The Mosherpit

The Avengers

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 28 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000

It took me a few weeks, but I finally got to see the Avengers in the theaters. It was a pretty good flick. If you're unfamiliar with the film, it basically unites characters from all corners of the Marvel Universe into a team, the culmination of seeds which were planted way back in Iron Man. In this movie, the team comes together to stop Loki and an alien invasion.

If any reviewer has called it something like an "action-packed thrill ride", they're pretty much on the money. The movie starts with a bang and that sets the tone for the entire film. Then the individual members (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and the Hulk) band together and kick ass. That's it in a nut shell.

Fans have been waiting for this film for years now. As I said before, this represents a pretty smart and long-term plan by Marvel to release movies on individual characters that would lead into the team movie. This lets them get the origin stories out of the way in the previous films and also give fans a treat. It's probably the cinematic equivalent of a comic book series, where each movie has it's own story but there are bits and pieces that cross over to form a story arc. I'll admit it. It's pretty damn cool.

I was unsure of how Joss Whedon would handle the material, since he isn't really know for blockbuster movies, but then again, neither was Jon Favreau and he knocked it out of the park with Iron Man. I think Joss turns it up to 11 with the Avengers, and he has to considering all of the parts he has to deal with. Nobody gets the short shrift either. Iron Man gets a little more time than others, but everyone plays a part in the plan and they work together, shocking, as a team in order to repel the threat, complete with a plan and everything.

I think my only complaint is just a bit of casting that goes back to a previous installment, in that I don't think Chris Evans is a good Captain America. I think he's a good actor and I like him in most of the stuff he's in, but he just doesn't capture the look of Cap for me. Maybe it's because I imagine more of a Brad Pitt in the uniform. The costume may be part of the problem for that. While the other heroes have costumes that translate better from the page to the screen, Cap's ends up looking a bit off. Maybe it's the new one for the series as I thought it looked better in his own movie. Oh well, a minor complaint.

It's a great, fun film regardless, so check it out.

Attack the Block

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:34:00 +0000

If there's anything I love, it's people killing aliens. Can you blame me? They invade our planet and look to make meals out of us, so it's only normal that we kick their tails for awhile and try to take back what is ours. Usually, this task is left to the military or more action hero-type folk. In Attack the Block, it's up to a group of no-good kids to defend their turf.

Of course, it helps that they possibly instigated it, after they slaughter a lone alien that lands on a car next to them. After that, more show up and they seem to be out for blood, or at least that of the kids that destroyed their brethren. In the meantime, they're just trying to survive and make sure that the residents of their building don't get eaten.

It's a horror/comedy hybrid, though I would say we're looking at about 80% horror and 20% comedy. The cast is likeable enough for a bunch of thugs, and although you dislike them at first, they do grow on you. I really liked the design for the monsters too. It's very unique and works in a less is more kind of way. Cheap, but effective. Good gore too. Quite a few scenes have us surprised by people getting killed when we least expect it, and I like it that way. It keeps you guessing as to who is safe or not in the movie.

A fun film and well worth a viewing or two. Check it out.

Zombicide

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:43:00 +0000

I think Kickstarter could be a dangerous addiction for me. Particularly when then have games like Zombicide for me to drool over. I avoided Zpocalypse because, well honestly I forgot about it but I was going to pledge. This one has just so many miniatures. It's so tempting. But I don't think I can swing the 100 bucks for the set I want so I can get Cardboard Tube Samurai. And more dice. Plus I already have enough other games I don't play. But wouldn't this one be nice? Wouldn't it?

Green Lantern the Animated Series

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:44:00 +0000

I'm really loving the Green Lantern cartoon on Cartoon Network. The CGI is good, not stellar, but good enough to replicate the Bruce Timm style that was popularized in JLU and it's predecessors. The stories are where the show really shines. It's playing a bit fast and loose with the continuity, so if you're following the comics, you'll be certain to notice a bunch of deviations.

For the most part, they work. In fact, in some ways they're an improvement on what we've seen in floppies. In particular, I really enjoyed with how they handled Saint Walker. They haven't introduced Blue Lanterns yet in the series but they did give us a good look at his character. It's a big change from the pilgrim we've seen in the comics. This Saint Walker is self-assured and has a good handle on kung-fu, which he puts to good use. That's not to say he runs in kicking butt. Instead, he defends himself from attackers until he is left no other option, knowing in his own way that all will be well.

Such a great show. I need to catch up on the episodes I have on the DVR. I'm such a slacker with tv lately. I apologize. Anyway, check it out.

Pop Sculpture

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Pop Sculpture by Tim Bruckner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a toy aficionado, I felt it was a moral imperative to read this book. After all, it wasn't just the normal tome that listed figures and prices that I'm used to. Instead, this one actually gives you insight into starting your own sculpting and toy-making career, from conception to photographing the final product.

It's written by some pros in the industry and they take you through the creature of a figure or two and it's a pretty easy and engrossing read. If you've ever wondered what exactly goes on behind the scenes of the figures and statues you love, this book is well worth checking out.

View all my reviews

The Ward

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:21:00 +0000

I started to watch 13 Assassins on Saturday night, but didn't want to read subtitles for two hours. I switched over to watching The Ward, which is John Carpenter's latest movie, his first since Ghosts Of Mars.

The film follows the adventures of Amber Heard, who gets locked up in an mental institution where strange murders have been occurring. Is it a ghost? Or is it something else entirely? Whatever it is, we're on a fun ride getting there. It's a fun cast and each of the girls that is locked up in the ward with Amber Heard's character has some interesting problems. One is suicidal, one thinks she's a little kid, another thinks she's Jackie O or at least dresses like her. It is set in the 60s though so I might just be misjudging that last part.

Much like the Descent, the idea of whether the monster that the people are seeing is real comes up, and it's handled decently. We get tossed a few other red herrings along the way and it ends up being a pleasant surprise how it ends. There is another recent movie that actually does something similar, but I liked this one a lot more. I won't reveal the identity of that film, as if you know the ending, it will give away this one.

It's gotten bad reviews, but it's a pretty enjoyable movie. I don't think it did well though so we might have to wait awhile on another film from Carpenter, which is a shame, as he's one of the true masters of the genre out there and always entertains. Check it out.

The Centurion

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:10:00 +0000

Switched things up last night and checked out an action film instead of the usual horror flick. It did have pedigree though, being directed by Neil Marshall, who is known for such genre flicks as Dog Soldiers, The Descent and Doomsday. It was pretty damn awesome.

It has a lot in common with some of Marshall's other flicks, mainly being set around a group of people who are fighting against overwhelming odds to try and survive. In this case, it's a band of centurions, led by Micheal Fassbender, who are trying to get back home after their legion is slaughtered by the Picts. Unfortunately for them, they are being hunted by a mute tracker who exudes a demonic intensity and will stop at nothing until she has their heads.

It's a solid film, based very loosely on the story of the Lost Legion. Nobody really knows how it disappeared, so it's an interpretation of what could have happened, but it's a fun ride. It has Marshall's trademark goriness but it all fits considering people are being beheaded and slaughtered via gladius swords and other fun weapons.

The cast does well with their roles. Fassbender is absolutely enthralling in the lead and the men he leads are all good as well, the only one I knew off the bad being Mickey from Doctor Who. Olga Kurylenko makes for a wicked hunter and she is a scary presence throughout the film.

It's another hit from Marshall. I think it works better than Doomsday, which seemed a bit long. This one clocks in at a little over an hour and a half and none of it seems wasted. A good choice if you're in the mood for some historical action. Check it out.

Liliana

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Working on a card alter for the front of my mini binder. It's based on an image Steve Argyle drew in jest. I think it fits the card I want to put it on nicely. :)

I think it might even work as a digital alter if for some reason I decide to make any. Maybe I can make a foil out of it. That could be amusing.

Pirates of the Carribbean: On Stranger Tides

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:07:00 +0000

We were bored on Saturday, so against my better judgement, me and the wifey popped in the new Pirates movie. Sometimes, I should just trust my instincts. Especially as I found the previous two installments rather lackluster. It's a shame, though, as I enjoy the Jack Sparrow character and his shenanigans.

In this film, Jack Sparrow is on a quest for the Fountain of Youth and running into friends and foes both new and old along the way. What should be an interesting and fun quest gets dragged down by extensive action sequences that go on for far too long and appear with almost too much frequency. As a viewer, I shouldn't be bored by the action on screen. It's almost like they decided to parody the series hallmark of stunt sequences with them.

The plot is pretty simple and there's quite a bit of foreshadowing on how the end will play out between two characters in particular. It's unfortunate that it's between two characters we don't care about. It's no fault of the actors, either. They're all good. I think it's that, despite the long run time, we don't really spend long enough with any of them to even start to care about their fates, save for Captain Jack Sparrow, who honestly feels like a bit player in the movie instead of a star.

I think paring it down a bit for a quicker pace would help the film immensely, as well as focusing on more on Sparrow, as he's the main draw for most of us watching. I'm not expecting to be moved to tears by a Pirates movie, but I shouldn't be bored to them either when watching it.

The Aquabats Super Show

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Saturday mornings just got a little brighter. No, not because of Daylight Savings Time. Instead, this stems from a crop of new shows on tv that don't suck. Leading the pack is a show by the Aquabats, a ska band that has been around for awhile and likes to pretend they're super heroes. Their show is an amalgam of Batman and the Monkees with a dash of some Sid and Marty Kroft for good measure and is tons of fun. It's the type of show I would watch as a kid, growing up with the above three shows, and I'm glad that my daughter can watch this show. You know what? She loves it, too, so they're doing something right. That's no surprise considering the leader of the Aquabats is one of the masterminds behind the hit show Yo Gabba Gabba. I think some of that magic is rubbing off here. They're only two episodes in and I know I'm hooked and can't wait for another ep of the five heroes/band members as they sing their songs and fight some villains along the way.

Also on is the Green Lantern cartoon. It's your standard superhero fare but it's GL so I'm loving it. I know there was a bit of an uproar because it's Bruce Timm style but in CGI instead of traditional animation. It's rather unfounded though as the show looks very good and is well written and crafted to boot. Check it out.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:11:00 +0000

I first saw the original Ghost Rider movie a few years ago when it came out on President's Day weekend. When I saw that the second one was doing the same, it was pure serendipity that I got a chance to see this one in theaters on that weekend. As a fan of Ghost Rider and the first movie, it was almost a moral imperative.

I'm glad I saw it. It was a fun, grindhouse-y movie that runs on kinetic energy and an inspired performance from Nic Cage that really lets him cut loose and go a little bonkers. The story seems to pull and Incredible Hulk and ignore the first movie but brings us up to speed with the origin quickly enough. Johnny Blaze isn't in control of the Rider as much as he was in the first movie, or perhaps the Rider isn't in control of himself. So when he appears on the scene, he's usually going all out and doing quite a bit of damage along the way. You see, he has a quest to seek out and burn the wicked, and he doesn't really care about the degree of evil you may have committed. He's going to punish you for it. As you can imagine, Blaze would rather this not happen and seeks a way to get rid of him for good. Which is unfortunate, as a young boy and his mother are being hunted by some shadowy, nefarious types and need his help, which may do more harm than good in the end.

Good performances by Cage and Idris Elba really help the movie shine. They bring the fun in every scene that they're in and have a good chemistry together. The rest of the cast isn't bad and there are a few surprise cameos that had me quite pleased. The effects are pretty nice, especially Ghost Rider riding around during the day. That was rather cool to see. My only complaint is that, like the first one, the fights are rather short, which is to be expected when you have humans going up against a demon, but then again, it does keep them from getting boring.

If you enjoyed the first movie, you should like this one. Don't go in expecting your typical superhero film, as the directors of Crank have done anything but that here. Instead, you get a movie processed through a 70s drive-in sensibility with a touch of overkill.

Check it out.

Doghouse

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:15:00 +0000

The wife wanted to watch Twilight something or other last night. Not being a fan, I fired up the 3DS and Netflix and grabbed my trusty nine dollar headphones and settled down for a movie with manliness that would counteract the chick flick on the big screen--Doghouse.

The movie takes place in the UK, where a group of guys have gotten together to help a friend get over his divorce by having a guys weekend away. After starting at the local pub, they get on a bus driven by a lovely lady and head to a small town in the woods, where one of their friends has a relative with a house they can use and the population is supposed to be heavy on the women. This unfortunately doesn't turn out as planned when they get there and find that the women have gone crazy with some virus and have turned into zombie-like maniacs who want to devour the flesh of every man they see.

Not quite what they had in mind.

An entertaining mix of comedy and horror, Doghouse hits more often than misses and dishes up equal doses of scares and laughs. The guys are pretty likable, even the required asshole friend, so we genuinely care what happens to them. It helps that it takes a bit to get going so we have some time to find out what makes them tick. They act like friends, too, which is nice, where we get concern and good ribbing to go along with it. Can't say I recognize many of the actors from anything, save Mickey from Doctor Who and I believe the stoner from Severance. Good bunch though. I didn't have any complaints with them, save for one of the ones I was rooting for didn't survive the film.

It's a fun twist on the zombie genre that shouldn't go overlooked by any fan of these types of films. Check it out.

Zombie Killing for Fun and Profit

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Ok, maybe not profit. I am having a blast playing Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS. It's a nice and creepy tale that evokes the earlier games in the series but uses the control scheme (or a variant of) pioneered by RE4. So you basically you have things jumping out at you from all over the place, making you scream like a little kid, but you can run away and shoot them with ease. Until you run out of ammo.

That's another change from RE4&5. The ammo can get rather scarce, so if you decide to try and blast everything that moves, you might end up in dire straits later on. It can get hectic, so you don't have forever to aim your shots, but try and make them count. Aiming for the head, as always, is preferred, though center mass might be easier if you're in a hurry.

The bosses are nice and creepy as well, usually dropping audio cues well before you reach them to unnerve you. Then you run into them and it's a race to keep yourself alive and kill them while trying to avoid the multitude of other enemies that pop up to make life more miserable for you.

The basic plot has you on a ship as Jill Valentine, trying to figure out how the mysterious vessel ties into events from the past that seem to be coming back to threaten the world. Any more than that might give away the plot turns and twists that make the game fun. There are a few more characters besides Jill you get to play as, perhaps to prepare us for the character switching in RE6. They use the same game play, but help advance the plot without trying to cram everything into the ship.

In keeping with the newer entries in the series, there is also a minigame of sorts, much like Mercenaries from the last two console versions. This new game is called Raid Mode. Instead of trying to kill as many enemies as you can within a time limit, you have to traverse levels from the game and exterminate everything that moves and get to the end. No time limit and you can even replenish ammo from fallen enemies at times. There's also a level system. You get XP that raises you level, and as you go up, you can use better versions of weapons you find. Then have level restrictions so you might find an awesome weapon early on but not be able to use it for a bit. In addition, you can add abilities to the weapons to increase their usefulness and damage. Not quite the leveling system in 4 or 5, but still handy, considering the enemies increase in level too as you progress. You can do this alone or bring a friend along for the ride with wireless and online game play.

All in all, it's a fun entry to the series and worth picking up if you have a 3DS and want an engaging and entertaining zombie killing game and see some familiar faces.

Check it out.

RE: Revelaitons

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:10:00 +0000

No, that's not a typo. Well, ok, it is, but it's also on the spine of the game box, which amuses me to no end. Anyhow, I finally picked up my copy of the game. It came out yesterday, apparently, even though Gamestop had said it was coming in on the 8th. Which wouldn't matter normally but I pre-ordered at the one by work so I had to wait until today to get it as I was out yesterday. Grrr.

So I have the game in hand and must now wait several hours until I can play it. Why do it do this to myself? I feel like one of the inmates in Don't Look in the Basement.

The Thing (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:41:00 +0000

When it comes to horror movies, John Carpenter's version of The Thing is one of my favorites. Great tension, acting and plot come together to form one hell of a ride. As you can imagine, any attempt to remake this was going to be on shit list and I was going to be skeptical. Fortunately, they opted to not remake it, per se, but instead offer us the tale of what happened in the Norwegian camp that led to the events in Carpenter's classic.

It does a decent job with it. Much like the Descent and it's sequel, or Alien and Aliens, a lot of the suspense about what exactly is killing people is removed and we get much more in the way of action. The Thing goes on plenty of rampages and we see it assimilate quite a few people, or at least begin to, which in the original was mainly left off screen. It makes for a fun ride, but not one that will leave much of an impression.

The plot follows Mary Elizabeth Winstead as she gets hired to help with a dig in the Antarctic. It's all rather hush hush, and it turns out they have found a flying saucer. They've also uncovered a foreign life form hidden in the ice that they bring back to get samples from. Then it breaks out. From then on in, the movie kicks it into high gear. Most of the faces that surround her are forgettable and serve mainly to be taken over or killed by the alien. The few that are rounded out are alright, but the fact that one of them is basically your evil scientist tripe is kind of lousy. I would expect a little better, though maybe that's a nod to Howard Hawkes version.

Not a must see film, but certainly not the worst way to kill an hour and a half, if just to watch Ramona Flowers with a flamethrower.

Check it out.

Resident Evil: Revelations (Demo)

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:54:00 +0000

I had some free time on my hands while cooped up in a hotel at night during a tradeshow, so I found myself playing quite a bit of the RE: Revelations Demo on the 3DS. It definitely has me looking forward to the full version, not like I wasn't before. So far, from the brief level we got, it appears that they're keeping the RE 4/5/Mercs control scheme but setting-wise going for a more old school feel. Indeed, Jill wakes up in the demo in a room that feels like it was ripped out of the mansion from RE1. The zombies are plentiful and take a bit of ammo to take down, making it handier to try and dodge around them or utilize your power weapons to get the most bang from your buckshot.

One neat addition is the new Item Scanner. It basically lets you target around the room and search for hidden items like ammo and health. It also scans some of the bodies left around, though I didn't see as much need for that save to increase a percentage that shows at the top of the screen. You won't find a ton of ammo doing this from what I observed, but it's enough to help you out when you're down to your last clip.

I pre-ordered this last week so I could get the free case that comes with it. I'll pick up the game and the case on Wednesday and let you know how it is.

Sherlock

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:03:00 +0000

Finally started watching and finished off this great new series. Ok, so it's from 2010. That might make it less new but not less great. In a nutshell, the series is a series of hour and a half episodes, three in total, that feature a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular role while Martin Freeman plays John Watson, his companion. The stories for each episode are inspired in part by the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, or at least contain nods to them, and are their own tales, so you won't feel like you're watching the same story for the umpteenth time like you would get for some of the movies.

The cast works well together. There's a great chemistry between the two leads. There's also a fun running gag about the two being a couple. Cumberbatch plays a suitably alien Sherlock, a man who observes every little detail about the world and the crimes in it but doesn't relate well with people, often times being completely oblivious to how he should treat people. Freeman is the grounding influence for his compatriot, giving an everyman point of view on the cases and teaching him on occasion how to act like a person. Still, despite the grief he gets from Holmes, Watson sticks along for the thrill of the hunt and also the money they get for solving these crimes.

Season 2 is on now, so I can finally start watching them. I'm quite looking forward to it. Check it out.

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil on Netflix

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

If you haven't had a chance to see this wildly funny and smart horror comedy, maybe because you don't want to shell out the bucks or your Blockbuster closed, have no fear. You can now watch it on Netflix, for, well, whatever you pay a month to watch Netflix Instant. Not a bad deal. Check it out. You'll be thanking me later after you get out of your awesome induced coma.

Also, did Netflix for Xbox change how they stream? I used to get a solid connection where after a hiccup, it leveled out so it was good the whole way through. Now it seems to vary depending on my connection speed, going from beautiful HD to blocky at times. Maybe due to peak usage on the service? I dunno. Seems good now but it was pissing me off earlier.

Anyhow, don't let that discourage you from checking out Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. It's awesomeness cannot be contained by bandwidth.

New Year's Eve 2011

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Sitting here watching Bubble Guppies with less than 12 to go to the new year. Just want my daughter to feel better. She has pneumonia. Hospitalized her on Tuesday. She came home yesterday. She seems to be doing better, but we probably have a long way to go on it, what with the nebulizer and trying to get her to actually drink some water and juice so she doesn't get dehydrated. She's still getting a fever about every twelve hours, which sucks but is better than every 5 or so that it had been before we took her into the ER to get some fluids. Who knew being a parent was so rough? We haven't even done Christmas yet. Here's hoping for a healthy start to the year.

Merry Christmas 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Merry Christmas! Can't say it's a good one for me this year as my daughter is fighting a virus and has been for the past four or five days. By the way, viruses suck. Nothing like something that you can't get rid of outside of just resting and fighting the fever. Yay for that. I don't even know when you start counting when it starts. Is it with the cough or with the fever? That could make a difference as Cassie started coughing on Monday or Tuesday. That would mean she only has a few days left. The fever, however, started on Thursday morning, maybe late Wednesday. We only know she woke up with it. That would mean she has a lot more left if we count from there. Ugh.

Fright Night (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:07:00 +0000

Remakes are always a tricky breed. Most of the time they don't need to be done at all. It just seems like the producers behind them think viewers can't enjoy films from a different era/language/etc. That or they find some cult IP that they want to exploit and reimagine in some "cutting edge" way. I was afraid that Fright Night would fall prey to the latter. Like kids today can't appreciate Chris Sarandon in a sweat suit.

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. While my main motivation was to watch David Tennant, I found the whole cast enjoyable. Colin Farrell was a delight as Jerry, the vampire next door, turning the role from one of seduction to an absolute predator. The script was solid and I didn't find many things to gripe about. Even the update of the Peter Vincent character from a horror host to a magician makes sense, considering they're in Las Vegas and also that most people today won't remember horror hosts like Zacherley or Elvira.

There were some clever scenes I liked. There's an escape scene that has a particularly great payoff, that without spoiling it, I didn't see coming but fits with the way bites work. I also like that the Ed and Charlie roles were switched in terms of believing in vampires, with Ed as the one who suspects Jerry at first. Any complaints I might have actually relate to this, as it almost feels like we're brought into the story midway, with Ed having done a bit of research into killings that we don't quite get the feeling are truly an epidemic. Still, it's a minor quibble. I wish that I got a chance to see it in 3d though, as it looks like they had some cool effects for it. As it stands, the movie looks good and is thoroughly enjoyable regardless of the dimension you see it in.

It, like a lot of good remakes, pay a bit of homage to the originals without sounding like they're pandering. You even get a Chris Sarandon cameo. Nothing wrong with that, as he is quite awesome.

All in all, it's a fun film and worthy of the name, Fright Night. Check it out.

Super (thanks for asking)

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:08:00 +0000

Finally got around to seeing this little gem from writer/director James Gunn. It's about a man whose wife leaves him for Kevin Bacon and drugs, so he decides to save her and fight crime in the city along the way. Of course, there is a learning curve for this sort of thing and he has quite a few mishaps along the way. Fortunately, he has Nathan Fillion as a Bibleman-ish character on tv to guide him and a teenage girl in the form of Ellen Page who wants to be his sidekick.

And he fights crime with a pipe wrench and the battle cry of "Shut up, evil!"

It's pretty hysterical and dark, which is good for a dark comedy. It brings to mind some of Gunn's previous films like Slither and the also superhero related The Specials. Rainn Wilson is a delight as the lead and Kevin Bacon works well as his foil. Liv Tyler is radiant as usual in the role of his wayward wife and Ellen Page is a fucking psychopath. Seriously. I like her but she seems to play the same role in my mind in every movie I see her in. It was a nice surprise to see her cut loose and not just be the wiseass hipster which Juno has forever cast her in to me.

The movie is a fun take on how crime fighting might go in the real world and Rainn does a great job in bringing us along for the ride. Definitely worth checking out if you don't mind some bloodshed with your humor, because honestly, (spoilers) the last act is a bloodbath. But awesome.

Check it out.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:35:00 +0000

I had a nice four days off. Played with my daughter. Played a lot of Skyward Sword. Raked leaves and put up Christmas lights and now I'm sore and watching Walking Dead and knowing that I'm going to be hella sore tomorrow after a good night of sleep. Hope ya'll had a good weekend too. Hopefully I'll get some more movie reviews up soon.

High School of the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (WorselVT) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Started watching this nifty little anime the other day. I was intrigued as I like anime and zombies and this seemingly combined the two. How could I lose? Turns out to be a pretty good choice so far as I'm rather enjoying it.

The plot, in a nutshell, is that a zombie outbreak in Toyko occurs and whole parts of the city are ravaged rather quickly. The school that the main characters attend is no exception, and with just one infection, gets taken over rather quickly. The heroes, friends and strangers alike, band together to try and get the hell out of there and to safety and their families--if any are still alive.

It's got some great gore and fun characters and some fantastic zombie killing action. I think that's what drew me in from the start. The running POV that turns into some zombie smackdown is something I absolutely love about the series. It does have its share of fanservice, which gets ratcheted up rather absurdly in Episode 6 and so far in 7 is there as well. I think that kind of goofiness with the occasional humor that they have keeps the series from going too serious and grim and is a welcome change from some of the tough choices that they have to make. Also, the series has the first time I can remember someone having to pee in the middle of a tough situation, which is funny as I would probably have to do that as well. It's a nice touch and really rounds out the characters.

Check it out.

11.11.11

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:41:00 +0000

No nanowrimo or movie updates tonight. Just me pretending to be the 11th Doctor and trying to overcome some illness. And drinking Jameson. Happy 11.11.11!