Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 4

My least favorite idiom is, by far, the concept of the double-edged sword. Why can't someone ever just wholeheartedly enjoy something? There always has to be downside. Well, this whole roller derby thing has officially developed into a double-edged sword. I'm still obsessed and having a blast, but I just found out that the tryouts are capped at 100 girls and no more than 15 will make it. Shit. I think I'm good, but I don't know about that good.

The second skills night went pretty well. I've got the basic skills down – crossovers, stopping, power strides – but now they're throwing in derby skills, namely blocking. I'm skinny but it's not the force that overtakes me, it's this whole skating low thing. Skating low is the key to roller derby. It helps in every facet: speed, stability and, most importantly, blocking. If you stay super low, odds are, another girl will have a much harder time knocking you over. On the other hand, if you're standing tall, you're practically a rolling target. When it comes to throwing a block, you'll be way ahead of the competition in a lower position. You don't block someone with your arm alone; you're blocking your opponent with your entire body and that requires the power to forcefully pop up from the low derby stance. The lower you are, the more power you'll have.

Today Is Unofficial Godzilla Day

I don't know what it is about today, but I just can't stop thinking about Godzilla. What is just a big goofy man in a giant lizard suit to some is a childhood icon, hero and tradition to me. Sure, I grew up when Goji was not at the height of his popularity, but watching the Godzilla marathon on WWOR (Channel 9 in NJ/NY) every Thanksgiving was a tradition even more sacred than the damn turkey. Playing with my giant Godzilla toy (with plastic fire tongue and shooting hand) while watching him beat the shit out of King Ghidorah, Megalon, and even the mighty King Kong was something special. Okay, so he didn't really win against Kong, but there was always that false urban legend that somewhere existed an alternate ending with Godzilla as the victor. Oh, if only it were true.

As time went on, Channel 9 forgot about but I didn't and neither did Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thankfully they only made fun of the ones I probably didn't care that much about, but they sure ripped Gamera a new one. Japanese Laser-discs dubbed to VHS started hitting Chinatown and soon I was able to watch the films the way they were intended, all complete with English subtitles instead of dubbing. Too bad that wasn't legal. Still, that was it. I was now officially a lifelong member of the "Someday giant monsters are going to stomp all over this damn planet and blow shit up" fan club.

I'd Be More Thankful If You Disappeared

Just about everyone is doing their Thanksgiving list or post today, but I wanted to do something a little bit different. There are people and things that exist on this planet which I think I would be a lot more thankful if they all just disappeared. I'm not saying I wish all of these some violent death, though some I might. I'm just saying life would be a little better without this crap in it.

1. Kanye West: I don't want to seem like this is just cause of what he did this year. Let it be known that I couldn't stand the moron since the first time I heard his corny crap. I didn't like his music, and then his personality came and got in the way. Erase him and I don't have to hear any of his poor excuse for hip-hop, see pictures of him wearing mini-Venetian blinds over his eyes, or have him make any more public-speaking blunders. Yeah, I agreed with him on the whole G. W. Bush fiasco, but even that came off as just stone dumb.
   
   

Far Cry DVD Review

Right now you're looking at this review, thinking to yourself, "Do I really need to read a review of a Uwe Boll movie? That guy only makes bad movies based on video games." On any other day I'd totally agree with you. It almost seems like reviewing such a film would be pointless, but if you know me you know that I'm a glutton for punishment. I also let my curiosity get the better of me, and have been known to host more than a couple "Bad Movie Night" hangouts at my apartment.

Far Cry, just like every other film, deserves a blank slate upon viewing, but even more so because it isn't just the usual "Boll-shit." Yeah, thank you, Amit, for that one. I had to use it. I dare say that this is easily the best film that Uwe Boll has put in the can, up to this point. While that might come across as effectively as saying that herpes is the best disease,  I just can't find it in my heart to say that Far Cry is all that bad of a movie. I'm not saying that it is without problems, and large ones at that, but for what it is I don't think anyone that actually watches it is going to be grossly disappointed with it.

Frogger Returns Review - WiiWare

The adaptation of classic video games to next generation 3D is a trend that can benefit some old titles that haven't been seen for a little while. Bionic Commando came back in fine form as easily one of the best remakes to ever grace consoles. New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii proved that you can take an old dog and still teach it some new tricks. Of course, when many people think of classic video games they think of animal mascots, and one of the oldest is a little green frog. Unfortunately for Frogger, his latest outing makes me think he should be run over by a car and stay dead for good. Sorry, buddy.

If you've played the old Frogger then you know what Arcade mode is. You dodge cars, pick up some power-ups, and make your way across the logs. I don't care what anyone says, it still doesn't make any sense that you control a frog that can't swim. Thankfully, there is an indestructible power-up you can get which allows you to survive car hits and drowning. It doesn't make up for how much of a failed amphibian this little guy is, but it is a step in the right direction. Everything else revolves around steps in the wrong direction. The other single-player modes are just variations on the same thing, on the same four levels available in the arcade mode.

Hulk Profile Video - The Super Hero Squad Show!

Hulk is the strongest one there is. Everyone knows that. Even if he is a cute and cuddly animated green thing on a seemingly just-for-kids show, he still is the strongest there is. Don't let his cuteness or hyper-stylization fool you, though. Hulk can still smash more than anyone else, and The Super Hero Squad Show ain't just for kids.

While it is easy to look at the funny forms that these versions of our favorite heroes and villains have taken in the show, there are many laughs for anyone who watches. Yeah, they originate from the cutesy toy series that has been out few years. Still, there are also tons and tons of obscure villains and heroes shown, so obviously this isn't just for your seven year old son or niece. This is for you too.

Marvel has provided us with a little video profile of the Hulk from the show, as well as pretty in-depth writeup. So watch the video below and click in to read all there is to know about this version of the Hulk.

Circle Of Eight Episode 7: Exclusive Clip and Image

Circle of Eight is slowly becoming the most complicated, mysterious, and insanely detailed Easter Egg hunt the internet has ever known. Those who are obsessing, let alone paying attention, will find number puzzles, references to old literature and head-scratching moments a-plenty. Those who don't get that involved simply dig the winding plot and weird life (or death) that our buddy Jessica seems to be leading.

We're just along for the ride, watching as this lady loses her damn mind. In fact, could this all just be a product of her going nuts? Or is she simply dead and she just doesn't know it yet? Whatever the case may be, the plot thickens tomorrow, and here is an early look at an exclusive clip for Episode 7 that you will only find here on Entertaining Evil! Sound off below and let us know what you think is going on! Oh, and click on the photo up there, cause that sucker is an exclusive too!

Left 4 Dead 2 Redband Trailer

I don't know what it is about them, but we sure love zombies. Sure, everyone thinks that vampires are the hot topic right now, but that has only been the last couple of years. The last decade or so, however, has had a hell of a lot more zombie going around. Tomorrow the second phase of one of the hottest zombie video games ever is hitting the streets. Technically, anyone who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey like I do could have had their four player zombie killing fix this weekend, but that isn't all of you. For the rest of you out there who want this game, you probably are going to be waiting on a line tonight at 11:30pm, or you are waiting for your Steam pre-order to unlock. No matter what, you're excited and probably a bit too trigger happy. Do us a favor and settle down. Okay, now that you've settled down I'm going to try to amp you up again with the latest redband trailer for Left 4 Dead 2. Let us just hope that there is as much ass kicking in this game as there is in this trailer.

Video Games | Left 4 Dead 2 | E3 09: Debut Teaser

Word Spin Review - iPhone / iPod Touch

Originality is overrated. When you've got something great, don't toss the idea aside and start anew; milk that novelty for all it's worth! Geospace decided to go the extra mile with the success of their popular word game Word Spin, team up with RogueSheep and create an application. Yes, the original handheld game was designed with portability in mind, but nothing is as portable as when it can be carried on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The game comes with three playing options: practice, solitaire and challenge. Practice gives you the chance to hone your skills before playing solo in solitaire mode or against a particular opponent in the challenge realm. The application works just like the handheld game; you shuffle your wheels, lock the formation and proceed to identify the words. There's six rounds the first of which utilizes three wheels. Each subsequent round adds one wheel. You get the opportunity to re-shuffle the wheels in between each round.

Women In Trouble Review

If you were to mix the daily life mishaps of two porn stars, a prostitute, two sisters who share a daughter, their shrink with an adulterous husband, and a stewardess, you would probably find it impossible not to laugh. That is, at least, what writer/director/producer Sebastian Gutierrez (Snakes On A Plane) hopes. With a fairly impressive cast and a strong emphasis on female leads, the pseudo-feminist ideals still feel as they were delivered from a male perspective. Obviously, getting the actresses down to their underwear in a good portion of the scenes drives that bit home.

Starting off with the exploits of a porn actress (Carla Gugino) who finds out that she is pregnant, the narrative weaves in and out of the lives of what seems like a dozen women that are all somehow connected. Playing like a European comedy with some Tarantino-esque sensibilities, nothing that troubles these women is left to the imagination. They babble on about their issues and problems from the moment they feel secure with someone, trusting each other as long as they have either a common enemy out there or some larger issue to squash. Some people are like this, sure, but when everyone in the same film acts this way I can't help but feel it is just an excuse for them to deliver some "witty" banter and terrifying life history.

Modern Warfare 2 Probably Isn't Going To Make You Kill Someone

As far back as I could possibly remember, anything that has brought joy into a person's life is supposed to be bad for them. The top culprits when I was a child were comic books and video games, but now that I'm all grown up I know it was all a bunch of malarkey. Parents are just doing what they think is right for their kids, which is fine and dandy, but when the press and special interest groups get involved with the things that should be in the hands of mom and dad I start to have an issue.

Marybeth Hicks, a supposed journalist, who has also written a guide to bringing up geeky children, apparently doesn't get it. She has gone on fire about Modern Warfare 2, declaring it harmful to those playing it and how it has the capability of influencing those above and below the age of 17. Honestly, before I was 17 I had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of R-rated films, played tons of video games that would be considered M-rated, and listened to hours upon hours of explicit lyrics in music.

I still haven't killed anyone.

In fact, there are tons of things I have never done, and no movie, video game, comic book or song has ever made me act any differently in real life.

Being annoyed by folks like Hicks and the legendary Jack Thompson, I decided to put together some things that I have managed to avoid doing, despite all the horrible acts I may have committed in the virtual worlds out there.

So, here is a list of 50 things video games have never made me do.

GameGrep

Red Cliff Review

"You don't know what you're missing." As cliché phrases go, this one is definitely overused without merit. After watching the combined "Western" version of Red Cliff I can definitely say that I don't know what I'm missing. Combining two films that total 280 minutes into one abbreviated film of about 148 minutes must have been a very difficult task. Still, unless I track down imported bootlegs or read the Wikipedia summary, I won't ever notice a thing. This is both good and bad, as the film manages to carry on seemingly without notice.

Red Cliff tackles the famous Chinese subject matter dealing with the time near the end of the Han Dynasty. If you're a gamer you've no doubt heard of or played the Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms games that have been based during this era. The Battle of the Red Cliff is legendary, to the point that a good portion of the factual basis of the story has been lost over time, with the most accurate being the Records of Three Kingdoms. For me to go into how everything, historically, happens would be a waste of your time and mine, so let me just get into what it is like to watch the film.

Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 3

The mere concept of something can be thrilling, but when the day actually comes to take part in that event, all you want to do is run the other way. When I woke up the morning of the first official skills night, I was unenthused to say the least. I didn't completely dismiss the idea of going, but I was, well, scared. I didn't know anyone, I didn't know what the experience was going to be like and I didn't know if I'd be any good in comparison to the other girls. On top of all that, the practice area was in some obscure location that I was awfully hesitant to park my car in.

As the day progressed, my family and friends were far from encouraging. My friends were still skeptical of the sport all together and, naturally, my parents were freaked by the idea of me waltzing off to a sketchy area to meet people I didn't know. To be honest, the only thing really driving me to go was the fact that I just dropped a wad of cash on equipment.

Circle Of Eight Episode 6: Exclusive Image - Stay Out Of The File Room

If you didn't already know, I'm hopelessly addicted to Paramount Digital Entertainment's MySpace series, Circle of Eight. With all the red herrings, clues, quirky characters, and seemingly inescapable hallways within The Dante, the one room we all want to see is the file room. Why? Well, when you're told to stay out of the file room from the very first episode you couldn't really care less about any other room in the place. Now we are heading into the 6th episode and we still haven't seen the damn room!

I shouldn't say "we," because as of this morning, I've actually seen it. Yes, the fabled room filled with files is about to be unveiled to you. We've got an exclusive look at the next episode of Circle of Eight and it just so happens to take you straight to the dreaded room, complete with files and a pretty serious looking Ed. Check below for the fully expandable image, as well as a little spoiler laden synopsis of what else you are going to see tomorrow!

The Great Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Battle

Sometimes the price of journalism is steep and hefty, but if you want to deliver the information and stories that people care about you can't expect it all to be glamorous. Now that Halloween has passed us by, I experienced something that many of us probably already have, but never really put much thought into it. Well, if there is anything I do well, it is putting way to much thought into something that probably doesn't deserve it. Daily things pass through my mind of such inquisitive nature like, "How come we can't taste our own tongue?" and, "What would life be like if horses were carnivorous?"

Too many times have folks just scoffed at those ideas, but this time I stumbled upon something that people cared about. This time I found something that really resonates within all of us Americans, and actually, even with people abroad. If there is anything that we find importance in and love, it is food, snacks, treats, and yes, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Now, like I said, Halloween has passed and thus I had not one, but two different kinds of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups within reach, and I had a choice to make. Would I eat the large or the minis first? I instinctively grabbed for the minis. Why? What was it that might cause me to do such a thing? Well, science may have prevailed... sort of, and I just might have an answer.

Netflix Streaming On PS3 By Tomorrow!

Well, it is official. Netflix just sent out an e-mail with the following message in it:

Your free instant streaming disc for PS3 should arrive by Friday, Nov 06, 2009.

Meanwhile, add TV episodes & movies to your instant Queue now so you're ready to watch instantly when your instant streaming disc arrives.

-Your friends at Netflix

So there you go. By tomorrow, all of us who have registered for the free PS3 streaming disc for Netflix will be able to start doing what they already have been doing for a year on the Xbox 360, but without having to pay for a XBL Gold account to do it. Damn, that is pretty friggin' awesome.

I'm crossing my fingers that it is a Blu-ray disc, however. Why, you may ask? Well, my first run 60gig PS3 stopped playing anything other than Blu-ray discs recently. Cross your fingers and toes for me, will you?

Circle of Eight Episodes 4 And 5 Review

Two more episodes from the online supernatural drama Circle of Eight have been posted today, and while they are laden with more clues, they have also brought about even more questions. With Jessica and Evan closing in on each other romantically, Jess seems to be calmed from a vision of a dead man quite easily. While she did go to the police for help, the lack of a body pretty much makes it seem like she is losing her mind. The strange shit that Evan tells her and the way he reacts to her seeing some of his unintentionally shown art may be locking his guilt in even further.

Since you can see both of today's episodes online yourself, I'm not going to spoil anything else for you. However, I am going to go on the record of what I can piece together myself. First, go watch everything right here, and then come back for my little spoilery look at the evidence and clues that have been left behind for us to digest.

Groovin' Blocks Review - iPhone / iPod Touch

There's a very good reason Tetris hybrids flood the iPhone app market; they're addicting. But, still, even the dependable can grow tiresome. If you're going to utilize an old concept at least spice it up a bit. Groovin' Blocks takes a classic game and puts a unique spin on it using a videogame element that is largely overlooked; the background music.

Groovin' Blocks offers three levels of difficulty, each adding more complicated puzzle pieces. Similar to Tetris, but more like Columns, in order to get points you've got to align three or more blocks of the same color in a row. When that happens, not only do those three blocks disappear but the adjacent blocks of matching color do as well. Now that you've got the basics, in comes the twist. To exponentially increase the point value, send the blocks down to the beat of the background music. The more beats you hit, the higher the "multiplier" grows and the higher the point value becomes. This formerly Wii-only title has now come to the iPhone and iTouch, via the iTunes App Marketplace to infect a whole new audience.