Psych is back!

FINALLY Psych, the comedy series about a guy pretending to be a psychic so he can solve crimes with the police (with the help of his best friend), has returned!

Psych is pretty much the ONLY comedy show I watch on TV right now. Why? Because is FUNNY, something thats a very rare thing on TV right now. The only other show I can actually say thats funny and on TV right now is 30 Rock and even that has seen better days. On the hand, Psych is seeing some of its best days right now. The show has been hilarous this season. Yes, it can be goofy, silly, stupid, but all those things help to make it funny.

Maybe my favorite part of the show is its theme song though. I love that song. " I know, you know..." Really funny and catchy. Its also a rare thing for a TV SHOW to have a theme song, with lyrics, these days.

If you haven't checked out Psych yet and you have Netflix, you can find it on there. They have quite a few seasons and I'm sure they will add more. The show isn't over yet and it just keeps getting better & better imo.

Hugo should have won best picture

Tonight, I watched the movie Hugo for the first time.

And WOW! I loved it.

I went into the movie thinking it was just going to be a fantasy kid's movie.

It was not a fantasy movie, although it had elements of fantasy and it was much more than a kid's movie.

Its a very different from anything else Martin Scorsese has done. Its full of wonder, excitement, adventure, and its a movie the whole family can enjoy. I really do think the young & the old will enjoy this movie. Its got two layers really: the kid's adventure movie & the movie that just loves movies and wants to tell a story around that. If I say anything about the plot I'll ruin it. I just know it. So I won't. I'll just say that its a wonderful, fantastic, amazing movie.

Oh and it should have won best picture. Hugo is a movie that celebrates everything that the Oscars is saying its celebrating. Its a love letter to movies. I can see why it was nominated and I'm not sure why it didn't win. The Artist will have to be a really jaw-dropping movie to make me believe that it deserved the award over Hugo. I'll guess I'll find out sooner or later if it did.

Where Genre Shows Go To Die

Why do people keep taking sci-fi/fantasy shows to the Fox Network? Why does the Fox Network keep making them? Heck, why do I even keep trying these shows out? I do know that sooner or later, Fox WILL cancel them.

As to the first question, I have no idea. There is plenty of evidence (that anyone can see) that FOX does not like genre shows and will cancel them if they do bad in Friday night time slots.

Why does FOX even keep making them? I have no idea. They've had SO many fantasy and sci-fi shows on Friday nights at 8 over the years and everytime (EVERY) time they get canceled (the only success was X-Files and even that had to be moved from Fridays to Sundays). Sure, this season they branched out to Mondays with Alcatraz & Terra Nova. Amazing. Still the shows didn't/havent been doing well in the ratings. Why does FOX bother?

Oh and why do I bother? I know these brillant shows will be canceled. I keep saying everytime: " If "fill in the blank" is canceled, I will not watch any new Fox shows next season. And what do I do? I go watch the new shows.

This cycle WILL end next season though if none of my current shows come back. Things are not looking great on that front. I'm sure Terra Nova isn't coming back and Alcatraz is doing worse in the ratings than Terra Nova did. Touch doesn't have much of a chance. And things are looking bleak for Fringe (my fav Fox network show).

So, basically, it looks like nothing I'm watching/will watch on FOX will be back next season. Sounds like a VERY good time to stop watching FOX if so.

Sure, I'm rooting for these shows. I hope they come back. It would be great.

I doubt it though. History has told us that FOX is trigger happy when it comes to genre shows. Well, expect for X-Files. That show got really lucky!

A Vita Suprise

I was going around the corner to look at the cheap PS3 games section in Walmart today and I stumbled into a hidden Vita demo unit.

First thing I noticed about it was how huge the touch screen is. Wow. Very cool. I also liked the twin analog sticks and the button placements. Though, the touch screen was all fingerprinted up. Still, that didn't stop me from trying out some game demos.

The first demo I tried was Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The graphics are the first thing I'd noticed about the demo. Uncharted really looks like your playing a PS3 game in the palm of your hand. Very impressive. Next thing I was noticed was the touch screen controls. Moving the menus with the touch screen is not very quick and a bit gimmicky. So is touching rails to grab them. Though it seems that you can use the buttons to grab rails too. Thats good. The button controls were really good & I liked that the second analog stick was there to change the camera. Overall, it was a fun demo.

The second demo I tried was Hot Shots Golf. This game impressed me even more than Uncharted. Really good graphics and you just used the buttons to hit the ball. Simple & fun. Very nice.

The next demo I tried was Modnation Racers. Never actually played much of it though because I couldn't figure out how to get a race started with the touch screen controls. lol. I admit by this point I was in a rush too because I was going to have to leave Walmart.

I did have time to briefly check out another demo. The last demo I tried was a game called Gravity Rush. I'm not sure what type game it was. Maybe RPG? I didn't see a combat system, just a girl wandering around a town. But the graphics! WOW! Possibly the most impressive graphics of all the demos I played. Very nice!

My play time with the Vita today was really good. I walked away from it wishing I had one! lol.

That said, the $250-300 price tag is just too high for me. I'm already invested in the 3DS and there's more games I want on the 3DS (whenever they come out) than Vita.

Still, if I was rich....

So the way I see it is this: if you have to have PS3-type graphics and cool gameplay and you have a ton of money, go for the Vita. If you want something a bit cheaper, that has very nice graphics and great gameplay, go with the 3DS. If you have a TON of money, go for both.

They are both very cool & really fun.

Yes, I was impressed by the Vita. I will, without a doubt, be checking out that demo unit again when I go to Walmart next time!

Why the Playstation 3 Rules

The Playstation 3 is the best home console this generation.

Yes, I'm saying that the PS3 is better than the Wii and better than the X-box 360. I've owned all three consoles. Well, I still own my PS3 and Wii (I no longer have the 360). So I can safely say that the Playstation 3 is the best. I'm not a Sony fanboy nor am I a 360 hater. I enjoyed my time with the 360 (well expect for that time when Halo 3 killed Xbox Live...otherwise...).

I've played every home console this generation and to me the Playstation 3 rules them all.

Why? Its not just graphics. The graphics on the PS3 are amazing, yes, but the PS3 has a lot of other things going for it too.

For instance, the PS3's online is FREE, whereas you have to pay for Xbox Live. Sure Live is pretty good, but I think Sony does a great job with PSN. Yes, its not perfect (as the recent hacking showed), but it offers some great online playing and you don't have to pay for it. Sure you don't pay for the Wii's online, but its not very good at all...

The Playstation also has a fantastic lineup of games, from Uncharted 1, 2, and 3, Ratchet & Clank series, Infamous 1 & 2, Resistence series, Metal Gear Solid 4, and many more titles. And the best of the multi-console games in my opinon. Mass Effect 1 looked/played great on the Xbox, but Mass Effect 2 and 3 look jaw dropping on the Playstation 3 and play even better. Games like Final Fantasy XIII and XIII2 look and play great too and many more games are enhanced because of the PS3's blu-ray power.

I also think the PS3 has the best controller; its easy to pick up and use. It fits better in your hands than a 360 controller and I like it better than the Wii-mote.

Sure, the PS3 isn't perfect. I'm not a fan of the Move and there is that hacking I mentioned before, but overall, Sony has done a great job with the system and continues to put out some really amazing games. Look at the Last of Us coming this year and Final Fantasy Versus 13 coming sometime in the future. There are other games I'm forgetting too.

Oh and the system plays BLU-RAY movies too. If you have an HD TV, you gotta have Blu-ray. The movies look so great on it.

Overall, the Playstation 3 is just the must have system. 360 is a good system and seems to be the more mainstream safe choice. The Wii is the best fit for casual gamers and people that love the Nintendo franchises. PS3, on the other hand, offers all the best: video games of all types, great looking movies, cool downloadable games, and more.

If you haven't checked it out, now is a great time. The Playstation 3 is a lot cheaper than it use to be. Of course, you could always wait a bit longer too. The next generation of consoles is upon us, so the PS3 will be dropping in even further in price soon. Its a can't miss system for sure!

Nintendo's Epic Fail

Last blog entry I talked about 3DS VS. Vita and I mentioned how Nintendo had a big Nintendo Direct video coming up that would talk about 3DS stuff. I had high hopes for the video. I really thought they'd mention big games like Animal Crossing and Paper Mario, but instead, well, you see the title...

Nintendo played it safe on Wednesday. They showed Kid Icarus, which is coming in March, announced Mario Tennis for May, talked about downloadable titles, etc. Most of this info we already knew. Even Mario Tennis had already been rumored for May. So there were NO big suprises during the video. Why Nintendo even bothered putting this up against Vita I don't know. Maybe in their mind they were having a great video. This was big news to them or perhaps it was a concidence that the video went up on Vita day. I know thats a big concidence, but I'm not sure how else to explain what happened.

I'm sure Sony is NOT worried now. They might be over in their corner pointing and laughing now. " See what they did yesterday? Guess we were right! No worries there!"

I think they are wrong about that. Yes, I was upset with Nintendo yesterday and I'm still upset. I think I did say yesterday that Sony shouldn't worry (on Twitter). But like I pointed out yesterday, the 3DS sells are better in Japan and here. I hear Vita isn't selling too great here yet. So yes they should worry about the 3DS. The hardware anyway. I'm not so sure about the software. Nintendo just keeps dragging their feet there.

Then again, maybe my Nintendo bias is showing. Maybe Sony shouldn't worry. Maybe I should start worrying about the 3DS. The lack of great software reminds me of when the system came out back in March last year. They barely had anything coming out and now it looks like we're back to that. Sure, I guess Kid Icarus is a big game. Hopefully that'll sell.

 Honestly, though, Mario Tennis is the best announcement they had for the video? TENNIS?! Ugh. Its disgusting. They have so many great games (Animal Crossing 3DS) in the pipeline. They need to get them OUT. Most of these games they've been working on for two or three years now (especially Crossing). Its time to let the kids out of the playpen. Show Sony what you got!

Anyway, you can see I have conflicted feelings. I want to believe in Nintendo. I really do. Their epic failure yesterday is NOT helping.

3DS VS. VITA

Sony says that the Playstation Vita is not in competition with Nintendo's 3DS and that they are aiming for a completly different market. Yet, the Vita has many of the same features that the 3DS has such as a Touch Screen (two actually), AR, a camera, etc. The Vita doesn't seem all that different from the 3DS really. The only thing different that the Vita has going for it is graphical power, which is very impressive I'll admit. Better than the 3DS? Sure. Gameplay wise there's nothing too impressive though imo. Vita is, without a doubt, in competition with the 3DS.

Nintendo knows that they are going up against the Vita too. Why else would they have a Nintendo Direct Video on the very day the Vita comes out? Thats NOT a concidence. Thats a carefully planned event that screams " We know Vita could be an issue. Here's what we have coming for the 3DS."

Sony needs to smarten up. Look at how the Vita is doing in Japan. The number of sales has improved for the Vita since launch, but the 3DS is still out selling it (especially after the price drop). You would think that Sony would have seen what happened with the 3DS at $250 and made sure their price was lower from the start, but nope, Sony doesn't think it'll be an issue. And who knows. Maybe it won't be an issue in America. We do love our gadgets here. I suppose if the Vita could hook in the Cellphone crowd with apps and cheap games to buy, maybe it'll sell better here than Japan. I don't know. I kind of doubt it'll catch on, but then again, maybe it will. The 3DS is doing good here in the U.S., but I don't think its doing as well here as in Japan. Of course, I'm mostly going by evidence in my small non-Nintendo friendly part of the country. I'm not sure what's happening elsewhere.

In any case, the 3DS and Vita will be going head to head. Some people with a lot of income (or people who just saved up a lot) will have both systems. I think MOST people will have to decide whether they want a 3DS or Vita.

To make it clear, finally, where I stand on the issue: I have a 3DS already and don't plan on buying a Vita.

That said, I don't want Vita to fail. I own a PS3. I like Sony. I hope that the Vita does well. Do I want it outsell the 3DS? Nope. I love my 3DS. I hope it beats the Vita in sells. I'm just saying I don't want Sony to fail. I'd like to think there's room in the market for BOTH handhelds. That said, they will be going head to head and one of them will win out eventually.

I think tomorrow might be a defining point in the battle between 3DS & Vita. What Nintendo reveals tomorrow at their conference will set the tone for the fight. If Nintendo comes out with some big game reveals for 3DS and shows they are going to have the content, then Sony should worry. Though its very possible that Nintendo might come out showing Kid Icarus, a couple of downloadable games, and not really announce anything new. If so, Sony might be laughing and pointing a finger at Nintendo saying "Guess we were right. Different audiences. No worries there."

I do like Sony, but I also want them to worry about the 3DS. I think competition will make both companys try harder with both systems. Here's hoping for some awesome news about the 3DS tomorrow that makes Sony realize that they are not the only handheld on the market.

Kirby Komics

Back in the 60's, there was a wonderful comic book artist named Jack Kirby. He co-created the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and many, many, many characters with Stan Lee over at Marvel Comics.

Many fans call Kirby "the King of Comics"

What earned him this nickname? It wasn't just the fact that he created/co-created so many characters in his life time. No, Kirby was much more than that. He was an amazing artist.

Its hard to explain Kirby. You really have to SEE Kirby.

So here's some of Jack Kirby's artwork in all its glory, uncolored, but still great: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/08/28/jack-kirbys-birthday-original-artwork-gallery/

and here's some of his work in color: https://www.google.com/search?q=jack+kirby+gallery&hl=en&sa=X&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=wy5DT4y-CoiSgQfK9rmFCA&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=731

When you see Kirby, let your mind wander and imagine epic storylines of good vs. evil in times long ago and yet to come. Jack Kirby was one of the best comic book artists and his legecy can be seen everywhere at Mavel & still in some corners of the DC Universe. Kirby Komics live on, even though the man has been gone for awhile now. I suppose that happens with all great art, no matter what the genre.

Why Is it Called the WII U?

Last year, during their annual E3 conference in June, Nintendo announced its newest home console. They called it the Wii U. They went on to show off a touch screen controller (that looked like a bulker IPAD) and no real games. Nintendo didn't even show the actual console. A lot of people wondered, at first, if the controller was the console. Its not the console. The console in question is a white little box that looks a bit like the Wii.

Nintendo claims that the Wii U is not an upgraded Wii though. They say its a new system with HD (like the X-box 360 or the PS3). Its a brand new system with a brand new type of controller, Nintendo says.

I admit I'm not quite sold on the system yet.

For one, I'm not a huge fan of untraditonal controllers. I've gotten use to the Wii controller, but I admit I like the Gamecube & PS3 controllers better. Also, using the Wii name makes the system SOUND like its just an upgraded Wii or that its just going to follow in the Wii's footsteps and be more of a Casual player machine. I'm hoping that Nintendo is smarter than that though...

Nintendo knows that it has two groups of fans, hardcore gamers & casual gamers. It also knows that casual gamers won't play a high price for the Wii U.  Although, with the IPAD look of the controller, one can definitly think that they are aiming for the crowd that buys Ipads. Still, I think Nintendo knows that it has more than one audience for this sytem.

Why are they calling it the Wii  U though? Thats what keeps bugging me. I'm hopng that at this year's E3 they rename the system, but I doubt it. The name Wii took a lot of getting use to. I'm not sure if I'll ever get use to the name Wii U.

Top 5 Things #3: Current Favorite Video Games

1. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii): I'm addicted to Animal Crossing; I have been since the first game. If you just hear a description of the game you might think its just for kids or not really a game at all. If you play it, you'll either realize that its an extremely addictive game that anybody can get into or you'll find its not your type of game. I love the series. Can't wait till Animal Crossing 3DS finally comes out!

2. Final Fantasy 13-2 (PS3): This game is worth a ton more than what I paid for it (I paid nothing--won the game). The graphics & gameplay are excellent, there's tons of stuff to do, a cool time-traveling storyline, and DLC episodes on the way (the first one later this month). Just a great rpg.

3. Mario Kart 7 (3DS): Kart racing at its best! Online modes are really fun & the offline is cool too. Tons of characters to collect, parts to unlock, modes to win, plus seeing who's better at racing or battling. Mario Kart 7 is the best Mario Kart of the series and its a very fun game too!

4. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (PS3): This game combines rpgs, stradegy, and puzzles games into one amazing game that is easy to learn, hard to master. The storyline is fun, but the multiplayer is even better. I've played a lot of offline multiplayer with my dad. Haven't done too much online multiplayer because I figure people there are probably a ton better than me at it! A must own game if you like any of the genres I mentioned (or especially if you like ALL of those genres).

5. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS): Yes, Animal Crossing again! While waiting impatiently for the new Crossing for 3DS, I'm still playing Wild World, the DS Crossing. In some ways its better than City Folk and in other ways its not as good. Its fun to play both though.

John Carter (of Mars)

In March, Disney is coming out with a movie called John Carter. The movie should have been called John Carter of Mars though to give people more of an idea what its about. Basically the movie is based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs series of books about a man from the 1800s who's transported to Mars and ends up going on an epic adventure. There's more to it than that, but I admit my own knowledge of the orignal stories is limited.

I can tell you that the movie looks really good! Lots of action in the previews, but also a very retro sort of feel to it. John Carter is still from the 1800s and the Mars he's transported to actually has people & aliens on it, so it goes against everything we know about Mars. So I guess it would be more of a fantasy these days than a science fiction tale. The movie does have aliens though & they look really cool, retro looking too.

What also makes this live-action movie interesting is that its being directed by Andrew Stanton, who has previously only directed the animated movies Finding Nemo & Wall-E. Highly quality animated movies that told stories that were good for kids & adults. We can only hope that his skill at animated movies translates to live action.

I'm really excited about this movie. I think it'll be fun.

Here's a trailer for it in case you haven't seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rf55GTEZ_E

And here's another one, with an introduction from the director: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR6HUkzxjR0

Oh and here's an epic full scene from it, from Spinoff Online: http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/02/15/full-john-carter-scene-debuts/

Can't wait to see it!

Han Solo Shot First...or Did He?

I love the orignal Star Wars trilogy. Huge fan of the series. So when all three movies were going to be shown at the thearter, with new footage & new effects, I just HAD to go see all of them!

And I did.

And I loved it.

While a lot of people was complaining about how Han didn't shoot first or how fake looking Jabba looked, I was thinking about how amazing it was to see all three of those movies at thearter. All of the great character moments were still there in the movie, plus I really enjoyed the new footage. Han meeting Jabba in the first movie, the epic explosions, and just how much better all the effects looked. I think George Lucas did right by making the Special Editions. The movies needed a next-generation overhaul and to be shown at the thearter again so that a new generation could see them in all their glory.

Honestly, I don't care if Han shot first or not. I don't care if the Jabba in the first movie didn't look quite like the one in Return of the Jedi (he just gained more weight. lol).

I loved seeing all those movies on the big screen. I enjoyed the heck out of the Special Editions. It was great to visit a Galaxy far, far, away on the big screen.

I think Star Wars fans (and Trek fans too, hey, any sci-fi or fantasy fan) get too caught up in the details and just don't let themselves enjoy being taken to another universe. Thats why people had problems with the Special Editions, the prequels, even Avatar had this problem. Not many people are willing to just enjoy a good movie anymore. They have to get caught up in nostalgia, everything HAS to be like what it was when they were younger. Instead of enjoying a new take on an old favorite or getting a glimspe into what came before the old favorite, people have to nitpick and take apart the movies. No wonder George Lucas is saying he's not going to make any more big movies. People just won't let him do what he wants. They want the movies to be the way THEY want.

I don't think every movie has to be the 'greatest story ever written'. The prequels are not as great as the orignals (and I would argue that the special editions are better than the orignals), but they are FUN imo (expect for the last one) and Avatar might not be the most orignal story ever told, but it brings to the table an amazing world full of wonder and excitement. These are popcorn movies people. Not movies like Transformers, which are so badly made, but movies that really take you to another galaxy & try to pull you into their worlds.

Its not important who shot first, its important that you're having fun watching the movie. If not, there are plenty of movies out there I'm sure you'll love. Go find them.

The True Stephen King

Stephen King writes nothing but horror books. What a hack writer.

Thats what some people think of Stephen King. And yes, King does put out a lot of horror novels, but he's also produced some really great, non-horror books.

The first non-horror King book that I read was the Green Mile. My father got it for me through a book club once. I had only vaguely heard of the story. It was the collected edition of King's Green Mile novel which orignally came out in pieces. I sat down to read it and just couldn't put it down! King creates some really wonderful and some really awful characters in this book. He also writes a story that is more of a drama, with an element of the supernatural invovled. The tale of  John Coffey is fantastic. I recommend it to older readers, even if your not a King fan; I think you may really like this book. Give it a try.

Another book that really stunned is King's first Dark Tower book. Well, actually, the whole series stunned me. With the Dark Tower, King created a fantasy with elements of horror, action, adventure, science fiction, drama, and also Western cowboy elements. The Dark Tower is unlike any other series of books that King has created. Its a fantastic journey through not just one universe really, but multiple universes. Its an epic series that fans of fantasy/sci-fi should check out for sure.

King has written other novels, such as the Stand, that had elements of horror, but also other genres too.

Oh and if you something thats not fantasy or supernatural at all from King, check out his short story Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption. That story is a flat out prison story with a bit of mystery to it. It was also turned into an excellent movie (so was the Green Mile). Also worth a mention is King's short story The Body. It was turned into the movie Stand By Me and is just as good as the movie (if not better).

So you see, despite what many say, King is more than just a horror writer. In fact, I would argue that the True Stephen King can only be seen in his Non-horror novels. With these novels, King really puts his writing to the test and proves once and for all that he is NOT a HACK.

If you haven't read a Stephen King book because your not into horror, well, maybe you should check out some of the above books if your into fantasy, sci-fi, a story about kids finding a body, or in for a good prison story (or two).

King, at his best, creates worlds that readers wouldn't want to live in, but we sure like visiting.

Final Fantasy 13-2 First Impressions

Last Saturday, I won a FREE copy of Final Fantasy 13-2 on Twitter via an awesome site called Rpgsite! Then today I got said game in the mail. Here are my First Impressions of the game:
---------------------------------------------------

I didn't hate Final Fantasy 13, but I don't think I really liked it either. Don't get me wrong, the graphics were great and the story was interesting (at first), but I felt like the battle system was way too fast, there wasn't enough places to explore, and I didn't like that the towns were gone. 13 was not my favorite of the Final Fantasys.

Final Fantasy 13-2 is a lot better!

Yes, it does have the same battle system, although there seems to be a lot more stradegy to it this time around, but it also has some really great additions:

-Towns are BACK. You can go into the towns and talk to people, find items, etc. I really loved doing that in other Final Fantasy games so I'm glad its back. I do think that some of the people who comment randomly as you pass repeat themselves a bit too much but overall, having the towns back is really great.

-This game has bigger areas to explore; you never know what you'll find. The older games had this great sense of exploration and its nice to see that come back.

 -New to the series is the ablity to get monsters and add them to your group. You only have two humans in your group, the rest of your party are monsters. You can switch between three monsters in battle.

-TIME TRAVEL is part of the story and I love that. I'm a big fan of time travel stories. This seems like an interesting one so far.

Other postive points: the game has great graphics and some cool Live Trigger events where you get to pick what you want to say or push a button quickly to time a special move right. Fun.

Negative points: The soundtrack has some not-so-great vocal tracks (nothing shiver inducing yet, but I think its coming) and the main characters can be a bit whiney/soapy sometimes. Nothing game breaking here. The fun I'm having FAR out ways the negative points!

This game is SO much better than the first game. Can't wait to play more of it!

Top 5 Things #2: All-Time Favorite Movies

1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: I love all three of the Lord of the Rings movies, but the third is the best because it does an amazing job of tying the whole trilogy up and also its the most epic of the three movies. A true masterpiece and I'm glad that it won that Best Picture Oscar.

2. The Dark Knight: I almost put Chris Nolan's movie Memento here, but then I thought about the Dark Knight and what a fantastic movie it is. The Dark Knight is a Batman movie, but its also a Joker movie. Unlike the very first Batman movie with Jack Nicholson though, the Joker doesn't over power the movie. Instead, Heath Ledger creates one of the greatest villians to ever pop up on the big screen. And also unlike Jack, Heath becomes the character and makes you forget about the actor. Bale and the rest of the cast are great in this too. I think the Dark Knight Rises is going to have a hard time toping this movie!

3. All the President's Men: This movie is one of my favorites because its such a great look into the world of Journalism. Redford & Hoffman are great in this and the story is just so well done. A classic.

4. Vertigo: Alfred Hitchcock AND Jimmy Stewart's best movie! Vertigo is intense, well directed, well written, well acted. Its a movie that keeps you guessing and stays with you after you've seen it.

5. Vanilla Sky: Cameron Crowe is one of my favorite directors and whenever he does a new movie, I'm excited. His movies are always really good. So far, Vanilla Sky is my favorite of his movies. Tom Cruise is perfect in this part and everything from the directing to the music to the writing comes together to create a very surreal, mysterious movie.

Comic Book Reviews #3

KID HOUDINI AND THE SILVER DOLLAR MISFITS
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION
WRITTEN BY  DWIGHT MACPHERSON
ILLUSTRATED BY WORTH GOWELL
COVER BY JACK LAWERENCE

I love FREE COMIC BOOK DAY in the U.S. Every single time there is one or more really cool comics that I've never heard of that I can't wait to check out.

Back in 2008, there was a free comic by a writer I had heard of: Dwight MacPherson. He had also written the really cool, fun all-ages book called The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo (which I own and I promise I will do a review of sometime). This new title, Kid Houdini and the Silver Dollar Misfits, was another all ages book that looked like it would be really fun to read. So I checked out the issue.

Kid Houdini is about a young Harry Houdini who, by chance, meets a group of Circus kids who are locked up. Each of the kids are special: there's the Siamese twins, The Snake Girl, and the muscle kid. Before Harry can let these kids out, he's caught by Professor Murat, the man who's holding the circus kids. Six months later, Harry is being held in the same cell with them at the circus. Now Harry & his friends are Kid Houdini and the Silver Dollar Misfits, a group that solves crimes for a single silver dollar. I won't tell you about the case they take on in this issue. I don't want to spoil the whole issue for you. The case does end in a cliffhanger though. I haven't read the rest of this comic, but I would like to some day. I really enjoyed this a lot.

The story is all ages, meaning its perfect for both kids and adults. It doesn't talk down to the reader. The dialogue is well written and the kids sound like kids, with Houdini & the snake girl sounding a bit smarter than the others. The case they take on reminds me a bit of Scobby Doo, expect a lot better written. Kid Houdini would make an amazing animated series or a fun animated movie for sure (just as long as they let Mr. MacPherson write the episodes or the movie imo).

The artwork has a very animated look to it. It reminds me of Scobby Doo or the Real Ghostbusters in a way. This style would be very good on the screen. The cover, while not exactly the same style, is nice too.

There is a backup comic in this Free issue too, but I'm not reviewing that here. It was an OK comic, but not as cool as Kid Houdini.

If you have kids, I highly recommend this comic. If you don't have kids, I still recommend it. Its a fun, well written and well drawn comic.

Of course, the Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo is even better. I'll try to get to that review soon.

Grade: A

If You Liked...#1

IF YOU LIKED...the Lord of the Rings Trilogy....

When I was younger, not sure what age, I saw an animated movie called The Hobbit. I knew about the Lord of the Rings (vaguely) but I had never read any of them. So the Hobbit was my first look into the world of Lord of the Rings.

I liked it a lot. The animation was great, the voice acting was good, and the story was excellent. The moment that stands out for me is when Bilbo is in the cave with Gollem and finds Sting! I also remember, very clearly, the part where it looks like some creatures might cook up the dwarves for dinner but they are saved by...oh! I won't spoil anything more in case you've never read the book or seen this movie...

If you liked the Lord of the Rings Movies, I highly recommend the Hobbit cartoon. Its just so well put together. I think any Lord of the Rings fan will love it.

Here's a link to a trailer for the cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_JMOPCo31M

Oh and avoid the old Lord of the Rings cartoon at ALL COSTS! Thats awful. The Hobbit cartoon is the way to go for extra LOTR fun.

Comic Book Reviews #2

BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS #821: " THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE "
WRITTEN BY PAUL DINI, ART BY J.H. WILLIAMS 111
COLORS BY JOHN KALISZ
COVER BY SIMONE BIANCHI

Batman is a detective, but its rare to find a writer who can tell a good mystery with him. Do Paul Dini and his team succeed in telling a good mystery yarn? Read on to find out what I thought....
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Issue Recap: The story starts with a man, pretending to be a high class gentleman, trying to attack a woman and Batman saving the day. After that, Batman and Jim Gordon talk about how other people have been attacked and kidnapped by people pretending to be rich people. Batman decides to investigate as Bruce Wayne. He goes to serveral parties and finally finds a woman who says she's a reporter. Batman knows she's not and follows her back to the main villians lair, where the villian tells us all about his master plan, Batman fights him, follows him back to a club, defeats him, and then explains to us who the guy was.

My Thoughts: The story is a done in one comic, with a beginning, middle, and end. Its not a good mystery though because there are no real clues in this comic. Bruce Wayne just stumbles onto this woman who's invovled in the crime, follows her back to her bosses lair, and then finds out the rest from there. The story does start out like its going to be a mystery where Batman actually investigates and slowly finds out what's going on, but things don't work out that way. Its mysterious, but not a real mystery.

The artwork in the issue is really good, but the coloring in the issue is truly awful. The black coloring makes it hard to tell whats going on in the Batman scenes and other colors like red, yellow, even purple just draw more attention to the color in the scene then what's go on. I suppose the colorist was trying to make the artwork more exciting or interesting, but he just made it hard to look at. I remember during Greg Rucka's run on this title the colorist would use a single color for the entire issue, like red, yellow, etc and that really worked in the comics favor and made it more interesting. I wish the colorist had stuck to just one color in this comic.

In the end, this is not a comic I would show to a non-comic book fans or even comic book fans. The artwork is well done, but the coloring, especially the black coloring, really messes up the art. The story is not one of Paul Dini's best. He did a great job with Batman: the Animated Series and I expected more here. The issue starts off interesting, but quickly just turns into another Batman slug fest comic. If you want to see a really good run of this title, check out Greg Rucka's Detective Comics run.

Grade: D

Top 5 Things #1: Current Favorite TV Shows

1.  The Walking Dead: Returning this Sunday, The Walking Dead is a show about people trying to survive a Zombie Apocalypse. Its full of drama, action, cool characters, and shocking plot twists. Oh and gross stuff. If your easily grossed out, you might want to cover your eyes. The show is worth the gross stuff imo. Its just such a well put together show.

2. Fringe: A division of the FBI, called Fringe Divison, investigates strange, unexplained events and have strange unexplained things happen to them too. The show has science fiction, mystery, action, adventure, and drama. Fringe is a show that has fun characters, crazy plot twists, and more questions than answers. Love it.

3. Supernatural: The boys, Dean & Sam, hit the road to hunt fantastic creatures and are sometimes hunted in return. The show is fantasy at its best with plenty of drama, humor, and action. Fun show.

4. Person of Interest: A drama with a touch of sci-fi. Person of Interest is about two guys who have a machine that tells them if someone needs to be saved. Its not always that the person is a victim, sometimes the person needs to be saved from them self. The show has drama & action with a tiny bit of humor here and there. A well written, cool show.

5. Once Upon A Time: Imagine if every possible Disney/fairy tale character you can think of was transported to the real world and couldn't remember who they are. Once Upon A Time is about said fairy tale characters, but it also flashback to when they knew who they were & what their life was like then. When its in the real world, Once Upon A Time is a Drama, when its in the flashbacks, it has Drama & lots of fantasy fun to it. This is a show that young and old can enjoy.

Not Another Mario Game! *A Rant*

I'm a huge Nintendo fan. I love the Wii, the 3DS, the DS, the DSi, the Gamecube, the NES, the SNES, the Gameboy Advance, etc. I'm a huge fan of all their characters too. Especially MARIO.

Mario is one of my favorite Nintendo characters, IF not my favorite.

That said, I think Nintendo has gone a bit Mario crazy lately.

In November of last year, 3DS owners got a really great game called Super Mario 3D Land. In December, 3DS owners got a fantastic racing game called Mario Kart 7. Then there's the rest of this year when Luigi's Manison (Mario's little bro), Mario Tennis, Paper Mario, and the just announced 2D Mario game for the 3DS are all supposed to come out. The only real relief to this Mario craze is Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, and some third party titles...none of which I'm not interested in. Let's face it, the year is more full of Mario for the 3DS than anything else...

Now, Mario is a great character, but enough is enough Nintendo! The 3DS is such a powerful system. The graphics are really good, the 3D is awesome, and it has a ton other features like streetpass, spotpass, AR, QR, and a camera to boot. The system has so much potential. I know you LOVE Mario and I like Mario too, but the system DESERVES more than just a TON of Mario games.

What about Animal Crossing 3DS? What's taking so long with that game? We found out about AC3DS back at the system's first E3. Thats about 2 years ago now (it'll be about 3 at this years E3).

Crossing fans, myself included, have been waiting quite awhile on this game. We've been eating up all the info thats been released about it (which really isn't a lot. So little in fact, that the most recent info keeps being repeated as NEW news...).

Release Animal Crossing 3DS already Nintendo! Please get that out BEFORE you get the next Mario game out.

Also, there are other Nintendo franchises that deserve to be on the 3DS. Where's Metroid, F-Zero, Pikmin, and dare I dream, Earthbound, for the 3DS?

Oh and couldn't we get some NEW franchises too? Seeing some new download characters, like Pushmo, from Nintendo is great, but what about new retail characters? I know Nintendo has another character just as great as Mario in them.

And yes, I've just been talking about the 3DS so far. Let's not forget the WII. Xenoblade is coming this year, but I know those have two other Japan titles that America should get too. Where's the Last Story and Pandora's Tower? Let's see the Wii get some awesome games before its taken out back & shot so that the WII U can live.

Come on Nintendo, you're doing GOOD with the 3DS and Wii, but you can do BETTER.

Not So Random

Hi, you may have noticed the title to this blog changed. I was thinking about it and I realized two things:

1) I accidently took the blog title from an old thread from another board. Sorry about that. I didn't feel right about using the title, so I decided to just change it to More Thoughts From Me.

And 2) I can't promise random. Sometimes I get lazy or I just might want to do another comic review or video game review two days in a row. So for now the blog is called More Thoughts From Me. I'll try think up a better name!

Comic Book Review #1

ASTRO CITY: LOCAL HEROES #1: " NEWCOMERS "
WRITTEN BY KURT BUSIEK, DRAWN BY BRENT ANDERSON
COVER BY ALEX ROSS

Astro City isn't your normal superhero comic book. If you look at the cover by Alex Ross, you might think it is. Yes, its a really well drawn cover, but its got a Super Hero on the front saving some kid.

So it MUST be your average Super Hero comic yes?

No, its not.

Astro City is about a town full of superheroes, but its not always told from the point of view of a superhero. Sometimes the viewpoint character is an average person.

Case in point, this issue: " Newcomers."

If you want a good introduction issue, this is it. The point of view character is a doorman at an Astro City hotel. The doorman narrates the entire issue. Yes, the issue does go away from the doorman for a bit to show what happens to some people who visited the hotel, but the doorman is, without a doubt, the viewpoint character of the issue. I almost said the main character of the issue, but Astro City ITSELF is the main character of the issue. We get to see what this town is like, both good and bad. The doorman is just the person who gives us the lowdown about the town.

As for artwork, its really good. Brent Anderson is a fantastic artist who knows just the right "camera angles" to show us what's going on in each panel. You can easily tell what's going on in the issue without even reading the comic. Thats the sign of a great artist. The writing is really good and helps expand on what we're seeing. Also the sign of a great writer.

" Newcomers" isn't the best Astro City story. The issue is more focused on introducing the city & the superheroes than focusing on one complete story about a certain character (which the best Astro City stories do). This is an issue I would show to someone who has never read the book before, though if you have read Astro City before you won't bored by this; just not amazed. Overall, I highly recommend Astro City and this is a good starting point issue.

Grade:  B+

Welcome!

Welcome to More Random Thoughts! This is my new blog. Basically I'm going to talk about video games, movies, comic books, books I've read, etc here. Sometimes it may be a review of above items, a preview, or just a rant. The topic of the day will not be announced in advance.

I think I will try to write one blog entry a day. Might skip Sundays sometimes. Though I'll probably have another post here late tonight/early tomorrow.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this blog! See you soon.