Due to my obsession with the Miami Dolphins and sports in general, I get selected player interviews sent to my phone. This morning I was a little taken aback by the Brandon Marshall interview. In this interview Brandon had some interesting remarks regarding his quarterback Chad Henne. Although nothing was very damming ala Terrell Owens with just about every QB T.O. has ever played with, I wouldn't necessarily say his review of Chad was all that sparkling. In Fact it kind of came across as a little bit of blame for Brandon's sub par play this year.
When questioned about his ability to do great things with Henne he said "We had some opportunities this year to do that and we didn't get it done," Marshall said, "so I guess we have to evaluate what we did this year and see what we can improve on. See if we can become good before we can become great." and then later remarked "You just have to let it go, Don't worry about the consequences, just throw it up and see what happens. Let's live and die by it."
I agree somewhat with what Brandon has to say although I think his timing is a little off on it. I agree offensive coordinator Dan Henning needed to do a better job of play calling which would have gotten Brandon open more. I also agree that they should have taken the handcuffs off of Chad Henne and let him sling the ball down the field because you can't gain deep ball chemistry when you only attempt the deep ball 10 times a season. But is that entirely Chad's fault?
By no means am I defending Henne. I did quite a bit in the beginning of the year, and especially when he was benched mid season. I did this because I felt like he was being unfairly blamed for the offenses troubles when the majority of the blame should have been put on Dan Henning for calling plays that were clearly designed for weaker armed Chad Pennington and for a receiving corps that lacked talent (Ted Ginn anyone?). Dan's refusal to admit his mistakes and to not design plays to exploit the much stronger arm of Henne or the play making ability of Brandon Marshall proves that Henning may have let the game pass him by. The undying insistence of forcing the Wildcat formation down our throats long after it was no longer effective is also proof of that. Although revered as a genius in 2008 with the creation of the Wildcat he refused to do in 2010 what made the Wildcat work in the first place, design plays to exploit the talent you have not force the talent to fit your plays.
But Chad Henne does deserve some blame. I think after his benching he began to play tight like he was just waiting to be benched again. Like he was always thinking in the back of his head this throw could be my last throw. He began to play scared but not like the scared he was playing in the first half of the season. There were times in the first 8 games when you questioned his ability but you could also see that head coach Tony Sporano was more about not losing the game then attacking and winning the game. The last 8 games Henne played more like a he was afraid of making mistakes then the guy in the first 8 who accepted that the mistakes were part of the game. Also Chad where is the fire in the belly? Do you think Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady or any of the other top notch QBs in the game would have accepted the role as a game manager? Especially Dan Marino, whose shoes your trying to fill, would have chucked the ball down the field, if intercepted, when berated by Shula on the sidelines would've stood his ground saying that was the right play then went out there and did it again the next drive. Very few people are Dan Marino and even fewer are Don Shula which brings me to Tony Sporano.
Tony, when oh when are you going to realize that Great coaches recognize their talents and change to exploit them (Don Shula , Mike Holmgren, Bill Walsh) Good coaches devise a system and get the proper talent to play in that system (Bill Parcels) and Bad coaches take talented players and force them into a system that the may not be comfortable with. Tony you're very close to falling into that final category. At some point you need to realize that the prevent defense usually prevents you from winning. When are you going to take a page from the Belichek school of coaching and go for the jugular. Enough with taking a running back who just ran 6 times for 45 yards and a touchdown out of the game because it's your system to alternate running backs. Have you ever heard of riding the hot hand. The saddest part of this season is the constant berating of the running game when neither Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams were allowed to get into any sort of groove, and the second they do they're taken out because of your system.
To be totally honest I think Chad Henne has made some glaring mistakes. He locks into receivers to early, he miss times throws, and fire is not on display. I don't think he will ever be mentioned in the same breath as Dan Marino, but I do think he deserves to have a season where he's not being made into the scapegoat. A season where the handcuffs can be taken off and he's allowed to chuck the ball before we start clamoring for his head. I think Dan Henning needs to go and I'm leaning towards Tony Sporano to go as well mainly because I think we've seen what he can offer and it doesn't fit our team. I'd also like to see Jeff Ireland have one more crack at it since he is finally is the man in charge. I think sometimes sweeping change isn't necessarily the right move especially when not all the pieces have been able to showcase what they are capable of.
As far as the rest of the team there were a few bright spots. Brandon you weren't one of them. We got Brandon Marshall because of his ability to make yards after the catch and I don't think I've seen a wide receiver go down to so many arm tackles since Yatil Green and his short 2 year preseason stint in the mid 90's. Now granted a lot of that is on Dan Henning for not designing plays to get the big man more space but much like my criticism of Henne there needs to be a time when the space is made by the receiver and I saw a few to many alligator arms from Brandon this year.
Karlos Dansby was everything he was billed as and more. Devon Bess, Cameron Wake, and Richie Incognito all performed much better than expected. Yeramiah Bell and Jake Long continue to be stellar. I also believe Koa Misi had a very good rookie season, he wasn't jaw dropping but he has proven he can be a solid player in the NFL. Ronnie and Ricky were disappointing but I don't think it's all on them. Vontae Davis has a tremendous future and I like what I saw out of Chris Clemons and Nolan Carrol. Sean Smith needs to be upgraded to someone who can catch the ball and as good as Dan Carpenter was when he was setting team records with 60 yard kicks he was also equally disappointing with 5 misses in one game.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Heavy Rain PS3 gamer review
For those that don't know Heavy Rain is a mystery suspense game that is really unlike anything I've ever played before. When I got my PS3 last week it was the first game I needed to get my hands on and after a rough stretch figuring out the controls I settled into the story and really enjoyed the remainder of the game. My suggestion is to set the difficulty to easy (not familiar with wireless controller) even if you're a veteran gamer. Doing so doesn't affect game play, trophy awards, or the story and it will help you stay immersed because the scenes won't have to be redone over and over again until you get the right movement down. That is correct I said movement. the controls even if you don't use the PlayStation move are very similar to the wii.
The main story of Heavy Rain is basically a crime drama where you play as 4 different characters all with the single goal of capturing the sadistic Origami Killer and rescuing Shaun Mars. You don't get to select your character because you play as all of them. Depending on which scene you're currently doing you're character can be any one of four main characters. Ethan Mars is the father of Shaun, Madison Paige is a journalist, Norman Jayden is an FBI profiler, and Scott Shelby is a private investigator. Chapters change based on decisions you make throughout the game and certain players can die or get jailed which will change the outcome of the game.
I spent the entire game formulating theories much like I would if I'd been watching a movie because this game is like a movie. It's not fast paced. You're not running around jumping of things and shooting everything in sight, and unlike other decision based role playing games there are only a handful of scenes that need to take place to for the game to be completed. You are basically watching a movie and controlling the main character in each scene. You have to do things like set the table, change & feed a baby, cook, and shower. You can also set up the scene however you choose by going to the bathroom, looking in fridges or out a window, drinking beer and a plethora of other interactive objects. Also much like a movie the revelation of who the killer is was jaw dropping and a very well done twist.
The game has a total of 18 different endings based on who lives and decisions made through out the game so even tho the revelation of the killer won't come as a surprise the outcomes are fun to see unfold and replaying it will have it's merit. Also the trophy's are easy to attain. some may require a little creativity or a online guide but none were difficult to do.
I would give this game a solid 9 to 9.5 out of 10 in any rating system. the difficulty of the controls is the only knock against the game I have. The story was fun and entertaining, and game was easily immersible and the twists were shocking.
The main story of Heavy Rain is basically a crime drama where you play as 4 different characters all with the single goal of capturing the sadistic Origami Killer and rescuing Shaun Mars. You don't get to select your character because you play as all of them. Depending on which scene you're currently doing you're character can be any one of four main characters. Ethan Mars is the father of Shaun, Madison Paige is a journalist, Norman Jayden is an FBI profiler, and Scott Shelby is a private investigator. Chapters change based on decisions you make throughout the game and certain players can die or get jailed which will change the outcome of the game.
I spent the entire game formulating theories much like I would if I'd been watching a movie because this game is like a movie. It's not fast paced. You're not running around jumping of things and shooting everything in sight, and unlike other decision based role playing games there are only a handful of scenes that need to take place to for the game to be completed. You are basically watching a movie and controlling the main character in each scene. You have to do things like set the table, change & feed a baby, cook, and shower. You can also set up the scene however you choose by going to the bathroom, looking in fridges or out a window, drinking beer and a plethora of other interactive objects. Also much like a movie the revelation of who the killer is was jaw dropping and a very well done twist.
The game has a total of 18 different endings based on who lives and decisions made through out the game so even tho the revelation of the killer won't come as a surprise the outcomes are fun to see unfold and replaying it will have it's merit. Also the trophy's are easy to attain. some may require a little creativity or a online guide but none were difficult to do.
I would give this game a solid 9 to 9.5 out of 10 in any rating system. the difficulty of the controls is the only knock against the game I have. The story was fun and entertaining, and game was easily immersible and the twists were shocking.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tron: Legacy
I'm not really sure what critics were expecting when they viewed this movie. Tron: Legacy is what it is. You're not going to get ground breaking special effects, and you're not going to get some edge of your seat action movie. So I don't think it deserved a sub 50% on rotten tomatoes I think a more fair assessment would be 62-65% because you shouldn't be expecting greatness and for what it's suppose to be it delivers nicely. What you are going to get is a story of good versus evil and redemption much like you did in the 1982 version. This one however has a unique twist................. dueling Jeff Bridges.
The main characters in Tron: Legacy are Jeff Bridges who plays two parts one as "the Creator" Kevin Flynn and the other, his not so nice counter part Clu. The story starts off in 1989 where Kevin Flynn is telling his 12 year old son Sam all about the wonders of the Tron universe and how he created a double of himself (Clu) to help build the perfect utopia. well as is often the case with duplicate selves, Clu went rouge and all hell fire and brimstone will reign down from the jealous one because Flynn's attention wasn't always on him.
The other Main character of our entertaining story is 32 year old Sam Flynn played by Garrett Hedlund who is best known for being the youngest brother in Four Brothers and the younger cousin of Achilles in Troy. Garret delivered a very good performance as Sam, the heir to a billion dollar technology empire who is more comfortable living in a tricked out garage and breaking into his own company then actually running it. My only problem was that he was acting like a 21 year old punk and not a grown man which is what he essentially was. But I guess that's what happens when your dad vanishes because he's been sucked into a video game. Well as time goes on young (32yo) Sam meets his dad and helps save the world .(YAY!!!!)
I caught my self at one point being a little disappointed in the computer generated special effects I miss the days of multiple shots and actually blowing stuff up but then I had to remind my self that they are in a computer game so it's supposed to look that way. Also there's a very cool part towards the middle of the movie where Kevin Flynn does his best Obi Wan Kenobi Impersonation quickly followed buy a great hippie impersonation.
I'm not trying to sell it short by any means in fact I thought it was very entertaining considering what it was. Hell I'll go as far as to say it was more entertaining then Avatar. But if you can, take a refresher course by watching the original Tron before viewing this one. Also if you can try and hit up the 3D version just cause that always makes it more fun. Oh and if you don't already have a copy of Tron good luck trying to find it because those geniuses at Disney decided not to re-release the original, you know at Christmas time when a sequel is hitting the theaters. No they decided to wait until early next year when people are broke and the buzz from this one has died before they release it on DVD to a slew of dad's just trying to share with their sons the greatness of our youth.
Ratings wise I'll give a solid 7 out of 10 stars. I felt it was entertaining enough to hold my attention. It brought back good feelings from my youth. Also as my son remarked after seeing this movie it is fun to watch people and vehicles break into little tiny cubes. And of course it's always nice to see a guy fight himself with the fate of the world on the line.
The main characters in Tron: Legacy are Jeff Bridges who plays two parts one as "the Creator" Kevin Flynn and the other, his not so nice counter part Clu. The story starts off in 1989 where Kevin Flynn is telling his 12 year old son Sam all about the wonders of the Tron universe and how he created a double of himself (Clu) to help build the perfect utopia. well as is often the case with duplicate selves, Clu went rouge and all hell fire and brimstone will reign down from the jealous one because Flynn's attention wasn't always on him.
The other Main character of our entertaining story is 32 year old Sam Flynn played by Garrett Hedlund who is best known for being the youngest brother in Four Brothers and the younger cousin of Achilles in Troy. Garret delivered a very good performance as Sam, the heir to a billion dollar technology empire who is more comfortable living in a tricked out garage and breaking into his own company then actually running it. My only problem was that he was acting like a 21 year old punk and not a grown man which is what he essentially was. But I guess that's what happens when your dad vanishes because he's been sucked into a video game. Well as time goes on young (32yo) Sam meets his dad and helps save the world .(YAY!!!!)
I caught my self at one point being a little disappointed in the computer generated special effects I miss the days of multiple shots and actually blowing stuff up but then I had to remind my self that they are in a computer game so it's supposed to look that way. Also there's a very cool part towards the middle of the movie where Kevin Flynn does his best Obi Wan Kenobi Impersonation quickly followed buy a great hippie impersonation.
I'm not trying to sell it short by any means in fact I thought it was very entertaining considering what it was. Hell I'll go as far as to say it was more entertaining then Avatar. But if you can, take a refresher course by watching the original Tron before viewing this one. Also if you can try and hit up the 3D version just cause that always makes it more fun. Oh and if you don't already have a copy of Tron good luck trying to find it because those geniuses at Disney decided not to re-release the original, you know at Christmas time when a sequel is hitting the theaters. No they decided to wait until early next year when people are broke and the buzz from this one has died before they release it on DVD to a slew of dad's just trying to share with their sons the greatness of our youth.
Ratings wise I'll give a solid 7 out of 10 stars. I felt it was entertaining enough to hold my attention. It brought back good feelings from my youth. Also as my son remarked after seeing this movie it is fun to watch people and vehicles break into little tiny cubes. And of course it's always nice to see a guy fight himself with the fate of the world on the line.
Must see movie review: Exam
I just got done watching "Exam" and if I have to give "The Human Centipede" credit for anything it would be having the trailer for this movie before it. Very well done, well acted, and well written. Exam is billed as a psychological thriller that delivers greatly on the thriller part of it as well as delivering some intense moments that when you read the Jacket you wouldn't expect.
The plot of the movie is simple, 8 job applicants are vying for 1 position. They are placed into a room, given 1 question and 80 minutes to provide an answer. Only problem is when they turn over the exam after being given the rules the papers are blank. The rules are simple you can't leave under your own will, you can not spoil your paper, you can't talk to the armed guard at the door, and you can't talk to the man over seeing the test. They end up having to work together to find the question in order to answer it.
I know that sounds uninteresting which is why this movie was able to deliver so well. It's filmed in real time so you're not jumping all over the place, and you spend an entire 80 minutes in the room with these applicants. In the beginning 1 person attempts to answer the unknown question and is ejected from the room the other 7 are left to decide the lengths they will go to win the coveted job. With some intense scenes, through dialogue and movements, we learn a little about each person in the room and what makes them tick.
Probably the most well know actor in this movie is Nathalie Cox who was in films like Clash of the Titans and Jumper but is best known for your voice talents as Juno Eclipse in the highly toted video game Star Wars the force unleashed. So you can see you will not be drawn to a big name face on the screen and your able to focus on the writing and directing to sink you into the movie itself.
Other names you may recognize from small parts in movies include Luke Malby (28 Days later) and Jimi Mistry (Blood Diamond, 2012). There also is an actress that is very unknown, in fact google her name and you'll find nothing, that is superb in this film. Adar Beck may not have stolen the film but she delivered an excellent performance that is worthy of mention.
I recommend this greatly in fact on IMDB I gave it 9 out of 10 stars. It's a very well done movie.
The plot of the movie is simple, 8 job applicants are vying for 1 position. They are placed into a room, given 1 question and 80 minutes to provide an answer. Only problem is when they turn over the exam after being given the rules the papers are blank. The rules are simple you can't leave under your own will, you can not spoil your paper, you can't talk to the armed guard at the door, and you can't talk to the man over seeing the test. They end up having to work together to find the question in order to answer it.
I know that sounds uninteresting which is why this movie was able to deliver so well. It's filmed in real time so you're not jumping all over the place, and you spend an entire 80 minutes in the room with these applicants. In the beginning 1 person attempts to answer the unknown question and is ejected from the room the other 7 are left to decide the lengths they will go to win the coveted job. With some intense scenes, through dialogue and movements, we learn a little about each person in the room and what makes them tick.
Probably the most well know actor in this movie is Nathalie Cox who was in films like Clash of the Titans and Jumper but is best known for your voice talents as Juno Eclipse in the highly toted video game Star Wars the force unleashed. So you can see you will not be drawn to a big name face on the screen and your able to focus on the writing and directing to sink you into the movie itself.
Other names you may recognize from small parts in movies include Luke Malby (28 Days later) and Jimi Mistry (Blood Diamond, 2012). There also is an actress that is very unknown, in fact google her name and you'll find nothing, that is superb in this film. Adar Beck may not have stolen the film but she delivered an excellent performance that is worthy of mention.
I recommend this greatly in fact on IMDB I gave it 9 out of 10 stars. It's a very well done movie.
Friday, December 17, 2010
PS3 vs Xbox 360
I got a PS3 for my birthday and I've had a while to play around with it. Now I don't want to get into the graphics because lets face it my Xbox is 3 years old and the PS3 is 3 weeks old so obviously the technology in the PS3 is going to be better. And I really don't want to start a nerd war since it seems like the only thing people care about and defend more then their cell phone provider's is their gaming platforms. I'm just going to give you my feelings on them both standing side to side in my house.
There is something about the Xbox and what Microsoft has done with the achievements. you get a certain rush when you accomplish something and that little ping and bar floats on screen. It really doesn't matter in the long run but man it's exciting. PlayStation 3 has a similar reward type system called trophies that unfortunately just don't have the same feel.
The gaming aspect is going to be rather similar. While you'll get exclusive titles for both systems. Halo, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Alan Wake etc. for the Xbox. Heavy Rain, God of War, Uncharted, Medal Gear Solid etc. for the PS3. And you could spend all day arguing which one has the better of the exclusive games. I think they both have their merit and both have titles that equally suck or rock the house. Game titles that they share are fairly similar Xbox will release levels for games that PlayStation doesn't have and Sony will release content exclusively for PlayStation.
The real draw of these games is the online play and social/ marketplaces. While the Xbox charges a yearly fee for it's online access, PlayStation is free. This is where the main differences in the two systems comes into play. While they both allow Netflix to stream there are subtle differences that make these two special.
Xbox delivers an incredible marketplace with a plethora of great games in both their arcade or pay to play formats. They also have tons of exclusive content, tutorials and access to online radio, TV, or social network sites. The pinball, Family Game Night, and Arcade Game room are great areas that I've spent hours doing.
PlayStation while lacking in the marketplace aspect it totally makes up for in their socializing area. Unlike the Xbox you can actually control your avatar. He has his own apartment, and through the marketplace you can purchase him other dwellings, that he can decorate and invite his online friends to. There are also other very fun places to take your avatar, he can go to the midway and play carnival game, or you can head over to central plaza where you can access a bowling alley along with many other social sites that allow your avatar to belly up to a bar, play arcade games, and actually meet other people without shooting them in an online gaming arena.
So far I think they are both great systems that have enough differences to make them shine.
There is something about the Xbox and what Microsoft has done with the achievements. you get a certain rush when you accomplish something and that little ping and bar floats on screen. It really doesn't matter in the long run but man it's exciting. PlayStation 3 has a similar reward type system called trophies that unfortunately just don't have the same feel.
The gaming aspect is going to be rather similar. While you'll get exclusive titles for both systems. Halo, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Alan Wake etc. for the Xbox. Heavy Rain, God of War, Uncharted, Medal Gear Solid etc. for the PS3. And you could spend all day arguing which one has the better of the exclusive games. I think they both have their merit and both have titles that equally suck or rock the house. Game titles that they share are fairly similar Xbox will release levels for games that PlayStation doesn't have and Sony will release content exclusively for PlayStation.
The real draw of these games is the online play and social/ marketplaces. While the Xbox charges a yearly fee for it's online access, PlayStation is free. This is where the main differences in the two systems comes into play. While they both allow Netflix to stream there are subtle differences that make these two special.
Xbox delivers an incredible marketplace with a plethora of great games in both their arcade or pay to play formats. They also have tons of exclusive content, tutorials and access to online radio, TV, or social network sites. The pinball, Family Game Night, and Arcade Game room are great areas that I've spent hours doing.
PlayStation while lacking in the marketplace aspect it totally makes up for in their socializing area. Unlike the Xbox you can actually control your avatar. He has his own apartment, and through the marketplace you can purchase him other dwellings, that he can decorate and invite his online friends to. There are also other very fun places to take your avatar, he can go to the midway and play carnival game, or you can head over to central plaza where you can access a bowling alley along with many other social sites that allow your avatar to belly up to a bar, play arcade games, and actually meet other people without shooting them in an online gaming arena.
So far I think they are both great systems that have enough differences to make them shine.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Dexter Season 5
I've come to somewhat enjoy the up and down nature of Dexter. Season 1 was one of the greatest single seasons of television I've ever seen. That was quickly followed by a down season 2 and mediocre season 3. My only reason for watching season 4 was John Lithgow and quite frankly because the appeal of Dexter Morgan and the portrayal of his "Dark Passenger" is so reminiscent of the struggle we all face with our inner demons. Yes I understand we aren't all stalking and killing criminals but we all live with very dark secrets that we hide from everyone as we try to portray an existence that may not necessarily be our true selves. Also much like Dexter we are constantly searching for those few people that will accept us for who we are deep on the inside. I was pleasantly surprised with season 4 all though not as good as season one it was very strong start to finish and left me wanting more. So much so that I ponied up for Showtime this year so I could see it as it happened and not wait till August for the DVDs.
That being said I really didn't have high hopes for season 5 going into it. I was expecting a serious let down and the first 4 episodes really held true to my being let down. Dexter dealing with the unfortunate events that ended season 4 set out not as the calm cool collected psychopath that we've all grown to know but more as a "woo hoo I'm just a killin' everyone all willy nilly" type of guy. It started out with a another cop protagonist that was just annoying. Johnathan Quinn tried so hard to be James Doakes from season 2 and he just wasn't likable enough for me to get behind. Also the appearance of Lumen (Julia Stiles) made me physically angry every time she walked on screen.
Around episode 5 this season really started to hit its stride. The addition of Robo-cop Stan Liddy (Peter Weller) really added the final piece to this season that I felt like was desperately needed to give it stability. In Previous seasons there was one protagonist in each season that Dexter had to deal with. This year there were actually 3 separate ones. Season 5 carried out all the brilliance of the previous seasons with Dexter avoiding police investigations, dealing with family, his struggle to be "normal," and his "hunt" of the ultimate bad guy.
I hate to say it but as the season wore on I actually started to like Quinn and Lumen both characters grew on my. I also really enjoyed how the final episode flowed nicely and worked it's way to a semi surprising end. The thing that really annoyed me about previous seasons is that the final episode seemed rushed. It always seemed like they were trying to slam five episodes into one just to get it over. I didn't feel that with season 5. I felt like they spread out the final episode tension nicely over the final 2 or 3 episodes. I also like how this show is much like real life where you just don't always get all the motives or answers for everything.
If you can watch it on demand do it. Or when the DVDs come out I highly recommend watching this season.
That being said I really didn't have high hopes for season 5 going into it. I was expecting a serious let down and the first 4 episodes really held true to my being let down. Dexter dealing with the unfortunate events that ended season 4 set out not as the calm cool collected psychopath that we've all grown to know but more as a "woo hoo I'm just a killin' everyone all willy nilly" type of guy. It started out with a another cop protagonist that was just annoying. Johnathan Quinn tried so hard to be James Doakes from season 2 and he just wasn't likable enough for me to get behind. Also the appearance of Lumen (Julia Stiles) made me physically angry every time she walked on screen.
Around episode 5 this season really started to hit its stride. The addition of Robo-cop Stan Liddy (Peter Weller) really added the final piece to this season that I felt like was desperately needed to give it stability. In Previous seasons there was one protagonist in each season that Dexter had to deal with. This year there were actually 3 separate ones. Season 5 carried out all the brilliance of the previous seasons with Dexter avoiding police investigations, dealing with family, his struggle to be "normal," and his "hunt" of the ultimate bad guy.
I hate to say it but as the season wore on I actually started to like Quinn and Lumen both characters grew on my. I also really enjoyed how the final episode flowed nicely and worked it's way to a semi surprising end. The thing that really annoyed me about previous seasons is that the final episode seemed rushed. It always seemed like they were trying to slam five episodes into one just to get it over. I didn't feel that with season 5. I felt like they spread out the final episode tension nicely over the final 2 or 3 episodes. I also like how this show is much like real life where you just don't always get all the motives or answers for everything.
If you can watch it on demand do it. Or when the DVDs come out I highly recommend watching this season.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Terminator Salvation
I Just got done watching Terminator Salvation and either my bad movie radar is completely frozen with the 25 below weather we have outside today (fucking Minnesota) or this was actually a very well done movie. It's refreshing to see an 80's action movie continued with fresh blood and not destroyed by recycling 60 year old action stars to reprise their main characters (yes I'm looking right at you Sylvester Stallone). This movie had it all, 80's action, a very well told story that stayed well within the guidelines of the franchise, and modern technology making it a complete movie that I highly recommend to those that have been kind of on the fence about seeing it.
In my movie reviews I don't like giving away details on the movie because If your going to watch it I want you to enjoy the movie without looking for certain scenes, or waiting for a scenario to happen.
The little puns and callbacks to the original 1984 blockbuster "The Terminator" were well placed and even though they were slightly cheesy, weren't forced into the flow of the movie like so many catch phrases tend to be. The acting was top notch with excellent performances all across the board. The scenery was incredible to look at and the story was compelling and really brought the entire Terminator universe full circle.
Christian Bale ,although not in my book on the acting level of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon or Edward Norton, I really do feel like he is coming into his own and closing on them rapidly. I do feel like he tends to bleed to many roles together which is probably good since most of his role are similar anyway. I would love to see him truly pull off a dramatic role I haven't seen one by him yet that I buy into but in his action roles he delivers top notch performances, and Terminator Salvation is no exception. As John Connor he makes me believe that he is the prophet foretold in all of the previous movies and I really enjoyed watching him perform.
Sam Worthington is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. His role as Marcus Wright, a murderer who was sentenced to death but sold his body to scientists for a kiss, was incredible. Although not given top billing for this role, simply because it came out before he played 14 foot smurf Jake Sully in Avatar, I felt he stole the movie. Terminator Salvation quickly became as much about the growth of Sam's character as it was the John Connor story. Had this movie been delayed and released after Avatar Sam would've gotten top billing along side Christian Bale and rightfully so.
Other great performances were given by Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, and Jadagrace, with small but memorable parts by Michael Ironside, Helena Bohnam Carter, and Common.
This movie is on top of my list as a must see.
In my movie reviews I don't like giving away details on the movie because If your going to watch it I want you to enjoy the movie without looking for certain scenes, or waiting for a scenario to happen.
The little puns and callbacks to the original 1984 blockbuster "The Terminator" were well placed and even though they were slightly cheesy, weren't forced into the flow of the movie like so many catch phrases tend to be. The acting was top notch with excellent performances all across the board. The scenery was incredible to look at and the story was compelling and really brought the entire Terminator universe full circle.
Christian Bale ,although not in my book on the acting level of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon or Edward Norton, I really do feel like he is coming into his own and closing on them rapidly. I do feel like he tends to bleed to many roles together which is probably good since most of his role are similar anyway. I would love to see him truly pull off a dramatic role I haven't seen one by him yet that I buy into but in his action roles he delivers top notch performances, and Terminator Salvation is no exception. As John Connor he makes me believe that he is the prophet foretold in all of the previous movies and I really enjoyed watching him perform.
Sam Worthington is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. His role as Marcus Wright, a murderer who was sentenced to death but sold his body to scientists for a kiss, was incredible. Although not given top billing for this role, simply because it came out before he played 14 foot smurf Jake Sully in Avatar, I felt he stole the movie. Terminator Salvation quickly became as much about the growth of Sam's character as it was the John Connor story. Had this movie been delayed and released after Avatar Sam would've gotten top billing along side Christian Bale and rightfully so.
Other great performances were given by Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, and Jadagrace, with small but memorable parts by Michael Ironside, Helena Bohnam Carter, and Common.
This movie is on top of my list as a must see.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
My top ten Singers
I've really got nothing bugging me or anything I feel strong enough about to say in blog form so I figure now is as good a time as any for another personal top ten. I've given my feelings on top ten lists in a previous blog so I'm not gonna waste time on that again, if you really care about my thoughts head back and check out my previous top ten on guitarists. All That being said this one's about my favorite lead singers, not performers there's a huge difference. Some of the greatest performers have voices that make me want to jam an ice pick in my ear. Performers are people like Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey and even Chad Kroeger these are guys that have an unbelievable stage presence. Guys that no matter what is going on your attention is drawn to them, maybe I'll do that list on them at a later time. This list is all about the vocals and how they have impressed or inspired me.
Vocalists have always been the back bone of the music industry and I for one can appreciate them for what the are. as with the Top Ten Guitarist post I will include my favorite song that I feel each individual artist showed the best use of their talents so here we go....
#1 Burton Cummings........ I don't know what it is about Canada and there ability to produce front men for bands but here is probably my all time favorite. The Lead singer for the Guess Who from 65-75 even kept the band together after Guitarist Randy Bachman left to start B.T.O. (now on a side note how did Randy Bachman have two successful bands one with a top ten lead singer and the other with a cringe worthy one) My reason for choosing Burton Cummings is even though his range isn't spectacular the soul he has in his voice is intense and so melodic it's almost like another instrument is being played My favorite song by him is No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature it's one that he and Randy Bachman wrote together by mistake. They both came in one day with a songs they had written that sounded so similar that the just mashed them together.
#2 Elvis Presley............. Should come as so surprise that the king of modern rock n roll would make this list. Even tho he didn't write very many, if any, of his own songs his voice transcends time and over powers the music to drive deep into your soul. My absolute favorite example of Elvis is Kentucky Rain Written by Eddie Rabbitt this song in my mind shows pure passion and Elvis's true range and skill
#3 John Lennon/ George Harrison/ Paul McCartney ........ Can you have a musical list that doesn't include a Beatle, well maybe drummers. These three were so interchangeable to the vocal sound of the Beatles that I had to include all three. Singly I don't know if I would have included any of them but the fact that their harmony's and versatility having successfully pulled off three different musical styles in the short time they were together gives them a strong case to be here. My favorite examples for each are John Help George Savoy Truffle And Paul Get Back
#4 Mariah Carey......... Say what you will about her Mariah could hit notes that sound machines couldn't she dominated the 90's and delivered a masterpiece with Fantasy
#5 Sebastian Bach......... Lead singer to the 80's early 90's hair band Skid Row, and another example of what Canada has done to make music wonderful. I had a few friends in high school that formed a band and added a female singer, also from my high school, who had just a beautiful voice and even she couldn't hit the notes in I Remember You
#6 Dave Draiman......... Lead singer of Disturbed who is intensity personified. Dave is a devote Jew who I've heard him in interviews say that his intensity comes from the bullying he received growing up because of his religious beliefs. His voice would be able to fit in any genre and I don't know that I've ever heard this kind of soul in a metal song before but the first time I heard Prayer I was stopped dead in my tracks.
#7 Michael Jackson........ The saddest part of Michael was that at one point it became cool to hate him. ( I absolutely understand why, but it's still sad) The true king of pop had the complete package the look, style and an ability to maintain interest in a song that seemingly lasted forever just so you could here more Michael. I have so many favorites but I'm going old school with the Jackson 5 ABC
#8 Elton John............ He had soul and the ability to make rockers respect the piano. I often said that if I could only listen to one 70's artist and only their 70's catalog for the rest of my life, it would be Elton. I mean after all name one other person that could wear the suit and glasses in this video and still be considered cool Crocodile Rock and just cause I love this one too Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)
#9 Stevie Wonder............ Another one of the great piano rockers. Complete with soul and an interesting vocal range that even when he mumbled it was gorgeous. So many great songs but my favorite is Boogie on Reggae Woman
#T10 Chester Bennington.......... While Mike Shinoda handled the rapping. Chester brought the soul to the rap metal group Linkin Park. He has an ability to make every song sound like multiple people are performing, and you've gotta give it up to a guy who can scream in tune. There first two albums just completely blew me away. I loved every song on both of them and was thinking I had finally found a band for this decade unfortunately Minutes to Midnight came out and squashed that but I can still love the first two. One song that shows Chester's Range In The End and probably my favorite A Place for my Head and his softer side Somewhere I Belong
#T10 Corey Taylor............... Corey is quickly become a genius in my book. Not only is he the lead for two successful bands but he's pulling it off at the same time I absolutely love Corey's voice, whether he's doing a softer poppy voice or just in your face metal, he's just fun to listen to.
With Slipknot he's done soft Dead Memories or just in your face metal Before I Forget and he's shown the same range with Stone Sour with Bother and 30/30-150 and his one song with heavy metal cello group Apocalyptica I'm Not Jesus and he had one song that actually the first verse in the song described my life at the time perfectly Zzyzx Rd.
Well there we go another top ten, and a deeper look into what is clogging my brain and allowing me to not do useful things
Vocalists have always been the back bone of the music industry and I for one can appreciate them for what the are. as with the Top Ten Guitarist post I will include my favorite song that I feel each individual artist showed the best use of their talents so here we go....
#1 Burton Cummings........ I don't know what it is about Canada and there ability to produce front men for bands but here is probably my all time favorite. The Lead singer for the Guess Who from 65-75 even kept the band together after Guitarist Randy Bachman left to start B.T.O. (now on a side note how did Randy Bachman have two successful bands one with a top ten lead singer and the other with a cringe worthy one) My reason for choosing Burton Cummings is even though his range isn't spectacular the soul he has in his voice is intense and so melodic it's almost like another instrument is being played My favorite song by him is No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature it's one that he and Randy Bachman wrote together by mistake. They both came in one day with a songs they had written that sounded so similar that the just mashed them together.
#2 Elvis Presley............. Should come as so surprise that the king of modern rock n roll would make this list. Even tho he didn't write very many, if any, of his own songs his voice transcends time and over powers the music to drive deep into your soul. My absolute favorite example of Elvis is Kentucky Rain Written by Eddie Rabbitt this song in my mind shows pure passion and Elvis's true range and skill
#3 John Lennon/ George Harrison/ Paul McCartney ........ Can you have a musical list that doesn't include a Beatle, well maybe drummers. These three were so interchangeable to the vocal sound of the Beatles that I had to include all three. Singly I don't know if I would have included any of them but the fact that their harmony's and versatility having successfully pulled off three different musical styles in the short time they were together gives them a strong case to be here. My favorite examples for each are John Help George Savoy Truffle And Paul Get Back
#4 Mariah Carey......... Say what you will about her Mariah could hit notes that sound machines couldn't she dominated the 90's and delivered a masterpiece with Fantasy
#5 Sebastian Bach......... Lead singer to the 80's early 90's hair band Skid Row, and another example of what Canada has done to make music wonderful. I had a few friends in high school that formed a band and added a female singer, also from my high school, who had just a beautiful voice and even she couldn't hit the notes in I Remember You
#6 Dave Draiman......... Lead singer of Disturbed who is intensity personified. Dave is a devote Jew who I've heard him in interviews say that his intensity comes from the bullying he received growing up because of his religious beliefs. His voice would be able to fit in any genre and I don't know that I've ever heard this kind of soul in a metal song before but the first time I heard Prayer I was stopped dead in my tracks.
#7 Michael Jackson........ The saddest part of Michael was that at one point it became cool to hate him. ( I absolutely understand why, but it's still sad) The true king of pop had the complete package the look, style and an ability to maintain interest in a song that seemingly lasted forever just so you could here more Michael. I have so many favorites but I'm going old school with the Jackson 5 ABC
#8 Elton John............ He had soul and the ability to make rockers respect the piano. I often said that if I could only listen to one 70's artist and only their 70's catalog for the rest of my life, it would be Elton. I mean after all name one other person that could wear the suit and glasses in this video and still be considered cool Crocodile Rock and just cause I love this one too Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)
#9 Stevie Wonder............ Another one of the great piano rockers. Complete with soul and an interesting vocal range that even when he mumbled it was gorgeous. So many great songs but my favorite is Boogie on Reggae Woman
#T10 Chester Bennington.......... While Mike Shinoda handled the rapping. Chester brought the soul to the rap metal group Linkin Park. He has an ability to make every song sound like multiple people are performing, and you've gotta give it up to a guy who can scream in tune. There first two albums just completely blew me away. I loved every song on both of them and was thinking I had finally found a band for this decade unfortunately Minutes to Midnight came out and squashed that but I can still love the first two. One song that shows Chester's Range In The End and probably my favorite A Place for my Head and his softer side Somewhere I Belong
#T10 Corey Taylor............... Corey is quickly become a genius in my book. Not only is he the lead for two successful bands but he's pulling it off at the same time I absolutely love Corey's voice, whether he's doing a softer poppy voice or just in your face metal, he's just fun to listen to.
With Slipknot he's done soft Dead Memories or just in your face metal Before I Forget and he's shown the same range with Stone Sour with Bother and 30/30-150 and his one song with heavy metal cello group Apocalyptica I'm Not Jesus and he had one song that actually the first verse in the song described my life at the time perfectly Zzyzx Rd.
Well there we go another top ten, and a deeper look into what is clogging my brain and allowing me to not do useful things
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Human Centipede
I just got done watching a little Dutch horror movie called The Human Centipede. I don't know weather to thank or to condemn Netflix for having this available but non the less I watched it. I'm going to preface this by reminding you that I watch roughly 100 movies a year so I'm a little more jaded than most when it comes to fine cinema, I also have a really awful sense of humor which lends itself to finding comedy even in the most horrific of movies. I think that everyone should see one bad movie a year and this would be my recommendation for that movie simply because if you can't get a few chuckles it will allow you to look in the mirror and feel better about yourself.
I don't know what it is about crazy German doctors/scientists that make me laugh like a 6 year old watching Americas funniest home videos, but he could have been the saving grace of the movie. The Human Centipede is based in Germany as a couple of American tourists are capture by a crazy doctor after blowing a tire as they drive around the backwoods looking for a party. After bumbling through the woods for "an hour" (which thankfully only took 2 minutes in our time) this pair of American female tourists, who never saw an acting class and said hmm let me enroll in that, find them selves on the outskirts of crazy German guy's backyard. Cue creepy downpour, streaking mascara and thankfully we enter the lair of the demon doctor.
and let the hilarity begin...................
After a pleasantly amusing exchange between the doctor and the ladies we get a fained escape attempt and the doc revealing his evil plan. When the surgery to create his new pet is complete we finally get a break from the true horror of this movie, the female acting. For the rest of the movie they are relegated to crying, moaning, and whining but thankfully no talking. And that of course gives us more of the doctor's one liners.
It's a fun little bad movie, but keep in mind your not getting in to this movie to watch good acting, good story telling or good looking people.
I don't know what it is about crazy German doctors/scientists that make me laugh like a 6 year old watching Americas funniest home videos, but he could have been the saving grace of the movie. The Human Centipede is based in Germany as a couple of American tourists are capture by a crazy doctor after blowing a tire as they drive around the backwoods looking for a party. After bumbling through the woods for "an hour" (which thankfully only took 2 minutes in our time) this pair of American female tourists, who never saw an acting class and said hmm let me enroll in that, find them selves on the outskirts of crazy German guy's backyard. Cue creepy downpour, streaking mascara and thankfully we enter the lair of the demon doctor.
and let the hilarity begin...................
After a pleasantly amusing exchange between the doctor and the ladies we get a fained escape attempt and the doc revealing his evil plan. When the surgery to create his new pet is complete we finally get a break from the true horror of this movie, the female acting. For the rest of the movie they are relegated to crying, moaning, and whining but thankfully no talking. And that of course gives us more of the doctor's one liners.
It's a fun little bad movie, but keep in mind your not getting in to this movie to watch good acting, good story telling or good looking people.
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