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Showing posts from January, 2022

Sony's Woes, Post Activision's Buyout.

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Is this the case of how the mighty have fallen?  Well, not necessarily. According to yesterday's Bloomberg article, Sony shares had fallen 13% in Tokyo two days ago with the biggest loss since around October 2008, which occurred after Microsoft made a deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. Despite the PlayStation garnering big success by publishing exclusive titles as in Insomniac's Spider-Man series, Naughty Dog's The Last of Us , Guerrilla’s Horizon Zero Dawn , and Sucker Punch’s Ghosts of Tsushima Xbox has instead opted down its subscription service, Game Pass, to bring additional players into the fold. While many gamers including PlayStation loyalists are upset over what may be a potential separation for PlayStation systems along with concerns about monopolistic practices, nothing is cemented in stone unless the deal officially goes through in the Summer of this year, presuming August. Anything can happen between now and then. And in other Microsoft slash Sony news, the

Gamechanger!! Activision's Acquisition!

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Shots, fired!!! In a surprise attack, Microsoft has purchased popular game publisher Activision Blizzard for a sweet 68.7 BILLION DOLLAR$ ! As if buying Bethesda and Zen Imax wasn't enough, Microsoft went all in and grabbed Activision for exclusive titles for their Xbox platform, especially when it comes to their Game Pass subscription which has hit over 25 million subscribers! As most gamers are aware of, Activision is the company behind Overwatch, Diablo, Tony Hawk, Candy Crush, and of course, Call of fucking Duty!! This means they own High Moon studios, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer games, and sooo many other developers! Microsoft's strategy is to utilize their newly acquired Intellectual properties not only for their signature console brand, but this "Metaverse" that enables casual gamers to play via cloud, mobile phones, tablets, and PCs. Has Disney's acquisition of products set the precedent for monopolizing as the studio who owns Fox, ABC, Hulu, ESPN, Star Wa

Moon Knight Trailer w/opinions.

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Okay, its what most of us have all been waiting for, as in Marvel's Moon Knight trailer! This long awaited series courtesy of Disney Plus stars Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant who works as a souvenir shop employee who experiences a set of blackouts. Grant's bizarre "visions" eventually has him going under the vigilante persona "Moon Knight". I've been somewhat of a fan of MK, since my first introduction of the character during the Defenders run and especially  those well written and illustrated Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz's issues. Sure, he's a Batman "knockoff", but Knight's concept is more intriguing  when you throw in mythological backdrop and dissociative identity disorder, the new term for "schizophrenia". To me, it's still a teaser trailer, but there were enough hints from the Comic's lore  that somewhat answered, my inquires. Isaac playing a Middle-eastern, would make sense regarding the Khonsu mythology. S

The Artist of the Deal: Mike Zeck

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I remember as a kid in the mid Eighties,  my cousin Paul and I used to argue who is the best Comicbook artist. While I was all for  Team Michael Golden since his work on the Micronauts, Paul arrogantly boasted how Mike Zeck was the superior artist. The thing I love so much about Golden's work, is how he creates this power dynamic , be it  explosive action panels that just leap  from the pages to intricately detailed aesthetics from the centered characters juxtaposed to the background. Golden's use of storytelling is so gravitating that I can understand what is going on without the need of word balloons. And on the other side, there was this guy Mike Zeck who was cutting his teeth during his stint on Captain America with Writer J.M. Dematties, but there was one storyline that caught my attention: The Deathlok Lives saga where Cap is sent "back to the future" to help Deathlok stop a Cyborg madman, Hellinger. This three-part saga was a perfect love letter to creator Rich

Eternals Review: Nothing lasts Forever as far as Marvel's Winning Streak is concerned.

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Director Clohe Zhao garnered praise and critical acclaim for her indie hit Nomadland, but how well does her talent fares when helming a live action adaptation based on one of Marvel's cult properties? Created by the legend himself, Jack Kirby, Marvel's Eternals is about a race of Superpowered humanoids, who were created by the Celestials to hunt and destroy the ravenous creatures known as the Deviants. Well, there's more to it after the first half of this nearly 3-hour movie. But out of respect for those few who have yet to watch this, I will forgo most spoilers. That said, the intro begins with some token Superhero battle scene where the Eternals fend off Deviants during 500 bc Mesopotamia. For a movie based one of Kirby's established works, absolutely none of his art was shown during Marvel's flip page title card and that's already not a good sign. While the pacing is slow, I  have to admire part of the storyline, that features how the Eternals despite their i

Godspeed Sid & Ronnie

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Shit! We're not even halfway past January and over four major celebrities and Pop Culture icons have made the transition! Is this "2016" all over again?? Aside from the unexpected passing of Betty White and Bob Saget, the news of legendary actor Sidney Poitier and now R&B singer Ronnie Spector had passed away.  While Betty White was known for her witty humor and excellent delivery during the 80's sitcom Golden Girls, I have a more personal connection toward Poitier and Spector. Sidney had such an dynamic presence especially during an era when there were very few Black actors within the motion picture industry.  I can recall watching his classic filmography as a kid in the 80's via independent stations like New York's WNEW at the time before it became FOX. In 1965's A Patch of Blue, Poitier befriended an illiterate blind white woman during the backdrop of the turbulent Civil Rights era, the friendship developed into a romantic relationship, albeit an il

Unhidden Gems of 2021!

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Okay, now that I offered my list of the most disappointing films of 2021, here's the flipside. My personal favorites of last year, which I refer to as "Unhidden Gems!" These movies. Television series or Videogames may or may not be the colossal hits compared to others within the media, however most  receive enough praise from the public. Movies: The Harder they Fall Whoa! This Western has plenty of style and swagger thanks to an all-star all-black cast, featuring Idris Elba, Johnathan Majors, LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo,  Regina King and the also beautiful Zazie Beats. There's plenty of action to complement both the cinematography and funky soundtrack. Expect a few twists and turns that will keep your attention undivided. Judas and the Black Messiah Based on a true story, this biopic about the assassination of Black Panther Chairman, Fred Hampton (played magnificently by Daniel Kaluula) who was placed under surveillance by William O'Neal and the FBI, to infilt