Nerd Party Extreme now adds it's reviews into the collective at Rotten Tomatoes!
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/member/npx
We are now on Rotten Tomatoes!
by Anonymous | 12/20/2009 10:21:00 AM in News and Updates | comments (0)
I had my doubts about Avatar. I first heard of the film nearly a year ago from one of the websites I frequent, www.aintitcoolnews.com. I had no idea there was basically a cult that worshiped James Cameron. Further research on the IMDB.com forums proved this. People were calling out (a year ago, with no screen shots, no footage, no trailer) that Avatar would win nearly every Oscar category. In fact, James Cameron himself vainly stated that Avatar would revolutionize cinema, would be this generation’s Star Wars, and would literally rip the eyeballs out of your face.
After being somewhat disappointed by films I was over hyped for (Wall-E, 9) I was awfully skeptical. Especially to the Oscar buzz being thrown around. A couple of my buddies are big Cameron fans, but I remained doubtful. Even after the trailer came out, I thought the graphics were certainly less than revolutionary. I’m so so glad that I did. In short, this movie absolutely blasted any of my expectations away and it deserves every single Oscar it is going to win.
My wife and I decided to drive to Kansas City
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a crippled ex-marine. He’s lost the use of his legs. He has a twin brother that is heavily invested in a team of scientists in the Avatar project. Unfortunately, his brother is killed. Luckily, Jake has an almost identical genome which will allow him to pilot his brother’s avatar, which is grown from a mixture of the pilot’s DNA with Na’vi DNA.
After being in cryo sleep for the 6 year journey to Pandora, Jake awakes and goes planet side. On Pandora, Jake meets Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), an ambitious army dog anxious to get at the Na’vi throats. The Na’vi city rests directly on top of the richest deposit of a rare and very previous mineral and the company that employs Quaritch wants the Na’vi to move – by any means possible. He employs Jake in secret to feed him Intel of the Na’vi from his scientific journey’s promising Jake the ultra expensive operation to regain control of his legs.
Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) is the no non-sense scientist leading up the Avatar experiment. Her team is purely in this for the science and understanding of Pandora and want nothing to do with the mineral. As Jake spies for Quaritch, he learns the ways of the Na’vi from the princess of the tribe, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). When the time comes, which will Jake choose? Neytiri? Or his legs?
So, what was good? Basically, everything. While not revolutionary, I will say that the CGI in this movie is certainly evolutionary. There were many scenes where the various effects certainly looked CGI, but there were a fair amount of scenes that the Na’vi (the tall blue smurfs) looked honest to God alive. It’s the first time a CGI character has completely looked photorealistic – it is a definite evolution of the art. Even the Na’vi eyes look alive, and well acted. Props to whoever had the unenviable task of animating the eyes. This is easily and without doubt, the most convincing CGI ever created.
The world of Pandora is absolutely something to behold. Cameron has created a planet that is so rich in culture, character, and beautiful visuals that I can’t believe this will be the only foray into its forests that we will take. There is material here ripe for use in novels, comics, and sequels (please Cameron?). When you first see the forests of Avatar at night, you will be amazed at the creativity of the team behind it. Everywhere a Na’vi touches in the forest literally glows a fluorescent green. It sounds corny, but the effect is brilliant.
The animals created for the movie defy a lot of common convention about alien species. There are common threads through everything on Pandora, but I won’t spoil those for you. You’ll have to see how everything literally connects for yourself. Hint: the Na’vi have very interesting hair.
The acting is superb across the board. There isn’t a stale performance in site, including the Na’vi. Worthington
Of particular note is Sigourney Weaver. Her Dr. Grace is both likably and a menace to Jake when he first arrives. Since the avatars are grown from their pilots DNA, each one looks like its pilot. It’s a little offsetting at first to see her in avatar form, but it turns out much better than I expected.
The story is simultaneously epic and very personal. The events are grand, leading up to the advance of the military. But this is Jake’s story. He must learn everything about Na’vi life and its people. Despite both he and Neytiri being CGI, their budding relationship seemed amazingly real and genuine. Much more so than a lot of recent live action romances. It was this aspect of the film that sold me so hard on the film as a whole. Without the two of them working on an emotional level for me, this wouldn’t have been (to me) the epic masterpiece that it is.
The writing is witty, oftentimes being very funny. The dialogue is (mostly) not clichéd. And the alien language is enthralling.
Lastly, I must speak on James Horner’s score. I love James Horner and every single score he’s ever written. He’s probably my favorite movie composer. (Sorry, John Williams) His creation for Avatar is an interesting mix of great themes and background tracks.
I purchased the soundtrack after seeing the film and have come to love the music in its own right. However, during the film, I mostly didn’t notice the music but for a few key scenes. I know it was present, but I didn’t consciously listen for it. In retrospect, I guess that was the whole point. The music was able to serve the film’s emotional impact without taking away from what was happening on screen. Bravo, Mr. Horner.
So, what was bad? Not much. In fact, the only thing I can think of that would detract from most audiences enjoyment of the film is the running time. At almost 3 hours, I certainly didn’t mind the length, but some might.
Please, if at all possible, go into Avatar with your expectations in check. I almost didn’t review this, because I didn’t want people to go in too excited. See it with a fresh, open mind; and watch yourself come away from it incredibly pleased.
Avatar has taken over my spot for best movie of the year (Sorry, Inglourious Basterds). And rightly so.
Oscars I bet this is nominated for:
Best Picture of the Year
Best Director
Best Original Screen Play
Best Original Song
Best Original Score
Best Effects
And possibly more.
See this film now.
So I've been listed as the comic reviewer on this site now for quite awhile, and I have yet to post. Time to rectify that and hopefully usher in a new era of comic reviews here at Nerd Party Extreme. Rather than recommend a particular issue that came out this week, I'm going to endorse an entire series, but before I hit the comic scene I'm going to ease our way in by way of the film industry.
Iron Man 2
The Iron Man 2 trailer hit the internet this week, and it looks amazing! It is clear this is going to be one of the top films of the summer and I can hardly wait. I'm still amazed by how successfully Iron Man has translated to film and has excited audiences. Although one of Marvel's original characters created by Stan Lee in the '60's, he has hardly held the public awareness of characters like Spider-Man or the X-Men. Yet here he is riding high on a wave of popularity. He has come a long way since Tales of Suspense #39. I think the reason why he has been so readily embraced at this moment in time is his uniqueness amongst superheroes and his relevance in our modern age. Most superheroes are made special by the circumstances that gave t
hem their powers. Whether it was the bite of an irradiated spider or being born with a mutant healing factor, their powers are not reproducible. Iron Man doesn't fit the mold. Because his powers are based on technology, they can be copied, stolen, or poorly imitated. Therein lies his struggle. He wants to save the world, but he also has to fight others abusing the very life-saving technology he has created. In our modern, technologically-obsessed society, the concept of imitation is not only relevant, but commonplace. Just take a look at this picture of an inexpensive digital music player I came across recently. Look familiar? Now imagine the destructive capabilities of a cheap knock-off Iron Man suit could cause.
hem their powers. Whether it was the bite of an irradiated spider or being born with a mutant healing factor, their powers are not reproducible. Iron Man doesn't fit the mold. Because his powers are based on technology, they can be copied, stolen, or poorly imitated. Therein lies his struggle. He wants to save the world, but he also has to fight others abusing the very life-saving technology he has created. In our modern, technologically-obsessed society, the concept of imitation is not only relevant, but commonplace. Just take a look at this picture of an inexpensive digital music player I came across recently. Look familiar? Now imagine the destructive capabilities of a cheap knock-off Iron Man suit could cause.This is
the premise behind writer Matt Fraction's first story arc in The Invincible Iron Man, featuring art by Salvador Larocca. This new series was launched when the first Iron Man film was released to provide an easily accessible series for new readers as well as a fresh new take for long-time followers of the Armored Avenger. Titled "The Five Nightmares", the story features Tony Stark facing off against his stolen technology being used by a new, younger generation in villains. The first seven issues are collected in trade paperback form and are available at most major book stores.
the premise behind writer Matt Fraction's first story arc in The Invincible Iron Man, featuring art by Salvador Larocca. This new series was launched when the first Iron Man film was released to provide an easily accessible series for new readers as well as a fresh new take for long-time followers of the Armored Avenger. Titled "The Five Nightmares", the story features Tony Stark facing off against his stolen technology being used by a new, younger generation in villains. The first seven issues are collected in trade paperback form and are available at most major book stores. Fraction's follow-up witnesses the downfall of Tony Stark in "World's M
ost Wanted." The set-up in a nutshell: having risen to the top of the SHIELD peacekeeping force over the past few years, Tony failed to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. The planet was barely saved by the heroes, but the only victory the world witnessed was when Norman "The Green Goblin" Osborn was videotaped killing the alien queen. Osborn's "heroic" efforts were broadcast around the world and his past crimes were forgotten as he was elevated to the top of SHIELD, and he promptly declared Tony a criminal. Now on the run, Tony has the identities of all the superheroes downloaded into his brain and Osborn is after him, wearing a stolen Stark armor and calling himself the Iron Patriot. Tony's goal is to delete the information from his brain piece by piece, ravaging his mind in the process and depriving him of his true superpower, his intelligence. That may sound like a mouthful, but the way this plays out, and how it ends is both fascinating and gripping. The first half of the story is out currently, and the second paperback is coming in January.
ost Wanted." The set-up in a nutshell: having risen to the top of the SHIELD peacekeeping force over the past few years, Tony failed to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. The planet was barely saved by the heroes, but the only victory the world witnessed was when Norman "The Green Goblin" Osborn was videotaped killing the alien queen. Osborn's "heroic" efforts were broadcast around the world and his past crimes were forgotten as he was elevated to the top of SHIELD, and he promptly declared Tony a criminal. Now on the run, Tony has the identities of all the superheroes downloaded into his brain and Osborn is after him, wearing a stolen Stark armor and calling himself the Iron Patriot. Tony's goal is to delete the information from his brain piece by piece, ravaging his mind in the process and depriving him of his true superpower, his intelligence. That may sound like a mouthful, but the way this plays out, and how it ends is both fascinating and gripping. The first half of the story is out currently, and the second paperback is coming in January. This le
ads us to the current arc, "Stark: Disassembled." I can't reveal many details of the plot, so as not to give away the ending of "World's Most Wanted" but it begins with Tony at his absolute lowest and questions if he can come back from this at all. It could very well be the end for Tony Stark and Iron Man. The first two issues are out, with the next one due in January. It is well worth the cover price. If you are looking for an entry into comics and enjoyed the Iron Man movie, these are the books for you.
ads us to the current arc, "Stark: Disassembled." I can't reveal many details of the plot, so as not to give away the ending of "World's Most Wanted" but it begins with Tony at his absolute lowest and questions if he can come back from this at all. It could very well be the end for Tony Stark and Iron Man. The first two issues are out, with the next one due in January. It is well worth the cover price. If you are looking for an entry into comics and enjoyed the Iron Man movie, these are the books for you.
Office fans should be excited to know that the 6th season began on Thursday September 17th. Michael, after feeling like an outcast for not knowing the hot gossip that two of the summer interns were dating, feels inclined to tell everyone in the office the news that Stanley is having an affair. Once Michael realizes that the rumor is actually true, he tries to cover his tracks. He then proceeds to fabricate a rumor about every individual in the office; with hopes that once all the rumors are uncovered, they will all be disbelieved.
A season premier typically has two jobs in my book. One, resolve the cliffhanger from the last season, and two, set the pace for the remainder of the year. Now we were all left off last season with the news that Pam was pregnant. And we all hoped that their would be some more details about that. However, the episode leaves you very unsatisfied with information on Jim and Pam’s future plans.
Now the story of the episode wasn’t too boring, but it seemed like more of a filler episode that you would typically see halfway through the season. There just wasn’t anything interesting or funny that made you sit back and think “man, I’m glad that this shows back”. If this episode were to set the pace for the season, the The Office may be finishing a little below where your used to.
If you want to see the only funny part, watch the Free Running spoof before the opening credits. Then go back and watch the episode where Michael burns his foot on the George Foreman Grill….classic.
C-
I'm sorry about whatever happened to our twitter.
by Anonymous | 9/22/2009 03:28:00 PM in | comments (0)
So, we've got a twitter feed that used to be on the right side of the screen and I just saw that there were a lot of very bad things written there. I've checked our twitter page, and those posts weren't there. So, I'm not sure why our twitter app on blogger was pulling from other twitter accounts, but I apologize if you saw something offensive. It was not any of our staff and I corrected it as quickly as possible.
-Kris
A by-the-numbers slasher flick that was actually entertaining. Of course we have nothing new here except for the fact that SORORITY ROW is a return to the fun splatter slasher films of the 80's and mid 90's. I really have not had a problem with the latest horror remake craze because it sure beats that awful run of American J-horror remakes that infested multiplex's since the early 2000's. SORORITY ROW still suffers from a problem that Hollywood will never fix, the stereotypical CW channel teenager character casting. At least these teenagers are not as bad as the one's in the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, those kids had stereotype written on their forehead they were so bad.
When five sorority sisters accidentally cause the murder of one of their own during a prank gone wrong, they decide to cover it up and never speak of it again. 8 months later after graduation the dirty little secret comes back to haunt them in the form of a masked killer seeking revenge for the death of Megan, the one they killed. Is Megan back from the dead, or does someone know the deadly truth?
Some may think that SORORITY ROW is just a rehash of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER or URBAN LEGEND but in actuality it's a remake of THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW. I have heard about the original for years but never got around to finding it or renting it. I am curious because I can still enjoy watching early 80's slasher movies.
What I enjoyed most about this movie is that mostly all of the suspense and kills were executed very well. It did remind me a lot of the slasher films from the late 70's and early 80's, so I liked that a lot. Some of the dialogue was weak, too much hip hop lingo and MTV speak. The ending had some good moments but did not know when enough was enough. Overall I was impressed since I was going in with very low expectations.
C+
A murder mystery has two jobs, good characters and a murder mystery that is worth getting the audiences attention. WHITEOUT sad to say failed at these two things. The unusual setting of a murder happening in Antarctica was just not enough for me at all. I love movies and watch a lot of them, so I watch something that is "by-the-numbers" storytelling I am okay with that just as long as the story has interesting characters. By the time the film became a mystery I was just bored and didn't care.
In WHITEOUT Kate Beckinsale stars as U.S Marshall Carrie Stetko who transfers to the South Pole because of some bad history left behind in Miami. After two years of being stationed at a research facility Carrie is ready for a vacation. Her bags are packed and ready to hit the tropical climates until a body is reported in no man's land. The body is from another research lab, someone else gets killed, a plane under the ice gets discovered, mysterious contraband, and none of this is even remotely interesting. The sum of all the parts just equaled to nothing.
D+
One of the greatest science fiction B-movies from the '80's was released on Blu-Ray and I got the pleasure to view it. The Blu-Ray HD transfer makes THE LAST STARFIGHTER look the best it has since seen in theaters. It is amazing how the HD really sucks you into what is happening on screen. The very dated 1984 CGI has been given new life.
Alex is a young man who lives with his younger brother and mother in a trailer park. He helps run the park with his mom by doing most if not all of the maintenance around the place. He has big city dreams and one day will leave the trailer park behind. Whenever Alex is not with his girlfriend or helping out a neighbor, he plays an arcade game called Starfighter. One day when life is not going his way Alex takes his frustrations to the game and beats his high score. Later in the evening an alien by the name of Centauri shows up and tells Alex he has to leave with him to join others in the Star League to fight a huge battle. You see, Centauri built the arcade game to recruit potential Starfighters to fight against Xur, commander of the Kodan Armada.
Some viewers may complain at how crude the special effects look nowadays, but I think that it adds to the whole video game aspect of the movie.
Summer is offically over and you want to know how I know, it's not the cool October days we've experienced last week; no sir, it's the movie GAMER! Every year towards the end of August and into the Fall season months movie theaters across the nation receive the "not good enough for summer nor Christmas" movies. This is the end of the year dumping ground for movies. Fall and late winter always seem to be when the dullest of the dull are in theaters. During this time a good B-movie will show up here and there. GAMER was not one of the good ones.
GAMER is the new film from the guys that brought us the "willful suspension of disbelief" masterpieces CRANK and CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE. Neveldine/Taylor have a unconventional style all their own that make them good exploitation filmmakers. The problem I have with them is that they don't know when enough is enough. The CRANK films went to extreme moments that I loved and hated at the same time because it all became too much.
Seeing that GAMER was made by Neveldine/Taylor I sort of knew what to expect but at the same time wished for something different. What I got was just a bunch of flashy incoherence noise.
If you have not seen the previews the story goes a little something like this, RUNNING MAN meets DEATH RACE. In the not so distant future a new kind of video game is created where the gamers play with real human beings. The hottest game is called Slayers, in this game real death row inmates become video game avatars and kill for survival via controlled by remote players. Kabal and his player Simon are 3 games away from a 30 game winning streak to freedom. 30 wins equals freedom but as we all know an offer like that is bad for business.
I like action movies and GAMER would have been a good one if you could actually follow the action and just not be bombarded with noise and chaos, much like today's video games.
D+
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Another view, from Kris:
I'll have to agree with Caleb on this one. Not one of the better action movies I've seen. The choice of editing gimmicks, obscenely loud sound effects, over use of nudity, and general camp of the movie drug it down several notches (it didn't start very high to begin with). There are a few note worthy aspects of the film:
1) Throwback to Halo, someone teabags someone in real life. Haha!
2) A cool shot of a blood splatter in a rave under blacklight, looks nifty.
3) Michael C Hall's "puppet" dance at the end.
4) Totally offbeat cameos: Peter Petreli from Heroes, John Leguizamo, Allison Lohman, and Shawn AND Juliet from Psych.
Which brings me to the one thing I really liked about this film: everything Michael C Hall. I've never watched Dexter, but Michael easily steals every scene he's in. I can't wait to see what other sinister characters he can play. Easily the best performance of the movie. If you liked Crank and Crank 2, watch this one. If not, wait for DVD.
-Kris
By the time Christmas rolls around this year, the plan is that it will be a Blu one. This weekend I got a chance to play around with a PS3 (thanks Kris) and while the point was to play the new Batman video game, I honestly became more excited to finally watch a movie on Blu-Ray. So 1 HDMI Cable and 1 movie latter, I was ready. The movie choice was a difficult one (naturally) because I did not want to spend a lot of money on a movie and I wanted to make sure it was something I knew should/would blow my mind.
It has been I would say 8 - 10 years since the last time I had seen THE MUMMY so the viewing experience more or less would like be seeing it for the first time. From the beginning I was in jaw dropping awe. For a CGI based film from 1999 the Blu-Ray high definition made the special effects look like they were done today. This set the mood for an excellent movie night, I was enjoying the movie more than I ever have before. A B-movie never looked so good.
In 1923, a group of archaeologists find a tomb at Hamunaptra. Inside the tomb is the body of Imhotep, a high priest of ancient Egypt. Some in the group end up unveiling a curse which has risen Imhotep, and it's going to take a lot more than guns to send him back where he came from.
Not a classic nor one of the best movies from the '90's, but I enjoyed it more than I did back when I saw it in the theater. I don't even own a player yet and the Blu-Ray format has already spoiled me.
Well, I think I'm going to start posting some of the best trailers on Thursdays (maybe Friday's) for you to all see.
1) Inception
2) Where the Wild Things Are
3) The Wolfman
4) Extract
5) The Lovely Bones - I was surprised by how much I liked this one.
6) Avatar
7) Daybreakers
-Kris
One of the best old school kung fu films I have ever seen. Not only does it have great martial arts action it has really good characters and suspense. The direction is technical and has a visual style that is above and beyond many movies of it's nature.
A dying master gives one final request to his last student to check on the activities of his five best students. Each of the five are equipped with a lethal martial arts skill: The Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and the Toad. The master knows not the identities of his former students because each of them wore a mask signifying their special style. The styles are very deadly and the master regrets teaching them and fears that some of the "five" may be using the skills for evil purposes. Besides just knowing only little of each fighting style, the young student has the challenge of finding these vipers hidden in normal society. The young student must find and team up with the good ones to destroy the evil ones, but who can he trust?
It took me years of waiting for a nice clean DVD transfer of this kung fu classic. A real must see. This film also has a major influence on the KILL BILL films, the reason I sought it out in the first place. Helpful hint: do not watch dubbed, at least for the first time.
As far as old school kung fu films go I give FIVE DEADLY VENOMS a solid A!
Possible Interviews coming up!
by Anonymous | 8/31/2009 02:14:00 PM in News and Updates | comments (0)
Hey guys,
I've been attempting to set up some interviews with some of our favorite celebrities! I'll give you a hint as to who -- many of us are big Joss Whedon fans. So, a few from his neck of the woods... maybe. We'll see if I manage to get any favorable responses! I sure hope so!
-Kris
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
by Scooter | 8/31/2009 12:03:00 AM in Movies | comments (1)
Harry Potter is a series for children.
When will Harry Potter ever graduate from that school?
I hear this from people all the time when I tell them that I am in love with Harry Potter and everything that goes on in his world. To be honest with you I am not so sure why this is even considered a children's series of movies/books. I was recently in Barnes n Noble and found myself completely out of place as I had to be helped to the children's corner of the store so I could buy all seven of these books.
If you have never given Harry Potter a chance, like I did for far too long, let me give you some quick information on the series as a whole. The overall theme of all the Harry Potter books is death as stated by the author, J.K. Rowling. The series is comprised of seven books, one for each year of his schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There will be eight total films when all is said and done as the last book will be broken up into two films with the last film expected to open in theaters in summer 2011.
The week prior to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince's release ABC Family had on every Potter film leading up to the new one so I decided to give it a try. Halfway through the first movie I was hooked. While Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favorite movie (year 4) The Half Blood Prince is a close second.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the darkest of the so far six movies in the series. The series took a turn from happy to dark and gloomy after the forth movie but this is by far the most extreme. Harry is more mature and knows more than he ever has in this film. The Half Blood Prince seems more heroic and epic with everything seeming more real. The Battle of Good vs. Evil is laid out in between the mischievous excursions with Harry and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione. This film has more laughter than the first five movies with my favorite line being, "Well I am the Chosen one." About an hour into The Half Blood Prince you may even see something that makes you wonder if you are in a Harry Potter film or the newest Horror film out in theaters.
This movie is not for anyone who has never read or seen the first five books or movies. You would be completely lost if you went out to see this film as your first Harry Potter experience. This film has one of the biggest twists that I have ever seen in a movie. No one expected it and I did not see it coming as well. So be kind to yourself and go get the books like I did or just go watch the movies and then go see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (In imax 3-D if you can).
This is the best movie of the summer and I am very much looking forward to the final two movies since I have read the last book and now can know what to expect. It will be a thrill and I encourage everyone to hope on board with Harry Potter! Stupefy!
Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) - Xbox360, PS3, PC
by Anonymous | 8/30/2009 06:54:00 PM in Games | comments (0)
Lo and behold, the Joker escapes his captures and traps Batman in the asylum. It seems that he's been planning this reverse break in for some time, having set fire to Blackgate Prison to get all of his lackeys transferred to Arkham. It's going to be the longest night of Batman's life as he fights through a significant portion of the Rogue's Gallery from the Batman canon. Present are Bane, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and of course the Joker, just to name a few.
Arkham Asylum looks great. The graphics are dark and gritty, with the art direction heavily borrowing from the comic of the same name; which is a great thing. Everything is very mature, people you know and care for die. Batman's outfit even takes damage of the course of the game; a small but nice touch. During the important cut scenes most of the characters are animated well with more or less correct lip syncing. But through the rest of the game, the animation of the NPC's is rigid and unnatural. Worse, the lip syncing is deplorable. However, these are relatively small gripes in the measure of the game.
It plays amazing. This is what it feels like to truly play as Batman. The game is action oriented -- when facing unarmed guards. If you have a room with more than one person with a gun (a room with one armed guard is rare - most have 7+) you will not live through it if you try to go head to head. You have to used Batman's ninja abilities to stealthily take out the enemies in the room.
This feels amazing for several reasons. Let's say I'm hiding in the rafters of a room and an enemy walks below me, I can drop down grab him and shoot back up into the shadows. He'll scream and the rest of the enemies will rush to where they heard the sound. Finding him hanging upside down and unconscious, the guards start freaking out. They get nervous and sloppy. Yea, that's right, you can actually scare the enemies. It's awesome. There are all sorts of ways to take out guards quietly: silent take downs from behind, hitting them with explosive gel, pulling them over a railing with your grapnel gun, and many more. All of it is wonderfully done and very very fun to play.
Now, if you have a room of unarmed cronies, things are much more straight forward. You only use 4 buttons while fighting. One for attack, counter, jump, and stun. That doesn't sound like much and it isn't. But that doesn't in any way mean its a bad thing. The only way I can explain how cool the fighting is is to show you. Keep in mind, that you're only using 4 buttons here. The game really is this dynamic.
Besides the combat, the Riddler has hidden 240 items around the island. Some are riddles you must solve, some are trophies, some are patient interview tapes, among other things. It will take a good amount of time to find them all; but you'll want to. The game's areas are varied enough and large enough to warrant exploration and the Riddler trophies are a great way to do so.
The last thing I'll talk about in this game is the voice acting. If you've ever watched Batman: The Animated Series (a highly acclaimed series) you'll know Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker (the longest running actor behind the face paint), and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Many other original cast members from the cartoon return to reprise their roles as well. Simply put, this game has the absolute best voice acting in any game; period. It's remarkable and a joy to listen to. The dialogue from the Joker is well worth the purchase of this game. Every single line of dialogue is spoken; which is rare.
Overall, this game has been a wonderful joy to play. The gameplay is addicting and fun, the voices are amazing, and it truly feels great to play as the Dark Knight and scare the crap out of the bad guys. I highly recommend this game. I have a feeling it'll be a contender for game of the year with several publications. Thank you Rocksteady for finally giving Batman the game he deserved.
Overall Score
Graphics: 8.5 - Great environmental visuals. Sometimes rigid character animation.
Gameplay: 9.5 - Feels great to play as Batman! Scare those bad guys!
Audio: 10 - Amazing voice cast and moody music. Worth the purchase alone.
Replay Value: 8 - Enough Riddler trophies to bring you back for more. Plus 16 challenge maps.
Total Score: 9
-Kris
Remaking the classics is a tough gig and when it was announced that Kentucky Fried Horror auteur Rob Zombie was hired to give everybody's favorite "boogeyman" a unnecessary makeover, the movie nerds screamed in vengeance and studied the production under a microscope. When the film came out very few nerds liked it and considered it an abomination to the original classic. The general horror movie going public and Rob Zombie fans liked the film very much. For the most part I thought the movie had it's moments and therefore liked the movie. The key word is like because my relationship with Halloween is a strange one. I have seen three versions of Zombie's remake (workprint, theatrical, and director's cut) and love certain things about all of them but ultimately find myself unhappy with the finished product, the director's cut. Like it or not Zombie did make the remake his own and that I find very cool.
Halloween II is more in line with the style of Rob Zombie. The film nerds hate it but not as much as the first one. The experience I had seemed quite different than others. Rob Zombie's new film I found quite entertaining and most of all unique. You could even say that the new Halloween II is something like an art-house slasher horror film. Not everything works in the film. Maybe the unexplained is just a sign of rushed filmmaking, or it may just be the imagination of Rob Zombie? I like the work of Rob so I am going to give him the benefit of doubt and pick the latter.
Halloween II is more in line with the style of Rob Zombie. The film nerds hate it but not as much as the first one. The experience I had seemed quite different than others. Rob Zombie's new film I found quite entertaining and most of all unique. You could even say that the new Halloween II is something like an art-house slasher horror film. Not everything works in the film. Maybe the unexplained is just a sign of rushed filmmaking, or it may just be the imagination of Rob Zombie? I like the work of Rob so I am going to give him the benefit of doubt and pick the latter.
This last installment picks up at the moment where the first one ended. Warning, spoilers from here on out! After shooting Michael, Laurie wanders around in the neighborhood until the Sheriff finds her and takes her to the hospital. Michael Myers is presumed dead and loaded into a meat wagon to be taken to the morgue. The transport gets into an accident that awakens Michael. After Michael gathers his senses, he is visited with a vision of the dead mother and his young self. This encounter is followed by a hospital nightmare. It has been a year since the brutal night Michael came home. Laurie is now living with her best friend and trying to live a normal life, but has been forever changed from that horrific Halloween night. Michael Myers has been living in the woods for a year and is ready to return to finish what he started.
Not one of the best films I have seen this year but a vast improvement to the first movie.
Halloween II gets a C+
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to experience more films from Tarantino. I loved Kill Bill 1 and 2, was not a big fan of Death Proof, and was thoroughly confused by the popularity of Pulp Fiction. I haven’t seen Reservoir Dogs. I have, however, come to understand and appreciate his slice of film making individuality. No one can make hundreds of severed limbs as fun as he can.
I went in to Inglorious Basterds not really knowing what to expect. I figured it would be split up into his trademark chapters (it is), there would be copious amounts of bloody violence (not as much as I expected), and I figured I would at least like it.
I’m sorry Tarantino for more poor expectations.
This film rose above any and all of these expectations. I absolutely loved this film. I’ll discuss it as a movie first. As a movie, some might find Tarantino’s like of long dialogue filled scenes a tad dull. It certainly isn’t as fast paced as Transformers and it certainly doesn’t take a whole lot of thought storyline wise. But, even as a movie, I figure you’ll be clapping by the end. If not for the movie itself, then at least for the movies delicious twisting of history. Two words: Swiss cheese.
As a film, this truly sores. There are 5 chapters, each around 20-30 minutes long. They play as one-acts with very little scene changes and only the setting characters. (For example, Brad Pitt is only in 3 of the chapters.) Each chapter has its own narrative storyline while quietly advancing the overall plot. Chapter 5 really ties everything together in one neat bloody little package.
Chapter 1 is quite possibly one of my favorite scenes committed to film in the last decade. Tarantino truly excels at the written word, creating vast amounts of suspense and terror in what were basically kind words. Christoph Waltz (
Hans Landa comes to the farm of a French diary farmer and his three daughters. The scene unfolds with Landa quizzing the farmer about the known locations of a certain Jewish family that had lived nearby before the war. Hans Landa never makes a single mean or striking statement and yet, through Tarantino’s expertly written dialogue, the sense of shear terror and suspense are palpable.
Chapter 2 introduces us to the titular Basterds; a small but merry band of Jewish boys walking the Nazi occupied country side killing and scalping them. They do this to strike fear into the hearts of the Nazi’s. And it works. The scene plays out introducing us to their ways of interrogation, beating, and finally scalping of the Nazi’s. Many expected this to be the center of the movie. I must say, I would have loved to have seen more of these characters and their story.
Every single line of dialogue (no exaggeration) out of Brad Pitt’s mouth is gold. Just wait until you hear “Bon-Jair-No.” Other notable performances from the underused Basterds are Sylar from Heroes – wait. I mean Eli Roth (seriously, look him up on imdb, he looks just like Sylar), director of the Hostel movies and Til Schweiger as the stoic and fearsome German officer turned Nazi killer Hugo Stiglitz.
Several German officers play drunken games to congratulate their friend.
I won’t spoil the rest of the movie for you (if you don’t know the end PLEASE do not look it up before seeing this movie). It’s amazing to think that Tarantino wrote, directed, edited, and released this movie in his promised 10 month time span. To release something that fast and do it amazingly well is a testament to his talent.
This is one of my favorite films of the year. I highly recommend it as a show of what is capable in
Good day, and Bon-Jair-No.
This is a useful section to read about the site and to learn about each reviewer so that you know where they are coming from in their reviews.
About the name.
Nerd Party Extreme is actually a phrase that I used when my friend and I would be really hyper at the amusement park Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We would spend 4 or 5 days at the park getting there around 8 A.M. and staying there until after closing at 11 P.M. The only way we could accomplish this for days in a row was taking unhealthy amounts of stay-awake pills.
Suffice it to say, we were usually really hyper - thus the extreme. I named a few of my Cedar Point videos after the phrase and liked it a lot. So, it stuck. Since then, it has come to symbolize how I feel about being a nerd. When I decided I'd like to make a site reviewing movies and such, I figured this would be the best name to encompass what I'd like to accomplish. Oh, and NPX sounds cool.
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About Kris
I've been a fan of movies my entire life. It was only about 5 years ago that I really became a fan of film and a self proclaimed movie nerd. Because it was only 5 years ago, I have been able to witness a lot of histories greatest movies in a short time span. However, there are still many I've yet to see.
How I review: I generally like almost any movie on the planet. I'm a fan of movies first, a fan of film second. Here's how I see it. A movie fan can see any movie and appreciate it for the entertainment value and escapism that it offers (the original purpose of movies). A film fan needs to see greater importance behind a work. Generally, a film fan greatly prefers Oscar type movies to summer blockbusters. Almost all movie reviews are written from a film critics perspective; which is why I started this site.
For example: Transformers and Wolverine received relatively poor reviews from critics because they didn't offer anything in the way of what many consider Oscar fair. To me, I was able to thoroughly enjoy both and appreciate them for what they were: big loud obnoxious stupid summer fun. They didn't have a point beyond being a spectacle.
So, that's how I'll review on this site. I'll give you a movie fans review and a film fans review. (I consider myself both.)
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More information will be provided as further staff come on board!
I'm very excited to get this party started! Here at NPX, we will be providing reviews on all sorts of media outlets. Our primary focuses will be on movies (both new and old; we take requests), video games, and TV shows. As we add staff to the site, expect more reviews in a more varied range of outlets. Thanks for reading and I look forward to posting our first reviews!
-Kris
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