For those non-nerds out there, I do apologize, but this will be a week of World of Warcraft on the blog. Today's post as well as thursday's will be totally WoW related. Today, I will be reviewing a feature-length Machinima video, entitled 'Return of the Ashbringer II: Raiders of Northrend".
This movie is a sequel film (Obviously), and I have not seen the first one. However, you don't need to in order to enjoy the film. The most interesting thing about this film is that, unlike other Machinima films based on the World of Warcraft universe, this one is shot entirely in the game. All the animations of the characters are actual emotes that players are able to do with slash commands in the in game engine.
The story is also a major highlight of the movie. This is one of the few films that actually uses the WoW timeline from expansion to expansion to tell a story. As the movie is told in both a series of flashbacks and "current" events (I say current for the fact that the events of the film are actually now in a past expansion and are no longer current content), we see events from both The Burning Crusade expansion and the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
The story follows a guild named Arctica, a former raiding guild during the events of The Burning Crusade expansion. We see as they have fallen from their former glory because of the lust for battle has left it's leader, Maxcell. The viewer also follows three other members of Arctica, Kraakku, Jallu, and Pykmi, as they go on a mission given to them by Maxcell.
However, the most prominent character in the video is Pykmi, a protection warrior for Arctica. The flashbacks are mostly of his story, and how he's lost people in the past and made him what he is today. His story is told magnificently throughout the film, as his story dovetails with the history of Arctica, and why they chose to stop fighting.
Another interesting part of the film is that they actually use players to tell a story of betrayal, murder, and the battle of will. There is a small twist in the film that uses two different player characters in a way that I hope they make a third movie out of. It is very important to the story, and allows people to really see where the game headed in Wrath of the Lich King.
The movie also uses many of the in-game mechanics and story pieces that were presented in the entire game of World of Warcraft. The flashbacks have the definite feel of having Classic WoW in terms of prejudices and hate. The current film timeline feels very much like Wrath, with desperation and fear taking a major toll on each character. That expansion did a very good job in storytelling, and this film does no different.
Each of the characters have brilliant voice actors (At least one of which World of Warcraft enthusiasts will recognize as the voice of OMFGCata, Jesse Cox), and they bring the script to life with the limited canned emotes that World of Warcraft provides in game. The best thing is that the voices are recognizable, but they actually have the quality that is presented in a lot of lower budget Hollywood films.
Overall, this film is an excellent set-up Machinima, and makes you want more. If you're into World of Warcraft at all, this movie whets your appetite for more.
My review:
4/5 stars
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Technical Difficulties: Take 2! Blogger joins PSN in failure!
Alright, now I am getting upset. Yes, my schedule has been busy, but not busy enough to write a blog post. I wake up on Monday, ready to do a review, and Blogger doesn't allow me to login. Nothing, nada. Wednesday was the first time I was able to log in, and here is the first post since then. Because of all this hoopla with Blogger it actually got my thoughts going on another recent outage that happened, and that's the attacks on the Playstation Network.
Now, ever since the Playstation 3 was released, there have been attempts to try and hack the system itself. There have been several ways to play burned games, but each one was eventually phased out through software updates. Unlike Sony's portable system, which is easily hacked and manipulated, it seemed that the PS3 was impenetrable.
However, things changed in January of 2010, in which George 'Geohotz' Hotz, was able to finally crack the PS3's software using the Other OS option, allowing him to play PS2 titles and install Homebrew applications. Sony responded by removing the Other OS option, which allowed users to install Linux Operating Systems onto the console.
George Hotz then began working on custom firmware for the console, however posted on his Twitter feed that he had given up trying to crack the Playstation 3. Things changed on January 2nd, 2011, when Hotz posted the Root keys of the console on his website. Sony immediately took action, forcing him to take them off of the website. Hotz complied, but began posting videos showing the system being cracked without any devices attached to the console itself.
This prompted legal action by Sony Computer Entertainment, in which they filed both a restraining order against Hotz, as well as a suit against him in order to stop hacking products they produce. It was this legal action that spawned what we have seen today with Sony.
After the suit was filed, Sony came under attack by an underground hacking group called 'Anonymous'. They began their attack on the Playstation Network itself, but gave up quickly, realizing that the only person they were hurting with their hack was the consumers. It caused some slowdown in gameplay, but nothing too severe.
However, days after their attacks ended, Sony came under a much larger attack, one that saw the theft of 77 million users' personal information. This attack became the largest theft in the history of business, and certainly is cause for speculation. Ever since the beginning of that attack, other systems of Sony have come under attack globally.
To speculate that these attacks are connected is a theory, but one that probably holds true. But the reasons for the original attack, as well as the homebrew hacking of the console by Hotz, I feel are completely stupid.
Hotz said in an interview that he believes that since he purchased the hardware, he should be able to do what he wants with it. Now, on this point, I can agree. I like to do many things with my gaming consoles as well as computer systems. But the problem is, the major thing that a custom firmware on these consoles allows is the burning and theft of video games. That's where I have an issue.
The fact that this firmware basically allows the PS3 to function totally like a computer is irrelevant, since most people who own gaming consoles have a computer in their homes or have access to one. Buying a gaming console with internet just for that console is redundant, so it would make sense to have computer hardware somewhere in the home.
To fight for the fact that you want to basically commit theft is an idiotic reason. Sony has every right to limit the ability for someone to steal software using their system. Game companies spend millions of dollars to produce titles for people to play and enjoy, and while 1 person's 60 dollars won't matter, if 100 people stole that same game, that price starts to add up.
Because of these constant attacks, Sony has taken major heat in the press for allowing these major breaches into their servers. While, yes, Sony is partially to blame for not having their security as tight as it could be, people can't just throw all of the blame on them. Sony did not ask for this to happen to them. They as a company did not pick the fight. People who want to break the law in a social medium that currently has no laws in place are the ones that chose the arena. So people, as you read about what is going on, really look at what should be happening on both sides of the spectrum.
I do apologize to non-gamers that are reading this post, but this wave of attacks is just a show of how much our world is evolving. As our society grows more and more on the internet, safety and security are top priorities. But just like the real world has murderers and rapists, the digital one has hackers and thieves like anything else, trying to gain more for themselves. So please, be careful in how you act online, and what you do with your information.
Now, Monday will have our scheduled review as promised, and I am sorry for the lack of updates. I would've been online sooner, but grr at you Blogger.
Now, ever since the Playstation 3 was released, there have been attempts to try and hack the system itself. There have been several ways to play burned games, but each one was eventually phased out through software updates. Unlike Sony's portable system, which is easily hacked and manipulated, it seemed that the PS3 was impenetrable.
However, things changed in January of 2010, in which George 'Geohotz' Hotz, was able to finally crack the PS3's software using the Other OS option, allowing him to play PS2 titles and install Homebrew applications. Sony responded by removing the Other OS option, which allowed users to install Linux Operating Systems onto the console.
George Hotz then began working on custom firmware for the console, however posted on his Twitter feed that he had given up trying to crack the Playstation 3. Things changed on January 2nd, 2011, when Hotz posted the Root keys of the console on his website. Sony immediately took action, forcing him to take them off of the website. Hotz complied, but began posting videos showing the system being cracked without any devices attached to the console itself.
This prompted legal action by Sony Computer Entertainment, in which they filed both a restraining order against Hotz, as well as a suit against him in order to stop hacking products they produce. It was this legal action that spawned what we have seen today with Sony.
After the suit was filed, Sony came under attack by an underground hacking group called 'Anonymous'. They began their attack on the Playstation Network itself, but gave up quickly, realizing that the only person they were hurting with their hack was the consumers. It caused some slowdown in gameplay, but nothing too severe.
However, days after their attacks ended, Sony came under a much larger attack, one that saw the theft of 77 million users' personal information. This attack became the largest theft in the history of business, and certainly is cause for speculation. Ever since the beginning of that attack, other systems of Sony have come under attack globally.
To speculate that these attacks are connected is a theory, but one that probably holds true. But the reasons for the original attack, as well as the homebrew hacking of the console by Hotz, I feel are completely stupid.
Hotz said in an interview that he believes that since he purchased the hardware, he should be able to do what he wants with it. Now, on this point, I can agree. I like to do many things with my gaming consoles as well as computer systems. But the problem is, the major thing that a custom firmware on these consoles allows is the burning and theft of video games. That's where I have an issue.
The fact that this firmware basically allows the PS3 to function totally like a computer is irrelevant, since most people who own gaming consoles have a computer in their homes or have access to one. Buying a gaming console with internet just for that console is redundant, so it would make sense to have computer hardware somewhere in the home.
To fight for the fact that you want to basically commit theft is an idiotic reason. Sony has every right to limit the ability for someone to steal software using their system. Game companies spend millions of dollars to produce titles for people to play and enjoy, and while 1 person's 60 dollars won't matter, if 100 people stole that same game, that price starts to add up.
Because of these constant attacks, Sony has taken major heat in the press for allowing these major breaches into their servers. While, yes, Sony is partially to blame for not having their security as tight as it could be, people can't just throw all of the blame on them. Sony did not ask for this to happen to them. They as a company did not pick the fight. People who want to break the law in a social medium that currently has no laws in place are the ones that chose the arena. So people, as you read about what is going on, really look at what should be happening on both sides of the spectrum.
I do apologize to non-gamers that are reading this post, but this wave of attacks is just a show of how much our world is evolving. As our society grows more and more on the internet, safety and security are top priorities. But just like the real world has murderers and rapists, the digital one has hackers and thieves like anything else, trying to gain more for themselves. So please, be careful in how you act online, and what you do with your information.
Now, Monday will have our scheduled review as promised, and I am sorry for the lack of updates. I would've been online sooner, but grr at you Blogger.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Absence of Controversy
Well, this week has been sad for this blog, but a good thing for our country. I spent all week trying to find a story that intrigued me to write a blog post this week. However, there hasn't been anything that captured my interest. I found one small thing about NASA narrowing down the number of landing sites for humans on Mars, but I decided that the story wasn't enough to excite me.
So, what I'm going to do today is just recommend a podcast for the readers to listen to. From RobotPanic.com, comes DGRadio. Formerly Drunken Gamers Radio, John, Moe, and Hilden every week talk about a different topic that interest them, take listener e-mails and voicemails, have an in episode game show called the Lightning Round, and generally have a really good time.
They also have another podcast called After Hours, in which they talk about whatever they want as well, sometimes leading into stories about them in college, or about topics just like this blog that infuriate them. So, go check them out, and hopefully, for my sanity's sake, we actually get some controversy next Thursday.
So, what I'm going to do today is just recommend a podcast for the readers to listen to. From RobotPanic.com, comes DGRadio. Formerly Drunken Gamers Radio, John, Moe, and Hilden every week talk about a different topic that interest them, take listener e-mails and voicemails, have an in episode game show called the Lightning Round, and generally have a really good time.
They also have another podcast called After Hours, in which they talk about whatever they want as well, sometimes leading into stories about them in college, or about topics just like this blog that infuriate them. So, go check them out, and hopefully, for my sanity's sake, we actually get some controversy next Thursday.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Random Review of the Week: Tron: Legacy
In 1982, Disney released a science-fiction movie by the name of Tron. Tron starred Jeff Bridges, and introduced the world to an animated insides of a computer generated world. For years in development limbo, rumors of a sequel to the movie that spawned a huge cult following continued to surface. In 2010, nearly 30 years after the original was released, Tron: Legacy debuted to audiences.
As big of a nerd as I am, I have never seen the original film. However, seeing the sequel has gotten me interested in the original. Tron: Legacy brings the story from the original into the modern world by introducing us to the son of Frank Flynn, Sam.
Sam is played by Garrett Hedlund, an young actor who is just starting his career. However, he portrays the character very well. Sam is a young, naive individual who has control but doesn't want it. He is first shown fighting for a cause against his father's former company, Encom. However, through the course of the film, the character grows and matures, allowing him to finally in the end take control of the company from a power-hungry board of directors.
Jeff Bridges returns in a dual role, playing both Frank Flynn and the antagonist of the movie, CLU. As usual, Jeff is at the top of his game, playing Frank with perfection. Even though he has some funny lines as Frank, his role as CLU is incredibly serious and brings the world of Tron: Legacy to the viewers in a very dark setting of political coups, genocide, and totalitarian control.
The storyline isn't amazingly deep or complex, but used some well known sociological ideas in order to formulate what is going on inside the Grid and how that relates to the human world in Tron. Each world has it's own unique challenges, and in each world, the actors present those challenges and their resolutions with precision.
The world of Tron has a vibrant darkness in it. The graphic designers did an amazing job designing a world that was both visually stunning and yet destructively elegant. The graphics are the most amazing part of the film, not just of the world, but the suits that they wear, and the digitized face of Jeff Bridges that is thrown onto CLU. Because CLU is a program, he can't age. However, Jeff Bridges has aged a good deal since the first Tron movie was released, so they digitized a copy of his younger face in order to play CLU.
The movie is great, especially for someone who hasn't seen the original. The movie doesn't provide the viewer with a lot of backstory to the original film, but it does have a few throwbacks to the story. A cameo played by Cillian Murphy as Edward Dillinger Jr. as a throw back to Dillinger Sr., the human antagonist from the first film, as well as another major protagonist from the first film returning, the film does enough to give fans of the previous film to salivate over as they witness the new story unfold.
In short, this film is a great addition to the franchise, and sets up what appears to be a third film quite well. There are enough players in the film in order to see both protagonists and antagonists for the next film in the series, and has a heart to the film that many pictures did not have last year.
My Review:
4/5 Stars
As big of a nerd as I am, I have never seen the original film. However, seeing the sequel has gotten me interested in the original. Tron: Legacy brings the story from the original into the modern world by introducing us to the son of Frank Flynn, Sam.
Sam is played by Garrett Hedlund, an young actor who is just starting his career. However, he portrays the character very well. Sam is a young, naive individual who has control but doesn't want it. He is first shown fighting for a cause against his father's former company, Encom. However, through the course of the film, the character grows and matures, allowing him to finally in the end take control of the company from a power-hungry board of directors.
Jeff Bridges returns in a dual role, playing both Frank Flynn and the antagonist of the movie, CLU. As usual, Jeff is at the top of his game, playing Frank with perfection. Even though he has some funny lines as Frank, his role as CLU is incredibly serious and brings the world of Tron: Legacy to the viewers in a very dark setting of political coups, genocide, and totalitarian control.
The storyline isn't amazingly deep or complex, but used some well known sociological ideas in order to formulate what is going on inside the Grid and how that relates to the human world in Tron. Each world has it's own unique challenges, and in each world, the actors present those challenges and their resolutions with precision.
The world of Tron has a vibrant darkness in it. The graphic designers did an amazing job designing a world that was both visually stunning and yet destructively elegant. The graphics are the most amazing part of the film, not just of the world, but the suits that they wear, and the digitized face of Jeff Bridges that is thrown onto CLU. Because CLU is a program, he can't age. However, Jeff Bridges has aged a good deal since the first Tron movie was released, so they digitized a copy of his younger face in order to play CLU.
The movie is great, especially for someone who hasn't seen the original. The movie doesn't provide the viewer with a lot of backstory to the original film, but it does have a few throwbacks to the story. A cameo played by Cillian Murphy as Edward Dillinger Jr. as a throw back to Dillinger Sr., the human antagonist from the first film, as well as another major protagonist from the first film returning, the film does enough to give fans of the previous film to salivate over as they witness the new story unfold.
In short, this film is a great addition to the franchise, and sets up what appears to be a third film quite well. There are enough players in the film in order to see both protagonists and antagonists for the next film in the series, and has a heart to the film that many pictures did not have last year.
My Review:
4/5 Stars
Friday, May 13, 2011
Technical Difficulties
Well, it seems that Thursday didn't happen like it should have. I had the post all ready for yesterday, however Blogger decided to take the control panel offline and go read-only. So, sadly enough, I was unable to post last night. However, with the post, I would like to take the time to revisit the topic of harassment. Last month, I posted about harassment, and touched upon the stories of teens who were bullied and abused during their life an ended up committing suicide.
After I made that post, I looked on Youtube and found a clip from the Ellen show, just after Tyler Clementi took his own life. As much as I don't like Ellen's comedy, I agree with the message that she put forth onto her show.
After watching the video, I decided to look through the comments on the video, and saw how varying people thought about harassment. Now I can say this, children, just as much as adults, are different in personality. Some children take the harassment and internalize their anger and anxiety, turning it into more and more pain against themselves. Others take that same anger and externalize it, fighting back. Either way, adults can stop the behavior, but have been blind to it. Some of the comments on this video have made me sick, and I won't reference them directly here.
Another thing that inspired me was a message that I got on my Youtube account, from user Kyliemorganmusic. The user is the official music video channel of a new country singer named Kylie Morgan. I have no honest clue whether she sent this message to everyone, or just to me. However, it was a major coincidence that I wrote about the very subject matter of this video.
The video is a direct memorial to Phoebe Prince, entitled 'It Matters What We Do'. This song truly shows how far the act of harassment ripples through our society. That's the hardest part of harassment, is that when someone takes their life because of harassment, our entire nation is affected. When our country goes through a month like last September, it scary to see how far our children have gone in order to escape the pain that they're being put through.
Parents need to remember that every child is different. None of them handle the physical and mental abuses of grade school the same way. Teachers, Counselors, and Principles all need to realize that they have roles to play in order to stop harassment and violence. The sad thing is, I don't have enough space to honor every victim of harassment by name, for there are many children out there.
I ask that you watch these videos, listen to the messages they bring forward to our society. Harassment can make people stronger, but at the same time, it can make people weaker. Harassment does not show that our society is united, it shows that our country is divided. It is our time to bring this to an end.
After I made that post, I looked on Youtube and found a clip from the Ellen show, just after Tyler Clementi took his own life. As much as I don't like Ellen's comedy, I agree with the message that she put forth onto her show.
After watching the video, I decided to look through the comments on the video, and saw how varying people thought about harassment. Now I can say this, children, just as much as adults, are different in personality. Some children take the harassment and internalize their anger and anxiety, turning it into more and more pain against themselves. Others take that same anger and externalize it, fighting back. Either way, adults can stop the behavior, but have been blind to it. Some of the comments on this video have made me sick, and I won't reference them directly here.
Another thing that inspired me was a message that I got on my Youtube account, from user Kyliemorganmusic. The user is the official music video channel of a new country singer named Kylie Morgan. I have no honest clue whether she sent this message to everyone, or just to me. However, it was a major coincidence that I wrote about the very subject matter of this video.
The video is a direct memorial to Phoebe Prince, entitled 'It Matters What We Do'. This song truly shows how far the act of harassment ripples through our society. That's the hardest part of harassment, is that when someone takes their life because of harassment, our entire nation is affected. When our country goes through a month like last September, it scary to see how far our children have gone in order to escape the pain that they're being put through.
Parents need to remember that every child is different. None of them handle the physical and mental abuses of grade school the same way. Teachers, Counselors, and Principles all need to realize that they have roles to play in order to stop harassment and violence. The sad thing is, I don't have enough space to honor every victim of harassment by name, for there are many children out there.
I ask that you watch these videos, listen to the messages they bring forward to our society. Harassment can make people stronger, but at the same time, it can make people weaker. Harassment does not show that our society is united, it shows that our country is divided. It is our time to bring this to an end.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Random Review of the Week: Fast Five
Back in 2001, The Fast and the Furious exploded onto the scene as the start of the media's interest in fast tuner cars, illegal street racing, and their link with the seedy criminal underworld. The movie, starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez, spawned a total of 4 sequels, as well as other numerous video games from the Need For Speed franchise, and other films in the same genre. After the critical failure of the first sequel of the franchise, 2Fast 2Furious, the writers started to bring the franchise back on track and back to the original cast. In Fast Five, they continue this line and make the stakes even higher than before.
This film brings characters from all four previous films in the franchise together. Tyrese Gibson and Chris "Ludacris" Bridge reprise their 2Fast 2Furious roles of Roman Pierce and Tej Parker. Sung Kang returns as Han from Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Gal Gadot once again takes up her role as Gisele Harabo, a character who has a much larger part from when she was in Fast and Furious, becoming a major part of Dom's team. Matt Schulze also returns after being gone from the past four films, reprising his role of Vince, Dom's childhood friend and part of the original Los Angeles street racing crew that Paul Walker's character was assigned to take down.
New characters come from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, playing a DSS agent named Luke Hobbs, who is on assignment to track down Brian O'Conner and Dominic Toretto after Brian and Dom's sister break Dom out of federal detention and go on the run. As well as Hernan Reyes, a Brazilian investor that has his hands in all of the corruption in Rio de Janeiro. The final newcomer to the series is Elsa Pataky, who plays an uncorruptable cop named Elena Neves, who at the end becomes Dom's love interest.
The film includes some of the best acting by the actors that the franchise has seen yet. Each one shines as the team comes together with the same style of comedy and action that has been expected of the franchise. With some actors, it's expected. Hobbs' character as a complete soldier/tough guy is something that is not surprising and doesn't test Dwayne Johnson's ability in any way. Besides him however, the other actors' ability shines through and brings humanity to characters, rather than just having them as fast talking, whip-cracking sidekicks that they were before.
The story shows an evolution in the ability of the writers to take the characters out of their comfort zone. For instance, the first time Brian O'Connor was taken out of the police force, the character was seen smug yet uncomfortable. When this happened in 2Fast 2Furious, the movie suffered from being overly cartoony and childish. However, in this movie, all the characters seem to have life written in them that is brought out by each respective actor.
The film has gone from being a film about street racers attempting to pull heists to being a true heist movie, with a majority of the film going through the plan and ending with a high-octane theft of a massive evidence vault being pulled by two Dodge Challengers through the streets of Rio, taking out buildings, cop cars and anything that gets in the way of the plan succeeding.
The action in this film also is a lot more physical for the three leads of the movie. A ten minute section of the film involves a favela foot chase involving Brian, Mia and Dom as they run from both Reyes' henchmen as the team that Hobbs commands. Each bit of action isn't just there for the sake of having action. Each scene has importance to the plot, leading to the final moments of the film.
This film is the ultimate summer popcorn film, and is the best of the franchise. For fans of actions films, or heist films, this movie has something for you. Before you go in, know this, you won't be watching a Spielberg or Michael Bay action film, nor will you be watching something on the twisted levels of Stanley Kubrick. This is, as I said, a popcorn film. You can sit here on the edge of your seat, reaching your hand into the bucket and not paying much attention until the nice, pretty explosion distracts you and pulls you in.
My Review:
3/5 Stars
This film brings characters from all four previous films in the franchise together. Tyrese Gibson and Chris "Ludacris" Bridge reprise their 2Fast 2Furious roles of Roman Pierce and Tej Parker. Sung Kang returns as Han from Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Gal Gadot once again takes up her role as Gisele Harabo, a character who has a much larger part from when she was in Fast and Furious, becoming a major part of Dom's team. Matt Schulze also returns after being gone from the past four films, reprising his role of Vince, Dom's childhood friend and part of the original Los Angeles street racing crew that Paul Walker's character was assigned to take down.
New characters come from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, playing a DSS agent named Luke Hobbs, who is on assignment to track down Brian O'Conner and Dominic Toretto after Brian and Dom's sister break Dom out of federal detention and go on the run. As well as Hernan Reyes, a Brazilian investor that has his hands in all of the corruption in Rio de Janeiro. The final newcomer to the series is Elsa Pataky, who plays an uncorruptable cop named Elena Neves, who at the end becomes Dom's love interest.
The film includes some of the best acting by the actors that the franchise has seen yet. Each one shines as the team comes together with the same style of comedy and action that has been expected of the franchise. With some actors, it's expected. Hobbs' character as a complete soldier/tough guy is something that is not surprising and doesn't test Dwayne Johnson's ability in any way. Besides him however, the other actors' ability shines through and brings humanity to characters, rather than just having them as fast talking, whip-cracking sidekicks that they were before.
The story shows an evolution in the ability of the writers to take the characters out of their comfort zone. For instance, the first time Brian O'Connor was taken out of the police force, the character was seen smug yet uncomfortable. When this happened in 2Fast 2Furious, the movie suffered from being overly cartoony and childish. However, in this movie, all the characters seem to have life written in them that is brought out by each respective actor.
The film has gone from being a film about street racers attempting to pull heists to being a true heist movie, with a majority of the film going through the plan and ending with a high-octane theft of a massive evidence vault being pulled by two Dodge Challengers through the streets of Rio, taking out buildings, cop cars and anything that gets in the way of the plan succeeding.
The action in this film also is a lot more physical for the three leads of the movie. A ten minute section of the film involves a favela foot chase involving Brian, Mia and Dom as they run from both Reyes' henchmen as the team that Hobbs commands. Each bit of action isn't just there for the sake of having action. Each scene has importance to the plot, leading to the final moments of the film.
This film is the ultimate summer popcorn film, and is the best of the franchise. For fans of actions films, or heist films, this movie has something for you. Before you go in, know this, you won't be watching a Spielberg or Michael Bay action film, nor will you be watching something on the twisted levels of Stanley Kubrick. This is, as I said, a popcorn film. You can sit here on the edge of your seat, reaching your hand into the bucket and not paying much attention until the nice, pretty explosion distracts you and pulls you in.
My Review:
3/5 Stars
Thursday, May 5, 2011
A Decade of Terror, Justice has Prevailed
Nine and a half years ago, the most fateful day of our nation happened. September 11th, 2001 was when our country truly had a fight brought to our doorstep. The war that a radical leader of a peaceful religion declared on us years before, now we finally saw that this man and his group had to be brought down. And it was on May 1st, 2011, almost ten year after that day, President Obama came onto Worldwide television and announced that Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist group, mass-murderer of thousands of innocent civilians, had been killed in Pakistan by American Forces.
Now, as much as I criticize President Obama, I do have to congratulate him. But more than congratulating him, I congratulate the men and women of our joint armed forces, for they are the ones who have fought and died for us in order to bring to justice the man who committed the worst terrorist act in history. I also thank the soldiers in SEAL Team Six. These men are the elite soldiers in our Navy's Special Ops program. They train the hardest, they practice the most, and they are the ones who will be fighting the enemies front line from behind it. These men had to have complete precision in order to commit an operation like this.
Let us remind ourselves, as the President sits behind a podium telling us about his part in the operation, we will never get to hear the side of the soldiers stormed the Bin Laden compound. They, like many soldiers out there, will celebrate tonight not being able to tell their story, one that should be shared with the world. It was these men, not the President, who were the ones who were going to succeed or fail in their mission. And it is these same soldiers, who fight for our freedoms, that are also the ones who are protested in death.
In light of our recent victory against our enemies in terror, I would like to honor the thousands of American soldiers that have died in both Afghanistan and Iraq by reviewing the Bill of Rights. The reason I review it here is because, each of the ten unalienable rights that American's are granted, are paid for with the lives of the soldiers and civilians who died because of this war:
First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Second Amendment:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Third Amendment:
"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."
Fourth Amendment:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Fifth Amendment:
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
Sixth Amendment:
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
Seventh Amendment:
"In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."
Eighth Amendment:
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
Ninth Amendment:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
Tenth Amendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
I remind the readers of these first ten amendments to the constitution, because it is these rights that our soldier fight for, bleed for, and die for. Our soldiers know when they sign up, that their main duty is to the Constitution of the United States, and protecting those very same unalienable rights of our citizens. And no matter how much the citizens of this country spit on them, taunt them, hurt them, they will continue to defend our country from any foe, both foreign and domestic.
I say that we take this day and remember this, especially those who choose to use those very same rights to harm, to cause tyranny in others. For when a group protests the funeral of a soldier that fought and died in Iraq, saying that god hates him, they need to be reminded that his sacrifice was to protect their right to say that. When someone takes up arms against another person in nothing more than spite, a member of our armed forced served to protect that.
Our country needs to realize that while we do have the some of the most flexible rights and liberties out of any nation in the world. The difference is, that we take those rights and we twist them to suit what we want. While yes, we do have the right to assembly, our line of moral decency should show us that protesting the funeral of a fallen soldier is wrong. That calling someone a racist name because of the color of their skin is wrong. However, like I said, our constitution allows for this. These types of ideologies are just as harmful as the ideologies that our soldiers are fighting over in Iraq and Afghanistan, and must be fought with just as much love and hope as we can muster.
So, as we sit back and celebrate the conquest of justice, let us remind ourselves that the war is not yet won, nor will it ever be. For it is not a country that we wage battle with, not a religion at we seek to cause harm, but an ideology. For an Ideology, while twisted and broken, is something stronger than any army, stronger than any human being. For once an idea forms in the mind of one, that idea can adapt and grow into a meaning for many.
Today, honor our soldiers, both fighting and fallen, for tomorrow begins the fight ever more. Our world has changed, for the better and worse, and only in the due course of the next generation of youth can we hope that the ideology is viewed in its true light.
Now, as much as I criticize President Obama, I do have to congratulate him. But more than congratulating him, I congratulate the men and women of our joint armed forces, for they are the ones who have fought and died for us in order to bring to justice the man who committed the worst terrorist act in history. I also thank the soldiers in SEAL Team Six. These men are the elite soldiers in our Navy's Special Ops program. They train the hardest, they practice the most, and they are the ones who will be fighting the enemies front line from behind it. These men had to have complete precision in order to commit an operation like this.
Let us remind ourselves, as the President sits behind a podium telling us about his part in the operation, we will never get to hear the side of the soldiers stormed the Bin Laden compound. They, like many soldiers out there, will celebrate tonight not being able to tell their story, one that should be shared with the world. It was these men, not the President, who were the ones who were going to succeed or fail in their mission. And it is these same soldiers, who fight for our freedoms, that are also the ones who are protested in death.
In light of our recent victory against our enemies in terror, I would like to honor the thousands of American soldiers that have died in both Afghanistan and Iraq by reviewing the Bill of Rights. The reason I review it here is because, each of the ten unalienable rights that American's are granted, are paid for with the lives of the soldiers and civilians who died because of this war:
First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Second Amendment:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Third Amendment:
"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."
Fourth Amendment:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Fifth Amendment:
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
Sixth Amendment:
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
Seventh Amendment:
"In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."
Eighth Amendment:
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
Ninth Amendment:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
Tenth Amendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
I remind the readers of these first ten amendments to the constitution, because it is these rights that our soldier fight for, bleed for, and die for. Our soldiers know when they sign up, that their main duty is to the Constitution of the United States, and protecting those very same unalienable rights of our citizens. And no matter how much the citizens of this country spit on them, taunt them, hurt them, they will continue to defend our country from any foe, both foreign and domestic.
I say that we take this day and remember this, especially those who choose to use those very same rights to harm, to cause tyranny in others. For when a group protests the funeral of a soldier that fought and died in Iraq, saying that god hates him, they need to be reminded that his sacrifice was to protect their right to say that. When someone takes up arms against another person in nothing more than spite, a member of our armed forced served to protect that.
Our country needs to realize that while we do have the some of the most flexible rights and liberties out of any nation in the world. The difference is, that we take those rights and we twist them to suit what we want. While yes, we do have the right to assembly, our line of moral decency should show us that protesting the funeral of a fallen soldier is wrong. That calling someone a racist name because of the color of their skin is wrong. However, like I said, our constitution allows for this. These types of ideologies are just as harmful as the ideologies that our soldiers are fighting over in Iraq and Afghanistan, and must be fought with just as much love and hope as we can muster.
So, as we sit back and celebrate the conquest of justice, let us remind ourselves that the war is not yet won, nor will it ever be. For it is not a country that we wage battle with, not a religion at we seek to cause harm, but an ideology. For an Ideology, while twisted and broken, is something stronger than any army, stronger than any human being. For once an idea forms in the mind of one, that idea can adapt and grow into a meaning for many.
Today, honor our soldiers, both fighting and fallen, for tomorrow begins the fight ever more. Our world has changed, for the better and worse, and only in the due course of the next generation of youth can we hope that the ideology is viewed in its true light.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Random Review of the Week: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
The Harry Potter book series has been a series of novels that has revolutionized reading in our young children. Most of the kids in my generation have read the entire series through, from book 1 to book 7, and has spawned everything from toys, spin-off books, movies, even a theme park. This movie marks the second to last movie of the series, and the first part of two that converts the last book of the series into film. Because of the DVD release in the past week, I will be reviewing it. However, this is a review of only the movie, not the DVD/Blu-Ray disc in it's entirety. Also, If you have not read the books or watched the film, stop reading now, because I will be spoiling it.
This movie starts in a much different place than the book does, starting first on Harry and his friends rather than Voldemort. This change however, is something I really enjoyed. It shortened the scene of the Dursley's evacuation of their home, but added additional reflection from Hermione and Ron as they prepare for the oncoming war. One very powerful scene involves Hermione (beautifully acted by Emma Watson) wiping her parents memories of her. The camera pans along the pictures around the home as she is wistfully wiped from them, leaving her as a blank slate in their lives.
The movie follows the plot decently, however, the shortened run time of the movie makes the movie's biggest weakness. No plot point is skipped over, but certain scenes could've been extended for much more of an impact with the audience. The opening chase for instance, where Harry battles the Death Eaters in the skies above London could've been extended, allowing for more drama and action, as well as the inclusion of the small plotline of Stan Shunpike.
However, the biggest problem with the film is that it cuts out the all important list of Horcruxes that Harry has to find through the two films. The sixth movie cut out the same list, and it could leave viewers a little bit baffled as they attempt to figure out what they are. This makes the movie feel a bit unfinished, and makes me believe that the director was forced to leave a lot on the cutting room floor.
Certain scenes are perfect. The trio being on the run, the fight between Ron and Harry, these things were done really well through the books. Another one of the highlights is the scene between Harry and Ginny in the kitchen of the Burrow. In the book, this scene happens a lot differently, and the movie's change works better in my opinion. Another one is when they fight the Death Eaters in the London café. This scene shows the dangers they face very well, and shows how the trio has to fight amongst a guerrilla war against Voldemort in order to stay alive.
However, amongst these scenes, other scenes stand out among the worst scenes of the film. The best example of this comes from when Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to impersonate Ministry employees in order to find Dolores Umbridge and retrieve their first horcrux. In the book, this scene is very tense, and Harry shows his ability to perform as a more clandestine operative in the ministry, and more than capable of blending in and surviving.
In the movie though, this scene is done in a very jokey way, with the actor who is playing Harry under the effects of the Polyjuice Potion looking out of place and wonky. This scene is important in the story, showing how things have changed in the Wizarding World, and how Voldemort is ruling behind the scenes.
The other major problem with the movie is that the movie holds a two and a half hour run time. By no means is this the longest film, but it's the most plot-heavy film in the series. When the filmmakers decided to split Book 7 into two pieces, that means that they should've allowed more run time for both films in order to get the full story of the novel.
With this shortened run time, there are certain key things that the books have that are missed, one of them being from Book 6, in which Harry learns exactly what Voldemort made into his horcruxes. So, since we learn that as readers, yet not as moviegoers, how in the heck does he know?
Other scenes suffer from this as well. Things such as the opening battle and chase with the Death Eaters as Harry is leaving the Dursley's suffer from being no more than the blink of an eye before it ends. Other things, like the Stan Shunpike sub-plot, were completely cut. Things that could've gone deeper into Harry's personality were removed, and these things are vital to the books to show how Harry is not truly as infallible as he seems.
The wedding scene was also removed for a shortened cut of the fated reception in which it is revealed that the world had changed. This change was only minor, along with other certain cuts in the film, but there is another major change that urks me. In the books, the character of Wormtail owes Harry for sparing him in the third book, which in this book, Harry cashes in that debt. For Harry cashing that debt in, Wormtail's life is taken by the very gift he recieved from Voldemort in book 4, a metal hand to replace the one he cut off to revive Voldemort. In the movie, he is just knocked unconcious.
Another small change is the character of Grindelwald. In the book, he denies Voldemort the location of the Elder Wand, feeling remorse for what he did during his rise to power. In the movie, this scene shows a more hateful Grindelwald, who leads Voldemort straight to where he wants to go. This small change actually will change the whole view of Aberforth's story in the second movie, and I don't agree with that direction.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint do excellent jobs as the three main leads in the film. Ralph Fiennes plays Voldemort brilliantly in the few scenes that he's in. Other characters, for the length of time that they're in the story, are all played to a top notch level. So to say the acting is the issue here is not the case. Everyone here is bring their A-game, knocking home runs out of the park like Barry Bonds with the asterisk.
Now, all Harry Potter fans turn to July 15th, in which the eighth and final movie is to be released to the world. Warner Brothers just released the first actual trailer for that film, and it tells viewers that the showdown will be an epic one. However, after the release of this film, I can't help but wonder if the next film will be all action and no plot, or if things are going to actually live up to the epic quality of the book.
My review:
2.5/5 Stars
Now, to show the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2:
This movie starts in a much different place than the book does, starting first on Harry and his friends rather than Voldemort. This change however, is something I really enjoyed. It shortened the scene of the Dursley's evacuation of their home, but added additional reflection from Hermione and Ron as they prepare for the oncoming war. One very powerful scene involves Hermione (beautifully acted by Emma Watson) wiping her parents memories of her. The camera pans along the pictures around the home as she is wistfully wiped from them, leaving her as a blank slate in their lives.
The movie follows the plot decently, however, the shortened run time of the movie makes the movie's biggest weakness. No plot point is skipped over, but certain scenes could've been extended for much more of an impact with the audience. The opening chase for instance, where Harry battles the Death Eaters in the skies above London could've been extended, allowing for more drama and action, as well as the inclusion of the small plotline of Stan Shunpike.
However, the biggest problem with the film is that it cuts out the all important list of Horcruxes that Harry has to find through the two films. The sixth movie cut out the same list, and it could leave viewers a little bit baffled as they attempt to figure out what they are. This makes the movie feel a bit unfinished, and makes me believe that the director was forced to leave a lot on the cutting room floor.
Certain scenes are perfect. The trio being on the run, the fight between Ron and Harry, these things were done really well through the books. Another one of the highlights is the scene between Harry and Ginny in the kitchen of the Burrow. In the book, this scene happens a lot differently, and the movie's change works better in my opinion. Another one is when they fight the Death Eaters in the London café. This scene shows the dangers they face very well, and shows how the trio has to fight amongst a guerrilla war against Voldemort in order to stay alive.
However, amongst these scenes, other scenes stand out among the worst scenes of the film. The best example of this comes from when Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to impersonate Ministry employees in order to find Dolores Umbridge and retrieve their first horcrux. In the book, this scene is very tense, and Harry shows his ability to perform as a more clandestine operative in the ministry, and more than capable of blending in and surviving.
In the movie though, this scene is done in a very jokey way, with the actor who is playing Harry under the effects of the Polyjuice Potion looking out of place and wonky. This scene is important in the story, showing how things have changed in the Wizarding World, and how Voldemort is ruling behind the scenes.
The other major problem with the movie is that the movie holds a two and a half hour run time. By no means is this the longest film, but it's the most plot-heavy film in the series. When the filmmakers decided to split Book 7 into two pieces, that means that they should've allowed more run time for both films in order to get the full story of the novel.
With this shortened run time, there are certain key things that the books have that are missed, one of them being from Book 6, in which Harry learns exactly what Voldemort made into his horcruxes. So, since we learn that as readers, yet not as moviegoers, how in the heck does he know?
Other scenes suffer from this as well. Things such as the opening battle and chase with the Death Eaters as Harry is leaving the Dursley's suffer from being no more than the blink of an eye before it ends. Other things, like the Stan Shunpike sub-plot, were completely cut. Things that could've gone deeper into Harry's personality were removed, and these things are vital to the books to show how Harry is not truly as infallible as he seems.
The wedding scene was also removed for a shortened cut of the fated reception in which it is revealed that the world had changed. This change was only minor, along with other certain cuts in the film, but there is another major change that urks me. In the books, the character of Wormtail owes Harry for sparing him in the third book, which in this book, Harry cashes in that debt. For Harry cashing that debt in, Wormtail's life is taken by the very gift he recieved from Voldemort in book 4, a metal hand to replace the one he cut off to revive Voldemort. In the movie, he is just knocked unconcious.
Another small change is the character of Grindelwald. In the book, he denies Voldemort the location of the Elder Wand, feeling remorse for what he did during his rise to power. In the movie, this scene shows a more hateful Grindelwald, who leads Voldemort straight to where he wants to go. This small change actually will change the whole view of Aberforth's story in the second movie, and I don't agree with that direction.
Now, all Harry Potter fans turn to July 15th, in which the eighth and final movie is to be released to the world. Warner Brothers just released the first actual trailer for that film, and it tells viewers that the showdown will be an epic one. However, after the release of this film, I can't help but wonder if the next film will be all action and no plot, or if things are going to actually live up to the epic quality of the book.
My review:
2.5/5 Stars
Now, to show the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2:
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