Movie Monday: Avengers Money, Superhero Sequels, Avatar Sequels, Cop and Gangster Movies

Hello everyone. Let’s get right into this week’s news. This week, on movie Mondays.

Below is a podcast elaborating on the below topics. In honor of mother’s day, my guest this week is my mom! I sound a bit different in this video because I have been sick recently. My mom is not as involved in movies as JTrain was, but it’s all in good fun. She gets really into it after the Avatar part. I don’t know why I said my dad instead of dad. I guess I wasn’t sure if I was talking to my mom or the audience. Haha. Anyways, it was interesting to get another point of view. Enjoy, and feel free to follow along with the post.

The Avengers has surpassed 1 billion dollars worldwide. Avatar made roughly $1.83 Billion.  The Avengers is on its way to beating the record! In other news, The Avengers 2 has officially been confirmed. As one would have guessed, it is coming back for round 2. I cannot even think about that right now, for I’m still recovering from the first.  (in a good way) Along with that, Thor 2, Iron Man 3, and Captain America 2 (sigh) are all in production. Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are set to be released in 2013, and Captain America 2 is set for 2014. (yes, a year free of more Cap ) The Avengers 2 has no set release year yet. That’s fine. Whedon deserves to take a breather for at least another year or so. Along with the Marvel sequels, Kick-Ass 2 is being negotiated upon. I was personally a fan of the first. I cannot recite any lines, any plot points, or any specifics about it, but I enjoyed it. It was rather strange, however. I will let you know if a deal is struck. Moving on.

James Cameron has removed himself from directing and producing everything that is not related to Avatar. Don’t believe me? Here’s what he said. “So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the Avatar business. Period. That’s it. I’m making Avatar 2, Avatar 3, maybe Avatar 4, and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them. I’m not interested in taking scripts.” He goes on to say how he can convey ideas with solely Avatar, and explains that though it sounds harsh, it’s all he needs. Well, we know that two more Avatar movies are being made, which isn’t a surprise, considering its success and reputation. I personally think that though Avatar was ground-breaking, and a Filet in my book, Cameron is making a huge mistake. He can take on other projects and bring them to life. Staying to this one premise, while it may be profitable, is risky and foolish. What do you guys think? Let’s move on.

There has been a trailer release for a movie called “End of Watch.” It is a cop movie filmed in the style of a documentary…that means Paranormal Activity/Blair Witch Project Style. At first, I thought it could be pulled off…then I saw a shot of the cop holding the camera as he was breaching into a house. You’ve got to be kidding me…

And the golden AK-47′s. I’m not very gun savvy, but I do know that AK-47′s are the most reliable weapons for militias and terrorist groups because they are cheap. Noone would golden plate an AK…

This next trailer is for a movie called “Gangster Squad.” The name is more than cheesy, but it looks like it could be a very good gangster movie. Ryan Gosling, however, seems to be the odd man out. After seeing Drive, I can’t see him as a gangster. Watch the trailer and judge for yourself.

Pretty stylistic trailer, right? I’ll wait for the reviews and more trailers before I decide if I’m in or not, but it looks pretty cool so far.

That’s all for this week! Check out the Think-a-Bit Thursday Post below and comment on it please Until next time

~Ddog

Find It Fridays #9

Hello everyone! Before you start reading, check out Think-a-Bit Thursday below if you haven’t already. Anyways, let’s start. Last week’s riddle has been solved by Sgt Hell once again. I think he’s on a streak. You guys could tackle him I’m sure. Try to participate if you haven’t before. You may just find your fancies tickled in the end. Last week’s riddle was on the Spy/War/Action Page under Movie Reviews, under the Expendables review. It was the Expendables skull logo.

The explanation for last week’s riddle is as follows: The first lines refers to Barney, the purple dinosaur, and Ross, whose motto is Dress for Less. Sylvester Stallone’s name in the Expendables was Barney Ross. The second line refers to Jason Statham’s character, Christmas. The third line refers to Terry Crews, who is a former member of the Rams NFL team, and who plays the father in the show ‘Everybody Hates Chris.’ The fourth line refers to Jet Li, who is obviously Asian. The 7th line refers to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cameo in the movie, and the last refers to Bruce Willis, whose character’s name was Church. The watch bit was a reference to arguably his most famous character, from Pulp Fiction.

Here is this week’s riddle. The winner gets a guest post about anything they would like. After the riddle here is Sgt Hell’s guest post. He asks me a fan question. Check it out.

A Sly riddle, I promise, this one will be,

A fat hippo, a Procyon lotor, and wise Bentley.

They are being chased by a foxy cop and travelling around the world,

Canada, India, they’re looking for the bird.

Bison and Tiger, a host of bad guys who could be the one, 

it was the short musical bird, yes, this is a pun.

Here is Sgt Hell’s guest post. It is a fan question. He asks: What gave you the original idea and inspiration for your website? 

Sgt. Hell, I was actually inspired to do this by a cousin of mine. He has a blog where he reviews video games, and he uses WordPress. Every time I went over his house, he was always editing his blog. I saw how he did it, and it seemed like I could do it as well. Though I wanted to focus more on movies, he did inspire me to start the blog. Here’s the link to his blog. It has slowed down, however. There are four people that edit the blog, and so there have been some power struggles. Still, he has announced that he feels that they will get busy with the blog soon. It’s good if you like video games and Nintendo in general. If I never saw my cousin working on his blog, I would probably never have found WordPress. Thanks for the question!

~Ddog

Think-A-Bit Thursday: Gladiator and Motivation

Before I start, allow me to apologize. I was not able to post this in the morning like I wanted to. Nonetheless, welcome to this new series! Now, I never try to push for comments. Yes, I say to comment on what you think, etc, etc. I just recently had a post about the lack of comments. But I have never said that comments are necessary…until now. This series cannot survive unless there are comments. Think-a-Bit Thursdays requires feedback. It’s supposed to get you thinking. If there’s no feedback, I would assume that nobody was effected by the post. Also, I put a lot of thought and effort into it. So, if you read these posts, please put in your two cents each week. Thanks guys:)

SO! Every Thursday, I will choose a movie. These posts will be longer than you are used to from me, but they need to be a bit lengthy in order for me to get my point across like I would prefer. I will analyze a point that is brought up by a movie. This week, I’m focusing on Gladiator. Haven’t seen it? Don’t leave now. I will catch you up so you could participate. Either way, it’s not the movie we’re focusing on. (Though you really should have seen it by now…its legendary.)

For those who haven’t seen the movie, it is about Maximus (Russell Crowe), a Roman general who is betrayed by the emperor’s son. The son sends soldiers to brutally murder Russell Crowe’s wife and son. Why? Because the emperor would choose Maximus as the heir instead of his son. For those who have seen the movie, you could tell how strong the connection was between Russell Crowe and his family. Russell is then captured and turned into a gladiator. There’s no escaping, so he fights…and fight hard. He is the most experienced gladiator, due to his military experience, and he joins the gladiators together to fight in the arena. He becomes a fan favorite and a bit of a celebrity to the Roman people.

But I’m not here to talk about Gladiator. I’m here to talk about its strongest point: Motivation. The question I’ll be covering today is: What drives a person to do what they do? Red Bull is not an acceptable answer. I intend to dig deeper than that.

In this movie, his motivation is clearly vengeance. But is that the strongest drive a person can experience? No. I don’t believe so. Vengeance is something that is carried out for someone else. Humans are a selfish people. We cannot become puppets set to fulfill a goal that is not going to satisfy an inner purpose. We would not put in 100 and 10 percent of effort to avenge a family member’s murder as Crowe does. Not because vengeance is a thing out of movies, but because it doesn’t satisfy people in the end. We have seen countless movies where the main character kills the bad guy in the end out of vengeance, but they always return back to their daily lives. They don’t feel any better. This is why vengeance is not a drive that can possibly sustain a person. It has no reward in the end.

People typically say that their family is what motivates them to do well and strive to be successful. Is that actually true? I do everything that I do because of how I was raised. I do what is considered moral because of my family’s influence. Every time I am doing something, I put my effort into it. That is because of how my parents raised me to be. Therefore, I have them in mind when I do things. But is it for my dad, for example, that I strive to do well in everything I do? Of course, I think of how he will perceive the work. But I know that he will accept what I do no matter what, because he is my dad. How can I truly be motivated by something that will accept everything I do? Because of these ethics and principles I have picked up while being raised, I act according to them. Inspiration and motivation are two different things. My family inspires me, but it is something up in our heads that gets us going. Family is fuel, but what’s the engine?

What force is powerful enough to motivate us? When people are trying to lose weight on TV, for example, the typical things you see are the characters chasing donuts on the treadmill, using it as motivation. I don’t buy it. Donuts are temporary. “Eye on the prize” is temporary. Once you get the prize due to some temporary goal, then what? The fact is, another person or object cannot be your strongest motivation. We fight harder for ourselves than for other people. At heart, we may feel differently, but it is in our genes: Survive. Are there exceptions? Of course. Strong surges of emotion that are existent can influence the above statement, but men are all built wanting to survive. This is why our heart beats.

I would say that religion is the most powerful permanent motivation. Why? Because we don’t have to understand it to have faith in it. It is the only thing on this earth that has no scientific explanation, the only thing not tainted by humans: faith. Love and passion and glory and greed are all fulfilling for a certain amount of time, and triggered under certain circumstances. Religion is the code by which we live our daily lives. It sticks with us during times of war and times of peace. Human means of happiness are material. Not all means, but most. Religion is untouchable and solely within the person who has faith in it. There are no tools needed to have faith in God and no places required to be at to have faith.

And, of course, religion has the strongest prize. All religions say that if you live life according to its code, you will have a peaceful life after death. Heaven. But let’s face it. Those who are motivated by religion don’t think, ‘I’m going to heaven!’ every time they do a good deed. No. Having faith in a religion and following its morals is fulfilling in itself. To us, this life doesn’t seem like a test to determine if we are fit for another. We don’t think about religion 24/7. It’s not an activity. It’s a belief. But though it is passive at times, it is always there subconsciously. Humans are ambitious to live in happiness and stability, and religion allows us to do that. Though peace cannot be a reality all the time, we can still feel happiness and maintain stability in out own heads, which is where we are most comfortable. Though other people and other passions may be fuel, religion, in my opinion, is the engine.

This is why I think that it isn’t emotion that is the strongest motivator, but religion. I would like to hear your thoughts. This post, after all, IS a discussion. Comment, and allow me to hear your thoughts. I am looking forward to your responses.

~Ddog

Movie Monday: The Avengers, Expendables 2 Trailer, Final DKR and Amazing Spiderman Trailer, and The Dictator Opening Scene

Hello everybody! This is the first post in a new weekly series called Movie Mondays! In it, I discuss what’s new concerning trailers, news, and all things movies. This is a post that will ensure you never miss a good trailer or big movie news. Realistically, I can’t cover ALL the trailers and news, but I will project whatever I find interesting. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back

Here’s a podcast of me and special guest J-Train talking about the news below. I apologize for my fast talking in the first couple of minutes. I didn’t realize how quickly I was going until I played it over. Feel free to follow along with the post below. There is no picture or video over the audio, so you could go over to another tab and just listen while you send out last minute emails and typing up last minute reports. Enjoy

Let’s start off with the obvious. The Avengers! It grossed $200 million on its opening weekend here in the US. 200 million! It is the top grossing debut ever. Ever. That is insane. As of right now, The Avengers has made 600 million dollars total. I reviewed it on Saturday, and you could read the review here…or you could just scroll down a bit… 

Next up is the Expendables 2 trailer. Earlier this year, there was a teaser for it. It featured Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone having a “you owe me” talk. Finally, the trailer is out. You see some familiar faces, and you instantly think testosterone, even though it’s only a 2 minute trailer. Here it is!

I have no expectations for it, due to Chuck Norris being in it, who is now 72. Some people just don’t grow up. I don’t expect plot or meaningful dialogue. This is something I will watch just because everyone needs a brainless action movie once in a while. Then again, this is a huge collaboration of action stars, which doesn’t happen often.

Next up is the new Dark Knight Rises trailer. This is the last one that is being released before its debut. It really gets you thinking, “What does Batman have to live for? How far will he go to save Gotham?” For those who didn’t know, Bane breaks Batman’s back in the comics. Do you think that will happen in The Dark Knight Rises?

At bat next is the final Amazing Spiderman trailer. I actually typed up a post at The Midnight Novelist about if I thought this movie would do well or not, and why. You could check it out here. Anyways, this trailer has given me new hope. The whining Tobey Maguire has a perfect replacement: Andrew Garfield. We see him get humorous, and this trailer reveals something that has never been done in a Spiderman movie before. Peter Parker’s parents are now being dragged into the plot. Yes, they are dead, but they play some kind of a role. Check out the trailer below and you’ll understand.

Pretty cool, right? For those who didn’t know, in the comics, Peter’s parents were CIA agents. We never had this type of parent conflict before in a Spidey movie, and it will be interesting to see where it leads.

And then there was something that leaves me a bit confused. The first couple opening minutes of the Dictator were released…it looks Aladeen. Check out the video below.

And that’s all for this Movie Monday! How did you like it? What did you think of the trailers and opening scene? Should I continue with this series? Comment below to let me know.

~Ddog

The Avengers Review

Don’t worry everybody. No spoilers here. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my spoiler free breakdown. This is the Avengers.

[cue epic music]

The two key points to this highly anticipated movie are characters and plot. The characters are everything we wanted them to be and more. They each get their fair share of screen time. Are you a fan of Iron Man? Don’t fret, lost cub. There is plenty of the Iron Man. What about Captain America? Be calm, young buck. He is present. All of these heroes kick some ass. Everybody gets their fair share of moments, lines, and scenes. If I had to choose, I would say that Hawkeye got the short end of the stick. But he still contributed and had some great moments. Renner defines Hawkeye very well, and he nails the character’s attitude perfectly. What about Black Widow? Did she hold her own? Yes, she did. In fact, she was very involved in this movie, with a lot of screen time. I liked her in this movie more than I did in Iron Man 2. Robert Downey Jr. was remarkable as Tony Stark, which is no surprise. Tony Stark is just the cockier version of himself. He plays the character in real life, which is why he pulls it off. Thor is shown kicking some ass more than he did in his own movie, and he uses some lightning, which is always cool. Captain America stayed true to his soldierish, leader personality, but I still think he’s lame. When he didn’t have his shield or a weapon at one point, he grabbed a piece of rubble and chucked it at the bad guy. It was hilarious to me. He’s chock full of corny lines, being from WWII. I’m not complaining, I just don’t like his character. The agents in the movie, including Nick Fury, each had their moments. And, of course, I have to talk about the Hulk. He stole the show, with the best lines, moments, and scenes. Ruffalo played him better than Norton did. Yep, he pulled it off. The Hulk even looks like Ruffalo. And now the bad guy, Loki. He was even more sinister than he was in Thor, and he gets his hands dirtier than before. All of these characters get their spotlight moments, and subtle things happen that pay homage to their original movies. The fact is, these big egos pulled it off together. Very well. Nerds will have their share of geek, no doubt about it.

Next up is the plot. How did it flow? Very well. The beginning part of the movie shows your favorite characters getting recruited. At first, it seems almost surreal. These guys were actually in a movie together. Then, once the team is assembled, the movie takes off and there are multiple conflicts, etc. There were no parts that dragged or went too quickly. I must say, though. The end of the movie was nuts. You see how every Avenger is critical to the team. I wish I could elaborate more, but I am a spoiler-free type of guy. There was also a ton of humor. I found myself laughing, and at times, the whole theater burst into laughter. For an action movie, it had some nicely pulled off humor. Everyone gets their time in the spotlight, everybody kicks some ass, and everyone contributes a dish to the dinner table. The Avengers is a Filet. We see our characters interact, and there are plenty of memorable scenes and action-packed moments. Joss Whedon meshed these personalities together and made a well-composed movie. I couldn’t have asked for more. The only thing that wasn’t explained well was how Thor came to Earth. It is discussed in Thor that there are other ways to travel rather than the bridge, but it isn’t clearly defined here for those who cannot fill in the blanks. But that’s a passable thing. The Avengers was awesome. It looked great, sounded great, and I’m sure it tasted great too. I didn’t have an opportunity to lick the screen on my way out of the theater.

Note: I saw it in 3d, and while it didn’t detract from the experience in any way, it didn’t really enhance it either. No need for 3d with this one.

Find It Fridays #8

Hello everybody! Here is the riddle for this week. I apologize for it being up late. I had some internet issues. If you win, you get a guest post. Some ideas? A review, rage segment, advertisement, list of favorite movies/games, videos, polls, news, anything. You own the home page for a week with a post! Now that you’re inspired, let’s get to it. Good luck! Need a boost? Like gamerscene on Facebook here to get hints throughout the week to help you.

It starts with a purple dinosaur, one who may also dress for less,

And then there’s a holiday, here’s a hint, Christmas.

Next is a former Ram, who hates his son Chris,

And there’s of course the Jet, who is Asian, not Swiss.

I used ‘Swiss’ because I needed a strong rhyme,

It has no significance, don’t waste your time.

The Governor also joined in, but he wasn’t alone,

 Church was there too, I guess his watch was at home.

Good luck! No explanation required, just a comment saying where the picture is, what it is of, and under what review or rage segment. Below is the guest post from Sgt. Hell, last FIFridays winner. Show him some love and like up the poll.

Until next time!

~Ddog

My Plans for Gamerscene

Hello everyone. Things are about to get serious. There are going to be some changes around here.

“OH NO! WHY, DDOG, WHY!?”

Calm down, my friend. I decided to start a posting schedule.

“SO COMPLEX! I CAN’T HANDLE IT!”

Chill out, it’s simple. Allow me to explain. A posting schedule is simple a routinely schedule I will stick to when it comes to posting things on the home page of the blog. Reviews, Rage Segments, and Polls are going to be completely random, like always, but posts on the home page will be on certain days. Here’s the schedule I’ve thought up so far *Note: It will not be put in effect until Friday. Votes are needed on the poll before I move on:

Movie Mondays: I report on the week’s movie news. I just realized how up to date I am concerning movies, and sharing that here makes complete sense. I would also leave a poll for you to vote on concerning what movie you would like me to review. This will be posted every Monday.

Find-It Fridays: The usual scavenger hunt held every Friday until the next one. Unsure of the rules? Scroll down a bit, they are deep in the bowels of the home page.

Between Monday and Friday, I would post something random, whether it be a featured review, a mini-series post, or whatever it may be. I really want to do some sort of other series, and here are two ideas. Vote on your favorite, and I will attempt it. So vote below, and leave a comment with an idea. To stay up-to-date with all of my posts, hit follow on the right bar, and you’ll be notified of every post by email, so you’ll never miss a thing.

Here are the explanations for the two choices below. Please vote:

Think-A-Bit Thursdays*(I would personally enjoy this more : I get deep. A new topic every week will keep this series fresh. I get philosophical and analyze points brought up in movies. Points that get the human mind thinking: is this correct? Or, why did they act this way? I’ll take a look at concepts and characters and talk about them. It’ll be a bit out of my expertise, but hey, why not?

Shooter Saturdays: I talk about what’s new with Black Ops 2. More news is being released every day. I could cover it through this post.

So comment with your own ideas and vote above!

~Ddog