Timewaster's Guide Archive

Well then, the more you know.  Learn something new everyday. But hey, I just got promoted to Dirty Peasant! Moving on up! 

Oh wow, I vaguely remember this show. And by vaguely I think I was only 6 years old when it first premiered.   

All I can really remember about it was that some of the voices were done by the people who did some of the voices for the Transformers. Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, I think.

Well, in regards to abortion, that issue can be argued on both sides for a long time. The side of science can say one thing, while the side of religion says the other. I have nothing against religion, but it should not influence government. The whole thing boils down to a philosophical debate on when life actually begins. Is it life as a zygote? I'm not a scientist, I don't know these things lol.

I saw this movie a few days ago and figured I'd write a review for it.

The movie was incredibly witty and funny, parodying mainstream Hollywood fads and lifestyles. There was a considerable amount of controversy before the film even came out about Robert Downy Jr.'s "black face" character, but all fears were laid to rest when, in the course of the film, it is apparent that RDJ is not mocking black face, but mocking actors in general. In fact, the whole film mocks actors in general, and it is through each individual actor that a certain acting style is mocked.

The film begins with a few fake trailers (akin to the fake trailers before Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse double feature) which focus on four of the actors from the film. These trailers are hilarious. They convey exactly all you need to know about the characters.

For example, Ben Stiller's character is mainly a summer blockbuster, shoot 'em up, action star (think Jason Statham or Sylvester Stallone). Jack Black's character is a comedy guru, along the lines of Eddie Murphy. Robert Downy Jr. is the character actor, delving so deep into his role that he forgets who he actually is (which is a major plot point later on in the film, but I won't spoil it).

The storyline of the movie is that all these actors are filming a new Vietnam war epic, adapted from the writings of a former Vietnam Vet. When things aren't going well for the studio and actors, and things look bleak, the veteran who wrote the book suggests taking the actors deep into the jungle to be filmed guerrilla style. Well, as one might expect, things go wrong, and the rag tag group of actors are thrust into a battle that is as real as any war might be.

There are moments in the middle of the film where the actors cannot grasp the fact that they are not shooting a movie anymore, which leads to some really funny bits between them.

One actor worthy of mentioning as an interesting character is Tom Cruise. He portrays a greedy, slimy Hollywood businessman in a fat suit. Honestly, until the camera really got a close-in look at him, I didn't recognize him.

Robert Downy Jr. steals the show, however. His over-the-top antics and character acting of the platoons African American Sergeant really make for a few interesting exchanges with one of the actual African American actors.

All in all, the movie was very funny when looked at as a satire and social commentary on actors and films in general.

Tropic Thunder Final Rating: A-

I will preface this by saying that I have been an Elder Scrolls fan ever since my grandfather lent me a copy of Elder Scrolls I: Arena a long, long time ago. With each subsequent installment, Bethesda has genuinely and dramatically improved the game play and graphics, leading to a more in-depth world of sword and sorcery. Now on to the review of TES IV: Oblivion. This review will be divided into five segments.

Part I: Game play

The game play of Oblivion is quite simple when used in conjunction with the extremely versatile Xbox controller. Movement is smooth and easy to control. The monsters in the game scale to your level, so you can finish the game at level 1 fighting nothing but level 1 enemies, or for more of a challenge, finish it at a higher level. Character creation is interesting, letting you pick 10 major skills, which are the major skills you must increase in order to level. Raise 10 of your major skills to gain one level. Also, each skill has different tiers of achievement, the higher tier you reach, the more abilities are unlocked for that skill.


Story/Quest Lines

Oblivion's story is simple. The boundaries keeping the forces of the Daedra (Elder Scroll's demon gods) Lord Mehrunes Dagon (who has played a part in almost every single Elder Scrolls game to date) have weakened to the point where he can launch an assault on the world to destroy it. Your character is thrust in the middle of this when the Emperor just so happens to be fleeing the castle from an assault on the royal family, and his path just so happens to lead through your prison cell. After escaping the sewers, the game becomes extremely non-linear, allowing you to follow many different paths. There are numerous factions to join, each allowing you to advance in their ranks to unlock additional perks and benefits.


Graphics

The graphics for Oblivion are quite beautiful. While not up to par with the PC version, the Xbox version pushes the graphics engine to deliver a breathtaking game. Not too much can be said on this topic. Character models can get a little repetitive, but in a world where each NPC (non player character) has its own schedule, it is to be expected.

Music

Music, much like the graphics, is strikingly memorable. The main theme in particular stands out in my mind. If I had to equate it to anything, it resembled the music from the Lord of the Rings movies (at least, in terms of its epic scale).


Re playability

Re playability is very high with this game. There are a lot of different classes to choose, and each archetype (be it fighter, rogue or mage) can bring challenges and difficulties in regard to the players preferred style. Two expansions have been released for the game; the first being semi-short but mildly fulfilling, and the second being a lot longer and more fleshed out.


Rating the game, I would give it (on a 1-5 scale) the following points:

Gameplay: 4
Story: 5
Graphics: 5
Music: 4
Re playability: 5

Final score: 4.6

Oblivion is a massive improvement over the series's previous title Morrowind. It takes sword & sorcery and infuses it with an epic storyline, incredible content, amazing graphics and a re playability that allows the game to be enjoyed countless times.

(This was my first review of anything ever, so be gentle!  )

In my opinion, she was a purely political pick by the McCain camp to attract a bulk of the extremely fanatical Hillary supporters who would vote for a woman just because she is a woman (please keep in mind that there ARE people like this out there and it is not something I personally relish bringing up, but it is the truth). I fully support a woman to be president if she wishes.

Personally, I don't think she is very bright. I mean, in one video I saw she pretty much came out and said she has no idea what the VP actually does...so yeah lol. Take into account that she's already under federal investigation for "abuse of power" while Governor of Alaska and certain other things about her that I dislike (she once asked her town library if they could live with censored books, something I am vehemently against).

She has been the Governor of a state with less that 600k people for less than two years, before that she was a small town mayor. She has little to no foreign policy experience, and if McCain's health should worsen (nothing against him, but he is extremely old and does have his bouts with lots of illness) I don't think she would make a very good president.

Her pick was either a brilliant ploy by the GOP or its fatal mistake.

Buy or Sell?
One of metal minds allows the Feruchemist to store emotions. That way when they need to take emotion out of the situation they can store it, on rainy days they can be super happy or if they are in battle they can become red berserkers.

Hmmm....Buy. If they can store things like "wakefulness" then I think it is entirely possible to store certain emotions. Actually, that idea can be taken to a few interesting places....I'll have to think more on it.


Buy or Sell?
All of the Dominances from Mistborn are actually on the same planet as the Elantris cities, just on the other side of the world.

Haha that is usually the go-to response for voice actors/voice overs. Morgan Freeman in "The Narrator" comes to mind. 

Darn, my mind is consumed by thoughts of casting someone for Ashe now. The rest of the cast is in the back of my mind, because they can be chosen based off of physical appearances and how well they look like a character. But a voice actor for a Seon....now that's a brain burner.