Denzel Washington is Rubin Carter, THE HURRICANE

IS

I have to admit, I have somewhat of a bias in favor of this man. Denzel Washington is, in my opinion, one of the most moving and powerful actors of our time. Perhaps my review of this movie will be affected by this sentiment. I feel however, that it deserves every word of the praise I am about to bestow upon it.

The hurricane is an emotionally charged true story of a man, Rubin Carter, who was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. He was sentenced, for a murderous rampage at a bar, which he did not commit. There are parts that are fictionalized. Certain characters are composites. Regardless, the movie is brilliantly executed. It tells the story of a man who loses hope in his own release but regains his hope, through the help of a boy named Lezra.

The character of Lezra is a key part of this story. He is from Brooklyn, but the audience is introduced to him as he lives with a group of canadians who thought he was bright and felt the urge to help him with his future, taking him in and teaching him how to read and write. The first book Lezra reads is a book called The Sixteenth Round, from Number 1 contender to #45472. The story is inspirational to him, and Rubin Carter becomes a sort of mentor for Lezra. It is not long before he enters into correspondence with Rubin, and eventually meets him.

I will not reveal any more about the plot, but suffice to say, the lives of these people become intertwined, and they become something like a family. To me, that is the most moving truth in this movie, more so then the scenes of anger from false imprisonment, of solidarity and strength against great adversity. It is the message that hate imprisons, but love will set you free.

The director is careful here, to keep the movie flowing with exceptional timing, and he succeeded brilliantly, because the tears will more than likely also be flowing down your cheek if you like this sort of movie. The story is simply present as a self evident truth, it doesn’t push emotions down your throat, it tells a story with such success that you cant help but feel a sense of compassion and joy at the journey of these people.

It doesn’t hurt that all the actors here do a wonderful job with the well written script. You can sense the indignation of Rubin at his imprisonment. You can see the respect and gratitude in the eyes of Lezra that he was given such a courageous  mentor. Denzel Washington is absolutely riveting throughout in his portrayal of a man whose spirit will be not be defeated.

Having spent some time in a cell myself, I can only imagine what spending 20 years in prison would be like. I can personally attest to the accuracy of the psychological condition of confronting yourself this kind of situation puts you in. It’s a case of what can not kill you making you strong.

Rubin Carters story is inspiring, this movie is a wonderful feature film adaptation of his story, and I recommend everyone see it. However, I also am aware of the controversy regarding Rubin Carter. This movie is seen by many as hiding the truth. Some feel that Rubin Carter really was guilty, and that his book, and this movie were written to hide the truth.

You can read about this here. I read through these accusations, and was not convinced in any way that Rubin Carter was guilty of murder because of them. These accusations seem to be more about defamation of character and finding a motive, than actual evidence against Rubin Carter.

I believe this is a case of people simply siding with the skeptic simply because they want to be known as seekers of truth. No one wants to feel victimized by believing in an inspirational story that could be all lies, so I think people believe these shallow accusations simply because they would rather not deal with cognitive dissonance of not being sure.

The real story is, we can not prove beyond a shadow of a doubt either way. However, Rubin Carter is out of prison, he has inspired many, and he is contributing to society in a meaningful way as a motivational speaker. I would say that he has been rehabilitated, and isn’t that what prison is for?

This Cal Deal guy, behind this so called revelation ,about the “truth” of Rubin Carter, seems to be promoting a ploy for publicity. A rather successful attempt at becoming famous as a Trial Exhibit Consuleing and Design expert. There is no better way to become a rich trial consultant than by making a public attack on both Rubin Carter and Denzel Washington. He even went as far as attempting to make sure that Denzel did not get an oscar, sponsoring No Oscar protests.

Basically, fuck him. Hes just a bullshitter, out to make himself rich by the defemation of others.

This movie was outstanding. Denzel Washington is an outstanding actor. We you believe the events happened as shown in this movie is irrelevant. See this movie, goddamn it.

Until next time.

Johnny Blaze, out.

Johnny Blaze Weighs in on Game Informer

Game informer isn’t by any means a terribly written publication. It also has achieved great popularity. So too, however, have taco bell and mcdonalds. They taste good, and they fill you up. Relying on those foods to live however, would make you fat and unhealthy, because they have very few nutrients.

Game Informer will not make you fat or unhealthy. However, relying on it as your primary source of information about gaming, is going to lead you away from a lot of games that you might otherwise get great enjoyment from.

I also have purchased game informer a few times, because a preview or news article they featured caught my eye. I will not dispute that they are obviously doing something right. However, primarily I think what they are doing right is encapsulating mainstream opinion.

A lot of game informers popularity, is tied into the distribution deal they have with Gamestop and EB. I respect their success as a business. However, I feel that publications like Game Informer contribute to the current state, of interactive entertainment not being viewed as a serious art form.

Perhaps they too will change as games start to be taken more seriously as an art. I predict that unless they do change, they will fail as many magazines have before, and be replaced by magazines which take inspiration from the now defunct Next Generation, or the currently successful, Play magazine.

208 Thousand Visitors by 2008

I have very big plans for this blog. I would like to work full time dissecting and discussing all my favorite forms of entertainment. To make this happen, I have set a goal. This site will get 208,000 visitors by the year 2008. I have 9 months to make this happen.

To achieve this level of traffic in such a short time, I know I need to offer something of great value. To do this, I am going to be updating at least once a day, so there is always something new to see.  Even on weekends.

I will also be holding contests in the future, giving out prizes to people for helping to promote the site. The prizes will include games, movies, and books. In addition I will be holding contests that do not involve promotion, for instance video game trivia and score contests.

I know its going to involve a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication to achieve this dream, but I know it will happen because I believe in what I am doing, and I truly want it. I hope to win the support of everyone who reads this blog. Even if you do not agree with the things I say, please help me and my friends realize a dream to really do something with our lives, something not a lot of people do in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

I’m not going to ask for donations, or attempt to make a living in anyway from this blog, until I achieve my goal of 208,000 visitors. What I ask for from my readers, is that you take a few moments of your day to make a blog post on Myspace about us, to post in your own blog about us, to tell your friends and family about us. We just want to live the dream. Help us do it.

If that doesn’t motivate you, you probably can’t say no to Jessica Alba.

… She will shoot you. If you don’t send all your friends to no limits entertainment.

Welcome To The Sho(Introduction on Sho)

My name is Sho. I like to keep things short, but sweet. My primary interests are things of the past… A.K.A Retro. I will be reviewing Retro Video Games, Movies, Music, and books. I like to give my opinion on things, but I do not cover my ears and eyes to others opinions. I will make sure to tell you not only the positives, but also the negatives on all of the things I review.

Also to be noted, I DO NOT write reviews on things unknown to me (what that means is I do not write reviews on games I have not played, or movies I have not watched etc). I Hope you enjoy not only my reviews but also the other reviews, and be respectful of others opinions.

Now, to add some more light on my actual tastes. My videogame interests are very broad.  I do play everything, and on occassion i will play some next-gen games. However, my favorite game systems of all time would be the Turbografx-16, Sega Saturn, and the 3DO, in that order. I am also a very big PC gamer, and I love to play retro stuff for the PC. Some examples would be classic RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Halls Of The Dead, and Lands Of Lore 1-3. My favorite game genres are Horror, Survival, Puzzle (not like tetris, more along the lines of Myst), and obviously anything now considered Retro.

I do not limit myself to just games. As for Movies, I like classic stuff.  Some of my favorites are 1950’s-1980’s horror films (independent and mainstream). My favorite movie of all time is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original version.  My music is again, now considered retro.  Anything from 1960’s-1980’s Metal, and I also enjoy new things. I don’t just listen to metal, I am just telling you my prefrence.  I actually listen to alot of music. All types, and from all over the world. Another one of my preferences would be Finnish Power Metal/Speed Metal because I believe they do it the best, and alot of what I listen to comes out of Finland.

My interest in books has decreased, I will not lie, and it is not because their are not good books out there. I just can’t seem to get into any nowadays, so I stay with older things. I enjoy Horror/Mystery books the most, but i do also love to read fantasy stuff, and just anything that is interesting. My favorite author is Edgar Allen Poe, and my favorite book from him would be The Tell-Tale Heart.

I hope you have enjoyed this and I look forward to writing reviews and my thoughts on all different forms of entertainment, very soon. If you know anything that you think might spark my interest, even books, please contact me. Also, feel free to leave comments.

The Borg is MAD

Nothing gets the Borg more heated than magazines like

,

and douche bags that work at Gamestores.

Game informer sucks, because of the lack of open mindedesness by the reviewers. The magazine is tied to an average across all the reviews. What this means is that games that
are well worth playing, which many people may enjoy more than the so
called triple a games, are ridiculed and given low scores. Even if
the reviewer admits to enjoying the game, they are forced to give
low reviews to keep their reviewing average the same.

As an unpaid journalist, the Borg would kill to be in the position
these guys are in. They get exclusive demos, they
get access to any game, they are paid to PLAY GAMES. It feels as if
they have stopped loving the games and do it as job instead of a passion.

As for gamestore employees, they are usually completely biased clowns who aren’t even particularly knowledgeable about games, and mislead customers with incorrect information. The other day some particularly stupid motherfuckers thought they were funny by pointing at their dick and talking about how the Wii can suck their wee wee.

The funny part is, that was probably sexual frustration, more than it was a diss against the Wii. Maybe girls would suck their wee wees if they weren’t such close minded pricks.

My Thoughts on Super Columbine Massacre RPG – Johnny Blaze

What’s interesting about this game, is that it explores highly volatile subject matter. It has outraged gamers, developers, columbine school members, and media.

I have yet to see an actual review of the game, perhaps because journalists don’t want to deal with the potential outrage and protests if the game recieves any positive feedback. I also haven’t yet played through the game, but from what I have played, I am impressed by the amount of thought that went into the dialogue. Perhaps the designers were motivated by the certain fame of making a game which would cause this kind of controversy, but it is clear that they were serious about creating a game which explores the motivations of the columbine massacre.

I am aware that the situation is still sensitive, and that it may be regarded as “too soon” to release this kind of project. However, I strongly believe this is protected free speech, and it should be allowed and encouraged to tackle these kind of subjects.

The creator of the game is an aspiring filmmaker by the name of Danny Ledonne, who upon release tried to remain anonymous, until his identity was revealed by a friend of one of the columbine victims. The game was entered into the slamdance guerilla games festival, and was a finalist until one of the judges decided it was not appropriate and pulled it from the festival. The pulling of the game has been the subject of a great deal of debate over censorship.

The outrage from victims became even more complicated when the Dawson College Shooting took place. The perpetrator of this shooting, Kimveer Gill, stated that one of her favorite games was Super Columbine Massacre. Ledonne, who is reported as having vomited, upon hearing the news that his game was the favorite of the killer, had the following to say about the controversy.

“If one is interested in making something for the public to view–be it a painting, a book, an album, a film, or a video game, should the POSSIBLE harm that may come out of this work be grounds for its suppression from society? This is, in a sense, pre-crime. If you believe in what you’re doing and you want to express yourself, the expression should be primary and any interpretations that come after must always remain of secondary importance to the creation of the work itself. On another level, the entire correlation between the Dawson College shooting and my game is unfounded. [...] What else did Kimveer like? Black clothes? Goth music? Pizza? [...] If anything, the Dawson College shooting is proof positive that games like SCMRPG SHOULD be made; until video games are no longer among the “usual suspects” for homicidal rampages, the public needs to more carefully consider why interactive electronic media is somehow the manufacturer of Manchurian Candidates. ^“

What he says rings true to me, because it is clear that the media, and to a large extent, the general public, blamed these school shootings on external factors, that were in large part, coincidences. In the week after the columbine shootings, the average person believed Doom could train a kid to become a weapons expert, and inspired the kind of violence neccessary for a shooting rampage. They also might have believed Marilyn Manson was telling kids to fire bullets into anyone who dislikes them.

Art simply mirrors life. The movies, books, games, music etc. that these kids identify with reflects their feelings of not fitting in. The difference between those kids and the artwork in questions millions of other fans is that these kids chose to express their very real feelings of sorrow, of not being accepted, of being tirelessly bullied, in a completely inappropriate way.

Allowing these events to be explored is a step toward coming up with a serious solution, for dealing with the psychopathic tendencies of children who are pushed to the edge. Perhaps if parents and teachers, instead of condemning this kind of artistic expression, would sit down and play this game, they could more easily identify the signs that their child is crying out for help and is plotting ways to lash out and harm society.

It is easy to say these kids are “just crazy”, and perhaps they are, but there are many things that could be done to prevent future copycats, and instead of ‘zero tolerance’, which only provides a mirage of safety, there should be a serious effort to stop the bullying, and generally toxic atmosphere of schools around the country. In the meantime, I tentatively give my support to the creator of this game, and his future works, which are said to include the release of a documentary about columbine.

Wanna PLay with Myk BOrj

Yo the names myk borj and im a gaming prodigy. Don’t believe me? wanna play? Nah im fuckin with you. I’m a hardcore gamer, I aint too bad at em either. And by not too bad I mean challenge me and prepare to get p0wned. My goal is to let people know all the good aspects of games along with the bad. Some of My top genres are Rpgs and rhythm, but i play every kind of game. I’ll school anyone at The New Super Mario Bros(just to let you know).

My focus isn’t movies, but anything with Denzel Washington in it works for me. Besides Forgotten Realms, i’m not to big on reading either. I do like to learn new things though so Iim open to suggestions. So i guess i’m just a video game fanatic, but that’s what most of you are here for anyway right?

You can expect a lot of content from me about games. I plan on adding a lot of different feature articles, if you have any ideas email me at mykbrochill17@AIM.com. Some examples of features which might be recurring, would be for instance, critiscms of popular gaming magazines like game informer, Handheld gaming, videos of myself facing people in games, articles about games that have been overlooked by the popular press. etc.

So in conclusion, if you want to post any kind of score at a game, post it, i’ll record myself playing the game and the beating the fuck out of your score.

Now introducing, Johnny Blaze

I will try to introduce myself and this blog with as little fanfare as possible, in the interest of modesty. I am your esteemed lord, master, and consumer of recreational drugs, Johnny Blaze. While I realize this is also the legal name of the Ghost Rider, I use it as a nickname, given to me because of my relaxed confidence and incredible sexual appeal, or because I look like i’m stoned even when im dead sober..
Enough of the theatrics and egotisticalness. I created this blog because of an idea I had with my buddy Myk. We wanted an opportunity to write about a subject we are both passionate about. The idea, at first, was to make videogaming website in the model of IGN, Gamestop etc. Upon further thought, and a bowl or two of some good bud, we realized we had better come up with something unique. I decided having a blog and not a traditional website, would not only be more progressive, but allow the focus to be on the content, not on a constricting and confusing visual layout.

This isn’t a place for you to find every associated press news release about videogames. This is not a place were you will find a review of Barbies Horse Racing. This is not a place where we will mince words, make reviews arbitrarily long (or short), or attempt to write in the boring uncolorful journalistic style of most news media. This blog will not be limited to
videogames, and will cover many different form of entertainment. It will not be limited by political correctness, or any form of motherfucking candy pansy ass censorship.

I know that for many people entertainment is a release from the troubles of their everyday lives, and I will strive to stay away from the boring formal style of your corporate overlords. I want our readers to treat us like that friend who knows a lot about games, movies, music and the like. A much more open minded and objective friend than most, but a friend nonetheless. So like any good friend, we want your honest feedback and opinion. In the coming months, we will be introducing a lot of different recurring features. This is an opportunity for our readers to help make this site what they want it to be.

Tell us what you would like to see. What can you expect for now is that we will be writing a lot about retro gaming, homebrew gaming, independent movies and more. Expect to see reviews and commentary of Youtube videos for example.

As for what I enjoy, I am very open minded, so I will play everything from RPGs to Strategy games, to the newest halo/gears of war. My taste in movies is the same way. I don’t look down on fun comedies like Anchorman just because I love the action and thrill of a movie like The Departed. You can also count on me to talk about less trendy and action packed Citizen Kane esque movies. My taste in music is just as limitless. And I like my babes white, black, brown, but most of all Asian .