Random Film of the Week: KONGA

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

While it’s not the worst man in a gorilla suit sci-fi/horror hybrid out there (Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla or A*P*E*, anyone?) 1961’s KONGA is nevertheless a terrifyingly bad movie that’s worth a watch for a few reasons. You’ll marvel at the ferocious, scenery chewing by Michael Gough’s mad botanist/scientist Dr. Charles Decker, the kitchen sink plot that tosses in carnivorous plants, terrible, inaccurate science, botany and biology, a love triangle that’s actually a square that gets whittled away corner by corner as the film progresses and some mostly lousy special effects that make this a total howler. I’ll get back to the ape suit later and the man in it, as both are another key to making this film so hysterically funny.

You have to admire a film that wants you to believe that Dr. Decker returns from his year-long trip to Africa (he’s actually missing and presumed dead!) with some strange ideas, some recipes for a serum that can make plants and animals grow to extreme sizes and a cute baby chimpanzee. His plant experiments end up creating a number of oversize man-eating varieties including (eek) some that look like gigantic black rubber penises with green veins a’poppin’ and red tongues hanging out (seriously). Before that rolls around in your head too much, Decker’s real showpiece is Konga, that baby chimpanzee he gives his serum who SOMEHOW changes into a gorilla (Wait, WHAT? Science takes another hit, folks POW!) before using his new “pet” to get revenge on a few of his peers (spoilers inbound, but it doesn’t matter because even if it’s all given away, this one’s worth seeing for the laughs it provides)… Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week(end): Blow-Up

Posted on June 22, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Cinedelica TV!)

“Nothing like a little disaster for sorting things out.”

Some people hate Michelangelo Antonioni’s groundbreaking 1966 film Blow-Up (or Blowup depending on how you prefer it spelled, I go with the poster myself) with a passion reserved for cruel dictators and people who drive vans full of puppies and baby rabbits into lakes. Me, I’ll admit to disliking and being frustrated with the film when I saw it as a not quite ready to see something so heady teenager thinking it was going to be something entirely different. However, as years have passed and I’ve seen it a few more times, I’ve come to truly appreciate the film for the things it nails while realizing most people who despise the film tend to over-analyze it to the point of making themselves confused as to exactly what the movie is about.

For all its swingin’ London scenery, excellent use of that great Herbie Hancock score, skinny exotic models posing for a seriously unlikable main character and seemingly “boring” stretches where seemingly, nothing important happens for some viewers looking for a proper narrative before something important DOES happen (that’s picked upon as important to those plot followers, naturally). The funny thing is, any attempts as locking in that golden “Aha!” moment are interrupted by a few distractions that intentionally take focus away from things unless you’ve clued into what’s actually going on here. With all that, Blow-Up is actually a surprisingly minimalist and easy to understand film, albeit an experience that demands your complete attention. Well, once you cut through the arty fat and get to the hidden in plain sight meat on the bone dangling in front of you, it’s a more fulfilling viewing experience. On the other hand, it’s also a film that while open to a few interpretations, still revolves around a central theme some continue to overlook. Continue reading →

Funko’s Hikari Friday Giveaway: No Bones About It, You’ll Want Skeletor In Your Clutches!

Posted on June 20, 2014 by geelw

If you’re a huge fan of He-Man and the Masters of The Universe, a collector of all things vinyl toys or just want a chance to win something cool and rare, here you go. This week’s Funko Hikari giveaway is this lovely (well, if you can call that mug “lovely”) #1 of 2000 Limited Edition Mystic Powers Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure. Check it out:

Entering as always, is a TOTAL cinch:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Winners are announced on the following Thursday and if you DON’T win, you can buy this outright at your favorite Funko dealer this September. Anyway, go get lucky and get this! Good Luck!

Gallery: End of Serenity

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

Just when I was lamenting Natsume not updating its YouTube page, I get a load of screenshots and art from its E3 lineup to run here, so I’ll do just that over the next couple of days. first up is Edge of Serenity, the PSP exclusive (I’ll gather it’s Vita compatible but won’t confirm that until I hear it from someone out west) coming on June 24, 2014. As you can see this is all old-school JRPG goodness packed with classic 2D sprite art, turn-based battles and probably a very MIDI-esque music score to keep things nice and nostalgic.

Character profiles have also been revealed for the principals, so let’s meet the cast, shall we?

Yute is a tough young merchant with a strong sense of wrong and right; the dangers of the road have sharpened his sword skills despite his tender age. He can’t bear to turn away when he sees injustice.

Eril, also known as the Azure Sorceress, is set on exposing the Underworld’s nefarious plans. Using an Atomigem-powered weapon known as an Accelerator, her cold demeanor hides a heart bruised by her upraising in a small orphanage that she strives desperately now to save.

Kat, with her jingling bells and cat-like ears, may look like a teen, but she insists she is in fact over 100 years old! Only when she opens up her heart and reveals her secret will she ever truly be understood.

Earon is an undisputed master of martial arts. With his snow white hair, it’s no surprise this trainer was thinking about retirement…that is, before he discovered that one of his former pupils might be involved in the Underworld, and has set off to discover the truth.

Kaede is a pupil trained by Earon, accompanying him on his critical mission. Rumors swirl that she is actually the last of a village of ninjas; only Kaede knows the truth, but she’s not exactly talking…

20 new screens are below the jump – make sure to grab End of Serenity next week when it arrives on PSN!

Continue reading →

Review: SPINTIRES

Posted on June 18, 2014 by geelw

Developer: Oovee Game Studios

Publisher: IMGN.PRO

# of Players: 1-4 (co-op)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Not that this will happen any time soon, but if someone ever decides to make a video game based on Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 masterpiece The Wages of Fear, they’d better ring up UK-based developer Oovee and beg them to do the driving portions. I’m saying that while SPINTIRES is paused below this tab and I’m writing up this review of the PC game. While I generally love to complete a game before sitting down to type up impressions, After a few days of playing this indie gem, I can very safely say it’s one of the nicer surprises of the year and well worth the $29.99 price point. I’ll defend that price point in detail below, but in short, why pay the same (or more) for a game that’s going to be JUST like the games you’ve played to death when here you’ll get something you’ll very likely enjoy MORE because it’s fresh and actually more challenging than you’re used to?

Yeah, I thought so. Read on for more reasons you at least need to take this for a spin… Continue reading →

Funko’s Hikari Friday 7: Double Special Turtles Giveaway FTW!

Posted on June 13, 2014 by geelw

This week’s Funko Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figure giveaway is once again geared towards Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans and this time, it’s pair of even cooler vinyls they’re giving away, ONE each to TWO lucky winners. Check them out:

Limited Edition Clear Leonardo Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of 3000!):

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Pizza Power Michelangelo Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of 600!):

At this point, you know how to enter for a chance to score one of these, correct? NO?! Okay, one more time (well, until next week when I let you know again). Just click on over to one of Funko’s social channels:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Enter and keep those digits crossed! Winners are announced ever Thursday (not that along a wait, right?). Good Luck and if you don’t win, pop back in next week for a new Funko Hikari giveaway!

E3 2014: Grim Fandango is Coming BACK? Commence The Room Running Around And Joy Squealing!

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Wow. Like a good deal of old adventure game fans, I believe 1998’s Grim Fandango is one of the best games ever made in that genre. It’s been one of those most requested titles on sites that carry well-aged classic games and abandonware, but thanks to all sorts of copyright and other issues, the ONLY way to get this legally was to shell out a premium for a disc version and hope a newer PC could run it. Now, thanks to Double Fine Studios and 2 Player Productions and some wrangling with Disney on the rights front and Sony on the money front, it’s coming back as a complete remake for the PlayStation 4 and Vita with the possibility of other platforms later. Yep, this news got me yelping and spinning in my chair for a bit, so the meter has been set to “whenever it’s done!” and the wait begins for more info. This one’s a legend that I think more people have claimed to play than have actually played it (or they just never paid a dime for theirs), so it will be interesting to see how well this one does once it’s complete. I say it’ll be a big hit because everything great said about it is true and then some. I can’t wait…

E3 2014: Kingdom Under Fire II: Blueside’s RTS/MMO Hybrid Fights for Mass Appeal On The PS4

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Well, holy hell, it’s been a LONG while since I even thought of Kingdom Under Fire, so this new trailer for the upcoming PS4 game, Kingdom Under Fire II kind of knocked me back on my butt. Developer Blueside seems to be taking their PC MMO/RTS and bringing it to the PS4 with the ability to play solo (and hopefully offline, like the previous games in the series) and if they can manage a lengthy campaign and multiple characters like the other installments, genre fans will have a new best buddy for as long as it takes to play through each character’s lengthy campaign. Another one to keep an eyeball peeled on means I need a fresh bag of eyeballs… again. More on this one soon!

E3 2014: Scalebound: Platinum’s Xbox One Exclusive Leans To The West A Bit…

Posted on June 11, 2014 by geelw

While actual gameplay wasn’t shown, I’d gather that the game will at least look very close to what’s above and as it’s from PlatinumGames, there’s no doubt that there’s going to be more going on that what’s shown here. Granted, that lead character seemed a bit to cool for his own good, but this one’s going to be a game that needs a more complete dissection in hands-on form at some point. As with nearly any game trailer, it’s hard to get a feel for a game’s tone and pacing from a cinematic unless there’s some actual gameplay tossed in at some point. That said, I’m confident Game director Hideki Kamiya and his team can make this exclusive one Xbox One fans will be proud to claim as their own.

E3 2014: Bloodborne: FromSoftware Shakes It Up With A Mighty, Grim PS4 Exclusive…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

Too much stuff to cover means you get bits and pieces of what I find cool, so here’s the amazing teaser trailer from FromSoftware’s upcoming Bloodborne, a PlayStation 4 exclusive that looks pretty unsettling and surprised a lot of gamers who thought the veteran developer would immediately get to work on next-gen versions of Dark Souls for Sony and Microsoft. Nope. I figured the team wanted a break from that dark, grimy series, so this dark, grimy and gorier-looking game with gameplay that’s yet to be unveiled is next up on their plate. I’m holding my breath for screens and gameplay videos and I know SCEA will make me come up for air to download them when they’re ready. I think it’s time to get that PS4 if you haven’t yet…