Friday, May 17, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Geeks and Jocks: Episode 16
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Can Anyone Stop the Warriors? 2019 Edition
The odds of the Golden State Warriors getting into the Finals for a fifth straight year will make many happy and some frustrated. With no LeBron James, no Boston, and no Philadelphia, they could punch their ticket easily next month. But is there anyone that can stop them? I'm not sure if there is one.
Portland might have CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, but you need more than that to get past them. Unless Stephen Curry's brother Seth spills some secrets, it's a tough buy to say that the team can get past the Warriors. They haven't been to a Finals since 1992. It could make them hungry, but if they can group together and fix problems in previous series, they could fight for the title.
Even with Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard, Toronto has never been to a Finals ever. Most playoff runs ended in first or second round eliminations. Their buzzer beater against the 76ers will be one for the ages and another accolade to Leonard. They are in the top ten in scoring on both sides. Cleaning up the defense a little bit will be needed. That and being calm without having the spotlight get to them.
Leonard is the X factor for Toronto. Giannis Antetokounmpo is that case for Milwaukee. A big scoring team and not giving up many points either could make them a huge underdog if they advance. They are a bit better than the Warriors in a few categories, but numbers may not mean much if they can't keep up. I do believe that it will be a Milwaukee-Golden State Finals.
Closing up this blog, health will need to be something the Warriors have to keep eye on. Kevin Durant may miss quite a bit of time depending on how bad his injury is. DeMarcus Cousins could return, but how much he can help them will be another factor. Whatever the case, it won't be as mundane as it has been the last two years for the Finals.
Portland might have CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, but you need more than that to get past them. Unless Stephen Curry's brother Seth spills some secrets, it's a tough buy to say that the team can get past the Warriors. They haven't been to a Finals since 1992. It could make them hungry, but if they can group together and fix problems in previous series, they could fight for the title.
Even with Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard, Toronto has never been to a Finals ever. Most playoff runs ended in first or second round eliminations. Their buzzer beater against the 76ers will be one for the ages and another accolade to Leonard. They are in the top ten in scoring on both sides. Cleaning up the defense a little bit will be needed. That and being calm without having the spotlight get to them.
Leonard is the X factor for Toronto. Giannis Antetokounmpo is that case for Milwaukee. A big scoring team and not giving up many points either could make them a huge underdog if they advance. They are a bit better than the Warriors in a few categories, but numbers may not mean much if they can't keep up. I do believe that it will be a Milwaukee-Golden State Finals.
Closing up this blog, health will need to be something the Warriors have to keep eye on. Kevin Durant may miss quite a bit of time depending on how bad his injury is. DeMarcus Cousins could return, but how much he can help them will be another factor. Whatever the case, it won't be as mundane as it has been the last two years for the Finals.
Friday, May 10, 2019
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Initial Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Reaction
I've waited a little bit for the buzz to die off on this, so I can have a genuine thought on it. Sonic the Hedgehog is heading to theaters in November in live action form. My reaction to the trailer from last week is that it will be an okay movie. Might be something I would see.
It is nice to see Jim Carrey actually doing a movie and not his usual political garbage he does now these days. The question on portraying Robotnik is how much he will act like him or if it is similar to other movies of his. But it does seem like a form back to what he was like in the mid to late 90s. For the Sonic design, I didn't hate it. The only thing I wasn't huge on was the face. He's going to be CGI from the looks of it and the special effects from the trailer don't look horrible.
As far as plot, it has some thought compared to other game to movie adaptations. But it's a matter of how audiences will react when the film does come out. I don't think the trailer was as bad as most think it is. A few spots could have been better. For now, it's on my radar for when it comes out to maybe see in theaters. Until then, not much to talk regarding the film.
It is nice to see Jim Carrey actually doing a movie and not his usual political garbage he does now these days. The question on portraying Robotnik is how much he will act like him or if it is similar to other movies of his. But it does seem like a form back to what he was like in the mid to late 90s. For the Sonic design, I didn't hate it. The only thing I wasn't huge on was the face. He's going to be CGI from the looks of it and the special effects from the trailer don't look horrible.
As far as plot, it has some thought compared to other game to movie adaptations. But it's a matter of how audiences will react when the film does come out. I don't think the trailer was as bad as most think it is. A few spots could have been better. For now, it's on my radar for when it comes out to maybe see in theaters. Until then, not much to talk regarding the film.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Life is Strange (PS4) Review
For a game to tackle a lot of things, I'm amazed Life is Strange didn't catch my attention. With five episodes released throughout 2015, it took the concept of the point and click and brought in a time travel element to it. Nothing original, but it is given a strong execution. Add in good production and it is a very good game.
The plot is in line with The Butterfly Effect (haven't seen it), with a small mix of Back to the Future and The Twilight Zone. Arcadia Bay, Oregon is a shithole, but home to Blackwell Academy. Eighteen year old Max Caulfield, back from a five year move to Seattle, studies there to be a photographer. A girl winds up shot and killed and somehow, she gains the ability to rewind time. With that new ability come a big adventure filled with many great and tragic moments.
Nailing down the school elements, it is a bit cliched. It's like most high school movies. However, they don't let their foot down on tons of serious issues and they make the characters seem more fleshed out with distinct personalities and traits. Graphically, it's not strong in its character modeling, but the colors and environments around Arcadia Bay is beautiful. Even basic things like pictures are done with effort. And the audio fits Life is Strange very well. An emphasis on guitar led stuff, moody style melodies, and a few sappy songs that would make it onto prime time television.
As far as gameplay goes, it's a bit deeper compared to most point and click games. It's more in line with classic LucasArts games in that you need to look, search, and interact everywhere before leaving. Max controls very well There are rarely any hiccups to the movement. The rewinding of time can yield multiple results, giving it a little extra replay value. There is the decision making, altering certain areas, and fixing certain moments. Be sure you are final on what you do because once a scene or area is finished, you won't have a chance to redo that part.
An added touch is taking photos throughout the episodes. You can view stuff via a journal/diary, looking at recollections of the events that happened during the game. Not too many options are present, and it is mostly for the presentation. A couple spots do drag a little bit, but it's not a huge deal breaker. The only other small negative thing is some lip sync issues, but that came very late into playing it. Overall, this is a game to check out and one that the developers knew what they were doing and nailed it for the franchise debut.
Score: 9 out of 10
The plot is in line with The Butterfly Effect (haven't seen it), with a small mix of Back to the Future and The Twilight Zone. Arcadia Bay, Oregon is a shithole, but home to Blackwell Academy. Eighteen year old Max Caulfield, back from a five year move to Seattle, studies there to be a photographer. A girl winds up shot and killed and somehow, she gains the ability to rewind time. With that new ability come a big adventure filled with many great and tragic moments.
Nailing down the school elements, it is a bit cliched. It's like most high school movies. However, they don't let their foot down on tons of serious issues and they make the characters seem more fleshed out with distinct personalities and traits. Graphically, it's not strong in its character modeling, but the colors and environments around Arcadia Bay is beautiful. Even basic things like pictures are done with effort. And the audio fits Life is Strange very well. An emphasis on guitar led stuff, moody style melodies, and a few sappy songs that would make it onto prime time television.
As far as gameplay goes, it's a bit deeper compared to most point and click games. It's more in line with classic LucasArts games in that you need to look, search, and interact everywhere before leaving. Max controls very well There are rarely any hiccups to the movement. The rewinding of time can yield multiple results, giving it a little extra replay value. There is the decision making, altering certain areas, and fixing certain moments. Be sure you are final on what you do because once a scene or area is finished, you won't have a chance to redo that part.
An added touch is taking photos throughout the episodes. You can view stuff via a journal/diary, looking at recollections of the events that happened during the game. Not too many options are present, and it is mostly for the presentation. A couple spots do drag a little bit, but it's not a huge deal breaker. The only other small negative thing is some lip sync issues, but that came very late into playing it. Overall, this is a game to check out and one that the developers knew what they were doing and nailed it for the franchise debut.
Score: 9 out of 10
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Band Geeks: SpongeBob's Best Episode
Nothing I think will ever come close for SpongeBob SquarePants to top it's late 2001 episode, Band Geeks. It's one that has been discussed to death, so here is my take on it. Squidward needs to form a marching band to play in the Bubble Bowl, previously led by rival Squilliam Fancyson. Of course, getting Bikini Bottom in on the gig is no small task and becomes a failure. That is until the end of it when SpongeBob leads the charge and gets them ready to perform and make Squidward proud.
No doubt, it's an episode where Squidward doesn't get the bad end of the stick. Cliched but a welcoming one considering the chaos and destruction that he had to endure in the first two seasons. It is very quotable. Even the beginning with the doctor. There is Patrick's moments throughout the episode, the big fight between the members, and of course, the performance.
The song, Sweet Victory, is one that has endured a lot of popularity in the last 18 years. An 80s song from David Glen Eisley, it caught even more attention from fans petitioning for the song to be played during the Super Bowl back in February. And this was just when show creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away. A lot of disappointment, but others like the Dallas Stars and Daytona Speedway used the song. The former for intermission and the latter for a promotion with previous Daytona moments.
I can't think of anything better than Band Geeks. This was SpongeBob at its peak and it is an episode that defied what the typical episode should have been back then.
No doubt, it's an episode where Squidward doesn't get the bad end of the stick. Cliched but a welcoming one considering the chaos and destruction that he had to endure in the first two seasons. It is very quotable. Even the beginning with the doctor. There is Patrick's moments throughout the episode, the big fight between the members, and of course, the performance.
The song, Sweet Victory, is one that has endured a lot of popularity in the last 18 years. An 80s song from David Glen Eisley, it caught even more attention from fans petitioning for the song to be played during the Super Bowl back in February. And this was just when show creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away. A lot of disappointment, but others like the Dallas Stars and Daytona Speedway used the song. The former for intermission and the latter for a promotion with previous Daytona moments.
I can't think of anything better than Band Geeks. This was SpongeBob at its peak and it is an episode that defied what the typical episode should have been back then.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Thursday, May 2, 2019
The Hood Time
Most summer blockbusters were and still are action type movies filled with tons of explosions and one liners. However, there were times where companies took a chance to compete via counter program during the heat of the summer. July of 1991 was no different with Boyz N the Hood, the first of many movies done by the now late John Singleton.
It was not the biggest film that year, but it was a defining film of the decade. Primarily because this was made in 1990 and a few months prior to hitting theaters was the Rodney King incident. Life in South Central Los Angeles was not ideal. There are lots of cities that are like this that have an urban neighborhood with tons of crime, drugs. Singleton grew up around the area, so his knowledge on what his home was like was not far from the truth.
The portrayal of life in the hood showcases several types of hood people. You have ones that want to get out and do better or to understand life. Then there's ones who stay within the hood and get involved in shady stuff. But there's also the stereotypes. Just because you're in the hood, you're more than likely assumed to be part of a gang. Cops are not trustworthy. Piss someone off, and you can either get hurt or killed. I wouldn't be surprised if this resonated with people a lot more than they realized in the last 28 years, let alone when it came out. Not too long after that came the riots, and years later the parodies.
It made superstars out of a few of the recognizable ones, and household names out of the up and coming, including Singleton. Getting nominated for awards in 1992 at a very young age of 23 and the first for an African American was a huge achievement. Why not? Boyz N the Hood is an excellent movie and it propelled him to make tons more movies. They may not have had the impact of his first, but the guy had vision in what he wanted to portray. He was one of the more important filmmakers of the 90s and it's a stunner for his sudden passing. I don't think we will ever see someone like this ever again.
It was not the biggest film that year, but it was a defining film of the decade. Primarily because this was made in 1990 and a few months prior to hitting theaters was the Rodney King incident. Life in South Central Los Angeles was not ideal. There are lots of cities that are like this that have an urban neighborhood with tons of crime, drugs. Singleton grew up around the area, so his knowledge on what his home was like was not far from the truth.
The portrayal of life in the hood showcases several types of hood people. You have ones that want to get out and do better or to understand life. Then there's ones who stay within the hood and get involved in shady stuff. But there's also the stereotypes. Just because you're in the hood, you're more than likely assumed to be part of a gang. Cops are not trustworthy. Piss someone off, and you can either get hurt or killed. I wouldn't be surprised if this resonated with people a lot more than they realized in the last 28 years, let alone when it came out. Not too long after that came the riots, and years later the parodies.
It made superstars out of a few of the recognizable ones, and household names out of the up and coming, including Singleton. Getting nominated for awards in 1992 at a very young age of 23 and the first for an African American was a huge achievement. Why not? Boyz N the Hood is an excellent movie and it propelled him to make tons more movies. They may not have had the impact of his first, but the guy had vision in what he wanted to portray. He was one of the more important filmmakers of the 90s and it's a stunner for his sudden passing. I don't think we will ever see someone like this ever again.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
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