!!! Hallo. Vould You Like To Have A Roll in Ze Hay? Rolls, Rolls, RollsIn Ze Hay! (More Blu-Ray News) !!!

Inga: Werewolf!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Werewolf?
Igor: There.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What?
Igor: There, wolf. There, castle.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Why are you talking that way?
Igor: I thought you wanted to.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No, I don't want to.
Igor: [shrugs] Suit yourself. I'm easy.
-Young Frankenstein

Yes, as you can see, I love Mel Brooks. I own every movie he has made, and "Young Frankenstein" is one of the very best. The man knew how to get us to laugh at some of the most cherished film genres without making fun of the movies they were based on. Mel Brooks loved movies, and he grew up watching those Saturday matinees, that showcased cowboys, space men, historical epics, musicals, silent movies (on occasion), war films, and most importantly monster movies. Mel has worked in every genre of film that Hollywood can find, but does it with a wink and a nudge. It's extremely evident that Mel loves the original movies that inspired his comedies. That attention to detail and the care he takes with each of his parodies shows that he is a huge fan of motion pictures. Mel Brooks is an institution and, while there is a wonderful Blu-ray set of his movies out now, that's not what this is about. This is about one of the most exciting Blu-ray announcement that has happened this week (yes, even better than Indiana Jones, which is saying a lot).

There can be only one... Ryan Reynolds?!

If anybody knows anything about me,they know that I’m a HUGE Highlander fan. Something about immortal swordsmen slicing off other immortal swordsmens’ heads is just one of the most simplistic,yet entertaining things in the world. Sure,there were bad sequels… well… they were all kinda bad except for,in my opinion, Highlander III,but in all honesty,I enjoyed most of ‘em.
It was made known a few years ago that there was a Highlander reboot in the works.

!!! "I Will Love Him, And Hug Him, And Squeeze Him, And I Will Call Him George." Lucas Dat Is (New Blu-Ray Releases) !!!

I Got Two Words To Say To The Haters, "Bantha Poodoo!" ?!?

I stand before you this night to issue a dire warning about the future of our planet. Recent events have occurred that fundamentally alters the fabric of the universe. I say these things to prepare you and guide you so you might be stable enough to weather the storm that is to come. The events of the past two days have significantly escalated the time table for these momentous phenomenon to take place. As it stands now we are wholly unprepared to face the coming tide. I pray that you will hear these words and they will motivate you into swift action. It is coming and it cannot be stopped, but it can be defeated...

"Save us all, the world is coming to an end. Hide yo wife, hide yo kids, hide yo strippers, cause we all dying up in here!!!"-Antoine Dodson (of the near future)

!!! Put The Bunny Back In The Box And Other Sayings Of Nicholas Cage,Only Known Living Vampire (Blu-Ray Reviews) !!!

Did Kate Beckinsale Have A Nose Job Or Have My Standards Lowered (Yep, She Had A Nose Job)???

I Love Motion Pictures (no huge secret on this site)! I love to watch them, I love to talk about them, and I love to read about them. Even the history of cinema fascinates me and I can't seem to get enough. I am amazed by the process that goes into the making of a film. From lighting to special effects, from cinematography to craft services, ever step of a film's journey draws me into that world. There is a large section of the population who cares which star is dating who and how long it will be before Lindsey Lohan gets arrested again (apparently not long), but for me that stuff is nothing compared to the hard work and dedication it takes to actually bring a film to movie screens. Actors will always be needed and some I want to see succeed (Downey Jr.), but, unbeknownst to some of them, they are only a small part of the glorious machine that makes fantasy a reality (and sometimes reality an over exaggeration of itself). Movies are an escape, movies are dreams made real, and we can leave our everyday lives behind to spend a little time in those places. Not every movie is good, but there is good in almost every movie (maybe not Ishtar). Someone on every production in Hollywood gives everything they have to a film because they know that they are blessed to be working in the industry. That being said, there are decisions made on films that make me say, "What?" This brings me to this weeks Blu-Ray reviews.


I hope to be able to bring you reviews of movies that have recently been released on Blu-Ray and give you an idea of whether it's worth a purchase or a pass. I will say up front, from a technical standpoint, I am wholly inadequate to give you an informed opinion. Like my father says, "I know just enough to be dangerous." Yes, I have an HD TV and a THX 7.1 surround home theater system, but the best I can do if you ask me how a movie sounds and looks on Blu-Ray is "good" or "bad". There are websites that do a much better job in reviewing the technical aspects of the discs and I will leave that up to them (check out the links at the end). So, for the purpose of these articles, I will try to tell you what I thought of the films themselves and maybe a little about the special features. Remember, that when it comes to movies, "good" and "bad" are relative terms. I always say, "like what you like, take nothing back." Oh, by the way, if you like Ishtar, more power to you (even though you're weird).

I got a chance to check out three movie on Blu-Ray this past week. I enjoyed all three to varying degrees, some more than others. Like I said earlier, some movies are great, some are good, some have good elements but poor choices, some are bad, and some are so bad, they're good (why yes, I am referring to you "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid"). No matter what you like, just make sure that you enjoy ever minute of it. Life's too short not to have fun.

Let's start with the eternal one himself, Nic Cage. The man has been in some bad films, there's no denying that. But Nicky is like that crazy uncle that comes over for Thanksgiving dinner, drinks too much, and proceeds to tell of the time he and two strippers were stranded on a desert island and they decided they needed to repopulate the species (the strippers weren't very bright), so he became the king of the tribe he fathered and they still live on the island today, oh, and they almost sacrificed him to the volcano gods (strangely, that sounds like the plot to a Nic Cage movie). So, I like the man. I can't help it, he makes me smile. I finally got to see "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence" and it definitely contains all sorts of Nic Cage crazy. I liked the first Ghost Rider (as opposed to all of you who didn't) and I felt that it was close to the comics and their tone. I had high hopes for the second one and while I will say that the visual aspect of "SoV" is good, several creative choices derail this version of the character. This is one of those reboots that's not a reboot (it makes no sense to me either). Nicky's back as old flame head but no one else from the original makes an appearance here. Mark Steven Johnson is gone as director and replaced by Neveldine and Taylor of the "Crank" franchise. The Crank films are flashy, stylized, and over the top (see where we're going here?) and the studio hoped they would bring the same thing to Ghost Rider. Unfortunately, for the viewer and comic lover, that is exactly what they did. This is what I'm talking about when I say bad decision making. You have to have the right directors for the right movies, because when you don't bad things happen. That craziness they brought to the Crank films is all wrong here. Johnny Blaze might be crazy but he's not a clown. Nic Cage does a fine job being Nic Cage, but I would rather see him be Ghost Rider. You would think that when Ghost Rider is on screen (and the effects are impressive to look at) it would be the highlight of the film. Here again, bad decisions rear their ugly head. There is a moment in the film where Ghost Rider grabs a bad guy by the back of the head and proceeds to perform the "Penance Stare" on him. The Marvel Database explains it like this, "When in close combat, the Ghost Rider locks eyes with his victim and makes him or her feel every pain that that individual has ever inflicted on anyone else innocent in their lifetime." Neveldine and/or Taylor fail to convey that to the audience and Ghost Rider just appears to be staring longingly into the baddie's eyes.

Ghost Rider: "Oh, I love you henchman (deep demonic voice)."

Henchman: "Oh, I love you too, Ghost Rider (high-pitched girly voice)."

That's exactly what it looks like. I want to see Ghost Rider taking villains out like the bad@$$ I know he is, not staring at them for fifteen minutes. This trend continues when Nic interrogates this dude for information latter in the film. He is doing the crazy, I can hardly contain what's inside me, bit and then rushes off to use the info he just got to locate this boy (who may or may not be Danny Ketch, the second Ghost Rider). Thus follows an extended sequence of Nicky riding his motorcycle and changing into Ghost Rider. Why? Why is this scene here? I already know he turns into the Ghost Rider (from the helpful cartoon that you had at the start of the film and the previous film), I don't need to spend twenty minutes seeing it happen again (see, bad decision making). Just get to the Rider kicking tail, that's what I want to see (and had already seen in the trailer). The visual effects are great and I love the look of the Rider here more than I did in the first movie, but come on, these movies are suppose to be fun not tedious. Don't get fancy, boys, it does the movie and us no favors. I would be perfectly happy if Fox would let the rights to Ghost Rider slip back to Marvel and maybe they can pull a Hulk makeover for the match head. The rest of the film is just kind of there, the only real standout is of course, the always fantastic Edris Elba. He is always extremely watchable and this is no exception. If you are a fan of Ghost Rider you may want to give this a rent, if you're not forget this movie exists and go on with your life. All Hail, the vampire king!!

Next up, "Underworld: Awakening" is the continuation of that particular franchise. I like these movies (guilty pleasure) and, of course, i'm in favor of any movie that shuns the "I'm in love with a sparkly vampire and a werewolf that runs around without a shirt on" crap. A war between vampires and werewolves is a fantasy that all horror lovers have had at one time or another (Universal even put the Wolf Man and Dracula in a movie together, in the 1940's). Are these movies high art? Of course not, they aren't directed by Scorsese after all. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy them for the craziness alone. Plus, Kate Beckinsale in skin tight black leather, need I say more? My only real question about the movie is a fairly obvious one. What world changing thing does Scott Speedman need to be doing that he can't show up on set for two days (that's all it would have taken) and collect a small "I don't want to be homeless" check? Does anyone know the answer to that one? Does anybody really care? It cost more to digitally insert his face on some other actor's body than they would have had to spend to film him outright (they also had to pay him for his likeness, so now we're just throwing money away). Why not just kill him off screen and move on? There I just had to get that out. Now I am better. Moving on. If you are a fan of the Underworld series or just like fun movies with hot women (Kate Beckinsale in skin tight leather, remember?), then this is right up your alley. Go have fun.

My last review is most certainly my favorite of the three. I had a good time with Underworld, but I was blown away by "Chronicle". Where did this movie come from? If you haven't seen it then I'm not going to spoil it here. The story is fairly straight forward. Kids find crazy artifact, kids get superpowers, kids do cool things, and kids deal with good and evil. Sounds like any comic book origin story you ever heard, right? Wrong, this is so much more. Box Office Mojo says that it was made for 12 million dollars. I'll repeat that, 12 million. I sit here in awe of the amazing things they accomplished in this film on such a small budget. This is one of those films that defies the conventional wisdom that the more money you spend on a film the better it will be. Sometimes it's about the filmmakers and the creative people behind a project that make a movie work. Great ideas and great execution trumps money any day of the week. It's still amazing the things that happen in this movie. You really need to see it. Josh Trank, the director, is already being talked about to reboot The Fantastic Four for Fox and is it any surprise that the writer is Max Landis, son of John. Turns out Max is pretty awesome as seen "here". From what I hear, there will be a sequel. I hope they don't screw it up by NOT BRINGING EVERYONE BACK (just a subtle hint, Hollywood executive types)!!! Oh, and Chronicle is a found footage movie (I almost forgot that fact because the film is so good, unlike most of those flicks). The gimmick here is so well done after a while you hardly notice it. That is a testament to great direction and great writing. I could not recommend this film more. If you don't own it you should.

The picture quality on all three films is great (even the found footage of Chronicle). The sound mixes are full and expansive. The extras are decent though not comprehensive. Still, two out of three ain't bad. If you want specs and in depth analysis check out the links at the bottom of the page. I'll be back later with more news and rumors so, "hang on back there!"

Todd "I got a panty on my head" B.

[High-Def Digest, Blu-ray.com, and DVDfile]



That's pretty convincing, wouldn't you say?

Nic Cage as Johnny Cage, for Josh!!

[Nic Cage as Everyone]

Why do people want an FFVII remake so badly?!

Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy VII is probably the most popular game in Square’s Final Fantasy franchise. Released way back in 1997, Square used clever marketing tactics to basically dupe people into buying their huge-budgeted game. These tactics basically involved NOT showing any gameplay during ads and commercials, only CG cutscenes, and not really letting anyone know what they were buying. I remember thinking every time a commercial was shown, “People think this is awesome, but they don’t really know that it’s an RPG.” Around this time, RPGs weren’t rare by any means, but RPG fans weren’t exactly turning up in droves, either. For a lot of American gamers, FFVII was not only their first game in the series, but was also their first RPG. Because of this, FFVII carries a lot of nostalgia. I don’t consider myself a “VII hater,” but the game is, to me, nothing special. The three games released before it were much better and so were the three games after it, in my opinion. That’s not to say that I’m some kind of retro guy that says only the 8 and 16-bit games were good (FFX is probably my 2 nd or 3 rd favorite in the series). FFVII’s plot really involves nothing more than chasing the main antagonist, Sephiroth, from one place to another. Literally, that’s all you really do. Several years ago, as a way to show off the PlayStation 3’s graphics horsepower, Square released a tech demo that recreated the opening cutscene of FFVII using real-time, in-game graphics. This tech demo ended up looking better than the original game’s opening. Check it out: Pretty, huh? What Square didn’t realize was that they were opening up a can of worms that fanboys have been gobbling up for the 6 years since that tech demo was released. Anytime a new Final Fantasy game is either reviewed or revealed, fanboys come out of the woodwork, crying and moaning, “Where’s the FFVII remake?!!!!?!!!!” Instead of remaking FFVII, Square has opted to create full remakes on the Nintendo DS of older FF titles like III and IV. In my opinion, remaking the older titles makes more sense than FFVII. By remaking the older titles, Square can add a new perspective on games that originally were only perceived on a 2D playing field. FFVII already had 3D graphics, albeit mostly on pre-rendered backgrounds, but the older titles were all sprites and mode-7. If you’re going to remake a game, there should be a good reason. What would be the reasoning behind remaking FFVII? “Because it’s AWEZOME!!%)!)%!*%^” That’s not good enough for me and it’s apparently not good enough for Square, either. Recently Square CEO, Yoichi Wada said that he believes that if Square remade FFVII, the Final Fantasy franchise “would be done with.” In my opinion, the Final Fantasy franchise is already done with, but that’s a different article for a different time. But in all honesty, I can see what he’s saying. Wada went on to say that until the company makes a Final Fantasy that exceeds the quality of VII, a remake will never happen. While I don’t necessarily agree with Wada’s comments that a Final Fantasy hasn’t lived up to VII’s quality (VIII-X were all better games, in my opinion), I understand what he’s basically getting at: “We don’t want to make that game right now. We know you want it, but we don’t.” So there you have it, folks. An FFVII remake is inevitable at some point, but it’s just not going to happen right now or in the foreseeable future. I honestly wish that Square would spend their time developing some decent new IPs rather than putting all their energy into new Final Fantasy games, or give us sequels to some of their existing properties. A sequel to Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, anyone? How ‘bout that?! -Josh Source: IGN

My Videogame Life Pt. 3 (The Conclusion!)

-The Present & The Future-

So after reading the first 2 parts of this whole thing, we’re finally up to the present day of gaming, but let’s backtrack just a touch. I haven’t really covered handheld consoles, so let’s do that real quick…

Make it Bigger!!

Last night at 11 pm Central Daylight Time all the Nintendos of the world (Nintendo of Japan, Nintendo of America, and Nintendo of Europe) had a simultaneous "Nintendo Direct" presentation. For the uninitiated, "Nintendo Direct" presentations are streaming video presenations created by Nintendo themselves and watchable on their websites (and in archived format on the Wii and 3DS). Nintendo uses these as opportunities to showcase software and hardware, and announce new software and hardware.

Usually this would be something I'd make sure and tune in for. But, whoo boy, I was sleepy last night. I fell asleep before 10! Wow!

And then my swisscheesed brain forgot all about the presentation until I was checking GoNintendo.com this afternoon. "Oh yeah, the Nintendo Direct," I thought to myself.

I won't take the time to recap the entire presentation here. There was a lot of good stuff in it, so check it out yourself if you're interested.

But I do want to point out one of the biggest reveals of the evening: the 3DS XL.

Many of you might be familiar with the DSi XL. It was the mammoth final iteration of the original DS. I have one (Liz got one for me for my birthday in 2010), and love it. In fact, I became so accustomed to its hugeness that when I recieved a 3DS this past Christmas it felt like I was playing the revolutionary glasses-free-3D handheld videogame system from Nintendo of Lilliput. Ok, I exaggerate a little, and the 3DS is an excellent system. But it is noticeably smaller than the DSi XL.

Enter the 3DS XL, a system roughly the same size as the DSi XL. (In fact, the entire form factor has a DSi XL feel.) In fact, the two screens are a whopping 90% larger than their original 3DS counterparts. Not only that, but the battery life has been extended a little bit also. To be clear, beyond this the 3DS XL is just a 3DS. No electronics or cpu specs have been altered. So this isn't like the change from DS Lite to DSi. This is a cosmetic upgrade almost exclusively. But that's fine with me.

Now here's the crazy part: It will be available starting August 19 of this year (the same day as New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS hits stores)! That's less than two months away. Talk about keeping info close to the vest (or, since this is Nintendo, should I say, "close to the overalls?"). It'll set you back 199.99 plus tax, but many retailers are already announcing "trade in your 3DS for a discount on a 3DS XL" deals. I just might take one of them up on that. (Liz is ok with it, since had a 3DS XL existed back in December that's what she would've gotten me.)

Major gaming and/or tech sites like IGN, GoNintendo, Nintendolife, Engadget, Gameinformer, etc. have all the details. So I'll just leave you with this comparison picture:

Now we're playing with power. (Bad, I know. But game systems don't have quotes.)

 - Nic


END OF LINE

Oh.. My... Goodness...

I knew this was being made, but I had no idea it was anywhere close to having a trailer. This is gonna be a great time at the cinema, folks... AGAIN!

-Josh

!!! Me Grimlock, Eat Michael Bay In Next Movie... Yum (Transformers 4News) !!!

This Is Michael Bay Directing; "You, Explosion, Again Only Faster And More Intense!"???

We have Transformer 4 news directly from the man himself. Michael Bay talked up the fourth film in an interview today. Here's what he had to say:

!!! Dr. McCoy, Cursed Earth Pizza (Judge Dredd Is Now Just Dredd) !!!

Bones, Are You Really The "Law"?!?

So, here we are a day later and to no one's surprise Lionsgate has released the "Full" trailer for their reboot of Judge Dredd, now simply know as Dredd. Was that so hard? Did I really have to go on a rant yesterday about the "teaser for a trailer" thing? I don't think so, Lionsgate. Guess what guys, your not even in the big leagues yet. Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Sony, Universal, and 20th Century Fox are your major leaguers, at best you guys are triple A ball. So, you need to dismount the pretentious horse and just release the gosh darn trailers already.

My Videogame Life Pt. 2

-The 32/64 and 128 Bit Era-

By the time the PlayStation was released in North America,the SNES was still going strong. Really,I (and nobody else,for that matter) had absolutely no interest in the thing until around 1996 when it was announced that the newest Final Fantasy title would be released exclusively for the console.

!!! Cloud Atlas Shrugged (I Am So Bored And Various Sundry Things) !!!

Ms. (?) Lana And Mr. Andy Wachowski Request Your Presence At The Premiere Of Their New Film, "Cloud Atlas". Cursed Earth Pizza Will Be Served And Entertainment Will Be Provided By Mike Wazowski, Please Leave Your Sparkly Vampire At Home, RSVP !?!

Wow, things are dead in the world of film this week. Either nothing is going on or they are waiting until later in the week (I'll get to that). So, first I hear the Superman news (bad stuff) then, nothin', nada, zilch. The fact that Hans Zimmer is doing the music for "Man of Steel" single handedly destroyed Hollywood (just kidding... kinda). This week has been pretty weak (that's me using homonyms... English, it's like a second language to me). Anyhow, I have been banging my head against a wall trying to find something to tell you guys, so here's what I got.

How To Play Mortal Kombat (MK9)

Since I need more people to play Mortal Kombat with, I’m gonna create a tutorial on how to get started playing the game. I’ll introduce you to fighting game terminology, strategies, combos, and general fighting basics in what I hope will be the easiest guide you’ll ever read.

What's goin' on here??

So last night Liz was watching Dawson's Creek on Netflix. (Watching "Apartment 23" with James William Van Der Beek, Jr. made her want to go back and rewatch the entire show. Coincidentally, Josh has also been watching Dawson's Creek. But fear not, Todd and I are still men. Anyway...)

One episode centered around a concert by the pop/rock group "No Doubt." Dawson and his actress girlfriend (!!) were trying to get backstage, as were Joey and the current-guy-she-might-be-dating, Eddie. Now, while it was on I was working on the computer, but I did glance up every now and then (don't judge). So one time I glance up, and I notice something. Something odd. I'm not going to say what it is yet. I'm just going to show you four screen-grabs.

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Surely you are.
.
.
.
No?
.
.
.
.
.
Ok, if not, go do a Google image search for "Marty McFly" and then come back.
.
.
.
.
.
I know, right! What's that all about? Upon noticing this last night I immediately did a search on Google to get more info. I couldn't find where anyone had even noticed this, let alone explained it.

So I guess you heard it here first! The Inner Dorkdom: bringing you trivia about a 10-year-old episode of a nighttime soap opera!


Dork thinks he's gonna drown.

 - Nic


END OF LINE

Cleanse the Palette, Cleanse the Palette

Nic here, trying to get the bad "dark and edgy Superman" taste out of all of our mouths (I wholeheartedly agree with Todd's commentary on the Batmanification of Superman being a bad thing), by pointing to a Superman-related product that actually appears to be good.

I'm talking, of course, about LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes!

Y'all may not know this yet, but I'm a big fan of LEGO, and have been for a long time. Some proof:

1. My swisscheesed brain (i.e., I don't have the greatest memory) can't recall anything about my first day of elementary school, but can recall quite well when I got a LEGO cement mixer set for Easter.
2. I had a LEGO monorail set when I was a kid.
3. I made my own Star Trek: The Next Generation LEGO sets in the early 90's (thus foreseeing a time when LEGO would get into the licensed properties business).
4. I played with LEGO regularly through middle and into high school.
5. Even when I officially entered my LEGO Dark Ages (google it), I still jumped at the chance to dabble with them when over at Josh's house. (Josh is six years younger than me. As such my friendship with him was a great excuse to play with toys and play make-believe long after it was age appropriate.)
6. I let my nephews (17 years younger than I) borrow my Super Nintendo and all my games (which, incidentally, know one knows the whereabouts of), but they couldn't borrow my LEGO collection. If they wanted to play with my LEGO bricks, they had to do so at my parents' house.
7. My Dark Ages started to end in 1999 with the release of the first Star Wars sets.
8. I have at least 93 different LEGO sets, with an estimated retail value of more than $2,947.
9. That retail value figure includes seven LEGO videogames (a few Star Wars, one Indiana Jones, LEGO Rock Band).
10. Next year when my family, Todd's family, and hopefully Josh go to Orlando, FL, I've already demanded that we go to LEGOLAND.

Why am I telling you this? I'm not sure...hmmm....

Anyway, here's the point of this post: today the newest LEGO videogame came out for all major videogame platforms. The game is, as I said, LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes. As the subtitle suggests, this game isn't just about Batman and the Boy Wonder. No, the scope is much bigger. Other DC superheroes also are playable in the game. There's Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash (Yay Dawson's dad!!!), and the Man of Steel himself, Superman.

I haven't played the game yet, so I can't give you a review. But the folks who have, and have, say it's great. The addition of an original story, open-world gameplay, and voice acting (yes, the minifigures talk) take the already enjoyable LEGO videogame formula and make it even more enjoyable.

So if you have a chance, check it out. You can find reviews for the game at many of the major gaming sites (IGN says it's the best Superman videogame ever). In the meantime, I leave you with three of the game's trailers.

Miss Teschmacher!!!!

 - Nic


END OF LINE

!!! Wait, What? Oh No, They Ditnt! (Man Of Steel News) !!!

You Will Lick John Williams' Boots For This!!!

John Williams is a master! No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He has written more music that you instantly recognize than anyone else on the planet. He is a modern day Mozart, no "foolin'" (Def Leppard, 1983). I have recently been buying all the John Williams soundtracks I can find (for those interested, you can find them "here" and "here"). I have found that iTunes has a great selection of Williams' music. The other day I got the soundtrack to "Superman: The Movie". The Superman theme from that film is easily known worldwide by billions of fans. It is synonymous with the red and blue tights and the huge "S" symbol on the "Man of Tomorrow's" chest. To me, there will never be another theme for Superman. Bryan Singer knew this when he made his movie and Zack Snyder should know it now (oh, he knows, but he can only do so much). You see, the powers on high at Warner Bros. have a case of the "Dark Knights". They have decided that every DC Comics movie has to be "Dark" and "Edgy", or people won't come to see it and, consequently, they won't make a gazillion dollars off of it (because ya know, the Avengers didn't just make over a billion smackers and counting). So, what better way to do that than to chunk everything from the previous films and go with a Batmanification (my own word) to the entire world of Superman. Well, if Siegel and Shuster haven't already turned over in their graves they might as well get to turning and digging so they can get to China before they completely decompose, because that's a "STUPID IDEA"!! Superman is the opposite of Batman, that's why they are both the perfect friends and the perfect enemies. If you screw that up, you got two Batmans and one of them will kill the other (because there can be only one... Sorry).

!!! Beam Me Up, Scotty... Uh, Geordi... Uh, Chief O'Brien... Somebody,Beam Me The "Frak" Up... Oh, Wrong Show (Star Trek TNG News) !!!

I'll see your Battlestar and raise you a Q!?!

Where does the time go (sometimes they still perform)? Seriously, I turn around and it's "Twenty Five Years" later!! Twenty five years since 1987, twenty five years since "Robocop", twenty five years since Michael Jackson's "Bad" was released and twenty five years since "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered on the "Telly" (I'm not British, I just like to use British slang). I remember already being a huge Star Trek fan because of my Mom, who loved the original series, and I was extremely excited to have new Trek for my viewing pleasure. I drank in that first season like a man in the desert who just found an oasis, and you know what I found out? Wait for it...

My Videogame Life Pt. 1

-The 8 And 16-Bit Era-

From as far back as I can remember there was always a videogame console of some sort in our house. My dad,unlike most people his age,kept up with the times when it came to technology. Whether it was the latest computer tech,or more recently,technological advances in the realm of E-Cigs (Electronic Cigarettes),my dad was always at the forefront. And it was all because of me.

!!! Mind Your Elders, Kids (Possible Prometheus Deleted Scene, So,Spoiler Alert) !!!

"And If You Can't Be With The One You Love, Honey, Love An Engineer, Love An Engineer, Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do!?!" - Stephen Stills of the Future

What, you don't know who Stephen Stills is? Wow, shame on you. Go look him up and just listen, then you will understand. Now, where was I... oh yes, this is a warning of the Spoiler Broadcast System. We have detected strong Spoilers in your area. You are advised to take shelter immediately, in your mom's basement, if you do not wish to be struck by the spoiler. This is a spoiler warning for this area.

!!! Boy, Those Superman Underoos Make You Look Fat (Man Of Steel AndTransformers News) !!!

I went to Krypton and all I got was this lousy cape!?!

The Licensing Expo 2012 is taking place in Las Vegas the week and the studios are pushing the merchandising world hard to support their upcoming slate of films in an effort to bring about world peace (actually they just want to make a lot of money, peace is secondary). There are a lot of posters of upcoming movie that basically just show the name of the movie and nothing else. Rarely, you might have a studio bring props or costumes from a highly anticipated big budget bonanza to whet the appetite of the companies with deep pockets. Such is the case with this years expo, because Warner Bros. has pulled out the big guns too woo said merchandise pushers to license it come next summer. What is the said movie, you might ask?

!!! How Much Scarlett Johansson Is Too Much? Well, That's A SillyQuestion (Avengers Rumor) !!!

James Cameron and Peter Jackson are recutting The Avengers to make it 18 hours long (just kidding... sort of) !!!

It looks as thought we may see a longer cut of the Avengers coming down the road. There has been a rumor circulating that Joss Whedon is planning on restoring his original 3+ hour long version of the film for the eventual Blu-Ray release. Director's cuts aren't that uncommon in the home video market and it seems as though every release has at least two versions of a film on the disk (I'm looking at you Blade Runner). I for one don't mind this trend. I love extra footage and sometime it can take a muddled mess of a movie (rhyme much) and make it an incredible film (Example: Kingdom of Heaven). Sometimes these different cuts represent the director's original intent or "Artistic Vision", sometimes they are done to satisfy a fan base, and sometimes the studios needs a reason to hit you up for more money (because we know that the studios are flat broke from all the Internet pirates out there).

Update on Wii U, almost one week post-E3

So the dust is starting to settle, the emotions of the moment are beginning to subside, and people are starting to take an honest and objective assessment of Nintendo's main E3 presentation and the potential fate of the Wii U. Opinions, as you might imagine, are still mixed. There's a little less "the sky is falling on Nintendo" than there was last week, but those voices are still out there. On the other hand there are people who are convinced the Wii U will be even bigger than the Wii. And then, there are all those voices in the middle. Folks who are weighing the good news and bad news and still just aren't sure what the future will hold.

The philosopher in me is quick to applaud them, as they are acknowledging reality: we just don't have enough info to predict the future. Too many unknowns.

But in the days since E3, some more information has come to light:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is coming to Wii U. Now, some might argue that the COD craze is already dying down and ultimately this revelation will not be as important as folks imagine. They might be right. On the other hand, a COD game that uses the Gamepad in creative ways could be a big draw to the portion of the gaming community Nintendo has been unable to successfully court in the past few years.

2. Activision has even more content coming to Wii U. What it is, who knows (although their website suggests Transformers Prime might be one title, and Skylander Giants has been confirmed). But it's coming.

3. Regarding on-line: The friending system will not use friend codes as they exist today on Nintendo systems. That having been said, the level of interaction one can have with someone on-line through Nintendo Network and Miiverse will differ between those tagged as friends and those not tagged.

4. It's already been reported that the USB port on the system will allow for expandable storage via USB harddrives. The question many have asked is, how will that effect eShop titles (specifically, will there still be harsh filesize restrictions as with WiiWare). Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has said on the matter, "The main message we've communicated is that it's got USB ports so you can keep adding storage to your heart's content." This suggests to me that there won't be such intense restrictions on filesizes. Yay.

5. Rumor: NintendoLand will be packaged with the Wii U.

6. Rumor: Wii U news will pick up big time in September.

7. Saving the biggest for last here--Rumors about pricing. Two sources for this. One is a Best Buy kiosk supposedly including the MSRP, the other a tip sent in to GoNintendo. Both are suggesting that the Wii U will be sold initially for $300. This is a bit lower than some (including Josh) were expecting. I personally think this is a great price. But only time will tell if this rumor is true.

Of course, this still isn't enough to predict the future. But it is interesting.


My body is ready.

 - Nic


END OF LINE

!!! Ridley Scott Has Got Da Philosophical Skills To Pay Da Bills (MorePrometheus News) !!!

It's Prometheus Week Here In Cabo San Lucas! All You College Kids Grab Your Xenomorph And Get Down Tonight (Watch Those Facehuggers, You Don't Want A Bun In The Oven) !?!?

I'm Baaacck, with more Prometheus news for all you people who can't get enough of those wacky Engineers. I posted my review earlier, which you can view here, but I wanted to do a follow up to that and give you news that has come to light about what's next for this movie.

!!! Is That A Xenomorph In Your Chest Or Are You Just Happy To SeeRidley Scott (Prometheus Reviewed With Spoilers) !!!

I Have Seen The Alien And He Is Us?!?

Spoilers, Spoilers Everywhere, You Have Been Heavily Warned!!!!!

Sir Ridley Scott is one of the greatest directors working in the film industry today and has been for many, many years past. He has a vision and storytelling ability that few can match in terms of originality and sheer beauty. For all the great things that Ridley Scott is as a director, he is also something else that makes him either a complete genius or the most evil mastermind on the planet.

Xenomorphs and Facehuggers!

Nic, Todd, and I are currently in the theater waiting to see Prometheus in IMAX 3D! Reviews are sure to come!!

!!! Game Developers Are Going To Make Us Squeal Like Little Pigs !!!

Hey, video games, you sure do have a pretty mouth!?!

So E3 is over and we are left wholly underwhelmed. Not to say that there wasn't anything good at the great convention in the sky (or Los Angeles), but we saw less mind blowing new stuff and more things that (while good) we already knew about. The few outstanding titles shown were expected to be outstanding, so no surprise at all really. I am excited about "The Last of Us" and "Beyond: Two-Souls", "Alien: Colonial Marines", "Halo 4", and to some extent the "Wii U". For the most part, I am more excited about the prospect of the future than I am the reality of the present. Current Generation hardware is reaching it's limit and the time is coming closer for us to move forward to bigger and better things.

Let's Talk Graphics!!!

There are PC gamers out there (you know we love you), but I am not one of them. I much prefer playing on a console, because I like the simplicity and the lack of headaches that it provides. There is, however, a trade-off between playing on a PC versus playing on a console. The upgradability of PCs almost always assure that they will be better (in the graphics department) than consoles. That also means, PCs will always be more expensive to the consumer than their more limited cousins, the consoles (especially if you want the best and fastest machine to play the newest and biggest games to their fullest extent). I have always wondered if there would come a day when the two would be evenly matched. I don't foresee this happening and, if it did, it would only be for a very short span of time (think months not years). The shelf life of a console is about 4 to 5 years. The life of a PC (in the world of gaming) is maxing out at around 2 to 3 years, and that is if you can handle being behind the curve when it comes to the newest games on the market at the end of that cycle. Almost every year, the specs for PC versions of games jump higher and higher. Console game designers have a set ceiling of specs that they must conform their games to every time they produce content for the home market (these designers can improve the quality of their games as the life of a console progresses, but they still can't exceed the limitations of the hardware). Even though these statistics lean heavily in favor of PCs over consoles, I have neither the time nor the money to be apart of that particular demographic. So consoles it is (for me anyway). "But Todd, consoles are expensive too?" Yes, weird little third person voice inside my head, but in the long run the cost is less, especially if you can only devote so much time to video games as a whole. With consoles, I don't have to constantly tweak my settings so that I can run at optimal levels or spend large amounts of time installing the game to a specific location on a specific hard drive with the right settings so that my graphics card can handle the load between it's internal memory and the computer's ram, not to mention the need to constantly buy new and better hardware to stay ahead of the current game specs. Wow, see my point?... No?... Well kiss my backside, fanboys... wait, does that mean I have to kiss my own rear (you know, cause I'm a fanboy)? I just find consoles work better in the context of my life right now, so that's what I want news about.

I have already discussed my love of story over multiplayer (yes, we are all well aware of your lengthy written discussions on many topics), but that is not the only quality I look for in a game (really, pray tell what might another one be, because you ARE going to bore us with the answer, Yipee). I am also a sucker for great graphics. If a game looks great, I'll be the first to try it out. Oddly enough a game with great graphics and mediocre gameplay is better to me than grap graphics and great gameplay. So, I am ready for the next generation (not Star Trek) of video game systems. The interesting thing about E3 is that some of the most graphically impressive games shown were done so on PCs and not consoles, even though they have been presented as coming to consoles too. Some of these game companies have not specified which consoles their respective products will appear on (no mention of Xbox360, PS3, Wii regular or U, or Sega Saturn [just kidding], just that they will be on the "generic word": Consoles). Also, none of the games in question were presented at any of the keynote presentations, and Sony famously makes the developers show their games on Sony hardware during their keynotes. Kotaku, on their website (here), have speculated that we may be seeing some games, which are listed as being released in 2013 (the predicted year of the new consoles), that may be intended to debut on the new systems first, before all others (current gen.). The new Star Wars game, "1313" (have you seen this thing) and Ubisoft's "Watch Dogs" (way out of left field) were running on PC hardware, not consoles, at their respective booths and the representatives of Lucasarts and Ubisoft were non-committal when questioned about which consoles the two games would be seen on. Is this an indication of the impending new console releases, maybe, maybe not, the game developers aren't saying. But these very same people are winking and giving very sly smiles when the topic arises. They, however, are not going to out the products of their biggest partners (the big "N"eh, Spidey's pimp, and Officesoft), so we'll have to wait to be amazed. It is certainly fun to think about though.

While I'm on the subject of graphics, take a look at the new graphic engine demos that premiered at E3 this year. They all were impressive (some more than others), but it appears to be a bright future ahead. With Square Enix's Luminous engine, the Unreal Engine 4 by Epic, and the CryEngine 3 by Crytec, I can safely say that I am impressed (not a difficult thing to do I assure you). This means that our new games will be more like the "Mean Girls" Lindsey Lohan and not like the "I'm going to run over you with my car" meth head Lindsey Lohan, and that's always a plus. Stay tuned for my review of Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" that's in theaters today (can't wait). Until then, no sleep til' Brooklyn.

Todd "The Master of Unlocking" B.

Updated For Reference (1:15 AM Sat. 6/9/2012)!!!

"This" is Epic showing off the Unreal Engine 3 (and it still got a little juice left in the tank) at last years GDC 2011 with a demo called "Samaritan". They said at the time that this demo represented how the next generation games should look. Another (read not) subtle kick in the crotch that it's time to move on up to the top "where the Jeffersons live" (to that Deeeluxe apartment in the sky hi hi, with anti-aliasing and dynamic lighting effects). "Hey, Sony and Microsoft, quit living on the couch in PC's basement. And just because he's slow to the party, doesn't mean you two should always make little Nintendo go out and get you more smokes, he wants to play Halo too, sometimes."

[Kotaku, Gametrailers.com, and IGN]

Roll Out!!

Mr X. reports via the Forums that Blastr is reporting that Michael Bay has dropped some hints regarding Transformers 4.

*Bay says this one will be his last.
*He will leave it open for the "next guy", though.
*Some of the robots will be redesigned
*All new human cast

Here's the link: http://blastr.com/2012/06/heres-what-michael-bay-kn.php

Thanks Mr. X for the heads up. Keep this up and we'll have to recruit you as a writer for the blog.

No sacrifice, no victory.

 - Nic


END OF LINE

Resident Nintendo Fanboy Checking In

The short, short version: I want to purchase a Wii U on launch day (midnight that morning).

The short version: Before E3 I'd already decided I want to purchase a Wii U on launch day. Nintendo's press conference and other E3 goings didn't create that want in me, but they didn't lessen it either.

The normal length version (it's actually quite long):

It was Tuesday. Liz, Nigel and I had already eaten the traditional day-of-Nintendo's-E3-press-conference breakfast of muffins and milk (a tradition started last year, though last year Nigel didn't partake). It was almost 11 am CDT. Liz and Nigel were about to leave for the afternoon (him to be babysat, Liz to work), and I was about to be blown away by Nintendo's press conference. Or, so I'd hoped.

Don't get me wrong, and don't believe the anti-Nintendo hyperbole out there. The presser was not a smouldering epic pile of fail with a helping of weaksauce on the side. But it wasn't spectacular either. Having contemplated the reasons why for a day or so, here's my conclusion: What was missing was something new but also familiar enough to understand without yet playing. But I'll get to that in a more opinion-oriented piece later. But for now, a rundown of the event with my commentary.

The show began by highlighting Pikmin 3, an action-strategy-management title originally for Wii but not clearly coming out for the Wii U. I say "clearly" on purpose. The HD resolution of the Wii U was immediately noticeable. Gone were the jaggies of the past. This was crisp, clear, smooth, and well lit (i.e., some nice shader work going on). Now I've never played a Pikmin game in my life, so the reveal of #3 didn't blow me away. What it did do, however, is make me want to play it (and the previous two games in the series). I'd say that's pretty good for the first shot out the box with a game that seems spiritually connected with Lemmings (Let's Go!!). Also of note, the primary control scheme for Pikmin 3 doesn't use the Gamepad (that's what they're calling the new tablet controller). Instead, it's the good old Wiimote/nunchuck combo. As a guy who was initially skeptical of the Wiimote, then upon seeing it in action with the nunchuck was academically excited about it but bummed because he didn't think he'd be able to use it, and then upon getting a Wii (on launch night, with Zelda) found out that for him it might be the best control scheme ever, finding this out was good news.

Next up was a confirmation that the Wii U will have Netflix, HULU Plus, YouTube, and other media content that will apparently blow our minds. But this presser was all about the games, so that would have to wait for a later day. (Oh, you can use the Gamepad as a TV remote. I think that's cool.)

Then came a discussion of Miiverse. This is Nintendo's on-line social component to Wii U. With it you'll be able to see what games are popular amongst everyone who has an account on that particular machine (did you catch that? "Account"), as well as on-line friends, and everyone in your region. But it's more than that. You'll also be able to read comments left by these people regarding the games. They might be praising it, or perhaps asking for advice on how to clear a level or beat an enemy, or perhaps giving advice on how to do said things. It looks pretty interesting, and Nintendo says there's more to it than what they've revealed. So we'll have to wait and see.

Then the reveal of New Super Mario Bros. U. Like the other NSMB games, this is a 2D sidescrolling Mario game, but done with 3D graphics. And it looks great. Again, the HD visuals stand out immediately, as does the complexity of the backgrounds (there appears in some places to be 8-10 parallax scrolling layers). Gameplay-wise, it's a new 2D Mario game. Running, jumping, and stomping are the name of the game. Four-player simultaneous multiplayer returns (which is big fun, folks). And new powerups are definitely in store (one of them, which  gives Mario a flying squirrel suit, has already been revealed). Gamepad innovation comes in the form of "Boost Mode," which has the player with the Gamepad placing blocks on the main screen in an attempt to help (or hinder if you're evil) the other players. On the whole it looks very good, though like sports games and FPS sequels, one could complain it's simply more of the same.

Next up some folks from Warner Bros. Games joined Reggie on-stage. (Third-party developers on-stage at a Nintendo presser...this is progress from years ago). They showed two games.

The first was Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, an enhanced port of the very popular 3rd person action game on the PS3 and XBox360. And here I must pause and point something out. Here's a "core" game, one with a dark asthetic at that, showing up on a Nintendo console and not being of lesser quality than the other versions in anyway (graphics, audio, gameplay). This is new. This hasn't happened in many years. How long will it continue? Who knows. But for now, Nintendo has a console that is not doomed to get the short end of the stick because of hardware. Ok, back to the game itself. It looks good, with some nice use of the Gamepad (inventory selection, batarang steering, etc.), and some new gameplay ideas. But, as I said, it's a port of a game that's already out. Time will tell if folks who already have it will be inclined to purchase a Wii U and an enhanced version of a game they already have. I think Nintendo is hoping that there will be enough compelling games and experiences for Wii U that these folks will want to get a Wii U anyway, and once they have the system maybe they'll not mind plopping down some money for the Batman in armor. As for me, a guy who doesn't already have the game, I'll be contemplating a purchase when the time comes.

The second was Scribblenauts Unlimited. If you know anything about the Scribblenauts franchise, you know it ain't Batman. These are not 'core' games, but rather puzzle games. But, having played two others in the series I can attest, they are good. The whole idea since the first one on the DS is that you can summon any real world non-copyrighted object in order to help your character (Maxwell) solve the puzzles he faces. With Unlimited, one (maybe both) of those limits has been curtailed. This is due to the addition of an object editor that allows you to mix and match elements of pre-programmed items to make your own, which you can the share over the internet. So if you want to make a ride-able toaster with skulls for wheels that shoots trout, you can do that. This is one I'm definitely excited about. Oh, and this might make Todd happy, Unlimited has a story. In a first for the series, Unlimited explores Maxwell's history, why he solves these puzzles, and how he got his item conjuring notebook.

Next up was a 'sizzle reel' of upcoming games. Each game only got up to 15 seconds or so worth of screen time. This is unfortunate because some of the games in this montage, like Tekken (with super mushrooms from the Mario games?!?) and Mass Effect 3, could have generated more excitement among certain demographics had they been highlighted more. But, they will have to wait for another time.

Then Wii Fit U was announced. This is an extension of the two previous games. There are new activities, Gamepad usage (both for some of the activities, and as a replacement for the TV in others), and a pedometer, but so far it looks to be more Wii Fit. That isn't a bad thing at all. Wii Fit is a fun way to be more aware of one's own health and work to improve it. But 1) being more of an enjoyable utility than a game in the classic sense the excitement it can generate is at best different from that generated by traditional games, 2) it's a sequel to an enjoyable utility as opposed to a story or mascot driven traditional game.

Another 'expanded audience' game was shown, this time a music game called SiNG (working title). It's, as the name suggests, a singing game, but one that seems to emphasize multiplayer. Lyrics are displayed on the Gamepad (so everyone doesn't have to stare at the TV but can look at each other), some sections ask that everyone sing together, and the game encourages those not currently singing to dance along. Looks like fun, and hopefully it will sell well. But again, not the sort of thing that's going to pump people up at a press event.

Then the 3DS got a few minutes of love. The next day Nintendo did an hour presser just on the 3DS (which in my opinion was a bit less awkward than the Wii U one was at times), and I'm planning on writing about that later. So, moving on...

Next up was a game I'd been interested in since I heard about it last year at E3. It's one of those games that seems to blend genres and styles. Imagine Grand Theft Auto. Gritty, violent, full of prostitutes and gang bangers. Now image LEGO. Shiny colorful plastic bricks and minifigures, creative play, innocent fun. Now put them together. That's what Travelers Tales is doing with LEGO City Undercover. I'm not kidding, it's LEGO GTA. A large open world (LEGO City), mission-based and open gameplay, vehicles of all types. The only difference is, you play as a straight up good guy (a cop, Chase McCain) as opposed to a gangster. I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Oh, and at the end of the trailer something intriguing happens. Chase finds a pile of bouncing green LEGO bricks (which in the world of LEGO games means they can be assembled). As he puts them together it becomes apparent he's building a green warp pipe. Upon completion he hops on top of it, and is sucked in, accompanied by the authentic Mario warp pipe sound. Hmm....two non-Nintendo developed games with Mario elements in the trailer....

Then folks from Ubisoft come up on stage, like their WB counterparts earlier, to show off two games.

First up was Just Dance 4. You know where this is going. Dance games can be a lot of fun. The Just Dance series is well respected. And this one includes a mode where a player with the Gamepad can arbitrarily choose what dance moves the other players must perform. But...it's a dance game. It sounds good from a business standpoint, and a one day when I play that it'll probably be fun standpoint, but it doesn't generate that certain type of excitement.

The second game is called ZombiU, and it looks like the one to watch. Exclusive to Wii U (at least initially) ZombiU is, as the name suggests, a first-person survival horror game featuring zombies. Been there done that, it might be said. But it has some surprises. First is the whole concept of the game. You don't play as just one character. You start off the game like normal. You fight off zombies, collect items to help you in your quest, and perhaps even level-up your character. But the first time said character gets bit, that's it for him/her. The character becomes a zombie from there on out, and the player switches to playing as a new character. Your first task? Find the zombie you were just playing as, kill it, and get your stuff back (he/she was the one who had it, afterall). This continues presumably until you beat the game. I for one think this is a neat idea. Yes it limits character-driven storytelling a little, but makes up for it in the atmosphere it creates. The second area of surprises comes from the use of the Gamepad. It is used as a map, a scanner, a way to interact with certain objects in the game, an inventory, and so on. And about that inventory. Unlike some games, the action doesn't pause when going to the inventory screen. This means in tense situations you'll be looking down at the Gamepad (as though shuffling through your backpack), but also glancing up at the TV to make sure zombies aren't about to eat your brains (and they might be, I mean, they are coming to get you Barbra). I've read some reports from the show floor saying ZombiU is the sleeper game people should be looking forward to. Now, all of this info wasn't revealed in the press conference, and the zombification easter-egg using the Gamepad's forward facing camera they were demoing on stage glitched up. So even here the conference felt mixed to some people.

All totaled Ubisoft has 8 games coming out for Wii U during the launch window, varying from 'expanded audience' games like Just Dance and Rabbids Land, to classic platforming with Rayman Legends, to core offerings like ZombiU and Assassin's Creed 3 (which was not highlighted on stage but is playable on the show floor, and is confirmed to be in no way a watered down port of the PS360 versions; it's the same game made by the same team, with a few Wii U-specific enhancements thrown in).

I just read that although not mentioned among the 8, Ghost Recon Online is still coming to Wii U. And that confirms what I've been suspecting. Nintendo isn't giving everything away just yet. They've done this in the past, staggering the outflow of information to continue to build momentum. So, as Anakin said, "I know there are things about the Wii U that they're not telling me."

Ok, so, so far so good, right? Yes, there was some expanded audience stuff that people aren't going to go nuts over. But there was also some stuff of a more 'core' persuasion. Indeed, there was something for everyone. Well, at this point there's maybe 10 minutes left in the conference. I, and others also, were thinking how is Nintendo going to end this? What are they going to do to blow us away? Well, what they came up with is, in my opinion, a big reason why folks are so down on Nintendo's presser (even though many of them later have said the game in question is quite a bit of fun). What they came up with was...

Nintendoland.

Ok, so Reggie says the name, and asks what would happen if the game worlds of Nintendo's franchises collided, and I'm starting to get excited. Some sort of huge crossover game (a la the rumored Star Fox / Metroid crossover that people were talking about a few days ago)! But no, this is instead more of a minigame compilation. The eponymous Nintendoland is a virtual theme park, with 12 minigame attractions from different Nintendo franchises. Ok, I'm not a minigame complilation hater, so I keep listening with an open mind. One of Nintendo's game designers (who worked on titles like A Link to the Past) comes up on stage to explain a game based on Luigi's Mansion. It's a pac-man style chase game where four players are mii's with flashlights trying to find another player who's a ghost. The ghost-player has the Gamepad, the other players have Wiimotes. The four players can't see the ghost on the TV, but the ghost player can see everyone on the Gamepad. There's some strategy involved that I won't go into now. But he did, and that's the problem. This individual, speaking in Japanese and having someone translate for him, stood on stage with the game paused for about 4 minutes explaining how the game would work. Four minutes of explanation. Oy, this killed momentum. As I said, folks at the show report the game is actually a lot of fun, but the way it was presented obscured that.

Now I think on some level some folks at Nintendo knew that would happen. Reggie said a few times that with Wii U, you have to play to understand. (He said this is how it was with Wii. And while I kind of agree with him, WiiSports Tennis didn't need a big explanation. You saw someone playing it, and you got it.) This does seem to be Nintendo's PR puzzle. It's similar to the one they had with the 3DS (explaining glasses-free stereoscopic 3D doesn't really get across what it's like), but perhaps even more pronounced. However, Nintendo handled that just fine. The 3DS has actually sold more units than the DS had at this point in its lifespan. So I'm fairly confident Nintendo can find a way here as well.

For me the big question is 3rd parties. Nintendo can't reach sales dominance without the Wii U being perceived as the place to get the best of both Nintendo and non-Nintendo titles. For that perception to be out there, it needs to be true that the Wii U is the place for quality 3rd party games. Thus, 3rd parties need to support it seriously. I'd say there's already some big time support here, no doubt. But right now it remains to be seen whether it is enough to get jaded cooler-than-thou gamers who think PS360 is all that's needed and Nintendo is totally only for kids man (you know, the kind who spend a decent amount of money on their gaming hobby) to give the Wii U a try (since, it seems to me anyway, they're not likely to do so just based on the possibilities of a new control scheme). And if they don't give the Wii U a try in sufficient numbers, 3rd parties won't be inclined to continue to make their big games for Wii U (especially when the new PS and XBox systems come out, and porting a game to the Wii U will mean downgrading the graphics at least). And then you'll have a snowball effect / self-fulfilling prophecy. But more on that later.

Anyway, that was it. They ended the show with footage from the common hub area of Nintendoland, which virtual fireworks (in HD, granted) going off over the little Mii's heads. Not a great ending.

So that's it. Some very good stuff, but surprisingly little that wasn't already known about in some way. And no big Nintendo franchise revelations. (I saw some comments by folks super upset at Nintendo that a new Zelda wasn't announced. This is, pardon me, a bit silly, given that Skyward Sword just came out not even a year ago.) This, I think, is what made people feel like the presentation was lacking, and why some have taken that feeling and run to extremes with it, gloom-and-doom predicting the downfall of Nintendo as they always do.

But as I said, I still want to purchase a Wii U on launch. What say you?

Oh, and check out IGN, GoNintendo, NintendoLife, and GameTrailers if you want more info.

Pray for a true peace in space!

 - Nic


END OF LINE

!! Post Apocalyptic Land Of Enchantment Here We Come (Blu-Ray News) !!

The Mayans were right, the world will end this year!?!?

We are all doomed. It is official. No if, ands, or buts about it, life as we know it is coming to an end. Maybe we will have to fight Cyberdyne for the future or maybe a big asteroid that Bruce Willis (the only man that Nic will ever have to compete with for the love of a woman) fails to stop is the thing that does us in, I don't know, but I know that it's going to happen. How do I know, you might ask? Well, take the news that was just reported by the Digital Bits (in their daily column) about the imminent release of one of the greatest movies to ever grace the silver screen. It will be a 25th Anniversary Edition with special features and everything. And the best part, it's on Blu-ray in hi-def. You may be asking, "What movie could possibly be released on Blu-ray that would be able to cause the end of the world?". We'll here it is.





Wait for it!!!





Masters of the Universe staring Dolph Lundgren!!!

Yes sir, it is now official. Dick Clark is dead. Ray Bradbury is gone (happened yesterday and I didn't get a chance to mention it, he will be missed), and now Masters of the Universe will be released on Blu-ray special edition.

Well played, Mayans, well played.

Todd "fallout shelter" B.

[The Digital Bits]

!! Franco Nero Shot My Horse And I Liked It (Django Unchained Is... Well, Unchained) !!

Quentin Tarantino is going to shoot you down, Bang Bang!!

Tarantino is at it again. He has tackled everything from the "Heist Movie", to the "Lone Samurai" film, all the way through World War II, and done so with what I can only describe as "High Class Exploitation B-Movie" sensibilities. The Man knows his films. He has the most eclectic and complete taste in motion pictures that, given the chance, I wouldn't begin to question his knowledge on the subject, even slightly. I have learned that if Quentin recommends a film, he does so because he knows what he's talking about. He is a fan, just like you or I and maybe more so. So far he has not made a movie that I didn't like (wow, that's saying a lot for a person who likes everything... shut up third person self). Tarantino has a command of dialog that others only dream of and he is able to hold your attention whether he is doing action or more subdued drama or comedy. He is one of the few directors in Hollywood who can film whatever he wants to (even though they don't always make a lot of money in theaters). I think that Quentin films what he likes and if you, the audience, respond to it great, if not, so what.

He did "Kill Bill" and got to do both a revenge movie and a samurai flick all in one. Then, he did "Death Proof", his pseudo horror film. Next came "Inglourious Basterds", his dream WWII project. All these movies had one thing in common, they are all homages to the films and filmmakers he loves. You can only call his catalog of motion pictures the "neo exploitation flicks" and he is following those previous tales with his version of the spaghetti western, Django Unchained. Fandango debuted the new trailer for the film here (click it, you'll like it). The name comes from a 1966 spaghetti western staring Franco Nero and directed by Sergio Corbucci. It spawned many sequels and made Franco Nero a star in Italy. Tarantino is a fan and has been know to reuse the names of other movies for his own (much like a repurposed Christmas present). This thing looks fun with a capital Boo Yow! It's got Jamie Fox, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson (watch for the "Colonel Sanders" looking joker), Sam "Nick Fury" Jackson (a Tarantino mainstay), and a whole bunch of people you have seen at one time or another you just don't know their names. Also, watch for the guy sitting beside Jamie Fox in the bar at the end of the trailer, that's Franco Nero (how cool is that... very that's how). Also, you got to love the music, Quentin has an ear for the tunes and that makes his films that much better.

By the way, you should also check out the trailer for Disney's (not Pixar's) new CGI animated movie called, Wreck-it Ralph. If you love old school video games and arcades, then you will get a kick out of this. It appears that Disney Feature Animation doesn't want to always play second fiddle to the alpha male called "Pixar". They are stepping up their game (can't wait). I hope to be back latter in the week for more on E3 and next week my review of "Prometheus" (or as it's known around here, Alien 0). Stay tuned sports fans (yeah I know this is an entertainment site, sue me or better yet don't).

Todd "Hadouken" B.

[Fandango and Comingsoon.com]

I'm looking for K, have you seen him? Sort of a surly, older gentleman, smiles like this...

The last MIB film came out in 2002. Quick mental math...that's ten years ago. I suspect there have been people wondering if the story of MIB3 was worth bringing back a film franchise that has been dormant for a decade. All I can say is that, in my opinion, this was definitely a story--the basics of which were conceived by Will Smith during the filming of MIB2--worthy of being told. A story worth bringing Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Sonnenfeld, Steven Spielberg, Rick Baker, and Danny Elfman back together for. But, there's also a newcomer...who doesn't feel like a newcomer but rather one of those folks being brought back. Of course I'm referring to Josh Brolin, who plays a young K. But we'll get to that in a minute.

Though I had been excited about MIB3, so much so that I was concerned others might not be, it still took me by surprise how much of that kid at the movies feeling I had from the moment the Columbia Pictures logo faded up on the screen and the first two notes of Danny Elfman's minimal (but very fitting) MIB theme came booming out of the very powerful IMAX speakers. You know what I'm talking about, right? That feeling of "I've been so looking forward to this. I've been missing these characters, this particular movie world. Ah, there's the music. There's the opening titles done in that distinctive way. I'm seeing another MIB [or insert fiml franchise here] movie. This is great." It was a good feeling to have, and it continued throughout the film. From start to finish, it felt like a Men In Black film. The same quirky sense of humor. The same imaginative alien designs. The same great banter between the main characters. And yet, there was something different. Something new...or at least improved. That being heart.

Now, back to young K. "Young K? What's that all about?" Well Jerry, as anyone who knows anything about the movie knows, the plot involves time travel. The other day I read an article that named 10 conventions in current science fiction that, in that writer's mind at least, need to go away. One of them was time travel. After praising films like Back to the Future (at least he's safe from the wrath of Josh), he argued that time travel has been done to death and that no new interesting stories using said plot device can be told. I didn't agree with him when I read that, and I definitely don't agree with him now. The story of MIB3 is quite interesting, and the time-travel element is integral to it.

And while we're on the subject, let me just say that the handling of time travel was, in my opinion, very well done. The overall approach seems to be the Back to the Future Style (the past can be changed), with perhaps a bit of predestination paradox/Bill and Ted style thrown in as well (see our podcasts on The Terminator series for a discussion of what we've identified as the various approaches to time travel used in fiction). Using a BTTF style opens the door in terms of potential complexity, and also increases the likelihood that the writer(s) will make a goof somewhere. I didn't see any glaring examples of this though. Sure, not every question related to the time travel elements of the plot was answered. And honestly, I'm ok with that. What I consider to be the important questions were answered, so I was good.

On a less dorky level, the use of time travel was nice as it allowed the environments to be a bit more varied. In addition to modern day NYC which, let's be honest, is in lots of movies (I'm looking at you...umm...lots of movies), we also get to see late 1960's New York City (and a few other locales which shall remain nameless). This was a fun change of scenery, what with the big cars, 'interesting' clothes, 60's specific jokes, and canister-of-hairspray-emptying hairdos and all. Plus, and now maybe I'll finally get to it, it allows us to see Agent K as a younger man.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but for me, although just knowing there was a third MIB movie coming out was enough to motivate me to go see it, the first time I saw a trailer with Mr. Brolin as K, I was instantly excited. All he said was, "A'ight" and "How do you know my name?" But that's all it took. This movie was going to be great...or at least had the strong potential. (Had Tommy Lee Jones not been it at all I might have been skeptical. But since I'd already seen him in the trailer by the time Josh Brolin shows up, I was fine.) It was clear to me by just those couple of lines that Brolin had nailed the part. (When my wife first saw the trailer she wondered aloud if Tommy Lee Jones had dubbed the lines.) And the idea of a young K and a current day J together, with an actor so perfectly playing K, felt like it was going to be a lot of fun.

And it was. Maybe this is the newness talking, but I'm fairly certain this is my favorite MIB film. It's definitely my wife's. As we were talking about this on our way back to our minivan, she commented that she feels a bit bad about that, since Tommy Lee Jones isn't in the film as much as he was in the previous two. And that's when it consciously hit me just how great Josh Brolin did in the film. Don't get me wrong, I'd already consciously been thinking that he did an absolutely wonderful job. But when Liz made her observation, it hit me: Though true, it didn't feel like Tommy Lee Jones wasn't in the movie as much as in the previous two films. That's how great Mr. Brolin did. Upon leaving the movie theater I felt like I'd seen a movie with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

But there's more to this sequel than a young Kevin Brown. The all-new characters are also done very well. The main villain, Boris (I'm not calling him The Animal, as I value my life), has sort of a no-good space-biker vibe going on (helped by the fact that in parts of the film he actually rides a bike). I could totally picture him driving through space (or the open roads of America) with "Bad to the Bone" playing in the background...except that I don't know if Boglodites have bones. Our heroes are aided through much of the film by Griffin, a 5-dimensional alien who, as Todd points out, is a very likeable and interesting character. He has a sort of innocence and child-like ability to find enjoyment to him that is heartwarming. On the other hand his knowledge of all the various ways the timeline could branch out makes not only for some enjoyable fast-moving dialogue, but also helps build dramatic tension. (By the way, how helpful would he have been to Sam Beckett and the rest of the folks working on Project Quantum Leap? Although Ziggy probably would have been jealous of him. She does have Barbra Streisand's ego after all.) As a bit of a side note, it also makes him appear to have a short attention span at times. In fact, part of me wondered if the ending of the movie would have Griffin changing his name and entering into the entertainment business under the alias Robin Williams. Weird, I know. But hey, that's what part of me was wondering.

As for the nuts and bolts of the film, all was executed well. The actors gave great performances, and the directing was consistently spot on. This is impressive since the film has humor, action, and poignancy. The art design and special effects, both cg and practical, looked great. The score was classic MIB (again, with more heart than the previous two installments). And as for the 3D, unlike some big 3D movies these days, MIB3 was shot in 3D. As a result, it looked great.

On the whole, running up to its release MIB3 might not have been getting the hype that The Avengers was, but in my opinion it deserved to. It's a great summer film and a great addition to the MIB series. As Todd said while the credits were rolling, "If they want to make another, I'd be perfectly ok with that." So make our wish come true...go see MIB3. (It's already turned a profit, but making even more money can't hurt.)

Oh, one last thing: Without delving into spoiler territory, I'll just say that NASA gets some visibility here. This is, in my book, always nice, but especially more so during this gap between the Space Shuttle and the next manned-spaceflight system.

Nod ya head.

 - Nic


END OF LINE

I, Sad

So I had a 3 page article written about what I hoped to see at E3... so far I haven't seen any of it. Absolutely none. This E3 has been crap, in my opinion. Maybe I'll post the article at some point. More later.

!?! E=E3 Squared Times Pi, Plus The Square Root Of Metroid... Ah, Forget It!?!

Has anyone ever heard of E3?? What a great idea. Why have they not done this before??

Ok, I was being sarcastic there. Most of you, if you have been paying attention of course, know that E3 is the "Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 for short)". It is held currently at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California and it is the place to go if you want to find out what the next cool thing is in the video game world. You have all the heavy hitters in the video game community including the Big Three (Nintendo, Sony, and the all powerful Microsoft). If you didn't know, now, you know (and knowing is half the battle).

Anywho, I am not the video game guy. No sir, I am not. Don't get me wrong, I love video games. I just no longer have time to devote to endless hours of sitting on a couch, drinking Mtn. Dew, and screaming at the top of my lungs at an inanimate piece of hardware. Games, that are rated mature, and small children do not go well together. So, my playing of video games has dwindled to very little. If you want the real scoop on the state of video games, you would be better served by talking to Josh (All things Microsoft and Playstation) and Nic (all things Nintendo). But, like any self respecting Internet commentator, I still have an opinion on the trends in the industry (I like da way dat Plummer steps on them there tortoises, Uh-Huh). So I will attempt to put my cent and a half (I'm a little short on cash) into the pot and see if I can provide my prospective on the video game landscape and give you a little news along the way.

First up is a topic that is near and dear to me personally. Video Games that have a storyline. I could care less if I get to play with some loud mouthed stranger (under the age of 15) on some online server somewhere. I got very little use for online death match play. Playing with people I know is great and I If I had my way we would all be in the same room when that happens. That is probably not realistic, but I like to know and see the people I kill with my BFG. So, from my perspective, I am more interested in the experience and story than I am multiplayer. I have always thought that one day video games could become something akin to an interactive movie experience. They could immerse you fully into the fantasy of the silver screen and add a whole new dimension to our entertainment business (no matter what Roger Ebert says, hack). So it is with no small amount of interest that I saw two video game debut Footage at E3 that blew me away.

The first comes from the studio that gave us the Resistance and Uncharted franchises, Naughty Dog. Their new property called "The Last of Us" may bring an entirely new aspect to the gaming landscape. Naughty Dog has always valued story above all else and they look to be pushing the envelope to it's limit. This report at IGN contains the first gameplay footage that we have seen from the title. To say I'm floored, is an understatement. This looks like a movie and the fight/shoot out moment is jaw dropping in not only its brutality but also it's execution. The ability to be this fluid in a video game is amazing. Yes, you could just run and gun your way through, but it appears that would be an unwise decision. From what I gathered from the footage is that you have a limited amount of supplies, including weapons and ammunition to use. This makes finding different ways to dispatch your enemies that much more important (plus it looks really cool when you see it on screen). This is pushing the visual and narrative boundaries to the breaking point. This thing looks great and I can't wait to play it (really late at night when my children are in bed).

Second, is a new title from the makers of Heavy Rain, a story based game from the studio Quantic Dream. They call it "Beyond - Two Souls". Not only do you have a very cinematic looking game, it also stars a film actress (the very cute, Ellen Paige) as the title's main character. Again, my words fall short of the actual viewing of the trailer so head over here and check it out for yourself. Computer graphics are never going to completely replace human actors, but this makes a case for the continued use of them as a storytelling medium. Neither one of these games are new innovations, we have already seen this type of game before in titles such as Alan Wake, Heavy Rain, the Shenmue series, and Resident Evil, but they are a giant step forward in the way games tell stories.

While your at it check out the new trailer for Halo 4. It looks like the quality of the game has not tanked since Bungie handed over the series to Microsoft and 343 Industries. I am happily optimistic that we will have another great game on our hands.

Well, thats what I got for now. I'll try to be back with more updates from E3 and beyond as the need arises. If you want to check out all the E3 news and videos, head over to IGN at the link below (shameless plug for a great site) and then come back here for more of our meaningless ramblings (come on, you know you love us). Stay Frosty or Toasty for you Mortal Kombat freaks.

Todd "all your base are belong to us" B.

[IGN.com]

!!Jada Pinkett Smith Finally Let Will Out Da House (My Review Of MIB 3)!!

My Delorean, strangely ended up in 1997!?!

Now, newly fresh and spoiler free!!

This is a momentous occasion. What you are about to read will be my first "written" movie review, ever! I feel oddly proud that I will be able to take the passion that I have for the great pastime of cinema and share my thoughts and feelings about it with all of you. More than likely, you (the reader) will not always agree with my humble observations. This is the way it should be (the way it was meant to be) and certainly the intention of those creative minds behind films as a whole. I have always said that if you feel something while you watch a movie, whether that is happiness, sadness, laughter, hate, love, suspense, fear, or anticipation, then the film makers did exactly what they intended to do. If you felt nothing (hard to believe, even if it was hate for everything about a film) then someone failed in the mandate of movies to immerse you in a different world (or you just have problems that you might want to see a specialist about). I don't think I have ever not felt anything when it comes to film. I am of the mind that even the worst films can have redeeming qualities (even if you have to make those qualities up on your own, ah la MST3K style. I'm looking at you "Manos: The Hands of Fate!").  My love of movies outweighs any flaws that I might find in a film. Does that mean that every movie I see is great and above criticism? Absolutely not, I may really like a movie but dislike some aspect of it. Case  in point, I love the Star Wars Prequels but I think that some of the dialog in some scenes (some would say most, not I) borders on the ridiculous. Like Harrison Ford said, "George can write this $***, you just can't say it." So my goal is to try to provide you with my honest opinion and maybe entertain you a little, so you can make up your own mind to go see a movie or not (so I basically do very little). So now you have a little background into my thought process let's get to the review (it's about time, gosh this guy is long winded).

I got to see (finally) "Men In Black 3" this weekend and the first thing that entered my mind when the movie ended was, "How did I end up in 1997?" Seriously, I felt like I had just seen the first "Men In Black" movie again. That's not to say that MIB 3 is exactly like the first one. What I mean is that I got the same feeling of fun and happiness that I felt the first time around. In my book, the first MIB is a classic. Will Smith can make a summer popcorn flick and we, as an audience, tend to follow the man on whatever adventure he has in store (he is a very likable guy). He is still the same guy from all those other movies, but here he seems more comfortable and laid back in his delivery. MIB has always been a two man show and Smith plays well with others. The buddy formula of the first movie really set it apart from the standard sci fi "one man against a overwhelming force" thing. These guys (the Men in Black) were proactive to the threats they faced, always on offense never in defensive mode. You put a dynamic actor, like Smith, with the stoic straight man (the masterful Tommy Lee Jones) and you can only have two outcomes. First, it could fail miserably and feel unnatural in its execution. Second, it could work like a charm and be one of the great comedy teams on film. Well, it worked in the first two MIBs, and I'm happy to say that it works for the third. It felt great to see these two actors playing off one another and in MIB 3 there is the added layer of many years spent together between Jay and Kay that really comes across in their shared performance.

MIB 3 has the standard "bad guy has grudge, bad guy escapes to exact revenge, bad guy goes after our heroes, bad guy has an elaborate plan to accomplish this, and then fun ensues". But this film has the added bonus of having actors that understand how to play off each other and a director who can handle both action and comedy. There were many reports from the set that talked about the unfinished state of the script when filming began. There was a break halfway through the production in order to finish the script. This would seem to indicate that there were major problems during filming. I am happy to report that the rumors of doom and gloom were greatly exaggerated (thank you Mark Twain for the quote).  This feels like a well thought out concept and the execution is handled well. This brings me to the time travel aspect.
 
As you may or may not know, Josh is a huge "Back to the Future" fan (I think he has a man crush on Doc Brown). He loves, as you would think, all things related to time travel (he can't actually go back in time, but he has tried) so he would be right at home with this movie. The creative forces behind MIB 3 handle the time travel aspect with all the well planned forethought of a bunch of the theoretical physicists on a marijuana bender. I can just imagine these guys sitting in a room, hitting the bong, and planning every possible outcome of everyone's story depending on the changes that Will Smith's Jay makes when he goes back to the past. The bulk of this planning shows up in the character of Griffin, played to the fullest by Michael Stuhlbarg. The multiple futures, seen by Griffin and then articulated by Stuhlbarg to the audience, had to have a planning session all to themselves (do you just use a whiteboard or is there an app for that?).  Griffin is a great character and Stuhlbarg is great in this movie. The time travel in MIB 3 works and does so well. It can be easy for a film maker to paint his or herself into a corner with this plot device, but it never feels like that happens here. It all seems natural and not overly complicated where it would be easy to lose the audience.

Can I just say (because I'm going to anyway), that Rick Baker is a master. The man is a national treasure and the world of film is better because of his work. From Star Wars right up to this movie, he has always delivered some of the best makeup effects ever seen on celluloid (and digital too). Even in movies that were panned by critics, Mr. Baker's designs and executions have never been in question. It is no different here. The  Contrast between the aliens of today as opposed to the aliens of yesteryear is breathtaking to behold. Mr. Baker has won his share of Oscars, but the current trend of giving the award to those who do minimal facial work, while certainly not to be discounted because it does take skill to do that aspect too,  is a disservice to the incredible work that he brings to every film he works on. I'm not saying that he should be an automatic win at the Academy Awards (yes I am) but let's be truthful the man is the pinnacle of physical makeup effects (holy cow, this guy's a fanboy and have you noticed how he talks in third person sometimes? That's just weird...  wait, what?).
 
The bad guy in MIB 3 reminded me a lot of that character in the first film (played by Vincent D'Onofrio). Here he's played by Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame (also those funny Outback commercials from not so long ago). If you don't know who that is stop reading right now, go to youtube (look, I gave you a link), and search for the Hiphopapotamus vs. the Rhymenocerous, and then come back...  go ahead I'll wait.
 
Back? Good, let's move on.

Here Clement is in another zone entirely. Gone is the affable weirdness he shows in his comedy acts and in its place we have this evil creature bent on the destruction of Agent Kay. If I hadn't known going in that it was him and couldn't place his voice (which at times is highly masked behind voice modulation) it would have floored me to find out who was playing the character of Boris the Animal (don't call him the Animal). If Clement is this versatile an actor, hey Hollywood sign this man up for as many roles as possible.
 
Which brings me to the pièce de résistance (oh sorry, I used French there. That was uncalled for), Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin is a god (not "the God", but a god) and he proves that here, for like the hundredth time. Why does someone not cryogenically freeze Josh Brolin's sperm, then impregnate as many women as they can find (willing of course) so that those mini Josh Brolins can grow into big Josh Brolins and then we can enjoy his acting for decades to come? WHY?!? Sorry, got a little carried away there. But like I was saying, Josh Brolin is fantastic in MIB 3. He is not just doing an impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones he literally becomes Agent Kay as a younger man. He had me convinced that they were the same person just separated by many years. It's not too over the top and it's not too understated, it's just right. Only an actor of Josh Brolin's talent could pull this off and he does so in spades. If for nothing else, see this movie for Josh Brolin alone.

This movie only works if everyone from the original productions are back. Thankfully they are. From Steven Spielberg as executive producer (a role that no one really acknowledges him for) to the director Barry Sonnenfeld, this movie is dead in the water without their guiding force. It is also nice to see Danny Elfman back to do the score. I don't always like everything that he does (too repetitive), but without his music it wouldn't have felt like Men In Black. Everyone put in a top notch effort and it shows on the screen. Thank you very much.

From the return of action stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger to the journey of Ridley Scott back to the world of "Alien" in "Prometheus", I can't help but feel like that young man who could not wait to get into a theater to see the latest blockbuster. Men In Black 3 is just another welcome return to a beloved and familiar series. It adds a layer of understanding to these characters and their world that takes me right back to the happiness It felt like seeing Men In Black (the original) for the first time. It also adds a wonderful bit of heart to the relationship between Jay and Kay that I was not expecting (and I always like surprises). As much as I liked The Avengers, I had just as much fun watching MIB 3. I could not recommend this movie more. Quit reading my silly comments and go see MIB 3 now. What are you waiting for? Huey Lewis to sing you a song?

Todd (just bounce with me) B.

For the record, My infant daughter thought it was "just alright, nothing special." Can't win'em all I guess!?!