Edge of Tomorrow (spoiler talk)

Had a chance to see this one yesterday, overall very pleased. In the following audio I go into spoilers as I discuss the premise of the movie, what I liked and what I didn't. So if you've seen this already or just don't care about being spoiled please listen below, all others hold off and come back when ready.


 

GOJIRA!!

Hey my dudes and dudettes the "B" man here and I had the pleasure of seeing a really fun movie this past Saturday. If you haven't guessed by the title of this post I'm referring to the newest take on an old classic Godzilla. Now we all remember the last time they put one of these on the big screen, it starred Mathew Broderick, Jean Reno, and was directed by Roland Emmerich. That film pretty much got panned but the B man was allot younger back then and didn't really mind it so much. If you think about it Godzilla movies of the past haven't exactly been the greatest, there just cheesey fun. Well the big lizard is back and this time he leaves the cheese behind.

This latest version is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston.It cost $160 million to make and is just over two hours long. 

Now I'll try and keep this as spoiler free as possible but I will tell you this much, the trailers they've been showing over the last year have been a little misleading. They reallydid a good job of not telling you much about what this movie is about, other than Godzilla is very very large. Characters (one in particular) who I thought would be more involved with the story were actually written off pretty early on. Also the title character himself takes sought of a back seat, it's probably a good forty five minutes to one hour before you see Godzilla for the first time, but don't worry that first hour is filled with plenty of destruction and story and all the build up is worth it. When we see him in full form and the roar comes out for the first time it sent shivers down my back(same way I felt when Banner Hulks out at end of Avengers to take down giant alien ship).The final act of this film is filled with enough action to make Michael Bay jealous.

I had no doubts going in that this movie was going to be good, the trailers did their job well and got me pumped up way ahead of time. I was not let down this was a great sci-fi monster flick with plenty of story and action to keep me satisfied. I will definitely own Godzilla when it comes out for purchase. It seems to me this movie was a love letter to a monster that's been gracing the screens for over 50 years and it brings Godzilla into the new millennium in style. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a new breed of giant monster flicks and we'll get more down the road.  

Elysium Review

Hey all, had a chance to catch Elysium this past Saturday August 10th. Although I wasn't a fan of Blomkamp's District 9, I found myself enjoying this one a whole lot more. Visuals were a treat for the eyes and the world created wasn't half bad either. While I don't think the movie was anything new as far as storyline, basically about a cast system that keeps the poor in horrible conditions and the rich living well above with no worries, the futuristic setting was actually pretty cool. So the whole audio review is above for your listening pleasure and B gives Elysium his seal of approval so go check it out.

Pacific Rim Review

Hey all, had a chance to catch Pacific Rim this past weekend. If you like the idea of giant robots taking on giant sea creature alien thingy's this movie is for you. I loved it, and the full audio review can be heard above.

Teen Wolf TV Show Audio Review

Haven't had allot of time to write stuff, but did put together this audio review recorded from my phone while driving to work. This is for the MTV show Teen Wolf.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Wasn't sure I was even going to do a review for this film, I mean what's the point everyone who wants to see this movie has probably done so already or will do so very soon. Not to mention there are probably a million other blogs out there with a review, so what's the point right? Well my blog is really for me, yes it is available for anyone to read, but in the end it is a personal account of things I enjoy watching and doing and what not. Hopefully I'm still alive in twenty or thirty years and I can revisit all this and think back fondly. But enough about that, if your on this page or listening to the audio it's because you want to know about Star Trek Into Darkness, so lets begin. For starters I went to go see the movie this past Saturday May 18th, and I seen it in IMAX 3D at the matinee price of $12, when compared to the usual $19 - $20 I'll call it a good deal.

This is the second film in the reboot of a series that originated before I was even born, and it is quite amazing that after so many TV series and movies the Star Trek franchise is even relevant anymore, but thanks to J. J. Abrams much needed refresh Star Trek is alive and well. If you didn't see the first film, I'd suggest doing that first as it was really good and sets the stage for the second. If you've seen the original TV series you'll know these characters just realize that they are alternate versions of those characters living in a different timeline thanks the the original Spock coming back in time and changing history. That's actually as much as you probably need to know, as these movies are more action based than story driven. Visually both of the new Star Treks are beautiful to watch, and do a great job of depicting a futuristic society with the technology of deep space exploration. I also enjoy the cast, we have Chris Pine as the charismatic Capt. Kirk who thinks he always knows what's right, but despite coming off as arrogant at times would do anything to protect his crew and friends. Then we have Zachary Quinto(who I personally loved in both Heroes and American Horror Story) as the logic based half Human/Vulcan Mr. Spock who is the complete opposite of Kirk and makes decisions based on logic thus leading to much comedic dialogue between the two. The rest of the cast is great as well, but probably a bit underused especially Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard McCoy, who seemed to be a much more important character in the old series and films.

I will try not to give away too much of the story as to avoid spoilers, but I will tell you there are two villains in this film, one of which will be well known to any fans of the series, the other just comes out of nowhere. Neither of the villains are really fleshed out though and if it wasn't for the sake of nostalgia most people wouldn't even get the big deal about the one except for the fact that's he's causing destruction to get some kind of revenge for his people. The movie tries to mimic allot from a prior well known film in the series with variations, one such scene involves Spock yelling out a certain name instead of Kirk, and I couldn't help but laugh during this scene as it was kind of cheesy. One issue I have with the movie is I never felt any real danger for our main characters, every time things seem to be at their worst things just turn around and everything is okay, almost like a cartoon. Even in the beginning when Kirk is reprimanded for breaking rules, and it seems rather grim for him, only a few scenes later it doesn't even matter as he's back in command.

Despite it's flaws, and breaking away from the more traditional thinking man's Star Trek this one is certainly worth seeing. It's a big budget treat for the eyes with lots of funny interactions between the cast. There is also plenty of action more akin to a Star Wars film than a Trek one but times are different and our fathers Star Trek probably wouldn't make the cut today, and in the end it's all about making money for the makers of the film, and mindless action does sell. If and when they do make another I would like to see more of a development between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, an element I loved about the original that just doesn't seem the same in the reboots. We are told Spock and Kirk have this great friendship, but I don't just want to be told it, I want to feel it. To be fair though it's hard to convey that in a two hour movie and the old films had a 79 episodes prior to work off of so I understand why it's hard to do. Anyway if you like science fiction action movies this one is well worth seeing, and even if your not a fan of Star Trek these newer films do appeal to a much broader audience, so go check it out.

Episode Title: To Oblivion and Beyond

Episode Date 04/24/13

Movies

Before I even get started with the review for the Oblivion, did you guys see the latest Man of Steel trailer? Holy $H#t, any doubts about the what to expect from this film are completely gone from my mind, this may be the Superman movie we've all been waiting for. If you haven't seen it yet, do it now! If you have seen it already, you owe it to yourself to see it yet again.  

Oblivion

    Hey all you wanna B's out there, how you doing? I had a chance this weekend to catch the science fiction film Oblivion starring Tom Cruise. Love or hate the antics of the guy, I personally feel he usually doesn't disappoint me when it comes to the sci/fi action genre, and this film was no different. I went into the movie not knowing more than what was shown in a trailer I had seen a couple weeks back, and without reading any reviews from critics or viewers, I think this is probably the way I will do things from now on, as I can name a handful of movies I skipped over due to reading other peoples opinions, only to watch it later on tv and find out I really enjoyed it.

    So what is Oblivion about? Well it takes place about 60 years in the future from now, and in our time the Earth was attacked by an alien race known as Scavs. During this attack the moon was destroyed causing mass destruction on Earth. We are told that the human race fought back with nuclear weapons and won the war, but in the process made the Earth inhabitable. So humans move on to a moon called Titan and establish a new colony. Cruise's character is Jack Harper and is stationed on Earth to monitor the extraction of water to bring back to the new colony.

    Without ruining the story I'll just tell you that things aren't what they seem and I would almost compare this movie to the first Matrix film, as you don't fully know what's going on until a certain point, and then there is this eye opening moment where it all makes sense. Actually The Matrix still doesn't make much sense to me, but you get the idea. Anyway I really enjoyed the film, it had a small cast but still had this epic feel to it, and the cinematography was amazing, I love films that show a post apocalyptic earth, and this movie did a beautiful job of showing such a world. I've only seen a few movies this year so far and I know the really good stuff is about to kick off next month with Iron Man 3, but as of the time of writing this is the best movie I've seen this year and recommend it to any fans of the science fiction genre.

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TV Shows

Defiance

    Okay so last podcast I talked about the new game Defiance I had picked up for Xbox 360, and how they were putting out a show with the scyfy network that ties into that same world. Well last week I had a chance to catch the series premier which was a two hour event, and if first impressions are any indication, it's actually not bad.

    Defiance takes place in an Earth of the future where Aliens have migrated from another planet and after a war a peace breaks out and the alien races and humans try to co-exist in an earth that has mutated creatures and landscapes due to a terraformed accident. The show focuses on Joshua Nolan a former marine who was at the battle of Defiance and now roams the world with his adopted alien daughter Irisa. Both the main characters are pretty bad ass, and when they aren't having family disputes they make a pretty good team. In the beginning of the show it seems they are primarily motivated by greed, but by the end of the premier they end up taking permanent residence in the the down of Defiance after making a sacrifice of fortune to save the people of the city. Joshua ends up taking the role of Lawman and that's where the first episode ends.

    Despite being a show created for tv, the special effects in a number of scenes looked movie quality at times, and there is even a pretty decent battle seen during the last part of the show that must have cost a bit to produce. The two main characters are likable enough and the support cast including Julie Benz as the mayor hold their own as well. I'm going to give this show a try, at least for a while longer, I do have a vested interest as I am playing the game, and the game lacks much of a story so I'm hoping the show will help fill that void.

Episode Title: Hope the New Year Gets Better

Episode Date: 01/10/13

Back after two week holiday break, and having the worst bout of the Flu I've ever had. Hope everyone had good Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Year etc... Had a chance to watch couple movies, and play lots of Black Ops 2, which you can watch my highlight reels on the YouTube page.


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It's Okay To Pee In Pool

I came across this article and found the title kind of amusing. According to scientists Michael Phelps(Olympic Swimmer) statement about it being okay to pee in the pool due to chlorine in the water seems to be scientifically accurate. Being a frequent visitor of the local public pools this will probably help me sleep a little better at night, not to mention save me trips to the restroom because I'm too lazy to walk ten feet from the pool LOL. Shouldn't these scientists be using their time for the benefit of mankind just a little bit better, you know like maybe finding the cure to cancer or something. You can read the full article here.

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Looper

Okay onto movies, I had a chance to check out a couple recently, one of the good ones worth seeing is "Looper". This is a sci-fi, action thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Bruce Willis. The premise is that in the future time travel is possible, but illegal, and crimes cannot be committed without getting caught so shady organizations like the Mafia send people they want killed back in time to be disposed of by agents they have contracts with in the past. The downside to this for such agents is that when they completed all their contracts they must also eliminate their future self who is sent back, this is called ending the loop. They will however be rewarded with gold bars. Levitt plays the younger character of Willis and when Willis comes back in time he ends up getting away and sets in motion a chain of events that will alter future events to come. I love the world they created in this film, and although I was confused allot the first half of the film, they explain things as things go further. It's very hard to do material involving time travel, and if you start questioning everything it can make you crazy, you have to just sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is, but I think you'll enjoy this one.