ULTRA HIP GLORIFIED WRITER

The Ultra Hip Side by Side Comparison: Norman Bates vs. Dr. Hannibal Lecter

2012-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

One is the ultimate momma's boy with extreme killing instincts while the other…well, we're not quite sure what he is except: he is the most evil and complex character modern horror has yet produced. Both are remarkably frightening when they are about to kill but who is more dangerous and how did they get this way? In one moment they wear a mask of kindness and civility and then, within an instant, they are bathed in blood. Most of the time, you can do nothing to stop them, except run and hope you aren't next. These are highly intelligent men, which makes them even more dangerous and which usually means they get away with their crimes.

Let's read about Mr. Norman Bates.

Norman Bates:

When we first meet Norman in Psycho he is a character to be pitied. He works at the Bates Motel, caring for his sick, elderly mother and is often having to clean up her murders.

This is not a big spoiler: Norman Bates' mother is dead.

I haven't met too many people who haven't seen the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho or read the Robert Bloch novel of the same name. Even if they didn't read book or seen the movie they would still know who Norman Bates is because the character has been talked about for decades. Well then, if Norman's mother is dead, whose murders is he cleaning up?

Let me explain if you're culturally inept:

Norman is the killer. But there is something else, here's the kicker: Norman is kind of, sort of, maybe, NOT THE KILLER. Let me explain further:

Norman suffers from what is commonly known as multiple personality disorder. In a way - and this does not excuse his crimes - Norman really is not the one who committed the murders, rather the second person inside Bates, his mother Norma, is really the one doing the killing.

Bates was instilled at a very young age to the believe that sex is the ultimate transgression of the mind, body and soul. Bates doesn't know when bouts of this disease will strike, and in some ways this is both a blessing and curse for Norman. After all, if someone else is doing the killing, even if it's his body performing the acts, he doesn't know about it because he is mentally unhinged at the time. Norman is free from the guilt of knowing he did the deed. Yet he is cursed because he loves his mother and doesn't want her to get into trouble.

This is quite a difference from Lecter who knows he's insane, admits it even to himself and enjoys the fact the person is dead. In many ways, the reason why Lecter is as smart as he claims or shows is because of his insanity. Perhaps there is something about being Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs which makes a person's mind able to do task that a normal human being is unable to perform. We'll get to that a bit later.

Bates, who thinks of himself as a good man, still does not think he's done anything immoral because he does not or chooses not to remember for the remorse would swallow him whole.

Bates could be a virgin or perhaps he engaged in incest with Norma, his mother. The man obviously has attractions towards the opposite sex - who is not his mother - but due to the abuse put upon him by Norma during childhood he would never act upon those natural emotions. Actually, he believes killing the other person to avoid having intercourse with them - a simple “no" would sufficed, “I have a headache”, or “I'm watching football, damn it”- is a lesser crime then sex itself.

Lecter, however, is not a sexual, or perhaps in this case, an asexual predator. Lecter has attractions towards women but it is not violently sexual. Some would argue Hannibal did engage in immoral sexuality with his step-aunt after his uncle had died but others would say that since she was not a blood relative this would not be considered incest. Those who engage in deviance may offend Lecter. At one point in the novel Hannibal, Lecter fed pieces of a man's sliced face to dogs perhaps because the man was a pedophile. This might not have been the sole reason for doing such a thing but I'm sure it was on the list. Other times, perhaps, Lecter sees sexual violence as a great tool, even complementing, though not specifically on the sexual violence itself, on the activities of The Tooth Fairy who is a known rapist and serial killer. Lecter probably didn't believe the rapes The Tooth Fairy committed had anything to do with sex and like the old saying goes: “Rape is not about sex but power.” I believe Lecter was complementing The Tooth Fairy on his power, not his sexual activities, be them extreme.

Bates' weapons of choice for killing are a butcher knife and poison. He used Strychnine on his mother and her lover when he was a teenager because of the jealousy he felt over the other man's sexual relationship with Norma. Lector uses a wide variety of weapons, his teeth mostly and I don't believe he'd use poison - after all he is a cannibal and who would want to spoil their dinner and make themselves ill.

There, we have just entered the mind of a killer and madman. Now, we will focus on a character that is both and could be something else entirely.

Hannibal Lecter M. D.

The name Hannibal implies someone ancient, wise, powerful and brutal (heavy on the brutal). It is not a coincidence that Thomas Harris the creator of Hannibal Lecter series chose this name for his title character. Once you get to know Hannibal Lecter you'll understand why.

Lecter was born in Lithuania in 1933 to patrician kin who loved him. This is a sharp contrast from Bates, who had a terrible family life. I've always believed that even if you have a bad childhood you could still grow to be good or even great person. It's not necessarily the acts which shapes a human being but the human being who learns from the acts. If the horrible things - and I'm going to tell you about them in the next few paragraphs - didn't happened to Lecter as a child, would he be the same person? Or, and this is a more startling question: would he be just as bright a man as we know him today?

As an emotionally frail man where anything could set him off, Norman Bates is a classic example of what our collective consciousness perceives as a serial killer and yet, that is not how we perceive Lecter. Hannibal finds great joy in murder, makes it an event unto itself - at least for him - and is actually something quite special in terms of physiology and brutalism.

Lecter's best friend at a young age was his sister Mischa. The events in 1941 would change Lecter's life. Young Hannibal must have known about the great evil that would be set against his country and his family, after all he is not naive as most children his age.

Nazi Germany had invaded his land, some just outside Lecter's front door. It was during this time his parents were killed and collaborators to the Nazi Party invaded his home. Food was short during the winter so the invaders took what sustenance they could find: Mischa.

Eight year old Hannibal watched as his sister was butcher and eaten. From that moment on the person who would have been Hannibal was gone and “The Cannibal” Lecter remained.

Lector was brought up from his adolescence into his teenage years at an orphanage. He rarely spoke, if not at all, in fact some thought him mute. Soon he was taken in by his rich Uncle Robert and his Japanese step-aunt Murasaki. Robert eventually died and Murasaki, more then just a motherly figure, taught him about life, death and love. However, this was not enough to save him from neither himself nor his actions.

Lecter's first murder was a fisherman who insulted Murasaki. He killed the man with a samurai sword own by Murasaki, slicing him open, terrifying him and then finally beheading him. Lecter, as he committed the evil act, got pleasure for himself, as if the fisherman, twice his size, was a mere plaything for him to use and throw away.

Fright has always been one of the main tools Lecter uses against his victims before the end. Bates, at least, is quick about his killing. Yes, it's brutal, but he doesn't scare you into a heart attack while doing it. Lecter, however, seems to be successful at causing this fright every time his mood turns bloodthirsty.

Later, Lecter found the people who killed his sister and got his revenge, snuffing them out in ways that even his future victims would find more terrible then their own deaths. He traveled to America, educated himself even more then he did while in Europe, and eventually earned several degrees. Even after his revenge, Lecter kept killing and eating his victims. Late in life, he was caught by FBI Agent Will Graham, who had first consulted Lecter on a serial murder case but found out soon after that Lecter was in fact the killer.

Prison was hard on Lecter. He killed many even within the walls around him, sometimes without even touching them (Miggs). People often came to see him regarding cases on murders or to do surveys; he was after all one of the brightest minds in the country, if not the world, on various subjects, it's a mere -okay many not mere - coincidence he is a cannibal and serial killer. Prison just wasn't right for Lecter; like a lion he needed freedom and freedom is what he got.

Lecter had escaped and as far as we know - unless Thomas Harris writes another novel and please do so- he is still at large.

Just remember, if you see Hannibal Lecter, please be nice to him. To piss him off, well, let's put it this way: You'll go well with the seasoned dumplings.

Mass Effect 3: Special Forces Trailer

2012-01-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the new multiplayer trailer for Mass Effect 3 called "Special Forces."

A few more weeks and it’s all mine…and yours…but mostly mine.

Here’s the video.

Joe's Writing Update: 1/26/2012

2012-01-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

(This is an early edition of Joe's Writing Update and all I can say is: It's about freaking time! Not two week after the last one but early, very early. There I'm proud of myself. Carry on people)

I haven't been at peak performance these last couple of days. I've been tired mostly, sleeping all hours of the day and night, not having much time to read or watch my movies or TV.

I'm not ill, I don't feel as if something is wrong with my body. My mind is working well and for the most part I'm happy with myself and my life, even though it could improve but hey, whose life doesn't need to get a little bit better.

When I wake up from the time I go to bed I'm usually working. In-between those times I'm often thinking about writing, how I can make my work shine and jotting down notes for what I'll be doing when I sit back down and hammer out the next few words.

I wish I had new, non-work-related ideas crawling around in my head, at least then it would tell me I'm not a workaholic.

I had some computer problems lately but those were minor and manageable. I'm paranoid about what comes on my computer, often watching out for third-party applications which like to screw with me. Luckily, I know how to get them off, be it's time consuming and, pardon my French, Piss-me-off-to-no-end damn annoying.

The novel I'm currently reading, Horns by Joe Hill, I find it very unsettling on multiple levels. Not that I identify with the characters but more like I'm offended by their actions or lack there of or they tell the absolute truth when they don't realize it.. It's so disturbing at times that I can't read it every single day so I put it down then come back to it later, sometimes much later. I will eventually finish it of course. I agreed to give a review of the novel sometime later on the blog. I probably won't be able to get it down for this month, I'm only halfway through the book and I plan on writing the review in less then a week.

Sorry folks, you're just going to have to wait another month for my opinion on the novel.

Frankly, I can't wait to start reading The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin. I'm not disturbed by Earthsea books, I just find them exhilarating and fascinating.

Back to writing for a moment: I've been doing a lot more in-depth proofreading. Like I said before, one of my stories was rejected weeks ago due to errors in the text. I got a little upset but I eventually got over it, manned up and said I'm going to fix it come hell or Justin Beiber music. Now, its time to correct the mistakes and send out a story worthy of print.

I just wanted to remind everyone that in the next two days I will be off and will be back on the 29th to do the Ultra Hip Side-by-Side Comparison. As to what I'll be focusing on I haven't decided yet but it should be a good one. The next day, on the 30th, I'll do my monthly Movie Review and after that, on the 31st I'll focus on the Book Review article.

I need to get outside more. Being a writer you usually are a hermit of sorts and all you do is write, think about writing and somewhere in-between use the restroom. I would like to have a life one of these days, you know.

So, things are going relatively well. I'm having fun working. I couldn't ask for anything more but I'm sure I'll think of something.

Oscar Nominations 2012 Full List

2012-01-26T02:50:00.000-08:00

Oscar Nomination Were Released Tuesdays (sorry for the delay) here is the list.

Best Picture

"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Animated Feature Film

"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
"Rango" Gore Verbinski

Art Direction

"The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
"War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
"Hugo" Robert Richardson
"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

"Anonymous" Lisy Christl
"The Artist" Mark Bridges
"Hugo" Sandy Powell
"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
"W.E." Arianne Phillips

Directing

"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Alexander Payne
"Hugo" Martin Scorsese
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)

"Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
"Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
"God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
"Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione
"Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Kevin Tent
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film

"Bullhead" Belgium
"Footnote" Israel
"In Darkness" Poland
"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
"A Separation" Iran

Makeup

"Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
"The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
"The Artist" Ludovic Bource
"Hugo" Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Short Film (Animated)
"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
"Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
"Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
"Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
"War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
"Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
"Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: The Outer Limits: The Zanti Misfits

2012-01-26T01:22:00.000-08:00

The Zanti Misfits is an astounding piece of television, one which is remembered with fondness by the fans of classic Science Fiction, fans of good TV and by people who still want to relive the good years. It is an episode of The Outer Limits, a fantastic Science Fiction program from the 1960's. The only message The Zanti Misfits conveys is the human race is brutal. Since I'm an expert on humans - being that I am one - I can pretty much agreed with this assessment and most of the time, I'm ashamed to do so. Yet, it's not the message which shines in the episode, it's how its pulled off, what is showed to us and what is not revealed to the characters and the audience until the bitter end.

The Zanti Misfits takes place around an event which happens quite often in the realm of Science Fiction: first contact.

In an California ghost town, military personnel are awaiting an arrival from the planet Zanti. The package is not something to benefit mankind but in fact, if not careful, could destroy us. It is a penal ship carrying undesirable criminals and Earth will be their new home. These criminals are deadly and if they escape, mankind will pay the price. However, the leaders of Zanti have explained, many times, that human beings are not allowed to kill their misfits or their revenge will be swift and final.

But Mankind has criminals of their own and even they can't control them all, as we will see in this episode.

Ben Garth and his girlfriend, both bank robbers, are about to cause great problems. While in the desert trying to escape with stolen money, they accidently release the misfits who've just landed. They are not in the best of moods.

All hell breaks loose and soon mankind will have to make a decision about its future and the fate of criminals from another star.

What makes the episode so unsettling is the misfits themselves. They are alien while at the same time appearing like something we'd see on Earth, a kind of mixture between an oversized ant and the face of a devious-looking man.

Most aliens in fiction don't appear this way, in fact they are more akin to humans though, of course, they appear diverse in their own way. The misfits on the other hand are quite strange and in making them this way, the creators of the episode are saying that life, even intelligent life, does not have to be humanoid, a rare notion in TV especially in the 1960's.

I can guarantee you if you saw a Zanti Misfit crawling on your arm you'd be petrified just like the people in this episode. The idea of just watching it crawl on someone arms is stirring enough. You'd brush it away quickly but the alien creature won't go way. They are out for blood, your blood and they won't stop still they get it.

The Zanti Misfits is one of the best examples of fictional first alien contact that I know of. The fact it was made for TV is another reason why it's such a great accomplishment because even though good Science Fiction is found mostly in short stories and novels, it is usually never seen in a visual media. There is not much information you can put in a TV script to make it as effective. However, there are some absolutely terrifying things to witness in this episode which you just don't see very often on Television - unless you come across a horror movie on TV and even then it has to be a damned frightening film.

The Outer Limits is the best anthology series of its kind, even better then The Twilight Zone. It has burned images into our collective minds, told us stories of such depth and imagination its almost as if we lived those episodes. If that's true, and if they are apart of us, The Zanti Misfits must be one of the darkest, surprising and well remembered moments in our lives.

Metal Gear Solid HD European Collection Trailer

2012-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, this might be an afterthought for us folks across the Atlantic but damn it, I want an international audience and by God I’m going to write and post things for them as well.

We Americans have already had the pleasure of playing the newest game collection called Metal Gear Solid HD but now there is a European Collection coming down the pipe.

Yes my friends, due to my tiredness at writing fiction and nonfiction all day we will be doing yet another game trailer. I like them, I hope you like them, and I hope the Europeans like them.

Here is the launch trailer for Metal Gear Solid HD European Collection:

Realms of Ancient War Trailer

2012-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Now this is a good trailer for what I hope is a good game. Realms of Ancient War will be coming to you in the second quarter of 2012 on X-Box Live, PSN and PC.

Here’s the video:

Scary Girl Announcement Trailer

2012-01-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

Here is an Announcement Trailer for a platform game called Scary Girl.

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition Trailer

2012-01-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition.

Mass Effect 3 "Better With Kinect" Trailer

2012-01-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

Even though we don’t have the titles or software yet to back the hype, even though it works but not nearly as great as I wished, I’m still a big believer of the Kinect and hope it will be a big part of the future of video games as we know it.

When I heard BioWare was using the Kinect for Mass Effect 3 I was excited, just as excited as I was for Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary. For Halo, however, I didn't use the Kinect features as much as I want too because they just didn’t work and more or less got in the way of the fun. The game is great and is as good as Halo made but the Kinect features...ehh, not so much.

I hope I'm not disappointed again.

Will Mass Effect 3 be the best possible Kinect game we hardcore gamers finally get too see? According to the people in this video, yes. As to whether or not everyone else will jump on the bandwagon: we’ll just have to wait and play it on March 6th.

Check it out:

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - Mass Effect 3

New I Am Alive Trailer: “Exploring the Combat System”

2012-01-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for I Am Alive called “Exploring the Combat System.”

Enjoy.

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - I Am Alive

Resident Evil 6 Reveal Trailer

2012-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the reveal trailer for Resident Evil 6.

Soul Caliber V Story Trailer

2012-01-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a story trailer for Soul Caliber V.

Joe's Writing Update: 1/18/2012

2012-01-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm currently trying out a new voice program for my iPod Touch; a device which I've recently upgraded from my Cro-Magnon version just a few days ago. The 4th Generation iPod certainly has a great many features which are better then previous incarnations of the Apple product. One of them is voice command mixed with an app called Dragon Go whereby the program takes my voice and puts it into a text format (Yeah, you seen the commercials it's pretty neat-o, now is a mini version and I don't have to pay seventy bucks for it, even better). The app is not perfect and I'll have to edit out mistakes later but for what it's worth, Dragon Go functions well and I'm happy I can give my typing fingers a rest, at least for the time being.

I'll be able to get more posts on the blog sooner rather then later. I'm currently behind because of the Christmas break and a falling out I've had with my own work. I received a rejection slip about a week ago and it sort of floored me. Things of this nature don't usually phase me as much, but this one....this one knocked me down a few pegs that's for sure. I'm usually good at taking rejections (blah, blah, blah, You Suck, blah, blah, blah) but this one was pretty rough so I decided to give myself a little break and to reevaluate what I've been writing and how my skills can improve.

I'm back...Yeah!!!!! Rock on!!! I said Rock On!!!

The break was restful and I realized I should grow a large, hairy pair, cease my endless sulking and keep writing.

Wow, seven days and that's what I come up with. Go figure.

I can live with rejection, I CAN NOT live without writing.

I'll soon be posting my monthly book reviews. Of the novels I'll be writing about is Rialto the Magnificent, the fourth and last book in The Dying Earth Series by Jack Vance. Another book I'll be reviewing has only been recently published and it's Horns by Joe Hill, which I'm enjoying very much right now. Hill's last book, Heart-Shaped Box, I thought was a masterwork, so I'm hoping for more of the same by the young writer. The last, and the one I'm most excited about, is The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin. I've never read a bad Earthsea novel so this should be more of the same: Downright-Oh-My-God-Freaking brilliant. My expectations are high but who's wouldn't be with Ursula's work.

If you follow me on Twitter - and who wouldn't I'm a very interesting person - you can see I'm currently watching Babylon 5. More then likely, I'll be reviewing an episode of the show sometime this month on Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week. The program has been on my mind lately so I want to write about it. If you haven't watched this show I only have one thing to say: What is wrong with you? Go buy it now.

Anyway the writing is going well and I'm going to try and keep the bitching to a minimum, keep putting my thoughts down on paper and keep on improving. Hopefully, I should be able to be the writer I've always wanted to be and someday I hope you agree as well.

If not, well, I'll still keep writing. Something, somewhere, sometime my work has to get better.

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: Tales from the Crypt: Yellow

2012-01-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Humans, for as long as they've been alive, feel staying alive is the single most important thing they can accomplish. Some are so afraid of paying for their sins - if there is an afterlife - others are too terrified of experiencing pain they don't see the value of saving or fighting for a cause which can kill them. This kind of mentality is very human, after all we are animals and self-preservation is strong within our race. However, what we fail to understand is sometimes the price is just. The people who feel this way, instead of the gutless, will be the ones who truly walk with the angels.

Yellow, some will say, is just another blood-gushing half an hour episode of Tales from the Crypt and yet for me it asks some very important questions about courage, family, faith and war. The story takes place on the French Battlefields of The First World War, when the ultimate tool of a solider was a trench of dirt to keep the bullets and tanks at bay. Blood has been spilled for 49 days and the American Commander of this fictional battle, a General Kalthrob (Kirk Douglas), is working hard to win the day even if it means losing his own son, Lieutenant Martin Kalthrob (Eric Douglas).

But there is a problem: Martin is as yellow as a canary.

The young Lieutenant has asked time and time again for a transfer away from active duty. He wants nothing to do with blood and death and especially his own war-loving father. So, The General gives his son a challenge: If Martin can bravely complete just one dangerous mission where a great many good men might lose their lives, including his own, he will give Martin his transfer.

The mission goes badly. Martin runs away and in doing so his own men die.

Instead of giving an accurate report to the General, Martin lies. However, one of the men, now mortally wounded, makes it back and tells The General what really happened.

Martin is court-martialed and sentence to death by firing squad. Though before Martin's death, General Kalthron makes another demand of Martin. This request, from father to son, will make the twist at the end of Yellow both disturbing and potent and might leave you more then a bit stunned.

Yellow was directed by Robert Zemeckis and is certainly one of the darkest materials he's ever made. It's less of a horror piece and more of a dark lesson (is there any other kind) regarding warfare . Certainly, it has moments of gore, which is standard with horror but then again so it does with war. The performances, especially by Kirk Douglas, elevates Yellow from a merely violent piece of TV into something which has a message. Most won't agree with what that message entails but then again an artist can't always please the masses. If he tried, he would only be putting an undue burden on himself and his art.

For me, however, Yellow is nearly perfect.

Gears of War 3 DLC "The Slab" Trailer

2012-01-12T22:02:00.002-08:00

The third DLC for Gears of War 3 called "Fenix Rising" will be coming out soon and we have a video of one of the maps. It’s a fly through piece for a map called “The Slab.” As for the other maps to come with the DLC they will be Academy, Anvil, Depths, Escalation, and The Slab.

The DLC will be available on January 17th.

Check out the video.

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - Gears of War 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Content Season Trailer

2012-01-12T22:02:00.001-08:00

Here is the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Content Season Trailer:

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Ninja Gaiden 3 Multiplayer Trailer

2012-01-11T23:24:00.000-08:00

I have to admit: I’ve never quite seen a multiplayer trailer like Ninja Gaiden 3. It looks like a Ninja Gaiden game certainly but with more people, more customization and certainly more chaos then a usual multiplayer game.

That is just a long way of saying I like it…a lot.

Here’s the trailer.

AMY Launch Trailer

2012-01-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a Launch Trailer for a game called AMY. It has zombies, eerie dream-like sequences and enough fright to scare the crap out of your little sister or brother.

Have fun:

The Ultra Hip Glorified Writer is Back!

2012-01-11T23:20:00.001-08:00

The Ultra Hip Glorified Writer is back and ready for new content.

In the days ahead I should have another, newly written Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week completed. Then, I will do a Joe’s Writing Update in which I’ll try to explain what was going on the week I wasn’t around. It was a pretty relaxing time off, I managed to get some reading done for the Book Review coming at the end of the month. Right now, I’m feeling fine and I should be getting the work I care for completed, at least I hope so. Yes, it’s hard work but without something to do, like writing and reading as read as much as I can before I die, I feel lost and without purpose. It look nearly every once of freewill not to write during the week I was off but hey, I’m back and loving.

Now, let’s get some work done.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lewis Szabo III (aka pointman74250)

Important Note: The Ultra Hip Glorified Writer is on Break

2012-01-04T12:01:00.001-08:00

Dear Readers of The Ultra Hip Glorified Writer:

I've decided after taking some bad news this morning, a break from writing is in order. When I'm through with my break, I'll be coming back to work with a less troubled but rested mind. For one week you will not see anything posted on the blog but don't fret I'll be back on January 12th to publish new material. Trust me folks, I need the break if only to make the work better.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lewis Szabo III (aka pointman74250)

Borderlands 2 Teaser Trailer

2012-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

I can’t believed I missed this but I did. I guess the internet is a big place.

Here is the teaser trailer for a game I will be preordering then picking up in 2012.

Borderlands 2.

Joe's Writing Update: 1/3/2012

2012-01-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

From the looks of all the new stuff which appeared around my house in the last few days, I can tell I had a mighty fine Christmas, even though the love of the people who gave me those things is what matters most. The new books I received this holiday I'll be reading in the weeks and months to come. I've gotten clothing; some t-shirts to replaced the old garbs which have gotten a little ragged. I have candy and deodorant up the wazoo, one to make my breath smell minty and the other to make my pits smell...passable. You decide which does what.

But how has the writing been this holiday season?

The writing is going great, in fact I can't remember having a better time with regards to my art. Sure, it needs some improvement - and what good artist wouldn't say that. It's the first time in a long time in which I'm not as stressed about getting everything perfect in my drafts. I've given myself a lot of leave way so I can make mistakes. Furthermore, I've built enough trust in myself so I can make those mistakes and fix those errors later instead of doing so the second the errors show themselves.

As you can see from the blog I've been writing a great deal. The last three major articles I've done are over five hundred words or even triple this number. I can't write as much as I do without loving the process of creating or I would never get the work done. If I managed to finish the work, it would be a miracle since I would be endlessly frustrated.

I can honestly say I enjoy what I do.

However, this doesn't mean there aren't snags which crop up every now and then. Sure I have bad days in writing but those are now few and far between. Thank God there are more good days then those which suck beyond belief.

In upcoming blog posts, I'll be writing more new pieces such as Joe's Writing Updates and Ultra Hip TV Episodes of the Week. The next book reviews will have three new editions I've recently read instead of last week where I did one huge Special Review on A Dance with Dragons. As to what books I will be reviewing, one of them, at least, will be Rhialto the Marvellous, the last book in The Dying Earth series by Jack Vance, a series I've decided to reread in the last few years. Another book written about in the piece will be The Other Wind from The Earthsea Saga by Ursula K. Le Guin. As for the last book I'll be reviewing in the upcoming Book Review: Who knows, you’ll have to see what I'm interested in.

At any rate, good writing, good books and good entertainment are on the way. I hope you enjoy my writing. It's been fun for me too.

Alert! Alert! Ultra Hip Important Note!

2012-01-02T03:48:00.001-08:00

My regular segment "Joe's Writing Update" will be delayed by one day. I usually do the piece within a two week time period which would have been posted on the 3rd of this month but things are hectic now and it will instead be published on the 4th instead. Sorry if this inconveniences you in anyway.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lewis Szabo III (aka pointman74250)

Note: Well, that was stupid posting this, I did it on the third. Carry on.

Ultra Hip Classic Movie Special: Joe's Top Ten Favorite Movies of All Time.

2011-12-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

Note: There were a few grammatical errors in this piece. I only found them hours later and I couldn't fix them because of technical problems so they've been on here awhile. [REDACTED] Sorry for inconvenience, this post has been giving me issues for the past five days. If it looks weird don't worry, it's just my week getting worse.

This is a Special Movie Edition of the Ultra Hip Glorified Writer. I've decided to post a list of my favorite films of all time. I would like to hear what you have to say about my list and also, in the comments below, what's on your list. So, let's have some fun and start with number 10.

10) John Carpenter's Halloween (1978)

One of the scariest movies ever made and a direct descended of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, it tells the story of Michael Myers, an insane child who grew up to be a violent, terrifying man. Myers, who is credited as The Shape, goes back to Haddonfield, Illinois to relive his sister's murder at his own hands some fifteen years prior. Some have protested the film, saying it treats women terribly, and I suppose I've have to agree, yet that doesn't make it any less horrifying or well made.

9) Superman (1978)

The film which put Christopher Reeve on the map and made all America think they could fly, at least at the movies anyway. It is, without a doubt, the best superhero movie I know of.

8) Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott's classic about murder, androids and false memories. It's a one of a kind, that's for sure. The visuals alone is enough to make any fan of Science Fiction, or more specifically Cyberpunk, drool on themselves.

7) Dr. Strangelove or; How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964) The first comedy on my list but not the last, Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove makes fun of the most preposterous invention ever envisioned by man: The Nuclear Bomb. The film is so important to me I use Dr. Strangelove as my avatar on most of my accounts.

6) Young Frankenstein (1974) Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein is so well made that if you turn off the sound you would think you were watching a genuine James Welles version of Frankenstein. But why would you do that? It's damn funny.

5) King Kong (1933) King Kong was the first of the great monster movies. Each blockbuster after it takes a cue from this film.

4) Pulp Fiction (1994) Quentin Tarantino's masterful work about crime, blood and redemption was the first great film of my generation. I'm sure, unless something miraculous happens, it won't be leaving my number four stop anytime soon.

3) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) The best Star Trek film ever made is also one of the best films of the 1980's and perhaps onward. Kudos to Nicholas Meyers for directing a wonderful film, for William Shatner for bringing Kirk's manhood back after the first Star Trek film and praise be unto Ricardo Montalbán who played one of the best villains in film history.

2) The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis and directed by Martin Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ is about the life of Jesus, the man, not the God. It’s a film which made me love Christ even more, not because he died for our sins on the cross but because he paid for them totally but being a man who couldn’t sin even if he wanted too.

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) The second Stanley Kubrick film on my list and the only one in which I've cried over many times, not because the story was moving but because the images showed on the screen were so breathtakingly beautiful and awe inspiring. It is a movie of Science and Faith. It's about what it means to be human and more then human. Movies like this one don't come along very often, in fact they never did in my opinion, except this one time.

The Ultra Hip Side by Side Comparison: Captain James T. Kirk vs. Captain John J. Sheridan

2011-12-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

One is the Captain of the Starship Enterprise while the other runs the space station Babylon 5. If they were not born into their respected worlds the human and alien races of their time periods would never have survived. Some will say they are foolish, after all their professions are not exactly what normal folk would consider safe. They are constantly in situations which calls for their extreme focus, skills and courage. They fear nothing, and yet when they come into contact with a culture of profound strangeness, they don't destroy out of prejudice but instead try to make peaceful contact and learn. When threatened, however, they will answer with deadly force. Let's start with the Captain of the Enterprise and see what makes him tick:

James Tiberius Kirk:

Much about young Kirk is not known except what you would read in a Star Trek novel, comic or games. Since this information is not considered canon to the Star Trek Universe, I will not be basing my assessments on those materials.

Jim was born in Riverside, Iowa in 2233 to George and Winona Kirk. He has a brother named George. He spend must of his youth on Earth and the Tarsus IV Colony when Kodos the Executioner killed over 4000 people yet Kirk's family survived.

Kirk, as would Sheridan, must have found straightforward classes in school far too sluggish and excelled at his subjects (However, Sheridan has said he had issues getting into his Academy and had to study hard to even make the cut.) Young Jim, I imagine, was somewhat of a troublemaker, often getting into danger, even fighting his fellow classmates from time to time and playing spaceman before he knew what it entailed. The one of the many things I've find fascinating about Kirk is while he enjoys fighting, he knows when to put his hands down, back away and talk. With his fast mouth and even quicker mind, Kirk must have gabbed his way out of scrapes when the penalties were too high and the last thing he wanted is to be looked unfavorably by his parents, for whom loved him and expected much of the gifted Jim.

At Starfleet Academy he became a campus legend, most notably with the women and the command junkies. Those who knew of him were in awe with his abilities as a young officer, even more so after defeating the Kobayashi Maru, a character test which had plagued his classmates and even himself several times until he reprogram the computer so he could win the scenario. This gave the young Jim a massive inflation to his ego, which he never grew out of and added, to his already huge, self-assurance.

After the Academy, Kirk became an Ensign aboard the USS Republic, then an Academy Instructor at the rank of Lieutenant Junior grade followed by a weapons operator on the USS Farragut at the rank of full Lieutenant. It wasn't long before Kirk, still quite young, would get his shot at command. In fact, Kirk is famously known as the youngest person to receive the rank of Captain taking over the USS Enterprise for a five year mission. At what age Sheridan became Captain I'm not sure but it certainly wasn't as young as Kirk.

Kirk's missions are well documented but I won't be using them much for this article, I'm here to talk about the man, not so much his deeds.

One of the more lasting relationships in Kirk's life is those of his crew, most notably Mr. Spock and Doctor Leonard McCoy. Both men give Kirk a personal or professional payoff whenever he needs it.

Kirk is human, but Spock is half human and pays more respect to his alien home world and their customs then he does of Earth. Being able to suppress his emotions, Spock uses only his logic to pull him through in most areas of his life. Kirk goes to Spock when he needs a cool head, brimming with knowledge and tactics when emotions have a very good chance of shifting the advantage away from Kirk.

McCoy, conversely, is more of a “buddy” kind of a friend. McCoy can laugh, makes jokes and gives Kirk the sense that humanity is with him at all times.

Sheridan, considering that most of his command staff his human and even the aliens like The Narn and Centauri have glimmers of humanity in them, there is more McCoys with Sheridan then Spocks.

Consider this a disadvantage if you will, Kirk would otherwise disagree with you.

As a tactician, Kirk is able to escape from some extreme situations by simply using his aids, his will power and his guts. Sheridan has those gifts as well and as one character in Babylon 5 said, "Sheridan is able to take a weak defensive force and turn it into a great offensive force." I don't see Kirk doing this often, however he is able to usually play the odds and see if he comes out on top.

Now, that's guts!

James T. Kirk, for better or worse, is the best cowboy to ever take a Captain's Chair.

John J. Sheridan:

John Sheridan was the replacement for Commander Jeffery Sinclair after the latter left for Minbari on "Ambassadorial Duties". Sheridan was often thought of as the perfect officer to do the bidding of the newly elected President Clarke on Babylon 5. From his Earthforce record, he appears like someone who would obey the new president and do what was asked of him without difficulty. The truth, however, is John Sheridan is much more then just a hard ass who takes and gives commands without questioning orders, just as Kirk would be. That being said, I've never seen Kirk on the side of an uprising to retake his world from a coup.

Sheridan, like Kirk, is a man with his own principles and will do what it takes to protect his world and his people even if that means going against his own government.

As I've stated before, Sheridan was a gifted youth, but unlike Kirk I don't believe he was ever a wild child. In Sheridan's youth, he was a fine, upstanding young man who didn't think to highly of himself while at the same time knowing he was destined for greatness. Kirk, as far as I can tell, knew he was an immense person and loved every minute of it.. Being humble in Kirk's eyes is something very small indeed.

John's father, David Sheridan, was an Earth diplomat, whom I'm sure some of his political savvy must have rubbed off on young Sheridan. He's spoken of his father only a few times on B5 and only to say they often argued but never stopped loving each other. This would be the first of many meaningful relationships young John would have during his lifetime.

Sheridan was married three times, once to Elizabeth Lochley for which they parted amicability and for which he would trust her with this own life.

His second wife Anna, for which he spoke very lovingly of, died while investigating the alien planet Z'ha'dum. Anna's death saddened him to the point that perhaps Sheridan wasn't the same man after she died.

Sheridan's third wife, Delenn is probably the most meaningful of any relationship he's ever had. He loves her not because of physical attractiveness in her human form, but also because she is a very frail, yet quite strong female figure. Their love is also a way of healing psychologically, for Delenn's people, the Minbari, were the enemies during the great war with the humans. The idea of putting those old hatreds aside and loving someone who was once an enemy is very appealing, not as a strong storyline but in genuine decency of good people as well.

Kirk, even though he had many female relationships over the years, never held on to or found anyone he could truly love. As for falling in love with an enemy, I don't think Kirk will be marrying a Klingon anytime soon.

Sheridan is a fine man with many excellent qualities. There is little doubt why the people who know him would feel they would die for him.

John Carter Japanese Promo

2011-12-27T16:14:00.001-08:00

Here is a Japanese promo for John Carter.

Doctor Who MMO Trailer

2011-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure what to make from this Doctor Who MMO trailer – good or bad- but here it is anyway:

Ultra Hip Book Reviews Special: A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

2011-12-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

A Dance with Dragons is nowhere near a good a novel as the first four books in A Song of Ice and Fire series yet, it's the best book I've read all year with the exception of Dan Simmons' Song of Kali. Readers will be in for the long haul with this book. It took me - with the exception of a few days off because I have a life (Damn bills and supermarkets) - over two months to finish the novel and when I wasn't reading it I was constantly thinking about it.

I've read some wonderful series in my short existence on this floating rock in space: Earthsea, Dune, The Lord of the Rings and The Dying Earth. A Song of Ice and Fire belongs on this list of these great pieces of Speculative Literature because of its shear scope, masterful characterization and brilliant execution by writer George R. R. Martin.

Certainly, the series is confusing at times and I had to read a wiki or two to find out exactly what was going on in the past writings in the series and in chapters, nevertheless even this part was fun. You can't possibly learn everything about Westero unless you give the books several readings. In fact I'm sure at times even Mr. Martin forgets certain details of his world, which is why a Bible is a must for any good writer.

Mr. Martin's Bible, probably, could crush a small village in Asia if it was dropped on by a carrier plane. Yes, big is an understatement. Its time for:

A Song of Ice and Fire Book I Recently Finished That Will Pleasure Your Eyeballs.

A Dance with Dragons begins after A Storm of Swords but along side A Feast of Crows. There are 18 POV characters in which to pay attention to and many more side characters who come and go and we meet again through the series and in the latest novel. I will only go through a few characters, the ones which enhance the story and pulls the narrative forward the most.

The War of the Five Kings is beginning to tire the people of Westero. Tyrion Lannister is traveling across the sea to Esso and arrives in the city of Pentos where Illyrio gives him a task in exchange for a Lordship.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryen is having difficultly keeping her newly adopted country of Essos and her city of Meereen free from its own madness, starvation and murder while at the same time she feels the pull towards Westero to claim the throne which she feels is rightfully hers.

John Snow, the bastard child of Eddard Stark, is now the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who guards The Wall while at the same time trying to keep his oath not to get involved with the War of the Five Kings even when one of its major players, Stannis Baratheon, is making it difficult for him.

There is a major side plot about Aegon Targaryen, who is still alive and is trying, with the help of Varys and Illyrio, to take the throne of Westero and it plays out very nicely at the end of the novel.

Even while I marveled at the brilliance of the writing in A Dance with Dragons, I found much of the elegant prose in which Martin had written in the previous installments lacking. It felt as if Martin was trying too hard to impress the reader instead of just shooting from the hip and letting the words come out fully developed and unforced. At times as well he tends to repeat himself and while he does this for a purpose it did occasionally become tiresome. These are small quibbles for an otherwise great book.

There wasn't a moment when reading A Dance with Dragons in which I didn't feel like I was in Westero or Esso, with the main characters, in those exact situations. The sensory details in which Martin throws at you is enough to paint a picture in your head so clear you think they came from your own life.

Characterization is also marvelously well done in A Dance with Dragons. These are fully realized people and even though they exist in a world you might not want to call your own they are still full-blooded and realistic and the world is dark and hauntingly appealing all at the same time.

I'll be honest: I was happy when A Dance with Dragons was over. I wanted to read something else for a change, something far removed from the Historical Fantasy I'd been reading for over forty days. Reading the same material in the same world, I grew tired of it near the end. Then, about two days after I finished it I became quite sad. I missed the characters and the feeling of being in a world not that I merely like but enjoyed, loved and wanted to be apart of.

Now, I have to wait for the next installment, The Winds of Winter, and I'm eager and probably will be until it comes out.

George R. R. Martin got a terrible rap for taking his time finishing A Dance with Dragons. It took him five years at least to complete the book, making those of us who were impatient say downright brutal remarks online. The first four books were great beyond measure and because fans loved it so much they wanted more, right here, right now.

You won't hear such disrespect coming from my lips and here's why:

"True Genius in Art is Eternal Patience. Designing, Throwing Away & Designing Again. Art Must Appear To Have Been Created Effortlessly."

-Michelangelo.

Get it? Got it? Good!

Now Read!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 "Characters" Trailer

2011-12-26T02:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 for the “Characters.”

A Game of Thrones "The Wall" Trailer

2011-12-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a trailer for A Game of Thrones video game focusing on “The Wall.”

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - Game of Thrones

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: Futurama: Amazon Women in the Mood

2011-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

As a child who spent a majority of his childhood in the 80's and 90's I'm sorry to say I'm not much of a fan of Matt Groening's The Simpsons.

I know Blasphemy, right? But I just never jumped on the Homer and Bart bandwagon. Not because it wasn't funny, well written or the voice acting was terrible, far from it, it's just too smart for its own good.

The best Comedic Method I've ever heard was first attempted by greats like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin: find a line and cross it but most of all be funny. It doesn't mean it has to be crude. It does need, however, to be witty and it must say something about the human condition even if that condition is our fascination with dick and fart jokes.

Futurama, alternatively made by Groening, is exactly the right show for those who didn't think much of The Simpsons. The show is A) hilarious as all hell B) it's about as crude as you're going to get and crosses the line but C) doesn't totally offend you, which is why I don't watch too many reruns of South Park because that's just too offensive and usually not funny. The program contains extremely witty and downright side-splitting material, giving you some of the smartest sex and fart jokes you'll hear. Instead of focusing on a boring setting and characters, like a modern family somewhere in America i.e. The Simpsons, Futurama has Science Fiction themes and notions which have been around for years in books, movies and other kinds of medias and parodies them until it hurts the audience with laughter. One episode to put you through this kind of comedic abuse is Amazon Women in the Mood. If you weren't a fan of Futurama before you seed this episode you will when it ends.

Amazon Women in the Mood begins with a double date between Amy and Kif & Leela and Zapp Brannigan. Never mind how they get to the world Amazonia but its funny, made more so, I think, when Morbo the Annihilator, the green alien TV anchor of √2 News is performing on Karaoke Night singing Funky Town.

The two couples are met by some very large Amazonian women, ladies the size of a houses. Leela doesn't see any men around and asked the massive females to explain why they have none. The women say men are only used for “snu-snu" which is a cute way of saying all out, hardcore…well you know the rest.

Soon, Fry and Bender go to save the couples but are captured by Amazonians. The ladies of the planet want snu-snu on the three men Fry, Kif and Zap (not Bender because he's a robot and he doesn't come equipped, if you know what I mean). They want to snu-snu the men until their pelvises are shattered and they die a terrible, yet somehow exhilarating, death.

This is the best episode of Futurama, a show which was already crude and hilarious to begin with. After I watched Amazon Women in the Mood, I learned to plan ahead for watching other shows in the Futurama Universe, namely: don't eat anything while watching the show or you'll chock to death and, make sure you're not recovering from a hernia operation because you will be hurting later and something might slit open.

You've been warned but even then, for all the pain you might feel, watch Futurama.

Ridley Scott's Prometheus Trailer

2011-12-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

Joe's Writing Update: 12/21/2011

2011-12-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Overall, it's been a good week in terms of writing and my personal outlook on life. If one is going well it should help and benefit the other. The editing on my stories had a few snags but only a few. I've been sending out my work to various magazines to see if I can get my work professionally published but mostly I've been collecting rejection slips. I need to go back to one story which was sent out to see if it needs changing. I thought it was well written but the magazine editor said it wasn't quite up to her normal standards. I won't be sending the story out to the same publication again, that's a big no-no. If they rejected it once it tells me it's just not for them. So, I'm going to check it one more time, see if the material needs changing and if its good I hope to find a home for it somewhere in the future.

There is one story I've worked on which I've written a long time ago and am now trying to edit. I found a few plot holes and character inconsistencies which I fixed but just to be sure I'm going to go through it again and see if all the holes are all plugged up. Right now I'm enjoying what is on paper but there is still miles and miles of stuff I have to edit to see if I can make it better then a first or second draft.

At the moment, I'm reading Jupiter by Ben Bova which is taking up most of my time. I would like to finish the Bova novel sometime soon. When it's done I'll put it on the list of books I've reviewed this month as well.

I'm having a good time creating. I hope it's not too long before someone takes my work and sees I have the potential to be a paid author. Basically I just want to get paid to do what I love and what I love is writing, in all the stages that process entails. I have been published before and I think its nice that someone out there thinks I have some talent.

I'm not going to stop writing just because I don't get paid…but it would certainly help.

Free Batman: Arkham City Skin Now on X-Box Live and PSN

2011-12-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

Correction Note: I didn't mean to imply the map was free. The map is actually not free but the skin is. The post has been corrected. Sorry.

As a gift for Christmas for all the customers who’ve supported the game, Rocksteady, the makers of Batman Arkham City is giving away a free skin for its AC gamers on X-Box Live and PSN. It’s one cool skin called Batman Inc.

I couldn’t find a trailer for the skin but I did find a few videos of the skin in use. I'll post one

Now please, go out and buy the game and get the skin for free.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer is Here

2011-12-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here is the first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Alert, Alert, Note of Interest Regarding November Side by Side Comparison

2011-12-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

Note of Interest: Instead of doing that November Side by Side Comparison in December - because I am right now swapped with work - I will instead just do the December version of the piece and skip November. Sorry for getting you're hopes up. The December piece will be ready at the end of this month.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lewis Szabo III (aka pointman74250)

Guild Wars 2 "Mesmer Profession" Reveal Trailer

2011-12-18T14:34:00.001-08:00

Here is a reveal trailer called “”Mesmer Profession” for Guild Wars 2.

PC Games - E3 2012 - Guild Wars 2

Unit 13 Annoucement Trailer

2011-12-18T14:33:00.001-08:00

Here is a announcement trailer for Unit 13, a new game coming to PS Vita.

I Am Alive "Rules" Trailer

2011-12-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a game trailer called “Rules” for I Am Alive, a new one from Ubisoft

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - I Am Alive

Sorcery Trailer

2011-12-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a game trailer for a title called Sorcery.

I’m not sure how this will appeal to hardcore gamers but it still maybe fun. If your jonesing for a Harry Potter game that is not Harry Potter this might work for you.

Jack the Giant Killer Trailer

2011-12-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Killer.

Joe Simon (1913-2011)

2011-12-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

One of the absolute greats in comics books, modern art and literature has passed away: Joe Simon.

Mr. Simon co-created some of the most recognizable characters in the comic book world, with the likes of Captain America, Sandman & Sandy the Golden Boy and Paul Kirk, Manhunter as well as an early creator of Horror Comics. Furthermore, he was the first editor of Timely Comics, which would later become Marvel.

He died on December 14th, 2011 in New York City. He was ninety eight years old.

We’ll miss you Joe Simon.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 "Master of Monsters" Trailer

2011-12-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a new Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer called “Master of Monsters.”

Enjoy:

The Last Of Us Debut Trailer

2011-12-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a debut trailer – and its quite nasty but interesting – of Naught Dog’s The Last Of Us.

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street

2011-12-14T04:59:00.000-08:00

Paranoia is one of the great staples of The Twilight Zone. Whether an visiting alien race is out to help us or make us into stew or whether the doll you bought for your daughter is really possessed and wants to snuff you out when you're not looking, it's what the viewer is thinking when watching an episode that makes people frightened. Paranoia is not necessarily in the forefront of our collective attention when viewing the show however The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is the very definition of paranoia and it's quite upfront about it. It addresses what we do if we knew - or suspect- one of our neighbors of being a creature out to destroy us and if our world is going to make it until tomorrow.

The story is set in summer, on Maple St. USA, when grills are frying hotdogs and hamburgers, when the sun is shining and kids are getting treats off the local ice-cream truck. It's a very wonderful place at the start...but only at the start. The people are friendly and they seem to care for those they've lived around for many years. That is until strange things begin happening.

First a sound comes from the sky, then a light.Suddenly cars won't start, lawnmowers, house lights. Pretty soon the people of Maple Street discover nothing, not one machine whatsoever will power on. Then, a scared child tells a story of beings from the stars, that turning off lights and cars is just preparation for invasion. But the aliens sent someone ahead, a family who is not what they appear to be: The Monsters. It's strange indeed but the power surge also makes a spark of some kind: the spark of fear.

Everyone's car doesn't start except for one neighbor. The others ask, almost force him, to tell them what is going on.

Soon, friends for years suddenly start turning against one another. They sit on their porches, watching for the slightest bit of eccentricity so they can stamp it out quickly, even violently.

Oh, the monsters are absolutely due on Maple Street but where are they? And who is to say it isn't you?

The Twilight Zone is famous for it's twist endings, some are not as powerful executed as others. I've always thought its best endings weren't too flashy yet were able to say something relevant about the human condition without beating you over the head with a moral. You get it with this episode.

The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is one of the finest examples of what takes place when violence, paranoia and mass panic utterly poisons the human soul. It is not just mere entertainment five decades old and only relevant to that particular time period. It's relevant to ours as well.

Paranoia and fear go hand in hand and is just outside you're backdoor: people misjudging each other because of their religion, what kind of clothes they wear on airplanes, what kind of music they listen too, how they vote, the list goes on and on.

We point to them and say they are the problem when it's really us who are nasty, spiteful, downright prejudice.

Think people!

Override you’re fear with common sense before you say or do something stupid that will damage another person.

I'm sure you've heard this before, let me paraphrase: We must learn from the faults of the past or it will happened again.

Think of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street as a history lesson you can not afford to skip.

Gears of War 3 "RAAM’s Shadow" DLC Launch Trailer

2011-12-13T23:31:00.000-08:00

Here is Gears of War 3 "RAAM’s Shadow" DLC Launch Trailer.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Extended Trailer

2011-12-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here is an extended trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

Enjoy:

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Men in Black III Trailer

2011-12-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for Men in Black III.

To tell you the truth I’m not looking forward to this movie after the really bad Men in Black 2. I thought the first film had some great effects and was pretty funny but the second one sucked the joy right out of franchise for me. Still I’ll give MIB III and chance (when it comes out on video, I’m that much into risk taking) and see if anymore of these movies is worth my attention.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare Announcement Trailer

2011-12-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

Alan Wake was one of the biggest surprise of 2010, at least for me anyway. It's a Survival Horror game that I was utterly stunned by, with an enjoyable story plus gameplay so wonderfully proficient and spot on. There is a strategy to playing this game, not the least of which is running like hell and using a crap load of batteries for your flashlight.

Now, like all games nowadays that were bestsellers, we will have more the same. Alan Wake's American Nightmare is not a sequel to Alan Wake, although one is in development. It will be a Xbox Live Arcade download so I imagine it won't cost as much and will be shorter then a normal game.

Here is the Announcement Trailer for Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

Epic Games Newest Trailer: Fornite

2011-12-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a new Epic Games trailer for Fortnite, a survival, horror game.

Video Game - E3 2012

The Dark Knight Rises Poster is Here

2011-12-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

Below is a poster for the upcoming film, The Dark Knight Rises. It was just released and shows the character Bane, the main villain in the film. So, what do you think? Do you like the promo art or what?

New Mass Effect 3 Trailer

2011-12-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

This is a new Mass Effect 3 trailer. Cool doesn’t come close to defining this footage.

New BioShock Infinite Trailer

2011-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a new BioShock Infinite Trailer. It appear last night at Spike's VGA 2011 Awards.

Enjoy:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Debut Trailer

2011-12-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the debut trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance...now with chopping action!

Joe's Writing Update: 12/09/2011

2011-12-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Writing has been exceptionally cool this week. I found myself able to get as many projects I've started months or years before finally completed. While it still takes a lot to just sit down, roll up your sleeves and have at it, I can say that once I do actually start writing it takes much more willpower to simply stop then it was to begin.

The blog takes up most of my time. It's the part which I found some of the most rewarding and the one at which I'm most prolific. My fiction takes longer to complete but then I don't rush characters, plots and so forth. I want to make sure I get as much done right as I possibly can before I ship it out for publication, even though sometimes I go overboard on the editing process. I refuse to have my fiction feel forced which is why over editing is a big "no no" in my case and can require rewriting. Still, my daily task gets done in a reasonable amount of time, which is a thousand written words a day or editing of three pages. I know three pages doesn't seem like a lot but it's about as much as I can do before I crack and have to say screw it.

I recently finished A Dance with Dragons and I'm not afraid to say it's nice to finally read something else for a change. I think the ASWD took up more time then I expected, even though it was a huge, monster of a novel. I couldn't read the book everyday because I had other things to do in the meantime, like breathe, eat and use the facilitates every once in awhile, you know the important stuff. When I wasn't doing those things, yes, I read the book and it was far from boring. I felt it was one of the top three novels in A Song of Ice and Fire series and I'll be giving my two-cents of the book in the next few weeks on the Ultra Hip Book Reviews. Maybe I can even get a few more books read before the year is out as well. I wanted to read at least thirty books this year but I'm a little behind with all the huge novels I tackled in 2011.

I'll probably take a break in the next few days, with Christmas coming and all. A major break, which is a full week off from writing for a long time, probably won't happen for awhile. This only seems to take place when I'm so completely burned out I can write another word. Right now I'm working fine and I'm not going to stop.

Rest is far too overrated.

In the next few days I should be working on something brand new but I'll go crazy on an outline before I get into putting the fiction down on paper.

So, in conclusion, I'm writing well and I probably won't be stopping for a good long time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Vet and Noob's Funniest Trailer Yet

2011-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of funniest vids for a game I've seen in awhile. Here is the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s "Vet & the Noob" in their finest hour…well, maybe just one of them.

Batman: Arkham City Skin Pack Trailer

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

Correction Note: There was an error in this post, the Arkham City Skin Pack is only 400 MS points not 800. The post has been fixed.

Here is a trailer for the newest Skin Pack for Batman: Arkham City.

I've already purchased this myself and for 400 MS Points you probably can’t do better. My favorite is The Dark Knight Returns. What's yours?

The Cabin in the Woods Trailer

2011-12-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for The Cabin in the Woods which Joss Whedon who co-wrote and produced.

Lockout Trailer

2011-12-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for a Science Fiction movie called Lockuut. I don’t know if the film is going to be any good but the trailer did make me laugh.

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: Sliders: Pilot

2011-12-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

Sliders was one of the freshest shows Science Fiction television had produced in the mid-1990's. It has an incredibly loyal fan base and even while they'll say it wasn't perfect it still managed entertain and sometimes thoroughly enlighten. The whole idea of Alternate History has been around since the times of Ancient Romans, yet what this show tries to take a very old premise and make something new, at least for Television, from the subgenre.

Like any Pilot, the first episode of Sliders was set up for future shows which would appear later on TV.

Egghead Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) is a young genius working on a solution to the Unified Field Theory in his mother's basement (Aren't we all). He inputs his data into a machine called a Timer. The device works well, just not in the way in which he'd hoped. By accident, Quinn can now travel through a wormhole in which The Timer creates. By going through the wormhole he travels to random, Alternate Earths, some much like our own but often times quite different and downright hostile. Later, Quinn finds a double of himself, a human from one of those Alternate Worlds. The other Mallory gives him a second Timer, one which is more stable.

On the second attempt to go through the wormhole, a love interest of Quinn named Wade Welles (Sabrina Lloyd) and a college professor of Quinn's, Maximillian Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), decides to come along for the ride with the young genius. Rembrandt ““The Crying Man” Brown (Cleavant Derricks), a singer driving by Quinn's house when the experiment was going on, is picked up solely by accident when the wormhole opens up on the street and pulls him and his car inside. All four land on a ice world but then later our pulled through to another Earth in which the USSR is the only superpower on the planet and the United States is a communist country.

As I've stated before, Sliders is nothing new, in fact it takes old ideas and simply puts them on TV. What makes Sliders however better then your normal - and by that I mean bad - Science Fiction show however are the little moments, often times funny. At one point Arturo says be would be home right now watching Jeopardy if he wasn't in this crummy situation.

Quinn agrees saying, ”It's Tournament of Champions Week. I'm missing it too.”

These are the small ingredients which makes these people amusing as hell. The other characters who are not eggheads, Wade and "The Crying Man" Rembrandt, are also good people, often times quite amusing themselves.

Wade loves Quinn yet she can't say it out loud because she knows Scientist love Science and right now Quinn needs that love to find a way for the four of them to get back home.

Rembrandt, even if he is still somewhat upset about his current predicament, still wants to help out anyway he can, not just to get home but to make life easier for his new friends.

However the worlds really are the stars of the show. Each time the Sliders travel to a new place we go with them. Each place is new, fresh and exciting. Often times only one thing makes these worlds different from our own and yet that is enough to change who we are as a people and a planet.

Sliders, while not perfect, is still a show which may give you immense enjoyment over long periods of time.

Important Note For The Ultra Hip Side by Side Comparison Readers

2011-12-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

Important Note:

I’d promised to do a Side By Side Comparison each month regarding two distinct yet generally related topics of my own interest. I still plan to doing this yet for last month however I’d forgotten to one. The Ultra Hip Side by Side Comparison for last month will be available sometime in the next few days. Sorry if I did not get it done sooner but things have been hectic for me this last week. Thank you and please, enjoy what is on my blog in the meantime.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lewis Szabo III

Dragon Nest "Editors Choice" Trailer

2011-12-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the ‘Editor’s Choice” Trailer for Dragon Nest.

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Version 2012 Trailer

2011-12-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

Changes are coming to Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and now we have a trailer of what those changes will be. The upgrade will be for free and will be coming on December 13th of this year.

Enjoy:

John Carter Trailer

2011-12-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

This is a very good trailer for John Carter, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs’s classic series of novels.

Infinity Blade 2 Launch Trailer

2011-12-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

Here is the launch trailer for Infinity Blade 2.

Total War: Shogun 2 "Fall of the Samurai" Expansion Trailer

2011-12-02T00:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a new trailer for the expansion pack “Fall of the Samurai” for Total War: Shogun 2.

Ultra Hip Classic Book Reviews: November

2011-11-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

Books, they are the collective memory of all mankind, they give us meaning in times of great hardships or prosperity and are one of the few objects which the soul of our species is literally written upon. I have three books this month which will help you in the expedition through the essence and intelligence of your own kind. It's time for:

Three Books I Recently Finished That Will Pleasure Your Eyeballs.

One: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

Reading A Clockwork Orange is like peeking into the mind of a young man who is bright yet boldly evil. The character of Alex is not someone who can blame a near future England for his troubles, in fact he likes his life the way it is, with all the rape and murder he can possibly get away with. He has only three friends we know of and each, while not as intelligent or as evil as Alex, are still three pieces of filth who go upon nightly sprees of both death and mayhem.

It's when Alex is caught for his crimes that his story takes a turn for the worse. He is anxious, while in prison, to become a lab rat for a new experiment to stop him from committing those horrible crimes and for what it's worth, it works, a little too well actually. Later when Alex is “reformed” and released from prison, he meets the victims who he's offended with his sinful lifestyle and the reader may have some fun at the expense of this demon child's suffering. Even if most of us, while he suffered, probably thought Alex should not be taken to such extremes with this kind of torture, this only proves that we are better people then Alex.

The prose used of the novel is called Nadsat, a kind of secret code of the future. It is a well thought out style, and gives the reading a small pleasure few books who venture into this kind of future sorely lacks. While I found parts of A Clockwork Orange hard to handle at times, with the violence level and the acts of sadism performed by Alex and his three Droogs, I will say I enjoyed the tale. However, as brilliant as the novel is, and critics have said so for many years, I don't think I will be picking up A Clockwork Orange again in the future. Once and only once is just enough.

Two: The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein.

The Puppet Masters, while not nearly as well written as some of Heinlein's best books, is still one of his most entertaining and thrilling of novels. This is the only story about Alien Invasion from this Master of Science Fiction. It could also be the best example about aliens taking over human bodies and using them to conquer Earth I've ever seen or read about, and that includes Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The novel takes place in the near future, in the secret world of spies and UFOs. A top secret organization discovers that aliens have arrived and are using humans as walking vehicles, placing their slug bodies on the backs of people and inserting themselves into our brains so they may go undetected. With them in key places and positions all over the world, they wish to cause as much damage to the human infrastructure as possible before ultimately taking over Earth.

The main character is an agent called Sam and while he is trying to stop the aliens at any cost he later becomes one of them. When Sam is tortured by his own organization, the alien eventually lets go of his body and he learns the slugs are from Titan, one of Saturn's Moons. All the pieces of world domination are in place, it's only a matter of who is smarter, the humans or The Puppet Masters which will decide the fate of Earth's future.

The book is short, sweet and very Heinlein. While I've not been a fan of every work by this author I will say his hits certainly make up for his misses. The Puppet Masters is a fun, rare ride from a master who was at the top of his game in the early 1950's.

Three: 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke.

I probably know 2001: A Space Odyssey better then any other novel with the exception of Frank Herbert's Dune. Yet, I've only read it twice, barely enough to be considered an authority on the book. I have, however, seen Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey about…well, a lot, even more then Star Wars, or Star Trek 2 or my second favorite movie Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ. I can quote the movie, I have the soundtrack and know about every frame of the film - You show me a frame and I can tell what is happening at that point in the movie.

But then again we are not talking about the movie, we are talking about the book and it's a good one. It's not as great as Kubrick's vision (how many times can we say a film is better then a book) and yet it has it's own kind of vivacity and brilliance.

The book is separated, like the movie, in three distinct parts. The first part is set millions of years in the Earth's past where human are still but primates trying to survive in an unmerciful world. It's not until later when our destiny is written, when we are given sentience by an object called the Monolith. Finally, man is starting to think about his environment and the tools he can use in which to dominate the planet.

The book then jumps ahead a few million years for mankind and the tools they are currently using in the 1990's. On the Moon, another Monolith is found. It sends out a signal to Jupiter letting whoever made the Monolith know mankind has made the leap into The Space Age.

The third and final section of the book deals with two astronauts, Frank Poole, Dave Bowman, a computer named HAL 9000 and a science team who are in suspended animation. They are on a mission, be it unknown to them at the beginning of their journey with the exception of HAL, to find the source of the Monolith and how it came to send a signal to Jupiter. That is unless HAL 9000 lets them, for the machine, unexplained at the time while HAL malfunctioned, is the most dangerous thing in the universe to both Frank and Dave.

Everything about 2001 the movie is in the novel, with only a few details altered here and there. While I thought it to be a very nice, quiet read I thought a few parts overly explained itself while the movie used the imagination of the audience in which to tell of most of what was showed. Still, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a one of a kind and must be read by the serious and intelligent Science Fiction book lover.

Read!

Ultra Hip Classic Movie Review: James Cameron's Aliens

2011-11-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

James Cameron's Aliens.

Rating: ****

James Cameron’s Aliens focuses on one emotion throughout: a vibrant, colossal thrill. The series created by Ridley Scott is no longer a haunted house film located in space on a mining ship which the Austrian director masterfully pulled off. There is no longer only one creature to look out for but a legion of fleshing eating killers who slay and breed as much as possible.

Aliens also answers a question which I’ve had in mind when the first film ended: If you had a gun and the will to use it (Kill’em all) would the creature even stand a chance at survival.

The answer is no, it would be splattered all over the bulkhead. But if there were just one creature and you had a gun the film would be over quickly and you would kick yourself for the eight dollars you paid at the box office or the rental you purchased two hours beforehand. So what we need is a bunch of guns and - here's the kicker - a bunch of creatures, hence the plural title.

Aliens takes place fifty-seven years after the events which happened on planet LV-426 and the freighter ship Nostromo. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is awaked after a long journey in hibernation and later is trying to get her life back together even though it’s hard for any human being nearly taken apart by evil and having your friends butchered literally in front of you. So she comes off a bit frightened, at least at the beginning and middle of the film. This is completely understandable and which is not a negative but a realistic position in my opinion.

During Ripley’s slumber a colony was created on LV-426. For awhile things were going well until all contact was lost on the planet. Ripley is asked to go back to the world, being the only expert on the creature - there aren’t many and those who are experts are dead and weren’t experts very long. At first she flat out refuses but then, the human being starts to nagged at Ripley and she accepts, possibly thinking she could save lives. She is sent with a group of Marine jar-heads that are so realistic, so fun to be around that when they start dying one by one you are sorry they went out so badly. But trust me, they don’t go out without a fight.

Aliens is a fantastic Military Science Fiction film, one which takes an old idea and expands on it. Of course what makes Alien, the first film in the series work so well is not the creatures, even though they are fascinating as well. It's the darkness, the shadows, the way in which something terrible is put off at the last minute so we can truly be scared. In that way Alien is more of a horror film then a piece of Science Fiction cinema.

Aliens, on the other hand, really isn’t so much scary as it is about interesting, well-liked, smart people trying to survive an onslaught of enemies that have absolutely no mercy or conscious. It is a well acted, well written, well directed piece of pop culture. It’s no wonder that twenty some years after being released people still watch it and are thrilled by it.

I’ve often wondered why James Cameron was not nominated for Best Director for this film and yet won for a movie such as Titanic. Actions films are not known to be good contenders of Best Picture or Best Director and yet some of the greatest works of art have come from this genre.

Alien is a classic and yet this film is better.

Open up your heart Academy and embrace the thrill ride, you might not find a better example of a cinematic adrenaline rush then this movie.

Joe's Writing Update: 11/27/2011

2011-11-27T16:49:00.001-08:00

After eating like a gluttonous rhino at Thanksgiving, I'm finally back at work trying to get as much done as I can before taking yet another holiday break. Much of the work for the past few days are nearly completed. One story I recently finished but I'm going to have to leave it alone for while and then come back to it with fresh new eyes just to see what works and what doesn't. It's one of the best stories I've written so far. I hope when I sent it out for publication someone will see the amount of effort I've put into it and maybe some editor will use it for one of their publications. I have my fingers crossed.

There have been a few days when my writing has been like chipping away at a piece of marble which simply won't crack. Then again, there are more days, good days, when not only does the marble crack but I can make any sculpture I want out of the nearly indestructible stone. Thankfully there are more good days then bad, where the work is completed faster and better and I absolutely love what I do.

The blog is up and running and there have been very few issues with what I've' been posting. I did get a compliment the other day about one of my post however I do wish instead of email that someone, anyone would post a comment on the blog not just for me to see but for everyone else as well.

I'd like to start writing something new for my fiction. For the past few months all I've been doing is working on material which I've written years before and that only now I'm editing and revising. Stories take a good long time for me to finish, a few months in fact for just one story.

Not all my stories need the kind of undo attention I usually give it.

Some will not be as well written as others.

I suppose I'm just going to have to say I'm finished even when I want to work on the piece endlessly. Sometime or another I just have to say screw it and feel its good enough.

When will this happen? Hopefully sooner then later.

New XBox 360 Dashboard Video

2011-11-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

While this is a fairly old video I’m about to show you, on December 6th, 2011 what you see here will become a reality.

On that day XBox will avail a new Dashboard which they say will be more Kinect friendly, meaning the voice and hand movements your using right now on your Kinect will seem mild compared to those on this new Dashboard. It also will include such things as Cloud storage so when you go to your friends house to play a game of Gears of War 3 you can have it transferred over to your Bud’s Xbox no problem. Furthermore, it include Beacons and Facebook sharing, which means if you get an achievement on the Xbox 360 it will be shared over Facebook (a new services I’ve been dying to get since I bought and Xbox). Bing Voice will also makes it debut. They say it will have Enhanced Family Settings but I don’t really know what that means but still it could be cool.

If those on the net right now are correct this could be the last major Dashboard update - Considering “experts” are saying a new console will be coming out next year or maybe even later. Either way, we still have some fun stuff coming from Microsoft in the next month or so when it comes to the Xbox 360.

So, here is the video, I hope you like what you see because you don’t really have a choice in getting it unless you don’t have Xbox Live. Of course, then I would say to those who don’t have the online service, “What is wrong with you man, its awesome.

Enjoy.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Battle for Valhalla Trailer

2011-11-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 Called “Battle of Valhalla.

Enjoy:

Infinity Blade 2 Visual Trailer

2011-11-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here is another trailer for Infinity Blade 2 which focuses on the visuals.

Batman: Arkham City Robin Bundle Pack Trailer

2011-11-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the Robin Bundle Pack gameplay trailer for Batman: Arkham City.

Enjoy.

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - Batman: Arkham City

Infinity Blade 2 Story Trailer

2011-11-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the “story trailer” for Infinity Blade 2.

Chuck Norris World of Warcraft Commercial

2011-11-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

I don’t play World of Warcraft, not because I don’t like it but because I’d rather waste my time in other vastly geeky ways. That being said, the commercial I’m about to show you rocks and for one sole reason: Chuck Norris Makes it Rock.

So, even in Azeroth, the eyes of the ranger are upon you.

New Batman and Bane Pics From The Dark Knight Rises

2011-11-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Empire Magazine has some new picks of Batman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Here they are:

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: Tales from the Darkside: I Can't Help Saying Goodbye

2011-11-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Tales from the Darkside is a strange show. I’m not speaking solely of its plot-lines or themes, which are strange as well. This is a program has more misses then hits when it comes to producing well made episodes. You can’t tell what you’re getting into unless you watch an episode and then you may or may not be disappointed by it. About seventy percent of Tales from the Darkside is garbage and the rest are some of the best episodes of TV horror you’ll ever see. Now tell me that ain't strange?

I Can’t Help Saying Goodbye is probably Tales from the Darkside's most disturbing yet, at least for me, best remembered episode. Even after twenty some years of being off air I can still recall nearly every frame of its horror, so it doesn't leave quite an impression. The episode is about a child named Karen (Alison Sweeney) who has very terrible gift or, probably better described, a curse. She’s able to see into the future of people’s life and can tell when they are going to die. It’s bad enough knowing the people you love are not going to be there sometime in the future and yet to know exactly when their life is about to end is even worse.

Karen lives with her sisters Libby (Loren Cedar) who is frighten by the child’s premonitions, who wouldn’t be. Libby’s soon to be husband Max is also more then just a little unnerved by the Karen.

Karen doesn’t think anything is wrong with her gift until she starts waving at them, saying “Goodbye, Goodbye.” The child has dreams of buying a little, yellow bikini for herself and going to the beach with her sister. Karen loves Libby, but Libby loves Max. It’s a sad fact of kind of life and yet it’s true. The child is loved to a certain degree until her gift starts to manifest itself more. Karen just can’t help saying goodbye.

It doesn’t help matters that Karen says Goodbye to Max.

The episode comes to dangerous conclusion. The ending of I Can’t Help Saying Goodbye is one of the saddest I’ve seen in Tales from The Darkside or most shows for that matter. While the acting and directing in the episode could have been a little better the script is well plotted with a thoughtful theme about death and innocence.When I was a child I'd read I Can't Help Saying Goodbye in a collection called Mutants. It remained a personal favorite of my father and I. It was written by Ann Mackenzie who I haven't read since and can't seem to find any other works by the author. She is a major talent as far I'm concerned.

For a show like Tales of the Darkside who has made less then great episode off and on for a few years, I Can’t Help Saying Goodbye is a melancholy, quite unexpected treat.

X-Box Live Now Has Minecraft. Here's the Trailer

2011-11-18T23:57:00.000-08:00

Xbox Live Now Has Minecraft. Here’s the Trailer.

Sonic Generations: Birth of Sonic" Trailer

2011-11-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a Sonic Generation Trailer Called “Birth of Sonic”

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - Sonic Generations

The Hunger Games Trailer

2011-11-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I had no idea what The Hunger Games was about?

Sure, I knew it was a book, a bestseller and it has been turned into a movie which I’m sure will make millions. Even then I really don’t know the plot, characters or theme of the book.

Now, after watching the trailer for the movie version of the book I know a little of what the main story of The Hunger Games and it looks very interesting. The people in the film aren’t over or under acting, they don’t appear like the children or young people you would see in Twilight where they either can’t act or need, desperately, a new vocation in life. The principal actress in the movie is Jennifer Lawrence. I first saw her in X-Men: First Class. She was very good as young Mystique, as was the rest of the cast - with the exception of January Jones - even if the film wasn’t great. I would like to get around to watching Miss Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, her Oscar Nominated performance. Also, The Hunger Games is directed by Gary Ross for whom I know directed a great movie a few years back called Pleasantville.

So here is the trailer, it looks…interesting and I will give the film, not the book, a chance. And yes, I will try to like it.

The First 15 Minutes of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

2011-11-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here is the first 15 Minutes of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-Ray Sampler Trailer

2011-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

A new trailer just came out for a Sampler Blu-Ray version of three episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episodes are Encounter at Farpoint, Sins of the Father (probably the best Worf episode ever) and my personal favorite Inner Light which here is the link to my review of that episode.

The price of these three episode Blu-Ray pack will be $21.99 which is a bit steep if you ask me but still if the picture is in good shape and the sound is as fantastic as they say, I might buy it.

However, be mindful, you may want to not buy the DVD all together due too the first season coming out later in 2012 anyway and eventually all those episodes will be available sometime in the future. If you can’t wait however for episodes like Sins of the Father which was a third season episode or Inner Light which is a fifth season program then by all means buy it.

Here is a link to Star Trek’s Website for a press release for the DVD Sampler and below you will find the trailer.

Joe's Writing Update: 11/14/2011

2011-11-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Life gets tough so you have to get tough with life.

The written word pulls me through the hardest of times of my life simply because I love it so much. When I sit down to write and the words start coming I feel freedom and the need to carry on with what is happening in my personal predicaments.

There is one scene I wrote about the other day that needed to be rewritten. At first I was upset it didn’t come out right the first time but then I said to myself I can make it better if I just give it another run through the computer. Right now I’m on the second draft of that rewrite and it’s going well. However, I would like to work on something else for awhile and maybe take a break from the current story and go back to another one.

The other day I received another rejection slip. The editor said they enjoyed the piece but they couldn’t take the story at that time, you know the usual BS. I’m not upset they didn’t use the story for their publication - rejection is just a part of a writer’s life - it’s just I thought I had a good story that didn’t need much changing and was as good as I could make it. So, I’m going to send it back out again later, to another editor, and hope for the best.

Other then those two things my writing is going great. I just wish the rest of my life would get a little better but if not, I always write about it.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Launch Trailer

2011-11-12T13:45:00.001-08:00

Here is the Launch Trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

L.A. Noire PC Launch Trailer

2011-11-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a Launch Trailer for the PC Version for L.A. Noire.

PC Games - E3 2012 - L.A. Noire

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Main Theme and First 15 Minutes of Gameplay

2011-11-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is almost here, only a few hours away in fact, and pretty soon I and most of the people who loved the previous games in the series will be camping out at our local Wal-Marts, GameStop or wherever to get our hands on the game. So far the reviews for the Skyrim have been pretty solid, calling it one of the best gaming experiences of all time. Of course, I can make the kind of judgment until I actually play the game. For the past hour however I’ve been listening to the soundtrack of the game and loving it immensely. Even the Lord of the Rings soundtrack is not as well put together in what I have listen to for his video game. They must have put a lot of time and love into making what could be the most prefect music for you listening and gaming pleasure.

So, here is the Full Length Main Theme for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:

Enjoy:

And here is the first 15 minutes of the game:

PC Games - E3 2012 - The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - The World of Skyrim Trailer

2011-11-09T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here is a new trailer from Bethesda called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - The World of Skyrim.

Rayman Origins "Meet The New Crazy" Trailer

2011-11-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Rayman Origins Trailer called “Meet The New Crazy” is out.

Ultra Hip TV Episode of the Week: Battlestar Galactica: 33

2011-11-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

33 is the pilot episode of the rebooted Battlestar Galactica, and is also one of the best the Science Fiction program has produced in the series four year run. It takes place after the SyFy mini-series which aired only a few months before. BSG has always been about tired, emotionally drained human beings trying to come to grips with one hard fact: they no longer have a homeland after a brutal, near genocide committed by their own creation the Cylons. However, it’s also a show about hope, which someday this displaced community will find the mysterious planet called Earth on which they can hide away from their enemies and where human beings can thrive as they did on the Twelve Colonies.

All of these qualities are present in the episodes 33.

There are many aspects of this episode in which to appreciate. The script is solid in how it approaches its characters and themes in a honest and real way and is very different from anything Science Fiction television has produced before.

Somehow, the Cylons are able to know the exact position of the last remaining Twelve Colony Ships guarded by Galactica. A little after a half an hour these enemies of mankind find where they are and the fleet as to use the FTL (Fast-Than-Light) Drive in order to escape. They’ve jumped 237 times over a course of 130 hours. During a jump no one is allowed to be sleep. So what we have here is a group of very exhausted people, under constant stress and fear over an enemy who will do what ever it takes to kill the last remaining humans.

The goal of Galactica and the other ships is to discover out how the Cylons keep finding the human colony ships in the vastness of the space.

What signals are being set out for the Cylons to know where they are every thirty three minutes? What these people will discover maybe too horrifying to face and they must make a terrible choice which will question their own humanity.

Discovering how the Cylons keep finding them is the main focus of the episode however we do have a very interesting subplot involving the character Helo who from the mini-series is still on destroyed Caprica hiding from the Cylons. Eventually Helo is capture but nevertheless is saved by Boomer who is Human Cylon clone. This is an ongoing segment which get more interesting in future episodes. Still, it’s a decent a good beginning to other great episodes to come.

I’ve often thought that Science Fiction Television comes in two camps: those which are mindless fun and those who take their subject matter seriously. The previous Battlestar Galactica belongs in the first camp, the reboot the second. There was never a show quite like the reboot who takes their characters and situations with this kind of sincerity, who does not employ the usual Problem of the Week kind of story arches. Yes, BSG has problem every week just the same as any Star Trek or other programs of that sort but their problems usually stay with in not just for one episode but countless programs to come. That kind of mentality is logical, fresh and very in tune with real life.

Battlestar Galactica’s 33 took home the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form in 2005. The remaining programs get much more fascinating from here on out and there are certainly more hits then misses in the months and years to come from the show. Since this program was based on an extremely bad show from the 1970’s it is a great achievement to see not only in it improves vastly over something total ineffectual but it may be creating one of the best programs in TV history.

33 was just the beginning for Battlestar Galactica.

Two Videos for Assassin's Creed: Revelations

2011-11-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here are two videos for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. The first one is a trailer called “The Secrets of Abstergo” and the other one is “The Ultimate Templar Weapon” in multiplayer.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Social Experience Trailer is Here

2011-11-05T19:40:00.001-07:00

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Social Experience Trailer is Here.

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkan Teaser Trailer

2011-11-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a teaser trailer of the first Battlefield 3 Expansion called Back to Karkan.

Enjoy!

Joe's Writing Update: 11/2/2011

2011-11-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

While I still have a few problems to work out, life on paper is greatly improving. There are hardly anymore snags and even if I have them I certainly know how to handle them now. I did find there is one problem with my work, that’s writing the same kinds of material over and over again until I’m bored with it. What I should do is write a different type of story each time I do a piece. I think it’ll help not only to jazz things up so I won't play on one note all the time.

I’ve wanted to write a comedy for quite awhile now. So, for the next story, horror will be taking the bench and I’ll start pulling off some funny bits in my work..

At the moment I’m reading A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin and I’m close to being halfway done with the book.

How is reading this book important to my writing?

Because reading is a vital part of any writer’s life and without books to keep our minds sharp and active we will never be able to get the kind of material we want on paper.

Another reason why I’m mention it is due to one of the monthly pieces I do for the blog. Usually I can get my three books read for the month for my Ultra Hip Book Reviews but since A Dance with Dragons is such a massive text - 1024 pages to be exact - it will take up most of my time and new books might come up short monthly essay. But I guess that doesn’t matter because so far A Dance with Dragons is a really good read and I’m enjoying myself. I just have to think of three new books to write about that I haven’t read recently or two books when I get A Dance with Dragons finished.

Since things are going better, I should be able to do my writing with a little less stress. The less stress I feel the better my work will be.

Halo Anniversary Campaign Trailer

2011-11-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Halo Anniversary has a Campaign Trailer Released. The game will be available on November 15th, 2011

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 "Modes and Maps" Trailer

2011-11-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here is “Modes and Maps” Trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Ultra Hip Book Reviews: October

2011-10-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Books let us glimpse the darker sides of ourselves, though I believe art encompasses the entire spectrum of human understand and wisdom so we too glimpse the light as well. Though some books may not reflect who we are as single individual, having never experience quite those same moments as ourselves, we still get to see diverse roles in life, people with different sets of values and those who think another way then we do. It’s time to experience what is different with a segment I like to call:

Three Books I Recently Finished That Will Pleasure Your Eyeballs.

One: Nine Princes of Amber by Roger Zelazny.

What if you wake up from a coma and not know who you really are? What if the act of simply waking up was the first instance of an adventure which takes you to magical lands where you will learn you’re not a mere mortal but someone with a heritage not of this Earth? That is precisely what happens to the protagonist in his book, the Nine Princes of Amber.

Carl Corey wakes from a deep sleep in a hospital with no idea who he is or where he comes from. The medical staff inform him that he was in a car crash and his sister, Evelyn is paying for the medical bills. When he goes to find her, Carl finds strange people who insist on calling him Corwin. These are the first steps he will take in learning who he really is. Little does he know that he is one of the Nine Princes of Amber and his own brother, a warrior from the same world named Eric, wants Corwin out of the way.

The Nine Princes of Amber became an instant fantasy classic the minute it was brought to shelves back in 1970. It spawned twelve sequels and six short stories the in the same world of Amber. If you want to be well read in the Fantasy genre, The Nine Princes of Amber is certainly a no brainer. Read it.

Two: The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg.

Robert Silverberg certainly makes an impression with this book about life and dead, about friendship and betrayal. Most writers are afraid to show what lies deep side us all, some feel if we do so would we only show our species as dark creature who value nothing and only care about ourselves. What Silverberg does here is he takes four young men, different from each other in terms of religion and sexual orientation and makes a statement about existence, sins and the demise of the human spirit.

The four main characters go on a personal quest into Arizona to find a temple they’d read about in a mysterious text called The Book of Skulls. Each go to the temple because it is said those to arrive they must go through a ritual that would make some of them live forever but there is a catch: two are chosen to never take their last breaths while two others must die. The majority of the novel is about them going to the temple, showing by flashback it tells in the first person from each of the four men. Their past are wicked and how they treat each other is not very civil. The last parts of the book tell of how they come to grips with their life and past and how maybe living forever is not as rewarding as one might hope.

I couldn’t quite place the genre for this book. According to Wikipedia this is a Science Fiction novel yet I couldn’t find any of the elements in the work for such a description. It has horror element and is shocking at times but certainly not scary. I suppose you could call it Fantasy even is not entirely the case with The Book of Skulls. Still, this is very good book with lots of personal insights from Silverberg. I can’t say that I thought the book was supposed to be entertaining but still, it was very educational, worthily as some of the best philosophical books I’ve read.

Three: Mort by Terry Pratchett.

Have you ever wanted to know what Death was really like? Not the You-Can’t-Wake-Up kind of Death but the physical manifestation of Death - you know the guy in the black robes and the bladed gardening tool.

Terry Pratchett has been a Fantasy treasure since his first publication of A Colour of Magic in 1983. His written a few things before then but A Colour or Magic was really his breakthrough work. Mort is his fourth volume in the Discworld series and for the most part it could one of his best (even though I’ve only read the first four novels and will continue to read them until I find something better). It tells of Death who grows tired to his job and hires and assistant, Mort, to help with daily task of taking lives. More attention is paid to Mort then Death, and the assistant is a fully realized character, who has trouble taking on the responsibility of ending people’s lives. In fact, one life ordered by Death to be put out of misery is a princess whom Mort has fallen in love with. But Mort won’t kill her, he can’t, and his inaction causes the harmony of Discworld to go out balance both.

Pratchett’s book is very funny, sometimes over the top and usually very precise in how it shows its characters. I have to say my favorite scene in the book is when Death is drunk and complaining about his job the way most of us would if we grew tired to the same menial task everyday.

I guess even Death has his moments of sheer grim.

2011 World Fantasy Award Winners Announced

2011-10-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

The World Fantasy Award Winners of been announced. Here are the nominees and those who took home the prize.

Best Novel

Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW) Winner!
Zoo City, Lauren Beukes (Jacana South Africa; Angry Robot)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz; Doubleday)
Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada; Roc; Harper Voyager UK)
Redemption In Indigo, Karen Lord (Small Beer)

Best Novella

“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon”, Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All-New Tales) Winner!
Bone and Jewel Creatures, Elizabeth Bear (Subterranean)
The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS)
The Thief of Broken Toys, Tim Lebbon (ChiZine Publications)
“The Mystery Knight”, George R.R. Martin (Warriors)
“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window”, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)

Best Short Fiction

“Fossil-Figures”, Joyce Carol Oates (Stories: All-New Tales) Winner!
“Beautiful Men” , Christopher Fowler (Visitants: Stories of Fallen Angels and Heavenly Hosts)“Booth’s Ghost”, Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn’t See and Other Stories)
“Ponies”, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
“Tu Sufrimiento Shall Protect Us”, Mercurio D. Rivera (Black Static 8-9/10)

Best Anthology

My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, Kate Bernheimer, ed. (Penguin) Winner!
The Way of the Wizard, John Joseph Adams, ed. (Prime)
Haunted Legends, Ellen Datlow & Nick Mamatas, eds. (Tor)
Stories: All-New Tales, Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio, eds. (Morrow; Headline Review)
Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, S.T. Joshi, ed. (PS)
Swords & Dark Magic, Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders, eds. (Eos)

Best Collection

What I Didn’t See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer) Winner!
The Ammonite Violin & Others, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
Holiday, M. Rickert (Golden Gryphon)
Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter (Tartarus)
The Third Bear, Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon)

Best Artist

Kinuko Y. Craft Winner!
Vincent Chong
Richard A. Kirk
John Picacio
Shaun Tan

Special Award, Professional

Marc Gascoigne, for Angry Robot Winner!
John Joseph Adams, for editing and anthologies
Lou Anders, for editing at Pyr
Stéphane Marsan & Alain Névant, for Bragelonne
Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine Publications

Special Award, Non-Professional

Alisa Krasnostein, for Twelfth Planet Press Winner!
Stephen Jones, Michael Marshall Smith, & Amanda Foubister, for Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book Of The World Horror Convention 2010
Matthew Kressel, for Sybil’s Garage and Senses Five Press
Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker
Lavie Tidhar, for The World SF Blog

2001 Lifetime Achievement Winners: Peter S. Beagle and Angélica Gorodischer.

Ultra Hip Classic Movie Review: An American Werewolf in London

2011-10-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

An America Werewolf in London

Rating: ***

John Landis' An American Werewolf in London is a comedy/horror film for a generation of moviegoers who worship at the alter of the Universal Movie Monsters and Creature Features of the past. Sadly, less attention is paid to its story then its special effects and, in this way, the technical wizard Rick Baker saves An American Werewolf in London from its own lackluster plot and characters.

I must have seen at least fifty different types of Werewolf movies in my lifetime and never have I seen the kind of transformation from human to beast that An American Werewolf in London manages to accomplishes. These effects were done way before CGI became a staple of the industry, and even today it still looks terrifying and fully believable.

The movie introduces the audience with two college students, David Kessler (David Naughton ) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) backpacking in the rural Yorkshire, England. Both are your usual, fine upstanding men who thinking getting laid with a pretty girl are reason enough to be put on God’s green Earth- You know, just typical adolescent fun.

I’d wished the audience could know these two characters little better before the main action of the film started but the movie doesn’t provide such opportunities. I presume they really wanted to get to show those effects right off the bat.

During their trek, David and Jack find an Inn called the Slaughtered Lamb (My God what a title, this place must be a magnet for profit). A morose place if there even was one in a motion picture about lycanthropy. The natives of Yorkshire act like the average villages in a Frankenstein film: weird, paranoid and have an understanding, be it limited to their own area, about the darker sides of life i.e. the monster. The first thing David and Jack notice - besides the locals aren’t very friendly - is a red five pointed star painted on one of the walls of the inn. Eventually, the English folk in the inn grow weary of trying to be nice to the Americans especially after Jack mentions something about the star and they are asked to leave. The two are given some advice before departing: Keep on the Road and to stay off the moors.

When David and Jack leave the inn, they find themselves lost and off the road. I guess in the world of horror films advice is not taken very well. It looks like scream queens and high school kids have these dummies to contend with as the stupidest people in a motion picture.

Anyway, Jack is attacked by a wolf-like creature on the moors and killed while the David is merely bitten and scratched up, thankfully alive since the people at the Slaughtered Lamb came to help. David wakes up in the London hospital. There is a side plot about a nurse (Jenny Agutter) who David is romantically attracted too but is not very interesting and too much time is devoted to it.

A few days later is visited by his dead friend who says he must kill himself or else he will turn into a wolf and begin his bloody carnage. An American Werewolf in London does a good job at presenting what it’ s like to be a werewolf. All the victims David’s murders come to visit him and they will continue to visit him unless his life ends. The Reminder Ghosts, as I call them, are disgusting version of their former selves; mangled corpses who appear like they belong in a morgue or in the cold ground and certainly not moving around and talking. I found this very interesting. Not only do werewolves feel guilt for killing - even when it isn’t really their fault - but they are constantly coming face to face with the evil they've committed and the victims constantly nag them about their past sins.

The main problem I had with the film is I never really connected to Jack or David, which is very important considering they are the focal point of the entire film. If David becomes a monsters and goes around killing people and feels guilty, the audience may want to feel his pain with him but we never really cared what happens to him because we don’t get to know him very well, aka, there is a lack of material here.

But then let’s talk about the effects in An American Werewolf in London: It looks absolutely real. When David changes into a beast its some of the best FX material I’ve ever seen. In fact, a new category was added to the Academy Awards because the effects were so good and, not surprisingly, Rick Baker won the award that year.

Is An American Werewolf in London a perfect film? Certainly not. If the same kind of effects were put to use in a better movie it could have been on the best horror films ever made.

Too bad that never happened.