- sthadji
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sthadji's blog
'After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.'
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11Jun 09
1 and a half years have passed since my last blog post. It seems in the past year I've neglected Gamespot, which I don't know if I should consider a good or a bad thing. I've dropped in from time to time, but my visits were brief. The news however that my team, Man Utd, have finally caved in to Real Madrid justifies a new blog post. Today marks the end of an era, an era that I thought would've lasted for many years to come. Cristiano Ronaldo was indeed a great player, and with this post, I would like to thank him for all the help he has provided to United in the years he has spend with the club (3 Premier League titles and a Champions League win is by no means a small feat). His 42 goals in the 2007/08 season were phenomenal and to see this small-town Portuguese kid evolve in a world superstar has been a great pleasure for every United fan. However, with Madrid declaring an interest in him in the past summer, Ronaldo's heart never seemed to be with Utd anymore. Fergie did a good job to keep him away from Madrid's grasp last summer, but last season, Ronaldo did not play with the same conviction that earned him the Ballon D'or and the FIFA World Player of the Year accolades. With Madrid renewing their interest in him this summer and with big-money spending Florentino Perez elected as President of the Spanish outfit, Utd could not resist the record-breaking $130million offer. And so, this season will be the post-Ronaldo era, and even though some fans may not consider him a legend yet, I think his contribution to the club justifies some sort of acknowledgment. I hope he does well for Madrid, even though I have a feeling he will fade in the filled-to-the-brink-with-superstars Madrid squad. I sincerely hope that the money we have received will be well invested and hopefully United will bounce back. Here's to Ronaldo - the wonderboy-turned-superstar.
- Posted Jun 11, 2009 11:09 am PT
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- 0 Comments
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5Jan 08
Hey guys! First of all I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I'd also like to thank fishdalf for the idea of a Best of '07 blog entry. Anyways, enough blabbering, let's cut to the chase.
Best Movie
Nominees: 300, Disturbia, Superbad, Hot Fuzz, Knocked Up, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
And the Winner:
300
Now, I may have missed on what many would believe are much better movies than the ones listed, like No Country for Old Men and The Bourne Ultimatum, so one could criticize this category as being somewhat limited. But the hell with it
300 is a movie that is may not be historically accurate, but sure kicks ass. From the sumptuous fighting scenes, to the well-crafted CGI scenery, to bodybuilders in minimal clothing (). There's just no denying that 300 is a milestone in a genre that seemed to be running out of creative ideas. If you want more on 300, you can read my 'review' here.Best Game
Nominees: Call of Duty 4, FIFA 08, Assasin's Creed
And the Winner:
Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty 4 is just an all-round amazing game. The single-player campaign may be short, but what a campaign it is! It's not the quantity but the quality that matters, and CoD4 really drives home in that department. The sniper mission is probably the single best mission I have ever played in any game I remember. And once the single-player is over, the fun has just began. The multiplayer takes on the helm thereafter, and it's just unbelievably fun to play. Such an amazing game, kudos to Infinity Ward for continuing the legacy of Call of Duty with another great addition, perhaps the best in the series.
Best Sportsman
Nominees: Cristiano Ronaldo (football), Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1), Cesc Fabregas (football)
And the Winner:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Well I can't really claim to know a lot of sportsmen, as I am primarily an avid football fan, and rarely watch any other sport except for Formula 1. Some may also call me biased, being a Man U supporter, and even though it was a close contest between Lewis Hamilton and Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano just edges past the Brit. It truly has been an amazing year for the Portuguese wing wizard, with his abundant trickery and talent. While Lewis Hamilton had a phenomenal year in F1, just losing the title in the last race to veteran Raikonnen, Cristiano was the driving force behind United's title charge and also was a key factor in United's Champions League amazing run and reaching the FA Cup semi-final. Voted the second best football player in the world (although he should have been first), and being just 22 years old. there's no denying that future United fans will be looking back at the Cristiano Ronaldo years.
Best Album
Nominees: In Rainbows (Radiohead), Hold Your Colour (Pendulum), Blackbird (Alter Bridge), Leaving Eden (Antimatter), Blackfield II (Blackfield)
And the Winner:
Blackbird (Alter Bridge)
The second album by the brainchild of Creed, Alter Bridge, Blackbird is truly a masterpiece. There simply is not one song on the album that I don't like, and as the tracks progress, the songs just keep getting better and better. The highlight of the album is of course the song 'Blackbird' - a seven-minute beauty of a song. Competition was fierce however, with Antimatter's Leaving Eden coming a close second and Radiohead's seventh album, In Rainbows, coming in third. Some Radiohead fanatic might hate me for ranking the album at third, but it's difficult to simply ignore my favorite album of 2007, 'Blackbird'. Check it out, buy it, enjoy it!
Best TV Show
Nominees: Scrubs (season 5), Heroes (season 1), Dexter (season 1), Top Gear (season 10)
And the Winner:
Heroes
Again, another category with fierce competition. But I find it necessary to note the season of each program I am referring to as it may not be the latest ones shown in the US. In this category, for me, Scrubs would have been a clear winner. Until I stumbled upon Heroes. This show is definitely a breath of fresh air in the series industry. The plot of season 1 is quite deep, and each episode asks more question than it answers, leaving you wanting more and more. After finishing one episode, I felt compelled to watch the next one. That's how gripping this series is.
Top Gear is another great TV show, and season 10 is admittedly one of the best TG seasons. Some amazing challenges, and Jeremy is such a funny guy. But Heroes just had to be top spot for me, and I'm glad I indulged into watching this show after hearing all this hype about it, because it ends up (surprisingly) that the hype was right. I was expecting an X-men spin-off but Heroes is just so much more than that, and if you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth checking out.
And that concludes the Best of 2007 'Awards'. I'd love to hear your 'best of 2007' and which of these you agree with or disagree with. Overall, a great year and hoping the same for 2008.
Until next time!
- Posted Jan 5, 2008 5:22 pm PT
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- 11 Comments
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25Dec 07
The title says it all! Merry Christmas everybody! Hope everyone had fun. I'll leave you with one of my favourite Christmas songs.
Happy Christmas (War is Over) - John Lennon
- Posted Dec 25, 2007 7:17 am PT
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- 11 Comments
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17Nov 07
Haven't made a blog in what feels like ages. I guess nothing special happened, but I think it's because I haven't had the time to sit down a write a blog. It seems lately like I have very little time. It's times like these you wish a day had 36 hours and not 24.
So I had the chance to watch Superbad, and I have to say it was awesome. Being the Seth Rogen fan that I am, I decided to watch Knocked Up as well, and I have to say I was not disappointed. It seems that Seth Rogen is steadily propelling himself to the top of Hollywood with his amazingly witty comedies and spot-on acting.
I was also quite disappointed to find out that the Scrubs Season 6 DVD will not be released in the UK until the 14th of January. I was so looking forward to its release which was supposed to be on the 14th of November but apparently I was misinformed. So there goes my short-term wishlist I compiled a couple of weeks ago. However, I did manage to buy the Scrubs soundtrack CD which has some amazing songs. One of them being this amazing song from this awesome Scrubs scene. Definitely in my top 10 Scrubs moments.
Till next time
- Posted Nov 17, 2007 10:12 am PT
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- 9 Comments
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27Oct 07
Expectations were high for the next-gen installment of the Pro Evo series, and for the first time in the series PC users get to enjoy the benefits of next-gen graphics, instead of those dreadful PS2 ports. But as always, great expectations are rarely met. I was excited by the release of Pro Evo, because I saw those beautiful screenshots and got carried away by the hype. However, when the demo was released I was bitterly disappointed by the direction the game took. The camera angles were awful, the graphics were not as good as you would expect (although the cut-scenes are gorgeous), and the gameplay was horrible. But, alas, I decided not to judge Pro Evo by the demo, as Konami have a tendency of making demos that don't resemble the actual game (go figure).
Anyways, having picked up my copy today, and having played my first game, I realized - this game is exactly the same as the demo. Konami finally released a demo that resembled to the game, at a time where I was hoping that it didn't. However, Pro Evo is one of those games that grows on you, much in the same way as a rock CD becomes better everytime you listen to it. And Pro Evo would have growed on me, had I been given the chance to actually play the game they way it should be played. Unfortunately, the game is riddled with problems. During a match, I have experienced slow-downs or lags (a drop in the framerate) and I'm not sure if this is because Pro Evo proves too hot to handle for my graphics card. And that's my most major concern. Because I can look past the fact that there are no EPL licenses, and the poor stadiums, because I know they will be fixed in due time. But the framerate problem...I'm not sure that will be fixed.
And so this is a plead to Konami - if you plan on making a PC game with next-gen graphics don't make a direct port from the 360 because the PC is so much different from a console. Because this game feels like a 360 port - I think the fact that the controls are shown on the 360 controller gave it away.
- Posted Oct 27, 2007 5:32 am PT
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- 5 Comments
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22Oct 07
With the release of Pro Evo 7 looming ever closer I decided to compile a short-term wishlist of things I wish to buy in the following weeks. I know that you expected a considerably large wish-list, but surprisingly, or unsurprisingly I only wish to buy two items.
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (release date: 26 October)
2. Scrubs: Season 6 (Release date: 30 October)
To be honest, I'm more looking forward to the release of the sixth season of Scrubs. I love that show. Talking about shows I love, the tenth season of Top Gear began these past few weeks, and I must say the first two episodes are amazing. The pursuit of the perfect road brought up some stunning imagery. Jeremy Clarkson is awesome, as always. I just think that all three of them are a match made in heaven.
Anyways, I'll leave you with a relaxing song. Stratovarius - Forever
- Posted Oct 22, 2007 7:35 am PT
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- 9 Comments
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14Oct 07
I was watching a Scrubs episode today about how all the little things in life define where we are. Of course, I always thought about how we have more control over some things than what we think, but this episode today gave me a reason to post a blog about it. I guess, everyday we are faced with decisions, and it's these decisions that may judge whether we're going to have a good day or a bad day. And in the grand scheme of things, it could very well decide where we end up. So, I would like to know, if you believe in fate, or if you believe that we define our own path, and everything is up to us.
Also, this week I'll leave you with a beautiful song, by a British band that I didn't see anyone mention here at the GS forums. They're called Anathema, and this song is called Are You There? The quality might not be so good so you might need to crank up the volume. I recently bought their 'A Natural Disaster' album, and I must say it's one of the best albums I ever had the good fortune to listen to.
Anyways, till next time.
- Posted Oct 14, 2007 5:51 am PT
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4Oct 07
Fall has arrived, and what a game it has brought with it. FIFA 08 is the next-installment in the highly-acclaimed FIFA series, which promises the most realistic football simulation ever. This raises an important question - does it live up to expectations? In a short answer...yes. The battle between PES and FIFA over who will deliver the most realistic game, has finally shifted in FIFA's way. Having played the PES demo on the PC, I have been disappointed to say the least in the direction the series has turned - arcade, shallow football. The people at EA have utilized the potential presented by the 360 quite well, and have created the first truly next-generation footy game.
So, what is so unique about FIFA 08? Well, the most important aspect of the game is the fact that the football is now considered an entirely different entity, thus creating an unscripted football game, where every goal is different to the next, and every match is unpredictable. No longer do you see 4-0, 5-0 or even 6-2 scorelines as often as you did with the previous FIFA games. The game is now much more compact and scores now reflect reality.
However, that is not to say that FIFA 08 is perfect. I am slightly disappointed in the passing system, as most balls seem to be weak and are regularly intercepted by the opposition players. Through balls are much more difficult to pull off, and opposition defences are tough to break down.
EA has definitely taken a step in the right direction with FIFA 08 and for now they are a step ahead from Konami. However, it remains to be seen whether PES2008 will offer superior gameplay - however that doesn't seem to be the case from the PC demo. Overall, FIFA 08 is an enjoyable game that offers an authentic football experience, and with some minor gameplay tweaks could become the best footy game yet.
Score: 8.8/10
- Posted Oct 4, 2007 11:55 am PT
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- 5 Comments
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22Sep 07
Hey everybody! It seems like a long time since I last made a blog post. Anyhoo, this week I decided to post a song that I'm currently trying to play on my guitar. It's called Disarm and it's performed by the Smashing Pumpkins. I think it's a brilliant song, one of my favourites from Smashing Pumpkins.
Also with Halo 3 on the horizon, it seems that the gamers from around the world will go crazy on release day
I'm not such a big Halo fan, but rest assured that I will check it out. The iPod touch has also hit stores, I'm assuming, but I don't think it will hit the stores in Europe until Christmas, I think. But by and far, the most shocking news of the week was the departure of the great Jose Mourinho from Chelsea. The man everyone loves to hate, but when he left, everyone was quick to praise him. As much as I hated the guy, I'm kind of sad that he won't be in the Premiership anymore, but hopefully he'll return later on in his career.
'Yes, I know you're not happy Jose, but what can we do?'
- Posted Sep 22, 2007 10:00 am PT
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- 10 Comments
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11Sep 07
Hey everybody! How's everyone? You know what time it is? Yes...It's time for another song of the week
This week's featured song is Too Many Humans, by the extremely talented Buckethead - the guitarist whose true indentity remains a mystery. He is an American guitarist and composer and only one known photograph exists of him unmasked. He's known worldwide with a KFC bucket on his head - hence the name - and a mask. He must be really talented in order to play guitar under these conditions.Too Many Humans is a particular favorite of mine, and albeit being a long 'song', it just doesn't seem like it, when you're listening to it. It goes a long way to calm me down.
On other news, I bought BioShock the other week, and I have to say that it's AMAZING. From the detailed and dark surroundings, to the characters, to the plot and the implementation of the idea, everything about BioShock is unbelievable. I can't wait to finish it and see the whole story, and it just gets better along the way. I feel that it deserved more than a 9 from Gamespot.
Till next time!
- Posted Sep 11, 2007 7:06 am PT
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- 5 Comments
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30Aug 07
Another song of the week for you guys. This week's song is 'Don't Panic' by the famous band Coldplay. It's from their debut album which I think is better than their latest work. Coldplay don't need much introduction. I'll just say that they are a British rock band.
Here's the masterpiece of a song: Don't Panic - Coldplay
On another note, I've had a minor surgery on my feet, so that limits my capacity to move around and get outside of the house. It's a pity really. And sometimes I do feel the occasional surge of pain. I do hope that the recovery will be swift, what with school coming up next Friday - that dreaded day. But as Coldplay say - don't panic.
- Posted Aug 30, 2007 4:10 pm PT
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- 8 Comments
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26Aug 07
I decided to incorporate this new feature in my blog, just to spice things up
So whenever I can, I'll post a new song that I like. This week's featured song is 'Falls on Me' by Fuel. Fuel is a rock/post grunge band that was formed in 1989. Their lead singer, Brett Scallions left the band in 2006, and has been replaced by Toryn Green.Without any further ado, here it is: Falls on Me
I shall again leave you with a joke. This time, it's the world's second funniest joke:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
"I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" replies Watson.
"And what do you deduce from that?"
Watson ponders for a minute.
"Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?"
Holmes is silent for a moment. "Watson, you idiot!" he says. "Someone has stolen our tent!"
- Posted Aug 26, 2007 7:58 am PT
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21Aug 07
I decided today to upgrade my account to Total Access. I only paid it for a month, just to give it a 'test drive' and see how it is. I'm liking the theme selection and nickname color features. I also paid for it for the Gamespot Download Manager. No waiting time and faster speeds. Let's see how it goes then...
By the way...Do Gamespot keep charging you once your subscription finishes? Like Microsoft does with the Xbox Live thing?
*Update* Also decided to revamp my banner, profile image, sig and ava. A complete overhaul. Hope you guys like it. I think it's a nice touch
Also, decided to download the Bioshock demo the old-fashioned way, as the GS Download Manager reported an error while downloading.
- Posted Aug 21, 2007 7:17 am PT
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- 6 Comments
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12Aug 07
Meh...Too bored to think of a title for this one. Decided to update my blog (even though I'm not so sure how many people actually read it). It's around 2 o'clock in the morning here, but I'm not very tired. Went out tonight with a couple of friends, and realized how much I wanted to have a car, and be independent. Unfortunately, I have to wait for another year to get my license. Also decided to put a picture in my blog to make it...um..more 'colorful'. I'm gonna keep it a light-hearted entry, this one. Don't want to go too deep.
I went to a friend's house, and he has this beautiful dog. I like dogs. She was standing on it's rear legs, it was so cute. I guess this blog is just random ideas coming from my head. No logical order; just free-flowing onto the keyboard. Today also marked my favorite team's first game of the new soccer season, and I watched in disappointment as we drew a game we should've won, and lost one of our best players because of injury. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm not feeling too much in the mood, even though I had a great time tonight.
I was also thinking about how hypocritical we may appear sometimes just so that we 'satisfy' some people. Take me, for example. Sometimes I just smile when someone says something funny, even though it's not funny. I don't know why I do it, but sometimes I hate it when I do. Other people may just pretend to be polite to someone and then 'stab' him behind his back. It's just kind of unnerving to know that sometimes you don't get to see the real side of someone. Ah well...I guess that's part of life.
I shall end this blog on a high note. I leave you, ladies and gents, with the World's Funniest Joke.
A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?"
- Posted Aug 12, 2007 4:42 pm PT
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- 6 Comments
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10Aug 07
This blog post might be a bit late, but frankly I don't care. I'm back from my family vacation. We went to the famous Greek island of Myconos, and had a blast. The sea was really cold, but like the daredevil that I am (sometimes
) I thought what the hell, and just jumped right in. Beautiful beaches, nice food, breathtaking scenery and good food are a few of the things that characterize the most cosmopolitan island of the Aegean sea. It's a really small island and a day is enough to explore the most important landmarks. 
This is the town of Myconos. It is the main town of the island (perhaps the only town
) and most of our time was spent there. There are some really narrow streets and some nice restaurants, and of course LOADS of shops.
Just look how narrow it is. And imagine it PACKED with people during the night.
And here is one of the many beaches of the island. It may look nice, but the waters were freezing cold. Most people were lying on the beach beds sunbathing, instead of swimming. You could literally count the people actually in the sea on your fingers. Overall though it was an awesome holiday, except for the fact that I had my digital camera stolen. Damn thieves.
I leave you with the landmark of Myconos - the windmills.
- Posted Aug 10, 2007 7:36 am PT
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- 4 Comments
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22Jun 07
I decided to make a blog about the wonderful world of stick figures
And yes, I know the title has nothing to do with the blog, but Bob was a better name than just stick figures. So by Bob, I mean stick figures, and by wonderful world I mean deranged world.
- Posted Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am PT
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20Jun 07
'Erm...I don't think she's drunk mate.'
Today, after months of wanting to watch it, I finally saw Shaun of the Dead. I won't go on explaining the film, as I assume most of you have already seen it, but I have to say it was an awesome movie! I loved Simon Pegg as Shaun, a person who has his life messed up and needs to get it sorted out. His friend, Ed, was hilarious. Awesome duo. And even though this movie is primarily a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist, it also has some kind of deeper meaning. Towards the end it turns into more of a drama than anything, with Shaun being forced to leave his father and his best friend, shoot his mother, and escape with his girlfriend in a hell of a day. My favorite scene was by far the one where they get out of the pub and they're singing a song, and there's a zombie on the other side of the street. Not realizing that it's a zombie, Shaun and Ed hum and allow the zombie to finish it off with a groan. Absolutely hilarious! I also liked some of the subtle details they included in the film. For example, when Shaun goes to the shop for the second time to buy a Cornetto and some other stuff, you notice the difference in the streets compared to the first time he went to the shop. Or when Shaun says to his mother, 'That is not the man you fell in love with. There's nothing left of him' [referring to his zombified stepdad] and then you see his stepdad switching off the radio (anyone who hasn't seen the movie would probably not understand this
). That was also pretty funny. Overall an excellent movie, and I can't wait to see Hot Fuzz.Rating: 9.5/10
- Posted Jun 20, 2007 5:03 pm PT
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14Jun 07
So after spending a couple of days pondering on whether I should get one or not, I finally bit the bullet and took the plunge. I bought the PSP Value Pack with a 2GB memory stick (hope it's enough
) together with the Formula 06 game (I'm an avid fan of F1) and right now it's charging so I didn't have the chance to check it out. Can't wait till it finishes. I'm hoping to fill it up with some videos and music, and I do hope that the 2GB memory stick will prove enough for this. I'm really impressed though by the size of the screen and generally it's appearance. It's so beautiful. - Posted Jun 14, 2007 9:04 am PT
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12May 07
Since it's been ages since I made a blog post, I thought, what better way to return, than with a review (well kind of) of Spiderman 3. After reading a lot of negative reviews about the movie, my expectations had not been as high, although I knew for certain that I'd be amazed by all the cool special effects of the movie, given that it is the third most expensive movie of all time. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed at all in the section. The movie included some adrenaline-pumping action (although not to the extent of 300) but it seems that all the negative reviews I had read bore no fruit. Simply put, they were all a pile of bull****.
The only thing that bothered me though, was Tobe McGuire. I don't think he's well-suited for the role of Spiderman. Spiderman should be played by some badass like Chuck Norris (j/k). Well at least someone more badass than Tobe. Maybe James Franco would've been better. Anyhoo, I did like the fighting scene between Harry and Spidey because it was just plain badass. But the emo Peter Parker was idiotic, in my opinion. I think the suite brought out the emo within rather than the beast within
Venom was by and far the coolest character in this film, and let's hope that Spiderman 4 will feature more of Venom and less of the Big Friendly Giant that is Sandman.
Film rating: 8/10 Cool effects and fast-paced action, good storyline, but the emo Spidey kind of got on my nerves.
- Posted May 12, 2007 2:44 am PT
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- 10 Comments
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26Apr 07After four months on being stuck on Level 20, I'm now through it. The journey came to an end. I actually made a blog post about reaching level 20, so as to keep track on how long it would take me to get through it, and it's been four (!) months. I don't mind levels much, but level 20 was certainly annoying. I'm glad I'm through with it. Yay for me!
- Posted Apr 26, 2007 8:31 am PT
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- 11 Comments
