My Top 5 Favorite Youtube videos

Being an internet vlogger, i try to keep up with all the vloggers who came before me, honor them, and give them respect. Youtube was the start for many people, while i dont see my videos doing me anything than enjoyment for later and enjoyment to friends who watch them, these are my top five favorite youtube videos of all time! Join me as i scrape the bottom of my yt favorites!

No. 5 - Dr. Ashen's POPstation review


A review style that is simple as it is funny, the hands infront of a camera stylings of Dr. Ashens have taught me and the rest of the world that you dont need an expensive PSP to play great games....or not. The Popstation is a rip off of the PSP and shows it has a very limited hardware, and noise that will make your ears bleed. This first video from Dr. Ashens proved how "easy" it was to get a psp. FYI, for a few months after the release of this video, you could find this particular POPstation, i almost bought one just to have, but never did.


No. 4 - Milspecmonkey demo of STRAC FAST System


Keep a few things in mind, when i say my favorite videos on youtube, your going to see some unusual ones as well. This is one of them. Being a huge airsofter, i always try to find gear that could be used for quick advancement and rapid deployment. Milspec Monkey introduced me to the Strac technologies FAST system, a rapid reloading tool for changing magazines. I saw this video, and i wanted it, but not for the price tag for the civilian market, at almost $200. I accepted my plate carrier will not have one on it. I continued to watch videos of government contractors talking about how the unit did not fail them in the sands of Iraq and it is worth the price. One day, a stroke of luck, i found it on ebay for $50 bucks. I do need to shell out some extra cash to match it to my olive dab plate carrier.

No. 3 - Red vs. Blue Grifball PSA: Rules of the Game

The game of kings, how i spent the rest of my night after the Steelers beat my Jets in the AFC championships. I played nothing but matches of Grifball. This video introduced the world to the sport of the distanced future with the cast of Red Vs. Blue going over the basic rules. Theres only one rule in my eyes, hurt the orange one!

No. 2 - Super Genintari (AKA "Leviticus") -- DONE!

I am a huge fan of retrogaming, and this is something i would like to own for myself. They have clones out now that you can play multiple games from the old days on but this introduced me to world of it. Ive seen them at cons and i might buy one this year. So who knows, still a nice concept. I would like to play the pac man game for atari my friend gave me for christmas or the copy of Bebe's Kids for SNES i bought for the sole purpose of getting signed by That Guy with the Glasses, or the copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, the only game in my collection for NES to be known as a perfect game in my eyes.

ITS NO. 1 TIME - Tom Dorr, Myth, Man, Legend

So, why not add a video that i did back in college with one of the better video groups i was a part of (maybe more on the woes of college group work some time soon). This project was a blast to shoot. I had so much fun with it. This was a video bio of my friend Tom who works at Southern Connecticut State University and is the technology guy. I wrote and directed this production, it was my baby, and it was a great feeling to hear the laughter of the class when we presented it and we showed the final scene (fyi, it extended further in early cuts, but we changed it, and we had other examples of that as well, we had Washington crossing the Delaware, Napoleon at the battle of waterloo, and others, but only the final scene made the cut).

There you have it, my top 5 videos ever on youtube, some interesting some "why is this your favorite", well, if you think you have better ones, good for you. these are my personal top 5.

and as always...

Freaking Glitter

I could never understand why the hell girls think glitter is the best invention man kind has to offer.  Whenever they sit in a chair with their ass covered in sparkleys then I sit there, it looks like my rear destroyed Tinkerbell and I have it on my jeans until it gets washed.

Another thing about girls with glitter is how they soak their face in it.  It's everywhere especially in music videos.  I'm sorry but I can't say that I find that attractive because I find it scary.  What's wrong with not having glitter?  I didn't have a problem with it.

But glitter sticks everywhere.  They ALL stick everywhere.  Every single speck.  Even clothes are lined with glitter, and if I pick out the wrong outfit to try on in the dressing room, then I just doomed myself to being glued with these things on my body.  And if I wanted to jog outside in the sun an hour later, people will think I'm part of a Twilight fan club.  Showers can't even get rid of all of them.  I'll still have both my eyelids tacked with glitter, and when I go see someone, it gets made awkward.

They also scatter like crazy.  Have you ever touched something like a counter top at a burger bar in New York and suddenly got a few specks on your hands before?  Because that has happened to me.  Twice.  They can't disappear, they just travel from area to area.

Why can't we just let it be what it was supposed to be; something out of a crappy children's craft kit that you got for five dollars at JC Penny's.  Besides it being spilled and getting everywhere in the carpet, at least your kids can have fun with it before they become adults with make up glitter on their face.

And oh damn we didn't even get to the part that sucks the most.  When I go to a forum online and there are teenage girls lurking around trying to get an internet boyfriend, I see those damn glitter avatars in their signatures, and it gets way distracting.  Not only do I want to go blind because there are added animated sparkles (like this) but just the fact that they have to be animated says another thing.  Who are these people who create these?  These are usually the cheap icons that you see advertised for girls in banner ads on websites about Spock, and the worst part is that some of these girls probably paid a few cents for something so stupid like this.

Screw glitter.  It doesn't make you cute and they are a waste of whatever tiny particles they are made out of it.  And if you are one of those people who puts glitter on your lips when you go to a club, no one wants to put their lips against something gritty and shiny that can stick to their face.  It's common sense.

Ghostbusters 3

Greetings programs. I would very much like to say that this is a review or to even say that the film has been green lit but no none of that has happened yet. Instead I’ve decided to put more what I would like to see from this film and things they need to stay away from. This has the potential to be a great film but also the potential to suck hard.

Cast/Characters- Basically this movie is going to a passing of the torch to the new guys and girls. I have no problems with that especially since I believe that most of the originals probably couldn’t fit in there old costumes…..Harold Ramis I’m looking at you. However if you are going to have no people please pick funny ones. There was a rumor about Seth Rogan and Anna Farris. I’m starting to get tired of Rogan and Farris maybe not have a brain in her head so please no. A lot of the new comedians just aren’t funny so it worries me a little bit. Also we want to make sure that these characters are not just the same personalities as the originals. New people new personalities. I want to see Bill Murray play Venkman not some young punk pretending to be him.

Special Effects: Of the many things that worked with the original one of them I thought was the fact that the effects didn’t interfere with the movie. It was a character based movie not an effects movie. Ghostbusters 2 however was an effects movie and I think that’s one of the reasons not may people like it. Its already sounding like this new movie is going to be effects heavy just please please please don’t make it the primary focus of the movie. The characters made the movie funny not the effects.

Don’t forget the game: Ghostbusters the video game was awesome and was written to be canon to the story so please don’t forget that. I think little things from the game should be in the movie and hell maybe even the Rookie should have a cameo. I know that if I see anything that contradicts the game I will be just as pissed as if it contradicted one of the movies.

Too many Ghostbusters: In Dan Aykroyd’s original script Ghostbusters had franchised out and you even get the hint of that in the Video Game. I like the idea but we don’t need a movie where we see tons of these guys going around. Another charm of the first movie I think was the fact that these four were the only ones that were doing this and we saw there story. Yes if ghosts are all over the place then more then one team would logically be needed I’m just saying that like the first movie lets keep this simple. It worked then and it could work now.

Score: Honestly I loved the music in the original movie and could listen to it all the time; one of the reasons I loved the fact it was in the game. The score to the second one was okay but not as good. I think what they should do is try to recreate music that sounds like it’s from the first movie. I hate when they do sequels to movies and don’t bring over themes. Even if it’s a new composer they should at least try to keep musical consistency.

Make it funny!!: Okay I know everyone’s going well duh but I’ve read too many GB comics and that were good but not funny. Overall this is a comedy and I want to laugh. I want to laugh at funny jokes not stupid Seth Rogan jokes I’ve heard a million times. Ghostbusters has a certain tone and that tone should not go away. This should feel like Ghostbusters 3 and not some new teen movie with idiot actors that wouldn’t know if something was funny if can up and laughed in there face. No corny jokes either. In the original GB 3 script the villain was named Luci S. Fer. Get it? Yeah it’s a dumb joke.

I think all together the demands I’ve made are not hard ones. I really would like to see this movie do well and get cool merchandise to go along with it. The original is still considered one of the best comedies of all time and the last thing it needs is another movie to destroy its good name. (Just for the record I don’t mind GB 2 but I understand why people don’t like it) So hopefully in the end we won’t be saying “Who you gonna call…..someone else”

End of Line.

"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!"

Convention Season Starts Soon

Hey cosplayers, convention goers, anime freaks, addicted gamers, and...random people who just go (not the awkward parents, we try not to talk to those); Your World in Hard Copy is going convention travelling this year!

Duke and hardcopy will be at Anime Boston this year and Connecticon.  Although we won't have anything huge like a booth and such, Vlog of  Awesome and Your World in Hard Copy will be doing convention coverage.  Reminding all of you, if you are interested in any good conventions in the New England area, Anime Boston (this year April 22-24) at Hynes Convention Center and ConnectiCon July 9-11 at the Hartford Convention Center are our suggestions along with a few other locations such as Anime Next and Otakon.

Port 2 is currently hammering out some details about the convention schedule, photo albums, and video coverage at this time along with any other possible conventions being attended this convention season.

We will be planning on getting a Flickr account ready for pictures at conventions to post online, and if any of you are subject to our photos, we will hand you information to our URLS.  Happy camping.

Weekly to Bi-Weekly pay: a love/hate story

So the stiffs in corporate decided to make our pay bi-weekly, which means two things. Longer times before being paid and more taxes taken out.

Ok, it only appears to have more taxes being taken out because it is two weeks pay at once, but still, when you live like me, and rely on a steady income every week, you feel like your being shafted. I only work 24 hrs a week, which to some people i know, would be great, only i am not in school anymore, and i am looking for a career in my field. Being in a specialization didnt help me either because it concentrated me too much into one thing.

Regardless, i hate the idea of biweekly pay. I want a check every week, it makes me feel like im actually accomplishing something, rather than wondering if i even make a difference. maybe im also being a bit biased because i dont like my job.

Yeah, i think its my hated of my job that gets to me. I mean, why do i hate my job when i have a good hourly payrate? Well, thats a story for next time.

Which Prince is Which? (Prince of Persia)

Hm...I'm wondering which series is the best out of either the newer Prince of Persia (you don't die in this one) or the Sands of Time...

Alright this blog is stupid, but still, I always found all Prince of Persia games really interesting.  I wasn't around on my gaming thumbs when the original platformer came out, but I did go back into time and played it on a computer.  Call me a gamefag or whatever, but there's nothing wrong with playing older games way after their time because you weren't there to collect in the first place.  So suck it.

Ok getting back on track here, I was playing it online, and I saw what the big deal over it was.  I believe this was one of the best platformers back in the day, and I still think it is.  The movements are pretty realistic for it's time, and compared to some crap made now, it still it is.  I didn't play any of the games that came in between the first one and Sands of Time.  And holy crap, that game kicks ass.  Unfortunately I remember playing through it on my first run, and there was a glitch with one of the platforms at the planetarium that couldn't let me go farther.  When Farah activated the switch to let the platform move up, it just sat there.  And there was nothing I could do about it.  That blew so I had to restart it.  But it didn't bother me.  Rewinding time is awesome, and I wish I could do it like Mega64 can.  Just without all those people staring.

I liked Farah, I liked the Prince more.  His voice actor was great, his snippy personality is entertaining, and I just like the aspect of him bantering with himself and Farah.  The levels were fun, and I'm really into games that just uses one place for the entire setting.  I don't see a lot of platformers like that.  I think it's clever.

The story was good, and overall, I really enjoyed the hell out of it.  It played so smoothly and the combat scenes were repetitive but still challenging.  I don't think I had a perfect run through with the game. And that's one of my goals.

Warrior Within pissed me off.  The Prince was a totally different character, and I was overall unimpressed with the combat system.  At some points the game was virtually impossible to play, but then I found out that I was doing a certain part wrong because that damn tutorial text box pops up for like one second then you fiddle around and it goes away so you miss it.  At least that's what happened to me.  The platforming was ok, and I really didn't like how you had to keep going back and forth throughout the island to turn back time and to go into the present again and again.  But out of all of this, I was really disappointed in the character change.  I mean you could see it from space; totally different Prince.
Two Thrones was fun.  Although I liked it, I don't think it matches with the first of the trilogy.
The Prince was back to the same guy, and I was very happy that his original voice actor came back.  The graphics were ok, and there were a lot of glitches, but not as much as in the second game.  At one point the Prince was falling forever when I got in between two walls that magically disappeared.  Farah comes back, and I was happy because she actually helps while the Empress just gets killed and that's it.  I really liked her character design, too.  Breastplates are awesome.

The dagger became, what my friends calls, the short blade of time, and I had to agree after really looking at it.  I did like the design on it, however.  The platforming is complex this time around, and there are more things you can do involving the dagger or with the Prince's chain blade.  The traps are really annoying though.  In the first one I could say ah whatever and go through it without whining after I didn't get through the first couple of times, but a lot of the traps in the third game really didn't make me want to go through them again.

The Dark Prince was a nice touch.  I was killing enemies and was so power hungry, and the health meter depleting was a lot easier than in the second when you get the helm.  I also liked how the sands of time played a bigger role, but the combat system was easily the best improvement.  However I will stand by saying that I liked Sands of Time the best.

So I got the newer Prince of Persia and Forgotten Sands at the same time.  But I played through Persia first.  The controls were messing me up for a while.  Ok I got the idea that they made it different, but isn't it funny how R2, which climbs down in this game, is the complete opposite of R2 in Forgotten Sands where you need it to wall run?  No, it's not funny.  In fact I died a couple of times in both (well not died in this one but had to start back at the check point) because I didn't understand that I was playing a different game.  But that's out of the way now.  Let me continue.

Elika is a cool character.  I really do like it when your partner doesn't die constantly.  The only complaint I have about the platforming in this game is that you go so damn slow when climb vines.  I guess it's because she's hanging on your back, but still I don't get how you can move pretty fast traversing along cliffs or cracks sideways but can't go fast enough on the vines.  Especially when I'm timed it gets me anxious.  For example if I want to get rid of that column of darky black stuff before an enemy appears on a nearby platform, I want to get my ass over there.  I can't tell you how many times I nearly, barely get through and it just pops up the very last second.

I thought this was a good game, but I don't think I'm going to play through it any time soon.  Towards the end I just wanted it to finish it thus I raced through to see the ending.  By the way if you have enough money to get the downloaded epilogue (it is pretty damn cheap), I would suggest it because this ending wasn't worth the trouble.  The last boss fight was long and somewhat challenging.

Romance didn't seem to have a place in this game, and if I was developing it, I would just leave it out the whole time.  But it seemed like there was heavy implied scenes or dialog between the Prince and Elika, and these scenes occur many times.  Whenever I had a chance, I talked to her because the Prince in this game was funny, but many of the optional dialogs are boring but important to understand about the bosses you face or the area you're in.  The Prince in the other games was witty and kept talking to himself, which was entertaining.  The Prince in this one would just make a comment that's funny but only during cutscenes or repeated all the time.

And finally I just finished Forgotten Sands.  I liked this one the best because of the platforming.  It's probably the toughest in the series because it all has to do with timing.  I was just really surprised that Ubisoft didn't bother putting the sands of time in here at all but you get a power to rewind time anyway.  The combat system reminds of an RPG, and it's really hard dying in it.  You get different powers through experience points and there's a grid you use to activate these certain powers.  It works a lot like the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X and you can only upgrade one power with a group of points at a time.  All the powers use the four elements, but solidifying water is used most of the time.  It also has a meter, and you use it to platform across the palace.

 What I found really amusing yet frustrating is how there is a huge emphasis on water throughout the game.  So you would think, if you have played the rest of the Sands of Time games, drinking water will replenish health.  But you...can't.  You have to get red orbs to gain health.  I don't know, guys, but I liked the idea of getting a drink of water to get your health back.  But whatever, man, it's beyond me.

So I'm going to stick with the Sands of Time games over the newer one.  Oh don't get me wrong, if there is a sequel to the new Prince of Persia game, then I will play it no problem, but I just enjoy Sands of Time better because of the Prince's character and the platforming.  Except Warrior Within.  I hate that game.

Maybe I made this post because nothing else was on my mind.  But fear not, Port 2 has a lot of surprises for you.  Like juggling bears.  We're working out the claw physics first, but you'll get around to see it.

Awesome Games in the 21st Century: Tomb Raider

A new Tomb Raider was announced to be released at the end of this year.  Pre-registration is starting now.  Before you think this is stupid, this it not the average Tomb Raider.  After the blunder from Underworld's low sales, Crystal Dynamics split up, and one half has decided to reboot another series to the franchise.  This is not going to be just an action adventure platformer and third person shooter.  This is also going to deal with survival skills and a little bit of horror.

Look at that picture.  That's some serious business right there.  So far we don't know so much to the gameplay.  The best information as of now is GameInformer's latest issue.  There are several screenshots of the new Lara and her realistic size breasts.  As for story we know that she just finished school, and during a boat trip to Japan, she is washed up on an island, where she has to survive.  From what I gathered, you have to treat this game seriously as a survivor.  You have skills you need to acquire and get tools and weapons for combat.  If you haven't played a survivor before, you have to be careful when it comes to limited items because well they're limited.  This includes food, water, supplies, health packs, and I'm sure ammo. The only thing that makes me really curious is how much ammo you can get because there is a complex combat system (as told from Crystal Dynamics) and a new aiming system called "free aim" instead of just the regular third person auto lock system all the other Tomb Raiders had. 

The design on Lara makes her look a different person, and the voice actress from the previous trilogy of games since Legend has yet to be announced to voice act as Lara again for this game.  There is even a rumor that she turned down the offer.  I think it's pretty amusing that she looks a lot like Sheva from RE5 in this picture.  I'm surprised she doesn't have a whip and an Indiana Jones hat.  Instead she has a pistol, bow, and what looks like an icepick or a pipe.  The environments are really creepy, and count on being in dark tombs and caves a lot throughout the game.  You will discover bodies and bodies strung up everywhere, and judging by how dark this game looks, I'm going to guess it's a survival horror.  I'm such a little girl when it comes to anything popping out and screaming in front of my face, but I'll try my best not to piss my pants when I play this because for one, I'm excited about a reboot to the series, and I'm a TR fan so I have to suck it up.  Go to your local Gamestop or gaming store to find a copy of this in GameInformer to read more interviews and see more screenshots.  

A story: the iphone and a toilet at Grand Central Station

As always, the Duke abides.

A quick story after reading Hardcopy's solutions for tech problems. I use an iphone 3g, which i absolutely love, and cant think of a better phone to use. yes ill prolly upgrade to an iphone 4, but im happy with what i got.

My friend's 21st birthday in NYC, after hanging out at a bar for most of the night, we decide its time to head home, catching the final train of the night. In my tipsiness, i decide to use a public rest room since i have a growing fear of train bathrooms. I walk into a stall to do my duty. At the time i put my iphone into a belt holster, and not my pocket like i do now. I got a bit frustrated at my sweatshirt on my waist and i pull it with a lot of force, not feeling my holster being ripped from my belt. Next thing i know, i go to my side to check on my phone, it wasnt there. In my panic, i try to find it, its not at my feet, where could it have gone??

It fell right into the toilet, mind you it had nothing in the toilet as i flush before i use one, even at home i do this. I quickly grab it before it can sink to the bottom, and i go into a big panic as my sound stopped working on me. Realizing i had little time, i did my business and walked out with paper towel in hand to clean the phone and fix my problem. I began to panic more as it would not work properly, still saying i had headphones in when i didnt. As i dried out the headphone jack it started to work properly again. Since then, it has not failed on me at all.

Same problem happened to my sister's iphone 3GS, but hers refused to work.

Comes to show you, the iphone 3g is a tank of the iphone family!

Yahoo News for Stupid People: Tech Solutions in the 21st Century

Hi, I'm hardcopy, and my town got SWAMPED with so much snow, I was stuck in my house for about a few days surviving on cheese.  But I made a bacon cheese grilled sandwich, and that makes me feel alive again.


I read a recent article on Yahoo News entitled "Simple Solutions to High Tech Problems".  I know that if you actually read these articles you really are a sucker who thinks there might be something useful there instead of using common sense, but I was curious to see how bad this article was.  Here are the main highlights from the article:


"1. Touchscreen phones that won't work when you have gloves on"
Yahoo's Solution: Get a stylus or rip a hole in your gloves.  


hardcopy's solution: Take your freaking hand out of your glove or wait until you get into your car to use your damn cell phone.  Unless you are stuck in a cave for 48 hours and your fingers are frozen, then you actually have a problem and you need to use it if it didn't run out of battery in the first place.  

"2. Dirty cell phone case"
Yahoo's Solution: Put it in the washer.  Warning: some cases can be destroyed this way because they have glue.


hardcopy's solution: Just clean it out with eye glasses cleaner or Windex; something in a spray bottle.  If you're too lazy for that, then you can put it in a dishwasher.  And if your cell phone case can't be washed in a dishwasher, get your pants on and just clean it with a sanitary wipe from the recycling center!  I don't understand why you have to be so lazy and wasteful to put it in a dishwasher if about 70% of the world's cell phone cases aren't even made out of tough enough material without glue to endure it.


"3. Wet Gadgets"
Yahoo's Solution: "Before you give up hope, try dropping your soaked gear into a Tupperware container full of rice to draw out the moisture. Or, as a general preventative measure to keep moisture away, save some silica gel packs (you know, the ones you'll find in boxes of new shoes or beef-jerky packages) and stuff them in your cell phone or camera case."


hardcopy's solution: There is no possible way rice could absorb all of the water your cell phone is drowned in when you put it in the washer or leave it out in the rain.  First of all if any if you are Asian enough to wash rice, you totally understand how rice isn't extremely absorbent of water.  The only reason rice is washed before cooking is to wash out starch not to absorb water.  So not only are you putting your cell phone is a bowl of rice that won't suck water out of your phone, you're going to mix water with starch, and I would be more worried about starch possibly ruining my phone than "wow this is a stupid idea". 

"4. Scratched Discs and DVDs"
Solution: Use car polish and buff.


hardcopy's solution: That could possibly work for some minor scratches, but if your disc is too beat up, you can't rely on simple cleaning like that.  The picture here shows what a scratch cleaner looks like.  It's a pretty big machine, and it gets the job done.  When you get a badly scratched disc, chances are that you need about twenty minutes to run it through one of these.  Trust me I work in a library and I use this machine a lot, but it's worth the wait and it makes the disc look like new.  The one that I use has different felts that are either coarse or soft.  Then you have to put solution onto another set of felts (usually two for a pretty bad disc) and buff the disc through the machine for about ten minutes each.  Then you have to clean it off after that with a solution given in the package or Windex just to get all of the grime off from the machine.  Then you're fine.  And minor scratches can also be placed through a machine, too.

The rest of the article has legitimate advice for two other computer problems, which aren't so common.  I'm still just stunned about this "drying cell phone in rice" trick works for many one out of ten problems.  It seems weird to me, and unless someone does this in front of my face, then I'll just let it pass slightly.  


This all takes me back when someone sent fake advice to Official Playstation Magazine years ago saying to get rid of game disc scratches, you have put the game in a bowl of soup and microwave for a minute (at least I think someone sent that in or the staff was just screwing around with someone's mind).  People actually tried this, and one dude even did it with Metal Gear Solid 3, a very worth the price game.  He took a picture of the disc (surprise it looked like a wet chicken mess) and said "you owe me a new game".  I mean do people actually just do this?  Find any advice from anywhere and just go with it without doing any research first?  So fine one cell phone dried in rice.  I just can't accept the fact that a cell phone, which has been dropped in the toilet and possibly almost flushed can dry in raw rice in a day.

Quick Update from hardcopy

My chair has possible traces of urine.

Movie Review: True Grit (2010)

Finally got to see this movie, so here we go, lets dive into:

True Grit, the 2nd incarnation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, tells the story of revenge. Young Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld, who i started getting annoyed at half way into the film) sets out to find the man who killed her father. She employs U.S. Marshal Reuben Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges, in another role i felt fit him in every way possible) to help her in this quest. Along the way, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (played by Matt Damon) joins them. What follows is a rough, tough cowboy film on par with other Coen brother films, and the best recent period film i have seen in recent months. Of course for me, the fact that the Big Lewboski will always be my favorite Coen brothers film means this will not take over that spot till something that can be as funny and innovative, then i can say it over takes that spot. Which is likely if something funny from them catches my eye, but they have continued with dramatic movies more than black comedy.

Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors, and this role was perfect for him, and he bares strong resemblance to John Wayne's proformance in the 1969 film adaptation. To me, the look of the actors is something that is important in making a remake. A remake does not need to be shot for shot (ahem...looking at you Vince Vaughn...among my other beef with this movie).I like western movies, i love the look of the characters, the look of the locations, and just everything that the wild west embodies. This movie is just awesome in the way it felt watching it. Even Matt Damon helped keep me in the time period, which is kinda hard since I am used to seeing him in such movies as the Bourne Identity and other action oriented films. Overall, i cant give this movie enough praise.

However...

As i watched this movie, one thing came to mind. Strong female character out for revenge, a reluctant bringer of law and justice, other similarities to something i have seen before, there is something familiar about this movie.



Yes, watching this movie make me think about Clint Eastwood's Unforgiving. While the overall plot and action are vastly different, i saw a lot of this movie in True Grit. The female lead seeking revenge for the murder of her father i felt was on the same level as the prostitutes in Unforgiving offering a reward for the killing of some cowboys who disfigured one of their own. None of the males wanted anything to do with it. Same idea, different outcome.

Overall, i do recommend this movie, good acting, great soundtrack, and a look of the old west we got in the video game Red Dead Redemption.

I give this movie: * * * 1/2 out of 4

Blast from the 20th Century: The Flintstones Movie

Hi, I'm hardcopy, and yeah, that's a typo according to spell check.

When I was a kid, I really liked watching The Flintstones more than The Jetsons.  They did have a pretty entertaining cross over movie during one time, and the later animated movies, like The Flintstones on the Rocks, still continued to impress me.  But I didn't really know of a live action until the second one where they go to Las Vegas (called Rock Vegas in the movie title).  That was in 2000 and it wasn't as successful.  My dad decided to let me watch the original live action because he thought it was way better, and he was right.

I just watched it again recently, and now that I am older, I have to say this is one of the most impressive movies made in the 90's which I have seen.  The set was just like what you picture it to be, all plastic looking, bigger than life scales, and mammoths used for indoor pluming.  Everything was great about this movie, and I was more impressed with the set and costuming than anything else.  The best kick I got out of the whole thing was not only how HUGE John Goodman's arms were (I'll get into that later) but how the characters were exactly so spot on during the reenactment of the beginning and the ending to the cartoon episodes.

If you haven't watched The Honeymooners before, then you wouldn't where The Flintstones came from.  Fred is basically Ralph Kramden, a lovable but sarcastic husband who drives a bus for a living, and Barney is the delightful Ed Norton, who always manages to one up Ralph on anything and is his best friend.

I had no problem with the characters being influenced by another show when I was a kid.  Now that I am older, I realized how the characters really do resemble them more than I thought in the past, but they are also still their own characters at the same time.  It could be the time frame, the setting, or even the circumstances that can cause me to think that, but hey.  I still loved each episode of both programs.

The big names in the movie really attracted everyone at first before the movie was released.  John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O'Donnell, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Taylor, Halle Berry portraying characters in one of the most popular cartoon series in the 60's.  What could go wrong?  Unfortunately I think this movie with such big names and great adaption to the original cartoon is extremely underrated.

The special effects for this time was extraordinary for a movie that was made in 1994.  A lot of movies that were made around 2000 didn't even match with good quality.  The costumes were perfect, and the set, once again, is great.  Getting Elizabeth Taylor to show up in a movie like this was really surprising; I would never have guessed that she would appear, but she was so much fun to watch as Fred's mother-in-law.

Now I want to regard something very funny.  All my life until I saw the movie again, I just thought that John Goodman was just a jolly old fat man, but after really paying attention to his stature, he's now my greatest nightmare if I ever get into a fight with him. Look at his arms in this picture.  THEY'RE HUGE.  I never got over that no matter how many times I saw him.  And for a guy with his own recognizable voice, he did sound a hell of a lot like Fred Flintstone.

My dad told me the reason why he was built up.  In 1992, only two years before Flintstones was released, he played as Babe Ruth in The Babe.  Babe had a build like John Goodman, and it's a pretty good reason for Goodman to be casted as him.  Because he was a pitcher, it was natural for him to get such strong arms.  Plus he had a supposed beer belly.  If you were to look at the movies he was in, you big realize that his happy go lucky characters he plays also have a strong side to them.  For example Disney has a habit of making their characters look like the actors.  In Monsters Inc Goodman did the voicing for Sully, who was top dog of the cooperation in getting scares.  You see him as the big guy but he had so much heart, more than his little green partner Mike.  He's the one who wants to look after Boo and rips apart pipes just for her safety.  Sully is also a little tubby in the movie, but his size and strength was not just influenced by whatever the animator's character design was by creative mind alone.

Ok I think I'm done with this whole John Goodman thing.  Besides what I have mentioned, I was very excited to see a movie pass on being too realistic for creating a live action.  In the 90's when there were live actions to dozens of cartoons, the industry had one thing that they did that sets apart Hollywood today.  In the 90's we had The Flintstones, Ninja Turtles, and Batman.  What sets apart that era from now is that in the 90's the adaptation was very loyal to the original work.  The first Ninja Turtles is probably the one that I would refer to.  Jim Henson was amazing at making the costumes come alive, and the plot in the movie was just a rerun of the cartoon series.  Turtles get discovered, the Foot Clan break into April's apartment, Casey Jones shows up again to help save the day, they go to Connecticut to lie low, all the turtles have a revelation, and Splinter gets the job done.

Now we have movies based on comic books and children's books.  The thing is trying to get as realistic as possible.  I was very surprised about how the interpretation went for Where the Wild Things are to be about this kid's parents instead of him trying to become a leader then just leave to go home.  I liked the movie, but I feel there there are too many personal interpretations rather than going by what the characters would do or the original plot like a lot of the movies from the 90s reminded me of.  Call it a strange intuition, but I really enjoyed watching the new Ninja Turtles than the CGI movie because it was loyal to the original cartoon.

Greetings programs. Okay yeah I know this is a little late but there is a saying better late than never. Now I don’t know if what I would call this or anything else I do of its type a review per se. It’s really more of my opinion then anything and yes I am very opinionated

When I first saw this movie it was in Imax and that worried me a little because I was afraid that maybe it was the impact of the Imax screen that impressed me and not the movie. The next week I saw it on a normal screen was still impressed so yes I liked this movie. Everything from the acting to the soundtrack by Daft Punk was just worth the wait and I cannot wait to pick this movie up on Blu Ray.

Hey, do you know what’s worse than spoiled milk? Spoilers on movies so read on with caution if you haven’t seen the movie and if you haven’t then shame on you.

First off let’s talk about the visuals in this movie. I just have one word for you on the subject; stunning. I was afraid that the visuals wouldn’t be the great or start to get boring because of all the dark colors used in the movie but never once was I thinking about that or really noticing it for that matter. It fits very well since “The Grid” as its called had been corrupted so all the darkness made sense and the vibrant color made up for it and quite frankly I don’t think they would have been as impressive if it were a lighter movie.

Another cool visual in the movie would be the characters of CLU and young Kevin Flynn since they are Jeff Bridges as he looked when the first Tron came out. Yes you can tell that it’s an effect and at times it does look fake but the fact that they still were able to do this and do it pretty well impressed me. This is a hard technology to get right since they really have no reason to use it that much so for what we get with it I like what they did.

Here’s the plot; Kevin Flynn goes missing and leaves behind a child named Sam. When Sam grows up he finds himself in The Grid as he tries to find his missing father. Come to find out that his father’s creation CLU, who looks just like his creator, has taken over and that his father has been hiding from this monster for all these years. You see the gate needed to get out of The Grid had closed on Flynn and now if Sam can’t get back to it he’ll be trapped as well. Ah, but there is more. You see Flynn has a “Master Key” disc that CLU needs to transport himself and these evil programs out of The Grid and into the human world where CLU basically wants to destroy all humans. Guess who wins in the end.

Although it’s a pretty basic plot, it works. If you really look at it the plot is pretty close to the one from the first one and much like the first one the boys have a Hotty Mchot Program helping them. It may be predictable that CLU loses in the end and hell it’s even predictable that Flynn loses the Master Key disc at one point but now a days what movie doesn’t have predicable elements? Sometimes I think basic can be better then overly complex.

As for the acting in this movie I liked it. I thought they did a very good job for actors that were probably in front of a green screen most of the time. I think the two notable performances one which come from Olivia Wilde as the hot, lovable Quorra. There was something about the quirkiness and her being naive that made her interesting. She almost reminded me of a grown up child.

The other performance comes from Jeff Bridges as CLU. I did like him as Flynn as well and hate it when people say he was just doing the Dude. Watch the first Tron it’s the same character. Anyway, he proved that he could play a good villain. The energy, intensity and power that he brought to the character you would think that he was as young as the character looked. Besides any movie where you can get two Jeff Bridges sounds good to me.

This movie wasn’t perfect of course. There were a few things that I didn’t like. One of which was at the End of Line Club. It’s funny that a movie that looks like one big rave and a part I don’t like happens in a rave. It wasn’t so much the club that seemed out of place as it was the owner Zeus. His eccentric personality and air guitar just didn’t do much for me and the whole scene was kind of pointless. It was just really the catalyst for Flynn to lose his Master Key disc. The other thing I didn’t like had to do with Tron or the lack there of. You find out in a flash back, which again had some pretty cool de-ageing effects, that CLU captured Tron. What you don’t find out until the end is that the bad ass character of Rinzler is really Tron. That’s fine but where I have the problem is that this character is wearing a mask the whole time (So you can’t tell that there is a young guy under there doing those crazy moves) and yet Flynn realizes that’s Tron. How? It doesn’t make sense. In that same flash back we see Tron with two discs because he took one from a bad guy and Rinzler fights with two discs. So is Tron the only idiot on The Grid that fights with two discs? It would seem so.

Other then that the movie is great and I give it 8.5 out of 10. If you like hot girls, awesome light cycle battles, great music and yes even some emotion then this movie is for you. Any fan of the original movie would like it and even if you never seen the first one its okay things get explained. That is Tron Legacy.

End of line man.

Lifetime Sucks in the 21st Century

Hi, I'm hardcopy, and I should have never eaten that sushi...urgh...my guts...

My dad likes watching a lot of movies.  Unfortunately a lot of them are on the Lifetime network.  At first I was...questioning a few things about him that I normally shouldn't, but after Lifetime became such a big hit years ago and he started watching it more, I just let it pass.  I was younger at the time so he always changed the channel when something nasty was on because he always felt embarassed by me watching him watch people have "sex" or "affairs".  Then I guess he got comfortable with me when I got older so he just parks his ass on the couch and watches these movies like it's a Honeymooners marathan.   

I let it slide after all the kids I went to school with was laughing at me beacuse I let this whole thing slip up about my father watching this channel.  Eventually I decided to actually watch some of these programs to see what the hell Lifetime is about.  And with no surprise; almost every program was exactly the same.  It was either about rape, murder, affairs, or Date Night with Bruce Willis.  Before I knew it, I was actually enjoying Date Night because Bruce Willis is a mother-, and you shouldn't not watch a movie with Bruce Willis in it. 

During an actual Lifetime original program, which they have a shit load of money to make, my dad would be knock out asleep and it would be me squealing like a little girl whenever something stupid happens.  Damn you, Lifetime.  This is just part of your scheme to trick people into watching and supporting your damn channel. 

And if you have guessed that I'm writing this now because I got scammed into watching at least part of a Lifetime movie because my dad fell asleep and I was too far away from the remote, then yes, I did do just that.  I am very aware of what's going on though, and I would like you all to understand that if you, too, have been a victim of this Lifetime crime, then you are not alone.

How Lifetime Catches You

1) Movies with Bruce Willis

Well ok if I have to be exactly true here, not every well produced movie has Bruce Willis in it.  To be honest he rarely shows up.  But for some reason Date Night is on there a lot along with B movies and sometimes heart warming Christmas themed movies with Dolly Parton.  But I'm going to use Date Night as an example because that was the trap I fell in.  Now we all know my hard on for this guy goes without saying.  And don't ever say it again.  Like Duke, my favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard because of the incredible feeling you get when that guy falls out of the window.  John is a badass that steps on glass for sport.  But when Lifetime airs a good movie, I get the feeling that hey maybe this channel isn't so bad.  And that's when I'm hooked in.

2) Plots are based on a book or a "true life story"

If you actually been in a library and looked around the adult fiction and paperback sections, Nora Roberts' name and face is plastered everywhere.  Oh and there are more like Coulter and Patterson, but a lot of Lifetime movies are based on authors like Roberts.  Their books breed over night.  About every month or so a new book comes out.  A lot have to do with affairs, romance, and some sort of suspense.  And if there isn't enough literature to base something on, then the writers get a wild hair up their asses and decide to do something on a true life story like the Craigslist Killer.  Now to me true life story movies are fine, but something doesn't sit so well with me and these particular movies. 

First of all a lot of the movies come out a little too soon.  The Craigslist Killer for example was happening in 2009, and the movie is being advertised during every Lifetime commercial break.  I haven't checked, but it could have even aired before; I have no clue.  Now I find that really strange because if the production was let's say around a year, that means someone started writing this as soon as the court found this guy guilty.  I mean for someone who did something terrible, do you really have to make a movie to rub it in his face while he's searching into himself and his soul while he's in prison?  And even worse do it a year after?

3) The Same Plots with Random Pretty People

Like I said before, you either watch a movie about rape, murder, affairs, sex, and someone trying to kill a child but the child has good connections or is saved at the very end, but no matter what you watch, the bad guy is always a hunk and the good guy (who is most likely the woman) is hot.  The minor characters are extremely pretty, too, and because America wants it that way, well that's just the way we have to spilt the cake.

The actors the directors find in these movies are pretty good actually, especially the children.  I have no idea how they can find so many.  It looks like every movie has a different set of actors and actresses than the last one, and you never find two similar snowflakes.

How do you stay away from this trap?  Just don't watch Lifetime.  It's hard enough as it is because all their movies are close to being exclusive.  Understand that there are other movies you can watch on any channel, and it doesn't have to be Lifetime.  Unfortunately for me I'm recording a movie called Guilty Hearts as we speak.  So I got a long way to go.  Don't turn into like me.  I'm ashamed to show my face in public.

But if you're into movies like that, then I got a channel for you to watch. And maybe we can get some hot chocolate and discuss your favorite soaps.

PS: I have no idea if An Unfinished Affair is a Lifetime movie, I just put the picture up here because it pretty much proves the points I made earlier.