to dramatic moods were perfect and that ending? Let’s just say that final Matt Smith episode coming up in December is probably going to help sell a LOT of Kleenex and popcorn. Or something like that. Actually, I’d not mind some Jelly Babies right about now. You can keep the fish fingers and custard. My only big geeky query is this one: So, since Gallifrey is now Kandor… will the next Doctor be wearing a cape (and boots) upon his entrance? Ah ha ha ha (and +10 if you get the reference without having to look things up)…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 