Recommend: Avatar!

I really recommend Avatar - The Last Airbender. That's one damn good series. And only three seasons long. With more stuff to come. Sweet (^m^ )

o8/o9 News from the wooden lands

 Despite the title I don't have very much (and new) to tell you, I'm just here to say that I'm still here. Somehow I made it through 2oo8. I don't know how though - I just sat here ;^p  Didn't move a muscle. [...]
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Recently I've heard about this new game that's about to be released in the near future, it's called Let's Tap. It's a rhythm game for the Wii™ that doesn't need any new peripheral - except for a cardboard box. At first I feared you needed a special box that came shipped with the game. Nintendo making money with the simplest most rudimentary peripherals again. But no, oh no, you can use any box. Apparently the box is just needed to transport the vibrations of your tapping on the box. The peculiar thing (to me) is that the Wiimote, that is to be laid on top of the box, doesn't have a microphone to process the tapping. It is solely using its motion sensor technology - how incredibly sensitive is that thing? After playing Wii Sports and other games I found the Wiimote to be rather inaccurate about the angle input. Well, it's not inaccurate about its movement input, I guess.

But I shouldn't have been all too surprised about that after having seen the scientific art of Johnny Chung Lee. Have you seen his usage of the Wii™? Maybe you have - I've wanted to tell you about his works for a very long time ...

Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote

sent by Mika77

As we can see each year the tradition of reflecting the last three hundred and sixty or so days around this time of the calendar you can see how the gaming community (or a gaming community) elected Grand Theft Auto IV to be the best Game Of The Year 2oo8 - come on!! The game was good but not at all the best one. Especially not the best PS3 game. But what's my opinion worth anyway?

Anyway, as we are already here we might as well go the last step and discuss (lol) my very own VG MOY (that's Video Game Moment Of The Year for ... well, for everybody, I guess). For me personally there haven't been that many, only two to be precisely, and both originate from the same game: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots. Expect me to spoil.
For once, there was this gorgeous scene when you enter Shadow Moses and "The Best Is Yet To Come" by Rika Muranaka & Aoife Ní Fhearraigh commences, triggering wave after wave of nostalgia, both visually and auditive, mixed with the graphical new version of Shadow Moses. That was a very touching moment for me, and also quite impressive: in-game nostalgica features.
The other scene was the ending. Simply the ending. The end of this game which was also the end of four games (at least), a testosterone-laden ending that matched the preliminary action, an ending full of story twists, climaxes and conclusions. An orchestrated cutscene-feast. It forced you to push Old Snake through an ridiculously dangerous hallway of "microwaves" while you see in the split-screen the battles of your comrades, until he reaches the graveyard-like server room of Outer Haven where he passes out only to fight Liquid Ocelot on top of the giant submarine - but not right away. As if the game heard me say "Don't let me play the boss battle right away. The preceding cutscenes built up so much momentum - it would only destroy the atmosphere." the game listened to me and started with a cutscene version of the boss battle which only lead to the inevitable clash of the titan seniors that you had to control - followed by another long memorable dialogue scene on another graveyard - a real one this time - which culminates in the most incredible version of "Here's To You" (by Lisbeth Scott, originally by Ennio Morricone) that I've ever heard.
That - finishing MGS4 - was my most remarkable Video Game Moment Of The Year 2oo8 that no other game even came close to.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

[End of MGS4-Spoilers] Not even the new Prince Of Persia. I mean ... considering POP once made a personal VG MOY I was expecting quite a bit. Strangely enough I wasn't as thrilled of the visual look of the game when I saw it in-game (as opposed to in a trailer). I even disliked it at some moments while at others I adored the beauty of the corruption. But it's still a very good game. I just happen to be done with it because I got the platinum trophy. I'm just mentioning because it's my first one. Sorry ;^p  If you're playing it now or in the future, here's a tip: take the green power lastly and heal the land in front of the Warrior's black gates at the very end. I think the game is a bit easier that way.

Talking about videogames, a pal of mine, Foifur - one of my few loyal readers - is playing Secret Of Mana at the moment. Every now and then he asks me for advice which I then give him eagerly. Since then I feel this itching inside me .. this longing for nostalgic greatness that this game embodies, IMHO. I want to play it like I used to and re-live the joy I've had back then in the old days. I know though, that this is not possible ...

Just like with Street Fighter II: Turbo. There's this new version called Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (or SSFIITHDR for still-long-but-short) that is basically a refined version of this old game. But, oh refined it truly is: Capcom actually approached the fans over at OverClocked ReMix (okay, professional fans) to do the soundtrack for the game - because they would have remixed it anyway (>< ). Fans doing the soundtrack for a full-fledged videogame?!?! The mere thought of this is so awesome that I temporarily lose my eyesight, blinded by the joy of the little kid inside me. And it's completely for free! And it's online, the game I mean. It's an online version of a Beat 'em Up game that I liked, that I actually played back in the days, often too - that I actually *owned*. Yes, it was one of my "exclusive" six Super Nintendo™ titles. Oh, those were the days when you didn't have the money to buy them all.
The online part of the new game is even allegedly decent so I was indeed considering to buy it ... but to be true it would have been a waste of money. There's no way that I could play a Street Fighter game as joyfully and enthusiastically as "once". It's over ... ( ´.`)

But hey, look at the future: there's a new Street Fighter movie in the making featuring Kristin Kreuk, and it's called Street Fighter: Legend Of Chun-Li. It will probably be a disappointment just as many other videogame-to-motion-picture-conversions before but I sure as hell know that I'm going to check it out anyway. Here's a trailer. Judging solely by this footage I'd say it looks like an Uwe Boll movie, but if it was really was one it would have been his best (although I must say that I haven't seen all of his "work").

Another thing I might write (without having a gun being pointed at my head) is how cool Tycho from Penny Arcade is, IMHO. I mean, he's not just eloquent but his perspective on videogames has often surprised me one way or another, too. It's almost as if he could see right through the haze that distorts the image with which games are sold to the masses and pinpoint a big aspect of the core of a game that I often miss. Man, I wish I was like him. His "thing" is even more obvious with spoken words, I think, which is why I like their podcasts so much. My favourite so far is the one where they talk about how funny the idea of merging two specific universes is which ended up in this comic strip.
Also, I liked Jerry & Mike playing Dungeons & Dragons. I can't wait for the next round with Wil Wheaton.

This might be enough for now. Maybe I'll add something a little later. Now I'm headed to a thing called "Shadow Of The Colossus OST". # top #

"Merlin" vs. "Jungle Book" vs. "Robin Hood" vs. "Snow White"

 Well observed!

<<
Disney reuses its animation but this is hard to spot unless pictures are put side by side for comparison. Here are pairs of pictures to be spotted for animation reuse.
>> Q: Hemmy.net [...]
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# top #

Monkey Island Movie (my suggestion)

 Would you mind having a look at these artwork images drawn by Steve Purcell? Ron Gilbert pointed me to them on his blog - they're to be found on his blog (the other "his"). The images feature artwork of some "random" pirates. [...]
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Now, imagine a movie. Not a game. A movie. A pirate movie. Yes, I ask you to once more imagine a Monkey Island movie would be in the making, although you've probably done so several times before just as any other MI fan. But imagine it would be an animated movie. Yes, an animated movie in this sort of drawing style. Forget Pirates Of The Caribbean! Wouldn't that be glorious ...? I think this would even be better than Monkey Island 5, a new game - at least if it would be as bad as MI4 ...

There are more of these on Steve's site.

Sequelling: "2nd"-Sequels

 I was bored once, so I thought about which "part two"s of any series, be it movie or videogame or whatever, actually are better than its predecessors, very much unlike how it is nowadays. Staying in the comparison between "one" and "two" I always ignored all further parts, even if the series is longer and the "threequels" or other continuations are better, and also I only considered those that I've experienced myself (read, seen or played - both part one and two). And by "better" I mean "far better", not just "slightly better" or "almost the same" as in the "Back To The Future"-Trilogy or the "Die Hard"-Quadrilogy. Besides, I love listing things ;^)

Of course, these reflect merely my humble opinion.

Also look forward to another upcoming blog psoting (slightly related to this one) where I'm going to reveal another pack of new movies mixed with old movies that I didn't know so far. Movie information retrieval can be so much fun! ;^) [...]
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//---- WHITELIST ----//

[1987] Beverly Hills Cop 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Beverly Hills Cop ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The sequel had a great story and an incredibly well "investigative thread" which is extremely interesting, if not exciting for detective wannabes like me. Not surprising after I found out that there have been at least 6 writers involved!

[1991/1992] Street Fighter II ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Street Fighter ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Great gameplay and balancing, plus characters who became the trademark of the game, like Chun-Li or Guile.

[1954/1955] Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers ^[Wiki]   >   Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring ^[Wiki]   (Book)

I really had to fight my way through the first book for which I needed about half a year but I only needed a few weeks or months for the second book of the trilogy. That one really sucked me into the universe.

[1984] Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Raiders Of The Lost Ark ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Somehow I always thought the first Indiana Jones movie to be the worst one. This sequel was a major improvement in the franchise.

[1986] Aliens ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Alien ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

This is what a sequel should look like if you're going for "more". More horror, more creepiness, more thrill - more of what defines Alien.

[1989] Back To The Future Part II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Back To The Future ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Lives more up to its name than its predecessor because of the funny future sequence. It was also very hilarious how the predecessor was re-used or rather remade and somehow made fun of. The most consistent time traveling story yet.

[1991] Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   The Secret of Monkey Island ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

I absolutely love both games but the second part was not only better by a small pint but by an oversized monkey head. The gameplay felt as if it was expanded in every way - at least in my eyes.

[1991] Terminator 2: Judgement Day ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   The Terminator ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Bigger explosions, more impressive visuals .. even funnier.

[1993] Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Maniac Mansion ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

This was a true ascend from the LastGen to the NextGen of that time. Better graphics while containing the essence of the predecessor.

[1993] Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2) ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Mystic Quest ("Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden" aka "Final Fantasy Adventure") ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Actually I've never played the predecessor so right now I'm doing the worst thing a journalist could do, but as you can see here "Secret Of Mana" is my most favourite game of all conditions and I can't imagine that a game with only two colors and no multiplayer support is actually any better than this.

[1994] Drunken Master II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Drunken Master ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

It was more serious and also darker. Darker is always better.

[1994] Super Metroid ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Metroid ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Actually I never played the first part (*).

[1995] Desperado ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   El Mariachi ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Apart from the better cast it was realized more professionally as a whole than its predecessor.

[1998] Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets ^[Wiki]   >   Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone ^[Wiki]   (Book)

All sevens books are great and with every single one I'd say they top the previous one. This is the case with this pair why it's written here.

[2oo1] Aliens versus Predator 2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Aliens vs. Predator ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

This sequel had absolutely more multiplayer gameplay value. Both games are better MP- than single-player-games if you ask me, but hunting humans or fleeing from the predators while jumping from tree to tree in the sequel was hell fun, yeah! x^D

[2oo2] Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I don't know for sure here. Maybe I'm wrong and ep.1 is better but actually I don't care .. they are both pretty low for Star Wars movies, each seen as a whole. I think I liked the Kamino species a lot and I didn't like young Anakin .. but on the other hand the so-called "love story" is even more thick-layered than in Dirty Dancing ...

[2oo3] X2: X-Men United ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   X-Men ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

More interesting characters and more background info on Wolverine.

[2oo3] Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Zone of the Enders ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

More style, more exciting battles, impressive visuals. But definitely awesomely more style ;^D

[2oo4] Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Ghost In The Shell ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

A successful fusion of the old and still interesting universe and the updated looks of the characters and philosphies from the series.

[2oo4] Half-Life 2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   >   Half-Life ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Again, this is how you ascend fomr LastGen to NextGen. Better graphics and especially physics.

[2oo6] Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   >   Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

More effectively copied from the Monkey Island series even if the filmmakers don't admit that, stunning visuals and with Davy Jones one of the best and imposing characters on the big screen since the new Batman played by Christian Bale.

(*) And this is when I realized that I've overdone the fun with this list. "Overkill" you might call it (^^ ) But I didn't want to waste all my effort so here's the rest of the list - handled a lot more roughly. Also I think there are some doubles ...

Hm, just as I thought there're more "bad"s than "good"s.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]


//---- BLACKLIST ----//
Not better / blocked from that list / disappointments:

[1963] From Russia With Love ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Dr. No ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

From Russia is .. different than any other James Bond-movie imho. He doesn't do very much spy work here.

[198o] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I always thought Tatooine was more attractive than Dagobah and Bespin together. But still, this is one of the movies I definitely don't want to miss.

[1982] Airplane II: The Sequel ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Airplane! ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Just a weak attempt to ride the wave of sequels.

[1982] La Boum 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   La Boum ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Sometimes I really don't like how girls grow up ...

[1983] Psycho II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Psycho ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I've only seen the first twenty/thirty minutes of this sequel but it was everything but being close to building up suspense.

[1985] Rambo: First Blood Part II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   First Blood ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

They were both aweful but back in the days I had quite a good time laughing about Stallone's quirky face at the end of Rambo 2 x^D

[1986] Count Zero ^[Wiki]   <   Neuromancer ^[Wiki]   (Book)

Neuromancer alone is so gorgeous it could be made into a film while Count Zero somehow needs the whole Sprawl Trilogy to be understood fully.

[1987] Teen Wolf Too ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Teen Wolf ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I barely can't remember the sequel which means that I already disliked it when I watched it for the first time over 1o years ago when I was so small.

[1988] Crocodile Dundee II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Crocodile Dundee ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

"Wildsman in the city" - interesting concept but in the end his first appearance was more entertaining.

[1988] Powaqqatsi: Life In Transition ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out Of Balance ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I learned something about myself when I watched this sequel: I not only like to observe people, I even prefer observing people of the city over people "under the sun".

[1989] The Fly II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Fly ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

No question, Eric Stoltz was no match for Jeff Goldblum. Also it's this horror expectation thing again.

[199o] Gremlins 2: The New Batch ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Gremlins ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

It works better in a small village than in a skyscraper. It really does. Just look at how many horror movies take place in a skyscraper to see what I mean.

[199o] Predator 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Predator ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

It was like a B-movie for the action genre, this type of bad. Unprofessional, no mentionable story, much too bright for a Predator movie. Nah.

[1991] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Tokka and Rahzar were just too much, but IIRC apart from those two annoying characters the sequel was actually better than the predecessor. So you see? Never underestimate the shadowy power of annoying characters. Greetings from Chibiusa.

[1992] Batman Returns ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Batman ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

No Offense, Mr. De Vito, but no one can beat the Joker - especially the one played by Jack Nicholson ;^) Kim Basinger may be partly responsible for this decision, too ;^)

[1992] Home Alone 2: Lost In New York ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Home Alone ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The same robbers meeting the same boy from the first movie in a totally different city - I could never buy that.

[1994] My Girl 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   My Girl ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Did I mention I have a deep antipathy to Bishônen

[1994] The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Land Before Time ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The first movie was so beautiful that there was no need for a sequel - especially not twelve sequels.

[1995] Ave Ventura: When Nature Calls ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

This one is fairly obvious, I think. The story of the sequel is so weak that no Jim Carrey can hide it.

[1997] Mortal Kombat: Annihilation ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Mortal Kombat ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Okay, the first movie was already pretty bad but the second one was so bad that I only endured watching it while fast forwarding the tape ... now how bad is that?

[1997] Speed 2: Cruise Control ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Speed ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Like with Home Alone if it happens to the same person I just can't buy it.

[1997] The Lost World: Jurassic Park ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Jurassic Park ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

A sequel to Jurassic Park could have worked but unfortunately, the they did it, it didn't work. All the more when they entered San Diego, it just was too much. It didn't fit at all, imho.

[1998] Turok 2: Seeds of Evil ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Turok: Dinosaur Hunter ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

This sequel was definitely far too twisted to be good. Besides that, it didn't deliver the tech improvements it claimed to do, IIRC.

[1998] U.S. Marshals ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Fugitive ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The first movie is a classical. It's not hard to fail here, we understand that.

[1999] Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Both- in fact the whole trilogy is hilarious but I didn't like Heather Graham in that role very much. Too Barbie-like. Brunette is rather my type anyway.

[1999] From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   From Dusk Till Dawn ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

This movie - very much unlike its predecessor - is a perfect example of why I don't like zombie movies in general: the story is just so damn stupid that it even tops the stupid characters. And what's with the weird camera angles? From in between a spiral telephone cord?! *shakes head* (-.- ) ( -.-)

[1999] Gran Turismo 2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Gran Turismo ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Honestly, after the very first part of the series each following piece of software became less and less attractive to me. It's beacause I'm not such a automobile freak as the games target at. After all, the first part played very differently than the very last one, "Gran Turismo 5 Prologue". Besides, I don't like the fucking concept of adding a Prologue game in the game queue so that they have more time to develop their games. That's pretty shitty for the players' point of view, IMHO.

[1999] Grand Theft Auto 2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Grand Theft Auto ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

The sequel had slightly better graphics but this game series wasn't about graphics after all, at least at the times when it was still played from the bird's-eye view. And so it was just another clone, in the end.

[2ooo] Mission: Impossible II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Mission: Impossible ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Somehow this sequel missed its point. And me too - it was so visually overloaded that I didn't follow the story much.

[2ooo] Perfect Dark ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   GoldenEye 007 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Being not an official but merely a spritual sequel "GoldenEye 007" was one of the best games available for this console, the Nintendo 64™, even the best first-person-shooter of all consoles, IMHO. So, it was a hard time trying to top that game. And, naturally, the developers failed with that one. But it still had great gameplay value.

[2ooo] Taxi 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Taxi ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I didn't like the story at all. And the humour. Plainly bad writing - although it's penned by Luc Besson! I guess there's too much "french" in this one. But don't get me wrong. Both movies are great, the sequel's just not better.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

[2oo1] Rush Hour 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Rush Hour ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

I can only repeat myself here (s. Shanghai Knights).

[2oo1] The Mummy Returns ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Mummy ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

This sequel was the first movie where I could predict almost the half of the movie during the course of it. Boring. Waste of money.

[2oo2] Blade II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Blade ^[IMDB]   (Movie)

I didn't like the distinguishment of the vampires into further species.

[2oo2] Cube 2: Hypercube ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Cube ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The characters became weirder and the story was added by an unnecessary excursion into science. Probably a incoherent one, too.

[2oo2] Men In Black II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Men In Black ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The cash cow again. Understandable that this sequel came out but just as understandable that this sequel sucked. It's always the same. When will they ever learn it ...?

[2oo3] Bad Boys II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Bad Boys ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

In Bad Boys II there was too much emphasis on cars, action & special effects instead of character development which I think was wrong. Bad Boys is all about Marcus and Mike being detectives and not action heros.

[2oo3] Final Destination 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Final Destination ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Because of the aforementioned horror expectation of sequels, imho, the purpose of the predecessor was to shock while the purpose of the second movie was to impress. And actually I want to watch horror movies to be shocked and not to be impressed.

[2oo3] Final Fantasy X-2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Final Fantasy X ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

How bizarre to list this one ... anyway, the linear story was for just as troublesome as it was to many other players. Also there were these many jobs. It's something the old Final Fantasies have done but it's nothing I like particularly.

[2oo3] Infernal Affairs II - Abstieg In Die Achte Hölle ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Infernal Affairs - Die Achte Hölle ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

You can't top a story like the one of the predecessor, so the mere attempt is already an insult.

[2oo3] Jak II ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Now, this sequel was a real let-down. Instead of continuing what made the prequel so much fun - the jump'n'run aspect - a whole new aspect is added destroying the whole atmosphere of the game's universe: weaponry. Yuck.

[2oo3] Shanghai Knights ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Shanghai Noon ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Shanghai Noon was probably the last big worldwide hit of Jackie Chan while everything after it was either only in some regions more or less successful (like New Police Story) or - like this sequel - pretty disappointing for a Jackie Chan movie.

[2oo3] The Matrix Reloaded ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Matrix ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Though the "Burly Brawl" scene from Reloaded is one of my favourite scenes of the whole trilogy the first movie wasn't that .. "weird". It was plain awesome cyberpunk like it was supposed to be, no matter how heavily it was stolen from Dark City.

[2oo4] Kill Bill: Vol. 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Kill Bill: Vol. 1 ^[IMDB]   (Movie)

Although it was one movie, actually, I assimilate to everybody else and treat it as two separate films. Of which I liked the first one more, although both are undoubtly great. Must be the higher japanese influence.

[2oo4] Shrek 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Shrek ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

There was no other reason to pull a sequel than to milk the cash cow. Abominable.

[2oo4] The Bourne Supremacy ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Bourne Identity ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The first movie was quite okay - but where the hell did the demand for a sequel come from?! Stupid cash cow marketing strategy ...

[2oo5] Saw II ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Saw ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

There have been some equally shocking scenes like in the predecessor but on the whole it felt more like a teeny horror movie. Bad director of photography maybe ...

[2oo5] The Ring Two ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Ring ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Horror sequels are always harder to make because the audience now knows the parameters, knows what to expect. That was the case with this one, too, I think.

[2oo6] Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Basic Instinct ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Although I'm glad there's no Michael Douglas nudity in this one (no offense ;^) at the same time I'm disappointed that the movie lacks so much erotic. Well, maybe I've just grown up a bit ...

[2oo6] Kingdom Hearts II ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   Kingdom Hearts ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

I already explained it before, so, in short, I think it was even more oriented for kids than its predecessor, storywise. I mean the way how the game delivered the story. It was very repetetive ... I dunno, I just think I grew out of it.

[2oo6] The Butterfly Effect 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   The Butterfly Effect ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The only good thing about the sequel were the se- oh, err nude scenes. Besides it totally abandoned the road its predecessor has carved in.

[2oo7] 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   Fantastic Four ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

The original movie had Jessica Alba being more nude (hehe) buuuut actually the sequel was really bad compared to it so it's more than just a cock-driven decision. At least mostly. This series is just right for watchion on DVD but definitely too much for the big screen imho. Sadly! I really would have liked it to be more successful but ... just look at this shit!

[2oo7] AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator - Reqiuem ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   <   AVP: Alien vs. Predator ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

Oh come on, that was such a waste of money ...

[2oo7] God Of War II ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   <   God Of War ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

This sequel was very disappointing to me. I was thrilled when I played the first game and I was thrilled to hear of a sequel after I played the first game, but I wasn't thrilled at all when I played the sequel. It was pretty much the same as the first one, just different in terms of story / lvl- and monster-design. That's sad.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]


//---- GRAYLIST ----//
Can't decide which is better --(slightly better / almost the same):

[1983] Mad Mission 2: Aces Go Places (Aces Go Places 2) ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   =   Mad Mission (Aces Go Places) ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

[1988] Police Story 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   =   Police Story ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

[199o] Die Hard 2 (Die Harder) ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   =   Die Hard ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

[1995] Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Donkey Kong Country ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

This one was actually not that bad but definitely not as good as the first part. But at least it was trying to be different very much unlike the sequels of today with a new character (actually two!) instead of the old character with a new "story" hiding the same or very similar gameplay.

[1995] Earthworm Jim 2 ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Earthworm Jim ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Actually they were both great.

[2oo1] Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Metal Gear Solid ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

It's hard to say why I like the predecessor of the sequel a tiny little bit better. It could be the fact that it came out first, it could be the fact that it was not as exaggerated yet. I can't tell. But who cares at this point, right?

[2oo2] Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

By now I was too tired to add a reason. this is a hard one as the second part of the series was the first game with "Jedi Knight" in the title.

[2oo4] Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Metroid Prime ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

[2oo4] Ocean's Twelve ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   =   Ocean's Eleven ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

[2oo4] Prince of Persia: Warrior Within ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   =   Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ^{[Wiki] [IGN]}   (Videogame)

Similar to "God Of War II" this sequel was just a continuation, except that the gameplay was hardened by a more complex combat system. But unlike "God Of War II" it did the story-telling still interesting enough. Or maybe it's jus more my type of game, as it is more jumping and less hacking'n'slaying. Although this sequel did go more into this direction, more than its predecessor.

[2oo4] Spider-Man 2 ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   =   Spider-Man ^{[Wiki] [IMDB]}   (Movie)

By now I was too tired to add a reason.

Those are the remaining items that I was too lazy to add the URL to. Basically every single item in this "Graylist" has the reason "I really liked both" ...

Ice Age 2
Naked Gun 2½
Leathal Weapon 2
ICO 2 aka Shadow Of The Colossus
Analyze That
Bill & Ted
Bridget Jones 2
Ghostbusters 2
Hot Shots 2
Transporter 2
Wayne's World 2
Onimusha 2


btw: have a look at this. Wikipedia sure can be useful sometimes. Well, most of the time, actually ...
Film crossovers
Film series
Character-based movie franchises
Film decologies and larger series

And dbl-btw: Five Reasons Game Trilogies Suck (PC)

Now, I'm exhausted ... ;^p
# top #

Storm Troopers in Benrath

 A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ... I started this really cool project/idea but, as with most of my ideas, I quitted it before it even began. And now I have it: a super professional version of what I wanted to do eight to twelve years ago posted in an anonymous image forum (on Apr 16, 2008 · by dumpc0r3 -A27nEumf5o). Shame on me and my laziness ... [...]
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Watch in full resolution glory. Credit goes to Gavin77 who sent the link to me.

Urban Star Wars

"Sturmtruppen in Benrath"
These are the only pictures I ever did.

# top #

Disposable DVD

 The idea of a disposable DVD is not new but the fact that it's actually currently being tested for usage in some countries is new to me. Besides, charging 3,99 Euro for a piece of entertainment I'm going to throw out anyway is still too much in my opinion, just as anything above one euro. [...]
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<<
DVD-D: 48-Stunden-Countdown
16:00 - Mittwoch, 16. April 2008 von Thomas Kretschmann
Mit DVD-Disposal kommt ein neuer Film-DVD-Typ auf den Markt. Die Einmal-DVDs können nach dem ersten Abspielen im Player 48 Stunden lang angesehen werden, danach sind sie nicht mehr lesbar.

»Einmal-DVD: Preisgünstig und flexibel« — so preist der gleichnamige Anbieter Einmal-DVD die Einweg-Filme auf seiner Homepage an. In den USA, Italien, Frankreich und Skandinavien gibt es die DVD-Disposable in Supermärkten und Tankstellenshops bereits. Nun sind sie auch bei einigen Zeitschriftenhändlern und Bahnhofsbuchhandlungen Deutschlands zu finden.

Mit dem Start beziehungsweise der ersten Rotationen im Laufwerk beginnt laut Anbieter »eine zeitliche Begrenzung des Nutzungszeitraumes«, und der ist 48 Stunden lang. Danach wird automatisch das Steuerungsmenü auf dem Medium deaktiviert; der Player erkennt die DVD dann nicht mehr. Die Frist beginnt nicht wie bei früheren Versuchen mit solchen Medien mit dem Öffnen der Verpackung, sondern mit dem ersten Anspielen des Films. Die DVD-D ist somit am ehesten mit einem Leih-Film von der Videothek zu vergleichen, den man wegwirft, anstatt ihn zurückzugeben. Verpackung wie auch das Medium sollen zu 100 Prozent recyclebar sein.

Die Wegwerf-DVDs kosten 3,99 Euro — eigentlich ein fairer Preis für rund zwei Stunden Filmspaß. Allerdings ist das Angebot an Filmen bislang äußerst begrenzt, und besteht auch nicht gerade aus aktuellen Blockbustern. Gerade mal fünf Filme finden sich an den wenigen Verkaufsstellen, unter anderem der brasilianische Film City of God, die Horror-Persiflage »Scary Movie« oder der düstere Sci-Fi-Streifen »Equilibrium«.
Tom’s Hardware hat einige DVD-Ds ergattern können und nimmt sie derzeit unter die Lupe. In den nächsten Tagen werden wir erklären, ob der Schutzmechanismus funktioniert und natürlich der Frage nachgehen, ob dieses Vertriebsmodell auch in Deutschland Fuß fassen wird.
>> # top # | Q: Tom's Hardware.com
sent by Daemon

Samurai Sith Lord

 Let's continue the Vader-Mania just a little bit more by psoting an article of a fantasy-replica of japanese heritance. That's right, the suit of Sith Lord Darth Vader has been replicated in in 1/4 of its original size but with a twist: it has been modified to better suit the japanese traditional Samurai look. Awesome, I think. Crazy but awesome. [...]
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<<
Samurai Sith Lord
February 13, 2007
The signature look of the Star Wars movies has always owed a great debt to the past: the Rebel starships loosely resemble World War II aircraft, or at least "feel" like they do; the blasters are based on actual mid-20th century pistols and machine guns; and the costumes are evocative of several classical styles, including the Nazi-esque uniforms of the Imperial officers and semblance of the Samurai in the costume of Darth Vader.

Japan's Yoshitoku Company recently reversed the life-to-art rule by incorporating some of the Dark Lord's costume features back into the traditional design that helped inspire it. This year, Yoshitoku will be offering a "Samurai Vader" quarter-scale costume to Japanese fans celebrating Tango no Sekku, or Japan's "Boy's Day" festival on May 5.

One tradition of Tango no Sekku includes the displaying of the Samurai yoroi (armor) and kabuto (helmet) by a boy's family in the hopes that it will protect his spirit and ensure good health and prosperity. The yoroi and kabuto, while reduced in scale, require the same level of skill and attention to detail in their manufacture that the original full-size costumes once demanded. This centuries-old craftsmanship has been kept alive in the Yoshitoku Company for the last 300 years, providing the traditional Samurai accoutrements to families celebrating Japan's sons every year (Girl's Day, or Hinamatsuri, occurs on March 3, and includes the display of dolls dressed in traditional female costumes).

Opening its doors in 1711 as a shop selling toys and dolls in what is now Tokyo, Yoshitoku turned exclusively to doll manufacture after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. They now enjoy the admiration of the Imperial Household Agency for the imperial family, and even hosted a tutorial on Japanese doll manufacturing for Princess Diana while on a trip to Japan. According to Yoshitoku, this is the first time in their history that a crossover product such as the Samurai Vader has been produced.

"It was challenging for us to blend the entertainment character with our traditional products," a spokesman for the company says. "However, we thought it worth doing when Star Wars marked its 30th anniversary." While the blending of Darth Vader with the Samurai look appears seamless in the final design, the process of reconciling the similar but separate looks took some doing. "Since the Vader helmet itself was originally designed in the motif of a Samurai's kabuto, it was not difficult to find the similarity. However, it took time for us to consider what to add to the costumes in order to blend the sense of Star Wars with the style of traditional Japanese weapons. Also, we had difficulty in making the product appear like the ancient Japanese military commanders would have worn it."

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

Transforming Vader into a Samurai, or a Samurai into Vader, required the integration of several design motifs that married the traditional with the fantastic. "First, we hit on the idea of adding the 'front crest', which was designed based on the Imperial Icon, to the front of the helmet," says Yoshitoku. "By adding this, the 'leader of the Imperial Army' image is emphasized, as ancient Japanese military commanders used their ancestral family emblems on their front crest. We also added a Vader-like design to the face guard (called a menpo) which features a handcrafted look as if artisans of the past had done it."

Because it was important to maintain the traditional Samurai design motifs while incorporating features of Darth Vader, a specialized designer was brought in. "The design required an advanced design sense," says Yoshitoku, "so we decided to ask Mr. Takayuki Takeya, who is one of the most famous sculptors in Japan, to draw the designs." According to Yoshitoku, Takeya has created several product sculpts for Bandai, a Japanese toy and model manufacturer, and also created sculpts for Alien and Predator statues. Because he is so sought-after in Japan, Takeya was only able to provide design sketches for the Samurai Vader.

"Actual prototype production was done by Mr. Tatsushi Satoh under the lead of Mr. Noboru Kawakami [president of J.A.P. Inc., who produces silver Star Wars accessories in Japan]. The prototype made in the 1/1 size was scanned by a 3-D scanner and a rough prototype was made using a computer-controlled cutting machine. Mr. Sato then finished the prototype by hand and Mr. Takeya himself provided the fine-tuning."

Yoshitoku likes to point out that while some of the costume's parts required state-of-the-art technology to produce, many of its components were created using ancient skills and traditional materials. "Basically, many parts of the helmet (kabuto) and armor (yoroi) are made by hand," says Yoshitoku. "The materials used for each part are similar to those that were used for the real thing. While we can mass-produce the metallic parts that can be duplicated, we still have to assemble those parts by hand. Also, many of the materials include cloth and strings which essentially have to go through the traditional production process. Many of the artisans who master these skills are over 70 years old."

In addition to the helmet and armor, the full ensemble will include a traditional bow and sword. "For the sake of safety, no real blade is attached," says Yoshitoku. "For the image of Vader's lightsaber, we made the sheath (sword case) and bow in red. These [and the costume pieces] are all reduced four times (1/4 size) from its original size."

As the creation of these traditional pieces are considered high art in Japan and require a lot of hand-crafting, they will not come cheap. The kabuto (helmet) with bow and sword will cost about 180,000 yen (about $1,500), while the full ensemble including the yoroi (armor), kabuto, bow, and sword will run 330,000 yen (about $2,700). At this time, these items will only be offered in Japan.
>> # top # | Q: Star Wars.com


I'll give you a bonus, my dear readers: there has been an exhibition with 66 replica artists in los angeles in 2oo7 called "The Vader Project" where the helmet of Darth Vader was to alter artistically in any way thinkable. Here are some results:

Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager

 If you want to spend an hour or so with some videos from the iNet, nothing special really, here's something I can recommend: the adventures of Chad Vader, the day shift manager. Imagine Vader, the all famous Sith Lord from the Star Wars universe, working for the Empire ... Store, a 24 hrs. convenience store. Add a little bit of comedy and have a go at it. Eight episodes on the whole of season one, a DVD and alleged comedy series might be following. Watch 'em all at YouTube or start with the first episode here: [...]
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Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager (episode 1)

# top # sent by Gavin

Dark City vs. Matrix

 Dark City is a movie that was released 1998, The Matrix is a way more famous one from the year of 1999, obviously released afterwards. If you know both movies you might notice some bites that actually did end up in both of them. Coincidence? Or boldly stolen?

Well, I knew both movies when I ran into this french article that pointed out these similarities but I hadn't noticed them before. Though, I really have to say: while some scenes do look very similar to their counterpart-scenes of the other movie, other comparisons seem fairly forced to me. But having a look at the first movie of the Matrix-trilogy surely makes me think in a way that the developers in Japan must have passed on for generations: "better well stolen then produced half-heartedly". Although I can't quite ignore and neglect the dangerous half knowledge of a certain comic The Matrix is based on ... [...]
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1998	1999

prevent a fall into a kloof


police cars in a dark street


deep view down an old staircase


creature with tentacles


old lamp in an old hallway


segregated telephone booth


deserted dark road


a mysterious girl with a tattoo

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]


an old pinup bill/poster


wide shot on an obscure town


claustrophobic shots: large and wide ceilings


single car and deserted wet street


a red pearl curtain


the canalisation of the town


bullets stopped by pure mind power


a brain intruding probe

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]


old firestairs


empty and refined interiors


a large hall with pillars on each side


an instrument for injection/extraction


telekinesis


a bald man with a roomy black leather coat


a pinup wearing a dress from the 5o-ies


mysterious old equipment

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]


a policeman wearing a uniform typical for the 5o-ies


a hero who can fly high up to the sky


the hero watches images of a better past


chase on rooftops, someone jumps and lands hard


an old subway


a medical view of an organism

# top # | Q: Gougoule.com (although now not available anymore)

I can't believe how long this one has been in my to-do-stack. Must have been nearly two years. Insanity!