Much to my and your dismay, it seems as if it’s been much longer than expected between the first entry in the Art of Brent Duncan series and this one, its long awaited followup.
The following entries in this expansive and potentially endless exhibit all act as character studies from his observational period.
“The Gravedigger”
“The Apparatus”
“Of Olde”
“The Return”
Since Jake’s original host location has since expired, and in celebration of the world being filled with the joy of his theme song alone for over a year, there’s no better time than the present for a reupload.
http://media.imeem.com/m/t7guDAriK2/aus=false/
If you close your eyes, you can almost picture his rowdy space adventures in your head. Hey, it’s Saturday, and that sounds like a great way to spend the next couple hours of your life.
Only two days into its existence and my Xbox Live Netflix instant queue is scorching up the charts. The freedom of not waiting for discs allows for some truly bold decisions; some regrettable, some not. I’ll let you closely judge the first three, pictured in some form below. Before you do, though, I should just take a moment to mention how excellent this service is so far. The video quality of Shrooms (not so much the movie itself), specifically, was phenomenal, and it streamed in its entirety without as much as a stutter.
Number three is the real humdinger. Yes, you can watch this right now on your Xbox for free if you’re a member of Netflix. Don’t blame me if you see vapors of Slamm Dunk, blame DIC.
I love the twist at the end. Just when you think it’s all about basketball, hockey and baseball, you learn that “it’s all about helping kids.”
As if Ray Harryhausen himself had been zapped like Captain N into the world of arcade games, SNK’s Prehistoric Isle in 1930 brings antiquated aircrafts face to face with the Thunderlizards of legend.
Booting up Prehistoric Isle should titillate any man, woman or child on some level immediately, but its appearance is more than deceiving. Visually, it looks like a really generic horizontal shooter, but the dangers contained within are unique to this title and this title alone. Much like every stop-motion-filled tale of the past ever filmed, Cavemen coexist with dinosaurs in some fashion, but these aren’t your average Raquel Welch rabblerousers. These cavemen are absolutely suicidal. They hang from Pterodactyls and drop down on your plane from above, gripping tight to your wings in an attempt to weigh you down and end your flight early. If that doesn’t work, they have no problem hanging back and tossing rocks from afar!
The real treat comes when you square off against the boss dinosaurs, which range from normal (relatively speaking) fare like the Stegosaur and Brachiosaurus, to bad mothers like the one above, listed only as [UNKNOWN DINOSAUR]. If they ever find the skeleton of THAT bad boy, then God help us all. Prehistoric Isle frequently volleys back and forth from straight up dinos to gigantic crustaceans and killer bugs from beyond the isle’s most tucked-away valleys. The pièce de résistance, unquestionably, is the final battle with the Tyrannosaurus Rex. He’s a fireball shootin’, plane-chompin’ son of a gun, and he’s not going down without a… BITE!
If you’re bold enough, download a ROM of this game and play through it with a close and trusted friend, because Prehistoric Isle is yet another one of those arcade games I wish I had discovered for myself years ago. Just like last time, I stole a few (read: most) of these images from this site, which also details the adventures you’ll find on the titular isle. Just look at those animated gifs! Oh, and if you want the ending spoiled, click here. Be warned, it is a mighty plot twist.
So I saw Quantum of Solace this past Sunday, not bothering to wade through the pile of mixed reviews I had heard about on the way. I don’t really know what the beef is with this hot enchilada, because it’s a solid flick that continues Daniel Craig’s stint as a more straightforward and action-oriented Bond.
I think its best feature is the fact that it acts as a direct sequel to Casino Royale. I love the old movies as much as the next guy (though the last few Brosnan entries were rank), but they don’t have much in the way of narrative continuity. They’re more like formula television, with each threat giving the protagonist another way to use a new set of gadgets and the same set of classic lines. That stuff is great, but it wouldn’t work here.
The only thing that isn’t as tightly woven as it was in Casino Royale is the action, which is all over the place both on set and in postproduction. For example, the opening parkour set piece in the last movie is really carefully executed, and there’s no issue with geography and no real confusion that I can recall. In contrast, the opening car chase of Quantum is a mish-mash of bumpers, sideview mirrors and machine guns.
Then again, that may have had to do with the fact that—for the first time since I was, I don’t know, in high school—I was sitting three rows from the front at an awkward angle. I assure you, my moldy ass would never actually choose to sit in such a seat, but we got there just as the previews started. If I get a chance, I want to peep Casino Royale again (on Blu-ray this time) and go check out QoS under ideal conditions.
subhumanzoids 