Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Forge Of Empires (2013) - #Video #Game #Review

A fantastic game!
Ok, so I will be honest and say here, that I freaking love strategy based games that take place over the eons! And there are a ton of great ones!

For me though, my favorite has to be the, 'Civilization' series so far! I mean you literally get to play as one of of the famous world leaders in history, and then bring up your, 'civilization' throughout history, through war, and peace to the modern time and beyond!

There is another game that I have recently found that is pretty similar, and that game is, 'Forge Of Empires' (2013)!


Playing in the middle ages is awesome!
Now before I continue on, let me say this, InnoGames (The people who make Forge Of Empires,) do an amazing job at making turn base strategy games! And this one is no different!

You see, the idea behind this game is to build your city through out the stone age, and through to a future era, fighting wars, and taking over territory etc...

Now of course like all of InnoGames games, this game does actually have one flaw. At some point you do have to end the game and wait for hours to be able to play it again. But if you like these types of games, then check this one out, it is well worth



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Friday Night Double Feature: The Crawling Eye (1958) And Sharknado (2013)

The Friday Night Double Feature this week: The Crawling Eye (1958), and Sharknado (2013)! 
That's right guys... Friday night fast approaches... Time to get together with the woman you love, pop some popcorn, pour the bubbly, and turn on some insanely awesome & cheesy as hell, 'B' Sci-fi movies... Well your girl maybe a little peeved (unless she is in to these types of movies... Hey, you never know... Am right?) No, but seriously, unless you are truly home alone this Friday night, or are in a position for a fun good ole fashion shlockfest, then I got a couple of goodies here that will please the masses, old or young! First off... A golden oldie, The Crawling Eye (1958).
This guest at the Swiss resort probably won't be coming back... But then again, the resort officials have a lot more that they are going to have to worry about...
 Starring: Forrest Tucker (The Bionic Woman), Laurence Payne (Vampire Circus), (They Came From Beyond Space) & Janet Munro (The Day The Earth Caught Fire). This awesome tale, tells the story of a Swiss resort in the Alps, and how for the vacationers at the resort, they are about to have some Alien company... And they enjoy tearing people down... And I don't mean emotionally!
And the next one is a more recent one, this one being: Sharknado (2013)!
Aliens invade the Earth... Accept these aliens come from the ocean, and not from outer space!
Starring: Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills 90210), Tara Reid (American Pie), John Heard (Assault On Wall Street), Cassie Scerbo (Agoraphobia). This movie tells the tale of a different invasion, when the Sharks from the Ocean begin to invade the rest of the world... Humanity will be powerless to stop them... But a bar owner, his friends, and family are bound and determined to try!
The truth is, is these movies are both cheesy as hell, awesome as hell, and if you are looking for a night of just good ole fashion thoughtless fun... You can't go wrong with these movies!
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Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) - Video Game Review

Official Score = 3 Devils
Official Score = 3 Devils
Now I know that in both the Marvel & DC Universes, that  the concept of parallel has at least to some extent kind of become a standard bearer for some of the story lines, as a matter of fact, I have discovered that sometimes there are universe crossovers... As a matter of fact, there was a crossover that I saw in an episode of one of the Justice League cartoons that was extremely fun!

But for me, with a few exceptions, I have only recently begun diving in tot he world of the, 'Parallel Comic Book Crossover', but I have to say that I have found that I really like it!

A great example of this in video game format is: Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013)!

The box cover art for: Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Published by: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the: Playstation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, iOS & Android, Injustice: Gods Among Us, tells the story of how:

In an alternate reality, the Joker destroys Metropolis with a nuclear weapon, killing millions of people, after tricking Superman into killing Lois Lane and their unborn son.  Because of this, Superman looses it, and along with the former, 'Justice League', forms a new repressive world order...

After being transported over to this world, members of the Justice League will have to fight to stop the Deadly Superman and the new world order that he has imposed, before the deadly Superman can essentially conquer everything!

Cyborg Vs. Wonder Woman... I mean how cool is that!
Now this game is done in a fun competitive fighting style, so you could end up fighting as one character, and fighting the alternate universe counterpart... Also, beside the story mode, you can actual play in the more standard competitive mode as well...

I am going to say that the graphics for this game are also a lot of fun, as well as the effects... The one thing that I did like, but also didn't, was the fact that there were far to many videos... Well made, but it cut in to my playing time, and frankly, after awhile it kind of got on my nerves!


The Colony (2013) - Movie Review

Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils
Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils
When it comes to movies with a big budget, some powerful talent, some great special effects, and a great premise, you would expect the movie to be great right? Or at least good?

I have to admit that I have not seen to much of this over the last 5 or 6 years, but back in the early part of the new millennium... And I will be honest and say that the fact that Hollywood wants to remake every horror movie ever made has not really helped any...

The reason I mention this is because I was recently disappointed with the movie, The Colony (2013)...

The Colony... A movie that had a lot of promise, but in the end just really didn't make it!
Written by: Jeff Renfroe (Civic Duty), Svet Rouskov (Silent Cargo), Patrick Tarr (American Psycho), Patrick Trottier (Hellions) & Directed by: Jeff Renfroe. Starring: Kevin Zegers (Dawn Of The Dead), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Bill Paxton (Aliens), Charlotte Sullivan (Defendor) & Dru Viergever (Survival Of The Dead).
The world froze over a long time ago. So long ago that I can't remember the warmth of the sun. I heard stories growing up... How the planet grew hotter as our fuel was burned. How we made towers to work the weather. But the truth is... one day... it started to snow. And it never stopped.

- Sam (Kevin Zegers), a quote from: The Colony (2013).

This movie tells the story of how in the modern times, the way the world's governments decide to handle the problems of Global Warming is to create a machine that would control the weather... The problem is, is that the machines have malfunctioned and have made it so that the Earth has started to permanently snow...

About 40 years later, mankind has gone underground in to shelters (called Colonies,) to survive the extreme cold. During this time, one of the Colonies goes silent, and Briggs (Laurence Fishburne) decides to take a team over to investigate why they went dark,

Briggs (Laurence Fishburne), as he is leading a party to check out what happened to the colony that went dark.
What they will find there will shock them down to there very core... But as they are trying to escape the massacre created at the dead colony by a group of ravenous cannibals... They will have to contend with the potential that they might lead these cannibals back to their, 'Colony'!

Listen I will be honest and say that this movie was pretty much an overpriced bad knock off of, 30 Days Of Night (2007), I mean at least in that movie they were, 'Vampires' that went after a group in a small town in Alaska during it's darkest period... The bad guys in this, barely acted like comprehensible Zombies... And they never explained why these Cannibals were jumping from colony to colony and killing everyone...

Ultimately, I just didn't see why this ended up happening... And it was not explained at all... All in all, It just seemed to happen... And frankly it just seemed like senseless violence jumping from one colony to the next (And trust me when I say that I do like violence in horror/sci-fi movies,) ... but since there was not enough character development with the cast in the colony, I kind of really did not care all that much rather the colony lived or died, which made this more of a pointless gorefest...


Carrie (2013) - Movie Reivew

Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils
Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils 
Alright, so a lot of people would say (myself included), that remakes of horror movies generally tend to suck right? I mean the story seems to stay the same, it is just poorly written, or the actors chosen for the remake are not as good, or the director has destroyed the remake with to much gore... That is true that there are a fair number like that out there... But there is more to it then that!

You see, remakes... As more and more of them are being made have become very varied... Some of the bad ones, I have personally found would make a great stand alone movies, and there are some that are fun, but still don't compare to the original... And believe it or not there is one that I am going to say is even better then the original... Trust me... Almost unheard of, but true...

A great film!
Carrie (2013), I am going to say was almost as good as the original... But we will get in to that in a minute.
"Why not? I've been hurt my whole life."

- Chloe Grace Moretz (A quote from her role as: 'Carrie White' in, Carrie (2013))
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz (Dark Shadows), Julianne Moore (Hannibal), Gabriella Wilde (Squatters), Portia Doubleday (Youth In Revolt), Judy Greer (Archer), Ansel Elgort (Divergent) & Alex Russell (The Host).

Now I know that this is a tall order to say, but it is true! This movie is almost as good as the original... And I will tell you why...

The new, 'Carrie' and her new mother, as Carrie gets ready for a night no one will ever forget... No matter how hard they try!
1. Lets first talk about the talent... In most remakes there is at least one, if not more then one no-talent actor that is thrown in there... Not only was I impressed with the talent, but I am going to say that one of the main things that really made this movie for me, is that not only did Chloe Grace Moretz do a great job in the role, but she brought a bit of originality to the role that just blew me away... (I would say almost as brilliant as Sissy Spacek in creating the role for herself!)

2. The story... Now a lot of time these movies are butchered when a writer takes the story and switches it in what is clearly the wrong way... In this sense I am going to have to say that the writers of this movie did an absolutely amazing job of staying true to Stephen King's original novel, while making it separate from the original movie!

Now for those of you who don't know what the movie is about, this movie tells the story of a High School girl who has been tormented by almost everyone her entire life, whose mother is a total nut case... But when she is tricked by all the girls in her School, one of them feels bad about what they did and convinces her to go to prom... And well it is a prom no one will ever forget... No matter how hard they try!

Now Prom can really begin!
Basically to sum it all up, the best thing about this movie, is that the cast and the crew did an amazing job of remaking a classic, yet making it there own while staying true to the vision that made both the book and the original movie so great!


Man Of Steel (2013) - Movie Review

Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils
Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils 
Superman... What can I say? I mean for literally generations, this, 'Man Of Steel' has been entertaining audiences all over the world... You know what with him fighting for Truth, Justice & The American way and all that...

Well for me I have always been a fan of Superman, rather he was played by: Christopher Reeve (Village Of The Damned), or Dean Cain (Out Of Time), but when Brand Routh took over... Well like most people I wasn't entirely pleased with the results... And well after many years I was beginning to wonder if there was ever going to be another live action Superman to come out... (The character is doing pretty good in the animated world, even back then, but in the live action world, he seemed to be just about not there!

Well, when I heard that there was going to be another Superman movie coming out... To say the least I was excited, and after I saw this new Superman movie called, Man Of Steel (2013) I found out that it was as good as I had hoped it would be!

A fantastic breath of fresh air for the man of steel!
Why is that? Well this movie, which was written by: David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) & Directed by: Zack Snyder (300). Starring: Henry Cavill (The Tudors), Kevin Costner (The Postman), Amy Adams (The Office), Michael Shannon (The Iceman), Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Diane Lane (Unfaithful) & Laurence Fishburne (Hannibal) and whichbesides the usual great talent & amazing special effects, as well as fun story that seems to follow the productions that Christopher Nolan seems to be attached to, the thing that I really liked about this movie is that it didn't make the mistake that it's immediate predecessor made...

What I mean by this is that Superman Returns (2006) seemed to want to reboot Christopher Reeve's post first movie films, and basically render all of his Superman movies after the first one useless and start over from there... Instead of doing that... Man Of Steel did something so much better!
"Zod can't be trusted. The problem is, I'm not sure the people of Earth can be either."

- Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) - Quote: Man Of Steel
You see this movie basically started from scratch, and put a nice little twist on it! What I mean by this is the fact that this movie gives a bigger role in to the fall of, 'Krypton', all the way through when Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) discovers who he really is... And going out and becoming some sort of drifter, all the way through having to clean up the last threat from Krypton!

Superman going to war with the last of his species in an effort to save his adoptive home planet!
In the end, this movie is a total blast, and well worth it!


Frankenstein's Army (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"]Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know I have been fond of the sub-genre of horror movies that are essentially, 'Nazi Zombie' ever since I saw the movie, Shock Waves (1977)... I mean that movie was just a total blast, and told the story of the last bastion of the Nazi's and how yachters end up finding the old Nazi and his creepy Zombie Nazi unit!

Well the truth is, is the one thing I am starting to find is that this type of movie so far seems to have been done really well in the past, but for some reason filmmakers seem to have taken this sub-genre and have started destroying it!

What I mean by this for example is, Bloodstorm (2012)... This movie had a lot of promise, in that this movie told the story of an American scientist in the arctic, and how he would basically give selected members of his team over to the last Nazi base on Earth... Or rather I should say in Earth... (Their final base is at the center of the Earth.)

Well the problem with this movie is that it was so ridiculously constructed, that in the movie the Nazi's end up bringing Adolf Hitler back to life in to some weird robot body!

Not much of a fan, and well even though, Frankenstein's Army (2013) was definite better then Bloodstorm... sadly not by much!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="215"] Sadly one that should be forgotten![/caption]

You see this movie, which was written by: Miguel Tejeda-Flores (Revenge Of The Nerds), Chris Mitchell (De Poel), Richard Raaphorst (who also directed this movie). Starring: Karel Roden (Hellboy), Joshua Sasse (Rogue), Robert Gwilym (Escape From Sobibor), Alexander Mercury (The Golden Compass), Luke Newberry (The Heart Of Me), Hon Ping Tang (The Fifth Element), Andrei Zayats (X-Men: First Class), Mark Stevenson (The Last Horror Movie) & Christina Catalina (Chasing Robert Barker).

This movie told the story of a Russian reconnaissance unit near the end of world war 2 that is sent on a top secret mission to rescue another Russian recon unit... Or so they think...

You see, once they get to the town, they discover that most of the town's inhabitants appear to be missing, but when they finally make it to a converted factory, they discover a strange monster that seems to be vaguely human... And when it attacks the commanding officer of the unit... They discover from that, and through a couple of German soldiers and the woman that was with them, that a Doctor had been re-animating the dead and creating new Soldiers for the Nazis... And that the camera man is actually a, 'Captain' in the Red Army that has been sent in with these soldiers to capture him!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="505"] One of the soldiers finding one of the re-animated corpses![/caption]

After this, they end up a whirlwind nightmare that all of them are going to have to survive, before they become one of Hitler's, 'undead' Soldiers!

In the end, this movie has it's moments, but the truth is, is if you are looking for a fun exciting found footage movie... This isn't it... Even though this is a found footage movie, the filmmakers decided to use modern filmmaking (i,e... This, 'found footage' movie makes it looks like Russian Soldiers from the mid-1940s are using equipment that had been made in 2013!)

But that is unimportant to the over all problem... This movie has almost no story, no character development (As a matter of fact, most of the Russian soldiers portrayed in this movie are pretty much assholes, and the only person worth routing for is the Polish man serving with the Russians...) The special effects are alright... But the special effects are about the only thing of any real value in this movie...

To say the least... I found this movie pretty useless, and not worth my time, and if you try this one, I suspect you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/dOF8GiIXtGY

The Many Faces Of, 'Leatherface' And The Men Who Played Him

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'Leatherface' with his family as they are about to sit down for dinner in, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'![/caption]

Believe it or not, with the exception of Freddy Krueger (who has uptil the recent remake has been played by: Robert Englund), and Norman Bates, (who til it's remake had always been played by: Anthony Perklins,) most long standing horror movie villains have been played by several different actors.

A good example of this is, 'Kane Hodder' (Hatchet)... Now Kane Hodder had up until recently been kind of universally recognized as the actor who played, 'Jason Voorhees' in the, 'Friday The 13th' movies... The only thing is, is that he didn't start playing the role till around part 7, and there were at least a couple of actors who played the role before him, and played them after him!

Well I got to thinking that you guys might enjoy a look back at the many looks of ,'Leatherface' over the years, (another role that has been played by many actors,) and the actors that played him!

So with out further adieu:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Gunnar Hansen as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Gunnar Hansen played the role of, 'Leatherface' first, when he did, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)![/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Bill Johnson as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2953" align="aligncenter" width="640"]Bill Johnson would go on to take over the role in 1986's, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2' Bill Johnson would go on to take over the role in 1986's, ' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'[/caption]

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990): R.A. Mihailoff as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="640"]R.A. Mihailoff would go on to be the first person to play the role in the 90s with, 'Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3' (1991) R.A. Mihailoff would go on to be the first person to play the role in the 90s with, 'Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3' (1990)[/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994): Robert Jacks as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Robert Jacks would be the final person to play the role in the 90s, having taken over for, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' (1994)[/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Andrew Bryniarski as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Andrew Bryniarski would not only go on to be the first person to play the role in the new millennium, but he would be the first person in the history of the franchise to have played the role more then once![/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013): Dan Yeager as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="543"] To date... Dan Yeager is the most recent person to take over the role, but not only has he taken over the role, but in my opinion, helped bring the original series back to prominence, what with helping reboot the original franchise![/caption]

In the end, this series is pretty awesome, and if you are like me, then you are really looking forward to what comes next!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D & Star Trek... Two Great Examples Of Movie Series Rebooted

That's right folks, these 2 movies, both being almost polar opposites of each other really got it right!

What do I mean by this? Well before I go in to this, let me give you a little background in to why these series ultimately really did need to be rebooted... Starting with, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' would go on to live in the hearts and minds of horror fans all over the world forever![/caption]

Now this movie series started off with the ultra popular classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre  (1974)... A movie that was directed by Tobe Hooper (Eaten Alive)... Now this movie would go on to live in the hearts and minds of true horror fans, and would spawn a few sequels, and a remake series...

The problem is, is that like all great horror franchises, the production company allowed the series to degenerate in to unbearable campyness... That was until, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)... This movie was so bad that they went in to full on remake mode!

Well the truth is, is the remakes truly did do the series some justice, and kind of rubbed off some of the stank that came with, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation... The problem though, is that for some reason, the studio decided not really to follow through the remake series very well, because directly after the first remake movie, they decided to do the pre-quel... Well both were good... It just sucked to see them end so quickly!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] Leatherface as a girl... Really?[/caption]

And then came, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) rather or not you liked this movie or not, there is one area that I found not only to be extremely bad ass, but in a way, this movie could have stunk otherwise (It didn't), but having this element being apart of the movie, just made it all worth while!

That being just how well they rebooted the series!

What I mean by that, is that they essentially cut out the original series sequels, and started this movie as if it was a sequel to the Tobe Hooper classic original... But not only did they do that, and do that well, but they also did something that I don't remember ever seeing in any movie, that was done right, but have always wanted to see it, and see it done right, and that is to see the after math of the events from the previous horror movie!

There are many other reasons to see this movie, but the truth is, is these 2 I think are 2 of the better reasons!

[caption id="attachment_2622" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Star Trek (2009)... A great example of a classic series being properly rebooted for the next generation! Star Trek (2009)... A great example of a classic series being properly rebooted for the next generation![/caption]

As far as Star Trek (2009) goes, I can go on and on about that movie, but the truth is, is that I liked the way they rebooted the series for that movie as well (essentially they gradually and comfortably refocused the story by changing events in the main story line, so that the original story can be told with a fresh perspective, and the truth is, I found that cool, considering that the original story was running out of wiggle room, and Paramount at the time had a moratorium on anything Star Trek, after, 'Enterprise' and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) bombed...)

In the end, there is a lot of other great reasons to check out these 2 films, and if you would like information on that, then I would recommend checking the reviews that are on this site... Otherwise, please enjoy these trailers for both movies!

http://youtu.be/SyJszxnJydA

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo

Iron Man 3 (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"]Official Score = 3 Devils Official Score had = 3 Devils[/caption]

I'll be honest here and say that even though I thought Iron Man (2008) had been great, I was not much of a fan of, Iron Man 2 (2010)...

Iron Man 2, was a bit of a disappointment because they went there.... What I mean by this (and I do believe that in a lot of respects this really does help to kill off franchises... It seriously does for horror anyway, and that is, when Hollywood does a sequel, they always have to make it bigger and splashier... The problem with that though is that in the end you tend to loose something in the translation when it comes to the story!

A great example of this is in the, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' films... As the original series produced more and more sequels, the worst they became... All the way up to part 5... Which I have to be honest and say, even though it had some great new talent and returning talent, it also had a pretty ridiculous story line that was way over the top!

Another great example of this is the pre-Christoper Nolan Batman series... In this series, the first Batman, (which starred Michael Keaton) was pretty universally accepted as being freaking incredible... The only problem was that Batman & Robin (1997)  pretty much killed off that version off the series because it was just to over the top and people didn't like it!

And that is why I thought Iron Man 3 (2013) was not going to be so great... At first!

[caption id="attachment_2410" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Iron Man sitting with his alter ego, 'Tony Stark'! Iron Man sitting with his alter ego, 'Tony Stark'![/caption]

You see, after I saw the pictures that were coming out from the new movie and eventually seeing the trailer, I have to say I was getting more and more curious about the movie... To the point where I had actually wanted to see it in the Theater... Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to, but I finally did get to see it here recently and I gotta say that I was really impressed!

First off I have to say that I really liked it because I feel like maybe I had misjudged Don Cheadle (Crash) taking over the role of Colonel James Rhodes in Iron Man 2... The truth is, is I liked Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) in  the role in the first movie, and as an actor, Terrence Howard is a true power house, but I will admit that Don Cheadle was a better fit, he really took on the role and made it work for him, and he was very believable as the character, and I just think that in the end that Don Cheadle just kind of fit in the cast very well!

Another thing that I liked is that in this movie, they still had the kick ass special effects and action sequences that we all have grown to love from the Iron Man series, but unlike Iron Man 2, in which these elements really over rode what could have been a truly amazing story, in Iron Man 3 the story and the special effects/action sequences actually seemed to work real well in tandem with each other!

[caption id="attachment_2411" align="aligncenter" width="640"]Iron Men Unite! Iron Men Unite![/caption]

And as for the story line, I have to say that they did a real great job continuing the story from what happened to Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and how he is coping in the aftermath of what happened in, The Avengers (2012)!

You see, this movie, which was helmmed by: Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and which saw the return of just about everyone including: Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers) Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en), Jon Favreau (Made), and heck, even Paul  Bettany (Blood) and brought in some great veteran talent including: Guy Pierce (Prometheus), Ben Kinglsey (Shutter Island), Miguel Ferrer (The Stand) & William Sadler (Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight) to name a few,... Tells the story of how after the epic battle fighting alongside the, 'Avengers' at the time that the recently assembled, 'Avengers' had save the world, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a total wreck!

He is stressed out, he is having flash backs to that epic battle, and is becoming truly unhinged as he does everything he can to make sure that he and his now girl friend, 'Pepper' (Paltrow) are safe... That is of course till he issues a threat to a new terrorist that no one can seem to stop called, 'The Mandarin' (Kinglsey)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Tony Stark being confronted by Pepper Potts about his, 'problems'...[/caption]

You see during this time, he finally has had enough and makes a threat to have the Mandarin come to his house and fight him on his terms... Big mistake! You see, the Mandarin sends his goon squad to his house, and ends up blowing it up and nearly killing him, Pepper, and a woman from Tony's past!

And if he is going to get his life back, he is going to have to fix his one remaining suit that he has at his immediatel disposal, find out where the Mandarin is, and stop him, before this self obsessed sociopatchic megalomaniac put together his master plan and see his vision come to reality... The only problem is, is that who the Mandarin really is, is some one from Tony's past that has truly never forgot him!

In the end, if you haven't seen this movie yet, rather you are new to the series or not, then I would recommend checking in to this one, it really is a fun one!

http://youtu.be/muIsc5lIEyQ

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"]Official Score = 3 Devils Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know you are a true horror movie fan when you can sit through a truly disturbing horror movie (Not a gore fest, or a thriller, but also not something like a, 'snuff' film), but a truely awesome but disturbing and fun horror movie... The first one for me that I saw was, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)!

Up to this point I had been watching the more traditional horror movies (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Silence Of The Lambs & the like...) But this one I found to be truly disturbing... Not because it is strongly violent... It's a gore fest... Not even out of fear that this type of thing could be real (sadly I have read that elements of this movie are based on serial killer, 'Ed Gein', and his life...)

No this movie was disturbing to me, because it was one of the few horror movies that scared me when I got older... (a circumstance that I assure you when I say that it doesn't happen often,)

Now because of the fact that this movie scared me... (Before I continue, let me say that this movie no longer scares me, but is a movie that I do enjoy), with that said, I decided to dive in to the series in the whole, and I have to admit that I found them to be a lot of fun, and with the later sequels to the original series bringing together such 'A' listers as, 'Viggo Mortensen' (who was in, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3'), 'Matthew McConaughey' (who was in the final movie of the original series) and, 'Renee Zellweger' (who was also in the final movie of the original series.) I found them to be a lot of fun as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] A young, 'Matthew McConaughey' with a young, ' Renee Zellweger' before they became the 'A-listers' of today![/caption]

And the most recent movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013), I found to be an interesting way to reboot the original series instead of just remaking the series again...

Written by: Adam Marcus (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday), Debra Sullivan (Conspiracy), Kirsten Elms (Banshee) & Directed by: John Luessenhop (Lockdown). Starring: Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass), Dan Yeager (Metal Head), Trey Songz (Step Up 3D), Scott Eastwood (Flags Of Our Fathers), Tania Raymonde (Wild Cherry), Shaun Sipos (Final Destination 2), Keram Malicki-Sanchez (American History X), Thom Barry (Independence Day), Paul Rae (Enterprise), Richard Riehle (Office Space), Bill Moseley (Halloween) & Gunnar Hansen (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers).

This movie is interesting to me, you see this movie isn't a remake, but a reboot... But not a reboot of the first movie, in this case, this movie seems to reboot the series but starting from the end of Tobe Hooper's original 1974 movie, and seeks to reboot the original series as the original series (I have to say that I was really happy to hear this!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] This new movie seeks to reboot the original series starting from not long after this point in the original movie...[/caption]

But this movie starts off just after the events of the first movie, where the Sawyer family is holed up in their farm during a tense stand off with Sheriff Hooper (Thom Barry)... Now at first it looks like everything is going to go fine... The speaker for the family, 'Drayton Sawyer' (Bill Moseley) & Boss Sawyer (Gunnar Hansen) have decided to let, Jed 'Leatherface' Sawyer (Dan Yeager) be taken in to custody... That was when things started going wrong!

You see Burt Hartman (Paul Rae), and a group of rednecks come out to get their own brand of justice... They end up torching the farm and everyone in it... Or so they think...

Decades later, Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) finds out that not only is she adopted, but that she is the last known living member of the, 'Sawyer clan', and that she had been taken the night that the Sawyer farm had been torched, by one of the redneck couples and raised as their daughter...

[caption id="attachment_2514" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Texas A family reunited...[/caption]

During this time she discovers that she has inherited the estate of the last recognized Sawyer... And so she and a couple of friends decide to drive down to the family estate while they make their way to Louisiana.

On their way, they pick up a hitch hiker by the name of, 'Carl' (Scott Eastwood)... Once they get their though, they are completely blown away by the level of wealth that was bestowed on to Heather... But with all good things there is always a catch right?
And as the bodies start to pile up, it is starting to look like maybe the, 'Sawyer curse' may not actually be over!

In the end, the only thing that I was a little surprised with, was the ending... Other then that, this movie was a great way to reboot the original series!

If you like these type of movies, then I recommend checking this one out, it is a fun one, and I think you might like it!

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo

AE: Apocalypse Earth (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"]Official Score = 2 Devils Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

When I was a kid one of the Science Fiction movies that I found to not just be an interesting concept, but was actually a lot of fun, was the movie, Highlander (1986) with Christopher Lambert (Mortal Kombat).

I mean the concept of an immortal man that goes from age to age, and living through out history, fighting against his own kind... (Because there can be only one), was just a great movie, and a fun time in general...

Well when the show came to TV, Adrial Paul (The Void) took over the lead role for the TV series, and well, the truth is, is I think he did an absolutely awesome job in the lead on that show...

I hate to say it, but I have not seen to much of his work since, which is a shame, because in a role when he kicks ass he does an absolutely awesome job... And you know what? AE: Apocalypse Earth (2013) may not be a great movie, but it is a great example of Adrian Paul and his work as an actor!

Written & Directed by: Thunder Levin (American Warships). Starring: Adrial Paul, Richard Greico (Coachella Massacre), Bali Rodriguez, Gray Hawkes (The Hermit) & Jayson McCardell (From Faith To Freedom).

The concept behind this movie I found to be rather fascinating... What I mean by this, is that when humanity looses the war against an alien invasion force, Earth manages to get a couple of escape ship off the surface and away from the alien invasion forces...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Mankind as they are trying to crowd in to their escape crafts![/caption]

On their way, through the cosmos and while the survivors of Earth are under cryogenic suspension, their ships end up crash landing on to a hostile world, where they are being hunted by a group of hostile aliens that would be ok with wiping out humanity!

And for them to survive, they are going to have to band together with the humanoids on this new planet till they can get a ship they find up to working order and off this planet, so that they can go home...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="624"] Richard Greico with Adrian Paul in, 'AE: Apocalypse Earth'... In which they play the last survivors of humanity![/caption]

In the end, the truth is, is the concept behind this movie is an awful lot of fun, and the locations were great, the acting, and the vision of, 'Thunder Levin' was absolutely amazing... The problems though are as follows:

1. If the aliens are supposed to be completely camouflaged, then how come it seems to be easy to kill them?
2. Also, the alien ships are just a little to easy to destroy...
3. Also, the alien weaponry looks just a little to cheap, and I have to wonder, why with so much going for them did the makers of the movie end up using weapons that were dressed up to looks like more then they really were, but in the end was probably some sort of plastic toys that they got from the dollar store?

This movie may not be the best in the world, but it is a fun one, and I am glad that I have seen it at least once...

http://youtu.be/BDCnKOPYvd8

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"]Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know what? In all truth and fairness I am proud to admit that I am a trekkie! I mean with what the creators of the various movies and series have created over the decades since the 1960s, the overall message I feel since Star Trek was first released is a message that at some point humanity will expand beyond it's petty needs!

So it is a little bit off putting when a Star Trek movie looks so good before it comes out and ends up not being very good in general... It is rare, but it does happen...

A great example of this is the movie, Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)... Now I have to admit that this movie was pretty bad... So bad in fact that as of this date, the next generation crew have not been seen in a Star Trek movie or on a TV series since unless it has been in a guest starring role, but not as the a whole cast, (not that they would, I mean considering the fact that the reboot that was released in 2009, the story for the reboot sort of destroyed the next generation story line.)

And speaking of the reboot, I know you Trekkies out there might not like me saying this, but I actually kind of like it... I mean I know that it is strange to see some one else playing, 'Kirk' but the truth is, is that movie was a fresh perspective on a classic theme (and that is not always a bad thing!)

And with what I mentioned directly above in mind, that is why I thought it was pretty weird that Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) was such a bad movie!

The truth is, is that yes, this series is not a remake, but a reboot, but the story was unimaginative, basically having, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew fighting against, Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Khan's as yet hidden benefactor...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] What Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) don't know... Is the battle is just beginning![/caption]

The truth is, is this story, although it had some originality to it... A lot of that I felt was primarily stuff like having, 'Kirk' saving the enterprise by going in to the reactor chamber and getting an insane amount of radiation, and Spock getting all emotional about Kirk's ailments Vs. the original Star Trek 2, which had, 'Spock' going in to the reactor chamber to save the, 'Enterprise' and Shatner's, 'Kirk' becoming all emotional!

Now for the good parts... Despite the annoyingly bad story line, the special effects were, as always truly spectacular, and the acting from the entire cast was great (and of course seeing Kirk and crew back in action is always fun.)

In the end though, I don't have a hugely positive opinion on this movie... But I also don't have a hugely negative opinion about this movie... The reason for this being that history has shown that story line really is the catalyst to begin making a great movie, but when you have a ridiculously bad story it does some serious damage to the film...

But the truth is, is this movie is probably more geared towards bringing in new fans to Star Trek, and in all truth, if you are a vet like me of the Star Trek Universe, then just getting to see your favorite crew of the Starship Enterprise is still a pretty cool thing!

http://youtu.be/yhz4A5BCMAA

Ed Gein... Movies He Inspired!

Unless you are an extreme horror movie fan or some one who does research on serial killers, then I doubt you would have heard of Ed Gein...

Well first of Ed Gein is one of the worst serial killers there is, yet he is also one of the most prolific serial killers in history... Why is that? Well besides the fact that he murdered only 2 people, and besides the fact that Ed Gein was more or less obsessed with his mother, he was also known to have made furniture and what not out of human body parts, as well as also having been known to have started making a woman costume out of human skin, to arrange some strange rituals... And yet he was a nice guy that lived as a hermit out in the middle of no where... Sound familiar?

It should, you see, one of the biggest contributions that Ed Gein contributed to the world, is what he contributed to the horror movie genre!

[caption id="attachment_1415" align="aligncenter" width="520"]Ed Gein, after the truth about hos gruesome life came to be known! Ed Gein, after the truth about hos gruesome life came to be known![/caption]

The first of these movies is, Psycho (1960), you see this movie was based on the book by author Robert Bloch who based his story mostly on Ed Gein's case, in that Psycho told the story of a reclusive young man by the name of, 'Norman Bates', who lived out at his mostly empty Motel, and who was obsessed with his overly possessive mother, and how after he kills a woman one night, the world that he had created for himself, had started spiraling out of control!

[caption id="attachment_1416" align="aligncenter" width="597"]Anthony Perkins as, 'Norman Bates' in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece, 'Psycho' (1960) Anthony Perkins as, 'Norman Bates' in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece, 'Psycho' (1960)[/caption]

The next one that I thought that I would mention here is, Three On A Meathook (1974). Now this is another movie that is loosely based on the story of Ed Gein, with the exception that it appears that the mother is no longer in the picture, and the father appears to become obsessed with the son, when the son starts pulling away!

[caption id="attachment_1417" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Free Range Or Hormone Fed? A scene from, Three On A Meat Hook (1974)![/caption]

And another one that I thought that I would mention here (One of the first movies that maybe the first most closest adaptions of the old Ed Gein story), a movie that I found to be a lot of fun, (and if you are huge B Horror fan I think you might to), that movie is, Deranged: Confessions Of A Necrophile (1974). This movie tells the story about how after the death of the mother that he loved so dearly, that this old hermit farmer, becomes a grave robber and murderer, and even goes so far to try and keep and preserve his mother's corpse!

[caption id="attachment_1418" align="aligncenter" width="600"]This guy is taking the term, 'getting a new look,' a little to far!' This guy is taking the term, 'getting a new look,' a little to far!'[/caption]

The next movie that I thought that I would say is more closely based on the story of Ed Gein is not so much a movie as it is a character in a movie, and that is the character of, 'Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb' (Played by: Ted Levine) from the award winning movie, Silence Of The Lambs (1991), a movie which has FBI trainee, 'Clarice Starling' (Played by: Jodie Foster) and how she enlisted the help of a captured serial killer in an effort to capture a serial killer by the name of, 'Buffalo Bill' a loner, that is kidnapping women in an effort to make a woman suit out of the women that he has murdered... And has gotten the FBI's attention when his latest kidnapping victim is the daughter of U.S. Senator!

[caption id="attachment_1419" align="aligncenter" width="604"]Ted Levine as, 'Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb' in, 'Silence Of The Lambs' (1991)! Ted Levine as, 'Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb' in, 'Silence Of The Lambs' (1991)![/caption]

The last one that I wanted to mention here is, Ed Gein: D.D.S. (2013). Now this movie hasn't been released yet, but this movie will tell the story of how a witches coven will resurrect Ed Gein using an old haunted dental chair that had been taken from the Hospital that he spent the last years of his life at.

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Ed Gein will be resurescted later this year to have some more fun in, 'Ed Gein: D.D.S.' (2013) Ed Gein will be resurescted later this year to have some more fun in, 'Ed Gein: D.D.S.' (2013)[/caption]

And then of course there are the movies that are actually bio-pics of Ed Gein and his story, included in this is:

1. Ed Gein (2000), a movie which stars, Steve Railsback (Disturbing Behavior) as Gein.

2. Ed Gein: The Ghoul Of Plainfield (2004) a documentary on Gein himself.

3. Ed Gein: The Butcher Of Plainfield (2007) a horror movie that stars, Kane Hodder (Jason X)

4. Ed Gein: The Musical (2010) a movie which stars Dan Davies (West Of The Thunder)

The last area that I thought that I would mention here are just a few movies that took some element of Ed Gein and what he did for their film:

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) used Gein as the inspiration for, 'Leatherface', as well as the fact that Leatherface and his creepy family are on a creepy out of the way farm that is decorated with furniture that was made from Human remains.

2. Motel Hell (1980), used the whole creepy killer farmer element that lives almost entirely out in the middle of no where, and kills people!

3. Maniac (1980) a movie that used the fact that the killer in this movie had an abusive mother, and that is why he kills women he deemed, 'un-clean'.

4. Ed And His Dead Mother (1993) in this movie the lead character who is mourning the loss of his mother that he has lived his entire life with, dies and ultimately he has brought back to life!

5. Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin (1994) tells the story of a crazy meat carver who lives on a farm by himself and goes out and kills people with car trouble for food... He also has an ornamental dead head.

6. House Of 1,000 Corpse (2003), now I suspect that when Rob Zombie was making this film, that he utilized the fact that Ed Gein would dress up in a woman suit and would dance in bizarre rituals at night as inspiration in this movie for the moment in the movie when the family dresses up (in real costumes) to sacrifice the remaining people that they had captured to, 'Doctor Satan'!

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM

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http://youtu.be/lQKs169Sl0I

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