01.01.08
Posted in Movies at 6:02 pm by earl
What, you thought I was lying with the promises? These three movies look to be some of the movies I’m looking forward to next year, and I thought I would take a closer look at them. Look through my eyes. I included all trailers underneath their movie.
Hancock This movie, starring Will Smith, follows a lower-than-Earth superhero. No, he doesn’t go saving the day or getting the girl at the end, he is a homeless alcoholic, and often uses unorthodox methods to save the day. This is kinda reminescent to me of Men in Black, a movie I loved. However, this movie looks a little different. It will be a little dissapointing without Tommy Lee Jones…..or Tony Shalhoub. Anyway, this looks to be a great summer blockbuster, and although I think it’s going to get blasted by critics, I will probably end up wanting to go see this when it comes out on the planned date of July 2nd, 2008. The trailer for Hancock has an inappropriate word towards the beginning.
10000 B.C. Another movie coming out next year is 10000 B.C.. This movie tells the story of a mammoth hunter who has to go on a long a journey to save his race from extinction. He is taught by his bearded instructor, and is mainly trying to save his love. i really hope there aren’t any Geico references in this movie. This automatically comes off to me as a blockbuster, which it is, partially thanks to the graphics, with some of the best special effects I’ve ever seen. The movie doesn’t have any really notable people in it, but I’m sure after this movie it will. Anyway, this movie looks to be pretty promising, and will probably be what I go see at a convention come time in April. This movie will be released on March 7, 2008.
Be Kind, Rewind The final movie I’ll be previewing is entitled Be Kind, Rewind. The movie follows a man named Jerry (Jack Black) and his buddy (Mos Def) who run their own video store, and one day, Jerry accidentally erases all of the tapes in the store, fearing they’ll run out of business, they decided to make mini 20 minute movies. They soon become very popular, but they run into trouble with the FBI. This movie looks hillarious thanks to Jack Black, and the hillarious scenes of him in various movies like Ghostbusters, Rush Hour 2, Robocop, and my favorite, Driving Miss Daisy, are sure to help. Unfortunately, this is being released Limited, so I probably won’t get to see it at my local theater. However, possibly since thy previewed it there, they’ll show it there. Anyway, one way or the other either on DVD or in the theater, I hope to check out this movie. it releases January 25, 2008.
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Posted in Movies at 12:36 pm by earl
National Treasure-(Grade: A+) One of my favorite movies of all time, National Treasure is one movie no history buff should miss, thanks to exhilirating action, intriquing clues, and just an overall neat package. The story follows Benjamin Gates, a treasure hunter in a long line of treasure hunters who is on a quest that has went on through generations of his family to discover the freemason treasure. The steps along the way have them stealing the Declaration of Independence, close examination of the 100 dollar bill, and some old church inspecting. Overall, this movie delivers a superb plot, great pacing, and a great movie experience for anyone.
National Tresure 2: Book of Secrets-(Grade: A+) After months of anticipation, I was able to go see National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, and it was worth the wait. The story follows Benjamin Gates, once again played flawlessly be Nicolas Cage one day while he is teaching a class on his great-grandfather’s role in the prevention of the finding of a treasure which could have caused the Rebels to win the Civil War. Right after the lecture, a man stands up and claims that Ben’s Great Granfather Thomas was one of the conspirators. He then had to go on a mission to clear Thomas’ name and in doing so, discover the lost Cebola Treasure. The movie brings back all of the old characters and the people who played them, from Riley who is publishing his new book and having some financial troubles, to Jon Voight who plays Ben’s father. They also brought in Helen Mirren, who plays Ben’s Mother. The bickering between her and Ben’s father is hillarious. The treasure hunt this time takes them across the world, from France’s Statue of Liberty to Mount Rushmore. The story this time was equal to, if not better than the first, due to the fact Lincoln was one of my favorite presidents. This movie lives up to the hype, delivers a great and interesting plot for fans of the series, and any fan should check out this movie.
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12.28.07
Posted in Movies, The Tube, Top Tens, Video Games at 2:26 pm by earl
Hey guys, this is The Earl-ies 2007, where I designate the the best of the year. Thanks to everyone who voted and argued about Pirates of the Carribean 3, but ultimately I have decided the winners. I decided not to give out awards to games I had not played, which eliminates a lot of categories. I found that’s they weren’t based on the game’s quality as much as they were just guesses. But don’t worry, I still have tons more to offer. I’ll list the category, below it some nominees if there are any others, and then I’ll start a sentence with the winner in bold writing, just so there’s no confusion. Let’s move on. Oh and by the way, Super MArio Galaxy won Gamespot’s Game of the Year!!!
Best New TV Show of 2007
Chuck, due to the hillarity of the situations, and how it reminds me of Monk. That is a very good thing.
Best Returning Show of 2007
Scrubs Heroes The Office My Name is Earl Monk Psych Mythbusters
Tie Between Heroes and Scrubs, because Heroes delivered not one but two awesome finales this year, and Scrubs is as funny as ever, and it won’t be here this time next year. (Tears)
Best New TV Show Character of 2007
Monica Dawson Adam Monroe Bob Bishop
Adam Monroe, thanks to his cool theories of wiping Earth’s slate clean and just being a cool villain.
Best Movie Moment of 2007
Maelstrom Scene in Pirates 3
Final Battle in Transformers
Destruction of Venom in the Bell Tower
Any of the Skating Scenes in Blades of Glory
THIS IS SPARTA!!!!
Maelstrom Scene in Pirates 3, there’s just so much going on, that it’s automatically awesome.
Best Movie of 2007
Spiderman 3
Wild Hogs
Pirates of the Carribean 3: At World’s End
Transformers
Blades of Glory
National Treasure 2
NAtional Treasure 2, this is a great movie and one that any fan of the series should see.
Top Video Games of 2007
7. Metroid Prime 3
6. Assassin’s Creed
5. The Simpsons Game
4. Halo 3
3. Ratchet and Clank 5
2. Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock
1. Super Mario Galaxy-It is a picasso of gaming. True Perfection.
Best Console of 2007
Wii, because it has a perfect game.
Biggest Dissapointment of 2007
The Writers Strike
Brawl in February
No More Scrubs SOon
No More King of Queens
They are all equally dissapointing.
Game Most Looking Forward to in 2008
If you don’t know the answer, leave.
Best DVD of 2007
Heroes Season 1
Transformers
Pirates 3
Heroes Season 1 Thanks to the great Features and the Bargain at $40!
Thank you guys for reading and I hope 2008 is a great year for all of you!
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12.27.07
Posted in Movies at 11:04 am by earl
(Grade: A) I really liked this movie, a lot more than I thought I would. The movie takes place 12 years after the events of the original Santa Clause movie, and Mrs. Clause is teaching a class. She flashes back to a couple of months ago, where she was still wating for the baby. Santa, Tim Allen, goes through all of this trouble to make it perfect for her, and it blows up in his face, partially thanks to Jack Frost, played very well by Martin Short. He is on a mission to become Santa. The movie is really funny, and is just plain fun to watch. Tim Allen is a great Santa, and the whole movie just makes you have a warm feeling inside. I really liked this movie and I recommend it to anyone wanting to see a good Christmas movie……in January.
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Posted in Movies at 10:59 am by earl
(Grade: B+) After watching Shrek 3, I had a feeling of contentment, but I kinda felt it was too short. The movie follows Shrek, Donkey, and the rest of the gang as they travel to a far off land to find Arthur, who Shrek hopes will take his place of being King after Fiona’s dad died in a rather comedic way. While on that mission, Prince Charming is trying to reverse the roles and rule the kingdom. The movie is pretty funny, and the standout performance by Eric Idle as Merlin was one of my favorite parts of the movie. However, as I said earlier, it just kinda felt too short. Overall, kids will love this movie, and beside it being a little short, it was a good animated movie.
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12.20.07
Posted in Movies, Top Tens at 10:06 am by earl
(Note: These Are Actual Movies that came out, not the claymation specials.)
10. Jingle All the Way
9. The Polar Express
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas
7. Home Alone
6. Ernest Saves Christmas
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4. Elf
3. A Christmas Story
2. The Santa Clause
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
If you disagree with me, feel free to comment. I know you will.
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12.17.07
Posted in Movies at 8:54 pm by earl
Mystery Men:(Grade:A-) One of my favorite comedies, Mystery Men tells the story of a couple of wannabe superheroes that have to save the world from a maniacal villain bent on world destruction after taking the real town Hero hostage. The movie has several superhero references/spoofs, all of which work well. The movie stars The Simpsons’ Hank Azaria as the Blue Raja, master of silverware who still lives with his mom, Kel Mitchell as The Invisible Boy who can only become invisible when noone is looking, Ben Stiller as Captain Furious, a rage-induced superhero, and more. Most of the hillarity comes from the fact none of them have superpowers, and yet they prance around as if they do. The movie serves as a great comedy, and despite some minor flaws, makes a great rent for a Friday night.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story: (Grade:A) Another one of my favorite comedies, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is a great sports comedy. The story follows Peter Lafleur, an Average Joe who runs his own gym (I nearly spelled it Jim) with his buddies Justin Long (Mac vs. PC), Steve the Pirate, and the rest. They now have some new competition, GloboGym, run by White Goodman, played flawlessly by Ben Stiller. This macho man wannabe delivers several classic lines, such as “We can turn that Frankenstein you see in the morning into a Franken-fine!”, and “Here at Globo Gym we understand that ugliness and fatness are genetic disorders, much like baldness or necrophilia, and it’s only your fault if you don’t hate yourself enough to do something about it.” GloboGym threatens to put Peter’s gym out of business, and they soon go into a dodgeball tournement to battle for the cash prize. They are trained byt Patches O’ Hoolihan, who delivered the classic “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball” line. The movie is pure hillarity and has several laugh-out-loud moments. However, some inappropriate themes are, well inappropriate and keep this movie from perfection. Other than that, Dodgeball is a great comedy to watch.
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12.13.07
Posted in Movies at 5:37 pm by earl
One of my most anticipated movies since I have heard about it is I am Legend, a new horror/action/sci-fi movie starring Will Smith. The story follows Robert Neville (Smith), a scientist who helped develop a virus that wiped out all of the world population except him….or so he thinks. Soon the “infected” are attacking, and he is on a mission to stop them and find some way to bring back his wife and daughter. The movie has had its ups and downs, first starting way back in the 90s. Tom Cruise was in talks to be the main star, but after being picked up and dropped twice, once being directed by Micheal Bay, they settled with Smith. When I first saw the trailer for this, I think I was in either Transformers or something else, but it immediately looked interesting. The movie was especially demanding for Smith, being as he’s nearly the only one in the movie. They did have other people on set, but post-production later just went in and edited them out. This movie looks to be great, and another great movie by Will Smith. If I decide to go see National Treasure 2 over this, it will definitely be a must-watch on DVD. I Am LEgend lonely walks into theaters Friday, December 14, and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. Below is the trailer.
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12.06.07
Posted in Movies, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 9:26 pm by earl
Usually once every year towards the end of the year, my Grandma takes some of her grandkids to the movies, and we ususally go see whatever. Last year I was old enough to go see a movie by myself, and I saw The Pursuit of Happyness, a movie I had been looking forward to for a while and LOVED. But this end of the year, if we do it again, I will have to make a critical choice: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, or I Am Legend. I Am Legend looks plain awesome, and although it would be a risk, and the fact that it is probably scary, it looks worth it. I loved the first National Treasure, and the previews for the new one look just as good. So I want your opinion. What do you think? Should I go with I Am Legend, or National Treasure 2? You help me decide.
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12.05.07
Posted in Movies, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 10:12 am by earl
Here are some more pictures from the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
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12.03.07
Posted in DVD, Movies, Music, Tech, The Tube, Video Games, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 6:42 pm by earl
Yes, this is the first annual Ealr’s Holiday Buying GUide, where I show you the coolest gadgets, games, movies, and more to fill your stocking this year. Let’s begin. I’ll start with the Sci-Fi Lover, and move on throughout the whole range.
Sci-Fi Fanatic
-Metroid Prime 3_Wii_$50-This installment in the Metroid series will keep any Wii fan with a love for sci-fi busy for days.
-Heroes: Season 1 DVD_$50-For anyone who missed out on the first season of one of the greatest sci-fi shows on television, be sure not to miss this bargain of a deal with 25 hours of content.
-Halo 3: The Official Soundtrack_$15-Relive the classic tunes of Halo while driving down the road.
-Mass Effect_360_$60-This RPG soon-to-be classic rivals that of KOTOR and is one of the best of this Sci-Fi games of this year.
Fantastical Fantasy Fans
-Wii Legend of Zelda WiiMote Nunchuk-Weapon Covers_?-These babies equip your Wii controller to make you feel just like Link so you can play Twilight Princess in style.
-Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Link’s Crossbow Training_$34.99/$19.99-These two Zelda installments are for the DS and Wii, and are great fillers after the year of greatness from Twilight Princess.
-Anything World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix_$19-(Insert Harry Potter joke here)
Music Buffs-Any Custom Guitar Hero Guitar_Varies-These guitars can show off your personality and your rocking style as you rock out and show the pwned the instrument used to defeat them.
-Guitar Hero 3_$90-$100_Any game store-This ultimate music game provides an awesome tracklist and cool…..everything that can help you rock and roll all nite!
-Ipod Touch_$300-$400_Apple-Basically the Iphone without the Phone.
-Various Game SOundtracks-God of War 2, Halo 3, GH3, Resident Evil_$15-Take your game obsession to the next level.
Jocks
-Madden NFL 07_$60_Any game store-THe ultimate football game franchise returns once again to make a touchdown.
-Skate/Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground_$60_Any game store-Pick up your board and skate away.
-Sirius Sattelite Radio-With ESPN Radio and Martha Stewart Living, this is the ultimate audio gift for any jock.
-A Football-It was a great gift 50 years ago, it’s great now.
-Football for Dummies-Learn how to Play Football
Retro Dudes-Super Mario Galaxy_$50_Wii-This new Mario installment brings it back old school and proves to be a must have for Wii owners.
-8-Track Player-So you can listen to the latest hits by Aretha Franklin and The Beatles. It’s Dyno-mite!!!
-The Xbox360 Arcade Version_$300-So you can play all of your arcade favorites over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Men of Action-Great Action DVDs-Live Free or Die Hard, Pirates of the Carribean 3, Spiderman 3, Transformers, etc._$19.99-These movies are sure to have your adrenaline pumping!
-Assassin’s Creed_$60-This action adventure game pits you in an extremely variative environment.
-Halo 3_$60-This game will keep you busy through next December.
-Halo 3 Controller-Personalize the pwnage
-Halo 3 360-Personalize the Pwnage Even More
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Posted in Movies at 10:08 am by earl
(Grade: B-) Jerry Seinfeld’s first outing since Seinfeld came in the form of Bee Movie, a quirky animated film about a Bee suing the human race for them stealing their honey and selling it on the market, however I feel as if jerry Seinfeld could have done better. There were a few really clever and funny jokes, however some just kinda felt cheap. This movie really should just appeal to children. If you have a child that wanted to go see this movie, go ahead and let them, they’ll enjoy it. Bee Movie provides an extremely solid child’s movie, but if you’re an adult looking for smart animated movie that’s the next brain child of Jerry Seinfeld, look elsewhere.
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12.01.07
Posted in Movies, The Tube, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 11:53 am by earl
Yes, as you may know, I threw some metaphorical firecrackers into our discussion on the FACT that the myth was busted from Pirates of Carribean 1 that you could get under a boat, go into the water, and be able to use it as a breathing device. That and using silverware as ammunition. Well here’s another myth they busted that I forgot about.
This may or may not be from the P.O.T.C. movies, but it was a fictional pirate practice during battles that a pirate up at the crow’s nest could stab their knife into the sail, jump down, and be slowed down enough to be able to land on the deck and start fighting. This myth bit the dust during their tests. They tryed both a very sharp knife, which caused the person to go too fast and hit the ground and break limbs. They also tryed a duller knife, which caused the person to stick halfway down and fall. So I wouldn’t recommend trying that during any Pirate battles.
Also, here are some other classic myths tested by the Mythbusters:
Are Elephants Afraid of Mice-PLAUSIBLE-The elephant, when it saw the mouse, clearly avoided
it on all tests.
Indiana Jones Awning Fall-PLAUSIBLE-The dummy they dropped through the awnings had broken several limbs, however, they survived. It wasn’t the same reult from Indiana Jones though.
Shooting through the Floor to escape-BUSTED-As seen in Underworld, where the protagonist shoots a circle around herself to escape and is through in seconds, is impossible. It took 20 minutes with shotugns and machine guns to break through.
Indiana Jones Using Escape-Slide Parachute Escape-BUSTED-As seen in the Temple of Doom, the adventurer could not have been able to escape with the escape slide parachute either laying on it-You would have to do extensive rigging which just isn’t possible in an airplane, or as a parchute-you couldn’t get it open or use it like that while on the plane.
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11.29.07
Posted in Movies, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 9:59 pm by earl
Yes, Mythbusters finally tested a couple of myths from the Pirates of the Carribbean series on their second pirate special this past Wednesday night. Nolanator, I’m sure you’ll remember the scene in Curse of the Black Pearl where Will and Jack were escaping from the soldiers. They took a boat, created an air bubble, and walked on the ocean floor with the boat above their heads, protecting from harm. Well, the Mythbusters put it to the test. It worked……Until they reached deeper waters. Once they did land on the floor of the pool, they were not able to hold on to the boat. The thing eas just waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy to buoyant for them to be able to hold on to it. IF you were able to get to the ocean floor, which they weren’t with the boat, and then held on to the boat, you just wouldn’t be able to hold onto it. It’s just a matter of physics. So technically Jack and Will would have died at the beginning of Pirates 1, which means Barbossa and his crew would probably be somewhere with or without Davy Jones.
They also tested the myth that pirates could efficiently use silverware as ammunition to their cannons, as seen towards the end of Curse of the Black Pearl, where Ragetti was stabbed in his wooden eye with a fork. Well, that could not have happened. Silverware just doesn’t have that kind of accuracy. It just ends up shooting anywhere but at the target. Also, it doesn’t fire that well anyway. There’s just too much air going around the silverware to propel it with deadly force. However, as they packed several steak knives in a sebot (look it up), it propelled with deadlier accuracy. However, as you can see in the movie, that is not what happened. I know it was just a movie, but when you mess with science, science messes back.
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11.24.07
Posted in Movies, The Tube, Video Games, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 5:17 pm by earl
Since all of the huge releases have come on this monumental year of video gaming, I believe it is time to show the nominees of The Earl Awards 2007. If you would like to suggest winners, feel free to do so. I have also decided to include movies and TV in my awards. Here we go.
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME OF 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Heavenly Sword
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Assassin’s Creed
BEST SHOOTER OF 2007
The Orange Box
Halo 3
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Bioshock
BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME OF 2007
Mass Effect
The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion: The Shivering Isles
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Paper Mario (Virtual Console)
BEST STRATEGY GAME OF 2007
World in Conflict
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Supreme Commander
Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)
BEST RACING/ALTERNATIVE RACING GAME OF 2007
Burnout Dominator
Forza Motorsport 2
DiRT
Project Gotham Racing 4
BEST SPORTS GAME OF 2007
NBA 2K8
Madden NFL 08
MLB 07: The Show
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
BEST PLATFORMER OF 2007
Super Paper Mario
Super Mario Galaxy
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
The Simpsons Game
BEST RHYTMN GAME OF 2007
Guitar Hero 3 (360)
Guitar Hero 3 (PS3)
Guitar Hero 3 (Wii)
Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s!
Not Rock Band
BEST PUZZLE GAME OF 2007
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Mercury Meltdown Revolution
The New York Times Crosswords
Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
BEST PARTY GAME OF 2007
Mario Party DS
Halo 3
Guitar Hero 3
Rock Band
GAME MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2008
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Metal Gear Solid 4
Destroy All Humans 3/Big Willy Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
BEST GAME OF 2007
Halo 3
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Super Mario Galaxy
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
BEST MOVIE OF 2007
Spiderman 3
Transformers
National Treasure 2-It may not be out yet, but it will be awesome
I Am Legend
Pirates 3
BEST TV SHOW IN 2007
Heroes
Monk
Chuck
Mythbusters
(Note: This is the TV Show that has done the best in 2007)
BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT OF 2007
King of Queens Cancellation
Brawl Delay!!!
Writer’s Strike cutting short Heroes, The Office, Transformers 2, and more.
$3.09 FOR GAS!!!
If there’s anything I’ve forgotten, let me know.
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