The Karate Kid

We all know how remakes usually go, either really good or really bad, there is no middle ground in the world of resurrected films. This past year there have been a number of remakes hitting the box office. Take for example Clash of the Titans, The A Team, The Crazies, Last House on the Left, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Alice in Wonderland. Some were great, while others fell short of their older predecessors. One that did not disappoint was The Karate Kid, it opened this weekend and was the top at the box office. Grossing an estimated $56 mil, it left it's remake partner, The A Team, in the dust.

I for one, have seen all the Karate Kid movies and was excited for this one to come out. Having not done much research on it, I half expected it to be a sequel but was pleasantly surprised to find it was a total remake. Director Harold Zwart did an awesome job completely recapturing the wonder that was the original 1984 Karate Kid. From the very start of the cinematic experience I was fondly remembering some of the lines and a lot of the scenes from the original film as the new movie played out in front of my eyes. It was the same story: scrawny boy and his mother move to new place, boy meets girl, boy gets beat up, old maintenance man "helps" boy by getting him into a tournament with trained martial arts users, old man does ridiculous training that ends up working, boy goes to tournament, his leg gets hurt but wins any way. It was the exact same story, which is rare for a remake to actually not take too much "artistic licenses." Which you'd think, why bother remaking it at all if nothing big changes. But that's just the point, the writers and the director did such a good job at recreating the story that after the first half hour, I forgot I had seen it all before. There were just enough subtle changes that added to the story but kept with the original innocence of a boy coming into his own.

A few of the most noticeable differences were location, characters, and training. To begin with the characters, instead of Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi, we have xiao-Dre (Jaden Smith) and Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Also the bullies are a bit different in this one. Instead of being some douche-bag-momma's-boys we have hardcore-born-to-fight-machines. I mean these kids aren't human, the leader, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), would make a grown man run and hide. I knew I was scared when the group came walking around a corner and it took everything in me not to shout, "Run! Run little Dre! He's going to kill you!!" Those were some mean little kids and their training was tense! Comparatively, Dre's training was not so tense. In the original film everyone remembers the classic "wax on. wax off" line and Daniel-san being made to do Mr. Miyagi's chores. None of that here, nope, Mr. Han is sneaky, he mixed kung fu training with obeying your mother. Which is another difference, but this one actually bothered me a bit. It's called the Karate Kid, right? Well then why was Dre learning kung fu? Shouldn't it be called the Kung Fu Kid? I imagine it has something to do with the fact the story was placed in Beijing China instead of California. Ah well, I'm willing to accept that small annoyance amongst the sea of memories.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first film, you will enjoy this one. If you have never seen the original Karate Kid, I'd still highly recommend going to see this one. It's great, gets the same story across, and has some killer fight scenes!

P.S. as a side note, I feel Jaden Smith looks a lot like Riley Freeman from the Boondocks in this movie.

Year of the Black Rainbow

Let me just start out saying that while I know this album isn't for everyone, I think that everyone should at least give it a try. Personally, I LOVE the band, Coheed and Cambria, and their newest album is no exception. What really makes Coheed a "love them or hate them" band is the lead vocalist and mastermind, Claudio Sanchez, thanks in no small part to his voice that could make a choirboy blush and can hits notes that some women only dream of hitting. Now, that's not always a good thing, but personally I like his vocal style but can see how some find it to be, shall we say, off-putting. Ah well, to each their own I suppose. When I heard the two pre-released tracks from the new album, Year of the Black Rainbow, I pre-ordered the special edition copy straight away. I know that could have been a folly if the album wasn't as good as those two teaser songs, but with it being a concept album, I was willing to take my chances.

The special edition set comes with a DVD with the making of Year of the Black Rainbow on it as well as a few never before released bonus tracks on the CD. Both of there are very interesting but rather standard on special edition albums. What really sets Year Of The Black Rainbow apart from other special edition albums is the novel. Yep, Sanchez got Peter David to help him write a book for this album, and it was extremely good. I haven't read a book in... well, it's been a very long time, but I couldn't put this book down! Sanchez has dabbled in the writing field before, but with the help of the literary giant, his concept has come to fruition. It is a beautiful science fiction novel that really took you to the world of Heaven's Fence. This acts as a prequel to Sanchez's comic series, Amory Wars, and to the band's previous albums as well. I feel that I got to know the characters and the worlds so much better, that their plight was my plight. It was a great read, even if you don't know any of the history of the albums or band or like the music.

As for the music itself, well, it is wonderful. Now I will admit that when I get on a new album kick... I kick hard. I immerse myself in the album, meaning that, I'm pretty sure I listened to nothing but this album for a week after it arrived in the mail. As my tendencies are a little unorthodox, I feel I gain a greater appreciation for the work in a shorter amount of time than those that listen to it like normal people. The lyrics on this album are haunting and beautiful, adding poetic foreshadowing throughout the album. Each song has a story within it that works it into the whole concept of the Year of the Black Rainbow. This is completely my personal opinion and I am willing to discuss and even retract this next statement if you can sway my thoughts.

This could be, correct me if I'm wrong Coheed fans, their best album so far.

But where are the Titans?

I'm not a big history-buff or anything, but I do love mythology. I don't care if it's Greek, Celtic or Luxembourgian, I find it all very interesting. Most cultures have similar gods and myths, but the Greek's are experiencing a new resurge in popularity at the moment, as well as being really well known. Therefore it's no surprise that the remake of a 1981 classic film, "Clash of the Titans" is the top grosser at the box office this weekend. What more do you need? Angry gods, beautiful women, epic monsters, and oh yeah, it's in 3D.

I've mentioned before that I enjoy 3D technology, but am not really a big fan of it being used in everything. In this new "Clash of the Titans", the third dimension is used rather well, although it sometimes looked like an after thought, a worrying trend in this 3D generation. Not over used, not underutilized, but just enough to make it worth the extra dineros for the glasses. Once again though, these modern day 3D glasses are made to look more like sunglasses, tint and all, dimming the actual movie. I wish they would quit doing that! I can only imagine how much better the film would have been if the color had been 100% while still maintaining the 3D. Its not a really big deal, but can get distracting.

I didn't have many complaints about this film, it was actually pretty good... but the one thing that distracted me (aside from the color loss) was the fact that the mythology and storyline were a little off. As mentioned earlier I'm not a scholar in mythology, but they did get a few things mixed up. I'll write it off as "artistic license" this time, although I'm not quite sure there is any need to take artistic licenses over ancient lore. The topic of this post suggests there were no actual Titans in this movie entitled, drum roll please... "Clash of the Titans." There were plenty of other monsters, gods, warriors, and little beasties... but not a single Titan. For shame.

Well, I take that back, there were a few Titans, not from mythology mind you, but titans of acting. In one corner we have the awesome Liam Neeson playing the mighty Zeus, and in other corner we have the trickster Hades played by the talented Ralph Fienne. Neeson made a great Zeus, such a volatile god, loving one minute and vengeful the next and always full of emotion. Fienne came to please as well showing the darker side of deity. They worked together as beautiful opposites.

All together it's a fairly good movie. The story is simple and easy to follow, as long as you don't think about it too much, and makes a nice backdrop for some intense CGI. This movie is by no means award-worthy, but damn if it isn't nice to look at!

Game Shame: Mistakes Have Been Made...

Welcome to Game Shame, a place where we take look at the more murky side of gaming! Where we uncover the criminally bad, the irritating broken and the down right silly! But it's not just the games that shame us, oh no, sometimes it's developers, governments and even Joe public that cast a dark shadow over our beloved electronic worlds. So settle in, grab a snack and prepare to be forewarned of the Shameful side of games...

Welcome intrepid gamer. I see from the worried look in your eye that you are here to explore the world as it is when things go wrong? You wish to know of the folly of man and perhaps a little folly of your own? Well you've come to the right place for it is here that I shall record crimes against gaming and you..you will be my assistant. Listen well...

The first lesson to learn at Game Shame is that nobody is innocent. Not even you or I. "But Drew, how can that be? For myself, I know I am a sinner but you? Not you?" Your fear is understandable for Drew is indeed great but unfortunately even I have made mistakes in the pitiless world of games. It is these that I would like to address in this first issue of Game Shame.

My first mistake dear apprentice is the game Alien vs Predator the demo of which I reviewed for this very site not long ago. As you should recall, I insisted that this game would be worth the wait, anyone who has been following the game will know it was in development for ages and in many ways it was. However, it tricked me. It tricked me good.

You see much, if not all, of what I said about the game was true and held true. It is a lot of fun, the game play is solid enough with all three races well represented and the online will require several new pairs of pants (UK or U.S. pants -I don't mind which). So what's wrong? Well...I paid 50 Pound Sterling (around 75 Dollars) for it! That's bloody what. I thought "Hell, I loved the demo and I love the Alien franchise so how could this go wrong?

The problems arose when I found out how short the game is, a weekend is more then enough time to get through the single player and in all honesty, the single player is average at best. In a game with three very different races to play as you'd expect to encounter some innovation by really it's the same Jaguar/PC experience. My biggest let down was facing the alien queen as the marine which is essentially, kill the guards and shoot the large boxes marked "Bang!" I was quietly livid, I was expecting a massive ruck but it was all over in a minute. Shameful. I would confidently say that the queen encounters in Alien Trilogy are better then the one featured in AVP.

The kicker though was that after paying all that cash-money for the special edition of the game all I got was a shiny tin and a small map pack -a map pack that is now available for download and is cheaper when added to the cost of the standard game then buying the limited edition! That left me feeling more violated then a face-hugger victim.

So what can we learn from this? Learn this; it is sometimes better to wait. I jumped right in expecting the world and got, probably the southern part of England. It's nice enough but just lacks anything to make it great. AVP is polished but not really any better then the PC games that preceded it, it's certainly worth a look in just make sure you don't pay top dollar for it.

Now my apprentice, as Drew is far too great to punish himself I want to go and attack a polar bear to make up for this debacle.

-Drew-

News Spot: Monday Night Wars 2!

If the WWE/WCW Monday night wars seem long distant that's because they are! It has been nearly a decade since the last WCW Monday Nitro aired and the company disappeared from our screens. However, a new contender has emerged and is poised to once again grapple for dominance for your viewing pleasure.

I was always a fan of world Championship Wrestling over World Wrestling Entertainment and like a toppled wrestler I have never really recovered from the defeat. When I was a kid I would always look forward to Friday nights (We got our coverage late in the UK on TNT) for my three hour Nitro hit, followed later by WCW Thunder. And while WCW did indeed suffer from a decline in quality near the end, it was still a huge blow to my sixteen year old self to see the company go under.

The decline of WCW (and ECW) are both well documented, far too well documented to be recapped here, but what is only just emerging is challenge being laid down by new comers TNA wrestling. Total Nonstop Action wrestling may have been founded way back in 2002 but it is only now poised to seriously contend with WWE on the fabled Monday night slot. Perhaps many long time wrestling fans will comment that this is essentially suicide on the part of TNA, after all, WWE are the name in professional wrestling these days after seeing off determined competition. But is this really the case anymore? For close to ten years now TNA was worked hard to innovate, push new talent and earn a loyal fan base while it could be argued that WWE has largely rested on it's laurels.

Perhaps I'm being unfair, after all WWE has big recognizable names, a lot of airtime and even it's own film devision. And let's not forget that Vince just canned ECW after bringing it back. According to rumors on the 'net ECW was pulling ratings similar to TNA. Forum talk also mentions TNA using WWE castoffs, with Mr Kennedy's (Anderson) name being banded around rather a lot. However, I don't see it like that.

When I think of WWE I think of only four or perhaps five big names that the company revolves around. These guys are the stars and will have title reigns that last years with little or no competition. Mid-carders? There aren't any! The most extreme thing in WWE is the leap between top player and everybody else. It's just dull, where as in TNA almost anyone can have a shot at the top prize. Suddenly here's a promotion where everyone matters and every match could feasibly be the best you have ever seen because everyone is on a level stage. There is no one too big or important to be pinned. This does not mean that the cast of TNA are dull, far from it, it means that TNA has found how to best use it stars by allowing them to do what you would expect in a wrestling promotion; wrestle.

Also consider the aforementioned Mr Anderson, I could not have cared less about his Mr Kennedy angle in WWE because despite his incredible mike skills and charisma, his wrestling skill was not pushed and he became yet another foot note in WWE matches. However, in TNA I would pay good money to see his matches and promos because they are well written into the show and give a full example of good professional wrestling; athleticism, charisma and drama. It's more fun then watching the same mountain of a man stomp around grunting monosyllabic promos every week. Anyone remember Brock Lesnar? Thought not.*

These are just the fundamentals I'm talking about here, the stuff you see on TV. I haven't even begun to mention TNA's acquisition of talent like Eric Bischoff and the legendary Hulk Hogan as creative partners in the company. TNA has moved to the Monday night slot because it believes it can survive and I think it can. Sure the likes of Hogan, Flair and Sting...let me say that again Hogan, Flair and Sting, are old school and perhaps not at their a-game, but the likes of A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe and D'angelo Dinero (The Pope!!!) most certainly are, giving TNA star power old and new. Also, TNA does not have to stick to a PG rating which means it a can do things and cater to audiences that WWE cannot. I even read news that WWE where banning chair shots in the run up to Linda McMahon's Senate run. I mean what the hell Vince? Did you take one too many chair shots? Seriously, the chair shot is as old as professional wrestling!

I know, I know I sound like a wounded fan with an opportunity to flame the company that sunk my favorite promotion. Well, I am! So what? I have always being one the other side when it comes to WWE but that does not mean I think they have always had a bad product. Far from it. So with regards to the new Monday night wars I'll look at it like this, WWE has become comfortable while TNA is still finding it's way. That's the most simple way of looking at it, however in classic Bischoff style TNA's current expansion has been ruthless and explosive while we all know McMahon's ability to weather a storm. So what we finally have is a situation where both companies need to raise their game and I sincerely hope that neither sinks the other resulting in another stagnant period in wrestling, because like the in ring antics of these promotions, what is needed to flourish is healthy, on going competition.

Bring it on!

-Drew-

*Just though I should mention that I had to Google this guy to remember his name...

Unfortunately, not the cool kind of "Bounty Hunter"

I've got a confession to make, and beware... this is pretty girlie.

I LOVE Gerard Butler.

I know, this is a gamer-y, tech-y, arts-y, nerd-y type blog... I'm getting there. Just give me a moment to be female before I start in with another movie review.
Butler got my attention in Dracula 2000 and stole my heart in Phantom of the opera with his chilling vocal talent. Years later I watched 300 and thought, "who is that lovely and very manly man?" Turns out he was none other than THE Phantom of the Opera. I was stunned (in the best way possible). So let me get this right, he can sing, act, has a killer accent, AND played the lead in one of the most epic movies of the decade? Tell me why I can't be obsessed with him!! That being said, as much as I love Gerard, I did not love his most recent film, The Bounty Hunter.

I'll shut up about Gerry for just a second to tell you about the movie, but only a second. The Bounty Hunter lacked what some may call, content. It's a cute movie for sure and the chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Butler was wonderful, but the story was very basic. They are ex husband and wife and he has/gets to arrest her. Sounds like the perfect make for a romantic comedy, right? Attractive talented guy hunts down successful and gorgeous former love interest...Not so much. Please don't get me wrong, it was cute, it really was, and I LOVE both the leads, but it just wasn't something I would have paid more than five dollars to see. (Luckily I have connections at the movie theater so my wallet and I were very happy) I thought it would have been similar to some of his other romantic comedies like P.S. I Love you (the story was amazing!) or even like the more cynical The Ugly Truth (which was pretty funny), yet this one falls way short of an already simple genre. The two redeeming factors were; a), Aniston in a leg-showing, tight, black skirt the entire movie and b) Gerard FREAKING Butler!!!!

Sorry about that **ahem** back to the review...The story just didn't seem to ever pick up and get going. I'm not saying to not see this movie, if you are an Aniston or Butler fan you will want to see it eventually, but please, don't waste your money in the theaters. Rent it when it comes out if you want to because it was a nice casual chick flick, but not big screen worthy by any means.

Musings on Shutter Island

I watch a lot of movies. It helps when I have connections at the movie theater. I watched Shutter Island soon after it came out and really just put it to the back of my mind. I was so excited to see it. It looked so dark and twisted, as a psychological thriller should. Then I saw it. It took me a long while to actually decide what I thought about it, but here it is.

Shutter Island, Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Marshal Teddy Daniels.

Lets start with the acting. It wasn't bad at all, some the best acting was done by the smaller roles; Michelle Williams (Daniel's wife), Robin Bartlett (mental patient Kearns), and Jackie Earl Haley (mental patient Noyce). DiCaprio was average, far from his best performance by any means, but he didn't disappoint. The only down side was that William's character was bought out mainly in dream sequences, and I found these to be visually displeasing. They were over done with too much foreshadowing littered throughout them. I am usually a big fan a dream sequences and flashbacks, but these were just so... distracting.

I've never read the book, but think I really want to after seeing the movie. Seems like it would be an amazing read, I just don't think it has made the transition to film very well. Don't get me wrong, I like Scorsese as a director, but he just didn't deliver the "wow" factor this time. It looked great, featured some awesome cinematography, but what killed it for me was the musical score. Half the time there was no music, while in the other half there was one sound clip blared as loud as possible to create a "mood", the only mood it created was one of agitation on my part. Music and sounds are supposed to discreetly add to a movie, not distract you from it. I was looking around for the volume button the whole time. Once again, I watched it twice to make sure I got everything right and wasn't missing something, and both times I wanted to shoot the musical conductor. It was almost like they were attempting to run with a Hitchcock feel, but tripped and fell on the way.

If you've heard anything about the movie you will know there is a twist in the end. Sadly by a twist in the end they mean, "that plot 'twist' we've alluded to the entire movie". The movie's saving grace was all the random meaningful conversations between characters that seemed out of place, but actually played a pivotal part in the end. My favorite part was one of the very last lines of the movie, "Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?" this poses a good question to all of us. If you had a choice, to live or die, but the catch was if you chose life, you'd be known as a monster, or if you chose death you'd be known as a good person, which would you choose? It leaves you thinking, just not about the movie itself.

Thoughts on Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Nothing bothers me more than reading a movie review that sits on the fence. You know, when they mention all these positive things and then the same amount of negative things too, so after you're done reading it you're just as unsure of the opinion as when you began. Drives me crazy! That being said, I'm about to do the same thing to you.


Let me start by saying, I liked the movie. I did, it was good, but it wasn't all it was hyped up to be. Sure it was Tim Burton, and yeah, it was Johnny Depp, and yes, it was in 3-D... but I didn't fall in love with it all over again like I was expecting to. I loved the books and I very much enjoyed the Disney animated film; but I think there was too much pressure riding on this new one. Anyone who has seen the original Disney animated film and expects Burton's to be just a pretty little remake is going to be gravely disappointed. Anyone who has read the books and expects it to ride closer to The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland shall be surprised when it steals a bit from that and Through the Looking Glass. So either way, hardcore Alice fans of both directions will have problems accepting this movie with all the surrounding hype.

Alright, past all the hubbub of the fans we can get down to the meat of the movie... you know: plot, character, cinematic portrayal, ect.

The 3-D was lovely, but unfortunately the film lost a great deal of color (or colour... whichever you prefer). That took away from the luster of the fantastical adventure. Don't get me wrong, the 3-D technology was well used and very entertaining, but I watched it a second time in a regular theater and saw so many wondrous details that I missed the first time I watched it through the glasses. Burton is notorious for being dark, and while the 3-D version of the film was rather dim, it didn't have his signature morbidity sewn throughout it. It was twisted and strange, but that's also how Carroll wrote the books to begin with. There are some dark elements here and there throughout the movie, but it wasn't over done, which pleasantly surprised me.

The characters were all so wonderful! Helena Bonham Carter did a phenomenal job (as always) playing the Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska made an absolutely lovely Alice. Now, my personal favorite was the March Hare. He is gloriously mad and Paul Whitehouse did a magnificent job voicing him. I know what you are all thinking, "What about Johnny Depp?" well keep you're pants on, I'm getting there. As a child, watching the animated Alice in Wonderland, I had no clue what a "hatter" was. I assumed they called him the Mad Hatter because he was crazy and wore a big hat. Silly I know, but that is why I appreciated the glimpse we get of Depp being the Mad Hatter and actually "hatting." Oh, and he did a pretty good job acting (luckily he didn't out-shine everyone else like is his typical style).


As for the plot of this tale, it won't give too much away for me to say it was predictable yet lovable. I did enjoy the film, wouldn't nominate it for anything, but the morals and meanings are wonderful. The story is enriched with little treasures that you have to pay attention to see. I don't know if I'd recommend this movie to everyone, but at least to anyone who just wants an escape from the real world, even if just for an hour or two.

GameCentral

Hello,

Just a quick one this quiet Sunday evening. Who used to read GameCentral on Teletext? I did, I loved it, and still do! I always loved GC because of the fair reviews and previews. The offered news each day which was always very accurate, and of course the inbox feature, where the editors at GC would choose letters and emails sent in that carried a point. There was very rarely a day gone by where I wouldn't have checked in to see the latest news and reviews. That all changed on Friday...

The powers that be at Teletext decided that they couldn't justify having this silly hobby of computer games as a drawing point to their pages. So, they cut the life support. The readers and creators were angered. There was shouting, crying, screaming and even an online petition to save GameCentral! It has however proved semi successfull though, as although you can no longer read GC on teletext itself, you can read it online: http://www.teletext.co.uk/gamecentral/

It's well worth checking out, even if it's just every now and then!

--Mike--