Movie Time

Over the past few weeks I've been able to enjoy a couple of the big spring action flicks to come out this year in Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness. Do they live up to the expectations of the earlier films successes or do they fall to the weight of certain expectations based on their predecessors. Well here is what I thought of both films anyway. Be forewarned there will be some spoilers to follow so if you haven't seen the films yet and don't want any spoilers I suggest you stop reading.

Lets start with Iron Man 3 which has become a rather polarizing movie between those that love it and those that find great fault with it. Honestly I can see both sides of the coin here. On one hand I thought it was a fun film with much of the exciting action and humour that made the first two films so enjoyable. The problem is there were some decisions made with this film that quite frankly I just can't understand why they were implemented. First off was the use of the character Mandarin in the film. I certainly am not an expert on some of the marvel universe but I do know the basics on who the Mandarin is in the lore of the comic universe. Now I am not one for caring if there are tweaks to characters and stories told from the comics but the blatant deception used with the Mandarin in this film was just baffling. I actually liked the idea of the character in the film but why they decided it was a good idea to trick those familiar with the character of Mandarin just to sell this film was baffling since he isn't in the film at all. I guess they did it to help sell the movie but honestly how many people  went to see Iron Man 3 because of Mandarin. And if you did well you would end up mighty disappointed in the results. I think they could have kept the essence of their story without such deception. Now we are left with a storyline that pretty much makes it impossible to ever use the true Mandarin in a movie because that would just make it more confusing to the overall storyline.

The second flaw I found watching the movie was how it finished. It felt like every major issue or problem not resolved near the end of the film was quickly wrapped up with convenient plot points just thrown in to provide a supposed 'end' to the Iron Man trilogy. It really felt like even if the story was far from really being over they felt like since it was the third film they needed to end many of the story lines that had come up over the three films and let left me thinking that it was a little forced and unnecessary since we all know Tony will return for the Avengers sequel and a few of those plot points could have been left to be resolved in a more satisfying way. That and I really just can't understand why he destroyed his hall of armours at the end. Yeah it was a strong message to Pepper but honestly without those suits her and Tony would probably be dead so I didn't see the logic of that decision. Perhaps I'm thinking about it to hard.



Cheer up Tony. You still have the next Avengers movie to look forward to!

 Now in saying all this I still enjoyed the movie. The action scenes were the best I thought in the series even if Tony Stark seemed rather over powered/lucky when fighting without the suit. That and there was a good deal of humour to be found in this film also that for the most part worked well. I guess in the end the one thing that kept me from loving the movie was a few decisions meant to twist the story in order to ensure nobody guessed what would happen but it felt like a cheap trick in the end that took away from the real story being told that would have been great if done correctly. Still the Iron Man trilogy as a whole was excellent and I certainly hope Robert Downey Jr. comes back for the Avengers 2 since it makes a perfect Tony Stark and Iron Man based on his work in these movies.

The second film I watched this month was Star Trek Into Darkness. The first thing I'll mention here is this movie hearkens back to the now classic Star Trek The Wraith of Khan for those familiar with the lore and for me that certainly wasn't a bad thing considering I thought it was a great movie for its time. This new take on the story was a great attempt at recapturing some of that magic while telling its own story. The movie was fun, filled with exciting action, some heartfelt moments that admittedly had me going a little teary eyed, and though some plot points stretched logic it still made enough sense in the Star Trek universe to work.



Thankfully this movie doesn't crash and burn like the Enterprise seems to be doing in this pic

Visually this film was stunning and showed a wide range of vistas from the bright and beautiful to the more dark and gritty tones that frequent much of the film. I found the acting to be top notch and the action and humour provided just the right mix to make this a fun springtime movie. My only real complaint and I treat it as a minor one is that the movie does re-tread over some similar plot points of the earlier film wraith of khan but the new twists and completely new actors have provided and updated version of that tale that should more then satisfy many Trekkie's and just fans of action films in general.


If I had to choose from the two films Star Trek is the one I would go see again but both movies I found to be worth the time and money despite some flaws and provided just the type of entertainment needed during this busy time of year. Now lets just hope superman can soar next month and provide some hope that DC can cobble together something meaningful before trying to pit the justice league against the behemoth of the Avengers.



Okay so this scene was just eye candy in the movie and its the same reason why I posted it here but is anyone really going to complain =P

Thoughts and Prayers

As most people probably know  yesterday a horrific storm hit the Oklahoma City area. Personally I have always been fascinated by extreme weather and have done my fair share of watching storms over the years. Unfortunately what happened yesterday was a reminder of how terrifying and uncontrollable the weather can be sometimes. I happen to be lucky enough to live in an area where these types of storms are extremely rare compared to tornado alley but not completely unheard of. What happened yesterday though was one of those worst case scenarios that in this day and age was unpreventable unfortunately. I will continue to chase storms and share whatever knowledge I can with the local weather community around here. It probably will never amount to much but its the least I can do to hopefully in the future help try to find a way to prevent disasters like this from happening again. For now my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by these storms and to recognize the heroes that have emerged during this tragic event. Here's hoping nobody sees another event like this one anytime soon. For now I just appreciate the safe and happy life my friends and family live knowing it could always be worse.

Batman Arkham Origins Trailer

 

 

Well this is the first full trailer to the next Batman game. Gotta say if this was an computer generated feature film I would be totally pumped to watch it since the animations in this video are rather amazing. As it is still have some worry about the game since no gameplay was shown at all yet detailing whether the new developers can handle the amazing foundation Rocksteady created with the first two games. Well here is hoping will see more at E3 to ease my mind. Either way this is definitly one of the games I'm looking forward to playing later this year.

Still Here

So a few nights ago I was rather a mess due to the results of a certain hockey game that threw me for a loop. Fact is its still doing a good job of depressing me and such but I won't be disappearing for any length of time like I contemplated a few nights ago since I got another sign that night that suggested it would be a rather asinine idea.  So I suppose that means this blog will continue to get updated from time to time anyway. Ill post my thoughts on Iron Man 3 soon and I may delve into some gaming news as of late. I will save my reflection on my hockey team till the end of the month when hopefully my thoughts will be more collected. Nothing more to say for now. Just wanted to mention that I won't be disappearing for the foreseeable future anyway. Till next when my blog post will hopefully be a more entertaining and productive one

I Hate Life

Don't even know why I'm writing this. It will just be a waste........thinking about going away for some time. Finding a hole to crawl into and just disappearing. I know I shouldn't, but then again with the mood I'm going to carry for the next while nobody is going to want mw to be around me. Disconnecting would at least give me the solace in knowing nothing else will stab me in the heart. I should have seen this coming and yet I always hope things will be different with certain outcomes. This is going to be a long night...........FUCK!

Live to play another day

So last night a strange thing happened. A good friend of mine randomly out of the Blue started singing a song that happened to feature a lot of Blue in it and I got this strange feeling of good omens that despite all odds the Toronto Maple Leafs season would not end tonight despite my own feelings before that moment and the general consensus from pretty much everyone else I knew as hockey fans who pretty much said the Leafs were toast. Wouldn't you know it the leafs went into Boston tonight and played a hell of a gutsy hockey game coming out victorious. Sure they are most likely just prolonging the inevitable but for one night anyway I can take solace in the notion that they have had a good season and its not over just yet. I can only hope the magic and support  leading to the Leafs finally being a competitive hockey team again continues on Sunday night and that I find more good omens to fuel my gathering confidence that the leafs still have a chance. So make all the mothers that are part of Leaf nation proud Sunday night and setup  a thrilling game 7 finale to the first Leaf playoff series in a long time. Go Leafs Go!

Looking Back/Looking Forward May 2013

Another month has past and while it has been a busy one with work  there have certainly been a few very happy moments to make this a special month I will remember for a long time.  Now as I listen to the frogs singing outside I'm reminded that spring is finally here leading to hopefully a very fun and exciting summer to come. Before then lets take a look back at the entertainment side in April and look ahead to what May might bring.

Gaming wise Injustice was my game of the month and while I had some reservations about how the game would turn out thankfully its been a lot of fun and despite not having quite as much time as I'd hoped to play it I have no doubts there is more playtime to come with this entertaining brawler. Suffice to say there really was no other game that truly caught my eye that came out this month. I did stumble upon a hidden gem of a game I missed when it originally came out. The downloadable title Tomb Raider: Guardian of Light found its way into my library and while I only briefly played it so far in co-op mode its a lot of fun right now and suffice to say I will probably have more positive words to express on this game once I have had sufficient time to further delve into what this little title has to offer.



So Many Characters, so many great stories still to be told.

Television wise this month was dominated by one show in my mind. Game of Thrones is the very best show on TV right now in my opinion. It makes me laugh, makes me cry, I stare in awe at the wonderful world now brought to life on the screen before me. The books are an amazing read and thankfully the show is doing wonderful justice to this great story and has something for anyone willing to give the show a chance. I can't say enough about it.  Movie wise I went the whole month without watching anything to speak of. That will certainly change next month but will get back to that later on in this post.

Sports wise it was a tale of two very different emotions. On one hand for the first time in nine years the Toronto Maple Leafs indeed made the playoffs and while there first round opponent in Boston looks like a very tough challenge its still very exciting to watch playoff hockey again and you never know when your team might just pull off the upset so here's hoping. As for the Toronto Blue Jays. Well what can I say? They folded under expectations in the first month of the season and quite frankly things couldn't have went worse for them. Thankfully other happy moments have made me forget about this disappointment and hopefully a new month will change the fortunes and provide me with a sports team worth watching in the summer.

Speaking of summer with May here there is definitely a feeling of summer in the air now and while there will be many obstacles ahead I'm sure I have nothing but positive feelings that exciting times are ahead.

Gaming wise May looks to be the one subject that is rather dull. Looking at the release schedule there isn't one game that catches my attention. Perhaps there will be a surprise but the idea of saving some money this month and catching up on games I already have in my collection seems like a rather good idea.



If this poster is any clue the third part of the Iron Man trilogy will be the most action packed and  best yet!

On the TV side Game of Thrones is in mid season swing and certainly I can't wait for each Sunday night to see this wonderful show in all its glory and knowing the story from the books I have no doubt its going to continue to be the best show on TV right now. Now up to this point May seems like a repeat of April or perhaps a downgrade but movie wise things start to pick up. Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness hit this month and I most definitely will be going to see both movies and have high hopes that at the very least they will provide a couple hours of entertainment and perhaps will leave an even greater impression on me. Iron Man as never been one of my favorite heroes in the comic spectrum. I never had any bad thoughts on Tony Stark but I guess I just never had time to fully invest myself in his character to fully appreciate his story. This past year I met a good friend that certainly turned my eye towards the Iron Clad hero and I find myself way more invested then I used to be in Tony's world. While I still have a lot of catching up to do with his comics and I can't ever see him reaching the admiration I hold with someone like Batman I find myself more and more wanting to learn more about Tony Stark and his exploits. Suffice to say based on early reviews I am more then excited for his third outing and can't wait to see how it kicks off the road to the Avengers 2 which sounds like it has an even longer road of exciting stories to tell then the road that lead to the excellent first outing of the fantastic Marvel team. As for Star Trek I enjoyed the reboot Abrams created and the trailers for the sequel look like they up the excitement and intrigue of the first film. Not only that but lest I remind everyone that Abrams has the task of creating the modern day Star Wars trilogy free from George Lucas. Can he re-create the magic long lost by the original trilogy? Only time will tell but a solid continuation of this Star Trek tale will certainly go a long way to convincing me its possible.

 The Toronto Maple Leafs got the tough draw of facing the Boston Bruins in the first round. While game one turned ugly I still have some faith they can make a series out of this and perhaps there is some more magic to be had. Certainly I'll be hoping for it. As for the Blue Jays well I can only hope they totally reverse their fortunes of last month. Can't say I have as much faith in those hopes but in 30 days or so I guess will see whether or not baseball will hold any interest in the summer. Crossing my fingers that perhaps the Toronto sports scene can feel like a winning environment again.

So all in all May looks like it has some potential to be a fun month if not totally packed with entertaining options which is probably nice since its hard enough these days finding the time to enjoy all of it. I can only hope the month finds a way to have those special moments of this past month that put a smile on my face even in the toughest of times =). Till then I hope everyone has a fun month and you can look forward to perhaps some older game reviews I need to catch up on and certainly a look at the movies sure to provide some good times as spring totally sets in.