Movie Reviews #13 - Ghost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

Plot: (from imdb.com) As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

Review: And I thought the first Ghost Rider was bad. This franchise has the same problem that the Alien vs Predator franchise had. The first movie was an overpolished, studio meddled, sanitized version of what the movies should have been. The sequels showed promise of being more violent and gory, but in the end were worse and felt cheap. This version of Ghost Rider almost feels like an Asylum movie. The look just feels cheap. The story is also bad. Who cares about this kid? I don’t want to see Ghost Rider protecting a kid, I just want him to kick ass.

            Why is Mephisto now called Roark? This makes no sense, did they just want us to forget it was Peter Fonda in the first one? Idris Elba is kind of cool but why did they make him a French guy? If you’re looking for some crazy Nicolas Cage, this is the right place. He’s constantly acting like a meth addict because he’s trying to keep Ghost Rider at bay. Since when is Ghost Rider like the Hulk? The one positive I can give is the look of Ghost Rider. They made the flames more smoky and dirty. It feels more dangerous and fits the character better than the clean polished look of the original. Maybe one day Marvel will get the rights back and do the character justice, but for now these movies are what we got sadly.

Score: 4/10

Freebies for all!!!

To mark their 1 year anniversary of Xbox One, Microsoft offered Sunset Overdrive for free for a day. It kind of sucks that it's only for one day, but this kind of free things is something we could never have experienced in the old days. Games were 100$, new or old. Price were high, they never went down and it was impossible to distinguish the quality. Gamers have it so much better now and it is frustrating to hear people complaining. Games are the cheapest they have ever been, quality is overall better then ever and there is so much variety for everyone. So stop complaining, enjoy games and don't sweat the stuff you're not a fan of. This is a great time to play games :) !!!!

Call of Duty : Advanced Warfare

GG - 30G - Complete "Collapse"

Sunset Overdrive

Oh the Horror! - 30G - Survive Horror Night

Overachiever - 10G - You earned an achievement

Grind Kills - 5G - Kill 100 enemies while grinding

Dusk Til Dawn - 30G - Survive one night at your Fort

It's cold outside

Winter's here basically and that means it's time to play some games!!! It's been a mixed bag this week. Finished off Wolfenstein, played a bit more Advanced Warfare and even sampled some Halo : MCC and Alien Isolation. My gamerscore is doing ok right now. Of course I'd rather be at 100 000, maybe that can be my resolution for next year. Welcoming winter and times at home, here are the latest achievements.

Call of Duty : Advanced Warfare

Where Are You Going? - 10G - Stop an AST with an EMP grenade

The Destroyer Returns - 30G - Complete "Crash"

Irons in the Fire - 30G - Complete "Bio Lab"

Wolfenstein : The New Order

London Uprising - 20G - Defeat the London Monitor

Autopanzer - 10G - Unlock assault perk 6

Grenade pouch + - 10G - Unlock demolition perk 2

Bullet Feeder - 10G - Unlock assault perk 4

Deliverance -30G - Release friend

Liberation -100G - Complete game on any difficulty

Halo : The Master Chief Collection

Six Pedals, Four Directions - 10G - Halo 2: Drive a Scorpion while playing as the Arbiter


Alien Isololation

A Record of Disaster - 10G - Collected an archive log

Awake - 10G - Completed "Closing The Book"

TV Reviews #5 - Star Trek : The Next Generation Season 1 (1987-1988)

I personally never got around to watching Star Trek TNG when it was on its original run. My family was not big on sci-fi so I guess when you’re a kid you watch what your parents watch. Also it wasn’t all about killing and shooting so there is no way I would have like it at that point in my life.

            The show follows the future crew of the Enterprise. About 100 years after the original series, technology has advanced much further past Kirk’s days. Captain Picard now runs the ship and there’s a slew of new toys. The holodeck allows you to replicate any setting you may want and Data is an extremely advanced android that is almost human. The ship is on adventures across the universe. The episodes range from ok to pretty good. There seems to be no shortage of nearly god-like creatures who can control the ship and crew members as they see fit. Luckily Picard always seems to be able to convince them not to kill them all. 

            The better episodes are the ones where they get to interact with other alien races that around their level. The Ferengi, Klingon and Romulans all bring out the best episodes because it feels more relatable. There are no omnipotent beings in the real world, but there are other races that do not like each other and there are conflicts that have to be resolved. 

            Star Trek always was about a positive look to the future. This series keep that optimism and it now seems refreshing to see a show that is about forging peace rather than fighting. Hopefully future seasons focus more on relations between alien races and less time dealing with sentient tar that can somehow teleport people.

           

Score: 7/10

Book Review #1 - 3 Count by Jimmy Korderas

3 count tells the story of Jimmy Korderas, who spent 20 years as a WWE referee. Throughout his tenure he’s had many stories and adventures along the way. I personally have been familiar with Korderas during his refereeing career and more recently his broadcasting career on Sportsnet 360 in Canada. Korderas is a likeable personality and his insights are interesting. The book goes through his career in no defined structure. It’s somewhat chronological but not entrenched in it. The writing style feels genuine and from the heart. It’s a good read for anyone who enjoys stories about the WWE but it sometimes feels more like someone talking then it is writing, which may turn some off. But I personally enjoyed Korderas’s stories.

Score : 7/10