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Heroes: Dying of the Light or Poor Writing?

October 21 2008 22:01 Filed in: Television
theman

With the World Series getting ready to roll let’s make with the baseball analogies. I’m starting to believe there are no Home Runs left in Heroes. Maybe it’s like the curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth and suffered decade after decade of pain. Heroes traded it’s sanity and soul and is in the midst of hell.
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W: Too Little Too Soon

October 20 2008 01:05 Filed in: Movies
wposter

“If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I’m the dictator.” - George W. Bush

I say with all due respect that if there was anyone qualified to be the Hollywood hatchet man to take whack at one of the most hated presidents in U.S. history, Oliver Stone would be the one. However, I was a little taken aback by the fact the man who brought us such intensely powerful films as Platoon, JFK, and Born on the Fourth of July has given us a film like W, almost as lightweight of an epic as the intellect of the man who’s biography is being portrayed. Read More...

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Heroes: Angels, Demons and Boredom

October 13 2008 22:28 Filed in: Television
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Ratings for season 3 of Heroes continue their slide going into week 4. I think the sins of season 2 are not forgotten. Producer Tim Kring had to apologize for the mess that was last year. I have the bad feeling that nothing short of a spectacular launch for the new year could have prevented the loss of viewership. Season 3 has not been spectacular and though last week’s outing was the best in a while, we returned back to a dry, slow, aimless hour of television with tonight’s Angels and Demons.
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Classic Gaming: Activision's KABOOM!

October 08 2008 22:05 Filed in: Gaming
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One of my fondest video game memories is the Activision classic Kaboom! for the Atari 2600. Back in the days when the simple appeal of repetitive, score driven gaming could hold your interest for hours on end this was the top shelf for a pre-teen like myself.
Current younger gamers may have some exposure to the game either through various Activision collections on current or recent gen consoles or through Atari 2600 emulators but there is a major difference between these versions and the original. That would be the controls. Read More...

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Heroes: I Am Sam I Am Become Is Death!

October 06 2008 23:01 Filed in: Television
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Okay, that’s not really the title of the episode. This week was actually I Am Become Death. Yes, that’s the episode’s true title and not the alleged result of high junior high students promoted to high school under the “No Child Left Behind” program. The title refers to the utter flippin’ mess Peter Petrelli is making of things by flitting back and forth between the future and the present. Having chastised his future self for nearly killing Nathan by shooting him in the season 2 finale, present Peter actually does the deed for real in the future by slicing Nathan’s skull off Sylar-style. Read More...

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Religulous: Thank God It's a Thumbs Up!

October 04 2008 22:05 Filed in: Movies
relig
I don’t really like to use the term “important” when describing a movie. Sure a movie can be important to the industry. Groundbreaking effects like the original Star Wars or groundbreaking narratives like Pulp Fiction. This may be as close as you can come to an “important” movie in terms of our modern culture.
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Heroes: One of Us, One of Them

October 01 2008 22:08 Filed in: Television
heroesoouoot
Sorry folks, I’m still not sold on this show making a come back. However, I’m still sticking with it on the outside chance that they can fix some of the plot and character issues and return it somewhat close to what it was in season one. I will at least give credit where credit is due, and episode 3 of the new season, One of Us, One of Them is a vast improvement over last week’s premier as well as what most of season 2 had to offer.
There are still tons of problems. Read More...

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Choke: Blending Sex and Alzheimers

October 01 2008 22:03 Filed in: Movies
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Why Sam Rockwell isn’t an A-list star right now, I don’t quite understand. This guy simply destroys—in a good way. His performances are fresh and always funny while still being believable and grounded. Choke fits in with some of his more edgy and fringe work. Read More...

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HEROES Season 3

September 23 2008 00:37 Filed in: Television
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If you’re a conscious human being it was hard not to realize that the Heroes season 3 premiere was tonight. NBC was promoting the hell out of it and you would routinely see television spots, magazine ads, street signs posted at busy intersections or affixed with masking tape to various members of the local clergy. Even McCain and Obama reminded viewers of 60 minutes last night during their interviews to not miss the premier of Heroes September 22nd on NBC! Read More...

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Ghost Town: Yes Ghosts Use Cell Phones

September 21 2008 20:59 Filed in: Movies
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If you had the chance to take the scripts of The Sixth Sense and Ghost into a blender with a British Comedian you’d end up with something that resembled the new Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear comedy Ghost Town--well, along with some chunks of bone and teeth if you threw the whole comedian in, that is...sorry, got sidetracked. Read More...

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Burn After Reading: Joel and Ethan Doing What They're Best At

September 21 2008 20:36 Filed in: Movies
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The Coen Brothers have given us a new “spy” comedy which only deals with spying in the most superficial and inept levels imaginable. It’s actually probably doing the film a disservice to advertise it that way. However, it does give us the successful formula we’re used to seeing from the Coens. Read More...

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Lost: TV Series or Illness?

September 16 2008 02:32 Filed in: Television
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I’m a broken down man that’s experienced serious issues in my life. I’ve had major life altering addictions. Food, cigarettes, alcohol struggles...
However, I believe that most destructive addiction I’ve ever faced is in the midst of destroying me as we speak... Read More...

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Tropic Thunder: Sticking with Stiller Pays Dividends

August 24 2008 16:05 Filed in: Movies
Looks like we have typical Vietnam War movie that’s not about war and mostly doesn’t take place in Vietnam. Read More...

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (working title: WHY GEORGE WHY?)

August 18 2008 20:31 Filed in: Movies
Wondering what new toys are slated for the Lucasfilm product-line later this year? Why not pay $9.50 for a prolonged commercial for them? Read More...

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Pineapple Express -- Hot Fuzz for Stoners

August 10 2008 23:31 Filed in: Movies
How about a stoner comedy with Seth Rogan and the dude that played the Goblin in the Spiderman movies? Okay, let’s give it a shot! Read More...

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Midnight Meat Train -- No, Not to Georgia

August 10 2008 22:51 Filed in: Movies
When I see superstar Brooke Shields has signed on to star in a low budget adaptation of an obscure Clive Barker short story about a serial killer I’m at the theater damnit! Read More...

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X-Files: I Really Really Wanted to Believe

August 03 2008 22:26 Filed in: Movies
Finally, the answer to the question all X-Files fans have been asking for the last 6 years: Yes, Mulder and Scully are still self-absorbed douche bags, only this time less entertaining. Read More...

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The Dark Knight: Lots of Hype. Worth it?

July 19 2008 21:07 Filed in: Movies
An opening day box office record. A young star that passed away. A phemonemal amount of pre-release, positive buzz. We’ve seen a Batman movie franchise take a tumble before over time. What’s different this time? Read More...

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Unreal Tournament 3: XBOX 360

July 15 2008 23:37 Filed in: Gaming
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Unreal Tournament 3 blasts its way to the 360 in another attempt to bring the first person shooter fans from the PC gaming world over to the dark side of console gaming. Should you consider it or is your $60 better spent on a couple of bottles of top shelf tequila? Here is my completely non-objective view of the game as well as a brief history lesson on the progression of the Unreal Tournament games that lead to it. Read More...

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Doctor Who: Journey's End

July 06 2008 22:53 Filed in: Television
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Four years ago, Doctor Who returned to the airwaves beginning a whole new mythology for the show while satisfyingly acknowledging the classic series as well. The contents of series 4’s last episode, Journey’s End tries to tie up most every loose end and unanswered question since the premiere in addition to tying up ends we didn’t know were loose in the first place. Russell T. Davies final regular episode of the series ends up being a long, gushing love letter to…Russell T. Davies? Read More...

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Hancock: The Fresh Prince of the Air?

July 04 2008 18:57 Filed in: Movies
Hancock pounded out the box office register receipts this week, but what’s the word? Can Will Smith get jiggy with it as a superhero or will parent’s just not understand? Read More...

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Doctor Who: The Stolen Earth

June 29 2008 00:57 Filed in: Television
childrenoftime
If you’re a long term Doctor Who fan or even just a fan of the new series, you were probably in one of two positions after the concluding moments of the The Stolen Earth: either laying face down on the floor or standing straight up in utter disbelief. This was one kick ass cliffhanger. But ultimately, where is this episode going to fit into the 45 year history of the show?
Old companions, old villains. The gang’s all here to close out the fourth series of Doctor Who. Read More...

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Lego Indiana Jones

June 26 2008 00:21 Filed in: Gaming
Does Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures contain the building blocks of a great game?

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Get Smart

June 22 2008 18:23 Filed in: Movies
steve_anne
I really understand Hollywood’s penchant for grabbing on to hot TV or cult commodities and adapting them for the big screen, many times in name only. With the cost of making a film these days, it pays to have a built in audience for something. This increases the chances of at least breaking even at the box office. But for me, the real head scratcher is when something like Get Smart gets the big screen treatment. Read More...

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Doctor Who: Turn Left

June 22 2008 01:57 Filed in: Television
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It’s quite difficult to judge Turn Left on its own merits. It mostly exposition rolled into a fairly threadbare plot regarding whatever this time beetle thingy is attached to Donna. At least we can tick off the bit of foreshadowing from Fires of Pompeii now about what Donna has “on her back.” Read More...

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Doctor Who: Midnight

June 16 2008 01:30 Filed in: Television
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Russell T. Davies has gotten his fair share of criticism for his screen writing for the new show. In some respects, I tend to lump myself with those that find his stories to be among some of the weaker episodes. Overall, I have no fear or dread of an upcoming RTD episode, but ultimately, I can’t really get excited knowing it’s Russell’s turn in an upcoming week.
The preview for Midnight looked pretty filler-ish to be honest. A little bland looking, but on the other hand, sometimes we can get a gem when a story is written completely around the characters and some simple circumstances. This is what we have here. Read More...

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Darabont's Indy 4 Screenplay

June 15 2008 12:13 Filed in: Movies
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I have to say that I’m pretty pissed off right now. As I read through Frank Darabont’s original screenply for Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods, the original source material for what became what we were given on screen as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I became at bit madder with each passing page. Even though I’ve tried to be a Crystal Skull apologist since opening day, it’s hard not to read this script and as an Indiana Jones fan and not realize that this would not only have been a much better movie, but arguably in Spielberg’s hands could honestly have lived up to movie that Jones fans have wanted for the past 19 years.
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Revelations - Galactica Mid Season Finale

June 14 2008 00:57 Filed in: Television
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If your like me and I assume most Battlestar fans, you are sitting in stunned silence right now. Unlike season 3, Season 4 seems to be progressing at breakneck speed toward the conclusion of the saga. The mid-season finale “Revelations” took the show in some very unexpected directions, and some not so unexpected. Read More...

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Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

June 12 2008 01:47 Filed in: Television
Series 1 brought us the first really gritty, bare bones good Doctor Who with two part story The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. This was fantastic 2 parter that really keyed us in on the magic of what the series can be about now. From the introduction of Captain Jack to the gas masked face of a little boy haunting people with “Are you my mummy?” that was some serious shit on the screen courtesy of Stephen Moffat
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