Random Film of the Week(end): Somewhere In Time

Posted on November 6, 2013 by geelw

As much fun as it was and still is, frankly speaking, Superman: the Movie had a really TERRIBLE time travel sequence that breaks the film and manages to always get a tiny bit under my skin each time I see it. Fortunately, Somewhere In Time is a much better film overall about time travel, love, loss and quite probably the worst long distance relationship ever. I saw this upon its initial release back in 1980 and it’s stuck with me since.

Now, I’m not deep into the romantic fantasy genre at all, but SoT has a compelling pull to it that makes it one of my favorite science fiction films, bittersweet finale and all. It’s not for every taste, but if you decide to give this one a shot, you’ll find Jeannot Szwarc’s fine direction, the lovely John Barry score, intentionally languid pacing and solid performances from the cast (I think it’s Reeve’s best film work, period) make this one truly memorable… Continue reading →

Valdis Story: Abyssal City – Your Side-Scrolling 2D Fix of the Week.

Posted on November 6, 2013 by geelw

Frankly speaking, I completely despise the term “Metroidvania”, as it smacks of laziness on the part of people who’ve adopted it to mean ANY side-scrolling platformer with gameplay and/or visuals that are common and familiar to those who might not even like either of those two storied franchises. Granted, it also confuses those who’ve NEVER played either game, as I once heard some kid in a GameStop seriously ask a clerk for a copy of Metroidvania (eek!). But I digress (as usual). Indie developer Endless Fluff has a rather fun-looking game out now for PC called Valdis Story Abyssal City and yes indeed, if you’re a fan of those old 8 and 16-bit classics (yes, such as Castlevania and Metroid) and happen to remember a seemingly now forgotten series called Valis, with a dash of Ys and a few other old games from back in the day, you’ve stopped reading this post already and are on the game’s gog.com page and buying it. And good for you, this is, as the game is on sale for $11.99 ($3 off its original price).

And hey! What do you mean “That’s TOO much!” you big cheapskate? Back in my day, we had to pay fifty bucks or more for a game like this and WALK to the damn game store UPHILL. BOTH WAYS. Darn kids and your “Why can’t everything be free or a dollar, but free first!” mentality. Good hard work deserves to be PAID for, I say. You’ll figure this out once you get to work on something awesome (or not so awesome) and no one wants to pay you for doing anything other than giving you a pat on the head or a hearty hand clasp (and not both because you work for a cheap-ass who thinks “intern” means “SUCKER” in big neon letters). If you don’t support indie games, you’ll be playing and paying through the nose on your phone and not any wiser about that wallet draining scheme…

UGLYDOLL Goes Universal With Some Cool Monsters (And A Cooler Sale)…

Posted on November 6, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, aren’t these TOO darn cute? Go on ahead and make that squeaky sound you do so well when you see stuff like this. I won’t laugh (Really! I probably squeak like that myself, but I’ll never tell). And yeah, if you buy them all (feel free to click on that pic above and get shot like a cannon to the UGLYDOLL online shop), I won’t tell anyone that either. Shhhh. Oh, look – they all vanished like that and went shopping. Holy cats… I need to get my readers back. Um… FREE DAY OLD TOAST! Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller? Crap. Oh well, I guess that’s my good deed for the day, huh?

RAMBO: The Video Game Gameplay: That Long Road Is Getting Shorter…

Posted on November 5, 2013 by geelw

Hmmmm. Cover an eyeball and stick a finger in one ear if you’re partly squeamish and hate the sounds of stuff blowing up. Amusingly enough, I only find two of the four Rambo pictures watchable from start to finish, so I’m quite surprised that I’m liking what I see in this licensed game more than I thought. First Blood was excellent for its surprising take on the action genre in making its Vietnam vet antihero John Rambo a more sympathetic character who gets pushed around in that small town he’s passing through until he’s had enough. The last Rambo film was a fun but gory contradiction because of Stallone’s political stance on what was going on in Burma and how the film turned Rambo from a “peaceful” tour guide back to an even more efficient killing machine with a cause. And yes… I thought Rambo II and III were bigger, dumber 80’s movies with lots of screaming and explosions and nothing worth writing home about plot-wise, but I know SOME of you will be all up in my face about my opinion on that pair of cinematic jokers.

Granted, this won’t be a Game of the Year candidate when it’s finally released in early 2014, but I think some fans of the franchise will be grinning like maniacs as they relive their favorite bits from the movies with a bit more artistic license in some cases…

Random Film of the Week: Street Smart

Posted on November 4, 2013 by geelw

(thanks oldhollywoodtrailers!)

I had to see Street Smart twice back in 1987 because the first time I kept cracking up at the sight of Clark Kent without his Superman powers being threatened with a broken Yoo-Hoo bottle by Easy Reader from The Electric Company. Yeah, that moment happens in this flick as does a lot of other non-heroic, “gritty” street stuff in this Jerry Schatzberg-directed drama.

It’s actually a pretty solid but slightly flawed film that benefits from Reeve and Freeman’s performances along with a nice turn as Kathy Baker as hooker with a heart of not quite gold, but shiny enough that Reeve’s investigative journalist character Jonathan Fisher gets to spend some er, “quality” time with her in one scene. Of course, she’s one of Fast Black’s (Freeman) “stable” so she gets into some trouble with him as the film progresses. Fisher himself gets into even more trouble thanks to fabricating a feature article that just so happens to be a wee bit too close to Fast Black’s own life story… Continue reading →

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Sneek Peek: Second Verse, Not Quite Same As The First…

Posted on November 4, 2013 by geelw

So, now that this two-parter is a three-parter, I have to ask if it still draw in the millions of fans the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy did. Granted, a third part means MORE of the book on board and hopefully an even closer to Tolkien film. On the other hand, I know the book loyalists have been shaking their fists at the screen or in Peter Jackson’s general direction since the first Rings film hit theaters and I don’t think they plan to stop any time soon. Granted, these films do a bit of public service by giving the truly lazy a chance to see what they won’t read (and thus fail any real life book reports they need to write in the future – lesson NEVER write a book report from any movie – your teachers who’ve read those books WILL know). But then again, if you’re THAT shiftless, you’ll probably be snoozing in your seat before the first half hour is over and done.

Hey, I’ve been in theaters many times over the years and have sat close to young people who thought they could actually get away with that trickery and I’ve always laughed a bit at what I know the results will be. Hell, chances are that teacher is in a different theater (or worse, the same one) taking mental notes on exactly what to look out for in those shorthanded reports. So yeah, kids… READ MORE BOOKS! There’s nothing wrong with a grand epic at all mind you… unless you’re planning to play it off as actual studying and not supplemental material once you’ve done the work. That’s your life lesson for the day…

Avadon 2: The Corruption Is Out Now. You May Not See The Great Outdoors ‘Til Spring…

Posted on November 4, 2013 by geelw

*Sigh* Whenever a new Spiderweb Software RPG arrives on the scene, I have to flip a coin and decide whether or not to buy it on the spot or finish the last few games I’ve fired up first. I’m definitely not complaining about anything IN the games, mind you. They just take a huge amount of time to play and complete thanks to so much choice in how you get through them. Sure, you graphics ho’s are winching at the visuals and lack of bumpy-shiny Havok or other 3D engine flash not happening here, but I say knock it off and show some respect for a game that manages to be a compelling experience for MORE than its visuals. That and hand-drawn/painted tile art and characters like this just have a certain nostalgic charm to them that makes each new game a visual treat in its own right. Anyway, feel free to try out that big and FREE demo of Avadon 2: The Corruption, carve out some time on your calendar with a big sharp knife and get to buying it if you like what you’ve played. I’ll be doing that as well at some point – I think I’ll need to clean up my own hard drive before I download anything, as I’m running out of room fast…

Review: Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Posted on November 4, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, 3DS)

Developer: Monkey Bar Games/Namco Bandai Games

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games America

# of Players: 1-4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B (80%)

Has there been a year since Pac-Man was introduced that the character hasn’t been in a game or other must-have product? The dot-munching ghost chomper has been on the video game scene in plenty of 2D and 3D adventures from arcade games to platformers, kart racers and even an adventure game or two. His longevity has been pretty much secured thanks to Namco (and now Namco Bandai) shaking thing up every so often with a reinvention or classic reissue and the latest new game on the scene is Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, a kid-friendly game based on the fun new Disney XD animated show. While some of the more stubborn fans of the arcade classic might give this one an automatic sneer because it’s not their favorite way of playing Pac-Man (in which case, they can go dive into the stellar multi-platform Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+), the game is actually quite a lot of fun with only a few quirks… Continue reading →

Annnd While You’re Waiting, Another Free Movie!

Posted on November 3, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – I’m furiously typing away on some reviews, but I need to take a break for a bit to rest my eyeballs. YOURS, however can get a workout courtesy another *FREE* movie. Let’s go for a sci-fi vibe with something from Japan:

Yes, that’s 1965’s Attack From Space, a Japanese “movie” I believe was cobbled together from episodes of Super Giant (aka Starman in the U.S. of A.) and shown on American TV way back when. I haven’t seen this in decades, but I’m not seeing it now either as I’m too darn busy! So, um… someone out there send out a signal from space and please tell me how this one is. I know from my vague childhood memories that it’s pretty junky and lame, but that can be a ton of fun under the right circumstances. Enjoy!

Dementium II HD: Small Scale Horror Goes Bigger (And Scarier) On Steam…

Posted on November 2, 2013 by geelw

Well, well… I’d heard a PC version of Renegade Kid’s Nintendo DS game was in the works for some time, but I’d forgotten all about it until I saw news of the game on another site. Here’s the trailer for Dementium II HD, set for a Steam launch on December 17. If you haven’t run off to change your underwear yet, you’ll want to know that DII is a very creepy first-person horror game that combines exploration, adventure and combat elements in a single player experience bound to creep you out of whatever chair you’re sitting in and under it for a spell. Nope, it’s not using ANY of the original Nintendo DS assets, silly – that would be scarier than the game seeing that sort of stuff happen.

If you’ve played the original you can clearly see that developer Memetic Games has taken Renegade Kid’s original game and redone it from the ground up, adding some Steam-specific content in the process. It would be lovely to see this creepy gen get MORE press, as the DS game got a tiny print run and seems to be tough to come by these days. Nevertheless, I’m betting once genre fans find out this exists (or will exist in less than two months), they’ll be beating a path to their computers to grab a copy. Actually doing so NOW will net you a nice discount of 35% off the already cheap $14.99 list price. That’s a measly $9.74 if you’re lousy at math (or can’t find that Calculator on your computer). OK, my good deed is done for the evening ladies and germs… good night and have the rest of a super Saturday.