Wednesday, November 28, 2007

I'll Be Finished Eventually

In other news completely unrelated to Guitar Hero, there really isn't a whole lot else going on worth talking about. As usual, of course. I did finish up one more "Sutton at the Arcade" review the other day, which leaves me with two left to go on the list I started with. I am, though, considering adding Hitman to the list. I know I said a while back that I wasn't sure if I wanted to add it or not, but other than just wanting "Sutton at the Arcade" to be finished with enough time to get those two Black Christmas reviews written by Christmas Day, I don't see any reason why I couldn't review Hitman.

I guess I might just hunt down a decent download of it online if I can, since I'm not 100% sure I'll be catching it in theaters. As long as I could find a way to get it reviewed, I'd be fine. And I'm still bummed that Netflix doesn't offer the movie version of Double Dragon. I'd love to rip that awful movie to shreds. I caught part of it on television the other day, and I'm surprised I didn't see "Directed By Uwe Boll" pop up. What I saw was that bad. I think I'll have to try hunting that one down online too.

But no matter if I do or don't add to the project, I hope you regular readers are looking forward to "Sutton at the Movies." I'm certainly looking forward to posting it one of these days.

Hail, Hail Rock 'N Roll

I don't even own a copy of it, but I think I've become addicted to Guitar Hero.

I say that because every time I pass a demo kiosk of it in Wal-Mart or GameStop of wherever, I have to pick up the guitar and play a song or three. I'm almost glad I don't own a copy of the game, because I don't think I'd ever put it down. Am I the only one like that?

But I do believe I'll have to hunt down a way to play it here at home. That would be so much easier than playing an in-store demo. And probably more fun too, I'd say.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Worst Supermarket Ever

So I actually did get the opportunity to see The Mist a few hours ago. And I have to say that I was greatly impressed. Having only flipped through Stephen King's novella once or twice, I went in thinking it was going to be a twist on The Fog. Boy, was I wrong.

I'm actually afraid to go too in-depth with this short little review, for fear of giving anything away. But The Mist is thoroughly enthralling, capped off with an unbelievably bleak ending that no horror movie outside of the Saw franchise would have the balls to try. It's such an intense ending, contributing as much to the movie's quality as the rest of the film itself does. The cast is fantastic as well, with Thomas Jane and especially Marcia Gay Harden carrying the movie. I know the Academy doesn't like to recognize horror movies, but if Harden doesn't get some kind of nomination at the next Oscar ceremony, then there's no justice in the world. She's almost too good.

Go see The Mist right now. I don't care if it's 2:30 in the morning on the east coast, you should see it right doggone now. It's a four-star effort by all those involved, for sure.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Hooray For Comic Books

Ever find a really good deal that you just couldn't say no to? One that was just so enticing, you had to buy that product? I found one of those deals today.

My family and I visited the flea market over in Shelby County today. And while perusing the multitude of booths in which vendors displayed their wares, I came upon something I just had to have. It wasn't the tempting six-dollar copy of the Hitcher remake on DVD that someone was selling. Nor was it the even-more-tempting Friday the 13th video game on the original NES (which, at the rather humorous price of $12.99, was a little too expensive considering I didn't have that much money on me at the time) that was being offered at another booth.

One particular vendor, amongst the junk he had lying around, had a few boxes of comics. And amongst the cornucopia of random assorted comics and large amount of Fantastic Four books, I discovered issues two through six of Daredevil: Yellow. He didn't have the first issue (though he did have two copies of issue two, oddly enough), but at the price of one dollar per issue, I couldn't say no. They're bagged and boarded in apparently mint or near mint condition, so yeah, that's a fantastic find on my part.

I just need to hunt down the first issue now. I know of a few comic book stores around here, and if I can't find it at either of them, there's always eBay. I've been meaning to expand my rather meager comic book collection beyond the realm of graphic novels and trade paperbacks, so I believe I did good. And having downloaded and read Daredevil: Yellow in the past, I know I've scored at least five good issues. I just wish the guy had had issue #1, because then I'd be fully satisfied. I get that, and I'll have to start hunting down the copy of Batman Annual #14 that I owned way back in the day. Finding that would make me the happiest Who in all of Whoville.

So to summarize, yay comics. And hooray for good comics that only cost a buck an issue, too.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Some Places Really Suck

You know what's bullcrap?

Me, my dad, and my sister headed out a few hours ago with the intention of seeing The Mist. I double- and triple-checked the showtimes on the theater's website, and I even called them to make sure. So we get to the theater, and what's posted on the door? "We do not have The Mist." Ain't that a kick in the head?

We're going to try and catch it at a different theater this weekend if we can get our schedules worked out. But driving all that way to this one theater we assumed had it, only to find out they didn't, really grinds my gears something fierce. I don't like having my time wasted because some jackass theater couldn't get their facts straight.

At least The Incredibles is on TV right now. I do loves me some Incredibles. (And while you're at it, go check out my review of said movie. I'd say it's some of the best work I've done as an amateur reviewer. Yes, I'm a total shill. No, I don't have any shame.)

But yeah, that's that. Hopefully, we'll get around to seeing The Mist this weekend. As always, we'll just have to see how it goes.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all you readers are having a fantastic Thanksgiving so far. Mine's okay, but it's been a bit of a letdown so far. We here at Casa de Sutton unfortunately don't have anything planned for today, not even a turkey, but hopefully something will pop up by the end of the day. I'd really hate for one of my favorite holidays to end up being no different from the fifty-one other Thursdays out of the year. And I could really go for some turkey right about now, too.

And I know I complained about it last year, but what is the deal with the Macy's Thanksgiving parade? Maybe I need to start watching CBS's coverage of the parade, because I'm sick and tired of watching all these ungodly lame little productions that NBC airs. I don't really want to see some idiot from High School Musical or the cast of the Legally Blonde Broadway musical hold up the parade to do some crappy lip-syncing. I really don't care at all about whatever's hot with the Disney Channel crowd, nor do I care about the latest hit Broadway production, so I really don't want to see this garbage slowing down the parade. Am I just being a fuddy-duddy? Or what? I don't know, but everything about the parade is really grinding my gears. I guess I shouldn't be so grumpy on a holiday, so I figure I'll just have to suck it up and get over it.

Anyway, my imitation of Statler and Waldorf aside, happy Thanksgiving. I hope you and yours are having a wonderful one, and for you non-American readers, happy Thursday. And remember, there's only thirty-three more days until Christmas. Then it'll be 2008 before we know it. Time really flies nowadays, doesn't it?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

More Comic Talk

I finally got around to reading all those comics I was talking about two posts ago, and I really need to cobble together the money to buy some of these in print. The same goes for the first issue of the Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash comic that I downloaded this morning. I don't have a problem reading them on my computer, but the real thing is more aesthetically pleasing. I'm sure most of you comics fans have an idea of what I'm talking about, right?

But I stand by what I said last week, in that I'd gladly pay good money to watch movie versions of these comics, whether they be theatrical or the made-for-DVD cartoons that have been gaining popularity lately. I think a movie version of Superman: Birthright would have made for a great re-starting point for a film franchise had Bryan Singer not made Superman Returns. Good stuff, Birthright is.

And I think that a line of superhero horror movies would be spectacular. Am I the only one that would want to see a Batman: Red Rain or Marvel Zombies movie? I'd be the first in line to see those, no matter how they were released. Hey, DC and Marvel! I doubt you're reading, but if you are, could you make those movies happen? Please?

So yeah, all those comics I downloaded? They were great. I still haven't figured out why it took me so long to get into comic books. I should have been reading these things years ago.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

So Is This A Sequel To "P"?

Got out of the house to check out P2 at the Danville theater tonight. Yeah, I know Beowulf is supposed to be the big movie this weekend, but since I've never read the source material and since I'm not really into fantasy movies, I'll probably wait to rent it. Not even the prospect of an animated Angelina Jolie with no clothes can make me interested.

Well, maybe a little interested.

Anyway, back to P2. I figured now would be the prime time to see it, since I don't think it'll be in theaters much longer after its poor box office showing last week. So how did I feel about the movie? I liked it. I've seen better movies, but I've seen far worse too. P2's problem is that, outside of one really intense scene, the first half is much too slow and methodical. If I'd been watching the movie on television, I probably would have gotten bored and changed the channel during the first half. The movie picks up during the second half, though, and becomes quite entertaining. So if you can make it through the first half, the second half is your reward.

Though the execution is hit or miss at times, P2 is a watchable movie with a rather novel concept and two engaging lead characters. It certainly isn't as bad as the critical and box office reactions would have you believe. So I'm going to give the movie a very solid three stars. If only that first half had been a bit stronger...

Monday, November 12, 2007

I Do More Than Write, Honest!

I know I talk an awful lot about my writing, to the point of nearly being excessive. But I've also been doing a little bit of reading too. I've been downloading some comics, primarily Elseworlds graphic novels and TPBs featuring Superman and Batman. I'm a fan of the Elseworlds and "What If..." stuff that DC and Marvel do, so I'm totally looking forward to reading stuff like Superman: Red Son and Batman: In Darkest Knight. And I'm especially looking forward to reading the Batman: Red Rain trilogy that I managed to hunt down.

Throw in the fact that I've also got all twelve issues of Superman: Birthright, along with Batman Annual #14, and Elseworlds books Superman: Last Son of Earth and Superman: Speeding Bullets, and I've got plenty of downloaded comics to keep me occupied. I do wish I had the money to track all of these down in print, because after quickly skimming through some of them, I would certainly approve of having them in my currently meager comic book collection.

And thinking about it, I believe DC could really do some good business with direct-to-DVD animated movies based on the Elseworlds line. I'd pay good money to watch movies where Batman becomes the Green Lantern or a bloodthirsty vampire. I'm sure they'd end up neutering the Red Rain trilogy in order to market it to the younger crowd, which is a bummer because from what I've seen from flipping through the comics, it'd almost have to be R-rated. And it'd be awesome, I'm sure.

So I'm gonna go get back into those comics. I've got twenty-three separate issues to read, and I've got to make some time for them.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

And The Writing Keeps On Going

I guess it's time for another update on the current writing project. Seems like this thing is never going to die; it'll just keep on going until the end of time. The work on "Sutton at the Arcade" is never going to end, I just know it.

I've got three movies remaining on the list that I started with, but it feels like I've got a million more to go. And it doesn't help me any that a movie based on the Hitman games is coming out in a few weeks. I feel almost obligated to find a way to review it after it gets released, just so it could be added to the list. We're going to have to wait and see, as always.

Truth be told, I don't know if I want to add Hitman to the list, just because I'm ready for "Sutton at the Arcade" to be over and done with. I want to hurry up and finish the job because I want to get these reviews posted. I also want to move onto some new projects, especially since I promised to get those reviews of the Black Christmas movies done in time for Christmas. Yeah, it's another seven weeks until Christmas, but I like to take my time during these reviews. If i haven't finished "Sutton at the Arcade" by the end of November, I might put it on hold to concentrate on the Christmas reviews. Though if writing them is anything like the review of A Christmas Story that I wrote last year, I'll have them done in a few hours.

Anyway, I've got plenty of writing to do between now and the end of the year. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all done.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Happy Sixth Anniversary!

In case you're new to the MSX, today is a big day for yours truly. It's special because six years ago today, the first post went live at the very blog you're reading right now. I'm quite proud of the MSX, even though there haven't been too many major changes to how I've done things over time. After maintaining the MSX for the better part of a decade, I really can't imagine going without it. Yeah, I'm not the best or most frequent blogger there is, and I might only have four or five regular readers, but the MSX has become a very important part of who I am. Besides, it's either this or keep a regular diary, and I just don't do the whole diary thing.

But wow, it's hard to imagine I've been doing this for six years. And to think, it all started because I stole the idea from the guy that lived across the hall from me in college. (And I didn't even know the word "blog" for the first two or three years of the MSX's existence. Was there such a thing as a blog in 2001? I guess I'll have to check Wikipedia later.) There wasn't much when the MSX's doors opened for the first time, but it's evolved into something that's still as fun as it was when I started six years ago. And I hope you handful of readers are enjoying it too.

Here's to six more years.