LOTR Parody: Jack Black

I’m not sure how old this is, or where it came from, but it seems like it may have been featured on one of the MTV Video Awards.  Anyway, I’m a huge fan of Jack Black and it gave me a chuckle late in the day. 

“Mass Effect” on FOX News

Everyone knows that I play video games when I have the chance, so my interpretation of this video may be a little biased (although I’m doubting many will see it that way).  “Mass Effect” is the latest sci-fi RPG from developer Bioware on the XBox 360, and it is in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I’ve had in quite some time. 

The game is the first in what is supposed to be a trilogy of games centered around the same storyline, and in being so, contains all the elements that an epic would have: love, war, loss, triumph, allies, enemies, relationships (yes, folks, relationships).  The piece from FOX news below concentrates on the fact that, in the game, you are allowed to chose whether or not your character can pursue a love interest.  This interest, if fostered correctly, culminates in a love scene where we see roughly 10 seconds of digital boobies. 

That sound you heard?  Oh, that was the sound of the presses stopping.  Yes, for a brief moment in a 30-hour game, we see the exposed upper body of a female character.  Let’s forget that it was not gratuitous, it served a purpose in the story, and in my opinion allowed the player to immerse themselves more into what was supposed to be a “living world.”

The game has a mature rating and to be quite honest, there are many other games out there (not including the internet and movies) that surpass it on the violence/sex/”not for children” chart.  To single this game out is really what confuses me, and apparently it confuses the reporters as well.  Why?  They didn’t play it.  They’ve never even seen it played. 

Well, how can they report on it then?  You silly goose, they went to the website!

Any kid looking for porn knows they can save the $60, turn on your computer, and go to any number of sites where the nudity is free.  Heaven forbid a story is actually told (and an extremely engrossing and well-written one, at that) and a love interest actually evolves. 

FOX, do some fact-checking next time when you choose to report on something soley for the purpose of a reporting “something”.  At least the guy at the end had it right: outside of censoring, parents have to be responsible.  If you see a big “M” on the box, little Johnny can’t play it.  And if little Johnny goes over to a friend’s house to play it, well, let’s hope he’s learned (from you) that a female chest won’t warp your mind or frenzy you into a killing spree.

Ander’s Night Job

Unknown to most of our gaming group, Pat has been moonlighting as a stand in for various commercials. Here he is in his latest project, on the far left.  Take a train to Happy Town, woo woo!

HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray: Hitler Explains

It would seem that those of us who are holding out for the high definition DVD wars to end may soon have an answer.  Blu-ray has made siginificant gains in both production company clientel as well as converting many of the existing blockbuster films.  While I’m still going to wait until something official is released regarding the standard, I would doubt that HD-DVD could mount a comeback after what has transpired lately.

Here is a clip that had me laughing this morning:

Dreams With Sharp Teeth

When I heard that a documentary about Harlan Ellison was to be released, I knew that a copy of it would soon grace my DVD collection.  Entitled “Dreams with Sharp Teeth”, the film is a character piece on a man who is, in my opinion (and his, I’m sure), one of the elite authors of the 21st century. 

I’m anticipating the documentary will be extremely self-serving, but well-deserved at the same time.  Since Ellison is privy to over-the-top hour-long rants,  I expect that this will be full of the elitist, rabid commentary that we are used to from our esteemed writer.  While it may be a bit much for those who are not familiar with his work (or those that don’t enjoy opinionated talks) fans of the author will find this DVD to be a treat.

For some reason assholes (and I say this with the greatest amount of respect and admiration in regard to Mr. Ellison) make the best character pieces, and here you’ve hit the motherload.  Visit www.dreamswithsharpteeth.com for clips and eventual information on the DVD’s release.  For now, here’s a clip to whet your appetite.  Man, I can’t wait for this one. 

If you’re interested in Harlan’s work, please check out his site at www.harlanellison.com

You will not be disappointed. 

Geek Hotline

Ever wonder who actually calls those phone sex lines you see commercials for at one in the morning?

“They Live” Fight Scene

Since my wife is recording “Kid Nation” and “America’s Next Top Model” on our DVR, I don’t have the ability to change to a different channel at this point – the perfect time to throw in a classic “oldie but goodie.”

“They Live” is, in my opinion, John Carpenter’s finest movie – grade B excellence.  From an awesome premise, timeless quotes (“I came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum….”), and great fight scenes, this movie has it all.  Well, everything but a perfect story execution, but that’s part of the low budget charm.  I still vote this movie as an instant cult classic.

Since I constantly tell my brother about “one of my favorite all-time fight scenes” from this movie, I figured I’d post it here.  In this clip our protagonist Nada (Roddy Piper) tries to convince his co-worker Frank (Keith David) to put on a pair of special glasses that allow one to see aliens living among them.  Frank, of course, declines. 

This one’s for you, Ryan.  And for those of you who haven’t seen it, go rent it, grab some popcorn and a few beers and enjoy!

D&D: 4th Edition Teaser

When I hear the words “4th Edition”, it conjures up (no pun intended) a mixture of emotions ranging from excitement to dismay.   While 3rd Edition vastly improved on the setbacks of previous releases, you have to wonder: when should a good thing not be improved upon?  Hasn’t the 3rd Edition ruleset “fixed” everything so that game-play can be easy and fast?  Yes, but we’ve all run into those scenarios where the set rules just don’t seem to apply, or they just produce ridiculous results.

With the core books for 4th Edition being released in June 2008, it makes me wonder how fast we’ll make the transition.  The last group I was in was playing 3rd while it was still in its beta stages, so I really have nothing else to compare it to.  In my opinion, I’d like to start sooner than later – if for no other reason than curiosity.  I know that Sam will probably be the first to get his hands on some of the books, so we may be counting on him for some up-front reviews.  ;) 

Anyway, EN World has a great summary of the new release schedule and what we can expect out of the new edition.  It seems that Wizards is adding another element called ”D&D Insider” which is a subscription-based program off of their site that allows GUI-driven games over the net.  It seems fairly intuitive, and the game-play looks fluid.  If you’re interested in seeing some of the new features, I’ve posted some videos from GenCon this year where Wizards unveiled it.  Mia and I got a glimpse of it at their booth, but these videos are the official presentation.

Last, but not least, here’s a teaser trailer for 4th Edition.  It’s pretty funny and gave me a chuckle this morning:

  

And here are the links to the other videos and docs regarding 4th Edition:

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Presentation: Part 1 (go to 4:10 for the lecture)

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Presentation: Part 2

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Presentation: Part 3

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Presentation: Part 4

EN World Unofficial D&D 4th Edition Info

First Dragonlance Trailer Released

Here it is: the rough draft that was screened at both GenCon and DragonCon.  I’ll reserve judgement until I hear some of your comments, so take a look and see if it meets your expectation.  Remember that this rough draft was made public because of the great demand for the final version, which has yet to be edited.  I’m not sure if that’s a goood thing – either they’re not nearly as far done with the film as they lead on, or they are foregoing the trailer in lieu of completing the product. 

Anyway, enjoy!

Everett Moves

It took me a while to stop laughing before I could even post this.  You know that someone got fired over this mistake….