Review: The Croods Prehistoric Party (DS/3DS)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/3DS

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site: (3DS) (DS)

Score: C (70%)

Like the Wii and Wii U versions, The Croods Prehistoric Party is a collection of 30 mini-games that range from pretty darn fun to slightly (and temporarily) baffling. While colorful and lots of fun to play, both of the portable versions miss the golden opportunity to add any sort of multiplayer modes. In terms of design decisions on a handheld that has a number of fine multiplayer and party-themed games, this is actually a lot more baffling than that occasional mini-game you won’t get right away. As for how this is as a solo game, well, playing against the AI is at best, a bit too easy and at worst, way too easy once you find a few exploits too tempting to pass up… Continue reading →

Review: The Croods Prehistoric Party (Wii/Wii U)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

croods_wiiu_keyart (Custom) croods_wii_keyart (Custom) Platform: Nintendo Wii/Wii U

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site (Wii U) (Wii)

Score: B (80%)

If you automatically expect a licensed game based on a family-friendly hit animated film to be yet another platform jumper in terms of gameplay and the usual appearance on multiple consoles, The Croods: Prehistoric Party may end up surprising you a bit on two fronts. First, it’s only for Nintendo’s consoles and handhelds and second, it’s a board game on the Wii and Wii U and a collection of mini-games on the DS and 3DS. Both home versions are exactly the same, save for the ability for solo players or one in a group having at it to play with the Wii U Gamepad. Like the Mario Party series, you’ll have more fun with up to three friends, but it’s entirely possible to play through the game against the AI and have a pretty decent time… Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week: Message From Space FINALLY Gets A DVD Release!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Way back in 1978, if you somehow STILL didn’t see Star Wars even when the film got its big re-release (or was still running in some theaters), this was another one of those “replacement” flicks you may have gotten taken to instead (or had to settle for if it was running at a theater nearby the one where Star Wars was playing). Famed Japanese director Kinji Fukusaku (Battle Royale) whipped up a first-rate “B” movie that yes, takes a lot of inspiration from George Lucas’ space opera, but also adds bits from anime and Japanese samurai flicks plus a few other things and the result is an instant cult classic (well, in my book). The effects team did some pretty amazing things in the model shots that give many of them a more kinetic look than what ILM did earlier, but the tradeoff is the acting in the latter film sticks to everyone mugging it up for the camera in their own ways… Continue reading →

THIS IS THE END Trailers: Oh, Don’t Give Me Hope, Hollywood!

Posted on April 14, 2013 by geelw

Heh. OK, this disaster comedy whatever is probably going to do a ton of business when it hits theaters on June 12, but I know there are some who just want Hollywood to break off and float away into the ocean. I’m not one of those folks, mind you, but I do wish these writers and other creative types could come up with something a good deal more original than retreading Irwin Allen flicks and adding more modern humor and celebrities I could care less about if they did fall into a hole somewhere in real life. Eh, I’ll catch this on cable when it pops up in… let’s say January of February of next year. Er, provided we’re still here and not sucking down atomic dust from a few of those “now they’ve got a decent range!” North Korean missiles. Duck and cover, indeed…

Warner Bros. Pictures Wants You to Know That YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Posted on April 14, 2013 by geelw

Oh, you already knew that? Well, good for you. Here’s some double assurance (or just single assurance for you out there having a lonely Sunday in front of the TV with a big bowl of whatever) which is actually a really nice tickle and tease for Zach Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot, The Man of Steel if you’re paying close enough attention. I like the way this plays on elements of Richard Donner’s film a tiny bit, but you know that Snyder’s got his own style working. Hmmm… I wonder if we’ll see other characters in the film get their own themed teasers? It would be nice to see, but that’s all up to the boys and gals in marketing and the director or an ad agency whipping up the right ad. Personally, I just want to see the film and less hype, but so it goes…

Movies You Didn’t Know You “Needed” A Sequel To (2): The Hangover Part III

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

Yikes, AGAIN? OK, time out. Look, the first one was hilarious and unpredictable in a few ways and the second one felt as it was a tracing done by a wagon-load of monkeys on a very bad acid trip. This third installment in the Hangover series is giving me a hangover just from watching the trailer, but hey – it’ll do big at the box office I bet. Yeah, yeah, crude chuckles are here to spare (OK, I laughed twice), but I hope this is the final voyage of the starship Wolfpack, as you can’t go any further down unless you make the next one a straight to cable flick with an entirely new cast. Which is frightening enough for way too many reasons. Hmmm… let’s seven say months from that opening weekend to the DVD release, folks? Start your clocks in three, two, ONE…

Oh, how I miss the Marx Brothers…

Iron Man 3 Featurette 1: More DVD Extras Before There’s a DVD To Think About Buying…

Posted on April 10, 2013 by geelw

I’ll bet you a nickel that you see this on the DVD and Blu-Ray when it comes out in, oh… about a year from now (or by Christmas, actually). I’m not psychic, folks – just right (ha ha). You can believe that this video isn’t going to waste and neither are the rest of them Marvel has planned. Of course, when you finally DO buy that DVD or Blu-Ray… you’ll also know which special features to skip because you’ve seen them already. Hey, I’m just trying to save you all some time so you can make more popcorn (or less). Hmm – let me shut up now before Marvel sends The Mandarin after me…

ELYSIUM Trailers: “Halo, World!”

Posted on April 10, 2013 by geelw

I actually liked District 9 quite a lot, as its one of those effects films that activates that sense of wonder and keeps it awake thanks to a director and technical team that wants you to buy into the reality they’ve created. Given Neill Blomkamp’s involvement in the cancelled Halo film project (and his work on those ads for one of the games), I’d say that whomever canned that project are very likely kicking their own asses around a few offices these days. Anyway, His new film, ELYSIUM looks outstanding and worth running over to the nearest theater to check out when it lands on August 9, 2013. Yeah, you get two versions of the trailer because I’m impressed. And oh yeah – no jokes about Matt Damon being even MORE robotic than normal (ha ha – I thought of it first!).

Hey, humor an old man and I’ll let you walk on my lawn if you’re in the neighborhood. Usually, it’s mined and well-guarded by armored attack squirrels, so consider yourselves lucky…

In Case You Didn’t Go See EVIL DEAD, It’s Left A Little Note…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, I was kind of busy too… just like you. I still have some reviews to write and that embargo lifts on the previews I need to hop to. I didn’t go see EVIL DEAD, but I knew what would happen. The weather got warmer and today was REALLY nice out. Too nice. All day, there’s been this sense of looming dread and I’ve been looking over my shoulder about every eight seconds. Now it’s dark out and the wind sounds weird. I think I saw something moving by the window. I think I’ll sleep in the closet tonight. Under a pile of clothes. Did I mention I live seven floors up and there’s no fire escape here? That damn clock is awfully loud… wait… it’s a digital clock.

Moral: When you’re Number One, you can do whatever the hell you want.

Um… Good Night?

Random Film of the Week: Sleepy Hollow

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

If you’re a creaky old horror film buff like me, Tim Burton’s 1999 film Sleepy Hollow is a nice little love letter to a few classics. Of course, going in not knowing what the director is paying homage to works just fine, particularly if you also toss out ANY notions that he’s going to to a straight retelling of the original Washington Irving short story. Granted, I’d bet most people who went to see this back when it was released weren’t stuffy critics who poked at the movie for not staying close to that moldy lore at all (or had even read the story, for that matter). If you wanted a well-paced horror flick with some solid performances, great visual effects and a few shocks along the way, you got that and then some. Those of us who saw this with one eye out for the director’s reference material were more likely than not a great deal more giddy by the time those credits rolled… Continue reading →