300: Rise of An Empire: On War Pigs And Going Whole Hog…

Posted on February 5, 2014 by geelw

I’m still on the “jury’s out” side when it comes to this not quite sequel coming out. So many movies and TV shows have copied the green screen slo-mo technique and color palette of 300 that this film outdoing the first one in terms up upping the chaos is almost too amusing to see working so well. Granted, those who loved 300 will love this as well, but I don’t expect the pickier historians out there to be so kind to this follow up. I’m in the process of going through the first movie again this week (I haven’t seen it in a few years) and I actually thought it was longer than it actually is. I think I digitally inserted scenes from that Spartacus series randomly in my head as I was watching or something. Eh, whatever – we’ll see what this does at the box office soon enough before it makes the short four to six month trip to Blu-Ray/DVD like everything else does…

Toukiden: The Age of Demons Battle Action Trailer: Omega Force To The Rescue (Again)…

Posted on February 5, 2014 by geelw

With Toukiden: The Age of Demons dropping into stores and onto PSN on February 11, here’s a final look at the game in action. As usual, veteran developer Omega Force is at the top of their game here with another impressive action game for the Vita (and yes, PS3). It’s also important to know that while we’re not getting the incredible-looking PSP version of Toukiden in North America, the fact that they were able to get the same game and what looks like the same story content done for that “old” handheld in Japan is somewhat remarkable. Anyway, based on the demo alone, this one looks like it’s going to be a great home as well as handheld game with offline and online play that should keep those who pick it up quite busy dispatching plenty of demons from minor minions to supreme, hard to take down bosses that require time and tactics to take down.

I do hope the game does as well as it did in Japan, but that’s all up to Vita owners here to get off their butts and give the demo a whirl, then go buy the game as soon as they can rather than wait too long and let this one languish in relative obscurity. We’ll see, as usual…

UPGRADE GET! Retro City Rampage DX Out Now For Nintendo 3DS

Posted on February 5, 2014 by geelw

Assuming you don’t own a Nintendo 3DS XL yet, here’s the one game that demands that larger screen real estate. Retro City Rampage DX is out now in the US via the eShop (2/20 in Europe) and adds a few fun things you’ll see in that video above (or at the game’s official site) Although it looks fine on the standard model, the extra size does make a huge difference. I’ve played this game on PC, PS3 and Vita (and it’s also out on WiiWare and Xbox LIVE Arcade), but it looks as if I’ll be diving in once more at some point just to get a few more nostalgic chuckles going. But not for a while, though. I’m doing the headless chicken thing at Toy Fair soon and am in the midst of poking through my inbox and setting up meetings. I need a secretary/helper monkey/game organizing librarian or something.

Ah well – I’m off to a late start today thanks to the stupid storm this morning. Back in a bit with more once I get out of the house…

Okay, I Need The Last Match On Blu-Ray/DVD. You Need It Too.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, bigdumbgoon!)

Thanks to the one two punch of The League of Dead Films‘ Professor Mortis (or maestro of daily ceremonies T.A. Gerolami) and a hilarious review over at Good Efficient Butchery, I now have a new “must-have” crap movie to track down. Hey, Martin Balsam and Ernest Borgnine are in it so how bad could it be, right? Those clips from The Last Match made my eyes check with my brain to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating and nope, I wasn’t). Granted, this won’t replace an ACTUAL good football movie, but I know what I’d be watching instead of the Super Bowl next year, that’s for sure…

I’ll admit now that it’s a sad passion of mine, these junky, badly made Grade-Z action flicks. But hell – they’re only a tiny part of what I watch, they keep me off the streets and they’re perfectly legal to own (well, provided they’re not bootlegged), so leave me alone or else I’ll bite ya. Besides, overdosing every so often on really bad films isn’t a harmful thing at all… unless you decide to use them as templates for a career (which would NOT be a very good thing). Anyway, the chances of this klunker getting a Criterion release are ZERO, but I bet the fine folks Shout! Factory just might be able to negotiate something and get this on a disc at some point. I’m not into online petitions, but I’ll sign one if someone goes to the trouble of whipping it up to get interest in this stinker.

Snow Daze Like Mondays… And Wednesdays… And Saturdays…

Status

Hey, so it’s SNOWING again. There’s about four inches or so of PERFECT snowball grade mix on the ground (although it looks like more if you look at the lovely coating on the trees and normally grassy areas here) and it looks as if we'[ll get an inch or so more before is stops (the weather report says around 4PM). All that and we’re expecting to get hit twice more this week (Wednesday and Saturday say the weather genie), so I’m gathering I’ll be updating a bit less than normal. Daily posts will be incoming, but if for some reason I’m stuck indoors with my slow home connection, you’ll probably see one to three posts (if that) instead of the bunch more I’d rather run. Damn groundhogs and their shadow-seeing ways (not really, as that hoax makes less sense by the year). Anyway, enough with the weather reportage – I have more important stuff to do…

Random Film of the Week(end): Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

Posted on February 2, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, THINKFilmNY!)
The late, great director Sidney Lumet’s final motion picture, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a brilliantly made film that hits harder today thanks to the death (allegedly by heroin overdose) of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. While the film got a somewhat limited theatrical release in North America and was completely ignored at the Academy Awards, it’s a mesmerizing, must-see crime drama that shouldn’t be missed. Its non-linear structure and use of flashback scenes presented from different characters’ perspectives adds a layer of tension to an already compelling story and every single actor here more than earns their keep, perfectly playing their roles.

If you’ve never seen this before, I’ll not reveal very much of the story, as the film rolls it out for you from a few angles and watching these characters roll fate’s dice and lose to varying degrees makes the movie. Hoffman and Ethan Hawke play brothers desperate for money for assorted reasons. An armed theft planned by one brother goes wrong in the worst possible manner and the consequences spiral out of the control of just about everyone affected by it. Just when you think things are bad enough, they manage to get worse and those awful ripples reach pretty far before heading back to their source…

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RoboCop Update: “Crime” Doesn’t Pay, But A Good Reboot Will…

Posted on February 1, 2014 by geelw

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.

Random Film of the Weekend: Under Fire

Posted on February 1, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, robatsea2009!)

If it were released today, Roger Spottiswoode’s excellent drama Under Fire would probably carry an unfortunate “inspired by a true story” label it really didn’t require. While the film is a fine work on its own right, it’s at least partly inspired by the 1979 killing of ABC News journalist Bill Stewart and his translator by Nicaraguan National Guard forces, a tragic event that was shot on the sly by his cameraman from a nearby van and televised worldwide.

In the film, this moment comes fairly late in its running time, is staged differently and happens to one of the three American reporters we get to see go through hell as they try to survive the upsurge in violence that sweeps the country and eventually targets them…

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Crimes & Punishments: Sherlock Holmes Trailer: Punch Drugged Love…

Posted on February 1, 2014 by geelw

Once again, developer Frogwares is cooking up an interesting looking multi-case Sherlock Holmes game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC-owning adventure game fans out there and this time, it seems to be going for a few types of gameplay as well as flashier visuals to lure in gamers from other genres. There’s some nice use of the aging Unreal 3 engine here as well as what looks like some tweaking to the investigation system and even a bit of fisticuffs thrown in for good measure. As long as the game stays away from the dopey camp of the Guy Ritchie version of Holmes and Watson, I think it’ll do well among its target audience. Granted, the fans of that newer BBC Sherlock and other shows that reinvent the character to different extents may or may not come aboard for this more classic-looking (and more traditional) Holmes, but it would be nice to see some of those younger folk realize their favorite flavor was around a LOT longer than they were.

Focus Home Interactive is publishing this one and it’s got a Q2 2014 release set. More on this game (and an actual release date) soon. Here’s a bunch of nice screens below – enjoy!

Sleuthathon, Anyone? Get A Clue This March…

Posted on February 1, 2014 by geelw

Ah, the joys of the blogathon! Like-minded fast to slow typists of assorted interests and skill sets, some of the more precisely well worded and edited post, some of the punchy, short perfect post and me with my fishing around for words and hoping they all fit together once I drop my five-cent bowl of alphabet soup on the carpet before I can even open my packet of crackers, *sob!*

Anyway, Fritzi over at Movies, Silently is at it again, hosting not just a blogathon, but a Sleuthathon featuring films up to 1965 about assorted gumshoes, nosy folks who find themselves detecting danger and other flicks and TV shows.

If YOU have a favorite film detective who fits the bill and can string together a few sentences better than I can, feel free to check out the link for submission guidelines and perhaps contribute one of your favorite films, group of related films or shows. The more, the merrier!