Movie Review: Cloud Atlas

May 16, 2013 Leave a comment

IMDB, Cloud AtlasDrama/Sci-fi, 172 Minutes, 2012: Cloud Atlas on IMDB

I had been attracted to this by the trailers but lost track of it until I noticed it available on Amazon Instant Video.  I couldn’t honestly remember what about it attracted me.  I knew that Tom Hanks [IMDB] seems to pick scripts well and that I’d never been completely disappointed by the Wachowski’s.  We ended up watching it, my lovely bride and I, without bothering to get any more information on it.

We loved it.  Both of us.  We didn’t understand shit.  Neither of us.

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Pants make Earth Special

May 12, 2013 2 Comments

I recently caught the end of “Cowboys & Aliens” on cable again and as I watched the climatic battle I remembered the bit of my original review about how Hollywood was getting in a rut with its aliens:

Grey, hairless, oddly-bent knees, big teeth, covered in mucus  and dripping with drool.  It started with “Aliens” of course but then we got “Battle L.A.”, “Super 8″, “Independence Day”, “Skyline”, “Pitch Black” and everything from “Avatar” that you weren’t supposed to want to bang.

As I watched the sequence again I was struck by something that solidified my problem with all of these designs.  The one thing that neatly represents all my complaints and frustrations.

Where are all the pants?

These are advanced civilizations.  They’ve perfected space travel, energy weaponry and (I assume) fiscal accounting policies and practices.  Don’t any of them wear pants?  Togas?  Kilts?  Uniforms of any kind?  Even if only to tell the grey, backwards-kneed space janitors from the grey, backward-kneed space generals?  Do aliens really not have a bikini area?

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Superman is 75 Years Old Today

April 18, 2013 Leave a comment

SupermanSuperman was introduced to the world 75 years ago today, April 18, 1938.  I was planning on writing up a heartfelt review of my personal history with the character but Kyle Orland over at ArTechnica.com did it better in his article, “Why Superman is still interesting on his 75th birthday“

My history with Superman is very similar - even if it’s clear that I have quite a few years on Kyle - although I did stick it out through the bizarre “Red and Blue” phase (really, DC, what were you thinking?!)  In my case I began to lose touch with ‘Supes when my son was born and my time just wasn’t my own anymore.  But I continued to collect the issues only having stopped a short time ago when it finally sank in that I wouldn’t ever have the time to catch up.

One of the most profound, for me, moments, is a simple sequence and I can’t even remember the story it appeared in.  Clark and Lois are cooking dinner and the overhead light burns out.  As Lois turns to fetch the step-stool Clark rises softly up to replace bulb.  When she turns back to see the job completed the look they share is priceless.  This simple exchange epitomizes how quietly powerful Superman is while also highlighting how humanly accessible Clark is.

Superman is something special.  He means something; something worth understanding.

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Boiled Eggs and Brain Eaters 2013!

March 31, 2013 Leave a comment

BEBE BasketToday is Boiled Eggs and Brain Eaters 2013 (BEBE 2013!), our annual Easter celebration of everything zombie.

We’re moving all our of zombie and BEBE material to our new sister blog, MoreBrains.com!  If zombies are your thing please head over and check it out!  There’s going to be zombie movies, games, crafts and news.

All of our other stuff – work, family and way (way) too many movie reviews will remain here at DepressedPress as always.

 

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Tabletop Day!

March 30, 2013 Leave a comment

tabletopdaylogoToday, March 30th, is International Tabletop Day!

It’s an easy day to observe: just get together with people you like (or people you might like) and play some games.  Old-fashioned cardboard and plastic, look-each-other-in-the-eye games.

Everybody has a game or twenty tucked in a closet or stuck up on shelves.  Get them out!  Better yet go to your local game shop and ask about the hundreds of awesome independent games available.  Whether you have kids or not, five minutes or five hours, want to think really hard or not at all there’s a game out there that’s perfect.  Go find it!

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Getting Excited for Ouya!

March 25, 2013 1 Comment

Ouya ConsoleAlmost a year ago I gave some strangers $100 of my money.  They promised me that within a year they would give me a small box that would change my life.  (Making it completely different from, but reminiscent of, the puzzle box that releases sadistic demons in HellRaiser.)

The box would allow me to play Android games in full 1080p on my giant TV.  It would give me a high-end wireless controller just as good as my other consoles.  It would use a Tegra 3, turn on almost instantly and feature XMBC thus giving my current go-to media player, the beloved PS3, a run for its money (or at least a chance to rest).  It would be completely open and you could try anything you like before you buy it.

I can’t stress enough: this was a big risk.  There was no guarantee that I would ever get this box.  But me and 60,000 other people gave them our money anyway, crossed our fingers, hid from our suspicious spouses and hoped.

It seems like forever ago but the Ouya is real.  The thing, the actual damn thing, will start shipping to people like me – better than that to people that are actually me! – in three short days.  It just struck me a few minutes ago how God Damn cool that is.

 

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Movie Review: Paranormal Activity Series

March 24, 2013 Leave a comment

IMDB, Paranormal ActivityIMDB, Paranormal Activity 2IMDB, Paranormal Activity 3IMDB, Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity on IMDB (Horror, 86 Minutes, 2007)
Paranormal Activity 2 on IMDB (Horror, 91 Minutes, 2010)
Paranormal Activity 3 on IMDB (Horror, 83 Minutes, 2011)
Paranormal Activity 4 on IMDB (Horror, 88 Minutes, 2012)

I, like everybody else, heard amazing things about this series.  The first movie was made on the thinnest of shoestring budgets (less than $15,000) but has since grossed over 100 million.  I had never gotten around to watching it.  With a fifth movie announced, four in the can and a whole day to kill I figured, “why not a marathon?”

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