Resident Evil HD & Resident Evil Revelations 2: Capcom Serves Up Two Dishes To The Ungrateful Masses…

Posted on September 1, 2014 by geelw

Wow. If I was working in Capcom PR and had a thin skin (which, by the way is a LOUSY thing for anyone working in PR to have), I’d be chugging Pepto all day and taking an aspirin ever four hours for my heart. You’d think that the company was out running a steamroller over baskets of puppies or something if you read some of the many inane comments on YouTube and plenty of websites about both the HD remaster of the former GameCube-only Resident Evil remake from 2002 and the concept video for (as in too EARLY to have actual gameplay footage from) Resident Evil Revelations 2. I, for one will be getting both games upon their respective releases because I know that the former hasn’t been on any other console platform to date and it’s a truly great game. As for RER 2, I liked the first one quite a bit, so this one’s going to be added to the “watch and BUY!’ list.

It’s THAT simple for me. I’m not silly enough to yell and scream about unrelated games, DLC from unrelated games, and so forth and so on. These announcements are about the games in question and Capcom just wants to show them off and know what you think about them, not listen to bitch-fest central about Monster Hunter, Mega Man, Street Fighter or worse, INCORRECT comments about this HD version Resident Evil being the same as the 1996 original or just a straightforward “port” of the GameCube game.

Eh, I shouldn’t be surprised at all at this reaction, as the company seems to attract some of the more passionate but woefully ignorant fans in gaming. Sure, they’ve made mistakes over the years, but some people need to just grow up and not continue to slam them on EVERY call they make these days.

Interstellar 60-Second Trailer: Hold Onto Your Seats (Again) For A Minute…

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

As noted previously, Interstellar promises to be another “deep thought” film experience from Christopher Nolan, so I’m looking forward to those conversations with people who didn’t “get” something in the film or were hoping for a typical Hollywood ending and didn’t get that and think they wasted whatever it cost to buy a ticket. *Sigh*, yeah… opinions and the internet can be a pain in the rear end sometimes. Anyway, I’m predicting big things for this one even if it’s not a box-office buster like less cerebral movies turn out to be. It’ll certainly be something to keep in mind as a future home video purchase as I think it’ll be a film worth watching a few times…

As usual, we shall see…

Gamescom 2014: P.T. Is SH? Count Me IN!

Posted on August 13, 2014 by geelw

I’d have to say the biggest new game news out of Gamescom was the surprise reveal of a collaboration between game creator Hideo Kojima, writer/director Guillermo Del Toro and actor Norman Reedus in the form of an all-new horror game called Silent Hills (currently) for the PlayStation 4. There’s a playable teaser (dubbed “P.T.”) up on PSN* as I type this and it seems that some players aren’t getting that it’s NOT supposed to be a demo of the FINAL game, but a teaser of what’s to come and may change entirely from what’s there. Then again, given the amusingly screechy reaction from YouTube user SoapyWarpig (the first person to discover what this mysterious P.T. was, congratulations, by the way!), I’m betting a lot of fans of that particular horror franchise will be plunking down some money towards a PlayStation 4 if they haven’t gotten one yet.

*Note: P.T. is a bit “tricky” to find on the PS Store if you’re just looking for it on your phone/tablet, laptop or desktop. However, if you log into your PSN account and use the search bar (type in PT), you’ll get sent to the demo page and all you need to is download away and get to playing. I think the jump scare stuff in that first video is funny because it might be Kojima poking fun at the endless stream of “let’s watch random guys and gals freak out!” videos that litter YouTube for every horror game these days. I found it more unsettling and bizarre than actually fly out of my chair frightening. Now, to find out if this is another PlayStation-only game or a timed exclusive that’s going to pop up on other consoles and/or PC at some point…

Doctor Who Season 12 Teaser: Take A “Deep Breath” And Get Back To Waiting…

Posted on August 13, 2014 by geelw

I’ve been avoiding coverage of all those overseas Doctor Who premiere shenanigans because I want to NOT have anything spoiled before that new season kicks off in ten days. I had to post this trailer just to let some of you know I haven’t forgotten the show at all, I’m just holding my breath and holding out until the 23rd when I can watch this at home like the rest of you who aren’t getting the chance to see this on a big screen with other lucky folks. Of course, I’ve been cheating a little, as the longest I can actually hold my breath isn’t long enough to still be breathing when the show kicks off the Capaldi era. I do know my limitations, folks…

Interstellar Trailer #3: Brainy Blockbuster Alert…

Posted on August 4, 2014 by geelw

Chris Nolan’s upcoming sci-fi drama Interstellar certainly looks as if will be quite the ride, but not of the many explosions per second and impossible close calls galore variety. Although, amusingly enough some of that stuff seems to be in this new trailer (out of proper context, I’m gathering). Already, some of the film is telegraphing itself (this looks like a one way trip and the fate of humanity depends on this mission’s success), but par for the course here, I’m not going to let a trailer decide whether or not I like an entire film. I’m kind of immune to most trailers these days, no matter how cool they look or sound thanks to some films being less enjoyable to sit through for longer than the running time of the average trailer. Or am I just being a cranky cynic here? Again.

Anyway, November will tell all about this one and I can certainly wait until then. Heck, my plate is pretty full as it is, so a little suspense will do me good.

SDCC 2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Teaser Makes Me Feel A Bit Green…

Posted on July 28, 2014 by geelw

The third part of Peter Jackson’s busy amusement park version of Middle-earth is on the way to theaters in December and as you can see from this teaser trailer, you’ll be getting pretty much what you expected if you liked the other two parts of this two part film expanded into three. I’m actually a film behind in this saga (I need to see The Desolation of Smaug at some point), so I’m not in a tearing hurry to rush out to a theater 11+ miles away and see this one. Heck, given the extended, special, collectors and other edition home video versions that are BOUND to surface in 2015 and onward, I may as well wait until the DEFINITIVE version of this trilogy rolls out just so I can see every bit of film as it was intended to be seen (er, as far as home versions go). I should probably just follow a friend’s advice and get a nice HD projector to make that one big white wall in the living room a mini movie palace, but we’ll see what happens financially over the next few months or so.

Oh, and you can actually WIN a nice trip to New Zealand to poke around some of the actual locations from the film (minus the green screen effects, of course). That video above will clue you into how to enter and such. Good Luck!

SDCC 2014: Mad Max: Fury Road: It’s Miller Time Again (Hardy Har-Har)…

Posted on July 27, 2014 by geelw

Well, well, well. it looks as if George Miller is back in the creative chair with this reboot that doesn’t need Mad Mel at all to look pretty action-packed and dare I say… “essential” to some extent. It seems like practical effects are in play for the most part (a good thing), and that offbeat sense of violent humor is intact from the previous Mad Max films. For those griping about the lack of Mr. Gibson, just give it a rest until you see the film next year or at least read a review or two before you put that foot down too hard. I say the man’s too old to be the lead here and he’s box office poison to some people thanks to his outside work views on certain things that can’t be separated fully from anything he does on screen. Besides (and this is the important thing), Tom Hardy is a fine enough substitute as an action hero, especially if this one’s sequel-ready for a few installments and he wants to come back.

Doctor Who Goes To The Movies (And Yes, You’re Invited!)…

Posted on July 25, 2014 by geelw

Ha. I figured this would happen, so it’s nice to have the option of seeing the first Peter Capaldi episode on the big screen or at home. Naturally, the theatrical version will have more footage (that’s going to pop up eventually on TV) and sure, you can dress up if you wish (and if you dress up at home, I don’t need to know unless you’re importing Jelly Babies and want to share). I’ll most likely stick to my living room for the entire season just because there aren’t any theaters where I live now, the nearest one takes some time to get to and the tickets are quite overpriced. That said, options are always a good thing (but not having a movie theater in a neighborhood that had five or six at one point is a damn shame, grrrr!)…

Let’s Go Visit MANHATTAN On Sunday Night (I Hear It’s The Bomb!)…

Posted on July 25, 2014 by geelw

First, the TOO obvious joke after watching that clip: “I wonder if those computers come in a laptop size!” (canned laughter) Yeah, well… I woke up too early this morning, people – that’s the best you’ll get from me today.

Okay, I actually had to check my cable guide to see if we get WGN America here (nope!), but I’m still in luck as MANHATTAN will be rebroadcast here on WPIX after it premieres. Anyway, it’s not a show about NYC at all, folks. It’s about the Manhattan Project and the creation of America’s first atomic bombs from 1942 to 1946. I happened to see a review of the first episode in the newspaper this morning that recommended the show,so I guess I’ll be checking it out this Sunday.

Guardians of the Galaxy Clip Joint: What You See Isn’t Even Close To What You’ll Get…

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

So, some early reviews are in and all are stating this is not only one of the best movies this summer, but quite possibly the best Marvel movie to date. I figured all of those end credits scenes were adding up to something and from what I’ve read (and heard from someone who was at a screening), fans will be knocked off their feet a few times and then some.

One thing I figured that would work from the start with these films was having different directors with different styles working on different franchises similar to how different writers and artists work on the different comics. While there’s a certain uniformity to elements of the look and continuity across each of the films since the first Iron Man, it’s been fun to watch most of these movies and see how a particular director’s vision works within the (Disney) Marvel Universe.

James Gunn seemed like the oddest choice to direct GotG at first, but his own offbeat sense of humor and musical tastes have spilled over into the film and works well to the point where he’s probably going to be the go-to guy for the next film with this team… Continue reading →