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Thoughts from a Fan: Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 20, 2009

twilightnewmoonreviewsdotcom — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:17:04 +0000

I was always taught that if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. And in my mind, there isn’t a more apt application for such a life theory than in the adaptation of popular novels into films. When you think about these popular literary franchise — many of whom have rabid fan bases — it is hard to imagine making a movie (or in this case, two) out of them that are subpar. As we’ve seen with the Harry Potter franchise, the key is to take the story from the books and build upon it. Find good actors, dazzle the fan base with great special effects and make the film’s accessible enough so that folks outside the fan base will be drawn in, and ultimately drawn into the world of the books as well. It’s a reverse method of getting people to read more — make the movies interesting enough, and folks will go after the rest of the story.

Not so with the Twilight franchise, at least not up to this point. With the release of New Moon, the second in a line of four films to be released by Summit Entertainment, the Twilight franchise has succeeded in doing only one thing: appeasing its built-in fan base. Which is sad, because such a rabid fan base deserves something better — something that will reach out to the rest of the world and invite others to see what they see. Sadly, this is not that case — and while its easy to say that some people just won’t “get” this operatic tale of love seen through the eyes of a teen girl, I would rather blame lazy filmmaking.

New Moon picks up where the first Twilight film left off, with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) locked in a heated, yet abstinent, love affair. But after a freak accident at Bella’s birthday party puts her life in danger, Edward leaves her in hopes of giving her a chance at a normal life — one that doesn’t involve brooding over a vampire. Left with emptiness in her heart, Bella weeps for Edward for several months, eventually emerging slightly from her depression to forge a new friendship with the constantly shirtless Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a now-meaty friend who is going through a few odd changes himself. As Bella digs deeper into Jacob’s life, she soon finds out that he isn’t all that he seems either.

From there, we find out about the true nature of Jacob and his tribe and — spoiler alert — their sweet ancestry of being werewolves. At this point, director Chris Weitz sets in and delivers two of the few shining achievements of New Moon. One is the development of Jacob as a character, aided by a solid performance from Taylor Lautner. After a movie and a third of watching Bella with Edward, it is almost sweet to see her engaging with someone who might have some depth to them, even if he does turn into a giant wolf from time to time. As well, Weitz delivers a wolf-on-wolf action sequence during Bella’s discovery of the wolf pack that is quite awesome, and reminiscent of his crowning achievement in The Golden Compass, the epic polar bear fight scene. It was the only point in the film when New Moon was exciting, and not bogged down with slo-mo action or brooding, hollow shells of romantic archetypes.

newmoon-review2

The rest of the movie is about as moving and engaging as watching a 24-hour golf marathon on television, in French. Sure, there is something there if you’re really interested in it and you speak the language, but to anyone sitting on the outside it is just another surface-level romantic melodrama that is poorly paced. On top of that, the Twilight films (can’t speak for the books) give us two main characters who are increasingly difficult to like, let alone adore (let alone root for). Bella is a whiny, weak-willed character whose sole preoccupation is finding a man through which she can define herself, and Edward is a creepy 109-year old vampire who is trolling the high school halls for young girls.

On top of that, Robert Pattinson’s performance is excruciatingly stale. I get it, he’s playing a vampire who is supposed to be without emotion. But he’s also playing the exception to the rule, the vampire who falls madly in love with this beautiful human girl and will do anything and everything to keep her safe. There should be something beneath the surface, something added to Edward to make him feel like the exception — and in Pattinson’s incredibly hollow performance, we see none of that. The same can be said for Kristen Stewart, who delivers once again a performance that makes Bella feel like a caricature of an overly dramatic, perpetually confused teen. If she is to become an icon for young girls everywhere, then I weep for an entire generation.

Beyond character problems and failure to craft an engaging, purposefully paced narrative, New Moon mostly suffers from an insider baseball complex, in which the only folks who can truly engage in the story are those who have intimate previous knowledge of these characters, whether it’s from the first Twilight film or Stephenie Meyer’s series of books. This fact cripples the film’s ability to reach out beyond its core audience, leaving many an audience member confused, bewildered and downright bored.

But as someone who has seen both films and read enough of the books to know what it going on, I can tell you that the most disheartening thing about this film is that while its fan base will be satisfied with it — especially the hanging ending that feels tacked on — they really aren’t getting their fandom’s worth with these movies. There is a story within Stephenie Meyer’s books that could make for a good movie, and a method by which these movies could be accessible and engaging. It just seems as if Summit and their respective creative teams can’t find it. That said, thanks to the nature of the story (the added action of the werewolves and the rush to find Edward in Italy), director Chris Weitz has lucked out — and in turn he has found himself the director of a movie that, while not good in the least, is at least more engaging than Catherine Hardwicke’s first film. Should this trend continue, the infinitely more capable director David Slade may actually give us something worth watching with the next installment, Eclipse.

The Upside: It plays to the fans, and does have a few action scenes (mostly with the wolves) that are pretty fun to watch.

The Downside: Poorly structured, poorly paced, poorly executed CGI in places and characters that are unlikeable, despite the fact that we should be rooting for them. An inaccessible mess.

On the Side: Each member of the wolf pack had to have papers proving their Native decent. Spencer is Lakota (Sioux), Pelletier is Cree-Metis, Meraz is Purepecha (Tarasco), Gordon is Hualapai, and Houseman, who was discovered at an open casting call, is Cree

Comet FSM Review and Video

bibliosk8 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:10:42 +0000

I’m pretty late to the game with this review, as the FSM has been out for a while. But I just got mine, so here goes…

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to ride my friend Mike’s Comet FSM board, set up with Milehighskates.com Indy 215 Hybrids and Retro Freerides. I kind of already knew I’d like the board, so when I took it out on Mike’s street, which is a nice downhill paved with super smooth asphalt, I wasn’t surprised that the board was great. Much like my Comet Pagan, but a bit shorter.

When the next month’s spending money rolled around, I didn’t hesitate to order that exact setup from Milehigh, with 83a Lemon Freerides.

As you’ll see if you click through to the description on the Comet website, this board is the result of massive collaboration with the readers/skaters of silverfishlongboarding.com. It is designed to be a fun downhill freeriding board. “Freeriding” being the “hip” name for riding down hills not in an effort to get the bottom fastest, but rather to have fun. The deck is symmetrical front and rear, with a pretty deep rocker and rad concave. I purchased the standard drop-through version of this board, and with the Indy/Core Hybrids, the thing sits low.

The shape of the board will allow you to run pretty much any wheels you want without worrying about wheelbite. To help further, Comet routes away a few plys on the bottom, effectively creating some pretty big wheel wells.

I’ve been riding mine for a few weeks now. While there are not really fast hills here, and I’ve not had a chance to travel to some faster ones, I can tell you that in the 15mph – 20mph speed range, this board is really a blast. It it very very nimble. Like all the Comet boards, the rocker/concave create a very dialed -in feeling. The feel is very much like the Comet Pagan, but even “more”, since the rocker extends through both ends of the symmetrical deck.

I have my trucks adjusted non-symmetrically. That is, I do use one end of the board as the “rear”, with that truck a bit tighter. I’m sure I’m missing out on the functionality of the deck. I expect that when I eventually go to a good hill and do some sliding, I will probably change this and try using the board bi-directionally. I can see how this would be a very cool way to do things. Right now I’m mainly enjoying the deep rocker and low profile, as well as the very comfortable and functional concave.

Here’s a little video of the FSM being ridden — just some stuff I shot today.

Review; Inglorious Basterds

The Phnom Pen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:52:45 +0000

It's BASTARD you yank tit..... After a tiring weekend there is nothing I like more than some Sun

Futures Passed Music News & Reviews: September 2009

futurespassed — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:51:38 +0000

Here is a list of posts made on FuturesPassed.com/Reviews in the month of September, 2009.

- An Introduction
- Jimmy Eat World’s 1994 Debut Album
- Bruce Springsteen, Live in Tampa 2009
- Chicago III by Chicago
- Crash & Burn: The Album, The Band, The Song
- Monsters of Folk’s Self-Titled 2009 Debut Album

I hope you enjoy the music!

- Steve

Visit us at twilightnewmoonreviews.com !

twilightnewmoonreviewsdotcom — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:50:10 +0000

Come and visit us at www.twilightnewmoonreviews.com !
Here you can rate and comment on the new movie to let others know what they missed out on!!!
Check it out!! It wont hurt!! Have fun !! Love the books the movies were…. well, not that impressive but still, it is awesome seeing them in “real life” !

foxyllady — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:19:02 +0000

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Russel — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:11:52 +0000

Though it’s better than the first movie, New Moon’s fatalistic, emotionally retarded, “I can’t live without you because I have no identity on my own” tale is only saved by some great action scenes and kickass special effects. There’s only so much turning off your brain you can do.

Director Chris Weitz, who wrote and directed the great About a Boy, brings a film filled with beautiful scenery (yay B.C.…on and Italy) and characters so. overcome. by. emotion. they. could. just. die. When I started this blog, I knew there would be a few movies that I wouldn’t necessarily have seen on my own. This was certainly one of them. So thankfully a friend of mine (female to make me not look creepy) agreed to see this tween fantasy so I put on my best incognito outfit on, put on my Clark Kent glasses, tipped the brim of my hat reeeeeeeeeeeally low and dug in for the next 2+ hours of teen angst. oooooooooooooooooh the angst.

The Setup:
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has some issues. She’s infatuated with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), her dreamy vampire boyfriend, to a level that’s not healthy but she’s worried her being human will ruin their love (she’s gonna get old and wrinkly you know….eewwww). After a bloodlust moment over a Cullen family dinner party, Edward decides it would be best if they never saw each other again. Well, Bella just wants to like die. Enter the topless Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf with some love of his own to give/share/lord over Bella. The movie turns up the emotional turmoil to eleven as Bella deals with her growing “let’s be just friends” love of Jacob and her desire to get back to Edward. The climax takes place in Italy where we meet the Volitari, vampire royalty and makers of rules…all leading us to the next installment of Twilight, Eclipse in June, 2010.

The Thoughts:
I could never be confused for a feminist. I like a strong, independant woman with a mind of her own but I’m not starting any women’s studies or burning bras anytime soon. Having said that, this movie is one of the biggest slaps in the face disguised as a teen romance I’ve ever seen (yes, I’ve seen a few). The character of Bella is painful to watch. She spends half the movie having nightmares and shutting down because her vampboy don’t want her no more (double negative on purpose). The only time where she feels almost ok is when she’s either c&%k-teasing the local werewolf or trying to kill herself to ger Edward’s attention. The tween (it’s latin for too young to know better) argument is that “this is true love, I just wouldn’t understand.” I call BS on that one. I like Kristen Stewart. She’s a damn good actress (see Adventureland and my recommendation below) but her Bella is the most incomplete, whiny, co-dependent character. There’s angst, and then there’s, my god shut up already.

The actors don’t have that much to work with. The main three of Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner play the characters as I’m sure they’re written. We get a bit of star power with the Volitari in the form of Dakota Fanning and Michael Seeen. They don’t do much but gosh, they look so awesome with creepy eyes and pale skin. I would have liked to see more of the Italian royalty but by the time we get to them, there’s not much movie left.

There is one scene I want to highlight for the sheer shock value. We learn that one of werewolves’ fiance was facially disfigured because the wolf got mad and he just feels terrible about it now. The Jacob character goes on to tell Bella that if she ever got him mad, he might snap and hurt her too. And we don’t want that. I actually had to lean over to my fellow audience member and ask, “did they just justify domestic violence?” And what worries me is not a member for that young audience picked up on it at all.

I had been asked if I was Team Edward or Team Jacob. Take this: I would rather pick the emo, pseodo homosexual, tortured Edward over the “acting is taking off your shirt,” wife beater Jacob anyday.

As you can probably tell, I wasn’t a big fan but I will say the threat of Victoria, the action sequences both in Italy and as the werewolves hunted vampires, as well as the werewolf effects were fantastic. Unfortunately they didn’t happen enough to make up for everything else.

Twilight Saga: New Moon Rating:

1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone. If any movie deserved this rating, it’s New Moon. This definitely plays to the romantic fantasy crowd and I was fully comfortable accepting that but I could only “go with it” for so long. Go for the special effects but make sure your eyes AND ears are open to the messages this movie is giving.

Rating system:
½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.
2 tickets – good movie, take a friend.
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:

The Wolfman (release date: February 10, 2010) – Director Joe Johnston already has a pretty good track record – Jurassic Park 3, Jumanji and the really underrated Hidalgo. And the wolfman is due for a comeback…stupid vampires and zombies. Looks great and it boasts Benicio “Traffic” Del Toro, Emily “Devil Wears Prada” Blunt, and Anthony “HELLO! – SILENCE OF THE MOTHER F’ING LAMBS” Hopkins.

Randomly Recommended

Into the Wild (2007) – Kristen Stewart isn’t in this long, but she is memorable. This is the real life story of Chris McCandless, a young, successful student with the world in front of him…so he decides to live there. Only his world is the Alaska wilderness. Amazing story of a guy that is driven to do what he wants, regardless of how unreasonable or crazy it seems to everyone else…including the audience. Great acting from Emile Hirsch and a stand out performance from Hal Holbrook.

Wolf (1994) – Werewolves are the new vampires. Less emo, more manly. And with Wolf, it’s Jack Nicholson as a werewolf. COME ON! Hairy, selfish, charming, acts on instinct, walking libido, and could snap at the drop of a hat. Isn’t Jack already one? With Michelle Pfeiffer, a skinny James Spader and directed by Mike Nichols (he did the Graduate and Working Girl), you’ve got yourself a movie.

Jane Beckenham, romance author

Kim Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:07:25 +0000

Meet Jane Beckenham, author of fabulous romances.

Tell us the title of your book and where we can buy it?

Well I’m really excited because my ebook, Desperately Seeking Santa is going into print for Christmas…and you know that’s only 13 weeks away – scary thought!

What is your book about? What genre is it and will you be writing another one in that same field?

It’s a holiday romance, contemporary. My heroine, Mandy Brookes who works as assistant manager of an upmarket store, is required to dress as Mrs Santa for the store’s Santa Grotto. Trouble is the normal 90year old Santa is drunk, so there’s a replacement. Then, they get locked in the store, and Santa isn’t who he appears to be, but the man she dumped at the altar five years earlier.

What inspired you to write your book?

I love holiday stories, and I wanted to write something fun and flirty, and Desperately Seeking Santa is the result.

How long did it take you to write it?

I normally take about 2-3 months, depending on what other writing stuff is going on, edits etc, for my other books.

How much time do you spend editing and what is your method?

I write a really quick first draft, and then do at least five full read throughs, editing, editing and more editing. I also have two great critique partners who will read chapters for me.

Do you belong to a critique group? What is your opinion of critique groups?

Yes, as I mentioned above I have two partners, we swap a chapter a week mostly, but more if required when we’re in deadline mode. I like having crit partners, but I must say that you have to have the right ones that work for you. And I personally believe that I need to have partners who are aiming at the same line as myself, or at least have a very very clear understanding of the that line.

How do you market your book?

I mostly do yahoo groups, a little bit of advertising, but do public appearances, libraries etc. And I’ve been asked to speak quite a few times at different writers’ groups, so that’s nice. I’m in New Zealand, so it’s a small market and very difficult. All my books are in ebook format first, then print, but NZs for the most part don’t even know what an ebook is, so that does make it harder on the home front.

Do you have an agent? Was the process you went through to gain an agent difficult?

No agent at the moment, but I am trying. I recently pitched to Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Agency and she requested a partial – that went off yesterday actually, so fingers crossed.

Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you believe reading is important for writers?

Love Sandra Hill, Sophia James. Yes, I think writers must keep reading, but that said, I’m struggling to keep up with that at the moment.

Do you have any advice geared toward the writing, or publishing of a book for our members?

Only that try and remember when you’re deep in edits, and it’s midnight, why you do this. It’s because you love it. Because you have to. It’s kinda funny, because this morning I just finished edits for my book Hiring Cupid – Samhain – and I sent them back then found myself sitting at the computer, thinking, what now? I feel lost without a writing project on the go.

Thought I’d give you a small teaser for Desperately Seeking Santa

DESPERATELY
SEEKING SANTA

Jane Beckenham

Mainstream
Holiday/ Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-60435-249-8

Santa leaned against a railing of silky teddies and thongs, all pink fluff and feathers along with black lace and faux fur. Mandy blinked several times. The guy didn’t move. The look on his face, humor and downright daring indicate he knew exactly what he leaned against. But still he stayed there. His arms crossed his chest, pulling the red suit across his broad shoulders. The fabric stretched and Mandy’s eyes widened. This was no weasely old man Santa and she wondered for the first time, what lay beneath all that fake Santa stuff?
“The phone lines are down,” he said, suddenly breaking into her heated thoughts.
Mandy shook her head, tendrils falling loose across her face. It tickled and she roughly brushed it away, tucking it behind her ears.
“Don’t do that.”
Her hand stalled, a strand of hair still between her thumb and forefinger. “Pardon?” Had she heard right, the guys voice was kinda muffled beneath all those whiskers.
“I liked it like that.”
Her brows puckered. Liked? Mandy snapped her thoughts closed. “The phone,” she prompted.
“The phone lines are out. Must have hit the mobile phone tower too, because can’t get a signal on my phone. The storm has struck so it looks like we’ll have to stay the night.”
“You want to what?” Shocked, Mandy gaped at Santa. “Sleep here?” She took a quick inventory. Not a bed in sight. “You’ve got to be joking. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”
“Got anywhere else to go?”
Mandy’s jaw dropped, but no words came out while a stain of heat scalded her cheeks. She didn’t have anywhere else to go No family. No life. Christmas as far as she was concerned was a non-event. But she wasn’t about to admit that. She tucked her suddenly fidgeting hands behind her. “Don’t you?” she questioned as a counter-defense.
“Nope.”
Desperation hiked up ten-fold. “But we’re locked in, everyone’s gone home. What’ll we do?”
“Told you. Sleep.”
Mandy stared into the dimness all around them, expecting, praying a security guard would walk out of the increasing darkness. “”You can’t sleep here. This is a department store.”
“Sure I can. There’s a bed, isn’t there?” he said pointing towards the Santa grotto.
“That’s Santa’s sleigh!”
“Bed, sleigh, what’s the difference?” He shrugged and his bushy white brows wiggled. “You’re a mite picky for someone stuck in a department store, don’t ya think?” He strode towards the sleigh and without thinking she found herself following him. Santa was in full force tossing out presents…well boxes of various sizes and colors intended to grant every child’s desire, as she side-stepped the elve’s mushroom stand.
“Which side do you want?”

Happy reading everyone and many thanks to Kim.
Jane Beckenham
http://www.janebeckenham.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Tim — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:07:07 +0000

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an intense game. It is so intense, in fact, that it took the campus mail system an entire extra week to deliver the game after FedEx got the game here from Activision, which explains the delayed write-up. This is not a difficult game to review; it’s short, it’s fun, and it’s absolutely epic.

Modern Warfare 2 is pretty much a direct sequel of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. You’ll see some familiar faces in “Soap” MacTavish and Captain Price and follow through the consequences of their actions at the end of the original, which is actually a pretty novel aspect since Call of Duty games traditionally have nothing in common except historical truth (or untruth, as is the case with World at War’s Nazi zombies). However, it should be noted that it is definitely not required to have played CoD4 to understand this game’s story, but you probably will miss out on shout-outs to the original, such as the mission entitled “Just Like Old Times.”

The story overall, though, seems only to exist to deliver deliciously epic moments to the player, and these are definitely only brief moments, not prolonged experiences. The astoundingly short single-player campaign will offer up about four to five hours of intense warfare that has plenty of little “I can’t believe that just happened!” cherries atop the shooter sundae. However, these little gems generally only stand out after some reflection because this game may actually be too intense. It’s almost as if it is at a constant, deafening roar. Even the exceptionally captivating stealth bits of the Task Force 141 segments end way too soon and stick you in a frantic shootout after a few minutes. This overall lack of story dynamics (think of a rollercoaster that only went down… for five hours) makes the plot seem as if every individual chapter was an incomplete thought on the game’s storyboard but was left in because of its “moment-ish” merit.

Speaking of moments, let’s discuss the “No Russian” mission. You find yourself playing as Joseph Allen who is undercover as Alexei Borodin for the CIA, infiltrating a group of Russian nationalists headed by Vladimir Makarov, the game’s primary antagonist. The mission boils down to you maintaining your secret identity by following through with Makarov’s plan to massacre an entire airport full of civilians. You are given the choice to skip the entire mission without consequence, which probably didn’t quell the most diehard of critics behind this mission’s controversy, but truthfully, this option isn’t entirely necessary. If you’ve ever played a Grand Theft Auto game, you’ve almost definitely done worse than mow down a couple dozen people with a machine gun. In fact, the police show up at the end anyways, so it actually does feel more like GTA than you’d expect in this regard.

The game actually borrows some elements from some other games and movies. The mission where you rescue a certain someone from a Russian Gulag has you fighting through a shower room and sewers in a very Nicolas Cage in The Rock-esque moment. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is something to note.

The gameplay, however, is more than refined enough to make up for the odd, slightly sprawling story and sometimes comical voice acting, especially when it comes to Shepherd. It’s pretty much the same game you played back with CoD4, just powered by an upgraded IW 4.0 engine, which delivers some pretty stellar graphics. Saying this is the same game, however, is not a bad thing. The first Modern Warfare was so polished and exciting to play that to simply match that quality of game is more than almost any developer can handle.

The infinitely spawning enemies found in CoD4 are long gone, but the “dynamic AI” which purportedly places enemies in new places each time you play through a level was not found. At best, you’ll find guy behind a door or window that surprises you with a face full of lead that wasn’t there before, which is a very frustrating experience on Veteran difficulty.

Modern Warfare 2 still showcases one of the most troublesome issues with these games: NPCs can do so much more than you can. You’ll see characters sliding into and sticking to cover, showing off some advanced melee moves, and overall just exemplifying how lame you are behind the controller. Wandering around the base at the beginning of the game shows a vibrant community of soldiers bustling around in their daily lives, but you can’t interact with any of them. The well fleshed-out world that you are placed in is much appreciated, but it feels a bit disappointing when you’re stuck watching rather than doing.

All of these, however, are minute complaints. The single-player campaign alone is well worth the price and has some of the most memorable moments ever to be had in a game, but let’s face it; the multiplayer is where the big bucks are made.

Imagine the CoD4 multiplayer, but better. Yes, that is possible, and yes, Infinity Ward did it. The added killstreak and deathstreak tweaks make online play incredibly compelling. The game is constantly rewarding you with challenges and accolades you didn’t even know you could accomplish. Even dying is rewarded, offering up a somewhat sick badge of pride. This constant “carrot on a stick” element of multiplayer games makes it incredibly addicting. You may never stop playing.

There is also a cooperative mode called Special Ops where you get to play through standalone missions with a buddy, though solo play is also allowed. These missions take place in locations from the campaign but are not actually campaign missions and sometimes include missions heavily inspired from the first Modern Warfare. You will find yourself sometimes using an AC-130 to protect your grounded cohort and other times you’ll be Army of Two-ing it up in some intense firefights. This mode may not have the same addictive appeal of the competitive multiplayer mode or the refined experience offered with single-player, but if you enjoyed the “Mile High Club” epilogue of CoD4 then you will also find a lot to like with Special Ops.

In the end, Modern Warfare 2 is exactly what you expected from Infinity Ward: polish, excellent gameplay, and a constant adrenaline rush. To expect anything less would have been a mistake, so if you’re not already playing this game, then you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Review e fotos do show no Bronze, em 19 de novembro

Ivar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:01:58 +0000

Novembro está sendo o mês de maior movimentação e shows para os Moscas Volantes! No último dia 19 estivemos no Bronze Night Club, junto com as bandas O Mínimo e Pensei que Fosse Alguém fazendo bastante barulho por lá. Inicialmente programados para um set de 45 minutos, a resposta do público foi tão boa que não deixaram a gente sair do palco! Sem dúvida esse foi o melhor show que já fizemos, e vai entrar para a nossa história! Obrigado a todos que estiveram lá!

Set list:

The KKK Took My Baby Away
Fool For Your Lovin’
I Believe in Miracles
Hash Pipe
Ain’t talkin’ about Love
Bichos Skrotos
My Way
I’m 18
I Want to Break Free
Poison Heart
Guilty of Love
I Fought the Law
Rockaway Beach
Rockin’ in the Free World

Agradecimentos:

Rato (chefão do Bronze!)
Loy (que montou a aparelhagem de som)
Joca, Jeff, Daniel (O Mínimo)
Giuliano (Pensei que Fosse Alguém)
Cristiane (que fotografou o show)
Hencrer, Gustavo, Monique, Adilson, Rodrigo, Eliana, Fabiana e Déia (nossos amigões!)

Fotos do show, by Cris:

Roseanne [TV Series + Review]

wjohns — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:01:41 +0000

My opinions & thoughts on this TV show: I really love this TV show Roseanne, it reminds me of the 70’s black sitcom Good Times which I love also but more than this one. I’ve been watching this show since I was young although I can’t really recall the episodes that I’ve seen back then since it’s been a long time. My favorite episodes so far are The Getaway, Almost and the one where Roseanne and Jackie were working at the supermarket and at the end they were messing up each other’s clothes by getting stuff all over them. This show makes me laugh hard and it’s the only show that I watch in the morning and if I can’t watch it then I’ll be somewhere else watching my Good Times: The Complete Series DVD. This show comes on really early like 2AM in the morning and sometimes I strangely happen to be up at that time. I still enjoy and love this TV show nowadays but the episodes have tendencies to fade away from my memory bank.

TV Show Grade : A+
Overall Rating : 5 stars

First Look: Roku Adds a Channel Store

Harry McCracken — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:28 +0000

When Roku introduced its Internet TV box in 2008, it offered a grand total of one content source–Netflix–and was in fact sometimes called the Netflix Player. Then it began adding options: Amazon Video on Demand and Major League Baseball. Tonight, it’s announcing that it plans to add a bevy of stuff via its new Channel Store, which will allow an array of providers to bring their content to Roku’s box, and therefore to your TV.

The Channel Store in its debut form–which will roll out to existing boxes over the next couple of weeks–is pretty modest. There are ten new channels, including some well-known ones (Blip.TV, Facebook Photos, Flickr, Pandora, Revision3’s TV shows, and Twit.TV) and some lesser-known options (FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, and Motionbox). They’re all free, and you choose to add any or all of them to your box through a process that involves activating them in a computer’s Web browser (and which occasionally gets a little cumbersome–MobileTribe, a social-network aggregator, makes you paintstakingly enter social-network login info on your TV using the Roku’s remote).

Like Roku’s existing channels, some of these new ones offer video pure and simple, including Twit.TV and Revision3. But Pandora brings music to Roku for the first time. And other channels, including Facebook Photos, Flickr, and MobileTribe, feel like rudimentary applets, since they bring parts of services you use on other devices to Roku. Motionbox even lets you upload videos that can be viewed by anyone who owns a Roku box.

They’re really rudimentary in some instances–as far as I can figure out, the only way to advance to the Facebook photos of a friend whose name begins with “Z” is to skip past every other friend, one friend at a time–but the move beyond video puts the Roku box into at least vague, indirect competition with TV widget platforms such as Yahoo’s Connected TV.

Roku executives told me that they expect a lot more channels to come online quickly, although for now it’s not going to be a free for all: they’ll all be approved by Roku, and there’s stuff the company won’t approve on grounds of taste. The initial lineup of channels is certainly enough to whet my appetite for what’s to come, andthe addition of Pandora instantly broadens the Roku box’s appeal. The ChannelSstore will be available on all three Roku variants: the $129.99 Roku HD-XR (with Wireless-N connectivity), the $99,99 Roku HD, and the $79.99 Roku SD.

Even though adding each channel involves some work, the Roku box still rates high for ease-of-use overall, and even the top-of-the-line HD-XR is aggressively priced. With Apple TV largely stuck in limbo and Vudu seemingly focusing on getting its cool service built into TVs and other devices, Roku is the Internet TV box whose capabilities and content mix are evolving the most rapidly–and if the Channel Store catches on, that evolution could go into fast-forward mode in the months to come.

Review: The Horny Stepfather

ragemanga — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:48:44 +0000

The Horny Stepfather by Melkor Mancin (a.k.a Romulo Mancin)

(Originally in Portuguese, but the English version might also be by the original artist)

Warning, this is not manga, this is a sort of manga-style comic drawn by someone that I believe is Brazillian. It is drawn in a sort of manga style, though. In fact, I would say that the intention is to be entirely manga-style, but something, and I’m not sure exactly what, about the way it is drawn makes it easy to tell that it was not drawn in Japan.

I know from being on 4chan that there are some fans of Japanese manga who hate western style comics, and vice versa, to the point where both sides hate to see any mixing. So I’m sure some people will be a little put off by seeing a non-Japanese comic here on what is basically otherwise a blog entirely devoted to Japanese material.

I personally like all comics, and the only reason there aren’t more NTR from the west listed here is that as far as I can tell, there just about aren’t any NTR comics in the west. At least, not NTR as I see it. For example, a commenter on this blog mentioned an offshoot of “Housewives At Play”, where wives cheat with other women. Not that a lesbian relationship isn’t cheating (despite the potential for threesomes that straight-porn would have you believe), but the feelings and everything are just a whole other ball game than having another man involved.

If you bop on over to some of the 4chan imitators where more western porn comics are available, you’ll see a few examples of a very particular strain of NTR related comics, which is blond women being fucked by huge black dudes while their scrawny white husband looks on helplessly. It is technically NTR, but the focus is so overwhelmingly about race that I just can’t get into it. The whole “cuckholding” fetish in the west is so dominated by racist stereotypes that I think it’s really a whole other fetish.

But I consider this comic to be a welcome exception to that rule.

As the title says, the cheating happens between the wife and the husband’s father. For some, the fact that the son is being betrayed by his own father might make it “worse”, which in NTR makes things “better”. For me, anything close to incest doesn’t do it for me, but it doesn’t kill it for me either, I just look past it if the rest of the story is good.

And in this case, I think the rest of the story is worth it. It’s not long, but it has a nice step by step progression from the wife’s reluctance to her compliance. I mean, it’s about as slow as a progression as you’re going to get in porn.

The father has had a “mild” heart attack, and needs to stay at his son’s place for a few days to recover. The son is going to be out of town on business for a few days, leaving the newlywed wife to take care of the father. The father starts to feel pretty good right away, though, especially when he lays eyes on her tits. The situation escalates, and you’re going to want to read it to see where it goes.

Rating: 7/10

In another posting I mentioned how I prefer when the woman is portrayed as a bitch who chooses to engage in the cheating. This story shows another depiction of women that I also find hot. The whole way, the wife is saying how she shouldn’t be doing what she’s doing, but her actions give away that actually she really wants it. She’s never manipulated so much that she doesn’t choose what she’s doing, but there’s just an internal conflict of hers that works somehow. Maybe because she’s trying to get away with lying to herself, pretending she’s not really responsible when she obviously is, and that’s another way of being a bitch?

There’s a particularly hot scene in the kitchen when the husband comes back in because he’s forgot something. Very nice.

If you’re the type of purist who only accepts “real” Japanese manga, you won’t like this. But if you’re like me, looking for NTR stories in whatever form they are available, then I think you’ll like this.

I only want to add a little more information about this artist that might help you when you’re around on the internet looking for his work. Among his other stuff, he has two other NTR stories out there, but I probably won’t devote whole reviews to them.

One is called “Another Horny Stepfather”, which is about a different family. As far as I know, the story is incomplete, and since this artist seems to have a lot of unfinished comics, that might be all we see. In the story so far, it looks like it might be heading toward a threesome with the son involved, not a heartbreaking moment, or a continued cheating. I’m really not into stories where the husband or boyfriend gets something out of the affair, so I’m probably going to pass on this “sequel”, despite it being so similar to the first one.

The other is called “Monster Wedding Night”. It’s very short story about a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. They are literally on their first night together in a cottage, having just come from the wedding and the wife is still in the dress. Before they have sex, the wife goes to have a shower, and the husband passes out from drinking too much champagne. While in the shower, a green monster comes in and fucks the wife. It starts out as rape, but then the wife is wanting it very quickly. The husband wakes up and goes to check on his wife, and there’s a good shock moment of seeing his wife covered in the monster’s cum. Everything about it is good, but for me, the concept of a green monster was a total miss. Had it been with an actual person, I think I would give it its own review.

In the end, though, this artist is one I’ll keep an eye on, since there’s hope he might come up with more NTR stories in the future.

If you know of any non-Japanese NTR stories, please share whatever information you have!

The Ugly Truth and I love you, Beth Cooper.

anna. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:46:32 +0000

So last night we decided to make it romantic comedy night after our internet went down and raiding b

Chao Bistro delivers a few new favorites

Karen Rosenzweig — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:15:57 +0000

Have you ever felt like you totally understand your tastes, and nothing a restaurant is going to dish out will change your mind? Well I have, and the recently opened Chao Bistro on Capital Hill (1200 E. Pike) took me by surprise on a number of delicious dishes.

To set the stage, I was participating in the first local gathering of Tastecasting, an event where restaurants host a complimentary menu tasting for a small group (10-15) of active social media enthusiasts. In return, the group broadcasts their experiences and opinions to their followers, fans and connections via social media.

Photo: Diana Johnson

So we gathered on a cold, windy, rainy Seattle evening (what a shock!) to take a spin through the menu at Chao and share our opinions. What I “thought” I knew about my tastes would be challenged – namely, I don’t drink (or like) sake, I like my calamari in little “rings and legs”, spam is to be avoided at all costs, and anything with gravy in the morning is to be avoided. And you can guess what I found on the generous 17-item tasting menu – all of the above!

We tasted the menu in three sections – breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was pleasantly surprised by the breakfast items (served Sat-Sun, 8am-3pm) and would definitely return for most of the dinner items, either during regular hours (6-11 pm) or the incredibly well-priced happy hours (3-7pm, 11pm-1am).

As for breakfast, gravy is not something high on my list – nor is anything with spam! Oh but I was wrong. The Island Fried Rice was a beautifully balanced salty-savory dish, with two over-easy eggs atop a mound of spam-speckled fried rice. Uh oh, spam. Really?? But it was great, and went well with the portuguese sausage, barbecued pork, onion and carrots, with a nice touch of sesame oil.

And the gravy? Whoa, it came slathered over the Chicken Fried Steak, a mountainous 11-ounce ground beef steak, atop a bed of hash browns. Yowsa, that could feed a whole tableful of hungover diners, and the rumor is that only one person has ever finished the whole plate by himself. I believe it, since the plate easily served 5-6 of us, and we lapped up the gravy, speckled with bacon and sausage, like nobody’s business. So, two myths down – spam is actually good, and gravy works for breakfast. Who knew?

In the dinner segment, we tried 11 different dishes and it gave my palate a workout! There were some great Pan-Asian takes on traditional dishes, such as the Miso Cream Fettuccine (with chicken or salmon), the Wasabi Caesar Salad (a unanimous favorite with all 10 of our diners!) and a great Chao Salad with candied walnuts, Asian pear slices and lychee vinaigrette.

But the three dishes that really stood out for me were the Calamari, Lemongrass Crab Cakes and Whole Fried Chicken. As previously mentioned, I like my calamari in little fried “rings and legs”, as you would find in most restaurants – but I have a new favorite! This dish delivered perfect little strips of solid calamari, cut from a full steak, breaded in panko, chili powder and orange peel and fried quickly and perfectly. It was served with a lemon ginger aioli that was a perfect accent, and I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to eat “rings and legs” again – this is the new standard in calamari for me!

Note: A special offering from Tastecasting: You can try a free calamari appetizer with dinner and a minimum $15 purchase! It’s good until Nov 30 and you just need to mention you read about them on Tastecasting!

The Lemongrass Crab Cakes were a meaty, crunchy blend of crab, panko, lemongrass, coconut, red peppers and shallots, served with the same lemon ginger aioli (above) and a nice sweet chili mango sauce. Perfect!

And the whole fried chicken, you might wonder, what’s the big deal with that? Well, it was beautifully served on a platter with small dishes of pickled daikon, salt & pepper, and sweet chili sauce, and the skin was a perfectly crispy crackly delicious finish. And it’s not just a Sunday comfort food dinner – the owners related that in Korea when people go out drinking, this style of chicken is what they would order to eat while they are imbibing. Hmm, so much for bad nachos and wings, like they serve at most bars late-night! This bird was just $25 and would easily serve 3-4 hungry (and buzzed!) diners well, and it was fabulous.

And what about the fourth food myth – that I don’t like sake? Well I don’t – and I passed on the first three samples that were served with dinner. More for everyone else, right? But then came that aroma – enticing sweet crisp fresh - that arrived before the cup even hit the table. Wow, I thought – but I don’t drink that. Bummer. But the aroma prevailed, I tasted the lovely green apple sake and my mind is forever changed! I think it could be a very dangerous drink for me, you have been warned…

We tried many more excellent dishes – waffle cut sweet potato fries, wok-seared edamame, 12th Ave french dip, ahi trio, etc. and you really can’t go wrong with any of the choices. In fact, if I lived closer to Chao, I’d be in serious danger of eating several times a week here, thanks to the great variety in the menu. Many thanks to co-owner Tony, manager Paula and Chef Kevin for a fantastic evening.

And now, back to the drawing board for my “food myths” – I think I need to work on a couple new ones…can’t wait for the next Tastecasting event to find out what they will be!

Chao Bistro & Bar, 1200 E Pike, Seattle, 206-324-1010 www.chaobistro.com

Mariah Carey [There's Got to Be a Way] (5th Single)

elfwitch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:14:38 +0000

OK I’m gone be honest, I use to burst out into laughter everytime I heard There’s Got to Be a Way and I never really fully listened to it, because I thought it was like the cheesiest song she’d ever made, I’m serious. This, when you sit down and actually listen to it and take in is a pretty damn good song that’s catchy to boot and makes you want to get up and jam just like those kids in the video. Its just this is a pretty rare track from Mariah, singing about poverty and racism and wordly issues, so its almost nostalgic and inspiring in a sense, especially since she gave a rather superb vocal performance and that hi-note was fantastic. The added choir was a nice touch as well.

The coupling track is There’s Got to Be a Way (7″ remix) and though that’s a pretty odd name for a remix, I don’t really see much of a difference, aside from the fact that the song seems to be a lot softer and Mariah’s whistle note is replaced with a hi-note, which sounds nice, but is not as effective. This was a pretty smooth remix though.

There’s Got to Be a Way

Mariah Carey [I Don't Wanna Cry] (4th Single)

elfwitch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:12:24 +0000

I did not use to like I Don’t Wanna Cry, in fact I use to really loathe this song because I thought it was so boring and dreary and it honestly just rubbed me the wrong way. I disliked it so much that I’d skip it everytime I’d listen through her 1’s album and rant about why she would put such a boring song on an album with such classics. I really had a vendetta against this track. Now though its not really that bad and is a pretty emotional and passionate song from her, I also love how she crys during the video, really bringing the message home. This is one of my least favorite Mariah tracks and I hardly ever listen to it, but its not a bad listen, I really love the chorus.

The b-side is You Need Me for some reason and my feelings for it hasn’t changed. I also wonder why this is the b-side, when its a b-side on one of the many versions of Love Takes Time.

I Don’t Wanna Cry

Left 4 Dead 2 Review

Hellerphant — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:10:39 +0000

2008 saw the release of Left 4 Dead, the hectic team based survival horror from Valve, the development team behind the Half-Life series. It had a way to make you rely on your team members for survival like no other game could. A year later the sequel is here, a quick turn around for any sequel in the gaming world, more-so surprising from a developer that is renowned for their lengthy development schedules.

While many fans cried out in a boycott, stating this was more of an expansion back than a full blown sequel, after a few hours with Left 4 Dead 2 it instantly proves itself worthy as a new addition to the franchise as opposed to a glorified expansion pack. Fixing and tweaking many of the first titles downfalls and adding in new components creates a title that is bursting at the seams with rich, zombie slaying gameplay.

For those of you who haven’t had an experience with the first game, Left 4 Dead 2 places you in the middle of a Zombie apocalypse. You fill the role of one of the four survivors who try to blast your way through hordes of “infected” in an attempt to get to the end of the map. This time round the game is set in the southeast regions of America, and the new cast of characters carry humor, charm and wit in spades. Hearing stories about particular Nascar drivers, and stories about hilarious accidents while hundreds of zombies are honing in on your position gives the characters more of the spotlight that the first title was lacking.

The improvements are so rich in-fact you will find going back to the original game is a pure disappointment. L4D2 features five new interesting campaigns, that have you fighting your way through far more invigorating environments than it’s predecessor. The situations you find yourself in simply give you more to do, which keeps things feeling fresh as opposed to run and gun to the safe house feeling the first game tended to have. All five campaigns can also be played in the Versus game mode right off the bat, no waiting around for Valve to release DLC to unlock that ability this time. As a result the game feels like a full package, where the first game tended to feel a little hollow.

L4D2 is team based gameplay at it’s finest. It is paramount to communicate and work together as a team to achieve success, more-so than any other game you’re likely to play this generation. You will need to rely on your team mates to keep you informed of where they are, when finding health, ammo or weapons, or when there is a world of hurt about to come raining down, and you will have to return the favour. The catch is that no level will play the same thanks to Valve’s AI which they call “The Director”. The Director changes up the location of enemies, weapons and difficulty each and every time you play. It manages to encourage repeat play as you will never know exactly how it will pan out, and manages to provide a challenge every time, regardless of your experience and skill.

Difficulty will play a big part in your experience with L4D2 which offers some of the most challenging gameplay you’re likely to see. Normal is a good entry point as you grasp the concept and learn what weapons work in what situations, while Expert requires the very best in reaction time, communication and overall skills. To make it even harder L4D2 introduces realism mode, removing hints and glows on items such as health and weapons from the HUD. This means your communication with your team member needs to be top notch, otherwise you are going to find yourself high and dry and left for dead.

If you are anti-social or just don’t feel like playing online there are Bots included who can go through the five campaigns with you. They also jump in on the action if a player drops out, and while they do make accurate shots and do their best to help out, it’s far more entertaining with with human players. The bots are largely unreliable. There were a few situations where I went down and needed to be revived, the bots came and took out the zombies and then ran away again without helping me up, leaving me there to die. It’s functional, but to play L4D2 as intended you really do need to play with fellow gamers.

If the campaigns aren’t challenging enough for you Versus mode is sure to get the blood pumping. Versus pits four players as “survivors” and another four players control special infected enemies such as Tanks, Boomers etc. With the addition of new Special Infected in Spitters, Jockeys and Chargers, the Versus gameplay is now far more interesting and fleshed out. Spitters have the ability to spit out acid, Jockeys ride the survivors controlling their movements and Chargers are like mini tanks, charging at their enemies and pummeling them. It keeps gameplay varied and with the 4v4 action things can become quite tense and unpredictable.

What makes L4D2 so successful is the tension and overall stress it will cause you. It get’s your heart racing, and you will find your attention fixated on the screen at all times, constantly reassessing the situation and making decisions you hope will pay off. Each campaign features pivotal moments that will stand out in your mind well and truly after you complete them, whether it be frantically filling a car full of gas in Dead Centre, or dealing with the storms and winds in Hard Rain. If you are a fan of the first game, you are going to go ga-ga for L4D2.

It’s not just the new characters, the fantastic and varied environments or gameplay situations that make L4D2 a far better package, it’s the little things that make the game so much more entertaining and varied. A bigger range of guns, the inclusion of explosive and incendiary ammo pickups but most importantly, and the most fun, the inclusion of melee weapons.

That’s right ladies and gents, you can now slice and dice, whack and smack and shred your way through each campaign with a delightful assortment of melee weapons. There are the conventional melee weapons for a horror film setting, there’s the machete and the katana and of course a chainsaw, but then there are some unexpected ones such as a cricket bat (paddle bat for the Yanks) electric guitar or a frying pan. In all there are a number to choose from and you will have a blast regardless of your choice. There is nothing quite like the feeling of facing off a bunch of infected and smashing their heads off with a well timed swing from the old cricket bat, you can’t help but have a smile come across you face, disturbing as that thought may be.

Along with new weapons come new perks as well. Along with your pain-pills and your medipacks you know have access to adrenalin shots which give you that little pick me up when the odds are against you, making you faster and stronger for a short period of time. Add this with the new defibrillator pack to bring slain survivors back from the dead, and you have some great new additions to the gameplay.

Now it’s time to address the heavy censorship applied to the Australian release of the game. Due to the fact that in Australia we don’t have an R18+ rating for video-games, the original cut that rest of the world received was refused classification by the OFLC board. While violence doesn’t make a game, in a game like L4D2 it certainly adds to the authenticity of the situation. The lack of blood, bodies on the floor or dismemberment makes the game really seem lacking. I’d highly advise you to get an uncut version of the game, if you want more info on how to do that, check out my article on this website.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Despite the quick turn around between releases Left 4 Dead 2 is a far more complete, rich and rewarding gameplay experience, improving in almost every aspect it ventures. This is team based gameplay at it’s finest, and the amount of tension and stress this game can cause you is a true testament to Valve. They have created one thrilling and immersive game here. For those who enjoyed the first game then you will fall in love with the sequel, yet if the first Left 4 Dead didn’t rev your engine, chances are this game will do nothing to change that. Overall, one of the most thrilling games this year.

GAMEPLAY: 9.1/10 – Gameplay has been improved in each and every facet over the original.

GRAPHICS: 8.8/10 – The graphics are fairly decent but it isn’t the greatest looking game on the market. Enemies are detailed and animations are fluent. The daylight environments add a little something that the first game was lacking.

AUDIO: 9.0/10 – The weapons sound full and punchy, the voice acting is top notch, campy but it suits, and differentiating groans from different zombies comes together is a great sound package.

VALUE: 9.2/10 – The AI Director makes each campaign play different each time. Add this to the versus mode and the new scavenger mode and you have a pretty decent bang for buck. Hopes for further campaigns via DLC.

OVERALL: 9.2/10

Mariah Carey [Someday] (3rd Single)

elfwitch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:10:27 +0000

Yeah, Someday is a personal favorite song of mine and I can remember those days of me having it on full blast in my diningroom while I washed dishes in the kitchen. Good times. I never get tired of listening to this, no matter how many times I listen to it, it just always sounds so wonderful to my ears, because everything Mariah is singing is just right on point. Its very empowering and is a welcome relief from the past two dreary a-sides. Its like Mariah’s saying she’s not going to be angst-ridden anymore, because its his lose not hers and he’s going to miss her. I also love the keeping score part of the song. Mariah is really into this and that’s part of the reason why this is such an enjoyable song, because she’s feeling herself and its wonderful. That whistle note at the end was in the beggining the main reason why I always put this track on, just wow.

The b-side Alone in Love was pretty all right, I mean just like the previous b-sides it doesn’t stand out as much as the a-sides, but it does manage to leave an impression even if it does fall into the bitter love category. The arrangement is pretty dark and heavy and makes me think of songs like Rock Me Tonight, which is that song by Freddie Jackson I kept thinking about while listening to this. Mariah gives a good and emotional vocal performance. I can see this growing on me at some point.

Someday (pianoapercapella) is a pretty nice version of the song. Mariah is devoid of the heavy instrumentation of the original and is instead lead by the piano, but her strong vocals manage to make this song stand out and I normally don’t really like acapella’s. There was a point towards the end where the songs stops and Mariah sort of fades in and out, that was pretty nice. The whistle note was more pronounced since it didn’t play as the track was going out and you actually get to hear how great it really sounds.

There are a lot of remixes of this song, and honestly they’re all quite confusing, but I wanted to give Someday (12″ house) a listen and I’m kind a not glad that I did, because its so long-winded. The instruments are really pushed out into the front and Mariah’s strong vocal performance sounds muffled or something, because it just wasn’t as prominent as it was during the original. They keep the high note and just like in the acappella its given the oppurtunity to shine. This is long and I got pretty tired of it after a while.

Someday

Time To Get All Purpley With Miamai

avonaryba — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:05:09 +0000

Monica Outlander, owner of Miamai has created something stunning for us called Virgo Purpley Gown, a special limited edition. I’d like to share it with you today. Virgo Purpley is a beautiful gown of muted purple fashioned in embroidered silk. The top clings seductively in all the right places, cut to a deep v at the front and is shaped and cut away at the back to reveal just enough of a suggestion of what lies beneath.

Pillows of soft silk circle just below the waist and shape a cheeky bustle to the back. Layers of embroidered silk form a second skirt tier, beneath that, lengths of delicate silk flow elegantly to the ground. The embroidered detailing is wonderfully done and makes this gown really pretty to look at and a delight to wear

Visit Miamai
Take a peek at Miamai’s Blog

::Other items::

Hair by Mirone
Skin by Lara Skin

This is not a book

fairfieldbooksonstation — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:00:34 +0000

This is Not a Book (PB $16.95) by Keri Smith, creator of Wreck This Journal (also PB $16.95) is a ‘recording device’ for ideas, events, daily happening and general musings. With quirky ideas and tasks to complete on every page, this journal is an exercise in creativity. Often funny and always imaginative, Smith aims to inspire the reader into creating their own story, rather than providing one for them. Managing to be thought provoking and cool at the same time, this would make a great gift for a trendy, arty teen with a whole summer on their hands.

Jess

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex - Review

The Chaos — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:52:43 +0000

THE GAME EYE has uploaded the video review of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex, the Wii port to Activision’s 2007 Game Of The Year. Follow this link to watch the review:Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex – Review

N.B:You can purchase Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex at . Here’s the direct link: THE GAME EYE STORE – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex

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websitesreviews — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:50:59 +0000

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Game Review: Modern Warfare 2

Chris Scott — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:40:32 +0000

Originally published on Examiner.com

Let us not be shy about it, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was one of the biggest games to ever be released. The game garnered mass critical and commercial success on its way to becoming one of the most played online titles of this current gaming generation. So it goes without saying that the sequel to that game would garner a feverish hype train that it would have to contend with. Now the game is here and it has a whole lot to live up to.

Modern Warfare 2 picks up five years after the events from the Call of Duty 4 and things have only gotten worse since your squad eliminated the Russian terrorist, Imran Zakhaev. For those that have not played Call of Duty 4, or for those that may be a little hazy on the previous games storyline, will be caught up early on by way of opening credits that recap past events. It tuns out Zakhaev’s death allowed Vladamir Makarov to seize power and Zakhaev is looked at as a martyr of Makarov’s “New Russia”. Terrorism runs rampant throughout the world and the task force headed up by the United States and Britain, Task Force 141, is once again put into service to covertly take care of things.

Early on in the game things go sour for the United States and then the story kicks into high gear. The level where all this happens has garnered quite a bit of publicity, both good and bad, from mainstream media outlets and gaming press alike. The level, entitled “No Russian”, puts gamers in control of a character who is participating in a terrorist attack on a Russian airport and innocent, unarmed civilians. It should be noted that gamers never have to kill, or even fire upon, the civilians and the level is meant to set up the next phase of the story, in fact they do not even have to play the level if they do not want to.

This all brings me to the only real problem with Modern Warfare 2’s single player campaign, the quality of the narrative is poor. It feels as if the game designers had some excellent ideas culled from various action movies and then handed those set pieces over to the team of writers headed by Call of Duty 4’s head writer Jesse Stern. The overarching narrative feels very disjointed and the emotional shock that the “No Russian” level was attempting to garner has instead been met with disgust, derision and in some cases apathy. Sure some may be feel the intended effect but the scene just does not have the emotional tug that the nuclear explosion from the first had.

The fact that the story unfolds primarily in game and in between levels via radio transmissions does not help matters. While it is commendable that developer Infinity Ward would rather the player experience the story, as opposed to being told the story, with such a convoluted script that spans multiple continents and features a bevy of characters, certain plot points can get muddied very easily.

However you feel about the story, it is not the real reason to play through the single player campaign. The real reason lies in the six hours of amazing, non-stop, tense action. The single player campaign plays like a Michael Bay film and by that I mean an action film on steroids. The action hardly ever lets up long enough for you to catch your breath, let alone digest the over-the-top storyline. The game is filled with exhilarating snow mobile escapes, boat chases, stealthy infiltrations, and even an assault to take back the a famous home in Washington D.C., and if you are not awed by the intense action throughout you may very well not have a heartbeat.

The single player game will only keep you occupied for roughly six to seven hours but the game packs a pair of other game modes that should keep you playing well into the next year, if not longer. The first of these modes is Special Ops. Special Ops pits players in series of various situations with different tasks to be completed, like eliminate a certain amount of enemies or reach a designated area in a certain amount of time. Some of the missions take place in environments from the single player campaign, while others will place you in locales from Call of Duty 4 or completely new ones.

The most interesting aspect of Special Ops though is that it can all be done co-operatively with a friend. Be forewarned though, to unlock all the missions in Special Ops one must venture above the Regular difficulty and venture into Hardened or Veteran, hard and harder respectively, so pick your partners wisely because teamwork, or the lack thereof, will effect the outcome of your missions.

All that leads us to the final piece of the puzzle, the shining jewel of Modern Warfare 2, the Multiplayer. Filled with sixteen maps, numerous game modes, challenges to complete, and weapons to unlock the multiplayer mode in Modern Warfare 2 is set to reign supreme as the single best multiplayer shooter on the market.

Veteran players will feel right at home and begin working their way through the expansive leveling system, while those new to the online battlefield may start out a little overwhelmed. That said new players will never feel like they are not progressing as Modern Warfare 2 finds ways to positively reinforce gamers at every step moving them ever closer to the next unlockable weapon or attribute changing perk.

Speaking of perks, Modern Warfare 2 continues the path set forth by its predecessor Call of Duty 4, offering up an expansive list of attribute changers that will help gamers and hinder their opponents. New perks, like Bling, allow players to modify their weapon choices with multiple attachments while others, like Hardline, will allow for Killstreak rewards to appear slightly faster. Killstreaks also have received a face lift and are now fully customizable and in addition to customizable Killstreaks are the all new Deathstreaks. Deathstreaks have been designed to help players who are having a hard time staying alive do just that.

All in all the competitive multiplayer aspect of the game is one of, if not the most, expansive set-ups found in any game on any system to date and it may very well keep people playing for the next year or two while developer Infinity Ward works on the inevitable Modern Warfare 3.

By now you should have come to the realization that the game plays wonderfully but you may be wondering how it looks and sounds? Whereas Call of Duty 4 was mired with a lot of dull color schemes, Modern Warfare 2 is a vibrant looking game and is arguably one of the best looking games on both the 360 and PS3 to date. Character models and animations all look wonderful and it is all done with a super steady frame rate, something that the prettier looking Killzone 2 on the PS3 could not do. The music, with themes done by Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, voice acting and weapon effects are equally impressive, especially if you have a decent surround sound set up.

Modern Warfare 2 is an impressive piece of software that will undoubtedly keep many gamers occupied for quite a long period of time. If there is a hiccup in the game it is the single player. Clocking in with about six or seven hours of playtime, gamers looking for an expansive single player experience instead of a multiplayer one may feel a little put out. However when looked at as a whole though there are few games that can come close to what Modern Warfare 2 has delivered and gamers owe it to themselves to give it a try.

5 out of 5

Game Review: Modern Warfare 2

Chris Scott — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:40:30 +0000

Originally published at Examiner.com