Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 97

Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 10/14/12

Woohoo! A new world this week! And actually got to play my Jedi too! Wheee!


Imperial Spy
Taris


Dead lizard like man. Bet dry skin is a major problem. :P

A giant ship wreck amidst the rest of the destruction

Mean looking beasty


Holocron!!!!!

Oh yeah! Think I found the way to it and tried to get there after making it past a bunch of high level Jedi but fell to my death both times. Waaaaahhhh.


Jedi Consular
Voss



The screen was glitchie so every time the guest character's lightsaber should be off, it stayed on. Heh

A far off shot of Voss.

Voss believes in some funky, almost glow in the dark colors.

Now this was weird. At the space station there were these three women who look exactly alike. Figured a set of triplets. Except we saw more of them on the ground! Could the Voss be dabbling in cloning?

Closer pic of planet Voss

They have some really nice architecture.


Funky sky too. Almost like it's on fire.

All the trees are colored like an eternal autumn.

They have funky furnishings too.



This is an actual Voss person. Weirdest face colors and eyes. Zoom in on this sucker.


Is this not gorgeous! Loved the see through rings on the planet!

Giant bridges in the ambassador zones


Special items vendor just mellowing on a tree stump. lol.

Isn't this cool?

Looking forward to more exploration time on Voss for sure!
Have an awesome Sunday!

Movie Review - Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania



Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Ceelo Green, Jon Lovitz, Brian George, Luenell, and more...

Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky Screenplay by: Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel Written by: Todd Durham, Dan Hageman, and Kevin Hageman Original Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh

Premise: In 1895, in an attempt to make sure his daughter would grow up safe, Dracula built a hidden castle where monsters could come and stay and not worry about being attacked by humans. In 2012, as his daughter's 118th birthday approaches, Dracula is desperate to curve her stubborn desire to see the world beyond their safe haven. He has a plan, and it miraculously succeeds, until his worst nightmare becomes a reality - a human has found the hotel. (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: A lot of comedic talent was brought in for the voice acting in the film and it worked fabulously. Adam Sandler does a great job as Dracula, the over protective father and still grieving widower. Mr. Sandler brings just enough of an accent that his portrayal fits the standard Dracula mold, but not overly so. He got it just right. Andy Samberg is a fun, happy, Johnny. And Selena Gomez was incredibly sweet as Mavis.

The side actors brought most of the levity to the film and you can tell they had a lot of fun doing it. They all did a wonderful job. The little old Gremlin lady was hilarious.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: The Sony Animation Studios continue to put out some fun stuff for the whole family to enjoy. "Hotel Transylvani" is also available in 3D, and that always works well with animated films. All the signature parts of the old black and white monster movies are in the movie, then are taken one step further, as if all the monsters of old are reaching their later years - they've mellowed, married, had children, and have been saddled with the same types of problems normal families have. Some of these situations are very subtle, but also hilarious because of it. The shot of the wolfman in bed with his wife said it all.

The setting had a good, creepy vibe, very reminiscent of the real Dracula's Castle in Transylvania. And the audience gets to see a lot of it - from the giant ballroom, to the roof, to an underground maze, and more. The food served here will not make you hungry, so some of the gross factor kids love is present, but not enough to bother the parents. Seeing the problems of running a hotel from the eyes of the proprietor was fun as well.  Dracula does have a definite flare, even when only dealing with clogged toilets.

There were several beautiful spanning shots. And a truly lovely sunrise during one part of the film. All the settings were excellent.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up:  Though the main theme is emotional - an overprotective parent and his independence seeking child at odds - there is also a lot of humor woven throughout the film. My husband was laughing out long almost continuously.

The movie has a lot of old monster movie and parenting/marriage jokes as part of the story, so there's a lot of fodder for the parents to enjoy. The kids will totally love the monsters, especially the wolfman's kids. Mayhem abounds to keep everyone's attention glued to the screen.

Conclusion: A fun, spooky, and rather poignant film that will be enjoyed by the whole family. If you're a fan of the old black and white monster movies, you'll find plenty to love here.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again!)

Picture Kaleidoscope 10/10/12

Eyes primed, get ready...Go!

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Hyperphotos That Show Surreal Worlds In Mind Boggling Detail from Petal Pixel. The photography of Jean -Francois Rauzier. This stuff is fantastic! Totally worth a trip to his site. You can see these amazing pics full screen! Just WOW.
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Now for something funky - Portraits of People Shot Through Window Screens, Netting, and Scrims from Peta Pixel. Photography by Matthew Tischler.

Dog Photographer of the Year 2012 in Pictures from The Guardian.

You Delightful Phone Photos: Group 6 from The Pioneer Woman. Some cool ones in there.

The Matriarch by Stephen Oachs at Earthshots.org

Seductive Slithering Photography at TrendHunter Tech. Photography by Alexandra Leroy. 



I think that will be it for this go round. Enjoy!

Picture Kaleidoscope 10/8/12

Eyes primed, get ready...Go!

[image error]
Hyperphotos That Show Surreal Worlds In Mind Boggling Detail from Petal Pixel. The photography of Jean -Francois Rauzier. This stuff is fantastic! Totally worth a trip to his site. You can see these amazing pics full screen! Just WOW.
[image error]
Now for something funky - Portraits of People Shot Through Window Screens, Netting, and Scrims from Peta Pixel. Photography by Matthew Tischler.

Dog Photographer of the Year 2012 in Pictures from The Guardian.

You Delightful Phone Photos: Group 6 from The Pioneer Woman. Some cool ones in there.

The Matriarch by Stephen Oachs at Earthshots.org

Seductive Slithering Photography at TrendHunter Tech. Photography by Alexandra Leroy. 



I think that will be it for this go round. Enjoy!

Mind Sieve 10/8/12

Good morning!






Because there's no such thing as too much Phineas and Ferb (Especially AGent P!) "Where's My Perry?" app game. Woot!

The Lone Ranger trailer. Booyah! Looks like a serious film too. Sweet!


The Making of the A Song and Fire 2013 Calendar. Cool stop motion video of the drawing of the calendar. From Tor.com


The First Time Movie trailer. Looks cute. :)


This one looks weird... The Paperboy Trailer


And another weird one...Killing Them Softly Movie Trailer


A new Simon's Cat! Springtime. 








3 Ways Comment Moderation Throttles Your Blog by Patrick Thunstrom.

How To Win Some Blogger Love-Scoring The Book Review, Guest Post, or Interview by Kristen Lamb.






25 Prefixes You Should Know from Julie Glover. There's even a song! lol.

Water Poisons from James J Murray. Interesting info and useful too! :)


Have a ton of fun!

Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 10/7/12

Morning!

From The Republic Side
Belsavis


The Republic's way of making sure you know the side you're on. Hee!

I really do love the giant ice walls here. They'd be perfect for Game of Thrones. 

One unhappy (and dead) alien.

The Rakata have an instant transporter system! Very flashy! Only found three sites, but I am sure there were more. All in caves, and most of the openings set in unusual/hard to spot places.

Elevator shaft to one of the deepest places on Belsavis


Loved the funky look of the walls here. 

Was able to catch these in mid explosion. :)

The World Razor, an ancient and sentient weapon of mass destruction is kept down here. (Took a few more pics that for some reason did not take. Wah!)

Ship holding the father of one of my companions.
Really hope I don't botch more pics.  Waaaaahhhh!

Movie Review - Looper

Looper


Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Pierce Gagnon, Garrett Dillahunt, Noah Segan, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Piper Perabo, and more.

Directed by: Rian Johnson Written by: Rian Johnson Cinematography by: Steve Yedlin Original Music by: Nathan Johnson

Premise: In the year 2044, Joe is Looper, an assassin for the mob who shows up at a preassigned location and time and kills the person sent back from thirty years in the future then disposes of the body. As part of their contract, Loopers know that if they're still alive in thirty years, their older selves will at some point be sent back and they must execute them when they do. Joe is totally okay with that, until one of his kills doesn't show up on time and when it does, he has no hood and is partially free. Now Joe needs to find Older Joe and kill him as contracted, before his bosses find Joe and do horrible things to him to bring the loop to a close. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a phenomenal job as Joe. Not only did he let them change his features so he might more closely resemble Bruce Willis for the role, but he also picked up some of his mannerism and manner of speech as well. Bruce Willis is well known for his dry wit deliveries and performed to his usual high standards. Old Joe resonated with the lessons he'd learned and the things he'd experienced later in life. And Bruce pulled the audience along as he was tortured by some of the decision he now felt he had to make. Emily Blunt was also very convincing as Cid's angst ridden mom.

But the actor who stole the show was Pierce Gagnon as the young boy Cid. He gave an excellent and unexpectedly deep performance. He'll be one to watch in the future.

2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: The bulk of the story occurs in a near future, so it's a lot of the little touches that make this feel real. Old and new tech mix together, people picking and choosing depending on what they can afford.

The most impressive special effects were during a sequence close to the beginning and one towards the end. But it is the first one which will stick with you because of its impact. Seth's fate is one watchers will not soon forget.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: There is so many fun directions that can be taken with time travel stories, and this film makes definite use of a few of those. What was truly enjoyable was some of the inventiveness that went along with the film. There were several threads running concurrently and many will link back on one another. I don't want to say too much or I might give something away, but the story will not exactly go in the direction you expect.

Only one scene in the film seemed out of place. Almost like they wanted to play the old multiple timelines game, but didn't exactly go through with it, but yet they didn't get rid of the scene, so things didn't quite fit. However, there was so much going on around that same time, that most audience members will forget the momentary confusion as they get carried along by the rest.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: There were several lovely sweeping views of the 2044 cityscape as seen from the direction of Joe's killing field. Cane fields and farms filled the zone outside the city and they played an important part as backdrops in several scenes.

Conclusion: A fun time travel romp filled with action and unexpected bits of humor and angst. Definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission and Would See Again For Matinee)

Picture Kaleidoscope 10/3/12

Yo!


The Lloyds Building by J Z A Photography.

Hastings by Raff Eva. Weird contortions, no?

Mehrangarh Fort by J Z A Photography

The Forest by Jem Salmon 


Wow, catching up lately has been harder than usual. Doh!

Mind Sieve 10/1/12

Greetings!
Let's see what trouble we can get into today, shall we? :)






The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer 2! A new one! A new one!


Beautiful Creatures Trailer - magic, evil, mystery - ooooh!


42 Trailer - Jackie Robinson story - (No, it's not the answer to the question of the universe. :P) And has Harrison Ford. Ooo!


Vamps Movie Trailer - looks like a hoot! lol. 







From Kristen Lamb - Would Hemmingway Blog? (Good stuff as always!)







Designing From Bones - The Dramatic Cord by Gene Lempp.

What Should Newbie Writers Focus On? by Jami Gold.

This is an EXCELLENT post! From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig comes - On Cultivating Instinct As A Inkslinging Storyspinning Penmonkey Type. (Now try saying that 3 times fast. Dare ya. Double dare ya! :P)


Onwards and upwards!

Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 9/30/12

Life is still getting in the way, so not too many pics this week.

Imperial Spy
Taris


The evidence of destruction and ruin - just can't get away from it.

I was smushed in a corner and hit the heal button. Got a real nice clear image of my HUD routine.

A cat like race! The Cathar. 


One of the Imperial Outposts had several interesting looking NPCs. 

This guy has a cool tattoo on his face. 

Took some random pics while riding the taxi system back to base.



Darth Grievus - my current boss on Taris. He's got a lot of added mechanical work on one side of his face. His apprentice is a total hot head. 

Nature trying to slowly reclaim the planet.
Hope you're having an awesome Sunday!