Random Film of the Week: The Window

the windowI remember seeing The Window as a kid on TV and probably laughing a wee bit too much because the lying wolf-crying brat who no one believed about the murder he finally DID see was getting his just desserts when all those chickens came home to roost. Seeing it a few times more as I got older (and thankfully, wiser) revealed a pretty sinister film noir thriller with probably the best child performance I’d ever seen in a film that old.

Granted, I’m not advocating the already generally creepy “Child in Danger!” flick or that entire sub-genre of flicks made throughout cinematic history as a “must-see” collection of films if you’ve got a very soft spot for your own brood of lovable lamp-breaking, cookie stealing ankle-biters. However, as a chilling little classic film that’s never been remade properly (at least in my humble opinion), it’s a total spine-shaker right from the beginning…

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Dinking Around With DOSBOX: Anvil of Dawn Lives!

I’d been tempted to muck around with replaying some old DOS games for a long time, but I’ve been so busy that I kept putting it off until a few days ago when I dug out DreamForge Infotainment and New World Computing’s ancient classic Anvil of Dawn to see if it would still work. Of course, even on Windows XP (Vista, 7 and 8 are quite awful for my classic gaming needs), thanks to some automatic upgrades, the old disc will install, but not run properly (no sound and a major error in that no onscreen text pops up in dialog boxes, meaning it’s impossible to talk to NPCs, making the game unplayable because you can enter, but not exit conversations). Anyway, I’ve used DOSBOX and one or two other programs in the past, but not on my laptop, so it was time to give it go… Continue reading

Defiance Recap 103: Oops, I Missed A Spot!

I also just realized that after each episode of Defiance, there’s a brief recap deal called “Shooting the Shtako” that goes over a few bits with someone from the cast and one of the producer types. OK, OK, I’m still more used to seeing these sorts of things after the show on the same damn screen I watched it on, not online or via a tablet or Dick Tracy watch or whatever. Hey, I like my old-fashioned ways. The keep me out of trouble and with more cash to blow on food instead of new tech every three months or so. Then again, if I were some big deal celebrity writer type, a snap of the fingers and a quick phone call or email would probably have me drowing in a sea of second, third and fourth screens. But I like my privacy a lot more than I do being chased down the street by rabid fans, sooo…

Eh, whatever – once the show makes it to home video at some point, all these features will be clogging up a few discs, that’s for sure…

The Last of Us: “Meet the Infected” Trailer: Er, Let’s Not, And Say We Did…

Hmmm… somehow that trip to Devil’s Island on the Titanic via Bermuda Triangle route seems like a really much better idea than hanging out with developer Naughty Dog’s creepy-looking non-zombies. Some people have been getting a wee bit confused about The Last of Us in thinking it’s borrowing from Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise, but I’d bet this is another case of getting to actually PLAY a game and seeing you were completely wrong from the beginning. If I were a smarter man, I’d go around making bets with all those skeptics, but then again, it’s not a smart thing to bet against or with a ton of strangers you’ll have a really tough time collecting a dime from. That and my antisocial side won’t let me interact with people who only piss me off too much because they’re ALWAYS wrong and even if they are and know it, they still feel the need to express an ill-formed opinion or three. It’s like having an argument with a child who doesn’t quite understand that that lie they keep telling doesn’t work anymore (which, amusingly enough, can be said about most politicians!).

Anyway, The Last of Us hits stores and PSN on June 12, 2013.

If you DON’T Buy Any Games (or Other Content), That Xbox 360 Might Cost You $78…

360 inverted I really dislike the bait and switch approach tech companies have been using to lure in the not so bright consumer who loves a bargain, but their plans seem to have worked well enough that they will continue as to grab your money how and when they can because you refuse to bring a calculator (or the part of your brain that works) to the store with you. According to this article on dealnews.com, the company may introduce a lower priced 4GB Xbox 360 this year that may retail for $99 (which ends up less than that on certain sites that run coupons or weekly specials in order to get you clicking and paying away). The catch is, that less than hundred bucks is a bad deal for a few reasons I’ll list below the jump…
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Man of Steel TV Spot 3: The Face That Launched A Thousand Slips…

I actually overheard a conversation over the weekend between a few Beiber age girls where one said the new Superman is TOO handsome, and that made me chuckle a bit. Well, you can’t please everyone, I suppose, but I guess a tattooed and pierced Supes would get more of that tween crowd rolling in and squealing at the screen. Granted, that’s not going to happen anytime soon (well, it sure as hell better not), so I guess that’s one slice of a potential audience I don’t need to worry about yapping away while I’m trying to enjoy the show. Of course, if the older ladies in the audience are tossing Spanx girdles and granny panties at the screen, so much for my enjoying anything at all…

Eww, now I’ll be seeing granny panties all damn day (thanks, me!)…

Tomb Raider Top 10 Moments: Oh, Now You’re Just Showing Off, Lara!

OK, so I still haven’t gotten around to playing the new Tomb Raider yet other than the demo and showing a friend who bought the game how to get past one part he got stuck on (don’t ask). Anyway, I got a chuckle out of this not exactly spolier-free video from the dev team at Crystal Dynamics because it’s clear that yeah, they want you (and me) to go buy the game they worked so hard on. It did well critically and analysts aside, not too bad commercially (as in, hell, if I had the same number of hits and followers as sales this game has, I’d be quite a bit happier). Anyway, pull up a seat, check the video out and go pick up a copy of the game if yo have something to play it on…

Resident Evil Revelations “Infect” Trailer: You Are What Eats You…

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRl5B3p_0Kw]

That hot breath on your neck isn’t that handsome hunk or hot babe who was eyeballing you at the bar the other week, that’s for sure. And hell, even if it is, he or she is all undead and stinky enough that even a box full of clothespins soaked in assorted essential oils would do nothing buy squeeze your poor nose and leave it sore and smelling nicer. Anyway, may I suggest high collars and sleeves made from chain mail and some handy lessons with a machete in case that thing chasing you gets up close and too personal. Better safe than sorry, that’s for sure. Resident Evil Revelations is coming to the PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 on May 21, 2013… prepare for a long trip at sea and plenty of creatures who don’t get seasick hot on your heels…

Game of Thrones 3:7 Preview: Up That Mountain, Down That Hill (Enjoying The Bumpy Ride)…

For some reason, that last episode felt a wee bit too convoluted. Maybe it’s because I was distracted by finishing up some posts I’ve been working on the last coupe of days, but there was so much that happened that I had to watch the episode again just to make sure I was sure about a few things (like a certain character no longer being with us – yikes). Well, unpredictability IS part of the GoT universe, so things are going really as unplanned on that front. Three more episodes to go and I don’t think that the momentum is going to slow down at all. Well, those seat belts I installed on the chair were a good investment, that’s for sure…

Review: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

DD_DA_PS3Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

My favorite fantasy game (as well as the one that got played the most) of 2012 was Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma thanks to the level of immersion it offered as a single player experience, the massive land of Gransys and its assorted dangers above and below ground, tons of hidden secrets and unique Pawn system. It was impossible for me to not spend at least two to three hours at a minimum exploring outside the main quest, poking about in areas and often running like hell from some high-level monsters just to beef up my character a few more levels and hire some more powerful pawns just to drop back in and kick that big boss and his minions around. Of course, there was that cranky, level-shifting Ur-Dragon to give me fits a few times until it was able to be defeated multiple times, coughing up some cool treasure, but that’s a book I can write some other time.

Anyway, this year, we get a wonderful expansion, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen that packs in the original game with some nice fixes and an all new massive underground dungeon and rewards geared for high-level players only. Make that high-level players with a ton of patience willing to go through hell before they reach high water, as DD:DA is even more brutal than the original, but in a good way…
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