Sony Press Conference

Ok so the Sony Press conference just ended, and I'm Gonna quickly burn through the games that made a decent impression because there is something more important to talk about. Showed off Assassins Creed, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Kingdom Hearts 3 (sorta of), elder scrolls online, diablo 3, Mad Max, Final Fantasy 15 (formerly final fantasy versus 13), The Order (steam punk it'll do great), The Dark Sorcerer (I'm not 100% this is a game), Gran Tourismo 6, Batman: Arkham Origins, Beyond two souls, And a metric ton of indy games. Got all that? good. So about a week ago Microsoft put out a press release about how the Xbox One would have to Connect to the internet ever 24hrs to play any game, And how used games where to be handled. People where not pleased with this. So it seems Sony took that press release and wrote a 15 minute speech first saying no online authentication required, metaphorically pantsing Microsoft. Then continued to say trade in your games all you want and full backwards compatibility (something the Xbox One lacks completely), metaphorically giving Microsoft a wedgy. They then finished by saying that their system was going to be $399, continuing with the metaphorical actions this would be where Sony kicked Microsoft square in the testicles. It wasn't pretty. They then made this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA. Thats just rubbing salt in the wounds. Now a good friend of mine did notice the fine print in that video saying for online multiplayer you would now need their membership services. Something that used to be free on the PS3. Which leads me to believe that Sony gave this massive slap in the face so you wouldn't notice this. Sony you are clever evil genius bastards. While I still have to watch the Nintendo event I think that Sony has the E3 brass ring right in it's reach.

Ubisoft Press Conference

So Ubisoft didn't go completely off the rails. In fact they had a fairly competant conference. It made sense and actually gave a lot of interesting games to look forward to. I'm not sure I can handle this level of normalcy from Ubisoft. Lets just talk about the games. They pushed their big names: Splinter Cell Blacklist, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Watch Dog's, Just Dance 2014, and Rayman Legends. By this point you probably have already made a decision on whether these games mean anything to you. I personally only care Watch Dog's. They brought out some surprises that I didn't realize they had any part in with:Rock Smith 2014, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and Trials Fusion. And Some honest to god new titles: The Division, Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, and the Crew The Crew has been added to the list of games I want to play. It does seem like I would need to make more friends to really get the fullest experience out of it, but hey sacrifices can be made. So yeah short and sweet. Man I feel so let down. I'm just gonna go sit for a bit. Oh yeah they also announced a new Rabbids game, that is somehow tied into a tv show. So that's a Thing.

EA Press Conference

I'm not sure how to talk about this thing. The entire conference they kept recycling the message of new ways to game and new blockbusters while only showing one new title. Also by showing off games they already showed off in the Microsoft press conference. What are you doing EA!? I knew this was gonna be rough from the start. When Plants vs Zombies was their starter along with peggle 2. Who cares? Is plants vs zombies still a thing? Did they need to switch it from portable game genre? So lets quickly get through about 90% of the EA press conference shall we. You know all those sports games they make? guess what, their making more. Done. Moving my frustration aside, there were again only a couple games that caught my interest. Star Wars Battlefront and Mirrors Edge. Now I don't have a huge love for Battlefront. But it was one of the go to games back when All of my friends lugged our computers to a single house to play without the troublesome internet. So it is good to see it alive, if possibly slightly corpsy. Now Mirrors Edge, I loved that game. First person parkour was crazy and "mastering" (see put it in quotes so don't give me shit) the complex controls just made me feel awesome when I pulled off a crazy stunt. It might be a prequel, but I honestly don't care I just want more. I do have to comment about one thing surrounding the game. This feeling of "see we're making it now shut up about it". But who cares more Mirrors Edge Woo. OK break for sustenance and then back to the grind. Ubisoft up next and man will that be a train wreck, as it always is

Let's Start E3. Microsoft Press Conference

Microsoft's press conference done like 4 more to go. Biggest take away from the press conference, "Smart Glass". Microsoft is just going all in on smart glass, even showing how it can interact with gameplay. it reminds me of their kinect push. Speaking of which not a single mention of kinect. Good on them. Some important bullet points before talking about games. -November release (that oh so important holiday time slot) -$499 price tag -Until it's release Xbox Live Gold members will get 2 free game downloads a month (from a select library) -Microsoft points are gone Now I'm not going into huge detail here, because there are many that I don't have very much to say on. We did get our annuals: Forza 5 (Drivatar new favorite word), Battlefield 4, Halo (or at least the promise of a halo game in 2014). We got the nostalgia driven games:Killer Instinct and Crimson Dragon (See panzer dragoon). We got some "Show stoppers": Metal Gear Solid 5 (if MGS and GTA fused), Ryse - Son of Rome (about time this thing happened), TitanFall (it's an Fps that also has giant robots). Aside from those there where some more that I just don't feel compelled to mention and two that actually caught my interest. Sunset Overdrive and Dead Rising 3. Essentially they seem to be the same game. 3rd person action. Go around a city fighting mutants and zombies respectively. Using some kind of crazy weapon to fight the seemingly endless horde. The difference is Sunset Overdrive is more of a cartoon than Dead Rising 3. It is a very stylized game which might give it a little charm similar to a Saints Row. Now as of right now, gun to my head pick one over the other I'd lean towards Dead Rising 3. Solely because they showed game play footage that looked genuinely fun. But enough of my ramblings I have more conferences to prep for.

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (2011) review

I admittedly came to this movie with a little baggage. I saw the original film, so this movie wasn't going to escape immediate comparison. More than that I had been hurt  by a remake in the past. Death at a Funeral was a British comedy I enjoyed that had a limited release here in the US much like the original Tattoo. Three years later a remake came out starring Chris Rock which ruined the film by increasing the volume on everything. Subtlety of jokes, gestures, and reactions all became caricatures of their original version. It felt as if this that movie didn't think the audience would understand it any other way. I didn't want the same thing to happen with another film I enjoyed. So with that in mind let's go through this new film and see if I get hurt yet again.

Characters
Daniel Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist a disgraced journalist brought in to hopefully shed light on the disappearance of a girl 40 years ago. Craig plays Blomkvist very differently from Michael Nyqvist. I'm not just talking about how the actors portay the character with  Nyqvist's Blomkvist being a beaten man and Craig's Blomkvist seeming to carry this frustration from his legal problems. But the new film actually changes the motivation of the character. The original film had a connection between Blomkvist and the missing girl, while the new film has him be a stranger to the mystery. On top of that change, their is a point where I feel Craig's portrayal changes at one point. As I said his Blomkvist had this frustration, that with one more push and he would throw a punch at someone. Near the end new Blomkvist is being lead into what he knows is an unfavorable situation. And he doesn't try to escape or resist. That doesn't feel right for the character or for how the actor looks. Daniel Craig looks like a scrapper and him not fighting just doesn't seem right.

I was very impressed by Rooni Mara's performance of Lisbeth Salander. Even though the characters take some different actions I wasn't made to think of Noomi Rapace original performance. All credit for that goes to Mara who was working with a more handicapped role. In this movie they decided to drastically reduce the role of the titular character. In the original Salander keeps a fascination of Blomkvist work, eventually involving herself in the mystery. In this new version not only does she have to be brought in by Blomkvist, but she also isn't necessary for solving the mystery. There are other slight changes made to how the characters of Salander and Blomkvist interact but those are so minor compared to this change.

The Story
Davide Fincher did make a promise that he would not shy away from the more intense scenes and he came through. This is good because while those scenes may be hard to watch they are necessary to help present the theme and establish motivation. There were smaller changes made to script besides the character changes. Nothing to harm the story as a whole but I felt didn't hold as much weight as presented in the original. Going with the idea that how a movie is shot affects how a story is told I have to make comment on the look of the film. the sense of size seemed off. Rooms in this new film seemed so large while the island where the mystery took place seemed small. In the original film the reverse seemed true. It's something I probably wouldn't have noticed without viewing the original, but it was jarring enough for me to make mention.

Overall while this new film is not bad, the changes to the script hurts what where already good characters. Given the choice I would say watch the original which is readily available through multiple sources.

Before the Movies: Expendables 2

Theatrical movie trailers are important. More important than billboards, magazine ads, even TV spots. You see that first trailer is usually where a potential audience makes the decision whether to go to the future movie or not. Even with changes after testing if that first trailer has turned you off it can never recover. It's a trailer's responsibility to intrigue the audience without saying too much or too little. It is a difficult job for most movies. I have to say most because there are some movies that do not even need a trailer. These films just have the special something that speaks to some part of us. Here is such an example.


Expendables 2 by teasertrailer

As with the first film this movie is built on a simple love. A love of action films. If you have that love you are guaranteed to see this film. In its 1 minute run time this trailer says "Hey remember when all those names blew stuff up? Well here are more names who will also blow stuff up". It's aware of who will see this film and speaks directly to them. And damn if it didn't work on me. All I know is the idea of Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Sylvester Stallone all shooting people in the same movie really gets me pumped. Please don't judge me.

The Muppets

Full disclosure, I have been looking forward to this film since it was announced. For reasons I can't actually explain I love the Muppets. The Movies, TV shows, the obscure characters, they all hold a sweet spot in the hunk of coal known as my heart. So unless this movie was the spawn of Satan I was guaranteed to at least like this film. Spoilers: It's not the spawn of Satan.

The Characters
I think almost everyone knows the core Muppets: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy Bear, Animal. Kermit is the nervous leader. Miss Piggy is the violent starlet. Gonzo is the embodiment of weird. Fozzy has no idea what's funny. Animal is an excitable wild man (Muppet?). So with those basics in mind lets focus on the the three humans and the new Muppet: Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy adams), Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), and Walter

Gary and Mary are both fighting internal conflict. Gary wants to help Walter even when it negatively effect his relationship. Mary wants more time with Gary but doesn't want to rip him away from his family. These problems that don't amount to much more than a song resolution (a fun song mind you). The characters are presented as loving and understanding people so there is no doubt things will work out between them.

Tex Richman is the weakest of the human characters. He is an evil businessman looking to get more money and Muppets are in his way. He has Muppet called Uncle Deadly and Bobo the bear. He is given a villain quirk as is tradition in modern comedies (see if you can spot it). The only thing he is missing is the volcano lair and their may be one under his office building (oil is under a studio in the center of LA, so why not.) Cooper plays it appropriately hammy for what the character calls for, but I honestly think it would have been better if he was another Muppet with Cooper's voice.

Lastly we have Walter. He is an entirely new Muppet creation made expressly for this film. He loves the Muppets to obsessive and without a doubt the main character of this film. He is the sole reason for why the movie happens. As far as I can tell Walter is an exaggeration of Muppet fans, specifically Segel himself. I suspect the commonality between Walter, Segel, and even myself is we became fans after the original run of the Muppet show. Segel took his affection for the characters and much like Walter was able to join them on stage. And that sentiment is what leads us to the story.

The Story
I almost missed the true story of this film. What you're presented with is a generic plot about "the band getting back together". That story is an enjoyable one. The song and dance numbers are infectious. There are enough jokes for everyone from children to adults to enjoy. Does it have issues? Yes. Why does Segel have a Muppet brother? How is there oil under a studio in LA? Why Doesn't Gonzo use his successful business to help save the studio? No one knows. The lunacy of that surface plot doesn't leave you enough time to think about those things. You get caught up in the ride and that's OK. You're supposed to enjoy the roller coaster. As I said before there is a story hidden under that ride. That is the story of Walter. Walter's journey from fan to cast mate is what is propels the movie. And when I say Walter I actually mean Segel. This is Segel's story. Not only in the obvious as he gets to work with the Muppets, but also the story of his career. He found not only cohorts to make films with but also an audience just like Walter. I'm not sure if I've made my opinion clear enough.

So here's the bottom line, go see this movie. Like I said numerous times throughout this piece this is a fun movie. It is impossible not enjoy. I also am making the call now that the eventual DVD release should be picked up as well. Knowing the cast and having watched the trailers there guarantees to be fun deleted scenes and cast commentary.