The movie that I have chosen on the amazing holiday of Halloween is John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic (this is easily one of my favorite horror movies and I've always wanted it talk about it) Set in Antarctica, a research team lead by MacReady (played by Kurt Russell) are trying to conduct research and end of coming across sinister things such as a parasitic monster that can take assimilates it's victims and can then take the form of said victim which starts a level of paranoia and anxiety among the crew members as they try to find out who they can trust and how they can stop the thing. The main thing that keeps the horror in this movie so good is the tension that builds between all of the characters (like the characters, we as the audience are not shown who is the creature until it's suddenly revealed to us and the guys in the movie and it's keeps us on the same level of tension and anxiety as the characters and it's so well handled with great scenes of dialogue and other tense scenes like the blood testing scene right up to the last scene which leaves you wondering g if one of them is the monster or not because this movie keeps you in a sense of dread and terror until the very end. This movie also contains some of the best practical effects ever put to screen (each unique look that the monster has whether it's the dog or on of the guys in the movie stills looks incredible almost 40 years later and it sucks that critics and audiences at the time hated it and it thankfully praised now) and all the acting is great (Kurt Russell is great, Keith David is awesome, all of the actors brought the right level of tension and dread to this film) and this movie is masterfully directed by John Carpenter (not just with the amazing cinematography, but in the way he keeps us as isolated in this facility as the characters because you honestly feel cold watching it and the level of atmosphere that this movie has is amazing. Overall, this movie is a masterclass in tension, horror, suspense, and effects that add make this movie work. I think this is one of the great horror movies ever as well as one of the best monster movies ever made.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Cyberpunk 2077
(2020 Video Game)
"YOU'RE BREATHTAKING!!!"
16 December 2020
(THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF CYBERPUNK 2077!!!) 2020 has been a crazy year that has given us games that have made people happy (Doom Eternal, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons) and games that should've made people happy (games I was probably looking forward to most) but ended up pissing them off (like Last of us 2 and this game) here's the thing, I think this game's great, it just clearly wasn't finished yet. Set in the futuristic Night City in 2077, you play as V (either make or female, your choice) who starts on a life path (there are 3 to choose, street kid, nomad and corpo. I chose street kid) and you eventually pull a heist where you steal a special biochip. But, V discovers on this biochip the soul of Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves in a plot element that reminded me of the Joker in Batman Arkham Knight where you have someone in the main character's head who appears throughout the whole game and the person inside starts slowly taking over the body) and you and Johnny go on a journey as V tries to make a name for his or herself throughout Night City. Let get negatives out first, the glitches and bugs are inexcusable and were very annoying (my game crashed several times, I saw a car fly from across the city and land right next to me and kill someone, faces would take forever to render, AI is at times terrible, the police system barely even exists and they'll stop chasing you and abandon chasing you after like 2 minutes, enemies would phase into the ground after dying like ghosts, I fell through the map a couple times, I encountered a ton of stuff like this while I played and this should never have happened) also some aspect in the gameplay are very wonky and weird (like hand to hand combat especially) but, those aside, I think this is a great game. I love the story (got really invested and wanted to know what happened) I love the characters (Keanu Reeves is great as Johnny Silverhand) I love the writing and dialogue (it really does give you many choices throughout) the world itself is great and interesting. In the end, I really enjoyed myself playing it mostly, it's just that bugs occasionally made it less enjoyable (this same thing happened with Witcher 3 where it released incredibly buggy and people were mad. Then they fixed it and it's now one of the most beloved game of the last decade. So, I know they're gonna fix it, but for now, this is unacceptable) with great characters, story, lore, writing and just a great RPG, but clearly wasn't finished yet. This should've been a time of celebration, but instead we have yet another game in controversy. I honestly think it's a great game, it just has a ton holding back right now.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
(2020 Video Game)
Be Yourself
12 November 2020
The next gen consoles are here with brand new games and we start with this one which I've been looking forward to (I LOVED Spider-Man PS4 and I was really excited to see what they were gonna do with Miles in his own game) set almost a year after the events of the first game, New York now has a second Spider-Man with Miles Morales who is still trying to learn how to be a hero. Then, Peter Parker decides to leave New York for a bit and leaves New York to Miles who suddenly has to deal with threats like the Tinkerer and the underground and learn what it means to be a hero. First off, the game looks fantastic and the gameplay is still amazing (I love how differently Miles plays from Peter with added abilities like Venom Punch and cloaking but also in the way he moves and acts and it's cool to watch him progress and get better) and I, for the most part, liked the story (I loved watching Miles grow throughout the game and learn to be his own kind of hero and I love the lesson of this game about it not matter where you come from or what you look like, you can be a hero) and the map of New York is once again a blast to swing around and do fun missions in (I especially love the winter setting) In regards to issues, the story can be a little rushed (it's around half the length of PS4 Spider-Man's story and it feels like it sometimes) and some characters I didn't find that interesting (they weren't bad. Like the Tinkerer as a character I didn't really find that compelling) in the end, I had a total blast playing this game and I still can't wait to see more of this world with a great lead character, great world, fun story and missions, epic gameplay and a reminder of why I love Spider-Man.
Ghost of Tsushima
(2020 Video Game)
The newest Akira Kurosawa movie in the form of a video game
20 July 2020
So, last of us part 2 left PlayStation players divided. So let's hope sucker punch can close out the PS4 in the same great way they started it with Infamous Second Son (that's actually really poetic👏) I LOVED this game (I have been having a blast playing this game the past few days) set in 1274 on the Island of Tsushima in Japan, you play as Jim Sakai a samurai who is one of the sole survivors of a mongol invasion. Now, the honorable ways of the samurai won't be enough to defeat this army and Jin must learn new ways to fight back including the way of the ghost in order to save his island. Let's get into it by starting with the combat which is AMAZING (it's not button mashy and is about studying your opponent and thinking about what move or stance to use like a real samurai and other things like standoffs and duels are so freaking cool) and the story was really investing (I really liked Jin and liked seeing everything he's been taught to believe about honor and combat to be challenged and having to do what he must to save his island) and this game is BEAUTIFUL (not only is the open world great to explore, but this game's graphics are mind blowing great and there's times I'm just staring in awe and some of the landscapes and great detail) and this game definitely feels like a great homage to samurai flicks from the 50s and 60s (Akira Kurosawa's influence is felt throughout this entire game from the gameplay, to duels, to cutscenes, to even a filter you can use called Kurosawa mode which makes the game black and white) my only SMALL issues with the game are with some side stuff and exploration outside the story (a couple side quest are a little boring and sometimes trying to find things to look for in open world aren't that interesting. Most of the time it's really cool and beautiful to look at, but some hidden things are a little lame for me) in the end, this game blew me away that really took me back to classic samurai films by Akira Kurosawa with amazing gameplay, a really good story, a gorgeous open world and a reminder of why I love video games and how much they've evolved into the art form they are and I'm giving it a 9.7 out of 10
Back to the Future
(1985)
One of the best movies ever made
4 July 2020
35 years ago this week, one of the best blockbusters (and movies period) was released. This is my top 3 favorite movies (whenever someone ask what my favorite movie is I always say empire strikes back, raiders of the lost ark and this film) this movie follows 1985 high schooler Marty Mcfly (played by Michael J Fox) who has hopes and dreams of being in a band and having a better life but his family life sucks, his parents don't like each other and it's invaded by Biff (one of the best movie villains played by Thomas F Wilson) and a friend of Marty's, a scientist named Doc Brown (played MASTERFULLY by Christopher Lloyd) shows him his time machine he made out of a DeLorean (the best movie car ever) he ends up getting in it and accidentally gets stuck in 1955 (where he accidentally interrupts his parents meeting and his mom has a crush on him 😬) and he has to meet younger doc brown to try to fix his parents marriage and get back home to 1985 and we have one of the best movies ever (movies like this are honestly not around anymore) first off, the characters are iconic (the chemistry and friendship between Marty and Doc and is heart of this entire trilogy) and something people don't talk as much about this the technical side of the film (it's masterfully directed by Robert Zemeckis, it's shot beautifully with shots that give me chills, it's has one of the best movie themes ever by Alan Silvestri) and this is a masterfully written film (it's a script that scene to scene is full of amazing ideas that are executed to perfection) and of course, this movie is just a BLAST to watch (it's never boring, its funny, it's exciting and it's a movie I can watch any day, any time. In fact, I watch this movie at least once or twice a year ever since I saw it when I was 6) in the end, such original and inspiring movies like this aren't made anymore (this is one of the main films that made me want to make movies and this movie changed my life) with iconic characters, amazing writing, a perfectly made film and just fun and has inspired generations of film lovers and filmmakers (including the guys writing this review) because it did actually that great.
The Last of Us: Part II
(2020 Video Game)
Delivers in so many ways. But disappoints in others.
23 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
7 years ago, naughty dog gave us a game the arguably is one of the main games that changed people's perception of games (it showed that games can tell cinematic stories with great characters and worlds) I was so excited for this game (I didn't look at the leaks and knew nothing about it and, whether I like it or not, wanted to give it a fair shake) is this better than the first? No. (It is disappointing compared to it) Do I personally think it's good? Yeah. Set 5 years after the first game, we now play as Ellie (played again by Ashley Johnson) who has tragedy strike which drives her onto a path of revenge. I will say with confidence, the technical work on display, mind blowing. This is easily one of the best looking games I have ever seen and everything from the INCREDIBLE graphics, great gameplay with BRUTAL action, (which at times looks and feels so real that it is actually uncomfortable) the sound design, character models that look nearly photo realistic are all better than the first game, it this looks and plays this good on PS4, imagine what PS5 is gonna look like. The acting is spectacular (Ashley Johnson CRUSHES it as Ellie again and to see her as a much older and darker Ellie was really interesting and Tory Baker, for the scenes he's in, was great as Joel and everybody did a great job) and I was MOSTLY invested in the story (I like the relationship between Ellie and Dina, I like Tommy and Jesse, exploring Seattle as Ellie was awesome and Ellie's story, when it actually focuses on her, I really loved, there are flashback scenes with Joel and Ellie that are honestly the best part of the game and the exploration of the theme of hatred and what it can do to you is explored mostly really well) but, this game has problems, and really any problems I have are narrative, pacing and story based (you play as Abby, who killed Joel and I was like "oh yes. I totally waited 7 years for a sequel where I have to play as the girl who murdered the character I got invested in for the whole first game." And some characters on her side, except Lev and Yara who I really liked, I just didn't really care about and it dragged that game at parts (say for several of the best scenes in the game involving Abby like her, Yara and Lev escaping the Sepharites, and the amazing island raid sequence) and there are jumps in time that sometimes don't work (and it does it ALOT) and some decisions I have problems with (I get what they were trying to do by showing parallels between Ellie and Abby and their cycles of hatred, revenge and violence, but the execution of some of what they do with it could have been done way better) In the end, I really liked the game (if you didn't and actually played the game instead of not and review bombing it like an idiot, than that's fine. It just didn't work for you. It mostly did for me) but it is disappointing compared to the first (technical wise, it steps up and improved in every way and truly is an achievement in those areas, but the story in many ways is what drags it down at points) I'm giving the Last of Us Part 2 an 8 out of 10
Spider-Man
(2018 Video Game)
The definitive Spider-Man game
20 November 2018
The last spider man game sucked. Now, insomniac games delivers the game that will make that game feel like just a bad dream. I was blown away by this game (this was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated games of the year by a lot of people, myself included) this game follows an older Peter Parker who is now 23 and has been Spider-Man for 8 years now (the game does a great job of making you feel like a seasoned, more masterful Spider-Man) as he deals with many personal problems in his life and also living with his loved ones (Aunt May works at a homeless shelter, him and Mary Jane aren't on dating terms, he's also done taking down the kingpin, which is the first big thing you do in the game) and then, Spider-Man also has to deal with several villains (like mister negative, electro, scorpion, vulture, rhino, the shocker and a couple others I can't talk about because it's a spoiler) one of my biggest praises with the game is the story (I play games for the story and this a fantastic story where Peter and Spider-Man's lives collide and give a personal story) and he characters are great (the relationship between Peter and Mary Jane is one of my favorite parts of the game, all the villains are great and well realized and it's cool to see some iconic characters in different situations) and the gameplay is amazing (with the great combat and awesome web swinging, this game does such a great job of making you feel like Spider-Man, haven't truly had that feeling since the Spider-Man 2 game) I only have a couple issues. First, some side missions can be repetitive and kind of boring (some missions are fun though) and a couple characters I didn't feel were utilized as much as they could have. Overall, Spider-Man PS4 is another win for PlayStation and marvel. I had great gameplay, amazing graphics (this is a GORGEOUS looking game that is bright and colorful and beautiful) a fantastic story (I chocked up a couple times) and a true idea and reminder of why we love Spider-Man.
The Last of Us
(2013 Video Game)
Round of Applause to Naughty Dog
28 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
After Uncharted 3, it was clear Naughty Dog would want to do something else. So, they choose to take on the zombie apocalypse genre, and set the bar while they are at it. This is one of the greatest s games I have ever played. The Last of Us tells the story of a post apocalyptic 2033. 20 years prior, civilization fell to a parasite (which, by the way, actually exist) that infected humans and plundered the world into chaos. You play as Joel, voiced by Troy Baker, a smuggler who end ups being tasked by a military group called the fireflies to smuggle a special girl named Ellie, voiced by Ashley Johnson, who is revealed to be immune to the disease and is wanted to make a cure. Now, they must learn to work together to travel across post apocalyptic America. This game looks amazing, there will be moments where I actually stare in awe at the detail of this game. The gameplay is also fun and very realistic. It involves a lot of sneaking around and strategizing, luring enemies towards you, sneaking up behind them, etc. it's also one of the best stories I have seen in a game. The story spans across all four seasons beginning in summer and ending in spring where you watch the relationship between Joel and Ellie grow, which is easily the best part of the game. Where this game really amazed me is with its emotional core, it's a great story about humanity and loss and love. There are points in the game where I cried, the first 15 minutes with the death of Joel daughter Sarah, the great conversation between Joel and Ellie in the house in the woods, Ellie violently murdering David, voiced by Nolan North to my surprise, and the giraffe scene. Overall, this game has set a bar in gaming and showed us things we haven't seen in the apocalypse genre as explore in this game. Go out and get this game for either the PS3 or PS4, it's worth our time and money, trust me.
God of War
(2018 Video Game)
Everything you want in a God of War sequel and more
28 May 2018
After 8 long years (5 if you include ascension which nobody does) we have finally gotten a new god of war. I am a huge fan of the previous 3 God of War games. By the time ascension came out, everyone had steadied to get tired of the same old mechanics and setting and wanted something new. Santa Monica and Cory Barlow have answered our request. This game is incredible, I think i it really close to a masterpiece. (it is one of the best games I have ever played) this game takes place many years after god of war 3 and follows an older Kratos as he now lives in Midgard (basically he's moved from Greek to Norse mythology) and had a new wife (who is dead in the beginning of the game) and his son Atreus. Now, he and Atreus must fulfill her final wish to spread her ashes on the highest peak of the 9 realms. First, this game changes basically everything about God of War from the gameplay (its very strategy based now, you can't just rush an enemy, you have to be smart) to the enemies (like Draugers, elves, ogres, trolls, etc) to even the camera set up (also, this entire game is made to look like one continuous shot and there are no cuts, like birdman) and the story is so great (the thing that amazed me is that this game is a character story about a man who is regretful of what he's done in his life and through Atreus is learning to be a better person and I just love the direction they took Kratos in) and I love the lore they convey in this game (the Norse roles are reversed, all the bad people are good like the world serpent and the other giants and the good people are bad like Odin and Thor, plus, you have a talking head named Mimir that accompanies you and will tell fascinating stories) this game also looks INCREDIBLE (there are moments where I gazed in awe) as for issues, which are very small, while I really liked Atreus, his character makes so many abrupt changes in character that he isn't that well written. Also some missions seem pointless (they are either just for conflict or a random object, either way some aren't very satisfying) overall this game shows that PlayStation continues to put some of the best exclusive content (with this game, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4 they are 3 for 3) I could not have been happier with this game and I can't wait to see what they do with it
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