The Matrix: Resurrections

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Q

I’ve often wondered what would bring me back to writing  for my website after a long layoff.  I finally have my answer: The Matrix: Resurrections.  

The official teaser/trailer dropped today and while the overall plot remains a mystery, Warner Brothers has given us enough information to start speculating at least some of the details.  

It seems that Neo has been having dreams of the Matrix (not sure if this is him remembering a past life or him seeing a future).  He seems to be living a normal life when things begin to change.  We are reintroduced to Carrie Anne Moss (possibly playing Trinity again), we see that she and Neo have that instant connection.  We are treated to Yahya Abdul Mateen, who seems to be playing Morpheus or a very Morpheus-like character.  And finally, we are shown multiple action sequences and even what appears to be the Matrix itself in all its glory.  All of this occurs over Jefferson Airplane’s haunting “White Rabbit”.

All in all the trailer is a breath of fresh air for a series that seemingly ran out of air years ago.  We are treated to the same level of action as its predecessor but now with much improved CGI and special effects.  While the look of the film is stunning, what set the Matrix apart from so many Sci-Fi epics was its engrossing premise.  It was a reimagining of Plato’s allegory of the cave, updated for a technologically savage generation.  The question remains if this new chapter can capture our imaginations in the same manner. While we wait to find out, the one truth remains:  I will be there on opening night to find out.

View the trailer for yourself below:

The Matrix Resurrections – Official Trailer 1 

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Star Wars and me: The Rise of Skywalker (final trailer)

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Q

Since I can remember, I have been a Star Wars fan.  To me, it was the ultimate story of Good vs. Evil, with a bad guy that was just cool enough to become a legend in my mind.  When the original trilogy ended, I remember being upset that I would never find out what happens to these characters that I loved so much.  As I grew up, I had years to watch the films over and over again; that same feeling of sadness would wash over me each time The Return of the Jedi ended.

When I got to college, the prequels came out, and there was hope once again.  I lined up with so many others at 4am to get tickets at the box office and then lined up again, hours before the movie to get good seats.  And then, they happened, one after the other.  And love them or hate them, I was still back in that world that I loved so much.

The next thing I knew I was an adult, and someone told me that Disney had bought Lucasfilm and Episode VII was announced with my beloved Luke, Leia and Han returning, and my heart skipped a beat.  Finally after 30-some years, I would finally get to see my old friends again.  And I did, and I loved it however similar it may have been to that original adventure I loved so long ago.  Much like Episode IV (the original), it had that sense of adventure and wonder.  And yes, Episode VIII took some chances, some of which worked and some of which I’m waiting to see if they work, but I still got to be in that world and see Luke, the hero of my childhood.

And finally we now come to the end of the Skywalker saga, the end of so much of what shaped my life and who I am.  While I have not seen the film, the trailer, its music and its visuals lead me to believe that this will be the send off that I hoped for as a child long ago and that I long for as an adult now.

View the trailer for yourself below:

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The Comic-Con major trailers so far: Top Gun, Jay and Silent Bob, Cats and His Dark Materials.

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Q

As one of my friends put it, Comic-Con is like Christmas in the summer time, and this year is shaping up to be no different.

Of course the big news was Tom Cruise showing up and delivering what must be one of the most anticipated trailers of all time: Top Gun: Maverick.  From the moment the trailer begins and we hear that iconic bell sound which signifies the Top Gun anthem, the trailer holds you and doesn’t let go.  From the looks of it Maverick is the old guard of fighter pilot in a world which is quickly moving towards drone flight.  We are treated to some fantastic aerial shots (all of which are real and not CGI), and of course a shot of Maverick taking off wearing his iconic helmet, and yes, there is a volleyball scene as well.  Cruise described this movie as a love letter to flying, which, let’s be honest the first one was as well.  Frankly, that’s all I need to hear to be in.

 

The second film, which I have been waiting for for at least 10 or 12 years returns us to the world of two of my favorite characters of all time: Jay and Silent Bob.  For those of you unfamiliar with the View Askew universe (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks 2) do yourself a favor and go see all of those films (in that order).  Kevin Smith is one of those filmmakers that inspires me to create.  This time around Jay and Silent Bob are on a journey to stop a reboot of a film that is being made of the film they tried to stop getting made in Jay and Silent Bob strike back.  Along the way they meet old an new friends.  This film is going to be loaded with cameos; from the trailer alone we see Craig Robinson, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Chris Hemsworth, Tommy Chong, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Harley-Quinn Smith,  Joe Manganiello, Justin Long and of course Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.  Just a quick warning, this trailer is definitely NSFW (Not safe for work)

 

And for all of us theater geeks, the good people and Universal bring us the film version of Cats, which boasts an incredible cast and one of the most interesting looks of a musical film adaptation that I have seen.  It will be interesting to see how this film does considering that most I know either love it or hate it.  The cast includes Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Hudson, James Cordon, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, newcomer Francesca Hayward and Taylor Swift.  The trailer, though, is set to one of the greatest songs ever written, sung by one of the greatest singers ever.  Enjoy!

 

The final trailer released today is the much anticipated HBO series adaptation of His Dark Materials, which, yes, they tried before to adapt with The Golden Compass.  This adaptation looks a lot darker and a lot more faithful to the book series.  And yes, before you even say it, I know there are shots in here which look much like Harry Potter, but believe me, this ain’t Harry Potter.  The series will air this fall on HBO who is desperately looking for something to fill the void left by Game of Thrones.  This also boasts an impressive cast featuring James McAvoy, Dafne Keen (X-23 from Logan) and Lin Manuel Miranda.

 

 

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Mulan: Disney first remake action film?

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Q

This weekend, the good people over at Disney released the first teaser/trailer for their live action of Mulan.  Unlike many of their other remakes, the tone of this trailer was more serious with no hint of any musical numbers (which saddens me a bit because I will not get to hear “Let’s get down to business…”).  Another item which stands out from the trailer is the action.  This seems to be heavy on well choreographed action sequences with the lead (newcomer to American audiences, Yifei Liu) showing some impressive sword skills.

If Disney can continue to change the tone of each of their live action remakes, so that they do not become stale or just unnecessary shot for shot versions of their animated films, then they might have found a successful formula for years to come.  View the trailer for yourself below:

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Indie Game Review Sunday feat Brothers: A tale of two sons & Hue

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Q

Because I have spent so much time playing mainstream games, I have that I am going to dedicate Sundays to playing and talking about indie games.  The first two up are are one that interested me from the first time I saw the trailer and the other a game that my kid wanted me to try.

The first game is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.  A game which is interesting because one, it uses a made up language (based off of real language, if I understand correctly) and secondly because of the fact that you have to use each of the control joysticks to control each brother, which believe me can get confusing, especially if your characters are one the opposite side of the screen from the joystick you are using to control them (just watch the video below if you do not understand what I mean.

Each brother has their strengths and their weaknesses, and often times the two must work together to solve problems (once again, see the video below).  The game is beautifully drawn and it ends up being both difficult and enjoyable at the same time.  Hint: if you are ambidextrous the game might be a little easier.  Check out some gameplay below:

 

The other game that I played was Hue, a visually appealing and incredibly fun platformer that uses color as an element of gameplay.  The game, which is very much story driven and philosophical, is about a young man by the name of Hue, who is searching for his mother while at the same time discovering color in a world full of darkness and grey.  As the game goes on Hue must change the colors of the world to pass certain areas and move on, thus getting closer to solving the main mystery.  The game controls are quite responsive, and it ends up being quite engaging.  I could attempt to explain the gameplay as much as  I wanted, but one really has to see it played to understand it.  So, enjoy the video below:

 

 

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