Pan's Labyrinth

While I was in New York I managed to catch a showing of Pan's Labyrinth. I've been dying to see this movie for a while now but it has been in limited release (New York being one of the locations).

The film was absolutely fantastic. By far Guillermo Del Torro's best work to date (and I'm a pretty big Hellboy fan). It was magical, breathtaking, suspensful, beautifully shot, fantastically acted, well paced, and extremely entertaining. A fairy tale for adults. It also has great make-up work, with some imaginative (and creepy) creature designs.

I hope the film wins every Oscar it is nominated for. I highly recommend it. 10 out of 10.

New York Pics

This is what we mostly did in NY . . .



Ok, fine, we did more than just drink. Here is my girlfriend as we're waiting for the subway



It was really cold, so we had to make many coffee/hot chocolate pittstops



And while walking the streets one night we came upon a very disturbing scene in a window. I am not even kidding, it was bizarre . . .

New York

This past week my girlfriend and I took a little vacation to New York. It was my first time going (her third).

Wow, what a great city.

We stayed just a few blocks from Time Square so we were walking distance from a lot of locations you would want to visit you first time to The Big Apple. And all the others were just a short subway ride away. Here are some of the places we visited/things we did:

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, China Town, Little Italy, Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Deli (I think I'm still full after that giant pastrami sandwich), caught a Broadway show (Spamalot) and walked up and down Times Square.

We did a lot of walking. I'm surprised my legs aren't sore. It was pretty cold too, dropping down to 19 degrees on Saturday night. Throw in the 25mph wind gusts and we're talking a windchill in the single digits. Us Floridians are not used to that. It was actually a welcomed change, although when that wind really kicked up we started longing for Miami's trademark warmth. But only for a second.

Spamalot I should mention was absolutely great. It was hilarious and entertaining, even if you are not a Monthy Python fan (my girlfriend), and even more hilarious and entertaining if you are (with many inside jokes and references to famous Monthy Python skits.) Central Park is
quite a sight to behold, especially right smack in the middle of such a large city. The Met and Museum of Natural History were great. Ground Zero was somber and surreal. Times Square reminded me of Vegas, yet is nothing like it at the same time. The subway is intimidating at first, and quite confusing, but a great way to get around. The food was phenominal. O'Brien's Pub was a great hangout spot. Overall, the trip was just fantastic.

I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

PS3'S SIGHTED

Ok, I was at Walmart today and spotted two Playstation 3's sitting there... Hmmmm I was kind of suprised. Is there no interest in this gaming console??
As Tanis says, technology wise your gettting alot of bang for your buck... But on the gaming side, its rather lacking. I think this is why they are sitting there collecting dust.

PS3 Dilemma

Now that all three consoles have been released (360, PS3 and Wii) how long before they are no longer called "next gen" consoles and simply become "current gen", so that the current "current gen" consoles (Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube) are known as "last gen". Or has that transition already happened? In my mind, I am in some middle ground where the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube are definitely "last gen", but the 360, PS3 and Wii still register as "next gen". Meaning, there are no "current gen" consoles at the moment.

Ok, I now have a headache.

Anyway, I've commented many times on how happy I am with my 360 (at least I think I have . . . if I haven't, well, I am very happy with my 360). I've played the Wii at my friend's house and am looking forward to purchasing one as soon as I find one in stores. Which leaves the PS3, which I haven't mentioned much on here lately.

Do I want a PS3? Well, I'm a gamer, of course I want one, the question is, do I see myself getting one anytime soon? That's a tougher question.

As a gaming machine, I can easily do without a PS3 for the foreseeable future. The only games I am interested in are Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War 3 (which hasn't even been announced), MLB: The Show 2 and maybe Heavenly Sword (which impressed many people). Gran Turismo? I couldn't care less at this point. I was a huge fan of the first 3 games, but until this game goes for real realism - meaning, car damage and no invisible barriers keeping you on the course - I'm not interested. Forza 2 will fill my needs. Assassin's Creed? Sure, except it is no longer an exclusive and if I have my druthers, I will play it with the 360's gamepad (not a big fan of the Six Axis). And that's it. All the games I am looking forward to in 2007 are heading to the 360. Bioshock, Mass Effect, Brother's In Arms, Half-Life 2, Halo 3, the aforementioned Assassin's Creed, GTA 4, GRAW 2, all of them are 360 bound. Why do I need $600 gaming machine then?

So, the PS3 is not currently needed by the gamer side of me. But I have another side. A tech junkie side. A home theater nut side. And videophile side which sees the PS3 as a $600 Bluray player and can't believe what a great deal it is (and in all honesty, the PS3 for $600 is a steal for what it does). That side can only imagine how great a Bluray movie would look on my HDTV connected to the currently not-in-use HDMI slot in the back. Joy!!!

Plus, a web-browser on the TV would be sweet. Connecting my PSP to the PS3 to do . . . uh, whatever it is the PSP and the PS3 do together would be sweet. Super-Audio CDs? Bring it on. A new way to view pictures? Sure, I'm loving streaming pics from my computer to my 360 . . . but I wonder what they would look like on the PS3? I can connect my camera's memory stick directly to it and transfer the pics to the HDD . . .

See, that is my problem. I know I will not be using the PS3 for gaming (well, maybe Motorstorm if the reviews are good), but I still want that sleek, high-tech piece of equipment sitting in my entertainment center. Just think, I can add Bluray movies immediately to my Netflix queue and enjoy HD movie watching in no time!!!

Someone help me, I have a problem . . .

What the?!

Ok folks, Hell has officially frozen over. After what seems like a year hiatus, we get not one, not two, but FIVE new posts from Powerpuff all in one day!!! The Apocalypse is here!!!!

Kidding my friend. Welcome back to Blogville, you have been missed.

No one can hear you scream in space

Back in 1995 at little unknown show, Space Above and Beyond was released on Fox, created by the same producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, of the X Files. The story line and the show was well written, the characters were slowly brought to life during the series, the special effects took a back seat to the story line and character development... This drama reminded me of a kind of World War II in space. I waited for years for this series to to be released on DVD. When it was finally released in 2005 10 years later. This DVD was on my top ten list of box sets. Fortunately as I was passing my local store, it was on sale for 20.00, yahoo. Was it worth the wait well yes and no. 23 Episodes including the TV pilot were placed on 5 discs. Unfortunately no digital upgrade work was done to the original film, which is a bad thing viewing this series on a HDTV. Every flaw from the original filming is captured including the special effects. Scenes can be blurry and grainy. Compare this to recent Scifi channel mega hit, Battlestar Galactica with its over the top special effects and camera angles and you can really sense the age of the show. Also lacking were any interviews of the former actors. One actor James Morrison from Space, is currently on the Fox hit show of 24 playing Bill Buchanan. Fortunately the shows story line and characters drive the show and make it very enjoyable, you sense the fear and personal anguish of each character as the show progresses. If your a scifi fan and and enjoy Battlestar Gallactica do your self a favor and purchase this series you will not regret it.. Hopefully Fox will eventually entertain the thought of doing this series justice, and produce a special version box set with digital restoration and full interviews of the producers, actors and actresses. In the mean time turn the lights down low, crank the volume high and listen carefully for the screams.

XBOX 360 FUNERAL

With the purchase of any new technology there is a risk involved... I was ecstatic last year when I received my brand new 360... A few months later my friend Tanis told me his 360 just died... I was like oh oh, thankfully he told me to purchase the extended warranty. Now a little over a year letter my xbox 360 shows me the three red lights of death.... Now I sit here waiting for my little shipment box from Microsoft to appear...

My Favs

Over the past month I have purchased and played Gears of War and Rainbow 6 Vegas. I have to say while Gears of War ups the notch for console first person shooters in the graphical department. I was a bit disappointed with the overall depth of the game. Sure there were memorable moments in the game, meeting the Berserker for the first time, nearly soiling myself... Do not get me wrong, the coverage system is great, and your team mate AI is pretty good. But, as I played I always felt as something was missing. The enemies were very repetitive. The limited use of vehicles was also a disappointment. Multiplayer for the most part was your typical run and gun...
Rainbow 6 Vegas on the other hand, was the tactical game I was really looking forward to. The only minor annoyance is the inability to play 4 person split screen.. The coverage system rocks, your team mate AI is top notch, much better then the dreadful GRAW team AI.. I like having to think before I enter a room and think out what you have to do. Playing Coop/Coop Hunt is a blast one person always having to cover another persons back like in real life... The tactial strategy game has me won over, with that I am really looking forward to GRAW 2.

THE STORM

Here are a few photos of the surprise snow storm and me the idiot driving during it...

POWERPUFF LIVES !!!!

The reported demise of powerpuff is false. Powerpuff indeed is alive and well. What has PP been up to. Lets see, continuing my studies to return to my first career nursing. I am taking my last class, microbiology before I enter a Registered Nurse program this Fall. I am also studying for my Practical Nurse examination to be taken on Janary 31st.
Thankfully, Tanis has been the one to keep blog updated with many fresh posts, many thanks to the "Nintendo Fan Boy" Tanis.

Lost Planet

I've been playing Lost Planet for a few days now and I am having a great time.

If you've played the demo you have a pretty good idea what to expect. Intense action, superb graphics and a good layer of polish.

As most reviews have been saying, the game's story won't win any awards, although so far, it is not as bad as they made it seem. I'm having no trouble keeping up with what is happening and the cut scenes are well directed. The voice acting is even very good, although the script itself is lacking.

Graphically, the game looks fantastic. Huge environments, great character models, and some truly fantastic effects. The game runs silky smooth no matter how much chaos is on-screen, and believe me, there is PLENTY of chaos going on most of the time.

The controls take a bit getting used to. Lots of unconventional aspects to it such as reloading by clicking the right analog stick, zooming in with the d-pad and using the bumpers to turn 90 degrees in a direction (a must learn technique). Some might also find it awkward that moving the right analog stick does not immediately move the camera as is the norm in a third-person shooter. This might give the game's controls a slow or sluggish feel for some. But once you get used to it, it is a fantastic set-up in my opinion and I've had very few issues with it.

Gameplay-wise the game is a total blast. It is pure all-out action and it does a very good job at keeping your adrenaline flowing and pulse racing. Huge battles and even bigger bosses come at you at a fevered pace. I have not experience such tense action on my 360 since CoD2 (no, not even GoW's battles were this intense)

So far, 10 missions in, the game just seems to be getting better and better. Granted, it is a one trick pony. You fight a ton of enemies and advance down a pre-determined path, but it does a very, very good job job at what it does. I haven't beaten it yet and I am already thinking about playing through it again, it is just solid fun.

Good job Capcom. Now, for the sequel, let us use the gappling hook while jumping okay?

Pet Peeves Vol. III

It irks me when people misuse the term "literally". If you don't know how it is used, don't use it. I can't count how many times I've heard someone tell a story and they just throw that word around, completely butchering its meaning. Many seem to think they need to use it to emphasize a point or sentence. "Dude, I'm telling you, I literally took a shit when I saw that shark on my dive". If you say that sentence, then you better have actually had a bowel movement underwater, because that is what you are "literally" saying.

Like I've said before, I am anal that way.

GoW Maps

Looks like Epic has released a patch, new versus maps and a free theme. Nice job guys. (Love the "free" aspect)

Seeing that I have played a total of 1 hour of Gears multiplayer (not counting co-op of course), it might take me a while to acually enjoy these new maps. Hell, most of the old maps are new to me.

I really do want to get into this game's multiplayer. When I round up some friends to play it with I might give it a go, because I have noticed that I really do not enjoy playing with stangers.

Living in Miami

I left work today at 5pm on the dot. I got home at 6:50pm. It took me 1 hour and 50 minutes with traffic.

I live 13 miles from work.

That is what? A 6 -7 mph average speed? Nice.

I have to move out of this place if I want to keep my sanity.

Pet Peeves Vol. II

It really bothers me when someone writes "You're" when they mean "Your", and vice versa. I'm anal that way.

Resolutions

Seeing as it is the new year and all, it is time for my New Year's resolutions. You know, those things I make every year and don't stick to.

1. Lose weight. This is at the top of everyone's list right? I want to try to lose about 15lbs of fat, and then hopefully gain most of that back in muscle mass. Or half. Or just a couple pounds of muscle, but definitely need to lose the fat.

2. Read more. Aside from gaming mags or reading articles on the internet, I don't read much anymore. I really want to read at least a handful of novels this year. I used to read one novel a week. But nowadays, it seems if I have a spare moment, instead of picking up one of the many novels I have on my bookshelf which I have not read, I pick up a 360 controller instead. I want to work on that.

3. Clean my car. I haven't cleaned my car in about four years. It is absolutely filthy. I'm sure I will find many things I thought I lost when I finally do.

4. Play less games. Wow, this seems contradictory to this very blog, but yes, I want to "try" and cut back on gaming. It is going to be insanely tough this year (Bioshock, Mass Effect, Brothers in Arms, Assassin's Creed, Forza II, Halo 3, future Wii purchase, etc.) but it is something I want to strive for.

Working a 9 to 5 job and battling Miami traffic means I have very little free time during the week. I leave my house at 8am and don't usually get home until 6:30pm. That only gives me 4 ½ hours a day (if I want to be in bed by 11pm) to do anything. When you factor in some of my resolutions (going to the gym, reading, etc.) and regular everyday items such as cooking dinner, taking a shower, cleaning up the house, doing the occassional laundry, and spending quality time with my girlfriend, that is not a whole lot of time to divide up. So getting home and playing videogames for two hours is not something I want to continue doing (not that I do that now mind you . . . only sometimes).

Let's see what happens. Now if you'll excuse, I need to tend to my garden to keep my pinatas happy . . .