In the wake of The Avengers, it seemed like Marvel could do no wrong. And, since Iron Man 3 won’t be out for another few months, the jury is still out on their record. However, given the critical and commercial success of the studio’s flagship project, and the resurgence of the X-Men label under the… Continue reading Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
Category: Reviews
Game Review: Spec Ops: The Line
If you look up the definition of the word “game”, you will find words like “amusement” and “fun” used to describe it. And video games, by and large, are designed to be just that: fun amusements. But as technology has progressed and the tools used by developers have become more advanced, the capacity for video… Continue reading Game Review: Spec Ops: The Line
Movie Review: Dredd (3D)
In Mega-City One, the population is astronomical and crime is rampant. The people are represented by one group, and one group alone: the Judges. They locate and investigate crime; they prosecute and punish the offenders on the spot. They are the law. These are their stories. Going back to the well of an established intellectual… Continue reading Movie Review: Dredd (3D)
Book Review: Mockingbird
When last we left Miriam Black, her unique ability to see the way people die had driven her not to take a life, but to save one. She defied fate, and pulled a fast one on the Reaper. Visions have taunted her to say that she’s part of something much bigger than just her freaky… Continue reading Book Review: Mockingbird
Crank File: The Fall Movie Review
Every now and again, life catches me off-guard. It’s times like these I need to turn to contributions from you, the audience. If you’ve ever read the Opinions section of the local newspaper, or the comments of an article on the Huffington Post, you know that sometimes the readers contribute just as much as the… Continue reading Crank File: The Fall Movie Review
Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a far more filmable piece of work than his larger work, The Lord of the Rings. It has a more simple narrative, its plot is contained to one volume, and its themes remain focused on the character of Bilbo Baggins and how he deals with his adventures. Yet, according… Continue reading Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Book Review: Cold Days
“Turns out your friend here is only mostly dead.” – Miracle Max, The Princess Bride It certainly seemed that Harry Dresden, Chicago’s sole professional wizard, was as dead as dead could be. He was shot at the end of Changes and spent almost the entire length of Ghost Story haunting his friends and watching them… Continue reading Book Review: Cold Days
Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph
It’s only recently that video games have come into their own in terms of storytelling. Certainly there have been some diamonds in the rough, but back when that form of entertainment was just getting started, story would at times extend only as far as the mechanics of the game. “Shoot the invaders.” “Defend the cities… Continue reading Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph
Movie Review: Skyfall
James Bond, now 50 years old as a franchise, has struggled to find his place in the modern cinematic scene. Both in his own universe and next to towering transforming robots and lush worlds of dragons and hobbits, the question is raised: is there still room for an aging but still spry warhorse like Bond?… Continue reading Movie Review: Skyfall
Game Review: XCOM Enemy Unknown
I may be accused of cheating on this one. Not because of my “save scumming”, mind you, as there is zero shame in doing that when it comes to XCOM Enemy Unknown. I’ll get to why in a bit, but suffice it to say the reason some may not relish the idea of me writing… Continue reading Game Review: XCOM Enemy Unknown