Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 95
November 18, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Dishonored and Angry Birds Star Wars 11/18/12
In a hurry this morning! Zoom!
Dishonored
Old Granny. Once a beautiful woman who had power and influence. Now she's in the dilapidated part of the city and she's quite mad. She gives a couple of long side quests.
An altar she has for The Outsider in her backyard. Spot of one of the whalebone runes that you use to get special powers.
Dr. Galvani's house. He's been experimenting on the plague infested rats trying to discover trends and generations. This plague doesn't sound natural from the papers I read there.
View from his 3rd story balcony. Getting in was way easier than the 1st time I did this part. Bwahahaha!
Argh! Totally thought I had some new swtor pics. I knew I should have held back some of the ones from last week! Doh! But I have something else to tease you with! Bwahahahahahaha! I downloaded the demo for:
Angry Birds Star Wars
They all do different things too! I've played with 4 so far. Luke is the usual red bird.
Obiwan uses the Force. It's tricky.
R2 shoots lightning bolts
3CPO blows up into pieces. Heh heh.
The storm trooper pigs even get weapons!
That's their laser canon fire at the top!
It's been really cute so far! Heh heh
Dishonored
Old Granny. Once a beautiful woman who had power and influence. Now she's in the dilapidated part of the city and she's quite mad. She gives a couple of long side quests.
An altar she has for The Outsider in her backyard. Spot of one of the whalebone runes that you use to get special powers.
Dr. Galvani's house. He's been experimenting on the plague infested rats trying to discover trends and generations. This plague doesn't sound natural from the papers I read there.
View from his 3rd story balcony. Getting in was way easier than the 1st time I did this part. Bwahahaha!
Argh! Totally thought I had some new swtor pics. I knew I should have held back some of the ones from last week! Doh! But I have something else to tease you with! Bwahahahahahaha! I downloaded the demo for:
Angry Birds Star Wars
They all do different things too! I've played with 4 so far. Luke is the usual red bird.
Obiwan uses the Force. It's tricky.
R2 shoots lightning bolts
3CPO blows up into pieces. Heh heh.
The storm trooper pigs even get weapons!
That's their laser canon fire at the top!
It's been really cute so far! Heh heh
November 16, 2012
Movie Review - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Billy Burke, Nikki Reed, Mackenzie Foy, Maggie Grace, Christopher Heyerdahl, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, and many more.
Directed by: Bill Condon Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg Based on the novel by: Stephenie Meyer Original Music by: Carter Burwell Cinematography by: Guillermo Navarro
Premise: Following her transformation into a vampire, Bella tries to cope with the changes and learn the rules of being one of the undead. Finding it easier than expected, she then gets to meet her daughter Renesmee. All seems to be going well, until a mistake is made by their vampire cousin Irina, who when she sees Renesmee and jumps to an erroneous conclusion, she goes to the Volturi to bring their attention to it. This is the excuse to act Aro has been waiting for. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Everyone did well, though with such a large cast, many of the characters got seen, possibly heard, but never really known. The three principals showed the changes in their relationships very well. Michael Sheen was fun as the greedy and opportunistic Volturi Aro. Dakota Fanning had some great facial expressions during the battle segment. Christopher Heyerdahl's one true line was priceless.
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: Werewolves looked great and were used to good effect. Benjamin's elemental powers were demonstrated beautifully by the special effects department. The water door he makes during his introduction was very cool. They also did good work on the vampires' supernatural speed and Alec's dark power.
The only criticism with the effects was Renesmee. A lot of CGI was used to make her face as a baby and during each growing spurt match characteristics of the hair and face of Mackensey Foy. Unfortunately, they might have been better served just using a real baby's face, because their manipulation of the faces was glaringly obvious and did not look well.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: Years ago my daughter had read the books the "Twilight" films are based on. She'd been totally captured by the world, and couldn't read them fast enough, until she hit "Breaking Dawn". I'd listened to her complaints at the time, but had decided to reserve judgement. After seeing the treatment of the topic in question in "Breaking Dawn" part 1, I thought it'd been smoothed over in the film and the problems my daughter had raised been rendered minimal. But part 2 destroyed that belief. Jacob's glib explanation of why he thought he'd been interested in Bella and she in him as a friend or more than friends as well as how without it they would have never related in anyway, made me a little unhappy too. But perhaps it won't be a problem for other viewers.
Lots of funny moments were sprinkled throughout the film - when Bella finds out Jacob gave her daughter a nickname, when Bella takes on Emmett in an arm wrestling match, when one of them suggests to Edward to stop Bella's and Jacob's argument and he just smiles, and several others.
Yet I am not sure these lovely moments are enough to make up for the Jacob issue or the trick played on the audience with the combat segment of the film. It also bothered me that though a lot of power was available to Benjamin, it went unused for most of the combat, and when it was used, it was largely self defeating.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: I'm putting the combat scenes under stunts, since when CGI is involved, it can be very difficult to tell whether it was a stunt done by actors, stuntmen, computers or a combination of the three. However they were done, they were definitely entertaining. Heads got popped like champagne corks wherever you looked.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The film contained some gorgeous shots. The Summit logo was even interwoven into the landscape in the sedate, yet lovely and themed opening sequence to the film. Panning shots of cliffs, the sea, the woods, and the snow capped mountains set up the mood perfectly for several scenes.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: The place where the costuming and makeup departments really made a difference were on Bella. Her whole look was changed to fit her new vampiric/adult status, making her seem like a different person in many respects. They kept this going throughout, except for at the very end, were she went back to a more laid back dressing style. That in itself seemed a little awkward.
Conclusion: Overall it was an entertaining film. Fans of the movies and books present during the viewing seemed to really get into the spirit of it, cheering and booing, sometimes gasping, during the big combat scenes as it took its toll. It was a decent end to the movie series.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See It Again.)[image error]
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Billy Burke, Nikki Reed, Mackenzie Foy, Maggie Grace, Christopher Heyerdahl, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, and many more.
Directed by: Bill Condon Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg Based on the novel by: Stephenie Meyer Original Music by: Carter Burwell Cinematography by: Guillermo Navarro
Premise: Following her transformation into a vampire, Bella tries to cope with the changes and learn the rules of being one of the undead. Finding it easier than expected, she then gets to meet her daughter Renesmee. All seems to be going well, until a mistake is made by their vampire cousin Irina, who when she sees Renesmee and jumps to an erroneous conclusion, she goes to the Volturi to bring their attention to it. This is the excuse to act Aro has been waiting for. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Everyone did well, though with such a large cast, many of the characters got seen, possibly heard, but never really known. The three principals showed the changes in their relationships very well. Michael Sheen was fun as the greedy and opportunistic Volturi Aro. Dakota Fanning had some great facial expressions during the battle segment. Christopher Heyerdahl's one true line was priceless.
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: Werewolves looked great and were used to good effect. Benjamin's elemental powers were demonstrated beautifully by the special effects department. The water door he makes during his introduction was very cool. They also did good work on the vampires' supernatural speed and Alec's dark power.
The only criticism with the effects was Renesmee. A lot of CGI was used to make her face as a baby and during each growing spurt match characteristics of the hair and face of Mackensey Foy. Unfortunately, they might have been better served just using a real baby's face, because their manipulation of the faces was glaringly obvious and did not look well.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: Years ago my daughter had read the books the "Twilight" films are based on. She'd been totally captured by the world, and couldn't read them fast enough, until she hit "Breaking Dawn". I'd listened to her complaints at the time, but had decided to reserve judgement. After seeing the treatment of the topic in question in "Breaking Dawn" part 1, I thought it'd been smoothed over in the film and the problems my daughter had raised been rendered minimal. But part 2 destroyed that belief. Jacob's glib explanation of why he thought he'd been interested in Bella and she in him as a friend or more than friends as well as how without it they would have never related in anyway, made me a little unhappy too. But perhaps it won't be a problem for other viewers.
Lots of funny moments were sprinkled throughout the film - when Bella finds out Jacob gave her daughter a nickname, when Bella takes on Emmett in an arm wrestling match, when one of them suggests to Edward to stop Bella's and Jacob's argument and he just smiles, and several others.
Yet I am not sure these lovely moments are enough to make up for the Jacob issue or the trick played on the audience with the combat segment of the film. It also bothered me that though a lot of power was available to Benjamin, it went unused for most of the combat, and when it was used, it was largely self defeating.
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: I'm putting the combat scenes under stunts, since when CGI is involved, it can be very difficult to tell whether it was a stunt done by actors, stuntmen, computers or a combination of the three. However they were done, they were definitely entertaining. Heads got popped like champagne corks wherever you looked.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The film contained some gorgeous shots. The Summit logo was even interwoven into the landscape in the sedate, yet lovely and themed opening sequence to the film. Panning shots of cliffs, the sea, the woods, and the snow capped mountains set up the mood perfectly for several scenes.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: The place where the costuming and makeup departments really made a difference were on Bella. Her whole look was changed to fit her new vampiric/adult status, making her seem like a different person in many respects. They kept this going throughout, except for at the very end, were she went back to a more laid back dressing style. That in itself seemed a little awkward.
Conclusion: Overall it was an entertaining film. Fans of the movies and books present during the viewing seemed to really get into the spirit of it, cheering and booing, sometimes gasping, during the big combat scenes as it took its toll. It was a decent end to the movie series.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See It Again.)[image error]
November 14, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 11/14/12
Welcome!
Such a shiny dragonfly! She Wore Gold by Koala-X
Koala-X has also done some cool ghosts and overexposure pics.
These are mighty creepy - Split-Face Portraits Exploring What Drug Abuse Does To People from Peta Pixel. Photography by Roman Sakovich
Picture of the Day: Mount Kenya from the Guardian. Photo by Brent Stirton. I love that the guy is scratching it's belly!
Namib Double Rainbow at EarthShots.org. Photo by Mark Dumbleton. Some gorgeous images at his website!
Effervescent Cityscape Photography on Trend Hunter. Photos by Chris Eayers
Half the week is passing us by![image error]
Such a shiny dragonfly! She Wore Gold by Koala-X
Koala-X has also done some cool ghosts and overexposure pics.
These are mighty creepy - Split-Face Portraits Exploring What Drug Abuse Does To People from Peta Pixel. Photography by Roman Sakovich
Picture of the Day: Mount Kenya from the Guardian. Photo by Brent Stirton. I love that the guy is scratching it's belly!
Namib Double Rainbow at EarthShots.org. Photo by Mark Dumbleton. Some gorgeous images at his website!
Effervescent Cityscape Photography on Trend Hunter. Photos by Chris Eayers
Half the week is passing us by![image error]
November 12, 2012
Mind Sieve 11/12/12
Another week, a ton more stuff to share!
Despicable Me 2 Trailer 2! This should be so much fun!
Side Effects Trailer - yeah, just the type of thing I worry about whenever they put me on new meds. Eek!
Bullet To The Head Trailer - super, heavy violence comedy? Hard to tell...
Die Hard 5 Trailer 2. Yeah!
High Concept Blogging: Achieving Bloggy Goodness In Record Time from Jenny Hansen.
3 Social Media Myths That Can Cripple Our Author Platform from Kristen Lamb. Eek!!!!! *shifty*
Designing From Bones - Underworld by Gene Lempp.
From Jami Gold - Can We Tell When We're Getting "Close"?
And....we're...off~!
[image error]
Despicable Me 2 Trailer 2! This should be so much fun!
Side Effects Trailer - yeah, just the type of thing I worry about whenever they put me on new meds. Eek!
Bullet To The Head Trailer - super, heavy violence comedy? Hard to tell...
Die Hard 5 Trailer 2. Yeah!
High Concept Blogging: Achieving Bloggy Goodness In Record Time from Jenny Hansen.
3 Social Media Myths That Can Cripple Our Author Platform from Kristen Lamb. Eek!!!!! *shifty*
Designing From Bones - Underworld by Gene Lempp.
From Jami Gold - Can We Tell When We're Getting "Close"?
And....we're...off~!
[image error]
November 11, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Dishonored and Star Wars The Old Republic 11/11/12
A cloud covered, sleepy morning. Zzzzzzzzz.
Dishonored
The Outsider
After Mission 1 and meeting the people who gave you a chance to escape, you got to sleep and then wake up. Except you're not really awake. You're here - a mesh of times and places - the playground of The Outsider.
Water flows upwards here.
The Outisder. Not good, not evil, more like chaos personified. And you're going to be his new agent. He opens up some magical like skills. The first one is Blink. The sign for it is in the pic below next to my new mana bar.
Very surreal place. An image of the Empress dead again.
Whales are a weird recurring theme. The method used to kill them is rather gruesome. They make sure they're kept alive while being flayed. I wonder if the plague is whale retribution.
And speaking of whales, there's the big one from the dream sequence. If you'll click to the larger pic you can see it has weird jowels and OX8 written on the side. Weird!
Some machines I foresee being in my future. Eek!
The Outsider is also the one who gave me the heart. The one I suspect he made from the Empress' heart. Double eek!
The tall spire there is the real spire. On the pic above this one, the spire was on its side and I am looking into it in the dream world.
Sunrise/Sunset over the city.
About to set off on Mission 2
Star Wars The Old Republic
Jedi Consular
Voss
(Went a little overboard this week)
Empire infiltrate area on Voss
Voss really has such cool designs.
Elevator shaft.
More Voss architecture
Roaming Voss Bovine. :P
Love those lamps!
One of the main shrines of Voss. The Mystics are here.
Altar where we try to talk to the Mystics
Dream/Spiritual world where we are tested by the Mystics. The guys make a lot less sense when they speak than the Eshka, despite the fact they seem to speak in a straight forward manner. Almost gave me a headache. :P
Big nasty and ourselves in spirit mode.
A Voss Mystic in the spirit world.
No idea what the thing in the back is, but looked cool.
Stone tablets of previous Mystics.
Love the glowing stone lamp, but also the cool flooring.
Yes, chains in all the decorating!
Bad Sith trying to poison the souls of psychic Voss people who didn't make Mystic range.
Voss zone now taken over by the Gormak.
The Gormak look like Creature of The Black Lagoon relatives.
Their hands are almost claw like. (Love it when dead peeps stay standing. Does make for photo ops!)
Here's another one. Look at the size of his bazooka! Dang.
I do love me some world in the background shots!
Inside another shrine. This one has not been treated kindly by the Gormak.
I've been out collecting relic pieces. Now to put them back together.
Have an awesome week![image error]
Dishonored
The Outsider
After Mission 1 and meeting the people who gave you a chance to escape, you got to sleep and then wake up. Except you're not really awake. You're here - a mesh of times and places - the playground of The Outsider.
Water flows upwards here.
The Outisder. Not good, not evil, more like chaos personified. And you're going to be his new agent. He opens up some magical like skills. The first one is Blink. The sign for it is in the pic below next to my new mana bar.
Very surreal place. An image of the Empress dead again.
Whales are a weird recurring theme. The method used to kill them is rather gruesome. They make sure they're kept alive while being flayed. I wonder if the plague is whale retribution.
And speaking of whales, there's the big one from the dream sequence. If you'll click to the larger pic you can see it has weird jowels and OX8 written on the side. Weird!
Some machines I foresee being in my future. Eek!
The Outsider is also the one who gave me the heart. The one I suspect he made from the Empress' heart. Double eek!
The tall spire there is the real spire. On the pic above this one, the spire was on its side and I am looking into it in the dream world.
Sunrise/Sunset over the city.
About to set off on Mission 2
Star Wars The Old Republic
Jedi Consular
Voss
(Went a little overboard this week)
Empire infiltrate area on Voss
Voss really has such cool designs.
Elevator shaft.
More Voss architecture
Roaming Voss Bovine. :P
Love those lamps!
One of the main shrines of Voss. The Mystics are here. 
Altar where we try to talk to the Mystics
Dream/Spiritual world where we are tested by the Mystics. The guys make a lot less sense when they speak than the Eshka, despite the fact they seem to speak in a straight forward manner. Almost gave me a headache. :P
Big nasty and ourselves in spirit mode.
A Voss Mystic in the spirit world.
No idea what the thing in the back is, but looked cool.
Stone tablets of previous Mystics.
Love the glowing stone lamp, but also the cool flooring.
Yes, chains in all the decorating!
Bad Sith trying to poison the souls of psychic Voss people who didn't make Mystic range.
Voss zone now taken over by the Gormak. 
The Gormak look like Creature of The Black Lagoon relatives. 
Their hands are almost claw like. (Love it when dead peeps stay standing. Does make for photo ops!)
Here's another one. Look at the size of his bazooka! Dang.
I do love me some world in the background shots!
Inside another shrine. This one has not been treated kindly by the Gormak.
I've been out collecting relic pieces. Now to put them back together.Have an awesome week![image error]
November 9, 2012
Movie Review - Skyfall
Skyfall
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Bérénice Marlohe, Rory Kinnear, Ola Rapace, Helen McCrory, and more.
Directed by: Sam Mendes Written by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan Based on Characters Created by: Ian Fleming Cinematography by: Roger Deakins Original Music by: Thomas Newman
Premise: A hard drive has been stolen from MI6, one which contains a file with the names of all agents currently infiltrating terrorist organizations. Failing to retrieve it, M finds herself in trouble at home, but worse, she comes to realize she's being targeted specifically. The file must be retrieved and the instigator stopped before hundreds of lives are compromised by the contents held within it. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: I love to watch Daniel Craig and Judi Dench work together - a dysfunctional spy family - what fun! Javier Bardem was the perfect choice for Silva. The story he tells in his introduction, combined with his easy manner and smile, will give you chills. Mr. Bardem's take on Silva was fascinating and refreshing. Bérénice Marlohe set up the stage beautifully with unvoiced hints about her employer. The scene with her at the bar and the minor cues she gave during the conversation were excellently done.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The two best special effects had to do with a subway train and a face. The subway train effect was a huge undertaking and will make your heart pound. Yet though the face effect was smaller, it was insidiously subtle and in many ways packed as big a punch.
Gun shots, explosions, shrapnel, computers, the special effects department had much to do. They worked very hard, and it shows.
3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: The general plot is pretty straight forward, and one we've seen in spy films before. Yet all the underlying plots and themes truly make the finished product have more depth and complexity than is immediately apparent.
Keeping in mind that this is the 50th Anniversary of "Bond" films, there is a fabulous subtext throughout of old vs. new, young vs. aged, cheap toys vs. expensive ones. But even as these items are thrown out there, rather than have one side or the other win, we get a connecting circle - one that extends not only to those in the film, but over the 50 years of "Bond" films themselves. True "Bond" aficionados will notice scenes, places, people, and objects from previous Bond films connecting once more in the present. Some definite love went into this film.
Pay close attention to the "Skyfall" song section - a lot of info hidden there with regards to Jame's past and future. It was very nicely done. They even seemed to mix styles to mirror past opening sequences.
Also watch for the theme of family and how they used in the movie. I totally appreciated the realism of Jame's injury and his having to cope with it. Well done.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Unlike the last "Bond" film, the shaky cam was kept to a minimum and the audience could actually see and enjoy the expensive stunts, gun battles, and explosions to the fullest. The chase scene in the first sequence of the film, especially the section with the motorcycles, was great.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: As we've come to expect from "Bond" films, there were many exotic locales to enjoy, such as Shanghai, Scotland, Turkey, and England. And the cinematographer took great advantage of these locations for our benefit. The high rise in Shanghai was a wonderful choice, especially with the addition of the flowing neon. It made for a fun section of 'cat and mouse' and optical illusions.
The Chinese gambling den and the waterway to reach it were very reminiscent of early "Bond" scenes, as was James' tuxedo. The deserted island is like none you've seen before, and quite creepy in its way.
Conclusion: An awesome example on why "Bond" films are so loved by moviegoers! A wonderful mixing of old and new as well as a great tribute for the 50th Anniversary. The franchise is alive and well!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again)[image error]
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Bérénice Marlohe, Rory Kinnear, Ola Rapace, Helen McCrory, and more.
Directed by: Sam Mendes Written by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan Based on Characters Created by: Ian Fleming Cinematography by: Roger Deakins Original Music by: Thomas Newman
Premise: A hard drive has been stolen from MI6, one which contains a file with the names of all agents currently infiltrating terrorist organizations. Failing to retrieve it, M finds herself in trouble at home, but worse, she comes to realize she's being targeted specifically. The file must be retrieved and the instigator stopped before hundreds of lives are compromised by the contents held within it. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: I love to watch Daniel Craig and Judi Dench work together - a dysfunctional spy family - what fun! Javier Bardem was the perfect choice for Silva. The story he tells in his introduction, combined with his easy manner and smile, will give you chills. Mr. Bardem's take on Silva was fascinating and refreshing. Bérénice Marlohe set up the stage beautifully with unvoiced hints about her employer. The scene with her at the bar and the minor cues she gave during the conversation were excellently done.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The two best special effects had to do with a subway train and a face. The subway train effect was a huge undertaking and will make your heart pound. Yet though the face effect was smaller, it was insidiously subtle and in many ways packed as big a punch.
Gun shots, explosions, shrapnel, computers, the special effects department had much to do. They worked very hard, and it shows.
3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: The general plot is pretty straight forward, and one we've seen in spy films before. Yet all the underlying plots and themes truly make the finished product have more depth and complexity than is immediately apparent.
Keeping in mind that this is the 50th Anniversary of "Bond" films, there is a fabulous subtext throughout of old vs. new, young vs. aged, cheap toys vs. expensive ones. But even as these items are thrown out there, rather than have one side or the other win, we get a connecting circle - one that extends not only to those in the film, but over the 50 years of "Bond" films themselves. True "Bond" aficionados will notice scenes, places, people, and objects from previous Bond films connecting once more in the present. Some definite love went into this film.
Pay close attention to the "Skyfall" song section - a lot of info hidden there with regards to Jame's past and future. It was very nicely done. They even seemed to mix styles to mirror past opening sequences.
Also watch for the theme of family and how they used in the movie. I totally appreciated the realism of Jame's injury and his having to cope with it. Well done.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Unlike the last "Bond" film, the shaky cam was kept to a minimum and the audience could actually see and enjoy the expensive stunts, gun battles, and explosions to the fullest. The chase scene in the first sequence of the film, especially the section with the motorcycles, was great.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: As we've come to expect from "Bond" films, there were many exotic locales to enjoy, such as Shanghai, Scotland, Turkey, and England. And the cinematographer took great advantage of these locations for our benefit. The high rise in Shanghai was a wonderful choice, especially with the addition of the flowing neon. It made for a fun section of 'cat and mouse' and optical illusions.
The Chinese gambling den and the waterway to reach it were very reminiscent of early "Bond" scenes, as was James' tuxedo. The deserted island is like none you've seen before, and quite creepy in its way.
Conclusion: An awesome example on why "Bond" films are so loved by moviegoers! A wonderful mixing of old and new as well as a great tribute for the 50th Anniversary. The franchise is alive and well!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again)[image error]
November 7, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 11/7/12
Let your eyes feed!
[image error]
Rare Photo of Ice Halos Captured In The Wake of Hurricane Sandy from Peta Pixel.
[image error]
Photographs of a New York City Plunged Into Darkness After the Storm from Peta Pixel. Photography by Randy Scott Slavin.
Randy Scott Slavin did an earlier series of Surreal 360 Degree Panoramas Created by Stitching Hundreds of Photos. These are awesome!!!!
30 Amazing Photos that Make Instagram Unique from PelFusion.
Hope your eyes now feel full. :P[image error]
[image error]
Rare Photo of Ice Halos Captured In The Wake of Hurricane Sandy from Peta Pixel.
[image error]
Photographs of a New York City Plunged Into Darkness After the Storm from Peta Pixel. Photography by Randy Scott Slavin.
Randy Scott Slavin did an earlier series of Surreal 360 Degree Panoramas Created by Stitching Hundreds of Photos. These are awesome!!!!
30 Amazing Photos that Make Instagram Unique from PelFusion.
Hope your eyes now feel full. :P[image error]
November 5, 2012
Mind Sieve 11/5/12
Welcome!
This was so awesome and cute and! How To Ride Kuratas. For all the mech lovers out there. :)
A live action Halo series. Seems they're up to 4 episodes now. They're like 15 to 20 minutes each. Halo Forward Onto Dawn
A new Simon's Cat! "Fetch"
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore - an Japanese animated Iron Man film for 2013!
Theme From Harry Potter for piano by Jarrod Radnich. This was WOW! Gave me super goosebumps!
Adele - Rolling in the Deep (feat.Amanda Scott) and the Piano Guys. Was only going to do one music video but...
Anna Karerina Official Trailer 2. This should be utterly fascinating.
This comedy could be very cute! Quartet. And it stars 3 Harry Potter veterans! (Headless Ned, McGonagall, and Dumbledore 2.0!) :P
Another quirky but possibly good one - Struck By Lightning. High schoolers blackmailing other high schoolers to write stories for a high school magazine. lol.
This was too cute - If the Top 10 Social Media Sites Were Halloween Candy by Kristen Daukas.
From Gene Lempp - Designing From Bones - Otherworld. (With some sage advice about not spending too much time living in our make believe worlds!) :P
From Kristen Lamb - Structure Part 8 - Balancing the Scenes That Make Up Your Novel.
May your week be creative and utterly awesome!
[image error]
This was so awesome and cute and! How To Ride Kuratas. For all the mech lovers out there. :)
A live action Halo series. Seems they're up to 4 episodes now. They're like 15 to 20 minutes each. Halo Forward Onto Dawn
A new Simon's Cat! "Fetch"
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore - an Japanese animated Iron Man film for 2013!
Theme From Harry Potter for piano by Jarrod Radnich. This was WOW! Gave me super goosebumps!
Adele - Rolling in the Deep (feat.Amanda Scott) and the Piano Guys. Was only going to do one music video but...
Anna Karerina Official Trailer 2. This should be utterly fascinating.
This comedy could be very cute! Quartet. And it stars 3 Harry Potter veterans! (Headless Ned, McGonagall, and Dumbledore 2.0!) :P
Another quirky but possibly good one - Struck By Lightning. High schoolers blackmailing other high schoolers to write stories for a high school magazine. lol.
This was too cute - If the Top 10 Social Media Sites Were Halloween Candy by Kristen Daukas.
From Gene Lempp - Designing From Bones - Otherworld. (With some sage advice about not spending too much time living in our make believe worlds!) :P
From Kristen Lamb - Structure Part 8 - Balancing the Scenes That Make Up Your Novel.
May your week be creative and utterly awesome!
[image error]
November 4, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Dishonored and Star Wars The Old Republic 11/4/12
Get prepared for a flood of virtual pics! Bwahahahaha!
Restarted Dishonored as then I could get pics and also because my daughter kept saying how easy it was to get the ghost badge. (It's NOT!) But dang it if I wasn't going to take up that challenge. Heh heh heh. (For Mission 1 I've now gotten the Vanished and Ghost badges. Bwahahahaha (1st guy super easy, next 2 guys...agony...)
Movie sequence (so surprised it let me take this). The room is filled with water to let the boat rise to the upper level.
This is once the building is filled.
The royal palace.
The Empress and her daughter Emily.
One of the many bizarre posters in this world. You can also see the flintlock that's one of the available weapons, the number of bullets I have, and the crouching icon for moving around silently
The prison I just escaped from.
The sewers.
Your first encounter with the piranha rats. Click in for the bigger view. Yes, definitely makes this game not suitable for for kids. (These 2 guards were alive when they got attacked and then devoured by the things. Eek!)
Graffiti is all over the place.
Some beautiful foliage.
The pic doesn't show it but there a strange yellow smoke that curls out from these lamps. Also can see the handheld mini crossbow in my left hand.
Picked up by Sam once I escaped the sewers. Off to meet the people who arranged for my rescue. Nice there is someone out there who knows I didn't kill The Empress. Phew!
Star Wars The Old Republic
Republic Side
Voss
Click the bigger pic to get a look at the wild purple lizards. Hee!
Totally love the look of this entrance!
Cool Voss stuff!
Going through this tunnel in the shuttle was cool!
Is this the ugliest crab monster ever or what?
Cave is filled with them. Eek!
Young man with possible Oracle powers. The one reason the Empire is wanting this place on their side so badly - to get people who can see the future.
Funky array.
Some players came through these ruins before us making our task much easier. :)
More Voss ruins.
Love love love the ruins with other buildings and the world coming up in the back!
All right that's it for this round. Heh heh heh. Have an awesome Sunday![image error]
Restarted Dishonored as then I could get pics and also because my daughter kept saying how easy it was to get the ghost badge. (It's NOT!) But dang it if I wasn't going to take up that challenge. Heh heh heh. (For Mission 1 I've now gotten the Vanished and Ghost badges. Bwahahahaha (1st guy super easy, next 2 guys...agony...)
Movie sequence (so surprised it let me take this). The room is filled with water to let the boat rise to the upper level.
This is once the building is filled.
The royal palace.
The Empress and her daughter Emily.
One of the many bizarre posters in this world. You can also see the flintlock that's one of the available weapons, the number of bullets I have, and the crouching icon for moving around silently
The prison I just escaped from.
The sewers.
Your first encounter with the piranha rats. Click in for the bigger view. Yes, definitely makes this game not suitable for for kids. (These 2 guards were alive when they got attacked and then devoured by the things. Eek!)
Graffiti is all over the place.
Some beautiful foliage.
The pic doesn't show it but there a strange yellow smoke that curls out from these lamps. Also can see the handheld mini crossbow in my left hand.
Picked up by Sam once I escaped the sewers. Off to meet the people who arranged for my rescue. Nice there is someone out there who knows I didn't kill The Empress. Phew!
Star Wars The Old Republic
Republic Side
Voss
Click the bigger pic to get a look at the wild purple lizards. Hee!
Totally love the look of this entrance!
Cool Voss stuff!
Going through this tunnel in the shuttle was cool!
Is this the ugliest crab monster ever or what?
Cave is filled with them. Eek!
Young man with possible Oracle powers. The one reason the Empire is wanting this place on their side so badly - to get people who can see the future.
Funky array.
Some players came through these ruins before us making our task much easier. :)
More Voss ruins.
Love love love the ruins with other buildings and the world coming up in the back!
All right that's it for this round. Heh heh heh. Have an awesome Sunday![image error]
November 3, 2012
Movie Review - The Man With The Iron Fists
The Man With The Iron Fists
Starring: RZA, Rick Yune, Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, Dave Bautista, Jamie Chung, Byron Mann, Cung Le, Daniel Wu, Zhu Zhu, Chia Hui Liu, Grace Huang, Andrew Lin, Osric Chau, and many more.
Directed by: RZA Screenplay by: Eli Roth and RZA Cinematography by: Chi Ying Chan Original Music by: Howard Drossin
Premise: A blacksmith and his lover are planning to run off together but get caught up in murder, disloyalty, and greed when the leader of the Lion's Clan is murdered after signing a deal with the governor to protect a passing shipment of gold through his territory. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: RZA did well in his role as the blacksmith. So did the rest of the cast. But only two seemed to actually shine and grab the audience - they were Lucy Liu and Russell Crowe. Both actors had great presence and even sparked amazingly well against one another. Their performances made you want to know more about their characters almost instantly.
2) Special Effects - Neutral: For the most part the blood and gore were standard and occasionally overdone. All the hidden knives of the X-Blade were fun. And though no explanation was ever even hinted at on how Brass Body does what he does, the effects for his body were definitely awesome and the highlight on the special effects side of the film. If such care had been shown elsewhere, it would have definitely increased the overall impact of the film.
Did love the chi tattoo which flared then disappeared during the blacksmith's bonding ritual. Nice! Also the Widows' cutting sashes were pretty cool. But like I said, aside from a few exceptions, the rest was pretty standard fare.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: I've seen a lot of martial arts films. Normally they have a simple plot - just enough of one to support the violence to come. And while the one used for this film isn't particularly clever, as expected, they then tried to go too far with it, actually hurting the film's overall impact. The flashbacks in the middle of the film only served to slow the whole movie down, despite the need for some of the information for what happens after. It could have all been abbreviated in the film's original speech sequence and gotten out of the way early, but it wasn't.
What made it worse was that while they did cover a lot of back info on the blacksmith, they never really touched on any for those who either had supernatural skills or who turned out to be in positions definitely needing more backstory for how they got there. There were also other details that were unneeded and made no difference to the plot whatsoever but were highlighted, as with Zen Yi's betrothal, his promise never to leave her (then doing so 10 seconds later), and their matching tattoo session.
The fact one of the bag guys does nothing to try to save himself when he has several long seconds to at least try something was very deflating.
Sadly, what few surprises were part of the plot got pretty much spoiled by the previews. They might have salvaged part of the film, but they'd already given it all away. The dialogue also didn't do the film any favors - too many anachronistic or cliched lines were involved.
4) Stunts - Neutral: There were some definite bright spots, but overall the stunts were undermined by gimmicky filming and filming way too close during the action. Martial art scenes are best viewed with a little distance so the audience gets the full play of the action. But most of the shots were close up, forcing the attention into a very narrow window of all that was going on. The beginning sequence battle is a perfect example of something that would have been a lot better with a little panning back of the camera.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: All the buildings looked great. Too great. For a supposed village, several of the buildings seemed much larger and grander than what could be supported by those living there. Yet the number of men per clan pretty much screamed this should have been a city, something that would have made more sense. Not sure why they pounded the fact Jungle was a mere village. It didn't fit with what the audience was shown and kept bugging me as I watched the action move on.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The costumes were excellent. Very nice, detailed work went into them - for both the asian costumes and those from other countries. Though the poor people costumes may have been somewhat overdone.
Conclusion: Flashy and colorful but with little substance. Normally the fun martial arts make up for that, but sadly not in this case.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better On Cable)
Starring: RZA, Rick Yune, Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, Dave Bautista, Jamie Chung, Byron Mann, Cung Le, Daniel Wu, Zhu Zhu, Chia Hui Liu, Grace Huang, Andrew Lin, Osric Chau, and many more.
Directed by: RZA Screenplay by: Eli Roth and RZA Cinematography by: Chi Ying Chan Original Music by: Howard Drossin
Premise: A blacksmith and his lover are planning to run off together but get caught up in murder, disloyalty, and greed when the leader of the Lion's Clan is murdered after signing a deal with the governor to protect a passing shipment of gold through his territory. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: RZA did well in his role as the blacksmith. So did the rest of the cast. But only two seemed to actually shine and grab the audience - they were Lucy Liu and Russell Crowe. Both actors had great presence and even sparked amazingly well against one another. Their performances made you want to know more about their characters almost instantly.
2) Special Effects - Neutral: For the most part the blood and gore were standard and occasionally overdone. All the hidden knives of the X-Blade were fun. And though no explanation was ever even hinted at on how Brass Body does what he does, the effects for his body were definitely awesome and the highlight on the special effects side of the film. If such care had been shown elsewhere, it would have definitely increased the overall impact of the film.
Did love the chi tattoo which flared then disappeared during the blacksmith's bonding ritual. Nice! Also the Widows' cutting sashes were pretty cool. But like I said, aside from a few exceptions, the rest was pretty standard fare.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: I've seen a lot of martial arts films. Normally they have a simple plot - just enough of one to support the violence to come. And while the one used for this film isn't particularly clever, as expected, they then tried to go too far with it, actually hurting the film's overall impact. The flashbacks in the middle of the film only served to slow the whole movie down, despite the need for some of the information for what happens after. It could have all been abbreviated in the film's original speech sequence and gotten out of the way early, but it wasn't.
What made it worse was that while they did cover a lot of back info on the blacksmith, they never really touched on any for those who either had supernatural skills or who turned out to be in positions definitely needing more backstory for how they got there. There were also other details that were unneeded and made no difference to the plot whatsoever but were highlighted, as with Zen Yi's betrothal, his promise never to leave her (then doing so 10 seconds later), and their matching tattoo session.
The fact one of the bag guys does nothing to try to save himself when he has several long seconds to at least try something was very deflating.
Sadly, what few surprises were part of the plot got pretty much spoiled by the previews. They might have salvaged part of the film, but they'd already given it all away. The dialogue also didn't do the film any favors - too many anachronistic or cliched lines were involved.
4) Stunts - Neutral: There were some definite bright spots, but overall the stunts were undermined by gimmicky filming and filming way too close during the action. Martial art scenes are best viewed with a little distance so the audience gets the full play of the action. But most of the shots were close up, forcing the attention into a very narrow window of all that was going on. The beginning sequence battle is a perfect example of something that would have been a lot better with a little panning back of the camera.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: All the buildings looked great. Too great. For a supposed village, several of the buildings seemed much larger and grander than what could be supported by those living there. Yet the number of men per clan pretty much screamed this should have been a city, something that would have made more sense. Not sure why they pounded the fact Jungle was a mere village. It didn't fit with what the audience was shown and kept bugging me as I watched the action move on.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The costumes were excellent. Very nice, detailed work went into them - for both the asian costumes and those from other countries. Though the poor people costumes may have been somewhat overdone.
Conclusion: Flashy and colorful but with little substance. Normally the fun martial arts make up for that, but sadly not in this case.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better On Cable)
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