Carly on Comics Reviews Some Video Games!

Hello hello! Hope y'all had a great weekend full of awesomeness and fireworks! Last week I promised some video games, and this week I'm delivering. We're going to take a peek at the three games I've been playing as of late, and I'll let you know what I think of each!

Lucha Fury- The first game we're going to look at is the side-scrolling awesomeness for Xbox Live Arcade called "Lucha Fury". This is by far one of the best button mashers I've played in a long time. The press release for the game describes the synopsis as the following:

"In the world of Lucha Fury, the lost, ancient recipe for Pollojo, the nectar of the gods, is discovered by a struggling bar owner, who turns it into a highly successful energy drink. The gods, however, are not so happy about humans stealing their drink, and they set out to reclaim what is theirs - destroying humanity in the process. Four masked luchadores, having never accomplished much of anything in the past, suddenly find themselves without Pollojo and are sparked into battle to take down the old gods and return with their precious energy drink, possibly saving the world along the way."

Basically, there are four different luchador wrestlers to choose from, each with their own skill set and you pick the one you like best. For me, the chick was the obvious choice. The graphics are very colorful and vibrant, and the animation reminds me very much of "Borderlands", which I love. The best part about this game is that you can play local multiplayer with up to four people. In my opinion there are not enough games like that, where if you'd like to have three of your closest friends to play a video game you can all be on the same console playing together. Damn kids today with their online friends... Seriously, get a real live friend or two.  The game will set you back $10, but it's totally worth it for all of the button-mashing fun you'll have with your friends!





Child of Eden- The jury is still out on this one for me. "Child of Eden" is the follow up game to "Rez", which I've never played, but people seem to love. "Child of Eden" can be used with or without a Kinect, but I feel like the experience is better with a Kinect. The synopsis is as follows:

"Child of Eden thrusts you in the center of a battle to save Project Lumi, a mission to reproduce a human personality inside Eden, the archive of all human memories. As the project nears completion, the archive is invaded by an unknown virus. The player's mission is to purify Eden from the virus to restore hope and peace."
Instead of killing things, you "purify" them, and as you do so, you start to realize (when you're using the Kinect) that it feels like you're conducting the world. Each time you "purify" an enemy, there is a different sound fed back to you, so you're essentially making music. I found the game to be a little bit difficult to get used to, and I wish that it had more save spots, so that if I failed 3/4 of the way through a level  I didn't have to go all the way back to the beginning, but other than that, it's certainly an experience unlike any other. I described the game feel as "zen". If you're a big fan of the Kinect, it's certainly a must have.




Heavy Rain- The last game up for review today is "Heavy Rain" for the PS3. I know this one has been out for a while, but I just recently borrowed Evan T's PS3, so give me a break. I love this game. After the first half hour of playing I thought I was going to hate it, then I got submerged deeper into what was going on with the story, and it's pretty f'n amazing. I don't know how to refer to it other than a "choose your own adventure" type story. There are four different characters you're playing as, each at different times, and the story is told based on the decisions you make. It's like playing a movie, if that makes sense. Wikipedia's synopsis of the game is:

"Heavy Rain's story is a dramatic thriller modeled after film noir, featuring four protagonists involved with the mystery of the Origami Killer, a serial killer who uses extended periods of rainfall to drown his victims. Ethan Mars is a father who is trying to save his son from being the next victim, while investigative journalist Madison Paige, FBI profiler Norman Jayden, and private detective Scott Shelby are each trying to track down clues to the Origami Killer's identity."

It's a hauntingly awesome story, and you'll be amazed at how attached you'll get to the characters. If "L.A. Noir" is anything like "Hard Rain", I need to go out and buy a copy STAT.

Evan T. Reviews Transformers: Dark of the Moon!

They pushed it up and released it early so you get the early review! Fresh off the midnight release, here's a review.

If you remember from last movie we learned something about the transformers, some government douche doesn't want the Autobots in America, Sams mom says something crraazzyy, Megatron played second banana to a new baddie and Sam yells "Bumblebee" and "Optimus" several times. Now that you are caught up, you're ready for Dark of the Moon. This movie we learn something about the transformers, some government douche doesn't want the Autobots in America,  Sams mom says something crraazzyy, Megatron played second banana to a new baddie and Sam yells "Bumblebee" and "Optimus" several times. Even with that this movie is easily a huge advancement over the last.

The story in this movie is SO much easier to follow and makes the bare minimum of sense required for me to like a movie. There was a new writer for this movie because the the writers (Yeah, two people wrote that last flick) of the last two movies thought they might risk getting stale. One movie too late, guys.

Most of the main characters return with a couple of notable exceptions. The Autobot Twins, Mudflap and Skids, are thankfully absent from this film. As the Jar Jar Binks of this franchise I was happy to see them gone. I was not, however, happy to see Megan Fox gone. I'm a big fan of her, um, her "work". Yeah, her "work" Something went down whether you believe that Micheal "Baysplosions" Bay dropped her or it was The Spielberg himself she's gone and now the female costar is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and her lips. They do as well as Megan did. Not a whole lot of acting prowess needed but she is good looking. Good work casting agents!

I didn't read a lot about this movie and went in a little blind. I was happy to see Patrick Dempsey (who easily produces the best acting on screen), John Malkovich, Alan Tudyk and Ken Jeong in the film. A fair amount of comedy finds it's way into the movie but it doesn't feel forced. Transformers: Dark of the Moon also steps up the robot carnage with different colored liquids used as blood flying from laser shots and a full on execution of a robot on screen.

Also of note are "The Wreckers", a trio of Autobots who transform into N.A.S.C.A.R. cars that have guns all over them. There is something spectacularly 'Merican about that and I really loved that. Also braking the tradition of import vehicles being Decepticons is Mirage, a Ferrari 458 Italia, who speaks with an Italian accent. So fantastic. Oh, don't worry, there are still import Decepticons, most notably Soundwave who has become a Mercedes SLS AMG. Hmmm, maybe it's just the German automobiles who are evil? Last movie there was Sideswipe, an Audi R8. At least they are bad ass cars...

All in all it was a good film and if you enjoy the series or want a nice action movie check it out.If nothing else, you will see John Malkovich play fight with a giant robot.

BONUS- A few posts back Carly expressed her thoughts on why she doesn't go to see movies in the theater. I understood but I have that same feeling right about now. I had a fantastically obnoxious couple who sat next to me at the midnight showing of the new Transformers movie. I definitely felt enriched by the whole experience. When I thought, before the movie started, that I would have to deal with these two people all night I was unhappy. Then their two friends came in and sat in the row in front of them. The friends gave great thoughts on the need for popcorn and added a interesting smell to the theater. Like cheese and peanut butter. Their running commentary and insightful quips of "Damn", "Wow" and "That's Shockwave. He's a whole big ass robot" really increased my enjoyment of the movie. But not nearly as much as constantly being touched by the fat girlfriend as she lumbered around in her seat. She only knocked my drink bottle over twice. While I wont go Carlys route I will be more careful of where I sit, for sure.

True Blood Season 4!

Good morning everyone! Another Monday, another weekend passed, and me still with child... The new season of True Blood premiered last night,and I have the whole scoop on it! Check it out over at Big Shiny Robot! I'll be back atcha tomorrow with an all new movie review.

Game of Thrones Season Finale Review

Hey guys! Since I gave you a little "Red Riding Hood" review yesterday, I thought I'd throw a little "Game of Thrones" love towards Big Shiny Robot today. Below is the link to my article for the season finale review! Caution: Spoilers ahead!

Game of Thrones Season Finale

Movie Review: Red Riding Hood

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "Red Riding Hood". I wanted to see it in the theaters, but as we all know, it's VERY difficult, if not impossible to get the Carlymonster into an actual theater to see a movie. Also, the reviews came back saying it was TERRIBLE, so I put if off for a while. Low expectations are the key to being pleasantly surprised.

I was surprised by two things when I was done watching this movie; 1) that I ended up liking it as much as I did, and 2) that "Twilight" got a better IMDB rating than this. The acting wasn't great, but I think Amanda Seyfried is an infinitely more talented actress than the cardboard-like Kristen Stewart, whose acting skills range from looking like she's confused, to looking like she's holding in a fart.

"Wait, what?"

Although the acting was less than stellar, I still found the story to be really fun. It was a pretty awesome take on a classic fairy tale. It's basically a supernatural whodoneit with werewolves. Of course there is a pretty girl who is torn between two boys, but I still find that kind of story cute.

Honestly, and I never thought I'd ever say this, the movie could have used more violence. I'm used to watching HBO, where they have no problem showing a horse getting it's head lobbed off, so the ridiculous killing scenes fell a little flat with me. But that's what you get with a PG-13 teen-drama-horror movie. "30 Days of Night" it is not, but I still enjoyed it.

The scenes were very pretty too, which is no surprise since Catherine Hardwicke directed it. Catherine is the person who directed the first "Twilight" movie, and the cinematography was the ONLY thing I liked about that steaming pile.

I wanted to get a boys opinion on the movie, but The Editor was at hockey this evening, and I wouldn't subject him to it anyway. I think if you like vampire and werewolf stories, and you're willing to offer a little forgiveness in the acting department, you'll like this. Especially if you're a girl.

P.S. You can dress her up, and give her all the serious roles in the world, but Amanda Seyfried will always be Karen Smith to me....

Carly on Comics Movie Review: Paul

Happy Monday everyone! All of the Carly on Comics members came together last night to watch a viewing of the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost film "Paul", and it was fabulous.

"Paul" is a movie about two British guys (Frost and Pegg) who go on holiday in America. Their first trip is to San Diego Comic Con, and from there, the pair decide to rent a Winnebago and drive cross country, visiting different UFO hotspots on their way. What they didn't expect was an alien encounter of their own.

Paul is an alien whose spaceship crashed on Earth in the 1940's and has been living at Area 51 ever since. He's outlived his usefulness to the government, and now the government wants to harvest his brain for science. Naturally, Paul steals a car, gets into an accident, and meets Frost and Pegg on the road.

The threesome becomes a foursome when Kristen Wiig's (looooove her) God-loving character, Ruth, joins the team via her (accidental) kidnapping.

The foursome is trying to get Paul back to Wyoming so that he can meet up with his people who are there to rescue him, all the while being chased by not only Ruth's father, but the FBI as well.

It's a super cute buddy film with an all-star cast. You've got Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (whom I've professed my love for for quite sometime now), Kristen Wiig (who has quickly become my newest girl crush), Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, and many more. Also, the voice talents of Seth Rogan as Paul.

If you're a nerd, you will love this movie. There are so many awesome references to things in geek culture, including a particularly awesome music piece that is played when they're in a bar. I was afraid that I'd be too distracted with the CG alien, but it wasn't bad at all. Chances are, if you read this blog, you won't be disappointed. The language can get a little rough at times, but overall, it was a fantastic movie.

Holy Crap! It's another Evan T Review! X-Men: First Class

So, yeah. No one in my unique and fantastic circle of friends was giving this movie any chance at all of being anything better than Superman IV: The Quest For Peace or Batman and Robin. I mean, aside from me. I took a cautiously optimistic, wait and see approach. Well I was pleasantly surprised by the movie.

First off they had a trailer for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and man, I hadn't really had that movie on my radar but a combination of James Franco and crazy monkey army attack has got me excited. Looks like fun and an interesting take on the franchise. The Planet of the Apes could use it after the movie was Burton-ized and really just turned into a suck souffle. Anyways, here's hoping.



As we all know already this is the story of a young Charles Xavier and a young Erik Lehnsherr meeting each other and making sweet mutant love...wait, no, that's a slashfic. My bad. It is the story of young Professor X and Magneto before they were all Professor X and Magneto. It's actually a very nice "I'm sorry for X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine". For anyone who is thinking I'm all full of it - Rotten Tomatoes score for those movies are 57% and 37% versus 86%.

The idea of using the Cuban Missile Crisis as a backdrop is a really fantastic idea. It never feels like the movie was forced into being in the 60's but just coincidentally happened at the same time. Having characters not always seen in the various iterations of the X-Men throughout their movie and television careers is neat, too. Seeing Havok, a non-fuzzy Beast, Darwin (!) and Banshee not to mention Sebastian Shaw, Riptide and Azazel (had to look him up on Wikipedia) was a ton of fun. I really like Cyclops and always enjoy seeing him but getting the chance to see his brother was actually just as fun.

I was unaware what a January Jones was before this movie. I didn't watch Unknown or American Wedding or Mad Men (yes, yes, I know, I'm on it) but I have to say, I'm a fan. Especially if she runs around in outfits like she does in this flick. This movie even has a mutant power of it's own - Being the most boobtastic of them all. Swinging 60's and all.

The movie also has possibly the best cameo I have seen in a Marvel movie yet. You will know it when you see it....freaking great

(Note from Carly: Below is the cameo that Evan T. is talking about... Don't click if you don't want to see it!)



I saw this with my fam as my nieces choice for their birthday movie. J1 and J2 (13 years old) both really enjoyed the movie. After it was over, they both asked me if "the blue one" (Mystique) was a bad guy now to which I replied yeah (oh, gee, spoiled for anyone who has never read an X-Men book or seen any of the movies). They both seemed kinda bummed. If this movie brought actual emotions like that out of some kids who didn't know or give a diddly squat about X-Men, imagine how much you might like it.

Another Note from Carly: Despite what Evan T. may think, I do actually want to see this movie, because I'm totally gay for X-Men. However, due to my infinite pregnantness, and the fact that I HATE being in a large sea of people, I have to wait a week or two to watch it. If you're confused, please refer to my previous post. :-)

Carly's Thoughts on "Deadwood"

Good morning everyone! Hope you slept better than I did. It was miserably hot here in Upstate New York last night, and even after my middle-of-the-night escapades in the yard turning on the central air, it was still miserably hot. I don't understand why in NY we go from extreme cold to extreme hot, with no real in between. I would have gladly taken a few days of mid 60's and sunny. But enough about the weather...

The Editor and I began watching "Deadwood" a last week. At first I was somewhat unexcited to watch the show. I mean, I love watching The Editor play "Red Dead Redemption" and I love Westerns for the most part, but I suppose it was my fear of the unknown that kept me away from "Deadwood" for so long.

It's fantastic. It's an awesome story about life in the old west. Deadwood is a lawless territory that is not part of any country, and the citizens want to keep it that way. They make their own law, and see to their own punishments. Mostly all the women are prostitutes, but still try to find a way to make the best out of the lives they're given.

Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane have been featured prominently in season one so far, and that makes the story even more awesome. The character of Calamity Jane *might* be one of my most favorite characters in a television series ever. She's a rough and tumble, no bullshit, foul mouthed woman, who doesn't take crap from anyone. She offers a good heart, and fantastic comic relief.

The show offers a lot of historical relevance, and gives the viewer a glimpse into what it was like to live in the old west. The good (gold prospecting) and the bad (smallpox). Of course, many of the names have been altered, and some historical facts have been as well, but it still makes for some DAMN good TV.

Oh, and you know who is in the show? Um, EVERYONE. Yeah, you'll enjoy picking out all of the actors you know in the show just as much as you'll enjoy the show itself! It truly is s star studded cast. If you've ever watched "True Blood", "Sons of Anarchy", "Dexter" or watched the movie Winters Bone, chances are, you'll know a LOT of the actors.

If you're a fan of westerns, and you don't mind profanity, I put "Deadwood" high on the list for good Summer watching.

Jason Statham is the Shit.

Jason Statham is amazing. The way Evan T. feels about Vin Diesel is the way I feel about Jason Statham. I just watched "The Mechanic" and it was amazing. From co-star Ben Foster to the really cheesy CG blood, the movie was awesome. It was Jason Statham being Jason Statham.

The best part about "The Mechanic" is the mind fuck that J.S.' character gives to one of his boss' lackeys by making the guy think that J.S. put his daughters hand in the garbage disposal. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Also, when J.S. throws a guy out of a bus window, and the guy proceeds to get hit by a car is pretty amazing too. I'm pretty sure that I've gone far too long without virtually maiming something with a melee weapon, and that is why I found so much pleasure in these scenes. I'm usually not such a sick individual, I've just had a reeeeeally long weekend.

Did you know that Jason Statham was on the 1992 Olympic diving team for Great Britain? How about that he used to be a black market salesman? No? How about the fact that he was a male model? Yeah, that's right. Everything about Jason Statham is awesome. He is also British, which makes him infinitely more awesome than you (unless, of course, you're British).

Thank you.

Evan T.'s Long Overdue Review of FAST FIVE!

Okay, so originally I was not going to write a review for this movie as it didn't really fit into the CarlyOnComics mold. However, after being asked by She who will not be named (Carly) I sit here trying to find the words to express how amazing this movie is. As a preface to this, I should note I am a fan through and through and though normally that might get the better of me, you should still check out the review.

Do you remember how Christmas used to feel? When you were young and everything was just magical? Take that, multiply it by your first beer and multiply that by infinity. That is how FAST FIVE felt. As a long time fan of the franchise I had been excited to see what they would do for the newest installment. When I heard that it would be going in a different direction I had some trepidations, obviously.. Would they be destroying the franchise I had grown to love? Answer is NO, they just made it better.

Right now Marvel is doing a bunch of .1 issues as jumping on points for people who might not have been regular readers of a particular series. Well think of this movie as FAST FIVE.1 because you don't need any sort of previous knowledge of the films to have a great time at these flicks. Are there little Easter eggs for the fans? Yeah, you know it. But if you have never seen a Fast and Furious movie you can still see this movie and enjoy the holy heck out of it.

FAST FIVE is about Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) deciding that the life of on the run criminal will no longer do and they should end their running by pulling off a heist of a Brazilian drug lord and taking that money to start new lives. They wont be going alone, though, as they make the calls to former Fast and Furious costars to help them commit the crime. Standing in their way is Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) a federal agent tasked with the capture of the fugitives.

As a fan of "Popcorn movies" this movie really just does everything you want it to do for the get go. It's funny and never stops entertaining. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a movie with Fast in the title doesn't have any slow spots. A couple of actions scenes, a great race through the city of Rio with a safe attached doing things I haven't ever thought about in a movie before and one of the best ending/wrap up scenes I have witnessed in recent memory. Danza Kuduro!

Even beyond my fanboy silliness this movie stands tall as a fun action movie fully deserving of your hard earned money. My favorite quote about this movie, and forgive me because i cannot remember where I saw it, is "Fast Five out-Bad Boys II Bad Boys II" That pretty much says it all.

Carly's Thoughts on the End of Smallville

 Okay, so I just finished up the "Smallville" finale. I've been reading a ton of reviews of the final episode all over the internet, and for the most part, the finale was seemingly widely regarded as garbage. I disagree by taking the stance of "Well, what were you expecting?".

I've been a "Smallville" watcher for years now. I've seen every episode. The finale wasn't disappointing to me, because thanks to all the previous years of watching, I had set my expectations set pretty low. I'm a comic book nerd, and as a comic book nerd I felt it was my duty to watch "Smallville". I would even go so far as to say that "Smallville" helped shape my nerdiness, as I was all but a sophomore in high school when it premiered. There were a few ups to the show, and definitely some downs as well, but why trash the finale if you've been watching it all along?

Over the years there are a bunch of things I liked. I like the fact that Lynda Carter (the original Wonder Woman) played Chloe's mom. I like the fact that Helen Slater (the original Supergirl) played Laura El (Superman's mom), and the fact that Terry Hatcher, who played Lois Lane in "The New Adventures of Superman", was cast as Lois' mom in "Smallville". There were appearances by Dean Cain and Christopher Reeves, which I though was also an awesome tip of the hat to Superman.  I also like that we got to see a variety of characters from the DC universe. We saw The Flash, Aquaman and Mera, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl, Black Canary, Hawkman (and the other members of the JSA), Darkseid, Zod, and the obvious Lex Luthor, Green Arrow, as well as countles others. The show allowed me to pay attention, but at the same time not. I have enjoyed the show, but I'm not quite sure how much I'll miss it.

The bad things about "Smallville" to me include things like Lana Lang (whom I felt to be the most irritating character of all time), lack of acting ability, the fact that Superman is called "The Blur", and the fact that after 10 years of waiting, we have to wait until the last 5 minutes of the series to watch Superman suit up and actually fly. The CG on that suit was sooooo bad.  I have no idea what they were thinking.

The series finale was like any other episode of "Smallville". It didn't peak nor lose my interest. It was just kind of bland, like most every other episode. I mean, if you put all of the truly awesome episodes of "Smallville" together, you'd barely have a whole season, so there are some huge amounts of filler episodes in there.

I don't want to give anything away in the finale, so I'm leaving this all pretty vague. Basically, if you're like me, the bar is already set pretty low, so chances are, you won't be terribly disappointed, but you won't be elated either. The series had a great run, and a good ending, and I wasn't left wanting more, so all and all it was a pretty good ride.

Comic Review: Morning Glories!

There will be some spoilers in this post, so be warned!

Morning Glories is the hot comic book title right now. Of any other new or new(ish) book out there, I feel like this one has received the most praise. After the Boston Con, The Editor and I decided to pick up the first trade to see what all of the hype was about, and let me tell you, it's certainly worth the read!

Morning Glory Academy is a prestigious prep school that is hiding a lot of dark secrets. The story focuses on six new recruits. These recruits begin to realize right away that there is something not quite right about the school. When they call home their parents don't remember who they are, and one girls parents are murdered to teach her a lesson.

As the story goes on things begin to get even more sinister. One of the new recruits gets kidnapped after trying to drown herself, and the others have to go on a mission to save her from the school. If that isn't enough, it seems that there is a supernatural entity that is attacking students as well.

As the story progresses you find that some of the upper classmen (including the new girls' RA) who aren't quite right in the head, and that all of the kids attending the school have the same birthday. There is a lot going on in this story, but all of it keeps you on your toes, and gets you excited about the next issue. I don't want to give anything more away, so I'll stop there before I do.

It's a great thriller, and if you're into the whole "independent comics" thing like I am, you'll appreciate the originality of the series. It brings you in and keeps you guessing the same way that "The Unwritten" does. And with a end to the series planned (author Nick Spencer has 100 issues planned, with a definite ending), it's suer to keep you on your toes until the very end.

Evan T. Reviews THOR!

Hey All. The E-Man here fresh of a midnight showing of Thor. I am bursting with excitement over the movie and am ready to impart upon you a review!

 Thor starts off much as the Marvel series started off. Thor, son of Odin, goes of to the land of the Frost Giants against the wishes of his father. The long time enemies of the Asgardians are attacked by Thor and his allies Sif, Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral. Also along is Thor's brother Loki. After discovering Thor's disobedience, Odin strips him of his power and banishes him to Midgard (aka Earth) to learn humility. From there the movie is a tale of redemption for Thor. Usually I do a pro/con list but in truth, I have NO CONS of legitimacy for this movie. I will post my one con and all the pros this movie has going for it.

 PROS:

 *Chris Hemsworth is going to be the next Sam Worthington - As soon as Mr. Hemsworth steps onto the scene you just WANT to watch this guy. He really has "it". As I was watching it I was thinking back to Terminator: Salvation. That movie doesn't have a lot going for it but Sam Worthington really works the shit out of his role in that move. I cannot imagine that Chris Hemsworth wont be getting a ton of work after this movie and I am totally prepared to watch what he does next. As for him in this movie there is no point where you don't believe this man is the god of thunder.

 *Green Lantern Trailer in 3D - Ok, so while not a part of the movie proper the new GL trailer is attached to this flick. And it is looking so so sooooo much better than the first trailers. I might actually be getting excited for that movie.

 *Freaking Hawkeye! - Ok, so that was a bit of a spoiler. The scene works a little something like this. Agent Coulson gets on the radio. "We need a man with a gun up there to take this guy (Thor) out." Switch scene to a armory with guns all hanging up. An arm comes into view, passing by a rifle and an assault rifle. The arm grabs a bow and off the agent goes. This one scene had me so geeked out I was not sure if my nerd boner would ever go back down. They refer to the agent as Clint, the name of Hawkeye. Avengers, we are full steam ahead!

This movie has everything - Looking for a little comic relief? Yup, this movie has that and it never gets in the way of the rest of the story. Want some action/adventure? How abotu battling frost giants and SHIELD agents? Cause this movie has that. Looking for a little geek recognition? Oh yeah, you are going to see some easter eggs in this flick (The Eye of Aggamoto, Cosmic Cube, Dr. Donald Blake, etc). This movie really has it going on

Everyone in this movie is good, man - As I have said Thor is amazing. But the rest of the cast is fantastic as well. I'm not sure if it's Kenneth Branagh as the director really pulling the performance out of the cast or maybe they just really assembled an amazing group of actors but there is no week performance to point out. Odin, Loki, Sif and Hiemdall really stand out as great supporting roles.

CONS:

 *No Balder - I am a fan of Balder the brave and was just a smidgen disappointed to not see him. I can understand if they had to choose between Balder and the Warriors Three then it was a good choice. Guess I'll just have to wait for Thor 2: Electric Bugaloo.

All in all this movie is a fantastic kickoff to the super hero movie season. It hits on all cylinders. I suggest you see it, see it in 3D, see it in IMAX, just get out there and see this flick!

P.S. - I am in love with Sif. You know, I'm just sayin.

Wednesday Review: Game of Thrones

Last night I watched the new HBO craze "Game of Thrones" twice, once by myself and once with The Editor. We both agree that it was a good show, but we also both agreed that it wasn't necessarily deserving of a 9.5 rating on IMDB.

The cinematography was absolutely amazing. It was filmed mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and it was completely beautiful to look at. HBO gave a big budget for the show, and it totally paid off. They also have some totally great people in the cast including Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings), Lena Heady (of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fame), Peter Dinklage (most well known to me as Miles Finch in Elf) and Mark Addy whom you may recognize from the TV show Still Standing or the movie A Knights Tale.

The show features Sean Bean as Eddard Stark

The story (so far) features three families. The Stark family of the North, The royal family and The Targaryen Family, a once noble family who was dethroned by the now royal family. I had to watch the show twice just to figure out who was related and how. The story starts out with some mythological elements in the beginning featuring a gang of supernaturals who murder people in the woods. Later in the story they discuss dragons eggs, and awakening the dragon, so I'm assuming we'll go back into that stuff later on.

Scary mythical woods!

The show was a little bit "Thor" and a little bit "Rome" to me. The family in the North was seemingly very viking-ish, whereas the family across the Narrow Sea is very Rome-esque. The show features lots of gruesome moments, as well as some suuuuuper uncomfortable incesty moments that will make you cringe. Oh, and there are boobs galore. Of course there is. It wouldn't be on HBO if there wasn't.

Pretty girls and horses!

All and all, I really liked the show. I'm totally into Medieval fantasy type shows. I am, however, very surprised that it got the critical acclaim that it did. I feel like if this show had been on BBC America, and not on HBO, I would be getting made fun of for liking it, but because it's on HBO, it's okay to watch. I don't want to dive too far into the plot because I don't want to ruin things for those of you who haven't seen it.

Peter Dinklage!

At very least, I would give the show a try. I feel like the story is going to get very interesting very quickly, and I can't wait to see where it goes! In the meantime, the show was based on the book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin, so if you want major spoilers, go pick up these books.

Evan T. Goes to the Movies! Battle: Los Angeles

Movie season is kicking it up into high gear and the movies are coming quick out the gate. I'm going to give a little review of Battle: Los Angeles. If you will remember the summer movie rundown I did a little while back and this was one I was getting excited about. Standard movie reviewing will apply.

Action From the Word Go - Battle: Los Angeles (I'm going to abbreviate that to B:LA) does not make you wait long to get into the action. Much like the movie B:LA was being compared to before it's release, Black Hawk Down, B:LA gives you a quick, quick background and goes right to the Marines vs aliens fighting. it runs with that for the rest of the film so if you are an action junkie all you have to do is get through the first 12 minutes and you are going to be on the ride for the rest of the time. The fights are shot gritty, like a war movie. If this is the face of the new alien invasion flick I can't wait to see what else comes.


Everyone Plays Their Part Well - There is not any new ground being broken here, story wise. I will debate anyone, however, on the fact that all the cookie cutter roles are played well by the actors in those roles. Gritty seargant? Check. Green new lieutenant? Check. Tough as nails female? Check. Kid in a war who needs protecting? Check. All your favorites are there. The actors and actresses in the rolse really just make it all work for your viewing pleasure. No award winning stuff but noting that is bad bad bad.


America....F#&K Yeah! - This movie is a total 'Merica movie. I really dig that. I've been waiting a while for a military movie that is like something from the 80's where it was America rules, suck it! I might be in a total minority here but I totally loved that part so much, it was really really fun for me.


All told I loved this flick and I would see it again in a second. It's a great popcorn flick and if you go into it knowing that you will not be dissapointed, I guarentee it. Man, you are gonna have fun watching the movie, for sure. Aliens suck, go U.S.A!

Sucker Punch Sunday!

Hello everyone! Sorry for the mini-break I took yesterday! We had a down router, and I was unable to get you your daily dose of Carly. Thanks to The Editor's amazing electronic and mechanical prowess, we're back and running on all cylinders. I promised you a review, so here we go!

What can I say about Sucker Punch? I'm reading reviews online to try and help myself make a little more sense of it, but I feel like it's getting worse reviews than what it should. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't THAT bad! Let's break it down a little further...

The Good Stuff

Visually, it was stunning. All of Zach Snyders movies are. I knew going into this that the story wasn't great, but I knew I'd be entertained, and I certainly was. The fantasy worlds were absolutely fantastic, and in the words of Evan T., I felt like I was watching a live action anime. The girls were all gorgeous as well, so that just added to the prettiness of the rest of the movie.

I know that people are shitting all over the story as well, and honestly, the more I started thinking about it, the more I liked it. The story is about a girl, Baby Doll, whose mother dies, and leaves everything she has to Baby Doll and her sister. This infuriates her step-father who thought it would all go to him. Step dad gets drunk, goes to hurt Baby Doll, and instead decides to go after her younger sister. The step-father kills the sister, and pins it on Baby, which leads to her going to a mental hospital.

In the mental hospital is where the story begins to get a litte confusing. There are two different dream worlds going on. Baby creates the dream worlds to escape the real-world and the abuse she and the other girls are facing at the hands of the employees of the institution. Baby comes up with a plan to try and help herself and some of the girls escape.

Through a series of "adventures" the girls try and acquire everything needed to leave the facility. In the end, only one girl makes it out, and it is her responsibility to then "live for the rest of the girls".

It sounds pretty good on paper, right? Now lets look at

The Bad Stuff

The movie didn't know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a drama? An expose of mental institutions in the 1960's? A sweet action flick? It was all of those things, and that was a problem. It made the story incredibly hard to understand. It's almost as if Snyder had all of these ideas for what he wanted in a movie, and just decided to mash them all together. It tended to take you out of the story at times. It wanted to be a little Girl Interrupted, while also wanting to be a little bit Inception, and that is where things fell flat to me.

The Ugly Stuff

The girls were absolutely beautiful, however, some of them had a rough time with the acting. For the most part, I liked Emily Browning as Baby Doll. She was like a less-irritating version of Paris Hilton to me. She has a super sweet girl voice what could get a little grating at times, but generally I liked her. Abby Cornish (Sweet Pea), Jamie Chung (Amber) and Jenna Malone (Rocket) all did an awesome job. Vanessa Hudgens (Blondie) though? Yikes. She had the look down, that's for sure. She played a dirty-hot girl amazingly. However, I'm not sure of it's due to her Disney upbringing, but the girl can't act. There was more than one scene in the movie where it was her turn to take the spotlight and shine, and she was SO bad that it literally took you out of the movie for a minute. She is a gorgeous girl, but she should stick to bubble-gummy Disney stuff until she's ready to take on something a little more serious.

All in all, I would give it a nice solid B-. I wouldn't spend $10 to go see it in the theater, but it'll be worth the watch on Blu Ray. That way, if you like it, you'll enjoy the visuals on your HDTV, and if you hate it, you won't be pissed that you spent $10. I will continue to go see Zach Snyders movies because if nothing else, they're entertaining and nice to look at. Some film critics are saying things like "THIS is the guy the studios trust to make the next Superman movie?!" To that I say, it can't be any worse than the last one, and even if the story falls flat, there will still be lots of cool things to look at.

TV Review: National Geographic Nazi Hunters: Assassin of Rome

You may or may not know this, but I am a huge history geek. I mean HUGE. I pride myself especially in my knowledge of the rise and fall of the Romanov dynasty in Russia, as well as late 19th and early 20th century Russian history. Over the past couple of years however, I have become more and more obsessed with WWII and theories surrounding the disappearances of a number of Nazi soldiers and officers. This documentary is about a 1994 story that ABC broke, where the crew went looking for one person, and ended up finding someone much more heinous.

Since the end of WWII there have been many rumors about what had happened to a number of high ranking Nazi officers. Did they flee? Were they killed? If so, where are they? In 1994, a producer from ABC went looking in a small town in the Andes in Argentina to take a look at some of the rumors that there was at least one former Nazi officer living in the small picturesque town.

The producer hired a translator who also became his eyes and ears of the town when he had to return stateside. As the translator became bored, she began to dig into some of the history of the small town and uncovered a possible link to a man who ordered the assassination of 335 civilians in Rome during Nazi occupation. The person she uncovered was not the original target.

Once the news team had enough evidence that pointed at these two being war criminals, Sam Donaldson flew down to Argentina to confront them . Both men admitted to who they were and what they had done, and thanks to the report, both men were tried as war criminals.

The story is especially amazing and heartbreaking when family members of some of the murdered civilians in Rome come forward to tell the story of what happened that day. Also, when the interpreter discusses how nervous and scared she was for her life while doing her research is completely intriguing.

If you're a history nerd, I highly recommend this documentary. Also, if you decide you really like it, there is an episode of MysteryQuest on The History Channel that discusses similar events, called The Rise of the Fourth Reich. It's pretty amazing.

Video Games!

I was thinking about today's "What You Should be... Friday", and since I've been sick all week, I haven't really done a whole lot of research. Instead, I've decided to give you a couple of video game recommendations, since I've been playing a lot of those lately. Enjoy!

NBA Jam- We bought the updated version of the 1993 game about a month ago, and it's sooooo much fun to play. We're not huge sports fans, and we're certainly not NBA fans at all, but this game is a blast to play. It doesn't take a whole lot of time to get through a season, and like the original, you can play with any team you want. After you play "X" amount of of games, you start unlocking "Legends" like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. There are also a variety of other games you can play within the game such as dunking competitions and "HORSE". It's a pretty fun game and the nostalgia factor is through the roof.

 You Don't Know Jack- After Microsoft decided to discontinue "1 vs. 100" from Xbox live, we needed a new trivia game to play. It's super fun to play, however, unlike 1 vs 100, instead of playing against a bunch of people in the online world, you're playing against a few of your friends. The reason I prefer the 1 vs 100  model is because it gives the whole room an opportunity to shout out an answer. However, from what I understand, you can play "Jack" online, and get the same type of deal. You Don't Know Jack, is superfun if you are like me and enjoy fast paced trivia.

 Dance Central- Let me just tell you... I friggen' LOVE my Kinect. Dance Central is one of the most fun games out there. You can play it alone, or with a group, and the results are always hilarious. I like this game because it's a good workout, the music is great, and they have a "training" program to help you learn the moves, so you aren't doing it completely on the fly if you don't want to. They also have dance battles, if you're someone who thinks they can do well with that. Basically, you select a song, an avatar appears on screen, and you do what the avatar tells you to. It's kind of like Rock Band or Guitar Hero in that, it will let you know when you make a wrong move. In every song there is a 10 second or so pause where you just get to make up dance moves, and it replays the ridiculousness when you're done preforming. So. Much. Fun!

Comic Recommendation of the Week: Superman: Earth One

 Superman: Earth One is yet another retelling of the origins of Superman. However, instead of discussing the "early years" of Clark Kent the story begins when Clark is 20. The story begins with Clark moving to Metropolis and trying to find a job. He applies at numerous places where his skills can be utilized (solving complex equations for laboratories, trying out for professional sporting teams, etc.), but all he really wants is to be a journalist for The Daily Plant.

After Perry White tells him that they're not looking for anyone, Clark becomes depressed. He calls his mother and begins talking about his "identity crisis" with her. Like any good mother, Martha tells Clark that he should do whatever makes him happiest, she'll be proud of him no matter what. We find out through this conversation that Clark is not only struggling with his work life, but he is also having a hard time figuring out where he fits in everyday human life. Martha explains that she and his father had always discussed the day when the world would need him, but exposing himself for what he is had to be a decision that he made himself. During this discussion we also find out that John and Martha found Clark while hiking in the woods one day. During their hike they came across a crash site, and found the baby. They passed the baby off as Martha's nephew, so there was no need to explain here he came from.

The next day on a military base, Major Sandra Lee is inspecting debris found from Clarks crash site from years ago, which has been regenerating and repairing itself over the last 20 years. As this is happening, Clark learns that his apartment is on fire, and he goes to grab his "costume" his mother made him out of the blanket he was found wrapped in. When Clark exits the apartment, he is knocked unconscious, and suddenly memories of Krypton, fill his head, including the memory of when his birth parents said goodbye, and Krypton was destroyed.

Cue the evil attacking aliens lead by Tyrell. Tyrell was from a planet (Dehron) that had always been in competition with Krypton, until the day came when Dehron "assassinated" Krypton. When the planet of Dehron was informed of Clark's escape, Tyrell was sent out to destroy the last son of Krypton.

Flash forward, Clark kicks some serious alien butt, the world is saved (for now), and Clark Kent manages to get the interview of a lifetime with Superman, which lands him the job at The Daily Planet.

I thought this was an amazing retelling of the story. The story itself, combined with the artwork made for one completely unboring, very exciting version of a story that we've heard a million times.

This was the first issue of DC's now ongoing series "DC: Earth One", which is basically an updated retelling of your favorite superheroes origins made for a new generation of readers. I, for one, will be purchasing all of them as they come out. But don't take my word for it! (Sorry, couldn't resist, since Lavaar Burton was on Community this week)

Comic Recommendation of the Week: Hack/Slash

Happy Saturday everyone! So, last night as The Editor and Evan T. remotely played Red Dead (romantic Friday night, I know) I took The Editor's advice and started reading Hack/Slash. Hack/Slash is a story about Cassie Hack and how she survived a slasher attack. Since she survived the attack, she is now on a mission to kill all of the slashers out there to protect the innocent from being killed themselves.

 
The daughter of a slasher herself, Cassie wonders if that is part of the reason she kills. She worries if it is something so ingrained in her that she'll ever be able to quit. All of the slashers in the comic are done movie style, so most of them are able to return from the dead, including Cassie's mother (there is an explanation for that in the series, don't want to spoiler it for you).

There is a supernatural element to the series as well, as people make deals with the devil to gain success. Whenever a deal is made, the devil demands a "quota" of souls, meaning lives must be taken to maintain success. One of the most lovable characters in the series is actually a hell hound names Pooch who has been sent to earth to hunt Cassie, but finds his living accommodations with her friends too nice to do so.

Cassie is aided by Vlad, her protector, and gentle giant. Other people in Cassie's posse include Georgia, Cassie's best friend/sometimes girlfriend/stripper, and Lisa and Chris, whom Cassie saved from a slasher, and they now run Hack/Slash Inc., the website where people can go to report slashers and have Cassie look into the case.

It's super violent and kind of racy, but the story is truly entertaining. I devoured nearly two omnibuses last night, so you know it's good.