As promised I finally put the pen to paper and wrote the Hellboy 2: The Golden Army Review. I seem to be on a roll with these reviews. As I write one, I realize that there are some that I still have yet to review. According to Flixster I have rated more than 127 movies, and written reviews for 74 movies so far!!!
Also, I watched the second trailer to Tomb Raider Underworld (PS3). I just want to play the game after seeing that amazing scene at about the lat 30 seconds. Can you say, best home explosion ever!? Tomb Raider rocks almost more than Sonic.
Anyway, here is the review. No spoiler warning, I didnt reveal even the slightest bit of the plot!
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Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (200![]()
June 28, 2008
Plot Synopsis (flixster, again): The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures.
Usually when a movie features a number in the title, I approach it cautiously, for more often than not, I have not seen the first one in the series. For example, for Hellboy, I never saw nor even heard that there was a Hellboy 1, until my movie-going mates exclaimed that it was an enjoyable movie. Because I never saw the first one, I guess I can gauge this one on how well it stood as being its own separate entry to the series, rather than a movie that would only appeal to a fanbase.
The movie begins by following the antics of Hellboy and the government run secret organization. They go on a quest to save the Earth from the exploits of the son of the king of the elves, Prince Nuada as he attempts to awaken the indestructible Golden Army to wipe out the humans and restore to the elves, which was originally theirs.
I was amazed at the sheer amount of story that actually went into driving the plot. I must commend the writing staff for it worked. Rather than just featuring the same tried and true plot elements of creatures and humans that have powers who try to convince other humans that they are good, we get, in this movie, mythical creatures versus mythical creatures to protect the humans.
There is quite a bit of Computer Graphics involved in this film. The various scope and range of creatures is quite amazing. My favorite was the "elemental" which was the plantlike creature that bestows life. It was quite impressive as it faced off against Hellboy, and when it happened to be defeated, it exploded and caused a massive amount of grass, flowers, and other plants to form on the streets of New York. It is definitely the best scene in the movie. Another scene occurs at the very beginning of the movie in which the story of the Golden Army is told. When you see the large scope put into the actually warring scene and then the scope of the army of 70 times 70 soldiers, then it will be impressive as to how detailed it is.
The cast of characters is also worthy of commendation. Just about everyone one of them becomes your favorites. From Prince Nuada, Princess Nuala, to Hellboy, Abe, Liz, Krauss, Tom and others it becomes an enjoyable film.
3.5 Stars out of 5
Definitely, it was an amazing movie. And everyone has instantly began to add the song that is played in the movie to their playlists. I enjoyed it.
Today I made it back home and I must say that it is very boring. There is nothing to do for the 13 days I am here. What I have done to fill my time is browse through and modify things and edit things. For example, I remade my wishlist for games on Amazon.
This goes up until January 18th, 2009 (thanks VGK for pickin that typo up).
It is on this date, Tuesday, July 22, 2008, that I declare that my Jaunary 18th, 2008 that I will have bought and purchased the following games upon their inevitable release.
1. Disgaea 3: Abscene of Justice (PS3)
2. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
3. Eternal Sonata (PS3)
4. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
5. Sonic Unleashed (PS3/possibly Wii as well)
6. Dragonball Z: Burst Limit (PS3)
And upon the safe collection of enough funds for an Xbox 360, Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, and Infinite Undiscovery (Geometry Wars I need!!!).
And that is it. This is what I have saved for myself in my Notepad (I love Notepad files).
Burst Limit will be my second DBZ game I have bought, the game looks good and it seems to play well.
And another review: This time it is Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanemo Bay. I could have thought I did review it before. Tomorrow, I promise I will have Hellboy 2 up. I dont know why I keep delaying. I am going to try to review the dozens of movies in a timely manner.
And always, for this one there is a possible spoiler warning, though by now its on DVD so spoilers are out the window.
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Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay (200![]()
April 24, 2008
Plot Synopsis (from Flixster as always): Follows the cross-country adventures of the pot-smoking duo as they try to outrun authorities who suspect them of being terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Amsterdam.
I would have to give this movie the award for being, hands down, the funniest movie of 2008. Never have I been able to sit in the movie theater and laugh so hard. In fact, never have I been able to watch a movie for multiple times and still laugh at the same scenes. It is so funny really, you know the scene is coming up and that makes you laugh, and then when it arrives you laugh cause of how hilarious it is; truly award winning.
The movie's premise revolves around the idea of Harold and Kumar who are on the road to attending interviews for medical school. Harold has a girlfriend who has left for Amsterdam. They decided to take a side trip and visit her since Harold misses her so much. Hilarity ensues right as they enter the airport and it gets even funnier from there.
From around this point in the plot, I could not resist the urge of removing the smile from my face. I could not imagine how in the world Kumar could be so silly and how serious Harold could be. The combination of their personality results in the possibly most unrealistic yet silly events ever to occur to two people.
They alone could be funny but with the addition of the antics of the Deputy Frye and Beecher of the Department of Homeland Security and the NSA, respectively, the most hilarious scenes ensue.
There seems to be absolutely no limit to how far they will go in this film. Possibly just about the most common races experienced jokes of sorts, the mix of romance was nice and sweet though based on the silliest of all things, and the random encounter of Guantanamo Bay, The Bottomless Party, the Street Basketball Game Scene, and more all added to make this quite enjoyable.
I would only attack the movie on possibly having too much involvement with the pot-smoking, mushrooms, and sniffing Zoloft, and possibly the racially driven jokes, but that all aided the movie in possibly what they strove to achieve. Neil Patrick Harris was definitely a nice addition.
The soundtrack to the film was definitely on part with each scene and with what they were actually singing. I can not really imagine any other case in which some of these songs would have been appropriate to sing but they fit the movie well.
Definitely 4 out of 5 for being an enjoyable and hilarious movie!
So here it is for you all to behold!
ok, i just tagged you!
here are the rules:
-write a list, 10 random facts about yourself in a new blog
-'tag' 5 other people, PMing them to tell them what I just told you. have fun!
Well here we go!
1. Im in college now going on to my third year, majoring in Bioinformatics and maybe going to Graduate School for the same program.
2. My favorite movie series is Spiderman
3. My favorite type of movies are Musicals (like Hairspray)
4. I only come on Gamespot to read news, look at pictures, and read blogs, everything is immaterial.
5. I really only like 3 of my friends in real life
6. I love the PS3 the best
7. I love to go to Florida to visit my relatives.
8. I cant wait to see my family in a few days at home.
9. I miss living with my parents
10. I love being AMERICAN!!!
Who started this TAG madness and I hope I did it right, and I only did it cause I was bored watching the movie that I am reviewing right now.
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Never Back Down (200![]()
March 4, 2008
Plot Synopsis (VERY LENGHTY from Flixster as always): Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, NEVER BACK DOWN is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, is the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother's shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler.
Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious scoolmate, Baja (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McDonald (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a schoolmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America).
It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is.
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If you are looking for a movie that provides you with a predictable plot and a large collection of over popular songs from 2007 and early 2008, then this is the movie for you. Featuring all of this and more, this movie is sure to keep you laughing throughout. No, it isn't a comedy but rather the unrealistic/predictable plot will keep you rolling over and over
"Never Back Down" lodges itself in my collection as one of the movies that I doubt I would ever go see in a theater again or even rent on DVD. The story is quite entertaining at times, but generally, it has been tried too many times in the past (as many other reviews have claimed repeatedly).
Simply put the nearly 2 hour movie follows the life of Jake Tyler who was a star football player, who by a tragic turn of fate must relocate to Orlando Florida (from Idaho), to escape the troubles of his past. In Florida, he meets a girl that he soon grows to quickly fall in love with. They go to a party and eventually meet a group of kids who belong to the league of super rich underground fighting enthusiasts.
The entire movie surrounds around the theme of the main character overcoming the troubles of his life and past by carrying it out by angrily fighting. The ultimate underlying plot element running throughout is his attempt to reclaim his respect and dethrone the current "champ" of the underground of fighting enthusiasts.
The movie could have fulfilled the entire course of the plot in an utterly serious and enjoyable manner by providing it with an interesting soul of a troubled teen agonized by the thoughts of his past, by meeting the love of his life and quickly gaining new friends and dethroning the champion of the fighting enthusiasts. However, the director and storyboard team seem to have reconsidered. In fact, it is possibly the worst thing possible.
The story has some elements that make it unrealistic. First, the fighting is apparently, what the rich high school students in Florida do. They are all enthusiasts of fighting and none of their parents know anything about it. Next off, is the fact that everyone in this high school area has a phone that is capable of receiving live streams/access to youtube videos in which everyone instantly knows and sees the latest in the fighting action. My other final gripe, is that these fighting enthusiasts also have these extreme interests in fighting, in which fighting takes place at just about every location, parking lots, a club that caters to dancing and holding the most elite underground fighting championship, and at the homes of these rich teenagers.
It is easy to get a quite enjoyable time as you try to root for Jake Tyler and his friend. It is nice actually to hope that Jake and Baja get together and hook up. It is also enjoyable to watch how Jake and his family work towards moving on with their lives after the tragedy.
The soundtrack to the movie was also definitely inappropriate. I cannot recall a single scene in which the music had any non lyrical/vocal aspect. Maybe like once or twice in the movie was an orchestra playing. Because we have heard all of the songs this movie for countless times in the past two years, it was very unenjoyable and felt out of place.
This movie clearly catered to the male audience who are underground fight club enthusiasts and love their popular songs from the rap/hip-hop sector of music.
2 and half stars out of 5: For predictable and dull plot, annoying music, and too unrealistic for a film of this type, though the fighting was suspenseful and romance worked out
Before I begain, I must admit that I perhaps did one of the foolish mistakes when playing a game. It was so late last night that I failed to save my pokemon game when I went to bed. Unfortunately, I lost my Nidoran (Male) level 10 and my level 12 pokemon. Luckily I was able to spend an hour and regroup and retrain this morning.
Anyway, another movie review for you, and as always, spoiler free (98% confidence).
"The Dark Knight" (200![]()
July 18, 2008
Plot Synopsis (as always from Flixster): Batman and Gordon find alliance with a newly appointed DA Harvey Dent to stop a vicious killer with a warped sense of humor known only as The Joker, a threat to both the good, and the evil of Gotham City.
It seems that 2008 will live on as the year that superhero movies/comic characters have comeback and rose to new heights. Thanks in part to hype around the movie, the actor who passed away immediately after filming, and the essence that is Batman, I was intrigued by the idea of seeing it. Was this movie, perhaps worth the effort of seeing people wait in line for hours, paint their faces, and dress in costume for it?
I must honest admit that the movie was certainly more than what the commercials led me to believe. I never made an effort of seeing the trailer so I would not know if the plot was at all revealed. In brief, I believe that this was definitely a highly plot driven movie with just about every scene directly contributing to the ending scene. It was not like some movies in which there were scenes which I believed were clearly meant to be saved for the DVD release, for example those scenes that were definitely "deleted scenes." Overall, it was definitely a great movie for the entire family.
It was quite interesting that they chose this amazing cast for the movie, for each actor definitely took their part to heart. I was able to look beyond the big name people and actually picture the actual characters for who they really were. Just about every character was truly how one would imagine them to be in the comic and even in this movie and plot. They definitely made it worth my while to stay hooked and watch it attentively for the entire 2 and one half hours.
One of the big highlights that I always find with these types of movies is whether their technology is ground breaking and if they expand beyond the threads of the city, the hero is in. In this case, the technology in the movie was definitely a huge highlight. The new batman gear that was crafted is more stylish than ever. The part that involved the parachute that attached to the plane was definitely my favorite part. I also enjoyed the amazing "telecommunications project" that was hugely highlighted in the movie. It is definitely worth it to try to check it out in IMAX for I believe it would be the best part. Luckily the scene lasted nearly 20 minutes! The other aspect that was enjoyable was that Batman even went across continents and to many parts of Gotham City!
The movie was definitely an enjoyable experience. It is possibly a great hero movie for this year. I would not go as far as saying that this is better than Spiderman 2 or 3, but it is definitely one of the best hero movies ever created.
A few bad aspects of the movie: Batman's voice is a bit too deep to listen to for more than 2 hours, I grew tired of it; the plot is excessively grim at times; and lastly, the soundtrack lacked vocals.

4.0 Stars out of 5.0 for Having a great plot and interesting scenes
I know that several people have expressed concern over my abscene these past few perilous days. JK no one really did cause we were all tuned in to whatever tv, online streaming outlet there was for anything related to E3 (people on the Pacific Coast have it easy, they dont have to be up at midnight and such to catch some of the stuff that Gamespot puts online to watch). But yeah I did watch all of the conferences and made an effort to see gameplay videos and trailers. I will probably catch up on all of that once I get home next week to a faster internet connection and more free time.
My main highlights of the E3 were:
- Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)- Interview/Gameplay Video
- The Last Remnant (PS3/Xbox 360)- More info
- Final Fantasy 13 (PS3/Xbox 360)- More info, surprise to the Xbox owners, and extended video
- Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP)- More info and English Video
- Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP)- More Info
- Sonic Unleashed (Ps3/Xbox 360/Wii)- More info, video, gameplay, interview
- Eternal Sonata (PS3)- More info, Release Date
All in all, for my small sector of games it was a pretty interesting and revealing Expo this year. Heres hoping to a Fall of bliss and fun as the games come out on time and what not.
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I saw both Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and The Dark Knight Wednesday and Thursday respectively. I will review them once on Sunday and such to not provide imminent spoilers on The Dark Knight.
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I am a bit late on the music for this week but I will catch it up greatly on this week. Lets do it.
For the Week of July 7th to July 13th
Top Artists
- 1. Jerry Martin
- 1. Hilary Duff
- 3. Jonas Brothers
- 4. Jesse McCartney
- 4. Hannah Montana
- 6. Aly & AJ
- 7. The Cheetah Girls
- 7. Raven-Symone
- 7. Keke Palmer
- 10. Meaghan Matin
- 10. pureNRG
- 10. Kylie Minoque
- 10. T-Squad
- 10. Britney Spears
- 10. Paula Abdul
Top Tracks
- 1. "Good Life" by Jesse McCartney
- 2. "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" by Paula Abdul
- 2. "Play My Music" by Jonas Brothers
- 2. "Too Cool" by Meaghan Martin
- 2. "Footloose by purNRG
- 2. "I'm A Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears
- 2. "We Got the Party" by Hannah Montana
- 2. "Nobody's Perfect" by Hannah Montana
- 2. "Fly" by Hilary Duff
Overall Artists
- 1. Hannah Montana- 1112
- 2. Hilary Duff-736
- 3. The Cheetah Girls-624
- 4. Nintendo-453
- 5. Takeharu Ishimoto- 411
- 6. Crush 40- 381
- 7. Jesse McCartney- 354
- 8. Allister Brimble- 353
- 9. Jonas Brothers-331
- 10. Ashley Tisdale-301
Jesse McCarntey has rose on the Overall Artists charts. This week was light on music with only about 129 tracks player. Anyway, Im ouit. I am thinking of getting either XM or Sirius radio (arent they one and the same now). I wouldnt mind having satellite radio to listen to while on the way to university lecture hall or in my room. Certainly would be better than the normal onslaught of radio stations.
After waiting paitently for months, Square Enix has finally tickled my ear. It appears that Star Ocean: First Departure is coming to the PSP in October. This is great news for me because I have always wanted to get into the Star Ocean series and I feel that this will be a great way to enter the series. Not only that but it seems to have an interesting style that I love with RPG's, 2D side scrolling fights. Yay for Star Ocean!!!
That is really all that there to say. My day has rose to new levels. Also, after seeing new images of the Last Remnant, I am now also loving them more, this game looks like it will be the RPG for me of this upcoming generation, I cant not wait to hear the PS3 release date.
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For the Week of June 30th to July 6th
Top Artists
- 1. Hilary Duff
- 2. Jamal-Ski
- 3. Hannah Montana
- 4. Aly & AJ
- 5. Keke Palmer
- 6. Corbin Bleu
- 6. The Cheetah Girls
- 6. Jonas Brothers
- 9. Dima Belan
- 10. Jesse McCartney
Top Tracks
- 1. "Jump N' Move" by Jamal-Ski
- 2. "Believe"- by Dima Belan
- 3. "How Will I Know" by Keke Palmer
- 4. "Leave It All to Me" by Miranda Cosgrove featuring Drake Bell
- 4. "Wow" by Kylie Minogue
- 4. "He Love U Not" by Dream
- 4. "Come Clean Remix 2005" by Hilary Duff
- 4. "Too Cool" by Meaghan Martin
- 4. "Fuego" by The Cheetah Girls
- 10. "Why Wait" by Belinda
- 10. "Kids in America" by No Secrets
- 10. "Fly" by Hilary Duff
- 10. "Start All Over" by Miley Cyrus
- 10. "Wake Up" by Hilary Duff
- 10. "Dance Like Theres No Tomorrow" by Paula Abdul
- 10. "Push It to the Limit" by Corbin Bleu
- 10. "Waiting for a Heartbreak" by Savvy and Mandy
- 10. "Hook Me Up" by The Veronicas
- 10. "Don't Give Up" by the Noisettes
- 10. "Be Good to Me" by Ashley Tisdale
Overall Artists
- 1. Hannah Montana- 1099
- 2. Hilary Duff-724
- 3. The Cheetah Girls- 618
- 4. Nintendo- 453
- 5. Takeharu Ishimoto- 411
- 6. Crush 40- 381
- 7. Allister Brimble (Sim City)-353
- 8. Jesse McCartney- 346
- 9. Jonas Brothers- 323
- 10. Ashley Tisdale- 299
That just about wraps it up for the music from last week. It is interesting to see that there are almost 30 songs in the Top 10 list.
And my recent favorite song is Monsoon from Tokio Hotel.
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