Pop culture consumption for the past 2 weekends
Film:
I didn’t get around to seeing it (and I won’t for at least a fortnight), but the world has clearly gone crazy for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The film has taken in more than $200 million in 5 days in the States!
Then again, I should have expected it given the stats and interesting facts Fandango sent me towards the end of last week. Prior to opening day the site was selling more than 8 Transformers tickets PER SECOND at peak periods, making it Fandango’s biggest pre-sales title of the year so far. More than 2000 midnight shows of the film were sold out on Tuesday night, with one theatre in Las Vegas managing to sell out 10 12pm shows simultaneously. Crazy shit!
This said, I’m surprised I’m not exactly being flooded with “OMFG, best movie EVER!!!!” tweets and messages from the frenzied fanboys. So what is it, guys? Yay or nay? I’m expecting exactly more of the same as the first one.
On the DVD front:
The Goonies: As a kid’s adventure flick, this 80’s classic still holds up. The gadgetry and booby trap stuff is a bit lame looking at the film from an adult perspective, but it’s a helluva lot more entertaining than the vast majority of mediocre kids’ movies today.
Back to the Future: This movie is a lot simpler and straightforward than I remember it being, particularly in regards to Marty’s (Michael J. Fox) efforts to hook up his parents. Still entertaining though, with the highlight remaining the thrilling last minute attempt to harness the lightning strike.
Bolt: OK, when you’ve just lost a beloved family pet, stay well away from this animated Disney film. I got about 30 seconds in, burst into tears at the sight of an adorable white puppy and had to go outside to sob quietly alone in the darkness.
The Terminator: A still fun action-thriller that also serves up a wonderful snapshot of the 80’s. Also, the post-apocalypse future presented and talked about here is a lot more interesting than anything on Terminator Salvation. Concentration camp barcode tattoos anyone? Also, loved the deleted scenes, which link nicely to T2.
Donnie Darko: Watched this cult classic for the very first time, although it was the 2004 director’s cut that popped my cherry and not the theatrical release version. I didn’t start the movie “cold” – I knew the twists – but I have to say I still think I prefer The Butterfly Effect for a dark look at time travel, consequence and teen/twenty-something angst.
Death Becomes Her: Hard to believe this rivalry-centred black comedy from Robert Zemeckis is already 17 years old. And the Academy Award winning special effects still actually hold up, despite being green screen and puppetry based; not CGI.
Games
Still WOWing away with my fishing and cooking dailies. Want that damn title of Chef! Otherwise, 2 budget PC game purchases made recently, and dipped into briefly:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII – a WWII casual flight sim, letting you take part in some of the great battles over Europe and the Pacific region. Pity the controls for gamepad and joystick don’t work properly. AT ALL. And I don’t like flying with a keyboard and mouse. Right now I don’t have the patience to sit and remap the controls to my liking via trial and error. Fail, Ubisoft!
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic – Ah, now this is more like it. First person fantasy RPG with an action focus. None of this bullshit having to talk to everyone in the town to pick up quests. Blah blah blah. Just let me throw people onto spikes; club them in the head with my staff. I haven’t got far at all, but this is definitely more to my liking. And damn it’s pretty.
Reading:
Slogging on with Stan Nicholls’ Orcs; now just 100 pages from the end of the final book in the first trilogy. Fuck you traditional fantasy authors – why can’t you produce one simple self-contained tale? This is why I don’t read extensively in your genre. You make reading a chore.
Nicholls writes battle scenes very well but having endured dozens of combat sequences by this point it’s actually grown tedious. He also relies a great deal on credibility-stretching coincidence to propel the plot along, although by the third story in the omnibus it’s stressed that Fate is helping the story’s heroes, the orcs, complete their mission. Balance must be restored to the kingdom and all that…
I didn’t get around to seeing it (and I won’t for at least a fortnight), but the world has clearly gone crazy for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The film has taken in more than $200 million in 5 days in the States!
Then again, I should have expected it given the stats and interesting facts Fandango sent me towards the end of last week. Prior to opening day the site was selling more than 8 Transformers tickets PER SECOND at peak periods, making it Fandango’s biggest pre-sales title of the year so far. More than 2000 midnight shows of the film were sold out on Tuesday night, with one theatre in Las Vegas managing to sell out 10 12pm shows simultaneously. Crazy shit!
This said, I’m surprised I’m not exactly being flooded with “OMFG, best movie EVER!!!!” tweets and messages from the frenzied fanboys. So what is it, guys? Yay or nay? I’m expecting exactly more of the same as the first one.
On the DVD front:
The Goonies: As a kid’s adventure flick, this 80’s classic still holds up. The gadgetry and booby trap stuff is a bit lame looking at the film from an adult perspective, but it’s a helluva lot more entertaining than the vast majority of mediocre kids’ movies today.
Back to the Future: This movie is a lot simpler and straightforward than I remember it being, particularly in regards to Marty’s (Michael J. Fox) efforts to hook up his parents. Still entertaining though, with the highlight remaining the thrilling last minute attempt to harness the lightning strike.
Bolt: OK, when you’ve just lost a beloved family pet, stay well away from this animated Disney film. I got about 30 seconds in, burst into tears at the sight of an adorable white puppy and had to go outside to sob quietly alone in the darkness.
The Terminator: A still fun action-thriller that also serves up a wonderful snapshot of the 80’s. Also, the post-apocalypse future presented and talked about here is a lot more interesting than anything on Terminator Salvation. Concentration camp barcode tattoos anyone? Also, loved the deleted scenes, which link nicely to T2.
Donnie Darko: Watched this cult classic for the very first time, although it was the 2004 director’s cut that popped my cherry and not the theatrical release version. I didn’t start the movie “cold” – I knew the twists – but I have to say I still think I prefer The Butterfly Effect for a dark look at time travel, consequence and teen/twenty-something angst.
Death Becomes Her: Hard to believe this rivalry-centred black comedy from Robert Zemeckis is already 17 years old. And the Academy Award winning special effects still actually hold up, despite being green screen and puppetry based; not CGI.
Games
Still WOWing away with my fishing and cooking dailies. Want that damn title of Chef! Otherwise, 2 budget PC game purchases made recently, and dipped into briefly:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII – a WWII casual flight sim, letting you take part in some of the great battles over Europe and the Pacific region. Pity the controls for gamepad and joystick don’t work properly. AT ALL. And I don’t like flying with a keyboard and mouse. Right now I don’t have the patience to sit and remap the controls to my liking via trial and error. Fail, Ubisoft!
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic – Ah, now this is more like it. First person fantasy RPG with an action focus. None of this bullshit having to talk to everyone in the town to pick up quests. Blah blah blah. Just let me throw people onto spikes; club them in the head with my staff. I haven’t got far at all, but this is definitely more to my liking. And damn it’s pretty.
Reading:
Slogging on with Stan Nicholls’ Orcs; now just 100 pages from the end of the final book in the first trilogy. Fuck you traditional fantasy authors – why can’t you produce one simple self-contained tale? This is why I don’t read extensively in your genre. You make reading a chore.
Nicholls writes battle scenes very well but having endured dozens of combat sequences by this point it’s actually grown tedious. He also relies a great deal on credibility-stretching coincidence to propel the plot along, although by the third story in the omnibus it’s stressed that Fate is helping the story’s heroes, the orcs, complete their mission. Balance must be restored to the kingdom and all that…
Comments
It works quite well, Ive done it a few times... its not hard to do either.
That game needs an arcade controller... I mean who the hell links rudder to ailerons?