Yay or Nay? Rereleasing movies in 3D

There has been a new trend on the rise over the past few years in which major studios will take some of their best known and best loved movies and rerelease them in theaters for the (insert multiple of 10) anniversary. The most recent ones of course, being Titanic, Star Wars, and many of Disney's classic movies of the 90's. While I do think that sounds great, there is a slight problem that I have with it: They are all in 3D. I've already made it clear how I feel about the format, so you can already tell where this is going. Here's my problem, 3D is such an expensive tool and hardly ever does it actually pay off. The best uses of it have oddly enough been in animated films, rather than big action pictures like Avatar or The Avengers. My real question is why? Why would they feel the need to convert it to shitty 3D when they could easily just say "Hey guys! We are going to put Jurassic Park back into the theaters... Go see it!" It would cost the studios next to nothing, and it's not like they are reshowing movies that didn't score well at the box office. The movies I listed above are all ones that everyone and their mother have scene, and I guarantee you we would have no problem paying to see them again on the big screen. You don't need to convert them to 3D to give us the incentive  we loved these movies when we first saw them 10, 20 years ago, and we'll love them just as much now. If anything, it gives younger viewers the feeling of what it felt like to see it for the first time on the big screen, and for older viewers, it brings back those old memories of when they first saw it. In fact, that's exactly what they did when they released movies like Memento, Scarface and Lord of the Rings, and people went to go see them. Not as many, mind you, but that had more to do with the fact that only a few theaters were showing Memento, and it wasn't very widely advertised. I only know about it because I saw it on Chris Nolan's fan page on facebook. But that's beside the point. So why am I bringing this up? Well, I just saw an ad that said they are going to be putting Jurassic Park back into the theaters in April. At first, I thought "Wow, this is awesome!" I freaking loved those movies when I saw them in 4th grade on DVD, just imagine how awesome they would look on a huge ass theater screen... But then I saw that it was being converted to 3D, and again, I just had to question what the point of it was. Especially with a movie like Jurassic Park. 3D was supposed to be about creating an experience, and Jurassic Park never really felt like an experience to me. The one argument that I have heard for this is that "It's all about money" but not even that argument makes sense. Like I said before, the only thing the studio would have to say it "Hey everyone, we are putting this movie back into theaters for a couple of weeks, it's going to be exactly the same as when it first came out, we hope you enjoy it!", it would cost the studio a lot less than it would to convert it, and it's a pretty safe bet that audiences would go see it again, if not for nostalgia.

Election Day Special!

You probably came here thinking I was going to give my thoughts on the election happening today. That I was going to give some speech about how you should get out there and vote because your voice matters and that you can help shape the course of history.

Sorry guys, not today. Not that I don't care about what happens in our nation, but here's the thing, I do this as a hobby, and why would I want to spend my hobby time talking about stuff that matters? Instead, we are going to talk about the things that you pay me to talk about: Movies and video games. Okay, I guess I don't really get paid to talk about that, but that's not the point. In today's case we are going to talk about one of the most hyped up and anticipated games of 2012... That's right, we are talking about...

Wait... What? Sorry wrong game, we are really here to talk about...

There should be a "Fuck Yeah" somewhere on this poster

Yes, we are talking about one of the most awaited sequels probably of the new decade. Ever since the first Halo game was released for the original Xbox console, games have never really been the same, especially first person shooters. What Halo did for first person shooters is what Zelda did for fantasy games. In other words, titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield all owe thanks in one way or another to the original Halo. And in alot of cases, some games have failed to meet the standard set by the original masterpiece. Unfortunately, some of those cases include Halo's own sequels. Some of them were good, the best one up to this point being Halo Reach (which was really more of a prequel), but none really wowed us the way that Halo did. Halo 2 was pretty meh, Halo 3 was an improvement, but it has its flaws, Halo 3 ODST was like the equivalent of Bourne Legacy, it was interesting, but the world would have kept on spinning had it not been released. We also had Halo Wars, which was a strategy game for Halo which, while it was a worthy effort and I do think is pretty underrated, got kind of swept under the rug. Then we had Halo Reach, which I already said was the best one to come since the original. Last year, we had the rerelease of the original Halo, where the developers took the original Halo, updated the graphics and released it for the Xbox 360. And to be honest, I had been saying that this should have happened a long time ago. So now, here we are, 2012, and Halo 4 is upon us, even though we were already told that Halo 3 was going to be the last for this story line. 

So, has this franchise gotten lost in space, or does live up to its own hype?  The answer is a very thankful and relieved YES, it does live up to the hype. When Bungie said that they were passing the torch to 343 industries, none of us really knew what to make of that. As far as I know, they haven't made anything big, and Halo 4 would have been their first huge big budget project, and you can tell that not a dime of the blank check they were handed was put to waste. My main problem with the other sequels, even Reach was that none of them felt as big or as grand as the first Halo. Well, that problem was already addressed 2 levels into the game after you have crash landed on a new planet. I'm not going to go into the story, as I don't want to spoil anything for those who are holding out for Christmas, but I can say for sure is that from a story stand point, this is a far superior entry to the predecessors. As far as I have played, there are no flood, there are sentinels and we even get to fight elites again. I was bummed when they turned good because I really liked fighting those guys. Sad Panda. At least, not anymore now that I get to kill them again. Joy! Keep in mind, I'm not that far into the game right now, so I can't say this for sure, but like I said there is not one sign of the flood. I really hope that is not a knock on wood moment, seeing as how I thought they were cool for the first bit, but I always saw them as a gag that got old really fast. So, as fun as the other games were, it finally seems as though we have finally been given the Halo sequel we were asking for. The only gripe that I have is that I heard they took out the firefight mod for multiplayer, which was the source of hours upon hours of fun for myself and my friends. Oh well, as long as there is a co-op element, or really any multiplayer (something the Halo games kick ass at), we don't have much to complain about.

Wreck-it Ralph

As if I really need to actually tell you if this movie is good. It's a Pixar movie! It's almost a guarantee that you are going to love it, it just all depends on what you are going to love it for. Are you going to love it the same way you loved The Incredibles where it was alot of fun and made you laugh yourself silly? Or is it more like Toy Story 3 where you are going to ball your eyes out? Well, to tell you the truth, I would group this together in the category of Incredibles and Monsters Inc. There was a lot of heart to it, and it had it's fair share of touching moments, but what I'm really going to remember this movie for is just how darn funny it is. And you have to give it credit for having a pretty creative idea too. The movie takes place in the world of video games. You ever see those PS3 commercials that have a bunch of iconic characters drinking together or something like that? This is basically the movie version of those commercials. I really liked the lengths that it went into creating this alternate universe. Probably my favorite bit in the movie is the scene where Wreck-it Ralph, a video game villain, attends a support group for villains who want something more out of their lives. If you grew up in the 90's and ever attended a birthday party at a Chuck-E-Cheese or a Nickel Nickel, you will love this scene. In addition to Ralph, you have other well known baddies like M. Bison from Streetfighter, Bowser from Super Mario, and a zombie with hatchets which, I can't be sure, but I think it might be a reference to House of the Dead. That's the only game that I've played where the zombies threw hatchets. Now, as much as I go on about this scene, don't think that this is the only good thing about the movie. The humor, while it is primarily intended for kids, is also enjoyable for adults and older kids can enjoy the little winks to games like PacMan and Sonic and other games that we wasted quarter after quarter on during our childhood. The story is good, the animation is well, Pixar, you don't need to go much further. And the voice acting from Jane Lynch, John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman among others is all top notch. What more can I say? This is one of the best animated films of the year, go see it! 

Yay or Nay? Lucasfilm being bought by Disney.

It's been a while since I did one of these, but I figured now is as good a time as any to give my thumbs opinion on a matter. Just yesterday, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures has bought Lucasfilm for 4 billion dollars. As part of the deal, they also get companies like Lucas Arts (who make all Star Wars related games) and Skywalker Sound. It was also announced that a 7th Star Wars movie will soon be in the works with a release date of 2015. People seem to be rather split on the matter, and to be honest, I am not too opposed to this deal. For starters, Lucasfilm is already a big part of the Disney family, what with rides for both Indiana Jones and Star Wars being in their theme parks, so this really doesn't change all that much. As for a new Star Wars movie, I'm not opposed to that either, especially if Lucas is not directing it. One of the major flaws with the prequels was that Lucas was given free reign to do whatever the hell he wanted, and as a result, we got lines like "I truly deeply love you" and a discussion of sand being acceptable foreplay. We also got one of the most annoying characters in existence as a part of this. Already, having Lucas out of the way is looking like a step in the right direction  Lucas said that he wanted to hand down his brainchild to a new generation of film makers and who does this generation have? Well, off the top of my head, we have Joss Whedon, Chris Nolan, JJ Abrams, Peter Jackson, and those are just the ones I could name off the top of my head. Honestly, trusting Star Wars to any of these guys would seem like a wise move. Now to all of those who are opposed to a seventh Star Wars movie altogether, I have to ask: Why? As long as the saga has been around, people have been talking about more movies being in the works. This is not anything new. And if they aren't going to make another movie, then what was the point of buying the company in the first place? Owning Lucasfilm wouldn't mean a god damn thing, life would pretty much continue the way that it has been for years. Personally, I would like to see another film, and make it one that is independent to the story of the previous saga. Let it take place in the same universe, but give it new characters, a new setting, maybe we could have it take place years before or years after. I've heard a few fans talk about making an Old Republic movie, wouldn't that be awesome? Now, I will also say that we shouldn't get too hyped up because then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. But overall, I don't really see the harm in letting the mouse own Lucasfilm because they've already owned it in a sense for some time now. For the moment, all this really means to me is that we are going to see more Star Wars shit being sold at Disneyland and the Disney store. And honestly, can anybody say with a straight face that this is a bad thing?

Verdict: Yay

Villain of the Day- October 31st

ZOMBIES

I was trying to think of how I was going to end this. Who is so fucking epic and scary that only they were worthy of being represented on All Hallow's Eve? And then when I thought about it, there really is only one person, or persons, that fits the bill: Zombies. Much like vampires, zombies have really grown in popularity in pop culture over the past few years. Only, I think it would be a bit harder to turn a zombie into a romantic lead. But I digress. The idea of zombies has been around for centuries, and everybody finds them freaky. And why wouldn't we? A minute ago, they were dead and now they are not only walking and talking (kinda), but they are trying to eat you brains with a ravenous passion. God forbid this particular one is a friend or loved one of yours. That has to be uncomfortable. On top of being all around shit your pants material, zombies just seem to make everything more epic. Think about it, you want a comic book series to be awesome? Add zombies. You want a World War 2 video game to be awesome? Add zombies. You want a Jane Austen novel to be awesome? Add zombies! You can think of an example for each of these where the presence of the undead has just made it that more awesome

Villain of the Day- October 30th

(when asked what his real name is) "I never tell"

The Governor

This one was a last minute change. Recently, on The Walking Dead, we were introduced to The Governor, a ruthless dictator that rules the homestead of Woodbury under strict watch. The disturbing thing about him is that if you haven't been following the show, or aren't familiar with the comic series, he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy. Sure, he makes some questionable decisions, but other than that, he is not that much different from Rick. But then you see him massacre a squadron of unsuspecting soldiers, and his sadistic nature becomes known to the audience. He reasons that he is only trying to protect his people and in doing so, all others have to die or they will become a threat to everything he holds dear. Still doesn't seem that bad, but then you see his secret room where he keeps the heads of the walkers he has killed and how he spends his free time just admiring them as they sit in fish tanks. Okay, this guy is nuts. We've only known this guy for one episode and I wouldn't be surprised if he became a running character on the show. He and Rick could have the most epic arm-wrestling tournament in history!

Villain of the Day- October 29th

Xenomorphs

This is probably the only animal type villain that I'm including on here. It's also one of the most terrifying fucking things that has ever graced the screen. Just learning about how they reproduce is enough to make you squirm. If you ever want to aptly describe how bad you felt when you had the stomach flu, just say that you were reenacting the birth scene from the first Alien movie, and people will almost start vomitting themselves. So let's do a rundown of this creature. It's a beast that hunts solely on scent and sound, being that it has no eyes, so there's really no way to hide from it, it'll eventually find you. It learns quickly on how to get into secure locations, it has two mouths to bite you with and it bleeds fucking acid. As if the rest of it wasn't terrifying enough, you have to add the fact that it bleeds acid. So basically, if it gets anywhere near you, you're screwed. Either he's going to chew your face off, or you are going to shoot it in the face, and the acid will chew your face off.